༺ Queen of the Night (2) ༻
“Did he leave? He left, right?”
Salome carefully peered at the school’s main entrance through a window in the hallway.
She allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief only when she confirmed that Judas had vanished.
‘Why did Judas come to school all of a sudden?’
Her true identity had almost been revealed.
If Salome had been exposed as Naru’s homeroom teacher, chaos would have ensued.
She would have had to resign from her position as a teacher and find a different, more difficult way to approach Naru.
“I suppose I have to be prepared for the possibility that Judas might come to Graham Academy. It’s already been more than ten minutes since the first period started.”
Creak—
Salome opened the door to the classroom and stepped inside.
The children who had been chatting for quite some time fell silent.
“Why is it so loud? I could hear you guys all the way from the hallway. Interim class president, didn’t I tell you to write down the names of the students who were speaking while I was gone?”
Salome directed her question at the students.
When she did, someone raised their hand high.
It was Naru.
“Naru, do you have something to say? Even though you’re not the class president?
“Yes! Interim class president, Tywin, didn’t come to school!”
“…”
Salome didn’t think Naru’s story made any sense.
That was because that girl was Tywin Cladeco, a prodigy.
She wasn’t incompetent enough to make a mistake like being late or not showing up to class.
As she looked around, however, it was clear that Tywin’s seat was currently empty.
‘Is she running late? Or did she just decide not to show up? How did this happen?’
Something suspicious was going on.
It smelled of something foul.
‘It probably isn’t that big a deal, but if someone as famous as Tywin were to get swept up in some incident, my position as a teacher could be at risk.’
Salome made an objective evaluation.
“Continue your self-study. Elizabeth, you’ll be the interim class president for today, so if anyone talks, write their name down.”
“Yes teacher!”
Step—
Salome stepped out of the classroom.
She then began heading towards the principal, Elle Cladeco’s office.
Knock, Knock-.
She rapped her knuckles against the door.
-—Come in.
Creak-.
When she entered, she found an office that could almost be called a library.
Salome frowned slightly after spotting a woman doing paperwork.
‘Elle Cladeco.’
A magician who was said to be near transcendence.
Standing before her, Salome spoke like a concerned teacher.
“Principal, I have something to tell you about student Tywin.”
“About Tywin? Did she cause another incident during class again?”
“That’s not it. Student Tywin didn’t show up to class today.”
Snap—
Elle Cladeco’s hand, which had been signing documents, suddenly stopped.
Slowly rubbing her eyes with her hand, she questioned Salome.
“Does that mean she’s absent?”
“That’s right. Did Tywin return home safely last night?”
“…I’m not sure. I’ve been working non-stop for the past week, so I haven’t been home. Regardless, I’ll give Tywin a good scolding to make sure she doesn’t do something like missing class again.”
“…”
After acknowledging Elle’s statement, Salome left the office.
“She doesn’t even know her daughter disappeared. Does she not care about her daughter? This is why I hate magicians. They’re all obsessed with knowledge.”
Click—
Salome flicked her tongue.
Salome, who wasn’t really a teacher, didn’t really care what happened to Tywin, but if she wanted to keep an eye on Naru, she had to solve this problem quickly.
“I can’t have an incident occur within my classroom. Should I try quietly solving the problem myself?”
Salome knew very well where the missing girls would be.
“They’re probably at 「Night Garden」.”
* * *
“To think Tywin would be absent.”
“Do you think she’s sick?”
“There’s no way. Do you think she got kidnapped?”
“Kidnapped? That makes even less sense. Tywin is stronger than the average adult. She’s already a bronze tier.”
The children whispered amongst themselves.
Interim Class President Elizabeth wanted to quiet them down.
However, she couldn’t.
The other children were discussing something that interested her.
‘Why would Tywin be absent?’
Elizabeth was Tywin’s rival.
Even though Tywin might not feel the same way, Elizabeth did.
Tywin would know better than anyone how much an unexcused absence would affect her grades.
Seeing that someone like her was absent, she got the feeling that something was off.
Snore—
At that moment, Elizabeth heard a faint noise.
When she turned, she found Naru on her side, sleeping.
It seemed she had begun dozing off as soon as self-study had begun.
“Yawn…e cat, two cats…mbined…e called Naruberos…
‘What kind of dream is she having?’
Should she wake her up and ask?
Just as she began considering the option.
A girl who hung out with Tywin regularly shouted out.
“Tywin isn’t the type of person to be absent. She’s definitely going through something horrible! Has anyone seen Tywin yesterday? Who saw her last?”
“I saw her leaving the classroom.”
“I saw her at the gym.”
The children each began giving their own accounts.
They were trying to figure out who had seen her last.
Soon, Naru cried out as she awoke from her daze.
“Naru saw Tywin yesterday! In front of the main entrance!”
Naru recalled Tywin gazing anxiously at her surroundings.
It was almost as if she was waiting for someone or something.
“Could she have been looking for a Cloudling, the Fantastic Creature?”
That was Naru’s best guess.
In Tywin’s search for a mythical cloud-like creature, it was possible she had forgotten about school and consequently been absent.
Naturally, someone disputed that guess.
“I…aw Tywin…
“Who is that?”
“Was there someone like that in our class?”
The children began whispering amongst themselves.
It was a girl with long and dense white hair covering her face.
She was someone so distant that the other children didn’t even know her name.
However, interim class president Elizabeth was able to identify her.
“Number 33 on the attendance list. You’re student Vallière, correct?”
“Yeah… I saw Tywin yesterday. She entered a black carriage with some older ladies…could smell a bunch of alcohol…d a bunch of scary-looking men with t-tattoos were there too.”
The little lady named Vallière shared a rather astonishing story.
A black carriage.
Older women.
Men with tattoos.
While the children remained naive, they all recognized these details were far different than the character associated with ‘Tywin the Prodigy’.
“There was a picture on the carriage…
Vallière began to draw in her sketchbook.
It was a flag.
A flag with an animal drawn on it.
The name of that animal was—.
“Naruberos?”
“No!”
* * *
“It’s a bat.”
“Indeed.”
Enkidus nodded.
Above his gleaming bald head, a flag with a bat drawn on it was fluttering in the wind.
The building almost resembled a palace.
It was a place where one would find a harem king living, whilst heavily intoxicated.
It was incredibly large.
Even comparable to the Ragdoll family mansion.
A number of women leaned through the open windows, revealing their provocative clothing.
Watching them made me uncomfortable in many ways.
“Is this really the place?”
I reiterated my question to Enkidus.
This was a jurisdictional gray area known as 61st Street.
I wanted to be absolutely sure that Enkidus knew his exact purpose in coming to this place.
He responded with unwavering confidence.
“This is the largest entertainment district within Freesia. They say that an astrologer is in this place. Someone who can accurately predict events that will unfold in the future.”
“Is that so?”
“However, this monk follows the principles laid out by the Sect of Ascending Sunlight. Therefore, I cannot go inside with you. That was why it was inevitable that I had to ask for your assistance.”
“So you want me to go inside and ask that Astrologer for the location of Brother Mara?”
“Indeed, Judas. This monk is glad you’re so quick to understand. You’ll even be able to see when Naru’s birthday is, so you won’t lose anything.”
“An astrologer, huh?”
Truthfully, I never believed in things like luck or astrology.
However, I had to make the most of what I had.
Especially since I bragged about being capable enough to find Duchess Leone, should I give it a shot?
“Fine. I’ll go inside and check it out. It’d probably be best if I hid my identity though.”
I made up my mind to enter Nox in place of Enkidus, who couldn’t enter the entertainment district because of his beliefs.
Truthfully, I felt more than a bit nervous.
I wasn’t here as a customer, but because I had a specific goal in mind.
If I hadn’t worn my mask, my reddened face would have been exposed to everyone present.
As I entered through the main gate and looked around, I noticed a lavish rug made from tiger fur. I could see a number of women seated around, giggling amongst themselves.
The women were dressed in fine silk.
They were reminiscent of Arabian dancers.
Because they were lounging in a provocative manner, I truly had nowhere to avert my eyes.
“Excuse me.”
I approached a woman who appeared to be in charge of the lobby of the establishment.
She appeared to be in her forties.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m looking for someone. They’re known as the Astrologer.”
“Ah, the Astrologer. Would you mind waiting for where I’ll guide you? Also, is this your first time at「Night Garden」?”
Her line of questioning was quite direct.
Before I could even respond, I found myself seated in the reception area.
There were beds and a number of unidentifiable substances nearby.
━─.
From the next room over, I could hear a lot of noises.
For some reason, it felt very awkward.
Therefore, I simply left.
As I walked down the hallway, I saw women scattered everywhere.
However, their dazed expressions indicated that they weren’t in their right minds.
Was it because of alcohol?
No, I could smell a hint of some alcohol, but it wasn’t overpowering.
Even more so, it was the women that were C rank in princess power.
Normally, women in this industry held low value.
There were so many of them that I couldn’t even measure at all.
However, the people present easily met the cutoff for a C valuation.
“Are they nobles?”
Were these women of noble descent?
Suddenly, I remembered that young noble girls were being kidnapped.
“Did you get kidnapped?
I questioned one of the girls lying on the floor.
However, she didn’t respond to my inquiry.
The only thing that stood out were two small holes, almost as if something had punctured her neck.
It looked as though she had been stabbed by needles.
“It seems these are the traces of a vampire.”
A vampire.
They were terrifying creatures that were half human and half monster.
They were thieves who stole people’s blood and hid in the darkness.
It seemed as though such a creature had infiltrated「Night Garden」.
At least, it was definitely plausible.
“If it’s true, Cariote and Brigitte are going to have a hard time since they’re investigating 61st Street. Vampires shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Just when I was murmuring to myself, the madam from earlier returned.
“Customer, you were over here! The Astrologer wishes to see you. Normally, she doesn’t show up this early. You’re quite lucky! I trust you’ve prepared the money?”
“Ah.”
I still had to speak with the Astrologer.
Following the madam, I headed towards a room located near the upper floors.
Inside, I found a large crystal ball and a girl seated.
The girl was ridiculously petite.
Her head was covered in a veil large enough to hide her entire body.
The only things I could observe about her were her small stature and jet-black hair.
For some reason, she seemed familiar.
I questioned her.
“A child like you is that famous Astrologer?”
“That’s right, I’m the astrologer. Someone who predicts the future through the stars and sky. I know everything about you, including your name.”
“Oh-ho, you know my name?”
“You might have hid your face with a mask, but I can read your karma. You are Bandit Judas.”
She was right.
But depending on the context, she was also just a run-of-the-mill quack.
Therefore, she was only half correct.
Soon, she continued on.
“There is a severe calamity that will encircle your destiny. You could even call it a malevolent star. You would do well to be careful.”
A calamity?
To think she’d curse someone.
I felt quite annoyed.
I was trying to play dumb, but…
“Tywin Cladeco. Does your mother know what you’re doing here?”
“I-I’m not Tywin…I am the A-Astrologer–!”
Slip—
I pulled on the veil that was covering her face.
A visibly panicked A+ Princess Tywin was revealed.
“G-Give it back!”
“You think you can hide from my princess scouter with this thin fabric? Shouldn’t you be in school right now? Why are you in a place like this?”
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