Chapter 41

“Hey, it’s a person, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. If it were a ghost, it would be white, not black.”

Penny looked flustered when she didn’t get the reaction she wanted.

“Why would a person be there at that hour?”

“Well, Denian was there.”

“But he was there by accident because he fell asleep. Who in their right mind would be in the library at that time? And they ran away too.”

“Then, isn’t it an intruder?”

“An intruder? In Verka Academy?”

That was a valid point. As mentioned before, the security at Verka Academy was airtight. Without someone’s help, an intruder couldn’t possibly get in.

“So, could it really be a ghost?”

“And the next day, Denian went back with another student and saw it again. A ghost with a large scar on his face!”

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

Alice shrugged, while Elena rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the goosebumps.

“Really? I find it a bit creepy.”

“I think they were just sleepy and imagined things. Think about it. Why would a ghost appear in our academy, especially in the library?”

“That’s true. Ghosts usually linger where someone has died, but there’s no such story about our academy.”

Penny seemed like she wanted to say more, but before she could, Alice stood up abruptly, hugging her pillow.

“Alright, alright. Let’s just go to sleep. Penny, your story was interesting, but I don’t think it’s a ghost.”

The other girls, sensing the mood, also got up.

“Yeah, I’m feeling sleepy now.”

And so, the pajama party ended, leaving behind only questions.

***

Surprisingly, Penny’s story seemed to hold some credibility. What had been a rumor among a few students spread widely across all departments and grades as soon as the semester started.

In fact, more witnesses claimed to have seen the ghost after Denian.

The academy even issued an official announcement, dismissing the rumor as nonsense, but the buzz didn’t die down.

As for Elena, she was slightly inclined to believe it.

Alice, however, remained steadfast in her skepticism.

“It’s all nonsense. Just a story made up by attention-seekers.”

“But there are several people who’ve seen it. Could they all be lying?”

“Elly, this isn’t the age of horse-drawn carriages anymore. We live in a time of trains. Don’t believe in such irrational rumors in such a modern era.”

“Hmm.”

Regardless, the truth about the ghost in the library remained unresolved as the new school year began.

The new school year wasn’t particularly special. At Verka Academy, each grade was divided into three departments.

These were the Magic Department, to which she belonged; the Swordsmanship Department, where Cedric was enrolled; and the Alchemy Department, where she didn’t know anyone.

Having only three departments per grade meant that unless a student failed, they would see the same classmates from their first year until graduation.

Even in the 8th grade, the faces in the classroom were the same.

Oh, and the professors were mostly the same too. The only things that changed were their age and grade level.

“Still, aren’t you curious about who our homeroom professor will be this year?”

Penny, who was sitting in front of Elena, asked with sparkling eyes.

Elena didn’t know how other academies operated, but at Verka Academy, students didn’t attend the same classes together. Instead, they chose their classes based on their interests.

As a result, students from different grades often ended up in the same class. Occasionally, students from other departments took the same classes too.

This meant that students of the same grade rarely gathered in one place, which was why the academy introduced homeroom sessions.

Before classes began, students gathered in a homeroom classroom to hear announcements and guidelines from their homeroom professor.

Last year, their homeroom professor was Professor White, who taught Potions.

For the record, students didn’t particularly like Professor White because of his prickly demeanor.

“I hope it’s Professor Deros this year. He’s never been our homeroom professor before.”

Penny murmured once again.

As mentioned before, Professor Deros was popular among the students for his gentle personality and handsome appearance.

Professor Deros, an authority on spatial magic, taught Support Magic.

The name might make it sound like a minor subject, but considering that all magic except for offensive and defensive magic fell under Support Magic, it was far from insignificant.

For reference, spatial magic was also classified as Support Magic. So, despite its name, it was an impressive subject.

For once, Alice agreed with Penny.

“Yeah, it would be nice if it were Professor Deros.”

Not just the two of them, but other students around the classroom were also hoping for Professor Deros to be their homeroom professor.

“Hey, the professor’s coming!”

At someone’s shout, the classroom fell silent.

Moments later, the door opened, and to the students’ delight, Professor Deros walked in.

“Yes!”

Penny whispered excitedly. Alice also looked pleased.

Professor Deros placed a thick textbook on the podium and scanned the students.

“As you all know, I’m Professor Deros, who teaches Support Magic. I’ll be serving as the homeroom professor for the 8th-grade Magic Department this year.”

Cheers erupted from various corners of the classroom. A faint smile appeared on the professor’s lips.

“You all know how important the 8th grade is, right? It’s a time to seriously think about your future. If you need counseling, feel free to visit my office anytime.”

“Yes!” came the enthusiastic response from the students.

“You’re also aware that you need to submit a graduation thesis. The deadline is before Saint Esna’s Festival.”

“Yes!”

“And although most of you have already joined clubs, the club registration period is open for the next two weeks. If you’re interested, take note.”

“Yes!”

“That’s all for today’s announcements. See you tomorrow.”

The professor gave a light nod and left the classroom with his book. Felix, who had been sitting behind Elena, quickly followed him.

He seemed to engage in a conversation with the professor before walking alongside him.

‘What’s going on?’

Could it be about Little One? 

It seemed possible, considering they had sent a letter to the professor during spring break when Little One appeared.

‘I should’ve gone with him.’

Elena hurriedly got up and grabbed her bag. Fortunately, there were no classes on the first day of the semester.

“Ellie, where are you going? Penny and I were planning to go into town for lunch.”

“I just have to run an errand. I’ll be back soon, so wait for me in the dorm.”

“Alright.”

Elena quickly ran after them. However, by the time she reached the professor’s office, Felix and the professor had already gone inside.

Moreover, there was a sign on the door that read, “Do Not Disturb.”

She wanted to knock, but since Felix might be discussing something unrelated to Little One, she decided not to interrupt.

‘I’ll just wait.’

She waited quietly outside the door for their conversation to end.

The wait was longer than expected. Just as Elena was contemplating whether to return to the dorm, the door opened, and Felix stepped out.

“……?”

He seemed surprised to see her there. Elena grabbed his arm and asked urgently.

“Felix, were you talking about Little One with the professor?”

“Ah…”

For some reason, Felix looked a bit flustered.

“We didn’t talk about Little One.”

Now it was Elena’s turn to be surprised. 

They hadn’t talked about Little One? 

She had assumed that was the topic.

“Then what?”

“We discussed something personal.”

“What kind of personal matter?”

Elena’s curiosity was piqued. 

What could be so important that it overshadowed Little One?

“That’s… something I can’t tell you.”

Felix answered without hesitation. Elena wasn’t particularly disappointed.

They weren’t the type to share every little detail about their lives. There was no need to pry if he didn’t want to talk.

“Alright. But don’t you think you should discuss Little One with the professor?”

“I will. Do you want to come in?”

Elena shook her head. She was already running late for her plans.

She was curious about Little One, but keeping her promise to her friends was also important.

Hearing about it now wouldn’t bring Little One back anyway.

“I’m going into town with the others. I’m already late. I’ll hear about it later.”

“Alright. See you later.”

Elena watched Felix re-enter the professor’s office before heading back to the dorm.

Alice grumbled about her tardiness, but Elena just smiled and brushed it off.

***

“See you at lunchtime.”

“Yeah, have a good class.”

Elena waved to Alice as she left the Magic Department building.

Elena and Alice usually attended the same classes, but that morning was different. Alice had a class on Advanced Offensive Magic in the Magic Department building, while Elena was headed to the Alchemy Department building for a class on Basic Alchemy.

The reason Elena had signed up for a Basic Alchemy class—something she’d never imagined herself doing—was simple.

‘Graduation thesis!’

Ultimately, her goal was to create a moving toy train. However, magic alone wouldn’t be enough to achieve that.

To make a moving toy, she needed to understand and handle mana stones, which served as the energy source for such mechanisms. And the Alchemy Department was the place that taught such skills.

That’s why she chose to take the Basic Alchemy course.

Alice, who usually joined Elena in her classes, had no interest whatsoever in alchemy. As a result, they couldn’t attend this one together.

‘Still, it would’ve been nice if she had joined.’

Elena set aside her disappointment and made her way to the Alchemy Department building. In her seven years at the academy, she could count on one hand the number of times she had been to the Alchemy Department.

Worried about getting lost, she had arrived early, but fortunately, she found the classroom quickly.

There weren’t many students in the classroom yet. Elena considered sitting at the front but felt it might be too overwhelming, so she chose a seat in the corner instead.

She observed the faces of the students trickling in one by one, but none of them were familiar.

Moreover, since the Basic Alchemy course was, as the name suggested, an introductory class, most of the students were from the lower grades.

Among the fluffy-haired young students, Elena stood out as the only upperclassman.

Feeling self-conscious under the curious glances of the younger students, she awkwardly smiled back for a few minutes.

Suddenly, someone sat in the empty seat next to her.

“Huh?”

Elena let out a small exclamation without meaning to. It wasn’t because she recognized the person. The individual was clearly someone she didn’t know.

What surprised her was that this person, who appeared to be an upperclassman like herself, was smiling at her as they took the seat beside her.

“Hello?”