Silent Witch

Ever since Monica heard that Minerva's students were coming to the chess tournament, she has not been able to sleep well. Waking up on the morning of the competition day was just as terrible, and she woke up just as the sun was rising. The cold voice of the boy whom she believed to be her friend was echoing in the back of her ears.

—You'd be better off holed up in an isolated mountain cabin.

Monica sniffed softly and pulled the blanket over her head. Then, a thud sound came across from the room. She slightly rolled up the edge of the blanket and peered towards the sound.

"Oh, this should be good, right? There, I've done my turn."

"What a tricky position. Well, how about this?"

"Ugh, gggghhhh… this is… this is…"

A beautiful woman in a maid's uniform and a black cat were sitting together around a chessboard on the attic floor.

She had assumed that they were playing chess, but instead, she saw black and white pieces alternately stacked high on the chessboard.

Nero, the black cat, dexterously held the pieces with his paw and carefully placed them on top of the stacked pieces… but they lost their balance and fell apart.

"Damn, I knew it, play this game using my cat paw was going to be tough."

Nero was tapping the fallen pieces with his paw in frustration, while Louis's contracted spirit, Lynn, was cleaning up the scattered pieces unperturbed.

"…what are you doing?"

At Monica enquire, Nero brazenly held up a chess piece and said.

"We're playing chess!"

"In this game, players play by piling up black and white pieces alternately, and whoever makes them collapse loses. Currently, I have won seven games in a row."

Realizing this was not the chess game she knew, Monica smiled wryly and got out of bed. Given that Lynn was here, perhaps it was already time to make the usual routine report?

As Monica sluggishly getting dressed, Lynn, still cleaning up the chess pieces, spoke.

"Sir Louis told me there will be a chess tournament today and a school festival in four days. Since there will be many outsiders coming in and out, he had ordered me to accompany you on guard duty."

During the chess exchange matches, all the student council members, except for Monica and Elliot who will be taking part as players, would be in charge to receive students from other schools. Sure enough, with Nero and Lynn guarding Felix, Monica could concentrate on her chess without any worries.

Ever since after what had happened in Casey's case, Louis's caution was to be expected.

"Um… Lynn."

"Yes."

"After that incident… What happened to Casey?"

Casey, who had attempted to assassinate Felix, was supposed to be executed, but instead was taken into custody by Louis on the condition, she must explain all the details honestly.

But should Casey refuse to be interrogated… Monica, who knows how merciless Louis can be, couldn't help but felt a shiver.

"Miss Casey Groove, daughter of Count Bright, complied with the interrogation. In that matters, Sir Louis has already been in contact with Count Bright in secret."

Casey's father, Count Bright, has stated that he was entirely responsible for the incident and has stubbornly denied any connection to the Randall Kingdom.

However, Louis suspected that the Randall Kingdom side was also behind the assassination plan and was investigating the source of the assassination magic tool, the [Conch Flame].

"Miss Casey Groove has been sent to a convent in the northeast just the other day."

"I, see…"

Monica's heart wrenched every time she remembered Casey's sorrowful voice.

Casey felt indebted to the Randall Kingdom. So when she discovered that Duke Crockford was planning to invade Randall, she was determined to stop him.

Sooner or later, when Felix becomes king… Duke Crockford, Felix's backer, will probably drive Felix to attack the Randall Kingdom and eventually start a war with the Empire.

The Empire itself was formidable, but with the recent reign of a young emperor, the regime has been unstable. This had provided him a perfect opportunity to make a move on them.

That being said, Monica can't just sit back and watch Felix get assassinated.

…I don't know which path should I choose.

None of each side was completely united.

Some work for their personal fortune, some for the national interest, some for their ideals, some for peace, some for further development… A whirlwind of thoughts, ideals, and desires. This is what politics is all about.

Even after becoming one of the Seven Sages, Monica kept away from political affairs and secluded herself in her cabin. She firmly believed that staying away from politics was the best thing to do.

But things can't be the same anymore.

The political struggles that Monica had turned a blind eye to until now were quietly coming to her doorstep.

…why does His Highness, who is such an amazing person, always follow Duke Crockford words?

Everyone knew Felix was very capable.

It was also a well-known fact that he was at the mercy of his maternal grandfather, the Duke of Crockford. Even Monica, who was not familiar with politics, had overheard about it.

… Does His Highness want to go to war with Randall and the Empire… is he really fine to let this country be engulfed in a war…?

Monica still couldn't grasp the person named Felix Ark Riddile.

Even the same student council members, such as Cyril and Elliot, have shown more of their personalities and ideals compared to their first encounter.

For example, Cyril was a proud person who was strict with himself and others. He can be somewhat narrow-minded, but he was caring and attentive to those around him. He took pride in being recognized by Felix and was more devoted to that person than anyone else.

Elliot adhered to the status system and had a belief that nobles must act like nobles and commoners must act like commoners. Even his looks gave a frivolous impression, but at heart, was very earnest. And the fact that he felt uncomfortable when used a castling against Monica proved how earnest this person was.

Up until now, Monica had always avoided interacting with people, but after she infiltrated Serendia Academy and came into contact with various people, she gradually began to see things more clearly. Which was, she can naturally understand about a person, once she knew what he/she valued the most.

Casey wanted to protect her family.

Elliot took pride in being a nobleman.

Cyril was devoted to Felix.

Everyone has their own values and beliefs, and they are all fighting to protect them.

…Then what about His Highness? …What is His Highness fighting to protect?

From Monica's standpoint, Felix was calm, friendly, and sociable… but no one knew what he was thinking.

But when he said…

Whenever I show up at a tea party, no one offers me chocolates made with Randall's techniques. I mean, what's the harm in something that tastes good?

The cold look on his face as he blurted out how stupid the power struggle was…She didn't think that words were a lie.

I can't let His Highness die. I won't let His Highness die.

For that reason, she had to make sure that both the chess tournament and the school festival four days later were successful. To do that, she needed to make sure to divide her role between Nero and Lynn.

Monica turned to face Nero and Lynn.

"I would like to confirm today's arrangement. Nero, I want you to make sure if there are any suspicious magical reactions similar to the [Conch Flame] the other day. Lynn, as a wind spirit, you should be able to hear sounds from afar, right? Please keep an eye out for any suspicious conversations around His Highness."

At Monica's instruction, Nero chimed "Got it!" as he raised his paw proudly.

Lynn gave an "understood" nod and made one statement to Monica.

"To tell you the truth, I was discussing with Lord Nero how should we protect the second prince without attracting suspicion while playing this game."

"Oh, I just remembered. Watch me, Monica!"

Particles of light enveloped Nero and Lynn, changing their appearance. Eventually, the light subsided, replaced by two beautiful individuals dressed in Serendia Academy uniforms.

One was a wild-looking handsome man with black hair, the other was an elegant handsome man with short blond hair. The dark-haired one was Nero, of course, but the blond guy… perhaps…

"W-Whaaaat? Eeeeh? Are you by any chance… Lynn?"

"Indeed, I am Louis Miller's contracted spirit, Lindbergfield."

According to a book Monica had once read, spirits have no gender, so when they turn into humans, they can turn into either men or women. Still, witnessing her transformation from a woman to a man was a surprising experience. His frame was slender but definitely that of a grown man, while his voice was lower than usual.

"What do you think? This way we can walk around the school building without attracting suspicion!"

Next to Nero, who looked pleased with himself, Lynn took out a book expressionlessly.

"There was a scene in this novel where the heroine is tangled up with a bad guy, which ended up to be defended by her classmate by saying, ‘Don't touch my girl.'"

"R-Right…"

"If Miss Monica ever gets tangled up, I'll be sure to reenact this scene, so please rest assured and just let the bad guy tangle with you."

"…………"

As Monica stood speechless, Nero's eyes glowed brightly.

"Oh, that sounds great! I want to do it too!"

"I call this a love triangle between me, Miss Monica, and Lord Nero. What a thrilling development."

For Monica, this is a thrilling development in a negative way.

Monica opened her mouth, putting a hand to her forehead with a pensive look on her face.

"You know, I think the uniforms you're wearing for someone of that age… would make you stand out even more…"

"Wh-What!?"

"I can't believe it…"

For some reason, both of them did not seem to have an accurate grasp of their own outward age.

Both Nero and Lynn looked to be in their mid-twenties when they transformed into humans. Needless to say, they were suspicious people wearing uniforms.

After Monica brought it up, they exchanged glances and began discussing strategies, such as what to wear, or what not to wear.

In the first place, Nero can turn into a cat and Lynn can turn into a bird. There's no need for them to transform into humans.

Regardless of what Monica said, they were still arguing about what to wear, so she decided to leave them alone and leave the room.

She had promised Lana to visit her room today. She didn't have much time to relax.