《St. Angelicus' School of Exorcism》
Prologue
The Blue Witch finally caught up with Bertin.
The witch, who always floated high in the sky, descended close enough to blot out the entire sky with her enormous form.
Her blue skin stretched across a bloated face with half-lidded eyes and a mouth that split from ear to ear. The way she dangled, her grotesquely elongated fingers ¨C longer than her face ¨C sent chills down Rumi''s spine.
To think that something this terrifying had been pursuing Bertin all this time...
"Ahaha, looks like I''ve been caught after all that running,"
Bertin said with forced cheerfulness from where she lay trapped under the collapsed roof.
"Quick, at least you two should escape to the village.¡°
"What are you talking about?" Rumi couldn''t believe Bertin was still trying to hide her fear even now.
"You said we were almost at the safe place. You told us the Blue Witch couldn''t follow once we got there!¡°
"Ah, that... that was a lie. You two will be safe, but I was always meant to keep running. Maybe this is for the best. I think I''m tired of running anyway, haha.¡°
"Stop talking nonsense and get out of there right now!" Rumi shouted, tugging at Bertin''s arm.
"Rumi, you''ve always been like this," Bertin said softly. "You''re not a bad person at all. You act cold blooded on the outside, but you have the kindest heart of anyone I know.¡°
"Are you still going on about that? I really am cold blooded, you know! Should I prove it by leaving you behind?¡°
"Please, I''m begging you. Run away quickly. There''s no time left ¨C the witch will awaken soon. Ahem, I would have liked to uncover the secrets of Saint angelicus'' School together with you myself... but you must discover the secrets in my place and save this world.¡°
"Huuuuuung! Bertin... I''m so sorry..." Niel buried her face in Bertin''s chest where she lay in the rubble, sobbing helplessly.
"Niel, stop crying and go with Rumi.¡°
Rumi kept looking around desperately for some way out, but when she saw the Blue Witch''s fingers hovering directly above Bertin, she realized there truly was no hope.
"Oh hell...¡°
With no other choice, Rumi pulled the weeping Niel away from Bertin.
"Hey, stop crying and get up. Honestly, this all happened because of you!¡°
Just then, eight spider-like fingers plunged deep into Bertin''s spine.
"Ugh...!¡°
"NO!!¡°
Niel screamed helplessly as she watched Bertin being impaled.
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"God, this is awful...¡°
Rumi winced at Bertin''s suffering.
In that moment, Bertin''s monocle flew through the air toward Rumi.
Using the last of her strength, Bertin had thrown her magical eyepiece to Rumi.
"Ah... Rumi... take my glasses. Use them to find me again someday!¡°
"...!¡°
"You all... need to get away from here... and gather all my magical items...¡°
"Niel, don''t be too sad. And don''t blame yourself... Thank you for always being by my side.¡°
"Bertin...¡°
"And Rumi, remember this. You''re kinder than anyone... Goodbye...¡°
Bertin''s eyes grew dim even as she forced one final smile.
"Hey! Bertin, don''t worry about a thing. I''ll solve the school''s mysteries in a day and kill every last witch!¡°
Rumi said her final farewell to Bertin, then glared up at the Blue Witch''s revolting skull-like face.
"You''d better get ready to lose that head to me!¡°
The Blue Witch didn''t even spare Rumi a glance.
CRACK
Instead, the Blue Witch''s long fingers pierced through Bertin''s back, spreading her spine apart.
Then she thrust her building-sized face toward Bertin''s impossibly small body, as if trying to possess it.
Rumi couldn''t bear to watch Bertin being subjected to such a grotesque violation.
Bertin had truly been... one of the most precious people Rumi had ever met in her life...
"AAAAHHHH! BERTIN!" Niel wailed as if her whole world had collapsed.
Rumi dragged Niel toward the door and gathered their belongings. With one final look at Bertin''s now lifeless form, she left the mansion.
Outside, the shadow ghost stood waiting as it always had, seeming to guide their way forward.
"Hnngh..." Niel sobbed.
"Stop crying and carry your things!" Rumi forced a bag onto Niel''s shoulders and thrust the luggage into her hands, practically dragging her along.
"Eeeeeeeeek... eeeeeeeeek..." As Rumi and Niel ran across the desolate field, they heard an otherworldly sound behind them and stopped to look back.
The cursed Blue Witch was stretching Bertin''s skin, trying to cover her entire body with it.
"That crazy piece of trash...!¡°
"Huuung... Bertin...!" Niel burst into tears again at the sight.
"KUUUUUEEEEEEK!" The Blue Witch, enraged that the skin was too small, suddenly began opening her mouth as if to swallow the sky itself.
Then the Blue Witch''s massive body began to shrink. Wondering if this might be the witch''s awakening, Rumi quickly put on Bertin''s magical monocle.
Through it, she saw countless blue ghosts pouring out from the Witch''s mouth like a swarm of locusts. As they emerged, the witch''s body grew smaller and smaller.
The blue ghosts, invisible to the naked eye and each about the size of a forearm, were the same entities that had always tormented Bertin.
Within moments, they had covered the entire sky in an eerie blue light. It was clear they would soon spread their blue curse in every direction, everywhere.
This was exactly what Bertin had been running from all this time...
Rumi felt sick to her stomach.
She wondered what kind of exorcism techniques they taught at that school that could possibly defeat such a monstrous witch. Part of her was terrified to find out.
A single blue ghost drifted down from the sky and settled gently on Niel''s shoulder.
Niel, still hanging her head and sobbing, didn''t notice the spirit clinging to her at all.
"Damn it..." Rumi tried to brush away the blue ghost without Niel noticing, but she knew all too well it was futile.
After all, these blue ghosts were entities that could never be shaken off, no matter what anyone did.
Finally, Rumi just took off the monocle and continued pulling Niel along.
After walking for quite some time, they realized their year-long journey was finally coming to an end.
''Welcome to the Village of Angelicus. Spirits Begone!¡®
They could see the village sign and entrance in the distance.
At some point, the shadow ghost that had been leading them had vanished.
Perhaps it was because they''d finally reached their destination, but its absence left an unexpected emptiness in Rumi''s heart after having guided them for an entire year.
At the village entrance, about a dozen people stood waiting for Rumi and Niel, all wearing grave expressions.
They were the first living people they''d seen in what felt like an eternity.
This was it ¨C the human village where the exorcism school was located.
Rumi was determined to uncover every secret this village held, to find out what mysteries had forced Bertin to endure such hardship only to die right at its doorstep.
And she would have her revenge, destroying every last witch to avenge Bertin''s death.
Chapter 1 – School is starting tomorrow, but I’ve got too many ghosts to deal with.
She was lost.
Where should she go to find the shadow ghost again?
Rumi wandered through the desolate park, having taken a wrong turn.
Her hands were full of shopping bags that swayed as she walked, making her look like she''d just finished a shopping spree.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she stopped in the middle of the park. At the edge where the park met the forest, she''d spotted the shadow ghost again.
The shadow ghost, towering three meters tall, stood motionless at the distant forest entrance.
Rumi rushed toward the forest entrance in pursuit of the ghost. In response, the spirit glided deeper into the woods with an ethereal movement.
She was about to follow it into the forest when something made her hesitate at the entrance. The blood-red sky, the mysterious tolling of bells from somewhere unseen, and a crumbling house visible deep within the woods ¨C this entire scene filled Rumi with an inexplicable sense of unease.
A cold wind whistled through the trees, sending dead leaves pattering down onto her head. Goosebumps rose on her skin.
"..."
She shouldn''t go any further.
Rumi quickly came to her senses, remembering that even with her curse immunity, entering the forest would be dangerous. This forest lay outside the village''s official boundaries ¨C anyone who ventured in carelessly might lose their way forever.
Moreover, the blood-red sky meant sunset was approaching. Once night fell, troublesome spirits would swarm around her like mad.
Yes, it was time to head back.
Still, it pained her to lose track of the shadow ghost again. After all, it was that very ghost that had led her into this spirit-haunted world in the first place.
Reluctantly, Rumi turned to retrace her steps. That''s when white spirits began emerging one by one from between the Y-shaped markers scattered throughout the park, as if they''d been waiting for this moment.
But the number of appearing spirits was far greater than she''d expected.
This was no ordinary park.
"Heehee!¡°
Suddenly, one ghost materialized right in front of her.
"My, what a deliciously tempting body!¡°
The ghost passed straight through Rumi¡¯s body with a whooshing sound.
"Ugh!¡°
The wretched spirit had tried to possess Rumi. But no ghost, no matter what kind, could ever possess her.
Rumi was the world''s only person immune to curses.
Still, having spirits pass through her body in their attempts at possession wasn''t exactly pleasant.
"How dare you lowly spirits try to possess this sacred body! Get lost, all of you!¡°
Rumi finally pulled out a lantern marked with the Y symbol from her bag, lit it, and thrust it toward the spirits.
"Eeeek!¡°
The spirits recoiled from the light.
Still holding the lantern, Rumi looked around for the way back... but strangely, she couldn''t see any exit from the park.
The only thing visible from this hilltop park was the illusory mirage city showing off its night scenery beyond the horizon.
Rumi wanted to use the mirage city as a reference point to calculate which direction she''d come from, but its position shifted every time she looked at it, making it useless as a landmark.
Finally, she started moving in what seemed like the direction she''d come from, trying to retrace her steps from memory.
But no matter how much she wandered, she couldn''t find the park''s exit.
The sky grew increasingly red, and the ominous bell tolling seemed to be getting louder.
A feeling of claustrophobia began creeping in.
Rumi took a deep breath, then remembered something and quickly opened her scripture book.
Flipping through the pages, she found a particular passage:
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"Even if I''m cursed with blindness in the future, I don''t want to die now, so let me see!¡°
She closed her eyes and recited the verse. Then, pulling out holy water from her bag, she splashed it directly into her eyes.
When she opened them again, the scene before her had changed dramatically.
The sky had grown completely dim, and thick fog blanketed the entire park.
Though it was the same place, it felt as if time had suddenly jumped forward.
Then she noticed a light approaching through the fog in the distance.
Instinctively, Rumi began running toward the light in the mist. As she did, she seemed to be finally leaving the park behind.
Shortly after, she reached the park''s exit.
A red thread had been strung around the exit ¨C something she hadn''t noticed when entering.
"Huff... huff...¡°
Rumi turned around one last time before leaving the park.
The shadow ghost was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, dozens of spirits seemed to be following her from a distance.
"Are they crazy...?¡°
As Rumi ran out onto the road to escape the pesky spirits, she finally realized what the approaching light had been.
It was a motorcycle that had just passed in front of her.
After standing dazed for a moment, she rushed into the middle of the road to flag down the passing motorcycle.
"Excuse me! Wait a moment!¡°
The bike rider must have heard her because they stopped a short distance ahead.
Rumi hurried to catch up with the stopped motorcycle.
The rider was wearing a helmet and clothes that looked like a delivery uniform.
Rumi raised her lantern to check the rider''s face.
But this wasn''t a human face at all.
It was a white skull wearing a helmet.
"Oh! Mister, are you a ghost?¡°
The skeleton man flinched away from the lantern''s light.
"You can tell I''m a mister just by looking at my skull? Yes... I''m a mister. So would you mind lowering that Y-marked lantern?¡°
When the skeleton man spoke, his bones made clicking sounds as they moved.
"Ah, yes. Just a moment...¡°
Rumi kept the lantern raised a bit longer, curiously examining this unfamiliar skeleton ghost, before blowing out the flame with a gentle puff.
"Why are you in such a dangerous place at this hour?¡°
"I got lost.¡°
The skeleton man examined the lost girl with his empty eye sockets.
"Hmm... Are you that outsider who arrived recently?¡°
"Yes, how did you know?¡°
"It''s obvious since you walked through that park and came out unscathed. I''m a newspaper delivery man, you see. No news escapes my ears.¡°
Rumi noticed that the skull actually had no ears.
"I know you''ve been assigned to the Fellman household. And I also know what happened in this park 25 years ago...¡°
"What...?¡°
Though the skeleton man''s skull made it impossible to read his expression, Rumi had the distinct feeling he was smiling.
"Heading home?¡°
"Yes.¡°
"Hop on the back. I''ll take you to the Fellmans''.¡°
"Is that really okay?¡°
Rumi felt suspicious, but it was getting dark, and spirits were gathering. It would be dangerous and difficult to find her way home alone.
She climbed onto the back of the motorcycle, gripping the skeleton''s thin back.
The motorcycle started up and began cruising through the eerie neighborhood streets.
''Brrrr...?¡®
Only then did she notice something strange ¨C this motorcycle made no engine noise at all.
After a while, a fine mist-like rain began falling from the sky, as if sprayed down.
"Ah, it''s raining... ugh...¡°
"Yes, but be thankful it''s not the cursed black rain.¡°
"Yeah... that''s true.¡°
"By the way, mister, what was that thing you mentioned about the park? What happened there?"
"Hmm... Something truly terrible happened..."
"What kind of terrible thing?"
"Well... It''s too horrific to tell someone like you just yet."
"Mister, if you''re trying to scare me, it won''t work. I''m different, you know."
"Oh? Then... where do you think I''m taking you right now?"
The skeleton man''s voice suddenly turned menacing.
"Mister, I recognize this area. You''re going the right way."
"Hmm... is that so?"
"Anyway, what happened in that park?"
"I''m sorry, but I really can''t tell you... I can only say that something very bad is going to happen to you..."
"That''s impossible... I''m immune to curses!"
"I''m not talking about curses."
"Then what are you talking about?"
"You don''t need to know just yet..."
The motorcycle cut through the foggy streets and eventually arrived at a house.
It looked like a typical American suburban home, but in reality, it was a haunted house.
"You really did take me home. I guess you weren''t a bad ghost after all, mister."
Rumi dismounted from the motorcycle and bowed politely to the skeleton deliveryman.
"Nobody knows if I''m good or bad... Take care. Good luck with your enrollment tomorrow."
"Thank you, Mr. Skeleton."
Rumi didn''t remember mentioning her enrollment tomorrow, but she turned toward the house anyway.
The two-story family home looked oddly normal for this ruined world.
Before passing through the gate, Rumi checked behind her to see if any spirits had followed.
Fortunately, none had made it this far.
Following her usual routine, Rumi dusted herself off, made the Y-sign blessing, said a quick prayer, and then knocked on the door.
Knock knock
A moment later, Mr. Fellman flung the door open.
The smell of delicious stew wafted out from inside.
"Rumi, we were worried. Where have you been?"
"I got lost on my way back from shopping."
Behind Mr. Fellman floated Mrs. Fellman''s ghost.
The ghost wife looked incredibly young compared to the middle-aged Mr. Fellman.
"Come in quickly, Rumi. Dinner''s just ready."
Mrs. Fellman''s ghost spoke.
Ghost voices were usually faint, whispering in your ear even from a distance.
"Okay!"
Rumi set her bags down by the bathroom and washed her hands.
On the dining table, steaming bowls of vegetable stew were already served.
The sight of good food immediately lifted Rumi''s spirits.
"Thank you for the meal!"
Rumi began eating with Mr. Fellman.
Across from them sat Mrs. Fellman''s ghost with an empty bowl, watching Rumi eat with a content expression.
Mrs. Fellman''s ghost looked more like a young girl than a wife.
She had an incredibly cute face, a relaxed expression, and a green scarf covering her neck ¨C suggesting she might have died by decapitation.
As a beneficial house spirit, she''d been protecting the house and her husband for ten years.
Rumi thought that if she had to live with a ghost, one with such good looks that never aged wouldn''t be too bad for ten years.
"Did you get all your enrollment supplies?"
"Yes, just one more thing to prepare. It''s called a second-grade holy relic for protection... do you think I''ll need it?"
"To be honest, I don''t think you will.¡°
Mrs. Fellman answered.
"Right? Though I might try making one anyway."
"You''re going to try making a Grade 2 sacred relic by yourself?"
RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE
Suddenly, all the windows in the house began shaking as if there was an earthquake.
The Mrs. Fellman¡¯s expression darkened.
"Rumi, where exactly did you get lost earlier?"
Mrs. Fellman asked with a worried expression.
"Well... after finishing shopping at the plaza, I took a wrong turn and got lost in some kind of park."
"What...? A park near the plaza ¨C you don''t mean Sunset Cemetery, do you?"
"Cemetery...?"
Chapter 2 – School is starting tomorrow, but I’ve got too many ghosts to deal with. (2)
"Ugh... that was a cemetery?"
"Well... it seems so..."
"But what''s wrong? Did ghosts follow us all the way here?"
"Um... I think they''re gathering nearby. Rumi, we need to be extra careful tonight. Don''t do anything risky. Of course, I''ll stop any ghosts that come, but... still, just in case."
"Yes..."
Rumi forced an awkward smile.
Damn park... or rather cemetery ghosts - who knew they''d chase us all the way here.
"But Rumi, were you... okay there?"
Mr. Fellman wrinkled his nose as he stumbled over his words.
"Well... nothing too serious happened. Though I almost couldn''t get out of there."
"Ah... I guess you really are immune to curses."
"But Mr. Fellman, do you know what happened at that cemetery?"
"Uh... no. I don''t really know. Hehe. I just heard something bad happened there..."
"..."
The way everyone gave such vague answers was practically advertising that something truly awful had happened at the cemetery.
But it didn''t seem like she''d be hearing that story today.
"I see... Well, I''ll head upstairs now. Thanks for dinner."
"Ah, alright."
Rumi quickly got up and gathered her shopping bags. As she was about to climb the stairs to her second-floor room, Mrs. Fellman''s ghost''s voice called from below.
"Rumi, if anything happens, call either of us."
"Okay!"
Once in her second-floor room, Rumi first checked the list of school supplies.
''Saint angelicus'' School of Exorcism Admission Requirements:
- Personal Scripture
- 6 Y-shaped crosses. 2 lanterns with Y-shaped crosses.
- Emergency possession medium (a personal item purified with prayer and holy water.)
- 10 bottles of holy water.
- Two sets of sacred gray raincoats.
- One Grade 2 sacred relic.
- Medicinal ingredients storage kit with 24+ compartments.
*Sacred swords will be provided in the second year curriculum, so please DO NOT bring one.
- Protective curse potion...''
The list went on.
Rumi felt she had gathered most of the supplies she could buy.
The only thing missing was a Grade 2 sacred relic.
Sacred relics were objects imbued with beneficial spirits or energy that could ward off curses and evil spirits.
Which meant sacred relics were completely unnecessary for Rumi, who was naturally immune to curses.
Still, Rumi wanted to try making a sacred relic herself.
She could have asked for Mr. Fellman''s help to make a Grade 2 relic, but Rumi knew powerful spirit summoning and sealing ritual that Bertin had taught her.
By practicing spirit summoning ritual to call forth a beneficial spirit and sealing ritual to bind it to an object, she could create a sacred relic.
In other words, it was possible for her to make one herself.
Rumi carefully closed the door and windows, then sprinkled dusty water around the room to create a barrier.
She placed a round chair in the center of the barrier and put a mirror and candle on top.
Bertin had definitely done some other preparations when teaching the ritual... but Rumi didn''t care to remember such minor details.
Rumi lit the candle with a match.
Then, looking at the candlelight reflected in the mirror, she alternately recited two scripture passages she had memorized.
"Kill. Kill, for here are the weak ones. They are my enemies.
Gouge out their eyes, tear off their limbs, kill both mother and child until their bloodline ends.
Let hatred drive them mad until they lose themselves slaughtering their enemies..."
"Do not gaze at yourself in the water. For you outside always longs for you within, and thus shall fall into the depths..."
Rumi repeated the two passages several times.
"Ughk!"
Rumi started to retch.
She had expected this reaction since these scripture passages always made her feel sick.
''Tremble tremble tremble''
And indeed, the mirror began to shake.
Sensing her chance, Rumi clasped her hands together and recited the final scripture passage.
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"You are cursed to live even in death, so live on even as a parasite of the dead..."
Finally, Rumi blew out the candle.
But even after the candle went out, its light briefly remained reflected in the mirror.
Then the smoke from the extinguished candle was suddenly sucked into the mirror.
Rumi held her breath and stared intently at the mirror.
She thought she caught a glimpse of an old woman''s face in the reflection.
"Huh? Grandmother?"
Rumi moved back and forth around the mirror, trying to find the angle where the ghost was visible.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
"I am not your grandmother."
Just then, a very elderly woman''s voice came from the mirror.
And in the mirror, Rumi could see an elderly ghost behind her.
"Who... who said you were my grandmother?"
Rumi checked the mirror where the old woman was and turned around just in case.
However, the ghost must have been sealed in the mirror, as it wasn''t visible in the room itself.
Rumi stared curiously at the old woman''s ghost in the mirror as she spoke to it.
"So... what kind of ghost are you? Are you a beneficial spirit?"
"No, I am a very wicked evil spirit."
"What? Then how did you get into this house?"
"Obviously because you summoned me. I easily entered using your powerful dark magic."
"...?"
"I was trying to make a sacred relic. If you''re not a beneficial spirit, would you please leave?"
"Hehehe, such rudeness - it really must be you. The one who couldn''t be possessed at the cemetery."
"Ugh... were you one of the ones that tried to possess me back then?"
"No, I don''t do such amateur possessions."
"...Then are you here to try to possess me now?"
"No, you''re impossible to possess. I merely wanted to confirm who you were."
"Why? Why do you need to confirm who I am?"
The old ghost made an inscrutable expression and stalled for time.
"I am a prophet''s spirit. I have come because I have a prophecy to deliver to you."
"Uh... But you just said I summoned you."
"I was simply the fastest to enter when you did that ritual."
Suddenly the old ghost moved closer to the mirror from within.
And as she approached, her face filled the entire mirror.
"Place your hand on the mirror for a moment."
"What... what are you going to do?"
"..."
Despite her misgivings, Rumi felt pressured by the ghost''s silence and placed her hand on the mirror.
The ghost came even closer and pressed her cheek against Rumi''s fingers on the other side of the mirror.
Rumi could feel the mirror becoming instantly cold.
"Ugh..."
"Mmm, I can read it, I can read. Your...!!"
The old ghost paused briefly before speaking again.
"How terrible, absolutely terrible."
"What''s terrible?"
"Your fate..."
"What a terrible fate."
"What?"
"You¡¯ve met with the most terrible fate."
"No... what terrible fate? Grandmother!"
"Your friend gave you a mission, didn''t she? To uncover the secrets of Saint angelicus'' School of Exorcism and defeat the witches."
"How... how do you know that?!"
Rumi burst out angrily.
"But I''ll tell you the outcome in advance. Whether you kill the witches or not, you will face the most painful and terrible immortality of any living being could face."
"...!"
Even Rumi, who considers herself very calm, was too shocked by the sudden curse to speak.
"What... what kind of curse is that all of a sudden!"
"Oh terrible fate! Terrible fate!"
The old ghost ignored Rumi and continued shouting.
"Anyway, it was nice meeting you. I only came to deliver this message. Wheeheeheehee."
"No, what is this... Grandmother, you''re seriously the worst kind of evil spirit! You came all the way from that cemetery just to say this?"
"Heehee, poor girl!"
At that moment, as the old ghost started to smile, the mirror frame suddenly began to shake violently.
Rumi ducked her head in surprise and tried to dodge.
''CRASH!''
The mirror suddenly exploded into fragments.
Rumi shook off the mirror shards that had fallen on her head and looked up again.
"What the! Until the very end..."
Just then, Mrs. Fellman''s ghost''s voice came from outside the door.
"Rumi, is everything alright?"
"Ah! It''s nothing. I just broke something. Nothing serious."
Rumi tried to act normal, not wanting to get lectured by Mrs. Fellman, but her heart was pounding.
This was the most unpleasant experience she''d had in her life.
To think some old hag evil spirit would say such things and just leave.
"Ugh...!"
Rumi grumbled as she gathered the mirror fragments with her foot.
At this point, it was suspicious how every ritual Bertin had taught her only led to crazy incidents.
Rumi calmed herself down and cleaned up the mirror shards. Then she sprinkled holy water and salt water around the house.
When it was time for bed, Rumi lay on her bed, noticing there were unusually many ghosts gathered outside the window today.
If all those out there had come from that cursed cemetery, this might have been the last day for a normal person.
To think that the shadow ghost she''d chased had led her into such a severely cursed place...
But right now, more annoying than anything was the old grandmother ghost still peering in from a corner of the window.
She woke up from sleep with a particularly nasty feeling, without having any dreams.
The old ghost''s face reflexively came to mind as soon as she woke up.
But perhaps because the sun was up, all the ghosts that had crowded outside the window seemed to have disappeared.
"..."
Today was finally the day she would enter Saint angelicus'' School of Exorcism.
School started at noon, when the sun was highest.
There was also a bus that went earlier at 9 AM, but Rumi couldn''t miss this last chance to sleep in.
As Rumi rolled around in bed as long as possible, she suddenly thought of Bertin.
"Ahem, I would have liked to uncover the secrets of Saint angelicus'' School together with you myself... but you must discover the secrets in my place and save this world."
Rumi remembered Bertin''s arrogant face, maintaining a smile even as she was being consumed by the Blue Witch.
"Damn that Bertin..."
But then, she remembered how yesterday''s evil grandmother ghost had known about Bertin''s last words.
"Damn..."
Rumi got up in a very bad mood and headed to the kitchen.
Mr. Fellman had already left for work, and only Mrs. Fellman remained.
Despite being a ghost, she looked much more tired than usual.
"Rumi... were you really okay last night?"
"Yes... Did something happen last night? You look tired..."
"Oh, I spent all night chasing away ghosts. I''m so tired I feel like I might become an evil spirit."
"Ah... I see."
Rumi awkwardly moved to the electric range and heated up leftover stew, dipping bread in it for lunch.
Throughout the meal, Mrs. Fellman floated around listlessly, which was concerning, but Rumi didn''t try to start a conversation.
After finishing lunch, Rumi gathered her school supplies and stood at the front door.
Before heading to school, she said goodbye to Mrs. Fellman.
"I''m going to school now."
At Rumi''s final farewell, Mrs. Fellman flew to the door in an instant.
"Oh, right... see you later."
"Yes, ma''am."
"Rumi, try not to cause too much trouble."
"Yes! But how could I possibly cause trouble? Take care."
Rumi closed the door and walked out the gate.
She could strangely feel the Mrs. Fellman''s gaze from behind, but Rumi kept walking forward.
Thick fog hung over the residential area despite it being noon.
With thunder clouds rumbling too, it was terrible weather for the first day of school.
Anyway, Rumi headed to the nearest school bus stop.
The bus stop she quickly reached hadn''t left the residential area, so it looked pretty much the same as around Mr. Fellman''s house.
Though it definitely looked creepier than usual, perhaps because of the fog.
The bus stop sign was old and the surroundings were so desolate it looked like an abandoned neighborhood.
Although it felt slightly unsettling, Rumi zoned out while waiting for the bus.
After waiting for some time, a surprisingly normal-looking yellow school bus rolled up from the distance.
The bus that finally arrived stopped in front of Rumi.
''Screech... clank''
The bus door opened, revealing an expressionless driver staring straight ahead.
"..."
Rumi gave the bus driver a quick once-over and was about to step onto the bus.
''Thump''
But at that moment, a hand suddenly appeared and blocked Rumi''s forehead as she tried to board.
"You must not get on."
Chapter 3 - The Admission Ceremony is Full of Gloom
When Rumi looked ahead, she saw the back of a tall boy standing there.
"...?"
The boy stood there for a long while, facing away from Rumi as he seemed to be in a staring contest with the bus driver.
After a moment, the bus door closed and the bus departed. Only then did the boy turn around to face Rumi.
The boy had wavy black hair and smiled with pretty but somehow tired-looking eyes.
"...!"
Rumi suddenly felt her cheeks grow hot.
"That was a ghost bus. Even if nothing too terrible would happen if you got on, it would take you outside the town. Didn''t you read the guidelines?"
"I skimmed them... but who are you? Are you starting school today too?"
"Yeah, nice to meet you. I''m Raoul Lenoir."
Raoul extended his hand to Rumi.
But Rumi hesitated to take it.
"You''re not... a ghost too, are you?"
"Not yet..."
Rumi stared into Raoul''s eyes before taking his hand.
"I''m Rumi. Thanks for earlier."
"It was nothing."
"But did you actually memorize all those long guidelines?"
"Yeah, I didn''t enjoy reading them either, but it can''t hurt to know all of them."
Raoul spoke with a constant gentle smile, and strangely, Rumi couldn''t take her eyes off his face.
Despite his tired appearance, to Rumi''s eyes his face had a refreshingly pleasant quality.
One thing that caught her attention was the large flask-like bottle hanging at his chest.
"What''s that big flask on your chest? What''s inside?"
"Ah, this... you could say it''s like my lucky sacred relic. It''s very important to me, so I always carry it around."
Raoul glanced briefly at his flask before looking back at Rumi.
"You don''t have any sacred relics?"
"Ah, I don''t need them... But did you used to live around here? Why haven''t I seen you before?"
"I don''t live around here."
Just then, raindrops began falling from the sky.
When a raindrop fell on Raoul''s head, smoke rose from it.
Raoul quickly opened his umbrella.
And quite naturally, he held it over Rumi''s head as well.
"Today it''s black rain."
Raoul said this as he took a step closer to Rumi.
"... ..."
They waited for the bus like that.
Shortly after, a decrepit-looking bus came around the corner, making sounds like a broken engine.
''Kreek kreek kreek''
Seeing a bus even worse than the actual ghost bus, Rumi was convinced this one must be fake too.
"Here comes the school bus."
"What? That''s the real school bus? It looks even more suspicious than the last one."
"Despite how it looks, it''s real. And... if anything happens, I can grab you and run."
Raoul watched Rumi''s eyes as he reassured her.
"Oh..."
As they boarded the bus, they saw someone in a black raincoat at the wheel.
Though they gave off an eerie aura, they definitely didn''t seem like a ghost.
Looking around after boarding, the inside was beyond quiet... the atmosphere was as gloomy as a funeral bus.
Some students even had their heads bowed, trembling as they prayed.
Rumi wasn''t sure if this wasn''t actually the ghost bus after all.
Raoul found a seat first, and Rumi naturally sat down next to him.
As soon as he sat down, Raoul quietly began to pray.
Rumi looked at him for a moment before glancing around again.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The bus interior was damp and unsettling.
''Ting tong tang tong''
Perhaps because the bus was so old, the sound of raindrops hitting the roof was painfully clear.
The bus started moving again.
Rumi had questions for Raoul, who seemed to know a lot, but the bus was so quiet it felt wrong to speak.
"Raoul, why is it so quiet in here?"
Rumi asked in a lowered voice.
"Can''t you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"You''re... quite insensitive to curse energy, aren''t you? Like how you almost got on that other bus earlier."
"What? Is this bus cursed too? I knew it. Quick, take my hand and let''s run."
Rumi spoke even more quietly.
"Haha, that''s not it... Actually, Saint angelicus'' school buses are officially cursed buses."
"Huh? I don''t understand. Why would the buses of supposedly the most sacred school be cursed?"
"That''s because fuel is scarce here. You might already know this, but this town runs on electricity produced by the dam up in the mountains. There aren''t many electric cars, and since it''s hard to get fuel, they deliberately let ghosts possess the bus wheels. Then the ghosts move the wheels. You''ve heard of ghost power, right?"
"What...?"
Rumi couldn''t tell if Raoul was joking or being serious.
"If you listen carefully, you can hear sobbing every time the wheels turn."
''Kreek kreek kreek kreek''
"Ugh..."
But thinking about it, she realized this world was full of such things.
Like the motorcycle from yesterday, and even the moving mansion that brought her to this town was powered by ghosts in a way.
But still, to think they''d use ghosts even for a sacred school bus...
The cursed bus wound its way through town through the black rain.
All the students boarding in the rain wore gray raincoats.
After a while, Niel, whom Rumi hadn''t seen in a long time, got on the bus.
It was the first time seeing Niel since they''d entered this town together.
Niel was a Japanese-American mixed girl who always wore her hair in red braids and had an incredibly gentle-looking face.
She boarded with a tall Black boy, and they seemed quite close already, whispering to each other with good chemistry.
Niel approached where Rumi was sitting.
Their eyes met.
"Rumi..."
Niel started to greet her but covered her own mouth and walked past.
Since the Bertin incident, Rumi and Niel had agreed not to acknowledge each other as they gather information about the town separately. So Rumi didn''t greet her either.
Honestly, since that incident, seeing Niel didn''t make her feel happy anymore.
The bus drove for a long time until it reached the outskirts of town. It was an isolated area, almost rural.
There, they picked up one girl who turned out to be extremely noisy.
The moment she got on, the quiet bus turned into something more like a field trip bus.
The girl talked loudly non-stop.
What''s worse, she sat diagonally across from Rumi, putting her directly in the line of fire of the noise.
She seemed to be talking an incredible amount despite not appearing to know anyone nearby.
"I was supposed to enroll several years earlier, but they said there''s no such rule in the school guidelines. So I complained several times that they needed to make an exception, but this stupid school..."
The Latina girl wore round glasses and had her hair tied in messy pigtails, giving her a very scattered appearance.
Moreover, something that looked like a small human leg was sticking out of her bag, giving off quite a bizarre aura.
"My aunt teaches black ma¡ª I mean, what was it called... anyway, she teaches potions at the school. I''m the best at that too, but I''m so good at many other things too, hehehe..."
As Rumi was listening to this unwanted story like background noise, she kept feeling someone''s gaze.
The talkative girl kept glancing at Rumi between her streams of words.
Rumi desperately avoided eye contact, afraid the girl might try to talk to her directly.
"She seems beyond just being insensitive to curses..."
Rumi muttered to Raoul, pointing at the talkative girl.
"She''s quite famous. She''s probably the daughter of the Mora family, known for black magic."
"What, there''s a family like that? Does practicing black magic make you that insensitive to curses? Wait... what was black magic again?"
Come to think of it, Rumi realized she''d never heard exactly what black magic meant in this ghost-ridden world.
"Black magic refers to the curse rituals that witches use..."
"What the hell! Isn''t that super dangerous?"
"Yeah, it''s dangerous. But here, black magic refers to curse rituals modified for human use. If you think about it, even ghost power uses black magic... She''s probably just become desensitized to black magic curses from exposure. Probably..."
"Hmm... I see...? Still, she''s not completely immune like me."
"...?"
''Kreek kreek kreek kreek''
The bus was climbing a hill, making groans like it was about to get sick.
The ghosts'' wailing was clearly audible as they climbed the slope.
Rumi had images in her head of evil spirits pulling them up this hill.
The bus finally reached level ground at the top of the mountain, passing a sign that read ''Saint angelicus'' School of Exorcism.''
And then the supposedly sacred school building came into view...
"...?!"
It didn''t look sacred at all.
No, it was the complete opposite. It looked gloomier and more ghost-infested than any building in town.
And indeed, dozens of ghosts and gargoyles were floating around the school.
It was absurd that the most sacred place in North America had more ghosts than the residential area.
There was an enormous, tall cathedral building on the left, but even that looked dirty and weathered like some medieval dark ages cathedral.
Rumi instinctively knew that what Bertin had said was true.
This school held terrible secrets.
But thinking about that actually made her more determined to uncover whatever secrets there were.
When the bus stopped, the driver stood up to introduce himself to the students.
"New students, greetings. I am Professor Myers, and I teach exorcism rituals at this school."
Professor Myers, revealing his face from under the black raincoat, appeared to be quite a young male teacher.
"You have arrived at Saint angelicus'' School. It''s raining very poisonous black rain outside, so please put on your raincoats and run to the school entrance. Today the weather is worse than usual, making it easy to get possessed, so please follow instructions and for heaven''s sake try not to get possessed by ghosts."
The students listened to the explanation and started putting on their raincoats.
Rumi also put on the gray raincoat she had prepared as part of her school supplies.
As the rain poured down, the bus door opened with a clang and a bare hand shot out.
The black raindrops that fell on the hand sizzled with white smoke as they burned the skin.
The hand quickly withdrew back into the bus, and soon students in gray raincoats started running out.
The students ran to the school entrance as if their lives depended on it.
Now it was Rumi''s turn to run.
That''s when Raoul grabbed her hand and dashed out of the bus.
"Gasp...! Hehehe..."
Rumi ran along, laughing as Raoul pulled her along.
The black rain poured down as they could see the students who''d run ahead passing through the open school gates.
Though Rumi herself was immune to curses and could have just walked in the rain, she figured she might as well go along with Raoul pulling her.
"Aagh, it''s heavy..."
Just then, Rumi saw that talkative girl running ahead of them with an enormous bag.
She was running so slowly and awkwardly that Rumi and Raoul caught up to her quickly.
But the girl was wobbling quite seriously, and finally fell face-first into a black puddle.
''Splash''
"What''s with her? Pfft!"
Rumi almost burst out laughing at how ridiculous the fall looked.
But Raoul, running beside her, didn''t seem to even notice the fallen girl and was about to pass right by.
"Wait Raoul, she fell over there."
Rumi stopped. Raoul belatedly stopped too.
"Oh, you''re right. We should probably help her up."
White smoke was rising from the glasses-wearing girl''s hand where it had fallen in the black puddle.
"Ouch!"
Without hesitation, Rumi ran to the glasses-wearing girl and grabbed her wet hand to pull her up.
"Hey, quick, get up."
"Ack, my hand...!"
"Rumi, don''t grab that hand carelessly!"
Raoul rushed over when he saw what Rumi was doing.
Chapter 4 - The Admission Ceremony is Full of Gloom (2)
Raoul rushed over when he saw what Rumi was doing.
But Rumi was completely fine despite having grabbed the glasses-wearing girl''s rain-soaked hand.
Raoul''s eyes widened at the sight.
"Heeheeheehee!"
Meanwhile, hyenas like ghosts began approaching the girl as if they''d spotted an injured zebra.
Raoul immediately pulled out a Y-shaped cross and held it high.
"Evil spirits shall remember their sin of betrayal upon seeing God''s form. Begone!"
In the meantime, Rumi helped the glasses-wearing girl up and ran toward the school entrance.
"Eeeek!"
"Raoul, hurry up!"
Raoul followed while keeping the ghosts at bay with his Y-shaped cross.
The students following behind stopped in shock when they saw the flying ghosts.
Having reached the school lobby, Rumi and the girl shook off the black rainwater from their hands and removed their raincoats.
Raoul, arriving at the lobby right after, immediately approached Rumi and looked meaningfully at her hand as he asked.
"Is your hand okay?"
"Um..."
Rumi hadn''t felt anything.
To Rumi, the black rain was just dirty water.
Just then, the glasses-wearing girl hugged Rumi intensely.
"You''re my lifesaver!"
"I''m so touched that you grabbed my rain-soaked hand without hesitation."
The girl spoke with her face buried in Rumi''s chest.
"Uh..."
Rumi leaned her face slightly backward.
"I''m Medina. Grand daughter of the noble Mora family. To think you have such a kind personality. Actually, I wanted to talk to you as soon as I got on the bus, but your face looked so scary..."
Medina lifted her head and thrust her somewhat overwhelming face forward.
Rumi immediately regretted helping the talkative girl.
"Ugh... just go clean your hand."
Rumi forcibly detached Medina.
"Are you all alright?"
Just then, a blonde woman approached with a worried expression.
Judging by her clothes, she seemed to be another teacher, but unlike the gloomy-looking Professor Myers from earlier, she was a young and pretty teacher with a kind face.
"How''s your hand? Are you badly hurt?"
"Yes, I thought my hand was melting."
Medina exaggerated.
"Let me see your hand."
"I''m not cursed on my first day, am I? I can''t be cursed. I''m from the great Mora family..."
And she continued talking without pause.
Rumi quietly watched the situation.
Meanwhile, Raoul, standing beside Rumi and still watching her hand, lowered his head to whisper to her.
"Rumi, you''re that curse-immune person, aren''t you?"
Hearing Raoul''s whispered question, Rumi felt like she''d been caught bragging about something she''d been announcing everywhere she went.
"Um... yes?"
"You should try not to let people know you''re immune to curses."
"...?"
Raoul finished speaking and immediately lifted his head as if nothing had happened.
"Teacher, she got black water on her hand too."
Just then, Medina was pointing at Rumi.
The blonde teacher looked at Rumi and asked.
"How''s your hand? Are you okay?"
"Um... well... no... it''s a bit tingly."
Rumi appropriately raised her hand and pretended to be in pain.
After hearing Raoul''s words, Rumi reconsidered whether it was bad that she''d been telling people she was immune to curses.
Rumi had naturally thought being curse-immune was good and had been subtly bragging about it wherever she went, but it seemed there might be some hidden story.
The blonde teacher poured holy water on Rumi''s hand too.
"Your hand looks fine. That''s good."
The teacher examined Rumi''s hand for injuries while massaging it.
"Ah... I guess it''s okay because I cleaned it right away."
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Shortly after, all the students gathered at the school entrance with Professor Myers.
Rumi finally got a chance to look around the school interior.
The school interior was a bizarre mix of medieval and modern school building styles that created an unsettling atmosphere.
In other words, it clearly looked haunted inside and out.
There, the female teacher let her long blonde hair fall as she began speaking calmly.
"Children, welcome. I''m Nurse Claria.
Leave all your luggage here at the entrance and go straight to the cathedral for the entrance ceremony.
The cathedral is currently the most sacred place in North America, so from now on, erase all negative thoughts."
Nurse Claria finished speaking and guided the children to the cathedral entrance on the left.
The cathedral entrance itself looked like an extremely old and important stone building entrance.
And at the cathedral doors, students who appeared to be upperclassmen were distributing small books to the first-years and having each make the Y-shaped sign of the cross.
"Freshmen, make the sign of the Y before entering."
Meanwhile, it was ridiculous to see Medina entering the cathedral still carrying her huge bag despite being told to leave luggage at the entrance.
But as soon as Rumi entered the cathedral, her attention was immediately diverted elsewhere.
It was because of the cathedral''s interior appearance.
The inside of the cathedral was the complete opposite of its exterior, presenting a truly classic and magnificent appearance.
It probably looked like the most beautiful building in the entire town.
With its cathedral pillars, statues placed throughout, high ceiling, and even the colors, it truly looked like a sacred place.
And in the numerous chairs laid out inside, upperclassmen and what appeared to be first-years who had arrived earlier were sitting and praying.
Finding a seat amid the solemn and sacred atmosphere, Rumi pretended to pray with her head bowed like the others.
Although Rumi was dissatisfied with how pathologically bound to religious rituals everyone in this world seemed to be, for the first time she actually considered seriously participating in a mass ceremony...
That was until Medina squeezed in beside her before prayer.
"Thank you, Saint Angelica, for letting me sit with my lifesaver. I''m about to ask my lifesaver''s name, which I still don''t know. How should I ask..."
Medina''s thin, irritating voice came from the next seat.
"Sigh... my name is Rumi."
Rumi finally gave in to Medina''s noise attack and revealed her name.
"Thank you Saint Angelica for letting my lifesaver''s name be heard by my ears just now. To think you would answer my prayer so immediately... am I truly your most precious child above all others?
My lifesaver''s name is Rumi. I shall pray for her..."
"Ah..."
Just then, a man stood up at the cathedral podium and made a sound.
The cathedral, which had been filled with only prayer sounds, fell silent.
"Everyone, hello. A new semester has dawned. I am Principal Pierre, the head of this school."
Rumi could immediately recognize Principal Pierre whom she had seen at the town entrance when she first arrived.
He was a middle-aged man with unkempt permed hair, pale skin, and slightly unfocused eyes.
Next to him sat Grandmother Valentina in a wheelchair, whom she had also seen then.
Though Grandmother Valentina had seemed like the higher-ranking person when they talked then, apparently she wasn''t the school principal.
But at that moment, the principal''s eyes from far away met exactly with Rumi''s.
Rumi was slightly flustered and avoided his gaze.
"Now that all the first-years have gathered, we will begin the new semester commemorative mass.
Saint angelicus'' School is located where Angelicus Town, now the most prosperous in North America, began after the 6 witches nearly destroyed the world 360 years ago.
From right here, the early exorcists were trained and spread out to create the most sacred and safe town in North America.
Please feel the weight of that history as you strive to become excellent exorcists and contribute to creating a world where humans can prosper again.
Now, after this greeting, I will explain the most important school rules to the new students.
First, I am well aware of the malicious rumors that have been circulating within the school recently.
The nonsensical false rumor that a witch lives in this school.
If a witch truly lived in the school, all students would have already died long ago.
Even so, Saint angelicus'' School''s holy power is strong enough to block a witch, so please don''t worry needlessly.
However, please refrain from unnecessarily mentioning witches and inviting curses."
"What...? So does that mean we are safe? or not?"
Medina muttered to herself while listening to Principal Pierre''s explanation.
Listening to it, Rumi also found it hard to understand what the principal was saying.
"Now new students, let''s all open to the first page of the booklet you received when entering the cathedral and read together the most important Level 1 rules."
''The school is fundamentally a safe place. Therefore, even if you see unfamiliar students, hear scratching sounds, or objects falling by themselves, don''t worry about it. Most cases are just the school''s resident spirits playing pranks.
*The cathedral is the safest place in the school. If anything happens, evacuate to the cathedral without thinking. (Don''t forget to make the sign of the Y when entering the cathedral.)
*The abandoned school in the west, the Devil''s Tower in the east, and the northern forest are all forbidden areas. Never enter them.
*Do not go outside after sunset. A bell will ring 10 minutes before sunset. If you are outside, enter a building immediately when the bell rings.
*Refrain from spirit rituals after sunset. And the Spiritualism classroom is off-limits after sunset.
*The cafeteria is off-limits after 7 PM.
*No matter what food is served in the cafeteria, do not complain to Cook Mrs. Mabel. All school food is safe to eat.
*First-years must not enter the school stadium.
*The school provides 11 bottles of holy water daily. Drink as needed and before bed, always pray and drink one bottle of silver holy water before going to sleep.
*Never stay awake between 2 AM and 4 AM.
*If someone comes to your dormitory room in the early morning, never open the door.
*If a headless ghost appears at school and asks where Room Zero is, never answer. Pretend you can''t see or hear it. And if you survive, report to the exorcism teacher immediately.
If you have already reacted to the headless ghost in any way, lead it to the northern forest while answering and die quietly.
*If a student appears looking for a student named Lucy, answer that Lucy is already dead. Most will retreat then. There is no student named Lucy at our school.
*If you see a student completely wrapped in bandages, treat them sincerely as a student. They''re actually just like regular students so they''re not particularly dangerous, but don''t create unnecessary trouble.
*If during the day you hear pleasant humming music coming from an unknown location, immediately cover your ears, sound the school alarm, and evacuate to the cathedral. Then wait for death.
*If one day you suddenly feel heavy shoulders and thoughts of death, visit the nurse for a special exorcism ritual.
*If there''s a fire at school, you don''t need to do anything.
*If while reading in the library you find a book with inverted text or get a nosebleed while reading, immediately stop reading and report to the exorcism teacher.
*Bathing in Men''s Bath #4 is strictly prohibited. If you don''t want to lose your physical body forever by drowning, do not enter that tub.
*Do not ask Ghost Professor Himmelburg of Astronomy about the past. If he remembers the past, we will have to close the school.
*Red water coming from toilets or showers is an everyday occurrence. Therefore, no action needs to be taken.
*... ...''
Rumi felt like she was losing her mind reading these seemingly endless rules.
She had heard strange rules when entering the town and at Mr. Fellman''s house, but this haunted school''s rules were truly overwhelming.
Nearly three pages were densely packed with Level 1 rules.
And the back of the rulebook contained Level 2 and 3 rules along with illustrated fables. At least the Level 2 and 3 rules could be considered explanations of what to do in certain situations.
Beyond that, it detailed how to deal with different types of ghosts and monsters, what emergency prayers were available, what to do when a friend dies, and even what to do after becoming a ghost.
In other words, this entire thick booklet was dedicated to rules.
Rumi was somewhat shocked that these things actually happened at the school.
Indeed, no matter how she looked at it, except for this cathedral, the rest of the school buildings appeared to be the most cursed place in Angelicus Town.
"...About 10 students die and become ghosts every year. This happens because they don''t properly follow these rules and drive themselves or their friends to death.
Ignorance is scarier than death. So I hope you all thoroughly learn these rules.
Especially new students, you must memorize all Level 1 rules and basic prayers before leaving the cathedral today.
Students who cannot memorize both rules and prayers will never be allowed to leave the cathedral as of right now."
"...?"
Chapter 5 – The Admission Ceremony is Full of Gloom (3)
"...?"
"...!"
"What? How are we supposed to memorize all this?"
"But... what about dinner?"
The new students were shocked by Principal Pierre''s shocking announcement.
"Now... Freshmen, if you get even one word wrong, you cannot leave the cathedral. So if you don''t want to skip dinner tonight, you''d better memorize everything."
Principal Pierre wore a sinister smile.
To Rumi, he looked like a witch''s follower.
"Now, before explaining each rule, I will first explain why we must follow the rules. Why must we follow rules so strictly? This is all because of the God of life Angelica''s..."
The mass began and Principal Pierre''s fanatical sermon continued.
The sermon was long and verbose from the start.
His reasoning for why rules must be followed drew from scripture in ways that anyone could tell were forced.
And whenever a point seemed unclear, he would repeatedly give various examples to explain it, gradually moving to more extreme cases.
"...That''s how you commit crimes without realizing it by forgetting the rules. According to scripture, the punishment for sinful humans is to have their souls forcibly possessed into dead things and abandoned. In this school too, if you cause another student''s death, that student will be trapped in a statue to suffer. No matter how young you are, the punishment will be equally severe... Do you understand!"
And it always ended with him calling out students who weren''t paying attention.
"Why does he keep repeating what he already said...?"
Medina, nearly exhausted, muttered to herself.
But the principal heard Medina''s complaint again.
"Miss Medina there, if you keep chattering and not focusing on mass, you''ll be cursed with curse of ignorance."
"Yes... ugh..."
Medina, who had already been called out three times by the principal, looked like she wanted to die.
Rumi was suffering just as much. Unfortunately, she had already found someone who talked more than Medina.
But Raoul, sitting beside her, kept looking only at the rules.
No way... was he already memorizing them?
Though it looked like he was reading parts that didn''t need to be memorized, that could mean he had already memorized all the rules.
This Raoul guy seemed craftier than he looked.
Rumi immediately opened the rules and started memorizing. She had no intention of falling behind.
After who knows how long, the students finished the entrance ceremony mass with reading scripture passages, forcibly sharing their thoughts, and prayers.
After the four-hour mass finally ended, the hungry students wanted food.
But the new students couldn''t go to the cafeteria.
Because upperclassmen and teachers stood at the door and began testing whether the new students had memorized the rules and basic prayers.
The new students had no choice but to remain in the cathedral and start memorizing the rules.
Most students, unlike Rumi and Raoul, apparently hadn''t thought to memorize the rules during mass. Fools...
"Raoul, you memorized all the rules too, right?"
Rumi asked with a relaxed expression.
"Yeah, more or less. Looks like you memorized them all too."
"Of course. How could I not in three hours!"
"What? You guys, I kept getting scolded so I couldn''t memorize them. Just wait a minute. Let me write this down..."
Medina went under her chair and started making a cheat sheet.
Rumi had no intention of waiting for Medina.
"We''re going ahead."
Rumi brought Raoul to stand before the upperclassmen checking at the cathedral door.
"Wow, looks like you already memorized everything. First recite the rules. If you make a mistake, come back in five minutes."
The upperclassman looked at Rumi condescendingly.
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Rumi started reciting the rules with an even more condescending expression.
"The cathedral is the safest place in the school. If anything happens, evacuate to the cathedral without thinking. Don''t forget to make the sign of the Y when entering the cathedral..."
Having already memorized the rules during mass, Rumi and Raoul smoothly recited them and were among the first new students to leave the cathedral.
After they left, the upperclassman from earlier gave Rumi and Raoul each a key.
"Rumi and Raoul... here are your dormitory room keys. The dorms are right down the corridor in front. Get your luggage from the entrance, move it to your dorm, then go to the cafeteria for dinner."
Each key had an assigned room number written on it.
Rumi got numbers 49 and Raoul got 50.
Coincidentally, it seemed Rumi and Raoul would be in adjacent dorm rooms.
Rumi and Raoul first got their bags from the entrance and looked for their assigned dorms.
Dormitory doors lined the corridor.
The longest first-floor corridor in the school, starting opposite the cathedral entrance, seemed to be all dormitory rooms.
But even at first glance, the dormitory doors were very strange.
They had roofs and walls that jutted out slightly like tiny houses - a weird design that seemed to be trying to recreate a residential neighborhood indoors.
Rumi first unlocked door 49 with its round window and looked inside.
Bunk beds were attached to both side walls, and narrow stairs on the right led up to a loft level.
Including the loft, it made for quite a comfortable space even for four people.
Giving the dorm room a passing grade, Rumi threw her luggage down anywhere and came out.
And ran into Raoul coming out at the same time.
"How''s the room? Is it okay?"
Raoul asked.
"Yeah, better than I expected... though it might be a bit tough sharing with three others."
"Looks like you prefer being alone."
"Of course, what about you?"
"Same here."
"Should we go to the cafeteria together then?"
Raoul smiled at Rumi.
"But where the hell is the cafeteria?"
Rumi looked around. Then she saw a group of upperclassmen walking toward the end of the corridor.
Meanwhile, Raoul opened the map in the booklet.
Looking at the school map, it seemed the cafeteria was at the east end of the first floor.
Then the upperclassmen must be heading to the cafeteria.
"Looks like the cafeteria''s at the end of this corridor. I think I can smell something too."
"Seems so."
"There was even a map in the booklet?"
Rumi suddenly grabbed Raoul''s map to examine it.
First she saw the central school building, cathedral, and what looked like a circular stadium.
Outside the school were the forbidden school zone and forest to the west, the Devil''s Tower to the east, and in the far north, Saint angelicus'' University and the dam.
"Hmm... everything looks suspicious."
"What does?"
Rumi tried to identify any particularly suspicious places, but looking at the map, everywhere seemed suspicious.
"No, just saying. Um... I hope the cafeteria food is good."
Rumi started walking.
''Bump''
Just then, Rumi suddenly brushed shoulders with someone.
Rumi was about to pass by without thinking, but felt like she''d bumped into something strange.
Like she''d bumped into something without a head...
"Do you know where Room Zero is?"
At that moment, a small voice reached Rumi''s ears.
Getting goosebumps, Rumi turned around, but there was no one there except Raoul.
"What''s wrong, Rumi? Did something happen?"
"Uh... no. I just think I bumped shoulders with a ghost."
"Huh? With a ghost? It should be hard to physically bump into ghosts..."
"I don''t know... but I definitely bumped into something... didn''t you see anything?"
"No... I was putting away the map."
"Ugh... what was that? Am I already being haunted?"
Then Raoul approached Rumi and brushed off her shoulder.
"No need to worry too much. Probably just a minor ghost playing pranks on new students. Still, better make the sign of the Y just in case."
"Yeah..."
Rumi made the sign of the Y, something she rarely did.
"You''re not hurting anywhere?"
"Um... not really. But! Why are there so many ghosts in supposedly the most sacred place in North America?"
"That''s... strange even to me..."
Rumi and Raoul started walking down the corridor again.
And reached the spacious cafeteria at the end of the corridor.
Looking at the faded chairs and aged exterior walls, it resembled school cafeteria from the 80s.
Mostly upperclassmen were eating, with hardly any new students visible.
But while looking around the school cafeteria, she saw another school ghost.
A female student ghost was quietly sitting at a corner table, praying.
"Wow, first time seeing a praying ghost..."
Raoul smiled slightly at those words.
"I don''t think she''s a ghost?"
"What?"
Rumi stared intently at the female student ghost.
The girl praying with a devout posture had long black hair falling down.
Her face was ghost-like pale and her dark circles were as long as if she hadn''t slept for years.
But her face itself was unusually pretty.
Looking again, she thought maybe she wasn''t a ghost after all, but honestly, since Rumi couldn''t sense curse energy, it was hard for her to distinguish between ghosts and people by sight alone.
But she could immediately tell the identity of this school''s cook.
The cook was a zombie.
Rumi saw the large cook''s green arm while getting tomato soup with her tray.
Rumi slightly raised her head to look up at the cook''s face.
But the cook was looking down at Rumi with a very scary face. And peculiarly, she had red talisman-like writing engraved on her forehead.
Rumi immediately lowered her eyes and looked elsewhere.
But everywhere else in the kitchen was just as strange.
The kitchen interior looked like a murder scene with blood splattered everywhere, and it seemed like she could hear children screaming.
Rumi exhaled deeply after getting her food.
"What the, the cafeteria lady is a zombie? Why is everything like this here?"
"Looking at it, students not being allowed in the cafeteria after 7 PM... must be because of that."
Hearing Raoul''s words, Rumi checked the food. There was just mashed potatoes, tomato soup with unidentifiable meat, and a dried-out biscuit.
As expected, since the world had ended, food seemed quite poor whether at school or anywhere else.
"With such small portions, I hope there''s nothing weird in it..."
"..."
Raoul was silent.
As Rumi looked around for a table to sit at, she noticed again that ghost-like girl who was still praying.
Rumi chose a spot near that girl. If something seemed suspicious, she planned to watch.
So Rumi put a spoonful of tomato soup in her mouth.
"Mmm?"
Unlike its appearance, the food was delicious.
Rumi tried the other foods and they were all tasty too.
"Mm this is good."
But nearby, the female student who hadn''t even taken one spoonful was still praying.
"But why is she praying for so long? She''s been like that since before we came."
"Maybe this kind of food is just unfamiliar to her?"
Come to think of it, the girl was wearing an extremely elegant black dress.
"Is she from some noble family too?"
The girl''s brow twitched slightly as if she heard Rumi and Raoul''s voices.
And soon she finished praying and picked up a biscuit.
Then she took a small bite and slowly chewed it.
Seeing her eat food, she definitely wasn''t a ghost after all.
Strangely, Rumi''s eyes kept being drawn to that girl.
It might have been entertaining to watch what looked like a rich princess trying common food for the first time.
"Hey, you guys were here!"
Suddenly a loud voice rang out.
Damn, that voice was unmistakably Medina''s.
Chapter 6 – The Admission Ceremony is Full of Gloom (4)
Somehow she''d managed to get out of the cathedral quite quickly using her cheat sheet.
Medina immediately clung to Rumi''s side and sat down.
"How is it, is the food good?"
"Um, it''s decent enough to eat."
Medina started eating without even praying.
"Wow, it really is! Why is it so good?"
Just then, the ghost-like girl heard that and put her spoon into the tomato soup.
But suddenly a large eyeball popped out of the soup.
"Eek!"
The girl let out a short scream.
"What? did the food just get cursed?"
Medina stood up as if she''d found something interesting and very obviously peered into the girl''s soup.
"Ack, there''s an eyeball floating in there!"
The girl just frowned without responding.
"You prayed before eating, right?"
"She was praying even before we came."
Rumi spoke while looking at the floating eyeball.
"Wow, I thought I was unlucky today, but looks like your life is ruined."
Medina spoke rudely to the silent girl.
"But... why is there an eyeball in the tomato soup, ugh!"
Medina said while shuddering.
The girl stood up with her tray, wearing an expression of extreme suffering.
Just then, an upperclassman girl with white bangs passed by and commented.
"Looks like you''re the one who got it today... As you''d know if you studied the rules, don''t complain to Cook Mabel no matter what.
If you do... you won''t be able to eat tomorrow."
The upperclassman wore a black head cover like a nun would wear.
But what was strange was that everything from her hair to her face was unbelievably white.
Moreover, a subtle fragrance like that from scented candles wafted from her, and while her tone was calm and relaxed, there was somehow a tired energy to it.
Behind that upperclassman stood another person wearing the same nun''s habit, but with her entire body wrapped in bandages like a mummy.
Rumi wondered if that bandage-wrapped upperclassman was the mummy ghost pretending to be a student mentioned in the rules.
"Oh, hi sister."
Just then, Raoul greeted the white-haired upperclassman.
"Oh, Raoul. So you enrolled this time."
The two seemed to know each other.
Meanwhile, the mummy next to the white-haired girl was staring intently at Rumi''s eyes.
Rumi thought ''what''s this?'' and stared back.
The white-haired upperclassman sensed something strange and greeted Rumi.
"Hello, you must be that new girl."
"Huh? How do you know that?"
"That''s... something you don''t need to know. Well then, see you later children..."
The upperclassman left without answering Rumi''s question.
And the mummy upperclassman behind her silently followed the white-haired one.
"Raoul! You know those people?"
"Um... the sister I greeted is actually a distant relative. I lived with her briefly when I was young... She''s nicer than she was just now."
"Hmm... really? But do you know who that mummy was?"
"Ah, that..."
Raoul suddenly came close to Rumi and whispered.
"Rumi, look that up in the rules."
"..."
Hearing Raoul''s answer, Rumi was convinced that mummy student was that mummy student.
Just then, Medina hurriedly flipped through her booklet.
"Ugh it''s true, ''The cafeteria is off-limits after 7 PM. No matter what food is served in the cafeteria, do not complain to Cook Mrs. Mabel.''"
"Did you really come out without memorizing the rules?"
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Rumi looked at Medina in disbelief.
Just then the ghost-like girl started moving with her tray again.
Rumi and Medina watched to see if she was going to the cook, but she just kept her biscuit and threw the tomato soup in the food waste bin.
And with that, the girl left the cafeteria.
Shortly after, bells rang and a voice came over the school broadcast.
''Dong... dong... dong... dong... dong... dong...''
"The sun will set in 10 minutes. All school building doors will be locked in 10 minutes, so all students please quickly come inside the buildings."
"Ugh scary... They really strictly enforce curfew at this school."
Medina said while stuffing mashed potatoes in her mouth.
"By the way, what room numbers were you assigned?"
"I''m in Room 49."
"I''m in the room right next to Rumi''s. Room 50."
Raoul said.
"Nooo! I''m in Room 27."
"Whew, that''s a relief."
Rumi said with a sigh of relief.
"What''s a relief? We''re in different dorms. Don''t you want to be close friends with me? Isn''t that why you saved my life?"
"What are you talking about? I just helped someone who fell on their own, I didn''t save your life."
"What''s that! If that''s the case, you should have left me to die!"
"No... what?"
Rumi was too bewildered by Medina''s twisted logic to respond.
Just then, suddenly an unidentified crashing sound rang through the cafeteria.
''Thudududududu!''
The students eating looked toward the cafeteria windows where the sound came from, and countless ghosts had their faces pressed against the windows.
"Ack, ugh! Are those all ghosts?"
Medina, with her goldfish-like attention span, was already making a fuss looking at the windows.
And the ghosts watched the students eating dinner while licking their lips like predators eyeing prey.
Just then, upperclassmen stood up and very calmly started closing the cafeteria curtains.
But the few new students who had already seen that insane sight were in shock.
"Aah! How can there be hundreds of ghosts at the school? That makes no sense!"
Though Rumi had experienced similar situations several times already including yesterday, other students seemed less accustomed to such situations than expected.
But even so, having so many ghosts at the school was clearly suspiciously nonsensical.
Rumi finished what turned out to be a decent meal and went to organize her luggage in the dorm.
But it looked like someone had already organized their belongings on the left bottom bunk.
Everything was arranged in a neat and perfect state.
Just then, someone came in dragging luggage into Rumi''s dorm room.
Rumi checked to see who her roommate was... it was Niel.
"Oh! Rumi... it''s been a while..."
"Oh... you''re in Room 49 too?"
"Yeah, looks like we''re sharing a dorm room..."
"Hmm... really? Then that might be good..."
"Yeah... have you been well?"
"Yeah, you?"
"Me too..."
Just then the Black boy from the bus appeared behind Niel.
"Is that your new friend behind you?"
"Oh, this is Malcolm. Malcolm''s in the room next door."
"Room 50?"
"Yeah."
Rumi realized Malcolm would be sharing a room with Raoul.
"Hi..."
Rumi gave Malcolm a casual greeting. But Malcolm disappeared behind them without responding.
"What the...!"
"Ahaha... Malcolm''s just a bit shy. But he has a really gentle personality so you''ll probably become friends eventually..."
"... ..."
The two stood awkwardly with luggage between them.
"But... have you seen who else our roommate is?"
"Oh... I just came from the cathedral."
"Really?"
It seemed Niel had just finished memorizing the rules and come out.
"Then you haven''t eaten yet either."
"No I haven¡¯t..."
Niel came into the room and quietly put her luggage next to the ground floor bed.
Then she left the dorm room again.
"Well... I''ll go eat."
"Yeah, the cafeteria''s at the end of this corridor."
Rumi pointed east.
"Oh, thanks... Malcolm, let''s go."
After Niel left like that, Rumi thought for a moment about the dorm life she would be sharing with Niel.
Niel was fine but had several problems due to being under a terrible curse.
No, she had very serious problems.
Thinking about it made Rumi''s head start to hurt slightly.
10 PM. The bell rang and the nightly holy water bath time that would apparently happen every day approached.
While their roommate still hadn''t come to the dorm room, Rumi and Niel went together to the holy water bath in the school basement.
And after bathing and finishing evening mass, Rumi and Niel returned to their dorm room.
When they returned to the dorm, someone was already settled in.
With neat and glossy long black hair, already changed into pretty pajamas, the girl was recognizable even from behind.
It was that ghost-like girl who had received the eyeball soup at dinner.
Rumi instantly had a feeling that dorm life wouldn''t be too comfortable.
"So you''re our roommate?"
"Eep!"
The girl who had been absently organizing her bedding turned around in surprise.
The girl slightly raised her eyes as she recognized Rumi.
"It''s you..."
"Oh, so you do talk."
"Um... hello. I''m Niel. Looks like you''re our roommate."
Niel shyly greeted from beside Rumi.
The girl relaxed her eyes seeing Niel''s kind expression.
Indeed, Niel appeared to be a really kind and gentle girl on the outside.
"I''m Eve."
"I''m Rumi."
"Yeah..."
Eve''s response to Rumi was very brief.
Just then Professor Myers'' voice echoed in the corridor.
"Don''t forget to drink your silver holy water before bed. Read the rules before sleeping. And pray before going to bed."
Rumi caught a glimpse of Professor Myers checking the dorm rooms while walking the corridor.
She closed the dorm room door and looked back at Eve.
"Looks like no one else is coming, so it seems just the three of us will share this room."
"Oh, seems that way."
Niel responded.
"Eve, you''ve already chosen your bed?"
Rumi asked, looking at Eve who had already finished preparing for bed on the left bottom bunk.
"Yeah, if you''re okay with it I''ll take this one. You weren''t wanting this bed, were you...?"
Eve asked with an unnecessarily anxious expression.
"I''ll definitely take the top bunk, which bed are you going to choose, Niel?"
"I should probably take the right bottom bunk..."
Hearing Niel''s answer, Rumi remembered she would need to restrain Niel before bed.
"Ah, right..."
Rumi thought for a moment and decided their roommate Eve should know about Niel''s special curse.
"Then before bed, let''s each talk about our curses and situations to be careful about."
Rumi gave Niel a look to speak first.
"Well... um, I have somewhat of a dual personality due to the red ignition curse."
Rumi knew very well about Niel''s dual symptoms.
And calling it "somewhat dual" was far too understated. It would even be insufficient to call it a Jekyll and Hyde or Hulk level split personality disorder.
Rumi could definitively say there probably wasn''t anyone in the whole school with a more serious curse than Niel.
"Aren''t you going to say how severe it is?"
Rumi finally spoke up.
"Well, even if it might seem severe, those incidents hardly ever happen normally."
Rumi frowned at Niel not telling the whole story.
Eve sensed the awkward atmosphere between Niel and Rumi as she watched them.
Rumi was about to say the severity could get both Eve and Rumi killed, but seeing Niel''s pleading look not to tell, she just closed her mouth.
"Your turn now."
Rumi passed the question to Eve.
"I''m... gr... ahem. I do have green terror, but it''s not that severe.
I sometimes have nightmares so I might be a bit noisy with sleep talking, but it''s definitely not a curse that harms others, so feel free to wake me if I''m too loud."
Eve shared about her curse.
"That''s milder than I expected. Are you sure that''s all?"
"Of course, why would I hide anything?"
"No, just when I saw you in the cafeteria today you seemed pretty unlucky."
"That was... just then. It''s not usually that bad!"
Eve reacted quite sensitively.
"Okay. I just wanted to make sure your curse wouldn''t have any negative interactions with Niel''s curse here, which could be insanely serious."
Rumi said while grabbing Niel''s shoulder.
Niel smiled awkwardly while watching Rumi''s reaction.
"Then what''s your curse?"
"I''m curse imm... no, I don''t have any curses."
Chapter 7 - Cursed to the Core
"None? What do you mean?"
"Just what I said, I''ve never been cursed by a witch. So I don''t sleep talk, have nightmares, or sleepwalk. I don''t even dream at all, just no problems whatsoever."
"That''s impossible... such people don''t exist. Everyone has at least one curse."
Eve stated definitively.
"Well, what can I do if I don''t have curses? I''m not lying so you can relax. Alright then, since we''re done, I''m going to bed. I''m dead tired."
"You... you make me tell everything but keep your own secrets?"
Eve questioned Rumi incredulously. But Rumi ignored Eve and climbed up to the top bunk.
But Eve stopped Rumi.
"Wait! You haven''t drunk your holy water either, drink it before sleeping."
"...What? You were watching to see if I drank holy water?"
"I wasn''t watching, it was just obvious. Just drink your holy water before bed."
Rumi was slightly irritated by Eve''s tone.
"No... I already told you. I''m the type that doesn''t get cursed easily so I''m fine without drinking holy water."
"Don''t say nonsense. Pray together and drink holy water before bed."
"Hmm... no thanks. You and Niel can pray together."
"No, that''s not acceptable. Drinking holy water is a rule.
And this isn''t just about you. If you sleep without drinking holy water, your curses could spread to me. Niel, you agree right?"
Niel started looking uncomfortable hearing Rumi and Eve''s suddenly heated argument.
"Um... yeah."
"That''s because you don''t know me well. I''m extremely strong against curses. Niel, you understand right?"
Rumi subtly pressured Niel, who already knew Rumi was completely immune to curses, to agree.
"Um... you''re right, Rumi."
Niel answered weakly while watching Rumi''s reaction.
"Both of you stop talking nonsense and quickly come down to pray and drink holy water before bed. Are you planning to break rules on the first day?"
"Ah, I said no! Just pray with Niel!"
Rumi was getting increasingly irritated with Eve interfering in her personal matters.
"...If you break the rules, I''ll have no choice but to report you to the teachers!"
Just then Eve shouted as if truly angry.
"Sigh... then I have no choice. Forget the prayer, I''ll just drink the holy water and sleep. Okay?"
Rumi finally gave in to Eve''s interference and came down again after trying to lie down on the top bunk.
"..."
Eve, still looking full of discontent, glared at Rumi coming down from the top bunk.
Rumi came down and held out her empty hand.
Eve handed Rumi a bottle of silver holy water.
"Here, I''m drinking it. Watch carefully."
Rumi emptied the entire bottle of holy water into her mouth.
Eve sighed in relief while clutching her chest at the sight.
But Rumi''s expression suddenly turned bad while holding the holy water in her mouth.
"Mmmphhh!"
Rumi suddenly ran to the sink attached to the desk and spat out all the holy water.
"Ugh!"
Eve''s face turned completely red seeing that.
"You... what... what are you doing!"
Eve shouted with a face of disbelief.
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"Aah sorry, the holy water tasted weird. Ugh."
Rumi spoke deliberately scratching at Eve''s nerves.
"Isn''t it fine since a little bit went in my mouth?"
"Do... do you think that makes sense?"
"Aren''t you the one being too nosy? I told you I''m strongly resistant to curses, I don''t even drink water before bed normally."
Eve bit her lip hard looking at Rumi.
"Um Eve, let''s stop now and just pray by ourselves..."
Niel clung to Eve and led her to the bed.
Eve seemed to swallow her indignation as she lowered her head.
"Alright, Niel... let''s at least pray together."
Eve knelt and started praying.
Rumi sprawled on the top bunk, savoring her victory.
But then a very irritating prayer started reaching her ears.
"Please give the willpower of life to our new roommate so she comes to her senses and follows the rules..."
The damn prayer content was endless indirect criticism of Rumi.
Though annoyed, Rumi deliberately closed her eyes and ignored the prayer.
After finishing prayer, Niel drank all her holy water and called to Rumi lying in bed.
"Rumi, sorry, but could you tie me up?"
Rumi immediately sat up as if suddenly remembering something.
"Ah, right."
Niel always needed to be restrained because she risked turning into Hyde while sleeping.
Rumi used the leather straps Niel had brought to firmly secure her to the bed.
Meanwhile, Eve lay in bed watching this with uncomfortable eyes.
"It''s for safety so don''t worry about it."
Rumi commented.
Eve sharply turned to face the wall.
Rumi finished restraining Niel and got back in bed.
And when all the dorm lights went off, Rumi fell asleep instantly.
Rumi woke up thirsty in the early morning.
"Nnnngh... ugh...!"
But as soon as she woke, she heard groaning sounds from somewhere.
Looking to see who was making such noisy groans, they were coming from Eve who had said she wouldn''t disturb others at night.
Eve was twisting her whole body while covered in cold sweat.
Anyone could see she was having an intense nightmare.
"How can she say she doesn''t disturb others when she''s this noisy...?"
Meanwhile, Niel right below seemed to be sleeping well.
Rumi drank a glass of water at the ground floor desk.
Looking at the clock, it was approaching 2 AM.
Then she remembered that rule she had memorized yesterday about not being awake between 2 and 4 AM.
Rumi thought nothing much would happen and lay down to sleep again when she seemed to hear a strange sound.
It was different from Eve''s groaning, like a sound with melody.
Listening carefully to figure out what it was, it was definitely like someone humming a melody.
"..."
Who would be singing at this hour... was it a ghost singing?
Rumi vaguely remembered if there was anything about such singing in the rules.
Rumi went up to the loft and pulled back the curtain.
As expected, dozens of ghosts had their faces pressed against the window peering in.
"Ugh!"
Rumi was about to close the curtains right away after seeing the ghosts'' faces crowding the window when she spotted Professor Myers seemingly chasing away some ghost outside at this hour.
"..."
It looked like the teachers here worked hard even in the middle of the night.
Anyway, since the sound didn''t seem to be coming from outside, Rumi closed the curtains.
And since no one was singing in the room either, it must be coming from next door or the corridor.
Rumi went down the loft stairs and checked the corridor through the small window in the dorm room door.
The sound definitely seemed to be coming from the corridor.
"Huh...?"
But wasn''t that someone wandering at the end of the corridor!
Rumi rubbed her eyes to properly confirm if what she was seeing was really a person.
It was some girl.
Though she couldn''t be sure who it was, strangely it felt like Medina with her hair down.
Whether sleepwalking or whatever, wasn''t wandering the corridor at this hour more life-threatening than not drinking holy water?
There was definitely someone more out of their mind than herself.
Rumi was about to open the door and go out to the corridor to check.
"Don''t!"
But suddenly a voice came from behind.
Rumi turned around in surprise.
Eve was shouting while lying in bed.
"Please, stop it! Please!"
As Rumi watched Eve in shock, Eve seemed to be sleep talking.
"Ah, what the..."
When Rumi checked the corridor through the window again, that girl from earlier had completely disappeared.
"That''s strange..."
Rumi stood in place for a moment and pinched her cheek to check if she wasn''t fully awake.
"Ouch!"
She was definitely conscious. This wasn''t a hallucination.
She wondered if she should go out to the corridor to check... but Eve''s groaning was somewhat concerning.
"..."
Rumi finally gave up on finding the source of the singing and climbed back up to lie in bed.
And the melody kept coming endlessly.
Rumi listened to the song until she almost memorized it before falling asleep again.
The next day, after finishing morning mass, Principal Pierre''s special class was prepared as the first lesson.
The first-year students dreaded their first class before it even began.
Getting fed up with just the principal''s morning mass was one thing, but having Principal Pierre for their first class was a curse in itself.
"I got scolded for skipping morning mass because I didn''t want to hear the principal''s sermon, but now the first class is with the principal..."
Medina''s voice came from behind.
Medina was again moving with a bag as big as her body.
"So that''s why you weren''t seen this morning?"
Rumi started openly observing Medina who had just appeared.
"Rumi, looks like you checked whether I came or not. As expected of my lifesaver, observing me well..."
"What are you talking about?"
"But actually I skipped because I felt sick, maybe from having a nightmare."
"Do you have sleepwalking by any chance?"
"What... what?"
"Hmm... seems you do."
Rumi thought to herself that girl from last night must have been Medina.
But she needed to check a few more things to be completely sure.
"Medina, take off your glasses for a moment. And while you''re at it, let down that messy tied hair too."
"What''s with you suddenly? Why are you saying I have sleepwalking? You said you were happy we''re in different rooms but now what''s this, move aside!"
Medina showed unnecessarily excessive discomfort as she pushed past Rumi''s shoulder and entered the principal''s office.
"Rumi, did something happen with her?"
Just then Niel came over and asked.
"No... I''ll tell you later."
"Boo boo boo boop!"
Just then the statue in front of the principal''s office suddenly shouted and startled them.
"Now what is this!"
"Tee hee hee hee! They have come. Is that day coming, is that day coming? Tee hee hee!"
"Aish you startled me, be quiet!"
Rumi was annoyed at why they had put a possessed statue in front of the principal''s office door.
"No! I''m going to laugh! Tee hee hee!"
Rumi and Niel avoided the damn statue and entered the principal''s office.
But the interior that was revealed was very different from what they had expected.
Chapter 8 - Cursed to the Core (2)
But the interior that was revealed was very different from what they had expected of a principal''s office.
Inside was an enormous circular lecture hall, like a large university auditorium.
Looking at the map, since it was built above the school stadium, its scale was unbelievably large.
Moreover, with the numerous sacred relics displayed around the lecture hall''s descending steps, this place seemed quite sacred in its own way.
The children all started examining the sacred relics that clearly looked precious.
As Rumi looked around at the sacred relics, there were masks, books, Y-shaped holy objects, and premium holy water bottles sealed behind glass walls.
But there she saw a radio on display that looked exactly like Bertin''s radio.
"..."
Seeing that reminded her of Bertin''s belongings that were confiscated in bulk when Rumi and Niel first entered the town.
They had taken even Bertin''s glasses back then...
Rumi wondered if those items might be displayed here and started frantically searching around the principal''s office.
But besides the radio, none of Bertin''s belongings seemed to be visible.
"Did you sleep well?"
Just then Raoul smoothly appeared beside Rumi who was rushing around.
Raoul''s hair was somewhat disheveled.
"Yeah... slept well. Raoul, why did you skip morning mass?"
"Ah... overslept."
"Really?"
Rumi didn''t think Raoul seemed like the type to oversleep, but looking at his current appearance, maybe he was.
Just then the principal appeared wearing white priest''s robes.
"...!"
The office instantly fell silent.
And the students found their seats with careful awareness.
"Mass ran a bit late so class is delayed.
But since both the mass and first class are my class anyway, that''s not so bad, right?"
The first words of the first class were ominous.
"This class is a special lecture I''ve specially prepared to convey basic knowledge about the Angsolarge Scripture.
Though you''ve all grown up with the scripture, I judged there was a need to lecture on the basic doctrines of Angsolarge for the first time this year, because surprisingly, especially last year''s students were all idiots."
"Before we begin, would someone here like to explain what the Angsolarge doctrine is?"
The office froze at the sudden question.
And at that moment, every student in the office instinctively knew they would experience a class close to death if they didn''t answer or gave wrong answers.
In that situation, Rumi tried to think up an answer, but she knew nothing about the Angsolarge church''s doctrine.
At best, she only had fragments of information that couldn''t be explained in one sentence.
"Are you saying no one here knows about the core doctrine of the Angsolarge Church?"
Silence fell and the children started looking at each other nervously.
"My! Perhaps this year''s students might be even bigger fools than last year''s.
At least last year''s students tried to answer... Ah, how unfortunate, in this case I''ll have to double the lecture period..."
''Someone please answer!''
Rumi screamed internally.
Raoul or even Eve would be fine, please someone!!
Just then a student raised their hand.
The person who raised their hand was none other than Medina sitting in front of Rumi.
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"..."
All the children in the office tensed.
"The core doctrine of the Angsolarge Church is to deny death and affirm life, freedom, and joy in commemoration of the God of Life Angelica''s teachings and sacrifice."
Medina answered very clearly and precisely.
Even to Rumi who knew nothing, it sounded like a perfect answer.
"W...wow!"
Some students clapped in admiration.
"... ..."
Principal Pierre showed a surprisingly taken aback expression. This was the first time seeing such a look.
"That''s... correct... Fortunately, it seems we got some proper students this year."
The principal reluctantly acknowledged while lifting his head.
Rumi thought she could see a cunning victory smile on the back of Medina''s head.
Perhaps because she had been marked by the principal more than anyone, she made a final struggle and it was successful.
It was truly a win for humanity
But at that moment Rumi witnessed a strange scene.
In Medina''s hand was a paper densely covered in writing,
And between her legs was an open bag with a doll visible inside.
"...?"
"Ahem... still, since I''m giving the lecture, I should explain in more detail.
First, the scripture is divided into Parts 1 and 2. Part 1 deals with a story from very long ago, while Part 2 covers events from about 2000 years ago.
The Part 1 doctrine is this: ''Life is more important than anything, and that importance comes from joy.''
The Part 2 doctrine is: ''The temptation of death is too sweet, and that sweetness comes from nothingness.''"
"I will conduct this special lecture over one month, with two weeks each for Parts 1 and 2.
So today''s class will look at the outline of Part 1''s content, and from tomorrow we''ll examine the detailed flow of the story while reading the scripture directly."
When the principal pressed some button, blackout curtains descended over the bright office windows and the room instantly darkened.
And a screen came down projecting illustrations drawn on cellophane.
Soon images worthy of a fairy tale appeared on the screen, with the first picture showing a faint face against a dark background.
"In the beginning, there was the God of Death.
In the world ruled by the God of Death, everyone was subjugated to death without freedom. But because of that, everyone was happy.
One day, the God of Life appeared and created life.
The God of Life created all living things and humans. And taught humans songs and dances.
Humans danced joyfully to the god''s songs.
Among the dancing humans, the God of Life had six special disciples and gave each of them a name.
White, Black, Red, Blue, Green, Purple.
The God of Life taught humans new joys through the six disciples, and everyone seemed happy.
But this world where humans lived was still ruled by the God of Death, and being alive could not be tolerated.
So when dark night came, humans had to pretend to be dead.
At first, humans were grateful to the God of Life and enjoyed being alive even while pretending to be dead,
But over time, they began to feel the pain of living pretending to be dead.
No, they began to feel pain from being alive at all.
Humans would drown, fight each other, feel pain from illness, and sometimes be lonely by themselves.
They began feeling pain they wouldn''t have felt if they were dead.
Moreover, humans tired of pretending to be dead every night began yearning to end their endless life instead.
And the living humans wanted the six disciples to represent them in expressing their complaints.
Why give us life in a world ruled by the God of Death, they said, let us return to death.
Five disciples earnestly pleaded with the God of Life. They could no longer feel joy in being alive, they could no longer feel freedom in living.
To this, the God of Life answered with song and dance.
And humans who could not understand such a God of Life and began resenting the god who had breathed life into them.
More time passed, and humans began to hate the God of Life.
Then one day, five of the God of Life''s disciples found a way to kill the God of Life and themselves.
It was to keep dancing thorugh the night until the God of Death awakened.
On one fateful day, the five disciples continued their dance that started in daytime into the night, revealing the existence of life to the God of Death.
The God of Death was enraged at the existence of life and questioned the humans.
Then five of the six disciples placed all blame on the God of Life.
They betrayed the god who had freed them from death and taught them the songs and dances of life.
Thus the God of Life was betrayed by the humans they had created and received the curse of eternal life.
Yet because the God of Life loved the life she had created, she accepted all blame and willingly took the curse alone.
And so the God of Life sacrificed herself to return death to humans while receiving endless terrible suffering, unable to die eternally.
But the God of Death''s judgment did not end there.
The God of Death punished the betraying humans too, making them receive curses during their briefly living time, experience imperfect life, and ultimately return to death.
And all six of the god''s disciples received extreme curses, being reborn as witches and warlocks.
In the end, we are all humans who betrayed god, and because of this the God of Life still suffers alone in the land of death.
Therefore we must always be grateful to the God of Life and live our given lives joyfully."
"..."
Rumi learned for the first time that such a story existed at the beginning of the scripture.
Rumi now somewhat understood why the God of Life Angelica was the god of the Angsolarge Church.
A god who created life was betrayed by their own creations and suffers eternally.
In the end, a god who saved humans...
Rumi thought something seemed strange for a moment.
It was because humans in this world seemed to suffer quite badly from heavy curses too.
They seemed to be under even worse curses than what the God of Life received...
"Now we must examine what joy meant according to the God of Life. In fact, the joy spoken of by the God of Life can be seen as very different from the word joy."
The principal continued the class by explaining in detail what he had just talked about.
After the first class ended, all the children looked dazed as if drained.
Not only was the class long, but there was a lot of homework too, painting a picture of hard times ahead.
But personally, Rumi found the class interesting.
It was because the principal explained about history rather than stating his opinions, so it felt like listening to an old fable.
As Rumi was sprawled out waiting for the next class, the principal suddenly approached her direction.
"...?"
Actually, the principal hadn''t come for Rumi but for Medina sitting in front of her.
"Miss Medina? Good answer today. I''m pleased we got a smart student after so long. Would you like to have tea together? I have something to show you."
"Ah... yes..."
Medina nodded while forcing a smile.
She seemed unsure whether to be happy or disgusted.
Medina entered the principal''s private office inside the main office.
Chapter 9 - Cursed to the Core (3)
A week had passed since Rumi enrolled at Saint angelicus'' School of Exorcism.
Every night, Rumi went to bed without drinking holy water and deliberately stayed awake during times she shouldn''t be awake.
But in that week, she hadn''t seen that girl again from the first night.
So she couldn''t confirm if that girl was Medina and could only hear the singing coming from the corridor.
That day, Rumi was reading a book in the library after lunch.
Usually after morning classes, first-year students had to gather in the second-floor library for self-study time.
Honestly, it seemed designed to keep new students from causing trouble by wandering around during free time.
Though drowsiness hit right after lunch, the library''s unique atmosphere meant probably no one could fall asleep there.
Because outwardly, this library appeared to be the most cursed place in the school.
Despite sunlight streaming in as brightly as possible, the faded walls and bookshelves, along with the smell of old books, made it seem like ghosts could be hiding anywhere.
But strangely, no ghosts were visible. Perhaps that made it feel even stranger?
Even Rumi, who couldn''t sense curse energy, could feel something like the chill of an abandoned building permeating the library.
Unable to sleep and unwilling to do homework in such a library, Rumi started checking the rulebook about the library section just in case.
''The library is the place where curses occur most frequently in the school.
At the same time, the library is also the most thoroughly purified place in the school.
Just as scripture words exert powerful force, words from books entering directly into the brain can easily and powerfully lay curses...''
Rumi skipped the boring parts and moved to the section with rules and examples.
''Dori''s nose started bleeding while reading a book.
Dori immediately closed the book and reported to the exorcism teacher.
That book was cursed. The exorcism teacher removed the book to prevent the curse.
Though Dori was clearly reading a scripture-related book, she noticed the text was inverted and strange words were bursting from her mouth.
If you discover inverted text while reading, immediately close the book and report to the exorcism teacher.
That book is possessed by a ghost. If you keep reading, the ghost in the book will possess your body.''
While Rumi was rather enjoying reading the book with its unpleasant illustrations depicting various cases that could happen in the library,
She heard nearby students starting to murmur.
Wondering what it was, Rumi lifted her head to look beside her.
Medina had stopped reading and blood was trickling from her nose.
"Huh? Her nose is bleeding."
Nearby students shouted seeing this.
"Hey, your nose is bleeding!"
Just then Rumi remembered the library rules that she had just been reading.
And checked the black book in Medina''s hands.
"Hey, Medina! Close the book you''re reading! It''s cursed. It says so right here in the rules!"
Rumi said while waving the rulebook.
"Someone quickly call Professor Myers!"
Raoul, who saw this beside Rumi, urgently called out.
"Aaaah, Professor Myers!!"
Dave ran out of the library to call the teacher.
Raoul quickly searched his bag and pulled out holy water.
When Rumi checked the book Medina was tightly gripping again, she saw all the text was inverted.
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Moreover, Medina was reciting something like strange incantations.
Inverted text meant the book was possessed by a ghost.
Coincidentally, it seemed all the worst cases described in the rules were overlapping.
"That book seems possessed by a ghost too! All the text is completely inverted!"
Just then Medina''s body started trembling and her eyes began rolling back.
"Oh no! She''s getting possessed. The curse is spreading! We need to get that book away from her!"
Rumi immediately ran to try to remove the book.
"Don''t touch that!"
Just then Eve''s voice came from somewhere.
"No, I''m curse..."
Rumi hesitated for a moment.
She remembered again how Raoul had told her not to reveal being curse-immune.
"Uuuuuugh!"
Medina started having convulsions while foaming at the mouth.
Raoul saw this and started spraying emergency holy water on Medina''s body.
''Hiss hiss'' white smoke rose from Medina''s body. But still, Medina wouldn''t let go of the book in her hand.
Finally, Rumi realized she had no choice but to step in herself with her curse immunity before it was too late.
So Rumi approached the convulsing Medina without hesitation.
"What are you doing! I said don''t touch it!"
Eve shouted again.
Rumi didn''t understand why Eve, who was so sensitive to curses, wasn''t running away and stayed close by.
"No... she''ll die at this rate."
"Wait Rumi! At least let me spray this on your hands first..."
Just then Raoul came over and sprayed holy water on Rumi''s hands.
Raoul seemed to have realized too that only Rumi could touch the book right now.
While spraying holy water, Raoul''s other hand was tightly gripping his flask that seemed to be trembling somehow.
Rumi slowly approached the convulsing Medina. But honestly speaking, since this was her first time seeing an object under such a powerful curse, she was slightly afraid the curse might transfer to her.
But Medina foaming and convulsing looked like she would die soon, so Rumi finally grabbed the book in Medina''s hand.
"..."
Rumi felt nothing in her hands. As expected, she was truly curse-immune...
"Aah!"
But at that moment Rumi felt extreme pain in her hands and immediately pulled the book from Medina''s hands and threw it away.
"What? Are you okay?"
Eve came over and looked at Rumi''s hands as she asked.
"Rumi, are you hurt?"
Raoul also came over and asked.
"I''m... fine. What do we do about her now!"
Rumi said while pointing at the still convulsing Medina.
Just then Raoul had found a stick somewhere and used it to push Medina''s face sideways to lay her on her side.
Meanwhile, Eve kept staring at Rumi like she was crazy.
"Are you really okay?"
"Yeah, I told you... I''m strongly resistant to curses."
Honestly, Rumi wasn''t sure if she was okay or not.
The pain she felt when grabbing the book had been substantial.
But now she felt fine again...
Rumi was confused by this first-ever curse-like sensation. She was definitely supposed to be curse-immune...
Rumi immediately shifted her gaze to the book she had thrown away.
What kind of book was that?
The book looked very old with faded colors, and the most noticeable thing was a certain symbol drawn on its cover.
It had an upward-pointing arrow-like symbol engraved on it.
Strangely, looking at that symbol made Rumi feel nauseous.
It felt like she had seen something she shouldn''t have.
Just then Professor Myers burst into the library with students.
"Where is it?!"
Professor Myers saw Medina still lying there foaming at the mouth and ran over to immediately start emergency exorcism.
''Hissssss''
He sprayed a fire extinguisher filled with holy water all over Medina''s body.
The upperclassmen who had followed Professor Myers started evacuating the first-year students from the library.
"Children, everyone out of the library! The curse might spread if you stay nearby!"
Among them was the white-haired upperclassman they had seen in the school cafeteria.
As Rumi left the library with the other children, she pondered what exactly had happened.
She had been happy these past few days because Medina had become less talkative near her, but if she got cursed like this, she would be more happy...
No, everything was suspicious - from the reason why she talked less, to that female student seen in the corridor a week ago, to Medina''s cheat sheet and the doll in that huge bag, and now this curse.
As Rumi left the library, she looked around to see if Medina had brought that human-sized bag, but strangely the bag wasn''t visible.
As Rumi remembered, Medina always carried that bag around.
The afternoon class was basic exorcism with Professor Myers, who had performed emergency exorcism on Medina.
But even before class started, all the students'' attention was focused on Medina.
When Professor Myers entered the classroom, the children showered him with questions.
"Professor Myers, is Medina okay?"
"Did we already get our first school death?"
"Who was the fastest first-year to become a ghost so far?"
"I saw a ghost senior who became a doll, will Medina also become the doll ghosts and join the class?"
"Hey, kids, don''t be too extreme. We still need to observe the situation more...
What''s clear is that your friend is in critical condition from an unusually powerful curse rarely seen at school.
We also need to find out where that cursed book came from.
Just don''t misunderstand. Today''s incident doesn''t happen often.
So no more questions, let''s start class."
"..."
The children looked disappointed, though it wasn''t clear what they had expected to hear.
Looking somewhat tired, Professor Myers pulled two round chairs to the front of the classroom and placed them side by side.
Then he went to the shelf at the back of the classroom, opened the glass door, and took out an old stuffed doll.
He then placed the doll on one of the chairs he had set up.
The students watched, wondering what Professor Myers was doing.
"Professor, what are you doing? Aren''t we studying exorcism theory again today?"
Just then one student asked.
Professor Myers held the chair and took a deep breath as if considering.
"Today I''ll specially teach emergency exorcism rituals. After what happened today, I felt you should learn this quickly."
"Professor, does this mean we''re done with curse prevention theory classes?"
"No, we''ll just learn simple emergency exorcism rituals today then return to theory classes. And since we won''t do theory classes for long anyway, please stop showing how much you dislike them."
"..."
Professor Myers placed a wrinkled, dried-up apple on the chair next to the doll.
"This doll on the chair is a cursed doll.
And this apple on the chair beside it is a purified apple but it¡¯s about to go bad.
From now on, think of this doll as a cursed classmate, a friend, and think of this apple as a vessel to receive your friend''s curse."
The children focused, wondering if they would finally see real exorcism rituals instead of theory.
Chapter 10 - Exorcism Class Isn’t So Sophisticated
"The purpose of exorcism on humans is to drive out the ghost possessing a person and seal it somewhere else so it can''t possess another person.
When you performed exorcisms at home, you probably thought you just needed to drive out ghosts, but the most important part of exorcism rituals is sealing the expelled ghost.
If you just drive out a ghost, it will immediately find another host or wander around until it possesses its another host again.
That way, instead of eliminating the evil spirit, you''re just passing it on to someone else.
So remember, when performing an exorcism, you absolutely need an object or living thing to act as a vessel."
Professor Myers brought a bottle of black water and sprayed it on the apple.
"This water I''m spraying is just rotten dusty water. It''s not cursed black water.
You''ll learn how to make rotten water later in Professor Francesca''s Spiritualism class, so for now we''ll continue with the lesson as is."
Professor Myers brought a glass pitcher and sprayed the liquid inside in a circle around the two chairs.
"This is holy salt water, creating a minimum barrier so the ghost and curse attached to the doll can''t go beyond the salt water boundary.
When we recite scripture in this state, it''s to guide the ghost so it can''t escape the circle and will attach to the delicious apple sprayed with rotten water."
After finishing speaking, Professor Myers stood behind the doll holding a Y-shaped cross in one hand and holy water in the other.
The students blankly watched Professor Myers.
"Now I''ll perform an actual exorcism ritual.
As I said during theory time, the most important part when performing an exorcism ritual is reciting the appropriate scripture passage for the situation.
However, in most cases, especially for new students like you, there are set usable exorcism passages and memorizing them is basic.
Right now, I''ll perform the exorcism ritual while reciting Scripture Song #1 ''Fear to the Betrayer'' that you''ve already memorized, so watch carefully and follow along."
"..."
"You evil spirits shall remember your sin of betrayal upon seeing my form.
I sing and dance before you, so slaves of death shall hide their form and flee to dark and empty places."
Professor Myers repeated this passage. Then the doll visibly started trembling in real time.
When the professor raised his voice more to heighten the atmosphere then sprayed holy water on the doll, the doll stopped trembling and ''poof!'' something like white steam burst out.
While all the students watched that steam-like thing intently in surprise,
"Woof woof woof woof!"
The white steam transformed into what looked like a puppy then smoothly entered the apple.
"What was that? Isn''t that a puppy?"
"Haha, that''s Winnie."
"What? Winnie?"
"You mean Winnie, our school''s ghost dog?"
"That''s right, since I obviously can''t use real evil spirits in new student classes, I got help from Winnie, our school mascot."
Professor Myers answered.
"Aw..."
Rumi was secretly disappointed. She thought it was below standard to practice with just the school mascot ghost dog, even for first-years.
Hadn''t even the spirit summoning ritual she performed at home been much more sophisticated?
"So when the exorcism process ends like this, we need to handle the aftermath of this apple.
Usually there are various methods like storing it submerged in holy water or holy oil, coating it with holy oil and burning it far away, or burying it, but we won''t go that far today.
But one thing to remember is that it''s impossible to permanently remove or make a soul disappear.
It can be transfered, transformed, corrupted, combined and split, but its essence is absolutely preserved no matter what.
And remember, what you''re learning now is just the basics of basics. If you had rashly performed this kind of exorcism at the library today, dozens of people would have been cursed altogether.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
So when these things happen to you, especially new students, just follow the rules for now.
That means if you can''t find a teacher immediately, even if you have to abandon your friend, just pour holy water on yourself and run away."
"Professor, does that mean what we''re learning today is useless?"
"No, obviously it''s meaningful as a foundation for learning more advanced things.
And if there''s no teacher and you can''t run away, trying an exorcism before dying might be better."
The children fell silent again.
"Winnie, come back."
When Professor Myers called out, Winnie popped out of the rotten apple and jumped cheerfully back into the stuffed doll.
"Now we''ll start practicing.
Line up and each person will perform the exorcism ritual one by one. Everyone line up in front of the chairs."
When practice started, the students suddenly began competing for spots in line.
Now that they knew the ghost was Winnie, everyone seemed to want to try the exorcism ritual first.
Unexpectedly, Eve became the first person to perform the exorcism ritual.
Eve maintained a very devout posture and clearly recited the scripture passage while holding scripture in one hand and a Y-shaped cross in the other.
Soon the doll started trembling and Winnie popped out and went into the apple.
"Well done, Eve. Kids, just do it like this. Don''t try anything strange."
"Yes!"
The students shouted.
But after Eve, no one seemed able to perform as perfect an exorcism ritual.
Some stumbled over words, some didn''t spray holy water.
And some... especially Niel, performed the exorcism ritual so awkwardly that Winnie showed no signs of moving at all.
"Strange... Niel, your exorcism ritual doesn''t seem to have major problems, but I don''t understand why Winnie isn''t responding at all..."
Though Professor Myers said he didn''t understand, Rumi thought she did.
It was probably because Niel''s split personality curse was too severe.
Professor Myers continued the class while pointing out students'' mistakes.
Winnie kept going back and forth between the doll and apple, resetting each time an exorcism ritual was performed.
After Raoul also perfectly performed the exorcism ritual like Eve, it was Rumi''s turn.
But Rumi was thinking something slightly different.
She had scoffed at seeing such a basic exorcism ritual being performed.
This level of exorcism was as easy as pie.
So Rumi had a responsibility to show her more sophisticated exorcism ritual.
Rumi confidently stood before the chairs holding a Y-shaped cross and holy water.
Instead of today''s learned scripture song, Rumi began reciting the scripture song Bertin had taught her.
"Kill, kill, for here are the weak ones. They are my enemies. Gouge out their eyes, tear off their limbs,
kill both mother and child until their bloodline ends.
Let hatred drive them mad until they lose themselves slaughtering their enemies..."
Though Rumi felt nauseous reciting this passage, she could bear it this time.
But as soon as she recited the scripture song once, a cold wave seemed to freeze everyone in the classroom.
"You... what did you just recite?"
Professor Myers stared at Rumi with shaking pupils.
At that moment, a whitish form was seen slipping into the apple.
Everyone''s eyes focused on the apple.
Nothing seemed to be happening to the apple... no, two strange holes started appearing vertically on the apple.
While Rumi, the students, and even Professor Myers stared intently at what was happening to the apple, an eyeball popped out of one hole on the apple.
And it started speaking through another hole on the bottom.
"Oh praise uh the Death God Monalith praise uh."
The apple started singing strange songs in a nauseating voice.
Rumi sensed something had gone seriously wrong.
But the apple''s strange transformation didn''t stop there.
Hands and feet sprouted from the apple, like stems, and started writhing like a cursed insect.
"Aaaaah!!!"
The students were terrified by that disgusting sight and backed away to the rear of the classroom.
"Ugheck, oh God of Death why have you become the God of Life?"
As the apple was babbling and thrashing, about to fall from the chair, Professor Myers hurriedly poured holy oil on it and set it on fire.
"Keeeyaaaack ugheck ugheck ugheeeeck!"
The apple screamed in pain. As smoke-like souls tried to escape from the apple, Professor Myers covered it with a glass lid.
The inside of the glass lid quickly filled with smoke.
"All of you get out of here right now!"
Professor Myers shouted.
"Aaaaah!"
The children ran out of the classroom with shocked eyes.
Rumi also ran out of the classroom in confusion and stood at the door.
The shocked students looked at Rumi with wary eyes.
Even Raoul had a very serious expression.
"What did you do?"
Just then Eve glared at Rumi and asked.
"Um... I just..."
Rumi had nothing to say. She felt like anything she said would only make the situation worse.
"Where did you see that passage?"
Dave also spoke up from the crowd.
"Um..."
Rumi just made a confused expression without speaking.
"Everyone, since Rumi seems shocked too right now, let''s give her some time."
At that timing, Raoul took Rumi aside away from the children.
"Are you okay?"
"Um... I don''t know...? I might be cursed..."
"What?"
"No, I''m joking. Actually I''m fine. I''ve done this several times before but then... Umm..."
Rumi suddenly remembered that unpleasant things happened every time she performed this exorcism ritual.
"Do you perhaps know where that passage is from..."
"Wait, I just remembered something..."
Rumi cut off Raoul''s words and ran to Niel.
After taking Niel to a corner, she whispered:
"Niel, you and I learned this passage from Bertin, do you know what''s wrong with it?"
"Umm... I don''t know..."
''Thud... bang... rattle''
Just then strange sounds came from the classroom, then the door opened and Professor Myers showed himself.
Professor Myers spoke with very tired eyes.
"Kids, class is over for today. So everyone go to the cathedral until next class."
"Professor, Aren''t you going to explain what just happened?"
"No. Before you go, everyone forget the song you heard from Rumi today. Since it seems Rumi didn''t exactly know what it was either, don''t ask her unnecessary questions.
Sigh, Now Rumi you stay behind, let''s talk for a moment."
"Yes..."
Rumi thought what was coming had come and gave Raoul and Niel a look to go ahead.
Just then she witnessed the slightly ominous sight of Eve clinging to Niel to ask questions.
Rumi followed Professor Myers back into the classroom.
Professor Myers quietly walked to the chairs where the incident occurred and Rumi followed the teacher inside.
The burned apple was already gone.
"Where exactly did you learn that song?"
Professor Myers turned around and sharply questioned.
"Um... I picked it up somewhere."
Rumi had no intention of telling who taught her.
"Hmm... I heard both you and Niel came from the outside. You probably learned it from someone while coming here, but you need to forget everything you learned there."
"What? Why? What was wrong with it?"
"Sigh... what you sang wasn''t a passage from scripture."
"What?"
"It''s a passage from books that summon evil spirits. Black magic used by witch cults!"
Chapter 11 - Shocking News!
"What...? Black magic used by witch cults?"
"Is this your first time hearing about witch cults?"
"Yes... but just hearing the name gives me a rough idea..."
"Right... witch cults are... just think of them as secret groups that worship witches."
"I see... but why would anyone worship witches? Are they crazy?"
"Heh, that''s right. They''re insane. Well, there''s no need for a student like you to know more details, just think of them as people who use that kind of evil black magic you used."
Rumi found Professor Myers'' words hard to believe.
If that was true, what she had been doing as spirit summoning rituals were actually a type of black magic for summoning evil spirits.
And what made even less sense was that what Bertin taught couldn''t possibly be black magic used by witch cults. Because that would mean Bertin...
But thinking back, that senile old ghost that was summoned was definitely an evil spirit.
Plus, that nausea she felt every time she performed Bertin''s rituals...
Rumi was confused.
"Rumi... let me ask you one thing. You haven''t... said anything strange or anything you shouldn''t have to Medina, right?"
"Medina...? Why...?"
This question was clearly Professor Myers suspecting Rumi as the culprit in Medina''s incident.
But Rumi wasn''t the culprit.
"No, Nothing like that at all."
Rumi showed her displeasure.
"...Then that''s good."
"But, I saw that book. The black one with that arrow symbol on it... what kind of book was that?"
"Do you really not know what that book is?"
"Of course not. What kind of book was it?"
"That¡¯s... we''re actually still investigating it so I can''t tell you."
"Professor, was the scripture song I recited written in that..."
"That''s enough talk, you go to the cathedral too now."
Had she asked something sensitive? Professor Myers cut off Rumi''s question and stood up.
And Rumi decided not to ask any more questions.
Rather, asking more questions might make her seem more like the culprit.
Rumi left the classroom with a very unsettled feeling.
No matter how she thought about it, it was hard to imagine those scripture songs being related to black magic.
There was no way Bertin would have taught her such things.
Bertin was truly the most decent person Rumi had ever met.
Even trying to uncover the school''s secrets now was following Bertin''s last wishes...
Rumi reaffirmed her belief that the problem wasn''t Bertin but this school.
The fact that the school had secrets meant the school wasn''t in its right mind to begin with.
That Bertin... even if what Bertin taught was really black magic, there must have been reasons for her doing so.
That evening when Rumi returned to the dorm after her holy water bath, Eve was sitting at the desk reading a book.
Noticing Rumi entering, she immediately stood up tensely and turned to face her.
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"You''re... not cursed, right?"
"No, and I just finished bathing. so I¡¯m clean."
"Then show me your hands. The hands that touched the black book."
"Here, see how clean they are? I told you I''m resistant to curses."
Eve had nothing to say looking at Rumi''s pale hands.
"But I definitely saw you throw the book away because your hands hurt..."
"You sure watched carefully. For someone so scared who should have run away."
"That''s not all. What happened during exorcism class? Weren''t you cursed then?"
"Haven''t you figured it out yourself? That wasn''t a scripture song but black magic."
"What?"
Eve shouted in surprise.
And Niel beside her covered her mouth hearing those words.
"That was black magic?"
"..."
Rumi slightly regretted mentioning black magic.
"How do you know black magic?"
Eve asked again.
"Ah, I don''t know. I had no idea it was black magic either."
"You... you said you were an outsider, right?"
"What...? I never told you that, yet you know it well."
"I heard about that too..."
Eve glanced at Niel for a moment.
"...?"
"Then... are you really curse-immune?"
"Wait, what''s this about? Who told you that? Niel, don''t tell me you..."
"Well... since we''re roommates now..."
"Hey Niel, seriously!"
"Is it really true...? Even so, are you... in your right mind? To think of touching that book, so dangerously..."
Eve interrogated Rumi again.
"What about you? Why did someone who faints at the sight of anything curse-like stay close by?"
"Curses are meant to be fought. Following rules and all that are ways of fighting too.
But since you''re just so strongly resistant to curses, you probably don''t care whether you fight or not."
"Right, I''m very strongly resistant to curses and you''re a bundle of curses, so you need to find ways to fight hard, right?"
"Watch your words... a bundle of curses? Such words bring curses."
"Oh yes, yes, I understand perfectly. Anyways, I''m especially tired today so I''m going to sleep. And just so you know, I won''t be drinking holy water today either."
"You... really..."
Rumi was truly tired and threw herself onto the bed.
And finally Eve, all talk and no action, started praying alone without further provocation.
She continued praying while glaring at Rumi again today.
Just then Niel came over and quietly asked Rumi.
"Sorry, Rumi. I only told her because she became our roommate. Eve swore not to tell anyone else."
"No... even so. Why did we pretend not to know each other all this time?
We agreed to investigate without revealing we were both outsiders."
"By the way, was what Bertin taught us really black magic?"
"...Seems so. Raoul seems to have noticed something too.
But even so, I don''t think Bertin would have just taught black magic for no reason..."
"Rumi, do you think this has anything to do with cursed Medina? And is all this related to the school''s secrets that Bertin mentioned?"
"That... I''m not sure, but there''s a huge possibility.
Whatever the case, what''s certain is that there''s a serious problem with this school. And there''s something else to check tonight too."
"Okay... is there something I can do?"
"Hmm... not yet...¡°
That night Rumi woke up at 2:22 AM as if on schedule.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she heard the singing that flowed in from the corridor every night.
Rumi got up and looked at the others, both Eve and Niel were lost in dreamland.
Rumi jumped down from the bed and approached the dorm room door.
It was to check if Medina would appear at this time today too.
Actually, since Medina had been taken to the infirmary today, no one should appear in the corridor, but strangely she had a feeling something would happen today.
And if someone appeared today, it would mean what she saw that night wasn''t Medina.
But today too, no one was in the corridor.
So what she saw was Medina after all?
Yet she started thinking that Medina, who hadn''t appeared for a week, might have just been sleepwalking outside on that day.
Rumi was about to go back to sleep while looking at the chilly corridor, but decided to watch a little longer.
So Rumi pulled a chair to the door, sat down, and watched out the window like standing guard.
Still, she needed to sleep so she had to go back to bed at 4 AM, but it was hard to fight the drowsiness hitting her right now...
A little later, Rumi had fallen asleep with her face pressed against the window.
Then a ''thump'' sound came from outside.
Waking again at the sudden sound, Rumi lifted her head and looked out the window again.
Just then that female student she saw a week ago was approaching from the end of the corridor toward Rumi''s dorm room.
"Oh...!"
Suddenly she had a chance to properly see the girl''s face.
Rumi pressed her face against the window trying to make out the girl''s face even in the dark corridor.
The girl approached. The shape of her face started becoming more visible.
And now she came right up to the dorm room door.
"...!"
This was... Medina''s face.
Though she looked soulless with her hair down and no glasses, it was definitely Medina.
Rumi was practically kissing the window trying to see more clearly.
But at that moment their eyes met.
"...!"
Rumi ducked her head like lightning.
Because Medina''s pupils that showed briefly somehow seemed abnormal.
As Rumi leaned against the door slightly crouched, she heard knocking on the door.
"Eek...!"
Rumi hugged herself.
Even if it was actually Medina, Rumi had absolutely no intention of opening the door.
Especially since the rules specifically said not to open when someone knocks at night.
Still, the fact that Medina was wandering around tonight at least meant she hadn''t died.
Plus, if she could wander around at night, it seemed the curse wasn''t that severe.
But no matter how you looked at it, someone under such a curse wandering the school at night, especially between the absolutely forbidden hours of 2 to 4 AM, was truly insane.
The knocking didn''t come again that night, and Medina seemed to have disappeared from the corridor.
Rumi''s curiosity exploded.
She planned to interrogate Medina when she met her tomorrow and make her spill her schemes.
The next day.
The shocking news came from principal during morning mass.
"I have very sad news this morning. The first-year student Medina, who was taken away after being cursed in the library yesterday, has died."
"...!"
Chapter 12 - Damn Medina
Not just Rumi but all the first-year students were too shocked to say anything.
"What''s even more tragic is that because she received such a severe curse, her soul became corrupted and turned into an evil spirit. It''s truly regrettable that such a thing happened at the start of the semester."
"What? But that''s impossible, last night I clearly saw her..."
Rumi felt something had gone seriously wrong.
While it was shocking that the talkative Medina had died so easily, what was truly strange was that Rumi had seen Medina wandering the corridor until dawn today.
"I must emphasize again. Breaking the rules leads to such unfortunate endings. How sad. Medina was the first smart student I''d met in a long time...
Though I pray her soul finds peaceful rest... that seems unlikely."
Principal Pierre spoke in a neutral tone without even pretending to be sad.
"Is... is this possible?"
Rumi muttered with the most disbelieving face of all.
"That means..."
Raoul also quietly responded, seeming quite confused.
As soon as mass ended, the students rushed to Professor Myers.
No matter how curious they were, the thought of questioning the principal directly was unimaginable.
"Professor, when and how exactly did Medina die?"
Rumi asked first.
"That''s difficult to share with someone who isn''t part of Medina''s family.
Just know that she died last night when the curse spread."
"Last night? when exactly?"
"You... why are you curious about exactly when she died?"
"Professor, is it true Medina became an evil spirit?"
"How did she get cursed?"
Other students started asking questions too.
"Professor, what about that black book? Where did that cursed book come from? Was Medina carrying that book?"
And Raoul joined in with questions.
"The book has been identified as a Grade 2 Dark relic.
We''re still investigating where she got the book, but circumstances suggest it was one of the books Medina herself was carrying."
"What do you mean... So Medina lost her life getting cursed by a book she brought herself?"
Rumi asked while scrunching her face.
"I''ll say again, the investigation isn''t over yet. The only thing clearly revealed is that numerous Dark relics were found in mass among Medina''s possessions.
Most were Grade 4 or lower, so having one Grade 2 among them isn''t that strange."
"Professor, what happened to Medina''s soul? Did she really become an evil spirit?"
"Sadly, as the principal said, her soul has vanished.
Given how severe the curse was, we can only conclude she became an evil spirit. Kids, I understand your curiosity about your dead friend, but... class is about to start."
Rumi didn''t know what to do about the fact that she had clearly seen Medina this dawn.
She couldn''t ask more questions since being awake then was itself against the rules, and the fact that the Medina she saw this dawn was dead, meant the teachers were hiding something.
Moreover, Professor Myers was suspecting Rumi herself as the culprit.
"Aah, what am I supposed to do!"
Rumi started pulling at her hair.
"What''s wrong, Rumi? Are you okay?"
Niel asked.
Rumi spotted Niel and immediately grabbed her, dragging her to the bathroom.
Rumi pushed Niel into the bathroom, then quickly checked inside and outside before speaking.
"Remember I said I had something suspicious to check yesterday?"
"Yeah..."
"Listen carefully. Don''t tell this to other students or teachers... but last night, no, this dawn, I saw Medina wandering in the corridor."
"What? This dawn...? But Professor Myers said Medina died last night...!"
Niel spoke too loudly in surprise.
"Shh, keep quiet..."
Niel looked around and thought for a moment.
"Are you sure you what you saw was Medina not her ghost or something?"
"What? Medina''s ghost...? Didn''t you hear? They said Medina''s ghost became an evil spirit. So..."
Rumi realized she didn''t know what it meant for someone to become an evil spirit.
"What exactly does it mean to become an evil spirit? Do you know?"
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Well... they say the curse was so severe she lost her sense of self... but wouldn''t she still maintain some form of her original soul?"
"Really...?"
"Yeah, so if Medina really became an evil spirit, what was wandering around this dawn could have been the evil spirit."
Rumi thought for a moment.
It was quite possible. But one thing that bothered her was that the girl wandering around a week ago couldn''t have been a ghost...
Plus, the knocking sound at dawn...? A ghost knocking made no sense.
"But let me tell you something strange. Last night Medina knocked on our dorm door. A soul can''t knock, right? And that''s not all - actually, I saw Medina a week ago at night too."
"What?"
Niel asked somewhat dejectedly, wondering why she was only hearing about this now.
But Rumi continued speaking without paying much attention.
"Then it was human Medina... and this dawn was ghost Medina...? That''s strange too."
"But... will Medina appear tonight too?"
Niel commented.
Rumi perked up at Niel''s words.
"Gasp! It would be amazing if she appears tonight too. If she appears again tonight, we could talk to her directly. So we should wake up at dawn and check it out."
"What are you two plotting?"
Suddenly Eve''s sharp voice came from somewhere in the bathroom.
"Becoming an evil spirit means losing your sense of self. It¡¯s a state worse than being insane. Do you think you can have a conversation with an evil spirit?"
Eve opened the stall door right next to where Rumi and Niel were standing and revealed herself.
"What? Why are you eavesdropping on others?"
"Are you two really planning to go out to the corridor tonight to look for ghosts?"
Eve continued speaking without listening to Rumi.
"That''s not it... we..."
Niel mumbled.
"Are you both completely insane?"
Rumi squeezed her eyes shut in stress hearing those words.
Why did they have to get caught by a paranoid person like Eve of all people...
"You can''t understand our circumstances, so please just pretend you didn''t hear and go away? Why were you in the bathroom of all places..."
"Do you understand why the rules exist?
Going out to meet the ghost of a student who died from a curse at night is like asking everyone to die together.
So I¡¯m not letting this slide this time. I''m telling the teachers right away."
Eve tried to leave the bathroom.
At that moment, Rumi knew very well she had to stop Eve.
"Wait, Eve! Don''t you think this is strange too?"
"What do you mean...?"
"Suddenly a student had a strange book, got cursed and died.
The Medina that Professor Myers took to the infirmary appeared wandering the corridor at dawn, then was suddenly announced dead in the morning - doesn''t that seem very fishy?"
"What are you trying to say? Are you suspecting the teachers?"
"That''s not it... I''m saying it could be dangerous for you to talk carelessly when we don''t even know who the culprit is."
Rumi spoke very cunningly.
Eve bit her lip hard.
"Ha...! Do you think such nonsense will work on m-me? Not trusting the teachers... the teachers...!"
Though Eve spoke that way, her face clearly showed fear.
"Hmm... then go ahead and tell any teacher you want. If a word of this reaches the culprit''s ears, you might die too, since you''ve already know too much."
"What?"
"And one more thing, we haven''t done anything yet. If you tell them what we just talked about, we''ll just deny everything. Right, Niel?"
"Um... Yes."
Niel reluctantly agreed.
"Niel... even you..."
Eve looked at Niel with disbelieving eyes.
Rumi decided not to stop here but to completely break the spirit of the stubborn Eve so she would never interfere again.
"And even if we do go out of the dorm at night, if you tell anyone, I''ll curse you myself. You saw me use black magic!"
"...!"
Hearing those words, Eve looked at Rumi as if seeing a ghost.
"Or I''ll summon Medina''s ghost into the dorm while you''re sleeping.
You seem very sensitive to curses. No, more than that, aren''t you already a bundle of curses yourself? Honestly, it''s hard to sleep with how noisy you are having nightmares."
Rumi deliberately made a threatening face.
"You''re... really cr-crazy? How could you think... Huffing."
Eve''s eyes shook severely. Eventually her eyes glistened with tears, and she suddenly ran out of the bathroom.
Rumi sighed in relief seeing Eve like that.
"Whew... that should stop her from interfering, right?"
"Probably... but wasn''t that too harsh? Eve seems more fragile than she looks..."
"What are you saying? Have you already forgotten? We have work to do.
People who meddle like that need to be dealt with quickly.
It''s almost certain now. This definitely involves uncovering the school''s secrets Bertin mentioned."
Rumi spoke very deliberately as if brainwashing Niel.
"Yeah... you''re right."
Niel nodded while hunching her shoulders.
"Oh, by the way, I''m telling Raoul about this too. We''re all going to look for Medina tonight."
"What? Why Raoul?"
"That''s... he somehow found out I''m an outsider and curse-immune... And unlike someone, Raoul is smart so he''ll be helpful."
"..."
"Well, I''m going first."
Rumi left Niel.
Then she went straight to Raoul in the his dorm room.
But no one was visible on the ground floor of the dorm room.
Rumi was wondering if Raoul had gone somewhere with Malcolm while checking the loft.
But then, to her surprise, Raoul was sprawled out on a strange patterned carpet in the loft.
Rumi started to suspect Raoul might be lazier than she thought.
He slept in a lot, and now he was sprawled out in his room too.
"Raoul, wake up. I have something to tell you!¡°
"...Anyway, the most suspicious thing is that I saw Medina at dawn, whether it was Medina''s ghost or whatever."
Rumi had just finished telling Raoul everything that happened at night.
After listening to Rumi''s words with complete focus, Raoul asked seriously.
"So you want to leave the dorm rooms together tonight to look for that ghost?"
"Yeah!"
"Too dangerous to tell the teachers. So planning to break the rules instead?"
"Yeah..."
"... ..."
Seeing Raoul''s unreadable expression, Rumi started to regret telling him.
"Then I¡¯ll join you. Someone needs to assess the situation, so letting just you and Niel go makes no sense. But we go fully prepared. Not only are we breaking rules, but we''ll be wandering around looking for an evil spirit."
"Of course!"
Rumi smiled. As expected, she thought Raoul would come along.
"But hey... how do we all wake up at dawn? You said between 2 and 4 AM right?"
"Yeah, but no worries, I''ll wake up automatically at that time if I sleep without drinking water.
But to wake you up, should I get up first and come to your dorm?"
"Then I have a good idea. Malcolm recently discovered something interesting."
"What is it?¡°
Evening mass ended and free time arrived, and Rumi was busily feeling along the right wall beside the second floor bed.
Soon Rumi discovered a small sunken iron door handle in the wall.
Rumi knocked on the door and shouted.
"Raoul, can you hear me?"
"Yeah."
Raoul''s voice barely carried over the dorm wall.
"When I count to three, we open together! I''ll push and you pull!"
"Yeah!"
"One, two, three!"
''Clank''
A small iron door opened in the wall and Raoul revealed his pleased face.
Rumi found herself grinning widely.
"Hehehe, it opened."
The door that just opened seemed to be a connecting door between dorm rooms, apparently made for escaping to the next room in emergencies.
But what was strange was that paint had been applied over the door to make it hard to find.
Meanwhile, Eve sitting at her desk couldn''t hide her pained expression as she watched the suspicious door open.
"So we check between 2 and 4 AM tonight."
"Yeah, but are you sure it''s okay with your roommates? Eve behind you doesn''t seem happy about it."
Rumi turned to look at Eve who appeared full of discontent.
Eve quickly turned her head away.
"She''ll be asleep by then, it''s fine."
Rumi whispered to Raoul.
"Oh, and Malcolm here wants to come along tonight too."
Raoul moved aside to show Malcolm in his dorm room.
Malcolm showed his face through the door. He was the unpleasant one who hadn''t returned Rumi''s greeting before.
"Why?"
Rumi asked.
"..."
Malcolm again said nothing to Rumi.
"Niel, you know him right? Why is he like this?"
"Um... actually I asked him to come along."
"What? You, did you tell everyone everything without telling me again?"
"No, I only told Malcolm. Malcolm could be helpful."
Just then Raoul cut in to explain.
"That''s right, Rumi. Malcolm''s Chrysos family has practiced sacred sword techniques for generations, so he always carries a sacred sword. If any ghosts or monsters appear he could be a big help, is it okay if he comes?"
Rumi checked the golden sacred sword at Malcolm''s waist through the door.
"..."
The sacred sword looked more impressive than expected.
"...Do you not have a mouth?"
"Just as you heard."
Malcolm answered very briefly.
"Hmm... then tonight, we uncover all the truth by meeting dead Medina''s ghost!"
Chapter 13 - Damn Medina (2)
Rumi didn''t drink even a sip of water before going to bed tonight.
And Rumi woke up at dawn like a biological clock.
The time she opened her eyes was exactly 2:22 AM.
Success.
Rumi immediately came to her senses and approached the corridor, checking outside through the round window.
As expected, an eerily beautiful singing voice could be heard.
But again, Medina wasn''t visible in the corridor right now.
But that was fine. Today''s plan was to go out into the corridor to look for that Medina ghost anyway.
First, she approached Niel sleeping in the bottom bunk.
And shook the shoulder of Niel, who was deeply asleep while tied in restraining straps, completely unaware of the world.
"Wake up Niel..."
But Niel didn''t move at all.
"What...?"
"Niel, wake up! What are you doing? We need to go look for the ghost."
No matter how much she shook her, Niel showed no signs of waking up.
Rumi lightly slapped Niel''s cheek.
"Hey wake up. I said wake up!"
Niel showed no response even when slapped.
Rumi panicked, wondering if Niel had died from a curse too, and put her ear to her body. She could hear her heartbeat, though very slowly.
Rumi hadn''t known Niel was such a deep sleeper.
Having no choice, Rumi thought she should at least wake Raoul next door and knocked on the side door.
''Knock knock knock''
But there was no response no matter how much she knocked.
Finally, she groaned as she opened the door herself and crawled into the next room, calling out to the sleeping Raoul.
"Raoul, wake up, it''s time."
"Raoul!"
Oh no, for some reason Raoul showed absolutely no signs of waking up either.
Malcolm sleeping below was the same.
Rumi couldn''t understand why they all wouldn''t wake up together.
This was definitely strange.
As Rumi shook Raoul one last time, a chilling voice came from behind.
"You really are insane, Rumi."
Rumi was startled by the sudden voice and turned around to see Eve standing beside the bed, with dark circles reaching down to her neck.
"What? You... why are you awake?"
Rumi couldn''t believe her eyes. Of all people, the one she had hoped would be asleep was the only one with both eyes wide open.
"You, are you really going to go look for ghosts alone? Even with everyone sleeping?"
"Of course!"
Rumi came down from the bed with a grimace.
"What about you? You know better than anyone that being awake at this hour is against the rules. You''re always going on about rules..."
"It would be crazier to sleep after hearing such things in the bathroom. Come to think of it, I woke up just now because you were being so noisy."
"Ugh... why of all people are you awake?"
Rumi pulled at her hair.
At that moment, she saw Eve wearing a satisfied smile for the first time.
That expression looked like a ghost smiling after completing its revenge.
"...What? What''s with that expression?"
Rumi showed her discomfort while gathering the Y-shaped cross, holy water bottle, salt, scripture and other items she had prepared on her desk.
"Whatever, don''t try to stop me. Even if you go tell a teacher right now, I need to find Medina''s ghost."
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"... ..."
Eve said nothing.
So Rumi deliberately ignored Eve and went to the dorm room door.
Though Medina''s ghost wasn''t visible yet, she planned to wander the corridor alone.
Rumi grabbed the dorm room doorknob.
But Eve quietly watching beside her was bothering her.
"What...? Are you not going to stop me?"
"I''m just gonna watch."
Eve said concisely with no change in expression.
Rumi found this situation irritating.
So she grabbed the dorm room doorknob and turned it defiantly.
''Click''
When the door opened, it felt like some sacred barrier had broken.
The dark corridor visible beyond the door was simply eerie.
Though no school ghosts were visible, it would be a lie to say she wasn''t a little scared.
Rumi swallowed hard and slowly stepped into the darkness of the corridor.
''Creak thump''
Just then the door behind her closed.
Eve had closed the door.
"...!"
Eve stood with her arms crossed beyond the round window.
This... wasn''t a situation Rumi had expected...
"..."
But having already come out to the corridor alone, she had to do what needed to be done.
The first thing she noticed was that the singing was a bit clearer out in the corridor.
This strangely beautiful singing - Rumi thought Medina might have come out here because of this singing too.
Like trying to find the owner of the voice...
So Rumi decided to move toward where the faint singing sounded clearer.
But no matter where she went, the sound was too quiet to tell where it got louder.
"Damn..."
Rumi decided to first move east where the cafeteria was.
The school at night was very different from during the day. During the day it just felt like an old, worn building, but at night it was just like a haunted mansion.
And coming out to the corridor, she learned for the first time how many strange sounds there were at night.
The sound of wind blowing, water dripping, things falling, and occasional laughter.
Ghost shadows flickered outside the distant windows, creating tension like they might pounce at any moment.
Rumi started to slightly regret coming out alone.
But with Eve being like that in the room, she just couldn''t not come out.
Approaching the cafeteria, she heard a ''chop chop chop'' sound.
It sounded like meat being chopped.
Rumi recalled the cafeteria rules.
''*The cafeteria is off-limits after 7 PM.''
"..."
Having already broken two or three rules, Rumi wondered if breaking one more would make much difference.
So thinking Medina''s ghost might be in the cafeteria, she carefully stepped inside.
The cafeteria wasn''t much different from during the day, except for being dark and feeling like something might jump out.
But the kitchen was dimly lit with an orange glow.
Just then a ''bang'' sound came from inside the kitchen.
Rumi hunched down in surprise.
And as she stayed that way watching the kitchen serving counter... suddenly the zombie cook revealed her grotesque face and stared at Rumi like she would kill her.
"Aah!"
Rumi was terrified seeing that green monster-like face and immediately fled the cafeteria.
Rumi ended up back in front of dorm room 49.
Honestly, she wanted to just go back inside the dorm, but knowing Eve was standing there with crossed arms, her pride absolutely wouldn''t allow it.
Finally, Rumi started walking toward the central lobby, opposite from the cafeteria.
Since she had always found Medina near the lobby, she was confident that if she was anywhere, it would be aorund here.
But no sign of life, no, spiritual presence was felt from the lobby either.
It was the same even reaching the front of the cathedral.
If she couldn''t find anything on the first floor she would need to check the second floor or basement, but even Rumi wasn''t very keen on that...
But she found herself already climbing the stairs to the second floor without realizing.
Then she discovered someone''s back reflected in the huge mirror hanging between the first and second floors.
"...!"
Rumi immediately lowered her posture and confirmed it looked like Medina''s back.
She had finally found Medina. And more easily than expected.
And since there was a mirror, she could judge whether Medina was a ghost or not right now.
The method of using mirrors to judge whether something visible was a ghost or not was simple.
If you can see it only in the mirror or only in real life, it was a ghost.
But strangely, the Medina in the mirror was visible in real life too.
"...?"
Rumi was confused again for a moment. How could a ghost be visible in both the mirror and real life...
But it seemed there was no need to think more now. Now that she had found Medina''s ghost, she just needed to talk to find out.
Rumi carefully spoke.
"Medina, is that you?"
The Medina ghost didn''t respond.
"Medina?"
Rumi called out again while climbing the stairs.
Rumi got right next to Medina.
"You''re... Medina right? How did you die? Where did you get that book from..."
Though Rumi tried to force her voice out, she felt her words losing strength standing before Medina who could be an evil spirit.
"It''s you again."
Medina answered without showing her face yet.
The voice itself didn''t seem very different from the real Medina. Still, it had an unpleasant quality with some low tones mixed in.
''Whoosh''
But suddenly the Medina ghost whirled around and grabbed Rumi''s arm.
"Eek!"
Intense pain shot through the grabbed arm.
"Aah!"
Rumi tried to pull her arm away in panic because it hurt so much, but at that moment she discovered another strange thing.
The fact that the ghost could grab Rumi''s arm strongly enough to crush it meant this wasn''t a ghost.
Realizing this chilling fact, she looked up at Medina''s face.
Medina looked dead.
Her face was so pale white she didn''t look alive at all.
She was literally Medina''s living corpse.
Rumi suddenly realized her life was in danger.
"What... what are you? Are you a zombie too? F-Frankenstein?"
Medina made no expression and gave no answer.
Instead, Rumi''s captured arm just kept hurting more.
"Aaah!"
Seeing the situation was more serious than expected, Rumi decided she needed to do something.
And with her other trembling hand, she pulled out a bottle of holy water from her bag.
''Whoosh''
Rumi threw the holy water bottle hard at Medina''s face.
The bottle shattered and white smoke erupted from Medina''s corpse.
Medina''s face burned up as if scalded where the holy water hit. But she showed no intention of letting go of the arm.
Damn, Rumi''s arm felt like it would be crushed - was a living corpse''s strength normally this strong?
"Aaugh! It''s me, Rumi. I saved you before! Let go already, ack!"
"Rumi, you''re wandering around breaking rules again. You should be sleeping at bedtime."
The zombie Medina suddenly reached out her other arm and grabbed Rumi''s neck, pushing her back.
Rumi fell backward from the powerful force and hit her head on the floor with a ''thump''.
"Ugh!"
After that, the Medina corpse let go of Rumi''s arm and started strangling the fallen Rumi with both hands.
"Gaaack, somebody help!"
Rumi shouted thinking she would die now, but her voice wouldn''t come out properly as she was being strangled.
Meanwhile, Medina''s face was eerily cold and peaceful.
She was absolutely not that talkative Medina.
And not an evil spirit either.
But what mattered now was that the crazy zombie Medina was truly strangling Rumi''s neck like she would kill her.
While her vision gradually darkened.
Rumi panicked and thrashed realizing she would soon die at this rate.
"Mmmmph mmph!"
But at that moment, with a ''sizzle'' sound, white smoke rose from Medina''s back.
Chapter 14 - Damn Medina (3)
Barely holding onto consciousness, Rumi looked behind Medina to see none other than Eve standing there.
Eve had appeared wearing a cloak with a large Y-shaped cross emblazoned on it, holding scripture in one hand and holy water in the other, reciting the scripture song learned in the exorcism class.
"You evil spirits shall remember your sin of betrayal upon seeing my form."
Just then something like a piece of paper fell from Eve''s scripture.
"I sing and dance before you, so slaves of death shall hide their form and flee to dark and empty places."
Eve''s face looked like she was about to die from fear, but her pronunciation was clear.
To Rumi, it was a perfect exorcism ritual.
The zombie Medina didn''t seem to react much to the exorcism ritual, but it must have had some effect as she gradually loosened her grip and let go of Rumi.
Eve stood frozen watching the zombie Medina stand up.
And the zombie Medina slowly descended the stairs and disappeared down the corridor stretching north on the first floor.
In that situation, neither Rumi nor Eve dared think of following the zombie Medina.
"Huff and puff..."
Rumi, who had narrowly escaped death, lay there massaging her neck.
But now that she noticed, her arm hurt incomparably more than her neck.
She was in no condition to get up by herself.
"Hey Eve, help me up... ugh..."
When Rumi tried to ask Eve for help, tears suddenly poured from Eve''s eyes.
"..."
Eve didn''t seem to be in any state to help Rumi up either.
Rumi somehow managed to get up by herself. And picked up the piece of paper that had fallen from Eve''s scripture.
But the paper piece turned out to be a torn photograph.
Moreover, it looked like quite a meaningful family photo of Eve''s.
There was a man in a black suit sitting in a chair in the center, with what appeared to be a young Eve on one side and a woman in a white dress emitting white light on the other.
The strangest thing was that the faces of the person sitting in the center and the person in the white dress were torn out.
Fortunately, Eve was too busy crying to notice Rumi looking at the photo.
Rumi led Eve to the dorm without touching her.
"Let''s go in..."
Rumi sat Eve on the bed and ostentatiously poured several bottles of holy water over her own hands and head.
Then she patted the tear-dropping Eve.
"Um... I didn''t know Medina''s... corpse was alive either..."
Honestly, Rumi didn''t know what to say in this situation.
She just thought she should casually hand over the photo she had picked up earlier.
"Hey, this fell from your scripture earlier, is it something important?"
Eve''s eyes grew as wide as they could when she saw the photo in Rumi''s hand and she hurriedly took it.
"Why is this..."
"Well, seems it was important... For reference, I didn''t see anything. Well... it looked like a family photo but it was all torn up so there wasn''t much to see."
"You... you saw everything!"
"But who were the people in the photo? Were they your parents?"
"... ...!"
Eve glared at Rumi as if cursing her with her eyes after hearing that question.
"Haha, just asking... Do you need anything?"
"Umm... just bring me some holy water."
"Okay..."
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When Rumi brought the holy water, Eve drank it down with trembling hands.
Then sprinkled the remaining holy water on her hands and body.
After finishing a short prayer next, she lifted her head.
"Is your neck okay?"
Eve asked Rumi in a still nasally voice.
"Yeah... but my arm hurts more than my neck. Ugh."
"Sigh... I knew you were crazy but I didn''t know you were this crazy. I should have stopped you..."
Eve spoke as if with regret.
"Th-that''s right. You should have stopped me!"
Rumi said sincerely.
Eve glared at Rumi again.
"Hey, but if I hadn''t gone out, we wouldn''t have known Medina''s corpse was possessed by another ghost wandering the school."
"Are you saying that to make me feel better?"
"No, I mean the opposite... this is completely wrong. Wrong in a way we never imagined..."
Eve squeezed her eyes shut hearing Rumi''s words.
"And... that Medina saw both our faces..."
Eve said in a slightly trembling voice.
"Let me be clear. I''m absolutely not condoning you wandering around outside... But I can''t deny there are suspicious things."
"Right? I knew it. Unless you''re a ghost or an idiot, you had to think so."
"Actually that''s not the only suspicious thing. I know why the others wouldn''t wake up no matter how much you tried."
"What...?"
Eve paused for a moment before continuing.
"I think there''s sleeping pills in the holy water the school gives out."
"What...? Sleeping pills? How... did you figure that out?"
"Actually I tried to stay awake until dawn to watch you last night but got sleepy.
I''m not the type to fall asleep easily when I''m determined not to sleep, but falling asleep like that means only one thing...
Then when I woke up in the morning, I remembered how you spat out the holy water saying it tasted strange.
At first, I definitely thought you were just being crazy, but I also noticed the silver holy water given out by the school at night actually tastes different from regular holy water.
So yesterday I tried not drinking the holy water from school and really didn''t fall asleep.
So there''s a high chance sleeping pills is in the holy water."
"Eve, you''re more hardcore than I thought, not drinking holy water for a reason like that."
"I just didn''t drink the school''s holy water. I drank holy water I made myself!"
Eve flared up.
"So what I want to say is, while there might be various reasons they give out sleeping pills to drink at night, it is still suspicious..."
"But come to think of it, you knew that we wouldn''t wake up and didn''t say anything?"
"I didn''t know they really wouldn''t really wake up then, and why would I mention that to you?"
"Ah, okay... So the reason why you''re saying this now is, are you thinking of helping uncover secrets too? Like you said, you''re now one of two students who saw Medina''s corpse.
Plus, you saw some unknown ghost is possessing Medina''s corpse."
"Don''t misunderstand, I''m not risking my life anymore because of you. Getting involved and green... hah... nevermind."
Eve sighed deeply, stopping mid-sentence.
"I''m going to sleep now, I couldn''t sleep at all because of you!"
With that, Eve lay down on her bed with her back to Rumi.
Rumi quietly watched Eve lying with her back turned.
"Hey... Eve, thanks for saving me anyway."
When Rumi expressed her gratitude, Eve''s shoulder twitched slightly.
Shortly after, Rumi climbed onto her own bed too.
And lying there trying to sleep again, she strangely felt today''s events weren''t all that bad.
Even though she had been in mortal danger, she had gained more information.
And she thought about how to tell the others this shocking adventure in the morning and what to do next.
The next day when the sun was high, the students gathered in the library. And they deliberately sat together near where Medina had been cursed.
"That''s really true?"
Rumi rolled up her sleeve to show her severely bruised arm like a badge of honor.
"Look at this."
"Rumi, what is this? This is really bad. You should go to the infirmary..."
Raoul''s eyes widened.
"Can''t go to the infirmary. Anyone can see this is an injury from being grabbed by some monster, and if word accidentally gets to the teachers, we''ll all end up like Medina."
"But still..."
"But by that logic, aren''t you and Eve already in grave danger? The culprit saw you both directly."
Malcolm opened his mouth with quite a serious expression after seeing Rumi''s arm.
Raoul''s face grew even more serious hearing those words.
"I don''t know... but honestly, if Medina had truly tried to kill me last night, I''d already be dead..."
"Then aren''t you already as good as a dead person walking?"
"Watch your words, Malcolm."
Raoul glared at Malcolm with a serious expression. Then he spoke again.
"So summarizing the current situation, some evil spirit or whatever put a curse on Medina and killed her, and that someone is possessing Medina''s corpse plotting something. Rumi, you even got strangled in the process.
Plus, the teachers seem to be hiding something while giving out sleeping pills at night."
"Yeah that''s about right..."
"W-what''s going to happen to us now?"
Niel asked worriedly after hearing Raoul''s words.
But the other students had nothing particular to say about this Hopeless situation either.
"Should we look for Medina again?"
Rumi said.
"That''s like saying you want to die."
Malcolm answered stiffly again.
"No, I mean maybe we should look for Medina''s real soul."
"But if the culprit took over Medina''s body like that, they probably didn''t leave Medina''s real soul alone either. There''s a high chance she really became an evil spirit."
Malcolm countered.
"That''s probably true but as long as she''s not sealed somewhere, couldn''t we still talk to her even if she became an evil spirit?"
Rumi spoke based on her experience of conversing with the grandmother evil spirit.
"But wandering the corridors at night to find a soul we don''t even know the location of, is insane."
"..."
Silence fell as Rumi and Malcolm conversed.
Then Raoul, who had been thinking deeply, spoke up.
"Then what about summoning the soul instead?"
"What...? Where would there be such a... oh...?"
Rumi was about to ask where such a method existed when she just remembered she had summoned the grandmother evil spirit herself.
"Ah! Then I know a way to summon evil spirits."
The students all looked at Rumi as if dumbfounded.
"Wouldn''t that be the worst method..."
Niel said carefully.
"Hmm... Rumi, like Niel says, that method should be a last resort. So first we should try normal spirit summoning rituals, and if we still can''t find Medina''s soul then we might consider that."
Seeing their reactions, Rumi remembered the possessed apple that had vomited.
"I guess that''s true...?"
"But the problem is even with normal spirit summoning rituals, summoning the soul of an actually dead person..."
Raoul contemplated for a while before speaking again.
"I think I might know someone we could ask to teach us such a spirit summoning ritual... Let me look into this more."
Rumi didn''t know exactly what or how Raoul planned to look into, but he seemed to have something in mind so she decided to leave this to him.
"Then please look into it as quickly as possible... It would be terrible if something else happens and Medina becomes too corrupted to even talk to."
Chapter 15 - The Forbidden Place and the Secret Place
Over the next few days, with Raoul busy, Rumi had to eat lunch alone for the first time.
Raoul had gone somewhere saying he had someone to meet, and Niel had been called in by Professor Myers for falling behind in classes.
Finding herself alone during free time after lunch, Rumi headed to the central lobby where that incident had occurred at dawn, as if she''d been waiting for this chance.
She had something she wanted to check.
But today, the path to the lobby felt very different from the school''s usual atmosphere.
Perhaps because of the warm weather and bright sun, it had a drowsy feeling.
In that atmosphere, Rumi sat down on those stairs where she had been strangled.
From far away came the sound of students'' laughter, rarely heard inside.
The good weather seemed to have drawn students outside.
Rumi, feeling somewhat drowsy herself, started going over what had happened that dawn.
What she wanted to check here was the direction the Medina corpse had fled.
The Medina corpse that had descended the stairs and fled down the north corridor.
Rumi wondered what was in the north corridor that made her flee that way.
Actually, the north corridor was a place people rarely went.
First, the north corridor itself had no notable classrooms, just the infirmary and the entrance to the circular gymnasium.
Moreover, ghosts were visible through the wide windows on the corridor walls like fish in an aquarium, so it wasn''t somewhere you''d want to go.
Nevertheless, Rumi had to investigate, so she soon got up and entered the north corridor.
Between the dark corridors, Rumi first headed to the circular gymnasium entrance.
She stood at the entrance looking at the gymnasium''s name.
''Arena of Dance and Song''
"What kind of arena?"
Rumi wondered if they just called gymnasiums arenas in this world.
But just then came the sound of metal clashing from inside the gymnasium.
''Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang''
Feeling suspicious about the sudden metallic sounds, Rumi felt a strong urge to go inside and look.
But there was one thing holding her back from just going in.
The rules.
The rules stated that new students must not enter the school gymnasium...
"..."
That meant non-new students could enter.
Which meant Rumi was no longer a new student, but an outsider.
Rumi nodded, convinced by her perfect logic.
Actually, she had already broken all the rules she could break, and what mattered now was checking if Medina''s corpse could have escaped through this arena.
Rumi boldly opened the gymnasium door wide and tried to enter... but even before entering, she could tell this gymnasium was a strange place.
Though Rumi was clearly entering indoors, it felt like she was entering outdoors? Like entering some kind of jungle.
Dense leaves were visible ahead with more green light shining beyond them.
Rumi first pushed through the thick trees in front.
But either something was wrong with Rumi''s hands or the leaves felt somewhat like touching paper.
Passing through the trees revealed what looked like a green hill.
A low hill had formed in the center with a large white tree planted in the middle.
And blue sky was painted on the circular walls while the floor was covered in green grass.
No... looking closely, this was clearly artificial turf.
Feeling something strange, Rumi touched the trees she had passed through earlier and found they too seemed to be fake trees made of something like plaster and plastic.
Adding the artificial spring water flowing down from the top of the hill, it could be called a very artificial indoor hill.
Rumi couldn''t understand why the school gymnasium was set up this way.
But now that she was inside the gymnasium, she couldn''t hear the ''Clang, Clang'' metallic sounds anymore.
Not only that, but there didn''t seem to be anyone here.
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Rumi started looking around in case people were hiding between the trees.
Just then she thought she glimpsed something human-like from inside the gymnasium.
Rumi approached thinking that''s probably where the metallic sounds had come from.
''Sheek... sheek... sheek...''
But as she got closer, harsh breathing sounds came from something that had looked human, and it started to appear less and less human.
Rumi tensely checked what was hiding behind the tree...
A monster with pure white skin and frog-like protruding eyeballs was catching its breath.
The white skin was glossy and shining, with abnormally long limbs, and a face attached directly to the body without a neck - a monster about 1 meter in size.
"Ugh..."
Rumi had never seen a monster that looked like this before.
While she was thinking ''Why is something like this inside the school building?''...
"Keek keeeeek!"
Suddenly with a strange cry, the damn monster latched onto Rumi''s face.
"Aaah!"
And opened its mouth wide as if to devour her.
Rumi desperately tried to push away the unidentified monster with her arms and get it off her body, but the slippery monster''s hands were gripping her head tightly.
"Aaaah get away!"
Rumi shook her body frantically trying to detach the monster.
''Slash''
At that moment a blade pierced through the monster''s body.
"Ah!"
Rumi screamed in surprise seeing the blade tip emerge so close to her face.
The monster was lifted by the blade that had pierced its body and thrown aside.
"Guack!"
Rumi looked down at the fallen monster with a dumbfounded expression.
The monster was bleeding cyan blood.
Standing before Rumi was Malcolm wearing what looked like knight''s armor and holding a sacred sword.
"Huh? Malcolm? Why are you here?"
"What about you, why are you here? You shouldn''t come in here carelessly."
Malcolm countered.
"What is this place for? The rules only said new students couldn''t come. I... I just came in as an outsider! But wait... aren''t you a new student too?"
"Ah, there was a rule like that? Anyway, I guess you really are an outsider. You''re probably the only student in the whole school who would voluntarily enter the arena."
"What are you talking about? The door was open so...
Wait, did Niel tell you I was an outsider too?"
"...?"
Rumi finally got up on her own, brushing herself off, and looked at the monster bleeding cyan blood.
¡°Are we not allowed to come in because of that monster? Is it dangerous?¡±
"..."
Malcolm had just been frowning without answering.
"This place is strange too... what is all this, really?"
Rumi looked around slowly while making idle comments.
"If you know it''s dangerous, stop asking unnecessary questions and leave."
Malcolm said irritably.
And Rumi was irritated by Malcolm''s always brusque way of speaking.
"Why do you always talk like that? Do you talk to Niel like that too?"
"You really think so? You should stop being so forceful with Niel all the time, not me."
"What? Look who''s being Niel''s boyfriend."
Rumi frowned.
"Malcolm, you should be nice to your friend."
Just then a relaxed, gentle voice came from behind Rumi along with the scent of scented candles.
Senior Sariya, whom she had seen in the cafeteria on the first day, appeared smiling in her nun''s habit.
"We''re not friends."
Malcolm retorted in an unpleasant tone.
"Friends? He''s worse than my enemy."
Rumi shot back, not backing down.
"You''re Rumi, right? Raoul''s friend."
"Yes."
"Raoul already came and left - did you come looking for him?"
"What? Raoul came here?"
"Hmm... did I make a mistake? Seems Raoul wanted to keep our private meeting secret."
Senior Sariya raised her lip corners unpleasantly.
Rumi asked bluntly, feeling annoyed.
"Why did Raoul come here?"
"That''s... a secret. It would be rude of me to tell. What about you - if you''re not here looking for Raoul, how did you end up here?"
"Uh..."
Obviously, Rumi couldn''t say she came to investigate where Medina''s corpse might have escaped to.
"I just heard clashing sword sounds and came to see what it was. Were you two fighting that monster?"
"Hmm... if you heard sword sounds, wouldn''t it make more sense that Malcolm and I were fighting?"
"Well... that''s actually true. I guess you were probably practicing sacred sword techniques or something with him. But why does this gymnasium look like this?"
"Hmm... Rumi, you seem quite curious. Since you''re Raoul''s friend, I should answer before sending you away...
This place recreates the primordial world.
It expresses the primitive land where the God of Life hid in the land ruled by the God of Death.
It''s an appropriate place for learning the most sacred songs and dances."
"Dance? You mean actual dancing? But why are you holding swords?"
"Sacred sword techniques also originated from these dances."
"Keeeeyaaak!"
Just then the fallen monster screamed and writhed.
"Ah! It''s getting up again."
When Rumi made a fuss, Senior Sariya expressionlessly thrust her sword into the writhing monster.
"It¡¯s dead again..."
Senior Sariya suddenly set the mood and muttered in a lonely tone.
But that damn monster still seemed alive, continuing to writhe.
"That thing still doesn''t seem dead... no, what is that monster anyway? It''s not a gargoyle or thrall - why won''t it die?"
"Ah... this is... a monster created when an human received the Green Witch''s curse and had their soul forcibly extracted, twisting their body. Just an ordinary monster... you could say?"
As soon as the senior finished speaking, the still-not-dead monster suddenly leaped up and bit into the senior''s white leg.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh...! Are you okay? No, why won''t that thing really die?"
As Rumi approached to check the senior''s bite wound, Malcolm stepped in front of her blocking the way.
"I said stop asking useless questions and leave!"
And he grabbed Rumi''s shoulder clothing as if to drag her out.
"It''s okay, Malcolm. It''s over..."
But Senior Sariya told Malcolm it was fine while repeatedly stabbing the monster''s body with her sword.
"Monsters try to eat humans to fill the void of souls stolen by the Green Witch.
But souls can''t be filled by eating flesh, so they must live feeling eternal hunger and thirst. It''s one of the worst curses."
''Slash slash slash''
Senior Sariya kept stabbing the monster while explaining about it.
"Let go. She said it''s fine."
Rumi shook off Malcolm''s hand and watched the monster being stabbed.
But even with all that stabbing, the monster didn''t appear dead.
Just then Senior Sariya spoke again.
"Rumi, look at the ceiling."
"What? The ceiling?"
Rumi looked up at the ceiling thinking ''What''s this about?''
There was painting of a white, long centipede-like monster made up of hundreds of limbs.
But the monster''s face had a green face with massive bulging eyes and a terrifying appearance.
Strangely, seeing that immediately reminded Rumi of the scary green mask Bertin had used.
"What is that?"
"That''s the Green Witch''s form. She''s the root cause that created all monsters."
"Then why paint a witch''s image on a sacred school''s ceiling? Isn''t that crazy?"
"It''s to never forget... to someday defeat that witch...
Rumi, that''s what this arena is for. It''s a place to train in sacred sword techniques to defeat monsters. So you shouldn''t be here. Dance and sacred sword techniques are elective subjects for second years. Don''t come here again until then."
Senior Sariya grabbed Rumi''s shoulder and guided her to the arena entrance.
"Ah, wait...!"
As Rumi was forcibly pushed out, she looked around for any hidden doors, but the place was too wide and overgrown with forest to find doors easily this way.
Rumi tried to ask something to buy more time.
"Is your leg okay..."
But by the time they reached the door, Rumi was practically shoved out of the arena.
"Well then Rumi, goodbye."
''Thump''
The door closed and Rumi looked around in a slightly dazed state.
Though clearly still inside the same school building, it felt like she had just crossed over from a different world.
''Ding... dong...''
Just then the bell rang for exorcism class, and Rumi headed to the classroom without being able to check the remaining spaces in the north corridor.
Chapter 16 - The Forbidden Place and the Secret Place (2)
Early in the morning, Rumi was enjoying a peaceful sleep for the first time in a while.
But a strange sound interrupted her sweet slumber.
''Snip''
"Mmm...?"
"Rumi, wake up."
"Ugh... what, who is it?"
When Rumi opened her eyes, Raoul''s face came into focus.
And Rumi gave a slight smile.
"Oh, Raoul?"
"Rumi, give me your arm."
Rumi held out her right arm in a dazed state.
But there was a hair annoyingly fallen on her arm.
Rumi shook her arm to brush the hair off under the bed.
"Not that arm, the hurt one."
Raoul took Rumi''s left arm and rolled up the sleeve to reveal the bruised area.
Then he sprayed some unknown liquid from a small glass bottle onto his hand and started rubbing Rumi''s entire bruised arm.
"Ugh... it''s cold."
"Medicine works best when it''s cold. I made it myself, so apply it morning and evening every day."
Rumi sniffed the fragrant herbal scent rising from the medicine. It felt somewhat similar to green tea.
Raoul kept his hand on Rumi''s bruised area and began to pray.
"Now new flesh shall grow and new blood shall flow, pain shall vanish and death shall grow distant."
Rumi maintained a strange smile and stayed tense while Raoul prayed.
"Ugh it tickles... heh."
"Raoul, what did you make this medicine from? It smells nice?"
"Ah... I crushed thirtyfoot caterpillars that are good for bruises, then ground up dried fragrant jellyfish leaves."
"What? This is caterpillar juice?"
"Mm-hmm... really cute caterpillars."
"Ugh... right. Thanks...
But what''s going on so early? What time is it?"
Rumi looked around to see a faint blue light enveloping the room before sunrise.
And checking the clock, it wasn''t even 5 AM yet.
"We have somewhere to go now."
Looking at him properly now, Raoul was already dressed in his uniform with his bag packed, ready to go somewhere.
"Where? What''s this about?"
"We''re going to learn spirit summoning rituals."
Raoul said mysteriously.
Rumi immediately grasped what was going on.
Raoul had been busy preparing to secretly learn proper spirit summoning rituals.
"I packed all the supplies so just come out. Malcolm''s waiting in the corridor too."
"Huh? Why him?"
"We''re all going to learn together."
Rumi felt slightly disappointed.
"Then, we should bring Niel too?"
"Yeah."
Rumi quickly went down to the bottom bunk and shook the restrained Niel to wake her.
"Niel, wake up."
"Niel!"
No matter how much she shook her, Niel wouldn''t wake up.
Could she have drunk the sleeping pills holy water again?
"..."
This meant Niel couldn''t come.
Malcolm would be so disappointed, hehehe...
As Rumi was about to leave Niel behind, she spotted Eve sleeping soundly in the next bed.
At that moment, Rumi had an interesting idea.
Rumi ran to Eve and shook her shoulder like something urgent had happened.
"Eve! Eve! Wake up!"
"Huh...?"
"We have somewhere to go. It''s urgent!"
"Wh... what is it?"
Rumi just grabbed Eve''s arm and pulled her out of bed.
Eve was dragged out to the dorm corridor still dazed from being woken up.
"What... what is it? What''s going on? Don''t... don''t tell me Medina is here to kill us."
"Uh... no! We have to go learn something really important."
Eve came face to face with Raoul and Malcolm waiting in the corridor.
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Malcolm was wearing his sacred sword at his waist as always.
"What''s this? Where is Niel?"
Malcolm asked with a frown.
"She stupidly drank the sleeping pills again. She won''t wake up no matter what. So I brought Eve instead, that''s okay right?"
"..."
Malcolm indeed wore a disappointed expression.
"No it¡¯s not okay... where are you all going?"
Eve asked looking at Malcolm and Raoul.
"Um... well..."
"Just come along, no questions. It''ll be good for you too."
Rumi cut off Raoul''s answer and just pulled Eve along.
Finally unable to take it anymore, Eve shook off Rumi.
"Rumi, please act normal for once! Sigh... if you want to take me somewhere, you should at least explain what''s going on."
Eve sighed as if fed up with Rumi.
"... ..."
But surprisingly, she didn''t seem to be returning to the dorm room right away.
"Eve, you can come too if you want. Learning this won''t hurt you either."
Just then Raoul answered as he and Malcolm started moving toward the main entrance.
"You heard him, it''ll be good for you."
Rumi gestured for Eve to follow as she moved.
"..."
Eve finally seemed somewhat reassured seeing Rumi was in pajamas too, and she started to fixed her messy hair.
Then she followed Rumi barefoot.
Raoul and Malcolm leading the way started climbing the stairs to the second floor.
And they came to an empty space on the right of the second floor stairs that they had never come before... or rather, had no reason to be.
The cathedral entrance was right below this spot, so this second floor area with no entrance had nothing particular.
There was just one painting hanging on one wall showing strange galaxy lights against a black background.
"Don''t tell me we''re learning the ritual here?"
Rumi said with an unbelieving face.
Eve was also looking around suspiciously.
"No, look carefully."
Raoul stepped up beside the painting and pushed the frame slightly sideways. With a click, the large picture frame slid sideways.
And behind it appeared a dark passage.
"This way."
Rumi and Eve watched this with surprised eyes.
"What? How is there a space like this here?"
Eve spoke looking at Rumi''s naked expression.
"You have no idea where we''re going either, right?"
"Yes, I know. I was just pretending to be surprised."
"Well then, follow me inside."
Raoul and Malcolm entered the dark passage first.
When Rumi passed through the passage next, she saw very narrow stone stairs right beside her.
"Hey..."
Meanwhile, Eve had stopped at the passage entrance, unable to enter.
"Hurry up and come in, there are no ghosts."
"What? Ghosts...?"
Eve wore a worried expression as if scared again already.
"It''s okay, Eve. You won¡¯t see them right now."
Raoul called from up the stairs.
"Ah, just come on."
Finally getting impatient, Rumi grabbed Eve''s hand and pulled her up the stairs.
"Ah, wait!"
The stone stairs spiraled up continuously and with no windows.
After climbing for a while, they reached the top of the stairs where another door appeared.
Raoul silently opened the door. Beyond was a narrow long corridor with dawn light leaking in through a small window at the end.
Rumi hadn''t imagined such a place existed in the school.
It was like a hidden corridor in some medieval castle.
While Rumi walked excitedly, Eve walked pressed close to Rumi in fear.
"Uuuugh!"
Suddenly a strange sound came from around the corner.
The group all stopped walking and watched to see what that sound was.
A white silhouette flickered slightly visible from behind the corner.
"What... what is that...?"
At that point Eve completely clung to Rumi''s body.
Raoul and Malcolm, who were close to the corner, checked behind it and suddenly bowed.
"Ah, hello Senior Mummy."
Rumi approached the corner curiously, wondering why Senior Mummy would appear here.
Just then Eve quietly pulled on Rumi''s arm.
Rumi exchanged a wordless look with Eve, and Eve seemed to catch what¡¯s going on here, silently gripping Rumi''s arm as she followed.
Looking around the corner, Senior Mummy really was standing there completely wrapped in bandages, as if trying to scare the students.
"...?"
Rumi had no idea why Senior Mummy was here at this hour.
Whatever the case, Rumi remembered the rule not to treat Senior Mummy as a ghost.
So Rumi passed by Senior Mummy giving a disgusted look like she would to a real senior.
Eve just nodded in greeting while clinging to Rumi''s back.
Senior Mummy silently watched Rumi and Eve pass by.
The two climbed the narrow corridor, turned corners, and climbed another short staircase.
Only then did Rumi speak to Eve.
"Eve, you''re actually pretty quick-witted."
"Yeah, I tend to be like that..."
Eve answered while carefully letting go of Rumi''s arm.
At the top of the stairs appeared a high wall with a ladder attached to it.
A very tall ladder.
"Now we just need to climb this ladder to reach our destination."
Raoul said, waiting for Rumi and Eve in front of the ladder.
"Ugh... this ladder is too high. Where exactly are we climbing to?"
Rumi carefully started climbing the ladder following Raoul and Malcolm who went first.
After climbing about halfway, her hands and feet started trembling.
Light poured through a small hole at the top of the ladder above, while below, Eve who seemed to have no fear of heights was following up really well.
Rumi climbed for quite a while more to reach the top. There, Raoul who had arrived first held out his hand.
Taking Raoul''s help to climb up into the space above the ladder, the first thing she felt was strong wind blowing.
Rumi looked around with anticipation about what kind of place this was, and discovered an unexpectedly amazing view spread out before her.
Beyond the railing to the left, the entire town was visible with the sun rising. And in front, the cathedral roof was visible far below.
The most noticeable thing in this space was the huge bell above.
Yes, this was the rooftop of the cathedral bell tower.
While helping Eve who just finished climbing up, Rumi looked down the ladder hole in the floor and realized it was high enough that falling would mean instant death.
"Hah..."
After Eve climbed up too, she looked around with a surprised look.
And just then the sunrise began, creating a magnificent view.
"..."
Eve was entranced staring at the scenery, lost in the sunrise.
Just then, Rumi noticed someone was beyond the bell while taking in the unexpected view.
A person in a black nun''s habit was kneeling in prayer.
Raoul and Malcolm were already standing as if waiting for the nun.
Seeing her pray so peacefully in such a high place, she didn''t seem like a normal person.
Moreover, seeing various items neatly arranged at her prayer spot, she seemed like someone who came here to pray often.
"Hey Eve, look over there."
Rumi called Eve who was still entranced by the scenery and pointed at the nun.
Eve flinched when she spotted the nun.
The nun must have heard Rumi too, as she slowly stood and turned around.
But they still couldn''t see her face.
The habit had a veil attached.
Moreover, the nun was barefoot, and her habit looked more like a flowing split skirt than a nun''s habit.
"So you really came."
Her voice was slow and gentle.
This was a voice Rumi had heard somewhere before.
When the nun removed her face veil, pure white face and hair were revealed.
That was unmistakably Senior Sariya.
To think the person who would teach them spirit summoning rituals was none other than Senior Sariya.
This explained why Raoul had met Senior Sariya in the gymnasium.
"Hello, senior... is your leg okay?"
"...Meeting again today, Rumi."
Beside her, Eve seemed to recognize that the nun was Senior Sariya whom she had seen in the cafeteria on the first day.
The senior approached with a gentle smile on her lips.
"So you all wanted to learn such dangerous spirit summoning rituals that badly?"
"Yes, sister. Let''s start as soon as possible."
Raoul answered.
"I wonder what kind of spirit you''re in such a hurry to summon... Remember don''t use what I teach you dangerously."
"Of course not."
Raoul lied rather shamelessly.
"Then before we start, let me ask one question. Do you know how the God of Life first breathed life in her creation?"
Rumi had no idea what the answer was.
And though the others seemed to know the answer, they weren''t saying anything either.
"The God of Life was a singer and dancer. She danced to the songs she composed herself so beautifully that even dead things couldn''t help but dance along."
Senior Sariya paused speaking and suddenly started dancing, her flowing clothes swirling.
"That means dance and song are the beginning of all sacred things."
Senior Sariya began singing along as she danced.
The dance lasted about 2 minutes and the kids watched it entranced.
Rumi was honestly somewhat amazed. She couldn''t help but find it beautiful, seeing the dance flow like water to such pleasant music.
And beyond the sacred aspect, Senior Sariya looked joyful.
But one slightly strange thing was that the bite wound from yesterday wasn''t visible on those white legs.
Given how it looked when bitten yesterday, it didn''t seem like a wound that would disappear overnight...
Rumi glanced at Eve beside her and that sight was quite shocking too.
Eve''s face showed she was clearly smitten.
Chapter 17 - The Forbidden Place and the Secret Place (3)
"Actually, this dance is the Dance of the Necromantic that you''ll be learning today. It''s usually taught to fourth-year students, so it might be quite challenging for you."
"It doesn''t look that difficult," Rumi commented offhandedly.
"Well then, I look forward to seeing what you can do, Rumi," Senior Sariya responded with a gentle smile.
"But before we start learning the dance itself, I''ll teach you how to prepare for the ritual."
Senior Sariya went to the back and brought what looked like a guitar case, taking out several items from inside.
Candles, a lantern, a bottle of blessed salt water, a silver plate, and red thread.
She brought these materials directly under the bell and began explaining the ritual preparation process.
"First, before setting up the ritual, you need to know that no matter how dangerous it might be, this summoning ritual is best performed at night. The spirits can see the candlelight better in darkness."
"The candles must be made from beeswax mixed with sacred oil, and you need to create a path for the spirit using salt water."
Senior Sariya sprinkled the salt water on the floor, drawing what looked like an intricate map.
"I''ll draw this ritual map on paper for you later. By the way, this map represents a sacred site from the primordial lands once ruled by the God of Life."
Senior Sariya continued her gentle explanation as she lit the small lantern hanging from the silver plate.
As the scent of incense rose, the lantern floated up into the air before getting caught on the silver plate, preventing it from rising further.
Now that she thought about it, the unique scent that lingered around Senior Sariya was similar to this incense.
"The lantern needs to be secured to the silver plate with red thread so it doesn''t float away, and then you place an item belonging to the spirit you want to summon on the silver plate. That''s all there is to it.
So, what you need to find is a possession that belonged to the spirit you want to summon while they were alive. The more attachment they had to the item, the better. If you can''t find anything else, you can use a part of their body ¨C hair, fingernails, or toenails."
"Ah... is that so?"
Rumi wondered if there might be anything useful among Medina''s belongings, or more importantly, if she could even get hold of any of Medina''s possessions right now.
"Since we''re not performing an actual summoning ritual today, I''ll just put these delicious eyeball jellies on the plate. I''m planning to give them to whoever dances the best after practice."
Senior Sariya placed a blue eyeball jelly on the silver plate with a playful wink.
"..."
The jelly didn''t look particularly appetizing.
"Now that we''re done with preparations, let''s learn the dance. Watch carefully and follow along, okay?"
The senior stood up and began slowly spinning to the tune of the well-known hymn ''Following the Stream.''
"The basic step involves spinning joyfully, like flowing water."
The dance seemed to be primarily about spinning as smoothly as possible.
Indeed, this was an incredibly spinning-intensive dance.
And after following just one spin after Senior Sariya, Rumi realized she was absolutely terrible at this kind of dance.
She tried hard to follow the dance moves, but whether it was her brain or her body malfunctioning, she couldn''t follow a single movement.
She even kept tripping over her own feet during the basic steps.
"Aaagh!"
Rumi cried out as she fell again.
"Hey, isn''t there a mirror? Shouldn''t we at least be able to see ourselves while practicing?"
"You must never use mirrors during a summoning ritual. Mirrors are only used in black magic."
"...?"
Rumi briefly remembered that she summoned the grandmother ghost with a mirror.
Though she sighed, Rumi tried her best to follow the dance, but... she realized she could never properly dance this even if her life depended on it.
And Senior Sariya was looking at her like she was some dirt... at least that''s how Rumi felt.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Rumi snapped, feeling irritated.
"I''d only heard about it, but I can''t believe someone could actually be this bad at dancing."
"...!"
The only consolation was that Raoul provided some sense of solidarity.
Raoul''s dancing skills were just as poor as Rumi''s.
"Haha, Raoul. You''re hopeless too."
"Well... I still think I''m a bit better than you, Rumi..."
"Tee-hee... You''re kidding yourself."
Rumi thought it might be the first time she''d seen Raoul unable to maintain his usual composed expression.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
But the real problem was just beginning.
Malcolm was dancing quite skillfully even with his sword still at his waist.
Even though Malcolm''s proficiency could be explained by his familiarity with physical movements from sacred swordsmanship, the real issue was Eve.
Eve was in her element.
"What''s with you? Have you learned this before?"
"No... this is my first time."
Rumi couldn''t believe her eyes.
Eve seemed born to dance, practically floating through the air.
Not only had she memorized the entire dance after seeing it just once, but her dancing was... seriously beautiful.
She was tall and slim, with a pretty face, and now she was even smiling.
"Wow... your moves are really beautiful."
Senior Sariya patted Eve''s head.
"What''s your name? I''ve never seen anyone pick up the dance so quickly."
"I... I''m Eve."
Eve smiled brightly for the first time while catching her breath.
"Would you like to come here every week to learn dance? Though we usually start teaching dance from second year, I''ve never seen such a beautiful and natural-born dancer."
"Ah... would that be okay...?"
Eve''s face turned red.
Watching this scene, Rumi felt terribly annoyed for some reason.
Of course, she felt awful about her own lack of dance talent, but this wasn''t why she had brought Eve here ¨C to make her happy.
"I didn''t know she could smile like that..."
"Rumi, I understand if you''re jealous... huff... but anyone would be a target of your jealousy. Huff puff..."
Raoul suddenly started teasing while gasping for breath from dancing.
"What? Raoul, I can''t believe you''re saying that. Hey, you''re the only person I can''t be jealous of."
"I have no choice... but to be this bad... if I danced well too, you''d feel worse..."
"You seemed to be trying pretty hard though."
"You two should just skip the summoning ritual. That kind of dancing is practically black magic."
Malcolm suddenly appeared and spoke seriously.
"What''s with you?"
"...But Eve really is dancing well... honestly, I''ve never seen anyone dance this well."
"Is this for real...?"
Looking at it now, Eve''s dancing actually appeared more beautiful than Senior Sariya''s who had taught them.
Senior Sariya''s special class ended after the sun had risen quite high in the sky.
In the end, Rumi, Raoul, and even Malcolm gave up on learning the dance and sat against the wall, watching Eve''s performance like they were at a show.
Even after the lesson ended, Senior Sariya and Eve talked for quite a while.
Actually, it was mostly Senior Sariya showering Eve with endless praise.
Finally, Eve approached Rumi, drenched in sweat and clutching her prize eyeball jelly.
"Senior Sariya says It''s almost wake-up time. Let''s hurry down. I want to shower before attending mass."
Eve''s face was full of shy smiles.
"You look really happy? Guess you don''t regret coming here."
"Um... it wasn''t that bad..."
Eve responded kindly for the first time, blushing.
Rumi didn''t like that face at all.
"Are you going to eat that jelly now?"
"No... do you want it?"
"No thanks!"
Eve looked at the irritated Rumi for a moment, then placed the jelly in Rumi''s pocket before suddenly covering her ears.
"Huh...?"
''DONG!''
Just then, a bell rang so loudly it felt like their eardrums might burst.
''Dong... Dong... Dong...''
"Ack!"
Rumi hurriedly covered her ears.
Being right under the bell, she thought her ears might actually rupture.
"Sorry, kids. I forgot to mention the bell is quite loud. It''s the wake-up bell, so hurry down now."
When Rumi regained her senses and looked around, annoyingly, only Senior Sariya and Eve had covered their ears in time.
At lunchtime, the kids gathered in their dormitory room.
"Now that we''ve learned the advanced summoning ritual, we''re going to summon Medina''s real ghost tonight!"
Rumi''s eyes blazed with determination.
After the long wait, today they would finally uncover the truth about Medina.
"But can we do the summoning ritual without Eve?"
Malcolm raised an objection.
"Of course! You learned the dance too. And you said you''d teach Niel."
"..."
"Still, it might be better if Eve helps..."
Raoul said quietly.
"Ah, but she already said she won''t..."
Rumi had already asked Eve to help with the summoning ritual, but Eve had adamantly refused, saying she didn''t want to die.
From the atmosphere earlier, it had seemed like Eve might be persuaded, but Rumi had only been told she was crazy.
"Then I''ll take Eve to teach Niel the dance. If Niel wants to learn, it would be much better to learn from Eve."
Malcolm said.
"Whatever..."
"Niel, let''s go practice dancing."
Malcolm left the dining hall, taking Niel with him.
"Wait... what exactly happened this morning...?"
Niel was dragged away by Malcolm before she could figure out what was going on.
"Well... I''ll go first."
"Since when did those two get so close...?¡°
Rumi muttered, watching them leave with annoyed eyes.
"Rumi, let''s go. we have work to do."
Raoul stood up with his tray.
"Yeah.¡°
After today''s discussion, the kids'' plan was as follows:
While Niel learned dancing from Eve and Malcolm, Rumi and Raoul would sneak into Medina''s dormitory room to find some of her possessions needed for the summoning ritual.
However, the problem was that Medina''s dormitory room had been inaccessible since the day she died.
The room had been completely sealed off due to the risk of curses, and the roommates who had been living there were moved to different rooms.
So they needed to somehow break through the locked door and find something useful.
Rumi and Raoul were pacing back and forth in front of Medina''s dormitory room, occasionally hitting the padlock for no reason.
But the padlock wouldn''t budge.
"We won''t be able to pick this lock this way, Rumi... This needs professional lockpicking skills."
Raoul said after hitting the padlock one more time.
"Then let''s try hitting it one more time, and if that doesn''t work, we''ll just break in through the window from outside."
Rumi''s eyes glinted as she spoke.
"I think that would cause another uproar at school..."
As Rumi and Raoul were having this conversation, two teachers appeared at the end of the corridor.
Professor Francesca, famous as the witch teacher, and Professor Myers were walking side by side.
And strangely, their footsteps were headed straight toward Rumi and Raoul.
"Rumi, look over there. Those two teachers seem to be coming this way."
"Oh... they really are... Whoa!"
Rumi finally saw the overwhelming presence of Professor Francesca she had only heard about.
Despite being a woman, she was almost as tall as Professor Myers, wearing a black dress with long, straight black hair.
And she wore a black eye patch over her left eye ¨C now Rumi understood why students warned each other to be careful of the witch teacher at school.
"So that''s the witch teacher they call Francesca..."
As Rumi stood dazed, staring at the approaching teacher, Raoul grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her back.
They positioned themselves in a corner of the corridor and began observing what the two teachers were going to do in front of Medina''s dormitory room.
Professor Myers unlocked the padlock and opened the door to Medina''s room.
Bowing his head, he passed under the red thread marking the room as off-limits and entered.
"So that room really was their destination...
But why are those two gloomy-looking teachers going in there?"
Rumi started getting excited at the possibility of finding a chance to enter the room.
Shortly after, the dormitory room door where the two teachers had entered closed slightly, and Rumi immediately ran to the door.
"Ru... Rumi!"
Raoul followed Rumi to the door and adjusted her rather obvious eavesdropping posture to make it less noticeable.
"Rumi, be careful... people are passing by..."
As Raoul whispered, Rumi put her finger over his lips.
"You still haven''t found Medina''s soul?"
Just then, Professor Francesca''s rough voice, sounding like she''d smoked too many cigarettes, came through quite loudly from inside.
"No, I apologize. I will find it and return it to the Purple Manor as soon as possible."
This was Professor Myers'' voice.
"Yes, Professor. You absolutely must. Who knows what consequences we might face otherwise."
Whatever their relationship was, the usually stern Professor Myers was responding quite submissively, as if he''d been caught doing something wrong.
"Oh dear... to think my precious niece would become an evil spirit..."
"Huh? Medina was that witch teacher''s niece?"
Rumi thought for a moment and suddenly understood exactly why Medina had turned out the way she did.
"Ah... our poor Medina..."
Despite what she¡¯s saying, her voice was completely devoid of emotion.
Rather than sounding worried, it had a slightly amused tone that sent chills down their spines.
"Sob sob sob."
But then the witch teacher suddenly started crying.
Chapter 18 - Conspiracy of The Witch Cult
No, ¡®pretending to cry¡¯ would be a more accurate description.
The witch teacher''s crying was the most artificial crying in the world.
"Sob sob sob sob."
"Professor, um... I''ll leave you to have some time alone."
"Yes, I would appreciate that."
"...Just make sure to lock the door with the padlock when you leave. And keep the key in a safe place."
Upon hearing this, Rumi and Raoul moved away from the door.
Shortly after, Professor Myers left Medina''s room and strode away down the corridor.
Rumi and Raoul seized the opportunity and scurried back to the dormitory room door.
This time, Rumi grew bolder and pressed her face close to the door crack to peek inside carefully.
At that exact moment, the witch teacher''s sharp nail suddenly shot out through the crack and snatched the red thread near Rumi''s neck.
"...!"
Rumi was so startled she grabbed her neck and fell backward, but Raoul caught her.
"Ugh..."
As Rumi and Raoul stood there frozen, unable to make a sound, fortunately, there was no reaction from inside, suggesting Professor Francesca hadn''t noticed Rumi''s presence.
Rumi calmed her racing heart and pressed her face to the door crack once again.
Somehow, Professor Francesca now held a small golden metal doll in her hand, and she was carefully tying the red thread that had been hanging on the door around the doll''s neck.
Her movements were as methodical and precise as if performing a ritual, eerily calm and detailed.
"So this is what that senile old hag is up to. Tsk tsk tsk..."
She muttered something incomprehensible while taking out a bottle of black liquid and pouring it over the doll.
Then the witch teacher grabbed the red thread and began swinging the doll by its neck.
"Keeheehaha!"
After laughing like a true witch, she suddenly let go of the red thread.
The doll flew somewhere into the room and hit the wall with a ''BANG''.
After a moment, Professor Francesca took a deep breath, sniffed the air, then smirked and said:
"Hide and seek..."
Rumi and Raoul briefly moved away from the door and whispered to each other.
"What is she doing?"
"I don''t know... It looked like black magic... But more importantly, we need to find a way into that room while we have the chance."
"Yeah... at least if we could get the padlock key-eek!"
But just then, Professor Francesca was casually coming out of the room.
Rumi and Raoul quickly backed away once again.
Rumi tried to calm her pounding heart again while hoping Professor Francesca would forget to lock the padlock.
But the witch teacher was locking the door with the padlock.
"Ah, this is driving me crazy... Don''t tell me we have to steal the key too?"
Rumi and Raoul could only helplessly watch as the witch teacher locked the padlock.
They were at least trying to see the which teacher¡¯s pocket where she would keep the key in, but, The witch teacher suddenly just tossed the key onto the corridor floor.
"...?"
"Oh my? I seem to have lost the key."
Rumi and Raoul looked at each other, confused about what was happening, then looked back at the witch teacher.
But the witch teacher made direct eye contact with Rumi before turning away.
"Wh-what? Did she know we were here...?"
After that, the witch teacher left.
Raoul hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to pick up the dropped key.
"What''s going on...? What is that teacher trying to do..."
Raoul muttered while examining the key.
Rumi stood dazed for a moment before approaching Raoul.
"Well... whatever happened, looks like we can get into Medina''s room now..."
"Yeah... I really don''t understand, but that seems to be the case."
"Then can we go in now?"
Rumi said with a smile.
"Yeah, let''s go in right now."
Raoul held the key and looked around.
Then he unlocked the padlock and they slipped into the dormitory room when no one was watching.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Rumi and Raoul could finally properly look around inside Medina''s cursed dormitory room.
The first thing they noticed upon entering was salt scattered everywhere in the room.
But the problem was that the room was completely empty, as if all of Medina''s belongings had already been moved out.
"What? There''s nothing inside. Did they take everything for the investigation?"
"Hmm... Looks like it. Judging by the scattered salt, they must have performed an exorcism ritual too. At this point, they probably don''t even need to keep the door locked!"
"Nooo... this won''t work. We need Medina''s belongings..."
Rumi searched the corners of the room just in case something remained, but strangely, even the golden doll that the witch teacher had thrown earlier seemed to have vanished.
"But why can''t I even find that doll from earlier...?"
"Yeah... this is really weird..."
"Ugh, does this mean we have to collect Medina''s hair or something?"
"If we really can''t find anything else, we might have to go looking for Medina''s belongings. If they''re still being stored somewhere."
"I really don''t want to do that, it would make things way too complicated... Let''s just look for some hair and go."
In the end, Rumi searched intently for hair.
First, she examined the four desks to identify which was Medina''s, but Medina''s was very easy to find.
Anything that looked dirty was definitely Medina''s.
Medina''s desk was covered in all sorts of stains and marks, despite her having been enrolled for only a few weeks.
But there wasn''t much hair.
This time, when they looked for which bed Medina had used, it took less than a second to find it.
Medina''s bed was also covered in black writing scribbled all over.
And the content was all either self-praise or what looked like black magic spells.
This cursed furniture was probably why they had to close off the entire dormitory room.
At least there was plenty of Medina''s dirty hair in the corners of the bed, which gave Rumi some relief.
"Raoul, there''s some hair here."
Rumi collected everything that looked like hair while dusting it off.
"Oh... good. That should be enough... Any more might be ugh... dangerous..."
With that, they had completed preparations for the summoning ritual that everyone would perform in this room tonight.
Night fell.
Rumi strongly advised the kids not to drink holy water tonight.
Also, there was no need to wait until 2 AM for their operation tonight.
Niel, who was keeping watch in the dormitory corridor, carefully confirmed that Professor Myers had disappeared behind the corner during his patrol.
"Professor Myers is gone."
"Right."
Rumi nodded meaningfully and looked at Eve, who was sitting uncomfortably on the bed.
"Are you really not coming? Medina''s dormitory room is right there."
"Sigh... I told you. Summoning an evil spirits at night is ridiculous."
"No, but you''re the best at dancing. Now that we know that, we can¡¯t just leave you here. The room is literally right in front of us, not even 30 meters away."
Eve squeezed her eyes shut.
"No, if we keep going like this, something really bad is going to happen."
"Rumi, let''s just go without her. It¡¯s understandable why Eve doesn''t want to come. and we can¡¯t force her."
"Hah... fine. Then we''ll just go stumble through the dance ourselves and come back with some heavy curses."
"What...?"
Rumi finally stood up, expressing her dissatisfaction.
"Let''s go, guys."
Everyone except Eve - Rumi, Raoul, Niel, and Malcolm - left the dormitory.
Eve remained alone in the dormitory room, sitting with a worried expression.
The destination was really close. It was a room not even 30 meters away from Rumi''s dormitory room.
There were no obstacles in the corridor.
The kids exchanged glances and started running toward the sealed dormitory room.
Raoul immediately picked the lock and entered the dark dormitory room first.
Except for the darkness, it wasn''t much different from when they had entered during the day.
Just in case, Rumi checked for Medina''s spirit using her ghost detector made of litmus paper strips, but there didn''t seem to be any ghosts in the room.
"There''s no one inside. That means we''ll have to try summoning her through the ritual."
"But... shouldn''t we sweep up this salt first? Salt is used to ward off ghosts."
"Oh, good thinking, Niel."
Raoul replied.
Niel left the dormitory room alone and quickly returned with a broom.
She started sweeping from the salt near the door.
Meanwhile, Rumi and Raoul set up the lantern and silver plate as they had learned from Senior Sariya, and drew the sacred site map by liberally sprinkling holy salt water, trying their best to imitate the complex pattern.
Finally, they placed Medina''s hair on the silver plate and lit the lantern.
The lit lantern rose up before being caught by the tied red thread.
Now they just needed to dance while quietly singing the hymn ''Following the Stream''.
"Now we begin."
At Rumi''s words, the four kids started dancing, spinning around the candle while quietly singing.
But problems arose immediately.
Rumi tripped over her own legs and fell.
"Ack!"
"You, get out. You''re just getting in the way."
Malcolm looked at the fallen Rumi like trash and spoke harshly.
"Ugh, damn it!"
Rumi crawled out of the salt path, carrying her sense of defeat.
But Rumi''s feelings of defeat didn''t end there.
Niel, who had received crash course dancing lessons from Eve and Malcolm, seemed to dance way better than Rumi.
"No way..."
Then something strange happened.
Suddenly Malcolm, who had been dancing well, stopped.
"Hey, Malcolm, what are you doing?"
Malcolm didn''t answer and just rolled his eyes with a serious expression.
"Wait a moment..."
"What? Did you just forget the dance moves?"
"Ahem..."
"Malcolm, you''re such a fake genius. What''s the point of being good at dancing if you can''t remember it?"
Rumi seized the opportunity to thoroughly mock Malcolm.
"I mean, this makes you worse than me who can''t dance at all. All that hard work learning, and you can''t even use it. Tee-hee."
"Watch your mouth. This isn''t the time to laugh."
"Oh my, of course. I''m just sympathetic, you see. The second-best dancer after Eve getting sudden memory loss... Hehe!"
While Rumi found the situation amusing, she hadn''t considered the possibility of the summoning ritual failing.
Anyway, Malcolm was following the dance again while watching Niel, and Rumi watched the remaining two dance while singing along.
Raoul''s dancing wasn''t really dancing at all. Though he seemed to have memorized all the movements thanks to his good memory, it didn''t matter much. It was impossible to tell what movements he was trying to make.
"Raoul, you..."
At least Niel, who had learned from Eve, was dancing normally, but as time passed her movements became increasingly sloppy, as if she was running out of energy.
This summoning ritual had essentially failed completely.
"Ah... we''ve failed..."
Rumi had a headache from this not-even-funny situation.
"No... this situation was already predicted, damn that Eve!"
But then an unexpected ritual reaction began to occur.
Along with a cool breeze, something like white smoke began approaching from far away.
"Huh? What? We didn''t fail?"
"Oh, It''s working."
Raoul was also staring with surprised eyes at the approaching soul.
In the end, whether it was because of the scripture song or something else, this summoning ritual seemed to be working.
"Hey, just keep singing now!"
Rumi and the kids stopped dancing altogether and just continued singing the scripture song.
Rumi smiled with joy at Raoul and Niel while singing the scripture song.
It seemed Medina''s spirit was being successfully summoned.
And this white mass was forming near the lantern.
"Ururu urr"
As the white mass gradually took shape, crying sounds could be heard.
Rumi took a deep breath and asked.
"Are you Medina?"
"Uuuing"
"...What kind of sound is this? Ghost language?"
Niel whispered.
Rumi ignored Niel and asked again seriously.
"I''ll ask one more time. Are you Medina''s spirit?"
"Woof woof!"
"Woof woof...?"
"What, dog barking?"
Rumi and the kids were pondering what sound they had just heard.
And soon they realized the sound was actually dog barking.
The school mascot, Winnie the ghost dog, was barking in mid-air.
"Huh?"
"Winnie?"
"Wh-what happened? Why did Winnie get summoned?"
Niel asked with genuine confusion on her face.
"Ah, we totally failed."
Rumi despaired once again.
"So we really can''t do it without Eve? Or was there something wrong with that dirty hair?"
"Tee hee hee, what are you guys doing summoning Winnie?"
Suddenly a faint voice was heard.
"What are you talking about? You think we wanted to summon Winnie?"
"Huh?"
"That voice just now... wasn''t that Medina''s voice?"
"What?"
Raoul stared blankly at Rumi as if wondering what she was talking about.
But suddenly his gaze shifted to beside Rumi, and he muttered quietly.
"Medina...?"
Chapter 19 - Conspiracy of The Witch Cult (2)
When Rumi turned to look beside her in disbelief, Medina''s ghost was really standing there.
"Ahhh!"
"Ugh!"
"Wh-what? Are you really Medina? How... how long have you been here?"
"I''ve been here the whole time. Just watching whatever show you guys were putting on. When I saw Rumi dancing, I thought you were summoning an evil spirit."
"So were you summoned by my dancing?"
"What are you talking about? I told you I was here from the start."
"What do you mean? We checked when we came in and there was no one here."
"I was hiding then."
"Wait a minute, are you really Medina? Not an evil spirit?"
"What, are you crazy? Evil spirit! Can''t you tell just by looking? Who else would I be if not Medina, even if I''ve become a ghost? Have you already forgotten what I look like? How could you! I wasn''t even fated to die, I died because I had to..."
"Looking at how talkative you are, maybe it really is you."
Rumi said, keeping her eyes wide open.
"This is the first time I''ve seen a ghost this close..."
Niel spoke while trying to touch Medina''s intangible arm, fascinated by the ghost she had become.
That''s when Malcolm appeared and grabbed Niel''s arm to stop her.
"Niel, don''t carelessly touch an evil spirit."
"Are you guys insane? I''m not an evil spirit!"
Medina''s ghost shouted, yanking her arm away.
Then she moved away and looked around.
"By the way, what are you guys even doing here? Why are you performing a summoning ritual?"
"We were trying to summon you..."
Raoul said with an incredulous expression.
"You were trying to summon me? Then why did you summon this stupid ghost dog?"
Winnie heard Medina and growled, taking a swipe at her before leaving the room.
"What''s with that damn dog!"
"Fascinating, I guess ghosts can actually hit each other."
Medina''s expression turned cold again.
"So why were you trying to summon me? Did you actually miss me? I suppose that would make sense. After all, you even risked your life trying to save me, right Rumi?"
"No, that''s not it. You died from a curse. It was because of that book, right? We summoned you to ask how you got cursed and died so miserably from convulsions."
Medina''s expression hardened further.
"How rude to ask a ghost such questions... That''s inappropriate..."
But unusually for her, Medina immediately fell silent.
"...?"
"Hmm... so that''s how you want to play it... Then do you know that since the day you died, some ghost has been possessing your corpse and wandering around the school?"
Rumi noticed Medina was trying to hide something so she immediately threw out a sensitive question.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Some ghost possessed your corpse and tried to kill me. These bruises on my arm! Your corpse did this!"
"Whaat?"
"What have you been doing since becoming a ghost? It''s been 4 days already - you didn''t even know what happened to your corpse?"
"Im-impossible. Who possessed my corpse? Huff... huff... huffff!"
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Ghost Medina, who didn''t even need to breathe, started taking deep breaths.
"Medina, just calm down and tell us how you got cursed. Where did you get that strange book?"
Raoul asked calmly.
"..."
"The professor said you had that book from the beginning, is that true?"
"..."
But Medina kept holding back her words.
"Hey, say something."
"Ugh... I only just regained consciousness as a ghost, and more importantly, I had things to do..."
"Ugh, this is frustrating. So do you remember or not?"
"Well... uh... I don''t remember. I didn''t expect this either, but for some reason I can''t remember anything right before I died."
"Are you really expecting us to believe this?"
Rumi said, scrunching her eyes.
But then Medina suddenly looked up at the sky and wailed.
"Aaaaah, what''s happening!"
A chill emanated from her body and the candle in the lantern went out.
"Hey, it''s getting cold. Calm down."
Meanwhile, Rumi noticed Medina sneaking glances at her while deliberately overreacting.
"Hey! You''re hiding something, aren''t you? You''re deliberately overreacting to change the subject."
Rumi asked with a suddenly fierce expression.
"Stop being so frustrating and tell us everything suspicious. And what are these things you have to do?"
"Ugh... someone''s coming."
Medina spouted nonsense with a face of criminal who just got caught.
While Rumi was considering how to deal with Medina who was trying to forcefully dismiss the situation, real footsteps were heard from the corridor.
Thud thud thud...
"What? Is someone really coming?"
"Hey Medina, you''re a ghost so go check who''s coming."
"Are you stupid? If I go out like this, I''ll get caught too!"
"You''re a ghost. Go through the wall and circle around back."
"Ah!"
Hearing that, Medina disappeared behind the wall.
Malcolm had already poked his head out the dormitory door to check the corridor.
"Holy shit, someone wearing a mask is coming this way."
"It''s not Medina''s corpse, is it?"
"No, they seem tall."
"Can we get out without being caught?"
"No, they''re already too close."
"Ack, we''re screwed."
"Wh-what do we do? Are we all going to end up like Medina?"
Niel panicked.
Rumi also looked around frantically, unsure what to do.
"Guys, we need to hide up in the loft. If they''re wearing a mask, it''s probably not a teacher. We absolutely cannot get caught."
Raoul calmly assessed the situation.
"Ah, damn! We need to clean this up before going up."
Rumi spotted traces of the summoning ritual and started gathering things.
Niel picked up the lantern, wooden doll, and broom from the floor.
Then the kids quickly climbed up to the loft and lay flat on their stomachs.
Soon after, the shadow of the masked person Malcolm mentioned fell across the doorway.
The door slid open. And a tall person like an adult, wearing a really strange mask, entered the room.
Seeing the mask reminded Rumi of Bertin''s horrible green mask from a while back.
Rumi and the kids all held their breath, hoping not to be discovered.
But they couldn''t stop spying.
The masked person took a deep breath and pulled out yellow paper and a lighter from inside their clothes.
The yellow paper had unrecognizable writing on it, possibly related to sacred relics or something.
The masked person lit the paper on fire.
When the paper caught fire, an enormous amount of smoke billowed out.
And strangely, the smoke didn''t dissipate but remained right where it was.
Then the masked person pulled out a black book from inside their chest and began chanting a strange scripture song that seemed to emanate an evil aura.
Rumi looked carefully at that suspicious book.
She could see the same arrow mark that had been drawn in the book that cursed Medina.
Rumi wondered if this book might be the same one that cursed Medina, but it didn''t seem so. This book looked much cleaner than that one from back then.
In the end, while she couldn''t tell what kind of ritual this was, two things were certain.
This was some kind of black magic. And judging by how the ritual was being performed, it definitely wasn''t a summoning ritual.
The smoke spread throughout the room like crawling caterpillars, as if searching every corner.
And that ominous smoke finally started climbing up to the loft where Rumi and the kids were hiding.
At this rate, they would either die from inhaling the smoke or be discovered.
Rumi looked at Raoul with desperate eyes.
Raoul could only shake his head with a face that said he had no countermeasure.
But then Rumi saw Niel''s eyes starting to turn red beside her.
"...!"
Of all times, Niel''s Hyde personality was trying to emerge now.
Rumi was startled and quickly grabbed Niel''s back, closing both her eyes.
But Niel''s body was trembling and getting hot.
Raoul looked at Niel and Rumi wondering what was happening, but he had no way of knowing what was going on.
Rumi put her mouth to Niel''s ear and very quietly chanted the lullaby spell.
"I understand why you''re angry right now. But it will settle soon. Even if you want revenge, now isn''t the time. So don''t worry. You''ll find a way someday..."
This was the spell Bertin had taught her to subdue Niel when she got agitated.
But when Malcolm saw this, his eyes said ''What are you doing to Niel right now?''
Rumi''s eyes said ''Mind your own business!'' but the tactless Malcolm pushed her shoulder, trying to separate her from Niel.
¡®Thud¡¯
But at that moment, as Rumi''s body was pushed, she hit Niel, and the broom Niel was holding fell to the first floor.
¡®Clatter¡¯
"...!"
Rumi despaired. Malcolm was shocked, and Raoul was dumbfounded at why the broom had suddenly fallen.
The masked person picked up the fallen broom and looked up at the loft.
Now they might really die.
But meanwhile, Medina briefly appeared behind the masked person.
She made an enigmatic expression before scampering back behind the wall.
''How dare that damn Medina abandon us!''
Rumi screamed internally.
The masked person started climbing the loft stairs.
She never dreamed they would die so pathetically, and just because of a fallen broom at that.
Rumi suddenly thought it was good they hadn''t brought Eve along.
Because at least if Eve stayed alive, there would still be one puppet left to uncover the school''s secrets.
Rumi planned to haunt Eve and pester her to investigate the secrets even after becoming a ghost.
But that''s when it happened.
Suddenly, bizarre sounds could be heard very loudly from outside the corridor.
BANG BANG CRASH
"Poot poot poot poot! Rattle rattle boing boing hehehehehe..."
Plus, dog barking and the sound of things breaking could be heard together.
Woof woof woof woof
This was definitely the sound of crazy Medina and Winnie.
Chapter 20 - Conspiracy of The Witch Cult (3)
Hearing these crazy sounds, the masked person stopped halfway up the loft stairs.
The person paused for a moment, then quietly hid behind the dormitory door.
That damn... no, Saint Medina had voluntarily become bait to save her friends'' lives.
Now they just needed the masked person to leave this room.
Rattle rattle BANG BANG heeheeheehee, ugh...
Medina was going wild like she was truly insane.
Woof woof woof growl...
And seeing Medina like that, Winnie seemed to be going wild too.
Finding this suspicious, the masked person left completely into the corridor.
Their footsteps could be heard getting fainter and fainter.
Rumi went down the loft stairs and poked her head out toward the corridor to see if the masked person had gone far enough.
"Phew..."
Fortunately, the corridor was empty.
Rumi made an X sign with her hands to Raoul coming down behind her to indicate no one was there.
Malcolm came down supporting Niel, who was hanging limply with slightly crazed eyes, and picked up the broom.
Rumi sighed deeply watching Malcolm and Niel.
"Someone nearly got us killed..."
"That''s because you were acting suspicious... never mind. Let''s just get out quickly. We don''t know when that person might come back."
"You guys... what happened?"
Raoul looked confused.
"It''s nothing, just run!"
When Rumi ran out first, the rest of the kids ran toward Rumi''s dormitory room.
As the kids approached the dormitory room, Eve was holding the door open as if she''d been waiting for them.
And so all the kids returned safely and tried to calm their racing hearts.
"Ugh, we nearly died..."
"Are... are you guys okay? Earlier when that masked person appeared..."
Eve asked fearfully, looking at the pale-faced kids.
"No, we are not okay. we nearly died... that damn masked lunatic came in and... wait a minute...
You saw the masked person? Then why didn''t you warn us?"
"Uh...?!"
Eve suddenly became flustered and couldn''t speak.
"I... I tried of course... but there was no way. By the time I discovered them, I couldn''t get out into the corridor anymore. But I did try throwing things to lure that person outside, then some random ghost and Winnie appeared and started fighting... No, I mean, I told you not to do this in the first place...!"
"Ah, spare me the lectures. That''s not what''s important right now. The question is who exactly that masked person is."
"Well... they were quite tall, so... They don''t seem to be a student. Must be either an outsider or one of the teachers."
Malcolm said firmly.
"And while I''m not exactly sure what kind of ritual it was, it definitely looked like black magic.
Looking at that smoke, it seemed like they were searching for something... Maybe they were trying to find Medina''s soul?"
Raoul also spoke with a serious face.
"I''m going to kill that person!"
Suddenly Niel, who was still somewhat agitated, shouted.
Rumi quickly went to Niel and covered her mouth.
The kids looked startled at Niel''s aggressive behavior.
Malcolm also stepped aside for a moment, as if seeing her like that for the first time.
"Niel, are you... okay?"
Raoul asked.
"Y-yeah, she''s always like this."
Rumi stroked Niel''s back again and whispered in her ear.
"Hey, calm down if you don''t want everyone to find out."
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Rumi roughly calmed Niel down, pushed her to Malcolm, and said.
"So what do we do now?"
"Hmm... Well, we found Medina, so we should talk more with Medina... but she was acting pretty erratic..."
Raoul fell into thought while speaking.
Rumi thought for a moment and came up with an idea.
"Then shouldn''t we... follow that masked person instead? With Medina being so erratic, that seems like our only way to understand what''s going on..."
But Rumi''s idea sounded insane to anyone who heard it.
And there was one person who immediately objected to that statement.
"Wait Rumi, how can you even suggest that? You were the one who almost died back then, not me."
Eve suddenly blocked the door and spoke.
"None of you... can leave anymore. Remember when I said I should have stopped you, Rumi? This is that moment. If I don''t stop you now, someone''s really going to die."
Just then, a ghost suddenly phased through the door and slipped into Rumi''s dormitory room.
"... ..."
"There''s already a dead person behind you."
"Eek!"
Eve screamed in surprise.
"What are you guys doing..."
"Me... Medina?"
Eve stared at the ghostly Medina with shocked eyes.
"This isn''t the time for this, you need to come quickly - there''s somewhere we need to go!"
Medina shouted.
"What? You guys... did you perform the summoning ritual to call Medina? And... and you succeeded with that horrible dance?"
"As if. She was just already there."
Malcolm suddenly answered.
"What...?"
Eve looked up at Medina with a confused expression.
"What are you looking at!"
Medina yelled at Eve. and then she stamped her feet while shouting.
"You guys need to go to the morgue right now. Someone''s doing something to my corpse there!"
"What are you talking about?"
"That masked person went into the morgue and is talking with my corpse! With my corpse!"
"Hah, we''re doomed. So you''re saying your corpse and that masked person are working together?"
"This is awful! How could my corpse be working with the witch cult? How could my corpse be evil?"
"Your corpse tried to strangle Rumi to death. Don¡¯t say such things if you don''t know about yourself."
"What''s with you? Why aren''t asleep at this hour?"
Medina snapped at Eve with an annoyed face.
"Hey, shut up and tell us where the morgue is?"
"It''s right next to the infirmary. We need to hurry."
"Next to the infirmary?"
Rumi had no idea there was a morgue next to the infirmary.
Moreover, that infirmary was located in the north corridor she had explored yesterday.
"Ah... so that''s what happened."
Rumi realized that the place Medina''s corpse had escaped to was none other than the morgue.
That''s when Eve shouted again.
"What are you guys thinking? Are you really planning to go out again? And you''re voluntarily going to look for Medina''s corpse that tried to kill you?"
But strangely, Eve had a genuinely terrified expression.
"What''s it to you! You''re not even going. How dare you interfere when we have a chance to find out who possessed my corpse. You fallen family Bronte!"
Medina watched Eve and spat out harsh words.
"Wh-why bring that up suddenly? Besides, if we''re talking about families, you''re from the Mora family. The filthy Mora!"
"What, how dare you call us filthy?"
"Hah..."
"Hey, if you two are going to keep fighting, we''re leaving without you!"
Rumi was exasperated watching the two who had somehow become archenemies.
"No wait, Seriously... Sometimes people get blinded by impossible possibilities and do reckless things. When that happens, they can''t judge objectively how insane their actions are.
Come on, think about this one more time.
The Medina here really died! Try to understand how serious this is."
Eve tried to focus the kids'' attention and spoke.
Medina was looking at Eve with contempt.
"If anything, Medina might have been lucky, since she didn''t become an corrupted evil spirit.
I understand you don''t want to miss this opportunity, but if you lose your one and only life, there''s nothing but pain afterward..."
"Eve, I''m sorry but what you said is exactly right. An opportunity like this might never come again. But if we miss this chance, we might have to sit by and watch something far more terrible than just us dying happen.
We''re willing to risk our lives on the possibility that by going now, we might prevent something truly horrible from happening. So even if we die, I don''t think that death would be meaningless."
Raoul suddenly spoke these grave words.
"Huh...?"
Eve looked at Raoul with slightly bewildered eyes.
"Y-yeah, Raoul''s completely right. We place the greatest value... on that possibility to save every...
I mean, we''re not idiots, and I''ll be more careful this time.
And this time you don''t need to come save me, Eve, so just stay here.
Besides, if we die and become ghosts, you''ll have to do what we say, Eve."
"Please just speak like a normal person."
"And Niel, you stay here too."
"No, I want to go too!"
Niel still didn''t seem to have calmed down from her agitation.
"No, you can''t. If you get agitated again there, everything will be ruined. You and Eve both stay here."
That''s when Raoul stared at Rumi and said.
"Then you stay too, Rumi."
"What?"
"This is really too dangerous. Malcolm and I can gather enough information by ourselves."
"Raoul, I''d rather be here with Niel..."
Malcolm muttered.
"That''s absolutely not happening. This is something I started. And do you think you two going there would be safer? Better three of us die than two."
"Yeah yeah, everyone just die together. It would be too unfair if I died alone."
That''s when Medina butted in with nonsense again.
"Sigh... so what are you planning to do when you get there?"
Eve asked with a resigned face.
"Well, I''ll take Raoul and Malcolm, and Medina''s ghost will do all the dangerous stuff first. And we''ll definitely stay hidden. So it''ll be fine."
"..."
Eve fell silent.
"If you have nothing else to say, let''s hurry up and go now!"
Medina urged Rumi.
"Raoul, Malcolm, you guys ready too? Let''s go!"
With that, Rumi left the dormitory room with Medina. And Raoul and Malcolm followed Rumi out into the corridor.
The corridor was still empty, and Medina flew ahead alone toward the north corridor.
Rumi''s group followed Medina and arrived at the wide windowed corridor that served as the gateway to the north corridor.
Through the windows, countless ghosts could be seen floating in the night sky.
The kids crouched low and passed through the corridor, trying not to be noticed by the ghosts outside.
They moved to the north building and stopped beside where Medina was standing.
"This is it..."
Medina was pointing at the morgue next to the infirmary door.
"Are they still inside?"
"Yeah..."
"..."
Just thinking that Medina''s corpse and the masked person were separated by just one door made goosebumps rise all over their bodies.
"Can we go in now?"
"No... if you go in, you''ll become a corpse to be stored here."
"Sigh... how did I end up in a place like this..."
Malcolm muttered from behind.
Rumi ignored Malcolm and asked Medina again.
"What do we do now?"
"It''s obvious, isn''t it? The morgue and infirmary are connected by one door. Plus, the infirmary is empty right now."
"So you''re saying we should go into the infirmary now?"
"Yeah, hurry and go in now."
"..."
Rumi and the kids looked around and slowly opened the infirmary door.
And they checked the door connecting to the morgue inside the infirmary.
But damn, that inner door was slightly open. And their conversation could be through the gap.
"...!"
Rumi was startled and quickly crawled under a nearby desk.
Raoul and Malcolm also hid under the desk and started listening to the conversation coming from the morgue.
Chapter 21 - Conspiracy of The Witch Cult (4)
"...We need to find that doll right now. Without that damn doll, we can''t do anything."
But then an unexpected voice was heard.
It was a boy''s voice that didn''t sound like either Medina''s or the masked person''s.
"What?"
Rumi was so curious about who was speaking that she crept out from under the desk and crawled toward the door leading to the morgue.
"Rumi...!"
Raoul reached out to stop her, but Rumi had already put one eye to the door crack.
However, due to the angle of the crack, all Rumi could see was the masked person standing on one side of the morgue.
Because of this, she couldn''t identify who the boy''s voice belonged to.
"Yes, but how was the doll not among her possessions? Surely they haven''t caught on..."
This time it was the masked person speaking.
Now that she could hear it properly, the voice sounded low through the mask, like speaking into a radio.
"That''s impossible. This time it was an attack they couldn''t have predicted.
Moreover, they''re tolerating us because there''s internal division on their side.
In other words, the doll just happened to disappear somewhere by chance.
That child''s soul has been corrupted, so she couldn''t have done anything with it.
So search every place that child passed through. Before they find it first."
"But I''ve already searched the places where she might have been several times."
"Then use more extreme black magic. Without that doll, we can''t even find the location of the grave."
"Yes, understood."
Doll...? Grave...?
The conversation between these two unknown figures seemed to contain a lot of information. But most of it was impossible to make sense of.
The only thing she could figure out was that these two seemed to be targeting the doll Medina had been carrying, and after killing her, they planned to corrupt her soul.
And Rumi thought she knew which doll they were talking about.
"Hmph! What? Corrupt my soul? Don''t make me laugh."
Medina muttered beside Rumi.
Rumi worried that Medina''s muttering might get them discovered, but she could understand why Medina would be angry.
"Eek!"
But suddenly Medina panicked and flew through the wall.
Rumi wondered what was happening and looked to the side to see the masked person approaching the infirmary door.
At that moment, someone grabbed Rumi back and hugged her tightly from behind.
She could smell Raoul''s scent.
Fortunately, the masked person didn''t notice the hidden kids and left through the infirmary door to the corridor.
It was strange why this crazy masked person chose to leave through the infirmary door instead of using the morgue door.
Rumi turned to look at Raoul and thanked him with her eyes without making sounds. Because the mysterious owner of the boy''s voice was still in the morgue.
But after there was no sign of movement for long, Rumi peeked her head out to look inside the morgue.
And she realized there was no one in the morgue.
"...There''s no one here... we can come out."
Rumi and Raoul stood up and entered the morgue while still cautiously watching their surroundings.
There was one morgue refrigerator door open and a corpse transport tray pulled out.
And on it, instead of Medina''s corpse, there was just a pair of glasses sitting alone.
"Medina, come out. These are your glasses, right?"
When Rumi called, Medina quietly flew through the wall.
Medina had a slightly depressed expression.
"Yeah... they are..."
"That ghost with the boy''s voice seems to have hijacked your body... did you see their face?"
"What? What are you talking about, a boy ghost¡¯s face? The boy''s voice must have been coming from my corpse."
"No... when I heard your corpse''s voice before, it sounded similar to your voice. It was different from that boy-like voice just now. Your corpse''s voice was a lot more disgusting..."
"What''s that supposed to mean? Are you making fun of my voices?"
"No, that''s not it, I mean, if the ghost possessing your body is a boy ghost... when it comes out of your body it should have a boy''s voice, and when it goes into your body... your voice is going to be disgusting..."
"What? What are you even saying?!"
"Rumi, I think what Medina needs right now is some comfort."
Raoul stopped Rumi and stepped forward himself.
"Um... Medina, seeing your hijacked corpse with your own eyes must make you feel terrible, but don''t be too sad. Your death wasn''t that bad, compare to worse death than yours. And most importantly, your soul isn¡¯t corrupted."
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"Ah... thanks for the comfort... Did you think I''d say something like that?"
"Uh...?"
"Now if you got all the comport you need, answer what you need to answer. That doll, those criminals are looking for is your doll, right?"
This time Rumi asked with almost certainty.
Because Rumi remembered where she had seen Medina''s doll.
First, it was the foot sticking out of Medina''s bag when she got on the bus,
And second, it was that doll in Medina''s bag during the principal''s class.
"...!"
Medina flinched as if struck when she heard Rumi''s question.
"I''ve actually seen that doll before. You always carried it in that big bag of yours."
"Rumi, did you know about that doll?"
Raoul asked.
"Yeah, she had it in her bag since the first day of school. Quick, tell us what that doll is?"
"Ugh..."
"Tell us quickly! You died because of it, didn''t you?"
Rumi glared at the infuriating Medina who still wouldn''t talk.
"Ah, I shouldn''t tell you this... Ack! How did it come to this? But now... I have no choice... you guys need to help me find the doll."
"What... you want us to find it for you? I mean... where is the doll?"
"Well... uh... I don''t know exactly. That''s the problem. It disappeared somewhere when I died... Actually, even after I woke up as a ghost, I''ve been looking everywhere for that doll but couldn''t find it."
"Then... when you said you had something to do, you meant finding that doll?"
"Yeah..."
"What does the doll look like?"
Raoul asked.
"It just looks like a cursed doll. Something creepy when you look at it..."
Rumi answered instead, recalling what she''d roughly seen.
"What are you talking about? Lucy is so pretty, she looks like a beautiful baby. Just a bit smaller than a real baby."
"But what exactly is that doll? You died because of it, after all."
"Well... it''s a doll my grandmother gave me. She said I''d definitely need it when I enrolled."
"Just because of that, is it important enough for those crazy people to kill you and search for it?"
"That''s... a secret...!"
Rumi got a bit heated seeing Medina proudly shout that it was a secret.
"Then what are we supposed to do now? No one knows where that doll is, not even you."
"...Actually, there''s just one place I haven''t been able to check."
"Where''s that?"
"The principal''s office... I couldn''t go in because there''s a sacred aura around it."
"Why the principal''s office? Are your things in there?"
"I accidentally left my bag in there just before I died."
"...?"
Raoul and Rumi looked at each other.
"That means we need to go to the principal''s office right now?"
Raoul said with wide eyes.
"And right now, both the masked person and your corpse are out looking for the doll, right?"
"Yeah... So I''m asking you guys this - you absolutely have to find that doll. It''s really important and can''t fall into the hands of those witch cult people!"
"Wait, witch cult...?"
"Oops!"
"What the hell? I knew you knew a lot more than we do. A witch cult means a group that worships witches. How do you know those two are from a witch cult?"
"No... I just guessed they might be from a witch cult because they use black magic, so they must be professional black magic users... and most black magic users are from witch cults."
"Raoul, is that right?"
Rumi looked at Raoul and asked.
"It''s not wrong. We can''t be certain, but if they''re doing things like this, there''s a very high chance they''re actually from the witch cult."
"See... I told you?"
"Sigh..."
"So are you guys going to the principal''s office or not?"
"Ah... we have no choice, do we? We have to go look. What about you, Raoul?"
"Of course I will go too."
"Malcolm..."
Rumi looked around but Malcolm was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did that Malcolm go?"
Raoul also noticed Malcolm was gone and checked the infirmary, where Malcolm was standing in front of the door.
"Malcolm, what are you doing there?"
"Don''t you guys know how to keep watch? If everyone goes in one place, it''s over."
"Hmm... we didn''t think of that. Good judgment."
"Huh, If you liked keeping watch that much, why didn''t you keep watch when we were summoning Medina?"
Rumi took a shot at Malcolm.
"Because that¡¯s when I realized I should keep watch."
"Well... anyway, come with us. We have somewhere to go."
"Where now?"
"The principal''s office. Those witch cult guys are looking for a doll, and it''s originally Medina''s and seems to be in the principal''s office now... but you didn''t hear that since you were keeping watch, so just follow us!"
Rumi''s group left the infirmary and entered the north corridor.
"Medina, you keep track of where those two witch cult members are. We''ll go straight to the principal''s office and find the doll as quickly as possible."
"Okay... but if I get caught this time, I would really become an evil spirit, right?"
"Obviously!¡°
¡°Eek!¡±
Medina flew ahead while Rumi and the kids headed for the third-floor principal''s office.
Malcolm and Raoul took turns keeping watch while Rumi moved carefully between them.
The path to the principal''s office was smooth so far.
Wherever those two witch cult members had gone, they didn''t seem to be at the principal''s office right now.
However, there was one slightly annoying presence in front of the principal''s office.
A possessed statue.
It was a crazy ghost that usually kept its eyes closed but suddenly opened them to startle kids.
But coming here in the dead of night, it seemed to be placed there to guard the principal''s office.
"Ugh, what if that statue ghost suddenly starts barking again?"
"Medina, isn''t there any way you can do something about that ghost?"
"How would I know that?"
"Since you''re both ghosts, isn''t there some way? Like distracting it?"
"You think I''m the same kind of ghost as that thing? How dare you say that? Rather than looking for such methods, just turn its head around."
Rumi looked at the statue after hearing Medina and realized it was in a position where its head could be turned.
"That¡¯s actually rally smart."
"Ha...hehe! Of course. I can''t believe you''re only realizing this now. Even as a ghost, I''m an elite among elites..."
"Ah, okay, got it. Now hurry and go see where those two witch cult members are. Medina, go go!"
Medina''s smile turned to a frown as she flew to the end of the corridor.
"Rumi, Do you think I should turn it around?"
Raoul spoke to Rumi, but looking at Raoul who was a head taller than her, she answered.
"No, you''re too tall."
So Rumi pressed herself against the wall and slipped into the narrow space behind the statue as much as possible.
The statue had its eyes closed as if sleeping, but even in that state its face was twitching slightly.
Up close, it had a face that really made you want to punch it.
Rumi touched the twitching statue''s head and very slowly turned it to face the wall beside it.
"Success!"
Rumi cheered in a voice that only an ant could hear.
Then Raoul and Malcolm came through the door to the principal''s office.
They joined up with Rumi who had been waiting behind the door and discussed their final plan.
"Here''s our plan. Malcolm, since you love keeping watch, monitor for anyone coming from in front of the door.
Meanwhile, we two will search the principal''s office for the doll, and as soon as we find it, we go straight back to the dormitory. That''s it."
"It''s such an obvious plan, I didn''t even need to hear it."
Malcolm said sarcastically.
But Rumi and Raoul looked at each other and nodded.
So they left Malcolm near the door and entered the empty principal''s office in the middle of the night.
"Hmm... but don''t you feel like there''s not much sacred aura here at night? It''s just scary like everywhere else."
"Yeah, if anything it feels more desolate..."
Raoul seemed to feel that the principal''s office was scary at night too.
Rumi first went to the area near where Medina usually sat and looked under the desk.
"This is where Medina always sat. So she would have usually put her bag around here.
But looking now, the school would have already collected her bag..."
Raoul continued Rumi''s thought.
"Then that means the doll wasn''t in the bag at that time. That''s why they can''t find it either."
"Then let''s search around this area first."
Rumi and Raoul started searching every space under the nearby desks.
But nothing was visible nearby.
"The doll was about baby size, right?"
Raoul asked while searching.
"Yeah, about that size... it should be noticeably big for a doll... why can''t we see it..."
Rumi and Raoul soon spread out and started searching all the desks in the principal''s office.
But the doll really wasn''t visible anywhere.
"No matter how much we look, it''s not here. It just doesn''t seem to be here. If we can''t see a doll that big, it''s not here."
Rumi sighed.
"Then let''s look a bit more and get out of here. If even one of those witch cult members comes in, we¡¯re doomed."
"Yeah..."
Rumi answered with resignation.
Now she was getting sleepy, her body was tired, and the principal''s office was too big to search thoroughly.
But at that exact moment, she felt someone''s gaze very strongly.
Rumi was slightly startled and looked around, but there didn''t seem to be anyone there.
But strangely, she felt like she knew where the gaze was coming from.
Rumi''s gaze soon fixed on the sacred relic display case.
And there, the doll''s eyes were twinkling.
Chapter 22 - Conspiracy of The Witch Cult (5)
For a brief moment, it almost felt as though those eyes were alive.
"Raoul, look over there. That doll."
Rumi pointed at the doll with her finger.
The doll was in a place that made no sense¡ªhidden among the sacred relics on the top shelf of a nearly five-meter-high storage unit.
Raoul frowned as he looked up at the shelf.
"How did that even get up there?¡°
"Do you think it''s... a possessed doll?"
Rumi shivered, her shoulders hunching as she spoke.
"...But if it were possessed, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter this place in the first place."
"True... And how did it even get wedged between the sacred relics? There¡¯s no way Medina could¡¯ve put it up there alone."
"Exactly..."
"But... how are we supposed to get it down from there?"
Rumi squinted, sizing up Raoul¡¯s height with a doubtful look.
Raoul stood on the desk, and Rumi balanced herself on his shoulders.
"Can you reach it?"
Raoul asked, his face strained.
"I opened the glass panel, but I still can¡¯t reach the doll."
Rumi¡¯s small hand fell far short of the shelf where the doll sat.
"Raoul, I¡¯m really sorry, but can I step on your head?"
"Uh... fine, just be careful not to fall."
Rumi grabbed the shelf and stepped onto Raoul¡¯s head, lifting herself up.
"Ugh..."
Raoul groaned in pain.
Rumi stretched her arm as far as she could, aiming for the doll¡¯s foot hidden among the relics.
"I... I got it!"
She struggled to grab the doll¡¯s leg and pull it out.
As the doll came into view, Rumi felt a chill run down her spine. It looked like a real, shrunken child. Its short, permed hair and delicate features made it hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl.
Thinking of Raoul, Rumi quickly lifted the doll.
But the doll was heavier than she expected.
The moment she lifted it, she felt her body tilting backward.
"Whoa!"
Rumi lost her balance, and Raoul began to topple over with her.
"Ahh!"
Are we really going to fall and break their necks and die like this?
Rumi shut her eyes tightly.
Thud.
But just then, Malcolm, who had been standing below, caught both Rumi and Raoul.
All three of them collapsed to the floor in a heap.
Crash.
"Malcolm...?"
Malcolm, now pinned under Rumi and Raoul, looked at them with disbelief.
"What are you two doing? Trying to get yourselves killed?"
"Ugh, if it weren¡¯t for you, we¡¯d be dead."
Raoul struggled to get up as he spoke.
"Geez... Malcolm... I can¡¯t believe you actually came in handy for once..."
Rumi also rolled off the floor, groaning.
"What¡¯s that you¡¯re holding?"
Malcolm pointed at the doll Rumi was clutching.
"This?"
Rumi showed the doll to Malcolm.
"Haha, this is the doll! We almost died trying to get it."
"That... that¡¯s the doll?"
Malcolm asked, visibly creeped out.
"Yeah, it was on that damn top shelf... Wait, why are you even here?"
"Oh, crap. I almost forgot. We need to hide. Someone¡¯s coming this way."
"What, now?"
"Yeah!"
Rumi and Raoul immediately followed Malcolm¡¯s lead and crawled under the desk to hide.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"What... what¡¯s going on? Is it that black magician again?"
"I don¡¯t know. Medina just said someone¡¯s coming and then disappeared."
"Ah, but what about the statue? If it¡¯s back in place, they¡¯ll know someone¡¯s been here..."
"As long as they don¡¯t know it was us, we¡¯re fine."
Raoul replied.
Rumi and the kids held their breath, waiting. Moments later, a boy ghost walked into the principal¡¯s office.
"What...? the boy ghost?"
The boy ghost moved with an oddly light step.
It was strange how a ghost could enter such a sacred place.
But when the black magician followed him in, the kids tensed up reflexively.
"What the...? Is that boy ghost the one possessing Medina¡¯s corpse...?"
The two members of the witch cult passed by where Rumi and the kids were hiding and began fiddling with the door to the inner office.
"...They¡¯re not here for the doll? Why are they going there...?"
"Guys, now¡¯s our chance. Let¡¯s go."
At that moment, Raoul quickly assessed the situation and grabbed Rumi¡¯s arm, pulling her toward the exit.
Rumi and the kids took advantage of the witches¡¯ distraction and practically crawled up the stairs, running as fast as they could.
They made it to the door and slipped through safely.
But as they reached the door, the cursed statue had turned back to its original position, and it spotted the kids sneaking out of the principal¡¯s office.
"Intruders! You¡¯re doomed. Doomed!"
"Ah! That damn statue!"
The kids knew they were busted and didn¡¯t even look back as they started running.
Now, all they had to do was get back to the dorm and pretend to be asleep. Even if they were caught, it wouldn¡¯t matter.
Rumi and the kids ran like their lives depended on it, each fleeing to their own dorm rooms.
When Rumi entered her dorm room, Eve was gently patting Niel¡¯s back as she slept.
"Why are you here alone...? And what¡¯s that doll?"
"Eve, Niel, pretend to sleep! Hurry!"
"...?"
"Hurry!!!"
Seeing Rumi more frantic than ever, Eve left Niel and jumped into her own bed.
Rumi also threw herself onto the top bunk.
In an instant, the dorm room fell silent, as if everyone had died.
Rumi hugged the doll, trying to calm her racing heart, and anxiously waiting to see if anyone would come to the dormitory room door.
Rumi and Eve had already been exposed to Medina¡¯s corpse, so if there was even the slightest hint of suspicion, Medina¡¯s corpse could come straight to their dorm room at any moment.
And just then, something pale seemed to pass through the door and enter Rumi¡¯s dorm room.
It came in without any warning.
Rumi shut her eyes tightly, pretending to be asleep, but she could feel the ghost¡¯s gaze piercing her face.
The doll was hidden under just a thin blanket, and if they were caught now, Rumi¡¯s strange life would truly be over.
"What are you all doing? Playing dead?"
"... ...?"
The voice was Medina¡¯s.
Rumi frowned, still lying down.
"Was it you, Medina?"
She peeked open her eyes to see Medina looking down at her with a displeased expression.
"Of course it¡¯s me. Who did you expect?"
"Didn¡¯t you see the boy ghost in the principal¡¯s office?"
"What ghost? How could a ghost enter the principal¡¯s office? Are you talking about the black magician?"
"No... never mind..."
"What? So did you find the doll?"
"...Are you sure there¡¯s no one outside?"
"Yeah."
Rumi silently threw off the blanket.
"Wow, you found it! My doll! Where was it?"
Medina suddenly burst into laughter.
"It was on top of the damn sacred relic display shelf!"
"Huh...? Why was it there?"
"Hey, this doll isn¡¯t possessed, is it? It didn¡¯t move on its own or anything?"
"No... haha... Anyway, you need to take good care of it now. Think of it as your precious baby."
Just then, Niel sat up and stared at the doll.
"What¡¯s going on? Is it safe now? Was someone chasing you?"
"Yeah..."
"What were you even doing...? What¡¯s with that doll?"
Eve also sat up and silently looked at the doll.
"This doll is the reason Medina died."
"What?"
"The ghost possessing Medina¡¯s corpse and that masked black magician worked together to kill Medina, and they were looking for this doll."
"What¡¯s so special about this doll?"
Eve asked, her face uneasy.
"That¡¯s the problem."
After answering Eve, Rumi turned to Medina as if sizing up prey.
"Medina! What kind of doll is this?"
"That¡¯s... not important anymore. What matters is that it didn¡¯t fall into the hands of the witch cult. I can die without regrets now."
Medina was being evasive again.
"You¡¯re already dead! Come on, are you really going to be like this? We risked our lives to get this doll.¡°
Just then, there was a knock on the dorm room¡¯s side door.
"Rumi, it¡¯s me, Raoul."
Rumi opened the door to let Raoul in, and Malcolm quietly followed.
With the two of them joining, the room fell silent for a moment.
"So... the witch cult didn¡¯t follow us."
Raoul broke the silence.
"Yeah..."
"Medina, what about that boy ghost? Was he the one possessing your body?"
Raoul asked Medina.
"What are you talking about? Why do you keep bringing up this boy ghost? I don¡¯t know anything about it!"
"I¡¯ll explain... This might be a bit shocking for Medina, but I think it¡¯s time to talk about it."
Rumi interjected.
"...?"
"Medina, the ghost possessing your body... seems to be a boy."
"..."
"..."
Medina¡¯s face showed the most confusion she had ever displayed.
"Why... why are you saying it like that? Can¡¯t a boy ghost possess someone...?"
"No... I just thought it¡¯d be weird if some random boy I didn¡¯t know possessed my dead body... Do you know who he is?"
"What are you talking about? How would I know a boy I¡¯ve never even seen before? And do I look okay to you? A boy ghost is possessing my body!"
"Well, it¡¯s better than some middle-aged man, right?"
"Are you serious right now? There¡¯s a line, and you¡¯ve crossed it! Disrespecting the dead like this!"
"Alright, alright. I get it. You don¡¯t know who he is either. I just thought you might be hiding something."
"What?"
"Okay, next question. What kind of doll is this?"
All eyes turned to Medina.
"......"
Medina remained silent.
"Hmm... then where did you get that cursed book?"
Rumi pressed again.
The kids all focused their attention on Medina.
"I... I don¡¯t remember, haha. Why are you all staring at me like that...? It¡¯s making me uncomfortable..."
"You don''t really expect us to believe that...?"
Rumi smiled creepily as she replied.
"Hey... it¡¯s... it wasn¡¯t my book. It¡¯s a really hard-to-find book."
"So what kind of book is it?"
"I don¡¯t know..."
"Hey, seriously!"
Rumi finally got so frustrated that she reached out to strangle Medina¡¯s translucent neck.
"Eek! help!"
Medina exaggeratedly acted scared, then disappeared through the wall.
"Did... did she really just run away like that?"
Rumi was so frustrated she felt like she was going to explode.
"Fine, run away... but the doll¡¯s in my hands now. I can do everything with this now."
Rumi held up the doll and examined it closely.
Looking at it again, it was a child doll whose gender couldn''t be determined. It wore a suit, and its blond, curly hair¡ªno, it was originally long hair, but it looked like someone had permed it.
"Do you feel any cursed energy?"
"I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell even if there was."
"Then give it to me."
Raoul gestured for the doll.
Rumi handed it over.
Meanwhile, Eve subtly moved away as the doll got closer to her.
Raoul also touched various parts of the doll, examining it closely.
"I don¡¯t feel any cursed energy at all. We might need to use litmus paper."
"I have litmus paper."
Eve opened a drawer and pulled out a neatly organized bundle of litmus paper, handing it over with trembling hands.
Raoul took the paper and held it up to the doll. The litmus paper, soaked in holy water, didn¡¯t change color at all.
"What the...? There¡¯s really no ghost in it? It¡¯s clean."
Rumi asked, watching the scene.
"Eve, Raoul, and Malcolm, do any of you know anything about this kind of doll?"
"Hmm... there are plenty of possessed dolls, but I¡¯ve never seen one like this. What about you, Eve?"
Raoul answered first, then turned to Eve, who seemed to shrink back.
"Honestly... if I had to guess, this is definitely connected to Medina¡¯s family. As you all know, the Mora family has been famous for generations as doll makers. Who knows what kind of dolls they might have... So it¡¯s highly possible that this doll is a very special one from the Mora family."
"That makes a lot of sense."
Chapter 23 - Principal Pierre’s Special Lesson
Just then, Rumi noticed Medina peeking out from the wall, only her face visible.
Medina¡¯s expression was like a person who had just been caught hiding a crucial secret.
"Gasp!"
Medina locked eyes with Rumi and quickly disappeared back into the wall.
"So, that means we need to dig into the Mora family... and if all else fails, we¡¯ll have to dismantle this doll, dissect it, and figure out everything about it!"
Rumi shouted loudly, as if to make sure Medina could hear her, and then pried open the doll¡¯s tiny mouth to look inside. What she saw was an incredibly complex mechanical mechanism.
"Whoa... this is seriously intricate..."
Raoul came closer and inspected the inside of the doll¡¯s mouth.
"Yeah... this definitely isn¡¯t an ordinary doll... But I think we should get some sleep now. It¡¯s way too late."
"Yawn... Let¡¯s call it a day and get some rest. We¡¯ll start investigating the doll properly tomorrow."
Rumi yawned as she spoke.
"No, we can¡¯t leave it here, even for a little while. Do you even realize what this is? The ghost that killed Medina is looking for this doll. And we have no idea what kind of curse might be on it!"
Eve said anxiously.
"So, If we hide it somewhere else and someone steals it, then what?"
"Rumi, you¡¯re overlooking something. Hiding it here isn¡¯t safer. Don¡¯t you remember? Medina¡¯s corpse has already seen our faces. She could show up here at any moment and start tearing the place apart."
"Then we¡¯ll just have to hide it really well..."
"How about this? We¡¯ll hide the doll between the doors. No one else knows about this hidden door except us."
Raoul, listening to Rumi, came up with an idea.
"How is that any different from hiding it in this room?"
Eve asked, puzzled.
"Well, the thing is, if we hide it here, both rooms could get searched. And Raoul, you are sharing your room with him."
Rumi glanced at Malcolm.
"...?"
Malcolm frowned.
"So, the doll¡¯s mine now. I¡¯ll hide it somewhere no one can find it. Got it? Now, everyone, move to Raoul¡¯s dorm room immediately. Niel, Eve, don¡¯t come back until I¡¯m done."
"...Are you planning to keep it a secret from me too?"
Niel asked, her eyes heavy with sleep.
"Of course. It¡¯s the safest way, so just do as I say."
Rumi pushed the kids toward the hidden door on the wall.
Eve, reluctantly pushed out, looked back at Rumi through the door with unease.
"Sigh... You¡¯re really playing with fire. Just know that."
"I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing this."
Thud.
Rumi closed the door.
The next day, the atmosphere was tense before classes even began. A storm with Rain, thunder, and ghosts made everything feel more ominous.
Rumble, crash. Heeheeheehee!
The ghost storm that had rolled in the night before forced the school to lock its doors and suspend all outdoor activities.
Looking out the window, you could see ghosts being swept up in the storm, screaming in bizarre ways.
As Rumi and the kids passed the statue in front of the principal¡¯s office, they worried it might recognize them, but the statue was clearly an idiot.
¡°Rumble, peek-a-boo. Heeheehee!¡±
Entering the principal¡¯s office, the room was unusually dark, shrouded in thick clouds.
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At the podium, Principal Pierre sat at his desk, looking dazed and exhausted.
The principal, who usually seemed composed, looked completely worn out. It was clear that the two witch cult members who had entered the office the day before had done something to him.
Suddenly, the principal stood up and began closing the curtains.
He even went so far as to lock the office door from the inside.
"With the completion of Part 1 of the scripture yesterday, today¡¯s lesson will begin Part 2. However, I¡¯d like to discuss something slightly different today."
The kids watched as Principal Pierre closed the curtains and returned to the podium.
Once the last curtain was drawn, the office was plunged into near darkness.
The storm outside already made things eerie, and now the office felt like a place where ghosts would jump out.
Rumi had developed a habit of looking at Eve, the scaredy-cat, whenever it was eerie.
Eve, sitting alone in the large office, hunched her shoulders.
She started to get up, as if to move, but then saw Rumi.
Rumi mouthed "scaredy-cat" and gave Eve a sly smile.
Eve froze at the sight.
Then she sat back down, pretending nothing had happened.
Rumi felt a sudden surge of satisfaction.
"Today¡¯s story is one I¡¯d prefer not to leave this office. So, if you¡¯re thinking of repeating what you hear today outside these walls, I suggest you think twice."
The introduction to today¡¯s lesson was epic. It was obvious that he wouldn¡¯t actually say anything important, but the atmosphere was definitely set.
"Today, I intend to tell you the truth about the Six Witches."
"Huh...?"
"Wait, what...?"
The kids all started to murmur in fear when they heard that he is going to talk about the witches on this thunderous day.
"Yes, I know. No one in the village talks about the witches.
But I suddenly thought: if no one talks about the witches, who are the curse itself, are we truly learning exorcism?"
The principal spoke in a weary voice, shrouded in darkness.
Rumi didn¡¯t know why the principal was talking about witches, but it was a welcome topic.
Until now, everything she knew about the witches had come from Bertin.
Bertin had said that the Six Witches were the root of all curses in this world, and her dying wish had been to kill them.
Moreover, Rumi had even seen the Blue Witch with her own eyes, but the witches were still enigmatic beings, shrouded in too much mystery to define.
"Before we begin, let¡¯s talk about what you know about witches."
"..."
Silence filled the office.
"It¡¯s alright. Today¡¯s discussion won¡¯t leave this office. Please, speak freely."
Just then Dave spoke up confidently.
"Uh... well, I¡¯ll talk about the types of witches. The Red Witch, the Purple Witch, the Green Witch, the Blue Witch, the Black Witch... and... and..."
"The White Witch."
The principal, seemingly frustrated, finished for him.
"Hmm... Everyone knows about the six types of witches, so let¡¯s try to be a bit more personal. For example, share something only you know about witches."
"Then you could¡¯ve said that from the start..."
Dave muttered under his breath.
Then a girl spoke up quietly.
"My grandmother said she saw a witch with her own eyes before she passed away. And she died that same day."
"Ah... Your grandmother must have been talking about that day 57 years ago. She was lucky not to have been corrupted."
57 years ago? Rumi had no idea what they were talking about.
Then another student chimed in.
"I¡¯ve heard that witches still roam the world, sucking out souls and hunting living humans, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s true."
"That story was also true. It just happened in the past. But not anymore."
"According to Part 1 of the scripture, it says that the six disciples of the God of Life became witches and are still alive today, right?"
This time, Raoul asked.
"Actually, everything you kids are saying are both right and wrong. It¡¯s all based on real events, but mixed with some make beliefs.
However, what I¡¯m about to tell you is based on historical facts about the witches."
"Sir, do we really have to hear this? Aren¡¯t we going to get cursed?"
Dave spoke, sounding skeptical.
"Of course, you might get cursed. But remember, this school is for learning exorcism to defeat witches, not to avoid curses.
So, even if you don¡¯t want to listen, I urge you to pay attention. Today¡¯s lesson is that important.
"..."
Today, the principal was unusually forceful. it almost seemed like he was going mad.
"Over 400 years ago, a girl was born. Her name at birth is unknown. Later, she called herself Lucian.
When the girl was born, the world was incredibly peaceful. It was an era so peaceful it¡¯s hard to believe, free of curses and black magic.
But around the age of 16, black magicians began awakening all over the world, and the girl also awakened as a black magician.
From the moment she awakened, she demonstrated powerful black magic and quickly made a name for herself.
She then used her powerful black magic politically, controlling not only her own country but also neighboring nations. By the time she was 23, she had unlawfully occupied what was then called Canada¡ªthe region where this village is now located¡ªand established a magical kingdom.
At the same time, she sparked a world war, expanding her kingdom¡¯s territory.
Her black magic was specialized in attacking other black magicians and their armies, and in a short time, she came to rule over a quarter of the world''s landmass.
During this process, the world descended into uncontrollable chaos. The hunting of black magicians by humans, the retaliation of black magicians, and the enslavement of humans by black magicians led to the death of one-fifth of the world¡¯s population.
But compared to what was to come, this period could even be called peaceful.
The seed of all tragedy was a black magic developed in Japan, an island nation at the time.
This black magic corrupted the souls of living humans and absorbed them. Ironically, it was called ¡®Healing Rituals¡¯
After learning this magic, black magicians absorbed the souls of living humans, becoming corrupted and transforming into witches and warlocks.
The more human souls they absorbed, the stronger they became, eventually reaching a level where human weapons were useless against them.
And so began the Age of Curses, which continues to this day.
Countless witches and warlocks appeared, competing to hunt humans, and absurd curses for hunting humans began to be developed.
The curses developed during this time were Crimson Ignition, Blue Melancholy, Violet Plague, Black Death, Green Monstrosity, and White Slaughter.
These are the very curses we still suffer from today.
Now, you¡¯re starting to catch on, aren¡¯t you?
In the competition among witches and warlocks, only six black magicians remained in the end."
"Sir, are you saying that witches were once human? That doesn¡¯t make sense!"
A student asked.
"Yes, that¡¯s correct. The Six Witches you know of were once human. Isn¡¯t that astonishing?"
"...!?¡°
The kids were all speechless, hearing such bizarre information for the first time.
Meanwhile, Rumi couldn¡¯t believe that the Blue Witch she had seen¡ªor rather, that giant monster¡ªhad once been human.
Chapter 24 - Such a Profound Spiritualism Class
Rumi looked at Raoul beside her, who was also frowning as if he still didn''t understand what he had heard.
"Going back to the story of Lucian, the girl from the magical kingdom,
When the girl was successfully expanding her territory by invading the whole world, she invaded Japan.
However, when occupation proved difficult due to the iron-clad defense of Japanese black magicians, she infiltrated alone and met the father of healing rituals who was in Japan at that time.
It is said that the girl, upon discovering the healing rituals, became completely obsessed with it. and she killed a Japanese dark sorcerer, and went into hiding to perfect the healing rituals on her own.
But in the midst of this, she was betrayed by her close associates, and the healing rituals was leaked to the outside. From then on, her magical kingdom of Hylence began walking the path of decline.
While witches and warlocks who learned these healing rituals ran rampant slaughtering humans, the girl herself remained obsessed with researching the healing rituals.
Around the time, when rumors spread that the once-brilliant magical kingdom of Hylence had fallen, the White Witch - the beginning and end of all curses, the worst of them all - appeared.
The White Witch indiscriminately massacred and absorbed the souls of all humans and creatures she saw from the moment she appeared, and it''s estimated she alone killed nearly 3 billion people while traveling around the world.
And of course, this White Witch''s identity was Queen Lucian of the fallen Hylence.
Lucian had researched the healing ritual alone until she perfected it, and as soon as she completed it, she awakened as the White Witch.
And ironically, from this point on, tragedy befell the witches.
All six witches who continued hunting humans lost their sense of self from absorbing too many souls, becoming mere specters endlessly wandering the world to absorb more souls.
Even at this moment, the six witches are roaming here and there looking for the nearly extinct humans.
And we living humans barely manage to hide our bodies in sacred lands like Saint Angelicus¡¯ Village to avoid the witches."
"..."
A long silence fell in the principal''s office, which was as large as a stadium.
Rumble CRASH
Eve was now sitting just one seat away from Rumi.
"Why... why has this story become something that no one talks about, like it''s a secret?"
A student asked.
"That''s because there was someone in this village who absolutely must not hear this story."
"What...?"
The kids felt a slight fear about this unknown being.
"What I''m going to talk about now is the Witch Wandering Era that you''ve all heard about, at least once.
The period when a witch suddenly appeared 57 years ago and wandered near the village for about 30 years.
Now this witch has disappeared far away, but everyone had to keep quiet because no one knew what kind of massacre might occur if stories of the past reached the ears of a witch who had lost all her memories and her sense of self."
"But, why are you telling us this story now of all times?"
"As I said before, I''m telling you this because we need to know the witches better to defeat them. The timing doesn''t matter.
Any other questions?"
"Professor, there''s one thing I still don''t understand at all. What about the witches in Scripture Part 1? What about those 6 disciples? They don''t seem to have any connection to the 6 witches that appeared 400 years ago."
Raoul asked.
"Those 6 disciples were only the first witches. Witches die and are reborn over time.
It would be the correct interpretation to say that all witches disappeared at the beginning of Scripture Part 2, 2400 years ago, and then witches reappeared 400 years ago in the form I described."
"..."
"If there are no more questions, I''ll wrap up the story. With weather like this, something terrible might happen if we talk more."
But at that moment, one question kept circling in Rumi''s mind.
"But... how do you kill a witch?"
Principal lifted his head as if startled by Rumi''s question.
"Is the student who asked that question Rumi? That''s a very good question... A witch is ultimately a being made up of countless mixed souls.
Just as you can''t destroy souls, there''s no way to destroy a witch who is soul itself."
"..."
"But there is one way. That is to merge all five witches into one witch through the most powerful White Witch. When that happens, the curse will end."
Rumi couldn''t understand what it meant to merge witches. Actually, it just sounded preposterous.
Raoul beside her also had an uncomfortable expression, as if he didn''t understand.
"Then how exactly can we merge the witches?"
Rumi asked, as if expressing her dissatisfaction.
"That... I''m not sure..."
"..."
Principal Pierre sat down heavily in his chair, looking somewhat tired.
"Then let''s end today''s lesson here. Everyone, please be especially careful today."
Rumi thought she might have gained some useful information from this bizarre history lecture to fulfill Bertin''s last wish.
At least she learned the only way to kill witches was to somehow have the strongest one absorb the rest...
However, even that method seemed so far-fetched that she had no idea how to actually carry it out.
Spring was ending and summer was beginning.
The days were getting longer and hotter. Summer had arrived - the season when they say only the toughest ghosts roam around, able to endure the lengthened daylight.
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Rumi and the kids hadn''t gone out at night since the day they found the doll.
Rather than it being dangerous, it was because Medina''s corpse hadn''t appeared at night.
In the end, Rumi could only quess whether those two witch cult members hadn''t appeared because they had problems from not finding the doll.
If they had appeared, Rumi was definitely planning to track that boy ghost.
But no matter how fearless Rumi was, she couldn''t deny what Eve had said.
The ghost had already seen Rumi and Eve''s faces, and if they acted suspiciously for no reason, they could die unexpectedly.
So it was clearly a time when they needed to exercise maximum restraint.
Instead, the kids were desperate to figure out what the doll was hiding.
Medina wouldn''t talk about the doll''s purpose even if she died - no, even though she was already dead.
Raoul went to the library whenever he had a chance to research about dolls, and today he called Rumi to the library, perhaps having found something.
Rumi waited at the library, and Raoul appeared looking tired, carrying several thick books.
"I stayed up all night reading these books yesterday, but I think I''ve finally found some useful information."
Raoul showed the title of the thickest book he had brought.
''The Origins and History of Dark Relics''
It looked like a forbidden book just at a glance.
"Isn''t this a forbidden book? How did you get it?"
"I just picked it up somewhere. It wasn''t even hard to find. Even if it''s forbidden, at least it''s not cursed. Anyway, I found a doll very similar to Medina''s doll in the section about dark relic dolls."
Raoul spoke while showing a doll photograph from the book.
The doll in the photo looked like a very ancient doll.
"This doll was a very special doll that had strange abilities despite being a relic without any ghost possession. For example, it could speak, walk, swing weapons, and draw cursed pictures."
Raoul put away the thick book and pulled out a thinner book.
"And in this book, I found out this doll''s identity. What''s interesting is this book isn''t even forbidden."
Raoul continued speaking while showing another book.
The title was ''The Golden Age of Automata''
"Automata?"
"Yeah, this doll is an automaton made in Europe very long ago. An automatic robot that performs predetermined sequences of actions.
So you could say automata are closer to robots than dolls."
Rumi saw a doll in the photos whose insides were made up of complex mechanical devices.
"Wow, that doll also had such complex insides."
"Yeah, so I''m almost certain that doll is also an automaton, but the problem is...
Usually automata are powered by clockwork mechanisms, but I can''t see any such mechanism anywhere in that doll."
"Huh? Then is that doll really an automaton?"
"Looking at the internal structure, it''s almost certain. The inside is all mechanical devices and the joints are made to move.
And when these automatons were made it was the peaceful era without curses, so they just used clockwork for power,
but Medina''s doll probably doesn''t use clockwork or anything like that.
Plus, as Eve said, if that doll is the Mora family''s secret doll that''s been passed down for nearly 300 years, it probably gets its power through some method related to curses."
"Then we need to find out how to power it... but how do we do that?"
"Well, that... it seems we''ll need more time to either research or examine the doll''s interior more closely."
"Ugh... damn it... if only that damn Medina had spilled what it is, we wouldn''t have to go through all this trouble."
"That''s true."
Rumi started considering whether she should threaten Medina using somewhat extreme ways.
Rumi had been hearing first-year kids whispering since morning mass started.
"You know the Spiritualism classes start from today, right?"
"Yeah, I heard that witch professor is teaching it... it''s going to be horrible, right?"
"No matter how horrible that class is, wouldn''t it be better than the principal''s torture class?"
"Yeah... that''s true."
The Spiritualism class taught by Professor Francesca, Medina''s aunt.
Upper-class students spread horror stories about Professor Francesca killing students during class, and everyone was afraid.
The kids were happy that Principal Pierre''s special lectures had finally ended while also worrying about the witch professor''s new class starting.
To be honest, Rumi felt the same way.
After morning mass, the kids stood in front of the notorious second-floor Spiritualism classroom.
And when Rumi took the lead and opened the door, a pungent smell wafted out and strange ritual music could be heard.
"Ugh... what''s this smell?"
"It smells like burning corpses or something!"
"Have you actually smelled that before?"
"Isn''t it obvious?"
Rumi quickly looked for Eve then.
And watched her face.
The pained expression of the usually germaphobic Eve was indeed worth seeing.
The classroom was dark, dirty, and smelly.
All sorts of potions and their ingredients were chaotically stuck all over the walls, making it feel like they had entered a witch''s hut.
The kids looked around nervously and sat in chairs and desks that looked like they hadn''t been cleaned for 10 years.
And the highlight of this classroom, Professor Francesca''s appearance, was truly overwhelming.
She was leaning back in a huge sofa covered in animal hide, smoking a long cigarette.
And the old, creepy ritual music playing in the background sounded like villain introduction music.
Thus all the first-year students were frozen, unable to say a word.
"Heheheheh, the cute freshmen have arrived."
Along with a creepy laugh, Professor Francesca''s voice was elegant yet somewhat androgynous.
The witch teacher stood up from her seat. Indeed, she was incredibly tall just like when they saw her before.
And looking at that face with the eye patch, she looked not like a witch professor but like a witch herself.
"The first Spiritualism class for new students..."
The teacher paused after saying this, then suddenly frowned her heavily made-up face.
The kids widened their eyes in surprise.
"Today I''ll teach you how to make rotten water."
The witch professor suddenly swept her hand across a desk, gathering a handful of dust.
"First, gather a handful of dust from the room."
Then she lit the gathered dust in her hand with a long lighter.
"Second, gather the dust in one place and burn it."
The witch professor held her hand up until all the dust burned, as if her hand wasn''t even hot.
Then she brought a beaker filled with some unknown liquid and poured the burned dust into it.
"Third, pour the burned dust ashes into water."
Tapping cigarette ashes into it was a bonus.
Then the witch professor started stirring the beaker with her impossibly long pinky fingernail.
"And finally, wait quietly until the water rots. The end."
"Now make it right away, kids."
"...?"
A bewildered silence fell over the classroom, and the kids looked at each other trying to gauge what they should do.
"The last one to finish will be punished by having to drink this rotten water. Hehehe..."
The professor said while licking the rotten water off her fingernail.
Seeing this, the kids all started gathering dust from around them at once.
Rumi also quickly gathered dust while watching others.
Meanwhile, beside her, Raoul was looking through the textbook for what seemed like a much more complicated method of making rotten water.
The kids all concentrated on gathering dust from their desks, then burned it using beakers and electric stoves.
And so Rumi also very quickly made rotten water.
Honestly, since the process itself was simple, the kids who had finished making rotten water were waiting to see who would make it last and receive punishment.
And the student who made rotten water the slowest was Niel.
She had broken her beaker while making the rotten water and had to start over.
In the end, Niel was called up by the witch teacher and stood holding the rotten water the teacher had made.
Seeing her roommate Niel in trouble, Rumi felt amused in a while.
"Professor, are you really going to make a student drink that rotten water?"
Just then, Eve stood up from her seat far away and shouted.
"What? You want to drink it too?"
"No-no!"
Eve flinched in fear.
And Niel was holding the beaker of rotten water with her eyes squeezed shut.
"Ugh..."
"Student, stop wasting time and drink it quickly!"
That''s when Malcolm suddenly raised his hand.
"Professor."
The attention of the kids and Professor Francesca turned to Malcolm.
"What is it?"
"Could I drink it instead of Niel?"
Professor Francesca looked with interest at Malcolm who had stepped up as Niel''s white knight.
And Rumi likewise watched the situation with even more excitement.
"Oho. Unlike that student earlier, you''re quite reliable. Why not, come forward."
Malcolm came forward and took the beaker Niel had been holding.
"Malcolm... are you sure you''ll be okay...?"
"Yeah."
But when Malcolm lifted the beaker to drink the rotten water, suddenly the beaker turned red hot and burst with a ''pop'', spilling the water below.
"Oh my! The beaker suddenly broke... Does this mean you got lucky?"
Professor Francesca seemed to show a slightly flustered look.
"What... what happened? Professor, should I drink the rotten water I made instead?"
Malcolm said.
"No need... both of you just go back to your seats..."
Professor Francesca sent Niel and Malcolm back to their seats and stood quietly in place.
Then she suddenly shouted.
"Alright, today''s lesson is done! Now it''s free time."
"...?"
The witch professor ended class in barely 20 minutes.
"... ..."
But the kids only made coughing sounds and kept quiet.
Moreover, Professor Francesca was standing completely still with a sinister smile, not moving a muscle.
The kids started panicking as they watched the teacher standing there for a long time without even blinking.
"Wh-what? Is that teacher suddenly paralyzed?"
Dave cried out in shock.
But then the witch professor suddenly opened her mouth like a robot reactivating.
"Everyone, it''s free time - don''t you want to do anything? If you don''t have anything else to do, should I tell you the secret of Spiritualism?"
"...!"
"Any Answers...?"
"... ..."
"No answer, kids?"
"Yes... Professor Francesca. Please tell us the secret."
"Yes, that''s better. Now repeat after me, kids. Spiritualism is not Spiritualism."
"Sp-spiritualism is not Spiritualism!"
"Spiritualism is Necromancy."
"Spiritualism is Necromancy...?"
Chapter 25 - Such a Profound Spiritualism Class (2)
"Yes, you understand, kids. Spiritualism is just a false name for the art created to control ghosts. So in this class, call it Necromancy."
"Yes..."
"Kids, would you like to learn Necromancy?"
"..."
"Answer?"
"Yes, Professor, we want to learn."
The kids, unable to resist the unspoken pressure, gave the answer the witch professor wanted.
"Since you wanted so much, starting from today''s free time, I''ll specially teach you the basics of Necromancy that can enslave even the evilest spirits.
Today we''ll first learn how to make a simple curse essence that can make wandering spirits into your servants.
If you make this curse essence well, you can lure evil spirits and make them consume it. Then the evil spirit becomes addicted to the curse liquid and will serve you forever. How about that? Isn''t it amazing?
And while you''re at this school, you''ll eventually learn how to make the ultimate essence that can extract and control human spirits."
Rumi was scared by how talkative she was being about teaching such evil things.
Then Raoul silently opened the first page of the Spiritualism textbook and showed it to Rumi.
Rumi read the first page, which contained an introduction to Spiritualism.
''Unlike exorcism rituals that drive away and cleanse ghosts, Spiritualism was developed for humans to utilize ghosts.
Spiritualism provides humans with the valuable resource of ghost power and is used appropriately in numerous objects to greatly help humans.
Additionally, it is both a technique and field of study that helps with exorcism by aiding understanding of ghosts.
However, as much as it provides useful labor to humanity, Spiritualism is the most dangerous field among studies exploring souls and ghosts.
This is because it fundamentally touches upon the black magic used by the six witches and is essentially no different from black magic, so students are urged to be careful in studying Spiritualism.''
As soon as Rumi read the introduction, she seemed to understand what Professor Francesca was trying to do.
She was saying she would openly teach the kids black magic while avoiding the school''s eyes.
"So whether it''s Spiritualism or Necromancy, it''s all black magic in the end?"
Rumi asked Raoul to confirm.
Raoul quietly nodded and pointed to the last part of the introduction.
''Author, Emilia Mora.''
"Mora? The person who wrote this textbook is also from Medina''s family?"
"Yeah, seems so."
"Hmm..."
Rumi had a feeling she might be able to get some quite useful clues from this class.
Professor Francesca suddenly pulled out a dead rat by its tail from a drawer.
She turned on the electric stove and placed a crucible on it.
Then the witch professor immediately cut off the rat''s tail and claws.
"Take a rat that''s been dead less than 3 days and cut off its tail and claws.
Boil the claws in rotten water.
Here you need to extract and collect the dead rat''s blood and organs separately...
And then put ugly beech bark juice and corpse flower powder in the crucible, wait a moment, then tear up a charm with spells written on it and put it in the crucible...
Kids, if you can''t remember what I''m doing now, you should write it down and memorize it. The curse liquid tastes incomparably worse than rotten water."
"...!"
Hearing they would have to drink that filthy curse liquid as punishment, all the kids started taking notes on the process of making curse essence.
After going through numerous steps, Professor Francesca stirred the crucible while chanting the final spell.
"Ghosts crave flesh, dolls yearn for souls, and humans desire death... Ghosts crave flesh, dolls yearn for souls, and humans desire death..."
She truly embodied a witch.
"Now, finally, I just need to add the master''s blood and flesh, in this case it¡¯s my blood and flesh, and it''s complete, hahaha."
Professor Francesca transferred the finished curse liquid to a small beaker.
The reddish curse liquid looked toxic enough to cause instant death if drunk.
Soon Professor Francesca poured a little curse liquid into the dead rat''s mouth.
Then amazingly, the rat with no organs started twitching.
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"Stop!"
The witch teacher shouted at the twitching rat.
The rat immediately became motionless again, as if dead.
"Move!"
But when told to move again, the rat twitched back to life.
"Stop!"
"Move!"
"Stop!"
Rumi watched the necromancy controlling the dead rat in a daze.
Strangely, her heart was pounding.
She thought maybe this Necromancy could become her favorite subject. Wouldn''t it be amazing if you could use this on people!
But then an incredible thought occurred to her.
"Ah!"
"Raoul...! I think Medina''s aunt just told us what Medina wouldn''t!"
"What?"
"That''s it, the doll. It works by making it drink curse liquid!"
Raoul also stared at the witch teacher for a while like Rumi.
"Ah...! You''re right! Why didn''t we think of that?"
"Hehehe, damn you Medina. I''ll break that arrogant nose of yours."
"Now then kids, shall we try making curse liquid in pairs?
All the ingredients are in your desk drawers, so use them as you like.
By the way, for dead rats, you can either catch ones wandering nearby or use ones caught in rat traps."
"Pro-Professor? I don''t think there will be enough rats for pairs..."
Eve asked.
"Then how about making curse liquid using the fingernails of whoever loses at rock-paper-scissors? We can also experiment if this curse liquid works on humans."
"... ..."
After the witch teacher''s crazy words ended, all the kids rushed to search the dirty classroom corners.
Rumi also prowled around the classroom like a wildcat and was the first to stab and kill a rat with a fork to start making curse liquid.
And so Rumi and Raoul paired up and very carefully made rat curse liquid during class time.
The dead rat could only stop and move, but the curse liquid seemed to work properly.
So Rumi stole the remaining beaker of curse liquid and waited until evening.
Rumi sat cross-legged in a chair with her hood up and head down.
And shortly after, Medina entered Rumi''s dormitory room.
"Rumi, do you know what I saw today? You being helpless again because you still couldn''t figure out what the doll is... huh?"
Medina discovered Rumi emanating an unusually gloomy atmosphere.
"What? Why are all the lights off?"
That''s when Rumi lifted her head to reveal an evil face.
And like an passionate lover, she grabbed the doll by it¡¯s nape and poured the curse liquid she had saved from class into the doll''s mouth.
"Gasp! Wh-what, how did you...?"
Medina was shocked seeing this, and the doll started twitching slightly.
Rumi showed another devilish smile to Medina.
But then the red curse liquid started leaking straight out from the doll''s pants area.
"Eh? What?"
Rumi quickly moved away as the liquid dripped.
Seeing this, Medina started spinning three times in the air.
"Hahahahaha. Of course, of course. Like that would work. It actually scared me for a moment."
"...!"
Rumi scrunched up her face as much as she could.
"But... how did you guys figure out about the curse liquid?"
"Your aunt told us everything."
"What? Don''t be ridiculous! Only I know about that doll. Only I know the curse liquid recipe. Not even my aunt knows anything!"
"Ugh, come on, the situation is different now! You died because of the doll, and now you can''t even use it anymore, so shouldn''t you tell us how to use it?"
"Does that make any sense? Who knows if one of you is the culprit!"
"...!?"
"What are you talking about? A culprit? among us?"
"..."
"Don''t tell me... you''re saying one of us is the culprit who killed you? What made you say something like that...?"
At that moment, Raoul, Eve, Malcolm, and Niel, who had been hiding in the dark corners of the room, quietly looked at Medina.
"I-I was just joking... why are you taking it so seriously..."
"Medina, are you suspecting me?"
Niel asked in a sad voice.
"No! That''s... I mean, because there''s a human from a traitor family here..."
"Are you talking about me...?"
Eve spoke weakly with a pale face.
Today Eve hadn''t caught a rat and had to drink curse liquid as punishment, completely emptying her stomach after class.
"Uh..."
"Ah, I see...? You''ve been suspecting us this whole time?¡°
Rumi said.
"Well... isn''t that natural? If you were me, wouldn''t you be suspicious seeing your suspicious faces?"
"What?"
"Guys, stop fighting now. What''s important right now is finding out what curse liquid to make and how to use that doll. Let''s focus on that."
Raoul stepped in to mediate the cold atmosphere.
"So... that means, we have no choice but to pressure that damn Medina.
Medina, now that everything''s exposed, tell us the curse liquid recipe. I''ll compromise so you can tell it only to me. You can¡¯t be suspicious of me, right?"
Rumi said with flashing eyes in a threatening tone.
"Sigh... even if I wanted to tell you, I can''t. I don''t have that recipe right now."
"Ah, enough! Do you really want me to turn you into a evil spirit?"
Rumi couldn''t suppress her rising anger and spoke in a cold voice.
Medina looked around slightly flustered.
"No... it''s not that I won''t tell you... You become a ghost, Such complicated things are hard to remember.
It feels like my amnesia is getting worse.
What I had was made by grandmother... even grandmother didn''t know the recipe fully so I tried making it myself..."
"Wait, didn''t the teachers take the liquid you had? Does that mean we have to steal it from the teachers again?"
"No, we don''t need to. I have some samples, and the recipe at home with all the ingredients."
"Hey, if the recipe was that important, you should have carried it with you."
"Then they would have taken the recipe too. Just carrying the doll was dangerous enough, carrying the curse liquid recipe too would have been game over."
"Huh? Wait, that means, you knew someone was after your doll?"
"You... why are you asking such sharp questions today... wait, why am I telling you this?"
Rumi tightly shut her eyes and repeated to herself, ''I must endure.¡®
"If you''re not going to talk anyway, you should just shut up and not make us more curious, Medina."
"Hahaha... that wasn''t my intention... I-I said I would tell you. Anyway, what I''m saying is there''s an incomplete curse liquid recipe and sample left at home."
"But Medina, you''re a ghost - can''t you go home and memorize the recipe?"
Raoul asked.
"You think I haven''t tried that? I already tried going home but I seem to be bound to the school somehow. Like a stupid earthbound spirit."
"That''s strange..."
"Then to get the recipe, someone has to go to your house physically?"
"That''s right..."
At that moment, Eve, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
"You''re not completely earthbound though, right?"
"Of course not, there wasn''t a bounding ritual... but why?"
"Do you know your soul... is getting dimmer?"
"Wh-what are you talking about? Don''t you know ghosts are naturally semi transparent?"
"No, I mean it''s getting dimmer. The color is strange too. And you said your memory is getting worse too, right?"
Hearing Eve''s words, Rumi noticed she really did seem a bit more transparent.
"Oh, you really do look hazier. And you definitely seem to have gotten dumber."
Rumi said quite seriously.
"So what? What are you trying to say?"
Medina reacted particularly sensitively to Eve.
"Are you planning to become an evil spirit like this? Don''t you want to possess something?"
"What are you talking about? Why would I possess anything?"
"Right now you''re not properly attached to the school like an earthbound spirit, and you''re not possessing anything either. If you stay like this, you''ll lose your sense of self and become a wandering evil spirit within a year..."
"Do... do you think I''m doing this because I don''t know that?"
"I did think you didn''t know."
Eve said indifferently.
"How was I supposed to know I''d be cursed and become a ghost! And I don''t know if you remember, but whoever it is is targeting you too? You''ll eventually die from a curse too, ptooey ptooey."
Medina reacted with unusual agitation.
"Medina, calm down. Eve seems to be saying this because she''s worried about you..."
Niel watched the two with concern and spoke timidly.
"Niel, why are you ruining the fun of watching a fight?"
When Rumi commented, Eve sighed and glared at her.
"What I¡¯m trying to say is your soul needs to settle somewhere. And I think I have one way..."
"What? What way?"
Rumi listened curiously.
"Since we''re going to your house anyway, we can properly seal your soul into your belongings there."
Chapter 26 - The Dirty, Dusty, and Filthy Countryside House
Summer vacation was approaching. Rumi received a letter from Uncle Pelman, asking her to visit his house during the break.
However, she wasn¡¯t particularly keen on going. This summer, she had a lot on her plate.
"Raoul, are you all packed? You''re coming to Medina''s place with us, right?"
Rumi asked casually while standing in front of Raoul''s dormitory room.
"No... I think I''ll be busy this time. I''m going to see my family after a long time."
"What? Weren''t we supposed to go together? I mean, if you can''t go, why didn''t you tell me earlier?"
¡°Sorry, I guess I got too caught up to mention it. I wanted to go, but it looks like I can¡¯t this time.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t you just visit your family and then join us later?¡±
"Sorry, I need to go see my family in person this time, so it might take a while."
Rumi deflated. She had been so sure Raoul would come to Medina''s place with them, but now it would just be Niel, Eve, and Rumi going to Medina''s...
Malcolm obviously wouldn''t come along since she wouldn''t let him join anyway.
"Okay... then see you after vacation."
"Sorry, Rumi."
Rumi started walking down the corridor, feeling somewhat gloomy.
She didn''t like how firmly Raoul had refused, and it was strange how he suddenly said he was going to see his family when he had never once talked about them before.
Come to think of it, Rumi realized she didn''t know much about Raoul.
He rarely shared anything personal.
Rumi finally returned to her dormitory room with nothing to do and looked at Niel and Eve, who would be going to Medina''s place with her.
"Sigh..."
For some reason, it was a combination that made her sigh.
"What''s wrong with her now?"
Eve glanced at Rumi and commented.
Rumi put the doll in her bag and finished preparing to leave.
The first day of summer vacation was blazing hot with bugs and dust flying around.
Rumi, Eve, and Niel were taking the school bus to the most remote part of the village.
The three were quiet in the rattling bus.
After driving along country roads for a while, they reached the last stop.
After getting off the bus, Rumi and the kids faced a peaceful and quiet country road with very tall trees standing here and there.
There were no buildings visible nearby, and it certainly looked like the most remote countryside within Saint Angelicus'' Village.
But what was strange was that despite being such a remote place, there were almost no ghosts visible around.
It was hard to imagine such a clean area existing within the village.
"What is this place? I''ve never seen somewhere with so few ghosts."
Niel said, looking at the clear sky.
"I know, right."
Eve was also quietly looking at the clean sky.
"But is this the right place? I don''t see any buildings around."
"It should be right, since we came according to the directions, as long as Medina didn''t make a mistake."
Eve answered, holding a note and map.
"When you get off at the stop, follow the purple flowers, pass the signpost, and look for the red mailbox."
Eve recited from the note where she had copied down Medina''s instructions.
¡°Where¡¯s this signpost...?¡±
Rumi grumbled.
"Let''s just follow this road for now."
Eve moved first then.
Rumi and Niel followed Eve, walking along the road for quite a while.
After some time, they started seeing unfamiliar tall, giant purple flowers, but there was no sign of the signpost.
"Ugh, it''s so hot! How much further do we have to go? I see more flowers but... why does that damn Medina have to make everything so exhausting?"
Rumi¡¯s temper flared as she walked under the scorching sun.
"But... did I really need to come here too? Malcolm invited me over for this vacation..."
Niel said with a tired face while carrying a full load of luggage.
"Niel, good timing bringing that up. Why do you keep hanging out with someone like Malcolm?"
"Why...? Am I not supposed to hang out with Malcolm? He''s really gentle."
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¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve never met anyone as rude as Malcolm.¡±
"Malcolm is like that at first, but he''s different once you get close. If you''re nice to him first, he''ll be nice to you too."
¡°How can you be nice to someone like that? Ugh, do you like Malcolm or something?¡±
"Well, you''re always sticking together with Raoul too. Are you two dating?"
That''s when Niel suddenly made an unexpected counterattack.
"What? That''s... um... um... actually, I think he likes me quite a lot. He''s always sticking by my side and won''t leave... hehe."
Rumi smiled to herself.
"But he didn''t follow you this time."
When Niel struck back again, Rumi''s expression immediately hardened.
"... ..."
Rumi had nothing to say, so she looked at Eve, who was struggling more than anyone else while dragging an unusually large luggage bag.
"Of all people to come with, it had to be Niel and you..."
"There''s the signpost."
Just then Eve suddenly stopped and pointed to the end of the road.
And indeed, a strange black signpost was visible in the distance.
It had a skull drawn on it with an X mark.
It was an ominous sign that would be hard to miss while passing by.
¡°There it is. So, the red mailbox should be...¡±
The kids moved forward past the signpost and looked for a red mailbox.
And indeed, there was a red mailbox in front of an iron gate surrounded by vines.
"Aha, this must be it."
Rumi commented upon finally discovering Medina''s gate.
Eve stood still, looking exhausted, as if waiting for someone else to open the door.
So Rumi immediately rushed to the iron gate and pushed it.
The large, heavy iron gate opened and the kids walked into what looked like a mansion''s courtyard.
And deep inside, among the trees, appeared an enormous black house.
At first glance, it was a huge mansion that looked like a castle.
Though rather than just a castle, it had a gloomy feel like a witch''s castle, but even that felt like a faded black and white photograph.
"This is definitely witch Medina''s house, for sure."
This time Rumi took the lead and approached the black door.
Knock knock knock
Rumi knocked on the door hard.
They waited for a while, but there was only silence.
Knock knock knock knock knock
"Hmm... what? Is no one home?"
"I don''t think anyone said there would be someone here."
Niel said.
"Then should we just try opening the door?"
Rumi grabbed the doorknob and tried turning it. It turned easily with a swish.
"It''s really unlocked..."
Rumi opened the door with a slightly uneasy feeling now that it opened so easily.
Inside, the house was incredibly filthy. Mysterious black boxes were piled everywhere, covered in thick layers of dust, and the smell of an old house wafted through the air.
There were also all sorts of strange items, like taxidermied bats, scattered around, making the place feel more cluttered than dirty.
In short, it was a house that suited Medina perfectly.
"Ugh... why is there so much stuff."
Looking at Eve now, she indeed seemed to be holding her breath, her face twisted in disgust.
"Are you scared again?"
"What are you talking about? It''s just because it''s so dirty."
Rumi and the kids entered the house and looked around.
There was a central lobby with what looked like a reception room on the right and a large living room on the left.
At least the living room had relatively little stuff.
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
Rumi asked after already being well inside the house.
¡°We¡¯re Medina¡¯s friends... She turned into a ghost.¡±
"D-don''t say things like that right now!"
Eve coached while struggling with the luggage.
"No... I deliberately said something provocative to check if anyone was really here..."
Rumi climbed the stairs while looking at the creepy portraits hanging on them.
The portraits all depicted incredibly beautiful women, but they strangely all looked lifeless, as if painted from corpses.
Rumi reached the top of the stairs and turned right.
And stopped in front of a door.
"She said her room was on the second floor... is this it?"
When she tried to open the door, it wouldn''t budge because of something behind it.
"Hey, this door won''t open - someone come help me open it."
That''s when Eve came and helped push the door together.
Creeeeak
When the door opened like that, a dust-filled room appeared.
This room, like other places in the house, was full of strange objects.
"This must be Medina''s room."
"Yeah, definitely."
Rumi and Eve climbed over the obstacles behind the door and entered the room.
The room was very long and wide for a single person''s room. There was a huge bed deep inside and a very long desk occupied the entire window wall.
The room had lots of stuff and dust, but above all, the room temperature was too high.
"Sigh..."
Eve was dripping with sweat and opened the windows first thing after entering the room.
Rumi immediately ran to Medina''s desk and discovered glass bottles, beakers, and strange potion ingredients.
''Curse Nectar Recipe (Latest Improved Version by Medina Mora)''
This was obviously the curse essence recipe needed for the doll. It was so typical of Medina to leave something like this out in the open.
Even more astonishing was the small bottle of deep purple liquid sitting right on top of the recipe. It was undoubtedly a sample of the cursed essence.
"Haha! Look at this. Here''s the curse essence recipe and even a sample. I''m confiscating this, Medina!"
Rumi immediately grabbed the recipe and sample bottle and crammed them into the bag containing the doll.
¡°Eve, since we¡¯ve found Medina¡¯s room, are we going to perform the Spiritualism and Necromancy rituals here?¡±
Niel asked as she slowly entered the room.
"Yeah... but..."
Eve put her hands on her hips and looked around the messy room while hesitating.
"What''s wrong? Is there a problem?"
¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? In this state, we can¡¯t perform any rituals. It¡¯s so dirty that who knows what kind of spirits might latch onto us. We need to clean up first.¡±
"What? You''re going to clean this huge room in this heat?"
Rumi asked with a surprised face.
"I''d like to clean the whole house... but that''s impossible, so at least this room where the ritual will take place needs to be spotless."
Eve finished speaking and immediately rolled up her sleeves and started moving things.
"Ri-right now?"
Niel stammered in surprise.
¡°Of course. Performing a ritual in a place this filthy is out of the question.¡±
Rumi glanced at Niel.
And Niel also looked like she didn''t want to clean.
A few hours later.
Eve was drenched in sweat while cleaning alone.
Niel and Rumi stood around awkwardly not knowing what to do, helping clumsily by moving things outside the room as Eve directed.
But if Eve wasn''t satisfied with something, she ended up carrying all the stuff herself.
Not only that, when Rumi couldn''t find a rag and tried wiping the desk with a white tablecloth, Eve scolded her saying it would make things dirtier and took the tablecloth away, after which Rumi just stood around with nothing to do.
Eve really was a clean freak.
They already knew from how she cleaned her own bed and Rumi and Niel''s beds every day in the dormitory, but this time seeing this witch''s lair seemed to have driven her crazy.
"Instead of just standing there, could you go to the bathroom and change this water?"
"Oh, I''ll go change it."
Rumi picked up the water bucket.
"I... I''ll go too."
Niel quickly stuck to Rumi.
"Hey, you stay here and assist Eve."
"No."
"Sigh..."
In the end, Rumi and Niel left the room together carrying the water bucket.
And as soon as they left the room, Niel''s lament could be heard.
¡°Sigh... Why is Eve cleaning so obsessively? I don¡¯t get what cleaning has to do with performing a Necromancy ritual.¡±
"I don''t know either, ugh... look at that, I think she''s planning to wash the mattress too."
"Ugh..."
Rumi and Niel escaped to the second-floor corridor and looked for the bathroom.
They found a narrow bathroom hidden in the center of the second floor, but it was dark and dirty inside.
Rumi didn''t mind the dirt and emptied and refilled the water in the bathroom, but by then Niel had disappeared without a trace.
"What...?"
While filling the bucket, Rumi looked out toward the bright bathroom entrance hoping Niel might follow, but Niel didn''t come even until the bucket was full.
"Hey, Niel. Where are you?"
After getting all the water, Rumi came out of the bathroom empty-handed.
She thought something might have happened to Niel and planned to look for her.
Following the corridor to the right, she finally found the cleanest place in the house.
It was the kitchen.
The kitchen was the only place in the house that was spotless, almost gleaming.
It was actually so clean it was borderline creepy.
As if someone had cleaned this place just moments ago.
Rumi regretted not getting water from the kitchen.
¡°Ah! Rumi, come here, quick!¡±
Suddenly, Niel¡¯s scream echoed from the first floor.
Chapter 27 - The Dirty, Dusty, and Filthy Countryside House (2)
Rumi quickly ran down the stairs toward the living room where she thought she heard the sound.
"What is it, Niel? What''s wrong?"
As she entered the living room, she noticed a massive bed that hadn¡¯t been visible when they first arrived. Niel was standing next to it, pointing at something.
Fortunately, Niel didn''t seem to have died or become a ghost, but her face was terrified.
¡°Look over here! There¡¯s some kind of mummified grandma!¡±
"What?"
Following Niel''s pointing finger to see what she was making such a fuss about, Rumi saw that there really was an emaciated corpse lying in the middle of the bed.
To be more precise, there was a coffin embedded in the middle of the bed, and inside it lay a mummy wrapped tightly in bandages except for its face.
The mummy''s face was wrinkled - a true grandmother mummy.
"Ugh, what is this? It''s real... what... what''s going on with Medina''s house? Why is there a mummy... and on the bed at that."
That''s when Eve also approached cautiously, holding a mop.
"Wh-what''s wrong, Niel?"
"Look at this, there''s a corpse."
"What?"
Eve carefully approached and looked at the bed. And she had less of a reaction than expected.
"...?"
Rumi thought Eve''s response was inappropriate for her.
"Boo!"
"Eeeek!"
When Rumi startled the frozen Eve, she fell backward.
¡°Are you out of your mind?!¡±
¡°That¡¯s more like it. Heh heh.¡±
Leaving Eve alone, Rumi looked closely at the mummy''s shriveled face.
Looking carefully, this grandmother mummy''s face felt familiar somehow.
"Don''t tell me this mummy is Medina''s grandmother?"
Niel said in a hushed voice.
"I don''t think so. When I heard Medina talk about her grandmother, it sounded like she was alive. But this is obviously a mummy that''s been dead and dried up for a long time."
"Then maybe it''s a great-grandmother or something?"
"Hey Eve, have you ever heard of mummifying family members?"
"...I''ve heard of sealing them into a doll, but mummification is..."
"..."
Rumi looked at the mummy''s face again, trying to recall why it felt familiar.
"Wait, look at this too. There are three more coffins."
Niel pointed to coffins in the corner of the living room.
As soon as Rumi saw those coffins, she was filled with the desire to peek inside.
"Oho, what''s that?"
When Rumi reflexively rushed toward the coffins, Eve tried to stop her.
¡°Rumi, don¡¯t open random things.¡±
"Come on, you''re curious too."
Clunk
Rumi ignored her and slightly opened a coffin lid anyway.
Inside was something that looked like a person... no, something person-like wearing a purple wedding dress.
"Wh-what is this? Is this a corpse too?"
Niel quietly came and stuck close to Rumi.
"I don''t know...? It doesn''t seem like a person."
Rumi fearlessly touched the face of the person-like thing slightly.
"No, it''s not a person. This face is hard. This... must be a doll...!"
But if this was really a doll, she could only think it was an incredibly elaborate one.
"Wow... impossible. It looks just like a real person."
Niel stared at it in awe.
Rumi got goosebumps on her arms.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
It was a doll that looked incredibly similar to a person. Moreover, it was stunningly beautiful, like a goddess.
And suddenly she remembered the portraits by the stairs.
"But why is there a doll here... does the Mora family really have something to do with dolls?"
Rumi turned her eyes to the other coffins.
At that moment, Eve shouted from far away at Rumi and Niel.
¡°Hey...! Weren¡¯t you two supposed to be getting water? Let¡¯s go back upstairs and finish cleaning!¡±
Eve''s voice was trembling slightly.
But Rumi, ignoring her, began to move toward the other coffins.
¡°Please, just stop.¡±
Finally, Eve grabbed Rumi and Niel''s arms and started pulling them up the stairs.
¡°You two, stop snooping around other people¡¯s things. Let¡¯s go clean!¡±
"We were just looking around the house, checking if there was anything that would interfere with the summoning ritual..."
Rumi muttered.
"That¡¯s right... and you''re doing all the cleaning anyway..."
Niel also grumbled while being dragged.
It took almost half a day to clean Medina''s room to Eve''s satisfaction.
And in that time, night fell and it became time to perform the summoning ritual.
But Eve, who was supposed to perform the ritual, was completely exhausted, sprawled out on the sofa.
¡°Hey, are you even in any condition to perform the ritual?¡±
"..."
Eve had no focus in her eyes and gave no answer.
"That''s why you shouldn''t have cleaned so intensely."
Niel also commented, standing next to Rumi.
¡°And you should at least wash up. You¡¯re drenched in sweat.¡±
¡°The bathroom¡¯s too dirty...¡±
"What?"
"I can''t shower because the bathroom is too dirty... Rumi, could you clean it for me? Please..."
Eve touched Rumi''s fingertips with a pleading look.
Tingle
"...!"
Darn it, Eve was using her charm against her.
When she made such a defenseless expression with that beautiful face, even Rumi couldn¡¯t resist.
"Ah, fine... then we''ll clean it and you can shower later."
Rumi gave in immediately.
"We? I''m tired too..."
"Niel, you actually came here as a cleaner. Face reality."
"What...?"
"Thank you, Niel... Rumi..."
Eve closed her eyes and drifted off.
Time passed, and after finishing the bathroom cleaning and bathing, the kids changed into pajamas and decided to take a nap.
They planned to perform the Spiritualism ritual late at night when the atmosphere was right.
The three girls were completely knocked out, their bodies exhausted from the long journey and cleaning.
While taking what should have been a short afternoon nap, Rumi was half-awake at some point, feeling thirsty.
Then she heard small sounds from outside the room.
Chop chop chop chop chop...
It sounded like someone chopping something with a knife. There were also other noises, like someone cooking.
When she opened her eyes, it was dark.
Rumi got up, looked at Eve and Niel still sleeping, and quietly left the room.
She headed to the kitchen to get some water, but the kitchen light was on, and the cooking sounds were coming from there.
Rumi walked to the kitchen on tiptoes, wondering what was going on.
And when she slightly peeked her head in to look at the kitchen
Two dolls, one looking like a butler and the other like a maid, were cooking.
Rumi wasn''t sure if she was still dreaming, having just woken up.
Rumi rubbed her eyes and looked at the kitchen again, and made eye contact with the grandmother mummy sitting at the kitchen table.
"...?"
¡°Oh? I thought you were another thief.¡±
Suddenly, the grandmother mummy spoke.
"What?"
Rumi¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She hadn¡¯t expected a dead mummy to talk.
"Did you come out for dinner?"
¡°Uh... no. I was just... thirsty...¡±
Just then, the butler doll appeared beside the grandmother mummy holding a huge plate of steak.
"Are you Medina''s grandmother?"
Rumi stepped into the kitchen and asked.
The butler doll cut a large piece of steak and fed it to the grandmother, who had no teeth.
The grandmother mummy didn''t answer and chewed the meat for a while like chewing cud, then opened her mouth.
"Ye-yes, that''s right, dear."
Looking at Medina''s grandmother''s face, Rumi felt another strange d¨¦j¨¤ vu. She couldn''t place where, but it really felt like a face she had seen somewhere.
¡°So, you¡¯re Rumi, right?¡±
"Yes... huh? But how do you know my name?"
"How could I not know after we''ve already met?"
"What...?"
Rumi had no memory of meeting this mummy grandmother.
"So you came to seal my granddaughter''s soul?"
"How do you know that too?"
"Hmm... I''ve already met Medina."
"What? How? She said she hadn''t met you..."
Just then, the maid doll suddenly filled a teacup with water and handed it to Rumi.
Rumi accepted the teacup in bewilderment.
"Drink up."
The grandmother mummy nodded, her face trembling.
Rumi watched carefully and took a sip from the teacup.
But she felt a fizzy sensation in the water that she had never experienced in this world.
"Ooh? Carbonated water?"
"Hehehe. It''s been a while, hasn''t it?"
Rumi didn¡¯t know how to react.
She didn''t know how carbonated water could still exist in this ruined world.
And judging by this grandmother mummy''s reaction, she seemed to know that Rumi had come from the pre-apocalyptic world.
At that moment, Rumi felt an indescribable unpleasant feeling.
This grandmother mummy knew things she shouldn''t know.
The grandmother mummy was smiling awkwardly with her creepy face, and seeing that made Rumi feel her strength draining.
"Thank you for the drink... I''ll go back to the room now."
Rumi put the teacup down on the table and slowly started backing away.
"Alright... send Medina to me after you seal her soul. And if you¡¯re hungry, feel free to sneak some food from here."
"..."
Rumi returned to Medina''s room without answering.
And after returning, she didn''t want to wake the others to tell them about that grandmother.
But she couldn''t fall back asleep either, so she just sat in a chair blankly listening to the noise from the kitchen until the end.
After a while, Eve woke up and made the sign of the Y.
And while fixing her clothes, she jumped in surprise discovering Rumi sitting in the chair like a ghost.
"Ack! You... you were awake?"
"Yeah..."
Rumi answered as if her spirit had left her body.
¡°Did... something happen to you?¡±
"No, not really. I just met Medina''s grandmother."
"What? The grandmother was in this house?"
"Yeah, that mummy on the bed is actually her living grandmother.
If you see her, try to be polite."
Eve stared blankly for a moment with a shocked face, then looked at Rumi with concern.
"But are you really okay? You look a bit tired..."
"Yeah, I''m fine. More importantly, it''s 2 AM now - are we doing the summoning ritual?"
"We should..."
Rumi got up from her seat and poked Niel who was sleeping alone on the sofa.
"Niel, wake up."
¡°Mmm, just five more minutes...¡±
¡°Get up! Now!¡±
While Rumi was forcibly waking Niel, Eve left the room to prepare for the ritual.
Eve went to the kitchen alone to fetch water, but it seemed nothing unusual had happened there.
The kitchen had gone quiet a while ago, so it was likely empty now.
Eve added salt to the water she brought and prayed to make holy water.
Rumi also took out the scripture book. and lanterns and started setting up.
And Niel alone sat on the sofa with eyes still not fully awake.
Eve started drawing the summoning ritual''s sacred site map with salt water as they had learned in the bell tower.
And she placed candles, a silver plate, and Medina''s glasses in the center of the sacred site map.
The summoning ritual setup itself wasn''t much different from what they had done in Medina''s dormitory room, but it was much more elaborate in every aspect.
Once the preparations were complete, Rumi volunteered to sit out the dance.
¡°I¡¯ll sit this one out. I¡¯ll just get in your way.¡±
"Yeah, good idea."
Eve answered quickly.
"..."
¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin the ritual.¡±
Chapter 28 - The Dirty, Dusty, and Filthy Countryside House (3)
Rumi started singing the scripture song.
Eve and Niel began dancing while singing along with Rumi''s scripture song.
As expected, Eve danced perfectly, while Niel followed Eve with slightly sluggish movements like a drunk person.
The two girls in white pajamas dancing in the moonlight truly looked like they were performing a ritual to summon spirits.
Rumi thought again about how unusual, bizarre, and yet fascinating this scene was.
Eve''s dancing was truly beautiful.
In fact, seeing her dance so passionately made her seem less like the scaredy-cat she usually was.
Though Rumi didn¡¯t want to admit it, Eve was the very embodiment of beauty.
Her face, expressions, figure, dance lines, and even her voice... in a word, she had star quality.
If she had been an idol in the original world, she would have been huge...!
The dance continued. But no ghost appeared.
It seemed they would have to dance for quite a while to summon a ghost since they were far from the school.
After some time, Niel, who had been dancing as hard as she could, collapsed when the ghost still didn¡¯t appear. Eventually, only Eve was left, dancing tirelessly.
Rumi kept singing the scripture song to support her, though her throat was starting to hurt.
"...!"
At that exact moment, a ghost seemed to be lurking outside the window.
Rumi looked to see if Medina had been summoned... but it didn''t seem to be Medina.
Instead, it resembled the boy ghost they had seen in the principal¡¯s office.
But in an instant, the ghost vanished without a trace.
"Oh? Guys, I see something white above the lantern!"
Just then Niel shouted.
When Rumi looked above the lantern at Niel''s words, a faint misty mass was merging together like when Winnie''s soul had formed before.
A soul was starting to appear above the lantern.
"Eve, it''s starting!"
Eve started reciting scripture verses repeatedly with Rumi while dancing.
"When the stream flows without rest, even dead trees will bear the fruit of life."
¡°If the stream flows without ceasing, even a dead tree will bear the fruit of life.¡±
Soon after, Medina''s form became clearer and clearer above the lantern...
"Uuuuuaaaagh!"
She appeared with a strange cry as if squeezing through a narrow passage.
"..."
The summoned Medina looked around and discovered Rumi, Eve, and Niel.
"Wow amazing! You guys succeeded. I''m back in my room."
Eve stopped dancing and staggered, looking like she might collapse. Rumi grabbed her arm to steady her.
Eve let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Medina, then immediately regained her serious expression.
"Wait, we need to verify if you''re really Medina."
"What? What are you talking about, Eve? It''s obviously me."
"Say your full name."
"My full name? Would you even know it if I said it?"
"No..."
Eve clutched her head as if feeling dizzy.
¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you about to pass out? Or are you scared of me or something?¡±
¡°You idiot, it¡¯s because we¡¯ve been dancing nonstop to summon you.¡±
Rumi cut in.
"Eve, take a break. I''ll ask the questions."
Rumi sat down Eve, who was breaking out in cold sweat, and continued questioning Medina.
"Tell me the recipe for the last potion you made here."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°That¡¯s... I already told you at school that I don¡¯t remember!¡±
"Correct. Next question. What did Medina call me on her first day of school?"
Medina made an annoyed expression hearing Rumi''s question.
"What do you want to hear?"
¡°Just say it.¡±
¡°My life¡¯s savior...¡±
Medina reluctantly muttered.
"Correct. I am your life savior. And call Eve here savior too! Your soul savior."
Medina silently gave a rotten smile.
"I''d rather not..."
"Now that Medina''s here, is it all over?"
Just then Niel asked, looking like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.
"No, not yet... we''ll perform the sealing ritual right now so Medina, move in front of your glasses on that silver plate over there."
Eve said while sitting on the floor.
"Oh, planning to seal me in my glasses? Not bad."
"Niel, then pour some rotten water on those glasses. After that, we can start the sealing ritual right away."
Eve asked.
"Okay."
Niel got up and poured a little rotten water on the glasses.
And Eve barely managed to stand up again and opened the scripture book.
"Medina, when you hear the scripture song, you''ll probably want to hide somewhere regardless of your will. Then just let your body guide you into your glasses dampened with that rotten water."
"Yeah, of course."
The three - Eve, Rumi, and Niel - started reciting Scripture Song No. 1 ''Fear Unto the Traitor'' that they had learned from Professor Myers.
"..."
"You evil spirits shall remember your sin of betrayal upon seeing my form.
I sing and dance before you, so slaves of death shall hide their form and flee to dark and empty places."
Immediately, Medina''s spirit started trembling.
"Uugh... aagh!"
Soon after she screamed as if in pain, her soul shone brightly. And then she started whirling around the entire room wildly as if going berserk.
"What is she doing, she should just go straight into the glasses."
"Uwaaaaagh waaagh!"
"Is Medina actually enjoying this right now?"
Niel also watched the flying Medina with an incredulous look from beside Rumi.
Only Eve continued singing the scripture song.
¡°Hey, get in there already! What are you doing?¡±
Rumi shouted at Medina, who was flailing around like a deflated balloon.
"Aaaaaaagh! I¡¯m Dooooomed!"
"...?"
At that moment, something quite unexpected happened.
Instead of entering the glasses, Medina¡¯s spirit flew into the tablecloth draped over a chair in the corner.
It was the tablecloth Rumi had used as a rag earlier that day.
"Hmm?"
A moment later, the tablecloth began fluttering on its own, even though there was no wind.
Rumi held her breath, wondering if it could be.
Eve seemed to notice something strange too and glanced at Rumi while speaking.
¡°Did... did Medina just possess the tablecloth?¡±
¡°Yeah... looks like it...¡±
Rumi slowly approached the tablecloth to see if Medina had really possessed it.
"You guys...!"
Just then Medina''s voice was heard as the tablecloth suddenly flew up into the air.
Then it crossed the room and stopped in front of Eve.
Eve stumbled backward, startled.
The tablecloth was floating like a ghost wearing a tablecloth.
¡°Eve, what the hell did you do to me?!¡±
When Medina¡¯s voice came from the tablecloth again, it was clear she had indeed possessed it.
"You... why did you possess the tablecloth?"
"I couldn''t possess my glasses!"
"Hmm... could it be, did that really happen?"
Rumi muttered, stroking her chin like a detective.
"...?"
Then she moved to check Medina''s glasses.
And carefully examined the water droplets on the glasses. As expected, the water was clear and clean.
Rumi seemed to already know what this water was. But to confirm, she touched the water with her finger and put it to her tongue.
"What are you doing?"
"Salty!"
"What?"
"The rotten water is salty and clean."
"What does that..."
Tablecloth ghost Medina sounded confused.
That''s when Rumi pointed at Niel.
"The culprit is you, Niel."
"What...? Me?"
"Niel, you sprinkled holy salt water instead of rotten water on the glasses, didn''t you?"
Niel looked clueless.
"Huh? How could that be? I just...?"
"...?!"
Hearing this, Tablecloth ghost Medina immediately flew to Niel.
¡°You... is that true? You poured holy water instead of tainted water, so I had no choice but to possess this damn tablecloth?!¡±
"I... just... sorry..."
¡°Pfft... Heh heh heh...¡±
When Rumi''s laughter was heard then, Tablecloth ghost Medina immediately turned around and glared at her.
"You! What''s so funny?"
¡°Well, if you didn¡¯t want to possess the tablecloth so badly, you could¡¯ve just floated around in the air. Why did you make such a fuss and dive into the tablecloth? Heh heh.¡±
"I had to hide somewhere because you were tormenting me with singing that scripture song!"
"Ah right, I forgot about that. Hahaha."
Rumi couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter.
¡°Ahhh!! What is this? I died at such a young age, and now I¡¯m stuck possessing a tablecloth? This can¡¯t be happening... Eve, turn me back. Even you know this isn¡¯t right..."
"Sorry Medina... that''s impossible."
Eve said with a guilty expression.
"Why? Why can''t you?!"
¡°You were successfully summoned and sealed by novice exorcists like us under very special circumstances.
Honestly, this much is already a miracle.
If we separate you from the tablecloth in this state, your soul could become very unstable.
In the worst case, you might lose your sense of self in an instant and fall into a true evil spirit.
Actually, when you think about it, this is my fault. I should have checked properly and proceeded more cautiously before delegating the task to Niel... I''m sorry."
¡°Eve, how is this your fault? It¡¯s stupid Niel¡¯s fault and Medina¡¯s for diving into the tablecloth herself... Wait, is that tablecloth something special to you? Like, did you use it as a cradle when you were born or something... Hehe.¡±
¡°Rumi, what are you talking about! You used it as a rag earlier...¡±
Rumi went to Niel and covered her mouth.
¡°Shh, it¡¯s too cruel to bring that up now.¡±
Rumi whispered to Niel.
¡°Oh... right...¡±
"You guys really aaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Medina howled like a wolf, unable to contain her anger.
Rumi thought she might have gone too far and tried to think of something to say.
¡°Hey, look on the bright side... If you¡¯re flying around as a tablecloth, the witch cult won¡¯t recognize you.
If you had possessed the glasses, they might¡¯ve figured it out and turned you into a real evil spirit.
So, in a way, this is safer for you.¡±
Rumi managed to come up with a practical advantage.
Eve also chimed in.
¡°Yeah... actually, if you think about it, being in the tablecloth is better for your safety. If we had known this would happen, we would¡¯ve just had you possess the tablecloth from the start...¡±
¡°Ugh, fine, stop it... You¡¯re not helping... Ugh... I guess this is my fate. As if dying at this age wasn''t enough, now I''m getting consoled by unlucky Eve..."
"Medina... is it okay if we finish the ritual now?"
Eve asked Tablecloth ghost Medina, looking like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.
"Yeah..."
With that, Eve completed the final steps of the sealing ritual, and it was officially over.
Eve collapsed to the floor, and Rumi and Niel carried her to the bed.
"Hey, this counts as a great success for the sealing ritual. Even though she doesn''t show it, Eve worked really hard to help you."
"That... I noticed. It''s just having a Bronte in our house is a bit..."
¡°Speaking of families, what happened between your two families that you keep bringing it up?¡±
Chapter 29 - The Dirty, Dusty, and Filthy Countryside House (4)
Just then Niel also asked curiously.
¡°Well... it¡¯s not so much about something that happened between our families, but more like the Bront? family betrayed every other family, did all sorts of reckless things they shouldn¡¯t have, and ended up ruining their own family in the process...
And now, the daughter of that ruined family is her... Ugh, gives me the creeps...¡±
Rumi seemed to be hearing about Eve''s family being ruined for the first time.
"But from what you''re saying, it doesn''t seem like you have any real reason to hate Eve?"
"No, that''s not it... when the Bronte family betrayed everyone, our family suffered huge losses. My grandmother almost died because of it!"
Rumi glanced at Eve sprawled out on the bed.
"And look, because of Eve, I ended up possessing a tablecloth of all things..."
Rumi wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen to Medina¡¯s whining.
So she started looking for scissors in the room.
"What are you doing, Rumi...?"
Niel quietly asked watching her.
Medina also watched Rumi''s suddenly suspicious behavior.
After a moment, Rumi called Medina with scissors in hand.
"Medina, come here for a second."
"Why...?"
Medina felt uneasy and backed away instead.
"Come here. I''ve thought of a really good idea."
"..."
Rumi called Medina while smiling with the scissors hidden behind her back.
"You''re not... going to do anything weird, right...?"
Though suspicious, Medina slowly floated toward Rumi.
And as soon as Medina came within her reach, Rumi grabbed the tablecloth and started cutting.
"Hey, what are you doing? Aagh!"
Medina screamed as if in pain, but Rumi was in the middle of making eye holes in the tablecloth.
After a moment, when real ghost-like eye holes were cut in the tablecloth, Rumi even put the glasses on top of them.
"There, now you look like a real ghost..."
Rumi muttered with satisfaction looking at Medina with eye holes and glasses.
"...?"
Medina wiggled the tablecloth, bewildered about what had just happened.
"Oh, you really look like a super common wandering spirit."
Niel joined in, giving what sounded like a backhanded compliment, but Medina didn¡¯t seem too upset.
"Hey, go look in the mirror."
"..."
Medina, still suspicious, floated over to the mirror in the room.
She spun around in front of it like she was on a fashion show runway.
"Well, not bad I guess..."
¡°See? It¡¯s not much different from possessing the glasses.¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s still better than this...¡±
"Ah, just shut up and you should be grateful to Eve. And go see your grandmother quickly."
"What? You''ve already met my grandmother?"
"Yeah. Your grandmother said she''d like to see you when you got back. But your grandmother is a bit..."
"A bit... what?"
"No... nothing... but have you met your grandmother since you died?"
¡°No. Did you already forget? I was trapped at the school, so I couldn¡¯t leave. How could I have seen her?¡±
"Ah, right..."
Rumi felt something strange about that grandmother again.
"Well, I''ll go see her... but she''ll be really surprised to see me like this, won''t she?"
"Well, you''re both equally bizarre looking now so it should be fine, right?"
¡°You really don¡¯t know when to stop, do you?¡±
As Medina flew off to see her grandmother, Rumi and Niel were left alone in the room and very naturally snuck into the darkened kitchen.
Then they filled their hungry stomachs by stealing the food left on the table.
Rumi thought about saving some food for Eve, but it was so delicious that she ended up eating it all.
At least she brought back some snacks and homemade cookies to the room.
When they were back at the room, it was just before sunrise.
They had ended up staying up all night for the ritual.
Rumi tried to get some sleep now, roughly tying Niel to the sofa before lying down on the bed.
Come to think of it, awkwardly, she ended up lying next to Eve on the bed.
Though she thought it wouldn''t matter since Eve was sleeping anyway, But then she felt someone¡¯s gaze on her.
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When Rumi looked over, she saw Eve, who had been curled up, just closing her eyes.
"Hey, don''t pretend to be asleep. You just closed your eyes, didn''t you?"
Rumi prodded quietly.
"..."
"What? Are you really asleep?"
After a slight silence, Eve answered briefly.
"No."
"That''s what I thought... but why aren''t you sleeping? Aren''t you tired? You danced for like hours today."
¡°I slept a little, so I woke up naturally.¡±
¡°Wow, what stamina. Dancing like that and then collapsing.¡±
¡°That¡¯s...! It wasn¡¯t because I was tired...¡±
¡°Yeah, I get it. It¡¯s a miracle you¡¯re still alive after dancing like that...¡±
Rumi recalled Eve¡¯s mesmerizing dance.
¡°By the way, what¡¯s your deal? Why are you so good at dancing? Did you take lessons or something?¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s... that¡¯s...¡±
Eve hesitated for a long time. She looked uncomfortable, her eyes tense.
¡°What? Did I ask something I shouldn¡¯t have?¡±
"No... it''s not that, but thinking about it now it''s really unbelievable... and honestly I can''t even say my memories are accurate..."
¡°What are you trying to say? Why are you stalling?¡±
¡°...When I was really young... I think I learned to dance from an evil spirit.¡±
"What...? What are you talking about? You learned dance from an evil spirit?"
¡°But like I said, I¡¯m not entirely sure. It¡¯s a memory from when I was really young...¡±
¡°How did you even meet an evil spirit? Where?¡±
"Actually, I think that evil spirit lived in our house."
"What? What do you mean by that?"
"I''m not sure if it really lived there or just stayed briefly, but when my mother was really sick and I was playing outside alone, I saw the evil spirit dancing alone in the flower field..."
"That¡¯s... a bit scary. Why are you suddenly telling a horror story..."
¡°But the strange thing is, when I learned to dance from that spirit, it left me with a strangely warm feeling. Like being in a cozy flower field...?¡±
"..."
Rumi remembered the woman emitting a faint white light in the family photo Eve had dropped.
Rumi wondered if that woman could have been the evil spirit.
"Could it be... was that woman in the photo the evil spirit?"
"So you did see that photo!"
"O-of course. How could I not see it. Anyway, am I right?"
"Yeah..."
"And was that person sitting in the chair your father?"
"Yeah..."
That''s when Rumi noticed Eve''s mother wasn''t visible in the photo.
"But why wasn''t your mother in that photo?"
¡°Well... she was sick and always confined to her room.¡±
Eve''s expression looked lonely as she answered.
¡°What... what was your family like back then? Your mom was sick, and you took family photos with an evil spirit...¡±
When Rumi asked this, Eve¡¯s eyes flickered.
She shifted uncomfortably.
¡°Was that too sensitive of a question...?¡±
Rumi watched her carefully.
"..."
Eve didn''t seem to want to answer, and Rumi finally awkwardly turned her head to look at the ceiling.
But then Eve''s slightly hesitant voice was heard.
"Our house was like this one too...
It was several times bigger than this and more castle-like.
The difference was that, of course, it was incomparably cleaner than here. And the inside was bright, comfortable, quiet, and not this hot in summer."
Rumi looked back at Eve thinking this was unusual.
"Our house had a huge backyard, but rather than calling it a backyard, I should say there was just an enormous flower field stretching out. That''s where I learned to dance too..."
"If you had such a nice house, why did you come here instead of going back to your house this time?"
"That place is now a Level 1 cursed zone."
¡°Huh...? What... what happened?¡±
When Rumi asked, Eve¡¯s body trembled slightly.
"..."
"Was it related to that evil spirit?"
Rumi asked once more.
¡°I don¡¯t know... All I know is that my father was researching that evil spirit... That¡¯s all...¡±
Eve seemed to have trouble talking anymore.
What on earth had happened in Eve''s family? Between what Medina said and this, the family seemed to have completely fallen.
Rumi was lost in thought for a moment. How on earth did this world end up like this.
What made the witch spread curses to this extent...
That''s when Eve asked Rumi.
"What about you? Where did you and Niel come from?"
Rumi hadn''t expected Eve to ask about her.
¡°I can¡¯t tell you that. If I did, you¡¯d go insane, and the world would end. It¡¯s that dangerous.¡±
¡°Stop with the nonsense. I¡¯m not scared of that kind of thing anymore.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not trying to scare you. I just can¡¯t tell you. If you knew, you might really lose your mind.¡±
Rumi said very seriously.
"Okay... but you must have had parents, right?"
Rumi felt a slight pang.
Come to think of it, she hadn''t thought about her parents once since crossing over to this world.
"My parents are trash."
"Why? Did your parents... abuse you?"
¡°No, not like that... I just didn¡¯t see them much. They abandoned me, I guess? To the point where I wonder why they even had me. Anyway, they¡¯re terrible.¡±
"...Looks like you''ve had a hard time too."
Eve looked at Rumi very distantly with half-closed eyes.
Then she slowly closed her eyes and spoke gently like someone half asleep.
"So there was a reason you were this crazy."
Rumi was so stunned that she blurted out,
¡°What the hell are you talking about?!¡±
Eve smirked slightly at Rumi¡¯s outburst.
"Hey, why is this recipe like this? Who in the world writes a recipe this chaotically! This makes coming here to get the recipe pointless!"
"I wrote it that way so only I could read it! You think I would write it so anyone who sees this precious recipe could understand it?"
¡°That¡¯s not the point! The point is even you can¡¯t read it!¡±
¡°I can read it! It just takes time, okay? How many times do I have to say it?!¡±
From morning, Rumi and Medina were arguing in the front yard outside the house.
Eve and Niel, already wearing work overalls with suspenders, sat on the stairs watching them with tired faces.
¡°And I¡¯ve told you so many times, the recipe isn¡¯t perfect yet. I needed to do more experiments, but then I died.¡±
"That''s why I''m going to make the potion. You just need to explain it properly. If you try to trick me or explain it wrong even a little bit, I really truly don''t know what I¡¯m going to do to you."
¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s just gather the ingredients first, then we¡¯ll talk.¡±
¡°Ugh, even the ingredients are written in code! Damn it...¡±
"You guys really need to stop and just find the ingredients you know."
Finally Eve intervened to stop them.
"Alright, then first we need to gather corpse flowers. A lot of them."
¡°Corpse flowers? You mean those purple flowers all over the roads here?¡±
"Yeah, but if you follow me I can take you somewhere easier to gather them."
After saying that, Medina started moving behind the house.
As Rumi and Eve followed Medina out, they noticed Niel still sitting quietly.
¡°Niel, grab a shovel and come with us.¡±
"Me too...? Did I really come here as unpaid labor?"
Niel walked out with slumped shoulders.
Rumi commented seeing Niel like that.
"Don''t state the obvious."
Soon after, the kids entered the field behind the house with shovels.
There, an vast field of purple corpse flowers appeared.
At the end of the field, a huge wooden building that looked like a barn was visible.
"Wow, the scenery here is killer."
The scene was reminiscent of a typical American corn farm. Of course, instead of corn, corpse flowers as tall as corn were growing.
But what was slightly strange was that despite the sunlight pouring down from the blue sky, there was no fragrance from the flowers at all, rather a stuffy smell seemed to be wafting over.
"This is the famous corpse flower field. These hard-to-find corpse flowers are all over our property.
In the village this is the only palce where these grow. so we¡¯ll need to gather as many as we can, dry them, and take them with us."
Medina spoke while hiding in the building''s shadow as if trying to avoid the strong sunlight.
"How is this possible? How can there be so many corpse flowers here?"
Eve asked, looking incredulous.
"Isn''t it good to have lots of flowers? Why are you curious about that?"
Rumi asked.
"Rumi, you probably don''t know this, but corpse flowers grow using decomposing human flesh as fertilizer.¡±
"What? You mean there are corpses buried here?"
¡°Of course! There are probably over 10,000 bodies buried here.¡±
Medina answered proudly.
"What?"
Niel¡¯s jaw dropped in shock.
Rumi, Eve, and Niel all stared at Medina suspiciously.
"10,000 corpses? What? Was your family mass murderers? I knew it."
¡°What nonsense! Our family ran a special funeral home for a long time. After the funeral rites, we buried the bodies here.¡±
"..."
Despite Medina¡¯s explanation, the kids continued to eye her suspiciously.
"I''m not lying. That... that barn over there used to be the funeral home."
"I''m disappointed, Medina. I had hoped you''d at least be honest about your family. I know your family killed ten thousand people making dolls and did human experiments in that barn."
"What... no, what?"
"Really? That''s why you killed ten thousand people?"
Niel asked looking at Rumi.
"N-no, you''re wrong! It''s nothing like that!"
Medina shouted, getting worked up again.
¡°Alright, alright, I was just joking. Honestly, who cares if it¡¯s a funeral home or not? Let¡¯s just gather the corpse flowers.¡±
Rumi said while swinging her sickle like a sword. But her eyes didn''t leave that suspicious barn in the distance.
"..."
Meanwhile Eve also looked troubled, lost in thought.
Chapter 30 - The Smelly Barn
Rumi and the kids began cutting down the corpse flowers with sickles, gathering them in large quantities.
The flower field wasn¡¯t just filled with corpse flowers; various other plants grew there as well. There were plenty of bugs to catch, so after gathering a decent amount of corpse flowers, the kids started collecting the other ingredients Medina had mentioned.
There was no clear boundary between the flower field and the garden, but the garden definitely had a wide variety of plants growing in neat rows.
Rumi also collected some strange ingredients from the garden.
¡°Mouse tails, dried centipedes, dried moonflowers, weak snake venom, spider eyes, dandelion seeds, willow roots, glowing baby roots... Manuka oil... and red water from Hotel Hylence...¡±
¡°How much of each ingredient do we need?¡±
"Um... the more the better. We''ll have to repeat experiments until we perfect the curse liquid."
¡°This is going to be a nightmare...¡±
Niel, already exhausted, muttered under her breath.
That day, the kids spent the entire day gathering as many ingredients as they could from the garden.
The garden was overgrown and poorly maintained, so while collecting ingredients, they also had to tidy it up. They worked tirelessly until the long, hot summer sun finally set.
¡°I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡±
Niel collapsed onto the ground, completely spent.
¡°Did we get all the ingredients? Huff... huff...¡±
Eve, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath, looked like she was about to collapse.
¡°We¡¯ve got everything we can from here... We¡¯ll need to go to the village tomorrow for the rest.¡±
Rumi answered, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.
¡°By the way, where¡¯s our farm owner, who¡¯s been making us do all the work?¡±
Niel asked, her eyes slightly bloodshot.
¡°I don¡¯t know... Medina looked like she¡¯d seen something strange, her eyes wide, and then she flew off somewhere.¡±
Rumi answered, recalling what she¡¯d seen earlier.
¡°She totally ditched us...¡±
Niel muttered darkly.
¡°Let¡¯s head back inside... I¡¯m so hungry I can¡¯t even move...¡±
Eve wrapped her arms around her stomach, her face pale.
"What''s wrong with your face suddenly? You look more like a ghost than usual."
¡°Wh-what are you talking about?¡±
¡°Are you feeling sick?¡±
¡°I¡¯m just hungry... Sigh...¡±
"Really? Then Let¡¯s eat dinner and take a nap... ugh..."
Rumi, in a daze, shuffled like a zombie.
The kids sneaked into the kitchen again and ate the leftover food.
However, Eve, who had been complaining about being hungry, barely touched the food and went to bed early, saying she needed to sleep.
Rumi and Niel, though it wasn¡¯t even night yet, also decided to sleep.
They hadn¡¯t gotten a wink of sleep the previous night and were too exhausted to stay awake any longer.
How much time had passed? Rumi suddenly woke up, her eyes snapping open.
She sat up in bed as if in a trance and looked around... but Eve was gone who was sleeping right beside her.
¡°...?¡±
¡°What? Where did Eve go?¡±
Rumi muttered quietly, scanning the room.
Only Niel was still asleep on the sofa, tied up.
Fortunately, Medina was nowhere to be seen.
The problem was that Eve had disappeared without a trace.
It seemed like Rumi would have to take Niel with her.
Before getting out of bed, Rumi glanced at the moon outside the window, then approached Niel.
¡°Niel... Niel.¡±
Rumi whispered like a ghost.
Niel¡¯s eyes fluttered open.
"Ugh... ugh? You bitch!"
¡°Here we go again... the split personality¡¯s back. Hey, snap out of it, Niel. We¡¯ve got somewhere to go.¡±
¡°Ugh... S-sorry! Did I swear again?¡±
¡°Yeah, but keep it down and get up. We¡¯re going outside.¡±
¡°Huh? Why all of a sudden...?¡±
Niel looked around, confused.
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¡°And it¡¯s just the two of us? Where¡¯s Eve...?¡±
¡°Eve¡¯s gone. I¡¯ll explain more outside, but for now, let¡¯s just sneak out without Medina noticing.¡±
¡°Are you... planning to go to that funeral home building?¡±
¡°So you wanted to go too? Then hurry up.¡±
Rumi tried to pull Niel¡¯s arm, but Niel resisted.
¡°Wait, hold on... What if we get caught? Won¡¯t Medina be really mad?¡±
¡°What¡¯s a mad dead girl going to do? She¡¯s the one who lied about something so trivial. And there¡¯s something really suspicious about Medina.¡±
Rumi grabbed Niel again, and this time, Niel followed without resistance.
"Ah, but where did Eve really go? It would be really fun if she came along too."
As they left, Rumi peeked into the bathroom to see if Eve was there, then headed downstairs.
But just then, she saw a boy ghost peering into the house through the window.
It looked like the same ghost they¡¯d seen during the summoning ritual the day before.
What was strange was that the ghost oddly resembled Raoul.
¡°What¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Wh-what?¡±
Rumi dashed down the stairs, flung open the front door, and looked up to where the ghost had been.
But the ghost was already gone.
¡°That¡¯s weird... I saw it yesterday too...¡±
¡°What? I didn¡¯t see it... And I haven¡¯t seen a single ghost since we got here...¡±
¡°Hey, isn¡¯t Medina a ghost?¡±
¡°Oh!¡±
Rumi and Niel left the house, feeling uneasy.
When they stepped into the backyard, the moonlight was so bright that the night didn¡¯t feel dark at all.
Moreover, the sky above Medina¡¯s mansion was eerily clear, with not a single ghost in sight.
As they entered the flower field, the purple flowers shimmered like stars under the moonlight.
At the end of the field stood the funeral home barn, their destination.
Rumi and Niel couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the unexpectedly beautiful night scenery.
"Wow. What an amazing view?"
¡°Wow... It¡¯s even prettier at night.¡±
¡°Seriously, Eve¡¯s missing out.¡±
Rumi suddenly thought Eve would¡¯ve loved this view, then immediately felt ridiculous for thinking about her.
¡°Shit, am I going crazy?
Niel, let¡¯s go in!¡±
But then Niel tapped Rumi¡¯s shoulder with a worried expression.
¡°Rumi, you¡¯re not planning to go into that barn empty-handed, are you?¡±
Niel¡¯s words made Rumi realize that navigating the tall corpse flower field without a sickle would be difficult.
¡°Oh, right. We should grab some sickles.¡±
Rumi immediately headed to the tool shed.
There, Niel spotted the sickles and picked up two, holding them in a Y-shape.
¡°Rumi, look at this. Ta-da!¡±
¡°...!¡±
Rumi thought it was a brilliant idea, but at the same time, she felt an inexplicable sense of threat from Niel in that pose.
¡°Uh... that¡¯s... killing two birds with one stone.¡±
Rumi quickly looked for the remaining sickles, but strangely, they were nowhere to be found.
¡°What the...? Where¡¯s mine?¡±
¡°Keep looking.¡±
¡°Wait, there should be four sickles, right? Where are the other two?¡±
Rumi searched the shed, but the sickles were gone.
¡°What? Sickles don¡¯t just disappear...¡±
Just as the atmosphere was starting to feel eerie, Niel spoke up, sounding scared.
¡°D-do you think... the mummified grandma woke up and took the sickles to kill us?¡±
¡°What are you...! Don¡¯t say weird things, Niel.¡±
¡°...¡±
Niel¡¯s eyes widened, and she looked even more terrified.
¡°Hey... save that kind of talk for Eve and just... hand me a sickle.¡±
Rumi held out her trembling hand, waiting for Niel to pass her a sickle.
But Niel just stood there, staring at Rumi.
¡°Niel...!¡±
Rumi shivered and shouted.
¡°Alright...¡±
Niel finally handed one of the sickles to Rumi.
Squelch squelch
Squelch squelch
¡°Ugh, why is the ground so sticky here?¡±
Rumi complained as they trudged deeper into the corpse flower field.
¡°Oh no, my shoes are getting all dirty...¡±
Niel commented too.
¡°This isn¡¯t working. Let¡¯s take off our shoes.¡±
Rumi had already taken hers off.
¡°Wait, didn¡¯t they say these corpse flowers grow using decomposing human flesh as fertilizer? That means...¡±
Rumi froze at Niel¡¯s words.
¡°...Niel, want me to carry you on my back?¡±
¡°...?¡±
¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? Rumi, since when were you this nice?¡±
¡°Well... I¡¯m immune to curses, but if you get cursed and your eyes turn red, it¡¯s over for both of us... Hop on.¡±
¡°Rumi... you¡¯re the best. But are you sure you can handle it?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
Rumi handed her shoes and sickle to Niel and got into position to carry her.
Niel climbed onto Rumi¡¯s back. But strangely, Rumi¡¯s feet sank three times deeper into the mud.
¡°Ugh... you¡¯re heavier than I thought...¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s because I¡¯m carrying all the stuff.¡±
¡°Right...¡±
Just then, a gust of wind blew, carrying a foul stench straight into Rumi¡¯s nose.
¡°Ugh, the smell!¡±
¡°Gross, are the bodies still rotting here?¡±
¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t know...¡±
Rumi couldn¡¯t cover her nose while carrying Niel.
In the end, she breathed through her mouth as she trudged through the swamp-like flower field.
After walking for a while, they heard the sound of grass rustling in the distance.
Swish swish swish
It sounded like someone approaching nearby.
"Hey, there''s not actually someone here, right?"
"Eek, What if that mummy grandmother really chasing us?"
"Damn... but maybe she really is?!"
This time, Rumi couldn¡¯t dismiss Niel¡¯s words.
But as soon as she heard it, Niel panicked even more and started wildly swinging the sickle from Rumi¡¯s back.
¡°Ahh, no! If they get close, we¡¯re dead!¡±
¡°Hey, be careful!¡±
Rumi was deeply unsettled by Niel¡¯s actions.
She began to wonder if bringing Niel along had been the right choice.
To make matters worse, the closer they got to the barn, the stronger the foul smell became.
And like being stuck in a swamp, no matter how much they walked the barn building didn''t seem to get any closer.
Carrying Niel on her back, Rumi felt like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.
Amidst all this, Rumi noticed something strange as she walked barefoot through the mud.
She felt vibrations coming from the ground.
The corpse flowers swayed and shimmered purple in response to the vibrations.
The vibrations didn¡¯t follow a regular pattern; they grew stronger and weaker irregularly, continuing endlessly.
And just like the foul smell, the mysterious vibrations grew more intense the closer they got to the barn.
As Rumi walked, feeling the vibrations grow so strong that she could hear them, she asked Niel,
¡°Hey, Niel? Do you feel that too?¡±
¡°You mean the vibrations?¡±
¡°Yeah, this is really weird... It¡¯s not an earthquake. What is it...?¡±
¡°I know...¡±
After walking for a while longer, Rumi finally got closer to the barn.
Only then did she realize why the barn had seemed so far away.
It was because the barn was actually much farther than she¡¯d thought.
The problem was that the barn was so massive it had appeared closer than it really was.
"Whoa... was the building this big?"
Niel, comfortably perched on Rumi¡¯s back, looked up at the building and commented.
¡°Damn, if I¡¯d known it was this far, I wouldn¡¯t have carried you...¡±
Just then, Rumi started climbing onto firmer ground.
As soon as she did, she dropped Niel onto the ground.
¡°Ahh!¡±
¡°Ouch... I thought I was going to die. Niel, you¡¯ve gained weight... no, actually, you haven¡¯t but got heavier...?¡±
Rumi held her back and scolded Niel.
¡°Rumi! That¡¯s not important right now. Look.¡±
Niel pointed toward the barn.
Rumi looked where Niel was pointing and saw muddy footprints leading from the flower field up to the barn on the low hill.
¡°...?¡±
Rumi approached the footprints and noticed the mud was still wet.
¡°Yikes! These look fresh.¡±
¡°Ugh... what? First the sickles go missing, and now these footprints... Are these the mummified grandma¡¯s?¡±
¡°...¡±
Rumi now seriously considered that someone might be here and that they needed to take action.
"Niel, you''re actually pretty fearless too, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
¡°Then give me back the sickle. If anyone shows up, I¡¯ll swing it at them.¡±
¡°...?¡±
Rumi took the sickle back and headed straight for the barn on the hill.
As they got closer, they realized the barn was even bigger than they¡¯d thought.
It was about three times the size of a normal barn.
¡°What... it¡¯s really big.¡±
Rumi suddenly felt small, as if she¡¯d entered a giant¡¯s house.
¡°There¡¯s definitely something wrong with this barn...¡±
The muddy footprints led all the way to the barn¡¯s massive wooden door.
The door wasn¡¯t exactly open, but the chain lock was loose enough for them to slip through.
"Niel, look here we can go in through this gap in the door."
"Yeah... the muddy footprints lead right up to here."
"Hmm... then no need to hesitate anymore, I''m going in first."
Without hesitation, Rumi stuck her head through the gap and entered the barn.
But the moment she stepped inside, she regretted it.
¡°Cough, ugh! What is that?¡±
Suddenly a stench strong enough to destroy her sense of smell hit her nose.
Chapter 31 - The Smelly Barn (2)
The stench hit like a curse, potent enough to make anyone recoil in horror.
Just then, Niel pushed Rumi from behind and followed her inside.
¡°Huh? I don¡¯t smell any¡ªugh!¡±
Niel, unprepared, stepped into the barn and immediately clutched her nose, gagging.
"God, this must be ground zero for that awful smell. Ugh!"
Rumi quickly switched to breathing through her mouth, shuddering at the lingering stench in her nostrils.
¡°Ugh, Rumi, help me!¡±
Niel also clutched her nose, stomping her feet in distress.
In the midst of this chaos, Rumi managed to pull herself together and looked around the barn.
But instead of being filled with corpses, the barn was packed with life-sized dolls.
Aside from the dolls, the interior was surprisingly clean.
It looked more like a modern chapel, with tiled floors extending deep inside. The space was crammed with abandoned dolls and machinery that seemed to be used for making them.
¡°This place... looks more like a doll factory than a funeral home. Or... maybe it was a funeral home that got turned into a factory?¡±
Hummm... hummm... huuuuuum!
Just then, they noticed a vibration rumbling through the building, previously masked by the overwhelming stench.
It was the strongest vibration they¡¯d felt so far.
¡°Ugh, the vibrations are really intense...¡±
Rumi decided to ignore the vibrations for now and continued investigating the barn.
Examining the floor in the dim moonlight filtering through the second-floor windows, she could make out muddy footprints leading deeper inside before gradually fading away.
Moreover, the deeper parts of the building were pitch black, with no moonlight reaching them.
¡°I think we need to go further inside.¡±
¡°So we¡¯re going into the place where the mummified grandma might be holding sickles?¡±
¡°Yeah, but we¡¯ve got sickles too.¡±
¡°...¡±
Rumi held a sickle in one hand and covered her nose with the other as she ventured deeper into the building.
Niel stuck close behind her.
But once they got inside, all they found was a wall decorated with what looked like chapel ornaments.
¡°Huh? This can¡¯t be it, right?¡±
Rumi focused as hard as she could in the darkness, searching the wall for anything unusual.
She realized this was the spot where the vibrations and the stench were strongest.
That meant there had to be something behind the wall.
Rumi reluctantly removed her hand from her nose and sniffed around like a dog, trying to find any small gap where the stench was leaking from.
Immediately, she felt like all the food she¡¯d eaten was about to come back up.
¡°Ugh!!¡±
Fighting off dizziness, Rumi found a crack in the wall where the smell was the worst.
¡°Ugh... there¡¯s something here! Ugh!¡±
Rumi carefully wedged the sickle into the crack and pushed with all her strength to widen it.
With a creak, a small stone door slid open, revealing a hole just big enough for a child to crawl through.
¡°Ah... found it!¡±
¡°Whoa... this is crazy.¡±
Rumi and Niel stared at the hole in disbelief.
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Warm, humid air seeped through the hole, carrying the same foul stench.
¡°Wait, are we really going in there?¡±
Niel asked.
¡°Of course. And this time, you¡¯re going in first.¡±
¡°What...?¡±
Rumi suddenly grabbed Niel and shoved her toward the hole.
¡°Ahh! I¡¯ll go in, you don¡¯t have to push me!¡±
Niel yelped in surprise, but Rumi ignored her and kept pushing.
¡°Alright, then go in quietly.¡±
¡°Fine...¡±
Niel, startled by Rumi¡¯s sudden aggression, reluctantly crawled into the pitch-black hole.
After a moment, Rumi called out to check on her.
¡°How is it in there? Are you okay?¡±
¡°Um... not really. But at least there¡¯s no mummified grandma trying to kill us.¡±
Rumi took a deep breath and covered her nose tightly.
Then she crouched down and carefully crawled into the hole.
Inside, the air was hot and humid, clinging to her skin.
The stench was so strong she could taste it on her tongue.
As Rumi moved through the dark space, she suddenly heard a squelching sound under her feet.
¡°Ugh! What was that? Something just popped!¡±
¡°Uh... there¡¯s something... something squishy down here...¡±
Huuuuuum!
At that moment, the ground shook violently, as if an earthquake had hit.
¡°Ahh!¡±
¡°Ahhh! What¡¯s going on?!¡±
¡°Sigh... so this is definitely where the vibrations are coming from... But what the hell is under here?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know...!¡±
Rumi looked around a bit more and confirmed that there was no one else in the room.
¡°Luckily, it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anyone else here...¡±
¡°Yeah... I told you. But... why did you push me in here alone? That was really dangerous...¡±
"What danger could there be for you?"
¡°Huh...? What do you mean?¡±
¡°You¡¯re just like back then...¡±
¡°Rumi... what are you talking about?¡±
Rumi stared at Niel¡¯s glowing red eyes.
"Your eyes have been blood-red this whole time. Just like right before Bertin got caught..."
Rumi''s eyes had turned ice-cold as she looked at Niel.
¡°...¡±
Niel had no response to Rumi¡¯s words.
Rumi continued her investigation alone, moving through the dark space.
Then she stepped on something dry and crumbly, unlike the squishy ground she¡¯d been walking on.
¡°What¡¯s this...? It¡¯s dry here...¡±
¡°...¡±
Rumi crouched down and started feeling around the ground.
Her hands brushed against something coarse, like animal fur.
¡°Ugh... it feels like hair...¡±
¡°Does that mean... we¡¯re standing on a corpse? And one that hasn¡¯t been dead for long?¡±
¡°...!
At that moment, a chilling silence fell over them, and both Rumi and Niel felt a cold shiver run down their spines.
¡°Aaah!¡±
Rumi and Niel screamed and scrambled back to the firmer ground.
"Damn it... can''t tell what anything is in this darkness!"
¡°Rumi, look up there.¡±
Just then, moonlight streamed through a narrow crack in the wooden wall above.
"Oh, looks like there''s a window up there. Hey, I''ll try throwing this sickle at it."
¡°Be... be careful.¡±
Rumi threw the sickle with all her might toward the crack where the light was coming from.
Whoosh! Thud!
But the damn sickle just got stuck in the wall.
¡°Ugh! Damn it...¡±
Then, with a clatter, a wooden plank blocking the window fell to the ground.
The small window in the wall was now exposed, and moonlight began to faintly illuminate the mysterious space.
As the light spread, the shape of something indescribable became visible on the ground.
A massive mound covered in black fur rose from the floor like a small hill, and where the black fur was missing, grotesque purple flesh was visible, covered in yellow pustules.
It looked like... the body of a giant beast was buried in the ground.
Rumi and Niel were struck speechless by the bizarre sight.
¡°Wh-what is that?¡±
¡°...¡±
In the midst of this, Rumi felt compelled to cut off some of that fur-like material.
It seemed like the only way to get any clues about this unidentifiable mass.
¡°Niel, lend me your sickle. Mine¡¯s stuck in the wall.¡±
¡°Why? What are you going to do?¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to cut off some of that fur. We need something to take back for investigation.¡±
¡°Is... is that a good idea...?¡±
"Good idea or not, It¡¯s the only thing we can do right now.¡±
Rumi snatched the sickle from Niel and, breathing only through her mouth, approached the black mass.
She grabbed a handful of the disgusting fur and started cutting it with the sickle.
Huuuuuuuum!!!
The moment she cut the fur, a loud noise and intense vibrations shook the entire barn.
The sound was so loud it hurt their ears.
But Rumi persisted, stuffing the cut fur into her pocket.
That''s when Niel shouted from the corner.
"Aah, Rumi! I can''t stay here anymore!"
Niel had her hands clamped over her ears, her face contorted in agony.
Rumi hadn''t seen Niel look this disturbed since Bertin''s death.
She began to worry that Niel might lose control.
¡°Let¡¯s... get out of here!¡±
Rumi quickly grabbed Niel and rushed out of the room.
Even after leaving that strange space, the building continued to shake as if it might collapse, and Rumi and Niel ran all the way out of the barn.
They kept running until they reached air that was somewhat breathable through their noses, then stopped to catch their breath.
¡°Huff... huff...¡±
¡°Sigh... damn Medina... what is she hiding?¡±
Rumi muttered.
¡°...¡±
Niel crouched down in front of the flower field, her head lowered.
¡°Niel... are you okay?¡±
Rumi, still a bit scared, approached Niel to comfort her.
"sob sob"
But Niel was crying, still crouched on the ground.
¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong? Were you that scared?¡±
Though Rumi''s own heart hadn''t calmed down either, nothing truly terrible had happened.
Still, Niel crying was a thousand times better than losing control, so she gently rubbed Niel''s back.
Then she pulled out the black fur she¡¯d cut and examined it.
In the brighter light, the fur looked like animal hair, but it was as thick and tough as wire.
She sniffed it one last time... and immediately regretted it.
Rumi stuffed the fur back into her pocket and helped Niel to her feet.
It was time to head back to the mansion.
¡°Hop on, Niel.¡±
Rumi crouched down, still keeping an eye on Niel¡¯s reddish eyes.
Niel sniffled and silently climbed onto Rumi¡¯s back.
Rumi trudged through the swampy flower field, her legs shaking and her breath growing heavier.
Despite the exhaustion, her mind was completely occupied with other thoughts.
She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what had happened to Bertin just before she died.
Rumi had tried to forget, but it wasn¡¯t something she could easily let go of.
¡°Niel... why did you have to do that back then?¡±
Without realizing it, Rumi tightened her grip on Niel¡¯s legs until it hurt.
¡°...¡±
Niel didn¡¯t say anything, but Rumi could feel her body growing warmer.
Before she knew it, Rumi had made it out of the muddy area and it was time to let Niel down.
In that moment, Rumi thought she glimpsed a shadow of Niel raising a scythe high in the air right behind her.
Chapter 32 - The Petty Thief
Rumi and Niel stepped out of the flower field, only to find muddy footprints in the backyard once again. This time, however, there were two sets of footprints.
Rumi immediately became agitated.
¡°What? Why are there two sets of footprints here? There weren¡¯t any when we left earlier.¡±
¡°...¡±
Niel remained silent behind her.
Without bothering to look back at Niel, Rumi followed the two pairs of footprints. When they reached the front door of the house, one set of footprints stopped, while the other faded.
It was clear that at least one person had returned from the barn to the mansion. The question was whether it was the mummy grandmother or something else.
Rumi waited there briefly for Niel to catch up. When Niel arrived, Rumi spoke as if nothing had happened.
¡°Hey, I think someone¡¯s inside... We¡¯re not sleeping tonight until we find out who it is.¡±
¡°Oh...¡±
Niel replied weakly, and Rumi entered the mansion first.
Rumi and Niel held their breath and began inspecting the house, starting near the front door. As they made their way to the living room where the mummy¡¯s bed was, they saw a ghost with loose hair wandering around inside.
¡°Rumi, over there...¡±
¡°Shh!¡±
The moment Niel spoke, the ghost suddenly crouched down and hid.
¡°...?¡±
Rumi, puzzled by the ghost¡¯s unusual behavior, cautiously approached the hiding figure. She saw long, straight hair, thin shoulders, and exposed arms.
¡°Eve...?¡±
¡°Gasp!¡±
Eve, hearing Rumi¡¯s voice, practically buried her head in the carpet.
¡°Hey, it¡¯s me, Rumi. What are you doing?¡±
¡°......¡±
"What''s wrong? Why aren''t you answering?"
Rumi tried to figure out why Eve was acting this way. Strangely, All her clothes were slightly damp, and her body was covered in dust and dirt. Her feet were bare.
¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡±
Rumi grabbed Eve¡¯s shoulders to lift her head and noticed a large scratch on her shoulder, bleeding.
¡°Huh? How did you hurt your shoulder?¡±
Rumi eventually forced Eve¡¯s head up. But Eve couldn¡¯t even meet Rumi¡¯s eyes, trembling like a mouse caught in a trap. Her eyes were swollen.
¡°Did... did you cry?¡±
¡°...¡±
Rumi examined Eve, who looked like a drowned rat.
¡°You¡¯ve got cobwebs in your hair, too.¡±
Rumi picked a cobweb from Eve¡¯s hair with her fingers.
¡°Ugh, get it... get it off.¡±
Eve shuddered and leaned her head toward Rumi.
¡°This is so weird. Why would someone with a cleanliness obsession end up like this? Why are you so wet too? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a lake around here...¡±
¡°Oh, I... I just couldn¡¯t sleep, so I went for a walk and tripped.¡±
¡°So, you went to the barn and came back?¡±
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°What... what are you talking about? No... no way...¡±
¡°Yeah... a coward like you wouldn¡¯t dare to go there alone. So, what were you doing? You¡¯re acting really suspicious!¡±
¡°No, Medina¡¯s house is just interesting... so I wandered around a bit... I told you, it reminds me of my old house...¡±
¡°Were you trying to steal something...?¡±
Niel approached and asked softly.
Eve¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Wh... what are you talking about?!¡±
But Eve¡¯s reaction was much more intense.
¡°Eve... were you really trying to steal something?¡±
Rumi also shot her a suspicious look.
¡°No... no, I wasn¡¯t. But... what are you two doing out here at this hour?!¡±
¡°We were trying to figure out what Medina was lying about. But now you¡¯re acting suspicious too.¡±
Just then, Medina appeared from a corner of the mansion, muttering to herself.
¡°Ugh, what the hell! Why are these thieving ghosts swarming around? You¡¯re all dead, you crazy pieces of shit...¡±
¡°Oh my, she¡¯s still at it...?¡±
Rumi muttered, watching Medina.
But then Niel asked Eve a separate question.
¡°Eve, is Medina looking for you?¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°What? Are you after Medina¡¯s family fortune?¡±
¡°Why would I want anything from this filthy house?¡±
¡°Well... your family¡¯s falle...¡±
Rumi trailed off, hesitating. Eve¡¯s face suddenly turned red, and her expression twisted.
¡°Do you think my family is that pathetic? I had a reason for searching the house. The damn Mora family stole something from us!¡±
"Oh... so you did search the place..."
¡°...!¡±
Eve realized she had said too much and immediately shut her mouth.
¡°Hey, if that was the case, you should¡¯ve told us earlier. We could¡¯ve helped you steal it back. Right, Niel?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°What...?¡±
¡°Anyway, what about you two?! Aren''t you worried Medina might be looking for you?!"
¡°I told you. We have nothing to hide. We went to check what the damn Medina family was hiding in the funeral home. We were actually looking for you to come with us.¡±
¡°...¡±
Eve looked slightly surprised.
¡°But you know what? Someone went to that barn before us and is now inside this mansion.¡±
¡°Wh... what?¡±
¡°We thought it was you, when we just found you. But if it¡¯s not, then it must be Medina¡¯s mummy grandmother...¡±
Rumi suddenly stopped speaking, her expression blank.
¡°Huh? Why are you like that all of a sudden?¡±
¡°We¡¯re screwed...¡±
¡°What? What¡¯s wrong now?¡±
Eve asked, confused.
At that moment, the kids noticed a shadow looming over the bed right next to them.
¡°...!¡±
The shadow belonged to Medina¡¯s mummy grandmother, sitting on the bed.
¡°Ahh!¡±
¡°Ahhh!¡±
The kids all bolted up to Medina¡¯s room on the second floor.
¡°Ugh, what the... of all the places why did you hide by the bed?!¡±
But when they reached the room, they were startled by another strange scene.
In the middle of the room was Medina¡¯s doll, and there were faint muddy footprints around it.
¡°......?!¡±
Rumi stared at the doll in a daze, saying nothing.
Both Niel and Eve could sense that Rumi was about to lose it.
¡°Rumi, that¡¯s not me. I¡¯ve never been up here...¡±
Eve panicked and tried to explain.
¡°Rumi, you know it¡¯s not me, right?¡±
Niel also added an unnecessary explanation.
¡°I know it¡¯s not you guys. I¡¯m just... in disbelief...¡±
Rumi hadn¡¯t expected someone to target the doll. She felt foolish for leaving it alone, even for a moment.
¡°At least the doll¡¯s still here, right?¡±
Niel tried to comfort Rumi.
Rumi immediately grabbed the doll, stuffed it into her bag, and held the bag tightly. Just the thought of losing the doll made her break out in a cold sweat.
¡°Damn Medina¡¯s house...¡±
Rumi was still worried that whoever had touched the doll might still be in the mansion.
Niel also brought up the same concern.
¡°Do you think the mummy grandmother touched the doll?¡±
"Honestly, that seems likely... but since we don''t know for sure who did it... we need to be cautious."
"Yeah, we should..."
"Um... Rumi, sorry to say this now but, I really want to take a shower, Could you come with me to the bathroom...?"
Eve asked, grabbing a towel and clothes from her bag.
¡°Hmm... sure.¡±
Rumi agreed readily. In truth, she thought she could investigate something while Eve was in the bathroom.
Rumi accompanied Eve to the bathroom, and before closing the door, Eve asked Rumi for a favor.
¡°Rumi, sorry, but can you wait outside while I shower, okay?¡±
¡°Yeah, of course.¡±
Rumi stood outside the bathroom, keeping an eye on her surroundings.
¡°Rumi, are you still out there?¡±
Eve, seemingly scared of showering alone, kept checking if Rumi was still there.
¡°Yeah!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±
¡°Yeah...¡±
But Rumi was already heading back to the room.
As soon as she got there, Rumi rushed to Eve¡¯s bag and began rummaging through it, looking for any signs of theft or suspicious activity.
Niel approached and stared at Rumi.
"So you don''t trust Eve after all?"
¡°No... just in case...¡±
When nothing unusual turned up, Rumi roughly repacked the bag.
"It really doesn''t seem like it was Eve."
¡°...¡±
Rumi felt oddly relieved.
Before returning to the bathroom, she went to her own bag, grabbed something, and headed back.
Rumi knocked on the bathroom door where Eve was showering.
"Wh-what? Ru-Rumi?"
¡°I¡¯m the grandma ghost. Who are you?¡±
¡°Ahhh!¡±
Thud!
A sound of someone falling came from inside the bathroom.
¡°...¡±
¡°Hey? Eve, are you okay? It¡¯s me, Rumi!¡±
¡°...¡±
The bathroom was silent.
¡°Hey...! Should I break the door down?¡±
The door suddenly swung open, revealing Eve¡¯s ghostly face.
¡°Ugh!! you scared me!¡±
This time, Rumi was the one who screamed.
¡°What are you doing... not answering and then pretending to be a ghost!¡±
¡°Here, put this on your shoulder.¡±
Rumi handed Eve the jar of ointment she got from Raoul.
¡°What¡¯s this...?¡±
¡°Medicine.¡±
"Sigh... if that was for me, you could have just given it to me like a normal person would..."
¡°I thought I was being pretty normal for someone like me.
¡°Ahem...¡±
Eve couldn''t argue with that and slowly disappeared behind the door.
¡°Anyway, th... thanks.¡±
And she slammed the door shut right after thanking Rumi.
Chapter 33 - Hotel Hylence
"Everyone, get ready to head into town."
From the morning, the kids were bustling around. Today, they planned to spend the whole day shopping for ingredients in town.
"But Rumi, what money are we going to use to buy ingredients?"
Niel asked, holding her luggage with both hands, her face overly worried.
¡°...¡±
Rumi¡¯s brain froze at the question. She had no real answer.
¡°Now that I think about it, we¡¯re totally broke...¡±
Just then, Medina appeared, looking as arrogant as ever, as if she had been waiting for this moment. She crossed her arms and tilted her head without saying a word.
¡°What¡¯s with you?¡±
¡°Praise me!¡±
Medina suddenly shouted in a haughty voice.
¡°...?¡±
Niel looked at Medina as if she were crazy.
¡°Praise and worship me, and I shall grant you generous rewards from my vault. I am kind.¡±
¡°What? A vault?!¡±
At that moment, Eve, who had been in the bathroom, rushed into the room.
Medina, seeing Eve, continued with her head held high.
¡°Quickly, praise me! Then even your fallen family shall receive money.¡±
Rumi immediately caught on to what was happening.
¡°Oh, our generous Lady Medina. Please bestow your generous rewards upon us.¡±
Rumi flattered Medina and shot a glance at Niel and Eve.
Eve, despite her humiliated expression, followed Rumi''s lead in pleading with the generous Medina.
"La-Lady Medina. We would be grateful if you could bestow rewards from your vault."
It was Niel¡¯s turn. But Niel just stared at the three of them as if they were all crazy.
¡°What are you all doing? Why are you acting so scary?¡±
Medina sighed deeply, closing her eyes.
¡°Niel, just forget it. Everyone, follow me.¡±
Medina flew up to the upper railing and pointed to a rope hanging from the ceiling.
¡°Pull this rope.¡±
Rumi pulled the rope, and a staircase descended from the ceiling. It seemed to lead to an attic.
Eve¡¯s eyes widened.
The kids followed Medina up to the attic.
The attic was as messy and dirty as the rest of the house. But in one corner, a golden vault stood out, gleaming all by itself.
Eve¡¯s eyes lit up again.
Medina called Rumi over, whispered the vault¡¯s combination, and had her open it. Out poured various bottles of the highest-grade sacred oils.
¡°Whoa, you... you¡¯re really rich.¡±
¡°Of course. What kind of family do you think we are? It¡¯s a shame I died before I could use all of this...¡±
¡°Medina, you¡¯re such a great friend!¡±
Niel chimed in from the side.
¡°With this money, we could buy a whole store, let alone go shopping!¡±
Eve, excited, added from behind.
¡°Alright, let¡¯s head to the city right away!¡±
¡°Yeah!¡±
Rumi shouted, and Niel responded, but Eve suddenly went quiet.
¡°You¡¯re coming too, right, Eve?¡±
¡°...¡±
Eve struggled to answer, just groaning to herself.
¡°If you don¡¯t come, you¡¯ll be left here alone...¡±
Rumi leaned in close to Eve and whispered in her ear.
¡°You were trying to steal from this vault yesterday, weren¡¯t you?¡±
Eve¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Th-that¡¯s not true...¡±
Eve muttered in the smallest voice she had used so far.
Rumi couldn¡¯t help but smile. Catching Eve¡¯s weakness was deeply satisfying.
¡°Hey... Medina, yesterday Eve was trying to¡ª¡±
"Ah... wait, I''ll come along!"
Medina gave Rumi and Eve a suspicious look but soon nodded as if it were no big deal.
¡°Then take the money and go to the village on your own. There was a doll that went missing yesterday, and it seems a spirit possessed it and tried to steal something! But we haven¡¯t caught it yet... These damn things dare to try stealing from my sacred home! If I catch them, I¡¯ll kill them and corrupt them!¡±
Medina¡¯s eyes twitched madly as she shouted.
¡°Uh...¡±
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Eve¡¯s pupils shook as she looked at Medina.
Meanwhile, Rumi thought it was a good thing she hadn¡¯t mentioned that someone had touched Medina¡¯s doll last night. If she had, the already crazy Medina might have gone completely insane.
Anyway, that day, the kids¡ªexcept for Medina¡ªleft the house and took the village bus, which ran twice a day, to go shopping in the city.
Rumi hadn¡¯t been to the city square since the day before school started. The square was the busiest place in the village, lined with old buildings and shops. It had everything you could need: stores, restaurants, bookshops, hotels, and more.
The kids first went into the ¡°Kind Witch¡¯s Apothecary¡± and browsed the vast array of medicinal ingredients. Among them was a peculiar herb called ¡°Glowing Baby Root.¡±
¡°Baby Roots are a type of monster. But they¡¯re one of the rare monsters that are actually beneficial.¡±
Eve automatically started explaining.
¡°When boiled or juiced, they produce an elixir that preserves and protect the body. They¡¯re used in dangerous or side-effect-prone medicines, so they¡¯re incredibly valuable.¡±
"You know all sorts of things, huh?"
¡°This is common knowledge in our fami... No, I mean, you''re just the only one who doesn''t know...¡±
Eve threw shade at Rumi.
¡°What? Do you know, Niel?¡±
"Isn''t it obvious? Of course I know all about this."
Niel smiled confidently and crossed her arms.
Rumi was slightly taken aback by Niel¡¯s sudden assertiveness.
¡°Hey! Niel, your personality¡¯s been weird lately... Are you okay?¡±
Meanwhile, Eve was picking out Baby Roots.
"Sir, I''ll take six of these, these, and these."
¡°Oh, you¡¯re buying a lot of expensive ingredients. Don¡¯t you need anything else?¡±
"Um... just a moment. Rumi, what ingredients do we need?"
"Dried centipede, dried dawn grass, mild tree snake venom, manuka oil... and the red water from Hotel Hylence."
Rumi and the kids finished their shopping surprisingly quickly and returned to the center of the square. Naturally, they started looking for something to eat.
Just then, they spotted the village¡¯s only candy store, ¡°Marley''s Rotten Tooth.¡±
Rumi had always wanted to visit but had never gotten the chance, always distracted by other things.
¡°Want to go in there? I¡¯ve never been there.¡±
¡°Marley''s Rotten Tooth? Sure.¡±
For some reason, Eve blushed and nodded.
¡°If you are smiling It must be good, hehe...¡±
Rumi didn¡¯t even ask for Niel¡¯s opinion and ran straight to the candy store.
¡°Rumi, I want a proper meal, not candy!¡±
Niel shouted from behind, chasing after Rumi.
Eve, carrying her bags, followed Rumi too.
The kids entered the store and slowly looked around. From the decor to the types of candy, everything looked eerie.
Given the world was overrun with ghosts, it wasn¡¯t surprising that even in the middle of summer, the place had a Halloween vibe.
The display cases held eyeball jelly, spider-shaped cookies, pumpkin candy, mint-flavored caramel...? Ugh, and more. All over the store, haunted finger jellies crawled around like worms.
¡°Kids, here for some candy?¡±
A kind-looking lady came out from the kitchen.
"Yes, what''s the most delicious thing here?"
"Why, that would be our pumpkin honey waffle ice cream. The newly developed eyeball jellies are good too. As you melt the outer candy shell, only the white eyeball remains, and when you bite into it, sweet blood-flavored juice bursts out."
¡°Oh... okay...¡±
Rumi now realized that the eyeball jelly Eve had given her before must have come from this store.
Even though she hadn¡¯t eaten that jelly, there was no reason not to try the pumpkin honey waffle ice cream, which was supposedly the best.
¡°By the way, are you first-years at Saint Angelicus¡¯ School?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°I see! Do you happen to know Raoul?¡±
¡°...?¡±
¡°Yes! How do you know Raoul?¡±
Rumi¡¯s face lit up as soon as she heard Raoul¡¯s name.
¡°Oh, really? Do you know where this place is?¡±
¡°Uh... isn¡¯t it Marley''s Rotten Tooth?¡±
¡°This is Raoul¡¯s home.¡±
¡°What? Really? Is Raoul here then?¡±
¡°What? What do you mean?¡±
¡°Well, Raoul said he was going home to see his family during this break. So, can we see him now?¡±
¡°Oh, I see... Well, the thing is... Raoul¡¯s a bit sick, so I don¡¯t think you can see him right now.¡±
Mrs. Kruger¡¯s face turned awkward.
¡°What, he¡¯s sick? Maybe seeing me will help him feel better.¡±
¡°...?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s just... he went to see a doctor and should be back in a couple of days.¡±
¡°Oh, I see...¡±
Rumi hadn¡¯t expected Raoul to be sick. But what bothered her more was the thought of not seeing Raoul all summer.
¡°Hoho, in the meantime, feel free to take as much candy as you want. Since you¡¯re Raoul¡¯s friends, it¡¯s on the house.¡±
¡°Wow, thank you.¡±
¡°Um, then can I have some eyeball jelly and mint caramel, Mrs. Kruger?¡±
¡°...?¡±
Rumi looked at Eve with disdain.
¡°What...?¡±
¡°Mint is toothpaste!¡±
¡°Then, can I have the most steak-like dessert? Something like a meat pie.¡±
Meanwhile, Niel was requesting a dessert that wasn¡¯t on the menu.
¡°Haha, let¡¯s just ignore Niel and get us three pumpkin honey waffle ice creams, Mrs. Kruger¡±
¡°But I still want the mint...¡±
In the end, the three kids left Marley''s Rotten Tooth, each holding the famous pumpkin honey waffle ice cream.
The wide waffle cone held pumpkin ice cream, topped with crushed pumpkin candy and a thick waffle.
¡°Mmm, this is good.¡±
Niel was tearing into the waffle, forgetting that she had wanted a proper meal.
Eve, before eating the ice cream, finally ate the mint caramel she had managed to get.
Rumi also dipped waffle pieces into the ice cream, and it was delicious. The pumpkin and honey flavors blended perfectly. But soon, Rumi became lost in thought.
Suddenly, strange things about Raoul started popping into her mind.
If this was Raoul¡¯s home, it was quite far from Mr. Pellman¡¯s house. How had Raoul ended up at Rumi¡¯s house on the first day of school?
Honestly, the sudden illness and the doctor visit were suspicious, and then Back in Medina¡¯s mansion, there was that ghost who looked strangely like Raoul...
¡°Rumi, we only have one more ingredient to get, right?¡±
Eve asked cheerfully.
¡°Yeah, just the red water from Hotel Hylence.¡±
¡°Hotel Hylence? You mean...?¡±
Niel turned her head and looked at the tallest, most majestic building in the village square.
¡°That hotel is Hotel Hylence, right?¡±
¡°What, you know about it?¡±
Rumi asked, surprised by Niel¡¯s unexpected knowledge.
"Yeah, of course..."
Niel smiled smugly.
¡°That¡¯s right. That hotel is Hotel Hylence. The biggest and oldest hotel in the village.¡±
Eve added.
Rumi had obviously seen the large, impressive building every time she came to the square, but she hadn¡¯t known it was a hotel.
¡°So, we just need to go there and get the red water?¡±
¡°I guess so... From what I remember, the red water should be easy to get...¡±
Eve hesitated, as if thinking.
Rumi also paused, looking at Eve.
¡°We¡¯re not just going to get the water and leave, are we?¡±
¡°...¡±
¡°We¡¯ve got plenty of money left...¡±
Rumi showed the bag full of high-grade sacred oils.
The kids all fell silent at the sight of the overflowing money.
¡°Oh, right... It¡¯s too late to go back today, isn¡¯t it...?¡±
Niel glanced at the sun high up in the sky and smiled slyly.
Rumi also nodded subtly, smiling.
Then the two of them looked at Eve at the same time.
Eve¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and her face turned red as she spoke.
¡°I came here once when I was little... It¡¯s a clean and nice place to stay overnight...¡±
¡°Hmm...¡±
Rumi nodded, and the three of them naturally headed toward the hotel.
As they approached Hotel Hylence, they realized just how grand the building was.
The exterior looked like a massive, sturdy fortress, and it was so large and luxurious that it seemed out of place in the village.
Rumi and the kids entered the hotel lobby.
As soon as they stepped inside, they felt a slight humidity, as if they had entered a swimming pool, and the air was incredibly cool. From the back, the sound of a massive waterfall echoed loudly.
Whoosh...
The smell wasn¡¯t that of a hotel lobby but more like a swimming pool.
As they went further inside, the hotel¡¯s interior structure became visible.
The center of the hotel was open from top to bottom, so all the floors going up and down were visible.
And on either side of this open space, blood-red water cascaded down like a waterfall from a height of at least 80 meters.
It was clear as soon as they entered what the ¡°red water¡± referred to.
As Eve had said, getting the water would be easy.
¡°Welcome to Hotel Hylence.¡±
A staff member greeted them from the front desk between the waterfalls.
¡°Hotel Hylence was built with magic through exchanges with the magical kingdom of Hylence in the eastern Rocky Mountains.
The hotel itself is significant as the first magically constructed building in the village, and it later became even more famous as the foundation for the Chrysos Dam.
Although it¡¯s been over 200 years since our exchanges with the magical kingdom ended, we¡¯re still operating normally.¡±
¡°Oh, really? The magical kingdom of Hylence?¡±
Honestly, Rumi liked the vibe of this hotel. The architecture truly matched the word ¡°magic.¡±
Especially inside, the atmosphere was completely different from anywhere else in the village, giving off a fantastical feeling, like being in a magical amusement park.
¡°So, how much is it to stay in the most expensive room for one night?¡±
Chapter 34 - A Hotel Vacation with Eve?
¡°The most expensive room¡?¡±
Eve whispered into Rumi¡¯s ear.
¡°The Princess Room costs six bottles of silver holy oil.¡±
¡°Six bottles of silver holy oil?¡±
"Eve, would these be enough for six bottles of silver sacred oil?"
"That should be more than enough... but it¡¯s still a lot. Are we really okay...?"
¡°Of course!¡±
Rumi handed over the most expensive-looking golden bottle from the holy oils.
¡°Here.¡±
¡°Oh, is that not the essence of sacred gold?¡±
¡°Then we¡¯ll return 44 bottles of silver holy oil to you.¡±
¡°...!?¡±
Rumi was once again reminded of just how much money Medina had saved up.
¡°Wow, 44 bottles of silver holy oil? Medina must¡¯ve been really rich.¡±
Niel couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the sight.
"Will there be three guests staying today?"
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°One moment, please¡¡±
The receptionist fiddled with some kind of machine, glanced at Niel, and then did something else before smiling.
¡°Everyone, I have good news. You¡¯ve been selected for the one and only ultra-VVIP Queen Room available at the hotel today. Congratulations.¡±
¡°What? Really? Is it better than the best room?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. It¡¯s the Queen¡¯s Room, which we don¡¯t offer to ordinary guests.¡±
¡°We don¡¯t have to pay extra, right?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s a complimentary upgrade.¡±
Rumi shrugged at Eve and Niel, her lips twitching as if this was all thanks to her good luck.
¡°Ah, just to clarify, the Queen¡¯s Room is only available to one person¡ªNiel.¡±
¡°Huh? What do you mean? I just said the three of us would share a room.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the Queen¡¯s Room can only accommodate one person at a time. There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±
¡°Then you should¡¯ve said that from the start. We were planning to stay together¡¡±
At that moment, Eve, seemingly disappointed, chimed in.
"Oh, is that so? I apologize for my mistake. Then why don''t we ask the winner herself what she thinks?"
¡°...¡±
Rumi and Eve immediately turned their heads toward Niel.
¡°Niel, are you okay with taking the nicest room all by yourself? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be better if we all shared a room?¡±
Rumi asked, giving Niel a meaningful look.
¡°Thanks for worrying, but I¡¯m fine. I can handle being alone.¡±
Niel answered with an innocent expression.
¡°Niel, you¡¡±
Eve also seemed quite taken aback by Niel¡¯s response.
"What? So now I have to share a room with just you?"
¡°...¡±
¡°Ah, if that¡¯s the case, just give us the room next to the Queen¡¯s Room.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there is no room next to the Queen¡¯s Room.¡±
¡°Then what¡¯s the closest room?¡±
¡°That room is currently closed due to frequent ghost sightings.¡±
"What...? Then what about the room next to that one?"
¡°The room next to that one is the Princess Room. Since you two seem quite disappointed, we¡¯ll prepare a special service event for your room. Please look forward to it¡ªit¡¯s really fun.¡±
¡°...¡±
¡°Then I¡¯ll assign a bellboy to guide you.¡±
The staff handed Rumi and Eve their room key and a hotel map.
¡°Hylence Hotel is incredibly large. Guests often get lost while exploring. But don¡¯t worry¡ªthis map will make it very easy for you to navigate.¡±
Rumi checked the room number, 1706, and looked at the map. The hotel seemed unrealistically vast.
Inside the hotel alone, there were movie theaters, performance halls, swimming pools, ski resorts, fitness centers, underground dungeons, shopping malls, and so much more. It was absurd.
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More than that, it was physically impossible for all these facilities to fit inside this building.
Even from the outside, the hotel was large, but not as large as the map suggested.
¡°Then, we hope you enjoy your stay at Hylence Hotel.¡±
As the reception concluded, a doll-like bellboy approached.
¡°Hello, I¡¯m Mia. Please follow me, Princess Room guests.¡±
The bellboy was a strangely handsome doll. For a doll, his speech was oddly slurred.
The bellboy picked up Rumi and Eve¡¯s luggage and led them through a space behind the reception desk.
Rumi and Eve stood awkwardly, unsure if they should really leave Niel behind.
¡°Niel, we¡¯ll see you tomorrow¡?¡±
Eve, unsure how to say goodbye, simply asked as they walked away.
¡°...¡±
Rumi didn¡¯t even say goodbye.
Because Niel wasn¡¯t even looking at Rumi and Eve as they walked away, too excited for her own good to care.
Rumi turned around to see the bellboy loading their luggage onto a single-car rollercoaster at the edge of a railing where a red waterfall cascaded below.
The rollercoaster tracks spiraled up to the top floor of the hotel.
¡°I¡¯ve never seen a hotel like this¡¡±
It seemed like the hotel used rollercoasters instead of elevators.
Rumi and Eve boarded the rollercoaster, and soon the bellboy began the tour.
"The Princess Room is on the 17th floor, so please press the button for floor 17~"
Rumi pressed the button for the 17th floor among the row of buttons in the center of the rollercoaster.
With a clattering sound, the rollercoaster began ascending the tracks.
As it passed right by the waterfall, Rumi leaned out slightly to look down.
The waterfall plunged dozens of meters below, and at the bottom, there was what looked like a pool filled with red water.
¡°Hey, look down there. Is that a swimming pool?¡±
Eve also looked down and answered as if she were already familiar with the place.
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a swimming pool¡ªa really big one.¡±
Rumi began to realize just how massive this hotel was.
"Well... so the red water is just overflowing everywhere."
The rollercoaster arrived at the 17th floor faster than expected.
The 17th-floor hallway felt quiet and cool, like early dawn.
The bellboy silently got off the rollercoaster, gathered the luggage again, and walked down the hallway.
"Guests, please follow me~"
The bellboy passed several rooms and stopped in front of Room 1706.
He opened the door, and as soon as it opened, Rumi immediately gasped.
The room was insanely large.
¡°Whoa!¡±
"This is Princess Room 1706~
Room 1704 is closed due to ghost possession, so please avoid approaching it~
Swimsuits, towels, various food and drinks, and stationery for the special event have been placed in appropriate locations, so please enjoy your stay~
Oh! And room service is just a phone call away, so please use it freely~"
"Thank you~"
Rumi unintentionally mimicked the bellboy Mia¡¯s cute slurred speech.
The bellboy maintained a cheerful smile and left briskly.
Now alone, Rumi and Eve began exploring the massive room.
The room wasn¡¯t just large¡ªit was extravagantly luxurious.
Though Rumi wasn¡¯t sure what she had expected, it was far more high-end than she had imagined.
¡°Wow, this is amazing.¡±
Rumi¡¯s mood instantly lifted.
¡°This¡ is insane¡¡±
Even Eve, who had been here before, seemed slightly surprised.
That''s when Rumi looked out the window and witnessed another unbelievable sight.
Outside the window was a snow-white mountain range, as if enchanted by magic, and below it was a ski resort.
¡°Hey, Eve, look outside. There¡¯s a mountain! Is that a ski resort?¡±
Eve¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked out the window.
¡°Wow, that¡¯s still there. I went skiing there last time¡ but was it that big?¡±
"No way, how is this possible? No matter how big it is, all this can''t possibly fit inside the building. We should be seeing the town square from here!"
"That''s exactly why they say the whole hotel was built with magic. Whether they use illusions or black magic, there are many structures that don''t make sense."
"Crazy... we''ll have to explore other places later. Anyway, I would have regretted it forever if we hadn''t stayed here today."
¡°Yeah¡¡±
¡°But if the Princess Room is this amazing, how incredible must the Queen¡¯s Room be¡¡±
¡°I wonder¡¡±
Rumi couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of privileges Niel was enjoying.
Still, the Princess Room was spacious and luxurious enough that Rumi continued exploring in awe, eventually discovering a wine cellar.
¡°Whoa, there¡¯s even wine here too!¡±
Rumi¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of the forbidden pleasure liquid.
¡°Hehehe, I¡¯ll have to try this later¡ Hey, Eve, you must like wine, right? Hey...? there¡¯s wine here!¡±
When Rumi mentioned the wine, Eve remained quiet, so Rumi walked past the living room to find Eve.
Eve was silently staring at the pool outside the living room.
That¡¯s right. This room even had an extravagant, massive pool.
¡°Do you want to get in the water?¡±
Rumi asked Eve, who seemed captivated by the pool.
¡°Yeah¡¡±
¡°Then hurry up and get in. We¡¯re here with Medina¡¯s money¡ªwe have to make the most of it!¡±
¡°What about you?¡±
¡°Eh¡ I don¡¯t really like swimming, so you go ahead.¡±
¡°...¡±
¡°But, didn¡¯t they say swimsuits are already prepared here?¡±
Eve asked.
"I''ll go look for them?"
Rumi wandered around the room again, examining various items.
One peculiar thing was that most of the furniture and decorations were fixed to the floor.
¡°Strange...¡±
After a while, Rumi found swimsuits stored by color in a wardrobe inside the room.
She picked out a black swimsuit for Eve cause Black suited Eve¡¯s deathly aesthetic.
After grabbing the swimsuit, Rumi was about to leave the room when she noticed a letter placed gently on the bed.
Rumi picked up the letter and headed to the pool.
"Here, wear this swimsuit. I specially selected it."
¡°Uh¡ but it¡¯s a bit revealing for a swimsuit¡¡±
¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s not even a bikini¡¡±
Rumi scolded Eve for worrying over nothing.
¡°By the way, what¡¯s that in your hand?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, it looks like a letter¡ Let¡¯s check it out later. Hurry up and change first.¡±
A moment later, Eve came out in the black swimsuit.
It suited her perfectly.
Though the only revealing part was the open back, the tight swimsuit accentuated her flawless proportions.
And the black swimsuit made Eve¡¯s fair skin glow even brighter.
She looked like an idol in a photoshoot.
¡°Hmm¡¡±
Rumi nodded with a satisfied look.
¡°Why are you staring at me like that?¡±
Eve¡¯s face turned slightly red as she asked irritably.
"You know you''re really pretty too, right?"
¡°What¡ what are you talking about all of a sudden? You''re... you''re really cute too... mmph!"
¡°What the hell are you saying? Stop talking nonsense and get in the water. Let me show you swim.¡±
"Okay..."
Eve dove into the water as if performing a dive.
Meanwhile, Rumi grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine cellar and settled on a sunbed by the pool.
Eve peeked her eyes above the water and gave Rumi a look of disbelief.
¡°What¡?¡±
¡°Nothing, it¡¯s nothing...¡±
Eve began swimming, splashing loudly.
From the looks of it, Eve was quite skilled at swimming.
She moved gracefully through the water, as if dancing.
¡°How are you so good at everything physical?¡±
¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±
¡°I mean, you¡¯re good at dancing and swimming. How is that even possible?¡±
¡°If you didn¡¯t know, I¡¯m also good at skiing¡ As for swimming, I used to swim every day in the lake in front of our house back then.¡±
¡°Oh¡ really?¡±
As Eve talked about the past, Rumi realized that Eve might not be as comfortable in this hotel as she seemed.
She probably came here last time with her now-deceased family.
¡°Well, you keep swimming. I¡¯m going to try some wine.¡±
Rumi poured wine into a glass, sniffed it, and took a sip.
¡°Ugh!¡±
But the damn wine tasted bitter.
It wasn¡¯t the grape juice flavor she had expected.
¡°Yuck! What is this taste?¡±
But then, some of the wine spilled onto her clothes.
¡°Ugh, damn it!¡±
¡°Pfft!¡±
Eve couldn¡¯t help but laugh and turned her head away.
¡°Hey, are you laughing at me?¡±
¡°No¡ it¡¯s just that you¡¯re clearly not in your right mind.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not me¡ªit¡¯s this damn wine. How can wine taste this bad?¡±
Rumi went to the kitchen and brought back various juices.
She mixed the wine with grape juice to create wine juice.
After tasting it, it was much better.
¡°Hmm¡ now this is somewhat drinkable.¡±
"Don''t get drunk doing that."
¡°Hey, I told you I have strong resistance to everything cursed, remember?¡±
¡°But that¡¯s not for wine!¡±
Chapter 35 - Hotel Hylence (3)
Rumi lay on the sun bed, sipping her concocted drink.
Eve, like a mermaid in water, was playing around in the pool for quite some time. But every now and then, she glanced over at Rumi.
¡°You¡¯re really not coming in? The water¡¯s warm, and it¡¯s not even that deep.¡±
¡°Ah... no, thanks. gulp... I can¡¯t swim.¡±
"I could... teach you how to swim."
¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not interested in swimming. Plus, I think my potion¡¯s starting to kick in... hehe.¡±
Rumi laughed with unfocused eyes, then she suddenly got up
¡°Rumi, where are you going?¡±
¡°Oh, just checking if there¡¯s anything to eat.¡±
Rumi moved to the living room, carrying the wine bottle with her. On the table was a box of fancy cookies, and Rumi naturally opened it, popping a random cookie into her mouth.
Just then, the letter she had tossed aside earlier caught her eye.
Rumi crawled over, picked it up, and read the contents: ¡®Find the fairy tale book in the TV.¡¯
¡°Huh? What does that even mean?¡±
Rumi pondered the cryptic message and wondered if she should turn on the TV. Come to think of it, she was curious what would be on a hotel TV in this ruined world, so she found the remote and turned it on¡ªinstead of broadcasts, what appeared was something like a pixelated RPG game screen.
¡°...?¡±
The game showed a 2D princess standing in what looked like a kingdom square.
Rumi checked if there was a separate controller, but it seemed the TV remote could be used to control the game. She moved the princess around, interacting with objects. When she touched a discarded book near a lake in the game, the title screen appeared: ¡®The Adventures of the Feverish Princess.¡¯
At the same time, a narrator¡¯s voice filled the room.
¡°Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Hylence, there lived a feverish princess.¡±
¡°Whoa, 360-degree stereo audio...?¡±
¡°The princess loved the beautiful magical castle. The vast castle grounds and the charming village outside brought her joy. Her hobby was exploring every nook and cranny of the castle.¡±
Just then, water started dripping onto Rumi¡¯s head.
¡°...?¡±
Rumi looked up to find Eve, fresh out of the pool, shaking her wet hair above her.
¡°Ah! What are you doing?¡±
¡°What¡¯s this noise?¡±
Eve had apparently come out anxious about the narration sound.
¡°This? It¡¯s just Game sounds...¡±
¡°Game sounds? But why is it coming from the entire hotel room?¡±
"Well... because it''s 360-degree stereo?"
"Wait... what¡¯s that?"
Meanwhile, a cutscene-like image appeared on the TV.
¡°Hmm... this feels more like a hotel event than an actual game...¡±
¡°One day, the princess discovered a secret passage in the castle. The passage led her deep underground, and the feverish princess, intrigued, followed the path. But what she found deep beneath the beautiful magical castle was something horrifying.¡±
Suddenly, the entire hotel room began to shake.
¡°Whoa! Is that an earthquake?¡±
¡°No, why now?!¡±
Rumi, thinking it might be some kind of prank, ran to the door to check if it was just their room or the whole building shaking. But the door wouldn¡¯t open, as if it was locked from the outside.
¡°Th-the door won¡¯t open!¡±
¡°Rumi! Don¡¯t think about running away¡ªget under the desk!¡±
Eve grabbed Rumi¡¯s hand and tried to pull her under the desk. But then lights came on around the bed, making it sparkle.
¡°Hey, I think it¡¯s telling us to go to the bed.¡±
¡°What are you talking about? During an earthquake, you¡¯re supposed to hide under something sturdy. There¡¯s stuff above the bed¡ªif it falls, we¡¯re dead.¡±
¡°No, look. There are cushions on the ceiling. This feels suspicious, like it¡¯s connected to the game event...¡±
Eve hesitated, deep in thought, while the room continued to shake.
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¡°...Fine, let¡¯s go to the bed.¡±
The moment Rumi and Eve got onto the bed, something truly impossible began to happen.
Suddenly their guts tingled and their bodies started floating.
And while all the objects in the room should have been floating too... they were fixed in place and didn''t float.
Rumi and Eve found themselves in a state of zero gravity, exchanging bewildered looks. But the zero gravity lasted only three seconds before they plopped back onto the bed.
Splash!!
At the same time, a sound like a water bomb exploding echoed, and a massive spray of water erupted outside the window.
¡°...!¡±
¡°Wh-what just happened?¡±
Rumi and Eve, still dazed, slowly crawled off the bed. The only broken item in the room was a shattered wine bottle rolling on the floor.
They approached the window and looked outside. The surroundings were completely submerged in a red sea. Somehow, their room was now floating alone in the middle of the ocean.
¡°What is this? Are we adrift in the sea? Did I drink too much and lose my mind?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think so...¡±
Just then, the narrator¡¯s voice returned.
¡°Beneath the magical kingdom lay a sea of blood, formed from the corpses of countless subjects. This was the kingdom¡¯s secret¡ªusing the blood of its people as fuel.¡±
¡°A sea of blood?¡±
Rumi and Eve stepped onto the balcony to look around. Eve muttered as if she had noticed something.
¡°Wait, this is...¡±
Upon closer inspection, they realized they weren¡¯t in the middle of the ocean but in what looked like the hotel¡¯s underground pool. The waterfall they had seen in the lobby was cascading down here, and the surroundings were painted to resemble a night sky under a massive dome. They could even see hotel guests swimming in the distance.
¡°...It¡¯s the pool!¡±
Rumi unfolded the hotel map and checked the pool section. It read: ¡®Experience a magical summer in the colossal Sedna Dome Pool.¡¯ Below it was an underwater shopping mall.
Rumi peered down and was shocked to see a small city-like area glowing about 100 meters below the water.
¡°What kind of place is this?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a hotel...?¡±
But in the midst of all this chaos, an idea occurred to Rumi.
¡°Hey, shouldn¡¯t we just collect the water from this pool? We came here for the red water, and it¡¯s right in front of us...¡±
¡°I guess that¡¯s true...?¡±
Eve nodded at Rumi.
Rumi and Eve immediately brought out the empty bottles from their bags. Eve began scooping water from the edge of the balcony.
¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help?¡±
Eve asked, noticing Rumi¡¯s reluctance to go near the water.
¡°...¡±
Rumi, unusually serious, clenched her mouth shut.
"What''s wrong with you? Is there some problem...? Don''t tell me you''re actually afraid of water?"
¡°Uh... no, it¡¯s not that... I just don¡¯t like water... I told you I can¡¯t swim...¡±
¡°...¡±
Eve, realizing Rumi was lying, silently dove into the red pool.
¡°I¡¯ll fill the water. Just carry the bottles.¡±
Eve said as she submerged.
Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t seem scared of the red water.
¡°Ugh... you are really in there.¡±
"Huh? But why is the water warm here too? Is it possible to heat this much water?"
¡°Wait, really?¡±
Rumi replied, holding the glass bottles by the poolside.
¡°But seriously, what¡¯s going on? If this is some special event, isn¡¯t it way too over the top?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know... It seems connected to that game you were playing earlier... Do you think the hotel room will float up again?¡±
Just as Eve finished speaking, the room shook violently, creating waves that pushed Eve back.
¡°Ah, what¡¯s this?¡±
Eve quickly filled the last bottle and handed it to Rumi.
¡°Rumi, take this!¡±
Rumi grabbed the bottle and shouted at Eve.
"Hey, hurry and come up!"
¡°Ugh... I can¡¯t. The waves... blub...¡±
The room shook even more, creating massive waves. Even Eve, who was a strong swimmer, was being swept away.
¡°Glub... Ru... Rumi, help!¡±
Rumi panicked and looked around frantically. Spotting a bed in the next room through the window, she ran over and grabbed a blanket.
¡°Grab this!¡±
Rumi threw the blanket like a rope, but it spread out like a net, covering Eve¡¯s face instead.
¡°Ugh!¡±
¡°Oops...¡±
Eve struggled to gather the blanket and shouted.
¡°Ugh, what are you doing? Trying to kill me?¡±
¡°What does it matter? You grabbed it, right? Hold on tight¡ªI¡¯m pulling!¡±
Rumi started pulling the blanket, but the room shook again, this time differently. The entire room began to float.
Rumi, holding the blanket, felt herself being dragged toward the edge of the balcony as Eve was pulled up.
¡°Ah! What¡¯s happening? Ugh!¡±
Rumi screamed in surprise when she realized she was being dragged instead of pulling Eve up.
¡°Hey, wait, why are you so heavy?!¡±
Meanwhile, Eve, hanging onto the blanket, looked up and noticed something.
¡°Rumi, the whole room seems to be hanging from some kind of cables.¡±
¡°Ugh... is that important right now? I¡¯m about to fall into the water!¡±
Seeing Rumi being dragged closer, Eve let go and plunged back into the water.
Splash!
¡°Hey! What are you doing? I was pulling you up! I almost had you!¡±
¡°Pull me up? You¡¯re smaller than me. If someone like you who can¡¯t swim falls into this vast pool, even I can¡¯t save you.¡±
¡°No...! You...¡±
While Rumi was flustered and unable to continue speaking because her inability to swim had been exposed, the entire hotel room started shaking violently in mid-air.
¡°Ugh!¡±
Rumi desperately clung to the railing as the room began to ascend rapidly. If Eve had been hanging on at this speed, things could have gotten much worse.
Rumi, stunned by the continuous chaos, ran back to the bed.
Eve was now adrift in what looked like an endless sea, and without a float, even she was in danger.
Rumi grabbed every pillow she could find and tossed them over the railing. Looking down, she saw Eve waving.
¡°Hey, I¡¯ll come back for you later!¡±
Rumi waved back.
Rumi packed the red water she had collected and sat on the living room sofa. The room slowly moved sideways and then entered the central waterfall of the hotel. It began to ascend at an alarming speed, as if it might crash through the ceiling.
Outside the window, countless floors whizzed by as the room shot upward. But eventually, the speed decreased, and the room came to a smooth stop. They had clearly reached the top floor.
The narrator¡¯s voice returned.
¡°After witnessing the horrors beneath the magical kingdom, the feverish princess headed to the top of the castle to meet the queen.¡±
¡°...¡±
Listening to the narration, Rumi figured she was supposed to meet the queen. Wondering if that meant she should leave the hotel room now, she approached the hotel door that had been locked earlier.
Strangely enough, the hotel door was already wide open, and beyond it stretched a glass bridge with a clear view 300 meters down.
On the other side was an extravagant entrance resembling a royal palace.
What kind of event goes this far...?
Rumi crossed the glass bridge with considerable tension, walked up the majestic stairs that looked like a palace entrance while stepping on a luxurious red carpet.
The surroundings were adorned with dazzling glass art, and the ceiling sparkled with light, illuminating the majestic white pillars.
It felt like a dreamlike palace, and Rumi, overwhelmed by the atmosphere, took one step at a time. Finally, she opened the grand doors and entered.
Inside was a space that could only be described as a royal palace. Silver and gold decorations glittered everywhere, and the marble floor was elegantly laid out in a circular pattern.
For a moment, Rumi thought this might be the Queen¡¯s Room.
As she stood in the center, a shadow flickered behind a white sheer curtain. The shadow grew clearer, drawing Rumi¡¯s attention.
¡°The feverish princess began to confront the queen.¡±
The narrator¡¯s voice echoed again.
¡°For the kingdom of the sky to soar high, the sacrifice of its people is not avoidable... no, it is inevitable.¡±
But this time, a voice came from behind the curtain that sounded familiar yet awkwardly theatrical.
Rumi made another reasonable deduction.
¡°Niel...?¡±
Chapter 36 - Hotel Hylence (4)
¡°Niel...?¡±
¡°...!¡±
The reaction confirmed that the figure behind the curtain was indeed Niel.
¡°Hahaha, it is you, Niel! What are you doing back there?¡±
¡°Uh... this is part of the Queen¡¯s Room upgrade conditions...¡±
¡°What? Upgrade conditions? What kind of upgrade conditions involve you working part-time?¡±
¡°Your Majesty, as I mentioned, please don¡¯t respond and just read the script.¡±
At that moment, the real narrator¡¯s voice whispered.
¡°Ah... okay!¡±
"Don''t respond to me either."
¡°Uh... How could you, a princess who enjoyed only the best of the kingdom, say such things?¡±
¡°The feverish princess had no idea the kingdom was built on such horrific sacrifices.
Had she known, she would have renounced her title long ago.
She declared that to rectify the kingdom¡¯s injustices, even the queen must be dethroned.
Hearing this, the queen quietly replied.¡±
¡°How dare a princess defy the queen? My beloved feverish princess, no matter how much I love you, treason is punishable only by death, even for a princess. Therefore... I sentence you to death!!¡±
Niel delivered her lines with all the drama she could muster.
Naturally, Rumi had to match her performance.
¡°S-save me! Queen Niel!!¡±
Rumi screamed pitifully, straining her voice.
¡°The feverish princess was shocked by the death sentence. She couldn¡¯t believe her own mother would truly try to kill her.
Moreover, seeing the queen truly trying to kill her, she became frightened and began begging the queen. However, the queen, without a drop of pity or remorse, sentenced the princess who had rebelled against her to death..."
The narration continued, whether it was part of the original story or a reflection of Rumi¡¯s acting, it was hard to tell.
Wait, could this have been a role-playing event where our actions influenced the story?
If so, a wave of regret hit her that she hadn''t tried to make it more interesting.
¡°Now, press this button.¡±
Meanwhile, whispers kept coming from behind the curtain.
¡°This button here? What about this one?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t press that one.¡±
¡°Oh, I already pressed it.¡±
¡°What? Why would you press that?¡±
¡°...?¡±
¡°What? What did you press, Niel?¡±
¡°Sorry, Rumi...¡±
Rumi grew anxious, wondering what Niel had done this time.
At that moment, a golden disc opened beneath Rumi¡¯s feet, and she was instantly sucked into the hole below.
¡°Ahhh! Ahh!¡±
Rumi screamed, closing her eyes, thinking she was about to die in such a ridiculous way... but then she felt a thrill coursing through her body.
That¡¯s right. Rumi was enjoying the process of ¡°execution¡± because she was actually sliding down the world¡¯s longest water slide.
¡°Ah... ahhh... this is amazing!¡±
Rumi burst into laughter. She had never experienced such a well-designed water slide in her life.
The slide featured 360-degree spins, sharp turns, and even near-vertical drops, offering an insane course.
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¡°Whoa! This is awesome!¡±
After what felt like an eternity, Rumi was spat out at the end of the slide.
But then a problem arose.
Rumi had fallen into the red water all by herself.
Panicking, she flailed helplessly.
Rumi couldn¡¯t swim at all. In fact, she had a deep aversion to water.
¡°Glub glub! I¡¯m dying! S-save me!¡±
Rumi began swallowing water, genuinely feeling the terror of death.
But then, someone cut through the water, swimming toward her.
They grabbed Rumi''s nape and pulled her along.
Rumi, half-conscious, was dragged to safety.
They arrived at an endless beach.
¡°Ru... Rumi? Are you okay? Can you hear me?¡±
Eve slapped Rumi¡¯s cheeks as she spoke.
Rumi lay there, unresponsive.
¡°Gasp! Rumi...¡±
Eve pressed her ear to Rumi¡¯s chest and immediately began performing CPR.
"Ugh... urk..."
¡°Rumi! Wh-what do I do?¡±
¡°J-just stop!¡±
As Eve leaned in to give Rumi mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, a slap landed on her cheek.
Smack!
¡°...?!¡±
Eve looked down, stunned, to see Rumi, who had just opened her eyes, pushing her face away.
¡°Hey... that¡¯s enough...¡±
Eve¡¯s eyes widened as she saw Rumi awake.
¡°You... you weren¡¯t dead?¡±
Rumi spat out red water and replied, ¡°Cough cough, even if I were dead, I¡¯d have come back to life.¡±
¡°...¡±
Rumi got up and looked at Eve, only to notice that Eve¡¯s eyes were slightly teary.
"Um... thanks for saving me. Ow... my heart''s beating fine, why did you do CPR and make my chest hurt? And were you trying to kiss me just now?!"
¡°K-kiss?! Are you out of your mind? That¡¯s called artificial respiration! And if you were conscious, you should¡¯ve said something!¡±
¡°I couldn¡¯t talk because you were pressing on my chest...¡±
Rumi exaggeratedly groaned, clutching her sternum.
¡°Ugh, I¡¯m dying...¡±
Then she suddenly looked around.
¡°By the way... where are we?¡±
Rumi was lying on an artificial beach in a corner of the massive red pool.
¡°Sigh... this is part of the underground dome pool. Over there...¡±
Eve turned her head and pointed to the right, where an array of enormous water coasters stood.
¡°What is this, a water park?¡±
¡°Yeah, seems like it. But weirdly, we¡¯re the only ones here.¡±
¡°Then those people over there...¡±
"All those hotel guests are ghosts."
¡°...?¡±
¡°Is this some kind of ghost hotel?¡±
¡°Yeah, you could say that... But how did you end up here? What happened up there?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. I reached the top floor, ran into Niel, and then she pressed some weird button, and I fell here.¡±
¡°What? Niel? Wasn¡¯t she living it up in the Queen¡¯s Room?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but she was working part-time there... Anyway, it¡¯s clear now that this whole thing was a hotel event. And it seems like it¡¯s over since I fell here.¡±
¡°Oh... so what now?¡±
Eve, momentarily dazed, spoke up.
¡°Since we¡¯re here, wanna try that?¡±
Rumi pointed at the water coasters.
¡°Are you okay? You just nearly died!¡±
¡°Hey, there are life jackets and tubes over there! And you¡¯re here with me. I won¡¯t die again. And if I do fall in the water, you¡¯ll just have to save me again.¡±
Rumi pushed herself up, leaning on Eve¡¯s shoulder.
Eve stood up with a slightly annoyed expression, following Rumi.
¡°You should just learn how to swim. Don¡¯t act so carefree after almost dying.¡±
¡°No, thanks. I hate swimming!¡±
What started as a single water coaster ride turned into a full-blown tour of every water coasters in the park.
Rumi and Eve spent a long time sliding through the water, enjoying their impromptu vacation.
After thoroughly enjoying the water activities, the two made their way back to the hotel room.
As Rumi walked down the hallway, she wondered what had become of the hotel room where all that craziness had happened.
But the room was back in its original spot, clean and tidy as if nothing had ever happened.
¡°Is this part of housekeeping...?¡±
Rumi and Eve were still confused, wondering if they had dreamed it all, when they noticed another letter lying in front of the TV.
Rumi immediately opened it and read the contents.
¡®On the eve of her execution, the feverish princess narrowly escaped the kingdom and came to Saint Angelicus¡¯ Village, where she built this hotel, dreaming of revenge against the queen. And she met a prince and lived happily ever after.¡¯
¡°Huh? A sudden happy ending?¡±
¡°...What execution? What happened in the middle?¡±
Eve asked from beside her.
But Rumi didn''t feel like explaining the story she didn¡¯t really care anyway.
¡°Eve, aren¡¯t you starving after all that swimming? Wanna order room service with Medina¡¯s money?¡±
"That''s... a good idea.¡°
The next day, Rumi and Eve checked out and waited in the hotel lobby for Niel to appear.
"Hey guys..."
Niel walked over to Rumi and Eve, but someone unexpected was following behind her.
¡°What? Malcolm? What are you doing here?¡±
Rumi immediately asked, her tone sharp.
¡°...¡±
Malcolm ignored Rumi again, and Niel answered instead.
¡°Uh... actually... this hotel is run by Malcolm¡¯s family.¡±
¡°Whaaat?¡±
¡°What...?¡±
Both Rumi and Eve were stunned.
¡°And I was originally invited here.¡±
¡°S-so that means, you were in on the Queen¡¯s Room thing the whole time?¡±
Eve asked, slightly excited.
¡°Yeah...¡±
¡°...?!¡±
¡°Hey, what about that part-time job? Were you staying here while working?¡±
¡°No, the regular queen role employee was sick, so I was just filling in.¡±
¡°...?!¡±
¡°So, I¡¯m planning to stay here for the rest of the summer break... Is that okay?¡±
"Uh... um..."
Rumi was too shocked to respond properly. Especially the part about Malcolm running the hotel...
¡°Ma... Malcolm, you... actually had a legitimate reason to look down on everyone.¡±
¡°What...?¡±
Malcolm seemed slightly taken aback.
¡°So, uh... do you have any rooms left here?¡±
¡°Rumi, what are you talking about? Don¡¯t forget why we came here...¡±
Eve nudged Rumi at that moment.
¡°No... I know that, but... do you really want to go back to that dump?¡±
Rumi whispered into Eve¡¯s ear.
¡°Ugh...¡±
Eve made a disgusted face.
¡°Well... if we could stay in Niel¡¯s room... that¡¯d be nice...¡±
¡°If you want to stay, you¡¯re free to do so. But you¡¯ll have to pay.¡±
Malcolm cut them off firmly.
Rumi and Eve¡¯s moods instantly soured.
"What the hell, you think we¡¯re broke or something?!"
Rumi blurted out.
¡°Rumi, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m never coming back to this hotel again.¡±
Eve, her pride hurt, started leading Rumi out of the hotel.
"Guys..."
Niel tried to stop them, but Rumi didn¡¯t even look at her.
¡°This stupid hotel, go bankrupt already!¡±
Rumi and Eve left Hotel Hylence, their steps in sync.
Chapter 37 - Lucy the Doll
The day before the vacation ended, Rumi, Eve, and Medina returned to school.
They were coming back after spending the rest of their break in Medina''s filthy house.
As soon as Rumi arrived at school, she headed straight to Raoul¡¯s dorm room.
She didn¡¯t know if Raoul had arrived first, but she wanted to check on him if he was there.
¡°Raoul?¡±
When there was no answer, Rumi climbed up to the loft where Raoul usually was.
Sure enough, Raoul was lying on the floor, fast asleep.
Rumi smirked.
¡°Raoul! Wake up!¡±
¡°Huh...?¡±
Raoul immediately opened his eyes and sat up.
¡°I¡¯ve got so much to tell you...¡±
But as Rumi looked closer, Raoul seemed to be in an awkward and strange position, as if he had just been sweeping the loft floor with his body.
¡°What... were you doing?¡±
¡°Uh... it¡¯s nothing.¡±
¡°What¡¯s that on the floor?¡±
¡°That¡¯s nothing too.¡±
Raoul unfolded the crumpled carpet.
¡°Were you performing some kind of black magic ritual or something?¡±
¡°No, I was just practicing some advanced Necromancy. So, did you manage to seal Medina?¡±
¡°Yeah, sort of... It was not perfect, but we sealed her. No major issues. And look, I¡¯ve got all the essence ingredients.¡±
Rumi proudly lifted the bag full of ingredients.
¡°Now, we just need to help that crazy Medina brew the curse essence, and then we¡¯ll extract every bit of information from that doll.¡±
"Then what... what am I supposed to do during that time?"
"Hmm... nothing, probably. We need to get the doll working before we can figure out what to do.
Did you go see your family?¡±
¡°Yeah...¡±
¡°You¡¯re not sick or anything, right?¡±
¡°No, why? Did something happen?¡±
¡°No, nothing.¡±
Rumi answered somewhat coldly.
Raoul gave her an awkward smile.
¡°By the way, you didn¡¯t happen to visit Medina¡¯s house, did you?¡±
¡°What? Medina¡¯s house? How would I even know where that is... No, I didn¡¯t...¡±
¡°Right... It¡¯s just that someone who looked a lot like you... Never mind. A lot of strange things happened this summer... want to hear about it?"
¡°Sure...¡±
Rumi spent the rest of the day telling Raoul about all the strange things that had happened during the summer vacation.
The second semester began, and the atmosphere at school had noticeably changed.
Rumors were spreading that the practical exorcism exam was approaching.
The kids were buzzing about how one of last year¡¯s freshmen had turned into a monster.
But Rumi wasn¡¯t bothered by any of it. She wasn¡¯t even planning to focus on her classes.
Because Rumi had an important task: brewing the curse essence.
During the day, she prepared and portioned the ingredients, and at night, she listened to Medina¡¯s ramblings while brewing the curse essence, feeding it to the doll, and trying to figure out if it could serve as the doll¡¯s power source.
But no matter how carefully Rumi followed Medina¡¯s instructions, the doll showed no reaction.
¡°Dissolve dust in water, steep dried corpse flowers in a teabag, add rat tails and red water, then boil with ten drops of glowing baby root extract. Once the water turns dark brown, add powdered centipedes and spider eyes. And...¡±
Rumi had memorized the recipe perfectly even in her half-crazed state in the middle of the night.
Once again, she poured the finished curse essence into a bottle and fed it to the doll.
But again, there was no reaction.
¡°This should be perfect. The color, the smell¡ªit¡¯s all exactly the same as the sample! Why isn¡¯t it working?!¡±
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Rumi finally lost her temper and shouted.
"Failed again... mmph."
Medina, sitting nearby, was grinning at Rumi with a strange expression.
Rumi strongly felt that Medina was still hiding something.
¡°Hey, Medina! You¡¯re keeping something from me, aren¡¯t you? Did you forget something? Be honest! Spit it out! At this rate, we¡¯re going to run out of ingredients first!¡±
Rumi shouted at the top of her lungs like a drunk person.
¡°Oh, that¡¯s impossible. Ahem.¡±
Rumi couldn¡¯t take it anymore and began reciting a curse she had learned from Bertin.
"Make the mother kill her child with knife, hands, rope, water and fire. The child is merely an extension of the mother, so let them share the mother''s pain. As the mother is more precious than the child, let the mother be free of pain..."
Hearing this, Medina panicked and tried to stop Rumi.
¡°Are... are you insane? Stop it!¡±
But Rumi, watching Medina¡¯s trembling soul, didn¡¯t stop.
"The child is a beast. Since they shall die quickly if they defy their mother''s words, all children must crawl at their mother''s feet. Crawl. Crawl. Mmph!"
At that moment, Eve rushed over and covered Rumi¡¯s mouth.
¡°Stop it, please...¡±
¡°Mmmph!¡±
Eve glared at Rumi with a look of utter exhaustion.
¡°...¡±
After a while, when Rumi had calmed down, Eve let go of her mouth.
¡°You know how hard we worked to get these ingredients. If this keeps up, we¡¯ll run out of them before we can even finish the curse essence.¡±
¡°I get that, but... you always try to solve problems in such extreme ways. Try finding another approach.¡±
¡°Exactly! Honestly, Rumi, you¡¯re way crazier than me, Ugh, if this is how it¡¯s going to be, I¡¯m not teaching you anymore. After all I¡¯ve taught you, all I get is curses? ptooey!"
Medina spat out a glob of foul soul residue and started to leave the dorm room.
¡°Is she out of her mind?!¡±
Rumi, furious, threw a book at the fleeing Medina.
"Sigh... why are you all acting like this in the middle of the night."
¡°You heard her. That damn Medina is deliberately sabotaging the potion.¡±
"Okay, okay. That''s why I said we need to look for another way."
¡°What way? Do you know another way to properly threaten Medina?¡±
¡°No... I mean, if Medina refuses to talk, we can always consult another expert.¡±
"Ooh! Ohh, right... that''s right... why didn''t I think of that... hehehe..."
As Rumi started giggling, Eve¡¯s face immediately turned pale.
¡°Sigh... what have I done...¡±
The next morning, Rumi carefully examined the original curse essence recipe she had brought from Medina¡¯s house.
She compared it with the newly written ingredient list, struggling to decipher Medina¡¯s terrible handwriting.
She was trying to figure out if Medina had hidden any ingredients or steps in the recipe.
And as a result, she discovered one line of text that didn''t match with the ingredients they''d gathered.
Rumi copied the line onto a separate piece of paper and took it to Professor Francesca¡¯s Necromancy class.
Rumi waited for Professor Francesca¡¯s chaotic class to end.
After telling Raoul and Niel to go ahead, she stayed behind in the classroom until all the other kids had left.
Professor Francesca soon noticed Rumi lingering and approached her.
¡°Rumi, why are you still here?¡±
Rumi finally got up and walked over to the professor.
¡°Professor, I found this paper in the library. I was wondering if you could tell me what it says.¡±
Rumi said while handing over the paper with Medina''s terrible handwriting copied on it.
The one-eyed Professor Francesca examined the writing with what looked like a magnifying glass.
¡°You... found this in the library?¡±
The professor looked at Rumi with a surprised expression.
¡°Yes... Do you think you can read it? It¡¯s not some kind of code, is it?¡±
Rumi wondered if the writing might be some secret script used only by Medina¡¯s family.
But Professor Francesca¡¯s expression grew increasingly strange as she stared at the paper, as if she were under some kind of curse.
¡°Professor...?¡±
¡°Huh? Oh... this might take some time. Come back tomorrow morning at 8. I¡¯ll... tell you then...¡±
"8 o''clock? Does it take that long?"
Rumi couldn¡¯t understand why it would take so long to decipher a single line of text. And the professor¡¯s unusual expression made her even more suspicious.
"Rumi! If you don''t want to know, you don''t have to come!"
¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be here at 8. Goodbye, Professor.¡±
Rumi hurried out of the classroom, afraid the witch professor might change her mind.
Twenty minutes before 8 PM, Rumi was pacing outside the corridor.
The thought of messing with that damn Medina made her head to the Spiritualism classroom without even realizing it.
At exactly 8 p.m., Rumi knocked on the classroom door.
Knock knock
¡°Coming in, Professor.¡±
Rumi knocked casually and tried to open the door, but it wouldn¡¯t budge, as if something was blocking it.
¡°...?¡±
Thinking something was stuck on the other side, Rumi kicked the door lightly. When it still didn¡¯t open, she kicked it harder and yanked with all her strength.
Crash!
Finally, the door opened.
But suddenly some kind of powder showered down on Rumi''s head.
¡°Ah! What is this?¡±
Rumi opened her eyes to see black sand-like powder covering her entire body.
¡°What the...?¡±
Rumi couldn¡¯t tell if Professor Francesca had set this up as a prank or not.
After brushing herself off and closing the door, Rumi slowly stepped inside.
But the professor wasn''t in her seat.
And the usual stench of cigarettes was absent.
¡°It¡¯s time... Professor Francesca?¡±
Rumi stood in front of the professor¡¯s desk and looked around the dark, dungeon-like classroom.
But the professor was nowhere to be seen.
¡°...¡±
The eerie atmosphere of the empty classroom, which could easily fit more than fifty students, was unnerving.
Scared Rumi had no choice but to start rummaging through the witch professor¡¯s desk. She found the paper she had handed over earlier.
But the paper looked as if it had been soaked in oil, turning it translucent.
Rumi glanced at the paper and the notes beside it.
The handwriting was so messy that she couldn¡¯t make out what it said.
"As expected of someone''s aunt..."
Rumi was about to leave the classroom after one last look around there when...
¡°Rumi, what are you doing?¡±
Professor Francesca¡¯s voice echoed.
Rumi froze.
¡°...!¡±
Startled, Rumi looked around.
¡°Huh?¡±
But strangely, the professor was nowhere to be seen.
¡°What? Did I imagine it?¡±
Rumi began searching for the source of the voice.
¡°Why did you come?¡±
At that moment, Professor Francesca¡¯s voice came from deeper inside the classroom.
¡°It¡¯s 8 p.m., Professor. You told me to come at 8!¡±
¡°When did I say 8 p.m.? I said 8 a.m. tomorrow!¡±
¡°Huh? You did?¡±
¡°And how are you still alive? You should¡¯ve been hit by the black sand.¡±
¡°What... what do you mean? Did you curse that black sand?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you read the school rules?¡±
¡°What rules?¡±
¡°The rule that says no one is allowed in the Necromancy classroom after sunset!¡±
¡°There¡¯s a rule like that? But Professor, where are you even talking from?¡±
¡°...¡±
Rumi looked around, wondering if the professor was hiding somewhere strange...
Then her eyes landed on a small painting hanging on one wall.
¡°Professor? Answer me. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m staying here until you come out.¡±
¡°Rumi, leave right now... and be prepared for punishment when you come back tomorrow morning!¡±
Professor Francesca¡¯s voice was filled with anger.
Meanwhile, Rumi subtly pinpointed where the voice was coming from.
¡°What? Punishment? Why? You told me to come at 8. If you confused me, that¡¯s partly your fault. And since I¡¯m already here, can¡¯t you just tell me what that writing says?¡±
¡°Stop talking and get out! Now!¡±
The witch professor shouted fiercely.
Rumi pretended to leave, then paused and tilted her head.
¡°Professor, are you okay...? You''re not trying to chase me away because you''re too embarrassed to ask for my help?"
Rumi stood right in front of the suspicious painting where the voice seemed to be coming from. Up close, the painting depicted a small cabin in the woods under a night sky.
"Hmm... the sound came from somewhere around here..."
¡°...!¡±
Chapter 38 - Lucy the Doll (2)
Just then, she felt the light in the cabin within the painting flicker ever so slightly.
¡°Professor, you didn¡¯t... possess the painting, did you?¡±
Rumi wasn¡¯t sure what kind of black magic had been used, but she was certain the professor had possessed the painting. She began searching for Professor Francesca inside the painting.
¡°Ru... Rumi, please... just leave...¡±
The professor¡¯s voice trembled.
Rumi realized that Professor Francesca was performing some highly illegal black magic ritual. If caught, the professor could lose her job¡ªor worse.
So Rumi stood her ground.
¡°Then tell me what was written on that paper. I can¡¯t wait until tomorrow morning.¡±
¡°...¡±
The professor¡¯s panicked silence continued.
Finally, she spoke.
¡°The paper said... blood and flesh... Whose blood and flesh, I... I couldn¡¯t tell. It just said blood and flesh... Now, really, leave...¡±
¡°Blood and flesh? But the sentence seemed longer than that.¡±
"Flesh and blood means flesh and blood, Rumi. Don''t say anything unnecessary. I won¡¯t take it any longer."
The professor¡¯s voice grew even more serious.
Rumi decided it was time to back off.
¡°Ah... okay, Professor, thank you... I¡¯ll leave now. Please don¡¯t punish me tomorrow.¡±
Now that she had her answer, Rumi suddenly felt afraid of facing Professor Francesca the next day.
But she knew she had to act strong in situations like this.
¡°You won¡¯t punish me tomorrow, right? I won¡¯t tell anyone about what happened here. Not even about you hiding in the painting.¡±
"You... how dare a mere student try to threaten me!"
"Oh, no. Professor, this isn''t a threat. It''s just loyalty between teacher and student..."
Rumi kept pushing.
¡°You won¡¯t punish me, right?¡±
¡°If you tell anyone, you¡¯ll disappear without a trace. I¡¯ll really kill you.¡±
¡°Ah, got it. I won¡¯t say a word. I¡¯ll leave now.¡±
¡°Wait, Rumi, you said you found that paper in the library, right? Do you know who wrote it? The handwriting seems familiar...¡±
¡°Uh... how would I know? I just found it lying under a bookshelf.¡±
¡°Hmm... really?¡±
Rumi finally felt a twinge of fear and backed out of the classroom.
¡°Goodbye...¡±
Once she was far enough from the Spiritualism classroom, Rumi began to worry that the witch professor might retaliate. She repeated the words written on the paper.
¡°Blood and flesh... blood and flesh...¡±
If blood and flesh were additional ingredients needed to brew the curse essence, whose blood and flesh was she talking about?
That night at 9 p.m., Rumi was observing the ghost-infested night sky through a telescope.
She was attending the only class held after sunset: Astronomy.
¡°Student, how¡¯s it looking? Can you see anything?¡±
Professor Himmelberg, the old astronomy professor, floated over.
¡°Blood and flesh...¡±
¡°What?¡±
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¡°Oh, nothing. What did you say?¡±
¡°I asked if you can see any moving stars.¡±
"Professor, I can''t tell if what I''m seeing are stars or ghosts."
"Hohoho, student, you must look for moving stars¡ªyou can''t just stare mindlessly through the lens."
"But if it''s moving, couldn''t it be a shooting star?"
"Shooting stars move too fast to see through a telescope like this. You need to look for things moving very slowly."
"That''s what I''m saying, I can''t tell the difference between stars and slowly moving ghosts in the sky."
¡°You¡¯ll see if you compare them to real stars... By tracking their movement, you can figure out where the witches are. The ghosts high up in the sky are the ones chasing witches.¡±
¡°Really...?¡±
Rumi looked through the telescope again with a bored expression.
Following Professor Himmelberg¡¯s advice, she focused on what clearly looked like stars and watched for any movement.
Sure enough, she saw a few white dots moving eastward.
"Just now, east! It moved slightly eastward!"
"Miss Lucy, look more carefully. If you look very carefully for a very long time, you''ll realize the ghosts are actually moving in circles. That means..."
¡°Professor, I¡¯m not Lucy. I¡¯ve told you my name is Rumi, like, a hundred times.¡±
As expected, Professor Himmelberg''s memory was no better than a goldfish''s.
This astronomy class was different from others in many ways.
First, the astronomy teacher was the only earthbound spirit professor at the school.
This ghostly professor had severe short-term memory issues, so students had to remind him of the lesson plan every class¡ªand their names.
"Then Miss Rumi, might I borrow your soul for a moment?"
¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡±
This was a question Rumi had been hearing since the first day of class.
¡°Why do you keep asking me that?¡±
¡°Oh? Have I asked you that before? Ah, yes, I think I did. Maybe 30 years ago...¡±
¡°No, it wasn¡¯t that long ago.¡±
"Hohoho! Is that so? Miss Rumi, your body looks very pure. It''s the kind of body ghosts would love to possess."
¡°Huh?¡±
Rumi wondered if Professor Himmelberg had noticed her curse immunity.
And she wondered if the reason so many ghosts were drawn to her was because they could see she was curse-immune.
¡°Professor, I have a question. Why are ghosts always so eager to possess me? Is there something different about me?¡±
"That''s because curses don''t seem to affect you much, Miss Rumi. When possessing someone, it¡¯s natural to choose a cleaner body that seems like it will live longer."
¡°But why do ghosts want to possess bodies in the first place?¡±
¡°Ah, Miss Rumi. that¡¯s a good question. We seek bodies because we¡¯ve lost our way.
Originally, dead souls would always move toward the God of Life, but that path disappeared completely after the White Witch appeared.
So we seek human bodies, the only place we can go.
The souls floating high in the sky are the same.
They¡¯re very old souls... They¡¯ve wandered so long they¡¯ve lost their sense of self and only seek a place to rest.
Even if that place is a witch¡¯s body...¡±
¡°I see... But Professor, you¡¯re an earthbound spirit, right? You¡¯ve already possessed this place.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s not enough... With such a pure body like yours here, I¡¯d be willing to possess it anytime.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°But Miss Rumi, that¡¯s the tragedy of ghosts. There¡¯s no place for dead souls in the living world. No matter how tempting the body, in the end, it will die and corrupt.
A body without a soul becomes a monster, and a soul without a body becomes an evil spirit.
You can¡¯t live without one or the other.
Do you know why? Because the soul and body are one.
In other words, ghosts crave bodies, dolls yearn for souls, and humans long for death."
¡°...¡±
At that moment, Rumi remembered hearing something similar during her first Necromancy class.
Blood and flesh... the body and soul are one... and dolls yearn for souls?
¡°...!¡±
Rumi finally realized what ¡°blood and flesh¡± meant. The answer was so obvious.
That night, strange singing could be heard from dorm room 49.
"Medina, you woman of sin-filled lineage. You''re bound to be cursed and turn into an evil spirit... There''s a reason you lost your life at such a young age..."
Anyone could tell it was Rumi¡¯s voice.
Medina, feeling an even more ominous aura than usual, phased through the dorm wall.
¡°If only I could bring Medina back to life... so I could kill her with my own hands next time... Hehehe.¡±
What Medina found on the other side of the wall was Rumi, singing a curse-filled song about her in an overly excited voice.
Rumi was stirring a bubbling cauldron with a glass rod, looking like a witch cackling as she cooked kidnapped children.
Even Eve, who would normally have said something, was too stunned by Rumi¡¯s crazed appearance to speak.
"Kekeke, just wait till you come, Medina, hehehe. Hehehehe..."
Medina, in shock, couldn¡¯t help but speak up.
¡°Have you completely lost it? Do you really need to go this far? Do you think I¡¯m not telling you the recipe just for my own sake? It¡¯s for you, for everyone...¡±
Rumi, ignoring Medina, slowly turned her chair to face her.
In Rumi¡¯s hand was a pair of scissors.
Rumi held up the scissors and gave Medina a sinister look.
¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡±
Rumi brought the scissors to her own head and snipped off a chunk of her hair.
¡°Eek!¡±
Medina screamed as if her own hair had been cut.
¡°Hehehe, the soul and body are one. To make the curse essence, you need to add the blood and flesh of the person who¡¯s going to use it.¡±
Rumi tossed the cut hair into the cauldron.
¡°St-stop!¡±
Medina reached out to Rumi with a look of despair.
But Rumi didn¡¯t stop there. She used the scissors to cut her fingernails and dropped them into the cauldron.
¡°Stop, stop it!¡±
Finally, she pricked her finger with the scissors.
She squeezed out some blood and mixed it into the potion.
¡°Ahhh! You¡¯re insane! Don¡¯t add blood! Ugh, you¡¯re crazy! How did you even figure out the blood part?¡±
Medina waved her hands in the air, trying to stop Rumi, but her ghostly form passed right through.
¡°What can you even do? You¡¯re just a ghost.¡±
Rumi gave the curse essence a final stir, then transferred it into a bottle to check the color.
A thick, deep purple curse essence. It matched the sample perfectly.
¡°Finally, it¡¯s done. This is the ultimate essence!¡±
¡°Wait... wait, Rumi. Listen to me. Actually... I was going to tell you from the start that just adding hair would work...
But the person who adds their hair gets cursed, so... it¡¯s dangerous... I was doing it for you, okay?¡±
¡°Hah, funny. I¡¯m curse immune.¡±
¡°...!¡±
Rumi ignored Medina and brought the bottle of curse essence to the doll¡¯s mouth.
This time, the reaction was completely different from the start.
The doll began drinking the curse essence on its own.
Chapter 39 - Lucy the Doll (3)
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
¡°Ahhh! Amazing! It... it worked! It worked!¡±
Rumi shouted, her face showing genuine surprise that she had actually succeeded.
The doll finished its meal, eagerly drinking the curse essence from the bottle. Its eyes began to sparkle like those of a living person.
¡°You... you guys finally finished the curse essence?¡±
Eve, wrapped in a blanket, cautiously approached and chimed in belatedly.
¡°Not ¡®you guys.¡¯ I made it alone.¡±
¡°...¡±
Medina looked utterly defeated, her ghostly face filled with disbelief.
A tense silence fell over the room.
Rumi, Medina, and Eve all quietly watched to see what the doll would do next.
The doll made a creaking sound and sat down as if sitting in an invisible chair in mid-air.
It then placed its hands in the air, as if resting on an invisible desk, and began to write as though holding a pen.
¡°It¡¯s... moving? It looks like it¡¯s trying to write something. Medina, what¡¯s it doing?¡±
Rumi glanced at Medina, hoping for some insight, but Medina deliberately looked away, avoiding eye contact.
Rumi shot her a glare and began searching for a wooden box to use as a desk.
¡°Eve, find me some paper and a pen.¡±
Eve, looking slightly confused, silently picked up a pen and paper from Niel¡¯s desk.
Meanwhile, Rumi grabbed a box to serve as a makeshift desk.
"This should work, right?"
Rumi hastily placed the pen and paper in the doll¡¯s hands.
The doll began to write with smooth, almost mechanical movements, as if it were truly alive.
Scratch, scratch, scratch...
What was particularly impressive was how its eyes and head moved as it wrote, even blinking occasionally.
Rumi and Eve watched the fascinating automaton for a moment.
When the doll stopped moving, Rumi picked up the paper to read what it had written.
On the paper were a short message and drawings of four people that looked like they were drawn by a child.
Rumi read the words aloud.
''...Hello, I am Lucy, the doll of L, N, V, and E. I have no vocal organs so I cannot speak. Instead, I can answer everything I know through writing and drawings. Ask me any question.''
Rumi smirked as she held the paper.
¡°Hmm... a know-it-all doll, huh? Pretty impressive.¡±
Rumi deliberately spoke loud enough for Medina to hear.
¡°So, the doll will answer any question in writing?¡±
Rumi shot Medina a pointed look as she asked.
¡°...¡±
Medina grimaced at Rumi.
¡°Medina, just admit defeat already.¡±
¡°Sigh... how did I end up like this? My child has become someone else¡¯s...¡±
¡°You died, so I adopted it.¡±
Rumi wore a triumphant expression.
Finally, Medina reluctantly answered.
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right... Lucy will answer anything you ask. But you have to call her Lucy when you ask, and you can also write your questions on paper...¡±
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¡°You can write questions too...?¡±
At that moment, Rumi remembered how Medina had given perfect answers during Principal Pierre¡¯s class.
¡°Wait, did you use the doll to answer during the Principal¡¯s first class?¡±
¡°Bingo. Did you really think I cared about Saint Angelicus¡¯ doctrine? I¡¯m a potion expert.¡±
"As expected of stupid Medina. But can this doll really give such complex answers? That''s amazing..."
Rumi stood in front of the doll, ready to ask her first question.
Just then, Eve poked Rumi¡¯s arm from behind.
¡°Rumi, shouldn¡¯t you wake Niel up before asking questions?¡±
Eve spoke with a mix of nervousness and excitement.
Rumi realized she had completely forgotten about Niel, who slept like the dead every night.
¡°Oh, right. Niel¡¯s here too...¡±
¡°Hey, Niel, wake up! The potion¡¯s finally done.¡±
¡°Wake up!!¡±
¡°What... what¡¯s done?¡±
¡°Just wake up already.¡±
Rumi untied Niel and brought her to the doll.
Niel, barely awake, squinted and tried to make sense of the situation.
¡°So... you finally completed the potion?¡±
"Yeah. Hehehe now watch carefully, I''m going to ask the first question."
Rumi thought carefully about her first question.
This was the first question to a doll that claimed it could answer anything.
¡°Lucy, some unknown ghost killed Medina to take you. Why do you think they wanted to take you?¡±
Rumi threw out a fundamental question. After all, It was the reason they''d been searching for the doll in the first place.
The doll immediately began writing.
It was still a fascinating sight to behold.
¡°...!¡±
Niel¡¯s eyes widened as she watched the bizarre scene.
After a moment, the doll finished writing, and Rumi pulled out the paper to read aloud.
¡°Not a very impressive first question... I hold many important secrets. It¡¯s hard to pinpoint which secret they were after. And if you want to know those secrets, you¡¯ll have to pay the price. But since the curse essence you just gave me was particularly delicious, I¡¯ll tell you one possible reason. Give me another sheet of paper.¡±
Rumi, her eyes gleaming, handed the doll another sheet of paper.
The doll immediately began writing again, this time much faster.
Rumi waited for the right moment to pull out the paper.
When it seemed like the doll was done, Rumi reached for the paper, but the doll suddenly grabbed her arm, preventing her from taking it.
It then turned its head and stared at Rumi expressionlessly.
Startled, Rumi let go of the paper, and the doll continued writing as if it still had more to say.
When it finally stopped, Rumi nervously pulled out the paper.
¡°¡®The ones who would killed Medina to take me were likely the witch cult. Their clothes and rituals were steeped in black magic...¡¯¡±
¡°I knew it. It¡¯s definitely the witch cult.¡±
Medina interjected.
"What? Did this doll actually see those cult members?"
Rumi continued reading.
¡°¡®The witch cult is a heretical group that worships the God of Death and the Six Witches. They desire for everyone to return to death through the witches.
25 years ago, a witch was sealed beneath this school... I am the only one in this world who knows how to break that seal.
That¡¯s why they seemed like the witch cult, and they likely wanted to take me to free the witch.¡¯¡±
¡°Wh-what does that mean? A witch from 25 years ago? And a witch sealed beneath the school? What the...?¡±
Just then, Eve rushed over and read the paper again.
¡°A witch sealed 25 years ago...?¡±
At the mention of witches, Rumi immediately thought of the blue witch''s face that had swallowed Bertin.
Then she recalled the Principal¡¯s story about witches, but the idea of a witch being sealed beneath the school and someone trying to free her didn¡¯t quite sink in.
¡°What does this even mean?¡±
Niel, like Rumi, didn¡¯t seem to fully grasp what was being said.
"The only witch from 25 years ago was the one who disappeared far beyond the village... how could they seal a witch who disappeared...? No, more than that, I''ve never even heard of sealing a witch in the first place. A witch is the curse itself. How could you seal the curse?¡°
Eve looked like she was about to lose her mind.
¡°You can¡¯t seal a witch?¡±
Rumi asked Eve.
"Of course not. A witch itself is the largest vessel containing countless other sealed souls. How could you seal the largest vessel?"
¡°Is that so...?¡±
Even Rumi had to admit Eve had a point. Just thinking about the blue witch, who was over 100 meters tall, it seemed physically impossible for a witch of that size to be sealed beneath the school.
¡°But which witch are they talking about? What happened 25 years ago?¡±
Rumi asked Eve.
¡°...¡±
Eve looked extremely uncomfortable and tilted her head.
"Wait... before I tell you what I know, ask one more question. About which witch is supposedly buried under the school..."
Eve¡¯s voice trembled slightly.
Rumi took a deep breath and calmly asked the question.
"Lucy, what is the identity of the witch that was sealed 25 years ago?"
¡°Sigh... she finally asked...¡±
At that moment, Medina muttered under her breath.
Niel, meanwhile, had gone completely expressionless.
The doll immediately began writing.
Rumi picked up the paper and read it.
¡°¡®The answer to that question depends on how much essence milk you give me. If you want to uncover as many secrets as possible, I hope you¡¯ll give me plenty to drink.¡¯¡±
Rumi was so dumbfounded she almost swore out loud.
¡°What the...?¡±
¡°What... does it say?¡±
Eve asked anxiously.
¡°It says if I want to know the secrets, I need to give it as much potion as possible.¡±
¡°What...? So it needs more curse essence to reveal important information?¡±
¡°Hey, Medina? Is this normal?¡±
"Well... you could say that."
¡°...¡±
Rumi stared at the doll for a moment, then finally opened the bottle and filled it to the brim with curse essence.
¡°Rumi, are you really going to fill the whole bottle? Is that okay? You worked so hard to make the curse essence...¡±
Niel suddenly approached, looking anxious, and grabbed Rumi¡¯s arm.
¡°I don¡¯t know... if it runs out, I¡¯ll just make more.¡±
Rumi shook the bottle and stuck it into the doll¡¯s mouth.
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
The doll finished the entire bottle in an instant. It was unclear where all that curse essence went, but after finishing the bottle, the doll¡¯s expressionless eyes seemed to change subtly as it began writing again.
This time, it wrote a very short message and stopped immediately.
¡°What? It drank a whole bottle and that¡¯s all it wrote?¡±
Rumi skeptically pulled out the paper and read it.
¡°¡®The witch who appeared in the village 57 years ago, and the witch sealed beneath this school 25 years ago... is the White Witch... For now, this is all I can say with one bottle.¡¯¡±
As Rumi read the words, a heavy silence fell over the room.
¡°...¡±
¡°The White Witch...? You mean... the witch who killed 3 billion people?¡±