NOVEL NEXT chapter 63
63. Wraith (2)
Naturally, the after-school classes were postponed.
With the curfew of the dormitory moved earlier, the time spent in the Schlaphe coffin had increased.
And now, she found herself staring intently at a black cat, tearing into a fish in her room.
Crack!
Perhaps it was thanks to the daily feedings without fail.
The creature, indifferent to her gaze, comfortably devoured the fish.
Donathan watched this scene with a satisfied smile.
“Now it doesn’t run away.”
“Soon, I might be able to pet it?”
“Hm, but how surprising. I never thought you’d like cats.”
I grinned at Donathan’s words.
“Yeah, truth be told, I do like cats.”
“…What scheme are you concocting now?”
“What scheme? What do you mean?”
Only the fish bones remained; the cat vanished like smoke.
Fssss—
With nothing left to pass the time, I pulled out the rule mirror.
[Hot water in the shower room will not be available for the time being. If steam arises, please exit immediately.]
Today, while others were freezing to death in the shower, only the students of the Ministry of Magic secretly warmed the water, using hot water in stealth.
Indeed, nothing enriches life quite like magic.
[Today’s visitor knock must be exactly three times. If it is not three, do not open the door, even for a familiar voice.]
“Hmm.”
Re-reading what I had seen was growing tiresome.
Bored, I stepped out of my room.
The hallway was devoid of any presence, as if everyone had evaporated…
Most would be in the first-floor lobby.
Before entering the Shulape coffin, Atra had dampened the mood with her terrified face, claiming she had seen something.
—Look, I saw it. It’s different from what I saw before, you know? There’s light in its eyes. A, a red light.
After that, as more sightings were reported among the students, the cowards eventually decided to huddle together in one place.
“As long as your mind is healthy, there’s nothing to worry about, tsk tsk.”
Turning the corner of the stairs, the first-floor lobby was bustling, nearly everyone gathered there.
They sat huddled together, and in that moment, I spotted some mischievous fellow pointing into the air, fishing for reactions.
“Here it comes! A vengeful spirit!!”
The women screamed, and so did Limberton.
“Hehe, gotcha!”
“You b*stard!”
“There’s a time and place for jokes, don’t you have any sense?”
The brat who laughed obnoxiously was met with kicks from those around him.
As the man writhed on the floor, someone dragged a chair over and sat down.
“Ah, with nothing to do, let’s share some fun stories. I’ll start.”
Staying cooped up in this room, it felt lonely. Perhaps I should just kill some time and venture out.
I was on my way toward the group.
The fallen one pointed a finger at me, taunting once more.
“Whoa, a vengeful spirit! It’s a vengeful spirit!!”
How dare this fool try to bait me.
Just as I considered giving him a smack, the gazes of the crowd turned toward me.
They looked as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have, lips flapping like goldfish.
“What? Did you all coordinate this?”
“B-behind you…”
Even after twisting my body to listen to Limberton’s words, I saw nothing.
Ah, so it seems this is the kind of prank they play on newcomers like Ihan.
I too approached, ready to plant my backside on the floor.
“Ugh!”
“Hey, hey! D-don’t come any closer!!”
“It’s getting dull now, can we tone it down a bit?”
At that moment, black hair brushed against my cheek.
There was no sensation.
I only noticed it because it caught my eye.
“Hmm?”
As I tilted my head back to gaze at the ceiling, I met a pair of crimson eyes.
A pale figure in a vintage white dress fluttered before me.
“…”
I was a bit startled, but there was no reason to be afraid.
After all, I had my ‘one-second invincibility,’ and above all, my mind was sound.
To me, a person is far more frightening than a ghost.
“Limberton, want me to introduce you to a lady?”
“W-what kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
“Oh, she’s gone. Guess you didn’t make the cut.”
As the specter vanished, the crowd surged toward Limberton.
“Perhaps it’s safer to be near this fellow.”
“Indeed. It seems even the malevolent spirits have their discerning eyes.”
Limberton trembled slightly at the corners of his eyes, a bitter expression etched upon his face.
“…Don’t you think everyone’s being a bit harsh?”
By the way, the book he had been reading was finished, and living like this was growing tiresome; he wished for it to end soon.
Should he perhaps offer the professors a clue about where the missing persons might be hiding…?
…No, let’s not do anything that might complicate the scenario.
In the end, they would find it out themselves.
* * *
A wooden walkway stretched out in a line.
In the center stood a long staircase leading up to the stronghold, flanked by the statue of the founder, Merlin, and a grand monument.
Under the watchful eye of the professor, Luon enjoyed the fresh air alongside a fellow student who had also entered through donations.
“You look quite tired, Professor.”
“…Don’t talk to me, Luon.”
Originally, there should have been two accompanying the professor, but only one remained.
The reason was the bolstering of personnel for the search of the missing.
As they walked along the path, a man with his hands in his pockets approached from a distance.
When Luon signaled to his companion, he halted and drew the professor’s attention.
“Is that the malevolent spirit from the rumors?”
“What?”
Just as the professor was gazing seriously, they were about to cross paths with the nonchalant man.
Seizing the opportunity, Luon exchanged a note with him.
“Oh, I must have seen wrong. Just a scrap of cloth.”
“Hmph, if you’re going to joke, at least do it moderately. Pelcion.”
“Come now, that’s a bit much. What if it had been real?”
While the professor shot a fierce glare at Pelcion, Luon quickly skimmed the contents of the note.
[I placed the item you requested by the window. And, I regret to say, I have yet to find the other item.]
Luon crumpled the note and discreetly tossed it into the snowy ground.
After finishing the day’s tasks, he returned to his room.
The shelves were filled with statues carved into the shape of doves.
On the desk lay a chisel and a hammer.
“······.”
He passed them by, approaching the barred window that was sealed tight.
Tonight, the professors were too preoccupied with their search for the missing to pay any mind to the objects hanging from the bars.
Luoan drew in the wrapped item, unfastening it with careful hands.
Inside were a piece of dark steel, the size of a candle, and a turquoise gemstone.
And a pouch filled with white powder.
‘The colors of the steel and the gemstone are somewhat similar. Perhaps I should test the powder.’
Luoan pulled out a pocket watch, dipping a finger into the powder.
“Ah.”
Time had slipped by—ten seconds, it seemed.
Yet to Luoan, it felt like a mere second, fleeting and insubstantial.
[Accident Paralysis Powder]
A drug that temporarily halts the flow of accidents.
Its very fine particles can even penetrate the skin.
“Hm, this is far too much, isn’t it? I’ll need to reduce the quantity.”
He distributed the powder until it was nearly invisible.
Though the amount was now about a quarter, it should suffice.
At that moment, the professor announced the lights out.
“After this hour, no one is permitted to leave. Now, sleep well.”
Luoan watched the professor’s retreating figure as he exited the room and walked down the corridor.
The only way out was the staircase at the end of the hall.
But it was barred, preventing any reckless escape.
‘The bars at the window are the same; bending them by force is impossible.’
This was a prison governed by high magic.
The only way to unlock the door was with the key held by the professor.
As the professor inserted the key into the lock, Luoan observed its shape intently.
Having seen it many times before, he had memorized every detail of the serrated blade.
Even the form of the gemstone at the key’s end.
Luoan returned to the room, grasping the chisel in his hand, and let his aura flow forth.
—
Then, conjuring the shape of a key, he carved the steel, the size of a candle.
As he finished the crafting of the gemstone, it had become identical to the key possessed by the professor, save for a subtle difference in hue.
At last, he etched a crack into the turquoise stone embedded at the key’s end.
Crack—
“Hmm.”
If he were to swap the professor’s key with the counterfeit, the professor would likely discard it, believing it broken, unaware of its true nature.
Given that Akandric also carried one, the chances of there being a spare were high.
If he could acquire the genuine key in this manner, his range of movement would expand significantly.
Rustle—
Luo approached the bars, sprinkling the powdered concoction from the paper onto the handle.
And as he waited with open eyes until dawn, the professor, weary and worn, spoke to him.
“What are you doing here? Luo Al Vanas.”
“I want to breathe the outside air, even for a second sooner.”
A gentle smile crept across his face, and the professor regarded him as if he were a curious oddity, pulling out the key.
The professor’s left hand, instinctively reaching for the handle of the bars.
From his experiments, he had found that the paralysis of thought lasted about two seconds.
In that fleeting moment, Luo snatched the professor’s key with one hand, letting the fake drop to the ground.
When the professor regained his senses, the counterfeit key lay on the floor, drawing his gaze.
Clink!
“Hmm?”
The professor bent down, grasping the fake in his hand, blinking in confusion.
“Oh dear. The gemstone has shattered. Please wait a moment. I shall fetch a new key.”
With this, he had seized his freedom.
······Even if it was merely late at night, it was more than enough time.
* * *
The following evening, the dormitory was ablaze with heated gossip.
“They say she was found in the Adel dorm.”
“Wasn’t that the first-year dorm here?”
The missing third-year student, Shulafe, had been discovered there.
The tale went that a student staying there had been suddenly overpowered by the missing person and subsequently caught by the professors.
—
It was in that moment, a gut feeling that something had gone awry.
Limberton approached me, his face etched with concern.
“Did you hear? The one who got hurt, they say it was Leana.”
“Yeah, I heard everything…”
Such details were never part of the original script.
Neither the sudden appearance of a missing person nor the intrusion into Leana’s chamber.
…This was clearly an anomaly.
Yet, the astonishing truth did not end there.
Leana, who was said to be recovering, had vanished.
It shouldn’t have been possible for her to be brainwashed, so why was this happening?
I had no time to ponder the cause.
What mattered more was what would unfold from this point onward.
【The Phantasm of Loss】
The thought that transforms the host’s body into an end spec.
Even a student with ordinary talent, when deemed an end spec, would be overwhelmed and subdued by the sheer force of seasoned professors.
But if it were a playable character, the narrative shifts.
Of course, as long as Leana remained a swordswoman, even if the phantasm of the sorceress Pheldira were to manipulate her, she would not have grown in technical prowess.
Yet, what made Leana fearsome was her high potential; if she were to grow, she would belong to the celestial realm among swordsmen.
One could argue that her physical prowess surpassed even that of Akandric, and ordinary professors would surely perish against her.
…If they were ordinary professors.
“Haah…”
A sigh escaped me as an unwelcome thought surfaced.
Rockefeller.
I stepped out of the Shulafe Hall to seek that man.
* * *
The professors had gathered before the fortress.
Their expressions, which had only yesterday carried a sense of leisurely calm, were now drenched in cold sweat and urgency.
Moreover, the sight of professors wielding swords and staffs suggested they were ready to plunge into battle at any moment.
I observed the scene from a distance, eavesdropping on Rockefeller as he took charge of the situation.
“I hear that a second-year student from the Bürger Hall and a first-year from the Adel Hall have shown themselves of their own accord. We’ll set aside your incompetence for later. Their movements have been traced to the Forbidden Library. I do not know why the phantasm targets that place, but I believe you all understand very well what will happen the moment an intruder sets foot there.”
He spoke in a soft voice, yet his gaze bore down on the professors with a look of disdain.
“Ah, and please. I would appreciate it if you could bind them quietly, without disturbing the Headmaster’s slumber.”
As Rockefeller waved his hand, urging them to move, the professors vanished in an instant.
It seemed that man had no intention of stepping forward.
If the professors were to perish right from the start, the narratives ahead would surely unravel…
“A rat has breached the curfew.”
As he revealed himself, his face twisted in arrogance.
I asked, maintaining my usual demeanor, unfazed.
“Professor, do you not intend to move?”
“Me? To merely bind students? You’d do well to prepare for punishment instead, Hursel van Tenest.”
“Punishment can wait. For now, shouldn’t you assist the professors?”
He let out a derisive laugh, raising his cane high.
“Ho ho ho, it sounds to me like you’re asking for immediate attention.”
I had never expected him to comply from the outset.
It seemed there was no other choice…
Though it shouldn’t be this way, like during the Delagor incident, I had to manipulate him with the information I possessed.
Yet, unexpectedly, that became unnecessary.
A voice emanated from Rockefeller’s crossbody bag.
– Professor Rockefeller. We were ambushed on our way to bind two students.
At the mention of an ambush, Rockefeller’s face flushed with confusion.
“An intruder? What’s the scale?”
– No… The assailant is a first-year student from the Adel Hall’s Knight Department, Leana Rel Derivian. But she is alone!!
Rockefeller grunted, grinding his teeth.
Then, with eyes wide open, he glared at me… but I had achieved my intended purpose, so I didn’t mind.
From here on, it was his problem to resolve.
“Well then, I shall return to the dormitory like a good student. Good luck, Professor.”
I swiftly turned my back for my own safety.
But then, a hand landed on my shoulder.
“Come along, Hursel van Tenest.”
“…Pardon?”
“Come with me.”
“Why…?”
He stared at my face for a long moment, then muttered something strange under his breath.
“…You’re better than those useless fools.”
I pretended not to hear and tried to turn away.
But his telekinetic magic yanked me into the air, dragging me unwillingly to the battlefield I dreaded.
That b*stard.
I had hoped to be thoroughly beaten by Leana before he reluctantly called for Akandric…
* * *
At that moment, Luon stealthily followed two figures—a man and a woman.
They were undoubtedly the ones who had gone missing, now reappeared.
‘The woman is a second-year knight from the Bürger Academy, and the man is a first-year mage from the Adel Academy.’
I was curious about their destination.
According to the information I had received from Pheldira of the Special Academy, their thoughts were fixated on the Forbidden Library.
But when I asked what lay within, she spun lies so thick I couldn’t discern the truth.
‘The Forbidden Library… There were rumors of such a place.’
Thus, I stepped into the stronghold.
As I trailed them down to the lower levels, the man traced a spell with his hand and pressed it against a brick.
At that moment, the bricks in the floor, which I would never have thought to be a door, began to sink in, one by one.
Creeeak—
What the bricks revealed was a staircase leading down.
Luon waited until their footsteps faded, then followed quietly, suppressing his presence.
As he cautiously descended, a new corridor came into view.
Then he reached a corner that bent at a right angle.
Just as he subtly shifted his direction, the woman leaned in close enough to sniff the air.
“That weak mage… Is she another Pheldira?”
I had been caught, but did it really matter?
After all, they were originally one entity, so in the end, we would be on the same side.
Luon chuckled softly at such optimistic thoughts.
“Yeah, she’s a friend I recently made.”
—
Yet, as the woman drew the longsword at her waist, she insulted another version of herself.
“I’ve let loose a useless wretch.”
With a combative stance, Luon unfurled the paper he held in his hand.
Dust scattered in the air.
Luon blew a breath toward her face.
“Hu—”
Pop!
In an instant, he aimed the stolen sword at her neck and spoke.
“That sounds like something I should say.”