Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: S2. Grudge Wished Upon the Stars -6
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Miskatonic University was a vast campus composed of numerous buildings, located about an hour's drive from Abraham's mansion.
The sight of students strolling down the streets with a book tucked under their arm was a familiar scene, one often seen at the Academy too. The standout difference, however, was the noisy proselytizing carried out by those wearing white hoods.
"Everyone, the day of reckoning is nigh! Surrender yourselves for a meaningful end!"
"We are truly complete only in the embrace of the divine! Rather than becoming specks of dust in the cosmos, let us be reborn as part of Him!"
Niore blinked once before laying out the details.
[They're all young people. Look like students. Completely immersed in their faith. They won't hold back for anything if it's for their religion.]
"That's how it looks to me too. Doomsday cultists are always off their rockers, no matter where you go."
"...Not all students are like that. Lately, more young folks have started picking up these strange beliefs, but most are good, earnest kids with a thirst for knowledge."
Abraham offered that defense, but the fact that no one stopped these loud evangelists—and that a fair number of students were watching intently—hinted at the university's grim future.
They would spread like mold on bread.
Abraham parked in the faculty lot and led the group into the university buildings. The astronomy department building was on the shabby side, even among the campus structures.
The three decided to audit the class while waiting for Abraham.
As time passed, students trickled in, filling the lecture hall in small groups. Some wore white hoods. Right on the dot, Abraham began his lecture—methods of observing stars, their movements and mathematical significance.
It was the perspective of a scientist. Abraham didn't attach any religious meaning to the stars. He simply did his best to reveal the true face of the world. The lecture was passionate, using words easy for students to grasp.
Yet half the students looked bored, and the white-hooded ones treated the class like background noise, chatting among themselves.
"This...!"
"Hold it in."
Bennett spent the time reining in Tara, who looked ready to bolt like a wild colt. When the class ended, the students filed out. Abraham gave an awkward smile.
"Looks like my lecture wasn't all that entertaining."
"No, Abraham, it was really interesting! Truly! Especially how you completely excluded any theological viewpoint..."
Bennett flicked Tara's head as she rattled off praises.
"Is that something a saintess should be saying...?"
"Shut it, Bennett!"
The Miskatonic University library was like a labyrinth. The shelves were haphazardly arranged rather than neatly aligned, to the point where newcomers might actually get lost.
In fact, a few dazed students wandered about like ghosts. Bennett tried to memorize distinctive landmarks to keep his bearings.
Was this deliberate design, or just the natural maze born of laziness where no one bothered to organize?
Tara glanced worriedly at Niore.
"...Niore, you memorized the way out, right?"
[Yes!]
"Phew..."
Bennett nudged Tara as he passed.
"Try memorizing it yourself."
"It's division of labor! Division of labor!"
"If you're gonna talk division of labor, start with doing your cleaning duty properly. Cleaning duty girl."
"Ugh...!"
While Bennett and Tara bickered, Niore quietly filled her whiteboard. She wrote larger than usual since the old man would see it, then held it up brightly for Abraham.
[Do you know of something called a glowing irregular tetrahedron?]
"...First I've heard of it. Is it related to the occult, by any chance?"
[Maybe.]
"Books on the occult, magic, conspiracy theories—suspicious tomes like that are kept in the forbidden stacks, out of students' reach. You wouldn't happen to be..."
Niore promptly sold Bennett out.
[As you know, Bennett's really into that stuff. No need to worry! He just enjoys it for fun, and if he ever veers off the path, Tara and I will pull him back!]
"Yes, we'll take responsibility and keep him in check, Abraham!"
"I see... In that case, I'll unlock the forbidden stacks for you. Lucky for you, I'm the curator there."
However, Abraham added a condition.
"But only under supervision. I trust you all, but trust comes after professional ethics. That alright?"
"Of course, Abraham."
Abraham nodded and pulled a silver key from his pocket. He navigated the maze-like library, past the astronomy section, to a shabby door.
Screeech.
The rusty hinges screamed as the interior came into view.
Unlike the library, the room was neatly organized. Shelves lined up in rows brimmed with books, and in one corner stood a massive safe—sturdy and imposing at a glance.
Bennett asked,
"What's that safe for?"
"Personal storage. Since I'm in charge here... I keep important items inside too. You know what's in there."
"...Research materials?"
"Spot on. Copies of my research data. Feel free to browse the books. But don't get too absorbed in the occult. That's abandoning reason."
"Yes, sir. I'll be careful."
Bennett nodded with a sour expression. How had he ended up under Abraham's wary eye? Thinking about it, it was Tara who bailed first.
"...What're you looking at?"
"......"
Just you wait. Bennett swallowed his resentment.
The group investigated the forbidden stacks' books. There was far too much to cover in a day, so it was mostly luck-based. True to its name, the shelves overflowed with bizarre, outlandish tomes.
Recipes for pies made with sardines.
Theses claiming similarities between humans and dogs.
Magazines compiling creepy rumors, like finding a human with a fish head on some coastline.
And some rather explicit adult novels.
"......!"
"Tara, find something?"
"No, nothing! I didn't find anything! Absolutely not!"
"Your reaction's suspicious. It's not like you can hog the credit for finding it alone. We need any clue we can get, so bring over anything remotely relevant."
"No, hey! Let go...! Argh, damn, your grip's way too strong...!"
Bennett wrested the book from Tara's hands, skimmed a few pages, then handed it back to her flushed face.
"Read this one on your own time."
"You took it from me—!! And I didn't even read it?!"
Round two erupted.
As Bennett gained the upper hand and verbally thrashed Tara, Abraham cleared his throat a few times before calling it.
"Shall we wrap up for today? I'll open the stacks tomorrow too. Need to head home and prep dinner."
[Yes, Abraham.]
"Yes, yes! Sounds good!"
Tara agreed eagerly. Bennett clicked his tongue in regret at her escape. He could've laid into her for a solid twenty minutes.
Then it hit him.
...Hadn't they gotten surprisingly close? At some point, he'd been able to chat casually with them. With Tara and Niore.
He now had a rough sense of what they liked and disliked, how they acted, what they thought. The banter was... fun. Sometimes, it even let him forget his little sister for a fleeting moment.
His emotions were mixed.
Living under one roof, sharing meals, waking to see each other's faces—it bonded them far too quickly.
Maybe, like Tara, he'd been starved for affection too.
Still... he'd had time to sort his feelings. For now, he'd shelve it. It was still okay. For now.
Seeing Tara arm-in-arm with Abraham, and Niore hugging her whiteboard, tilting her head as if to say "You coming?", Bennett hurried after them.
#5: Fanatics / Missing Persons
It happened while riding in Abraham's car.
"......!!"
Niore, gazing at the road slipping by outside the window, suddenly shot up, bumping her head on the car roof, and flailed her hands urgently. All eyes turned to her.
"What's wrong?"
"Niore, what is it?"
"......!!"
Too frantic to write on her whiteboard, she jabbed a finger at the passing scenery outside. Realizing they'd already gone by, she scribbled hastily.
[She was being kidnapped. By white-hooded people. A woman.]
"...Something happen behind us? What is it?"
Abraham, focused on driving ahead, glanced in the rearview mirror and asked. Tara and Bennett spoke almost in unison.
"Abraham, pull over!"
"No need to stop."
"Bennett, you—!"
"If it's about saving her, drop it. I've told you time and again..."
Grab.
Niore climbed onto Bennett, gripping his shoulders tight with both hands. He tensed, ready for a fight, but relaxed upon seeing her face. Even without words or writing, her eyes said it all.
Just give me one chance.
Bennett hesitated, then sighed deeply. Maybe they'd gotten too chummy after all. He gently pushed Niore off and addressed Abraham.
"Something came up. We'll be back before dinner, so could you pull over?"
"...Dangerous?"
"No."
"...Come back safe. I have things to say to you all."
Abraham's car stopped. Niore hopped out first and backtracked down the road at a run. Bennett and Tara followed side by side.
The old man watched them go, then drove home.
He wasn't without worry. Curiosity gnawed at him too. But Abraham knew Bennett's cautious nature.
If he confidently said it wasn't dangerous, he had his reasons. Abraham trusted the upstanding, capable young man—occult obsessions aside.