I did not know a single spell from the Divine Magic branch.
Especially not from the healing branch.
In my previous life, just before I died, I had learned a few basic blessing spells, but that was all.
Compared to Combat Magic and Dark Magic, my knowledge of Divine Magic was pitifully lacking.
……Even so.
Even someone like me had now reached the point where developing a healing spell was almost within reach.
I still had only one Circle, and I was nowhere near capable of completely curing Father’s illness.
So I began with the most basic and primitive form of Healing Magic.
After checking the relatively simple Spell Formula several times, then once again reviewing the flow of mana and the magic theory notes I had written myself, I finally stood up.
It was time to test it.
“Whew. I’m nervous.”
Creating magic yourself was always nerve-racking, even for an Archmage.
Granted, the magic I had created was only at the level of the First Circle…… but every beginning was humble.
“Etar le Am do.”
I quietly recited the Incantation.
It was a language that did not exist in this world.
But to me, it was an all-too-familiar one.
I continued chanting.
“Cepulsz Ar Duringo Si Aido.”
In accordance with my Incantation, the mana and Spell Formula began turning in perfect coordination like machinery.
The basic foundation for the first Healing Magic I had ever created came from Earth’s magical medicine.
More specifically, Surgery Healing, which treated external injuries.
It was a magical-medical technique that formed part of the foundation of medicine currently practiced on Earth.
Sweat beaded across my forehead as I continued the Incantation and ran my tongue over my lips.
Just a little more.
A little more, and the magic would manifest.
I pushed through the final stretch.
“Arachnis Wrood Guper…….”
With the sensation of my insides being completely emptied out, sparks burst from my hand and the dorm room flashed with light.
The sudden mana consumption made my head spin, and my vision distorted until I could see two of everything.
“Ugh…….”
It felt as though some part of my brain were burning away.
I could actually smell something burning at the tip of my nose.
I felt like I might lose consciousness and collapse at any moment, but I bit down hard on my lip and endured.
Just a little more.
Really, just a little――!
At that moment, a sphere of blue light appeared above my right hand and vanished.
I tilted my head with a stupid expression, then realized that I had simply run short of mana and nodded.
It worked.
I had created a spell.
Its manifestation time had simply been far too short because I lacked enough mana.
If I refined it just a little more……
“Uuugh.”
While I was thinking about what to do next, my body pitched forward.
I collapsed pathetically onto the floor.
I could not put any strength into my body.
It was not enough that I had completely exhausted my mana.
I had even entered a state of mana exhaustion.
“Hyunwoo!”
Yeowoo, who had been waiting in the living room, heard me fall and opened the door to check on me.
“A-Are you okay? Do we need to go to the hospital?”
“I’m fine. I’m just a little sleepy…….”
Yeowoo stroked my hair with sorrowful eyes, then hugged me tightly and whispered softly.
“Okay. Get some rest. You worked hard.”
***
A few days later.
The Hunting Club was in full swing inside the small auditorium.
Most of the members had paired up and were busy showing off their hunting skills─which, in practice, were basically martial arts─.
My situation, however, was rather different.
Oh Jisun, who had once again become my partner, was putting me through brutally harsh training.
“Get up.”
Oh Jisun’s cold voice.
Holding a wooden sword, she spoke icily toward me as I sat collapsed on the floor.
At her request, I had been attacking her again and again until I had exhausted myself completely.
I groaned.
“J-Jisun. I’m tired. I want to stop.”
“…Your hunting skills have a lot of shortcomings. And you want to stop when you’re still at that level? You probably couldn’t even catch a rabbit like this.”
Oh Jisun approached me, leaned down toward where I sat, and whispered.
“Of course, you could stop. But no. I won’t allow it.”
“Why……?”
“You ignored my message.”
“Th-That was…….”
Only then did I remember.
But I could not help it back then.
I had been in class.
At that moment—
BUZZZZ—!
The phone inside my clothes vibrated.
Not only mine.
The phones of every student in the Hunting Club vibrated at the same time.
Was it some kind of group alert?
Oh Jisun frowned and pulled her phone out.
I carefully took mine out as well and checked what was happening.
A message that appeared to have been distributed by the Academy to every student had arrived.
[All Academy students are to return to their dormitories immediately.]
At the incredibly sudden order, every member of the Hunting Club fell silent.
“W-What is this?”
At someone’s shout, another person answered innocently.
“I don’t know. I’ve never received anything like this since coming to the Academy.”
Everyone merely stared at one another, unsure what to do, when an instructor came stomping into the small auditorium.
“Did none of you get the message? Club activities are over for today! Hurry back!”
“Um…… Instructor. May we ask what happened?”
The club president cautiously asked, but the instructor shook his head with an expression that said there was no chance.
“Ask your homeroom teacher for the details after you get back to the dormitory. For now, return as quickly as possible. If you’re caught outside after thirty minutes, it won’t end with demerit points.”
“Ah…… Yes.”
The Hunting Club was abruptly dismissed.
I left the small auditorium with a bewildered expression, and at the same time, Yeowoo contacted me.
The contents were predictable.
She was coming straight over, so I was not to move an inch from where I was…….
Tsk.
I’m not a little kid.
The moment I finished talking with Yeowoo, I found a message from Sia waiting for me.
<I saw that you were on a call, so I’m texting instead. I’m heading to the Hunting Club right now, so don’t go anywhere else. Wait there. You have to!>
<Sender ― Sia ♥>
When was the last time I had been this overprotected by women?
Then again, Yeowoo and Sia were not women but little kids, so this was probably the first time in my life.
Feeling strangely embarrassed, I scratched my head and waited in front of the building.
Oh Jisun came out behind me and grabbed my shoulder.
This person always grabs my shoulder……
“Hey.”
“…Yes?”
I flinched and looked at Oh Jisun.
I expected her to be wearing her usual cold expression, but instead, her face looked different from what I expected.
What kind of expression was that?
Ambiguous?
“You…… Those little kids you’re always with.”
“Yes. What about them?”
Naturally, I thought of Yeowoo and Sia.
They were the only two little kids I regularly spent time with.
“That girl named Sia. Do you, by any chance…….”
“Hyunwoo!”
At that moment, Sia appeared and grabbed my hand.
She must have run all the way here, because she was breathing heavily and her face was faintly flushed.
“Whew, whew…… What in the world is going on?”
Sia looked at me, then glanced once at Oh Jisun behind me.
Afterward, she stared straight at my face as though demanding an explanation.
“Uh…… This is Oh Jisun, a senior from the Hunting Club. She’s a third-year, and she helps train me…… Something like that.”
I made Oh Jisun sound as respectable as possible.
Who knew what would happen if I introduced her as a woman with a strange personality?
Sia seemed reassured by my explanation and smiled brightly.
“Ah. I see. Hello, Senior Jisun. I’m Yoon Sia, Hyunwoo’s best friend!”
“……Yeah.”
Oh Jisun looked at Sia with an uncomfortable expression.
I was not particularly skilled at reading people’s moods, but Oh Jisun was looking at Sia with a strangely ambiguous expression.
After examining Sia with a peculiar look for several seconds, she vigorously ruffled my hair and left.
“I’m going, then. Take care.”
I watched Oh Jisun’s back as she walked away and thought,
Come to think of it, have I ever introduced Sia to Oh Jisun……?
How did she know her name?
“Hyunwoo! Pant, pant!”
My question vanished completely when Yeowoo appeared.
She had apparently run without stopping from the Reading Club all the way to the Hunting Club building.
Her hair was a mess, and she was drenched in sweat.
“Sis! Why did you run all the way here? Are you okay?”
“My, Yeowoo…… You didn’t have to come this fast.”
I hurried over and supported Yeowoo, while Sia welcomed her with a faintly disappointed expression.
“All right! Students! Hurry, hurry, and return to your dormitories! If you drag your feet, you’ll receive demerit points!”
An instructor was shouting those words through a megaphone in the street.
We quickly headed toward the shuttle bus stop.
***
“What a mess.”
Those were the first words spoken by Son Euna, Deputy Guild Master of the Golden Heart Guild, after examining the crime scene.
“This person…… What did they say the cause of death was?”
The victim had died covered in wounds that looked as though she had been repeatedly stabbed or clawed by something sharp.
Gu Jiuk, the informant listening to Son Euna, nodded and relayed the information gathered so far.
“As you can see, she was attacked by something unidentified. According to the investigation, the attack occurred in the early hours of the morning, and Professor Lee Mijeong is believed to have been killed after putting up fierce resistance.”
“To think something like this would happen at a South Korean Academy…….”
Son Euna gave an empty laugh and sighed.
The Academy had suddenly requested assistance─the law stipulated that guild support could be requested during an emergency─so Son Euna had canceled a previously scheduled meeting and rushed all the way to Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province.
What the Academy needed was Son Euna’s special Ability.
It belonged not to magic or martial arts, but to the realm of arcane arts.
With her hands tucked into the pockets of her trench coat, she passed the CSI forensic investigators dressed in white and inspected every corner of the house.
“The front door had been secured with a latch, so Professor Lee Mijeong was unable to escape.”
“……What about this?”
Son Euna narrowed her eyes sharply as she stared at the bathroom door.
Part of the middle had been completely smashed through, leaving a gaping hole.
“Yes. This is…… only a hypothesis, but we believe Professor Lee Mijeong attempted to barricade herself inside after closing this door, but failed.”
“Hmm…….”
An ambush in the middle of the night.
Signs of fierce resistance.
Yet the victim’s wounds were so irregular that no one could identify the murder weapon.
Her neck, abdomen, and especially her lower body had suffered extensive injuries.
There was no doubt that something sharp had inflicted the wounds.
But why had so many attacks been concentrated on her lower body instead of her vital points?
“Could everyone leave, please? I get confused if even one other person is present.”
She did not know.
That was what she was about to find out.
At Son Euna’s request, Gu Jiuk and the CSI investigators left the crime scene.
The front door closed, leaving Son Euna alone at the scene.
More precisely, alone with the corpse.
“I will…… uncover the truth behind your unjust death, Professor.”
Son Euna lightly pressed her palms together in respect toward the deceased, then closed her eyes.
Crime Reconstruction.
A special secret art bestowed upon Son Euna by Heaven.
She activated it and opened her eyes.
Something blue overlaid her pupils.
Her eyes trembled faintly for a moment.
Then the events Professor Lee Mijeong had experienced just before her death appeared before Son Euna’s eyes.
A pitch-black room where nothing could be seen.
Professor Lee Mijeong suddenly screamed and switched on the light.
And there, she was surrounded in a horrifying fashion by a group of dolls….
“……What the fuck.”
She wanted to close her eyes at the incomprehensible sight, but Son Euna forced them wide open and continued watching.
Professor Lee Mijeong fled toward the front door and tried to escape, but the door would not open.
Terrified by the dolls steadily closing the distance, she fled into the bathroom.
But the dolls tore the door apart with sharp claws and teeth until it was little more than a rag.
Then came the bloody struggle.
Professor Lee Mijeong was the one who lost.
As though making certain she was dead, the dolls repeatedly stabbed her vital points after she collapsed before finally leaving the scene.
……Through the milk delivery slot.
“What the hell did I just see?”
Son Euna clutched her throbbing head and deactivated her Ability.
She had witnessed it with her own eyes, yet she still could not believe it.
A group of blackish bear dolls had swarmed a person, killed her, and left.
At that moment, a flash of realization streaked through her mind.
“Did you say Professor Lee Mijeong taught Dark Magic?!”
She shouted toward Gu Jiuk, who should have been outside the front door.
Gu Jiuk answered.
“Yes! That’s correct!”
Click, click.
Son Euna walked toward the front door, opened it, and said,
“It was Dark Magic. I don’t know exactly what happened, but this was caused by Dark Magic…… and it might not be over yet.”
“Are you saying this is still ongoing?”
Son Euna nodded at Gu Jiuk’s question.
“Yes. Exactly. I’m saying there may be another victim inside the Academy.”
The nearby police officers and CSI personnel visibly stiffened and began speaking urgently over their radios.
The warning from an expert that there might be another victim was shocking enough to put everyone on edge.