Posts from Sakuramoria Auto-translated

An unfamiliar student stammered and spoke in a hurry, saying that everyone should immediately appear in the hall for the ceremony.

Here is the murderer...

A slow step forward, another, and he is already in the hall, listening to the news about the murder of a student, the cancellation of classes, and the closure of the city. As well as about the planned explanatory conversation with each student and their teachers. Soon, Gideon stood before Duncan.

— Sit down. —Duncan points to a stool. — Tell me, how are you feeling, where were you today, and what did you do?

Added after 30 seconds
Upon Leyla's return to Ixora's room, Ixora also returned from Duncan.

Nira, along with a crowd of agitated students, listened to the director's uneven announcement about the events that had, in an instant, ruined what had been such a beautiful day off. Studying the royal granddaughter's appearance with interest, she noted every detail of her outfit that seemed out of place, which might reveal her insecurity or confusion. She couldn't help but wonder what damage such an event would do to her reputation and mental state. How could they have allowed a maniac into their newly opened "elite" school! Would they try to cover it up, or would the scandal escalate? And all this just before the arrival of foreign guests! Turning her gaze to her fellow students, Nira observed their pale, frightened, tear-stained faces. It was very likely that most of them, like herself, only knew Ignatius from a few casually exchanged phrases. "A funny guy who dreamed of becoming a great wizard," and what else could she say about him? Was it worth putting on a show of grief and shedding tears over every fleeting moment in the ocean of life? A little later, hunched on her bed, with her arms crossed under her chin, Nira regretted for the first time that she didn't have a private room where she could indulge in her thoughts without worrying about those around her. Her mind was filled with a variety of thoughts and emotions: sadness for the ruined day off, anxiety about the hastily delivered painting worth a thousand coins – had it been damaged?, the adrenaline rush from events so fantastical that they seemed to have come straight out of a detective novel, sadness for the ban on visiting stores, and indignation at the uselessness of the city guard. How could they have ruined everything! However, she shouldn't be thinking about that right now. Now, she needed to force her excited mind to think in a completely different way – in a way that would ensure her own survival and prevent her from ending up as just another head in a trash can. But what could she do? Write a letter to her father asking him to send a dozen guards to escort her home? Obviously, that would be the best solution. Watching the spectacle from the sidelines might be interesting, but participating in it herself was a completely different matter. Getting up from the bed, Nira went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, where she carefully and critically assessed her appearance. In her life's theater, she had somehow come to terms with the role of a cheerful, popular, and friendly beauty, but now, by the will of fate, this scene was being replaced by dark, dramatic scenery, where there was no place for her, at least for a while. Well, if it weren't for the mortal danger, this would be a very curious new experience. Let's skip the cheerful smiles and naive expressions. Should she try adding notes of gloomy resignation, tearful eyes, and smudged mascara? No, that would be too much, and it would also damage her reputation. Settling on a neutral-serious style, Nira nodded approvingly at her reflection. It sets the tone for a conversation without unnecessary sentimentality, but at the same time maintains a proper interest in the situation and shows confidence. Leaving the room, the girl headed towards the lair of the maniac Duncan.

Added 3 minutes ago
oh, I messed up, I don't remember who announced it, but it doesn't matter.

Duncan Mandragora had likely already questioned a dozen other students by the time Nirianna arrived, but this wasn't apparent from his appearance. And what else could one expect from him? He was a military man, and he had seen worse. When the girl appeared in his office, he offered her a stool and asked her to recount the events of the day and how she was feeling.

"Hello, Sir Duncan." Nira glanced at the stool with slight surprise, as there were certainly a couple of comfortable chairs and a sofa nearby, but she didn't argue. "I think my friends have already told you everything, but just in case. Today, I decided to go shopping and invited my neighbor, Bell... I mean, Bella, to join me. On the ground floor, we met Shira and Barbara, and then Chloe bumped into us. On the way out, we stopped by to see Cassia. On the way to town, I didn't notice anything special, although we were so engrossed in chatting that we probably didn't pay attention to anything. At 'Rainbow,' Leila joined us. I was very absorbed in buying souvenirs, so I didn't pay much attention to anything else, but I can assure you that the girls were with me the whole time and didn't go anywhere. After 'Rainbow,' we visited another place, I forgot the name, and on the way out, we heard screams, and... well, you know the rest." Nira paused for a moment, then continued: "Regarding how we're feeling, we're all okay, thank you. By the way, I also have a question for you, as someone with military experience. Can you currently guarantee the safety of the academy students, including in the future? I think I'm not the only one with serious concerns about continuing our studies in the current situation, not to mention when the news about this reaches our parents. We're learning to defend ourselves here, but we probably won't be able to put up a serious fight against anyone yet, and studying in a state of constant anxiety doesn't sound very appealing.

— Hold on with your question for a bit. First, tell me, did you see Leila before you and your friends met her in "Rainbow"?

— Simply wonderful, — Toad replied with a hint of irony, then sighed heavily, — I'm sorry... I was just thinking about how things could have been if I had invited Ignatius to join us. He is, after all, my classmate, and I didn't even think of it, and all because... because I thought his behavior was strange and difficult. And now...

— Yes, I was thinking about that too, — Vail said sadly. — But we don't really know how things would have turned out. If not now, then maybe later? We don't know who is behind this and what their motives are. Was the killer specifically targeting him, or was it a coincidence? I hope they solve this case quickly, and then everything will become clear. In the meantime, we should be careful and not wander around alone. Okay, I think it's time to go to the interrogation, or whatever they call it. To Duncan or Carvia?

“This weekend?’’—Nira thought for a moment, then shook her head: “No, I haven’t seen it.”

- Yes, I've been thinking about that too, - Vale said sadly. - But we don't really know how things would have turned out. If not now, then maybe later? We don't know who's behind this and what their motives are. Was the killer specifically targeting him, or was it just a coincidence? I hope they sort this out quickly, and then everything will become clear. For now, it's best to be careful and not wander around alone. Okay, I think it's time to go to the interrogation, or whatever they call it. To Duncan or Carvia?

— I don't think it makes a difference, - Toad said dejectedly.

Added 18 minutes ago

- This weekend? - Nira thought for a moment, but then shook her head: - No, I didn't see him.

— Well, regarding your question, there are two possibilities. If "it" was done by some crazy person from the city or a thug with a bad hobby, then you are safe within the walls. But if the criminal is among you, the students, then things get much more complicated. The faculty and the city guard will do everything in their power to find the culprit and prevent a repeat of today's events, but I can only guarantee the safety of each student if I deploy several dozen soldiers for 24-hour surveillance of each of you, and that is not only difficult in itself, but also does not comply with the current laws of the kingdom, since all citizens have the right to privacy. Nevertheless, your concerns are completely justified, and no one will blame you if you decide to go home and hide. But if you run away from every danger, you may one day find yourself in a situation where there is nowhere left to run. - Realizing that he had started to grumble like an old man, Duncan finished his thought and returned to the main point. - In short, I heard you, go ahead.

Okay, let’s go to the Academy; maybe she can help us with the sleep problem too.

Karvia suggests that Veil take a seat in the armchair and recount the events of the day.

if I deploy several dozen soldiers to conduct twenty-four-hour surveillance on each of you

A patrol of three randomly selected students, patrolling the corridors and grounds, and a general patrol consisting of teachers who know how to fight, a couple of times a day, and there's no need for any soldiers...

“Well, thank you for your answer as well. 🙂” – Nira couldn’t help but smile slightly as she listened to the last part of the general’s monologue. “Let’s hope this villain is caught as soon as possible.”
Duncan probably had never run away in his life; for him, a one-in-thirty chance of death was just military statistics. However, she herself would prefer the opposite outcome, as long as Nira was the only one guaranteed to survive.
Returning to her room, the girl sat on the bed for a long time, wondering whether she should go home right now or wait a while. She didn’t want to leave the academy during such an interesting moment, but even less did she want to leave this world with her head chopped off. In the end, the girl decided to wait until the end of the weekend, just in case the madman was caught by the guards. Nira herself, however, didn’t really believe in that, just as she didn’t believe in the safety of the students, and she didn’t even doubt that the killer had infiltrated the walls of the educational institution – because without all these factors, the story would be boring and depressing.

Having settled in comfortably, Vale began his story. "So, it was morning, but not early, of course, but a bit later, maybe even closer to lunchtime than to morning, depending on what time you consider it. I wasn't really paying attention to the time. Anyway, Toad and I decided to go for a walk, as the city and other interesting places had opened. First, we decided to go to the exchange point to find out what it was for, and our assumptions turned out to be correct. Then we decided to go to the city, but before that, we called Elliot, as he lived in the room next to ours, but suddenly he showed up at the exchange point himself, which saved us some time. Then the three of us went to 'Despair' to buy something. After talking to the saleswoman, we decided to go to the next store, but on the way, Elliot noticed a familiar face, and you know what happened next..." - having finished speaking, the young man stared at the teacher.

Karvia listened attentively to the student's story, but her unstarted reply was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot coming from the men's dormitory (everyone heard it).