“During Magical Nanoscience class earlier, Nesha got injured. She said a priest would come to heal her tonight. The divine power must have caused the magical devices to shut off.”

“The entire dorm’s devices went out? Did a mid-tier priest really show up? Wait, was the class that dangerous? Don’t tell me your hand was touching Ray’s the entire time?”

“Not that much. It’s just because it’s the Saliod Count Family, so of course it turned into a whole spectacle.”

I shrugged, and Zahid nodded like he understood.

“Yeah, if it’s the Saliods, that tracks. So—how much were you holding hands with Ray?”

Just then, the dorm lights started coming back on.

“Oh? The lights are back! I guess the healing’s done.”

“Looks like it. So—how much were you holding that ore with Ray?”

“Woof! Woof woof woof!”

<Marry! Marry her! This one! Marry this one!>

Fire, who had been lying quietly, suddenly started barking with great enthusiasm.

I giggled and gave Fire a pat, then stood up slowly, eyes narrowing toward the academy building.

“…Wait a sec, Zahid.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“I think we should go. Now.”

Zahid, sensing the shift in my expression, stood up at once.

The lights, which had only been on in a few rooms a moment ago, were now glowing across the entire dorm—and there was an unmistakable clamor coming from inside.

“Something must’ve happened.”

Zahid’s eyes darkened, his expression sharpening.

And when we finally reached the dorm lobby—

“Rosie Noart!”

Nesha pointed straight at me, shouting.

“I knew it! You’re the culprit!”

Even at this hour, not just students, but assistants and professors were all gathered in the dorm lobby.

Behind the triumphant Nesha stood the completely shattered Sky Pocket.

Zahid and I both froze in place.

* * *

The situation was simple.

At 9 p.m., the mid-tier priest sent by the Empress Dowager had arrived to treat Nesha.

While channeling divine power to heal her, the priest caused the dorm’s magical devices to shut off temporarily.

“It was an accident,” the priest said, shrugging.

“I didn’t expect to release that much power, but the wound looked deep from the outside, so…”

And during that time, Sky Pocket, the art piece on display in the lobby, had been damaged.

The artifact Theo had painstakingly crafted to present to the Empress Dowager.

Because of the priest’s divine energy, the protective table designed to guard the piece had deactivated.

In the chaos, the Kiolister ore at the center of Sky Pocket had been shattered into fragments.

“Well, since it’s my fault the priest came in the first place, I suppose it’s only right that I take responsibility and find the culprit,” Nesha said, folding her arms.

“As you all know, only authorized visitors and students can enter the dorms. Even teaching assistants need special permission to come here.”

Theo stared at the destroyed Sky Pocket, disbelief written all over his face. He looked completely devastated.

“Rosie.”

Nesha addressed me, her voice full of triumph.

“You weren’t in your room when the magical devices shut off, were you? Your neighbor said they heard you leaving at 9 o’clock.”

At that, Zahid stepped forward immediately.

“Rosie was with me the whole time. We were in the garden together.”

“Oh really? You sure about that?”

Zahid looked ready to argue again, but before he could step forward, I gently grabbed his arm and shook my head.

Nesha took that ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) as her cue and turned confidently to Theo.

“Among all of us, Rosie Noart is the only one capable of breaking Kiolister ore.”

She pointed at me.

“Kiolister ore is so hard, you can’t break it with standard student tools. Only Rosie, who owns professional-grade tools, could have done it!”

Just then, Nesha’s roommate stepped forward, flashing a smug smile as she held up my glittering tool case. I blinked and murmured,

“That was inside my wardrobe…”

“We requested an emergency key and searched your room. You’re the most likely suspect, after all.”

Nesha’s roommate proudly held up my tool case, which sparkled with embedded gems and bore the elegant engraving: Professional Grade.

“We searched every room and every student’s belongings. Not a single one of them had tools capable of breaking Kiolister ore—except her.”

The crowd began murmuring in agreement.

She’d left the dorm at 9 p.m., and she was the only one who had tools strong enough to shatter the crystal. It all seemed to line up.

“Obvious, isn’t it?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Nesha gave a smug laugh and crossed her arms again.

“She resented Assistant Theo. He’s her cousin but treated her just like any other student. He even prevented her from showing off her fancy tools. So she got mad and did this.”

I said nothing. I simply stared at her in silence.

Even Zahid, whom I had stopped, didn’t interrupt her.

Only Ray was watching me with quiet curiosity, like he found the whole situation genuinely entertaining.

And Nesha, thinking she was winning, pushed on in her self-satisfied tone.

“You knew the priest was coming tonight. I even said during class that the dorm’s magical devices might shut off. So you brought your tools and waited, didn’t you? And Zahid,”

She turned to him with a confident smirk.

“This could’ve been done in less than ten seconds. She could’ve smashed it and then gone to meet you right after. You shouldn’t trust everything your fiancée says.”

“What the—”

Zahid looked ready to explode when—

Theo, who had been clutching the broken artifact in trembling hands, finally looked up.

“Nesha Saliod.”

He was clearly trying to maintain his composure.

“…Are you finished?”

“Yes. I don’t think I could be any clearer.”

Nesha spoke proudly.

“This kind of Kiolister ore is incredibly rare. It could take years to find another one like it—who knows when you’ll be able to recreate the piece?”

Theo’s hands trembled. Anyone could see how furious he was.

“Well? What are you waiting for, Assistant? Destroying your personal project out of personal grudge is grounds for immediate expulsion.”

Theo’s breathing grew heavier and rougher. Nesha gave a theatrical sigh and shrugged.

“And honestly, this is a disgrace to the Empress Dowager herself. Count Noart should hurry and come retrieve his granddaughter.”

Silence fell.

Even the older professors glanced awkwardly at Theo from the corners of their eyes.

It had taken him years of effort to complete the piece, and as Nesha said, it might take years more to acquire another crystal like that.

“…But you know what?”

In that thick silence, I finally stepped forward, walking slowly, head slightly bowed.

“I’m not the culprit.”

“Oh, so you’re still going to play dumb? They searched every student’s belongings. You’re the only one with tools strong enough to break Kiolister ore!”

“Really?”

I walked over to Nesha’s roommate, who was still holding my tool case. Then I calmly reached for the lock and entered the code:

0602.

Click.

Gasps echoed as the case opened.

“What?”

“Oh my god…”

“What is it? What’s in there?”

The tool case… was completely empty. Not a single tool remained.

Nesha’s roommate gaped at the sight.

I shrugged.

“I donated all my tools to the research lab this afternoon.”

Then I snatched the case from her and added confidently,

“Of course, I kept the case. My grandfather had it custom-made for me, and it’s got my name engraved on it.”

Turning around, I addressed Theo.

“Isn’t that right, Assistant?”

Theo nodded slowly.

“…Yes.”

He responded in his usual blunt tone.

“Rosie’s tools have been in my lab drawer since this afternoon.”

“W-What?”

Nesha and her roommate both went pale in an instant.

I added slowly,

“Oh, and didn’t you say they searched all the students’ belongings?”

Then I turned my head with deliberate calm and said clearly,

“That leaves only one person unsearched—the priest, right?”

The priest’s eyes darted nervously.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep