DMHS 94

It was hard to hope that the kid’s were safe.

“Did you find any clues?”

“Yes. But I think it’ll be difficult to locate the missing students.”

Frederick and the princess’s expression turned gloomy. Time had already passed without anyone knowing exactly when the disappearances happened, so it wasn’t unexpected, but the bitterness was another matter.

Kian slowly scanned the entries the princess had chosen. Then he leaned in and spoke in a low voice.

“Our goal is to make sure there are no more victims. Lord Barbarnosputlkraknakar and Miss Isabella, I’ll ask the two of you to investigate ghost stories number 58 and 88.”

An unexpected voice interrupted from beside him.

“What about me?”

Mila pointed at herself and spoke questioningly.

“You haven’t forgotten that I’m the one who’s been researching these ghost stories, right? I don’t know exactly what you’re trying to find, but I think I have the right to check them too.”

Kian sighed.

He didn’t want a third party to get involved, but since things had gone this far, Mila didn’t look like she’d give up.

‘Anyway, it’s about investigating ghost stories.’

He didn’t believe only the Silent Society Club students had been unusually curious among the academy’s students.

There must have been others who tried to check the stories for themselves. Most of them must have passed without incident.

If that was the case, it was likely not dangerous even if Mila went along.

In fact, that was why he’d decided it was safe enough to let the princess work with Frederick.

“All right. Lord Barbarnosputlkraknakar, I’ll entrust Miss Isabella and Miss Mila to you. The top priority is your safety, and the investigation comes next.”

“Then will you two check the rest of the stories?”

“Yes. We’ll meet this evening and exchange what we’ve each found. Miss Isabella, could I borrow your hairpin for a moment?”

“Here. You don’t have to return it later.”

After dividing into teams, the group split into two.

Kian and Lucien took charge of three items.

1-Do not make eye contact with a black cat.

6- Do not flip over the painting of the girl behind the art room.

Do not read the thirteenth book on shelf number thirteen in the library.

“Shall we start with the art room?”

“Sure.”

The art room was on the fifth floor of the main building. The timetable posted on the classroom door showed that there were no classes now.

“That’s lucky.”

Kian smiled and turned the doorknob. The latch on the inside rattled in place.

Unlike Lucien, who looked troubled, Kian was calm. He took out the hairpin he had borrowed from the princess and poked it into the keyhole.

Click.

The door opened.

“You can pick locks too?”

“I can do everything except what I can’t.”

Kian ignored Lucien’s words and checked the paintings hanging at the back of the art room.

Among the detailed still lifes and landscapes, one portrait stood out. The girl with purple hair falling to her chest had eyes so clear they seemed to pierce through the viewer.

‘I’ve seen that face somewhere.’

Kian tilted his head and read the small title written below.

Portrait of Laura Walders.

His foggy mind cleared like lifting mist.

“This girl was the master of the Fourth Tower who was murdered…”

Lucien nodded in agreement.

“We found the right place. It’s no coincidence that the Fourth Tower master’s portrait is here.”

“The Tower master must have studied at the academy when she was young. She definitely has the look of a student.”

“Shall we check it?”

Lucien rose on his toes and took the painting down.

Behind the turned painting, there was… nothing.

“That can’t be right.”

“Shh.”

Lucien tilted his head. When Kian followed his gaze toward the classroom, he froze.

Just moments ago, the classroom had been empty. Now it was full of students.

But they weren’t living humans. From their heads to their calves, their forms were faintly visible, but below that, everything disappeared into emptiness. These were memories bound to objects, replaying themselves.

The conversations exchanged among the gathered students flowed straight into his mind.

“Is that idiot still not here?”

“He’s probably still crying in the bathroom. Boohoo, I tore my paper, I’m so sad, wah wah wah.”

“Puhaha. Joseph does the best impression of Ivan, seriously. Are you sure you’re not from Delia?”

“I’m from Delia, yes. My name is Joseph. Let’s be friends.”

The students were gathered around one desk. The paper on top of the desk was torn to shreds, and between the scratched pencil case were broken pens.

“Class will start soon. He better not skip again without a clue.”

“You know him. That bastard has nowhere to go if he’s kicked out. The tribe already exiled him. Where else could he go? He’ll crawl back in anyway, so don’t bother worrying.”

“He could at least wipe his tears before coming in.”

“If he had that much sense, he would’ve hung himself already.”

“True. Disgusting little freak.”

“A dark mage in the academy. He doesn’t even know his place, pathetic.”

A calm voice interrupted the stream of crude insults.

“Can you stop it already?”

All eyes turned toward the girl sitting by the window. The girl with purple hair, Laura Walders, frowned.

“You think you’re the only ones who hate dark mages? As long as he studies at the same academy, he deserves at least basic respect. Cut out that low-class bullying.”

They looked annoyed, but none of them argued back. They only kicked the leg of the empty desk and went back to their seats.

A moment later, the door opened, and a boy with eyes red from crying came in.

The boy with Delian gray hair and ash-colored eyes started tidying the mess on his desk.

Watching him, Laura stood beside him.

“Ivan.”

“Huh?”

“Use this for today.”

Laura handed him clean paper and coloring tools. The boy called Ivan blushed and waved his hands.

“N-no, it’s fine. I, I don’t need it.”

“I insist. You don’t have to return it.”

Laura went back to her seat as the professor entered.

“For this class, we’ll be drawing portraits. Draw the face of a friend you like.”

While the other children started moving their pens right away, Ivan sat frozen for a long time.

Seeing his blank paper, Laura spoke again.

“If you don’t have anyone to draw, draw me.”

“But today’s supposed to be a, a friend’s face…”

“Then be my friend starting today. That fixes it, right? I’m Laura.”

“I, I’m Ivan…”

“I already called your name earlier. I’ve known it for a while.”

Ivan looked at Laura’s face and began to draw.

By the time the class ended, he had finished a portrait that looked exactly like her.

Laura fixed the picture on the back wall of the art room with magic and spoke.

“Everyone, look. This is ‘Portrait of Laura Walders.’ It’s a masterpiece that might appear once in a hundred years, so no one touch it.”

When she finished speaking, the illusion disappeared.

Kian checked the portrait of Laura again.

“Laura really does seem to be the Fourth Tower Master. But who’s Ivan?”

“The previous Tower Master.”

“Ivan… Harkin?”

It was a name he couldn’t possibly forget.

The previous master of the Fourth Tower.

After his sudden death, his younger brother, Gimere Harkin, had accused the Chronos Knights as the culprits. But when the Knights denied it, Gimere destroyed an entire city.

Even so, the reason Kian hadn’t recalled that man’s name right away when hearing it now was clear.

He had never referred to Ivan Harkin by just his given name, and…

‘Someone like that becomes a Tower Master later?’

Small frame, weak impression, timid voice.

The Ivan he saw in the vision looked far too fragile. He didn’t seem like someone who could rule over a great tower.

Even if sorcerers sometimes entered the Fourth Tower, the tower’s main members were people of the kingdom. Since Ivan had surpassed them all to become master, Kian had expected an ambitious and strong-minded person, but that expectation was completely wrong.

“I didn’t think Ivan would be like that. Most Tower Masters are proud and ambitious.”

“Well, humans have many sides.”

Kian was surprised by Lucien’s answer.

“You can think like that?”

“I’ve seen a lot of different human races lately. Thanks to someone.”

That “someone” was clearly Kian. He laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck.

“Anyway, this isn’t as scary as I thought.”

“Shall we move to the next place?”

“Yes. Let’s go to the library.”

Lucien hung the painting back where it had been. Kian locked the door and stepped out of the art room.

Click.

The light of the magic stone went out. And in the darkened art room, the painted eyes of the portrait rolled slowly to the side.

***

Do not drop your pen at the fourth seat of the fourth group in Room 404 of the annex.

To check ghost story number fifty-eight, Mila guided Barbarnos and Isabella to the annex.

Standing before the building, Barbarnos asked in a trembling voice.

“Was the annex an abandoned building?”

“I heard it hasn’t been used for about five years. That makes it perfect, right? We can investigate without other students watching.”

“Great! Let’s go to Room 404 now!”

While Isabella joined in excitedly, Barbarnos shivered all over.

“M-maybe some students might come in, so I’ll just wait at the entrance…”

“Stop stalling and move, mister!”

Isabella shoved Barbarnos’s back. He gave up quickly and entered the building with a resigned face.

Creak.