The Living Exhibition Falls Silent

They were no longer alive. The perspective shifted back to the art exhibition area. Elduin the prince, enthralled by Aurora's Fascination, along with the other survivors, charged toward the ghost stories. She didn't issue direct commands or instructions to the survivors. She merely gazed at the men in the group, sometimes with a pitiful expression or a longing gesture. But astonishingly, that was enough. Wherever her eyes lingered, the male survivors caught on to what she wanted and rushed at the ghost stories without hesitation, as if showing off their bravery. Even Elduin had somehow taken the vanguard, fighting desperately against the ghost stories—not that the others needed mentioning.

Naturally, countless casualties occurred in the process. Their goal in convincing the survivors from the start hadn't been to protect or save people, but simply to take down the ghost stories. So it was only natural. The situation was resolving itself at an astonishing pace. And amid all that nightmarish carnage, Aurora struggled to maintain her composure, but standing beside her, I could read the guilt flickering across her face.

"At this rate, you and I are going to look like the devil and a witch."

I tossed out a light joke to ease her tension, but it didn't improve her mood at all.

"That's why I didn't want to use this power. It's no different from a witch's..."

"Don't overthink it. Everyone here will come back to life after the regression anyway. No need to hold back—use it freely."

"How can you say something so irresponsible...!"

She raised her voice in a surge of emotion at my seemingly careless words. But my follow-up cut her off before she could finish.

"Don't get the wrong idea. What we're doing might look like trashy behavior right now, but in the end, it's all to save more people. Feeling half-hearted guilt about it will just get in the way of saving everyone. So there's no need to feel guilty—and you shouldn't. It's better to believe we're doing the right thing."

Her gaze locked onto a survivor right in front of us, perishing together with a ghost story in mutual destruction. Desperate to impress Aurora, he'd charged in recklessly, but he'd fixated too much on her attention and missed the statue's arm swinging at his head too late. His skull burst open with a wet thunk, like a watermelon splitting. It was almost comical. If you ignored the fact that this wasn't a comedy show but real life unfolding before our eyes.

Aurora's pupils trembled violently at the gruesome sight.

"Does... does this really look like a righteous act to you?"

I averted my eyes for a moment at her question.

"...From certain perspectives, it might seem a bit immoral."

"A bit?"

Aurora fell silent at my excuse. She didn't fully agree with me, but the guilt in her eyes seemed to ebb slightly, as if she wasn't outright rejecting my words either.

......

And so the work of consuming the survivors like tools to destroy the ghost stories continued. Desperate to please Aurora, to stand out even a little, they threw their lives at the ghost stories. When one fell, another filled the gap. The power of Fascination was brutally efficient. As time passed, the ghost stories in the exhibition hall visibly dwindled. And finally, we were left with just one last ghost story.

The Jewel Knight. That was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one. The jeweled armor that had first driven me to death among the exhibition ghost stories glittered magnificently as it came alive and moved, just like the other displays. The survivor group was nearly wiped out too. Only a scant few remained, and even they were far from normal.

Elduin was no exception. Though he bore no major physical wounds, the relentless battles with the ghost stories—and being swept up in the group's collective madness—had left his eyes gleaming with frenzy. He'd even forgotten to lead the survivors.

"If... if we just take that down...! Everything will be over!"

Elduin's desperate cry sliced through the air.

"We can finally escape this insane place!! Haha... hahahaha!!"

He laughed maniacally as he charged fiercely at the Jewel Knight. The knight raised its jeweled sword, ready to meet him. Prince and knight. The moment the two were about to clash—

BOOM!!!

One wall of the exhibition hall shattered with a tremendous roar. A massive, colorful figure burst into view.

"Miss Rone! Are you okay?!"

"Cough! Cough! I told you we should've just gone through the entrance normally!"

It was the colorful feathered dinosaur—and riding its back, Rozalia Soline and Rone Yustria. The dinosaur didn't stop, barreling straight through the space between Elduin and the Jewel Knight just before they collided. Elduin and the knight flew aside like paper dolls in the wake of that natural-disaster-level charge. As the dinosaur took its final step, its massive body lost its glow in an instant, turning to fossil and crumbling away.

From the gap in the collapsing dinosaur fossil, Rone landed gracefully, cradling Rozalia.

"Looks like it used up all its strength breaking through the wall when we were running out of time anyway."

"Still, we took out two exhibits in the process, my lady!"

Sorry, but it was one exhibit and one innocent prince. For their mental health, let's keep that between me and Aurora. While Rone and Rozalia exchanged words, I approached them from Aurora's side.

"You're late. We almost handled everything ourselves, Rone. And Rozalia."

As I greeted them first, Rone finally spotted me and widened her eyes in delight.

"Teacher Allen! You're safe! Aurora too!"

"See? My judgment was spot on, my lady!"

"Miss Rozalia. Did you do something foolish again?"

"Foolish? It worked out in the end, didn't it!?"

While the students confirmed each other's safety with light greetings, I took a beat to check on the Jewel Knight that had been sideswiped by the dinosaur. It lay embedded in the wall, utterly still. Like mere decoration. And at last, the message I'd been waiting for appeared.

The tedious closing ceremony of the exhibition had finally arrived.

......

As I announced that the ghost story was fully resolved, the club members finally relaxed and smiled. They soon let out sighs of relief and began to speak.

"Teacher Allen, how did you hold out? We really thought we were goners!"

Rone excitedly boasted about her experiences. Unlike the other ghost stories she'd faced, she seemed deeply satisfied at being able to brute-force this one.

"Hee hee! I controlled Francois and performed splendidly this time too!"

The two went on with their tales of valor, then turned to me with curiosity once they'd finished.

"Anyway, Teacher, how did you survive in the art exhibition area?"

"Yeah! And not just survive—you and Aurora basically cleared almost all the exhibits there by yourselves!"

They asked in disbelief, but I had nothing much to say. All the feats were essentially Aurora's doing alone. I gave Rone and Rozalia ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a brief summary of what happened in the art exhibition area.

The two gasped in admiration upon hearing it.

"Who would've thought Aurora had such a gift!"

"With an ability that amazing, clearing the art exhibits isn't impossible at all!"

Despite their genuine awe, Aurora squeezed her eyes shut. Fear and unease clouded her face.

"Miss Aurora. Why didn't you tell us you had a gift like that sooner? We could've resolved the ghost story way faster!"

Rozalia meant no harm—just a casual remark—but Aurora tensed up as if struck at her core. After hesitating for a long while, realizing she couldn't avoid it, Aurora finally spoke.

"I... I was afraid you'd hate me if I revealed my gift, Miss Rozalia."

"Why would I hate you? It's such an outstanding ability!"

"Because it's too outstanding. I'm already beautiful, and if I dressed up beautifully and used my gift, I'd steal your popularity in high society. O-of course, I wouldn't do that!"

Wow, boldly calling herself beautiful. Sure, without her glasses and with her hair down, Aurora was a stunning beauty opposite her usual plain look... but still. That excuse? Aurora glanced nervously at Rozalia after tacking on the last part. But Rozalia tilted her head, not understanding.

"If you became more popular than me, it'd just mean I was lacking compared to you and that you're superior. And having a popular friend is something to be proud of, not resentful! Why would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I ever blame you?"

Aurora's tightly pressed lips parted slightly at Rozalia's confident words.

"But... everyone who's learned about my gift has either feared me and tried to follow me blindly or envied my ability and hated me."

"That's unfortunate. But that's just coincidence—only those kinds of people around you until now. I don't have to act that way, do I?"

Aurora's eyes widened at those words. For a moment, it felt like a brilliant light I'd never seen before shone in her pupils. She might have just met the first person who knew her gift and didn't hate her for it. At last, Aurora relaxed into a gentle smile. Perhaps this moment was when Aurora truly became a member of the Paranormal Investigation Club.

I watched the scene for a bit, then clapped my hands to draw everyone's attention.

"Alright! Conversation over! Let's head back, tell Elaine the ghost story's resolved, and turn back time! If we dawdle too long, people will swarm in and we won't get out!"

The group nodded with relieved expressions. Time to return to real life.

......

On the way back to the academy after resolving the exhibition ghost story, I suddenly recalled something important I'd overlooked. Come to think of it, the exhibition areas totaled four. Human history. Natural history. Art. And finally, technology.

But we'd only handled three, excluding technology. What happened? Did no ghost story occur in the technology area?

......

Technology exhibition area. Contrary to Allen's guess, this place was also devastated from a brutal fight with ghost stories. Shattered machine wreckage and gears lay scattered, with clear traces of ghost stories and battle scars everywhere.

Yet surprisingly, quite a few people had survived in the area—more than the survivors who'd barricaded the art section pre-regression. And they'd even destroyed every ghost story inside.

At the center of it all stood one woman. Her jet-black hair cascaded neatly tied back as she stood still, gazing down at the destroyed exhibits. She was Irelin Haini, heir to Allen Trading Company—founded by Allen Jest himself—and his successor.

Amid the cheers of the survivors in the ruined area, she examined the wreckage with a calm, composed expression.

What in the world happened?

She'd organized people on the fly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to take down the monsters, but she couldn't make sense of the situation. Then, as if realizing something unbelievable, her eyes widened in shock.

No way... Did Chairman Allen foresee all this and come to Everlight Academy?

She was a blind devotee of Allen Jest. Her gaze toward him was like infinite affection for an idol, akin to a zealot's faith in a god. Even now, as the head of Allen Trading Company, she believed the eternal chairman was Allen Jest alone and still called him "Chairman."

And admiration is the emotion farthest from understanding. Her view of Allen Jest was somewhat idealized and exaggerated. Trembling briefly at the profound foresight and boundless wisdom she'd conjured in her mind, she soon resolved her next move.

I need to meet the Chairman.

Originally, she'd thought just gazing at him from afar during the exhibition would suffice. For that, she'd rushed to sponsor the technology area with Allen Trading Company samples right before it started. But facing this crisis, she couldn't stick to watching from a distance.

I didn't want to bother his teaching life... but this is unavoidable.

But she never got her private meeting with Allen Jest. Shortly after her resolve, the Paranormal Investigation Club triggered the regression, erasing everything that happened at the exhibition. Their reunion was thus postponed in a place Allen Jest knew nothing about.