episode_0012

Gyaaaah—!

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In the middle of the night, an unexpected scream rang out through the academy.

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While everyone was frozen like stone, I kicked open the door and went out into the hallway.

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“… Damn it.”

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However, it had already disappeared from the hallway. I had clearly come out as soon as I confirmed its appearance, but the bloody ghost had disappeared as if I had seen a hallucination.

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Could it really be the spirit of Father Giovanni, the first head priest of the Academy?

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As I looked around the hallway in a hurry, I saw a white collar disappearing into the corner of the wall at the far end of the hallway. I ran without thinking about what was ahead or behind.

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Whether it’s a spirit or something else, I knew that the entity existed. If I don’t resolve it here, I don’t know when I’ll encounter it again.

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“Ugh… ! Gasp… !”

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I ran with all my might, almost out of breath. Then, the corner of the hallway appeared before my eyes.

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Just before turning the corner, I clutched the rosary around my neck. Whether that guy is the devil or something else, if he is an evil being, I will exorcise him on the spot.

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“Found it… !”

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However, as soon as I turned the corner, all that greeted me was an empty hallway.

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“Whew… Whoa… . Damn it… .”

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The swearing came out naturally. I was getting annoyed because I kept spending time digging. What on earth was it? Was it the devil? Was it really the spirit of the head priest Giovanni?

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The clothes he was wearing were certainly similar to the garments worn by priests during liturgy, except that they were stained with blood here and there.

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Although the longsword that was said to have been embedded in his chest was not visible, it was true that Daniel’s words were becoming more and more credible.

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Kwak—!

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I clenched my fists. I muttered in a voice filled with evil.

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“This son of a bitch… !”

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It was as if he was mocking me. Whatever this ghostly twitcher is, I will find it tonight. I cannot leave it alone as it is a threat to the Academy.

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First, I took a deep breath. In the meantime, Deacon Sophia, who had been following me, approached me, breathing heavily.

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“Heck…! Heek…! Lord, Lord Priest…!”

“Whew… . Sub-title Sophia. Missed it.”

“Yes, yes…? Didn’t you leave the classroom as soon as you saw me?”

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As I nodded weakly, Deacon Sophia’s face also darkened.

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“By the way, what about the other students?”

“It was total chaos…! We were talking about a ghost story, and then the person responsible suddenly showed up! And the head priest suddenly ran out…!”

“Phew… . Sorry. Let’s go back quickly. Oh, and… .”

“Yes?”

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Looking at Deacon Sophia, he slowly took out the sash from his bosom and tied it around his neck. Deacon Sophia opened her eyes wide at the restrained movement.

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“Maybe there will come a time when we have to exert ourselves.”

“… Are you a devil?”

“Not the devil. Maybe… . No devil is that cowardly. Still, you never know. Always be on your guard. ”

“Oh, I see.”

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The most certain fact now is that the bastard wasn’t trying to lure us anywhere, nor was he rushing to possess us. He just ran away from us.

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As if he would never get caught.

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* * * * *

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“Professor Antonelli. What is that? What is that outfit?”

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Laura looked at me with bewildered eyes. I shrugged my shoulders and answered calmly.

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“The Priest’s Gauntlet slightly increases divine power. The same goes for the Bible and Rosary. For wizards, it can be seen as similar to a staff.”

“No, I know that… .”

“So, we should prepare too.”

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I don’t feel like using divine power, but… .

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I slowly opened the Bible and began to recite encouraging verses. Not everyone could be gripped by fear every time they encountered something like this.

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“… He said, “Do not fear anything. You, descendants of Peter, be courageous as a lion, be strong as the walls of Terea, for I am with you.””

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Woof—.

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With a heart-pounding beat, a golden glowing power flowed out of my body. The divine power spread gently and permeated everyone in the classroom.

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“Ohhh… .”

“Yes, as expected.”

“Why, my courage is overflowing!”

“Wow, that’s great! Professor Lucio!”

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The Occult Research Club members and Professor Esther looked very excited, while Laura looked hesitant for some reason.

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“Tsk. If this continues, what will become of me… .”

“What did you say? Adelheid student.”

“… I didn’t say anything.”

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I guess I remembered what Laura had said to me during our first class.

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“… It works much better than when I did it. There is no comparison.”

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While everyone was getting heated up like that, Deacon Sophia approached me with a sullen expression. It was true that the effect was incomparably better than when Deacon Sophia prayed to Laura.

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As I watched Deacon Sophia’s lips pout, I carelessly ruffled her hair with my hand.

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“Wooiik…! What, what are you doing!”

“It’s nothing. I meant to tell you to try harder.”

“I, I know that too!”

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At that moment, Damien, who was very excited, approached me. Damien showed off his boiling passion by throwing his fists at the air, saying that he was not afraid of anything anymore.

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“Professor Antonelli! Let’s go find the finger right away! If we meet now, I might knock it down!”

“Damian. Don’t knock him down.”

“Oh, right. Right… . I’m sorry. Vivian. ”

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Everyone was so motivated that it was surprising how calm Vivian was. I asked Damien.

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“Do you mean fingers?”

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Then, Daniel nodded as if it was natural.

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“After all, what Father Giovanni is after is the bloody finger, right? If he finds that finger first, won’t he be guided by it and reveal himself?”

“… Sure. It makes sense. That would be a good idea. ”

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So, we left the classroom. In search of the bloody fingers of the first parish priest, Giovanni.

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* * * * *

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We quickly left the classroom and, following Daniel’s suggestion, headed first to the Occult Research Department’s lab. The hallway was still shrouded in darkness.

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As we went up to the second floor of the Academy Annex, a club room appeared with a sign that said “Occult Research Club” sticking out.

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“Um… . Wait a minute… . Vivian! Where did you put that notebook?”

“It should be in the box in the left corner.”

“Left? Right?”

“I don’t know. Let’s look for both. I’ll help you.”

“Ah! Thank you!”

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While Vivian and Daniel searched through the boxes stacked on the shelves of the Occult Research Department, I glanced at my watch, feeling a little anxious.

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The current time is 3:30. According to Daniel, the ghost of Father Giovanni will disappear along with his finger as soon as the sun rises.

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The sunrise time around this time is around 6:30. There were about three hours left, but considering that Professor Esther and I set out to find Deacon Sophia, it was close to 12 o’clock…

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“We have to hurry, Daniel.”

“Yes. That… Wait a minute. Maybe around here… .”

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There’s not much time left. If you miss it this time, you never know when it might show up again.

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The worst thing that could happen is that I have to hand over what happened tonight to the professor on duty tomorrow… . This is not a very pleasant way to do it.

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So, today, we must uncover that secret.

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“Professor Lucio. How may I help you?”

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Professor Esther approached me, clutching her cane tightly. I tried to think of a way to find the whereabouts of her finger.

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“Professor Esther, you specialize in fantasy magic, right?”

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Illusion magic is a type of magic that has a wide range of uses, in addition to showing illusions to enemies. Since most of it is magic that utilizes the visual environment, there will be quite a few magics that will be useful to us as well.

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For example, looking through a wall to find the location of an object.

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“Uh… Right?”

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Professor Esther nodded and answered awkwardly. She is an expert in illusion magic, so she will probably be of great help.

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“Then, is there any magic that can help you find something? Like, clairvoyance magic… .”

“Hehehe… . Just leave it to me. Can I do it now?”

“Yes. If possible, please give me something that is definitely effective.”

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Professor Esther waved her wand with a seductive smile. Magic gathered at the tip of the wand, and purple magic left its mark wherever the wand passed, following her hand movements.

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When points come together, they become lines, and when these lines come together, they become planes, and when these planes come together again, they form a three-dimensional shape.

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“The circle is a dragon.”

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Professor Esther muttered softly.

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“Lines are the path. Triangles are the eyes. Inside is the truth.”

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Woohoo—

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“Like that, bite the tail.”

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Finally, the completed magic circle floated into the air.

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A circular purple dragon holding its own tail in its mouth. A complex octahedral magic circle trapped inside it rotates so fast that it is difficult to grasp its shape.

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“Ouroboros (ουροβóρος).”

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Paaat—!

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In an instant, the annex hallway shook and my field of vision expanded greatly, and soon the walls of the hallway began to appear transparent. As if I was looking at the blueprints of the academy, everything that was visible through the walls up to about 5 meters in front of me became visible.

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Chloe and Laura muttered as they looked around in amazement at the truly tremendous power of magic.

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“Three, my goodness… . The magic of the 5 circles is so simple… .”

“You’re really great, Professor!”

“The professorship at Chaldea Imperial Academy wasn’t a position you won through gambling, right?”

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Professor Esther started to snort and boast. And thanks to Professor Esther’s magic, Daniel finally shouted as if he had found something.

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“Car, found it—!”

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Daniel cheered and lifted up a notebook covered in dust. The dust covering the notebook scattered and fell on Daniel’s head, but Daniel ran out of the room with a purely happy expression.

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“Professor Esther’s magic is really amazing! Thanks to you, I found it right away!”

“Hoohoohoo… . It was a bit of a stretch, but it was worth it.”

“Student Daniel. So, what is this notebook?”

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As I was leafing through the bright red notebook Daniel had handed me, Daniel approached me and began to explain.

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“This is a research journal that our Occult Research Club’s seniors have written down for generations. Finding the bloody finger is our Occult Research Club’s long-cherished wish. It should be around here… . Ah! It’s here! ”

“This letter begins in the Holy Land… .”

“Oh, I made a mistake. Not here… . Here!”

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As Daniel’s fingers turned dozens of pages of the notebook, densely written words appeared. I followed Daniel’s fingers and read the words.

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“The place where the old grudge appears is the Chaldea Imperial Academy. Even there, it appears in the shadow of the brightest place… ?”

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When I looked at Daniel with an expression that said I didn’t understand English, Daniel scratched his head awkwardly.

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“Daniel Student. Need explanation.”

“I guess our seniors… . They were people who were quite into the occult… . Haha… .”

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After a while, Daniel rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought. I lowered the notebook slightly so that everyone could see it.

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“Hmm… . I think old grudges are probably talking about bloody fingers. And, in the shadow of the brightest place… .”

“… The shadow of the brightest spot?”

“Where is that?”

“Finding out is what we have to do.”

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Everyone racked their brains trying to interpret Vivian’s words without any hesitation.

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“The brightest place…? Is it the rooftop, by any chance?”

“Isn’t there really no place on the rooftop that can be called a shadow?”

“Then where… .”

“Isn’t that just a light?”

“Do you know how many lights there are in the annex?”

“Oh, there must be a lot… .”

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How much time had passed? Suddenly, Chloe raised her hand.

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“Kyo, Professor! I think I know! The brightest spot in the academy!”

“Where is that place?”

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Claire hesitated for a moment, then quickly mentioned the place.

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“So, that’s… behind the cross in the main hall of the Academy… right?”

“Huh? What is that… .”

“Why? The brightest light, on the other hand, has the darkest shadow, right? The cross, in terms of symbolic meaning, is the brightest place. So, wouldn’t the shadow of the brightest place be behind the cross? ”

“That’s right… . Doesn’t the main academy suddenly seem a bit out of place? That ghost only roams the annex.”

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Ellen raised a reasonable question, but Chloe instead tilted her head.

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“Hmm…? If the finger is hidden in the academy, doesn’t that mean someone hid it?”

“Right? Why is that?”

“No. If I were to hide it, I would hide it somewhere that no one would ever find. I would tell them it would be in the annex, and if I hid it somewhere else, they would never find it, right?”

“… … !”

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When I heard Chloe’s remark that she had suddenly become smart, I felt like I had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer. Yes, that makes sense. Why on earth didn’t I figure that out?

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“… Let’s go right now.”

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We walked towards the main hall of the academy. As we walked, we didn’t forget to use Professor Esther’s clairvoyance magic to look at each classroom or study room we passed.

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“Academy main hall… .”

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The shadow in the brightest spot means the cross. I really couldn’t imagine that.

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As expected, the main character is different.

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