100CIM - Chapter 206

Everyone's eyes turned to Simone after hearing Jace's story. They were curious about her reaction and answer.

Simone, who had been pondering for a moment, tilted her head at Jace.

“Are you asking me that?”

“Yes?”

Jace asked back, looking bewildered. Simone smiled, clutching the knife she had put down for a moment.

Doesn't it seem like the work of a ghost? If you know it, why do you insist on asking?

If it was a phenomenon of that magnitude, wouldn't you know it without asking? It was definitely the work of a ghost.

Simone started cutting the meat on her plate again.

“It’s the work of ghosts, so I recommend avoiding it as much as possible.”

Jace is prone to attracting ghosts and curses and is therefore sensitive to ghostly energy, but he is clearly different from Simone.

Simone is a necromancer, so she can face ghosts without fear and even make them her servants, but Jace can only summon them and has no way to protect himself from them.

Even if he had one, it was only the amulet Simone gave him. If it weren't for that, it wouldn't have been strange if he had been attacked by the Academy's ghost a long time ago.

Because there is no servant there to help Jace avoid curses and ghosts, and no Simone to protect him.

If you don't have the strength to confront it, then of course you should avoid it.

“Avoid it... be quiet.”

But Jace didn't look very convinced.

To Simone, it was just someone else's story she had heard, but to Jace, it was his own story.

Can't we just sit by and watch people die?

“Oh, if Simone e could give your amulet to everyone...”

“What happened to the amulet that Jace took? It’s completely broken. Even if I give it away, will it last more than a day?”

Simone sighed as she saw Jace's expression.

However, if he really wants to step forward to reduce the harm to his fellow students, there is only one thing he can do.

“I make sure to check to see if there are any students doing anything strange at the academy.”

“Is that strange?”

“Strange... witchcraft or something. Isn’t there anyone playing a prank?”

Hasn't school been a place full of all kinds of ghost stories since ancient times?

If the Occult Society had written the numbers, the curse might have been cast without any special conditions, but if not, the students might have brought about the curse themselves.

For example, could it be that this happened as a side effect of the popularity of necromancy rituals among students, such as the Clone Sabara, Soul Breath, Ouija Board, and Charlie Charlie Challenge?

If it's the remnants of the Occult Society, then it's a problem beyond Jace's control, but if it's the latter, just blocking the students' consciousness would make the situation much better.

But.

'There is no best way.'

Simone smiled and rested her chin on the back of her hand as she looked at Jace.

“Actually, this is the best way.”

"Yes?"

Simone curled her thumb and index finger into a circle.

What is that? 

Jace, who has yet to experience the bitterness of society, seems completely unable to understand, but fortunately, Grand Duke Illeston frowns after realizing the meaning.

“Are you talking about money?”

“That’s right! As expected, Your Highness! It’s money.”

“Why money... What can you do with money...”

Simone looked at Jace, who still didn't understand, with satisfaction.

'If it's the best academy in the Luan Empire, it must have a lot of money, right?'

And since it's been around for a long time, there must be quite a few ghosts there.

Her gaze turned once again to the towering ghosts perched on Jace's shoulders.

“I think so, Jace.”

“What?”

“If this many students have died, I don’t think the director of the academy will be able to stand by and watch.”

Rather than just ignoring it, they will be running around in every possible way to find a way to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

The students of the Empire's most prestigious school, Presia Academy, are all children of high-ranking nobles and are valuable talents who will lead the future.

The director, who had to endure the storm every time someone lost their life, would probably do anything to resolve the current situation.

That means it's very easy for Simone to create an excuse to step foot into that snobby Precia Academy.

Anyway, if it's the remnants of the Occult Society, it's Simone's job to deal with it anyway. She'll make money and scrape away all the souls stuck there. And while she's at it, she'll protect Jace too.

...Is it good?

It seemed like she could hear the sound of her head rolling.

Simone smiled faintly after finishing her calculations.

“Mr. Jace, do you sometimes talk to the director?”

“No. Our students never get to meet the principal. I’ve never met him before, except when I was admitted.”

“Hmm, okay.”

Then it will be difficult to contact the director through Jace.

Well, that doesn't matter, Simone said, still smiling.

“I guess I’ll see you at the Academy soon.”

***

A while later, a letter arrived from Jace, who had returned to the Academy.

The letter said that after investigating the students as Simone had advised, it was discovered that there was indeed a strange ritual going on among them and that one of the students who was currently performing the ritual had recently started having strange dreams.

[Simone, what should I do? If we leave this situation as it is, this person may die like the others. Is there really nothing I can do?]

Jace's letter was filled with urgency. However, Simone did not bother to write him a reply.

No, she didn't really have anything to say in response.

What would Jace say when there was nothing he could do?

The students performing the ritual would not stop immediately after hearing Jace tell them to stop.

But telling Jace to just stay still because it won't help anything will never help Jace.

Instead of replying to the letter, Simone chose to leave the mansion and head directly to the Academy.

Fortunately or unfortunately, around the time when the seventh student died and the eighth victim began to show symptoms, the Academy surprisingly invited Simone directly.

***

“I was wondering how the Precia Academy remembered me and invited me.”

Simone let out a hollow laugh as she boarded the carriage heading to the Academy. Then, the man sitting in the carriage raised the corners of his mouth slyly.

“It’s been a while, boss. How have you been?”

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, so why are you greeting me like this?”

Simone clicked her tongue and sat down opposite the other person. Crown Prince Louis. He looked at Simone with a resentful expression.

“You told me not to come because it was burdensome.”

“Well, I guess I’m just going to work for no reason.”

“Oh, I miss you! There was a time when you would tell me to come to work every day without me having to ask!”

“No, really, please be considerate of me!”

Simone frowned and looked at him. The Emperor, the Crown Prince, and other high-ranking nobles had been very busy dealing with the recent Occult Society incident.

Frankly, now that Simone's existence has been revealed to the world and the Crown Prince has been officially announced, it's not good to see Louis meeting Simone so often.

So she told Louis not to come unless something special came up, but Louis seemed quite upset about that.

“I thought you would call me at least once. Lately, you seem to be looking for Abel and his group more than me!”

“So what! Just work hard on your duties.”

“Wow, really. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, but your words are so harsh.”

“Who gave someone I hadn’t seen in a long time a job that seemed so dangerous at first glance?”

Louis chuckled. Who could say something like that to the Crown Prince?

If it had been someone else, it would have been absolutely unforgivable. Strangely enough, when Simone did it, he didn't feel bad at all.

Because he knows it's a sign of friendliness.

'And it's annoying.'

Because he came to Simone with quite a headache.

Louis said he understood and tried to calm Simone down.

“Anyway, thank you for responding. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t think of anyone else who could resolve the situation other than the hero of the empire, Simone.”

“As expected of the most prestigious academy in the Empire, it seems the royal family is trying to step in and resolve things.”

“Yes. This matter is considered so serious that it requires the summoning of even our national hero.”

Students at the Precia Academy, that is, children of high-ranking nobles, began to commit suicide in large numbers within a short time.

This was an incident that would truly turn the aristocratic world upside down.

Where is the Prescia Academy an ordinary academy?

It is an academy with deep ties to the imperial family, to the point that it would not be strange to say that it is almost an academy under the Emperor's jurisdiction, and it is clear that a significant number of graduates end up working as his close associates.

So, naturally, not only the high-ranking nobles but also the Emperor had no choice but to focus on resolving this matter.

In the end, Simone, the imperial hero who was familiar with these strange phenomena and had excellent problem-solving skills, was recommended as the problem-solver.

Of course, the person who recommended Simone was Louis.

Despite Simone's gruff tone, Louis simply smiled his characteristically sunny smile and spoke.

“You said you needed a soul.”

“...”

“Where in the world is there as many strange rumors as the Academy? Scrape them all away.”

“...”

“Isn’t that a job that the royal family entrusts to you? The compensation will be considerable. The Academy will also show their sincerity.”

“Thank you. I will work hard.”

Louis' smile grew brighter. It had been about a year since he started working as Simone's employee.

Now, there was one thing that Louis had mastered to make Simone move of her own accord: he was incredibly skilled at it.

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