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The Golden Fairy – Part 02

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Translator: Kell

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The year 1924.

The Kingdom of Sauville, a small nation in Europe.

Its border with Switzerland was marked with picturesque plateaus and rolling mountains. A tranquil expanse of vineyards sprawled on its border with France. A bustling port city facing the Mediterranean Sea separated it from Italy. One end of its long and narrow territory led deep into the abundant Alps and the other end faced the Gulf of Lyon, known as a summer resort for aristocrats. Surrounded by powers, the Kingdom of Sauville survived the Great War and boasted a pleasant climate, rich nature, and a long and glorious history.

If the Gulf of Lyon was the luxurious door to the kingdom, the Alps were the secret attic located deep inside. At the foot of the mountain range stood St. Marguerite Academy. Boasting a long history, though not as long as the kingdom itself, it was a prestigious school with a reputation in the kingdom as being the educational institution for the children of aristocracy. Lush greenery surrounded its majestic U-shaped stone building, but it was also closed to the public, and only accessible to educators and students of noble descent.

However, after the end of the previous war—the first world war that involved several countries—St. Marguerite Academy began accepting promising youth from allied nations as exchange students.

Kazuya Kujou, a fifteen-year-old from an island nation in the Orient, was a high-achieving, youngest son of a military family. His two older brothers were far older than him. One was already a scholar and the other an aspiring politician. Taking all this into account, he was selected to be a foreign exchange student. He came to Sauville alone half a year ago.

However, what awaited the thrilled Kazuya was the prejudice of the noble children and the mysterious horror stories that were rampant throughout the academy.

Kazuya’s fierce aura stemmed from his straight-laced attitude and good nature, but for some reason, students attributed it to the supernatural. As such, it had been a difficult six months for the young man… but that’s a story for another time.

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A bell rang, signaling the start of class. As Kazuya took his seat with the rest of the students, his eyes flickered to an empty seat by the window.

In the past six months, he had never once seen the owner of the seat. It was always empty. But no one from the class sat in it, approached it, or put anything on it, as though they had some sort of silent agreement beforehand. It was like they were afraid of something.

At this point, though, he already knew what they were afraid of.

The homeroom teacher entered the classroom. A petite woman with a baby face, she wore large, round glasses and had wavy, brown hair. She always clutched books in front of her chest with both hands, tilting her head a little to the side like a puppy.

The teacher—Ms. Cecile—stood in front of the podium and let out a sigh.

Hmm? Kazuya noticed Ms. Cecile’s low spirits.

A rolled-up piece of paper came flying from behind him, hitting his head. He picked it up and unfolded it.

Can you go to the bathroom by yourself tonight, Kujou the scaredy-cat? From Avril.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Avril waving at him with a wide smile. Well, someone’s in a good mood. He wondered if it was her way of showing affection.

After class ended, Ms. Cecile was about to leave the classroom when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Kujou,” she called. “Do you have a minute?”

Kazuya got up and followed the teacher out into the hallway. He wondered if his grades dropped or something.

“I need your help with this.” She gave him handouts used in the class just now, and pointed at the empty seat by the window. “Sorry for bothering you all the time, but can you take this to Victorique?”

“I see… Okay, I will.”

As Kazuya nodded, a slender shadow moved beside him. He raised his head and saw Avril’s pretty face. Her short, blonde hair was glistening from the sunlight pouring through the window.

She peered at the handouts. “Teach, is this Victorique the one who’s always absent from class?”

“Yes,” Ms. Cecile replied. “But Victorique actually comes to school. Right, Kujou?”

Kazuya gave a vague nod.

Avril cocked her head curiously. “What do you mean by that? Where are they, then?”

“…At the conservatory.”

“What? We have a conservatory?”

“We do.” Kazuya’s face clouded over for some reason. “Somewhere very high up.”

“For real? So are you close with this Victorique?” Avril asked.

Ms. Cecile nodded delightfully, while Kazuya just tilted his head a little.

Avril looked more and more puzzled. “So is that a yes or a no?”

“I’m not really sure either,” Kazuya said.

“Can you be more clear? What kind of a boy is he?”

“Terrifying… blunt… and mean…”

Still regarding him quizzically, Avril mumbled, “Well, whatever,” then skipped her way back into the classroom.

“…Um, Ms. Cecile,” Kazuya called as the teacher was about to leave.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“You seem kinda down… I was just wondering what’s up.”

Ms. Cecile’s big eyes widened even more. “I can’t believe you noticed. Actually, it’s not school-related. There was a strange incident back at the village. The police were asking questions all morning.”

“An incident?”

Ms. Cecile lowered her voice. There was fear in her eyes, presumably because of what happened in her neighborhood.

“Well, you see… It’s a very strange case. What I know, I only got from the police and some gossip among the neighbors.”

“What kind of a case is it?”

“An old lady living on the outskirts of the village was murdered. And in a very strange way.”

“An old lady?”

“They say she used to be a famous fortune teller. I think her name was Roxane. Politicians and businessmen used to flock to her. Apparently, she was good at telling the future.”

“Ms. Cecile, fortune telling is nothing but—” Before he could say “superstition”, he noticed the teacher’s weary look, so he shut his mouth.

“I heard they haven’t caught the killer yet, so I can’t help but feel scared. Anyway, she was killed in a strange manner. I’m not sure exactly what that means, though.”

Ms. Cecile shared she had learned from the police and some gossip that had been circulating in the neighborhood. To summarize, the fortune teller had been shot dead in a locked room, but the murder weapon was never found, and the killer was unidentified.

“It’s scary, but I’ll just have to be a little patient. Inspector Grevil de Blois is tackling the case. He’s an officer who’s recently made a name for himself. He’s conducting an investigation in the village, together with a couple of his subordinates.”

“Now that doesn’t sound weird at all,” Kazuya muttered to himself.

Ms. Cecile eyed him curiously. “The old lady herself was full of mystery. Apparently, she had a lot of hares in her house, and she let her dog kill them. Poor things. Must’ve been terrified.”

She seemed to be frightened by the dark and eerie atmosphere surrounding the case. When she noticed Kazuya’s worried look, she flashed a smile and pointed at the handouts.

“I’m counting on you, Kujou,” she said. “I know it’s a bit high… but hang in there!”

“I will. I’m used to it anyway.” He nodded with a dry laugh.

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