episode_0033

Isabel senior started walking towards the center of the graveyard, and I followed behind, holding a cane in my right hand. Since Isabel senior was next to me, there was no need to be afraid, but still, I prepared a protective shield around myself, and then I heard senior’s voice.

“What do you think is the purpose of the Chupja being in Sharen?”

“I don’t know the details either, but didn’t you think that it might be to unseal the Demon King, senior?”

“It’s a vague possibility, but the most likely one. There are records of heroes defeating the Demon King in the past, but whether those records are true or false, we don’t know, so we can’t rule out the possibility of the Demon King being alive.”

As she spoke, I heard the sound of the wind in my ears. Along with the sound of the wind, a creepy feeling swept over me, and I spoke up.

“This doesn’t feel good.”

“Of course, it’s a graveyard. I thought there would be many spirits here.”

At that moment, she gripped her cane in her right hand.

“There seem to be more people trying to protect the graveyard than we thought. If it had been someone else instead of us, they probably wouldn’t have appeared like this. It seems they see us as a more dangerous target than we thought.”

Then, sounds of something moving and breaking filled my ears. Slowly swallowing my saliva, I looked around and realized that the spirits were approaching us. As I looked at the spirits, strength surged into the hand holding the cane. It was a horrifying sight by anyone’s standards.

Some had only one arm, some had no legs, and their faces were so distorted that it was difficult to recognize them. Facing Isabel senior, I opened my mouth.

“Shall we fight?”

“We have to, but it’s a bit amusing.”

“What do you mean?”

Then she pointed her cane at the ground and chanted a spell. As the incantation was swiftly spoken, she smiled.

“You thought that just this much could stop me. Did you think that spirits like these could stop me? At least an Eldritch should come if they want to stop my steps.”

As soon as her words ended, the surroundings were dyed in a blue light. In an instant, the world in front of me was filled with blue flames and tremendous heat covered my body. Unable to open my eyes due to the intense heat, I closed them, feeling like the heat would melt my body, so I deployed a protective spell once again. However, even with the protective spell, the heat was unbearable. Slowly closing my eyes, I just bit my lip. It was tremendous heat, incomparable to Cerestria, heat that seemed like it would melt everything around me. As I cautiously opened my eyes within the scorching blue light, I saw specters flickering in the distance.

“Move.”

She uttered those words amidst the blue flames, and I slowly nodded, creating another protective spell around myself. Following her, I looked around slowly, but there were no remaining specters.

This is the strongest in the academy. Overwhelming pressure. The fact that Erica senpai fought against such a senior made me feel even more fearful today, so I followed behind her without saying a word, moving towards the center of the graveyard.

Following senpai to the center of the graveyard, I noticed stairs leading underground. Carefully, I spoke at the sight that looked like a trap to anyone.

“I think it’s a trap.”

“It certainly looks like an invitation to come this way. If we go in, some kind of specter might jump out.”

“Are you going in?”

“Would a mage be able to resist curiosity?”

With her reply, she moved her foot onto the stairs first, and I cautiously followed behind her. The stairs leading underground were dark. Only a small torch was illuminating the path, but even that seemed like it would go out soon.

“It feels like the academy’s underground.”

“According to what Leonardo senpai said, the academy’s underground is dangerous. Why do you think they sealed off the underground?”

“The underground isn’t dangerous, but there are dangerous beings living there. Many students probably don’t know, but Leonardo is currently guarding that place.”

“Can’t you tell us what’s down there?”

“This is a risk that cannot even be compared to dealing with the deceased. If you’re curious, go in once and see for yourself. However… can we get through Leonaard?”

“It seems impossible.”

“If you aim for a time when Leonaard is not there, it might be possible, but the alarm will go off as soon as you enter underground, so that would also be difficult. If you enter legitimately with permission, there won’t be a problem. If you’re curious, try getting permission from the professor and Leonaard.”

“I have the key.”

Isabel chuckled softly at my words, and at that moment, I noticed a door at the end of the stairs. Senior Isabel opened the door without any hesitation, and as she did, a large corridor greeted us.

“Let’s go further in.”

“The more we go in, the more I can’t shake the thought of traps.”

“If you touch anything wrong, a situation might arise. In such cases, there is a way to break the trap by first identifying it… They might even be aiming for that.”

“First, I’ll take the lead.”

At my words, Isabel smirked, and I looked at my senior.

“Astan doesn’t seem to value his life, does he? Or maybe it’s confidence?”

“If Astan lacks mana when facing the enemy and the senior, it could be a big problem, couldn’t it?”

“That won’t happen, will it? But seeing Astan say that, I think he’s mentally prepared. However, I won’t force the junior into danger, so I’ll set up a small barrier.”

She waved her staff, and I felt a protective shield enveloping my body. Then, holding the staff in my right hand, I began to walk ahead.

“I’ll open it.”

As I grabbed the door at the end of the corridor and spoke, Isabel nodded, and as soon as I opened the door, I pointed my staff forward. There was a small room. In the middle, there was a coffin, surrounded by scattered skulls, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

But there was no path beyond. I thought the spy would be here, but had they already escaped? With that thought, I slowly walked into the room, scanning the inside.

“There’s nothing here.”

“It was a trap, this place itself. They must have escaped before separating the space because it’s impossible to escape once the space is separated.”

I inserted my cane and looked at my senior as I spoke.

“May I open the coffin?”

“If you are curious.”

At my senior’s words, I swallowed my saliva and cautiously grabbed the lid of the covered coffin. Since it was heavy and solid, I thought it wouldn’t open easily, so I carefully pushed the lid with force, and inside the coffin, I saw a preserved body unlike the corpse I had faced before, holding something protectively in its hands. When I reached out carefully to grab the object to find out what it was, Isabelle’s senior voice came.

“Don’t touch it.”

Startled, I withdrew my hand and looked at my senior, who now held a cane. As she lightly waved the cane in her right hand, the object the body had been protecting moved towards her.

It was a small purple circular object. Seeing the swirling purple energy, it seemed as if my hand would move on its own to grab the object, so I focused and asked.

“What is this?”

“It’s a ghost’s core. It’s used when dealing with high-level ghosts like Death Knights or Liches, not the lower-level ghosts we saw earlier. If an ordinary person touches it, their life force will be taken away, turning them into a ghost. If someone who can handle mana touches it, their magic power will be taken away, turning them into a Lich. If this is put into a ghost’s body, it becomes an even stronger ghost.”

Then she created blue flames with her cane and injected it into the core. When her flames touched the core, it began to melt. Grimacing at the piercing smell, she slowly spoke.

“The spy might be making several of these ghost cores, and maybe they’re trying to summon someone.”

“Is that a demon lord?”

“That’s probably the most likely scenario.”

Isabelle put her cane away and smiled at me.

“Let’s stop here for today. To find something like this, we need the strength of Ignolia’s guards and a wizard skilled in detection magic, so we’ll need to seek cooperation from the academy. You’ve worked hard. It must be tough to stay up this late.”

“You’ve worked harder than I have.”

“This isn’t even considered hard work. First, it’s best to return to the academy. When we get back, we’ll have to ask Claire to make some magical tools. Astan, close your eyes.”

At Isabelle’s words, I closed my eyes, and my whole body shook. It felt a little more familiar than before, but I still couldn’t shake off this feeling of trembling. Carefully opening my eyes after the shaking stopped, I saw Leonardo senior looking at us in front of the academy gate.

“It’s late. You know that returning at this time is a violation of the rules.”

“I just needed Astan’s help for a moment. Will that be a problem?”

“Even if you’re a senior student, this is an issue. Whether it ends with demerits or writing a reflection, the professors will decide.”

“Leonardo.”

“Speak, Isabelle.”

“I hope you can overlook this.”

“If someone like that, then they are not capable of guarding this gate.”

They looked at each other as they spoke, and Isabelle still smiled as she spoke.

“I clearly said, ‘I hope you can overlook this.’”

“I also clearly said, this is a violation of the rules.”

After speaking, Leonardo looked at Isabelle, then let out a small sigh and slowly spoke.

“There won’t be a second time.”

“That’s how it should be.”

Isabelle then looked at me and smiled.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’ll take care of the restriction.”

“…Isn’t that coercion rather than taking care of it?”

“But since it’s resolved, there’s no problem. Go in first. I need to talk to Leonardo.”

“In that case, I’ll go in first.”

I greeted them and then headed to the dormitory.