༺ Regarding the Girl Who Appeared in the Lab ༻
“Stop it.”
After dinner, Erica spoke while looking at the scenery from the Academy’s rooftop.
However, as if Deus hadn’t heard anything, he silently handed Erica the coffee he brought.
“The view here is nice.”
They were at the professors’ exclusive area, hidden from the students who weren’t allowed access to the rooftop.
The night view surrounding Loberne Academy was different from usual, but splendid nonetheless.
It was a sight that Erica usually enjoyed.
“It is not.”
If Deus hadn’t jumped off the rooftop yesterday morning, she would have continued to enjoy the atmosphere. But right now, it failed to calm her the way it did.
Thanks to the magic she used when she jumped after him, Deus wasn’t hurt and her elbow was only slightly sore. However, internal scars hurt much deeper than external wounds.
Her beloved fiancé’s suicide attempt was a shocking and terrifying scene.
Erica gnawed on the edge of the paper cup Deus had given her. She then turned to him.
“I’m not joking. Stop it. There are rumors about you going around. Everyone, from students to professors, they’re all looking at you strangely now.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m not telling you not to do anything at all. But why do you have to patrol at dawn? Stop and leave it to the security guards.”
At those words, Deus slowly turned and focused his earlier distant gaze on Erica. However, as he turned, his face came into her view.
Black hair, sharp nose, eyes that don’t show his thoughts, and an expression that is cold yet strangely warm considering his usual face.
Erica, who usually had no tolerance for face-to-face conversation and eye contact like this, jerked her head away in momentary embarrassment.
“It has to be done.”
However, the moment she heard his response, Erica faced him again and argued.
“Are you kidding me? It’s been a month now. If you keep building this kind of image, your student registration even after becoming a full-fledged professor could be lower than that of elective courses.”
“Erica, do you think I care about that?”
“…I wish you would have.”
In the end, Erica uttered the words she had thought she’d never have to say.
“You’ll die!”
“…”
Deus slowly looked at her. The cold air brushed against the bridge of his nose, and the sight of her reddened eyes stung his heart.
“I don’t even know what you’re doing this for! I don’t know why you fight against this… thing, everyday! But you’re going to die!”
“…”
Erica rolled up her sleeves and showed him the bandage she put on her elbow after saving him.
“Look at this! I got hurt while trying to save you. Look at it! Yesterday! You fell off this roof to kill yourself!”
“…I see.”
Deus leaned forward and gently touched her wrist. This action caused the collar of his shirt to lower, showing the numerous scars underneath his suit.
“But Erica, that’s not something related to the Academy.”
“…What?”
“It’s true that I’m stopping something in the academy, but they’re not the ones trying to kill me.”
Erica didn’t know what the hell he was talking about.
She simply thought that he was being stubborn.
“Please. Stop it. Unless you want to turn your fiancée into a widow.”
“…”
“If not, then we’re done; our relationship is over. I can’t stay with a man who takes such risks… someone who doesn’t care about his own life.”
In reality, due to their family’s involvement, Erica couldn’t end things easily even if she wanted to; it was a bluff.
But even so, saying her piece, she hoped he would promise not to do anything dangerous anymore.
However, Deus’ mouth remained firmly closed.
Erica stared at his lips with a nervous heart.
It felt like time was passing too slowly.
Please.
Please, I beg you.
Choose me.
“—–…”
“……!”
His lips eventually opened, however, his voice sounded like it was underwater. I couldn’t hear him properly.
And then, when she remembered what he said—
“Ugh!”
—Erica abruptly woke up and looked around.
The room was filled with the scent of medicine that stung her nose. She saw white beds and students lying on top of them, groaning in pain.
It was Professor Caren’s infirmary.
“Ugh…!”
Her sweat-drenched shirt clung to her body. Ignoring the uncomfortable stickiness, Erica brushed herself off as she stood up.
It was an unwanted dream.
Her memories with him were precious, yet they were like an album she didn’t want to flip open.
It felt like those memories were intentionally forcing themselves to the forefront of her mind.
“You’re awake.”
Gideon Zeronia, who had been sitting in a corner of the infirmary, noticed Erica and approached her.
When he reached out to touch Erica’s blonde hair, she pushed him away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Hahaha… it’s already been a month since we decided to go out, isn’t it a bit harsh to not even let me touch you?”
Gideon shrugged and joked. But Erica responded with a sigh.
“Yes, that was the condition. We agreed to go out provided that we have no physical contact.”
“Well, that’s true. But you’re a better woman than I thought, so I’m quite tempted.”
While Gideon licked his lips in anticipation, Erica annoyedly passed him by.
Gideon continued poking at her.
“I was wondering why you needed a list of people buried in the cemetery earlier… those that existed before the Academy was built.”
Tap
Erica stopped in her tracks and glared at him.
“But now that things escalated like this, I finally understand. It’s because of those bastard spirits roaming around the Academy, right?”
Zeronia Household…
They were the landowner of Loberne Academy, which was once a common cemetery.
Therefore, when Erica asked them for old documents and information, Gideon had used it as a bargaining chip to have a relationship with her.
Honestly, Erica didn’t know why he wanted her in the first place. He never bothered to explain himself and simply smirked.
“Did you find the evil spirit you were looking for?”
The evil spirit Erica wanted to know about…
It was the one that possessed Deus…
An existence that spewed out a bizarrely thick murderous intent towards her fiancé.
“I found a clue.”
With those words, Erica left the infirmary.
Yes, everything was coming together.
Erica had seen that ghost the most.
She was powerful enough to kill the Necromancer in a single moment.
And she first appeared in Deus’ laboratory.
‘The black-haired girl.’
Erica was thinking that maybe she was the evil spirit that had possessed Deus.
‘I have to catch that spirit before Deus returns.’
She swore, even if she had to pay an extraordinary amount to a priest, or learn necromancy herself…
Erica intended to fight her no matter what.
“Um, excuse me! Professor Erica!”
At that moment, a pink-haired professor called out from the end of the corridor.
It was Fel Petra, an instructor who specialized in physical magic, and the person who replaced Deus’ spot as a professor.
She looked around cautiously before approaching Erica and whispered.
“Um, excuse me. Professor Erica… See, I’m conducting research on the regeneration of severed bodies…”
She adjusted her glasses and looked down; she was a typical example of a timid and introverted person.
Although Erica thought it was an impressive topic to research, she didn’t have time to listen.
“I’m sorry, I’m a little busy right now.”
When she passed by Fel, the professor yelled back in frustration.
“But! I discovered a way to restore broken objects while doing experiments on regeneration! Well, it’s only a little bit…”
“…What does that mean?”
Erica stopped walking, thinking that there must be a reason why Fel was saying this.
Fel took a deep breath and declared while clenching her fists tightly,
“The other day…! I think… I can restore the note left by my predecessor, Professor Deus!”
“…!”
“W-well, of course, it’s impossible to recover it all, but maybe just a little bit….”
“Right now!”
Erica grabbed Fel’s thin wrist and pulled her along,
“We need to do it right now!”
The remnants of the note was still in Professor Deus’ room. Mainly because they didn’t even think to clean it up.
“Ah! P-Please slow down!”
“We don’t have time.”
Fel, who was led by Erica, arrived at Deus’ room. Nothing changed, it was still dark, bleak, and had no features.
And the remnants of the burned note still remained on the floor.
“I’ll try it then.”
Professor Fel, who knelt in front of it, took out a piece of chalk and began drawing a magic circle on the floor.
‘The first chapter was obviously about that black-haired girl.’
If the first page was restored, Erica could find out about Deus’ assumptions about that girl. And the possibility of capturing her before Deus’ arrival would increase.
Erica clenched her fists tightly, trying to calm her pounding heart.
“I-I’m starting now.”
After completing the magic circle, Fel slowly began to infuse mana.
The formula she used to reach that step and her use of mana were indeed amazing.
It was at this point that Erica realized why Fel Petra was called an unrivaled genius whom no one could catch up to in her field.
However… The result was a pitifully small note when compared to the complicated formulas and mana used.
Fel collapsed, out of breath, with the piece of scorched note in her hands.
“I’m sorry! Huff! I didn’t expect it to recover only this small part!”
However, Erica could no longer hear Fel’s voice.
Because she restored exactly what Erica needed.
“You did a great job, Professor Fel!”
“Huh!?”
Ignoring the flustered Fel’s response, Erica hurriedly grabbed the note.
And she read it right away, fearing that the girl would appear and destroy it again.
“…Uh?”
After reading Deus’ words, Erica couldn’t help but make a weird sound.
“This, what the hell…?”
What does this even mean?
No, something must be off.
Erica felt her brain getting tangled up, her thoughts becoming a mess.
She thought Deus’ note would unravel the thread of mystery. Rather, it twisted it even more—to the point where she wondered if this note was the evil spirit’s trick.
But Deus’ elegant cursive forced Erica to accept the harsh truth.
