Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 38, Professor is investigating
"It's like this. I usually take up a lot of the professor's time. So, I try not to cause more trouble if I can."

Perhaps realizing that her behavior was abrupt, Merci blushed slightly and immediately waved her hands in front of her and spoke.

"Actually, you don't have to worry about this. Special training like today is also considered part of the star pattern research. After school, you don't have to treat me as a mentor for your class, just treat me as a researcher."

Ritas, who thought Merci was simply apologizing, presented the principles and facts to him in the same tone as always.

"But."

"Is there a reason why we can't wait until next week because we're busy next week?"

Ritas asked with some confusion.

He had already planned his schedule for next week's individual courses.

There were five students, one per day on weekdays. As for the extra one, it was naturally Miriam.

Ritas, who was still wary of Miriam, decided to "hold" him down in the name of private lessons when Miriam was about to go out to attract other men on the weekend.

“Not really.”

Merci's voice was clearest only when she kept Ritas. Then, it became weaker and weaker.

"In individual lessons, you may need to use magic and the power of star patterns. And today, you've accumulated a lot of fatigue, and I need to make some preparations. So, let's use the weekend off to prepare and rest properly."

"Okay, okay."

Mercy's voice was almost gone.

After confirming that there was no problem in communication with Merci, Ritas said a few simple words and turned away.

The professor's words still make sense.
Looking at Ritas's receding back, Merci felt an indescribable emotion in her heart and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

She actually didn't quite understand why she tried to keep Ritas at that moment, but she could feel that she really didn't want to wait until next week.

"I'm resurrected~"

On Saturday morning, the energetic voice of the Bathing Goddess echoed in Ritas' room.

Did you seem to have fallen off before?

Thinking so in his heart, Ritas responded calmly, "Long time no see, Bathing Goddess."

"I haven't been online for almost a week. Why are there so few slices? Were you asleep the whole time I was gone, Xiao Li?"

The words of the Bathing Goddess continued to echo from the disc, whether they were teasing or complaining.

By now, both Ritas and the Bathing Goddess had a certain understanding of the rules of "slicing".

In simple terms, as long as an "event" occurs, the slice will record it. However, more samples are needed to define what constitutes an event.

"Ah~ Livis. You're always so beautiful no matter when I see you. Is this the president's formal dress? It looks like a backless evening gown, hehehehe."

Although, by now, Ritas's tolerance for the Bathing Goddess was very high, he still hoped that the Bathing Goddess would stop making strange laughs from time to time.

While Ritas was simply washing up, the Bathing Goddess seemed to have gone through all the accumulated slices.

"Well, I still hold my previous opinion. Whether it is the Nest Demon or the assassination, they are fixed background events that will be triggered out of thin air at that time. Those four organizations will not officially appear until the third year. Therefore, even if you continue to investigate, you will not find anything."

"If we really find something, then doesn't that mean the Bathing Goddess should also recognize that the world we live in is also the real world?"

"Eh? You want to bet so much?"

“Who made a bet with you?”

Ritas was speechless.

The Bathing Goddess always insists that the world where Ritas lives is also a "game world" and refuses to acknowledge it as reality.

The reason behind this is probably "fear".

Ritas naturally couldn't understand the logic of the goddess of bathing, but in order to maintain the balance that had been gradually established between him and the goddess of bathing, he was not in a hurry to break through this already fragile wall.

It would be best to put the many facts that the Bathing Goddess has to admit directly in front of her, just like when this incident was resolved.

"Well, it's a rare day off, so don't talk about things like reality that make people depressed. Since you said you would investigate the assassination yourself, what do you think of the matter so far?"

"? Although it's not absolutely clear yet, I did get some clues. In the next period of time, I happen to plan to meet this 'insider' again."

Ritas' words successfully aroused the curiosity of the bathing goddess.

"Haha, good morning, Professor Ritas."

"Good morning, Mr. Sayid."

In the morning, Ritas came to the third dormitory area of the college.

The one who greeted Ritas enthusiastically was none other than the guard of the third dormitory area, Sayid.

This dark-skinned, bald, strong man still looks very powerful today.

"Is the professor here to check on the progress of the mansion's reconstruction today? I'm not saying this to gossip, but those guys on the construction team really need a closer look. They start slacking off the moment you stop watching them."

"Their construction progress should indeed be accelerated. After all, I can't always live in the students' dormitory."

Ritas nodded calmly.

This week, he came to the third dormitory area for the second time. The last time he came, he used the excuse of checking the progress of the reconstruction of the mansion.

"Speaking of which, the gallows you ordered earlier, Professor Ritas, has arrived. I asked them to forward it to..."

"It's a swing."

"Huh? But clearly..."

“It’s a large multi-person swing.”

Faced with Ritas's emphasis, Sayid touched his head with his hand, quite confused.

"By the way, can you remember more of the questions I asked last time, Mr. Said?"

As they entered the third dormitory area, Ritas asked again casually.

"Problem? Oh. Is it the question about how many people I met after returning to work? Just like I said before, for a security guard like me, only someone as friendly as Professor Ritas will take the initiative to talk to me. So, there are not many people at all. I won't remember it wrong."

Listening to Sayid's words, Ritas nodded and walked into the depths of the third dormitory area. "Where is the insider? Where is the insider?"

Not long after, Ritas came to the original site of his dormitory mansion and really started to "supervise" from a distance with his arms clasped together.

The Bathing Goddess waited for a long time in boredom, but did not see any special people appear, so she couldn't wait to ask.

"Someone who knows? Hasn't the Bathing Goddess already seen it?"

"ha?"

The Bathing Goddess was stunned for a moment before she reacted.
"You mean the guard?"

Ritas nodded.

After tidying up his words, he did not keep the audience in suspense and began to explain to the Bathing Goddess.

"Based on the description of the game world of Star Pattern by the Bathing Goddess and the current situation I'm facing, one thing is not difficult to judge. That is, the Shadow Seed hiding in Mercy's shadow and becoming the assassin's accomplice is actually a random event."

"Oh, now that you mention it, it's true. The game doesn't describe who brought the shadow assassin. But it definitely wasn't Merci. Let me think, if the Iron Maiden died after school on the second day of school and was found on the third day, which is about twelve hours, Merci was basically with her roommate, Iris."

The Bathing Goddess knows the beautiful girl's itinerary like the back of her hand.

"Originally, I presumed the person targeted by the Shadow Seeds was the courier. Only the courier could legitimately approach my residence during that time, and potentially come into contact with me. And I did witness the courier that morning. But that's not important. What matters is that, regardless of whether it was the courier or Merci, even though things had changed, the assassination still occurred."

"What does this mean? Does it mean that your fate is beyond your control, destined, the end of the worldline? But you're still alive."

The Bathing Goddess was confused.

And Ritas couldn't help but let out a "tsk".

How come she still didn't understand even after talking about this.

"This means that the assassin was hidden in Mercy's shadow most likely not during the opening ceremony or in Yew Fir's class, but after she arrived at the third dormitory area."

"oh--"

The Bathing Goddess understood this time.

Merci's arrival was indeed a random event. Not only because of the comparison with the original plot, but also because the fact that students came to the dormitory to find teachers was a special event that rarely happened. Even if Ritas had not known his "future" and absented himself from work, Merci would not have come to deliver teaching materials.

Unless the assassin who assassinated Ritas also possessed the ability to foresee the future, they couldn't have planned to use Merci's shadow from the outset. They must have made the decision on the spur of the moment shortly before the incident.

"If the dean's information is correct, the 'Shadow Seed' needs the contact of the shadow to transfer. Then, the person Mercy met closely on the way to the third dormitory area was the one who transferred the assassin into her shadow. Fortunately, Mercy only came into close contact with one person along the way."

The reason for this situation is also based on Merci's special personality. Because she is afraid that her impetuosity will affect the "masters" in the aristocratic academy, she will subconsciously avoid strangers in the academy.

“Sai-de——!”

With Ritas's almost hands-on help, the Bathing Goddess finally deduced the "insider".

"Why don't you call the guards and arrest that bald guy!?"

"Calm down for a moment, Bath Goddess."

Ritas tried to soothe the Bathing Goddess, who was even more excited than the victim herself.
"Although Sayid's suspicion cannot be completely ruled out, I am more inclined to believe that he only played the role of a 'relay'. Like Merci, he was just used by the criminal and a foreign object was implanted in his shadow without him realizing it."

Ritas has no clear evidence for this, but rather makes more logical guesses.

Because, since he graduated from Earls College, he had lived in the third dormitory area most of the time. At that time, Said was already the doorman of the third dormitory area.

In the past six years, Ritas had never deliberately guarded against Sayid, the doorman he saw almost every day. So, if Sayid was really the murderer, he must have more and better opportunities to kill.

In addition, Said is really a bit like what the Bathing Goddess said, "a fixed-point NPC that appears regularly." In other words, Said is very convenient to use.

"Who is that?"

The Bathing Goddess looked a little impatient and just wanted to know the answer as soon as possible.

"If I really knew, I would have called the guards to arrest him long ago. However, the clues have not been interrupted."

Ritas paused.

"Before we find the culprit, we need to confirm one thing: the person who assassinated me wasn't actually that powerful. Shadow Assassin, Forbidden Magic Field, and the like are all magical powers I've never heard of before, but their activation definitely has some strict restrictions."

"I don't know much about the Forbidden Demonic Realm, but those who can control shadows are usually ruthless! But what you said should be correct. Their skills are definitely not high. If they were really powerful, they would have walked sideways long ago and not been so sneaky."

"This sneaky style does show their inner fragility. But another thing also shows that their power is limited. That is 'time'. There is no doubt that using the courier to assassinate me was their original plan. However, due to a reason that they had never imagined, their plan did not succeed. In this case, in a normal way of thinking, should this plan be temporarily suspended? Anyway, they have not revealed anything. But in fact, even if they have to use a random factor like Merci, they are still stubborn and must complete the assassination on this day."

"The only reason I can think of is 'time'. They have a reason to complete the assassination on that day, and they cannot miss that day no matter what."

"As for the reason why we can't miss it, I can think of two options. One is the Forbidden Magic Field, which has a time limit. I think the Forbidden Magic Field is not something that can be used casually. It probably takes a long time to set up and consumes a lot of energy. Therefore, if the assassination cannot be completed after the field is activated, it will be a huge loss for them."

"Another factor is also related to ability. I believe that the Shadow Seed's ability to inhabit another's shadow is also subject to conditions and limitations, both in terms of time and space. After all, this ability is so subtle. If it truly could flow through any shadow without restriction, then using shadows to assassinate wouldn't require any coordination or caution. After all, no one can catch a shadow, right?"

"So, these restrictions combined may be the reason why they had to do it to me on that day."

Speaking of this, Ritas was actually thinking of something else.

That is how long this forbidden magic area lasted and how large its scope was.

It was precisely because magic was forbidden in the academy that almost no one could detect an abnormal situation where "magic was forbidden".

"Hey, then, Detective, how does all this relate to finding the criminal?"

The Bathing Goddess still didn't want to think.

If the Forbidden Magic Field requires a long time to establish, then the suspect's identity can be locked in the third dormitory area, preventing outsiders from sneaking around the dormitories frequently. And if the 'shadow seed' can't persist for too long in someone else's shadow, then the suspect will need to frequently contact Sayid, acting as a 'relay,' to retrieve and re-transfer the shadow seed. Furthermore, his last contact with Sayid should have been shortly before the incident."

“So, I asked Said before, who he had contact with in the days before the incident.”

As a security guard, Sayid's status in the college cannot be said to be very high.

The third dormitory area is where researchers and faculty members make up the majority of the population. The residents there are either arrogant aristocrats or high-minded scholars.

This results in most residents only treating Said as a tool placed at the door, and few people will take the initiative to greet and talk to Said like Ritas did.

"There are very few people, and the list is very short. However, there are a few interesting names in it."

Recovering his somewhat scattered thoughts, Ritas continued.

(End of this chapter)