Chapter 74

Creak… creak…

The old school was pitch dark, without a single light to illuminate the gloom. The five of us walked down the corridor, each in our own manner.

And yet, my body was trembling with fear.

Indirectly.

To be precise, it wasn’t me shaking, but Yuli, who had a firm grip on my left arm, her tremors causing my arm to shake along with hers.

Perhaps the vibrations were reaching Selian, who was holding onto my right arm.

Squeak… squeak…

With no one around in the quiet of the old school, every step we took echoed uncomfortably as the worn wooden floorboards groaned beneath our weight.

“According to the old school layout, there are five floors.”

Leading the way was Presia. She held the guide map provided by the Academy in both hands, charting our path.

It was originally my job, but since I’d somehow ended up losing the use of both hands, Presia had stepped in to take my place.

“Anne! Wandering like that, you’ll get lost.”

In the midst of all this, Anne was darting about, seemingly thrilled to explore the various rooms.

“Pfft. I’m fine, I’m fine! I’m not a kid!”

If I were to comment that her actions and appearance were childlike, I’m sure I’d get a swift punch.

Whooosh…

Lost in some unrelated thoughts, I was suddenly jolted back by a chilling noise that filled the corridor.

“Gyaa! Wh-what’s that…?”

“Maybe it’s just because the building is old?”

At the sound, which seemed to resonate throughout the entire building, Yuli clung tighter to my arm, startled.

Meanwhile, Selian, noticing something, let go of my arm momentarily and made her way towards a window further down the corridor.

“It seems like the wind is entering through this open window.”

Sure enough, approaching the window Selian had pointed out, we could see it was wide open, letting in a draft.

I closed the window and secured the lock.

“Anne? It’s fine to wander around, but don’t just leave windows open like this, alright?”

All the other windows had their locks firmly in place—except for this one. It was clearly opened intentionally, and the only person among us likely to do such a thing would be Anne, who’d been enthusiastically running around since we arrived.

We had to caution against wild animals from the Academy grounds potentially getting in through the open window, but…

“Anne?”

There was no reply. Looking around for any sign of what might be the matter, Anne was nowhere to be seen.

And it wasn’t just she who had gone missing. Presia, who had been leading us at the front, had silently vanished as well.

“Selian? Did you happen to lose sight of the two of them…?”

Thinking that perhaps they had moved on ahead while I was distracted with the window, I turned to Selian for answers.

But Selian, who had been right beside me just moments ago, had also disappeared without a trace.

Only then did I realize something was amiss. However, by the time I noticed, it was already too late.

Suddenly, my left arm, which should have been restricted by Yuli’s firm grip, was inexplicably freed.

Turning my head, I found Yuli, who had clung tightly to me since we entered the building, was also absent.

The corridor I now stood in felt unfamiliar, despite its dilapidated appearance being similar to the one we had been in just moments ago.

Checking the window we’d noticed earlier, its view now showed a height indicative of the 4th or 5th floor.

“You said they were useless, didn’t you, Boss?”

…

After briefly surveying the surrounding rooms, it became clear from the room numbers in the 500 range that I was on the 5th floor.

However, my knowledge stopped right there. I couldn’t find any traces of the others. They were likely scattered elsewhere within the old school.

At least, for now, the situation didn’t seem overly dangerous.

While I couldn’t say this with absolute certainty, it appeared that the evil spirits haunting the old school had no intention of harming us.

If they had meant to, they would likely have attacked after separating us.

But their actions thus far were limited to pushing me away from the open window, occasionally knocking things over or slamming doors, and sometimes even whispering eerie, chilling laughs into my ear.

They may act rather mischievous, but considering they are essentially clumps of negative energy, they’re causing mayhem because they’re tangled up.

The truth is, I wasn’t particularly startled by these antics. Growing up in less-than-ideal circumstances meant that I had already encountered similar episodes many times over.

As a timid child, I spent countless nights in run-down hideouts that groaned and creaked at the slightest noise; windows that wouldn’t function properly let in gusts of wind that slammed doors shut; and seasoned assassins lurking in the shadows had delighted in scaring me senseless.

What the spirits were doing now was pretty much old news to me—something I had already experienced back when I was ten.

Still, it was kinda fun to reminisce. Not exactly great memories, but amusing nonetheless.

“Guys!”

Attempting to shout out just in case, my voice echoed through the silence but brought no response.

Despite the quiet, my voice should have carried over long distances. Since there was no answer, it seemed another trick by the spirits.

“Guess I’m stuck here, huh?”

After checking dozens of rooms to survey the entire 5th floor, I decided to head downstairs since there was no sign of anyone.

Even though Griffin Academy had expanded, the old school still spanned a significant size, making the search time-consuming.

Having confirmed there was no one on the top floor, I decided to check lower levels, starting with the 4th floor. The idea of searching an entire floor again was daunting.

Then a thought struck me. Could the others already be gathered at the entrance?

With that in mind, I made my way down to the 1st floor.

“Ah! It’s El!”

Upon reaching the entrance, Anne’s voice greeted me.

“You’re late.”

Presia’s voice followed, teasing me for tardiness.

“Wouldn’t you think of a place to regroup if you got separated? The entrance is the obvious choice.”

And then Selian’s voice chimed in, pointing this out to me.

It made perfect sense, leaving little room for argument. I had foolishly wasted my time wandering the entire 5th floor when I should’ve come straight here.

“Uh? Where’s Yuli?”

Looking around the entrance, I noticed Yuli was absent.

“She hasn’t arrived yet.”

Yuli, who had shown signs of fear from the moment we entered the building, was likely stuck somewhere in the depths of the old school, trembling in place, too frightened to move.

Given her timid nature, it was highly probable that she had been singled out by the mischievous spirits. They may have isolated her, trapping her much like they had prevented me from jumping out the window.

“We should go look for her.”

Even if Yuli arrived later at the entrance, we’d deal with any potential confusion easily enough. We could leave her a note asking her to stay put if she arrived first. And even if the spirits tried to erase that note, it wouldn’t work. Presia’s magical note in mid-air was far too stable for them to tamper with it.

“Where should we start looking?”

“Since I’ve already checked the entire 5th floor, it makes sense to search the lower levels.”

“Then let’s each take a floor. I’ll go up to the 4th.”

“Alright, I’ll take the 3rd floor!”

“That sounds good. We should be fine since it doesn’t seem dangerous. So, Boss, can you handle the 1st floor? I’ll check the 2nd. Once done, everyone meet back here.”

“Okay…”

Given Presia was the least physically fit among us, she graciously accepted the easiest task.

Though our individual speeds varied slightly, since each of us would only check one floor, the time would likely even out.

Agreeing to this, the four of us once again dispersed, this time with the specific purpose of finding Yuli.

As Anne and Selian ascended, and Presia remained downstairs, I began searching the 2nd floor.

After thoroughly checking each room, I found no trace of Yuli.

Returning to the 1st floor, Anne was already waiting.

True to her nature, she must have run around like a streak of lightning, slamming doors open as she went.

“Did you find her?”

Upon seeing me, she immediately asked. Watching my negative head shake, she adopted a crestfallen expression.

There was nothing left to do but wait patiently for Selian and Presia to return.

But even after both of them arrived, there was still no sign of Yuli.

Thus, we regathered and once again decided to split up, this time with renewed determination to find Yuli.