Chapter 79

After parting ways with Furin and the others, I returned to my dorm room at the academy.

It was late at night, and I was about to go to bed when I noticed an unusual sound coming from outside.

An unusual sound?

No, there were also human voices mixed in.

What could this be...?

As I stared intently at the pitch-black window—

A loud voice echoed from the other side of the door.

"Albert! Are you awake, Albert!"

It was Filbus's voice, who had been with me just a moment ago.

The sound was followed by loud, forceful knocking.

"What is it, Mr. Filbus?"

"I'm coming in!"

The door opened, and Filbus appeared.

His face was stern.

"What's going on?"

"There's trouble at the academy. I need your help."

"I don't mind—but what kind of trouble?"

"A large number of undead are wandering around the campus."

"…Why?"

"I don't know. But we need to get rid of them. They're mostly low-level creatures like skeletons and zombies, but there are a lot of them. I need the help of someone skilled."

"Understood."

I have some confidence in offensive magic, specifically Magic Arrow. I can be of use.

"Are you going to invite anyone else besides me?"

"The other first-year students with the iron badge are Brain and Sares."

So, three first-year students with the iron badge.

All third-year students have the iron badge, but—Brain and Sares are different. The third-year students received theirs based on 'average performance,' but these two earned theirs through overwhelming ability.

"I see. Then, shall I go invite Brain?"

The dorm is divided into sections for commoners and nobles. I originally lived on the commoner floor, but after my noble background was revealed, I moved to the noble floor. I didn't mind staying where I was, but...

Since Brain is a noble, his room is closer to here than Sares's, who is a commoner.

When I said this, Filbus looked troubled.

"...No, I already went... but there was no answer."

"No answer?"

"Yeah. I called out several times, but there was no response. The door was locked, so he must be out somewhere."

"I see."

There is a curfew in the dorm. Most students are in their rooms by this time. He must be somewhere on campus.

"...It's Brain. He'll be fine wandering around alone. I'll go invite Sares."

I chased after Filbus, who was walking quickly.

Students peeked out of their rooms, looking worried.

"Mr... What's happening outside?"

"Don't worry! You're safe in the dorm! Just protect yourselves!"

Filbus answered firmly and continued on.

We arrived at Sares's room on the commoner floor. I called out just like before.

"Hey, Sares! Are you there? I need you!"

I knocked on the door forcefully.

Then, a weak voice came from the other side of the door.

"I have a headache... can't do it today..."

"Hey, are you serious!? What's going on, Sares!?"

Filbus said, panicking.

But there was no response.

Only silence.

"...If he's not feeling well, there's nothing we can do..."

Filbus sighed dramatically.

"Sorry, Albert. You'll have to do the work of three people."

...This is going to be tough...

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

That night, Rora was studying in the library at the academy.

Dorm students can use the academy's facilities even on holidays and at night. Rora had been studying frequently in the library at night since her first year.

The frequency increased in the second semester.

The reason was—

She had read the spellbook of the Catastrophe Witch.

Rora wanted to control this immense power.

(The power itself isn't bad. What's important is how it's used. The Catastrophe Witch didn't use her power correctly. I will use it correctly.)

First, Rora wanted to increase her knowledge of the Catastrophe Witch and searched for related books.

But she couldn't find any in the vast library of the academy.

This wasn't surprising.

Information about the Catastrophe Witch is strictly regulated by the kingdom.

"The Catastrophe Witch is an evil sorceress who challenged the kingdom and was defeated. As a result, the land was devastated and took a long time to recover."

No information beyond this fairy tale is available.

Even the name is censored.

Rora gave up on finding information about the Catastrophe Witch and focused more on studying magic itself.

She needed to increase her magical power.

She needed to control her magic better.

She needed to deepen her understanding of magic.

More, more, always more.

The realm of the Catastrophe Witch was far away. Rora studied diligently to get closer, even by a little.

At that moment—

Someone called out to her.

"You're working hard, Rora."

Looking up, she saw Furin standing there.

It was a quiet night in the library—no one else was around.

"Ms. Furin... What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I came to borrow some books."

She held up two books in her hand.

"I live in the dorm, so I often use the academy library. I've seen you around a lot."

"...I still have a lot to learn. I need to study more."

"Hmm... You're so serious! I wish the other students could hear this! You're so cute, Rora!"

"No, no, no, no..."

Furin changed the subject.

"By the way, how are things with Albert?"

Rora was surprised to be asked this by Furin.

"...We haven't talked much..."

"That's too bad."

"I think Albert needs to spend time with the nobles right now..."

She repeated the words she had told herself many times.

Furin nodded in agreement.

"Today, I talked to Albert—"

"Yes?"

"He seems to agree with what you said, but he also seems tired..."

"Is that so?"

"You know, Albert isn't very sociable, right?"

"A, ah..."

Rora had no evidence to contradict Furin's analysis.

"He seems a bit worn out. If you can, try to cheer him up. It'll help him relieve stress."

"That—"

It wasn't a bad idea, but...

"But, can I, a commoner, really talk to him?"

"It's fine."

Furin laughed and continued.

"He won't ignore you. You know he's not sociable, but he's a good person."

Her words resonated with Rora.

"...You trust Albert."

"He hasn't changed much since his student days."

Furin laughed happily.

"If you have any problems, always consult Albert. He will absolutely, positively never abandon you!"

"Okay."

Rora nodded with a wry smile at Furin's strong words.

Then Furin continued.

"As a teacher, I shouldn't say this, but... I'm going to say it! Rora, I'm cheering for you! Keep it up!"

"Huh?"

Furin grabbed Rora's hand firmly and half-forcibly.

What was she cheering for?

What was she telling her to keep up?

Furin didn't say.

Then, she said, "See you!" and left.

What—

Of course, Rora, who wasn't as insensitive as Albert, understood.

(Wh-What are you saying, Ms. Furin!)

Rora hid her racing heart and returned to her studies.

(No, no, no, no! Albert and I are just friends! Albert is a noble!)

She tried to focus on her studies.

Tried to focus.

But couldn't.

Realizing her concentration was gone, Rora stood up, returned the books, and left the library.

(F-F-Furin said some weird things...)

It was quite late. She needed to get back to the dorm quickly.

Rora walked down the empty, dimly lit corridors of the academy. The corridors were lit by magic-powered lamps, so she could walk without difficulty.

As she was about to go down the stairs—

Plop, plop.

A strange sound came from below. It sounded like someone walking up the stairs barefoot.