â â â âThen, why is Emma-sama absent from school?!â â â â
Right. âŚI wonder why? George was also full of questions.
âWhy does Lady Joanna look exactly the same as Minato?â
âWhy does nobody say anything about a lady around forty years old wearing a uniform?â
âWhy do the people who spoke ill of Emma suddenly worry about her?â
[Something] was definitely odd here.
âI also want to know.â
Suddenly, the brothers heard a familiar, nostalgic voice.
âNo way⌠even her voice tooâŚâ thought George and William with dread.
âN-Nii-sama! What to do? Itâs Lady Joanna.â
Joanna, accompanied by several male students, was approaching the gazebo George and the others were sitting in the courtyard. Because Emmaâs friends from the Embroidery class raised their voices all at once, Joanna must have heard the content of their conversation.
âOh my, itâs Joanna-sama, Catherine.â
âMy, itâs Joanna-sama, huh, Caitlyn.â
The twins were surprised when they noticed Joanna was there.
âMina⌠JoannaâŚ-sama. âŚWhy are you concerned about my younger sister?â
George and William started feeling nervous.
Last week, they only saw Joanna from afar. It was strange that Joanna recognized Emma even though they had never made eye contact, let alone said a single word to each other. The brothersâ heads were full of question marks about just what Joanna was thinkingâŚ
âOh? What are you saying, George Stuart? Arenât there so many rumors about your sister which everyone in the academy is talking about nowadays?â
Joanna stopped before George with a sweet and relaxed smile.
Joannaâs POV
I tried to pressure him by calling out his full name. It was a way to implicitly say ânot to mention your sister, I knew about you too.â
However, the truth was that I just grew impatient because I couldnât investigate Emma Stuart smoothly as she kept being absent from school.
I had come to assume that this girl, who was once rumored to be the holy maiden, was the cause of my charm magicâs awful ineffectiveness. I first thought it was an absurd conjecture, but the more I looked into it, the more I found that my charm magic had weak efficacy against young ladies and noble sons who got along well with Emma Stuart. It even turned completely null against the male students who gave Emma Stuart sweets during lunch break.
People made fun of her as the fake holy maiden, but could it be that she was a real one?
I was fully aware that the Churchâs holy maidens had no holy powers, but I couldnât just ignore such a striking influence she had on my magic.
If the rumors were true, the sickly girl was now nearing death. If that were the case, so be it. I couldnât care less.
The problem was if that werenât the case.
If that girl had the power to repel magic, I must take immediate measures against her.
I held the pendant hanging on my neck. Inside this pendant was a magic stone.
Few people knew about this function of magic stones, but other than storing magic, magic stones also had the power to amplify magic. Even if a magician appeared, they actually wouldnât be able to do much without magic stones. Only when a magic stone and magician were present in the same place could large-scale magic be activated without any interruption.
It was a pity I couldnât meet Emma Stuart, but I would try casting a powerful charm spell on her brothers first.
My heart stung when thinking that I had to use such a precious magic stone for this purpose, but a small sacrifice might be necessary for great achievements.
âGeorge Stuart. William Stuart. Tell me what Emma Stuart is doing now.â