《Content Warning - The following chapter contains material that may be harmful or traumatizing to so audiences: ntions of Self-Harm and Suicide.》
When I didn’t say anything, the dimwit decided to continue.
“It’s always the sa with you idiots who refuse to ntion your family na. It’s obviously such a pathetic family that you don’t even want to say it.”
“...”
“There’s always fuckers like you: clueless little shits who don’t know their place and still manage to worm their way into the academy. Is that why you’re clinging to the prince? You’re hoping for so kind of life-changing miracle, huh?”
The thug’s minions started cackling, but I was taken aback for another reason.
So these guys knew Glenn was a prince, yet they were still puffing out circles and chugging drinks in the back?
Regardless of how down-to-earth Glenn was, I couldn’t wrap my head around their stupidity.
I wasn’t particularly bothered by their childish taunts, but I was curious about what made these idiots think they could run their mouths and get away with it.
“Then what family are you from, Sir B–ahem–Upperclassman?” I asked politely
The bear sneered as he replied, “Even a hick like you must’ve heard about us... I’m from the Rozallus family.”
I’d expected to not recognize the na, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Rozallus was a noble family—a county, I think—that was pretty well known in the city.
Just the fact that I recognized the na told he wasn’t so small fry.
“And I am Talis Rozallus, legitimate heir and firstborn of the Rozallus family and future lord of the house.”
“Mmmm. I see.”
“Hey, commoner. You’ve already fallen out of favor with , so don’t even think about running away. No matter where you go, you won’t escape my sight, got it? You won’t even be able to drop out of this class without my permission—”
He was cut off by the sound of the door opening, revealing a middle-aged man with empty, tired eyes.
His hair was greasy and unkept, his back was slouched, and a large blemish extended from his cheek down to his chin.
Was this Professor Alec?
“...”
It seed likely seeing how the delinquents shut their mouths and retreated. Talis glared at and mouthed “fuck off” when he saw looking at them.
I gave a firm nod and sat back down.
“...Let’s begin the class,” the professor said. His voice was as dreary as his appearance.
Although this was my first ever class at this academy, I still knew this wasn’t the normal flow of a class environnt.
Even if he skipped all introductions, shouldn’t there be at least a basic attendance check?
Furthermore, Alec didn’t even glance my way even though I was sitting in the front row. Usually, Teachers showed interest in new faces.
And that still wasn’t the end of the issues.
What is he saying?
I could barely hear him.
It was one thing to have a small voice, but to mumble every syllable, making even individual words hard to understand?
Is this actually real?
I was staring at him with a look of disbelief when Glenn finally returned.
After seeing that Professor Alec was here, he quietly approached , scribbled sothing in his notebook, and then showed it to .
‘Everything okay?’ it read.
I nodded in response.
Glenn let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the front of the class.
The mont he did, his deanor changed.
“...”
His usual timid, awkward deanor vanished, and behind his glasses, his red eyes brightened with eagerness.
“...”
Seeing his new attitude made focus on the class too.
As I continued to focus, I could sowhat make out Alec’s mumbling voice.
“...In today’s world, the land conquered by our intellects accounts for not even one-tenth of the continent. Beyond The Empire’s border lie threats and death in abundance, and we only know the shape of the world from sifting through ancient texts. Those who once burned with yearning, passion, longing, a sense of adventure, and desire for the unknown are now dead. Within the next hundred years, The Empire will et its demise.”
I blinked.
I’d just heard sothing that shouldn’t be easily dismissed.
He’s talking about the end of The Empire?
This man, who had earned the title of history professor, was saying that in front of a mber of the imperial family?
Even worse was Glenn’s reaction.
He wasn’t angry, sad, or even surprised. “...In 100 years,” he echoed, as if he’d heard that over and over again.
Sitting in this room suddenly felt stuffy and uncomfortable, even though the room was now clearly ventilated.
I felt as if I had been suddenly thrown into the midst of so kind of madness.
It left feeling both irritated and uncomfortable.
Frustrated, I raised my hand. “I have a question.”
Professor Alec looked at with full eyes and said, “I don’t take questions during my lectures.”
“Then do you take them afterward?”
“If I feel like it.”
That sounded like a no.
I was positive that he would leave the room the mont his lecture was over and never look back.
I was left with no choice but to press the matter.
“What evidence do you have that The Empire will fall within 100 years?”
Alec stayed silent. I wondered if he would ignore my question and just continue his lecture, but surprisingly, he did answer .
“...For the past 1000 years, the domain of intelligence has been shrinking. Thousands of years ago, this vast continent was ho to many different races. The snowy north was the land of the giants, the forest in the far east was ho to elves and beastfolk, and the southern lands were inhabited by dwarves and dragons. But now? We are confined to this small Imperial territory, and even that is divided into five parts. We aren’t having issues yet, but it won’t be long before we reach our limit.”
“Once the population exceeds capacity, you an?”
Alec shook his head. “No,” he said. “When the cult and the demons truly begin to take action.”
“Hm.”
So his prediction that it would take around 100 years was based on that assumption.
I smiled as I said, “I see, so you’re an optimist.”
“...What?”
“It’s not going to take 100 years for The Empire to fall.”
Alec’s blank stare turned to . Although I felt a little uncomfortable, I continued without flinching.
“Ten years,” I said. “That’s how long it will actually take.”
“...If you’re just spouting nonsense—”
“It’s not nonsense. Right now, how many places in The Empire are even remotely safe except for the Imperial City? Probably just the Bednicker Duchy, right?”
And I wasn’t saying that because it was family. It was a fact.
But of course, I now knew that that wasn’t true. The cult had infiltrated Bednicker as well... and given Sellen’s attitude, the Imperial City was not safe either.
The truth was, nowhere in The Empire was absolutely safe.
“The north is so cold that few people lived there in the first place, and the hunter-gatherers of the eastern plains are fiercely independent,” I said. “The Imperial House is not whom they follow. They follow their tribe leaders, their great warriors, and their ancestors. The South? When disaster strikes, it will undoubtedly begin there. Right now, The Empire can’t control even half of that vast wasteland.”
It was the truth. The Empire’s conflict had indeed begun in the south.
Alec focused his gaze on . “Do you truly believe in The Empire’s demise?” he asked.
“I’m uncertain about its complete downfall, but I am certain there will be war.”
There was no one in the world who knew that better than .
After all, I had experienced it firsthand, when the Church of Darkness began to rise from its shadows. Ten years from now, I’d been swept away in that war and died.
“...Co to think of it, I don’t recognize your face.”
He was finally showing interest.
I smirked slightly at his question as my earlier sense of unease solidified into certainty.
“I’m a transfer student.”
This guy wasn’t crazy.
He only pretended to be.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Class was over.
Normally, this would be the last class of the month. However...
“I’ll hold another class in three days. Will you be able to attend?” asked Professor Alec.
He was looking in the eye, and of course I nodded my head.
I watched Alec leave the room, then turned to Glenn. “I have sothing urgent to take care of, so I’ll head out first.”
“H-huh? O-oh, okay! Take care—”
I didn’t hear him out. I quickly left to follow Alec.
Fortunately, he hadn’t gotten too far, so I was able to catch up to him just as he was exiting the Theory building.
“Professor, I have sothing to ask.”
“...If it’s your question, it should be worth listening to. Have your questions prepared by the next class.”
“No. I want to ask now, when we’re alone—not in class.”
“...”
I hoped he could hear how sincere I was.
Alec seed to, because he stopped and turned to face .
I seized the mont and asked, “Professor, you know about Spirit Mountain, don’t you?”
I saw his face muscles bunch up as he clenched his jaw.
It wasn’t a big reaction, but it was enough.
“...Where did you hear that na?”
“I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Luan Bednicker.”
“...Bednicker,” Alec repeated. “Right, and you are a young hero. The family head, the Lord of Blood and Iron, must certainly know of it.”
“Yes. The family head himself told to seek you out, Professor.”
Alec let out a low laugh. “...Hoohoo.” He cracked an unsettling smile and said, “Follow .”
I did just that.
We walked past the Theory building, the main building, and a building I didn’t recognize. Eventually, we stopped in front of a shabby building.
This was probably where Alec was staying.
Alec pulled out a bundle of keys.
Clink.
“Can I ask why you are inquiring about Spirit Mountain?”
“It’s a place I must go soday.”
“...Is that so.”
Clink.
When the door opened, I was struck by a familiar sll.
Is that the sll of dicinal herbs?
It probably was.
The interior looked like a laboratory. There were countless glass bottles, liquids, and plastic beakers, and old books and docunts were scattered haphazardly across the desks and floors.
“As per the records,” Alec began as he stepped inside, “the existence of Spirit Mountain was first confird 157 years ago. On a peninsula on the eastern edge of the continent, it was discovered: a mountain range shrouded in mist year-round.”
Rustle.
He pushed out a nearby docunt to , but upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn’t a docunt at all but a newspaper.
[Empire Journal]
It was a na I had heard before.
Hadn’t Pam ntioned that it was the Empire’s largest publishing house?
I couldn’t help but be surprised by the publication date. Nearly a century ago...
[The great Empire’s expedition team sets out once again to unravel the mysteries of the East.]
“This is...”
“According to records, over the past hundred years, countless individuals have been dispatched to Spirit Mountain, and a handful of them each carried a special magic item.”
Alec pulled sothing out of a drawer and showed it to .
“It looks like an old wristwatch,” I said. But it didn’t have hour or minute hands, and the glass was square.
“While it can tell ti, that is only one of its functions. This was created by Penne: Archmage of Amber and the person generally acknowledged as the world's greatest alchemist. Although it was made over a hundred years ago, I can assure you that it is still one of the most complicated magic items in the world.
“It allows wearers to communicate with each other as well as check heart rate and body temperature. It is shock resistant and waterproof, and it has a storage compartnt that can hold so items.”
After a short silence, Alec continued, “Thanks to this watch, we know two things.”
“What things?”
“The wearer’s location and whether they are alive.”
Alec gnashed his teeth.
Grind.
However, I didn’t feel anger from him. Instead, I sensed fear.
His voice trembling, Alec struggled to say, “...Everyone is alive.”
“What?”
“Over the past hundred years, every expedition, scout, and subjugation party that’s ever headed for the Spirit Mountain—everyone wearing these watches...! It shows they are still alive...!”
“...”
“Their locations change constantly. Sotis, it shows that they’ve soared hundreds of ters into the air. Sotis, they’ve plunged thousands of ters underground. And sotis, wearers who’ve been missing for decades suddenly reappear.”
Alec wrapped his arm around himself and chuckled ominously.
“I know, I know. It’s reasonable to assu the devices are malfunctioning... But I believe...”
“...”
“If Hell exists, it’s there.”
“Why do you think so?”
“I have a photograph. A single photo, taken on Spirit Mountain.”
I paused for a mont to think. “A photo was taken?”
“Yes. I took it. I was on an expedition ten years ago... It was the most foolish decision I’ve made in my short life.”
“...”
“I honestly don’t rember when or how I took it. I don’t rember anything from the six months after I returned either... But I’ve been told that I shouted and scread, laughed uncontrollably like a madman, hurt myself frequently, and tried to hang myself at every opportunity.”
I studied Alec’s face. After a mont, I carefully asked, “Would you mind showing the photo?”
“...”
Alec hesitated briefly before pushing his frail-looking body over to the drawer.
“It was taken with an old model, and the photo is quite damaged, but...”
He opened the drawer. I saw his hand flinch and his body freeze up like he had just seen sothing especially grotesque.
Trembling, he reached into the drawer, and a mont later, a yellowed, discolored photograph was pulled out.
“...Take a look.”
“This...”
I felt a chill run down my spine.
I had seen all sorts of monsters during my rcenary days.
After my regression, I had encountered a gem beast.
During the training camp, I had even witnessed the descent of a demon lord.
However, the disturbing strangeness I felt now was several tis greater than any of those.
All I had was a photograph in front of , yet it exuded palpable dread. It felt as if the darkness captured within the fra was about to beco reality.
In the photo was a creature. Its beady eyes were filled with malevolence. It felt like I was making eye contact with a living existence. It was clearly a beast, but it wore a wicked, evil grin that looked strangely human.
It wasn’t just scary or intimidating. No, it defied such simplistic descriptions. It was grotesque, eerie.
“It is a beast. There are records left by the eastern minorities calling it a—”
“Tiger?”
Alec looked startled by my interruption. “You... are surprisingly well-inford. Indeed, it is as you say. It is a creature long extinct on the continent.” But Alec wasn’t done. Through gritted teeth, he continued, “However, the tigers recorded in literature didn’t look like this. They were not this massive, nor did they wear such horrific expressions...!”
“...”
“How many of these creatures existed? What happened to the remaining exploration teams? So might hope for their return, but not . I hope the opposite. I would rather they are dead. Dead and liberated from that hell... Even after all this ti, I still think and pray that sa thought tens of thousands of tis every night. But...”
Alec's face looked like it had aged 10 years. He closed his eyes and said, “I... I think... I have a feeling that those left there are still alive. And I think they are writhing in agony, suffering a fate worse than death.”
Only now did I realize why Alec had shown this photo.
“Young Hero, I do not know what purpose you have in heading to Spirit Mountain. But...”
“...”
“Please, value your life.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)