Chapter 165
And so, the after-school patrol was decided.
They were instructed to patrol in pairs, but some of the more combative teachers insisted, "I can take care of a curse on my own!"
(Letting your guard down can be fatal... but even if I said that, it probably wouldn't help.)
The combative teachers... in other words, those in charge of swordsmanship and magic.
They were former members of the knights or court magicians, and naturally carried a strong sense of elitism.
Even when warned about the Seven Wonders, they were more fired up, saying they'd resolve it themselves.
On the other hand, the majority of faculty who had no intention of getting involved patrolled timidly.
A prime example was Clael's friend, the teacher with a beauty that could be mistaken for a woman... Yurii Kanesta.
"C-Clael-sensei! Something just shook over there!?"
"Yes, it was the wind."
"Th-there's someone at that corner!?"
"It's just the shadow of a decoration stretching in the setting sun."
"Oh, teachers. Goodbye!"
"A person talked aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?"
"Yes, they did. Just a student heading home, is there a problem?"
She must have been really scared.
Yurii trembled and screamed at every little thing, startling those around her instead.
"You all should head home before it gets too late. No staying behind."
"Ah, okay!"
"Sorry! We'll go right away!"
Since it was test season, a few students were still in the school studying.
It should have been announced during homeroom that everyone should go home early... but still, there were always students who stayed behind for just a bit longer.
"This is troubling... the students in sports clubs seem especially unhappy about the no-staying rule..."
"Th-the tournament is coming up soon, after all..."
Hiding behind Clael's back and trembling, Yurii spoke with a voice that shook as much as her body.
The tournament referred to was the martial arts tournament held annually in the royal capital.
Every year, participants came not only from across the country but also from abroad.
It was divided into martial arts and magic divisions, and winners received lavish prize money.
Even without winning, achieving a good result could help with job prospects.
Those who joined the royal palace knights were always top finishers in the tournament, and just making it through the preliminaries and reaching the finals guaranteed a position serving a noble house.
Anyone who wanted to make a living through martial arts considered participating.
"Not only are midterms coming up, but now this happens a month before the martial arts tournament... the students must be devastated."
If allowed, they would surely want to stay late to study or train.
In fact, some students were hiding from the patrolling teachers to stay behind, and the yelling of a teacher who caught one echoed from afar.
"I-it's so sad... they're all trying so hard..."
"We probably can't postpone the martial arts tournament... but maybe we could suggest delaying—or even canceling—the midterms."
"Y-yes, that sounds good... it would help me too..."
It wasn't just the students who were struggling.
The teachers were also troubled by the current situation.
Despite being busy with test creation and grading, their workload increased with patrols and student care.
Frankly, the entire situation was nothing but a nuisance.
(Seriously... who the hell opened Pandora's box at a time like this...)
The release of the Seven Wonders meant someone had opened the sealed box.
It was probably a student... someone who had done something unnecessary.
(Who the culprit is... it's impossible to identify. Probably—no, definitely...)
The person who opened the Seven Wonders would be consumed by the anomaly.
And... they would be forgotten from the memories of others, becoming a person who no longer existed even on paper.
Even if it were a student Clael knew, he would no longer be able to remember them.
"Since student lives are at stake, canceling the midterms... or even suspending school until it's resolved might be best—whoa!"
"Wah!"
Clael quickly stopped his steps as they nearly collided with a group coming from around the corner.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?"
And startled, Yurii let out a scream.
The piercing scream caused the group ahead to flinch in surprise.
"O-oh, it's just... Mr. Byrne and Ms. Kanesta. Are you two on patrol?"
"Well, well... Prince Eric. And the student council is all here too?"
The group they almost collided with consisted of Eric Seincle and the student council members... in other words, the romanceable characters.
In addition to the usual four, there were several unfamiliar students behind them.
"What are you doing here? Please head home quickly."
"No... we're on patrol."
"Patrol?"
Clael blinked at Eric's words.
Unfazed by Clael's surprise, Eric proudly puffed out his chest.
"Yes... we will resolve the Seven Wonders plaguing the academy. As the student council protecting everyone, it's only natural!"