NOVEL WEB Chapter 178
<178 - Investigation of the Professors’ Malice>
Sadako stared blankly at the device in her hand.
That day, the device she discovered after waking from a nightmare.
Feeling the energy of the curse, she checked it, and indeed, the traces of the curse that tormented Oknodie were stored within.
Duh-duh-duh…
‘It’s worth investigating.’
Oknodie turned her pale face away from the device, as if sensing something.
If a child who shows no fear against the undead is so obviously terrified like this, then there must be something in this device that she fears.
“Mirror, mirror. Show me the face of the previous owner of this object.”
“For five lungs and three livers.”
At the mirror’s reply, Professor Sadako immediately opened her magic pouch and pulled out the fresh lungs and livers of animals she had prepared for class, placing them into the drawer beneath the mirror.
As she closed the drawer, the entire mirror wriggled as if savoring a meal.
Wiggle wiggle…
The artifact made a disturbing noise as it moved.
Like a satisfied diner, the mirror’s surface revealed the figure of someone.
A student.
And a merchant.
Professor Sadako magically developed the image in the mirror and handed it to Professor Destroyer.
“Track them down. They’re the one who cursed Oknodie.”
“Leave the student to me and Myung So. I’ll find out about the adult male within a week and let you know.”
“…Can we trust that professor?”
“He has been watching Oknodie on the principal’s request even before us. Of course, he won’t provide deep information related to the principal.”
“Understood.”
The three professors joined forces to rescue Oknodie.
Sadako. Destroyer. Myung So.
Among them, Myung So had not seen into Oknodie’s nightmare.
So he doesn’t know.
That the principal might destroy the academy.
Their alliance is superficial; their bonds cannot be trusted until the end.
While their objective is the same, they are merely using one another.
It’s a shame for good-natured Myung So, but considering that the information given to him might also reach the principal, they couldn’t provide any deep information.
“Find out who this student is.”
“It shouldn’t be too hard. I already know the student.”
“…Who is it?”
“Primer. A lower class student aiming to be a knight. They primarily attend the curse magic classes, but they aren’t competent enough to cast powerful curse magic themselves.”
“Any other classes?”
“Let’s check right now with the magic watch. Hmmm… They’re taking Humanities of the Empire, Ancient Script Recognition, and Social Dance as elective courses.”
“It must be hard to make a living. Better to become an undead sooner rather than later.”
Professor Sadako’s frank remark made Myung So chuckle, yet he couldn’t deny it.
While it was true that one should choose lectures based on their interests, the reality is that it’s merely escapism to apply for classes they can barely withstand in a highly competitive department.
Filling credits becomes increasingly difficult as semesters pass and student years rise.
“…They’re just adequately greedy, adequately incompetent, and inadequate at giving up. Such adequacy might make them a good tool to use.”
“Is this student why Oknodie fell under a curse?”
“Destroyer and I had our hands in this. There’s no need for you to intervene.”
“No, as a mere mortal, how could I draw lines when the heavenly deities of Taoism and Buddhism couldn’t maintain the balance of power and the borders in a world where everything crumbled?”
“…Really? Then don’t overexert yourself and just gather information. I’d rather not have the kid get expelled; that would be a hassle.”
I want to stop this…
Information you shouldn’t know.
I want to intercept this…
Information that might flow to the principal.
Should I kill them?
Sadako mixed her sudden murderous thoughts with the indifference of the undead and let the moment pass like it was nothing.
However, Myung So already saw through Sadako’s emotions, keeping his composure.
“Few faculty get along; no doubt there’s a bit of resentment. But I haven’t wronged you enough to invoke such a strong killing intent.”
Myung So’s face clouded with deep concern.
“Oknodie. What information have you encountered that makes you show such vigilance to me, who seeks information? Perhaps… could it be…”
He thought that information regarding the culprits among the professors may have circulated, and he might be suspected.
What kind of darkness had they touched?
How deep was Oknodie’s involvement in this darkness?
The abyss felt darker and deeper than dark mana.
Something colossal and fearful lay that should not even be touched.
“However, both the heavenly deities of Taoism and the enlightened Buddha said that the great compassion’s light and the wisdom’s grace should illuminate even the darkest depths of the heart.”
Sadako’s indirect warning, or perhaps her unhidden sincerity, encouraged Myung So instead of silencing him in defeat.
First, he needed to find Primer.
And start with pulling information from them.
The beginning of the journey to rescue Oknodie from this deep and daunting abyss was set into motion.
*
Lucky Harbor, a port city in the Kingdom of Florence.
Contrary to its name, this city had been devastated by marine monsters causing turbulent waters, making docking difficult, and had fallen into decline, leading to a less-than-pleasant decay as people turned away.
By now, only unsavory groups like smugglers, pirate ships, and immigrant fleets frequented this ruined city, making it appear lifeless even during the day.
“What a perfect place to hide a person.”
Destroyer’s informant.
League of Thieves branch head Lorentz Donuts, cigar in mouth, added yet another stream of smoke to the gloomy city choked by dark clouds.
While it was too dark for sunglasses, this level of gloom was just right for those living in the underbelly.
“Oknodie, was it? The kid our warrior Nari is smitten with.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“That kid is really blessed. Receiving the attention of a man who could peel back the world’s darkness.”
As he smoked, his underlings stood dutifully, enduring the harsh smoke without showing a trace of distaste as if they feared for their lives.
Not wanting to risk a facial expression or misstep in speech, Lorentz Donuts was quite the dangerous individual.
Looking at the middle-aged man blood-soaked at his feet reinforced this impression even more.
“P-Please! I don’t know what damage I’ve caused to your esteemed self, but I promise to live right from now on. Please forgive me just this once…”
“What’s strange is… I’ve never asked anyone to live nicely. So why does everyone try so hard to appear virtuous in front of me?”
As Lorentz snapped his fingers, his subordinate forced the middle-aged man to crawl closer.
“Mind lending me a hand?”
With trembling hands, the man reached out, only for Lorentz to stub out his cigar on that dirtied hand.
The middle-aged man couldn’t even scream properly, clenching his fists tight, tears running down his cheeks.
When Lorentz snapped his fingers again, his subordinate forcibly lifted the man to his feet.
“Did it jog your memory? This man who came to your guild years ago, was just here without making a name for himself.”
The leader’s mouth hadn’t opened for even an hour before there was a thunderous explosion somewhere in the city.
“This job doesn’t happen easily. Playing with expensive girls brings about this problem; human lives become too cheap.”
“Urgent contact from the capture unit. The target in escape has gone berserk with dark mana.”
“Deploy the combat unit. The ones who gathered information in the realm of the magic would not wail like this, right?”
The thieves’ guild gathered information and resources, even scouring remote villages where demon minions had lost human forms seeking information for the warrior.
It wasn’t their first rodeo dealing with opponents overwhelmed by dark mana.
“Is he alive?”
“Dead. He couldn’t withstand the dark mana and had a shock death midway.”
“Strip him of his possessions, accounts, and identity.”
They had a lot to do to stuff as much information into the report intended for Nari.
Who had he been meeting? How had he made contact with the powers behind him?
But an unexpected name popped up.
“Sebiche? The Sebiche Ducal House is involved? Is there another Sebiche in this kingdom that I’m unaware of?”
“Yes, it’s the Sebiche of Princess Arcadia Sebiche of the Kingdom of Florence.”
“Verify that! You don’t understand the implications of what you’re saying. The top-ranking duke of a kingdom is what connects to the ‘tail’ requested by the world’s top educational institution nurturing future warriors. You’re certain your information is correct?”
“Absolutely certain.”
“…Is that so.”
Lorentz Donuts calmed his excitement.
After losing his family to the darkness, his home was void of warmth.
As he lay on the floor devoid of junk, where once lay the useless clutter growing out of deception, he felt.
The chaos he used to berate now became a longing.
He could no longer scold such chaos.
Recalling that emptiness, his heart turned cold.
If his information is incorrect, someone else might be forced to live with such emptiness.
“Investigate. Make sure it’s not just false evidence or misleading leads prepared to deceive our pursuers.”
Reporting comes next.
A thorough investigation, leaving no chance for a single mistake.
His subordinates praised him for being meticulous, but…
He knew.
He could fool his subordinates, but not his own heart.
This was a suspension, an escape.
It was a shocking truth he could not accept.
A desire to delay reporting it to Nari, sensing that many would soon feel the void he was about to.
“The season when the birds sing is approaching.”
A season when bodies cover the water, creating the birds’ feast.
This summer would be a truly harsh summer.