The night breeze swayed gently. Its soft touch made the leaves rustle. The stars shimmer like scattered diamonds across the sky.
?: "Good evening, Professor Yates."
A student's greeting echoed through the night as Lisa walked through in front of the main doors of the Academic Building.
?: "Good evening, Sir Arthur."
'Sir' is still a bit much… but at least it's better than 'Silver-Winged Protector'. I consoled myself.
For some students, calling me "professor" felt strange due to my age. So they had begun calling me "Sir Arthur" instead, mostly because Valerie and Ducas often addressed me that way.
Arthur: "Good evening."
I replied in kind, returning her greeting.
Lisa: "Return to your dormitory. It is past dining hour."
But Lisa was more blunt, and the female student, clutching a stack of books to her chest, stiffened uneasily.
She bowed respectfully toward us and hurried toward the female dorm.
Persephone: "Clear the mess huh? It looks to me like you rushed out just to spend time with your crush."
Her voice rang plainly in my head, though the taunt was very obvious to me.
—I don't have a crush.
I replied through chatbox.
At present, Lisa and I were walking past the Academic Building. Tonight's sky seemed unusually crowded with stars. It almost felt like many eyes were watching me.
During the meeting in the morning, several measures had been decided upon. One of the most obvious was increased patrols around the Trivia grounds.
Each professor would be on patrol in rotation—one in the morning, one in the evening. The cycle would continue until every professor had taken a turn, and it would repeat until the matter of disappearances is resolved.
Lisa: "You don't actually have to come."
She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. She took it upon herself to be the night's first patrol.
Arthur: "I have to. I'm your assistant. Helping you is my job."
I said it casually as we walked past the building and stepped into the vast garden area. It was more like a park than a garden, though tonight it stood empty.
Since it is past dining hour, students are forbidden from leaving their dormitories. Before, many had been seen wandering late—but not anymore.
After the morning meeting, every class had been explicitly informed: roaming at night is strictly prohibited from now on.
Taking a deep breath, I adjusted the weight resting in my arms.
Arthur: "Besides, I get to spend more time with the Headmaster."
Smiling lightly, I stroked the fur of the cat nestled in my arms.
Hekate: "Purrr."
She seemed perfectly content.
+
[The Nubecula 'Gumiho' is looking happily at you.]
+
Lisa: "Hmm…"
She merely hummed, offering no further comment.
Watching a higher existence behave like an ordinary pet in my arms still felt strangely surreal.
Arthur: "Honestly, I expected you to be frustrated."
Lisa turned her head toward me, though our steps continued.
Arthur: "You volunteered for the first patrol duty. Won't it interfere with your research?"
I remember Lisa prefers immersing herself in research, especially unconventional methods of acquiring skills. She dislikes unnecessary duties like this. It was one of the reasons she had no desire to become an Archduke and shoulder administrative burdens.
Lisa: "It was I who proposed patrolling the area. And my turn will only come once a week after this. It's fine."
I nodded slightly in understanding.
+
[Some Nubeculas are looking in your direction.]
+
Silence settled between us as we crossed the wide grassland.
Arthur: "About the meeting this morning…"
I had debated whether to bring this up, but now the atmosphere seems appropriate.
Lisa: "Hm?"
Arthur: "About what Professor Lothian was implying. Amanda Kirt's disappearance and my first class occurred on the same day. You did realise that, right?"
Lisa: "He was? I wasn't aware."
Persephone: "She's good at feigning ignorance, isn't she?"
I know. It seems she really is. She's the Archduke of this continent. Controlling her expressions isn't optional—it's essential.
m
But I didn't receive any message about her feeling uneasy… or suspicious. Did she truly not notice? Or she simply felt nothing unusual?
Hmm… then let's try another approach.
Arthur: "So? Do you find it odd?"
Lisa: "Find what odd?"
Heh. Now isn't this a bit too obvious? She's clearly dodging.
If she keeps pretending not to understand, it will eventually become transparent. I guess I'll just say it then.
Arthur: "That both incidents align perfectly."
Lisa: "…Do you want me to suspect you?"
Maybe she truly doesn't suspect me… but that line of thinking sounds too convenient.
Arthur: "I want to know if you think I had something to do with the situation, Miss Lisa. I'm sure many others do."
I am certain some Nubeculas watching me were probably wondering what I hoped to gain from asking her this.
A thought had been playing in my mind for some days now, and I couldn't settle it.
The situation is, I could not read Lisa's thoughts.
I know I possess a skill that allows me to read some people's thoughts, but I am guessing there are some conditions that I don't know, and I am unable to access my Profile.
There had to be a requirement. I couldn't simply trigger it like Prescient Description.
So I could only judge her by her words and actions. And recently, I suspected her trust in me had grown.
She no longer corrects me for calling her "Miss Lisa." Previously, I had even received messages reflecting her discontent. Those no longer appeared anymore.
We discussed her research openly. At first, she had merely been excited when I first brought it up, but the conversations continued. I was the only one who knew about it, apart from Hekate.
Also, I am still her assistant. Initially, she had only tolerated me because Hekate showed interest in me—an interest stemming from my Soul Contract with Persephone. That curiosity should have faded over time.
Yet here I am, still walking beside her.
And then there was the moment when I asked to teach Eddie's class—,
<
Arthur: "Miss Lisa, I can handle it. The Acting Headmaster personally asked you because there's no one better to teach Magic. He approved this as well, and I assure you I won't do anything to undermine that. I'm your assistant, remember?"
Lisa: "I already know that."
Arthur: "Then… do you just not trust me?"
Lisa: "I do."
>
I recalled that moment.
She hadn't explicitly said "I trust you," but her response was positive. That wasn't something the Lisa I knew would say lightly.
All of this led me to believe her affection value should have increased.
My eyes shifted to the heart icon floating above her head.
But this damn number hasn't moved at all! I roared internally.
The heart-shaped icon—visible only to me since I tried to make Lisa my blesser—had remained stagnant for far too long, still displaying 20.
I waited as we walked; Lisa seemed to be considering how to answer my earlier question.
Lisa: "I don't think you have anything to do with the disappearances."
My eyebrows lifted slightly. So she doesn't consider me a suspect?
Arthur: "Why?"
Genuine curiosity filled my heart and colored my voice. What unsettled me more was the absence of any message indicating she was sincere in telling the truth, guilty for lying, or disoriented from being deceitful.
Lisa: "The class didn't have a professor because Professor Eddie decided to return to his household."
That is true.
Arthur: "And?"
Lisa: "The Acting Headmaster was the one who requested me for that position to be filled."
That is also true.
Lisa: "He asked me to teach it—not you. So how could you now teaching that class and students disappearances are related?"
Her reasoning held some logic, but how could I simply accept that and move on?
Arthur: "But I insisted on teaching that class."
Lisa: "…"
She fell silent for a moment. Her gaze dropped briefly to my arms—to Hekate. The cat met her eyes before she looked back at me.
Lisa: "..Didn't you say that because you wanted to help me? Time and again, you've said that."
This time I had to pause and think. What she said is all true—I had been doing everything I could to help Lisa, because I wanted to raise her affection for me.
But it wasn't just that… I suppressed the thought before it could fully surface.
Her reasoning was sound, but that wasn't the goal behind my questions.
Arthur: "But how can you be sure I'm not responsible?"
Lisa's steps halted abruptly, her brows creasing at my words. I walked a few steps ahead before noticing and turned back.
Her chin lifted slightly. Doubt flickered across her face.
+
[ Lower existence 'Lisa Hart' is wondering about your intentions.]
+
Did I push her too much? I wondered.
Lisa: "What are you trying to make me say? I already told you the reasons."
What am I trying to make you say? It's simple. I want to hear whether you actually trust me or not. I know how hard it is for you to trust someone.
I didn't say that aloud.
Keeping that thought to myself, I decided to take a more direct approach. The indirect ones clearly aren't working.
Arthur: "I'm not asking you to explain how me teaching that class and the students disappearances are unrelated, Miss Lisa."
The doubt on her face shifted into confusion.
Arthur: "I'm asking why you think that I am not the culprit behind all these disappearances."
+
[Lower existence 'Lisa Hart' is shaken by your question.]
+
Arthur: "Am I not someone you know nothing about?"
Lisa pressed her lips together more tightly.
It was bold of me to say that openly, but I knew people talked about me being mysterious due to my lack of background. Their suspicion was understandable.
Silence enveloped our surroundings.
Lisa: "Mmm."
Our eyes locked. I searched hers for the answer.
Lisa: "It's—"
Her gaze broke away from mine and fell onto Hekate in my arms. I continued watching her face.
Lisa: "It's a—"
What? Trust? What is it? I wondered.
A sudden gust of wind swept through, rustling the leaves of the trees around us and swaying the flower bushes lining both sides of the path.
Lisa: "It's because of my gut."
My mind went blank for a moment. Huh? Gut? Like her stomach?
Lisa: "My instincts tell me so."
After saying that, she stepped forward and gently took Hekate from my arms.
Lisa: "We need to cover the academy. Go right, and I'll go left. After you reach the main building, if you don't find anything suspicious, you can return to your room."
With that, she walked past me. The path split in two at the end. She turned left and continued onward. I stood motionless, watching until she disappeared from view.
Persephone: "That was quite intense. Weren't you pressing too hard?"
—I had to. I needed to confirm something.
+
[The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' comments: "What is going on in that head of yours?."]
+
She must have figured I was pushing Lisa for an answer.
+
[The Nubecula 'Who Likes Cigars And Candy' comments: "Hero gets the girl, don't worry."]
+
I don't need a girl, I thought irritably.
+
[The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' comments: "Shut up."]
+
[The Nubecula 'Raziel' is looking at you.]
+
Ignoring them, I continued staring in the direction Lisa had gone.
Arthur: "The number still didn't change."
Persephone: "What number?"
Arthur: "Nothing."
Despite pushing her for an answer, the number inside the heart-shaped icon remained unchanged.
Arthur: "Instincts, she said. Don't you find that funny?"
+
[The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments: "Yes! Yes!"]
+
Chuckling slightly at Gumiho's enthusiasm, I finally walked, taking my side of the campus.
Women and their terrifying instincts were quite amusing, in my opinion.
Persephone: "What's so funny about that?"
She muttered, following after me.
Walking my assigned side of the grounds, I encountered a few students—some sitting on benches, some couples strolling, and some attempting to sneak outside.
After directing all of them back to their dormitories, I eventually reached the main building. This marked the end of my patrolling duty.
The tall, wood-carved door of the main building stood still before me, closed shut.
I glanced around. No soul was visible—not even on the stairs behind me, which I had climbed to reach the entrance door.
Persephone: "So, finally heading to the sixth floor."
Arthur: "Yes. Finally. Though I don't particularly want to."
+
[The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments: "Yeah! Let's go!"]
[Several Nubeculas are excited.]
+
This isn't a show, I grumbled internally.
Arthur: "It has to be today. If I wait any longer, I don't know how many more students will disappear. And it was fortunate that Lisa had patrol duty first."
+
[The Nubecula 'Raziel' is pleased with your concern for other existences.]
[The Nubecula 'Who Likes Cigars And Candy' comments: "Yeah, yeah. Get inside already."]
+
Maintaining my neutral expression, I pushed the door open while gritting my teeth at their comments.
Creak.
The massive wooden door groaned open just enough for me to slip inside.
The hallway before me stretched long and dim. At this nighttime hour, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling was useless, emitting not a single strand of light.
The light crystals embedded along the walls were dimmed, deprived of power. The entire hall was swallowed in a deep brown darkness.
Shadows from furniture and shelves consumed most of the floor and walls.
The only source of light filtering in came faintly through the windows.
Arthur: "I'll have to take the stairs."
I said softly, closing the door behind me. I had to find the stairs—obviously, I needed to reach the sixth floor.
The place was dark—but not so dark that I couldn't navigate through it.
Persephone: "You feel uneasy, don't you?"
Arthur: "The way to the sixth floor isn't simply taking the stairs."
I could feel her curiosity—and a trace of confusion—bleeding into me. Our emotions were intertwined, yet still distinguishable.
Arthur: "The Script on the sixth floor is tied to an abandoned soul."
+
[Several Nubeculas are listening to you.]
+
Arthur: "It's been longing for its master for a long time, cooped up on the highest floor. It will be very difficult to find, unless it allows me to."
Interest seemed to flare within Persephone; I could feel it.
A truly sad story was waiting.
As I walked past a couch positioned in the centre of the hallway—with a small table and carpet beneath it—I consciously relaxed and let my mind wander, releasing it from any defensive barriers.
I needed my mind to drift toward its feeling. I needed my body to be drawn to it—to the longing emanating from the sixth floor.
So that my soul could understand it and compel me to want to comfort it.
So my body wouldn't ignore it.
So my soul would recognize it.
So I would want to comfort it.
I tried to empty my mind, but thinking about nothing was impossible.
At first, I attempted to silence all thoughts. The hallway was deathly quiet. My senses sharpened—hearing, smell, every subtle detail.
But it backfired when the faint rustle of Persephone's dress reached my ears, and her scent filled my nose.
Shake. Shake.
Shaking my head slightly, I cleared my thoughts.
Then I focused on my steps, carefully navigating through the dark shade.
Reaching the sofa at the center, I used it for support to find my way through the hall, gently brushing my fingers along its edge. I tried to think about something related to the script.
The key point to remember was that this was a soul that had been abandoned. How long must it have been hiding? Surely an awfully long time. The feeling of abandonment should be overwhelmingly strong.
I felt… a twinge of pity for it.
?: "—ur."
Maybe even sympathy. But such feelings wouldn't help it.
Pity or sympathy wouldn't do it any good. The main question is: would I be able to clear it? If everything went according to what I hoped, it should be alright.
Longing to be loved by someone… I could understand that feeling.
My childhood self would have understood it perfectly. But now, I had become somewhat numb to many emotions.
?: "A-ur?"
Being ignored. Watching someone you admire always talk about someone else. Hoping to be close, yet constantly being compared to others who have nothing to do with you.
?: "Hey! Arthur!"
A sharp voice suddenly cut through my thoughts.
+
[The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' comments: "Arthur!"]
[The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' comments: "Is he not getting the message?"]
[The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments: "That is impossible."]
+
Arthur: "Huh?"
Persephone: "Can you hear me?"
Arthur: "Yeah… yeah, I can hear you."
As I said that, I turned my head around. A long, different hallway came into view, stretching so far ahead that I wasn't even sure it had an end.
+
[The Nubecula 'Dionysus' comments, "He was just ignoring us."]
[The Nubecula 'Raziel' comments, "No, it was something else."]
[Several Nubeculas are wondering about your behaviour.]
+
The overlapping comments irritated me, but they also forced me to sharpen my focus. So I focused on my surroundings instead.
It was dark. The only light faintly illuminating the space filtered in from the windows to my right. To my left, there were doors with wall pictures hung between them.
I remember this place. It's the same hallway where Alison was.
I quickly reached that conclusion.
Persephone: "What was that?"
My eyes fell on the beautiful woman beside me. I studied her carefully, trying to clear my head completely. She looked the same as always—beautiful and composed, with pale skin. Ametrine eyes that shimmered faintly even in the dim light. A long royal gown with a rigid texture. Aubergine-colored hair cascading down her back.
Good. It seems I had broken free from the hypnotic influence.
Arthur: "It was the Script's influence."
My gaze drifted toward one of the nearby windows.
Arthur: "How did I get here?"
+
[The Nubecula 'Who Likes Cigars And Candy' comments, "You walked, duh."]
+
Persephone: "You just started walking—going up the stairs, through the hallway, then taking more stairs. I kept asking where you were going, but you didn't respond at all."
Arthur: "I see. Well, it seems this must be the fifth floor. The sixth floor should be directly above this one. Let's find a staircase."
I had already been hypnotised once; I needed to progress quickly.
For some reason, a sense of urgency stirred inside me. Perhaps it was because False Awakening hadn't activated to protect me from the hypnosis.
Maybe because I deliberately let my consciousness drift… that's why it didn't activate, I reasoned.
+
[The Nubecula 'Who Likes Cigars And Candy' is impressed by your lack of reaction.]
+
I don't have enough motivation to respond to his provocation, so I simply ignored him.
It might not have shown on my face, but internally, I was slightly unsettled.
Taking a slow, steady breath, I moved forward in the direction I had seen Alison go.
Persephone: "Are you all right?"
—Are you worried about me?
Persephone: "As if. Don't think so highly of yourself. I just don't want my exciting ride to end yet."
Rolling my eyes, I continued down the hallway. Tracing the same path I had seen Alison take, I soon reached a large door. Beside it, the word 'Library' was beautifully carved onto a plaque on the wall.
Persephone: "How many libraries does one academy even need?"
Ignoring her remark, I turned to my left—and as expected, another staircase came into view.
Arthur: "There's the staircase. It should lead to the sixth floor."
Persephone: "Is it going to be the final one?"
Arthur: "It should be the final one."
+
[Some Nubeculas' eyes are sparkling.]
+
Let's reach the floor quickly and clear this Script.
With that thought in mind, I began ascending the stairs.
When I reached the first landing, I glanced through the nearby window. The glass was foggy, obscuring any view outside.
Turning away, I continued upward until I finally reached the sixth floor.
As I stepped onto the final stair, a balcony-sized space opened before me. At its far end stood a single door.
Huh?
At the end of the short hallway stood an ordinary-looking door.
It's a... simple door?
Confusion flickered across my mind.
The door looked different from how it had appeared when Alison approached it. It wasn't towering. It didn't have hands for handles. It wasn't bound in chains.
It was just… a door.
Persephone: "Isn't that too simple for something holding a Hidden Schema?"
Shit.
A memory from my dreams surfaced abruptly, and panic gripped me.
I barely registered what Persephone was saying. My attention was locked entirely on the door—and its simplicity.
+
[Several Nubeculas are confused by your expression.]
+
Persephone: "Hey. Why are you panicking?"
I couldn't respond—I hadn't expected the door to look this simple. I wasn't mentally prepared for this.
The simpler the door appears, the stronger the hypnosis will be, I realised. And its ability to prey on longing—the craving to be loved—mixed with the ache of abandonment.
I concluded that something unexpected was about to hit—
?: "Arthur?"
A voice reached my ears.
It felt distant.
Ancient.
A voice—one that felt like I hadn't heard it in so, so long—reached my ears.
+
[The exclusive skill 'False Awakening' has been shaken violently.]
+
****
[The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' is slightly shaken.]
[The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments, "Who is she?!"]
[The Nubecula 'Dionysus' comments, "I suppose we're about to find out."]
[The Nubecula 'Who Likes Cigars And Candy' clicks his tongue.]
[Several Nubeculas are laughing at your stunned expression.]