Silent Witch

Book 15: Chapter 2: And The Third Person is…

The Jeweled Magician committed suicide.

And the Second Prince was taken to the castle, accused of being an impostor.

As Monica listened to Glenn's incoherent ranting, she glanced at Bridget. Bridget also glanced at Monica for a moment.

Even Bridget, who had suspected that Felix might be an impostor, probably didn't expect this development. Her beautiful face was stiff and pale.

In the first place, although she wanted to meet the real Felix, she never wished to condemn the impostor and reveal the whole truth, so this reaction was natural.

Everyone else looked confused, unable to understand what Glenn was saying.

Huh?

Monica felt something was off. There was only one person who didn't look surprised or confused but had a cold look in their eyes as if they had foreseen this situation.

As Monica stared at that person, Neil spoke up.

"Everyone, please calm down. Glenn, please sit down first. You too, Vice President Ashley."

At Neil's words, Glenn fidgeted and stamped his feet.

"This isn't the time to calm down, Neil! The president was taken away, you know!? If I chase after them with my flight magic, I might still be able to catch up!"

"And what will you do if you catch up? If you forcibly try to take back the student council president, you'll just end up getting wanted along with him, right?"

Glenn was at a loss for words, and Neil spoke in a voice that suppressed his agitation.

"First, let's sort out the information and think about what to do next."

Neil Clay Maywood didn't have the charisma that Felix had. Most people would describe Neil as "a nice guy but doesn't seem reliable," and above all, they would try to judge him solely by his baronial rank.

When it came to selecting new student council officers, many declined the position, saying they didn't want to serve under a baron's family. That's why the newly selected members had their own quirks.

Roberto, the fifth son of a baron's family from a neighboring country; Lana, from a baron's family; and Glenn, a commoner The only one with a higher rank than Neil was Eliane from a ducal family. Since Eliane wasn't a male heir, few people made an issue of it, but if Eliane had been a boy, there would surely have been some who raised their eyebrows.

In the end, the new student council officers didn't have as much support from the students as Felix's generation did.

Nevertheless, Neil, who was trying to take control of the situation, had the presence of a new student council president.

"Vice President Ashley, please tell us the situation to the best of your knowledge."

Even when Neil prompted him, Cyril seemed unable to snap out of his dazed state.

When Neil called out to him again, "Vice President Ashley!" Cyril finally seemed to come to his senses and slowly raised his head.

It was understandable that Cyril, who respected and admired Felix the most, would be so shaken but with only Glenn's explanation, the conversation would never move forward.

Cyril probably understood this too. In a voice that sounded like he was about to die, he slowly began to recount what he knew.

According to the soldiers who took Felix away, the Imperial Magician who used body manipulation magic and infiltrated the chess tournament conspired with Emanuel Darwin, the Jeweled Magician, to plan the takeover of the Second Prince.

They failed to switch places at the chess tournament and were captured, but managed to escape.

Later, the Imperial Magician infiltrated the academy again, successfully killed the Second Prince, and took his place.

The Imperial Magician was plotting to take over the country, but the accomplice, the Jeweled Magician, couldn't bear the weight of his sins and committed suicide by drinking poison, leaving everything in a suicide note.

That was the explanation Cyril had heard.

As she listened to the explanation, Monica desperately tried to process the information in her head.

Who spread the information that the Second Prince was an impostor? The Black Lion Emperor of the Empire? No, that's not it.

If this incident was the work of the Black Lion Emperor, he wouldn't have leaked the information in a way that implied "the impostor = the Imperial Magician".

Hinting at the Empire's involvement could spark a war. The Black Lion Emperor, who wanted to avoid war, wouldn't do that.

Rather, if they wanted to make it seem like the impersonation of the Second Prince was the work of someone from the Empire, the culprit became clear.

It's the Duke of Crockford.

Monica couldn't tell if the Jeweled Magician committed suicide or was murdered. But judging from the situation, it was reasonable to assume that he was used as a sacrificial pawn to ensure Isaac's downfall.

Monica didn't know why the Duke of Crockford suddenly decided to abandon Ike, but something must have started moving without her knowledge.

Those who were skeptical of Glenn's explanation seemed to gradually understand the seriousness of the matter as they listened to Cyril's explanation.

Roberto raised his hand to speak.

"It sounds like a preposterous story, but I don't think it's impossible that the Second Prince was replaced by an impostor. In fact, at the chess tournament, the assassin disguised as Eugene Pittman perfectly deceived the students of Minerva."

Yes, everyone present knew about the fake Pittman incident at the chess tournament.

And they also knew that the assassin had escaped.

For those who didn't know about Yuan, the theory that the Second Prince was an impostor was quite credible.

Amidst all this, Neil quietly spoke up.

"Everyone, let's refrain from speculating at this point as we have too little information. Glenn, were there any other witnesses when the president was taken away?"

"Well, I don't think there was anyone else around but there were a lot of soldiers, so I'm sure a few people must have noticed."

"So the story hasn't spread that far yet? In that case, can I ask everyone here to keep quiet about this to the other students?"

When Bridget affirmed Neil's words, saying "That's the sensible thing to do," Elliot interjected.

"But I think the perceptive students will eventually come to us with questions. Should we still feign ignorance even then?"

"If anyone tries to make a fuss, just tell them this: We can't spread uncertain information because it involves the royal family's prestige.' Those who spread uncertain information may be charged with lese-majeste.'"

Bridget stated firmly, and Neil nodded in agreement.

"We don't know what will happen to the student council from here on. But I think we should try to grasp the current situation and think about the future."

"So, is there anything I can do? I'll do anything to help the president!"

Glenn probably wanted to go and help Felix right away because he looked up to him.

To Glenn, Neil furrowed his brows slightly in a troubled manner and said,

"For now, I'd like all the new student council officer candidates to return to the dormitory. We'll explain what happens next later. I'm going to the faculty room with Vice President Ashley to discuss what to do from here if that's alright with you, Vice President Ashley?"

"Y, yes."

Cyril's response was slow when Neil called out to him. He probably still couldn't come to terms with reality.

As everyone looked at Cyril with pity, only Claudia looked at him coldly.

"Now that the current student council president is absent, the vice president should be the one taking charge If the vice president is in this state, the president's efforts will be in vain."

"Miss Claudia!"

Even when Neil scolded her, the coldness in Claudia's eyes didn't change.

Cyril slowly raised his head, put his hand on his forehead, and exhaled slowly.

"No, it's fine. You're right, Claudia. Until he returns I must do what needs to be done as the student council vice president."

Cyril, who muttered those words, still looked haggard and seemed like he might collapse at any moment.

In the end, the new student council officers temporarily disbanded.

It was decided that Elliot, Bridget, and Monica would stay in the student council room, while Cyril and Neil would go to the faculty room to report.

Cyril scolded himself for feeling faint and put strength into his legs.

I have to pull myself together.

Just before Felix was taken away, he had told Cyril that he was leaving the student council in his hands.

If so, Cyril had to live up to those expectations.

However, just as they left the student council room, Claudia stopped and grabbed the hems of Cyril and Neil's clothes.

Claudia, who was neither a new nor an old student council officer, had no reason to be here in the first place.

Especially in this emergency situation, she should naturally return to the dormitory.

"Claudia, you should go back to your room."

"Three people."

Claudia muttered softly and let go of their clothes.

Neil asked Claudia,

"What's wrong, Miss Claudia?"

"When I heard Glenn Dudley's report, there were three people who reacted strangely."

Claudia held up three fingers of her right hand with her usual gloomy expression.

"First, Monica Norton. When it happened, Monica instinctively looked at Bridget Graham. Second, Bridget Graham. She also instinctively looked at Monica."

As Cyril frowned at the strange combination of Monica and Bridget, Claudia turned her eyes to the student council room and continued.

"And the third person"