Volume 3 Chapter 37 Leave It To Me. I'm Good At That
The day after Cedric and the others stayed over... Randy and Liz waved goodbye to the two who left early in the morning and headed to school like usual. It seemed that the school was only closed for one day yesterday, so today everything was back to normal.
But the vibe at school was anything but normal.
People were saying things like, "The student council did it," and "Saint was involved."
Everyone was gossiping about one of the 7 wonders that caused the school closure yesterday.
In the middle of all this, the only member of the Occult Research Club, Annabelle, was surrounded by students near the Entrance Hall, being bombarded with questions like, "What's up with the 7 wonders?" and "Is it really dangerous?"
"Um, about the 7 wonders, I'm still gathering information. I'll present it soon──."
As Annabelle stammered her answer, the crowd around her only got more excited, saying, "Just tell us now!" It made sense. One of the 7 wonders, which everyone thought was just a silly story, actually caused a school closure due to a real incident.
It was hard to blame the other students for being curious.
But accepting that kind of behavior was a different story...
"Good morning, Lady Annabelle."
When Randy approached Annabelle with a completely formal noble smile, she froze for a moment. Recently, they had become more friendly, so she wasn't used to being spoken to so politely.
But even more shocked than Annabelle was the group of students surrounding her.
Randy, the unexpected guest, and Liz, the big deal standing behind him. The students quickly scattered when they saw the two.
Once the students were gone, Annabelle seemed to finally understand what was happening. Her expression showed surprise as she said, "G-Good morning," and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for your help."
As Annabelle bowed again, Randy shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it."
"But still, running away when they see someone's face... What rude people."
Randy pouted, and Annabelle could only respond with an awkward laugh, "H-Hahaha." Randy didn't know it, but his reputation at school was a mixed bag.
On one hand, he was seen as a rough guy who forced the talented Elizabeth to follow him.
On the other hand, he was also seen as a capable guy that Elizabeth chose to follow.
Both views seemed right and wrong at the same time.
He wasn't really forcing Liz to follow him, and while it was unclear if he was truly capable, Liz wanted to be with Randy. Somehow, it was clear that the rough guy part was true.
It was no wonder the students wanted to keep their distance from such a mysterious guy.
Plus, Liz was a hot topic around the school.
Unlike Randy, she was recognized by almost all the students as an "incredibly talented person." After overcoming the engagement scandal, she returned to school and scored perfectly on tests against the Crown Prince and Saint, even after such shocking events.
Many teachers from various subjects praised Liz's knowledge, proving her talent.
And then there was Liz's charming smile, which earned her the nickname "Ice Princess." Her smile secretly captivated many students, and it was no longer just called "icy."
Liz didn't know it, but students around the school looked at her with respect and admiration. Just as Randy said, she had already silenced everyone with her abilities.
So when these two famous people showed up, the students had no choice but to clear the way.
The once lively area in front of Lance Hall fell silent, and Randy and Liz exchanged glances.
"Lady Annabelle, I need to talk to you..."
Randy bent down to meet Annabelle's gaze. To an outsider, it looked like he was just bothering the small Annabelle.
"I want to solve the last mystery."
"That's perfect! I was thinking of asking you guys for help too."
After Annabelle nodded, they promised to meet after school at the Occult Research Club as usual. For now, Randy and Liz headed to class, trying to focus on their studies amidst the lighthearted atmosphere.
* * *
"Ah, thanks for this morning again."
Annabelle bowed her head to Randy in the Occult Research Club, and Randy shook his head.
Class was over, and just like usual, the same group of members gathered for the Occult Research Club.
"That was nothing. More importantly, thank you!"
Randy returned the bow, making Annabelle flustered. But for Randy, it was no trouble to ask Annabelle to wait for the report. If he could get her to wait with just his word, it was a small price to pay.
"For now, about the report, I think it's okay to submit it in a few days."
Annabelle nodded silently at those words. Now that she could submit it, she might be realizing how big of an impact it would have. In fact, Annabelle opened her mouth a few times, looking at Randy and the others with a questioning gaze, asking, "Is it really okay?"
At Annabelle's gaze, Liz, Cory, and Cecilia and Luke all looked at Randy. Cecilia and the others had already talked about the information release this afternoon. They had discussed it, but not in detail.
So, only Randy could answer Annabelle's question in this situation.
Receiving everyone's gaze, Randy looked straight at Annabelle and said,
"I actually want to ask you. Lady Annabelle, are you really sure? This could potentially destroy the church."
For a moment, Annabelle hesitated at Randy's serious face... but she still nodded strongly.
"I-I don't mind. I talked with my father and mother. We can't twist the goddess's will and deceive people like this... and──."
As Annabelle hesitated, Cory stepped closer to support her and spoke up.
"And... it's true that the current pope is using the church for his own gain."
Cory, standing next to Annabelle with determined eyes, probably had discussed a lot with her. It can be seen from Cory's strong determination to protect Annabelle.
Randy thought it would be rude to say anything against that determination, so he just nodded and said, "Got it."
"Well then... the schedule is still a bit far off, but since we've decided on the report submission──."
To change the topic, Randy clapped his hands loudly, looking around at everyone with a grin.
"Let's go to the 7th wonder, the [Tower of the New Moon]."
Randy smiled, but everyone, including Liz, reacted with uncertainty, saying, "We're going...?"
"Lady Annabelle, what's the information about the [Tower of the New Moon]?"
Cecilia tilted her head, and Annabelle opened her notebook, starting to explain about the [Tower of the New Moon].
7. The Tower of the New Moon
It's said that the tower only appears on the night of the new moon. There are various ways to get there, but the most famous method involves a special mirror called the Shadow Moon Mirror.
The Shadow Moon Mirror is a special mirror that can reflect the shadow of the moon. So, it's said that it can reflect the shadow of the full moon during the new moon.
By using the Shadow Moon Mirror to project the full moon's shadow onto the playground, it seems you can make the Tower of the New Moon appear.
However, while there are many reports of the tower's existence and sightings, no one has ever reached it. One theory even says that you need to be dressed formally to enter the tower. There's a rumor that if you cover yourself completely in a pitch-black robe representing the new moon, you'll be recognized by the darkness of the new moon and allowed to enter the tower.
Anyway, whether it's true or not, those who manage to reach the tower are said to receive ancient wisdom.
"We don't even know what kind of tower it is or what secrets it holds."
As Cecilia murmured, it was indeed a much vaguer description compared to the previous wonders. While it seems like there's a method established, no one has ever reached it.
"It's definitely interesting, but do we really need to go at a time like this?"
Luke frowned, and Randy firmly replied, "We do," while looking back at Liz.
"Liz, what did Ellie say?"
"She said she wouldn't explain it."
With a wry smile, Liz looked at Randy, who jokingly called out to Ellie, "It's your turn, great magician."
"...I have a sense of respect for you, you know──."
"Okay, okay. I respect you. I'll treat you to something sweet next time, so explain it to us."
Ellie's shoulder twitched at Randy's words.
"...Two boxes."
"What?"
"Two boxes of Sugar Star Puffs cream puffs!"
Seeing Ellie's serious face, everyone probably thought the same thing: "Ancient wisdom is pretty cheap." But of course, no one said it out loud. Only Randy...
"Talk to Liz. If you keep eating sweets, she'll get mad at you."
...He was giving ancient wisdom a lecture with a glare.
"Ugh... Let's eat one at a time on different days."
"Okay, Your Majesty."
Once they settled the discussion, Ellie cleared her throat with a "Hmm, hmm──"
"Now, what you all call the [Tower of the New Moon] is actually called the [Tower of Time]. As the name suggests, it was a research facility studying time travel magic."
Ellie started explaining about the legacy from a long time ago when magic theory was more advanced than it is now.
Back then, research on time travel magic was very active, and they were studying how to travel to the future and the past. That's why the place is called the [Tower of Time], not the [Tower of the New Moon].
This research on time travel was something that really caught Randy's interest.
Of course, the idea of time travel was exciting, but there were also research results from the tower that included magic to speed up the aging of objects. In other words, they could test how photos age over time.
It was the perfect place for making flawless films.
"By the way, why does it show up on the new moon?"
"The [Tower of Time] is hidden between dimensions because of the uniqueness of its research. But, there's no such thing as perfect dimension magic created by humans."
Ellie sighed heavily and made a face that said it was not very interesting.
"If you lack power, you can borrow it from a greater being."
"So, you mean you borrowed it from the moon?"
"Exactly."
As Ellie nodded, everyone understood the meaning of why it only appears on the new moon. If they were using the moon's power to hide it, it wouldn't be surprising if the dimension magic faded and showed itself when the moon's power was weak during the new moon.
"Then, what about the Shadow Moon Mirror?"
"That's just a rumor."
Ellie said this firmly, and Annabelle raised her voice in surprise, "Huh, what?!" After all, it's shocking to find out that an important item that seemed so believable was just a rumor.
"The Shadow Moon Mirror reflects hidden things. It's a mirror that shows shadows. It only shows the appearance, but it can't help you reach the space between dimensions."
Ellie shook her head, and Cory nodded, saying, "I see."
"The reason no one has reached it until now is──."
"Because there was only a way to show the appearance."
Now that the mystery that no one could solve before was clear, everyone felt a bit excited.
"But, if that's the case, can we reach it too?"
Annabelle raised her hand cautiously. She was right; if it was hidden between dimensions, even if the magic weakened and they could see it, they shouldn't be able to touch it.
"Don't worry."
Ellie laughed off that common sense and looked at...
"There's a fool among us who can forcefully break through the dimensional wall."
"Leave it to me. One punch."
...Randy was there, grinning with a bad smile and clenching his fist.
※Sugar Star Puffs: A popular high-end sweets shop in the royal capital. It is a famous shop frequented by aristocrats, and the taste is enough to justify the price and reputation.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)