Chapter 118 - Seven Wonders of the Academy (part eight)

“〈Association of Mysterious Story Collectors〉, you say? What is that?”

“It’s an association that gathers various kinds of mysterious stories. If you’re fine with it, how about the three of you join?”

At Klaus’ question, the girl inside the mirror laughed and answered.

“It’d be very nice to have promising juniors take over the 〈Association of Mysterious Story Collectors〉.”

We’re being solicited by a mysterious club.

I wonder what is the purpose soliciting us into a club from over 30 years in the past, that’s what I was thinking, but this may be convenient.

“Yes, that’s fine. I will join—”

“Oi, wait a minute, Erica. Do you really want to join such a suspicious association before even hearing the explanation?”

When I gave my reply quickly, I was interrupted by Klaus.

Now that he mentions it, he may be right.

Certainly, trusting the person on the other side of the mirror might not be the best idea.

“I have a feeling that they were the ones who planted the magic-absorbing mirror in a place like this. You may get a strange curse just by replying.”

“No, no, our association is a virtuous one, and we don’t put such thing like curses.”

“Virtuous? I’ve never heard of such a fellowship before, but is it really decent? What are the results of your activities?”

When Auguste asked, the girl in the mirror laughed for reasons only she knew.

“Of course, we have been working hard seriously. There are plenty of mysterious stories we have collected in the reference room.”

“Heeh~ reference room? How many have you collected?”

“We have covered almost all the strange—should be impossible—mysterious events over the past decade.”

Ten years worth of data, huh.

Then they may also have found clues to the morgue of the headless prince.

“The information on that scale is attractive……”

“I agree. If you can show me where the reference room is first, I will consider joining as well.”

“Auguste, you are supposed to have more self-control than this!”

“Even so, if this is true, it is a pretty valuable resource. The information on those cases usually have access restriction.”

Klaus admonished him, but Auguste didn’t look sorry at all.

Auguste is extremely fond of this kind of folklore, so it can’t be helped.

“Well then, I put the key of the reference room on the back of the chair of the school principal. You should look at the contents of the document and decide whether or not to officially join.”

“Why did you put the key in such a bothersome place?”

“Ufufu, I guess because it’s interesting?”

A haughty, seemingly evil smile appeared on her face in a strained manner.

The girls who appeared in the wonders of this academy all seem to be hard nuts to crack.

“Right, there’s a magical index in the reference room that helps in retrieving data.”

“A magical index……?”

“To prevent unauthorized use, you will need to enter the creator’s name. Once the index has started, just say the name—”

Suddenly, a loud static noise like the sound of pouring rain rang out.

The voice of the girl on the other side of the mirror was interrupted unnaturally.

“—that’s it.”

“Um……we couldn’t hear the name of the creator.”

“One more time then, the name is—”

Once again, the sound of pouring rain reverberated.

Certainly, it has been raining in the Infinite Corridor, but we shouldn’t be able to hear the sound.

Why is this happening?

It is as if something refuses to deliver the name to our ears.

“Looks like you didn’t hear it again. When I tried to convey it, the mirror clouded over and I couldn’t see anything. I wonder if it’s an information that should not be conveyed to the future……”

On this side, there was no change in the projection; only the top of the mirror was fogged up as before.

I wonder if the problem is in the supply of magical power.

If the other side is unstable, even if this side is stable now, it may not be for long.

“Well then, let’s hope this can be transmitted at least. My name is—Bort. With any luck, you’re probably still in Lindis, right?”

“Bort-san, huh. I understand.”

I couldn’t hear her first name, but I could hear her family name.

It’s the same name as the famous military alchemist Bort, so it’s hard to forget it.

“Aah, what a shame. It’s almost time to say goodbye.”

“Yes.”

“If you can’t find the key, just come and find me. I’m looking forward to seeing you guys again.”

As soon as she finished saying those words, the whole surface of the mirror on this side was also clouded over.

“Can you still hear me? Bort-san!”

When I called, there was no reply.

I can see a person moving on the other side of the foggy mirror, but I can no longer expect clear images.

“Is the past vision already over, Klaus?”

“It’s too complicated to construct a similar spell right away……no, it seems it would be faster to try than to look it up.”

Klaus touched the mirror frame and closed his eyes.

The part touched by his hand glowed in pale light.

He’s probably pouring his magical power directly into the mirror.

“At the end there, it was as though there was something that obstructed the sound.”

“Yes, we couldn’t even hear the first name of the girl on the other side of the mirror. I just barely made out the name ‘Bort’—”

“Wait, be quiet. It seems to have connected.”

Hearing Klaus’ words, Auguste and I quieted down.

When I listen closely, I can hear someone’s speech mixed in with the sound of rainfall.

Moreover, it seems that this time there is not just one person on the other side of the mirror.

“—it a success?”

“It’s just ended. The children were younger than thirty years old.”

“Eeh~ Bort, you’re too cunning. I also wanted to talk to the people of the future……”

The voice of a gentle and sweet-sounding girl was conversing with the girl who introduced herself as Bort.

“Please don’t get involved with such a dubious mirror. It would not be good if something happens to you, Your Highness.”

“It would be interesting if something happens, that’s why I joined this dubious association. Sigríður.”

I heard the voice of another girl admonishing the second girl.

This one has a low and subdued voice.

Besides Bort, who we had been talking with before, there are now two more people, the one called ‘Your Highness’ and the one called ‘Sigríður’.

If that is not a nickname but an actual title, that means she’s an Ignitian royalty.

The name ‘Sigríður’ should be the most common female name in Lucanrant.

“Hey, you guys, what are you doing in front of my mirror?”

With the sound of the door opening and closing, a fourth girl appeared.

She also had a sweet and cute voice, but somehow it sounded hysteric and belligerent.

“Dolores, you just missed it. Bort saw the mirror up and running just now.”

“Eh, no way! Why didn’t you call me right away!”

“Even if it was activated, it was only for a couple of minutes. I think the future vision would have ended while we moved to call you. Well, what a pity, Dolores.”

The girl called Bort responded without any sign of being sorry.

It’s the same as when she was talking to us; it feels like she is feigning ignorance.

“Even though I have been saving my magical power for a year! Why wasn’t it me, rather than that, why did it have to be Bort!”

“The existence of this mirror has caused your mind to be confused. You should break it.”

“Says the savage who doesn’t know the value of this mirror~~!”

After the shrill cries of the girl named Dolores resounded, only the calm sound of rainfall remained.

The three of us were waiting for the voices of the past amidst the sound of rainfall for a few moments.

However, even the sound of the rain went away and the sound on the other side of the mirror had completely disappeared.

“……it looks like it has ended for real.”

Klaus declared so.

I remembered the conversations of the four girls from before.

Girls named Bort, Your Highness, Sigríður and Dolores.

“It seems like there was an Ignitian royalty.”

“If we’re talking about a student thirty years ago, there is a possibility that was my aunt, but how can that be……”

Ignitia’s First Princess Eleonore.

I heard that she was a princess who had died young more than twenty years ago.

Auguste seems to be thinking about something, he kept silent with a brooding appearance.

“Sigríður is a northern name, and Dolores is an eastern name……”

“That’s right. Currently, there are three Sigríður and two Dolores at the school.”

They are such common names, so it may be difficult to identify.

If there is a student list from 30 years ago, can we narrow it down to some extent?

“Sigríður, huh……no, there is no way.”

“What do you think, Klaus-sama?”

“The late Duchess of Lucanrant had the same name……but that would be too much of a coincidence.”

Sigríður, Duchess of Lucanrant.

Speaking of which, there was that name among the people killed seven years ago in the massacre incident.

Was that Chloe’s mother then?

“Maybe, Bort-san from before is the famous Bort of the Evil Eye?”

“No way……no, chronologically, is there also the possibility of that……?”

“So she was a woman, I didn’t know that……”

Auguste, who had been thinking silently until now, stared at me in surprise.

“Erica, don’t tell me you didn’t know?”

“Auguste-sama, what do you mean by that?”

Auguste opened his mouth after hesitating for a bit and answered with a serious expression.

“Evil Eye Bort……Frederica Bort was the Duchess of Aurelia. She was your mother.”

Before he finished saying those last words, Auguste looked away from me.

Frederica, Duchess of Aurelia.

My mother who died in a sea accident eleven years ago.

“Auguste, how do you know that?”

“I, I knew about it from the old materials. For some reason, she took her dead older brother’s name and registered into the military.”

Klaus hounded Auguste.

Somehow, their blinks and their lips seemed to move very slowly.

As their voices got further and further away, I didn’t know where to focus my eyes.

On the contrary to the sluggish feeling, my thinking was clear.

In my head, the information about Evil Eye Bort and my mother Frederica was combined.

Bort of the Evil Eye snatched the territory of the royal family as a reward for war.

The County of Argene, which my mother has left me along with its untouched silver veins, should have been formerly a royal territory.

The war awards won by the Evil Eye Bort should have included the southern islands.

In the territory that my brother inherited from my mother, cacao, which is the raw material for chocolate, is harvested.

The cacao plantations in this continent are mainly made in the south-western islands.

Having said all of that, I can only be convinced.

The scandals surrounding my mother were a mishmash of truth and falsehood and were likely to be misunderstood, so people around me avoided the topic.

Because I understood their worry, I was also trying not to ask.

So I have never heard of my mother from either my father or brother.

I never thought that she was the same person as the war hero who was infamous for cruelty and greed.

I see, that means it was also a byproduct of one of my mother’s misleading scandals, huh.

I traced my memory back as if sinking slowly.

My mother’s gentle singing voice heard during my nap when I was very young.

It certainly had a voice quality resembling that girl named Bort.

“Erica, are you all right?”

Auguste’s voice brought my consciousness back to the present.

Klaus and Auguste were staring at me with a terribly worried face.

I wanted to give them a smile, but I couldn’t.

“Yes……I was a little surprised……”

“There’s a lot to think about, so we should get out soon. The space is unstable. It will be safer for us to leave immediately.”

“Y-yes, Klaus-sama.”

Hearing Klaus’ unusually flustered appeal, I, who had been seized by the thoughts of the past, was brought back to reality.

Now is not the time for me to be confused.

According to Klaus’ direction, we hurriedly left the room with the mirror in it.

When we came out of the room, the rain in the courtyard had stopped.

It seems that the Infinite Corridor has been cancelled and we have returned to the original corridor.

When I turned around, the door was gone and there was only a wall.

“Erica, let’s retrieve your golem and bag.”

We went back to the classroom where we first started and regrouped with Tirnanog.

Just as I felt relieved, a voice was heard from behind.

“You three, what were you doing here at this time?”

The one who appeared was a mage with black hair and reddish purple eyes.

Brad Clochydd.

His black-from-head-to-toe silhouette was standing still in the dark corridor.

It seems that he did not carry around any illumination at such a time.

“She seemed to have forgotten something important, so we were helping her find what she was looking for.”

“That’s correct, we had retrieved it just now and were about to return back to the dorm.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Auguste made up a suitable excuse instantly.

Klaus had a nonchalant air to match the false testimony and I nodded in a hurry.

Brad was openly frowning.

I feel like he’s about to give us a long scolding.

“……there’s the smell of rain.”

Brad didn’t say anything about our excuse and muttered so instead.

I was startled as I remembered that rain was falling in the Infinite Corridor.

“You, did you see something here?”

“N-no, nothing……”

“We were taken into the Infinite Corridor, but we escaped immediately.”

Klaus covered the words I was about to say.

Brad stared at our faces in turn and let out a deep sigh.

“That would be great. That is something that no student should be involved with.”

“Yes, we will be careful.”

“Please return to your dorms promptly. Don’t oversleep and be late to your class repeatedly.”

Having said that, Brad disappeared in the darkness of the corridor.

And so we met Erica’s mother. Who are the other people?

Sigríður is the most common female name in Iceland. It’s read as ‘Sigridur’, which means “victory” and “beautiful”.