Part 5
「The old school building -ssu ka?」
Diablo nodded at Horun’s question.
「Just to be sure.」
Using the borrowed master key, she unlocked the old school building’s entrance door.
When the door opened, it made a *giiii* sound.
When she came here before, she took quite amount of care so that it wouldn’t make a sound, but now she didn’t have any concerns about it.
Even looking at it even during the day, there really wasn’t anything that seemed like a hidden passage.
「It’s here -ssu.」
Horun naturally had strength put into her hands.
It was the classroom that Bihyakk used as a storage room.
There were no changes.
Books were piled up, tools that looked like they were related to magic were lined up, and an anatomical model was placed along the wall.
Diablo checked the floor.
「......So a magic formation, isn’t here.」
「I also thoroughly checked -ssu kedo.」
Even after moving the mountains of books, not even the traces of magic formations could be found.
Diablo nodded and went to the window side.
He checked the window.
「Fumu......」
「Is something the matter -ssu ka?」
「You said that there weren’t any mechanisms in the room, right?」
「Yes -ssu.」
「In that case, how the female students vanished......it could have only been done through here, don’t you think?」
He opened the window.
Horun flinched.
「Th, that’s......it would be natural to think that but -ssu kedo......」
「I will allow it. Speak what you are thinking.」
「Erm......Behind the old school building, there is only a small mountain, and a bit of a shed -ssu. Of course, I also investigated that.」
「Let’s try going there.」
Going through the opened window, Diablo got down to the back side of the old school building.
Horun hurriedly chased after him.
The back of the old school building was shaded, and dim.
Undergrowth was growing out, and the back mountain had turned into a copse. However, since it was currently winter, a majority of the trees were withered.
She had scrupulously investigated the back mountain.
There were no places that a person could hide at.
Diablo examined the ground at his feet.
「......There are no footprints but......it looks like quite a number of people pass through here.」
Since there was undergrowth, footprints wouldn’t remain.
And yet, why?
「Saying that quite a number of people pass through here, you can tell that -ssu ka?」
He pointed at a place under the window and a place that was a bit away from it.
「The area over here, the undergrowth is lush and healthy, right? Over there, the grass is light brown.」
「Ah, it might be......Then that means, does it mean that the area over there was stepped on -ssu ka?」
「Wrong. In cases of short grass, being moderately stepped on makes it grow better. They are strong with the strength to live.」
「Is that true -ssu ka!? Amazing -ssu. As expected, Danna, you’re really well-informed -ssu.」
Horun honestly praised Diablo’s extensive knowledge.
He shrugged his shoulders.
「......Well......It’s just a retailing of some idle talk of a broadcast though.」
「Broadcast?」
Occasionally using words that she didn’t know the meaning of──That part of him is similar to Babylon, is what Horun felt.
Diablo gazed at the undergrowth.
「If it continued on from the mountain, then it could be considered as an animal trail, but the fact that it come from beneath the window......」
「The students that went missing went from that window to the back of the old school building!? But, why, do something like that......!?」
Diablo turned his gaze to Horun.
「Wasn’t it because he was being cautious of being shadowed? Being a Demon Magician, his sense values are of the lowest rank. For example, if he were to be shadowed by a Grasswalker Thief, he would be unable to sense them.」
「Ugh......」
So Horun thinking lightly of the other party’s preparations was the cause of the failure.
To begin with, even though she had the information that the old school building was investigated, why did she step into it?
Her regrets only grew worse.
However, in that case, a question also came up.
「There isn’t a place that could hide several people behind the old school building, you know -ssu yo?」
Diablo looked at the shed, and then next peered into the well.
She had a hard time since her height was short, but Horun similarly peered into it.
──Could it be, it was in the well?
However, that old unused well was completely dried up.
The dirt at the bottom could be seen.
Its depth, it was about three adult male Humans worth. Compared to the roof of a two-storied building, the bottom of the well was closer.
Moss grew on the stone built sides.
A tunnel or mechanisms, couldn’t be found.
Like this, far from several people, even if a single student that had gone missing was here, they would be definitely be discovered.
「Fuuー......」
Horun breathed a sigh of relief.
It was unfortunate that it was a miss, but she didn’t want to see twelve students packed in a place like this.
Diablo put up one hand.
「Horun......move back.」
「Eh?」
「At the bottom of the well......moss should at least be growing there.」
「Ah......」
Now that he mentioned it, moss was densely growing on the stone built sides.
──Why would there be clean dirt at the bottom of an old unused well?
Diablo chanted his magic.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶