Damn Academy

248 – Shadow City (7)

The sewer manhole opens. Immediately, a foul stench rushes in. The circular conduit forbids any light from the outside world, making it dark and eerie.

There’s just enough space above my head for a hand’s breadth. At least until the entrance, I should be able to enter without bending over too much.

“Here, take this with you!”

The old man hands me a large spool of thread.

“What is this for?”

“Tie this at the entrance and unravel it as you move. Newcomers always carry this, so make sure to take it! Even with a map, you’ll surely get lost. The sewers are as vast as this city, remember that.”

“Thank you.”

“And if it starts raining, the sewers will fill with water in an instant, so be careful. If the storm drains fill up, the gears in each section will turn and ring a bell, so if you hear it, head immediately to the nearest emergency exit. If there’s nowhere else to go, climb to the highest point you can.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Do you have a luminescent stone?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t light a fire no matter how dark it gets; the gas accumulated in the sewers could explode, so be very careful.”

I check the map. The sewers stretch across the city like a spider’s web.

The ink-marked haunt on the map is in sector b-14442, right beneath the commercial district.

I take out the luminescent stone and step inside. The entrance door grates shut behind me.

Screech—thud!

Cold dewdrops fall on my crown.

The piercing stench, the sticky and slippery floor, and nameless insects scurrying away from the light.

I understand now what they mean by the city’s dungeon. It feels like I’ve entered the stomach of a giant serpent. Something seems about to emerge from the dark tunnel ahead. It’s a different kind of discomfort from the corrupt marshlands of Barvisia.

It will take at least an hour to move through the sewers to the commercial district, so I must hurry.

I take a deep breath and move forward.

After about ten minutes, I come upon an underground water intake station. Water from eight passages converges here before flowing into another conduit. Thanks to the long absence of rain, the floor of the intake station is exposed. Most of the passages carry no more than a trickle of sewage.

I check the spool of thread. There’s still plenty left. I check the map and spot a wall blackened with mold marked [Sector B]. Below it is a passage wide enough for one person to pass through easily.

In a moment of inattention, an insect tries to crawl up my leg. I swat it away with my hand.

“Damn.”

Above my head are cobwebs galore, and underfoot, centipedes and beetles of all kinds crawl about. The bugs are bearable, but the stench is the most painful part. It’s enough to make my head spin.

Following the map, I eventually came upon an area barred by iron bars.

[Restricted Area]

[Absolute No Entry]

[Please Turn Back]

Signs sternly warning against entry were plastered all over. The entrance was sealed shut with chains wrapped tightly around it.

Along the corridor floor, numerous black threads were chaotically connected—a trail left by those who ventured before.

I took out the key I had been given earlier and unlocked the padlock. Then, I unwound the chains and stepped inside. I reached through the bars and locked the padlock again, ensuring nothing could escape.

Holding the luminescent stone out in front of me, I walked slowly forward. The deeper I went, the more complex the path became. The road split into several branches, endlessly, to the point of dizziness.

I carefully followed the thread left by the person ahead.

“Spider silk for… armor… is that… good?”

Amidst this, a human voice faintly echoed through the sewer.

I immediately drew my sword, Priscilla. My nerves were on edge. The sound was coming from the direction I was heading.

“That’s right… among armors… it’s a luxury item…”

It was faint, but it was a clear male voice, one that didn’t belong in a sewer.

Was there someone else who had entered through a different passage?

As I moved forward, the voice became clearer.

“Yeah, they say it takes a good ten months to weave armor from the spider silk harvested from the demon’s hindquarters.”

Following the sound, I came to a dead end.

I tilted my head back. Light was coming down from the ceiling. At the end of the narrow, well-like passage was a lattice of iron bars, apparently connecting to the surface. It made sense—there had to be a passage connected to the surface if there was a hole for rainwater to enter. I had only been here for a few hours, but the outside air was surprisingly welcome.

The sound had come from above, from the surface. But all I could see were the cloudy skies; no people or buildings were in sight.

“My goodness, when will they ever finish weaving it all?”

“Exactly. The assistants who come in barely last a month before they run away.”

Ash fell from above. It was the remains of a cigarette, shaken off into the sewer.

“Damn it…”

The passage was as narrow as a chimney; it seemed impossible to climb up without a rope. It wouldn’t be of any use in an emergency.

I slowly backed away and began to search for another route.

At every fork, there were section markings on the wall. I checked the map I was holding. It read area b-14436.

I wasn’t far from my destination, B-14442.

I was about to fold the map and continue when I stepped on something sticky.

Shining the luminescent stone on it, I saw it was a green slime. Mixed with sewage, it had thinned out and pooled beneath my feet.

“This is…”

A caramel scent emanates from the green slime. To be precise, it’s a caramel fragrance mixed with the stench of sewage. In a city bustling with research, it’s entirely possible for potions to be discarded into the sewers.

I continued forward. After a few more steps, I encountered an even stranger sight.

“Why is it like this…”

The green slime was plastered all over the walls and floor as if painted on.

I pulled out a glass bottle from my pocket. It was the slime perfume I had intended to give to Cecil as a gift.

The contents and color were identical. I uncorked it and lightly sprayed the perfume on my wrist. The smell was the same.

All of this was slime.

Slimes only live in places with water clear enough to drink… It couldn’t be alive.

But where did all this slime come from? Who would do the insane act of dumping slimes into the sewer?

The further I went, the slime didn’t lessen; it only increased. Was it all disposed of in the sewer after the experiments, with nowhere else to discard it? Or was it all set to explode, using the slime’s reaction to magic?

It was ominous.

It felt like I was passing through a tunnel of slime, not a sewer.

A fork in the path appeared, and I shone the luminescent stone on the ground. Black threads were moving through the slime, heading down the right path.

I immediately turned right. And within ten steps, I faced a horrific scene.

“Damn it.”

A pale figure in work clothes was buried in the slime.

I rushed over to the person. Shining the luminescent stone on the face, I clenched my teeth.

The body showed no signs of injury, but the face was so mangled it was hard to recognize. The flesh was swollen with slime, yet there was no decay. Perhaps the slime prevented it.

It was the same as the corpse of the skyship sailor I had seen before. Was the body disposed of in the sewer? Or does the being responsible for this reside in the sewer? Either way, it was an undeniable worst-case scenario.

Suddenly, the luminescent stone began to lose power and flicker slowly.

“Oh no.”

This was bad. I didn’t have a spare luminescent stone. If the light went out, I would be left in the dark with the disfigured corpse.

I shook the luminescent stone, but it was no use.

“Damn!”

My muttering echoed through the sewer. Then it hit something and came back clearly.

“Damn!”

“Damn!”

“Damn!”

I froze. There was something off about the echo.

The luminescent stone completely loses its power. I find myself submerged in total darkness.

Wondering if I was mistaken, I shouted again.

“Is anybody there?”

And a few seconds later, a voice identical to mine echoed back from the darkness.

“Is anybody there?”

“Is anybody there?”

“Is anybody there?”

This was no echo.

I immediately drew my sword. My heart pounded as if it would burst, and cold sweat ran down my back.

Priscilla shimmered with a blue light, trembling as if forewarning of a significant event.

***

“Rookie!”

Jenia burst into Damian’s room without knocking. She then hopped in, spread her arms, and struck a pose with flair.

“How do you like this outfit? Pretty… oh, he’s not here?”

Damian had tidied up the bedding and left the room empty.

Jenia sighed, deflated.

“…It’s different from what I expected.”

Hailey, with her disheveled hair and in her underwear, stopped in her tracks in the hallway upon spotting Jenia.

“What are you doing in the rookie’s room?”

“Just keep going on your way.”

“What’s with the risqué outfit. Oh my, is that mesh? Where do you even find such clothes?”

“Hey, the steam’s all gone. What’s the rookie so busy with, living life in the fast lane?”

“…That’s just how they are. When have they ever shown their true feelings?”

Jenia sighed again and moved to the window, leaning slightly against the sill.

“Claridium… it’s so different from what I expected.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I thought I’d have fun with the rookie… see amazing things… eat delicious food and share life stories. But nothing’s going as planned. The sky is gloomy, and strange things happen as soon as we arrive. The rookie becomes serious and wanders off alone. I wonder if this is right.”

“Hey, come out quickly, what if people outside see you?”

“What does it matter. Outside, there’s nothing but those Vintera or whatever tin soldiers.”

Hailey joined Jenia by the window, taking in the view outside.

Outside, dozens of Vinteras were busily moving somewhere.

“Is a Vintera male or female?”

“It’s better not to know.”

A fleeting memory crossed Hailey Noreen’s mind.

“…Come to think of it, wasn’t it trendy to create Homunculi at Claridium? The kids who went on a tour last year said so.”

“Right. I remember that, but now there’s nothing. Hmm… Maybe the trend ended early.”

“Maybe they belatedly realized that to create humans, all you need is a pair of male and female.”

Amidst this, urgent footsteps echoed in the hallway.

“Senior Hailey!”

Lilith rushed over in search of Hailey. Hailey turned around and asked,

“Why?”

“Damian has returned. But…”

“Returned? So, what about it?”

“I think you need to see this.”

Lilith flung open the corridor window and pointed somewhere with her hand. Hailey came over with a puzzled look and gazed at the spot Lilith was indicating.

Damian was leaning against the mansion’s outer wall, arms hanging loosely, looking up at the window with a dazed expression as if drunk.

“…The newbie?”

“Senior Hailey.”

Hailey shouted from the window.

“Come inside. What are you doing out there?”

“Senior Hailey.”

Hailey felt a chill and stepped back. Damian’s tone was devoid of emotion or soul.

“…Damian?”

“Senior Hailey.”

Zenya shouted.

“Hey! Newbie! Why are you only looking for Hailey!”

Damian did not respond and kept repeating the same words.

“Senior Hailey.”

“Hey, the newbie seems a bit off?”

Hailey spotted the members coming out to greet Damian at the main gate and immediately shouted.

“Stop everything! Don’t approach the newcomer!”

***

“No.”

Cecil tore up the letter she had been scribbling in ink and threw it away.

She then immediately took out another parchment and began to write a new letter.

Writing at a faster pace than when she penned down formulas of magic, Cecil stopped with emotions welling up and tightly closed her eyes.

She thought of the pink-haired girl from the empire.

A small, white face, rosy cheeks, pink lips…

Hearing that Demian had obtained the girl’s stitch marker in Hubert’s name, anger surged to the top of her head.

The voice of the pink-haired girl she met at the Rigveda port echoed in her head.

[I’m… not particularly interested in Mr. Hubert. He just wanted to share stories about Rotulek.]

[By the way, do you know Sweetie?]

Asking with an impression exactly matching that of Candy, the girl called him ‘Sweetie.’

[Do you know… what the relationship is between Sweetie and the white-haired girl?]

White hair. The owner of the hair found in Demian’s bed was real. She had been with Candy and had also tumbled in Demian’s chamber, so she was another woman who knew his identity.

The pink-haired girl turned Cecil’s insides upside down with her innocent face.

Cecil shook her head to clear the girl’s words from her mind.

And she began to write the letter again, fervently.

Then, feeling like her head would explode, she put down the pen and threw herself onto the bed.

She quietly murmured to herself while staring at the ceiling.

“A woman should be enough… Why can’t men be satisfied with just one…”

She stretched her legs up and murmured to herself, admiring them.

“One top-notch woman should be enough.”

Knock knock

Naias skimmed through the letter with her eyes.

“Oh my, is this it? An ultimatum?”

Cecil buried her face in the pillow and said,

“…I don’t know.”

“Are you really mad at Demian?”

“What’s it to you?”

“I’m just wondering if Demian’s fed up and thinking of going back to Candy.”

“I hate them both now…”

Naias read through the letter and remarked,

“Wait… what’s this about a restraining order? Are you seriously trying to keep your distance from him?”

“No, but he needs to realize how precious this body is. It’s time for him to cling to me now.”

“What’s this about it being fair because you cheated first? Wait, you cheated? Were you officially dating him? Why didn’t you tell me? You said nothing happened yet!”

Cecil sat up abruptly and exclaimed,

“Yes, I cheated! We hugged and danced together… this and that… Anyway, we were dating. We didn’t stamp it official, but there was something unspeakable between us. It’s clear. He cheated first…”

“Have you ever kissed?”

“No! But if I made a move, he wouldn’t reject me.”

“Did you get proper confirmation that you’re dating?”

“…No.”

Naias put down the letter and snorted in disbelief.

“Ha, how can it be cheating if you weren’t officially dating, and there’s no ‘lip stamp’? Aren’t you just one of many female colleagues?”

Left speechless, Cecil turned her back to Naias and lay down.

“…Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Sigh, why has the smart Cecil become so stubborn? Hey, if you want to tie someone down, you need to stamp it official. If you accuse him of cheating without doing so, the guy will be scared off and run away.”

Cecil grumbled without admitting to the end.

“….”

“Oh, he already ran away once, didn’t he?”

“Don’t talk nonsense if it’s true that he cheated.”

“Always trying to gain the upper hand in the relationship is a sickness too.”

“Shut up.”

“Are you going to keep this up until you come to your senses?”

Cecil fiddled with a gem she pulled from her pocket, twirling it between her fingers. It was identical to the one she had attached to Damian’s clothes before he left for Claridium.

“…Huh?”

Her eyes widened gradually. The gray gem began to slowly suffuse with a crimson hue.

“Just keep going.”

Cecil sprang up and hurriedly donned her overcoat.

“I have a place I need to be.”

“Running away because you can’t stand the nagging?”

“No! I think something’s happened to Damian.”