Episode 147. The Case of the Disappearing Candidates (1)

The new semester had begun, but there wasn’t much change in daily life.

Since it was still early in the semester, the full-fledged ‘Combat Training 2’ classes hadn’t started yet, and the Candidates were still lingering in the afterglow of summer vacation.

Around this time, the professors were actually much busier than the Candidates.

They had to coordinate the overall curriculum for the semester through meetings.

“Off to another meeting today?”

As usual, I tried to hole up in Professor Lucas’s office during my free time, but the tightly closed office door made me click my tongue in frustration.

‘Professor Elisha has been super busy lately too… It’s hard to see the professors these days.’

Since it was the start of the semester, most classes were self-training, so it wasn’t easy to catch a glimpse of the professors.

‘Guess I’ll head to Yuren’s Training Grounds again.’

I had already trained with Yuren during the morning self-training session, so going back right away felt a bit awkward.

It was like running into a friend you just said, “See you tomorrow!” to at the bus stop.

“Hmm.”

As I pondered what to do with the remaining time.

“Brother Dale! What are you doing here?”

A familiar voice called out.

“Berald?”

“Hehe. What’s this? You’re not with Sister Yurina… I mean, Brother Yuren? You’re here alone?”

“I trained with Yuren this morning.”

“Ohh. No afternoon classes?”

“As you can see, all the professors are locked up in the meeting room.”

“Ugh… What kind of classes are they preparing that’s taking so long…?”

“Beats me.”

Even in my past life, I’d never seen the professors work this hard preparing for classes.

‘Probably because the curriculum is going to be quite different from my past life.’

Well, I already expected that the future would gradually change into something I couldn’t predict.

No need to fuss over a few changes in the curriculum.

“Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Just heading to the Candidate cafeteria after morning classes.”

“Ah, I haven’t had lunch yet. Wanna go together?”

“Of course!”

Berald nodded with a bright smile.

“Annex? Or the Main Building?”

“Hehe. Obviously, the Annex cafeteria, right?”

“True.”

Even though neither Berald nor I were strapped for cash anymore.

Old habits die hard, and the Annex cafeteria, where you could eat quickly and lightly, was still more comfortable.

“Ah, by the way, how’s your dorm?”

“All fixed up. It’s actually better than before.”

“Hehe. Glad to hear you don’t have to room with Brother Yuren anymore… Huh?”

Berald’s eyes widened as if he’d just realized something major.

“Wait, Brother! Does that mean… you were rooming with Sister Yurina before the vacation?”

“Well…”

I trailed off and nodded slightly.

“Whoa. I thought you were dating Sister Iris.”

“It’s… complicated.”

“Complicated? What’s complicated?”

“……”

How could I explain?

The fact that I’d confessed to both Iris and Yurina and was waiting for their answers.

“Just… something like that.”

“Hehe. Brother, you’re really swimming in luck with the ladies. The old saying ‘heroes are destined to be surrounded by beauties’ really holds true.”

“Shut up, you.”

I lightly smacked Berald’s shin as we headed to the Annex cafeteria.

As usual, we picked the day’s recommended menu, got our food, and sat down at a table.

“How’s your training going lately? Anything good?”

“Hoho, who do you think I am? Berald, the magic genius, remember?”

“Stop with the nonsense.”

More like a natural disaster than a genius.

“Lately, I’ve been researching how to use Magic Power Orbs not just for throwing but in other ways too.”

“Oh? Like how?”

“Hehe. I’ll show you when it’s done.”

Berald smirked confidently, and I stifled a laugh at his self-assured expression.

“Ah, by the way, what about that bandage of yours?”

“Still wrapped here.”

Berald rolled up his sleeve to reveal the bandage on his forearm.

“I’m not planning to use it unless it’s an emergency, just like you said.”

“Good. That’ll help you grow more.”

The legacy of the Iron Fist, the ‘Heavenly Destruction Asura Armor,’ was so powerful that even I, who’d seen countless artifacts, was stunned.

But that’s exactly why relying too much on its power was dangerous.

‘After all, artifacts are just supplementary.’

Back in the day, I relied too much on artifacts like the ‘Demon Sword’ and ‘Demon Armor,’ thinking the ‘Blessing of Resurrection’ would save me.

‘I got an earful from Senior Sophia back then.’

I smiled wryly at the memory.

“Ah, right, Brother. Have you heard the rumors lately?”

“Rumors? What rumors?”

“The one about the Candidates going missing in succession.”

“What?”

The Case of the Disappearing Candidates.

Just the name alone reeked of something fishy.

‘But if it were that serious, the whole school would be in an uproar…?’

If Candidates were really disappearing one after another, there should’ve been a faculty meeting about it by now.

“Well, not exactly disappearing… More like fainting incidents?”

“What exactly is going on?”

“Lately, some Candidates have been suddenly losing consciousness and waking up hours later in completely different places.”

“…Suddenly losing consciousness and waking up somewhere else?”

“Exactly.”

It sounded like something straight out of a school ghost story.

‘What kind of case is this?’

Naturally, I’d never heard of such a thing in my past life.

“Any other symptoms? Like injuries or something?”

“None at all, from what I’ve heard.”

“So they just fainted and woke up somewhere else?”

It really was like a ghost story.

“Ah, no injuries, but some said the area with the Holy Mark itched after waking up.”

“Itched… No other abnormalities? Like the Holy Mark being damaged?”

“If that were the case, it wouldn’t just be a rumor known by a few.”

“True.”

For a Hero, the Holy Mark was worth more than life itself.

If Holy Marks were being damaged one after another, the school wouldn’t be this quiet.

“Any idea what’s causing it?”

“Nope.”

Berald nodded, stroking his chin.

“Seems like someone’s behind it, but…”

The problem was, who and why? There was no way to tell.

“How many victims so far?”

“About twenty. Mostly 4th-year Candidates.”

“…4th-year Candidates.”

I narrowed my eyes and nodded.

“Definitely… something fishy going on here.”

“Hehe. I thought the same when I first heard about it.”

“Since when has this been happening?”

“Started during the vacation.”

During the vacation, huh.

“And the professors have been doing nothing about it?”

“Well, there’s not much harm done, really.”

“That’s… true.”

The case itself was mysterious, but as Berald said, there wasn’t much ‘harm’ to speak of.

To some, it might just sound like, “Didn’t they just fall asleep from exhaustion?”

‘But with twenty victims, it’s a different story.’

If it were just one or two, it could be dismissed as coincidence, but with twenty, it was clearly planned by someone.

‘The question is, who and why…?’

I racked my brain but couldn’t come up with an answer.

‘I’ll have to ask Professor Elisha later.’

As I sighed at the thought.

“Hey! Look over there.”

“Isn’t that the infamous 4th-year Magic Department senior? The one known for being fierce…”

“Ah, I’ve heard of her. What was her nickname… Ah, the Red Calamity! That’s what the 4th-years call her!”

“Keep your voice down! What if she hears?”

The commotion spread through the Annex cafeteria.

Following the Candidates’ gazes, I turned to the entrance.

‘Senior Sophia?’

A petite woman with striking red hair walked into the cafeteria.

Sophia scanned the room and then headed straight for our table.

“There you are.”

“…Senior Sophia?”

“I need to ask you a favor.”

Sophia didn’t even sit down, speaking in a sharp tone.

“…What kind of favor?”

I was momentarily stunned by her sudden appearance but quickly composed myself.

Sophia looked down at me and spoke softly.

“About the recent Candidate disappearances…”

“Whoa! Aren’t you Senior Sophia Evergreen?!”

Berald cut her off, jumping up from his seat.

He stared at Sophia with sparkling eyes, gushing with admiration.

“Brother Rios told me all about you! The most powerful mage in the 4th year!”

Sophia, still a Magic Department member at heart, looked flustered but excited.

“Hey, calm down!”

I pressed down on Berald’s shoulder, urgently whispering.

Knowing Sophia’s personality, I knew she hated unnecessary flattery.

I felt like I was watching a ticking time bomb, nervously waiting for it to explode.

“R-Really? Rios talked about me…?”

Sophia’s cheeks turned slightly red as she averted her gaze.

She twirled a strand of her red hair, looking down.

“Ahem. I guess my magic skills are a bit impressive.”

“A bit? I heard you’re better than most professors!”

“…Really?”

“Hoho. As a fellow Magic Department member, I’m so proud! Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m…”

“I know. Berald Ryu, right?”

Sophia glanced at Berald and cleared her throat.

The strange atmosphere between them.

‘What’s going on here?’

Why does it feel so… nice?