Rumors spread quickly.
But what is truly frightening is not a fast-spreading rumor.
It is a prepared rumor.
Someone writes the conclusion before an incident happens, then pulls out that paper once it does.
Then people mistake it for something else.
`They already knew everything.`
`Just as expected.`
`Then it must be investigated.`
At that moment, a rumor walks around as though it were evidence.
The paper found beneath the notice board in the Academy Central Corridor was exactly that.
`Confirm disguised Cathedral Wing sleeve.`
`Demand investigation of candidate Liana Bell.`
Sentences written before Eloise Berhardt’s first statement had even begun.
Clues that no one should have known about yet.
And the name those clues pointed toward.
Liana Bell.
Liana looked at the paper.
Her face was pale, but her lips were pressed tightly together.
Eveline looked as though she wanted to tear the paper apart on the spot.
Seria was reading the wording.
Adela Carmion was examining the paper itself.
Clarisse held the paper and silently opened her record board.
I was the first to steady my breath.
If anyone said the wrong thing now, the paper would gain more power.
Tear it up, and it became concealment.
Ignore it, and it became an admission.
Refute it immediately, and it became an excuse.
So there was only one thing to do first.
Turn the paper back into an object, rather than a rumor.
Clarisse spoke.
"This paper is not an official notice. It does not bear the notice board’s verification seal. However, it does have a stated time of writing."
Eveline immediately asked,
"Then is that time real?"
"It cannot be confirmed."
Clarisse showed us the tiny writing at the bottom of the page.
`Category Three Recordkeeping Practice Sheet — written at 11:40.`
"This is a notation used on training sheets for the archives. It differs from an actual verification seal."
Good.
Do not confirm it.
But the problem remained.
Fake or real, this paper had been placed there for someone to see.
Adela raised her hand.
"May I touch it?"
Clarisse asked,
"For what purpose?"
"Paper says more than clothing does."
"Permission granted. Hold only the edges."
Adela truly did hold only the edges.
With her fingertips, she checked the paper’s thickness, studied its crease lines, and examined the direction in which the ink had bled.
She treated paper with more courtesy than she treated people.
"It was written twice."
Adela spoke.
Clarisse’s pen stopped.
"Your basis?"
"The pressure marks in the first and second lines differ. The first line was written on a desk, while the second was written on a surface that was not hard. Most likely against the lower part of the notice board or braced against a wall."
Eveline frowned.
"How can you tell that?"
Without looking at Eveline, Adela answered.
"By the same principle that lets one tell how angry Lady Rosette is by the force with which she grips her handkerchief. Pressure leaves behind habits."
"Stop talking about my handkerchief."
"Then wrinkle it less."
Eveline started to respond, then stopped.
Seria lowered her head slightly.
This time, it was to hide her laughter.
Adela continued.
"The first line, `Confirm disguised Cathedral Wing sleeve,` was written in advance. The second line, `Demand investigation of candidate Liana Bell,` was added later."
Liana’s fingertips twitched.
"My name... was added later?"
"Yes."
Adela handed the paper back to Clarisse.
"Miss Bell was not written down from the beginning. They prepared the clue sentence first, then attached a name after observing the situation."
Clarisse wrote.
"Possibility of a two-stage composition of the notice. Clue sentence potentially written in advance; target’s name potentially appended later."
That single line shifted the atmosphere slightly.
There was a possibility that it was not a blade aimed at Liana from the beginning, but one that could have been aimed at anyone.
Of course, that was bad too.
No, perhaps it was worse.
Anyone could become prey if all it took was swapping out the name.
Seria quietly said,
"The wording is strange as well."
Clarisse looked at Seria.
"Which part?"
"The demand for an investigation."
Seria spoke while looking at the paper.
"Those spreading rumors usually use words such as suspicion, witness, or shock. But this paper says demand. It is imitating official procedure rather than expressing private anger."
Good.
Seria’s sharp tongue stabbed people, but her analysis of phrasing was useful.
Especially when she was stabbing sentences instead of people like this.
Clarisse wrote.
"Lady Seria Blanc: stylistic analysis. Possibility of imitation of an official petition rather than a private rumor."
Eveline started to fold her arms, then stopped.
It seemed she now understood that even crossing her arms could look aggressive.
Instead, she put her hands on her hips.
Not much less aggressive, but I would give her credit for trying.
"Then who wrote it?"
Adela answered at once.
"If we decide that now, we will be helping the person who wrote this paper."
"Why?"
"Because the purpose of this paper is to make us quickly suspect someone."
Eveline closed her mouth.
It was difficult to get angry at something so accurate.
She was angry, but she could not refute it.
Liana slowly spoke.
"Then what I should do now is... nothing?"
There was fear in that question.
She seemed afraid that if she stayed still, people would believe it.
And that if she moved, she would look even more suspicious.
She wanted to prove her innocence, yet felt that the more she tried to prove it, the deeper she would sink.
I confirmed that Liana was not looking at me.
She was asking everyone.
Good.
This was better than private tutoring.
Clarisse said,
"It is not doing nothing. Rather than offering a personal explanation, we will maintain the request for formal procedure."
Adela added,
"And we will verify the access records for the clothing patterns."
Seria said,
"We must also verify the writing style and the paper’s source."
Eveline said,
"And find out who put it up."
The other three looked at Eveline simultaneously.
Eveline immediately said,
"Just find them. I will not hit them."
Clarisse wrote.
"Lady Eveline Rosette expresses intent to pursue the culprit. Use of violence deferred."
"Not deferred. I said I will not do it."
"Correcting it. Denies the use of violence."
"Yes. That."
Liana smiled very faintly.
It was not a situation to smile in, but she did.
And that smile loosened her fingertips a little.
I looked at the four of them.
Eveline Rosette.
Liana Bell.
Seria Blanc.
Adela Carmion.
A runaway sword.
A self-sacrificing Saint Candidate.
A venomous speaker who cut people with words.
A social villainess who judged people through clothes and etiquette.
The four of them were standing in a single corridor.
Not all of them were my students yet.
But the system had already passed judgment.
[Four temporary private tutoring targets detected simultaneously]
[Current subject: How not to turn a rumor into an incident]
[Caution]
[The candidates’ fundamental impulses may clash with one another.]
That was true.
Eveline wanted to hit someone.
Liana wanted to offer herself up.
Seria wanted to dissect her opponent with words.
Adela wanted to find flaws and strike at them structurally.
Leave the four of them alone, and this would not be resolved. It would explode.
But if I gave them direction?
I could use them.
No, I had to use them.
I spoke.
"Tell me the action each of you most wants to take right now."
The four looked at me.
Eveline spoke first.
"I want to catch the person who put it up."
"Without violence."
"I know."
Liana said,
"I want to explain myself."
She immediately corrected herself.
"No. I want to confirm the procedure proving that my formal dress differs from the clue."
Seria said,
"I want to narrow down the writer. Someone who imitated the style of an official petition must have seen the archives’ forms before."
Adela said,
"I want to verify the sources of the paper and the clothing pattern. And if possible, I would also like to replace your coat someday, Instructor."
"Leave out that last part."
"Structural problems grow if delayed."
"It is unrelated to the current incident."
"In high society, it is related."
Eveline finally laughed.
Seria smiled faintly as well.
Liana looked at me in surprise.
Adela did not smile.
Apparently, she had not meant it as a joke.
That was the greater problem.
Clarisse summarized the four girls’ statements.
"I propose the following principles of action. First, classify the notice as an `unverified coercive document.` Second, defer Miss Bell’s personal explanation and proceed with the formal dress comparison procedure. Third, investigate the paper’s source, writing style, and clothing-pattern access records concurrently. Fourth, arbitrary contact and private questioning are prohibited."
Good.
It was not perfect, but it was the best we could do right now.
Arsene spoke.
"House Berhardt requests access to the materials as well."
Clarisse shook her head.
"The victim’s house will be provided a summary. Access to the originals will be restricted under the supervision of the Archives Office."
Arsene’s eyes turned cold.
"My sister is the victim."
"That is why we protect the originals."
Silence.
Clarisse did not yield.
Nor did Arsene press any further.
Good rules bind everyone.
Not even the victim’s house was an exception.
Arsene disliked that, but for now, he had no choice but to accept it.
We moved to the Archives Office’s temporary storage room.
The storage room was located behind the Academy Central Corridor.
The candidates could not enter directly, so under Clarisse’s approval, we would examine the records from in front of the door.
Medical Officer Madel returned to the infirmary, while Arsene remained at the end of the corridor.
He was not permitted inside.
Instead, his gaze remained fixed in our direction.
Clarisse brought out three ledgers.
"The Cathedral Wing formalwear storage records. The theater prop room lending records. The protocol training room’s clothing-pattern access records."
Adela nodded.
"It would be best to begin with the clothing patterns. Finished garments move later. Paper moves first."
Clarisse opened the protocol training room’s ledger.
It listed the date, time, viewer, purpose, and whether the materials had been returned.
The first few entries were ordinary.
Social preliminary class candidate.
Protocol practice.
Cathedral Wing assistant candidate.
Formalwear specifications confirmation.
Clothing assistant instructor.
Embroidery repair.
Then Clarisse’s hand stopped.
A very brief silence.
I did not like that silence.
Eveline asked,
"Why did you stop?"
Clarisse did not answer.
She turned the ledger toward me.
And I saw it.
`Time of access: 11:22`
`Material accessed: Cathedral Wing formalwear sleeve pattern`
`Viewer: Leon Cart`
`Purpose: Confirming materials related to Preliminary Candidate Dialogue Principles`
`Returned: Complete`
My name.
I looked at the ledger.
The entry was neat.
There was a signature as well.
It resembled my handwriting.
To be precise, it resembled it closely enough that anyone else would believe it was my handwriting.
The problem was the time: 11:22.
At that time, I had been in the Academy Central Corridor.
In the middle of the public questioning.
Holding a speaking-limit card.
Before the prince.
In full view of dozens of people.
Eveline immediately said,
"That is impossible. Instructor, you were with us then."
Liana nodded as well.
"I saw you myself."
Seria narrowed her eyes as she examined the ledger.
"The stated purpose is strange. Preliminary Candidate Dialogue Principles was only being publicly applied at that very time. That purpose could not have been entered in the ledger first."
Adela examined my signature.
"The handwriting imitation is not bad, but it received even less care than your coat, Instructor."
"Is that assessment necessary right now?"
"It is. The imitator has seen your handwriting up close, but not for long. The ends of the strokes differ."
Clarisse wrote quickly.
"Possibility of forgery in Leon Cart’s name. Multiple alibi witnesses. Inconsistency in the timing of the stated purpose. Incomplete handwriting imitation."
A system window appeared.
[New forged record: Leon Cart’s clothing-pattern access]
[Risk of educator framing increased]
[Possibility of the private classroom framing being reignited]
[Caution]
[The forger used the name Preliminary Candidate Dialogue Principles during the incident.]
My name had arrived on paper before I did.
In a room I had never entered.
Before a pattern I had never seen.
For a purpose I had never written.
This was not simply aimed at Liana.
They shook Liana with white sleeves, then bound me with the clothing-pattern record.
And if I was bound, the three girls would once again be bound under `Leon Cart’s private classroom.`
And if Adela joined them?
All the better.
From the forger’s perspective.
Arsene asked from the end of the corridor.
"What did you find?"
Clarisse closed the ledger.
"We are still verifying it."
Arsene looked at me.
His eyes were very cold.
"Leon Cart. Can you explain this?"
I could.
I had been in the Academy Central Corridor at that time.
There were many witnesses.
There were signs of forgery too.
I only needed to say so.
But the instant I opened my mouth, I would become the center again.
If my explanation came first, Liana’s clue, Eloise’s statement, and Seria’s deferral would all fall beneath my name.
I recalled the first line on the notice board.
No one speaks in another person’s place.
It was not only a matter concerning others.
It was also a problem if I put my own explanation first and covered up the entire incident.
So I spoke.
"I will defer my answer."
Arsene’s eyebrow moved.
Clarisse immediately wrote.
"Leon Cart defers immediate explanation concerning suspected forged records. Possible request to prioritize procedural verification."
Eveline looked at me.
So did Liana.
Seria as well.
And Adela.
The looks in the four girls’ eyes were all different.
Anger.
Concern.
Analysis.
Interest.
I looked at the ledger.
My name was written there.
And strangely enough, the first thought that came to me at that moment was not indignation.
At last, my opponent had made a mistake.
Writing my name.
It was a move meant to bind me, but at the same time, it was a move that pulled me onto the board.
Good.
Now I had someone who needed to answer my questions as well.
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