Shinji Matou at Your Service

The name Clock Tower has two meanings.

One, of course, refers to the headquarters of the magical world, a significant organization.

The other refers to the main school building, home to the First Department—Department of General Fundamentals within the inner part of London, as well as the five major departments and over seventy smaller classrooms. This highest educational institution claims to be an old-established university to the outside world. Despite this, the building is designed with both magical and psychological barriers to prevent passersby from approaching it casually.

However, once inside, the concerns change.

Waver once remarked, "There are rules here as a school, but no laws from human society."

At first glance, it might not seem much different from an ordinary prestigious university, but a little deeper, it's commonplace to encounter out-of-control magical beasts or elemental magecraft. The underground labyrinth, in particular, is still being excavated in search of remnants of mystery and the corpses of fantasy creatures. Even high-ranking magus are warned during their initial registration that they might not return safely if they venture in recklessly.

The main campus, the Clock Tower, along with eleven other independent academic cities near London, essentially constitutes the geographical and political presence of the Mage's Association.

Some might ask why there are only twelve departments, missing one. The answer is simple: the last Department, the Department of Policies, doesn't involve teaching. Like the Department of General Fundamentals, it's located within this Clock Tower.

The office of the Department of Policies head, Lord Barthomeloi, the highest-ranking of the Twelve Lords, is at the very top of the school building.

"And then?"

The familiar office, the familiar queen, the usual time for a relaxing afternoon tea—perhaps due to her busy work schedule, Lorelei had grown accustomed to drinking tea at her desk.

To be honest, in terms of charm, she might not surpass the Golden Princess or the Silver Princess, but her queenly aura, her presence, and her unique elegance were more captivating to Shinji than mere beauty.

Beauty isn't just about appearance; it also comes from how one lives. This girl was living proof of that.

Shinji rested his chin on his hand, watching her graceful demeanor and curious expression.

"And then, it was Waver's deduction show. The trick, once revealed, wasn't much. From the clues I provided, you should be able to deduce it too."

"Indeed."

Lorelei had been in charge of the Department of Policies for five years and had seen countless events. The Iselma Incident was just a farce to her. If not for Lord Valualeta's involvement, she wouldn't have bothered to investigate, at most reading the incident report for a brief overview.

"The false Golden Princess claimed that Byron Iselma had gone astray. If that's true, then the real Golden Princess's death likely involved him, and the dismemberment of her body was probably his doing. Dissecting bodies for information is a fundamental skill for any magus. The existence of the false Golden Princess indicates that Byron hadn't repented and had delved even deeper, forcing the Silver Princess to flee. Given this, the method isn't hard to guess. Using the banquet's focus on the El-Melloi Classroom as a distraction, leveraging the Golden Princess's death to frame them as suspects, drawing everyone's attention, and then quietly escaping. From the moment the false Golden Princess entered your room, you were already involved. Then, the real Golden Princess's body was staged to be discovered the next day, inciting a conflict between El-Meloi classroom and Valualeta, while they took the opportunity to escape."

"They? Who are 'they'?"

"Don't play dumb. Of course, the Silver Princess and those two maids. Carina, the maid who served the Golden Princess since childhood, couldn't have been unaware of her death. Yet she immediately accused Waver when the body was found. Doesn't that say something? And she's a twin with Regina, the Silver Princess's maid, just like the Golden Princess and Silver Princess... Wait, twins? Served since childhood—could it be that the false Golden Princess was Carina in disguise?"

Hearing Lorelei's deduction, Shinji's expression stiffened, and then he burst into laughter.

"Impressive, impressive, as expected of the omnipotent queen. You'd make a great detective after retiring."

"Do you want me to retire? Well, if I retire, I won't be around to bother you."

Lorelei gave Shinji a sharp look.

"No, no, absolutely not. I'm just a humble servant hoping for your long and prosperous reign so I can continue to follow you."

"You... can't you have a bit more ambition?"

Lorelei was exasperated. She believed that great power came with great responsibility, but this guy, despite his abilities, was always slacking off.

"But I'm still just a child."

Shinji deliberately spoke in a cutesy voice.

Lorelei finally lost her patience, reaching for her usual short whip magical tool.

"If you want a beating, just say so."

"My apologies, my lady."

"You apologize but don't change?"

"Uh, let's get back to the Iselma case. How did you deduce that Carina was the false Golden Princess?"

Knowing that apologizing wouldn't help, Shinji quickly changed the subject. Lorelei, understanding that pushing too hard would be counterproductive, decided not to press further.

"It's simple. Iselma's techniques are documented in the Department of Policies. The beauty of the Golden Princess and the Silver Princess is holistic—appearance, clothing, aura, and even gestures are all part of it. The closer someone is to the Golden Princess, the easier it is to impersonate her. By this logic, the best fit would be her twin, the Silver Lady. However, Iselma's techniques require twins to complement and enhance each other, so both twins are indispensable. The answer is clear—how did they achieve such a perfect disguise? This isn't ordinary mimicry; it's a fundamental transformation... I can't figure it out."

Her deduction, based solely on information, demonstrated her meticulous thought process. However, not being present at the scene meant she lacked some clues, which Shinji would provide.

"Hint one: why Atrum attacked Iselmar."

"Hint two: the true nature of the secret treasure."

"Atrum attacked Iselma because of that underground auction, and the nature of the secret treasure is..."

Lorelei briefly muttered, then looked up, her eyes shining with realization as the missing pieces fell into place.

"It was... Cinderella."