Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Mage of the Ghost Story Club (1)
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Speaking of which, Elterion Academy is ridiculously huge.
In the original story, descriptions like the campus being absurdly vast or taking a full month to tour even if you walked nonstop made me think they were a bit exaggerated.
But now that I was actually a student here, walking around on my own two feet, it really was that big.
It felt way larger than the forest village I'd lived in until recently. The term "academy city" wasn't just for show.
With such an expansive campus, there were quite a few abandoned or neglected buildings around the outskirts.
And the old structure right in front of me was one of them.
A dilapidated library building with a gloomy vibe.
"This is the clubroom for the Ghost Story Research Club."
Claire beamed as she pointed to a door that looked one push away from falling off its hinges.
"...It looks like the kind of place where a ghost or some undead would pop out."
I gently tugged the doorknob, and the creaky old door let out a shrill squeak.
A musty smell of ancient books mixed with thick dust wafted out.
A few dim magical lanterns floated in the air, casting a faint glow, but it wasn't enough—shadows still clung to every corner.
...Perfect, actually.
The lighting was ideal for a quick power nap.
If I ever skipped class and felt too lazy to head back to the dorm, this place would be great for crashing.
"I kidnapped a newbie for us~!"
At Claire's cheerful voice, two figures shrouded in the darkness snapped their heads up.
The first to rush over was a pale-faced girl.
She had deep dark circles under her eyes, but her sparkling gaze kept her from looking tired.
This must be what they call decadent beauty.
"Really? Who is it? You brought someone cute!"
"It's Lunaris. You know her, right, President? The top freshman!"
"Oh yeah~ Of course I do. This is her?"
She strode right up and grabbed my hand without warning.
"Welcome to the library where scary stories gather! I'm Sylvia, a third-year in the Magic Department. I'm the vice-president of the Ghost Story Club!"
Vice-President Sylvia shook my arm up and down enthusiastically as she spoke in a lively voice.
"And over there is Thomas, a second-year in the Political Department. He's our sub-vice-president."
The male student, who had been crouching next to some mushrooms sprouting from the floor, opened his mouth with a tense expression.
"W-Welcome..."
He looked like he'd ascend to the afterlife before any ghost if he met one. For some reason, it made me feel a pang of pity.
"But wow, having the star of all those rumors right here in front of me is surreal."
Vice-President Sylvia leaned in close with a grin.
"Perfect score on the entrance exam, advanced mage at just sixteen—honestly, it sounds fake. We were even thinking of making you our next research subject."
"President, but did you hear? All those rumors are true."
"Come on~ Don't tease me, Claire. I might be obsessed with ghost stories, but I can tell real tales from bullshit."
Vice-President Sylvia laughed for a good while.
"Haha... Ha, ha?"
Then she tilted her head at Claire, who was just smiling meaningfully without a word.
Her gaze shifted to me next.
I awkwardly looked away and let out an embarrassed chuckle.
Our subtle reactions made Sylvia's expression turn equally subtle.
"...No way, for real?"
A moment of silence fell.
In the quiet, the human enoki mushroom let out a squeak of a scream, followed by hiccups.
Vice-President Sylvia's bright "Nyahaha!" laugh broke the awkward tension.
"Who cares if it's true. It's even better! Wow~ For a small club like ours to snag such a tiny, precious talent— we're so lucky!"
With that, she pulled me into a tight hug.
Ugh... Can't... breathe...
"What do you think, President? Good catch, right?"
"You did great, Claire! Now we just need one more member."
"When's our grace period up?"
"Student council said end of this month."
"Whoa... That's tight."
"Eh, but with the top first-year joining us, maybe they'll extend it?"
Watching Claire and Vice-President Sylvia chatter excitedly, something felt off.
I didn't remember submitting a membership form or anything.
So... when exactly did I become a member of the Ghost Story Research Club?
"Perfect timing, Lunaris! Truth is, we were planning a ghost story verification field trip tonight."
I whipped my head around to glare at Claire.
Didn't you say it was an indoor club where we just sit around telling ghost stories?
You never mentioned it was an outdoor club running around hunting ghosts.
"Don't worry, Lunaris! We're just checking the vibe and coming back. Just the vibe."
She insisted it wouldn't be scary with all of us together.
Claire struck an "Aja, fighting!" pose toward me.
No, the problem isn't scariness—it's going out.
At night, no less.
"Midnight's basically bedtime..."
"What are you talking about~ It's prime ghost-hunting time."
I could see why Vice-President Sylvia, with her bright outgoing personality, still had that decadent charm.
This woman was an night owl who ran around during the day and at night too.
"With a new member here, we're bound to have results tonight!"
The president smiled brightly and spread out a bunch of documents on the desk.
"Oh, have you heard about Senior Veronica?"
"Who's that?"
"She's a senior who vanished from the academy a few years back."
Under the dim lantern light,
the president lowered her voice and continued with a meaningful expression.
"Turns out, after failing the scholarship selection, she despaired and... took her own life! Waaah!"
"Kyaaah!"
"Uwaaah!!"
Claire and the sub-vice-president screamed in unison at her vivid storytelling.
The woman had some serious voice acting skills.
Not that I'm one to talk, but the ghost story felt kinda bland.
Sylvia herself was scarier.
Talking casually about someone dying, eyes sparkling—no psycho could do it better.
"They say Senior Veronica's ghost now wanders the academy every night. Over a hundred sightings a year."
Listening quietly, I got this weird sense of déjà vu.
Veronica was a new name, but the story itself felt oddly familiar.
"We didn't know exactly when or where she appears, but we gathered solid testimonies and pinned it down: every Friday at 9 PM, the location is—"
"The old Sepia Hall building, right?"
"Huh? Yeah, that's it!"
Vice-President Sylvia's eyes went wide at my offhand comment.
"Newbies barely know about the old Sepia Hall being rebuilt. Where'd you hear that?"
"Just... overheard it outside somewhere."
Too annoying to explain, so I brushed it off.
"Anyway, guess the ghost sightings are real then."
Everyone stared at me in shock at my nonchalant remark.
"What, I just heard it somewhere..."
I had to play it off, since explaining the source would be tricky.
Like I could say, "I know because I read it in the original story."
Kyle from Edelweiss Hall went to meet the heroine in Sepia Hall, but ended up in the abandoned old building and ran into the ghost.
Though learning the ghost's name was Veronica was new. Not that I cared to know.
As Vice-President Sylvia said, Veronica had indeed taken her own life.
The disappearance cover-up? Nothing major.
The academy bigwigs buried the incident and the body to protect their reputation.
In a class-based world, one commoner vanishing wasn't even news.
Scarier than any ghost story?
People, always.
In the end, I got dragged along.
My plan to just show my face and stay a ghost member went up in smoke.
Not that I was going completely against my will.
This was just preemptive practice for an event from the original story.
Better to deal with a little hassle now than ten or twenty times worse later.
Rehearsing ahead means I can handle any emergencies during the main event next year.
...Definitely not because I was scared of going back now and facing something scarier than a midnight ruin crawl: a midnight maid experience.
The night air in the academy outskirts was chillier and more biting than expected.
Not just the weather—the atmosphere too.
Gothic silhouettes loomed eerie under the moonlight. Fitting for a place spawning countless ghost stories.
"Tonight, I really wanna see... my bed..."
I grumbled softly, dragging my heavy feet.
"Doesn't it feel exciting? Like we're off on an adventure!"
Claire beside me was buzzing with barely contained thrill, the very picture of a stormy adolescent lady.
"W-Wandering late at night... Isn't that against the rules? If we get caught, we'll definitely get in trouble..."
Sub-Vice-President Thomas was already scared stiff.
"How can we investigate ghost stories if we're scared of a scolding? If we get nabbed, just say it's club activities~"
"But tonight's patrol... I checked, and it's Head Professor Raymond Cloud now..."
"What? The department head himself? Why?"
I could guess the reason.
Probably got disciplined by the chairman for wrecking Linea Hall yesterday.
I could easily picture him grumbling on patrol, and a laugh slipped out before I knew it.
This is why you shouldn't casually say you'll take responsibility.
Still, a department head doing manual labor punishment felt kinda pitiful and pathetic.
"Hmm, yeah, we should be careful. Raymond Cloud won't buy any excuses."
"But four against one, we'd win, right?"
Claire burst out laughing at my casual toss-out.
"Hahaha— Even if you're an advanced mage, come on. How could we beat a grand mage department head?"
"I sparred him one-on-one yesterday, and it was doable. Add three more, and we're good."
I shrugged as I replied, and Claire stopped laughing to stare at me blankly.
"...Lunaris, suddenly you're scarier than any ghost."
We chatted as we walked, and soon reached the abandoned old Sepia Hall.
The medieval stone building clearly showed years of neglect.
Most broken windows were boarded up.
The walls, tangled with ivy and bricks, gave off a creepy vibe.
The rustling branches and wind in my ears amped up the eeriness.
"Right here. Where Senior Veronica's ghost appears."
No sooner had Vice-President Sylvia whispered while raising her lantern,
than—
-Kiyaaaah—!!
A piercing scream echoed.
We all froze, staring at each other's faces.
"Um... should we, uh, turn back now?"
Yeah, for once the enoki mushroom sub-vice-president said something constructive.