Today it was raining, which made outdoor activities impossible. Most students usually spent their time in their rooms or chatting in the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, I was in the academy library, studying books about magic tools. I was deeply interested, even though they were far more complex than brewing potions.
Especially Magitek, a magical device that only requires natural Mana minerals. Maybe by learning this, I could create something useful to help me survive.
At this moment, the library was quiet. It was the weekend, and most students preferred to spend their time fooling around.
Tohime and Penlope said they were going out to buy daily necessities. Elena and Misty followed along since Misty wanted to look for ingredients for her concoctions, while Quri was forced to tag along as a pack mule.
Lyena and I only communicated through our intermediary, Helen, so we rarely met face to face unless it involved our contract.
Training with Edward was still ongoing, although I hadn't made much progress at all. My body was instead covered in injuries from Edward's attacks. Well, that at least showed I was training my body properly.
The atmosphere of the library, with so few people around, made me feel more comfortable. Normally, I often felt eyes on my back, which sent chills down my spine.
"Studying?"
A familiar voice made me turn around. It was Arthur, who sat down across from me without asking.
"Don't you have anything else to do?" I asked.
"I had a task from Mentor Arion to eliminate mutant rats in the sewers. I took care of that this morning. I'm also investigating something strange happening in the dormitories," Arthur said.
He was developing extremely well. At this rate, maybe he could handle Travis.
Silence filled the space between us as I focused on reading. Arthur stared at me with a face full of questions.
"Tell me… do you believe in Constellations? I mean, the beings up there?" Arthur suddenly opened a topic that made me close my book.
"Is this some kind of quiz?"
"No. It's just… do you know what Constellations are?"
Arthur's words made me fall silent. What was he trying to say, and why did it sound so serious? Constellations. I had read about them, learned that they showed north and south. But in other mythologies, they were gods.
"I don't know. Gods, or just gas in the sky. I don't really know. But what I do know is that I don't believe they're gods. Deciding human fate… that feels cruel," I replied. Arthur stayed quiet.
"Leon, I want to tell you something—"
AAAHHHHH!
Arthur's words were cut off by a piercing scream. Not one, but many people screaming at the same time.
Arthur immediately looked toward the source, but there was nothing there. Just a wall. Then, after a moment, he ran out.
The seriousness and anxiety on his face made me feel like I had to follow him. But why did everything feel so wrong?
Running through the rain, we arrived at a female student dormitory. Many female students rushed out with terrified expressions. They looked like they had seen something horrifying.
"No way, isn't this… the dormitory where Travis was captured?" I was shocked. This was the dormitory where Arthur and Travis were supposed to fight. But wasn't this far too early? Arthur had only just started investigating it.
"Hey, calm down! What happened inside?" Arthur asked a female student who had just escaped.
"Th-there's a murderous monster…" Her voice trembled violently, followed by the smell of blood drifting out from inside the building.
What is this? This doesn't make sense.
I should have already set things up to slow down Travis's monstrification Only he could cause chaos like this. But killing? That never happened.
Arthur froze again, staring at empty space. He clenched his fists and stepped forward.
"Hey! You can't go in there. If there's a monster, you should wait for the wardens or teachers to arrive," I stopped him.
"There are still people trapped inside. It's Sunday, and the teacher block is far away. It'll take time for them to get here," Arthur said, not stopping.
"Hey, you don't even have a weapon!" This time, he didn't stop at all. I let out a heavy sigh. The story had changed again.
"Ah, shit."
I ran after him into the building. The smell of blood grew stronger, making me feel nauseous. Everything was in chaos. The once-grand dormitory now looked like a wrecked ship.
Without a weapon, all I could rely on was my mantle to avoid detection by the monster. There was a chance it was Travis.
But why?
It should still be a long time before he fully became a monster. Even when he did, Travis never killed anyone and only obeyed Beatrix.
The rain grew heavier, and blood mixed with water, making the atmosphere even more tense. Then I saw shattered armor on the floor. There was a sword with it. Even though it was dull and only used as decoration, it was still usable.
"Hey, take this," I said. Arthur caught the sword.
We climbed the stairs to the upper floor. Carefully, Arthur observed the surroundings and listened to the sound of someone breathing.
He signaled for me to stay quiet and slowly peeked ahead. At the end of the corridor, Arthur saw a girl trembling in fear. Both her hands were tightly covering her mouth, tears streaming endlessly down her face.
When she saw Arthur, she begged for help.
"H-help…"
But her weak voice was drowned out by a much louder sound.
SKRR—CHK!
Something burst out of the wall and lunged at her. In an instant, she was dragged into a hole in the wall and disappeared. The speed was so overwhelming that neither Arthur nor I could react.
"What was that?"
Without thinking, Arthur ran toward the wall. Beside it was a door. He kicked it open and saw a room that was completely destroyed. Claw marks on the walls, bloodstains on the floor.
I entered and analyzed the room. Among all the rooms, this one was the most destroyed, as if the monster Travis held a grudge against whoever lived here.
There was a photograph on the floor. When I saw who was in it, I froze.
"Beatrix?"
Why would Travis attack Beatrix? Weren't they supposed to be in a master-pet relationship? What did I miss?
"Leon, come here."
Arthur found a large hole beneath the bed. All the blood trails led into it.
He looked like he was about to jump in, but I stopped him.
"Didn't you see that monster? It moves incredibly fast. There's no way you'll survive."
If the story had changed this much, I couldn't risk important characters dying. It would be better to gather key characters and fight together with Arthur.
Once again, he stared into empty space, thinking intensely.
"You're right. But one life of mine can't be compared to the many lives that monster will kill. I'll save as many lives as I can," Arthur said, and jumped into the hole.
I stood there, not knowing what to do, until Umbros appeared.
"We promised to save as many lives as possible. But I'll respect your decision, Leon," Umbros said. I scratched my head hard.
"Sigh… fine. I'll use this chance to analyze the enemy. That means I have to go through the loop once again."
I jumped into the hole, sliding down a tunnel drenched in blood. Rainwater followed inside, making it incredibly slippery, like sliding down a water park slide.