Part 1
Before Diablo got to know the flower vendor, on Lifelia calendar Year 165, January 6──
3 pm.
The clock tower bell rang.
The grounds of the royal capital Magic Academy was vast.
The school building that was called by the nickname the 《Blue Brick》 was a new building that was made with white stone pillars and blue bricks.
In one of the several school buildings──the First Year, Class F that was on the first floor of the middle school building.
The seat by the window furthest to the back of that classroom was Horun’s seat.
The division of students was done by grades, with A being the honor students, and the F class being called the class of failures.
Since Horun enrolled in the middle of the year, and had almost never studied magic until then, her ability as a Magician was of the lowest class.
She was actually level 80 as a 《Thief》 but……she had promised with her guardian, Lumachina, that she would keep that hidden.
At the end of today’s lesson, the glasses-wearing female teacher told them a message.
「Today, it has been confirmed that we have become unable to get in touch with several students. It is a situation where we do not know their whereabouts.」
The students made a fuss and were exchanging whispers inside the classroom.
Catching only the beneficial information from the noise was one of a Thief’s basic abilities. She had unconsciously started doing that.
It seemed that a girl from the High School Second Year Class A, and two senpais from the Third Year Class A had gone missing.
──Three people.
On top of Horun’s desk, a palm-size small young lady was using a pencil box in place of a chair and crossed her legs.
『With this, isn’t it ten people? Isn’t this school like totally dangerous? Like seriously～』
Her name is Babylon.
She described herself as a Goddess that governed over the leveling up of another world.
If Diablo were to see her, he surely would have noticed that she had an outfit that looked like that of a female high-school student of his original world.
However, Babylon’s figure could only be seen by Horun who was the owner of the 《Holy Grail》. Even her voice couldn’t be heard by other people.
Horun nodded.
She thought that there was most likely some sort of trouble going on. Ten people that were nothing but female students had gone missing.
Starting from the end of last year and going through the long vacation of the New Year’s holiday, there were three people altogether that had gone missing by the first day of the new term.
Did that mean that they went missing during the consecutive holidays?
*Pan pan!* The female teacher overbearingly clapped her hands.
「Quiet! Everyone, even if you are on campus grounds, be sure that you do not act alone. Do you understand?」
They had uniformly said 「Yeーs」, but there were probably a few students that wouldn’t do as they were told.
Horun was one of them.
After the teacher left the classroom and they had dispersed, she headed to the door without going together with anyone.
A passage between school buildings──
Horun was heading to a separate building alone.
Strictly speaking, the Holy Grail was within the bag that she held, but Babylon was sitting on her shoulder.
『Heyー, heyー, Horun-chan, the kidnapper, what kinda person do ya think they are?』
「……Is it really a kidnapping -ssu ka ne?」
Since the people around her couldn’t see Babylon, she would seem like she was talking to herself when she conversed with Babylon.
So that she wouldn’t be misunderstood as being gloomy, Horun would talk with a low voice that only Babylon who was riding her shoulder could hear without moving her lips.
Since she was a talkative one, she practiced and learned how to do it.
『It’s totally a kidnapping! Although I don’t know the three from today～, but the seven from before didn’t even leave any notes behind, and it’s said that there weren’t any kids that they consulted their troubles to.』
「……There is that sort of rumor -ssu ne.」
There were a lot of students, but even so, it was a closed world.
Especially rumors like this that had a criminal nature would rush about in no time at all.
That they run away, but were kidnapped.
『Totally an incident♪ Totally an incident♪』
Why did Babylon sound like she was enjoying this?
「……I just want to focus on my magic studies though -sukedo nee.」
『Don’t you not have the aptitude for it?』
「I want you to stop that -ssu! There’s still no telling that you know -ssu yo!?」
Since she had unintentionally made a loud voice, the other students passing by in the passage made surprised faces.
Going *Awawa……*, Horun quickened her step so as to run away.
Babylon roared with laughter.
『That face! It’s super hilarious!』
「……This curse, just when will it be broken -su ka ne?」
『I’m totally not something like a curseー. I’m the Goddess of the Holy Grail -poyo.』
「Is the effective time permanent?」
Horun breathed a sigh.
Babylon narrowed her eyes.
『I am the type that would go on to other places if you were to part with the Holy Grail though.』
「……I still haven’t gotten you to level me up -ssu.」
『That’s trueー. It would also be way too boring to wait for the next owner, right? So this is something like a Win-Win thing?』
Babylon had the ability to level up the owner of the Holy Grail just once.
For her to do that, she would need two liters of a maiden’s blood.
If her memories were correct, Horun was inexperienced but……two liters of blood was a lethal dose. That being said, there was no way she could sacrifice someone.
However, it was too valuable to let go of.
As a result, she was being haunted by Babylon even now.
She paid a visit to the staff building.
In this Royal Capital Magic Academy, a staff room that bundled up the teachers did not exist.
The teachers were excellent Magicians, as well as researchers of magic. Each of them possessed rooms that acted as their hermitages.
First, she paid a visit to her homeroom teacher’s laboratory but……
「Is she not here -ssu ka ne.」
『Do you have some sort of business with that annoying four-eyesー?』
「……I want to investigate the matter of the students that went missing -ssu. I wouldn’t be able to calm down and do my magic studies after all -ssu kara.」
『What a pain. Wouldn’t it be fine to just leave it to something like the police?』
Poliisu?
Babylon sometimes spoke words that she didn’t understand.
She had a bad way of speaking even without that though.
「……I don’t see any Adventurers, and it looks like the State Knights have done investigations several times, but it looks like they can’t make a resolution -ssu.」
『Downerー』
「According to the rumors, at the old school building……ah……」
Horun approached the end of the hallway.
The old woman that came walking over was someone that she had met only once in the interview before her enrollment.
She was the Headmaster of this Magic Academy.
That old woman stopped in front of Horun.
「You are……」
「H, hello -ssu.」
『Wassup!』
Taking advantage of the fact that she couldn’t be seen or heard, Babylon made a greeting filled with contempt.
The Headmaster readjusted her monocle.
「If I remember correctly, you were Horun-san, correct? Did you have a question for a teacher?」
She had a hoarse voice, but she had a clear pronunciation.
Horun had thought about deceiving her with something suitable, but this was perfect. She decided to discuss the matter with the Headmaster.
「Erm……I, have been worried about the going missing trouble……I’d like to examine the list of names -ssu. But, I would need sensei’s permission for that -ssu kara.」
「You’re investigating the incident?」
「Ahー……」
What in the world is a mere student saying──would she think that?
Going “I want to investigate if there is an incident” was the trait of an Adventurer.
Horun had just turned thirteen years old, and she was currently a student of the Magic Academy, but before this, she was an Adventurer. Protecting the people of the Races from all sorts of wonders was what an Adventurer did.
The Headmaster nodded.
「Come with me.」
「Eh?」
She was beckoned over.
The place she was accompanied to, was the Headmaster’s room.
Part 1
Before Diablo got to know the flower vendor, on Lifelia calendar Year 165, January 6──
3 pm.
The clock tower bell rang.
The grounds of the royal capital Magic Academy was vast.
The school building that was called by the nickname the 《Blue Brick》 was a new building that was made with white stone pillars and blue bricks.
In one of the several school buildings──the First Year, Class F that was on the first floor of the middle school building.
The seat by the window furthest to the back of that classroom was Horun’s seat.
The division of students was done by grades, with A being the honor students, and the F class being called the class of failures.
Since Horun enrolled in the middle of the year, and had almost never studied magic until then, her ability as a Magician was of the lowest class.
She was actually level 80 as a 《Thief》 but……she had promised with her guardian, Lumachina, that she would keep that hidden.
At the end of today’s lesson, the glasses-wearing female teacher told them a message.
「Today, it has been confirmed that we have become unable to get in touch with several students. It is a situation where we do not know their whereabouts.」
The students made a fuss and were exchanging whispers inside the classroom.
Catching only the beneficial information from the noise was one of a Thief’s basic abilities. She had unconsciously started doing that.
It seemed that a girl from the High School Second Year Class A, and two senpais from the Third Year Class A had gone missing.
──Three people.
On top of Horun’s desk, a palm-size small young lady was using a pencil box in place of a chair and crossed her legs.
『With this, isn’t it ten people? Isn’t this school like totally dangerous? Like seriously～』
Her name is Babylon.
She described herself as a Goddess that governed over the leveling up of another world.
If Diablo were to see her, he surely would have noticed that she had an outfit that looked like that of a female high-school student of his original world.
However, Babylon’s figure could only be seen by Horun who was the owner of the 《Holy Grail》. Even her voice couldn’t be heard by other people.
Horun nodded.
She thought that there was most likely some sort of trouble going on. Ten people that were nothing but female students had gone missing.
Starting from the end of last year and going through the long vacation of the New Year’s holiday, there were three people altogether that had gone missing by the first day of the new term.
Did that mean that they went missing during the consecutive holidays?
*Pan pan!* The female teacher overbearingly clapped her hands.
「Quiet! Everyone, even if you are on campus grounds, be sure that you do not act alone. Do you understand?」
They had uniformly said 「Yeーs」, but there were probably a few students that wouldn’t do as they were told.
Horun was one of them.
After the teacher left the classroom and they had dispersed, she headed to the door without going together with anyone.
A passage between school buildings──
Horun was heading to a separate building alone.
Strictly speaking, the Holy Grail was within the bag that she held, but Babylon was sitting on her shoulder.
『Heyー, heyー, Horun-chan, the kidnapper, what kinda person do ya think they are?』
「……Is it really a kidnapping -ssu ka ne?」
Since the people around her couldn’t see Babylon, she would seem like she was talking to herself when she conversed with Babylon.
So that she wouldn’t be misunderstood as being gloomy, Horun would talk with a low voice that only Babylon who was riding her shoulder could hear without moving her lips.
Since she was a talkative one, she practiced and learned how to do it.
『It’s totally a kidnapping! Although I don’t know the three from today～, but the seven from before didn’t even leave any notes behind, and it’s said that there weren’t any kids that they consulted their troubles to.』
「……There is that sort of rumor -ssu ne.」
There were a lot of students, but even so, it was a closed world.
Especially rumors like this that had a criminal nature would rush about in no time at all.
That they run away, but were kidnapped.
『Totally an incident♪ Totally an incident♪』
Why did Babylon sound like she was enjoying this?
「……I just want to focus on my magic studies though -sukedo nee.」
『Don’t you not have the aptitude for it?』
「I want you to stop that -ssu! There’s still no telling that you know -ssu yo!?」
Since she had unintentionally made a loud voice, the other students passing by in the passage made surprised faces.
Going *Awawa……*, Horun quickened her step so as to run away.
Babylon roared with laughter.
『That face! It’s super hilarious!』
「……This curse, just when will it be broken -su ka ne?」
『I’m totally not something like a curseー. I’m the Goddess of the Holy Grail -poyo.』
「Is the effective time permanent?」
Horun breathed a sigh.
Babylon narrowed her eyes.
『I am the type that would go on to other places if you were to part with the Holy Grail though.』
「……I still haven’t gotten you to level me up -ssu.」
『That’s trueー. It would also be way too boring to wait for the next owner, right? So this is something like a Win-Win thing?』
Babylon had the ability to level up the owner of the Holy Grail just once.
For her to do that, she would need two liters of a maiden’s blood.
If her memories were correct, Horun was inexperienced but……two liters of blood was a lethal dose. That being said, there was no way she could sacrifice someone.
However, it was too valuable to let go of.
As a result, she was being haunted by Babylon even now.
She paid a visit to the staff building.
In this Royal Capital Magic Academy, a staff room that bundled up the teachers did not exist.
The teachers were excellent Magicians, as well as researchers of magic. Each of them possessed rooms that acted as their hermitages.
First, she paid a visit to her homeroom teacher’s laboratory but……
「Is she not here -ssu ka ne.」
『Do you have some sort of business with that annoying four-eyesー?』
「……I want to investigate the matter of the students that went missing -ssu. I wouldn’t be able to calm down and do my magic studies after all -ssu kara.」
『What a pain. Wouldn’t it be fine to just leave it to something like the police?』
Poliisu?
Babylon sometimes spoke words that she didn’t understand.
She had a bad way of speaking even without that though.
「……I don’t see any Adventurers, and it looks like the State Knights have done investigations several times, but it looks like they can’t make a resolution -ssu.」
『Downerー』
「According to the rumors, at the old school building……ah……」
Horun approached the end of the hallway.
The old woman that came walking over was someone that she had met only once in the interview before her enrollment.
She was the Headmaster of this Magic Academy.
That old woman stopped in front of Horun.
「You are……」
「H, hello -ssu.」
『Wassup!』
Taking advantage of the fact that she couldn’t be seen or heard, Babylon made a greeting filled with contempt.
The Headmaster readjusted her monocle.
「If I remember correctly, you were Horun-san, correct? Did you have a question for a teacher?」
She had a hoarse voice, but she had a clear pronunciation.
Horun had thought about deceiving her with something suitable, but this was perfect. She decided to discuss the matter with the Headmaster.
「Erm……I, have been worried about the going missing trouble……I’d like to examine the list of names -ssu. But, I would need sensei’s permission for that -ssu kara.」
「You’re investigating the incident?」
「Ahー……」
What in the world is a mere student saying──would she think that?
Going “I want to investigate if there is an incident” was the trait of an Adventurer.
Horun had just turned thirteen years old, and she was currently a student of the Magic Academy, but before this, she was an Adventurer. Protecting the people of the Races from all sorts of wonders was what an Adventurer did.
The Headmaster nodded.
「Come with me.」
「Eh?」
She was beckoned over.
The place she was accompanied to, was the Headmaster’s room.
