Oran Knight is out (1/3 chapters for today)
Last of Seven Mysteries (1): Lost Clue
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The usual after-school time.
In the library of the old school building, the atmosphere in the newspaper club room was heavy. The cause was the Seven Mysteries. The two remaining candidates for the Seven Wonders were ‘the hidden grave within the academy’ and ‘the hidden treasure buried on the hill’.
Among these, we considered ‘the hidden grave within the academy’ as the most likely, so we were gathering information. As a result, it was revealed that ‘the hidden grave within the academy’ was a creation by a student who filled out a survey. Furthermore, around the same time, it was discovered that ‘the hidden treasure buried on the hill’ was a reference to a certain novel. Bad news keeps coming.
After investigating everything, we concluded that ‘the door that cannot be opened in the old school building’ was most likely one of the Seven Mysteries. In fact, it could almost be confirmed as the last of the Seven Mysteries, the seventh one. We vaguely hoped that if we found all the Seven Wonders, we would be able to find the hidden room of Duke Lengrad.
Although there were some uneasy feelings, we had deliberately turned a blind eye to them. When we thought about it rationally, there was no guarantee of that. We identified all the Seven Mysteries. And there were no hints leading to the hidden room within the Seven Mysteries. That was the fact. However, we found it hard to accept that reality. It would have been better to quickly shift our focus and look for the next method, but we were reminded just how much we had relied on the Seven Wonders.
“Since the Seven Mysteries didn’t work, we should find another approach.” (Heinz)
Heinz had said, but even he, with few words, looked down.
“It can’t be helped that the Seven Wonders didn’t work. Let’s switch gears and think of the next method.” (Frank)
It was Frank who tried to break the silence.
“Yeah, you’re right…” (Lite)
Normally, Lite would be teasing us by saying something like “How cheeky!” while joking around, but today, he was just giving a short and dull reply.
“Tomorrow… what should we do…?” (Maria)
Maria murmured.
Originally, we had planned to gather tomorrow and work on the newspaper article, while continuing our investigation into the Seven Mysteries. But…
“I don’t think we’ll get good results even if we gather like this. What do you think, how about we call it a free day tomorrow? If you want to work on the article, you can come, and if you want to rest, you can rest. Maybe we should refresh ourselves and change our mindset for a bit?” (Rick)
Rick-san’s suggestion made us nod vaguely, and the mood shifted toward ending things early today. Afterward, we exchanged a few quiet goodbyes in front of the old school building.
“Are you going back to the dorm, Lux?” (Heinz)
Heinz asked, and feeling like I had forgotten something, I replied.
“I’ll stop by the library before heading back.” (Lux)
And then suddenly realized I was still holding the clubroom key. Recently, I had been hiding the key in a place only we knew so that anyone could enter freely.
“Oops. I forgot to hide the key. I’ll go back and put it in its usual place.” (Lux)
Even though no one might come tomorrow, I still decided to let everyone know.
“I see, then I’ll head back first.” (Heinz)
Heinz said and left with Ratt and Frank. Sonia said she had something to do at the soldier building and went with Maria and the others to the other side of the main street.
After seeing both groups off, I returned to the clubroom, hid the key, and then went to the new school building’s library. I looked for a book I wanted to read, but everything seemed foggy, and the titles just weren’t catching my attention. I stood there for a while, staring at the bookshelf, but eventually gave up on borrowing a book, greeted the librarian, and left the library. The cold wind brushed against my cheek, and I instinctively shrank my neck.
I didn’t feel like returning to my room yet, and was unsure of what to do, but suddenly felt like climbing the castle wall. It might be a good way to refresh my mind. So, I slid into our secret place, the hidden door in the castle wall, which was also the fifth of the Seven Wonders, and began to climb the dark stairs by touch.
When I reached the top of the castle wall, a breath, slightly warmed, escaped my mouth and disappeared into the air. Following it with my eyes, I saw the sky filled with stars.
“Wow.” (Lux)
I muttered quietly, and then—
“That’s amazing.” (Sonia)
A voice came from behind me, and I instinctively braced myself. When I turned around, it was Sonia.
“Oh, sorry, did I startle you?” (Sonia)
“Yeah. I was surprised. I thought I was the only one here.” (Lux)
“Actually, I saw you heading here when I was on my way back from the soldier building.” (Sonia)
“I see… Let’s sit down.” (Lux)
“Yeah.” (Sonia)
We sat down side by side. It was a bit cold, so our distance was a little closer, as if to share warmth. We quietly looked at the starry sky for a while, and then, it was Sonia who spoke first.
“The Seven Mysteries didn’t work out, huh…” (Sonia)
“Yeah… But something feels a bit off, doesn’t it?” (Lux)
“Off?” (Sonia)
“Yeah. It feels like we’re overlooking something… But maybe it’s just that I can’t accept that the Seven Mysteries turned out to be a bust.” (Lux)
“I see… Oh, what are you going to do tomorrow, Lux? Are you going to the clubroom?” (Sonia)
“Hmm… I’m not sure. I haven’t decided, but I feel like I wouldn’t get anything done if I go in this situation.” (Lux)
After I said that, Sonia looked down for a moment. Then, she looked at me as if making a decision.
“If that’s the case, how about we go out to the town tomorrow? For a change of pace… How about it?” (Sonia)
Her voice was getting softer, and I answered.
“…Yeah. That might be a good idea. Okay, let’s do that.” (Lux)
“Really!? Then, how about we meet tomorrow at 9 AM in front of the south gate?” (Sonia)
“Yeah, sounds good. Alright, let’s go back before we catch a cold.” (Lux)
We made our plans for tomorrow and then headed back down from the castle wall.
—
*Today’s Diary*
It’s really disappointing that the Seven Mysteries didn’t lead to Duke Lengrad’s hidden room.
Now, we’ll have to search using a different method, but I have no idea what to do next.
Now I understand why Heinz was so fixated on the Seven Mysteries.
The feeling is completely different when you have a possible clue and when you don’t.
For now, I’ll just have to shift my mindset.
Tomorrow, I’ll focus on enjoying the outing with Sonia.
—
After finishing today’s diary, I lazily lay down on my bed. As I stared at the ceiling, slowly, sleepiness began to creep in. At the back of my mind, I heard someone speaking.
An elegant elderly woman… was it… Linkert-san? From when I first met her in the mansion…?
—”But yes. This mansion is part of the academy’s Seven Mysteries. It used to be a place everyone knew about, but…” (Linkert)
—”Yes, it was back when the old school building was still in use, so it must have been over 10 years ago. How awful… Has it really been that long…” (Linkert)
—”So, I’m pretty sure the Seven Mysteries were something else back then…” (Linkert)
I suddenly jumped out of bed!
The Seven Mysteries… there’s still one left!!!
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