CH 76

It was when I was called to the Headmistress’ office after I caused that commotion and explained about the magic power and received a Yuda stone.

I was about to greet them as they were leaving, thinking that most of the conversation was over, when I was stopped by Headmistress Ortensia.

***

“Alice. I understand that you have a great fondness for magic.”

“Yes. I like it, but……?”

When I answered immediately that I liked it, Headmistress Ortensia smiled at me.

“Then why don’t you make a bet with me?”

“A bet…?”

“Mhm,” said Headmistress Ortensia, nodding, with a mischievous smile that appeared friendly.

“If you win the bet, I will tell you the most interesting piece of magical wisdom I know.”

“!?!?”

Oh wow, wow, wow—the most amazing magic known to Ortensia-sama.

Oh, man, what can it be!? I don’t know what it is, but I’m excited!!!

I felt like I was going to break down in character. My tension flew past its my control meter in an instant.

“Kukuku, how about it?”

“I’m in. What kind of a bet is it?!”

She smiled happily at me as I replied with a hungry look in my eyes, and then she held up her index finger and made a suggestion.

“It’s easy. If you can show me the beauty of this country as it should be before I die, you’ve won.”

“Huh…?”

I couldn’t keep up with the suddenness of the large scale bet, and I became pale.

Headmistress Ortensia cleared her throat with a cough. And then she quickly became expressionless.

Coupled with her mysterious appearance, Headmistress Ortensia’s white hair, white porcelain skin, and beautiful purple-eyes showed through her young face.

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the room changed to the point where I felt like I didn’t know where I was at the moment.

“You were probably born under an exceptional star. I could tell at first glance…And because of that pecularity, something has already begun to change around you.”

“……”

The eyes of Headmistress Ortensia as she spoke had a strange gleam in them, and her solemn speech felt like that of a prophet’s.

“You are a wise girl.” she said. “I am sure you are wise enough to calmly dismiss any obstacle or hindrance…But please, save the ones you can. Nowadays, the problems facing nobles and commoners alike, as well as the royal family, are deep-rooted and numerous. Still, people and nations, as much as they can be saved…I would like you to save as many people and countries as you can and show me a more prosperous future.”

“………I’m not sure I understand what you mean by that.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the meaning of her words.

I just didn’t understand why she would say such a big thing to “me.”

However, Headmistress Ortensia, who caught the intent of the question, quietly shook her head.

“It’s a hunch. Not because you scored well on the test or because you are the daughter of a high-class nobleman. Somehow, if it’s you, I feel like you can show me the future that I want to see.”

After saying that much, Headmistress Ortensia, who switched from that mysterious expression to a more people-oriented one, smiled wryly.

“I’m sure you’ll find that noblemen are always eager to get into trouble. There are many people today who don’t even realize that they are ignorant. There are many obstacles, and many people who want to get in your way, but do your best to win the bet…For starters, there will be a big movement in the school within a few weeks. The first step is to steer it in the direction you want it to go.”

“Haha…I understand.”

I wasn’t sure what it was, but for now, I would just continue being a girl who loves magic and is kind to people! I guess that’s it. That’s basically the status quo.

“By the way, what happens if I lose that bet?”

When I asked that, Headmistress Ortensia smiled like a villain.

“There’s no punishment for that, okay? But then you will never learn about the wisdom of the most transcendentally interesting magic. In fact, you will never know what that magic is all about because I will be obstructing it, and you will have to live in a daze, chewing at your handkerchief and crying your eyes out.” (***T/N: Okay loli-hag, Alice is just 6 years old, you know!?)

I, for the rest of my life, will never know…

—Damn it, that might be the most damaging thing to me!!!!

Because Headmistress Ortensia is definitely an amazing magician.

She looks like she’s immortal, and seems to have the opened the door to true knowledge. She might even have the Philosopher’s Stone or something.

If I can get such a person to disclose the information that she is keeping secret, I can definitely try my best again—No, I definitely must do it!

With that, I said, “I’ll take that bet!!” And Headmistress Ortensia laughed happily.

***

Well, with that in mind, I’ll bring my thoughts back to the present.

That was probably the reason why Ray-sensei was only able to give us the minimum amount of information. There were hints in Headmistress Ortensia’s story as well.

It was about the ‘nobles who want to get into trouble,’ and how ‘both nobles and commoners are full of problems,’ and the ‘obstacles that make me want to blow them away.’

In short, it was likely that the three-schools conference where the aristocrats gathered was in turmoil.

They were probably divided in their opinions of the teachers, who were also aristocrats. That’s why this became such an incomprehensible play.

It was probably because of the pressure of the opposition that Ray-sensei couldn’t disclose any decent information about the exam.

The purpose of the opposition was to exempt classes and interfere with the research activities. I didn’t have enough information to tell if the target was only the Aurum class or the entirety of the academy’s students.

Were teachers being monitored in some way or were they being cautious because they didn’t necessarily know if they had an interloper among their students…That also required information.

Having come to these conclusions, I followed Ray-sensei out of the classroom after homeroom this morning and asked him.

“Ray-sensei. May I ask you who are the teachers you are close to?”

I had called out to him in a less populated corridor, but Ray-sensei turned and looked back at me without surprise.

Then, he laughed with a really amused smile at that roundabout question.

“Well…the Headmistress has been very good to me, and I have a relatively good relationship with the magic teacher and the music teacher. The history teacher and literature teacher are a bit distant…and I hardly ever talk to the arithmetic teacher.”

…So that’s what this is all about.

[Original Author Note]: This scene’s timeline is a little hard to read because it’s so disjointed…In any case, it was one of the scenes I wanted to write.

The scene with Headmistress Ortensia is like the type of scene in a game where the main character is informed of his fate by the elders in the village where he is leaving -laughs-

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T/N: Headmistress loli-hag really did just ask a 6-year old to save the world (⁀ᗢ⁀)