97. Academy (10)
97. Academy (10)
Abe snapped back to reality and recoiled, feeling a chill on her feet despite wearing shoes.
Her shoes were already stained with blood, making a sticky sound.
"Th-this... wh-what..."
It wasn't like she was close to the Maid like family.
But having grown up together since they were young, she was a maid she could trust more than anyone and rely on.
That maid was dead. So pointlessly, without a head.
Padix Academy. Even just having the skill to be in the A-rank here is equivalent to C-rank by Adventurer standards, which is quite high.
It's called an academy, but in reality, everyone here has a lot of practical experience.
Everyone has at least once hunted a Monster with their own hands.
Among them, Abe is a Mage with excellent practical instincts.
The place she lives is the outermost region of the Padix Kingdom, where there are many Monsters.
She had seen many Monsters since she was young, and from the age of 13, she had been hunting Monsters to protect her village with her father.
By the time she turned 20, she had hunted countless Monsters and honed her practical instincts, so even though she is still an Academy student, she could get a C-rank if she started working as an Adventurer right now.
Abe, who would usually prepare for battle without panicking when a Monster appeared, was not doing that at all right now.
She was just standing still, trembling.
'Wh-what on earth is this?'
Her whole body was shaking.
Against her will.
Of course, feeding on fear happens regardless of one's will.
But there is fear that makes sense even when you feel it.
The Demon King, or a Monster of national disaster level or higher that is incredibly huge and scary—the fear of these things is understandable.
But what's in front of her is just one fellow student.
Lea's inhumanly beautiful appearance was famous even at the Academy.
Smooth, pale, porcelain-like skin without a single blemish or scar, and a voluptuous body.
Her hair, which was so silky that one wondered how she managed it, was so beautiful it made one wonder if she was even a living creature.
Abe didn't like Lea's attitude or status, but she thought that much about her appearance.
But now, looking at Lea in front of her, she couldn't see any beauty, only fear.
Her appearance hadn't changed.
The beautiful looks were the same, and the voluptuous body was the same.
The being in front of her just looks like a beautiful woman.
But why is it so scary?
Because she killed her maid?
No.
Just by facing her, every cell in her body is trembling.
A primal fear she hadn't even felt in front of Monsters.
The moment she relaxed even a little, she felt like her legs would give out.
"Hello, Abe."
Abe couldn't say anything to Lea, who called her name.
"You sent a cute gift for me, didn't you?"
While Lea was speaking, her Raksha Creature, which had been mimicking the Padix Academy uniform, began to eat the headless body of the Maid.
Wagjak— Wagjak—
Fortunately, she hadn't completely undone her Mimicry, so Lea's body wasn't naked.
With just her coat gone, she was just eating the Maid's corpse, which still had warmth on the floor.
Lea stared at Abe intently, then looked at the room behind Abe and said,
"Shall we talk while having some tea first?"
==
Abe's mind was a mess.
What on earth is the being drinking tea in front of her?
She had definitely hired mercenaries. She had even seen through magic that those mercenaries had gone to Lea.
But when she came to her senses, she was in front of her.
While killing the maid, too.
In other words, it's right to assume that those mercenaries are all dead too.
Should she run away? Should she ask for forgiveness? Should she beg for her life? Should she scream for someone to help her?
What's in front of her right now is not a human, but a monster.
A monster that eats people, at that.
She saw the scene of the maid's corpse being eaten right in front of her.
It's not that she hasn't seen human death.
She has seen people die due to Monsters and seen corpses in terrible states.
But the scene of the maid who had been with her for a long time being eaten was too shocking.
'What is she thinking...?'
Abe's insides were burning as Lea just looked at her and drank tea without saying a word.
'How on earth can such a monster pretend to be human and enter the Academy? Wait a minute, the Lea in front of me definitely entered the Academy with an Elf—'
"Shh."
Lea put her index finger to her lips.
"The reason I'm keeping Abe alive is nothing special. It's just because I like you."
"Like...?"
"Yes. I don't just want to stuff you in a Museum, I want to keep you as a living creature itself."
"...What?"
"Ah! Right! Not just a Human Museum, but a Human Zoo. I'll make a Human Zoo!"
"You crazy bitch..."
As soon as Abe realized that the being in front of her was absolutely insane, she summoned her staff.
And she immediately aimed her staff at Lea and fired her most confident Ice Magic at Lea's head.
It was so fast and accurate that it didn't even take a second.
If it had been Lea before eating the human, her head would have burst and she would have died again, but the spear made of ice passed through Lea's head.
The ice spear didn't pierce Lea's head; rather, a hole formed in Lea's head on its own, allowing the spear to pass through.
And it didn't even take a second for that hole to fill back up.
Seeing that, Abe didn't panic and immediately began chanting.
"Come, Spirit of Ice, Eternal Snow-Ice. Pierce the target in front of you!"
Magic usually doesn't require chanting.
Because you use your own Mana, you don't need permission.
However, while they don't chant, they do shout the name of the magic they are using.
The reason is to create an accurate image in the process of creating magic with Mana.
But Spirit Magic is different.
Spirit Magic is not magic that creates magic using one's own Mana, but magic that hands over Mana to a Spirit and asks for a favor.
That's why one chants.
The act of chanting itself is quite dangerous.
It's like announcing to the opponent that you are attacking and advertising that you are vulnerable right now.
But Spirit Magic is powerful enough to justify that risk.
Abe realized that her magic wasn't working on Lea and used Spirit Magic, which was her Unique Ability and constitution.
"Wow..."
Lea was amazed as she saw the reason she wanted to keep Abe in front of her eyes.
Abe's Unique Ability.
A soul loved by Spirits.
As soon as she saw the Unique Ability, she was sure she couldn't use it herself.
She was surprised by the existence of Spirits, and realized that Spirits don't like material things, but like Abe's soul itself, so it wouldn't work just by stealing the Unique Ability.
If Erosion proceeded, there was a high possibility that the Unique Ability would disappear.
Because of that, Lea thought of making a Human Zoo, not a Museum, for Abe, who handles Spirit Magic.
Jjeojeojeojeojeok—!
Abe's Spirit Magic froze the entire room like a snowy field.
And the target, Lea, was trapped inside a large block of ice.
"Haa... haa..."
Thud.
Abe collapsed onto the icy floor from exhaustion as all her Mana disappeared.
'This is just a temporary measure. I need to ask for help nearby quickly.'
As she stood up unsteadily and tried to go outside, she heard a very small but ominous sound.
Jjeojeok—
Abe's head turned, trembling.
Praying that it wasn't what she was imagining in her head, she stared at the large ice in the middle of the room.
"Phew..."
Fortunately, Lea inside the ice showed no movement.
"...Huh?"
Abe stared at the eyes of Lea, who was sealed inside the ice.
'Wasn't she looking forward before...?'
Thinking it was an illusion, Abe shook her head.
'It must be my imagination. It's not just regular magic, but a high-ranking Ice Spirit's sealing magic—'
Seueuk.
The eyes of Lea inside the ice moved and met Abe's eyes.
"!?"
Pachang—!
The ice that had been trapping Lea shattered and scattered like broken glass.
"Im-impossible... It was a high-ranking Ice Spirit's sealing magic..."
"Spirit Magic is a power completely different from regular Mana. I like it. Abe-nim. I really must have you."
==
Spirit Magic, huh.
Half a year has passed since I opened my eyes in this world, but I haven't seen it even once.
On top of that, having been hit by it directly, I even felt a sense of wonder at the energy, which is completely different from Mana.
As expected, Abe is a human who must be protected.
I always want to coexist with humans.
Because I was human, I want to coexist even more.
A life where humans can live happily without any worries until they are 20, and after 20, die without pain, without worrying about living in the future.
But I won't eat everyone like that.
Because great and special humans must be preserved for a long time.
Just like protecting endangered animals on Earth.
And I am very, very curious about Spirits.
'It was a good decision to come to the Academy. There are many fascinating humans.'
I must have Abe intact, without any Erosion.
