Chapter 77

A few days later, on a day off—

"Hey, Albert, over here, over here!"

Furin was there, waving her hand.

Furin—

my classmate and friend from ten years ago. She is now a teacher at the academy.

This place is the square 'outside' the academy. It's a well-known spot where people from the capital often meet.

"Hey, Albert. Can you spare some time this weekend?"

Before the break, Furin had invited me like this.

This is the first time we've met outside the academy since we reunited.

It's not just the two of us, though.

"You can meet up on your own, but—"

Furin's neighbor, Filbus, scratched his head.

"Why was I invited?"

"Look, for the kingdom festival, the academy needs to prepare a lot, right? It's for shopping! There's a lot of stuff, so I need the help of you two strong guys!"

"Ah, of course! That's the reason! Ah! I'm going home!"

Furin grabbed Filbus's arm as he tried to run away.

"No way! You're a staff member of the academy! You have to participate!"

"Aaaaaah! I was looking forward to my day off! This is the worst!"

Filbus was dragged away by Furin.

I smiled slightly and followed after them.

After that, Filbus and I were made to accompany Furin shopping until around evening.

It seemed to be for the kingdom festival preparations, so we visited various stores, and Furin bought a lot of items.

The items packed in bags were handed to Filbus and me one after another.

...I've really gotten out of shape from living in the capital recently. It was quite a tough day...

After the massive shopping spree, we headed to a high-class restaurant as guided by Furin.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Furin said with a carefree voice.

"Today's shopping is part of the academy's work! The principal said we can eat whatever we want, so please don't hold back!"

"Thank you very much..."

Filbus sighed.

"You're working hard, Furin. Every day, the kingdom festival work piles up. Even on our rare day off, we're called in, and my spirit is broken..."

"I'm fine, fine, Filbus!"

"It's a bit sad to hear that from someone older than me..."

Indeed, Furin is the same age as me. Filbus is the same age as Carlisle, so he is one year younger.

I suddenly asked a question that came to mind.

"Who became a teacher first?"

"Actually, we're from the same year."

"Right, while I was working hard for two years in the back yard, Filbus was playing around for a year before becoming a teacher. So we became teachers at the same time."

I see...

By the way, the back yard refers to the fourth and fifth years of the academy. Most students graduate in three years, but some choose to stay longer.

"Playing around, huh? I had my own reasons too..."

Filbus looked into the distance, a nihilistic atmosphere surrounding him. His gestures alone added depth to the space. My opinion of Filbus improved even more.

Filbus changed the topic.

"Furin, how's the preparation for the academy's treasure exhibition coming along?"

"It's going smoothly. They started moving things out today."

...Moving things out?

"Sorry, what are you talking about?"

I couldn't understand the conversation, so I decided to interject.

Furin answered me.

"The academy is going to display some of its old treasures at the kingdom festival. The moving out started today."

"Really?"

The academy's treasures... Indeed, there must be many.

"...It was decided by the respected Professor Carlisle's word... Really, he just keeps adding unnecessary work..."

Filbus sighed.

Then Furin and Filbus started complaining about the kingdom festival work. They both seemed very busy as public servants.

It was fun to hear their stories, as I usually interact with them as a teacher and student.

"By the way, this guy beat the top student in the class."

Filbus pointed at me and changed the topic.

"Top student? Oh, could it be Brain?"

"Right, that Brain."

"Wow! Albert, that's amazing!"

"Thank you..."

I felt a bit embarrassed.

It wasn't a bad feeling, but I didn't want to dwell on this topic.

I remembered something when I heard Brain's name.

"I want to know about Brain Milhis. I heard a phrase—'the tragic Milhis family.'"

At my words, both of their eyelids twitched.

I continued without hesitation.

"What is the tragic Milhis family?"

Furin and Filbus looked at each other.

"...It's a well-known story among the nobility. You've just returned after ten years, so it's understandable that you don't know. It's a recent story."

Then Filbus continued.

"Do you want to know?"

"Wait, wait a minute, Mr. Filbus!"

Furin hastily interjected.

"It's a personal matter! It's not right for us to talk about it to others!"

"That's a valid point. But I said it's a well-known story among the nobility. It's not a secret or anything. You'll find out eventually. Wouldn't it be better for us, as teachers, to tell you carefully?"

"I see..."

Furin nodded quietly at Filbus's words.

Filbus looked at me.

"Do you want to know?"

"Yes... If you can tell me."

If I'm going to find out eventually, I want to know now.

Brain Milhis, the top student and a genius in magic, looks at me with a challenging gaze. Our relationship will likely continue as long as he remains interested in me.

Filbus spoke.

"The tragic Milhis family. The main branch of the Milhis family was wiped out in a single night, leaving only Brain Milhis, the top student and a magic genius."

A few years ago—

Brain and his family had left their domain and were visiting a villa within the same territory.

It was for a family vacation.

Brain's father was a family-oriented person and had made it a tradition to take a week off in the summer to spend time with his family.

"...But... the location was unfortunate..."

Filbus sighed.

"There was a lich's lair near that villa..."

"Lich?"

I frowned, hearing a word I had never heard before.

Filbus explained.

"A lich is a creature made of bones, like a skeleton. However, it's the result of a powerful magician using a secret art to gain eternal life—its magic skills are unparalleled."

"Eternal life—such a thing exists... That's amazing."

Filbus shook his head at my words.

"...I wonder... Carlisle once spat out that it's just a flawed life, long but flawed."

"Carlisle?"

"He apparently tried to study that secret art—said it wasn't just about the physical body, but also about discarding the heart. Losing one's humanity, storing the remnants of emotions in an empty skull, and moving only by the obsession with magic."

Filbus continued.

"Can it really be called the same person as before? Is it not a different creature that only inherits the memories of the person from before?—That's what he said."

"Mr. Filbus"

"What?"

"You're good at mimicking Carlisle."

"No, that's not the point of the story, now!?"

Then, Filbus scratched his cheek and continued.

"...We've known each other for a long time, so of course I'm good at it... Let's get back to the story."

Brain and his family were unfortunate.

The lich had lived in that place since ancient times, so they had no way of knowing there was a lair there.

Brain and his family were unfortunate.

The lich, which had been lying dormant,—

"Only came out that night..."

From a cave deep in the unknown, the ancient nightmare, driven only by its obsession with magic, crawled out.