Chapter 197
Knock. Knock.
The Cradle Main Building.
The dull sound of low-heeled shoes echoed through the staircase leading to the basement.
“Hmm~ Hmm-hmm~”
A cheerful hum, as if heading out on a picnic. However, mixed with the faint emergency siren coming from above, it gave off an eerie impression instead.
With every step the girl in the white school uniform took, her glossy brown hair swayed gently.
She paid no attention to the sign that read “Record Room” and continued descending further.
[Level A Secret Handling Zone]
“Hmm…”
After descending several dozen spiral steps, she finally found what she had been looking for and slightly curled her lips into a smile.
Thanks to having cut off the power to the machine room, no alarm devices were activated. Even the guards’ attention would have been entirely drawn to her rampaging hounds aboveground.
In truth, unless it was Hae Wolhwa herself, no one could have stopped her anyway.
The commotion today was purely because she wanted to handle things as cleanly as possible.
“Sadalmelik, I wonder if it’s doing well…”
The girl muttered as she effortlessly pushed open the heavy iron door.
And then, she slowly walked down the old staircase that stretched even further below.
“Spica. Your power is truly useful, isn’t it?”
Even though no one was there to hear her, she spoke as if chatting with a close friend.
“It’s great. Stimulating the biological hormones of lower lifeforms and turning them into slaves of absolute obedience.”
She chuckled gleefully, running her finger softly along the curve of her collar.
“I never imagined there’d be such an entertaining pastime. If I’d known earlier, I would’ve stepped in myself. What a waste, pretending to be some nest and unable to move… No, no.”
The girl, who had been lamenting, soon shook her head.
“All of this is for the great cause. How could I belittle its value by comparing it to mere play?”
Talking to herself, she had by now reached the deepest depths of the underground.
At the bottom of the staircase lay an open space bearing untouched traces of nature. The area was so vast that calling it a mere cave didn’t do it justice.
The girl briefly glanced around before her eyes lit up brightly.
At the end of her gaze was a massive crystal embedded entirely into the wall of the expansive cavern.
“So this is what that old pig was referring to.”
The girl approached and, for once, let out a rare exclamation of admiration.
With the innate sensitivity to particles unique to her kind, she immediately realized it wasn’t just an ordinary mineral.
With every step she took toward the crystal, the liquid inside its core rippled violently, almost as if it were alive.
This indicated that the particles flowing along the ley lines hadn’t fully crystallized yet. Seeing the unstable state, the schoolgirl displayed an even more satisfied smile.
“The concentration is quite significant. Well, they said this place has been here for a hundred years…”
She reached out her palm to the crystal and closed her eyes.
“With this… at least half the capital will be obliterated.”
A sinister grin spread across her lips as she murmured.
For her, there was no reason to hesitate.
The great cause. The greatest enemy blocking unity. The so-called magicians, a lower lifeform species.
Among them, this was an excellent way to eliminate those in their prime, alive and in one fell swoop.
“Alright. Then…?!”
Just as she was about to plunge her hand into the crystal’s core, as if her body were rejecting the command from her mind, she suddenly froze in place.
Her outstretched arm stiffened mid-air, trembling uncontrollably.
“Spica. You’ve been behaving for a while, but now you’re acting up again. Are you still not giving up? Hmm?”
The girl sighed as if exasperated, gazing down at her own arm.
“I told you, you should’ve listened to me sooner. I didn’t want to treat my sister this way.”
Pretending to exert a little strength, she made a slight movement. The peculiar resistance that had been there disappeared as if it had never existed.
“I’ve told you before. The emotions you’re feeling are an illusion. It’s because your logical circuits are a mess. Really, of all things, why did you have to cling to…”
With a crunching sound, the girl plunged her arm into the crystal. Then, as she stretched her other arm into the air, particles gathered from the void began to pour into the crystal through her.
“You can never become them. In their terms, it’s like… a wolf can’t become a sheep. Why can’t you understand something so simple… Never mind.”
Feeling her hand fill with something, the girl let out a small gasp as she withdrew her hand from the crystal.
Thump. Thump.
A low pulsing sound, like a heartbeat, began to reverberate from inside the crystal. With every pulse, the resonance grew deeper.
Soon, the liquid inside started to churn violently, as if in agony. With each beat, amber light radiated outward.
The schoolgirl observed the scene with satisfaction, resting her chin on her hand as if calculating something.
“The quantity is more substantial than I thought. At this rate, it’ll take at least a few days to completely overload.”
However, she shrugged casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal, and turned around.
“Well, that’s fine. There’s no way I’ll be caught, and even if I were, it would already be too late by then.”
Humming a tune again, the girl let out a faint complaint.
“If Polaris had awakened properly, I wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble… Why did the egg have to break…”
By all accounts, Polaris should have been the Alpha of this great cause.
Polaris was an entity with transcendent power, unlike any other among them.
But for unknown reasons, Polaris’s biological signals had abruptly vanished, and she had taken Polaris’s place as the Alpha.
Even though she had inherited the memories of the first generation and was progressing her plans more cunningly, she was beginning to realize that it wasn’t as easy as she’d thought.
Her attempts to annex an entire stronghold using the lower species she had subjugated had failed. Betelgeuse, who had been hiding in the city to mass-produce artificial witches, had been slaughtered by an unknown force.
Each tragedy was something that wouldn’t have occurred if Polaris had been present.
“Well, it’s fine.”
The girl soon shook her head.
As the saying goes, the ground hardens after the rain. There are always ups and downs in any endeavor.
Looking at the bigger picture, her other plans were still progressing smoothly.
The strongest magician would be killed at the southernmost end.
The adversary would lose their life in the eastern sanctuary.
The impenetrable wall in the north would be ravaged by fallen beasts and utterly crumble.
And this small firecracker would serve as the prelude to it all.
“Don’t worry, Spica. Even if you die caught up in this, I’ll bring you back to life.”
Feeling cheerful again, she hummed.
“That’s why I sacrificed myself to create this nest, isn’t it? Well, maybe when you’re resurrected with a new body, your mind will recover a bit.”
As she muttered to herself, the girl suddenly let out an “Ah!” as if she’d remembered something.
“Come to think of it…”
Delving into Spica’s memories, she seemed to have discovered traces of someone carefully hidden away.
“The masked one. You said they were your friend, didn’t you? The one who interrupted our work last time.”
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, her lips began to tremble uncontrollably, as if in fierce rebellion.
“The adversary’s bloodline, was it? Anyway, that lineage is such a nuisance…”
Wearing a displeased smile, the girl gazed at her palm. Her entire body was trembling violently, as if struck with chills.
“This is perfect. Let’s kill them together this time. If we leave them be, they might disrupt our plans again…”
The girl stiffened her neck and stared at the underground water pooled like a pond on the cavern floor.
“Don’t worry. All you have to do is bring their corpse back to the nest. Isn’t that even better? They’ll truly become one with us in every sense.”
Then, looking at her reflection in the water, she twisted her lips into a grotesque smile.
“Spica, my beloved sister. I envy you so much. To be able to experience this entire festival so vividly with that body of yours.”
Drip. Drip.
Drops of water, pooled on stalactites, fell into the underground lake like tears.
***
A day after the social gathering.
The academy, which should have been easing the lingering excitement of the festival, was instead shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.
“This is really unbelievable…”
Kwon Yuri let out a deep sigh as she swayed against an empty desk in the classroom.
“At least no one died, so that’s a relief…”
She shook her head in disbelief.
The academic schedule of the Cradle had been temporarily halted. Rumors were even circulating that the Education Committee was considering an interim suspension, further adding to the chaos.
“This is really suspicious. I mean, it feels like there’s definitely something going on. All these perfectly normal people suddenly losing their minds like that…”
“Exactly. It’s suspicious.”
From beside her, a voice filled with irritation responded.
Choi Ireh was still engrossed in flipping through some documents.
“If it weren’t for that incident, I’d have you locked up immediately, you know?”
At her words, Kwon Yuri stuck out her tongue.
“What are you talking about? I’m telling you, it wasn’t me. It’s that White Rabbit or whoever.”
“I already told you, I’ve heard all the testimonies.”
“Ugh. Testimonies aren’t enough. You need proper evidence. Without that, what do you even…”
Kwon Yuri scoffed lightly and glanced at Choi Ireh.
The twin-tailed girl sifting through the documents had an expression Yuri had never seen before.
A blush blooming on her cheeks, a soft smile lingering at the corners of her lips.
Seeing her like that, Kwon Yuri made a gagging sound as if about to throw up, for once openly expressing her emotions.
Of course, she did this secretly behind Choi Ireh’s back.
“Not this person… not this one either…”
What Choi Ireh was scrutinizing was the list of visitors to the Cradle during the previous social gathering.
Using her authority as Head of the Disciplinary Department, she had obtained the list and was meticulously examining the personal details of the male visitors for some reason.
“Oh, just give up already.”
“Who said you could decide that?”
“I already told you. If there were someone like that, I’d have noticed them first.”
Choi Ireh didn’t even pretend to listen to Kwon Yuri’s words.
Leaning back in her chair as if reminiscing about a pleasant memory, she closed her eyes and murmured.
“Tall, a sharp jawline, a high nose bridge, a deep voice, gentle attitude, considerate nature… Ha… I think I’ve met my destined one. Who would’ve thought they’d be so close…”
“Ugh.”
Then, she suddenly jumped up and muttered anxiously.
“What should I do… What if he got hurt in the incident? I should go visit him…”
“This is weird…”
Kwon Yuri still couldn’t shake off her doubts.
“Maybe it’s just a senior or junior you don’t recognize?”
“Absolutely not.”
Choi Ireh declared firmly.
“I’ve never seen him before. I’ve never heard his voice either. My memory is crystal clear.”
Hearing her words, Kwon Yuri tilted her head in confusion.
“That doesn’t make any sense… No matter how I think about it, I don’t recall inviting someone like that… Oops.”
Realizing she had misspoken, Kwon Yuri quickly covered her mouth.
She slowly turned her head to the side.
By then, the girl, now resembling an angry demon, was glaring daggers at her.
“…Hey.”
“Hehe… Ireh, we’re friends, right…?”
“You little—!! Now you’re outright mocking me!!!”
“Eek!”
As Choi Ireh lunged at her, Kwon Yuri quickly dodged and bolted out into the hallway.
Hopping like a rabbit in search of a hiding place, she suddenly caught sight of someone and brightened up with a smile.
“Seoyeon!”
There was something she wanted to ask, after all.
The incident had occurred around midnight. There had been a few hours in between. She was curious about what sweet things might have happened during that time, especially since she had played the role of matchmaker.
“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere. By the way… huh?”
But as she waved and ran toward her, Kwon Yuri’s expression turned puzzled.
Baek Seoyeon, with empty eyes, staggered forward without even noticing her. She looked as if she couldn’t hear anything.
“Hey! I finally caught—! Huh…?”
Choi Ireh, who had belatedly caught up with Kwon Yuri, also immediately noticed Baek Seoyeon’s strange behavior.
Both of them watched as Baek Seoyeon moved like a ghost, disappearing down the corridor. Almost simultaneously, they spoke up.
“Did Seoyeon just glare at you?”
“At me? Why would Seoyeon glare at me? You must’ve seen it wrong.”
Choi Ireh shook her head, finding the idea absurd.
Kwon Yuri, however, tilted her head even more, clearly confused.
“That’s odd…”