The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

And I failed more times than when I had picked the lock at the entrance of the sewer.

Of course, that makes sense. The lock on the sewer was expensive and difficult to open, but it was still a lock that was exposed to the elements. It needed to be simple yet sturdy enough to withstand constant exposure to the weather. The person who installed that lock probably never imagined anyone would try to break in. At best, they chose a reasonably strong but inexpensive lock to prevent unauthorized entry.

However, Mia Crowfield was the daughter of a count. Moreover, the dormitory itself had excellent security. The guards at the entrance were thorough, checking and recording anyone who entered, and they stopped anyone who didn’t have proper authorization.

The rooms for noble and commoner students were basically the same, but that didn’t mean the facilities were of low quality. This academy was known for being “the best.”

Fortunately, though, the locks didn’t use Maramorus crystals or have any magic spells placed on them. At least, the doors weren’t completely impossible to open with a lockpick.

...Though I broke the pick over thirty times trying.

Still, if I hadn’t practiced lockpicking extensively in the past, I would’ve broken it over a hundred times and still failed to open the door. My efforts weren’t in vain, even if it took longer than I hoped.

Of course, with my ability to rewind time, thirty or a hundred attempts didn’t really make much of a difference.

...

Anyway.

I pushed aside the hollow feeling in my chest and finally opened the door to Mia Crowfield’s room.

For a brief moment, I worried about what I’d do if she was asleep inside, but luckily, she wasn’t.

“...”

The room was clean, just as I’d expected. In the original game, most noble students kept their rooms tidy. They had been trained from a young age to ensure their surroundings were always presentable, even if the only visitors were maids or servants.

Of course, there were exceptions, but that’s beside the point.

In any case, keeping the room this neat without personal maids or servants in the academy was commendable.

The layout of the room was the same as mine.

The furniture—bed, desk, wardrobe—was all provided by the academy, so there was no reason for the design to be different. Nobles didn’t complain about the quality since everything was already top of the line.

However, the personal touches were evident in the items on the desk and the bedspread. They reflected Mia’s own tastes.

It felt a little strange, but also familiar. I’d seen this room countless times in the game. Although the atmosphere in real life was different from the game’s mediocre graphics, the scene still triggered memories of the original.

Most of the books on the desk were related to magic. There were no books on swordsmanship or marksmanship.

A training staff hung on the wall.

There weren’t many decorations or anything particularly noteworthy in the room’s overall atmosphere—

Click.

“Huh?”

I turned my head at the sudden sound from the door.

For a moment, I thought someone had entered behind me. Maybe Mia Crowfield herself, or someone else who had seen me sneak in.

But when I looked, no one was there.

It wasn’t the sound of a ghost or some supernatural entity either.

...Then again, if you consider it, magic is a supernatural phenomenon. And with this steampunk world that diverges from real history, such distinctions hardly matter.

After all, ghosts do exist in this world.

“...”

I approached the source of the sound and inspected it.

There was a strange device locked on the inside of the door.

It had a faint red glow from a Maramorus crystal, probably powered by the heat it emitted. There were likely a few other magical mechanisms in play as well.

It reminded me of the old apartment door locks from my world. The sturdy metal device securely bolted the door, preventing it from opening.

It seemed like an automatic lock that engaged whenever someone entered without permission.

There hadn’t been anything like this in the original game.

After trying several methods to unlock it, I gave up.

There wasn’t even a keyhole or anything to work with. It was clear that this lock couldn’t be opened without knowing the exact method or having the person who set it unlock it themselves.

Mia Crowfield probably had to use her own magic to open it.

“Hmm.”

I wasn’t in a rush, though. Even if Mia Crowfield caught me, I could always extract some information through conversation and then rewind time.

“...”

Since I was already here, I might as well take a closer look around the room.

In the game, Mia Crowfield hid important items beneath the floorboards under her bed. I knew exactly what was supposed to be there, but with this unusual lock in place, who knew what else might have changed?

I lifted the bed sheet and crawled under the bed, which was high enough for a person to fit underneath.

There was no dust. It was almost suspiciously clean. If someone had been crawling under here, there would be at least some signs of disturbance. It was clear Mia had been cleaning regularly to avoid leaving any such traces. Someone might think she had an obsessive need for cleanliness, but for Mia Crowfield, this level of care was probably normal.

The floorboards under the bed were unmarked, but when I wedged a coin between them, I managed to lift one of the planks.

There wasn’t enough space to hide anything large, but there was room for a few Maramorus crystals.

“...”

Sure enough, there were several Maramorus crystals, neatly arranged by element.

They weren’t as powerful as the ones I had found in the sewer, but if combined with a magic staff, they were enough to kill someone.

It was rather unsettling to see.

In the game, Mia Crowfield had smuggled them in for her magical research. But in this world, where she had entered the academy with the goal of avenging her father, it wasn’t surprising that she had gathered them with revenge in mind.

And that wasn’t even the real problem.

Beside the Maramorus crystals, there was a small handgun.

It wasn’t as large or combat-ready as the revolver I used. It was a Derringer—a small, break-action pistol with two barrels that could hold a single large-caliber bullet in each. It was more of a self-defense weapon than anything else.

But even a self-defense weapon was deadly if fired accurately.

“...”

I took the gun out and held it in my hand. Despite its small size, it had a decent weight to it. Well, it was a lump of metal, after all.

When I broke open the barrel, I saw that both chambers were loaded with bullets.

No spares.

Did she think two shots would be enough to kill me? Or did she believe there wouldn’t be time to reload anyway?

Or maybe she planned to use one bullet on me and save the other for someone else.

Click.

I snapped the barrel shut.

This gun didn’t fit the image of the Mia Crowfield I knew from the game.

But maybe that was just my own bias. In the game, characters couldn’t equip weapons outside their designated categories, but this wasn’t a game—it was reality.

With the right sleeves or pockets, it wouldn’t be difficult to hide a small gun like this. And this wasn’t an era with metal detectors.

I crawled out from under the bed, still holding the gun.

Dusting off my clothes, I sat on the bed and waited quietly for Mia Crowfield to return.

I’m scared to go in.

Mia stood in front of her room, hesitating.

Last weekend, she had followed Sylvia Pangryphon and questioned how an assassin could be so careless.

But the more she thought about it, the more something seemed off.

It didn’t make sense for Sylvia Pangryphon, who maintained such a cold and calculating demeanor in front of others, to act like an ordinary girl when no one was around.

What would she gain from that?

If she were truly trying to convince others of her innocence, wouldn’t she be better off acting friendly and warm to those around her? If she had truly killed someone and wanted to claim she was innocent, she wouldn’t behave like an assassin.

Instead, she would act kind and approachable, using her charm to escape suspicion and move on with ease.

So Mia didn’t understand.

Maybe Sylvia had known Mia was tailing her all along and was trying to confuse her with that performance.

That made more sense to Mia.

As a result, Mia had been unable to make eye contact with Sylvia all week. Her behavior had been so strange leading up to the weekend, and surely Sylvia had noticed.

So this morning, Sylvia had acted.

The academy was surrounded by a residential area. Since the industrial revolution, the buildings had become densely packed, with narrow stairs that barely allowed two people to pass each other.

Sylvia had gone up to the roof of one such building, a place Mia couldn’t follow without being seen.

The rooftop was probably narrow as well.

Even if Mia had waited a while before going up, she wouldn’t have been able to avoid confronting Sylvia once they were alone.

And Sylvia had stayed on that rooftop until sunset.

Like a spider waiting in its web for prey to get caught.

Mia hadn’t been able to follow her up.

After waiting for a long time, Sylvia had come down from the building with her usual indifferent expression, as if nothing had happened.

And now, she had calmly walked into Mia’s room, as if there were no one following her.

Mia’s door had been set to automatically lock if anyone entered without permission.

But if Mia opened the door now, she would be trapped inside with Sylvia.

Would Sylvia really try to kill her inside the student dormitory?

No, Sylvia Pangryphon was the type who could probably persuade someone without needing to resort to violence.

“...”

Mia stood in front of her door, her thoughts racing. She took a deep breath.

Fine.

If Sylvia Pangryphon wanted to confront her one-on-one, so be it.

Even if she had to die, she would do so with honor, bearing the name of Crowfield.

After a few deep breaths, Mia pulled out her Maramorus crystal.

Click.

She unlocked the door and slowly opened it—

Only to find Sylvia Pangryphon sitting on her bed, casually playing with the hidden gun Mia had stashed away.

Mia nearly fainted on the spot.

“...”