CHAPTER 79: THE UNDEAD ARMY’S INVASION

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After parting ways with Flin and Firvus, I went back to my academy dorm room.

It was the dead of the night, and the only thing left to do was sleep—but then, I noticed an odd noise coming from outside.

An odd noise?

I could hear voices among the sounds.

What was going on…?

As I was staring at the pitch-black scenery from my window, I heard a loud voice from the other side of the door.

“Albert! Are you awake, Albert!?”

It was Firvus’ voice, who I had been with a short while ago.

Then, he fiercely banged on the door.

“What is it, Mr.
Firvus?”

“I’m coming in!”

The door was opened, and there stood Firvus.

He had a grave look on his face.

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s trouble at the academy.
Sorry, but I want you to help out.”

“I don’t mind, but—trouble?”

“Hordes of undead are roaming around the academy grounds.”

“Why?”

“No idea.
But at any rate, we need to get rid of them.
It’s mostly just a bunch of low-level undead, such as Skeletons and Zombies and the like, but there’s still a ton of them.
I want to get some of the skilled people to help out.”

“Understood.”

I’m more or less confident in my offensive magic—or rather, my Magic Arrow.
I could probably help out with a few things here and there.

“Have you asked anyone else besides me?”

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“The only other first years that I’ve asked are Blain and Sarles.”

The three first years with Iron Emblems, I suppose.

All of the third years had Iron Emblems, but in Blain and Sarles’ case, it carried much greater weight.
The third years got it by getting average grades, but those two achieved it through their overwhelming ability.

“I see.
Then shall we go and ask Blain?”

In this dormitory, the commoner and noble rooms were separated.
I originally lived on the commoner floor, but my noble heritage was exposed, so I ended up moving to the noble floor.
I was totally fine with staying there, though…

Blain was a noble, so his room was closer than Sarles’, who was a commoner. 

Upon asking him that, Firvus made a sour look.
“…Actually, I already went over to his room… He didn’t respond.”

“He didn’t respond?”

“Yeah.
I called out to him countless times.
His door was locked, too.
Seems like he’s out somewhere.”

“Is that so.”

A dormitory curfew is set in place.
Dormitory students were usually in their rooms at this hour.
Maybe he’s somewhere on campus.

“…We’re talking about Blain here—he can manage on his own if he’s just wandering around campus.
Let’s go ask Sarles.”

I followed behind Firvus as he hurriedly began walking.

Some students peeked from their rooms with worried looks on their faces.
“Mr.
Firvus… What’s going on outside?”

“Don’t worry about it! You’ll all be safe if you stay in the dorm! Just focus on protecting yourselves!” Firvus answered in a forceful tone and briskly advanced.

Then, we reached the commoner floor, where Sarles’ room was.
Firvus called out to Sarles as he did with me.
“Hey, Sarles! You there!? I need you for something!” 

He spoke forcefully as he repeatedly banged on the door.

Thereupon, we heard Sarles’ feeble voice from the other side of the door.
“My head kinda hurts~ Today’s a no-go~”

“H-Hey, are you serious!? How’s your condition like, Sarles!?” said Firvus in a panic.

But there was no response.

All that greeted him was dead silence.

“…There’s no helping it if he isn’t feeling well…” Firvus exaggeratedly sighed.
“Sorry about this, Albert.
Work hard enough to make up for both of their absences.”

…This isn’t gonna be easy…

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That night, Laura was studying in the academy library.

A dormitory student could use any of the academy facilities at any time, whether it be at night or on a holiday.
Ever since enrolling, Laura would frequently study at the library during the night. 

And after the second semester started, it went from frequently to almost always.

The reason being?

Because she read the Witch of Calamity’s spellbook.

Laura wanted to become able to control this vast amount of power.

There’s nothing wrong with her power in itself.
What’s important is the way you use it.
The Witch of Calamity didn’t use it with good intentions—but I will.

To start things off, Laura wanted to get a better understanding of the Witch of Calamity, so she searched for the relevant books.

Even after digging around the spacious academy library, she found nothing.

This wasn’t all that strange.

Information pertaining to the Witch of Calamity was heavily restricted by the kingdom.

“The Witch of Calamity was an evil magician.
She waged war against the kingdom and lost.
As a result of her actions, the land was devastated, costing the kingdom many years to recover.”

Any other piece of information besides that nursery-tale was sealed away from the public—even her very name.

Laura gave up on finding information about the Witch of Calamity, but she threw herself into studying magic all the more.

I need to increase my mana even more.

I need to get even better control over my spells.

I need to deepen my understanding of magic even more.

More, much more, forevermore.

The Witch of Calamity was at a level far, far away from Laura’s reach.
She spent every spare moment studying to get closer, inch by inch.

Just then—

Someone called out to her.

“You sure are giving it your all, Laura.”

Laura lifted her head.
There, she saw Flin.

It was a holiday night at the library—there wasn’t anyone else around besides them.

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“Ms.
Flin… What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I came to borrow a book,” said Flin, showing Laura the two books she was holding.
“I live in the dormitory too, so I like to make the most out of the academy library every now and then.
I spot you here pretty frequently whenever I do.”

“…I still have a long ways to go, after all.
I need to study as much as I can.”

“Woooow.
So diligent! I want the other students to hear what you just said! You’re so cute, Laura!”

“No, no, I wouldn’t go as far as to say all that…”

Then, Flin changed the subject.
“By the way, how are things going with Albert lately?”

Laura didn’t think that Flin, of all people, would bring that topic up, so Laura was taken aback as she responded, “We haven’t been able to talk much…”

“I see.”

“Well, Albert is currently at an important time in his life, one where he needs to spend time with various nobles…” Laura gave mouth to the same words that she had told herself countless times before.

Flin nodded.
“I spoke with Albert today, y’see.”

“Uh-huh.”

“While it’s true that Albert is thinking the same thing as what you just said, he does seem pretty exhausted…”

“Really?”

“I mean, he doesn’t really come off as the most sociable person, does he?”

“Y-Yeah…”

Laura knew that much was true from the time she spent with him.

“He seems a little fatigued… If you want, you should try and give him a nudge, too.
Blow off some stress, you know?”

“T-Thats—”

Laura thought that her suggestion wasn’t a bad idea. 

“But would it really be fine for a commoner like me to talk to him…?”

“It’ll be fine.” Flin chuckled and continued, “He won’t ignore you or anything.
You already know, right? He isn’t sociable—but he’s a good person.”

Laura readily accepted her answer.

“…You have a lot of faith in Albert, huh.”

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“Well, he hasn’t changed very much since our student days.” Flin smiled happily.
“If there’s anything on your mind, make sure you talk it over with Albert.
He’ll never ever abandon you!”

“Alright.” Laura nodded with a wry smile in response to Flin’s words of reassurance.

Then, Flin continued, “It might be a bit improper to say this as an instructor, but… I’ll say it! Laura! I’m rooting for you! Do your best!”

“Huh?”

Flin somewhat forcefully grasped the surprised Laura’s hand.

What exactly was she rooting for?

What exactly did she want Laura to do her best for?

Flin didn’t explicitly say it.

Then, Flin said, “See ya!” and briskly walked away.

What exactly—

Naturally, Laura wasn’t as dense as Albert, so she understood what Flin meant.

…W-W-W-What are you saying, Ms.
Flin…?!

Hiding her pounding heart, she threw herself into her studies once more.

W-We aren’t like that! Albert is my friend, and he’s an influential noble!

She immersed herself in her studies.

She tried to immerse herself in her studies.

She couldn’t immerse herself in her studies.

Having realized that she lost her concentration, Laura stood from her seat.
She returned her books and left the library.

T-This is all because of the weird stuff that M-Ms.
Flin said..! It’s gotten pretty late.
I gotta get back to the dorm quickly.

Laura walked down the empty academy hallway.
It was dimly lit, but lamps automatically activated through mana were installed throughout the hallway, so she had no trouble making her way.

Right when she was about to go down the stairs—

Plop, plop.

—she heard a strange noise from the bottom of the stairs.
It sounded as if someone were walking up the stairs barefoot.