Lucia stands next to me. The more I look at her, the more I see how beautiful she is. She doesn’t look much like her brother, but the way she says strange things does make her look a little bit like him.
I quickly open the door and check the hallway.
On the way here, I thought Zebrudia Magic Academy buildings look very impressive, but when they are shrouded in darkness, they make a completely different impression.
It is dark, quiet enough that the sounds of my footsteps echo, and the air is so cool it is almost chilly. For now, there is no sign of life here, but if this is a Treasure Shrine, there will undoubtedly be Phantoms. Whether they are living creatures or not is unclear, though――.
As soon as we start walking, Lucia quietly calls out to me.
“Saya…… May I turn on the light?” (Lucia)
“Eh? …… Can’t you see what is in front of you?” (Saya)
“…… I can see. But I think it would be easier for you to see it if there was light, Saya.” (Lucia)
Says Lucia with a serious expression. However, there is no benefit to turning on a light for a Hunter who can see through the darkness.
Rather, it may end up drawing the Phantoms’ attention.“Thanks. But I can see just fine like this, so it is fine. Besides, I think you will get attacked if you turn on the light.” (Saya)
“……………… I understand. I suppose there is no other way.” (Lucia)
Lucia looks down and nods her head slightly. Magi are the backbone of most Party. They must use the right Magic depending on the situation and must always remain calm and collected to support the battle at all times. Self-defense and scouting are not the Magi’s responsibility in a fully assembled Party.
Currently, Lucia seems to be conscious of her surroundings a little too much. Maybe she is still in the process of assessing my abilities.
I casually go near the window. It is pitch black outside the window, and I cannot see anything. It isn’t that the darkness is thick, but rather that there is nothing there. I touch the window frame and I can feel the dust that has accumulated there. Lucia speaks as she carefully looks around the dimly lit hallway.
“This space, is a little different from the real academy, isn’t it.” (Lucia)
“What is different?” (Saya)
“Well, how should I put it…… It is old. The outer school building was destroyed and rebuilt after Nii-san caused quite a commotion the other day――” (Lucia)
“…… Does Cry always do things like that?” (Saya)
When I heard that he was suspended, I didn’t understand why…… But maybe it was justified after all.
I pull myself together and tell Lucia.
“For now, entering this Treasure Shrine might be our lucky break. Let’s find the victim and the exit and get out of here quickly. We probably won’t be able to sneak back in again.” (Saya)
Now that they know that I can pry open the invisible doors, the Phantoms will surely do something about it. We cannot afford to waste too much time.
If we can resolve this case quickly, we might even have time to go out and have fun.
“I will use my abilities to search for the victims, so let’s focus on finding the exit.” (Saya)
var adx_id_10791 = document.getElementById('bg-ssp-10791'); adx_id_10791.id = 'bg-ssp-10791-' + Math.floor(Math.random() * Date.now()); window.pubadxtag = window.pubadxtag || []; window.pubadxtag.push({zoneid: 10791, id: adx_id_10791.id, wu: window.location.href})If the victims are still alive, an escape route must be secured. Lucia’s eyebrows *pikuri* twitch when I mention the exit.
“The exit…… Saya, I just want to confirm, but is it correct that you saw another door in front of the Haunted Classroom?” (Lucia)
“Correct.” (Saya)
Even though I have only explained the situation succinctly, she understood quickly. Lucia puts her finger to her lips and thinks for a while.
“Did you happen to also see a door in front of the 『Confession Magic Tree』 ?” (Lucia)
The Confession Magic Tree. It was discovered after we entered and asked the Foreigners to investigate the Academy grounds. It is a ridiculous rumor that no one would try, confessing your love under that tree and getting rejected means you will both be eaten by the tree.
The Foreigners called me because there was a strange mist floating in front of the tree. In the end, it disappeared quickly, but I see, that could have been a door too after all.
“Now that I think about it, it certainly looked similar to the one in front of the Haunted Classroom. It disappeared immediately, though……” (Saya)
I don’t know why it disappeared, but I think it probably just disappeared naturally rather than being intentionally erased. And even my powers cannot do anything about a door that has disappeared.
“So that means the Magic Tree was also a rumor connected to the Spirited Away phenomenon.” (Lucia)
“It is possible. It is just that there wasn’t any victim.” (Saya)
I was shown a document compiling rumors about the Spirited Away, and it seemed like there were truly a lot of different rumors floating around. If that was all there was to it, it would just be a matter of saying, well, there are a lot of various rumors out there, but when you add in a Treasure Shrine and Phantoms that can understand human language, it is a different story.
If these rumors had been spread by the Phantom, then the difference in quality between them was too great. That Phantom may be spreading countless rumors, prioritizing quantity over quality, to lure those who fall for it into the Treasure Shrine.
Yes, just like a spider building its web and lying in wait for its prey.
Lucia takes a deep breath, closes her eyes for a few seconds, and speaks as if she had made up her mind.
“Saya, there are…… Many other rumors in Zebrudia Magic Academy.” (Lucia)
“!! I see…………” (Saya)
Other rumors. The door in front of the Magic Tree has disappeared, and the door to the Haunted Classroom has been erased, but there may still be doors at the location mentioned in the other rumors.
A door that enables travel between the real world and this world.
The problem is that the Phantom might try to erase the remaining doors. The reason Lucia didn’t finish what she was saying was probably because she considered the possibility that the Phantom was listening.
But it is worth a try. I give instructions to the nearby Shadow People with my eyes.
――Find the Phantom from earlier and attack it. Pursuit it so relentlessly that they have no time to pay attention to us.
Apparently, it is not possible to summon new Foreigners here, and the only Foreigners available are those who immediately followed me when we entered the Haunted Classroom.
However, although they are few in number, they should be enough. Even though I can now activate my ability in the morning, the 《Little Witch’s (Yaen Saiden)》 true potential is unleashed in the darkness.
The three Shadow People exchange glances, then *barabara* break into pieces at their feet. Each piece turns into a small Shadow People and scattered throughout the hallway. No matter how large Zebrudia Magic Academy may be, they will be able to find the Phantom and stop it in its tracks.
As if she has sensed something, Lucia’s shoulders tremble. I watch intently the Shadow People disappear, then turn to Lucia, who has a somewhat anxious look on her face, and say.
“Now that’s done. Lucia, let’s take a look at each one of the rumors in order. It will be fine, if we work together we will definitely be able to make it work.” (Saya)
Thanks for reading! Looks like Saya and Lucia are finally going to explore the Treasure Shrine Will Lucia conquer her fear and succeed in completing her Infinite Trial!?
Btw Strange Grief Season 2 is finally starting!!! After 1 year it is finally here! Let’s praise and watch over Master~ in this 2nd season
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