Volume 5 Chapter 204, A Girl Named Kriemhild_3 (: Lavender)

Translator: Nonon

Proofreader: Silavin

 

POV: Violet

 

“Hey there, Violet. Are you investigating in Clo’s stead?“

“Yes. Mrs. Vert, are you also… investigating?”

“That’s right.”

 

After carrying Kriemhild to the bed, I asked Lord Clo for the directions to the site of the incident and headed over.

When I arrived, I found Mrs. Vert doing something that looked like on-site investigation, so I asked her what she was doing. She answered that because she was in Shiki for investigation, she was looking into this incident as a part of it. Come to think of it, she said she had something to report, so maybe this is the extension of that.

 

“I see, I heard Kriemhild had carried them, but I didn’t know she used a drug like that. Alchemy magic sure is mysterious. And she even got to touch Clo… I’m jealous.”

“Yes, I’m truly amazed by the alchemy magic… you’re jealous?”

“I haven’t said anything of the sort.”

 

When she asked about the victims, namely Lord Clo and the others, I told her that Kriemhild carried them. I explained the situation after she was surprised by this and she seemed to have been impressed.

I also think it’s amazing that she can make all sorts of crazy things, from bombs to strange drugs.

Also, what is she jealous of?… Maybe I should be wary of Mrs. Vert after all. I feel like I should protect Lord Clo as his wife…

 

“I can rest assured because I know she wouldn’t make anything illegal, but could you please tell her to take care of her body? Well then, I have to check out the situation.”

I nodded at Mrs. Vert’s words and she started explaining the situation at hand again.

To put it simply, it was just as Kriemhild said and the ground reacted strangely between Silva and Apricot, causing magic to go out of control. In terms of attributes, it appeared to be black magic that affected the mind, so there was no need to worry about its lethality. However, while it was not the kind of magic that caused injury, magic power spreading to the surroundings could affect the area around.

Apparently, a magical container for transportation that was filled with fertilizer and other materials broke, causing devastation in the surroundings.

Nobody was injured, and apart from Lord Clo and the others who were carried away earlier, Cyan, the dark mage (Orchid) and Mary were also unaffected.

 

“There is a chance that is a sign of the monsters sealed in the past awakening. That’s why I’m investigating to see if there’s any danger.”

“Thank you. Have you noticed any signs like that so far?”

“No, I haven’t. I’m not keeping it a secret to avoid chaos, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

 

While this is a relief, at the same time it makes me wonder why this happened.

The people won’t be able to rest easy until we figure out the cause.

 

“… Come to think of it, there were rumors that Silva Seyfried had some strange powers. This could have been a manifestation of that pow-“

“No, Silva’s ground just reacted strangely.”

 

Just as Mrs. Vert started to make a hypothesis, Mary appeared and denied it.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry if I offended you, Mary. I have to think about all possibilities as the investigator.”

“No, I am also sorry for suddenly denying your hypothesis. He’s calmed down now, but Silva is very sensitive about those kinds of rumors.”

 

Mrs. Vert apologized, and Mary protected Silva with the apologetic expression and a smile that looked like the one I’ve seen her with when we were at the academy.

… I didn’t see it much after the school festival or the girls’ night, but it seems like her expression hasn’t changed much since we reunited at the school festival. It may also be because I’m looking at Mary through rose-tinted glasses. Besides, if you asked me to put it into words, I wouldn’t be able to say why I see it that way.

 

“Let’s see, there’s also the possibility of a magical tool buried in the ground, the magic Apricot and the others used subconsciously, etc — well, we need to consider and eliminate various factors. Then we need to narrow down the remaining possibilities.”

“It’s like ‘When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth’, right?”

“Oh? Are you quoting somebody?”

“I think… it was the words of a novelist.”

 

Words of a novelist, huh.

I have a fair amount of academic knowledge, but Mary sometimes quotes people I have no idea about. Her ability to instantly recall such profoundly meaningful phrases. It’s the kind you’d remember after hearing them just once. It makes me wonder where she learned them. However, when it comes to eliminating the impossible, we have to think about a lot of things. For example…

 

“Maybe somebody was buried under the snow to understand how the vegetables feel, or it could have been a leftover miracle from the fight between the Beige couple…”

“Haha, Violet. I see you’ve started to make jokes too—“

“Yes, perhaps we should investigate that possibility more. It’s also possible that it was accidentally created by the fusion of explosive poisonous plants.”

“Huh, Mary? You’re kidding… right?”

“I’m serious.”

“We’re serious.”

“What?…”

 

For some reason, Mrs. Vert was taken aback by what we said. Unfortunately, we weren’t joking.

That hypothesis is more likely than Silva’s unconfirmed cursed power.

 

“I did hear that there were many strange people in Shiki, but I didn’t think they were that weird…”

“But hadn’t you been investigating for the past few days?”

“I was investigating more in the forest…in fact, I was under the impression that Shiki residents were all good people.”

 

Should I call it bad luck or good fortune? She must have had many opportunities to interact with good people who had lived here for a long time… It’s a little late to say this, but is this really the good way of thinking for someone who does the work of the territory lord?

 

“Anyway, I will cooperate with you if it helps clear Silva’s name. Is there anything I could help with?”

“I’ll help too. I partly want to clear the suspicions and dangers facing the people of Shiki, like Apricot, but if suspicion also falls on Seyfried, I want to eliminate that.”

 

Mary, as somebody trying to clear the suspicions surrounding her classmate, and I, as somebody overseeing Shiki, offered to help Mrs. Vert with her investigation.

Since Mary first enrolled, rumors have been circulating about Silva’s cursed powers, but she has always treated him without prejudice and made him more cheerful. It seems she can’t stand prejudice towards him.

 

“That’s a very kind offer, but it’s surprising. I’m sorry if this offends you, but I was under the impression that you did not like Silva.”

“Seyfried hates me, and I don’t like him either. However, that’s a different matter from his cursed powers, and I don’t really like it when suspicion falls on my former classmate.”

“… I see. Well, I’m sorry about that.”

 

If I was the same person as I was at the academy, I would have just left the matter to her and waited for the report, but I have mixed feelings about Silva being the subject of rumors like this again.

… Also, I’m curious about Silva’s strange magical power (aura) that appeared during the late-night at girls’ night. I might be able to find something if I investigate.

 

“But speaking of things you can help with— oh, then I have something to ask you. Is that okay, Mary Sue?”

“Um, me?

 

After thinking about something for a bit, Mrs. Vert turned towards Mary.

She acted as if she had just thought of it, but it seemed like she wanted to ask this question all along…?

 

“—- Could you tell me about the girl named Kriemhild?”