When the zombie student swings its right arm down, a barrage of ice swords rains down.
However, in the end, they are just ice.
There’s nothing special about them.
The moment they touch the flame sword, the intense heat causes the ice swords to evaporate.
Every single ice sword aimed at me is gone.
And then, I walk forward slowly.
The only presence left around me is this zombie student.
A second volley of ice swords is loaded.
There are more this time.
But that’s all.
I swing the flame sword horizontally.
By slightly releasing its magic, the unleashed whitish flame obliterates all the ice swords.
The flame continues on, crashing into the wall, slightly melting it before disappearing.
I arrive before the zombie student.
A normal zombie would try to bite me at this point, but there’s no sign of that happening.
It stares vacantly into the void with dull, cloudy eyes.
The corpse seems fresh.
There’s little decay. It doesn’t even have bite marks.
I would have liked to burn it, but that’s not an option.
I cut off its head, bringing its activity to a halt.
Why did this student end up like this?
Did they dive into the Labyrinth of the Undead alone?
There are no signs of a bite.
The student went missing right after enrolling, I recall.
There’s still a room further in.
I leave the two behind with Mastema and move forward. The next room has a different atmosphere.
The walls are slightly darker here.
And once again, there’s an altar.
But this time, I sense something ominous.
I slice through the altar with the flame sword.
The ominous feeling seems to dissipate.
There doesn’t seem to be anything else here.
I take the other three and head outside.
When I explain the details to Lucora, who was waiting outside, she looks a bit concerned.
“An altar? There shouldn’t have been anything like that.”
I also tell her about the missing student and leave the aftermath to her. Of course, my score for the practical was increased.
Lucora, along with a few instructors, went to recover the deceased student. It seems the altar was also recovered.
The investigation is supposed to happen later, but I doubt they’ll find out much.
What still bothers me is the ominous presence I felt from the altar.
“Hey, Ahavain.”
“What is it, Mastema?”
On our way back home, after parting ways with Krogus and the others, Mastema asks.
Mastema twitches her nose slightly.
“I can smell something. Just a little.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, it’s gone. This happened before too. I smelled hell.”
Hell. The place Mastema was before being summoned.
The stronghold of demons, a place that should never be connected to this world.
“Is it possible that it’s connected?”
When I ask, Mastema shakes her head.
“No. If any demons other than me came through, I would know immediately. And if there was an invasion, it would be much more obvious. I think someone tried knocking on the gates of hell.”
It seems someone is attempting contact with hell.
And the only ones who would do such a thing at this academy are them.
It’s probably best to warn them before they get burned.
The sun is still bright.
I head toward the headmaster’s office.
When I open the door, the headmaster is wearing a blouse.
This guy’s always changing clothes.
“Knock…”
“I was in a hurry.”
“Very well, what do you need?”
“Disband the Hell Research Club. If you don’t, I will.”
The headmaster seems a bit taken aback by my blunt request.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? I admit they can be a bit extreme, but—”
“I’m still investigating, but apparently, they’ve knocked on the gates of hell.”
“Hmm…”
The headmaster falls silent.
Knocking on the gates of hell. In other words, they might be preparing for a demon summoning.
The demon summoning that took place in the kingdom took years of preparation, and it couldn’t be stopped once it was activated.
That ghastly, emaciated man was careless at the end, but that’s only because the summoning had already succeeded. Nothing else mattered after that.
The altar they had set up was likely part of the same ritual.
“Even instructors with the rank of professor are involved. They should be fully aware of the dangers of demon summoning.”
“Yes, and this Mastema, who was summoned by people who know those dangers better than anyone else, is right here.”
“Indeed…”
No matter how quietly they proceed, there’s a demon on my side.
If the connection to hell grows stronger, we’ll know right away.
I’d rather not go through another war involving angels and demons.
…And then it struck me.
There’s already a demon here.
Yes, a demon has already been summoned, so why summon another one?
Wouldn’t it be more reliable and safer to investigate Mastema instead of calling a new demon?
Is the altar not for summoning a demon?
Even so, they’ve had much less contact with Mastema than expected.
Surely, the Hell Research Club knows Mastema is a demon.
Sometimes a senior student from the elite group comes over to talk to her.
“I understand. For now, I’ll question the members of the Hell Research Club. This is a good opportunity.”
The headmaster says, then ushers us out.
There’s not enough information.
The headmaster’s inquiry probably won’t amount to much.
It would be better to go directly to their base and see for myself.
Should I bring Mastema along or not?
As I’m considering this, Mastema grabs my pants, stopping me.
When I turn around, I see her staring at a food stall.
It seems they’re selling a dish where thin dough is cooked and wrapped around cream made from fruit and cow’s milk.
“Do you want one?”
“Yes.”
I go to the stall and order four of their recommended items.
I should bring some back for Noel and Arnella too.
The young man at the stall quickly prepares four and hands them to me in exchange for payment.
I give one to Mastema and take the rest.
“Thank you very much.”
The young man bows and thanks me.
As I turn my back and start to walk away, I hear a voice in my ear.
“Death is approaching you.”
I quickly turn around, but the young man is still bowing.
“What’s wrong?”
Mastema, who’s eating the snack she received, looks at me curiously as I suddenly turn around.
Did Mastema not hear it?
Who could it have been…?
There’s no sign of anyone around.
The young man has started packing up the stall, perhaps closing for the day.
Feeling uneasy, I head home with Mastema.
