"A mere 'Cursed Sword'."
Suigintou lifted her chin with an air of contempt. "Alice has her gloves now anyway. Worst case, I'll step in and secure an easy victory."
Gloves?
Charlotte blinked in confusion, her eyes scanning the room.
The gold-embroidered gloves on the table in front of her gradually came into focus.
"Th-this is..." Charlotte stared in astonishment at the 'Nursery Rhyme' inscription, then, struck by a thought, looked up and asked, "Did this happen today?"
Alice gave a silent nod.
"The ranking... it wouldn't be one hundredth, would it...?"
"Mhm."
So that's why Frey ended up in such a state.
A look of understanding dawned on Charlotte's face, and she let out a soft 'hmph'.
"I saw Frey on the way back. Someone was talking to her, probably to deal with you."
"Mhm."
Charlotte stole a glance out the window, towards the main gate.
Judging by Frey's demeanor, whoever approached her probably didn't mean well.
"So... shouldn't we go check on Frey, gather some information?"
Alice lifted her gaze to meet Charlotte's. "Worried about her?"
"I-It's not that!" Charlotte immediately turned her face away, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. "I'm just worried she might cause trouble for you, that's all."
"Don't worry. The birds are following her."
Charlotte lowered her head slightly, replying in a whisper, "That's good then."
Her mosquito-like answer made Kirakishou's smile blossom once more, and Alice gently pinched the little girl's cheek.
Hinaichigo, who had been eating cake, looked up in confusion.
"But why was Frey so upset when she saw Alice's gloves?"
Her large, dewy eyes fixed on Alice, a dab of adorable cream clinging to the corner of her mouth.
Shinku, sighing helplessly beside her, handed her a handkerchief. "Because Frey will have to fight Alice."
"Huh? Why?" Hinaichigo puffed out her cheeks as she wiped the cream, not wanting Alice and Frey to fight.
"It can't be helped." Shinku rapped the hand of Suiseiseki, who was about to tease Hinaichigo, and softened her tone. "For Frey, the Night Party is probably very important. Something she absolutely must participate in."
Having been at the school for so long, they'd all learned a thing or two about the Night Party.
"Wah..." Hinaichigo hung her head sadly.
Ahem... "If Alice plans to take the field..." Charlotte, sitting across from them, cleared her throat lightly. She kept her face turned away, her eyes stealing glances at Alice. "Do... do you need me to drop in rank?"
In the Night Party, a higher-ranked participant could voluntarily lower their rank, but once changed, they could not return to their original position.
According to their prior agreement, now would be the time for her to act.
"No need."
Charlotte's eyes widened in shock. Was Alice planning to enter the fray herself?
Lower-ranked participants had to fight if challenged by a higher rank. If Alice intended to participate personally and fight all the way to the end for the position of Wiseman, it could take a very long time.
Seriously?
"There's no need for you to drop from sixth position." Alice, focused on stroking Kirakishou's head, replied indifferently. "Is there a way to retain qualification without appearing?"
The prophesied Heavenly Throne, from the looks of it now, likely referred to the Wiseman's position.
If she could retain her eligibility for the Night Party, she could keep it as a trump card for later.
For instance, making a surprise entrance during a free-for-all to give everyone a shock.
If she couldn't retain it, it didn't matter either. The only reason she cared about the Wiseman's position was because of Charlotte and the other Divine Machine mentioned in the prophecy.
"There... there is," Charlotte responded, still dazed. "On grounds of injury or illness, one can obtain permission for absence."
"Can one be absent indefinitely?"
"As long as the school grants permission, yes."
Absence due to injury or illness wasn't advantageous to begin with. Those absent would experience a blank period and, in a state of dulled senses, be forced to fight opponents ranked higher than themselves.
Moreover, they might eventually face alliances and fight multiple opponents at once.
Normally, no one would choose absence. On this stage, watched by the eyes of so many nations, value wasn't found in victory alone.
"Then that will do." Alice looked at Hinaichigo, who was staring at her with hopeful eyes, and said softly, "I will not take the field for now."
"Yay!" Hinaichigo instantly brightened up.
"What a pity," Suigintou pulled a loose feather from her back, speaking casually. "Your brother gets to live a little longer, Sigmund."
"Hmph!" Faced with Suigintou's taunt, Charlotte indignantly crossed her arms. "A 'Cursed Sword' is no simple thing. If you get careless and are destroyed, don't blame anyone."
"Heh. Defeated rival."
"Grr... I wasn't going all out that time!"
"Defeated rival."
"... Sigmund, bite her!"
Charlotte stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Suigintou's utterly unconcerned face.
Sigmund, perched solemnly on Charlotte's head, glanced at the two bickering and let out a soft chuckle.
If Suigintou were destroyed, Charlotte would surely be sad too.
He pondered quietly for a moment, then his expression turned somewhat serious. "The essence of the Cursed Sword is to reverse the existence of matter, enabling transformation between nothingness and substance. Anyone directly hit by it will be annihilated on the spot."
"If you truly encounter the 'Cursed Sword', you must be careful. The ways to wield the 'Cursed Sword' are not limited to..." Sigmund sighed softly.
Though he didn't continue, everyone present understood his meaning.
The ways to wield the 'Cursed Sword' weren't limited to just the method Charlotte usually employed, using the 'Cursed Sword' as a turret.
Hearing this, Charlotte, who had just been arguing with Suigintou, suddenly fell quiet.
Her shoulders trembled slightly. She lowered her eyes and murmured, "... Cursed Sword Combat Art."
The Belew family's history of fighting alongside the 'Cursed Sword' spanned over a century. During that long passage of time, the Beaulieu family had developed their own method of wielding the 'Cursed Sword' — the Cursed Sword Combat Art.
Charlotte had always known of its existence, but she didn't know how to use it, or even what it specifically entailed.
Her father, Edgar, had never taught her. And Edgar had gone missing after the Belew family's downfall.
"Charlotte... Edgar just didn't want you to go to the battlefield."
Sigmund comforted her in a low voice.
In response, Charlotte simply looked at him with great seriousness.
"What is the Cursed Sword Combat Art like?"
She had no desire to be mocked in the future for her method of wielding the Cursed Sword.
"Even if you knew, you couldn't perform it now. At the very least, Lotte she..."
Hearing the new name, Alice raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Lotte?"
"... Lotte is a spirit. She can withstand and coordinate with the Cursed Sword's attacks."
Sigmund explained softly to Alice.
Spirits were magical beings existing within all things.
The art of requesting or commanding their assistance was called Spirit Arts.
Alice had heard the term in her Ancient Sorcery classes. Spirit Arts weren't truly considered sorcery, as the power source largely depended on innate talent — whether one could see the spirits.
"But Charlotte can no longer see spirits," Sigmund's voice stated the fact.
"Do you know the reason?"
"... No." Charlotte slowly bowed her head.
A long silence fell over the room.
Failure without a known cause was the most frightening kind.
Alice gently set down her teacup. The crisp sound of the cup meeting the saucer broke the silence and roused Charlotte from her thoughts.
"Then let's go ask."
Charlotte looked up, puzzled.
"This is a school," Alice said, her gaze meeting Charlotte's questioning eyes, her tone flat. "It's time to make use of the teachers."
Imparting knowledge, teaching skills, resolving doubts — these were a teacher's fundamental duties.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.