Chapter 787 - Side Story 60: Ghost Queen (2)
Inside the front gate with the lights off sothing pure white wriggled in the pitch-black darkness and crawled out.
The sothing composed of pure white ectoplasm was faint, but it took on a human form.
A shape that looked like it would turn out that way if you molded faint mist into a person. Right. It resembled a ghost exactly.
The number of ghosts seed to be at least over 20. Beyond the army of slowly walking ghosts, a woman revealed herself.
Unlike the faint deceased who had no motivation or desire, she possessed an intense presence dozens of tis stronger.
"Hiiiik!"
Hermoa scread at the sight.
"It's too late! She's co out after all! The Ghost Queen!"
Rudger couldn't give any answer. He had dismissed it as just a rumor circulating among students, but to think there really was a Ghost Queen.
Could it be that they were conducting research related to necromancy in the research building and caused so kind of mistake?
Rudger carefully observed the Ghost Queen that Hermoa ntioned.
"...What. I thought it was a real ghost, but isn't that a person?"
The much-rumored Ghost Queen was not a real ghost but a person.
She only appeared similar to the other ghosts because of her hair color and the pure white gown draped over her body.
She was clearly a living person. However, she looked more dangerous than the ghosts that appeared before due to her gleaming eyes and eerie atmosphere.
'More than that, I feel like I've seen her sowhere.'
It was when Rudger was feeling a sense of déjà vu from the Ghost Queen's appearance. His eyes t with the Ghost Queen who was leading the ghosts.
Hermoa was startled and hid behind Rudger. The Ghost Queen's gaze had the power to make one's body tremble just from eting it.
However, the Ghost Queen was not interested in Hermoa. Her gaze had been consistently directed at Rudger from a while ago.
In those eyes that had only held endless anger toward this world, a different light swirled for the first ti.
"Teacher Rudger?"
"You..."
Looking at the Ghost Queen who called his na, Rudger spoke the na of the person who had just co to mind.
"Julia?"
The true identity of the Ghost Queen who was the subject of rumors throughout Theon was a student Rudger knew, Julia Plumhart.
-Uhhhhh. Oooohhhhh.
Ghosts making zombie-like sounds shambled around the area. Rudger, sitting in a chair at an outdoor cafe, watched the scene with a complex and subtle gaze.
"I was surprised. To think that you would return here, Teacher."
"Didn't you hear the news?"
"I was busy. Well, I did hear from Rene that you had returned, but who would have expected to encounter you at Theon?"
Rudger agreed with that part. After all, he hadn't expected to return to work at Theon again either.
"Anyway, it's nice to see you again."
"It's been a long ti indeed, but you've changed a lot."
"Well, of course. How could I compare to when I was a student?"
Julia said with a smile. She too had matured considerably in the three years, like the other students. She had originally had a mature appearance as a student, so the difference was just smaller compared to other disciples.
Rudger nodded and revealed the curiosity he held in his mind.
"More than that, what are you doing here? Don't tell you got employed at Theon right after graduating?"
"..."
At Rudger's question, Julia closed her mouth. Her tightly closed lips showed a reaction typical of soone who had nothing to say.
When Rudger was puzzled by this, Julia slightly averted her gaze and said.
"No. It's not that I got employed at Theon."
"It's not that. Then are you gaining experience as an intern?"
"Not an intern either. I just didn't graduate."
"You didn't graduate?"
The mont Rudger heard Julia's answer, he realized what choice she had made.
"Don't tell . You beca a graduate student?"
"..."
Julia, hit right on the mark, closed her eyes tightly. It was as if she was reflecting once again on this terrible reality she was in and humbly accepting it.
"Your grades shouldn't have been bad."
"Beyond not bad, I never gave up the top spot to begin with."
It seed that even after the second year without Rudger, she continued to maintain the top position. That clearly proved that the mage nad Julia Plumhart possessed very outstanding talent.
She too was worthy of being called a genius of the century.
But for that genius to remain in the research building, unable to graduate from Theon like a ghost wandering the nine heavens.
What a cruel reality this was.
"Why on earth did you make such a choice?"
"Well..."
Julia hesitated but explained why she had no choice but to make this decision at that ti.
"As you know, Teacher, my magic is Dream Work, a special category."
"That's right."
Dream magic was one of the more commonly learned among special categories, but special category was still special category. In other words, it was difficult for most mages to learn.
"Most mages belonging to the Dream School are quite old. At this rate, the school itself is facing a crisis of existence."
Above all, because the school head Clara Cowen and a considerable number of Dream Walkers had died at the hands of Apostle Nirvana, their strength had decreased compared to before.
"Our school needs new blood. For that, we need to accept new people, young mages at that."
"But it's special category magic so it's hard to learn, and finding those with aptitude isn't easy either."
"Yes. So we need to change our approach for the school. We need to modify Dream Work magic so anyone can learn it."
"That's not an easy choice."
There was a reason special categories weren't bound by the existing magic system. Not only was the population small, but their power was too abstract and broad to be simply categorized by formulas or theoretical systems.
The various magics that exist now were the result of countless geniuses leaving their marks while humanity built its history.
Julia had willingly declared that she too would walk the path of a pioneer.
If she had said she would reach the top with Dream Work magic, that surely wouldn't have been difficult for her.
But trying to incorporate Dream Work magic into the existing magic system was at a level difficult to dismiss as simply a new challenge.
"I know that I was arrogant but I had no choice."
Julia's voice carried fatigue about the current situation, but she didn't regret her choice.
"Even so, if I went back to that ti, I would have made the sa choice."
"If you don't regret it, that's enough. So you're holed up in the research building now researching Dream Work magic?"
"Yes. I'm sohow forcibly squeezing it out and making progress, but I've been feeling a bit of a limit recently. After all, I'm essentially pioneering a new path."
Rather, it was remarkable that there had been any progress until now.
"At least I've co this far with Franz's help, but even that's reaching its limit now."
Franz was also an excellent Dream Walker with the qualities to beco the next head of the Dream School. Thanks to his help, Julia was able to make considerable progress on her plan, but even that was gradually becoming too much.
"Anyway, since I need help in various ways, I'm diligently squeezing other graduate students."
As expected. Rudger had vaguely felt it from Julia's words, but she wasn't an ordinary graduate student.
If counted by years, she would be lower than those ghosts shambling around like zombies, but she had secured her position through pure skill.
Well, it had to be that way. She didn't have a separate supervising professor after all. Nevertheless, the fact that she could research in a place like this was thanks to Chancellor Elisa Willow's accommodation.
In reality, it was awkward to call her a graduate student. Still, since she was mingling with other graduate students in the research building, perhaps she could be called a senior graduate student.
"Then those ghosts wandering around..."
"They're not ghosts, I'm just extracting only their minds with Dream Work magic to let them rest."
Julia had fully realized the thod Rudger had devised in the past.
"No matter how much you rest the body, ntal fatigue remains. So I take them out like this for a change of atmosphere and walk them. Mainly only at night."
That seed to be why the rumor about the Ghost Queen spread. Indeed, anyone who saw a white-haired woman leading pure white ghosts at night would inevitably think that way.
"So that's why the rumor spread."
"Ah, a rumor? Was there such a thing?"
Julia herself seed completely unaware. Well, she wouldn't have had ti to pay attention to news circulating outside. Her days were short just from modifying Dream Work magic.
"Anyway, it feels a bit refreshing to open up like this. Of course, when I go back I'll have to wrestle with baffling theories again."
Julia shook her head. She was saying it was sohow okay, but she looked quite haggard. It was because of the anxiety that cos from walking a path with no end in sight, and the fatigue that resulted from it.
Rudger watched Julia like that and casually made a remark.
"If you're that worried, I can help you."
"What?"
Julia, who had just lifted her coffee cup, asked back in surprise.
"You, Teacher Rudger?"
"As you know, I can also use Dream Work magic."
Although he hadn't learned it formally, Rudger had beco quite proficient in Dream Work magic while heading to Dreamland.
And the trial Nirvana had imposed on Rudger. The overlapping dreams close to a curse that tried to kill his ego through countless dreams. Rudger ca out having accumulated countless experiences while breaking through that.
Naturally, though he wasn't a Dream Walker, his knowledge of Dream Work was not inferior to the mages of the Dream School.
"Even so, I still can't believe it."
Though she was half-doubtful with her words, Julia's eyes held a light of hope. eting and conversing with Rudger after a long ti, Julia vaguely felt it.
Three years. In that ti, Rudger had achieved a trendous level as a mage.
It was almost instinctive analysis. Julia could clearly feel it because she had outstanding talent in Dream Work.
Dreams related to the unconscious. Dream Walkers who operate closest to such dreams naturally used humanity's deeply engraved potential.
Julia's instinct was whispering to accept Rudger's proposal.
"If you help , is there sothing you want from ?"
Julia grasped the rope dropped from heaven. Though she wasn't without worry that it might be rotten, she decided to boldly trust her judgnt.
The situation was already baffling. She had no choice but to trust Rudger.
At Julia's answer, Rudger smiled and said.
"I've returned to work after a while, but since the timing isn't good, I couldn't imdiately find a teaching assistant."
"So you're telling to act as your teaching assistant, Teacher?"
"Right. If you do that, I'll beco your supervising professor. Although I'm a special class instructor, I'm still a formal teacher."
The groundbreaking condition of having an 8th Circle mage as a supervising professor. Of course, since Julia didn't know exactly what level Rudger's realm was at, she couldn't readily accept this proposal positively.
But from the mont she asked Rudger about the conditions, the conclusion she would reach was already decided.
"Alright. In my current state, I'm desperate for even minor help."
"Good. Let's write a contract. It's better to be thorough at tis like this."
Saying so, Rudger pulled out a contract from his shadow.
At the sight of him freely using space magic as naturally as breathing, Julia inwardly felt a thrill and she could realize that she had not made the wrong choice.
"But why do you have that contract?"
"Since I need a teaching assistant upon returning to work, I had to be prepared to recruit soone new at any ti."
Receiving the contract, Julia carefully read its contents.
Several clauses were added to Theon's standard contract.
"Hmm."
There was sothing slightly concerning among the added content, but since theorizing Dream Work magic was more important, she unhesitatingly wrote her na in the signature field.
The contract made with magic was thus ford.
"Congratulations. Julia Plumhart."
"Here. I trust you'll definitely keep your promise."
"Because it's a contract."
Rudger smiled softly with words of congratulation. Seeing that, Julia unknowingly felt a creepy sensation. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had made a contract with a devil.
But it was already done. There was no turning back.
Rudger, who collected the contract, felt satisfied.
With this, he obtained a senior graduate student who could work other graduate students. And a rare wild graduate student without a supervising professor at that.
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