Our current mission is to search for Cain.

Sword was apparently patrolling late at night and investigating all students, but he couldnt grasp a single clue whatsoever. The Ryokus also searched all over the place during the time periods we couldnt move around ourselves, but this didnt yield any results either.

I started to think that we should just leave him alone and let Primrose exorcize him instead, but Primrose seemed to have entered the prince route, or maybe the harem route. According to Damsel Scarlets analysis, Primrose lacked the magic power to advance into the hidden route and had been charming various other guys besides the prince.

Yep. That girls an idiot after all. She wont study either.

But, that part doesnt matter as Swords capable enough to cover her part. Given that Sword is a magician proficient enough to state, I can use any magic other than the one your usin, Primroses support wont be necessary.

Nevertheless, if we do it like that, we wont be able to leave this place.

And Damsel Scarlet seemed to be in the middle of her Its a jealousy operation! E-Even I have lovers of my own! towards the prince. It looked like Sword and I played the corresponding roles, butis that really going to work?

Or rather, using that as a reason, we were frequently invited by her. To lunch almost every day. To dinner every two to three days. As presents she gave us specialties of her dukedom and various goods that were hard to obtain under normal circumstances.

This here is gem ore you can only mine in our territory. Youre fine with ores, arent you?

I nodded after accepting the ore handed to me by Ann.

Yeah. Ill cut it after deciding on the design. Still, even if I make an accessory with this, Ive got no one whom I could actually make a pleasure with it. Even if I pass it to one of our maids, shell probably demand that I wear it instead.

At that point, the taciturn maid Ann spoke up.

It is a commonly shared feeling among all maids that they wish their master or mistress to be adorned with expensive gems rather than wearing them themselves.

Or so she said

Theyre really a handful. Even this girl here, whos already half a guy at this point, had been dolled up and shown off, just because she wanted to answer the demand of the servants and maids who had been servin her in the past, although she told em that she became a commoner.

Sword commented while unwinding over a cup of wine.

Well, Id be troubled if it happened all the time, but I dont mind if its once in a while. In reality, theyve been harshly trained by the Head Maid for the sake of serving me, and Ive been warned that it might be inevitable as they could become less capable if they have no opportunities to put to use what they learned.

Oh my? Do you hate being dressed up?

I prefer looking at dolled-up women over dressing up myself. Thats all.

I like making clothes and accessories, but Im the type whos satisfied to leave it at the level of making them.

And then, as for the matter of Cain

The swiftest method would be to slaughter all the guys in the special and magician classes.

Out of the question!

I was refuted in chorus.

As for me, Id love him to cause some trouble, though. Why is he so careful anyway? If he possesses enough power to destroy the capital, he should just go ahead and use it.

Damsel Scarlet pondered.

I feel like Cain had been fighting the spirit inside himself. Usuallythe spirit behaves when in front of other people. But, the spirit should become active under certain conditions.

Hee, thats very game-like. Wait, it was a game plot anyway, wasnt it?

Also, I recall that the spirit became active after having its power amplified through Lady Indra casting her dark magic.

On top of us not knowing who he is, I dont have a clue what dark magic is supposed to be.

Its not about creating a black hole, is it? I think such a spell would simply vanish after being compressed. Maybe magic that erases light would count?

Instructor Sword, whats dark magic?

Sword furrowed his eyebrows, Its magic to increase the negative feelings of its target, Id say. Its what your doin naturally.

I see. I certainly seemed to be a dark magic practitioner.

When I nodded solemnly, Sword responded while rolling his eyes, That was obviously a joke. Its a magic that turns brightness into darkness. Basically the opposite of light magic. But, a spell said to darken a heart was discovered as derivation of that. Its the exact opposite of the light magics spell system. And there are even further derivations, allowin one to enslave and dominate demons and evil spirits. The dark magic mentioned by Scarlet gotta be bout that. Havin your enslaved evil spirits or demons possess your target, you manipulate and alter their negative emotions in your favor. But, if the targets already possessed, theyll employ those stray demons or evil spirits, tryin to manipulate and amplify the negative feelings so as to twist things to their advantage. By the way, so far as it goes, thats a taboo spell.

Theres no way Id be capable of anything like that.

This world, where you can pull off such things with nothing more than a spell, is truly weird. I dont get the principle behind dark magic at all. Even the methods of a marriage swindlers to cheat money out of the opposite sex make more sense to me.

Sword and Damsel Scarlet looked at me with expressions full of blatant disgust.