Chapter 104

At Jacqueline’s outcry, Shannon squinted and looked toward the end of the hallway.

But she soon let out a sigh and said,

“It’s just the shadow of some cleaning tools someone left standing. What are you so scared of?”

“R-Really? I could’ve sworn I felt someone watching us…”

“Jacqueline, you’re surprisingly jumpy.”

“It’s just that the atmosphere here is really weird. I swear, a place like this definitely has ghosts at night.”

“If any student who takes classes in this building heard you, they’d be upset. And besides, ghosts are surprisingly reasonable beings.”

“Really?”

“As long as you know a few necromantic spells to ward off vengeful spirits, you’ll be fine.”

“……”

The two continued deeper into the Potter-Cavendish Hall.

The inside of the building was eerily quiet.

Jacqueline brought a hand to her ear and whispered nervously,

“There’s no one here, is there?”

“At the very least, the person who invited us should be.”

“Ugh… I guess saying ‘let’s just turn back now’ is out of the question?”

“There’s the stairs. Let’s go.”

Shannon took the lead bravely, with Jacqueline sticking close behind.

Clack, clack.

Their footsteps echoed through the empty space.

As they climbed the stairs, they were greeted by a hallway even darker than the one on the first floor.

The only light came from the windows at either end of the hallway, making it hard to even see their own feet.

Shannon checked the classroom numbers posted above their heads as they searched for Room 201.

That was when it happened.

Something clinked and rolled after Jacqueline’s foot bumped into it.

Clang!

“Wah!”

“Jacqueline, my arm hurts.”

“Sorry… it was just a can, I think.”

Slowly making their way forward like that, the two finally reached the room written on Luke Rousseau’s note after climbing the stairs.

Room 201.

“This is it.”

“Sounds like someone’s inside!”

Whisper, murmur.

From behind the door came a low, eerie murmuring. Like multiple people muttering in hushed tones.

Jacqueline bit her fingernail.

“What if this turns out to be some kind of occult meeting?”

“That’d actually be a little disappointing.”

Shannon was already lifting her hand toward the door.

Knock, knock.

The moment Shannon knocked, the murmuring inside stopped as if cut off with a knife.

A chilling silence fell.

“Eek!”

Jacqueline let out a thin, high-pitched squeal.

Shannon, unfazed, hesitated for a second, considering whether to knock again—

When the door suddenly opened from the inside, revealing a familiar face.

It was Luke Rousseau.

“Senior Luke?”

“Oh, it’s you two. Come on in.”

Jacqueline peeked through the gap in the open door.

Eight pairs of eyes were staring at her from inside the room.

Gulp.

She swallowed dryly without realizing it.

“Are you planning to just stand there? Come on in.”

“Y-Yes,…”

It was a classroom neither large nor small.

Inside Room 201, a group of people sat in a circle around a single lantern placed in the center.

The setup looked as if they were about to perform a demonic summoning ritual.

Jacqueline and Shannon were led into the center of the circle.

Click.

The sound of the door locking echoed behind them.

Jacqueline widened her eyes and asked nervously,

“Wh-Why are you locking the door?”

“We don’t want what’s discussed in here leaking outside.”

“……”

Jacqueline fell silent. Her mind was now flooded with ominous thoughts.

Human sacrifices. Black magic. Forbidden rituals…

Each idea was darker than the last.

Then someone sitting in the circle spoke.

“These are the ones? The candidates you mentioned?”

“Yeah. They’re first-years who take Professor Winslet’s class with me. I couldn’t just leave them alone, so I brought them here.”

“Oh, I know one of them. That girl who dueled Professor Winslet, right?”

“The exchange student from Karaf?”

“The one who took down a bunch of second-year bullies right after arriving?”

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“I like her.”

Like her…?

What exactly did they like about her?

As a sacrificial offering?

Jacqueline gripped Shannon’s arm tightly, and Shannon let out a deep sigh before reproaching Luke Rousseau.

“Enough with the inside talk. How about explaining things to us now? My friend is clearly getting nervous.”

“I’m not sure what else needs explaining. I told you yesterday, didn’t I?”

“All you said was that we’d learn the truth about Professor Winslet if we came here.”

“That’s right.”

“And what exactly is that ‘truth’? Who are you people, anyway? I heard you were some kind of anti-fan club for Professor Winslet.”

At that, Luke Rousseau gave a small laugh. Though there was nothing cheerful about his smile.

“Anti-fan club? Who’s been spreading that nonsense?”

“Then what are you?”

“Let me formally introduce us. We’re a secret organization that operates to resist the abuse of power within the academy. Our name is…The Winter Winslet Victims’ Association.”

***

Shannon gasped.

“You’re calling yourselves a victims’ association…? Are you saying Professor Winslet is the perpetrator?”

“That’s not even up for debate.”

“What did he do to you all?”

Luke glanced around at the other students in the room before replying.

“He’s hurt people in all sorts of ways. Some were excluded from scholarship reviews. Some had their research papers taken. Others were forced to repeat a year or even expelled from the dorms. And that’s just scratching the surface. He’s handed out academic penalties left and right.”

“Shouldn’t that kind of misconduct be reported to the academy administration?”

“If that had been possible, we wouldn’t have needed to form this group. The academy was definitely silent about Winter Winslet’s wrongdoing. So we decided not to rely on public authority and to judge Professor Winslet ourselves. To give him a punishment appropriate to the wrongs he committed.”

“It was part of that plan to try to blow up Professor Winslet’s house.”

“I already said that plan has been scrapped.”

“And you’re probably planning to harm the professor by other means.”

Shannon shook her head.

“This may sound rude, but I’m not sure what happened to you is tragic enough for that. Academic penalties? Of course that’s unfair. But is it something that justifies trying to kill Professor Winslet?”

“What you just heard are only the smallest of the wrongs the professor committed.”

“Then what are the greater wrongs?”

The lamp on the floor, as if its oil were nearly spent, began to flicker wildly.

Shadows rolled over each of their faces.

When the light came back, Luke Rousseau’s expression had completely changed.

His gentle eyes cooled and settled, and his soft mouth had hardened.

It was the look of a fleshless skull. The sort of expression that might appear if you stripped from the face of someone who had lived harmlessly all their life the last remaining scrap of goodwill and kindness.

“If I told you Winter Winslet killed a student at the academy… would you believe it?”

**

Saturday evening.

Rose Bly came to my house.

She was carrying a large suitcase in each hand.

“What’s all that luggage for?”

“What do you mean, what’s all that? A change of clothes and pajamas, cosmetics and beauty tools, a toothbrush, and also… this is a gift for you.”

Rose Bly took out a small gift box and handed it to me.

It was a box of chocolates, wrapped luxuriously.

I accepted the gift half-heartedly and spoke to Rose Bly.

“That’s a lot of luggage. It almost looks like you’re planning to move in.”

“Well, you’re not exactly wrong. I’m staying here for the next three days.”

“Three days?”

“I told you, keep your schedule clear.”

“Does the treatment really take three whole days?”

“That depends on you, doesn’t it? Hehe.”

Rose Bly gave a sly smile.

Just what kind of treatment was she talking about?

“I’ll borrow a room. You’ve got plenty, right? Surely there’s a spare.”

“Ask Dahlia.”

Ever since I fell ill, Dahlia had been by my side at all times.

She gave a small nod, as if she’d already done the mental math.

“I think it would be best to give her the large room on the second floor. I’ve kept it in good shape, so with just a bit of cleaning, it should be ready. Give me about thirty minutes.”

“Oh my, how polite. I like this one.”

“Leave the bags to me! I’ll bring them up once the room’s ready.”

“Thanks.”

Dahlia struggled a bit as she lugged the large, heavy bags out of the living room.

Rose Bly sat down at an angle on the sofa beside me and looked at me quietly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Worse.”

My body was chilled and weak, and my chest throbbed now and then as if something were squeezing it.

I was constantly dizzy and nauseous, barely able to swallow water, let alone food.

There wasn’t an ounce of strength in me.

And this was me feeling relatively fine.

It got much worse at night.

“Did you get any sleep?”

“Not at all.”

Rose Bly let out a sigh.

“Even if you’re not hungry, eat one of the chocolates I brought. It’ll help with the treatment.”

She said it would help, so I did as I was told.

The chocolate melted smoothly in my mouth, its sweet and slightly bitter flavor spreading across my tongue.

But then I suddenly coughed.

There had been something else inside the chocolate.

Something strong.

“Was that brandy?”

“Mhmm.”

“Unbelievable. Giving alcohol to a patient?”

“I told you. It’s good for the treatment.”

As she said that, Rose Bly picked up a chocolate for herself and popped it in her mouth.

If it’s for the patient, why is she eating it too?

She licked the chocolate from her finger and looked at me.

Her gaze was blatant.

“Well then, shall we get started? The sooner the treatment begins, the better for you.”

“Go ahead.”

Rose Bly stood up from the sofa and walked directly toward me.

Then, meeting my eyes, she began unbuttoning the blazer she wore over her clothes one button at a time.

The sense of unease that had been faintly stirring reached its peak when Rose, who was now lightly dressed, leaned over me on the sofa.

I looked up at her and snapped,

“I don’t even have the strength to play along with your jokes right now. Didn’t I tell you I’m a patient?”

“Why? Because we’re in the living room? So what? Your maid said it would take thirty minutes to clean the room, didn’t she? That’s plenty of time.”

“What?”

“The way to ease your symptoms is to be held in a woman’s arms.”