episode_0009
by fnovelpiaWe quickly returned to the Ministry. Deacon Sophia and Laura stayed by my side the whole way back.
After calming down a bit, I sat the two of them down on a comfortable sofa and headed to the break room in a corner of the academic affairs office to get them some warm drinks.
“What do kids like these days?”
Among the numerous coffees and teas available in the break room, the cocoa powder placed in a corner particularly caught my eye. I picked it up.
“Hot chocolate.”
It’s sweet and rich, perfect for kids. I immediately added three or four spoons of hot chocolate powder, then added sugar and hot water.
Early twenties. A young and energetic young man. A deacon in a rural village.
Until then, I had a sweet tooth. So I didn’t really like bitter drinks like tea… .
Tastes change. I now hate sweets.
Hot chocolate in a mug, creating a small whirlpool as the spoon gently stirs. Warmth is transmitted to the hand holding the mug. I stare blankly at the hot chocolate with a glossy sheen.
“… … .”
– Where on earth did you get this stuff?
In a battlefield where even a spoonful of sugar is precious, I make hot chocolate with cocoa powder I brought from somewhere.
I closed my eyes tightly. I thought that I might recall that faintly smiling face, even just a little bit. I didn’t want to miss it.
Without even realizing that his pure white face and his flowing blond hair were stained with smoke and dust, he was smiling so brightly, like an idiot.
-Eat this and gain strength.
Chaenggrang—!
I held my trembling right hand tightly. The spoon fell and a little of the hot chocolate splashed out.
“…Fuck.”
I put the spoon I dropped in the sink and took out a new spoon. I noticed the hot chocolate that had spilled on my hand. I unconsciously put it in my mouth.
The hot chocolate was so sweet it made my tongue tingle.
And then suddenly, I felt so pitiful looking at myself. I burst out laughing.
“Ha, really… .”
Even I think it was a really good win.
* * * * *
“Whoa… . It’s warm… .”
“Well, that’s okay… .”
As the warm hot chocolate went down my throat, I felt a little calmer. After taking care of Professor Esther’s share, I sat quietly on the opposite sofa with my own share of black tea.
Now that she has calmed down to some extent, I think it’s time to start asking Laura about the details of the incident. I asked her cautiously.
“So, Laura von Adelheid. What have you been doing in the annex up until this hour?”
Laura looked at me with an expression that still showed signs of fear. Her lips, which had been pale, had regained some color.
“I, I was… . doing homework at the library.”
“I understand that the library closes ten minutes before curfew. Didn’t the librarian there tell you?”
“Instead, a male senior said something like, “It’s time to close the library now… If you want to study on your own at night, you can do it under the supervision of the professor on duty at the academic affairs office… So I left the library. But… .”
I listened to Laura’s story. Professor Esther, who was sitting next to me, was also paying the most attention to Laura’s story.
Laura swallowed hard and continued.
“I was on my way to the Academic Affairs Office. But, as I was walking, I saw a classroom door slightly open. And through the gap, a really bright red light was leaking out.”
“Bright red light… .”
As I muttered, rubbing my chin, Laura nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes. It was a really bright red light. So, the light was so ominous… . I was about to run straight to the academic affairs office, but… .”
“But?”
“… We met. Those eyes. Those bright red eyes… !”
“Please tell me more.”
“The eyes, the eyes are blood red. The skin looks like it’s covered in blood, blood… . Red liquid dripping down… .”
“Red water…you mean?”
“Should I say red water… . No. It was definitely blood. I’m sure of it. It was definitely blood.”
Laura began to sweep her arms back and forth, as if the mere thought of it gave her goosebumps. Her small hands tightly gripped the blanket covering her shoulders. I waited for her in silence.
“… Anyway, I don’t remember much after that. When I came to, I was running like crazy. And then, here… .”
“I ran into you.”
Deacon Sophia continued speaking with an unexpectedly serious expression.
“No, why on earth was Deacon Sophia there?”
“I, I was just trying to go to the bathroom! But, I saw someone running out of breath from the annex building from afar? So I tried to take them to the academic affairs office right away! But, I saw it too…!”
To sum up, after Laura witnessed something strange, she was running away frantically when Deacon Sophia saw her, and while they were going to the Academic Affairs Office together, they encountered the same being again.
“So you were hiding in that dust pit?”
“Well, the dust pit… If you mean under the stairs, then yes.”
I brushed the dust off Deacon Sophia’s head without much thought. Deacon Sophia looked dumbfounded for a moment, then coughed and said.
“Anyway, Your Majesty, what on earth was that?”
“Um… .”
Red eyes and skin drenched in blood.
It was too simple of information to deduce its identity. I stood up from the sofa, holding the Bible in my hand.
“Okay, let’s check it out.”
“… Yes?”
“What, what did you say…?”
Deacon Sophia and Laura looked up at me as if they had misheard me.
“Excuse me, Professor Lucio? Are you kidding…?”
Even Professor Esther looked at me earnestly, as if telling me not to lie. But I paid no attention.
“There may still be students left in the annex. I need to check with the library students as well.”
“That’s true, but… .”
“Professor Esther. The students may be in danger.”
When I spoke firmly, Professor Esther nodded with a stern expression.
“… That’s right.”
“I think it would be a good idea to bring a walking stick too.”
Professor Esther nodded and went to put on the robe she had placed on the chair in the faculty office. I looked at Laura and Deacon Sophia, who were sitting blankly on the sofa. Laura was still shaking, her shoulders slightly shaking.
I sighed. The normally haughty and nervous girl was nowhere to be found, and now there was just a frail girl trembling in fear like a child who had witnessed something scary.
“Deacon Sophia. Do you know how to use miracles?”
“Oh, yes. If it’s something simple… .”
“Prayer of Courage. Please.”
Deacon Sophia clasped her hands together and began to recite a prayer. A faint golden light flowed out from her and permeated Laura’s body.
Soon, her trembling subsided. I let out a faint sigh and called out to her.
“Student Adelheid. We will go on patrol once more. Would you be able to remain in the Academic Affairs Office alone?”
She grabbed my hand with a start, and she pulled so hard that my body started to sway.
“Professor, don’t leave me alone. Okay?”
Deacon Sophia helped, but she still seemed afraid. I stroked Laura’s sweaty white hair and calmed her down.
“Laura von Adelheid. Look straight into my eyes.”
“Yes, yes.”
“I’ll ask you again. Can you stay alone?”
Laura shook her head. That was pretty much the end of the discussion.
“Then, let’s go together.”
“… in?”
“We have to find the place where we encounter it anyway, so please accompany us and show us the way. Student Adelheid.”
It was also uncomfortable to leave Deacon Sophia alone. Just a moment ago, hadn’t he said that he had run away without doing anything when he encountered her?
So, I’d rather take him.
Laura hesitated for a moment, then nodded heavily as if she had calmed down a little.
“Okay. Then… .”
Once again, it’s patrol time.
* * * * *
In fact, at first it was difficult to completely believe what Laura and Sophia were saying.
Common sense tells us that the story would not proceed without Chloe, the main character of this world, and above all, we cannot rule out the possibility that she was seeing something.
But what if we added a spoonful of academy novel cliches here?
The protagonist, or the students attending the academy with the protagonist, discover something that could be a threat to the academy and warn the professors.
However, the professors at the academy all dismiss it as nonsense and deal with it complacently. The students, including the protagonist, try their best to solve the problem on their own.
And in the end, an incident occurs that renders all of those efforts meaningless. Only then do the professors at the academy belatedly and hurriedly respond.
There are no fools. Rather than simply ignoring the students’ stories, if there are truly dangerous elements, we should seriously review them.
And I’m not stupid. I don’t just blithely ignore such obvious clichés.
We walked slowly down the hallway of the Academy Annex, with Deacon Sophia and Laura standing on either side of me, and Professor Esther walking slightly ahead of me.
How long did it take to walk like that?
“This, it’s probably around here… .”
Laura, holding onto my sleeve tightly, spoke in a trembling voice. She had been hugging my arm tightly until just a moment ago, but now she seemed to have calmed down somewhat.
The hallway was still dark. I glanced at Professor Esther’s pocket watch.
The current time is 1:40. It is the deepest time of the day. The cold, settled night air seeps through my skin.
On the way here, I didn’t encounter the strange being that Laura and Sophia had mentioned. Despite the fact that I was covered in blood, there wasn’t a single drop of blood in the hallway.
“Ah, that… !”
Laura pointed to a place. As we headed there, a bag strewn across the floor appeared in front of us.
Laura picked up her bag with a blush. She was struggling to lift it, so I naturally snatched the bag away from her and carried it for her.
“… Hmm.”
It’s really heavy. I wonder what’s inside it that makes it so heavy.
When I tried to open my bag to take a quick look, Laura stopped me, startled.
“Bo, you shouldn’t look at it.”
“… Okay.”
“And… . D, thank you for listening.”
I nodded slightly and quickened my pace. As I walked, I finally came into view of the classroom Laura had mentioned.
“Is that the place?”
“Yes… .”
Laura was shaking. I sighed quietly as I watched Laura hugging my arms tightly again.
Sure enough, a soft red light was streaming from the classroom, and if I listened closely, I could hear what sounded like murmurs of conversation.
“, don’t go… .”
“Student Adelheid. You should check it out.”
“… … .”
Laura, whose lips were trembling, released her grip on my arm. I slowly, very slowly, approached the classroom.
– … while the students were sitting crowded together in the classroom… .
As I got closer, the sound of the conversation became clearer. Professor Esther, Laura, and Deacon Sophia, who were following me closely, shook their eyes in unison. Before we knew it, we were in front of the open door of the lecture room.
– So, at that moment… . That man, suddenly opened the classroom door and came in… !
Knock knock!
“What are you guys doing now?”
“Yeah! Exactly like that… . Huh?”
A boy points at me with a blush on his face. Three or four students sitting around him stare at me frozen. There was silence for a moment, and then… .
“Waaaah—!”
“It’s a ghost!!!”
“Sigh… .”
I felt a sudden surge of emptiness and let out a sigh. Among the screaming students, I saw Chloe’s all too familiar face.
Professor Esther, who had been following me, peeked her head out.
“… Test of Courage?”
On the blackboard in the classroom, the words “Occult Research Club Courage Test” were written in large letters.
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