episode_0048

How did it end up like this?

Did I inadvertently give rise to misunderstandings?

Unknowingly, have I committed some sort of mistake?

Let me ponder deeply. Did I make a slip of the tongue with them?

Hmm…

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out.

I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?

I’m innocent.

“Elin, calm down for a moment. There seems to be a misunderstanding, not what you’re thinking. And Luna, stop saying weird things. You’re confusing Elin.”

“Misunderstanding..?”

“Yes, Elin. It’s a misunderstanding. Elisa and I were together because of something that happened last night.”

“Last night? What did you two do..?”

“To explain that would take a while. Just know that something happened last night.”

“Something happened? Bern? What are you talking about..?”

Elin looks extremely flustered upon hearing my words.

It seems like she’s taken a big shock, with her emotions visibly written all over her face.

If ears were attached to her head, they’d probably droop in surprise?

Anyway, I can’t explain what happened last night right now.

So, let’s put out the urgent fires first, and I’ll explain everything later.

As I try to calm Elin down, Elisa starts getting angry in a loud voice.

“Hey, how will that explanation help!!”

Huh, did I say something strange?

I tried to clarify, but Silia, who was beside us, added,

“Wow, students already doing such things… bold, aren’t they?”

As she spoke, she slightly covered her face with her hand, and her cheeks seemed to flush a bit.

Regardless, let’s just say what needs to be said.

“Let’s talk about it after all this is settled. First, let’s go check the academy. The Requiem guys might be there.”

However, it seems like they still haven’t fully grasped the situation.

They seem unable to focus on my words.

While it’s nice to meet familiar faces, understanding how things are unfolding is more important right now. Going to confirm is the priority.

I thought having strong guys around would make things easier, but the atmosphere is getting weirder.

When things get tangled like this, there’s no choice.

I really didn’t want to resort to this, but I have no other option.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll go check first. Those who want to follow, follow well.”

As soon as I finish speaking, I break away from them and start running towards the academy.

When communication fails and things get increasingly complicated, running away is the solution.

You guys better cool your heads first.

With the rain falling, try to calm down a bit.

Sigh, poor Elin… Things got awkward.

She’ll understand once I explain later, I hope.

“Hey! Don’t go alone, wait for us!”

“Be-Bern? Are you avoiding me again?”

“Wow, he just left like that. He’s really unbelievable, isn’t he?”

Ignoring their voices coming from afar, I headed towards the academy.

…

Lucy wrung out her wet clothes as she walked.

“Oh no, why is it raining again? My clothes are completely soaked. With this weather, even if I do laundry, it won’t dry properly.”

Though she made it into the academy, her clothes were already drenched.

She wore a light outfit, but just in case, she had put on a coat.

If she hadn’t worn it, she might have been quite cold.

But seriously, what’s going on?

Strange noises outside, sudden rain from a clear sky.

Nothing seems to go right today.

Ugh, let’s quickly grab some notebooks and head out.

Leaving behind my notebook, of all things, what a hassle.

Thanks to the academy being off today, I planned to study in the dorms.

To come without textbooks and notes! I feel like hitting something out of sheer frustration.

“Whew, by the way. Did they say only teachers are at the academy?”

Normally, this would be a time when students crowded the hallways, but seeing them empty made it feel strangely different.

The weather was gloomy, the sky dark and overcast, adding to the slightly eerie atmosphere.

-Tap, tap

Walking in an empty place does feel a bit eerie.

But somehow, it’s not so bad. It’s almost comforting?

As I walked down the hallway, a gust of wind came in through an open window.

-Whoosh

No, if you’re going to close the window, close them all.

Why leave just this one open?

-Creak

As I moved to close the open window and take a step towards the middle, a strange sound from the end of the hallway stopped me in my tracks.

-Tap, tap

W-what’s that sound?

It’s hard to hear over the rain.

-Tap, tap

Is it a person?

Probably just the sound of someone walking.

Maybe someone like me who left something in the classroom?

While thinking that, I remembered an old story that other kids used to tell in class.

“It happened a long time ago. It was raining that day, just like today. A girl came into the academy in the middle of the night to retrieve a notebook she had left behind in the classroom. She was walking alone down the hallway when suddenly she felt a presence behind her. She ignored it and kept walking, but she kept hearing -tap, tap sounds from behind. She was sure she had come into the academy alone, right? But the footsteps kept coming, so she turned around…!!”

“And then…?”

“Suddenly a ghost appeared and grabbed the girl!”

“What on earth is that? How do you know that story?”

“…Do I really look like a ●●?”

“Oh, come on. If you’re a ghost, then I’m a god.”

“What? No, you’d be an idiot, not a god.”

“What? No way, you…”

Why did that story suddenly come to mind?

It feels unsettling.

It’s not even nighttime now, and there are teachers around here.

Maybe it’s just because it’s a bit dark due to the rain.

“….”

Should I just check to see if anyone’s there?

….

“Phew, shook them off.”

No, are they still following me?

Hmm, can’t see them.

Elisha said she’d follow, though.

Ellyn and Silia don’t have to, really.

In the first place, the Requiem guys might not have come to the academy.

But breaking through just by storming the main gate is practically impossible.

I came here to confirm, after all.

The worst-case scenario is having already been robbed of items and disappeared.

Well, all I can do is hope for the best.

By the way, my clothes are completely soaked.

The dagger stuck to my face and hands is all tattered; it’s better to just remove it.

-Whoosh

Ah, that’s a bit better now.

A bit prickly, but better than it wriggling around.

But is there really no one at the academy?

Even if there are teachers, they must be working in the staff room.

Shall I try to find a way leading underground?

….

It’s not there, it’s gone.

No matter how much I search, it’s gone.

No, it was definitely around here, right?

Can’t I enter yet?

That shouldn’t be the case.

Reciting spells didn’t conjure up the secret passage leading underground.

So, what should I break?

No, breaking things won’t solve the problem.

I can’t break through the barrier.

Then what the heck? Not where I knew it to be, but somewhere else?

Damn, this is getting messy.

Did that ‘Massive Expansion Pack Added!’ I saw just before possession have an impact?

Well, users discovered information about the Philosopher’s Book and the existence of underground spaces in the academy, so maybe things have changed in the expansion pack.

In that case, it’s slowly starting to make sense why things I knew are changing little by little.

Hmm, a new route unknown to me.

It’s exciting, but still half worry, half anticipation.

Embarking on a new route feels somewhat thrilling.

The possibility of unforeseen events occurring does bother me.

So far, I’ve managed to navigate through with the information I already knew.

But there’s a chance that people around me could get seriously hurt or even killed.

Well, what can I do?

I have to overcome this somehow, no, I must overcome it no matter what.

Even if events occur that I have no knowledge of.

I must prevail.

That way, I can survive too.

And my friends can live as well.

Anyway, there are no secret doors here.

Then why did the explosion happen near the main gate?

Was it truly just a coincidence?

Hmm… Let’s just go back to the front gate for now.

By now, Elisha should have arrived.

Things might end more smoothly than I thought.

Well, if things really end like this, it’s fortunate.

If Naidus had come here in person… it would have been quite dangerous.

That guy is a real lunatic, unlike Shadi.

Externally, he may seem like just a handsome guy with horns, but he’s a lunatic with strange sexual preferences.

A bastard who kills people for fun.

Encountering him yesterday was lucky, ending with relatively minor injuries.

Still, something doesn’t sit right about just walking away.

“Should we take a quick look around the academy before leaving?”

….

Lucy was extremely flustered.

A man of unknown identity suddenly appeared, silencing her.

“Uh, uh…!!”

“Shh, please be quiet. Sigh, things aren’t going as I planned. I never expected something like that to be guarding that place. Thanks to that, everyone else ended up dead.”

“Uh!! Uhuh..!!”

“Sigh… I also have my limits of patience. If you keep this up, it’ll be difficult for me too. If you keep resisting like this, I might want to possess you. Why did you have to catch my eye…”

“Uh..!!”

“Sigh… Your rebellious attitude is quite cute. You know it’s not right, but… I can’t help myself either. If I knew this would happen, maybe I shouldn’t have abandoned Shadi?”

“Uhuh…!!”

“Your face seems pretty, and your red hair is appealing to me. Breaking someone as strong as you and then killing them, it’s quite exquisite. Sigh, I’m currently on a mission… so, I have to endure it for now… I have to…”

“He’s insane…!!”

I just wanted to see who was there!

I got caught by a strange purple-haired man with horns..!

Due to the sudden turn of events, I don’t understand what’s happening. It’s bewildering. But, what is this man… What is he saying?

Lucy is in an incomprehensible situation, with the chilling words of the strange man.

‘W-what is this… situation..? Scary..!’