Chapter 169
Due to the damage caused by The Seven Mysteries of the Academy, classes at the academy were shortened.
Attendance became optional in the morning only, and the midterm exams were also postponed.
Knights and priests had entered the academy, and investigations were being conducted to resolve the incidents.
Because of this, it was thought that the damage from the Seven Wonders would cease... but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
"We will protect this academy! We will surely defeat the evil ghost!"
""""Yeah!""""
In the center of the schoolyard stood a group of fired-up boys and girls.
All of them were students attending the academy.
"Those kids... they're at it again."
"I told them to go home... seriously, what a handful."
Looking down at the schoolyard from the staff room window, several teachers sighed.
Due to the shortened classes and the introduction of home study, many students returned home from the academy by the afternoon.
Amidst that, a few volunteers had begun their own investigations to resolve the incidents.
They ignored the teachers' advice to go home early and conducted patrols and the like after school.
"Because they're always hanging around, we have to stay alert... what a nuisance."
"Haha..."
A male teacher grumbled in annoyance.
Clael gave a wry smile and silently agreed.
There were several reasons why the students had started their own investigations.
First, some students had already suffered actual harm from the Seven Wonders.
Some, driven by righteous anger, were reacting to their friends, lovers, or classmates being harmed.
Next, some students had realized this situation could be a chance to appeal for their future.
The damage caused by the ghosts within the academy... even members of the royal palace were paying attention to it.
There were students who believed that if they could resolve this, it would serve as a great achievement for employment.
But what kind of appeal is it to defy the academy's orders and conduct independent investigations?
That's what Clael thought... but athletic types, like students aspiring to be knights, didn't see it that way.
In fact, it was said that even among the upper ranks of the Royal Knights, there were those who approved of their actions, saying, "What kind of knight avoids the academy's crisis?"
(In the first place, the Royal Academy is a facility meant to develop personnel to protect the country. Civil officials aside, those aiming to be knights or magicians might be seen as 'fleeing from danger' if they accepted the school closure without question.)
At the Royal Academy, battles against monsters were part of the curriculum, and even if someone died during that, it would be chalked up to a lack of skill.
This was not an academy for the sake of students, but for the country. The students' safety was not necessarily the top priority.
"Um... the presence of Prince Eric is also a big factor, isn't it?"
"Miss Yurii..."
"If His Highness weren't here, I think fewer students would be participating in the patrols..."
"............"
At Yurii's point, the other teachers exchanged glances and nodded.
The central figure of the volunteer investigation team was Eric Seincle. Along with the other student council members.
With a royal like Eric throwing himself into danger, there were many who felt they couldn't just run away and joined the investigation.
"In any case, we need to resolve this quickly... once it's resolved, there won't be any problem."
"Seriously... what are the knights and priests even doing..."
Another teacher said with a troubled expression.
The knights and the shrine had begun addressing the situation, but their investigation had not progressed.
Even when investigating places where anomalies had been witnessed before... for example, the library where The Black Cursed Book of the Library appeared, no such phenomena had shown up.
And yet... the students' investigation team had already encountered anomalies, and there had been damage.
"Perhaps... the Seven Wonders only appear when students are nearby."
Clael voiced his speculation.
The center of school ghost stories is always the students.
The Seven Wonders might not appear in front of unrelated outsiders.
"Except for Mr. Clael, who encountered an anomaly while a student was being attacked, none of the patrolling teachers have seen anything. That possibility exists."
Yurii agreed with Clael's idea.
There had been damage among students, but none among the teachers or the knights' investigation teams.
As expected, the Seven Wonders seemed to be targeting the students.
"In other words... resolving the situation also falls on the students... perhaps Prince Eric's actions aren't entirely misguided..."
""""............""""
At Yurii's words, a heavy silence fell over the staff room.
Eric's actions were not wrong.
Taking action to protect the students was the right thing to do as the student council president and as a game character.
The problem was... the cleanup of Eric and the other students' actions had to be handled by the teachers.
(The protagonists of the academy are the students... but behind them are the teachers left in tears...)
It felt like they had learned a behind-the-scenes truth never told in school-themed games or anime.
Having unwittingly become part of that behind-the-scenes, Clael slumped his shoulders in exhaustion.