The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

38. Arsene’s Holiday (1)

Arsene, who had finally gotten a holiday, was bustling with activity.

Not in a positive sense, but in a negative one.

“Ugh…….”

“Woo-wee-eek…….”

The upperclassmen were scattered all over the grand square, like squid.

Some of them occasionally peeked out from the cafeteria, probably because it was their first holiday since the new semester started.

“Hey? Boss, are we opening early today?”

“Yes, we’re opening an hour early and closing an hour early.”

“Yeah!”

As usual, the quick-witted shop owners had opened their stores early in the morning. The main menu consisted of various dishes that helped with hangovers. Even the Oriental-style dishes that didn’t usually sell well were popular on days like this.

I sat on a bench, trying to wake myself up, and faced the morning breeze.

I had finished all the important tasks last night.

The team members were all assembled, and the team-related documents to be submitted next week were already prepared. But could I really take a sweet holiday?

Unfortunately, no.

There was still a lot of work to be done. Holidays were a good opportunity to tackle the tasks that had accumulated during the week.

Among them, the most pressing task was the one in my hand right now.

In my hand, I held a box wrapped in silk.

Last night, I had found it in Edel Di Bison’s room – a suspicious box that could give birth to a second “Cursed Box” if not handled properly.

“What do I do with this……?”

I had brought it with me because I couldn’t just leave it there, but getting rid of it was also a task.

The easiest way would be to simply bury it in the ground.

However, this would cause the surrounding area to become filled with dark energy, and in the long run, it would pollute the local leyline. If the dark energy became too strong, it could even summon the undead or cause spiritual phenomena.

But the situation was already precarious due to the previous dormitory incident, and the dark energy had spread throughout Arsene. If I buried it, there was a high probability that a massive undead outbreak would occur throughout Arsene.

If someone were to pick it up, it would become an even bigger problem.

I had wrapped it in silk to prevent it from accidentally opening, but if the box were to open, Arsene would face a second ghost incident.

The person who opened it would have a 100% chance of being possessed and giving birth to a second “Cursed Box” unless they had a strong resistance. And if I were to put it in a spatial pocket, I would end up like Edel Di Bison, afflicted with a debuff.

It was a troublesome item that I didn’t know what to do with.

It was questionable why such a thing was buried in Arsene, but in reality, it was an item that should only be encountered in the second act. It wasn’t something that should be in the player’s hands right now.

“Even if I follow the original story, there’s a problem.”

In the original work, there were two solutions.

One was to simply bury it in the ground and summon the evil spirit to defeat it.

The second was to entrust it to the Holy Church for safe purification.

The former required someone with a certain level of spiritual resistance. However, the “spiritual resistance” needed in this world was more complicated than I thought.

In this world, not only evil spirits and ghosts were considered spiritual entities, but also benevolent spirits. Therefore, unless someone was completely unable to see benevolent spirits and had no magical talent, they would be affected by the evil spirit to some extent.

Finding such a person was also a problem, and to be honest, it didn’t seem like a good idea to recklessly charge ahead without thorough preparation.

The latter was impossible because the Holy Church had not yet discovered Arsene.

“There’s no choice.”

I had already put the box in a safe place. A debuff would occur, but for now, there was no other way.

“Shion… is that Illeionheart?”

Just the sound of his voice made my entire body tense up.

From afar, I thought a zombie was walking towards me, but it was actually Professor Exion.

“You’re out early. Professor.”

“Ugh, the professors dragged me to a drinking party. I got drunk. Ugh?!”

He was stumbling around, so I grabbed his arm to support him.

But his arm felt surprisingly solid. I had thought he was just skinny, but I was wrong.

“How much did you drink…? You should take it easy today.”

“I have an important meeting.”

“On a holiday?”

“Ah… they usually come out on weekends, so I have to meet with them today.”

Wait a minute. Suddenly?

“…An external advisor is coming?”

“Yes. They’re from the Shinseong Institute, and they’re visiting today since it’s the weekend. They’re going to check on things…”

Ah, I was talking too much.

“No, it’s okay.”

Sometimes, even a chatterbox can be helpful.

The problem was that the Shinseong Institute was a group that we wouldn’t normally encounter until the second act.

It was still too early for the Shinseong Institute and Arsene to form an alliance.

“Remember when the Chanelia dormitory roof collapsed?”

“The students on the 4th floor were unhappy because of the spirits.”

“There were a lot of complaints all over the place, saying that this kind of thing shouldn’t happen at the start of the new semester…”

“So, the Arsene higher-ups want to prevent similar incidents from happening, and that’s why they invited people from the Shinseong Institute…”

…Ah, I finally understand.

This time, unlike the original story, the Chanelia dormitory roof collapsed because of the spirit incident. The Shinseong Institute visited Arsene earlier than in the original story because of the damage from the roof collapse.

The roof collapsed because two students were fighting against the spirits on top of it.

Airi and I had aggroed on the rooftop, causing a sudden event to occur, which increased the difficulty of the first chapter.

The sudden event occurred because the world’s difficulty level was hellish, and the snowball effect sent me back to the guest house.

I had expected some kind of turning point to occur. From the time I stayed in Esperanza, I had seen signs of it.

The problem was that the situation was changing too quickly.

Unlike the game’s storyline, which progressed in a straightforward manner, reality was influenced by multiple factors.

But there was no need to worry too much. As the saying goes, “all things will return to their rightful place.”

Looking at Kyle, who overcame trials with passion and determination, and ultimately emerged victorious against powerful enemies, I felt reassured.

In short, justice would prevail, but…

“Ah, what do I do? I can’t go alone… Ugh…”

“It’s okay. I’ll support you.”

“What? Don’t you have something to do? Everyone’s busy finding new teammates these days.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine.”

What a nuisance.

Since I’m going to the Shinseong Cathedral, I might as well go together.

***

The Shinseong Cathedral is one of the main forces appearing in ‘Grimoire Tales’.

It’s said that its motif is derived from various religions that exist in reality. Notably, it’s characterized by holding worship services on weekends and having a cardinal and a pope who holds real power.

“Here we are. This is far enough.”

The meeting location turned out to be a small conference room inside the professor’s office building.

I felt like backing out at this point. I didn’t have any reason to be there, and I didn’t have anything to do even if I went in.

Just as Professor Exion was about to open the door, the conference room door handle turned by itself.

“Ah, hello?”

“You’re early. Father Isabelle.”

I tried to take a step back, but changed my mind and naturally leaned against the wall. At least, I had to confirm if the person who visited Arsen was the one I thought they were.

There were already two people in the conference room.

One was a burly man, and the other was a slender woman priest around my age. They were the priest duo I had only seen on screen.

“How was your trip here? Was it comfortable?”

“Yes, thank you. I think it was a bit too welcoming, though.”

“No, no. You’ve come from a far place, so we should be considerate.”

As the three of us chatted, I felt someone’s gaze on me. When I glanced to the side, I saw the woman looking at me.

“Who is the student…?”

“Ah, I’m the one who helped them get here.”

“I’m Siyon Illeonhart.”

“I’m Father Isabelle, a priest of the Shinseong Cathedral.”

She smiled brightly, but it was only with her mouth, which was a problem.

Father Isabelle was openly wary of me, scanning me up and down with her eyes.

However, it wasn’t like I could say anything, so I just kept a straight face and pretended not to notice.

“Why don’t you come in and talk instead of standing there?”

“Yes, okay.”

Until the conference room door closed, Father Isabelle kept looking at me.

……

The meeting took around 40 minutes.

I thought it would be better to take care of this cursed box as quickly as possible, so I waited nearby, killing time.

I was worried that I might be deceived, but considering Father Isabelle’s gaze, I thought she also somewhat understood my situation.

When Professor Exion and the burly male priest disappeared, the conference room door opened slightly again. A chilly voice came from the slightly open door.

“Excuse me, student?”

It was a different, unfriendly tone from when I spoke with Professor Exion.

“If you’re okay with it, I’d like to have a brief chat.”

“Of course.”

It just so happened that I also had business with you.

***

The professor’s office building is actually a place that students try to avoid visiting.

Being called here means you have an appointment with the professors, and if you’re sitting in the same position as them, it means there’s a serious matter to discuss.

Sitting in the same seat as the professor and having a private meeting was a tiring task in itself. If we were to have a meal together, it would become an even more exhausting affair.

For students, the professor’s office was a place that was not easily accessible.

It was not uncommon for those who wandered around the professor’s office to receive unnecessary attention. If you let out a sigh, you would be accused of ruining the atmosphere and be chased out.

In that sense, I was quite lucky to have come in with Exion as my escort.

“Si-on Il-lei-on-heart, sir.”

Isabel, the priest, who had been smiling kindly until we entered the room, suddenly changed her expression as soon as the door closed.

“What brings you here?”

“I have a request to make of you, priest.”

“You, to me?”

Isabel’s face was as innocent as a lamb. It was a face that seemed impossible to anger, but now she was revealing her true feelings while maintaining a gentle smile.

It was not a friendly sentiment, but rather the opposite.

“So, you’re saying you have business with me, a priest of the Holy Church?”

“I want to handle that business legally and legitimately, which is why I’ve come to see you, priest.”

“Legal… legally and legitimately?”

Isabel suddenly touched her forehead, as if she had a sudden headache.

Isabel, who was looking at the ceiling, bit her lip. It was not a typical priestly behavior.

“So, you’re spreading a corrupt aura and now you’re talking about the law? You’re not someone who should be active in the public eye, are you?”

My nerves tensed up instantly. My [Ki] was strongly reacting.

Isabel’s back was reflected on the whiteboard across the table. Her hidden hand was holding a prayer bead.

“Be honest. If you speak frankly here, I won’t ask any more questions.”

The tightly grasped prayer bead seemed like it would be swung at any moment. Depending on my answer, my fate would be decided here.

Isabel said I wasn’t someone who should be active in the public eye.

…Her special ability was quite impressive.

The reason I was reacting so sensitively was probably due to Isabel’s special ability, [Holy]. Isabel’s ability was similar to mine, [Ki], but it was specialized in detecting more corrupt things.

Isabel had sensed it as soon as she saw me. She thought I was someone who shouldn’t exist in Arsen.

As someone with a similar ability, I could understand her feelings. Even if she didn’t know that I was a member of Esperanza, she would have sensed that I was in a similar position.

It was useless to try to deceive Isabel, who was like a human lie detector. So, I decided to give her the answer she wanted.

“Yes, priest. As you said, I am not Si-on Il-lei-on-heart.”

As the saying goes, “extremes meet,” and it was the same as in the original story.

“I am not Il-lei-on-heart, but Si-on Esperanza.”

The Holy Church couldn’t push away Esperanza.