Chapter 260

Chapter 57. Tail-Chasing (8)

Not long after parting ways with Ulan and Ivella.

Silfi squinted at the unexpected appearance of the black-haired girl. “……Noa Darshen.”

She was a classmate from the barbarian tribe who entered the academy alongside Ulan.

A girl known for achieving the incredible feat of drawing against the genius mage Delia in the selection match.

That was all Silfi knew about her.

“There isn’t really any connection beyond that.”

The only students with whom she had any connection at all were Ulan and Ivella, whom she had just encountered. She had never even spoken to Noa, let alone interacted with her.

So what brings her here all of a sudden?

Silfi asked back, puzzled. “You want to ask me something?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing special. I just have a few questions related to the southern desert.”

“Ah, about the desert….”

Those words came out too naturally.

Unconsciously nodding her head, Silfi suddenly looked startled.

“Th-the desert?”

Generally, the desert is seen as the stronghold of cultists in the empire. So what could it mean that she’s asking me about it?

A sense of foreboding crept in.

Silfi felt her heart racing while she put on a feigned calm expression.

“Why are you asking me that?”

She feigned ignorance.

But that didn’t work on Noa. Looking completely unperturbed, she continued with a bright smile.

“Well, you must know it well.”

Noa was never the type to ask straightforward questions or pry like this. She typically would have circled around the topic or asked indirectly.

But not today.

“Because there’s no time.”

With only about two weeks left.

After the upcoming student council president election is over, finals would follow right away, and then, winter break would start.

Then Noa would have to head to the desert with Ulan and the others. There was no time for beating around the bush.

So she went straight for it.

“Silfi Rudrik.”

“……!?”

“If you’re a member of the Desert Order and a bloodline of Kazan Rudrik, then you must know a lot more about the desert than others.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Silfi looked like she had seen a ghost. Her face turned pale, and her eyes seemed lost.

But Silfi wasn’t the only one who was tense.

Noa swallowed hard.

“From here on, it’s a gamble.”

The only information Noa had about Silfi was what she just said. However, she didn’t show this knowledge or reveal it clearly.

She aimed to make Silfi believe she knew everything else too.

“Get caught!”

So she waited silently for Silfi’s response.

After a not-so-short while, Silfi’s tightly shut lips started to quiver.

“W-wait…….”

Her gaze wobbled like a candle in the wind.

She’s falling for it! Noa was now sure of Silfi’s reaction. But what came back was completely unexpected.

“Did Count Deorg send you?”

“……Huh?”

Istan El Deorg.

One of the five swords of the empire and the biological father of Ivella Elea’ad.

When an unexpected name came up, Noa looked flabbergasted. That’s when Silfi stumbled back and shouted.

“If it’s that, then what I told the Count the last time is all I know! I don’t know the rest!”

Silfi was having quite an extreme reaction.

Stumbling back, she distanced herself from Noa and started babbling.

“U-um, anyway, I have nothing more to say. Plus, the Count is coming this week anyway, so I’ll take my leave now!”

“Wait? No, hold on……!”

Just like that, Silfi kicked off the ground, and Noa quickly reached out. But Silfi was too fast to catch.

After Silfi completely vanished from view, Noa was left standing there, dazed.

“……What just happened?”

Why on earth is Count Deorg coming up?

Noa couldn’t hide her surprise at the name that had popped up out of nowhere. But that feeling was short-lived as she leaned against a tree and closed her eyes.

To sort things out.

“Let’s review this.”

Noa approached Silfi to satisfy her curiosity about the desert. Then, she had brought up her true name and identity directly.

She aimed to lure out a confession by insinuating that she knew everything about her.

“But…….”

Then Silfi suddenly mentioned Count Deorg’s presence. Noa pondered deeply over this fact and quickly arrived at one conclusion.

“Istan El Deorg knows what Silfi Rudrik’s real identity is.”

How he knows is a mystery.

But it’s likely that it’s an instinctual suspicion.

For years, Count Deorg made a name for himself as a cultist hunter in the south.

“But why did he let Silfi go?”

As a cultist, he is known to execute everyone without exception, from old men and women to children. That’s the character setting of Count Deorg from the original story.

So, just looking at this, there’s no reason for him to spare Silfi. Yet if he did spare her, then there must have been a reason for it.

Noa had a vague idea of what that reason might be.

“Maybe he’s looking for an accomplice to help Silfi enroll in Arsen Academy.”

The idea that a grand noble collaborating with cultists is hiding in the empire is a serious issue.

Or perhaps he spared her to ask for information regarding the Desert Order. Noa wrapped up her thoughts and understanding of the situation.

“So, what should I do now?”

Should she reach out to Silfi again?

Or consult Ulan and tackle it together?

Noa opted for the latter.

“Yeah, let’s discuss it with Ulan.”

No point in contacting Silfi again, as she’d likely run away again. So it would be better to consult Ulan and meet Count Deorg first.

Silfi had appeared terrified when mentioning Count Deorg’s name.

“So then, after explaining the situation to Count Deorg, I can ask for his cooperation.”

Noa nodded and smiled slightly.

Feeling a little lighter, she turned around to find Ulan and the others.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Ulan and Ivella discontinued the distribution of leaflets and immediately joined Iris. They needed to inform her about the conspiracy they heard from Silfi.

“……So that’s what happened.”

Was it because it was quite a serious situation?

All those who were helping with Iris’s campaign gathered in one place. After hearing the whole story, Kamila bit her lips and let out a low groan.

“I can’t believe it got this far.”

“W-what should we do now?”

The students supporting Iris, excluding Ulan and his group, were fidgeting anxiously.

Just then, Fertisha, who had been quietly organizing her thoughts, suggested an appropriate response.

“How about we talk to the professors?”

“It’s probably useless.”

“Huh? Why?”

“The professors don’t care about the student council election. Moreover, there’s no solid evidence.”

Just as Kamila said, Ulan and Ivella only heard this rumor from Silfi.

Without proof of the student council’s conspiracy, punishing them was impossible. Just when the gloomy atmosphere engulfed the room again.

“I have a way.”

A small silver-haired girl opened her mouth.

Delia Arpen. At her words, all eyes suddenly turned toward her. Soon Delia’s lips began to move.

“We’ll mark the ballots.”

“Mark the ballots?”

“Yes, we’ll give each designated ballot a unique mark. Then we can prevent additional votes from coming in.”

Stellar magic, the star mark.

A magic that engraves constellations on objects or beings to emit a bright light.

And currently, the only one in the academy capable of using stellar magic is Delia Arpen.

“Hmm, that’s indeed not a bad idea.”

If the star marks are assigned to the ballots according to the number of voters, it means the student council’s scheme would be thwarted.

Having understood Delia’s explanation, Iris nodded in agreement. On the other hand, Kamila still looked worried.

“But to realize that, we’ll need to talk to the election steering committee. But as I mentioned before, they are in support of the current student council…”

This brings the situation back to square one.

This solution can only begin if the election steering committee accepts Delia’s proposal.

A heavy silence returned.

However, the stillness didn’t last long.

“If that’s the case, leave it to me.”

The tightly closed door swung wide open as someone strode confidently into the room.

A girl with black hair and blue eyes. Iris recognized her and widened her eyes in surprise.

“N-Noa?”

“Do you have an idea?”

“Yes! Even if the steering committee is powerful, they won’t be stronger than Dean Erkazhan, right?”

Noa asked back, looking at Iris and Kamila.

Both responded in bewilderment.

“Well, that is certainly true, but…”

“You can’t just meet Dean Erkazhan easily.”

“It’s fine. Ulan and I are exceptions.”

Noa answered with a smile, glancing at Ulan to add credibility to her statement.

At the same time, Ulan nodded.

“Right, Noa is right.”

Ulan and Noa had made a pact with Marquis Gorphant. They agreed to become his wards in exchange for future collaboration with the empire.

And since Dean Berge Erkazhan, who oversees the military department, was also an influential figure in the empire, there was a very high chance he would agree to the request.

“You have to fight power with power.”

Finishing her reply, Noa grinned mischievously.

With immense power backing her, one that the election steering committee couldn’t dare to oppose.

Sixteen.

A little while later.

The issue of fraudulent elections was resolved surprisingly easily. Just as Noa expected, Dean Erkazhan accepted Delia’s proposal.

“So I’ll take my leave now.”

Politely bowing her head, Noa exited the dean’s office. After sharing this news, she gathered all her comrades in one spot.

Ulan, Ivella, Delia, and Fertisha.

She had something to say.

“Huh? You have something to say to us?”

“Does it concern the election?”

Since she had just been helping with Iris’s campaign, everyone’s attention was drawn that way.

But Ulan was the exception.

He knew why Noa had been missing instead of helping with the election campaign.

“Is it about the desert?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Noa nodded without hesitation.

She then looked around at everyone and said.

“While you all were assisting with the election, I went to meet Silfi Rudhina.”

“Uh? Silfi?”

“What does Silfi have to do with the desert?”

The unexpected name popped up out of nowhere.

Of those gathered, it was Ivella and Ulan who reacted first since they were the only ones somewhat close to Silfi.

“She has a very deep connection. Because Silfi is a descendant of Kazan Rudrik.”

“……!?”

Ivella’s eyes widened in shock.

Ulan also raised an eyebrow.

Noa observed their reactions and spoke the true name of Silfi Rudhina aloud.

“Silfi Rudrik, a cultist from the southern desert who enrolled in the academy under a false identity for some purpose.”

“S-Silfi is a cultist from the desert…?”

“That’s what I found out.”

Leaving Ivella, who was flabbergasted, behind, Noa turned back to Ulan.

“Anyway, I pressed her with this knowledge, but to cut to the chase, I didn’t get the information I wanted. But I did hear something unexpected.”

Istan El Deorg.

As soon as Noa mentioned him, Ivella’s expression began to shift.

By the time Noa finished explaining, Ivella suddenly murmured, as if recalling something.

“I-incidentally, I did receive a letter saying he would stop by the academy this Thursday…”

“Then it’s almost certain.”

Delia nodded quietly.

It was evidence that what Silfi had said aligned with Count Deorg’s actions.

“So we can talk then.”

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking too.”

Noa chimed in, agreeing with Ulan.

But unlike her comrades, Ivella was still in shock. Leaving her behind, Ulan looked at Noa.

“I have something to tell you too.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“I found someone among the student council members who smells of Abyss Worshippers.”

“……Huh?”

Now it was Noa’s turn to be surprised.

With wide-open eyes blinking, Ulan summarized the events that happened in front of the library plaza earlier.

He even shared everything he heard from Silfi about the Leaves of Draga. After hearing the whole story, Noa immediately searched her memory.

“Elvin Adict.”

Noa recognized the name well.

A character that emerged as the villain in the original story and who was currently Iris’s rival candidate.

“But in the original story, Elvin doesn’t have any ties to the Abyss Worshippers…”

So naturally, he also didn’t use the Leaves of Draga. He merely conspired with the election steering committee to set a trap for Iris.

“Where did the situation start going off track?”

Noa frowned slightly.

Just then, Ulan casually said, “So I plan to investigate.”

“I also decided to help Ulan.”

“Me too!”

Delia and Fertisha expressed their willingness to support Ulan. Snapping out of her thoughts, Noa quietly nodded.

“Yes, it’s definitely better to investigate. So when do you plan to start?”

As soon as Noa’s question ended, Ulan gazed at the western sky.

Then he spoke while watching the sun setting over the horizon.

“Right now.”

Night was about to fall soon.

The perfect time to hide in the shadows and do some reconnaissance. After answering, Ulan’s eyes darkened ominously.

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