Chapter 99: Trap (3)
“…….”
“…….”
On the way to the abandoned school building, we didn’t say a single word.
After mentioning that the culprit was Sister Roberta, Lyslin, who had been carefully watching my reaction, wisely kept her mouth shut.
Sister Roberta.
Of all people, Sister Roberta.
I could only chew over her words again and again.
“…We’ve arrived. Please wait a moment.”
Saying she would check ahead just in case, Lyslin quickly and silently strode toward the abandoned school building.
Watching her back without a word, I glanced up at the sky.
……Nothing could be seen.
Quietly, I steadied my ragged breathing.
“…….”
While waiting for her to return, I calmly checked over the items I carried with me once more.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—thanks to today’s supplementary class, I happened to be armed with several tools as well as my personal weapons.
The only flaw was that I didn’t have any proper armor.
‘Once this is over, I really should order at least an inner suit of armor.’
I was in the middle of such thoughts when Lyslin reappeared.
Standing at the entrance of the building, she gave me a small nod.
As I approached, she immediately took the lead.
“This place hasn’t been maintained for a long time. Please watch your step.”
Following her guidance, I carefully moved forward.
Sure enough, the inside of the building was in shambles, just as one would expect from a place left untended for so long.
“Here.”
Lyslin pointed to an unremarkable, ordinary-looking door.
When she cautiously turned the handle, what greeted us was a room cluttered with dusty desks and miscellaneous junk scattered carelessly about.
“He’s waiting inside. Please go in first.”
“…….”
As I stepped forward, Lyslin followed me in.
There was nothing.
And then—click—the sound of the door closing.
“Hah.”
Blink.
I had only shut and opened my eyes once.
But in that brief moment, I suddenly found myself alone, standing in the middle of a dense forest.
Though I hadn’t expected this exact outcome, I had prepared myself for something similar, so I managed to stay calm.
It was then—
“At last, the final person has arrived.”
A familiar voice.
And the crackle of firewood burning.
When I turned my head, I saw some unexpected faces.
Kyren Amiel.
Yuran.
Lancia Jintia.
And even Allen.
The four of them were huddled around a small campfire, and Kyren, who spotted me first, raised his hand with a wry grin.
“So, what kind of nonsense story did they use to drag you along, junior?”
“…Ha.”
All I could do at his words was let out a hollow laugh.
‘As expected.’
No wonder the flimsy excuses and shoddy setups had felt so suspicious.
“Well then, why don’t we each share our situations first?”
After offering me a seat, Kyren adjusted the grip on his sword sheath as he spoke.
“First off, my name is Kyren Amiel, and I belong to Hilts dormitory. I came here following my friend Virec, who also happens to work as Professor Yul Runberg’s assistant. He said my help was absolutely necessary.”
He gave a stiff cough, his discomfort plain.
“My name is Yuran. I am the disciple of Professor Ras Sink Shagas, and I also work as an assistant.”
Yuran, who had been gazing at the flickering fire, continued in a calm voice.
“Likewise, I was guided here by Roland, the janitor, whom I had personal ties with. He too was a past victim of the incidents.”
“You’re from Garusol?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
Kyren shrugged.
“No. Sorry for cutting you off.”
“To continue… his mother was from Garusol. So…”
As Yuran hesitated, I quietly added,
“Half-blood.”
“Yes, half-blood. A Garusol half-blood. That’s why we knew each other.”
“Uh, my name is Lancia Jintia. I’m with Crooks, and I’m an aspiring Holy Knight.”
Looking somewhat awkward, she glanced around as she introduced herself.
“I too am a victim, and I came here following Senior Garius Macmillan from Hilts dormitory. Although we’re in different dorms, he’s also an aspiring Holy Knight and a believer of the Holy Sun Church.”
“Figures.”
Kyren nodded.
“There are plenty of those trying to test the waters. Even if the title has an extra word in front, a Holy Knight’s still a knight.”
“Ahaha…”
Lancia gave a strained laugh, then continued explaining her connection to Garius with some hesitation.
Once she finished, I followed.
“I’m Lian Gwendil, from Crooks. I came here following a maid named Lyslin, who works at the freshmen’s dormitory. I’d run into her before because of a postal issue…”
Glancing between Kyren and Allen, I added,
“And thanks to Allen, I got tangled with her a couple more times. She told me she was an espionage operative, said Allen and I were in danger, and asked me to come.”
“Espionage operative?”
“Yes, she even had a proper badge. She also sang military songs quite well.”
There was more, but I didn’t bother saying it.
There was no guarantee that only we were here, and it wasn’t crucial information anyway.
“She said I was needed. Something about how my testimony was essential to prove innocence and confirm the facts.”
“…I’d like to say you were gullible to believe such a sloppy excuse, but.”
Kyren smacked his lips and looked at the fire.
“We’re all in the same boat, so I can’t really talk.”
“…Allen Amiel. I’m with Hilts dormitory.”
Allen spoke next, voice trembling, his face shadowed by gloom.
“…Some of you may know, but I was being investigated in connection with this case. Then the Watchman questioning me said it was getting late, and that we’d continue tomorrow after I was taken to a holding cell.”
“And when you followed, you ended up here?”
“Yes.”
Allen nodded.
“The Watchman was a woman. She clearly said her name was Selin.”
“So it was the same person who questioned me.”
I spoke up right away.
“In fact, a few days ago I was ambushed too, and afterward I was investigated. The investigator in charge of me was also a woman named Selin.”
“This is a mess.”
Kyren clicked his tongue and muttered.
“So you’re saying whoever lured us here picked people we knew or trusted? And now the five of us have all fallen straight into their trap.”
He let out a laugh, as if dumbfounded by it all.
“So what is it that they want? Or… were they all accomplices from the start?”
Assistant, janitor, student, maid.
And even a Watchman.
Kyren murmured the list, frowning in puzzlement.
“There’s no clear connection. Same goes for us gathered here. Unless… were they being controlled somehow?”
“I don’t believe so.”
Yuran shook his head.
“I may be inexperienced, but I know sorcery. Roland was perfectly sane. That’s why I followed him.”
“Uhm, I also secretly used something like the Miracle of Purification, just in case, but there was no reaction.”
“Same here.”
Following that, Lancia and I also gave our answers.
In fact, while treating Lyslin’s wounds, I had quietly used the Miracle of Purification as well.
‘But still…….’
I already knew from past experience that Divine Power didn’t work, but I hadn’t expected even Yuran to fail to notice it.
That meant this wasn’t anything like mind control or brainwashing.
It leaned much more toward the possibility that everyone had acted of their own will.
‘…If anyone was tricked, it was probably us.’
Though I hadn’t believed her nonsense from the start, it seemed that Lyslin really had been the one who ambushed me that day.
Her habit of nodding at intervals, and the locations of her injuries—there had been more than enough suspicious signs.
And yet what was truly strange was…
The fact that, despite everything, I had felt compelled to follow her.
At the time, it hadn’t seemed odd at all, but thinking back now, it was utterly bizarre.
‘For now…….’
“Escaping from this place should be our priority.”
As if he had read my thoughts, Kyren spoke first.
“Given the situation, we couldn’t scout the area properly, but this shouldn’t be too far from the Academy.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“I checked the moths fluttering around the campfire.”
He muttered as if it were nothing important.
“This time of year, they only breed near the capital—meaning around the Academy. They’re native only to the Empire. And since there were so many, they couldn’t have just followed us here.”
After saying that, Kyren tilted his head upward.
“But that’s all I can tell. Besides… I don’t know why, but my stomach hasn’t stopped churning…”
“I know the reason for that.”
“What?”
Though I cut in, he only looked at me without irritation.
“Really?”
“Yes. And I can also roughly guess where we are.”
That sensation—like sticky threads clinging all over my body.
I had felt it once before.
“The Forbidden Forest. Most likely not the outskirts, but somewhere closer to the heart of it.”
My words drew varied reactions.
Kyren cocked his head briefly before asking,
“The Forbidden Forest?”
“Yes. I’ve entered once before—with official permission.”
“Hm.”
He gave a small nod.
Looking around at the group, I continued.
“And as for the strange physical symptoms—it’s because the mana here is so dense that the body can’t adapt. I was told that the only way to cope is to release much more mana outward. Honestly, I ignored it at the time, since it was beyond me.”
Soon, I felt Kyren and Yuran’s presences shift, their energy becoming more robust.
It seemed they had followed my advice and increased the flow of mana outward.
“Ah, it’s true. I feel much better now.”
“So do I.”
After moving his body a couple of times, Kyren nodded.
Yuran too clenched and unclenched her fist, checking her condition.
“So then, which way should we go, junior?”
“Well…”
I gave a wry smile.
“I was only following along too. I don’t know any more than that.”
“Would spells or miracles for finding paths work here?”
The question was directed to me, Yuran, and Lancia alike.
I answered for all three.
“In this place, with mana so concentrated and distortions occurring everywhere, using magic recklessly could backfire several times over on the caster. I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“In other words, it’s the perfect trap.”
Kyren sat back down with a thud.
Tapping his sword sheath in frustration, he asked,
“So are we just supposed to sit here and wait? No one knows we’re here. And the culprits surely won’t leave us alone.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded.
“As you said, we can’t just wait. Even if it’s risky, I believe we need to move.”
Yuran and Lancia voiced their agreement.
“I concur.”
“Uh… I also think you’re right.”
“……”
Allen stayed silent.
Kyren turned his head slightly, fixing him with a stare.
“And you?”
“Yes?”
“What do you think?”
His voice now was markedly different from when we had spoken earlier.
Allen, avoiding Kyren’s steady gaze, mumbled,
“I-I think the same.”
“……”
Kyren studied him silently, then stood as if satisfied.
“Then it’s settled.”
Dusting himself off, Kyren suddenly spoke.
“Let me be clear: I don’t trust any of you. In fact, I’m suspicious of you.”
His voice was deadly serious.
“And I expect you feel the same about me. That’s good—it’s the right mindset. Until we escape and return to safety, we’ll work together, but never let go of suspicion.”
No one answered his words.
But no one denied them either.
Because he was right.
“Then I’ll take the lead. Allen, you stay by my side.”
“Y-yes.”
By volunteering for the front, Kyren had deliberately taken the position most psychologically burdensome.
Allen, after a shaky breath, hesitated before moving to his side.
“If you recall anything useful, junior, tell us right away.”
I was about to respond—
“Be careful, benefactor.”
Suddenly, Yuran reached out and yanked at my collar.
Her rough grip dragged me a couple of steps back, but I couldn’t complain.
“Wha—”
Because before me lay an empty clearing.
Kyren and Allen had just been standing there.
Now, they were gone without a trace.
“Hah.”
Another hollow laugh slipped out.
“This one, I really didn’t see coming.”
As I muttered dazedly—
Rustle.
A sound stirred behind us.
“……”
“……”
At once, Yuran, Lancia, and I each drew weapons or shifted stances, wary of the source.
Before long, the figure appeared.
“Ah.”
Platinum-blonde hair.
Pale violet-tinged eyes.
The moment they landed on me, they softened.
“…Found you.”
The one who emerged was none other than Cecilia Everglenn.