Chapter 165
39. Ghost Story (1)
Hong Bi-yeon and Aiselle.
The two, symbolizing blazing red flames and icy blue frost, seemed like complete opposites but had subtle commonalities if one looked closely.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r om k ingm t l. o rg
First, both raised their pride high for self-protection.
Second, once they became curious about something, they would investigate it to the end no matter what.
Third, both had a deep interest in a particular person.
Their commonalities overlapped in such a way that it erased the frictional atmosphere of their opposite natures, making them surprisingly compatible. Thus, seeing the two of them study something together in the library was quite a spectacle for other students.
“Hey, look over there.”
“The princess and that traitor’s…”
“Shh. Do you want to get in trouble? Use your head.”
“Oh, right… Sorry.”
Recently, due to Aiselle, the perception of the Morf family had been changing. Despite the stigma of being the child of a traitor, enduring hatred and ridicule, she had persistently worked hard to enter Stella Academy with top scores.
Moreover, she raised the possibility of new elemental magic and reached the 4th class at just seventeen. Her efforts and sense of justice in tackling any incident had made her a role model for many aspiring magic warriors.
In fact, among commoners or students from lower social strata who didn’t think much about the “traitor of the dark mages,” she had gained considerable popularity.
Teenagers couldn’t help but be drawn to the life-reversal story of “a star that rose despite extreme adversity,” akin to a youth comic.
Because of this.
Even though the table where Aiselle and Hong Bi-yeon were seated was an eight-seater, no one dared to approach it.
No, it would be more accurate to say they couldn’t.
Seeing the two with their heads together, not studying a typical assignment but poring over thick books and discussing in hushed tones, who would dare invade that space?
‘They must be researching some amazing magic, not just homework.’
‘Yeah. They’re different from ordinary students like us.’
‘Shh. Let’s pass quietly.’
…So, what exactly were the two girls, who evoked awe and reverence from other students, researching?
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g m tl . o r g
[What Is a Noble Soul]
In reality, their research on the soul, which held no practical value for the advancement of magic and had not been properly proven, was of little use.
No mage had yet revealed the true nature of the soul.
Due to necromancy being the domain of dark mages, this field had not properly developed.
Furthermore, this necromancy involved many philosophical elements, making it a field with a “zero contribution to the advancement of magic” and thus shunned by everyone.
A few students hungry for credits might dabble in it, but they often dozed off in class, causing the average grade to drop instead.
[Humans can never have a noble soul.]
[From the moment of birth, they commit the unfilial act of causing pain to their mother.]
[To purify a tainted soul requires double the effort, and because humans accumulate many sins even before developing self-awareness, they cannot erase them no matter how hard they try.]
[Even restoring a tainted soul is difficult, so how can one possess a noble soul?]
Th i s w as c o pi ed f r om k ingm t l . or g
The research on noble souls began with negative content on the first page, but as it continued, numerous historical examples were listed.
[However, surprisingly, there have been a few great figures in history who came close to having a noble soul.]
[Their great and noble deeds managed to completely purify the countless sins they accumulated throughout their lives.]
In short, the conclusion was simple.
T h i s w as c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
‘While humans cannot be completely noble, those who contribute to or sacrifice for the world can come close to possessing a noble soul.’
“…I don’t quite understand.”
As it was her first time studying such a field, Hong Bi-yeon pressed her temples, unable to grasp it well.
Aiselle, who was in a similar situation, groaned quietly but explained what she had understood.
“Looking at the list of noble people in history, most of them were referred to as ‘saints’ or ‘holy individuals.'”
They were great figures who gave generously, sacrificed for others, and fought tirelessly to wipe away others’ tears, even if it meant shedding their own blood.
Most of them couldn’t use divine magic. According to testimonies at the time, commoners were not deemed worthy of learning divine magic.
Yet, without divine magic, they advanced medicine to heal others, won wars to protect their people, researched alchemy to develop potions, and some even became great mages later on.
The saints and holy individuals realized their justice in the world in remarkably diverse ways.
They were completely different from the saints and holy individuals arbitrarily appointed by today’s divine nation, truly revered by people who naturally called their names in admiration.
These individuals were the ones closest to possessing a noble soul.
Here’s the problem.
“These people only approached having a noble soul, they didn’t fully possess one.”
“…That’s right.”
Humans cannot possess a noble soul. No one has ever broken that absolute statement.
But… Baek Yu-seol broke it. This was truly astonishing, but unfortunately, due to the lack of interest in necromancy, no one realized just how significant and great this was.
Thunk!
Hong Bi-yeon closed the book.
T h i s w as c o pi e d fr o m k in gm t l . or g
There was no need for lengthy research or contemplation.
A conclusion was already reached.
“…I roughly understand.”
“Indeed…
Baek Yu-seol, throughout countless regressions…
How many lives must he have taken?
Even from the brief glimpse in the Library of Stars, Baek Yu-seol’s life was stained with blood, covered in sins that seemed impossible to wash away.
Those countless sins were not enough to stain his soul the darkest black, yet, for some reason, he possessed a soul so bright it was almost blinding.
According to the book, the conclusion was simple.
Baek Yu-seol had made countless sacrifices to save the world, far more than the sins he committed, and as a result, he finally possessed a noble soul.
The girls couldn’t even begin to imagine the process he went through to reach that point.
They just painfully realized how young they were.
What genius mage? What talent blessed by magic?
Adolevit Royal Family? Morf Family?
Those who praised such hollow shells… they knew nothing.
There was someone truly great.
Someone with the most revered name in the world, living quietly.
Suddenly, Hong Bi-yeon felt ashamed of her life.
The days when she lived proudly as a princess of the Adolevit Royal Family.
The actions of looking down on others under the guise of equality.
If she could erase them, she wanted to wipe them all out.
After organizing the books, Hong Bi-yeon silently stood up without even pulling her chair. There were no farewells. After all, they were only sitting together to read the same book for a moment, the awkwardness with Aiselle remained.
Aiselle, too, didn’t stop or look at her leaving. She just remained there, carefully reading the remaining pages.
“This is…
It was meaningless to read any further, but her curiosity was intense. Curiosity about a field she didn’t know.
As she delved deeper, Aiselle discovered something quite interesting.
[The most recent figure who approached having a noble soul would be ‘Abeline Stabererk.’]
[Although he eventually offered his soul to the Other World and chose to become a dark mage, he was renowned as a graduate of Stella Academy…]
Aiselle knew that name well. Her father had told her about him when she was young.
‘That man was quite the eccentric. When he was at Stella, he once sent an entire main tower to the other side of the world.’
‘That’s impressive…’
‘Impressive indeed. The disappeared tower was never recovered, not even by the principal. By the time I was a student, the 7th main tower was already gone.’
That was more than half a century ago. Due to becoming a dark mage, all history related to Abeline Stabererk was erased from Stella.
Eltemon Eltrine, who had a deep hatred for dark mages, had buried everything in secrecy.
Thus, no evidence of the 7th main tower remained except in ghost stories among students.
‘Hmm…’
Aiselle knew some truth about the ghost story. She had heard it from her father, who experienced a major event at Stella.
‘The 7th main tower…’
Th is w as c o pi ed f r o m k i n gm t l . or g
That was the end of her study.
She closed the book.
All her questions were answered.
* * *
Stella Academy had countless ghost stories.
With over a hundred years of history and numerous notable and peculiar mages passing through, plus a campus the size of a small city, it was inevitable for ghost stories to arise.
Some ghost stories were completely unrealistic and absurd, but among the few that students genuinely believed were true, the most representative would be the ‘7th Main Tower Ghost Story.’
※There is no seventh main tower on campus.
※If you happen to find yourself in a corridor between towers and see a tower marked with the number seven, turn back immediately and walk away with your usual stride.
[In this case, ignore any voices of a female student calling you from behind.]
※If you see a student in a white uniform leading the way in the corridor of the 4th main tower, do not follow. There are no white uniforms at this school.
※Do not cross from the 6th main tower to the 3rd main tower at midnight.
T his w as co p ie d f r om ki n g m t l .o r g
[If you happen to see a stained mirror while passing through the 3rd main tower, avert your gaze.]
[If you accidentally make eye contact with your reflection in the mirror, close your eyes and count to 100 before passing. Nothing will happen.]
…The Neapolitan ghost stories related to the 7th main tower were numerous, indicating just how interested students were in the story.
Of course, no truth had ever been confirmed. Even students who grew up with the ghost stories and later became professors claimed they had never seen the 7th main tower.
But every few years, a student would drop out, babbling that they had entered the 7th main tower, further fueling the ghost story anew each year.
‘Does it really exist?’
‘Of course not. The principal officially declared it doesn’t exist.’
‘Yeah. But isn’t it suspicious that the professors keep telling us not to mention it?’
‘True.’
As always, the ghost story quickly shifted topics, forgotten without any truth being revealed.
But Flame recently paid attention to the revitalized 7th main tower ghost story. She knew the truth behind it through the original romance-fantasy novel.
‘It’s just a rumor…’
Anella looked skeptically at Flame, who was investigating the 7th main tower. The initial intimidating atmosphere was gone, replaced by a girl chasing ghost stories and rumors, making her seem less impressive.
…Sometimes, when Flame manifested her light magic, it was terrifying, but that’s another story.
“Yeah. It’s just a rumor. But why would it suddenly spread so widely?”
A week after the school competition ended, scary stories became popular on campus for the summer. So, it wasn’t strange for a Neapolitan ghost story to trend.
But the 7th main tower ghost story was particularly vivid and spread unusually widely.
As if someone wanted students to be interested in the 7th main tower.
Flame knew the reason but didn’t explain it to Anella. Unveiling the truth too soon would ruin the narrative’s progression.
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k in g mtl .o rg
‘Still, it definitely exists.’
In the original romance-fantasy novel, Professor Maizen Tiren deliberately spread the 7th main tower rumor.
But with her gone, someone else must be filling that role, given how prominently the story was circulating.
So, she needed to find that person.
Fortunately, Anella, who could identify other dark mages, could help distinguish them, even if they didn’t appear in the original novel.
By narrowing down the suspects and having Anella confirm if they were dark mages, the matter could be resolved.
This w a s c o p i e d fr o m k in g m t l .o r g
This way, the ‘7th Main Tower Dark Mana Erosion Incident,’ one of the worst scenarios, could be prevented.
“…So, do you really think one of the professors is the culprit?”
“I’m not sure. But we need to investigate and rule them out if they aren’t.”
A student visiting a professor is not unusual.
Flame, being a top student and knowledgeable in various fields, wouldn’t seem out of place asking a professor about a subject she wasn’t taking.
There were many suspects.
Flame planned to visit each one to narrow them down.
Though primitive, it was the most reliable method for a student.
“Then, let’s go!”
T h i s was c op i e d fro m ki n g m t l . o r g
As Flame confidently headed to a professor’s office, Anella followed with a dying expression.
Meanwhile.
Someone secretly watched Flame’s back from the other end of the corridor.
They stared at the office Flame entered for a long time before reluctantly turning away.
No trace remained where the observer had stood, only a quiet emptiness lingered.
End of Chapter