Using Joy’s radiance, we managed to climb onto a few people and finally arrived at the academy’s dormitory.
This dorm, though, wasn’t like the one where I stayed with Joy and the others. Since Vishi belonged to a noble family, her dorm was one of the aristocratic accommodations.
However, her dorm was much smaller than ours.
Though it was small, it was still far better than the semi-basement I lived in during my past life.
“Vishi has been put to sleep for now. She needed mental stability,” Faye, who had been taking care of her, said.
It seemed that Vishi’s mental state was quite fragile.
For a necromancer, is PTSD really something they’d suffer from just a bit of hardship?
She really did pick the wrong path for herself.
Hmm. But this is troublesome. If I don’t speak to Adry through Vishi, Faye will catch on to everything.
I need a way.
Don’t worry about it. She’s already figured it out.
Hearing Adry’s blunt words, I turned my head slightly, and Faye nodded.
"...You know already?"
"I’ve known for quite a while. At least about half a year, I think."
"But why haven’t you said anything?"
"Since Lady Patran didn’t make a move, why would I interfere?"
Faye’s words, said without the slightest hesitation, left no doubt that she hadn’t said anything because I hadn’t.
So, if I’m okay with it, does that mean necromancy and necromancers are no problem?
...I appreciate the trust, really.
But isn't this a bit much?
At the very least, she could’ve asked me.
"Hey, you two? Could you explain what’s going on to me?"
As I pondered the heavy trust Faye placed in me, Joy cautiously spoke up.
Ah, she doesn’t know yet.
After a brief thought, I blocked out the sounds from the room and looked at Adry.
The old woman, who had seen my intention, appeared subtly.
Greetings, Lady Patran. I am Adry, a necromancer from a fallen noble house.
"...Yo. Yoouuu?!"
Joy stumbled back in surprise at the translucent figure of Adry and quickly turned her gaze to me and Faye.
"...Why aren’t you doing anything?"
"What should I do, idiot?"
"Should I do something?"
"No. There's an undead."
"You think all undead should be exterminated?"
"Hmm. Joy, you believe that you should kill anything that's a different species, huh? The cruelty hidden in your foolish behavior. You’re truly a daughter of the sloppy duke."
"Am I wrong?! Am I wrong?!"
As our lack of concern became apparent, Joy seemed to calm down and bit her lip, then sighed with a voice filled with regret.
"So, why did this ghost... Adry, come here?"
"This old ghost is a meaningless, solitary undead. Perfectly suited for sneaking around. Can’t you tell just by looking?"
I spoke with disdain, squinting as I opened my mouth, causing both Adry and Joy’s expressions to shift.
"Lady, could you explain what’s going on to us?"
"Some useless idiot got kidnapped."
When Faye expressed concern over the possibility that Lady Cleve, who had been displaced by the Void’s follower, might be hidden somewhere in the academy, Adry furrowed her brows slightly.
Are we looking for someone hidden by the Void’s powers?
"Can you do it?"
Want to give me a hint of where to look? We need to move efficiently when searching for a missing person.
Nodding at Adry’s words, I took out a fairly large sheet of paper from my inventory and began sketching a map of the academy on the spot...
Hmm. Ugh.
Every time I moved my hand, the aesthetic sense I had inside me screamed in protest.
The voice of my aesthetic sense mocked me, saying I didn’t even know how to draw a straight line.
Damn it. Why is it that when fighting the Void’s followers, my powers are useless, but when I don’t need them, they’re the most vocal!
It’s really frustrating!
Despite my annoyance, following the aesthetic sense’s advice, the map I drew of the academy was surprisingly neat.
It looked so clean that you would believe it was professionally made.
"...Lucy, did you always draw this well?"
"Lady, your talents are endless."
<What am I looking at? Is this real? The Lucy I know drew childish pictures like a five-year-old!>
The people around me, confused by the scene, were more stunned than I was.
Is this really the map I drew?
The same person who was mistaken for a goblin when trying to sketch an ogre in the dungeon!?
My aesthetic sense is really impressive.
Now I get where the pervert apostle’s artistic flair came from.
"Old ghost. I’ll tell you where to look, so pay attention. You’re not senile, so you can memorize it, right?"
No need to memorize. I’ll be here.
Adry raised a finger, and small ethereal spirits appeared around her.
These little fragments of spirits, which seemed small enough to hold in my tiny hand, scattered into the air under Adry’s command.
Not here. Not here either.
Each time Adry waved her hand, a pen danced in the air, marking an X on the map.
In the swift process, the suspicions quickly narrowed down to just one place.
It’s probably here.
"Why a guess? You don’t trust your own skills, old ghost?"
The energy here is faint, unlike the other places, where it’s clear.
It must be the Void’s power. After erasing all the clues, the only thing left is the truth.
Thinking of a phrase I might have heard from a famous detective, I headed toward the location Adry pointed out, bringing my friends along.
It was a hidden garden with a secret passage leading out of the academy.
This place, which was almost like a maze, had hidden spots other than just the passage.
Boxes with potions. Bags of silver coins, seemingly for no reason. Stairs leading underground.
According to the story, the dean from decades ago had made this place just for fun, and aside from the passage, the secret items here had no real use and were abandoned.
But if someone wanted a place to hide someone?
This place would be incredibly useful.
It was even looked down upon by the professors, who considered it an eyesore.
BAM! With a forceful step, I crushed a steel plate hidden under the dirt, causing a loud noise as it rolled down the stairs.
As I watched, I lifted a divine sphere with my foot and stepped into the underground.
"Lady Cleve!"
The person we were searching for, the young lady of Cleve, was peacefully sleeping next to a health potion, which was meant as a reward for finding the basement.
Wow. How useless was the reward that even the Void’s followers didn’t bother to take it.
Such a waste of effort.
It would’ve been better if they spent that effort on creating a dungeon.
"There’s no problem with Lady Cleve’s body. The evil god’s energy is still attached to her, so she’ll be fine once she wakes up."
Fortunately, Lady Cleve was fine, contrary to our worries.
With Faye personally confirming it, there was no need to worry.
Hearing Faye’s words, Joy sighed in relief, but I suddenly had a question.
"Clueless Joy."
"What is it?"
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
"How did someone as oblivious as you find the follower of the Void?"
If Faye had noticed the anomaly, I wouldn’t have even thought about it.
If Frey had sensed it, I would have just assumed that beast detected something through its senses.
But Joy? My friend who’s the most oblivious to this kind of thing discovered it?!
There’s definitely something here!
"...I may look clueless, but I’m the daughter of a duke. I have to be perceptive when gathering the aristocratic young ladies."
"Oh? So our clueless Joy really is amazing. How did you figure it out?"
Joy looked at me with raised eyebrows, annoyed, but instead of raising her voice, she sighed and began explaining.
"Do you remember when I dispelled the power earlier?"
"Yeah. I remember because it wasn’t very Joy-like."
"...I’m not sure if it was that, but I naturally felt something was off."
Retracing the suspicious energy, Joy realized it was the evil god’s power, and from there, she pieced together the clues and confirmed that the follower was a fake.
"Do you get it now, Lucy? I might look like an idiot to you, but I’m actually capable!"
"Capable? In the end, the one who made the mistake at the crucial moment was the clueless idiot Joy."
"Th-That’s... true, but..."
As Joy muttered and pouted, I reflected on what she had just said.
Her method of detecting the follower of the Void was completely different from mine and Faye’s.
We could only sense the anomaly through our individual abilities, but we couldn’t pass it on to others.
But not Joy. Her method was based on her ability to magically interpret the evil god’s power.
To put it differently, Joy could pass on what she dispelled to others, spreading it.
Creating an environment for this isn’t hard.
Right now, there are many things I can use inside the academy.
If I get help from the rapidly aging old maid, I can get all the tools I need.
It’s possible.
Definitely possible.
I can deal with the Void’s followers without resorting to the humiliating method of spreading my accessories!
Grabbing onto a tiny thread of hope, I suddenly lifted my head and looked at Joy.
Joy, who had been sulking, met my gaze, blinked, and then stepped back slightly.
"Why... Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?!"
This is weird.
Joy is clearly capable.
If we’re talking about magical talent, she’s among the best at the Soul Academy.
She even displayed that talent right in front of me.
So why do I feel so uneasy when it comes to entrusting her with something important?
...It’ll be fine, right?