“…Daniel.”
“Vivian.”
Daniel nodded heavily toward Vivian, who was sitting across from him. Similarly, Vivian looked at Daniel with a slightly more serious expression than usual.
After calling each other’s names, a moment of silence followed. Daniel was the first to speak.
“The promise we made during the Grade-by-Grade Duel. You didn’t forget, did you?”
“…Yeah. I remember.”
Daniel, who had won the second-year Grade-by-Grade Duel against Vivian, had accepted her proposal to become the head of the Occult Research Club as a condition for the duel.
And simultaneously, the condition Vivian had set for Daniel.
– Instead, if you win… I’ll take you to that place you’ve always wanted to go. We’ll go together during this summer break.
Daniel had not forgotten that condition, and Vivian had only paid the price for demanding the head of the club when summer break came around. It was a result of Vivian’s complacency, thinking that she would never lose this time.
Daniel rubbed his hands together and grinned ominously. However, it was daytime with the sun at its zenith, so the atmosphere wasn’t particularly eerie.
“The notorious Hangman’s Mountain, famous for its numerous vengeful spirits… It’s been a dream of mine to go there for a long time, and I’ll finally get to set foot there.”
Upon hearing Daniel’s words, Vivian frowned slightly. She replied to Daniel in a curt tone.
“…It’s not Hangman’s Mountain, it’s Vallon Mountain.”
“Oh, right. My bad.”
“……”
Thanks to Daniel’s quick apology, Vivian’s expression softened a bit. Even so, her expression was still not a pleasant one.
“By the way, I was a bit surprised to hear you’ve never been there. It’s your family’s territory, after all.”
“Even if it’s our territory, access was forbidden until a few years ago. The hiking trail was just established recently.”
“Right. That’s why I’m even more curious. What kind of mysteries may be hidden there?”
Although it was a bit uncomfortable for her to think of her father’s territory being treated as such, Vivian also had a strong tendency to love the occult and mysteries like Daniel, and she was incredibly curious about the secrets hidden there.
“Have you gotten the plans approved?”
“Yeah. They got approved. I was surprised while writing them out, but it somehow passed.”
“That’s probably….”
“Yeah?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Even Daniel, who had personally drafted this ridiculous summer activity plan, was worried it would get rejected. But in the end, it was approved.
Vivian had a rough idea why but didn’t feel the need to tell Daniel. She thought that if Daniel found out, he would immediately try to cancel the plans, which would disrupt the promise she had made in exchange for his position as club head.
“How are you going to explain it to Professor Antorelli? You need to be accompanied by the faculty advisor to receive the funds.”
“Ah… That’s true.”
Now, all that was left for Daniel was to go with Professor Antorelli to the treasury to collect the activity funds. Daniel scratched his head with an uncomfortable expression.
“I wonder what Professor Antorelli will say.”
“He probably won’t be pleased.”
“Yeah… sigh… What should I say? Now that the plans have been approved, I can’t go back and revise them to submit to the administration…”
Daniel let out a sigh. As he said, this plan was purely a ‘wish list’ for Daniel and Vivian.
The other club members, Chloe and Elin, had heard about it as well, but perhaps they didn’t think this plan would pass, as they seemed to agree with it.
Caught up in that atmosphere, Daniel submitted the plan with a mindset of “whatever will be, will be.”
And that plan was approved with a flourish. Daniel sighed again, starting to grumble.
“Sigh… I didn’t expect this to be approved at all. Was there some external pressure on the administration? Hahaha!”
“…That’s a bit uncomfortable.”
“Eh? What did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Vivian’s demeanor, with her lips twitching, was suspicious, but it was only for a moment. Vivian returned to a serious expression and asked Daniel.
“Have you told Chloe and Elin about this news yet?”
“They probably don’t know yet. I told them to come to the club room after the summer ceremony, so they’ll probably arrive soon.”
“…How are you going to explain it?”
“Chloe is a bit timid, but her interest in the occult is genuine… Elin might be a bit reluctant, but if Chloe says she’ll go, Elin will probably follow along reluctantly.”
– Creak.
Suddenly, the door to the Occult Research Club, where Daniel and Vivian were talking, opened. The room was dim because the lights had been turned off to create a dark atmosphere, and light from outside spilled into the room.
It must be Chloe and Elin. They had said they would stop by the dormitory for a bit, so it was about time they arrived at the club room. Daniel awkwardly smiled and stood up.
“Oh, hey guys! You’re here?”
“…S-Senpai.”
“Yeah?”
Chloe walked in with a stiff expression. Following her in was…
“Oh, Professor Antorelli?”
“…Daniel.”
Professor Antorelli, Sub-priest Sofia, and Chloe and Elin. For some reason, Laura von Adelheit was also closely following Professor Antorelli.
The cramped Occult Research Club room was instantly filled, but in contrast, a cold silence settled over the room. Daniel awkwardly smiled as he looked at Professor Antorelli.
“Oh, you’ve arrived? Hahaha…”
“You have something to discuss, don’t you?”
“…Um, Professor. Just wait a moment. I can explain everything.”
“I’ve had this experience often in the past. When this happens, do you know what kind of punishment I usually impose?”
“P-Professor?”
A bad feeling washed over him. Professor Antorelli pulled out the Bible and spoke to Daniel, who was sweating profusely.
“If you make them memorize a Bible and write it out, most cases are resolved.”
“……”
Daniel’s expression hardened completely.
‘…Memorization!’
It was something Daniel had experienced many times before.
Though I said that, I truly had no intention of making Daniel memorize the Bible.
I didn’t particularly favor corporal punishment for students. It was also an immature way of teaching.
“Daniel.”
“Yes, sir.”
“So, have you done the investigation?”
“Ah, well… I have done some research, but…”
Seeing Daniel’s evasive demeanor made my head spin. I could roughly guess the reason he was hesitating.
“First, first… Please explain.”
“Ah, yes.”
Daniel stood up and dragged over a movable whiteboard that had been sitting in the corner of the cramped room. Chloe’s expression turned excited upon seeing it.
“Elin, aren’t you a bit excited?”
“Shh.”
As Chloe and Elin’s chatter quieted down, Daniel cleared his throat and began to explain.
“Cough… First, the place we’re going to during this summer break is this: Hangman’s Mountain…”
“Vallon Mountain.”
“…Right. As Vivian said, it’s called Vallon Mountain.”
A location seemingly derived from Vivian’s family name. Upon hearing that, I hesitated to nod, recalling Professor Charlotte’s explanation.
“What I mean is… Previously, this place was somewhat notorious for dark rumors. Not too many, but… just a little?”
“Daniel. I have a general idea of what this place is like. Please explain in detail.”
“Yes.”
Daniel, who flinched at my comment, continued with his explanation.
“To clarify, this place used to be famous as a suicide hotspot. Many who were struggling in life would come here, um… yes.”
“Isn’t it dangerous? Like, did it become a haven for criminals…?”
Sub-priest Sofia pointed out a sharp aspect. As usual, people often hid in eerie places.
At Sofia’s question, Daniel gave her a thumbs up, saying it was a good question.
“That’s a good question, Sub-priest Sofia. Actually, in the past, there were a few instances where escaped convicts and criminals hid here. But unless someone was really trying to end their life, there wouldn’t be anyone walking in on their own. During the Great War, a few deserters took refuge here as well.”
“…Hmm.”
Hearing Daniel’s words, I looked at the large map attached to the whiteboard. It was indeed located not too far from the frontline where fierce battles occurred. It was a plausible place for deserters to hide.
“However, the really strange thing is… every single criminal who hid here didn’t last even a week and crawled back out on their own.”
“None of them at all?”
“Yep. Not a single one.”
That was suspicious. Not to mention saved convicts, but deserters could face immediate punishment depending on their commanding officer’s judgment. Yet, they somehow couldn’t even last a few days hiding in the mountain?
“However, it has been over a decade since the Vallerge family passed the territory. Didn’t the Vallerge count search for any deserters hiding within the territory?”
“Um… well, that’s….”
While Daniel hesitated without answering, Vivian, who was sitting in front of him, opened her mouth instead.
“That’s because my dad was busy due to the Great War. He wouldn’t know. Probably not, I guess?”
“……”
Vivian’s casual tone extended even towards her father. Considering her younger brother Owen, it seemed to be a family trait.
“Anyway, yes. That place is Vallon Mountain.”
“Daniel.”
“…I’ll correct myself. Vallon Mountain.”
“Then, can we assume there are no more criminals there?”
“Yeah. It’s safe now. The bodies that were there were all removed while I was a child… and the wild beasts that lived in the mountain were personally eliminated by me.”
The one answering my question again was Vivian. It was only natural that she would know the circumstances of that place better.
“…You did it yourself?”
“Yep. A while ago, I cleared the wild beasts together with the territory soldiers. It was fun.”
“……”
Recalling the image of Vivian wielding a longsword as if it were an extension of her body, it must have indeed become safe. While I was thinking that, Vivian continued.
“However, I do know that there’s a rumor going around.”
“A rumor…?”
“There are ghosts of children appearing there to chase away those who come to the mountain…”
“Sounds great. Let’s go immediately.”
“Daniel. Stop it.”
After calming down Daniel, who was excited to charge out, I rubbed my forehead and sighed.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of ghosts. If Vivian’s words were true, there shouldn’t be any problems if I thought rationally. Nevertheless, I felt uneasy because…
‘Giovanni the chief priest.’
The story these two students had been discussing regarding Chief Priest Giovanni was true. I couldn’t assert that this story was also definitely false.
“Hey, guys. Do you have any objections?”
“I’m fine! I’m really excited! It is a little scary though…!”
“Sigh…”
Chloe, with sparkling eyes, and Elin, who was sighing next to her. With Chloe this enthusiastic, it was obvious that Elin would follow along.
“Professor, what do you want to do?”
“Professor! What will you do?”
Daniel and Vivian asked simultaneously. I couldn’t hold back a sigh that escaped…
“…Let’s go collect the activity funds.”
“Great!”
There was no other option. With the plan already submitted, the best thing to do now was to create some good memories while staying safe, which was what I, as an educator, needed to do.
Thinking along those lines, I had no choice but to nod in agreement.
