When Joy had faced the alchemist last time, she used her magic to interpret the presence of the evil god's power that was located there.
In her search for something she could do, this miracle was something even Joy found surprising.
To be honest, if asked to do it again, she wasn’t sure she could pull it off, to the point where it felt like something beyond her own limits.
However, what Joy had witnessed at that time was a clear truth, and even if it was by chance, having reached beyond the limit gave her a broader view of things.
Because of this, Joy was able to sense that something was wrong with the aura of the young lady in front of her.
This wasn’t just a case of the energy being unusual—it was something more than that.
"Lady Patran?"
"...Ah, I’m sorry. I was just thinking of the names of the noble ladies for a moment."
Joy smiled and began to call out the names of the first-year noble ladies one by one.
The first-year students who were called by her voice were elated, realizing that Lady Patran had remembered them, and they responded with shrill voices.
She had been widely known in the social scene even before coming to the academy, and even after entering, her name didn’t fade. Instead, Joy had proved herself in many ways, making her someone to be admired by many of the young ladies.
In such an excited atmosphere, Joy’s voice continued, eventually reaching the young lady with an odd aura, who was from the Cleve family.
"You're the second daughter of the Cleve family, right? I recall meeting you when I visited the Cleve estate."
"It’s truly an honor that you remember someone from a small estate like mine."
"Small? You’re being too modest. If the beautiful roses blooming in the Cleve family estate are small, then what would we call other estates?"
Joy raised the corner of her mouth slightly and turned her gaze to the surrounding noble ladies.
"Is there anyone other than me who remembers the Cleve family?"
"I remember too. The garden was so beautiful."
"And what about the tea that smelled of roses?"
"...The atmosphere of being one with nature was truly wonderful."
Just by mentioning a single word, the young ladies who were sharing tea began to chatter non-stop, eager to agree with Joy’s words.
Among them, some were genuinely recalling the Cleve family, while others simply chimed in, talking nonsense to match the surrounding atmosphere.
However, no one in the group pointed out what was right or wrong.
They were all speaking only to align with Lady Patran’s words.
Since Lady Patran didn’t point anything out herself, criticizing others would only ruin the mood and create unnecessary conflicts.
With the departure of the Lumry family’s young lady, there was no longer any internal conflict within the factions, and no one wanted to cause any more trouble.
"Hahaha. Thank you for the kind words, my ladies."
The Cleve family’s young lady also smiled in line with the mood.
Just as the conversation was flowing in such a calm atmosphere, Joy suddenly lowered her voice slightly.
"By the way, is Lord Cleve doing well? I heard he’s been struggling with an illness."
The illness of Lord Cleve.
As soon as this topic was brought up, the young ladies exchanged uneasy glances.
Those who didn’t know about the lord’s situation turned their eyes away.
Those who knew the truth of the matter saw the discrepancy between what Joy had said and what they knew, and they too turned their eyes away.
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The lively Lord Cleve was the last person anyone would expect to be bedridden with illness.
Had Lady Patran perhaps made a mistake?
Or did Lady Patran hear something I don’t know about?
Or, maybe she intentionally planted a false story to test the others?
The young ladies, doing their best to read Joy’s intentions, eventually closed their mouths and chose to go along with her.
In uncertain situations, speaking out bluntly was not the noble way.
"...Yes. He has recovered quite a bit."
The young lady of the Cleve family, glancing around nervously, gave a forced smile.
"Is that so?"
Joy’s voice, questioning her answer, was cold and cutting.
Her low, emotionless voice froze the air in the room.
"Really? Has he truly recovered?"
Lady Patran’s blue eyes, cold and reminiscent of ice, descended upon the young lady of the Cleve family.
The pressure was so strong that even those standing near the Cleve young lady could feel the chill down their spines.
Why is she doing this?
What is bothering her?
Did the Cleve family make some mistake?
The noble ladies at the tea party were perplexed by Joy’s coldness.
Having been in social circles for a long time, they had a rough understanding of Lady Patran’s character.
She had an appearance that seemed cold, but in reality, she was much kinder than most would think.
As long as the minimum line of respect was kept, she didn’t show anger easily.
So for Lady Patran to apply pressure to the Cleve young lady in front of everyone meant that something had definitely gone wrong.
The noble ladies at the tea party, who had been around her long enough, began to slowly retreat from around the Cleve young lady.
Little by little, little by little.
Before long, only two remained in front of Joy.
The Cleve family’s young lady, whom Joy had been scolding, and the Kent family’s young lady, who had no idea why she was still there.
Joy, alternating between glancing at the pale-faced Cleve young lady and the innocent Kent young lady, suddenly relaxed her serious expression as if the previous serious demeanor had been nothing but an act.
"I was just teasing you. Don’t be so scared."
"...Teasing?"
"Yes. You know, a little initiation ceremony?"
Seeing the other noble ladies laugh awkwardly at Joy’s words, the Cleve young lady excepted, they all had an uncomfortable smile on their faces.
Everyone thought to themselves, "Wasn’t that a bit too intense for just a joke?" but no one dared to say it out loud.
Because Joy had the power to turn even something that wasn’t a joke into one.
"I apologize if I overdid it. Lady Cleve."
"Oh! No, it’s actually quite delightful that you’ve treated me so familiarly, Lady Patran!"
"No, you played along so well with my joke that I must reward you. Would you please come with me?"
"It’s fine! Really, it’s fine! I’m..."
"Lady, it’s not proper to keep refusing."
With a gentle smile, Joy spoke, and the Cleve young lady cautiously nodded her head.
Turning away from the envious glances aimed at her, Joy looked back at the Kent young lady, still standing by her side.
"Kent young lady."
"Yes!"
"Why didn’t you step away?"
"...Why should I?"
Seeing her tilt her head in confusion at not understanding why she should leave, Joy couldn’t help but laugh.
"You resemble your older sister a lot."
Joy had thought this from the time she was with Lucy, but she really was endlessly pure. She didn’t fit in the tea party atmosphere at all.
"Really?"
"Yes, in many ways."
"I don’t want to resemble my sister except for swordsmanship, though..."
Seeing the Kent young lady sulk, Joy chuckled and gave a subtle glance toward the other noble ladies before taking the Cleve young lady and exiting the tea party.
"Lady Patran, where are we going?"
"To a place you’ll surely like."
As Joy walked down the hallway with the Cleve young lady, she recalled what she had just observed.
The awkward smile about the Cleve estate could be explained.
There was no need to bring up whether it was real or fake; it would only attract attention.
But the expression the Cleve young lady had shown when the topic of her father’s health came up was clearly strange.
The way she carefully looked around without showing surprise or worry when hearing about her father’s illness was not something I would expect from the Cleve family’s second daughter.
I don’t know her exact identity, but she is definitely related to some evil god in some way.
I should take her to Lucy or Faye first.
As Joy continued to think, the Cleve young lady suddenly twisted her body.
In her hands was a bead filled with ominous energy.
A cursed or dark magic-infused bead?
As Joy’s guard went up, she immediately activated the magic she had prepared earlier.
The moment her magic illuminated, a fake arm imitating the Cleve young lady froze.
It was a water-type magic that froze a whole designated area.
The fake, whose arm had been frozen along with the bead, looked perplexed.
"Clumsy."
The movements of the fake in front of Joy were pitifully poor, something a knight from the Arlen Order would never have shown.
If the knights from there had been in her place, they would have broken through her magic the moment it activated.
Anticipating that, Joy had prepared several other spells, but she hadn’t expected the first one to neutralize her so easily. It was clear that place was a cursed ground.
"Now, fake. You need to tell me where the real Lady Cleve is."
"...What if I don’t want to?"
"Then I’ll make you speak forcibly."
With a vicious smile, Joy spoke, but this threat was only a bluff.
As the proud daughter of the Patran family, what would she know about torture?
But for those who didn’t know Joy’s true nature, her threat was highly effective.
The vicious rumors surrounding Patran and Joy’s villainous reputation turned this bluff into a terrifying reality.
"Tch."
The fake clicked its tongue and, without hesitation, broke its own arm before using its remaining hand to grip the bead, activating its magic.
"Ah!"
Joy, who had stiffened for a moment, quickly tried to respond, but the magic was faster.
The power that flowed out of the bead turned into the Void’s power, taking the fake away. All that was left was the hurriedly conjured, messy magic circle that Joy had created.
"Aaahh!"