"Was she just now... evading something?"
Relying on the intuition of a Burial Attendant and her considerable spiritual awareness, Haida had indeed sensed some clues before the anomaly occurred. But describing what it was specifically proved somewhat difficult.
It was like the inexplicable jolt of fear when a beast approaches from behind—hard to pinpoint the exact reason.
Haida glanced at the pendulum clock on the wall, confirming the current time.
"3 AM sharp. Still early."
Saying this, she turned on the small bedside lamp, took paper and pen from the drawer, and began recording the details of her recent dream.
The content of dreams is instinctively filtered by the brain. No matter how profound the impression or intense the emotion, related memories will quickly lose clarity and eventually be forgotten.
Although unclear if dreams stabilized by Luyala would behave the same, Haida, just in case, prioritized recording her memories while they were still vivid.
After finishing the note summarizing the event, she let out a soft sigh, lay back down, and pulled up the covers.
As her eyelashes fluttered shut, Haida sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.
—
"The dream suddenly dispersed. Quite peculiar. I wanted to wait until the 'connection' was fully established before taking a look inside..."
In the headmaster's office of Norlington Central Academy, Grantham stroked his long beard, letting out a sigh of regret.
"The report previously submitted by the Pharmacy Department did mention that Belinda was recently concocting 'Connected Dreams.' It's a common spirit-infused potion, but I didn't expect her to dare drink it herself..."
"Ah, young folks are like that. Full of curiosity, thirst for knowledge, and a desire to conquer."
On the surface, Belinda's dream appeared perfectly normal, without any suspicious elements.
However, since he hadn't conducted an in-depth inspection, it still warranted attention. Any carelessness or oversight could lead to disaster.
"Find an available Error-Purger to keep a casual eye on her."
Grantham often suffered headaches from his students' and professors' extraordinary thirst for knowledge.
But as long as they didn't cross the line, he wouldn't intervene to stop them. At most, he would ensure their safety in his own way.
The pursuit of knowledge and truth is inherent in the White Cup's doctrine, which is precisely why the Pure White Cup is revered by its followers as the "Great Pioneer."
And Grantham, in his youth, was an unadulterated research fanatic, trampling over taboos in experiments almost daily.
Sometimes, looking back, he wondered how he had survived to this day... perhaps it truly was the Great Pioneer's protection.
...
The next day at noon, Child arrived at Grantham's office.
"Good day, Headmaster."
With Professor Terence not by his side, facing Grantham alone made Child appear somewhat reserved.
"Ha, relax, my boy."
Grantham smiled quite amiably, gesturing for Child to take a seat on the sofa. He knew well that if he didn't say so, this child might stand throughout the entire routine report.
"I only have black coffee here. I hope it suits your taste. Attilan's 'Smoky Breeze' is consistently known for its mellow acidity and high richness."
"Thank you."
Child took the white porcelain coffee cup and took a small sip. Feeling the intense bitterness spread in his mouth, he couldn't help but squint his eyes.
"I've already reviewed your summary report from the recent sewer investigation, but I have some details I'd like to ask about in person."
After the customary greetings and small talk, Grantham got straight to the point.
"Please, go ahead."
"Is there anything special about the sword Sister Haida used?"
Surprisingly, Grantham didn't ask Child about the case details but instead focused the conversation on the Secrets-Hunter Cult.
"Heavy, and sharp."
After a brief recollection, Child succinctly summarized his impression.
"Its size is exaggerated. If it were solid, an ordinary person would likely struggle even to lift it, let alone wield it as a weapon."
Child also used heavy weapons and was very sensitive to weight concepts.
The sniper rifle he carried had undergone multiple modifications with many hollowed-out structures. Even so, it weighed over twenty kilograms.
And Sister Haida's sword undoubtedly far exceeded that weight. Yet she seemed entirely unhindered... her sword swings were swift and light, with a flowing coherence.
"As for sharpness... the nameless vampire that appeared in the sewers had a skeleton forged from 'S-813. Pseudomorph Steel.' But Sister Haida cut him clean through, skeleton and all."
Recalling that scene of flying blood and gore, Child's eye twitched slightly.
Grantham nodded, quite satisfied with his answer.
"Hmm... physical properties worthy of being called a 'relic.' I'll try contacting the Secrets-Hunter Cult in the coming days to see if I can get some useful information and assign that sword a number in the General Compendium of Relics."
"Hey, speaking of which, currently only the Sun-Forgers Cult masters the production technique for 'S-813. Pseudomorph Steel.' I wonder how the craftsmen of Ahanta will try to explain this away..."
He frowned slightly, stroking the ring on his finger as if recalling something troublesome.
"However, this vampire situation is indeed somewhat problematic. Hopefully, the Moon's Favored envoy will provide some useful information after examining the body. To maintain the Budding Moon Covenant, it's not enough for just us to work hard... they need to show sincerity too."
Muttering to himself, Grantham drained half the black coffee in his cup in one go.
"Doctor Fran's autopsy report did help clear the Moon's Favored of some suspicion. It wasn't in vain for Terence to swallow his pride to secure it."
When the topic turned to Doctor Fran, his gaze unavoidably turned serious.
After brief consideration, Grantham asked the question that concerned him most.
"Assistant Child, do you think if I awarded Doctor Fran an honorary professorship... would she agree to give an academic lecture?"
His tone carried a hint of uncertainty, mainly worried about creating an awkward situation.
If Fran's true identity was a high-ranking member of the Secrets-Hunter Cult's Medicae, then his invitation would likely result in a knock on his door from Ahern that very night...
"Mhm."
Child replied casually.
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL