Chapter 60

How much time had passed?

“……Ugh.”

McGrim blinked as she came to her senses late.

And then, the memory of just now came back.

‘Ah, the killer!’

McGrim hurriedly looked around.

But the killer in her memory was nowhere to be seen.

Even at the corridor wall where the incident had taken place, not a single trace remained.

As if everything had been just McGrim’s imagination.

‘……It wasn’t a dream, right?’

He was tall, wearing a pitch-black cloak and mask.

That figure and the sound of his breathing were still so vivid that it gave him goosebumps.

‘This isn’t the time for this.’

She didn’t know why, but there was one thing she was sure of.

She had to get out of this place as soon as possible.

McGrim staggered forward on tattered steps.

The shock of witnessing a murder was still with him, but fortunately, this time he could move her legs.

Even when she glanced back, worried that the killer might follow her, there was nothing.

After walking for some time, the long-awaited light appeared.

‘I’m almost there.’

She began to hear people’s voices too.

Perhaps because her destination appeared in front of her eyes, McGrim’s pace grew faster.

And then, just as she reached the light.

A huge shadow suddenly appeared, blocking her way.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

McGrim collided and fell.

“You there.”

A man’s voice was heard.

McGrim lifted her head.

“You lack caution.”

It was a blond man who looked to be in his late thirties.

He was tall and dressed in a black suit with his neck covered.

It seemed McGrim had been knocked back after bumping into him.

“……”

When McGrim said nothing, the man stepped into the corridor.

“Wait!”

McGrim hurriedly opened her mouth.

“It’s dangerous in there. Someone died. Someone…….”

“Someone?”

He replied without so much as blinking.

His face was unconcerned.

“It was a murder. We need to report it to the knight order.”

“Murder, huh. But there’s no need for that.”

The man approached McGrim again and reached out his hand.

McGrim realized his intention, grabbed his hand, and stood up.

“Come with me.”

The man spoke as he stepped into the corridor.

Why are you going in there when it’s dangerous! McGrim was about to stop him.

But then she caught sight of the man’s golden nameplate.

「Dark Attribute – Professor Weamon Deike Belzrover」

If he was a professor at the academy……

He could be trusted.

Rumor had it, every professor of Yggdrasil was one of the strongest in the world.

Even if they ran into that heinous killer again, they would be safe.

‘Still, shouldn’t we report it to the knight order?’

Though he had some doubts, for now, he walked back into the corridor with the professor.

“So…… the killer was dressed in black……”

“If you take a deep breath, you’ll calm down. On the way there, explain what happened.”

Unlike the rambling McGrim, the professor was very composed.

Could he be used to death?

After a deep breath, McGrim recounted what had happened.

By the time her explanation was nearly finished, they had reached the corridor wall.

“It’s here.”

“……”

The professor glanced around briefly before answering McGrim.

“There’s no blood splattered around, and no ashes left behind either, is there?”

Just as the professor said.

For a place where a murder and arson had supposedly happened, there wasn’t a single trace.

So much so that it made McGrim look like a liar.

But it was true.

“No. I swear there was……”

“It was your imagination.”

Professor Belzrover cut her off.

The air turned heavy.

McGrim shivered but summoned the courage to look up at the professor.

“I’ll state this firmly.”

The professor’s gaze bore down on him, as cold as that of the killer himself.

“No one died, and no one killed anyone.”

“……”

McGrim could no longer say a word.

His hands might have been trembling.

“Do not speak of this place anywhere. And also.”

His voice was forceful.

“Forget about this place.”

It was a warning.

“Just as I overlook your true identity, seeing as you are no Yggdrasil student.”

“……”

He had even seen through McGrim’s disguise.

There was nothing McGrim could do but obey.

She only nodded quietly.

‘I don’t understand anything anymore.’

Yes.

It must have been an illusion, just as the professor said.

……Forget it. And go to the manager.

She wanted to leave Yggdrasil as soon as possible.

McGrim gave up.

Thirty minutes before McGrim’s performance.

The space in front of the stage was packed with a crowd, and even the nearby park tables were full.

The common trait of the people sitting at those tables was that they were customers of the cafeteria set up nearby.

“Welcome……!”

Karin greeted them with a smile.

She had made many mistakes at first, but now she had gotten the hang of it.

This time’s customer…… was a familiar face.

A fellow student she had occasionally seen in the first-year classroom.

“Ah!”

She had also seen her at Rekorox Mansion.

If she remembered correctly…… her name was Curio, wasn’t it?

Karin tilted her head slightly in greeting.

“As ordered, please.”

Curio handed over a small slip of paper, and Karin took it and read it.

“Four cups of blueberry smoothie, four slices of cheesecake…….”

And it was written that someone else would receive the food instead of her.

Could it be an order on someone’s behalf?

“Yeah, I’ll have it ready at the table.”

Karin answered like that and then turned her head toward the kitchen.

“Unni! This is the last of the cheesecake, right?”

When Karin asked, Rupina replied while keeping her hands busy.

“Once we take this order, the cake is sold out! Only drinks are available now!”

Karin pulled out a sticker from the paper box shoved in the corner of the booth.

She hadn’t expected to actually use it……

She stuck it on the ‘Cake’ section of the menu.

「Cake - Sold Out」

Thanks to far more customers than expected, it sold out very quickly.

V’s Equipment Shop had also sold out in an instant.

“Unicycle riding.”

Beep! Beep!

“Oooh!”

Lapin and Sea Otter’s acrobatics showed no signs of stopping.

Crowds still swarmed to watch them.

That sight was being observed by Princess Arlhardt, seated at a table.

Ren noticed the princess’s gaze and spoke first.

“It seems to be run by Villed’s friends.”

“Friends? Them?”

When Arlhardt raised the question, Ren nodded as if to confirm.

“At Rekorox, I could feel their trust in each other with just a glance. If that isn’t friendship, what else would it be?”

Friends……

Arlhardt grew a little interested.

Villed’s previous crew had felt more like subordinates in a hierarchy than friends.

“Ren, you figured that out well.”

“It’s nothing impressive.”

The cute Sea Otter she had seen at Rekorox Mansion was there too.

It was even performing difficult tricks, showing it had been trained well.

“The cake you ordered…… ah, Your Highness?”

Karin had arrived holding cake and smoothies.

The one receiving the food, it seemed, was the princess herself.

“Nice to see you.”

When the princess smiled with her eyes, Karin blushed bright red.

Perhaps it was because she was touched that the princess remembered her.

“Ah, thank you for ordering! Here’s the cake and smoothies…… please enjoy your time!”

Karin covered her face with the serving tray and hurried away as if fleeing.

Though four portions of cake had been set on the table.

Only two people were seated there.

“Ren, wait just a moment.”

Princess Arlhardt suddenly stood up.

Striding forward, she stopped before a table tucked into the corner.

“Verdi, Curio!”

It was the table where her bodyguards sat.

They had been posing as ordinary students a little distance away to guard Princess Arlhardt……

But the princess grabbed both of their hands.

“Your Highness?”

Surprised by the sudden reaction, the two looked at her curiously.

Arlhardt smiled brightly and opened her mouth.

“Relax your shoulders, let’s enjoy the day together.”

They were left speechless.

“Come now, hurry. This is a festival for everyone to enjoy.”

The princess pulled their hands strongly with her cheerful face.

Verdi and Curio, bewildered, had no choice but to follow her lead.

I was sitting at a table a little away from the princess’s group.

Thanks to wearing a festival mask, it seemed my identity hadn’t been exposed yet.

Suddenly, the previous incident came to mind.

‘……I managed to run away for now.’

The singer McGrim I had run into by chance in the corner of the corridor.

In a situation where the plot might have gone astray, I chose to escape.

I might have harmed McGrim’s mind……

‘But spilled water can’t be gathered again. In that situation, leaving without a word was the best choice.’

It was a pity to have let nearly thirty corpses go, but it was fine.

‘Since I secured more than half, it wasn’t bad. I can deal with the rest later.’

I looked toward the booth.

I could see them working hard.

‘They’re doing better than I expected.’

Especially Karin, who usually never initiated conversations with others.

Since the Rekorox episode, she seemed to have gained a fair bit of confidence.

This time too, she had shown the will to grow on her own.

With that level of effort, the sales seemed to be exceeding expectations as well……

Well, in any case.

‘It’s about to begin.’

I looked at the princess.

She was laughing happily at the table, unaware of what was about to happen……

Just one minute remained before the main event.

‘Time to move.’

I removed the festival mask and set it on the table.

I rose from my seat and walked toward the princess.

……That was when it happened.

“Villed.”

Why was that?

For a moment.

Amid the noisy crowd, I thought I heard Lapin’s voice clearly.

Unconsciously, I turned my gaze toward Lapin.

Sure enough, she was also looking at me.

There was quite a distance between us.

And the place was full of noise.

No matter how sharp my hearing, Lapin’s small voice shouldn’t have reached me.

Yet I heard it……

‘……Was it just my imagination? No, too vivid to be an illusion.’

Though puzzling, now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

When I refocused on the princess.

“Villed.”

It hadn’t been my imagination.

By some unknown means, I heard Lapin’s voice once more.

And then, she suddenly began to approach me.

‘……Why is she coming to me?’

At this rate, Lapin might get caught up in the incident too.

But it wasn’t a situation where I could shout at her to stay away.

If I made unnecessary noise, the princess or her guards would notice.

‘Forget it, there’s no time left anyway.’

My steps toward the princess quickened.

“……”

Verdi seemed to sense something and turned his head.

His gaze fell on a seven-story clock tower in the distance.

Verdi stared silently at the clock tower.

Though it was over a kilometer away, Verdi could identify the source of the disturbance.

From between the windows at the top of the tower, something long protruded…… a sniper rifle.

Not just any rifle, but an anti-materiel sniper rifle powerful enough to pulverize a person—or even heavy weapons—with a single shot.

“……Your Highness.”

While everyone else enjoyed the festival, unaware of the terrifying weapon aimed at them.

Having quickly realized, Verdi slowly pushed back his chair and stood.

The Yggdrasil Festival Arc.

It had begun as a peaceful and fun slice-of-life episode, but its core was……

The assassination of the princess.

“Get down!”

Bang!

At the same moment Verdi threw himself over Arlhardt, the gunshot rang out.

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