Chapter 32

Connie’s Secret
"Student Council President... how much do you know about Connie?"
"About the same as you."
"Same as me?"
"There’s no need to hide it anymore. I've already seen through everything."

Though Tricia, the Student Council President, said so, I had no idea what she meant by "everything."
Maybe I should probe a bit more.

"… And what exactly do you mean by that?"
"Hehehe, as expected from the heir of the Gallard Company. You don’t reveal your hand so easily, do you?"

No, seriously, what is she talking about?
But well, if she’s misunderstanding things conveniently, there’s no need for me to correct her.
It seems like she has this image of me as some kind of mastermind.

"Despite being a commoner, you’ve uncovered Connie Lyle’s secret. I must commend the Gallard Company’s information network for this feat. The academy seemed to have taken great care to keep it under wraps, but you managed to bypass their precautions. That must have come with considerable risks, too."
"Uh, well, it wasn’t that big of a deal."
"You’re too modest."

I carefully crafted responses to avoid giving myself away, walking a tightrope.
This is nerve-wracking.

"But knowing the power of her Select Magic Attribute, it’s only natural to feel an irresistible urge to claim it, isn’t it?"
"Select Magic Attribute? Oh, right, the Select Magic Attribute. Yes, yes. The Select Magic Attribute, indeed."

What the heck is that? It’s the first I’ve heard of it.
Still, I need to play along so I don’t get caught.

"So you did know after all. Honestly, you’ve been quite secretive about it."
"Well, merchants are bound by a duty of confidentiality, you see."
"Ah, fair enough. Someone capable of dismantling an underground arena, exposing the misdeeds of corrupt teachers, and saving a commercial city from crisis wouldn’t recruit her into their company just for her magic ability, good looks, and figure."

… Yeah, no, it was exactly for those lowly reasons.
Originally, I just wanted someone with the technical knowledge and expertise to help complete the magic guns, and beyond that, I chose her entirely based on appearance and physique.

And yeah, her being a commoner and thus easier to approach played a part, too.
But I seriously didn’t know she had some overpowered-sounding ability like that.

Probably no one in the company knows, either. We didn’t even bother looking into her background.

—But admitting ignorance now would be a terrible idea.
For whatever reason, it seems my stock with the president has mysteriously risen, so I need to maintain this impression.

"… Of course."
"As expected of you."

Though completely off the mark, I lied to keep up appearances.
In contrast, Tricia, the Student Council President, was grinning confidently, convinced she was right.

Now comes the important part.

"President Tricia, how much do you know about the Select Magic Attribute?"
"If she so chooses, she can freely change her magic attribute to any type she wants—that’s the Select Magic Attribute."

What the heck!? That’s way more absurd than I could’ve imagined!

"Those with the Select Magic Attribute have the potential to drastically alter the world’s balance of power. The academy’s upper management knows this, which is why they brought her here from the church under the guise of ‘nurturing exceptional talent.’"

I see. So that’s the story behind it.

"The academy’s resident physician likely isn’t aware of this truth. As for the paperwork, my Heartland family, as one of the Three Noble Houses, will ensure it’s blocked. The issue is how to heal her."
"Couldn’t you consult the Headmaster? If you request it, I’m sure he’d rearrange his schedule to meet with you."
"… That’s unlikely."
"I-I see…"
"But I do have an idea. Let’s discuss it while we walk to our destination. Come, this way."

Since classes were over, we had about two hours left of permissible free time.
Whatever this destination was, it had to be somewhere within the academy.

As I pondered this, following her lead, we eventually arrived at the prestigious library often used by honor students.

The building rivaled the size of the main school building, and its shelves reportedly held about fifty thousand books across numerous disciplines—magic, swordsmanship, history, economics, and more.

"You want to look for a book that describes a treatment method?"

Surely a librarian could help find it quickly if we described the symptoms.
But it seemed the president had a different objective.

"We’re not searching for a book. We’re searching for a person."
"A person?"

Who on earth were we looking for?
With questions swirling in my mind, I followed President Tricia and entered the library with Lucina by my side.