Beast Hunt (4)
It was already the eighth night since I'd arrived at the academy. It was also the first night off duty since coming here. Normally, this would've been the time I'd planned to catch up on all the sleep I'd been skimping on.
"I'm sorry for showing up so late without any notice, Professor Chedor."
I'm in Professor Chedor's research lab. A cramped little space at the top of the academy's western spire. When I climbed all the way up there, Chedor—who'd just been packing his things to head out—greeted me with a look of clear bewilderment.
"No need to apologize. I'm glad you haven't turned in yet."
He sets his bag back down and welcomes his late-night guest. Despite the hour, there's not a hint of irritation on his face. He looks every bit the kind, gentle soul.
"So, what brings you here?"
Chedor asks about my business in a perfectly even tone. I don't voice my response aloud. Instead, I mull it over silently in my head.
What the hell were you up to, pulling stunts like that?
Releasing undead into the academy—what did he stand to gain? Why go out of his way to draw so much attention? That's a puzzle I can't solve. Necromancy professors are, after all, just lightly punished criminals whom the emperor specially pardoned. In other words, no matter how saintly this guy in front of me looks, he's a mage who chose to cross into forbidden dark magic territory. A normal guy like me has no clue what deranged nonsense might be churning in his brain.
Not the right time yet.
The question nearly burst out of my throat, but I took a deep breath and shoved it back down. I'll have to ask eventually, but not now. Not until I've nailed down ironclad proof that he was controlling those undead. Until then, I can't tip my hand. So instead, I pulled out the story I'd prepared ahead of time and kicked off the conversation.
"Have you heard the rumor that's been setting the academy ablaze lately?"
"Ah. I've caught wind of it a couple times in passing. That... thing, the monster? Right?"
As expected for the hottest topic around, Chedor confirms he's heard it. Since he already knows, I skip the recap and jump straight ahead.
"Yes. What do you make of it, Professor?"
Chedor falls into thought for a moment. He ponders deeply, then shrugs it off like it's nothing.
"What else? Just idle chatter, I'd say."
"You think so?"
No reaction from Chedor whatsoever. Is that genuine nonchalance, or some next-level acting? Hard to read exactly, but then he flips the question back at me.
"And you think otherwise, Professor?"
"Yes. I don't believe it's just a rumor."
I answer his question in a calm voice brimming with utter conviction.
"I saw it myself, if only for an instant. That thing prowling the academy."
"Ghost or whatever it was, something's definitely out there."
I saw it, plain as day. There's something. No mistake. Absolutely. I double down with more rock-solid affirmations, and a faint twitch ripples across his face. Not crystal clear, but the emotion flashing there? Bewilderment, without a doubt. Fleeting as it was, I caught it.
"If you say so, Professor, then I suppose there is."
His expression smooths back to serenity in a heartbeat. He nods placidly with a brief reply, then steers the conversation again.
"So, what's the reason for your visit? Feels like it's about that rumor."
"Nothing major."
The truth is, I ditched sleep and dragged myself here at this hour for no grand purpose. I'm not here to grill him or haul him off—no evidence means that's off the table anyway.
"I don't know much about necromancy, but ghosts seem kinda related, right?"
"Well, yeah."
"Got me curious about it."
Still, sitting across from him like this? It's to lay a trap. Chat him up, gauge his reactions, pin him in place so he can't pull any side schemes. Throw a wrench in whatever he's plotting, bait a slip-up, and snag the proof. That's the plan.
"Necromancy's taboo, so good info's scarce. Figured I'd come to the expert."
For the plan to work, I need him glued to this spot. So I picked the perfect bait: necromancy talk. Ties right into the rumor without feeling forced, keeps the convo flowing with him specifically, and it's not something he can just dump on someone else.
"Studying necromancy, are you?"
"Nah, I'm no necromancer. Don't need the spells."
"Then what do you need...?"
But I can't let him dive into actual spellcraft. It's an imperial taboo—even a non-mage like me could get in hot water just for picking up the theory.
"They teach how to handle taboo users here at the academy. That's what I want to hear about."
I'm after countermeasures, not the magic itself. Ways to fight back against that power? Already standard curriculum—no problems there.
"Planning to use it somewhere?"
"To catch the ghost. Please."
"Might not even be undead."
"Still not useless. Please."
"Unnecessary for a Swordmaster like you."
"Knowledge never hurts. Please."
Chedor keeps dodging, but I bat away his deflections like they never happened, parroting my request like a broken record.
"You're really dead set on this rumor, huh."
Finally, he nods like he's worn out and gives in. Then, in a tone laced with exasperation, he says,
"If there's a problem."
I lift my head at his words, locking eyes with him dead-on. Then, enunciating each syllable, I reply,
"You cut it off before it gets bigger."
Meanwhile, while Ian and Chedor conversed atop the spire, Ludia was making her escape.
"Phew. Yes! Finally out!"
After strenuous efforts, Ludia finally breaks free of her room.
"My condolences to the sacrificial pawns who got me this far."
She wriggles out the window, vaults the fence in a flash, and slips out of the dorms. She offers a silent prayer for those probably nabbed by professors.
"Alright, where to first?"
Once clear of the dorms, professor patrols thin out dramatically. No more getting caught. Ludia starts strolling leisurely.
"Huh. Who knew the library could be fun at night?"
Wandering wherever, she ends up at the library—the one place she hates visiting. Daytime? Straight to a cafe. But not tonight. In high spirits, she pokes around the stacks.
"But... was there a path here?"
Then her eyes snag on something. A narrow passage tucked in a library corner. She's slinked past this spot dozens of times for classes, but never spotted this hidden nook.
'......'
Pitch darkness inside. No windows, no torches—total void, lightless and sealed. Just peeking in feels like something might lunge out, sending chills down her spine.
"... Wanna check it out?"
Curiosity overrides the fear. Heart pounding with electric tension, she steps toward the gloom.
Zero visibility, but she pushes on, one stubborn step at a time.
"......"
Deep into the endless corridor, a faint rustle echoes from ahead. Source unknown. The moment Ludia hesitates—
"... Huh?"
Something pounces.
And that was her last memory.