Chapter 55

Fifty-Five News

In the western suburbs of Igewent, at St. Amanda School.

During the morning in the campus, teachers were giving lessons to students in many classrooms. It was class time now, and apart from the classrooms, other places were empty and quiet.

In the school library, sunlight shone through the windows into the room where bookshelves were lined up. A white-haired girl sat in front of her desk, flipping through a book with great boredom, yawning occasionally.

“Ugh~ Taking so many leaves also has its price…”

Yawning, Dorothy muttered to herself. Due to the actions against the Holy Communion, Dorothy had taken a long leave recently. She hadn’t attended classes for days, causing her to fall behind on her studies. Thus, she was here self-studying to catch up.

While it might be difficult for ordinary people to rely solely on self-study, for someone as knowledgeable as Dorothy, it was quite simple. It would be easy for her to catch up on all the missed lessons, but looking at these books with such little spirituality was tedious.

‘Indeed… no matter in the past or now, attending school is always boring. The main reason is that the material lacks spirituality, making it hard to stay motivated…’

Bored, Dorothy decided to read something else to change her taste. So, she grabbed a few copies of today’s Igewent Report from the other side of the table and began to read, hoping to find some news. This was also a way for her to understand this unfamiliar world.

Next, Dorothy started reading the newspaper while inwardly commenting.

“Jones Airship Company has received a large order from the government; is this a sign of further development in the kingdom’s air transport industry, or is it a prelude to the formation of the kingdom’s air force?”

‘Airships… unfortunately, I don’t have enough mechanical knowledge yet. Otherwise, if I could copy some aircraft designs someday, it would be pretty cool to be an interdimensional Wright brother…’

“Tensions in the New World continue to rise, with constant friction between the Farano colonies. Violent incidents caused by savage natives have reached new highs. Authorities are considering more stringent measures to suppress the situation. With pirates still rampant, various factors will inevitably affect cargo shipments from the New World, leading to anticipated price hikes for many goods…’

‘The uprising of the natives in the New World? Friction between colonies? Pirates? It feels like this is set in the 19th century, but the political climate has a bit of a 17th-18th century flavor…’

Then, Dorothy quickly flipped through the domestic and world news, turning her attention to local news.

“Gory Incident! A gentleman from Purple Shirt Town was brutally murdered in his manor in Igewent! All household servants perished, neighbors heard intense gunshots!”

‘Oh wow, it’s already been reported.’ Seeing the content on the board, Dorothy’s eyes lit up, and she continued reading.

“It is known that Mr. Burton Ville was usually kind and friendly. The person who committed such a heinous crime is truly evil. Chief Jack reminds all citizens to be cautious when traveling at night, as the criminal is still at large. They will do their best to apprehend the criminal and bring him to justice.”

‘Huh… so this is the ‘kind and friendly’ Mr. Burton? And these police officers dare to say such things. This case isn’t even theirs to handle…’

Dorothy smirked lightly and then turned the page, focusing on another piece of local news.

“Viscount Field once again criticizes the Igewent police, ignoring the vast number of impoverished people at the bottom of the city.

“Viscount Field claims that many impoverished people in Igewent, especially those who are alone, are being threatened by an unknown criminal organization. Many have gone missing, and since they are often alone and helpless, no one reports it. The police simply watch as evil spreads… It is known that Viscount Field is a social philanthropist who cares deeply about the lives of the lower class, frequently conducting charity activities in the lower districts, beloved by many. Since he arrived in Igewent six years ago…”

‘Missing persons? Criminal organizations? Could it be the Holy Communion? If it is the Holy Communion, the police can’t do anything about it… Also, if those guys really are from the Holy Communion, isn’t it dangerous for Viscount Field to speak out publicly?’

Looking at the newspaper in her hands, Dorothy pondered. Just then, she heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, isn’t that Miss Meyshos? Rare indeed, you actually came to school today.”

Hearing the voice, Dorothy turned around and saw Audric, dressed as a school worker, standing among the bookshelves, using a feather duster to clean the dust off the shelves.

“I finished my business and returned. I must attend classes; I don’t want to end up with all Cs and Ds on my brother’s report card when the semester ends, or he’ll be furious,” Dorothy said as she closed the newspaper and continued speaking to Audric.

“Thank you for your help, sir. Otherwise, the teacher wouldn’t have agreed to let me take so many days off.”

“Trouble? No, no, no… I’m just doing what I was asked to do, and besides, I’ve taken your money, so I definitely need to get the job done. What do you think, Miss Meyshos?” Audric continued smiling.

‘Still have the nerve to say that… My brother paid the school to let me study here, and you even charge extra for a leave of absence. You talk about ‘tuition fees going to the school board, not me, so I’m only charging you a small handling fee…’’

Fortunately, Audric’s leave fee wasn’t expensive, just a few coins. However, Dorothy was somewhat annoyed by Audric’s habit of turning even minor matters into business.

‘Making everything feel like a business, does running a business increase your spirituality?’

After internally complaining, Dorothy suddenly remembered something and spoke to Audric again.

“By the way, Mr. Audric, may I ask if you know divination?”

Dorothy asked Audric, after the last time she had used divination to counteract something, she became interested in it.

“Divination? I only know a bit… If you’re interested, I can teach you some basic techniques. Of course, there’s a cost involved…” As he spoke, a familiar smile appeared on Audric’s face.

“In terms of methods, simple divination techniques aren’t worth much money. I’ll make it cheap for you, 40 pounds…”

Listening to what Audric said, Dorothy remained cold-faced and silently took out several banknotes from her pocket, handing them over to Audric and paying a significant portion of her current assets in one go.