Chapter 19 (1/2)
“Where are you? Where did you go?”
The situation was concluded, and a while later, I heard a young voice from within the forest as I put my throwing knives away in my briefcase.
“Where are you?!”
“She rode a cane and flew away, chairman.”
“Huh!”
Her eyes opened wide when she noticed the devil with a hole through its head.
“You’ve already done it!”
“…”
I tried to clean the blood off my face with Cleanse, but the mana in the blood resisted my magic. I had no choice but to wipe it with a handkerchief and throw it away.
“As expected of a Yukline wizard! You just killed a devil! What magic did you use? Ah! Metal seemed to have penetrated this part of him…is this, by any chance, caused by the [Gale Blade Awl] that I created?!”
“What a childish name.”
My voice unconsciously sounded sharp, causing the chairman to throw her head back in surprise.
“W-what? Everyone said it was good!”
“Who do you think would dare say such a painful truth to the chairman?”
I turned around after saying that. I heard her murmur in reply.
“R-really? Is it really not good?”
“Yes.”
“Ah…”
She grew sullen. Her habit of pretending to be immature made me uncomfortable, but what happened after that was filled with blood. The chairman picked up the devil’s body and threw it away.
Thwaaang—!
It grazed my shoulder before falling onto the ground, its flesh and blood splattering all over the place.
“The [Gale Blade Awl] isn’t a good name…”
The chairman muttered indifferently, and I calmly walked in the middle of the carnage. Thanks to psychokinesis, not a single drop of blood managed to splatter onto me. When I came down the mountain, many wizards had already gathered in front of the tower.
I remembered Ifrin. Against my will, I had acted too violently. I grabbed the closest wizard to me and immediately inquired about her.
“Hey, there should be a debutante wizard-”
“Head Professor Deculein.”
A strange voice interrupted me mid-sentence. I looked around, finding a handsome man with a soft voice.
“How have you been?”
I immediately identified him as soon as I saw his golden blonde hair and bridal suit. He was a named individual associated with the Church, known for being more faithful and devoted than anyone else.
Terpe.
“The wizards have saved us. I would like to ask you about the internal situation in private, Head Professor.”
Terpe was a beautiful man with a good heart, but from Deculein’s stance, his presence was quite uncomfortable. He was a helper to those who held a grudge against him, after all.
“Talk with the chairman instead. I don’t know why, but she blew up its body.”
“Ah. I see.”
Nodding, Terpe glanced over the wizards with a smile and walked into the mountain while the ones behind him looked at me in fear. I called them out.
“Julie, Ferit, Rondo.”
“…Yes, yes.”
Julie replied with an uptight expression.
“Is the other one okay?”
“What? Oh, yes! Ifrin is now at the university hospital-”
“Good.”
I turned around without listening to the rest since my mental fatigue was quite severe. I had never yearned for home as much as I did now, but I couldn’t leave yet. From afar, I heard the professors calling out to me as they ran to my side.
“Head Professor! Are you all right?!”
Post-processing, imperial reporting, paperwork, and cooperating with the Church…I felt like running away when I was reminded of the work that was piling up.
******
Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp—
As sunlight seeped through the windows, Ifrin opened her eyes to the sound of birds singing.
“…”
She blinked blankly at the white ceiling. Looking around, she immediately deduced she was at the university hospital.
“You’re awake.”
A friendly voice tickled her ears, feeling as warm as the sun. Surprised, Ifrin sat up quickly.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Terpe, the priest of the Euref Cathedral.”
“…Terpe?”
Terpe replied, looking at her with a smile.
“You’ve grown quite a lot, Ifrin Luna.”
“…You know me?”
Still suspicious of him, her brow furrowed.
“I know your father. He was my acquaintance. I’ve seen you a lot in the pictures he’s shown me.”
“…Is that so.”
She naturally became defensive upon hearing him mentioning his father.
“I came here today to ask you about the Mountain of Darkness, but…” Terpe smiled softly. “I don’t think you understood properly what transpired there.”
“…Embarrassingly enough, I was affected by a magic spell—”
“Head Professor Deculein saved you from the devil’s bewitchment.”
“Oh, right…”
“The Mountain of Darkness has been closed off while the Church, along with the Tower, investigates inside.”
Ifrin put her hands to her face. As expected, it wasn’t a dream. Deculein truly did help her.
‘Beggar.’
His cold voice still lingered in her ears.
“But apart from that, I’d like to ask you, my old friend’s daughter—”
“Wait a minute. Friend? My father’s?”
“Yes. Maybe it was one-sided, but I know what he’s been through. If you ever need help—”
“No.”
She shook her head without hesitation. Terpe was a little surprised.
“That’s alright.”
Deculein and her. That knot was something she had to unravel herself. Nobody was allowed to interfere with her vengeance. She had to punish Deculein herself, at least for her father’s death.
“No, I don’t want to rely on you. You shouldn’t meddle with my affairs, either, Mr. Terpe.”
Terpe laughed silently at her determination.
“That aside…would you like to continue resting?”
“What?”
“Today is Wednesday, and it’s 2:45 in the afternoon. It’s been exactly thirty-six hours since the incident happened.”
It happened Tuesday at midnight, but it was already Wednesday by the time she regained consciousness. Ifrin pondered absentmindedly, thinking she was missing something. Terpe reminded her about it instead.
“Today is Professor Deculein’s class. Of course, no one will say anything if you rest, but the proud Professor will still acknowledge your absence….”
“…Ah!”
Ifrin jumped to her feet.
“Ms. Luna, studying is good, but don’t push yourself too hard. You’re still mentally weakened.”
“Oh, yes! Be careful on your way too, Mr. Terpe!”
“Hmm? Hahaha. Yes, thank you. Take care.”
Ifrin immediately left the university hospital.
“Take your medicine with you!”
She ignored the voice and sped off. It would take her fifteen minutes to reach the tower if she ran.
“Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha!”
Through her desperate sprint, she managed to arrive at her destination at 2:55. Out of breath, she opened the door to Class A on the third floor, and as she entered, became flustered.
“Huh?”
The place looked different. The classroom was wider, with each student having a long magic table with elements such as soil, sand, wood fragments, and water placed on top of it.
“Ifrin! here!”
Julie raised her hand. Nodding, Ifrin stood next to her.
“Are you okay? I went to visit, but you didn’t wake up. Is it serious?”
“No, I’m okay. It’s just been a while since I slept well.”
She had been suffering from insomnia since her father killed himself. She hadn’t slept more than four hours a day for three years, so it was quite refreshing.
“I’m in my best condition.”
“That’s good to hear…”
The main door soon opened, and Professor Deculein came in. With him was a short wizard who wasn’t familiar to her.
“Nice to meet you. I am Assistant Professor Allen.”
“?!”
Everyone was surprised by the sudden announcement, especially Ifrin. Becoming an assistant professor meant they would no longer need permission from Deculein to fly since they could just use their accumulated record.