011 – The Reason for Surveillance
Following student Daisy Ruin’s words, I went straight to her room.
A female student, identical to her, was indeed there.
“Professor..! I’m the real one, the one over there is a doppelganger…!”
Ordinarily, one would need to confirm which of the two was the real person and which was the doppelganger.
*Swoosh…*
“…Professor?”
But it was the same female student that Mihane directly rescued, after finding the hideout of a human trafficking organization that was hard to find even for the Imperial Family, and even deciphering the five exam papers crafted by the Tower Lord.
*Slice-*
Without hesitation, I cleaved the female student inside the dormitory.
Quite apart from the gushing red blood, the insides were filled with a viscous, grey substance.
“The male student was also a doppelganger, you said?”
“Yes.”
“Lead me there at once.”
…
We succeeded in capturing the doppelganger disguised as a male student.
But the moment we imprisoned it to prevent its escape, it immediately took its own life, yielding no information whatsoever.
‘I can’t even guess how many more doppelgangers are hiding in the Academy…’
We will now determine how many more doppelgangers are hidden here through an emergency faculty meeting.
First, though, having put out the immediate fire, it was time to hear what student Daisy Ruin had to say.
“Daisy Ruin?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Now then, can you explain properly what happened, from the beginning?”
“Well…”
…
“And then?”
“After that… I don’t remember.”
The student’s story ended unnaturally.
I saw with my own eyes that she was conscious when Mihane carried her down in his arms.
Yet, Daisy replied that she remembered nothing at all.
“I see.”
However, I didn’t bother to find fault with that.
This, too, could be part of Mihane’s plan; and if he truly was the person chosen as a Hero…
I absolutely mustn’t interfere with his plans.
“Alright, I understand for now. We’re holding an emergency meeting, so would you mind bearing with it even if you’re a little tired today? There will be a point where your testimony is needed.”
“Yes…”
…
The decision from the emergency faculty meeting… was that the professors themselves would directly judge whether a student was a doppelganger or not.
However, to perfectly distinguish between a doppelganger and a human… required killing the other party.
A situation making a 100% perfect judgment impossible, which was a pity.
‘Just how many doppelgangers are hiding in the Magic Kingdom…’
The Top Lord’s words flickered in my mind.
If these monsters could breach the Academy’s security… the number of doppelgangers hidden within the Magic Kingdom was beyond comprehension.
Just endless worries in a tormented state.
‘He’s out.’
Finally, I could see the person I had been waiting and waiting for leave the dormitory.
*
From this morning, bread and meat, plus a warm soup?
And it was okay to eat two bowls?!
“Hallelujah.”
A word of admiration slipped out without my knowing, and I started eating the cafeteria meal I had gotten again.
‘Delicious!’
If only this menu had kimchi, it would be the perfect touch.
But I didn’t even know if kimchi existed in this world, so I banished my regrets far, far away.
I turned my head and looked at the professor nibbling at his meal beside me.
“Don’t you have an appetite?”
“Perhaps not so much. They say a doppelganger has appeared in the Academy.”
Worrying about the students’ safety, this showed just what a true professor Layton was.
“Mr. Mihaen.”
“Yes?”
“Could you explain to me what happened last night?”
I stopped dead, spoon laden with food still in the air.
Caught off guard by the sudden question, my whole body creaked.
“…That somewhat unnatural movement?”
“Ehh.. U-uh.. Uhm.. Euhm… Uh…”
“Was it a very troubling matter?”
If he’s asking about what happened to me last night, what exactly is he referring to?
“That is…”
Kidnapping a female student in her underclothes to my room?
Demanding a huge sum of money from her under the guise of saving her?
“That is?”
“…Might I ask, professor, just how much do you know?”
His tone was gentle, suggesting he didn’t hold any malicious feelings towards me.
So I asked the professor just how much he knew…
“I know that you saved a female student last night.”
“…Anything else?”
“Hm? Anything else, you say?”
“Hah! Safe, at last!”
Luckily, it didn’t seem like she’d asked for money,
Or alluded to some inexplicable teleportation magic,
Or even suggested I’d dressed her—the unconscious classmate—while pretending not to enjoy it. He appeared ignorant of all such things.
“Did Daisy Ruin mention anything?”
“Not a peep. She doesn’t know what happened, not even your identity. Just that she has no memory, and she refused to discuss anything related to you.”
“…Then how do you know I saved her?”
“That’s… I happened to witness it.”
“I see…”
The professor’s words—that he’d “happened to witness it”—struck me like a thunderbolt.
‘I’m being watched.’
Unbeknownst to me, I was under the professor’s surveillance.
Whether for good reasons,
Or ill… I couldn’t say.
‘I’ll have to plant some bugs of my own later.’
Yes, it seemed I had no choice but to put Professor Layton under surveillance as well.
‘Tch.’
A little bit regrettable, if I’m honest.
The idea of switching out classmates daily to peek into their secret lives… Never crossed my mind, not once!
‘So *that’s* why I’m being watched.’
I was starting to understand the professor’s motivations.
But anyway, back to the conversation at hand.
I resolved to be frank with the professor.
“My mother always told me,”
“Hmm? What did she say?”
“Never turn away someone in need. If I offer help, someone else will be there to help me when *I’m* in trouble.”
“A rather… religious sentiment, isn’t it?”
“Ahaha, is that so? That’s all it was, really.”
“…Hm?”
“The reason I saved Daisy Ruin… was simply that. She seemed to need help, so I offered a hand.”
A clean confession.
I was the one who saved her the other day, and I didn’t receive any compensation for it… no, I didn’t.
Therefore, it was a purely selfless act.
‘Not that I’m lying.’
“I can’t tell you the details of *how*. Just as I know your secrets but won’t reveal them to anyone, I ask you to refrain from pressing me on this secret, okay?”
With that, I was able to naturally conceal the existence of ‘kidnapping’ and ‘espionage’ magic.
Creating an equal footing between the professor and me, built on the foundation of secrets.
“…”
Professor Layton merely stared at me, without a word.
The Professor, having sat in silence for a moment, finally spoke.
“…You’re leaving then?”
He picked up his empty plate and slowly began to rise from his seat.
“It seems you don’t have a weapon of your own. Would you accept this?”
“What is it?”
“It’s a dagger I cherish. A memento left by a fallen comrade, who always fought for justice.”
“Why would you give something like this to me…?”
“That friend of mine, he would be overjoyed to know that you, Mihan, would be wielding this dagger.”
Rising fully to his feet, the Professor extended the dagger. I took it.
Light enough, yet weighty enough.
And it fit perfectly in my hand…
‘This is a perfect fit!’
It was the moment my first cherished weapon was born.
“Ah, yes, one more thing. I’ll share a piece of top-secret information from the Magic Kingdom, just with you.”
“…Are you sure you should be telling something like that to a guy like me…?”
“They say a Saint has appeared in the Magic Kingdom.”
“…A Saint?”
Did saving Daisy Lewin make me look that good?
To tell me classified information that shouldn’t be leaked so easily…
“Indeed. I can’t help but find it rather…amazing that you aren’t the Saint.”
“????”
With a small smile, the Professor turned and left.
‘…Think I’ll have another bowl.’
My hunger renewed, I decided to grab another helping of the cafeteria’s fare.
‘Easy come, easy go.’
*
‘A Hero.’
Leighton was convinced.
Mihan was indeed the Hero sent to save the Magic Kingdom.
‘What foolish doubts.’
He chuckled softly, repeating the words Mihan had spoken earlier.
‘Don’t turn a blind eye to those who need help.’
But who could the Saint be?
If someone so righteous was the Hero, then perhaps the Saint was truly the Goddess herself, descended into a human form.
*
Having finished my meal, I left the cafeteria, thinking to find any hidden pieces and go for a walk.
I saw a familiar face hurrying out of one of the lecture halls.
—
Ella Eloise (21)
[Abduction] – Activated
[ESPIONAGE] – Layton Isolde
—
‘Ah, so she attends the Academy as well?’
The realization that she was the woman who donated a considerable six shillings to me sparked a surge of welcome, prompting me to approach, but only for a moment.
Whirr~
I swiftly turned away, the memory flashing back – the day she discovered I was a “kidnapper.”
‘Ah, she shouldn’t be attending the Academy, should she?’
This is an emergency.
Roughly a week since my arrival in this world.
Until being imprisoned in the Imperial dungeon…
“Excuse me.”
“…”
“Isn’t it you?”
“…”
“Hey?”
“…”
“That, kidnap-.”
“Perhaps..! We could find a quiet place to talk…!”
“Shall we use my private carriage?”
“Thank you!”
Only about a day remains, it seems.