Kapitel 25: [Chapter 25] Is there evidence?
After Nellis left, Cledwin approached the chair where she had been sitting until a moment ago and infused magic into the armrest.
"My lord, Nellis Truede is strange."
A light voice came from the direction of the pillar, as if it had been waiting. Cledwin let out a sigh.
"I already knew that."
"If you ask me to evaluate that child, I would say they have a very bad personality."
"I didn't ask you to evaluate them."
"You didn't tell me not to evaluate them either. Didn't you argue with me when I was young?"
Cledwin didn't respond.
Since he only looked at people's abilities, his organization, 'Yayun', was filled with all sorts of people. You couldn't find anyone with a good personality even if you looked hard.
If a subordinate only followed their superior's words without question, they would soon perish.
The voice inside the pillar continued to speak.
"Do you know what Nellis Truede did on their way to the library earlier? They saw Islaani, the daughter of the Earl, alone and threw a stone at her. The nearby Rianon Velta was accused of being the culprit. Angarad Nain might have had a grudge against her hometown. But Rianon Velta is someone they met for the first time at the Academy, right? They acted coldly towards her, or rather, it's not unusual for a high-ranking noble's grandchild to be arrogant. But to go that far is very strange behavior."
"So?"
Cledwin leaned his back against the pillar.
"Are you unhappy?"
"What are you talking about?"
The voice inside the pillar responded brazenly.
"We're just following your orders, my lord."
"That's right."
Cledwin closed his eyes.
"There's not much time left. I need to have many people on my side."
And they need to be people he can trust.
Subordinates who are not affiliated with any other power and can be trusted.
Dance class was relatively considered an enjoyable time for many children.
Firstly, they didn't have to read books or worry about their behavior being scrutinized. Instead, they were encouraged to move their bodies and chat with their partners. Moreover, there was always music playing.
Due to these various advantages, the children who attended dance class usually had bright and cheerful faces.
Of course, the term 'usually' implies that there were some exceptions.
The entrance to the Judith Hall, where the lower-grade dance classes were held, was lively. Students were busy changing into their dance shoes or chatting with friends.
The boys would glance at the popular girls, and the girls would glance at the popular boys, wondering how they could dance with them today.
Alektos Islaani didn't particularly like dance class. It had been that way since she was ignored by a classmate who didn't do well last time.
Before entering the Academy, she had secretly attended a grand ball as the daughter of a proud Earl, and she had a fantasy of one day becoming a skilled dancer who would captivate everyone's attention.
The ones who captivated everyone's attention at the ball were the beautiful and wealthy children, like Megara.
"Hey."
Idalia, who had attended the previous class with Alektos, called out to her and gestured to one side.
Alektos looked at where Idalia was pointing and frowned. It was Rianon, who was hanging her head.
"It looks like no one wants to dance with her."
Alektos said roughly.
Just a while ago, the person Alektos disliked the most was Angarad Nain. She was a sly and cunning girl who would steal things.
She would try to curry favor by showing her face everywhere, but it was no surprise that everyone hated her, a thief who would even steal from the daughter of Earl Islaani.
However, after yesterday's incident, Rianon Velta had taken Angarad's place.
Alektos had already thought that Rianon was too arrogant and would cause trouble someday. But even after her true nature was revealed, Alektos still occasionally greeted her, and yet, she had the audacity to harbor a grudge and throw a stone.
Rianon, who was walking alone with her head hung low amidst the chattering classmates, looked like a rock thrown into a stream. The children didn't want to get close to Rianon and naturally avoided her.
Alektos watched this scene with a smirk, then suddenly bent down and picked up a small stone from the ground.
"What are you doing?"
Idalia's eyes widened in surprise.
Alektos was pretending to be kind, but she knew that Idalia had played a big role in Rianon becoming isolated, so she was secretly laughing at her.
However, unlike Rianon, who was only the second son of an Earl, Idalia was the daughter of a Viscount. Alektos couldn't say "don't pretend to be kind."
"Don't stop me."
This was just revenge for what she had received. Alektos warned Idalia, and then, as the children were about to enter the building, she threw the stone at Rianon.
The small stone, about the size of a thumb, wouldn't cause any injuries, but the person who was hit would definitely feel pain.
"Ow!"
Rianon let out a reflexive cry. A few children burst out laughing. Did you hear that? Did you hear that? "Ow" is really funny.
Alektos thought Rianon's reaction was funny. Rianon looked around and saw Alektos standing still, staring at her.
Rianon's face suddenly turned bright red as she realized what had happened.
"What's going on?"
"What?"
Alektos boldly raised her eyebrows. Rianon looked at the stone that had rolled to her feet and glared at Alektos with burning eyes.
"Hey, Alektos Islaani. Did you throw this?"
"What are you talking about?"
Alektos said, shrugging her shoulders as if to say "everyone can hear" and looked at Idalia and the others around her. Rianon picked up the stone and showed it to her.
"This is what you threw!"
"Not me?"
Idalia looked like she didn't want to lie, but her eyes sparkled with mischief. Alektos noticed someone who hadn't entered the building yet and asked for their opinion.
"Hey, Nellis Truede. Diane McKinnen. You tell me. Do you know what she's talking about?"
Diane usually sat in a chair during dance class, but occasionally participated in slow dance lessons. However, all students entering the dance class had to wear dance shoes, so Diane was receiving help from Nellis at the entrance.
Alektos and Rianon's conversation didn't interest Diane, but Nellis stared at Alektos with a piercing gaze. Alektos felt a shiver down her spine under Nellis's gaze, which seemed to see right through her.
"What's going on? Why are you staring at me?"
"I'm not staring at you."
Alektos was surprised by Nellis's unexpectedly gentle response, having seen her temper several times before.
She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say next. Um, so...
"Did you see what she did to me?"
Rianon spoke up before Alektos could.
Rianon's expression was not good, and negative emotions dripped from her eyes. Alektos snorted. She knew that none of her classmates would take Rianon's side.
...Wait, does Nellis Truede count as a classmate too? Does she have that kind of gaze?
Nellis's expression was strange. Her slightly curled lips drew an ambiguous line, making it unclear whether she was laughing or mocking the situation, and her famous purple eyes were cold.
Alektos looked at Nellis with a strange feeling. Nellis, who was always neat and clean, was different from her peers. So, she might do something unexpected.
"Maybe?"
Fortunately, Nellis responded with a innocent tone after a moment. However, no one in the first grade believed she was truly innocent, so her tone only made Rianon angrier.
Alektos laughed. Yeah, Nellis wasn't stupid.
She was trying to cover up her foolishness by acting like a fool, but...
"You saw it!"
Rianon was about to explode.
She had glanced around after being hit by the stone and had briefly made eye contact with Nellis. Considering the timing, it was likely that Nellis had witnessed Alektos's misdeed and was looking at Rianon. But why did she say "maybe"?
Nellis spoke in a singing tone.
"What was I looking at?"
"You looked at me earlier!"
"You screamed, so I looked for a moment. Everyone did."
"You're a bad girl!"
Rianon cursed at Nellis. It was a phrase she couldn't dare say to Alektos. Her tone was quite fierce, but Nellis laughed unaffectedly.
"Why me? Just now, Alektos was claiming that she threw a stone at you, right? You're just getting angry at anyone, aren't you? It's funny, kid."
Alektos burst out laughing, and Idalia smiled cautiously. The children watching the situation whispered to each other. Why is she like that? I don't know. She always ruins the mood like that. She should just disappear from school.
Rianon's eyes welled up with tears.
Alektos spoke confidently, with the attitude of someone who was sure everyone was on her side.
"Do you have evidence? Do you have evidence? If not, shut up, stupid."
Idalia grabbed Alektos's sleeve.
Alektos was pretending to be kind again, but she thought the same thing as before and simply turned around.
One hit, one retaliation. She was the kind of person who would retaliate tenfold if hit once, but there was no reason to take out the remaining nine hits today.
Today was a good show. Nellis summarized it that way as she entered her room.
Alektos was not the type to stay quiet when provoked. And if she felt inferior and thought she looked ridiculous, she would overreact.
That's why she had caused a scene at Angarad's party and publicly humiliated Rianon, thinking she had been attacked.
Yesterday, when Alektos was hit by the stone, Rianon's passing by was not an impromptu event. Nellis had been waiting for an opportunity since the letter incident. If it didn't work out the first time, she was prepared to try again and again.
As Cledwin said, it was a precarious plan, but it had a satisfactory outcome.
However, from now on, she could come up with a more comfortable and feasible plan.
Thinking that, Nellis felt a sense of satisfaction and self-contempt.
Today, of course, Nellis had seen Alektos throw a stone at Rianon. She had been watching Alektos, waiting for her to make a move.
Alektos and Rianon had different classes, so Nellis had expected that if something happened, it would be during dance class.
"Don't laugh! Do you have evidence?"
It was a disgusting phrase.
Nellis had watched the scene until the end, thinking that it was the price she had to pay, not because it was really funny. The fact that the other children were agreeing with the situation also made her feel nauseous.
Alektos would soon get what was coming to her, and Nellis cynically hoped that Rianon would find some comfort in that.
"Huh?"
Nellis, who was putting down her bag beside her bed, frowned as she noticed a white envelope on the floor right in front of the door.
The dormitory manager was a young man who did his job carelessly, or so it seemed. He wasn't the type to deliver letters to students' rooms.
Who could have come to the dormitory? There was nothing to steal, and it didn't seem like anyone had entered her room, but it was still unsettling.
Nellis approached the door and opened the envelope. There was no writing on the envelope, but inside, there was a folded piece of white paper.
The envelope and paper seemed expensive, with a uniform texture and color.
"Congratulations."
That was all that was written on the paper. Nellis guessed the sender from the tone and beautiful handwriting.
What was she supposed to do? She thought for a moment and then took out a pen and ink from her bag and added three short sentences to the bottom of Cledwin's letter.
It seemed like this was a way of communicating, but why couldn't they use a more normal method?
"Congratulations and congratulations to be received?
P.S. Please buy me a Hallogras from Lantville. I'll pay you back with my allowance later."
Nellis blew on the ink to dry it, and when the paper was dry, she refolded the letter and put it back in the envelope, slipping it into the gap between the door and the floor.
The next morning, when she woke up, the envelope was gone.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein