Carlisle chose to disguise himself as a student at the academy, blending into one of the classes Roman had taught as he searched for clues.

Just as he’d said, anyone who’d come into contact with that filth couldn’t hide perfectly. Some unknown force would gradually drive them mad.

If he followed these scraps of evidence, he could uncover the truth behind the murders.

When Sherry heard that Carlisle didn’t need her help, she returned home in high spirits.

Before that, though, she sought out Harrison alone and asked him about Cyril, the previous Pope. What puzzled her was that the dean was just as evasive about the subject.

After talking for ages, all Sherry learned was that Cyril had been the previous Pope and had wet the bed in the dorms at Saint Perode Academy. She knew nothing else.

After crossing Ackerman and Harrison’s names off her notebook, she realized that among the people in Ayideen, perhaps only Pope Morse and Witch Hera knew the truth about Cyril and the disaster in the Holy City.

Asking Morse would be little different from asking for death.

He was the one who’d kept the truth about the Holy City disaster hidden. If there weren’t something fishy going on, there’d be no reason for him, as Pope, to do that.

As for her teacher, Witch Hera, she was holed up in the Great Library almost every day. Chances were, she knew nothing about any of this.

“Sigh.” She let out a long, weary breath and closed her notebook, feeling a little helpless.

……

The sunlight beyond the window slanted westward. The shadow cast by the giant eagle slowly melted into darkness, while the desolate moonlight shone like stage lights over Ayideen, nestled among the mountains. Hoarse crows prowled the dark woods of Saint Perode, and fleeting, monstrous shadows filled passing students with a trace of fear.

Night had fallen. It was time for Sherry to go see Hera.

She changed into the little black dress she wore as a Witch, tied her pink hair into a ponytail, and took out the Spirit-Summoning Bell. She gave it a gentle shake.

Jingle—

Silver-white specks of light began gathering in the air at the bell’s pleasant chime. In the blink of an eye, they formed the shape of a giant griffin.

The griffin was enormous. Just one of its front legs stood taller than Sherry herself. Its sharp eagle eyes gleamed with ferocity, and its talons left white gouges in the ground just by brushing against it.

It was the mount she used specifically for flying.

To make it more suited to moving around at night, she patted the griffin’s head and turned its entire body black.

She swung one leg over the saddle. The griffin spread its wings, and Sherry soared high into the air from her backyard, heading straight for the Great Library at Saint Perode Academy.

Even at night, plenty of students at Saint Perode Academy were still hard at work practicing spells. Remembering her own days at the academy, Sherry felt deeply grateful for her powerful talent for magic.

Many spells that seemed profound and obscure to others were utterly ordinary to her. She could even cast some spells that ordinary people had to chant for with a mere flick of her hand.

Maybe that was what it meant to be a once-in-a-century spellcasting genius who graduated early from Saint Perode Academy.

After a little self-praise, Sherry rode the griffin toward the Great Library.

The top floor of the Great Library was a tower-like structure. There were plenty of books inside, but it was where Witch Hera worked and lived, so it wasn’t open to the public.

As she rode the griffin toward a tower window, she spotted Witch Hera at her desk.

Compared to Sherry, Hera was the one whose appearance truly deserved to be called a Witch’s.

Her wide-brimmed witch’s hat hung on a stand beside the desk. Long red hair fell over her shoulders, and a crystalline star rested beneath her alluring eyes. The crystal ball on the desk floated above its golden base, glowing faintly to light the room at night.

Behind her stood row upon row of bookshelves. This wasn’t her bedroom. It was where she studied magic and received guests.

Riding the griffin, Sherry knocked on the window. Knock, knock, knock.

“Teacher! Teacher, open the window! Your adorable student Sherry is here!”

She shouted without the slightest worry that the students below might hear her.

After all, they were high enough up that her voice couldn’t reach the ground.

As if sensing her, Hera closed her book and snapped her fingers. The window vanished at once.

Sherry dismissed the griffin, then hopped lightly into the tower and grinned at Hera.

“Good evening, Teacher Hera.”

“So, what brings you here?” Hera tilted her head toward her. Not a trace of a smile showed on her face.

“Huh? Can’t I come visit you even when I don’t need anything? Or…” Sherry lowered her head, pretending to be sad. She rubbed at nonexistent tears with both hands, then continued in a trembling voice, “Or is it that you don’t want to see me?”

Hera had spent far too long with Sherry to fall for that act.

“If you don’t tell me what you want, I’m going to spank you.”

The girl shivered at those words and obediently took the middle volume of Potion Theory out of her ring.

“Here, Teacher. I finished reading the theory you gave me. Give me the next volume.”

Hera took the book, then pulled a whole set of even thicker books from the shelves behind her and handed them to Sherry.

“You should work on your personality, or you’ll definitely get beaten up someday.”

“Yes, yes, I will.” After giving her teacher’s advice an utterly perfunctory reply, the girl gazed at Hera with big, watery eyes, blinking again and again. Her expression was awkward, as if she had something to say but couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Hera naturally noticed. She didn’t call Sherry out, though. Instead, she blinked back at her.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Hehe. Well, your student Sherry has been making incredible progress with potions lately. There’s a good chance I’ll eventually create a potion that astonishes the world. And as my teacher, you’ll surely become famous too…”

Sherry trailed off. She rubbed her little hands together in midair, wearing the greedy look of someone with money on the mind.

She wanted her teacher to bankroll her.

Making potions cost a fortune. How could a poor Saintess like her afford all those expenses? Her teacher was rich, so it was only right for her to help out her student a little.

Besides, Sherry wasn’t asking for something in return for nothing. Surely trading a loud, lovely compliment from the adorable Witch Sherry for a few potion ingredients was a great deal!

“Go on. I’m enjoying this.” Hera slid a pair of slender legs out from under the desk, propped her chin on one hand, and watched with a hint of interest in her eyes.

“Huh?”

Hera’s response caught Sherry completely off guard.

She’d thought that once her teacher understood what she meant, she’d give her a little material support. But instead, Hera had told her to keep going?

Flattering someone was hard work, you know!

Though she was deeply reluctant, she needed a favor, so she had no choice.

From Ayideen to the Santas Empire, from the origins of magic to unknown ancient gods, from the light of fireflies to the brilliance of the full moon—she praised everything she could think of as part of Hera’s glorious future.

“…At last, the evil knight fell, and Hera led the Witches to glory…”

“Mm-hmm.” Hera listened with rapt attention, her eyes full of anticipation.

“…Witch Hera’s name would be written into the history books, and the world would enter a new era!”

“Mm-hmm.”

“…So, um…”

“Mm-hmm.”

Seeing that Hera showed no sign of rewarding her, Sherry had no choice but to hint at what she wanted.

“But now, the student of the great Hera, Sherry, has run into a little problem that’s hard to bring up. Without your help, Sherry will have a hard time creating a potion that astonishes the world. The evil knight might remain standing, the history book bearing your name might never be written, and the world might never see its new era.”

“Mm-hmm. I know. So, is flattering me tiring?”

“Huh? How can you call it flattery? With your abilities, that future is very possible!”

“I’m glad you think so.” Hera smiled warmly, then crossed her legs with effortless elegance and said, unhurriedly, “I understand what you mean. It’s just that I’ve used up all my ingredients, so I don’t have any to spare.”

At that, Sherry tilted her head and froze.