Ch.2121. The Girl Who Appeared in the Laboratory

“Don’t do it.”

After finishing dinner, I uttered those words while looking at the scenery from the academy’s rooftop.

Deus Verdi silently handed Erika the coffee he had brought, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

“The view is nice.”

A spot exclusive to professors, where students couldn’t go due to rooftop access being prohibited.

The night scenery surrounding Robern Academy was different from usual yet splendid.

Erika Bright truly loved this sight as well.

“Not really.”

If only Deus hadn’t jumped off the rooftop yesterday at dawn, she could have continued to enjoy it.

Thanks to her jumping after him and casting magic, Deus wasn’t injured. Erika only scraped her elbow a bit.

But the internal wounds were deeper than the external ones.

Witnessing her beloved fiancé’s suicide attempt was both shocking and terrifying.

Erika nibbled on the edge of the paper cup Deus had given her and turned to look at him.

“I’m not joking. Stop it. There are rumors going around about you. Starting with students, all the way to professors.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m not asking you to do anything difficult. Why do you insist on patrolling at dawn? Stop it. Leave it to the security guards.”

At those words, Deus slowly shifted his distant gaze toward Erika.

Black hair and a sharp nose bridge. Eyes that revealed nothing of his thoughts, and an expression that was cold yet somehow felt warm to her.

Not used to facing him directly and making eye contact, Erika quickly turned her head away in momentary embarrassment.

“It’s something I must do.”

But upon hearing his answer, Erika roughly turned back to confront him.

“Are you kidding me? You’ve only been here for a little over a month. The students’ vacation is coming up soon, and if you build this kind of image, your course registration numbers might be lower than other supplementary subjects even if you become a full professor.”

“Erika, do you think I care about such things?”

“…I wish you would care, actually.”

Finally, Erika blurted out the words she had sworn never to say.

“You’re going to die!”

“……”

Deus slowly looked at her. The cold air brushed against her nose bridge, and her reddened eyes stung.

“I don’t even know why you’re doing this! I don’t understand why you fight with some strange thing every dawn! But you’re going to die!”

“……”

Rolling up her sleeve, Erika showed him the bandage on her elbow. She had put it on yesterday after saving him.

“Look at this. I got hurt saving you. Look at this! Yesterday! You! Jumped from this rooftop! To kill yourself!”

“…Yes, I did.”

Deus gently caressed his wrist. Numerous self-inflicted wounds were visible beyond his collar.

“But Erika, that’s not related to the academy.”

“…What?”

“It’s true that I’m suppressing something at the academy, but the entity trying to kill me isn’t them.”

She couldn’t understand what he was saying. Erika just thought Deus was making excuses.

“Stop it. Unless you want to make your fiancée a widow.”

“……”

“If not, then end it. I can’t be with a man who’s determined to die anymore.”

In truth, because their families were involved, Erika couldn’t actually end things even if she wanted to.

It was essentially a bluff.

But even like this, Erika wanted to stop him.

Deus’s lips remained firmly closed.

Erika anxiously stared only at his lips.

Time seemed to pass slowly.

Please.

Please, I’m begging you.

Choose me.

“—–.”

“…!”

His lips opened and an answer came, but like mumbling underwater, his voice spread out and couldn’t be heard clearly.

At that moment.

What had he answered?

“Huh!”

Erika bolted upright and looked around. The pungent smell of medicine and the stretched-out beds.

Students lying on them, suffering from illness.

It was Professor Karen’s infirmary.

“Huff, huff!”

Her white shirt was damp with cold sweat. Ignoring the unpleasant feeling of it sticking to her body, Erika got up and composed herself.

She had dreamed an unwanted dream.

Her memories with him were precious, yet like an album she didn’t want to see.

It felt like her memories were being forcibly stirred up.

“You’re awake.”

Gideon Zeronia, who had been sitting in a corner of the infirmary, noticed Erika and quickly approached her.

He reached out to touch her disheveled blonde hair, but Erika swatted his hand away.

“Don’t touch me.”

“…Sigh, we’ve been dating for a month already, isn’t it a bit much that I can’t even hold your hand?”

Gideon shrugged and smiled playfully. But Erika gritted her teeth and replied.

“That was the condition. We become lovers, but no physical contact.”

“Hmm, that’s right. But you’re turning out to be a better woman than I expected, so I’m tempted.”

Seeing Professor Gideon lick his lips, Erika passed by him in irritation.

Gideon smiled and probed her as she walked away.

“I was actually curious why you needed the list of people buried in the cemetery that existed before the academy.”

She stopped abruptly.

Erika stood still and glared at him.

“But now I think I understand. It’s because of those damn evil spirits wandering around the academy, right?”

The owner of the land that was once a cemetery and now Robern Academy.

The Zeronia family.

That’s why Erika had desperately requested ancient documents and related information, and Gideon had used that as leverage to maintain a romantic relationship with her.

Honestly, Erika didn’t know why he wanted her.

He never explained, just maintained that sly smile.

“So, did you find the evil spirit you were looking for?”

The evil spirit Erika wanted.

It was the one that had possessed Professor Deus.

A being that emanated an unusually intense killing intent toward Deus.

“I found a clue.”

With those words, Erika left the infirmary. Yes, she could see it roughly.

The one that appeared most frequently.

Threatening enough to kill a Spiritmaster in one blow.

First appearing in Deus’s research lab.

‘The black-haired girl.’

Erika thought she might be the evil spirit that had possessed Deus.

‘At the very least, I need to catch that evil spirit before Deus returns.’

After finding it, she would either call a cleric or learn spirit magic herself.

Erika intended to fight her.

“Um, excuse me! Professor Erika!”

At that moment, a pink-haired professor peeked around the corner at the end of the corridor.

Per Petra, the physical magic specialist instructor who had come in place of Deus.

She glanced around cautiously, then carefully approached Erika and whispered.

“Um, you see. I’ve been researching the regeneration of severed body parts.”

She adjusted her glasses, her gaze fixed on the floor. The epitome of a timid, introverted person.

Erika thought it was impressive research, but she didn’t have time to listen.

“I’m sorry, I’m a bit busy right now.”

She walked past Per, but Professor Per squeaked and called out to Erika’s back.

“But! While conducting clinical experiments on regeneration, I discovered a spell for restoring damaged objects! A-although it’s very limited.”

“…What do you mean?”

Erika stopped walking, thinking there must be a reason Per was telling her this now.

Per took a deep breath, clenched her fist, and declared.

“The other day! I think I can restore the memo left by my predecessor, Professor Deus!”

“…!”

“O-of course! Not completely, just a small portion…”

“Right now!”

Erika grabbed Per’s thin wrist and pulled her.

“Let’s go right now!”

The remnants were still in Professor Deus’s room. No one had dared to clean them up.

“Eek! P-please, slow down a bit!”

“There’s no time for that.”

They arrived at Deus’s room with Erika leading Per. It was still dark, desolate, and characterless.

And on the floor, the remains of the burned notebook.

“W-well then, I’ll give it a try.”

Professor Per knelt before it, took out chalk from her case, and began drawing a magic circle on the floor.

‘The first page definitely contained information about the black-haired girl.’

If the first page could be restored, she would know Deus’s thoughts about the girl, increasing the possibility.

She clenched her fist, trying to calm her pounding heart.

“I-I’m starting.”

Per, having finished drawing the magic circle, slowly began infusing mana. It was truly an amazing formula and utilization of mana.

It was clear why Per Petra was called an unrivaled genius in her field, but…

Compared to the vast formula and mana, the result was disappointingly small.

Per collapsed in exhaustion after producing a palm-sized memo with burn marks.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would be this limited!”

But Erika could no longer hear Per’s voice.

[1. Regarding the girl who appeared in the laboratory]

She had restored exactly the part Erika wanted.

“You did wonderfully, Professor Per!”

“Huh!?”

Leaving the bewildered Per behind, Erika hastily picked up the memo.

Worried the girl might appear again, she immediately read the memo, but…

“…Huh?”

Seeing the words written by Deus, Erika couldn’t help but exclaim.

“What… is this?”

What does this mean?

No, something’s wrong.

Erika felt her thoughts becoming increasingly tangled.

She had expected this to unravel the mystery, but it only made things more complicated.

She almost wondered if this memo was a prank by the evil spirit, but…

Deus’s elegant handwriting was firmly forcing Erika to accept an absurd truth.

[The girl is not a dead spirit.]