“Wow, amazing.”
“It seems the spirits have conceded the forest to Nine.”
“Oh, then it’ll help with promoting the Hunting Department, right?”
“But can we fully secure the territory just because the spirits allowed it?”
Kazein subtly poured cold water on the positive atmosphere.
Of course, it wasn’t wrong of him to do so, and since I had anticipated that someone would raise this issue, I wasn’t flustered and answered immediately.
“No, but if all the spirits have agreed, why would the board have any reason to oppose it?”
At Pelisec Academy, the influence of the spirits guarding each territory was immense.
If you didn’t get along with the spirits, you could be expelled from the academy on the spot.
Naturally, this was because the spirits had been the guardians of this place for a very long time.
The only ones who could somewhat match the seniority of the spirits were the current headmaster and chairman, Gideon, and the dementia elf—no, Ruyen.
So, regarding the forest issue, it’s unlikely that anyone would oppose my appointment.
…Ah, of course, there might be someone who, blinded by immediate gains, would indirectly oppose it.
The spirits generally don’t interfere in human affairs.
Only fools who don’t understand the terror of spirits that rarely show themselves, or idiots who act out of greed, would do such a thing.
But the reason I’m certain there will be opposition is that it was part of the original story.
The academy’s department heads and board members are trying to take over the forest for their own use.
Irina trying to stop them by gaining the students’ support.
Originally, the tear-jerking effort to save the Hunting Department should have started in Act 2.
But since I’ve intervened, the situation has changed.
It’s the spirits, after all.
Other spirits are supporting me too.
What can humans do in such a situation?
Is there any way to ignore the unanimous decision of the spirits?
In conclusion, the biggest obstacle in Irina’s route—preserving the forest—has been cleared.
So, what I need to focus on now isn’t the forest, which will be quiet for a while, but something else.
“Well, the other spirits will handle the persuasion.”
If they call me, I’ll handle it.
“Let’s move past that for now. We have a lot to do.”
“A lot to do…?”
“A lot to do?”
Everyone tilted their heads at my words.
It seemed they couldn’t grasp what I meant by “a lot to do.”
Well, it’s understandable.
If you knew, you’d be the protagonist.
“Reviving the Hunting Department is important, but… for now, there’s not much we can do immediately. Alice, do you know about the secret archive in the library?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it…”
“The secret archive? Isn’t that just a rumor?”
Here, Orca, who was the only one unaware of the secret archive’s existence, asked me.
Well, in the original story, Orca had no way of knowing about the secret archive.
Even if you played as the protagonist, unless you deliberately took related quests, you wouldn’t get any clues.
“Do you really think it’s just a rumor?”
“How do you know about it, Nine?”
“I heard it from another spirit.”
“You seem to be on good terms with other spirits too…”
Orca nodded at my answer and accepted it easily.
If I said the spirits who had been at the academy for hundreds of years told me, it would be somewhat convincing, and hard to verify, so it’s natural.
I glanced around at the group, who no longer questioned it, and fixed my gaze on Kazein.
“You knew about it too, right?”
“…Yeah, I did. I was trying to open the secret archive when I met you—”
“Did you think the answers you were looking for were in there?”
“I thought I could at least find some clues.”
From Kazein’s perspective, it was one of the few ways to find a breakthrough, so it made sense.
It’s the secret archive, after all.
Just the name sounds like it’s hiding some incredible items, right?
Treasure-hunting adventurers, curious students, research-obsessed scholars—just whispering “secret archive” would make their dopamine explode, right?
“Well, we’ll know once we go in.”
“Nine, are you planning to go into the secret archive?”
“Yes.”
Exploring the secret archive is one of the easiest tasks I have to do in Act 2.
“The secret archive? Maybe the old relics of the Hunting Department are there!”
“I, I want to know if the founder’s mage is there…”
“Honestly, I don’t think it’ll help me much, but… I’m still curious.”
Fortunately, no one opposed my suggestion.
Well… it’s only natural.
“Nine, but to get into the secret archive, we have to go into the library, right? Won’t it look suspicious if we all go in together?”
Kazein’s point was valid.
Frankly, how many people would go into the library in a large group?
Going into the library in such a way would be a nuisance in itself.
So, for all of us to get into the secret archive, we’d have to sneak in one by one or avoid getting caught altogether.
For example, sneaking into the library and opening the secret archive’s door?
“Of course, we can’t all go in together. It’s not good if other humans find out about the secret archive.”
“That’s true. There must be many dangerous things in the secret archive—”
It’s fine if good humans go in.
No, actually, even good humans shouldn’t go in.
Once humans get greedy, they’re like cats who’ve tasted treats—they can’t stop.
If someone else goes in and causes trouble, it’ll be a huge headache.
Like touching a forbidden book in the secret archive and causing chaos in the academy, or provoking something hidden there and causing a disaster.
So, it’s important to keep the number of people entering to a controllable minimum.
With the current group, plus maybe Monster Bak.
Madison is a straight-laced guy and would refuse to enter the secret archive, so he’s out of the question…
“So, we’ll sneak in.”
“Sneak in…? Is that possible? The library might look simple, but it’s equipped with all sorts of security measures.”
“I, I’ve heard about that too…”
“Sneaking in seems a bit…”
“We can’t just walk in openly.”
It’s not like we’re going to spread the news that we opened the secret archive.
“Leave that to me.”
“Do you have a way?”
“Even if Nine is amazing, isn’t this a bit too much?”
“That’s true.”
“I have my ways, so don’t worry.”
I wouldn’t have brought it up if I didn’t have a plan.
The purpose of this meeting was just to inform everyone of the future plans.
“Everyone, finish your midterms and come back. I’ll prepare everything in advance.”
“Got it.”
“Okay…”
“Ugh, I don’t want to study.”
You only have liberal arts, right?
You’re not going to barely pass like in the original story, are you?
“Guys, help Irina so she doesn’t fail.”
“Leave it to us.”
“Ah, okay…”
“I’m not that bad, you know?!”
What are you talking about? You barely scraped by.
I smirked at Irina, who was actively protesting.
To really get under her skin.
—————
“What do you mean? A new spirit has appeared in the forest?!”
“That’s what happened. So, let’s consider the forest development project null and void.”
At the chairman’s firm decision, the board members and professors who had been pushing for forest development shouted in confusion, but there was no way mere humans could overturn a decision made by the spirits.
Pelisec Academy became the top academy and remained intact despite all the conspiracies swirling around it, all thanks to the spirits’ assistance.
“Who is this spirit?”
“Are you saying the academy was unaware of a new spirit appearing?”
“Damn, this is going to cause losses—”
“Isn’t this just a convenient excuse?!”
A fifth spirit that no one had noticed.
Ruyen, who already knew of its existence, nibbled on a cookie and watched the chaotic scene in the meeting room.
‘I want to go back and hug Nine for a nap…’
How happy would I be to bury my face in that soft, white fur?
Lost in the thought of immediately hugging Nine and shouting “Illu wait!”, Ruyen was brought back to reality by the headmaster’s gaze.
“Professor Ruyen. You don’t seem very concerned about this situation.”
“If the spirits have decided, I have no complaints~”
‘She must have known in advance.’
Thinking about it, Ruyen was the one with the most contact with the spirits here, so it wasn’t strange that she knew in advance.
“What do you mean, Professor Ruyen? Are you secretly behind this—”
“Behind what?”
Ruyen narrowed her eyes and glared at the person who spoke.
“Ah, nothing.”
The atmosphere in the meeting room grew tense at Ruyen’s reaction.
In their excitement, they had provoked someone they shouldn’t have.
A veteran who had been at the academy for over 100 years.
A great mage who could throw a tantrum in the meeting room if she felt like it.
Professor Daniel, who had shouted, bowed his head, drenched in cold sweat.
‘Tsk, what an idiot.’
Gideon, who had been observing the situation, tapped the table twice with the back of his hand to draw everyone’s attention.
It was time to wrap things up.
“Everyone, calm down. Since the spirits have decided, there’s nothing we can do by discussing it among ourselves. But we need to have a convincing reason for everyone.”
Gideon’s gaze turned to Ruyen.
“Professor Ruyen. Sorry, but can you bring that person here for the next meeting?”
“Hmm~ maybe?”
Ruyen gave a vague answer and sipped her cocoa, loaded with sugar.
Some of the humans clenched their fists at her demeanor, but no one raised their fists above the table.
The law is far, but fists are close.
“Then, at the next meeting, we’ll have that person come and hear their story.”
Finally, the meaningless meeting, held just before midterms, ended with Gideon’s words.
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