Chapter 80

Drip, drip.

Lola couldn't help but stop in her tracks at the strange sound coming from downstairs.

（Eh... this sound...?）

Lola stiffened and stared at the stairs.

An unpleasant smell of decay filled her nose.

What appeared at the landing was—

a corpse in tattered clothes, half-rotten. Not just one, but several.

“—!?”

Lola's mind went blank at the sudden sight.

This is a school.

This is the capital.

Why are there such absurd things here?

Before she could think calmly, shock and a visceral sense of disgust propelled her body.

Lola started running desperately.

（...Those... are zombies...? Why?）

They are monsters, corpses animated by magic—or perhaps by low-level possession.

They shouldn't be here.

Glancing back, Lola saw the zombies that had climbed the stairs chasing after her.

Undead creatures have the habit of chasing the living. They must be reacting to Lola's life energy.

（...It's okay... Zombies move slowly, so if I keep dodging...）

But it wasn't that simple.

Lola, who had returned her gaze to the front, noticed something in front of her. It was the back of a walking skeleton—skeletons.

The skeleton turned to face Lola.

Its hollow eye sockets stared at her. It moved awkwardly, trying to attack her.

But Lola was no longer surprised.

“Magic Arrow!”

As she pulled out the small wand from her waist, Lola fired a white arrow.

It hit the skeleton's head perfectly. The skeleton staggered and fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

Lola ran past it.

（...It's okay! I can handle this!）

Lola continued running with renewed confidence.

It seemed like she might make it—

But the situation was more complicated than she thought.

“...Eh?”

Lola stopped in her tracks, letting out a gasp.

She saw an unexpected person on the stairs she could see ahead.

“...Riz!?”

It was a female student she knew well.

A student who had started talking to her more often after she became distant from Albert. Talking to her had become a part of Lola's daily routine.

Such an acquaintance.

In the school at night?

In a school swarming with undead?

Riz, who had climbed the stairs, didn't notice Lola and continued walking upstairs.

Lola couldn't help but call out.

“Riz!”

Riz stopped.

Then she turned to face Lola.

From the distance, it wasn't clear, but—

Her usually bright and ever-changing expression was nowhere to be seen. There was no emotion in her eyes or mouth.

Her gaze, as if seeing nothing, was directed at Lola.

（...W-What's wrong...?）

Lola was taken aback by Riz's unexpected state.

Perhaps losing interest in Lola, Riz turned and continued up the stairs.

Her behavior was strange.

Thinking this, or perhaps because of this, Lola couldn't abandon her.

“Wait, Riz!”

Lola ran towards the stairs where Riz had been.

But pursuing her wasn't easy. As if following Riz, a group of zombies appeared.

The zombies headed towards Lola.

She had to repel them to follow Riz—

“Don't get in my way! Split Bullet!”

Lola had already mastered the magic she had learned from Filbus not long ago.

She fired Split Bullet repeatedly. The scattered magic bullets hit the zombies one after another.

（...Was she running from these zombies...?）

Lola thought.

But it seemed strange—

After dispelling the zombies, Lola hurried up the stairs where Riz had disappeared.

Moving to the upper floor, Lola looked down the corridor.

（...Is Riz here...?）

At that moment.

Clank, clank.

The sound of metal reached her ears.

Riz was not in the corridor, but instead, Lola saw a knight completely encased in metal armor from head to toe.

No, that wasn't quite accurate.

More precisely, from below the neck to the feet.

The knight had no head.

An undead—headless knight—

At that moment, Lola felt a chill run down her spine.

（Dullahan!）

A high-level undead, incomparable to zombies or skeletons.

（...There's even one of these...!）

The Dullahan didn't seem to have a weapon, just the armor. But its strength could easily tear apart Lola's body.

Lola pointed her small wand at the Dullahan.

“Magic Arrow!”

The white arrow she fired shattered like sparks upon hitting the Dullahan's armor.

（It's no good! I can't do anything!）

In that instant, Lola turned and ran towards the upper floor.

Clank, clank, clank!

The Dullahan's footsteps quickened as it pursued her. Its speed was incomparable to the zombies.

The distance between them steadily decreased.

Just a little more—she would be caught!

Lola ran to the top floor and, without stopping, dashed into the nearest classroom.

As she closed the door, she cast a spell.

“Hard Rock!”

It was a spell to seal and fortify the door.

Bang!

The Dullahan, which had almost reached the door, rammed into it with its body.

The door held for now.

But it wouldn't last long.

Lola hurriedly cast Hard Rock on the windows and other doors facing the corridor.

And then—

“Lighting!”

She lit a light near the window facing outside, almost as if in prayer.

In this situation, the light from the window might be a distress signal that someone would notice.

（Please, someone...!）

Lola pressed her trembling hands, almost in prayer.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

“Magic Arrow”

The white arrows I fired from my hand blew away the zombies one after another.

But it wasn't over yet.

When we stepped out of the dormitory, we saw a large number of zombies and skeletons wandering around the school.

“Quite a mess, isn't it...”

“Just low-level ones, though.”

Filbus, sounding exasperated, continued to blow away the undead with magic.

“...These aren't ordinary undead, though...”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they should disappear after being defeated, right?”

Indeed, as he said, the undead that were immobilized by magic vanished like smoke.

“I'm not an expert in necromancy, but there's apparently a way to construct undead using only magic, without using corpses.”

Filbus blew away another undead with magic.

“Well, it's convenient that we don't have to clean up the bodies.”

Looking around, we saw teachers fighting with magic in various places.

“Where did these things come from?”

“...There must be a magic circle somewhere for creation or summoning. Even if they are low-level undead, summoning this many requires a skilled user. Ah, what a hassle!”

As he said this, Filbus struck down a skeleton.

Suddenly, a small figure ran up to us.

“Albert! Mr. Filbus!”

It was Hulin.

Hulin was panting, having run quite a distance.

“A little while ago, I went to the girls' dormitory, but Lola wasn't there.”

“...Lola?”

Hulin nodded at my words.

“Yes. And... I actually saw Lola studying in the library just before this happened.”

Hulin continued in a serious tone.

“...I'm worried she might have gotten caught up in the chaos...”

“Such a thing—”

I looked towards the school building. If she had been caught up in it—hadn't managed to escape—and had fled to the upper floors—

My gaze naturally moved upwards.

And I noticed it.

“Hulin, Mr. Filbus. There's a light over there.”

Following my voice, the two of them looked in the direction.

A light source was shining from the window of a classroom. It was the light from the magic Lighting.

The three of us exchanged glances.

That must be a distress signal. Help me. That's the message.

“Someone is definitely there. Let's go.”

Filbus started walking.

And the person there could very well be Lola—

We have to hurry!

I ran off.