Chapter 366

366 – There’s a Demon Living in the Underground of the School #2

“My name, as you might know, is Marda. My family is… just an ordinary one, and my father, a poor laborer, and well, my mother who is good at sewing – we’re a family of three –.”

Marda, somewhat recovered from her earlier state, was now narrating even things that weren’t asked about. Caught in a slight panic, she probably thought that speaking up about anything would prevent her from getting on my bad side.

“My mother… my mother had always hoped that I would become a priest. I actually wasn’t that devout, but because she wished for it so earnestly, we incurred debts at home… and with those debts, I entered the theology school.”

Mumbling and stuttering, Marda was explaining herself hastily. I asked her in the middle of this.

“Do you mean, Aquinas Theology University?”

“Yes, yes, that’s correct. In Sodomora, if you head to the eastern gate, the university campus is located in a vast wooded area with a beautiful campus surrounded by flowers and trees. All the professors are kind…”

Did I make a mistake asking for an explanation? It looked like Marda was determined to explain everything, including things I hadn’t asked about, which was slowing down our conversation slightly.

Trying to convey that such details were fine to skip, I was about to speak when Antiope beat me to it.

“No, not those details. What exactly was that about the staircase? You said the staircase commanded you to attack the shrine, right?”

Marda, startled at this question, shuddered for a moment.

“The staircase… it’s something like a legend from our university. In the campus basement, there’s a staircase leading down with twelve steps. However, when you descend with your eyes closed, it’s said that sometimes a thirteenth step that shouldn’t be there appears.”

A university legend. About a staircase.

As if it were a ghost story, I felt a slight chill along with a spark of interest rising in me.

“Tell me more.”

“The story goes that if you ask into the empty air at the final thirteenth step, someone will answer questions you’re curious about or even things about the future… I, I actually stepped on that thirteenth step.”

“So, that staircase told you to attack my shrine, right?”

“Yes, yes – it was said that a terrible calamity would spread through the school I attend, leading to its closure, and that to prevent it, I would have to attack this graveyard shrine.”

What was this nonsense?

Let me summarize: some voice emanating from the staircase instructed her to attack my shrine.

She continued to elaborate, her voice trembling.

“That voice wasn’t heard by me alone. Terrified, we eventually gathered everyone and set a date for the decisive battle, which resulted in today’s incident…”

Marda immediately prostrated herself at my feet.

“My family is heavily in debt! My parents are waiting for me to become a priest. Graduation isn’t far off, and if the school disappears or anything happens to me, my entire family will be buried under debt!”

She grabbed at my legs, but Antiope gently kicked her away with her foot.

“Your situation is pitiful, but everyone says that. Regardless of circumstances, punishment is still punishment. You can explain further to the Guard.”

“Wh, wh-.”

Perhaps realizing her fate, Marda collapsed onto the floor in tears.

As Antiope said, executing punishment must remain strict. Considering circumstances on a case-by-case basis would simply create a tangled web of excuses.

However, if she were a theology student and a prospective priest, perhaps it could be a different story. I, for one, was lacking personnel, which happened to be advantageous in this situation.

Therefore, I decided to delay my verdict on Marda’s treatment.

“We’ll go to your university. I need to see this staircase in person.”

*

When you hear “university,” certain images come to mind.

Vast campuses. Entering them means getting exposed to various diseases from a pond with a strange name.

Intensely frustrating group projects.

Human relationships going south because of the constant CC issues.

Expensive tuition fees.

University events. At first, those dreaded seniors seem scary, but later, you learn that sophomores are far scarier—something postgraduate students figure out much too late.

I don’t know everything, but the things I could blurt out right now about universities were pretty much it. At least, that’s what I thought.

Maybe that’s how it went for most people.

Of course, this is from the perspective of South Korea, where the university enrollment rate is over 70%. However, universities in this Gaia Continent feel quite different.

Here, whether it’s a magic university or a theological one, they are more like cradles for nurturing specialists.

Students here carry a self-assurance and arrogance unimaginable in scale.

I had met many of these university students during my time as a slave. They were all insufferable young lords.

If it weren’t for a significant reason, I wouldn’t want to be close to them. I didn’t have much interest in meeting them.

If not for the legendary 13th staircase hidden in the basement of the campus, I doubt I’d have any business visiting this Aquinas University at all.

Goooooo-.

Aquinas Theology University was located in the hilly region beyond the eastern gate of Sodomora, about a day’s journey away. Who thought of building a building on such a rugged mountain?

“Exactly, exactly, why is the school built on a mountain like this?”

Paranoi was also constantly murmuring as we climbed the mountain path. In response to this, Marda, who was acting as our guide and voluntarily introduced the university’s facilities, explained.

“A long time ago, a mysticologist named Aquinas heard the voice of God. The voice commanded him to establish a school to teach the servants of God – so, Aquinas invested all his money and built the university here.”

Antiope questioned this explanation.

“You mean, he heard the voice of God on this mountain? Did he receive a revelation?”

“The voice was reportedly heard in his house in Sodomora. But because there was no suitable place to build the school, they looked outside the city. This mountain was practically abandoned, so the land was cheap…”

Ah, I see.

It wasn’t anything significant I wanted to know, but there you go – he built the university here simply because the land was cheap.

As we trudged up the mountain, we reached an almost flat plateau near the summit, which hardly made you realize it was on a mountain.

Amidst the scattering of some unknown white wildflowers and the red falling leaves, the scenery was quite pleasant.

If it weren’t for the red sunset, it would have been a perfect picnic spot with a blanket and some lunch boxes.

The weariness accumulated from climbing the mountain soon dissipated.

Picnics…

Luna loved going on picnics and bringing all sorts of things – I couldn’t help but imagine her enjoying this view.

Where is Luna now and what is she doing? Is she still on her long carriage journey?

Thinking of the playful swing of her pink hair made me smile. Meanwhile, Antiope, admiring the distant view of the fall landscape, commented.

“The scenery is beautiful, and the buildings are large. It doesn’t seem like the land was cheap. This mountain could just as easily host temples. It’s such good terrain so close to the city.”

Hearing Antiope say this, I began to agree with her. I know nothing about the real estate market in Gaia Continent, but her words struck a note of truth.

“…”

As I continued to gaze at this beautiful scenery, a peculiar sense of déjà vu started creeping into my heart.

There’s something awfully unnatural about it, but I can’t quite pin down what it is.

What could it be?

“Excuse me, Mister Hassan, the curfew will soon pass, and the gates will close. It’s best if we hurry.”

I started toward the distant buildings I could see ahead.

As we stood in front of the thick iron gates, a grand university building, looking more like a fortress, emerged before us.

“Whoa, that’s impressive.”

I had just likened the building to a fortress, but it really was like one.

A structure built out of large stones taken from the quarry, standing at least ten meters tall — it certainly looked like a fortress built on a mountain. One could easily believe it was an old abandoned castle repurposed as a university.

“Is it designed to repel invaders?”

My offhand comment was met with Antiope’s response.

“Hmm, observing the structure, it doesn’t seem like it was built for that. There aren’t any windows facing the outside.”

Tap, tap—.

At that moment, Marda approached the thick iron gate and knocked twice on a lion-shaped door knocker. As we were all waiting in anticipation for what would happen next—

Swoosh—.

A man in a long black robe holding a candelabrum appeared to welcome us.

“…”

“Excuse me, it’s me, Marda, 4th year student. Can you open the gate please? Here’s my student identification.”

Marda handed over what seemed like a strange wooden badge from her neck to the man.

However, the man remained silent. All I noticed was his grizzled beard, which gave the impression of someone in their fifties or early sixties. Whether he was a caretaker or a professor, I wasn’t too sure, but his physique under the robe seemed quite robust. Living on a mountain like this, one would need to be in good health.

Creak—.

The man opened the gate for us, and we entered the university grounds without any further inspections.

“Hey, does this mean Paranoi is now technically enrolled in the university?”

Next to me, Paranoi blurted out words that I didn’t quite know how to explain, so I simply stayed quiet.

Such a Paranoi soon ran towards a well she found in front of the building and started drawing water.

“Even I, Paranoi, feel like a master or a doctor now by drinking the university water!”

The university water wasn’t literally water from any university, but she seemed to enjoy the concept.

“I feel extremely smart! This is the university water! nymph Paranoi of the university water!”

Despite Paranoi’s eccentric behavior, I let her be since everyone deserves the right to enjoy their dreams.

However, Paranoi soon spat out the water she had just gulped down.

“The taste is weird! The water seems rotten! This university’s education is rotten!”

Paranoi’s outbursts are nothing new. Criticizing the university’s education as being corrupt upon entering campus is something that could easily get her stoned.

Thus, I had no choice but to cover her mouth and calm her down.

Thankfully, no one was around, so no stones flew her way.

I inquired,

“It’s awfully quiet here. I don’t see anyone. Is it usually like this?”

Marda glanced around.

“Yes, the evening curfew is approaching. On Sunday evenings, everyone retreats to their rooms to end the day with wise sayings and meditations.”

Ah, wise sayings and meditations.

That explained why the man we met earlier didn’t speak at all and why this building was so eerily quiet.

Antiope, though, still narrowed her brows as if the explanation wasn’t enough.

“Even if everyone’s inside, it’s strange that no animals or wildlife makes a sound. Doesn’t the overall silence of the mountain seem odd?”

Listening to Antiope’s remark, I finally realized that the only sounds coming from the mountain were the rustling of leaves and branches in the wind.

The strange sensation I’d been feeling since earlier must have been due to this unnatural silence.

A mountain shrouded in the thick silence of desolation.

I wasn’t quite sure if such a thing was even possible.

“So, where is this staircase?”

“Over here, this way.”

I cut straight to the point to resolve my curiosity quickly. Marda opened a wooden door on the vast building and disappeared into it.

Creak, creak—.

We followed behind her into the first floor of the building. As expected from a building made of cold bricks, the inside was rather chilly, and the darkness was overwhelming.

Swish, swish—.

There were small candlesticks here and there, but their feeble light couldn’t really pierce the descending veil of darkness.

It was supposed to be a university building.

But it felt a lot more like some kind of prison.

Studying day and night here would likely lead to such neurotic tendencies as hearing whispers from the stairs.

Thud, thud—.

Our footsteps echoed in the stone corridor as we slowly trailed behind Marda, who held a small candle.

“Mr. Hassan, something feels off about this place…”

As she clutched onto my coat in shivers, Paranoi seemed genuinely terrified.

It was quite eerie and gave off sinister vibes.

“Right before, those portraits… their eyes moved!”

Certainly, Paranoi’s fear wasn’t completely unfounded.

“Here, this is it. If we go down here, the basement will appear.”

Creak—.

Marda then forcefully pushed open an iron door. In front of her, there was a black hole into which we could smell a musty smell strong enough to irritate the nose.

At this, Antiope subtly drew her short sword and asked,

“What is the basement used for?”

“Just… storing old and outdated books or useless furniture until they are disposed of eventually…”

“Hmm…”

“But… perhaps we should avoid going down now. It’s late, and heading towards the basement at this hour…”

“Why? Is there some reason? Some taboo we shouldn’t break?”

Antiope’s eyes narrowed at this. Looking around warily, Marda whispered very quietly as if reluctant to speak in front of anyone besides us.

“Actually, in the basement of this building lies something terrifying… it’s said that the elders sealed away some ancient demon-like creature… ”

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