Chapter 26: That Day, at the Cemetery (1)
The situation was as follows.
After dinner, a late-night mock battle was held among the 890th Class cadets.
The supervising professor, Chaser Idna, divided the 51 cadets into two teams: Team A and Team B.
The objective was to clear a dungeon.
The team that overcame the dungeon’s traps and reached the end first would earn Merit Points.
Dungeons.
Ancient ruins, battlegrounds of old wars, abandoned temples or fortresses, naturally formed caves, artificially constructed facilities from bygone eras, or rifts created by spatial erosion—all of these were collectively called dungeons.
Dungeons within the Frey Empire’s territory were managed by the empire, and some were used as training grounds for the Academy.
The dungeon used for the late-night mock battle was a maze-like dungeon set in a forest.
And the team that cleared the dungeon first was Team B, a result so shocking it left everyone stunned.
Based solely on the lineup, Team B had no chance of beating Team A.
Gwyn Gaiard and Karina Zain.
These two geniuses of swordsmanship and magic were on Team A.
The top and second-ranked students in the entrance exam, the heads of their respective departments, and elites who had received systematic training from a young age were together.
In contrast, Team B had no notable cadets aside from Victor, ranked third, and Guillaume, ranked fifth.
It was as if the outcome had been decided before the game even began.
Yet, the result was Team B’s overwhelming victory.
Team A’s cadets were utterly dumbfounded.
“This… this can’t be.”
“…Does this even make sense? Isn’t something wrong?”
Team A’s members muttered with vacant expressions.
Some refused to accept the result, glaring at the jubilant Team B.
But the defeat was a fact, and the reason was clear.
Unstable teamwork.
While Team A might have had a higher overall performance level, a maze-like dungeon wasn’t something that could be cleared by sheer skill alone.
Analytical ability and sound judgment.
And, above all, coordination and teamwork among members were critical.
In this regard, Team B’s leader, Victor, actively communicated with his teammates.
In particular, he closely collaborated with two people, incorporating their opinions: Yuria and Ivan.
When it came to finding paths or preparing for traps, Yuria’s coolheaded judgment shone and in critical moments, Ivan’s swordsmanship fended off danger.
In contrast, Team A, despite needing to unite their strength, fractured.
Gwyn and Karina.
These two prideful individuals clashed constantly over decisions.
That difference led to their defeat.
“Ivan. Your swordwork was insanely fast. How do you get that strong so quickly?”
“Wow. Ivan was impressive, but when the floor suddenly vanished and I fell into that swamp, I thought my heart stopped.”
“Oh, that? Your face was hilarious then. Kick kick! Thank Yuria—she saved you.”
“Guess I should. Oh! Yuria! Come here quick! We were just talking about you.”
Naturally, the atmosphere of the two teams emerging from the dungeon couldn’t have been more different.
Team B was in a festive mood.
Gathering in clusters, they boasted about their achievements, praised each other, and maintained a warm atmosphere until the end.
Yuria quietly smiled among them.
It was strange to think about.
All she did was follow his advice.
Whenever a situation arose, she simply thought, “What would my senior do in this situation?”
Each time, a path appeared, and that path led to the right answer every moment.
As a result, Yuria earned Merit Points.
Merit Points were added to one’s grades.
And if her grades improved, it would be recognized as the mentee’s contribution, helping to cover Gerard’s lacking credits.
‘So let’s work even harder.’
And there was one more reason she had to win.
Yuria cast her gaze toward where Team A was gathered.
Amid the dejected atmosphere, starkly different from Team B’s, stood Karina, still holding her head high.
‘Merit Points? I don’t need them, and I don’t care.’
Karina’s expression seemed to say just that.
At that moment, as Karina turned her head, her eyes met Yuria’s in midair.
“…!”
Instantly, a deep furrow formed on Karina’s pale forehead.
She had seen the faint smile curling at Yuria’s lips.
Yuria, letting that subtle smile slip, turned her head away.
In Karina’s eyes, a fierce blaze erupted.
“Everyone worked hard until late tonight. Team B, submit your Merit Points to the Personnel Office tomorrow. Dismissed!”
With Chaser’s declaration, the cadets formed groups and descended the mountain.
Yuria was about to head down as well.
At that moment, someone grabbed her.
“Hey. You. Hold it right there.”
A pristine white shirt, tight leather pants, high-heeled designer boots, and an expensive leather coat draped over her shoulders—it was Karina.
Did Yuria know Karina would stop her?
Yuria’s face, as she gazed at Karina, was utterly calm.
“What?”
“What? Did you just say ‘what’?”
“Don’t nitpick my words. Just say what you want.”
“Ha!”
Karina’s lips curled upward in disbelief.
“You still haven’t come to your senses, have you? Should I make it so you can’t even show your face at the Academy?”
“How? By spreading baseless rumors like you mentioned before?”
“Hmph. Baseless? They’re not baseless. They’re true.”
“They’re not true.”
“Not true? I saw it with my own eyes. You two clinging to each other like leeches.”
“That’s because he’s my mentor.”
Karina’s smile deepened.
“Exactly. You chose that dimwit as your mentor because you two have that kind of relationship, don’t you?”
Yuria’s face turned icy in an instant.
The rumor Karina was referring to was a kind of scandal.
It had recently started spreading among the 890th Class, particularly among the female cadets.
‘Gerard from the 888th Class and Yuria from the 890th Class. These two are more than just senior and junior!’
This was a direct violation of the Academy’s rules, which prohibited romantic relationships on campus.
Of course, love being an emotion that couldn’t be fully suppressed, some cadets secretly dated, and the Student Affairs Office turned a blind eye to it.
But a scandal spreading across the entire Academy was an entirely different matter.
Given the organizational culture, it could cause various disturbances and undermine discipline.
Moreover, in the empire’s culture, which valued personal honor, such scandals could bring disadvantages to the individuals involved, severe enough to block their future prospects.
“And even if you deny it, will anyone believe you?”
Yuria couldn’t confidently say no.
She had no background, no power.
Neither did Gerard. In fact, his reputation was already tarnished by various infamy.
If Karina and her followers deliberately spread the rumor, it would be impossible to stop.
Yet Yuria remained calm.
“Do whatever you want. I don’t care about baseless rumors. I don’t care how people see me.”
“Huh. Is that so?”
Karina kept smirking.
“But what about that senior of yours?”
“…!”
“Gerard. Will he really not care about others’ gazes? I don’t think so.”
Yuria bit her lip.
Of course, she had heard his response.
‘I don’t care.’
But whether that was truly Gerard’s heartfelt sentiment, she couldn’t know.
‘I’m finally able to help him properly.’
The thought of Gerard suffering because of her was unbearable to Yuria.
“Now do you get it? If you’d listened when I warned you nicely—”
“If I were you, I’d hang myself out of shame.”
Karina tilted her head at the sudden remark.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s embarrassing. You can’t win with skill, so you rely on your family’s influence and play petty tricks. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Nonsense! You’re saying I can’t win with skill?”
“Yeah. You lost today.”
In an instant, the color drained from Karina’s face.
Unlike unprovable rumors, today’s defeat was an undeniable fact.
“Rumors? Spread them or don’t, do whatever you want. But you should study politics instead of magic. Your scheming fits a politician better.”
“…!”
“Anyway, talking to you any longer will just make me feel pathetic. If you’re done, I’m leaving.”
But Yuria didn’t get far before stopping.
She felt a searing heat from behind.
When she turned, she saw a fireball, its red tongue flickering toward her.
Boom!
But the fireball split in two midair and exploded.
Before she knew it, Ivan stood in front of her, sword in hand.
“You okay, Yuria?”
“I’m fine.”
“Karina! What the hell was that? You could’ve caused a serious accident!”
Karina’s eyes widened.
She had cast the spell in a fit of rage, only to be startled herself afterward.
But it was only for a moment.
She glared at Ivan.
“Serious accident? It would’ve just left a burn on her back at most. Don’t overreact.”
“What? You just—”
“And if she can’t even block that, is she really an Academy cadet?”
Ivan was momentarily dumbfounded by Karina’s brazen attitude.
But what left him even more speechless was Yuria’s agreement from behind.
“She’s right, Ivan. Even without you, I could’ve easily blocked that spell.”
“…!”
Yuria then smiled faintly at Karina.
“As expected. Your magic’s nothing special either. Just like your scheming. Exactly as I said.”
Ivan’s jaw dropped.
Her composure, even in a dangerous situation and her even more astonishing verbal jab.
It felt like seeing a new side of Yuria, whom he’d thought was always quiet.
Ivan, quietly impressed, belatedly recalled someone and glanced toward Karina.
And, as expected.
“Whoops.”
There was Karina, trembling with rage, unable to contain herself.
“You… you!”
“Hey, Karina? Calm down for now.”
“I won’t forgive you… No, I won’t let this slide!”
Looking at Karina, Yuria tilted her head with an innocent expression.
“What’re you gonna do if you don’t?”
“Yuria, you too, stop—”
Ivan tensed, expecting another spell, and tried desperately to mediate.
But what he feared didn’t happen.
Karina, who had been glaring at Yuria as if she’d kill her, closed her eyes and forcibly calmed herself.
“Hmph. As expected of a commoner. Even your provocations are low-class.”
Karina continued.
“You asked what I’d do? Let’s have another match.”
“What?”
“A competition.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I want to crush you. So you’ll never act cocky again.”
“I already won.”
Karina stomped the ground with one foot. Bam!
“Stop making excuses! That wasn’t a real battle, it was a class. There were too many people. I couldn’t even use my full strength.”
“Same goes for me.”
The two glared at each other, locked in a standoff.
Ivan rubbed his eyes, seeing sparks crackle in the empty air.
‘Is this the legendary battle of wills between women?’
Then Karina snorted and crossed her arms.
“Fine. I’ll sweeten the deal with a condition.”
“Condition?”
“Yeah. If you beat me, I’ll make sure those rumors about you two don’t spread any further.”
“I already told you, I don’t care about those baseless rumors.”
Karina snapped irritably.
“There’s more! So shut up and listen!”
Yuria shrugged.
“Phew. 10 gold.”
“10 gold?”
“Yeah. 10 gold. How’s that? Probably more money than you’ve ever touched in your life. Tempted?”
“Not really.”
Karina’s face crumpled like paper.
“Why? What’s wrong with it? Not enough money? Or do you need something else? An artifact, maybe?”
“I don’t need any of that.”
“Then what?”
“An apology.”
“What?”
“An apology. For calling my senior a ‘dimwit.’ Go to him in person and apologize.”
Karina froze, dumbfounded.
So did Ivan.
“You… you’re not in love with him, are you?”
“Woof.”
“What was that?”
“You were barking nonsense, so I responded in kind.”
Karina clenched her teeth and forced a smile.
“Ugh… Fine, whatever! If you win, I'll apologize to that guy. Not that it’ll ever happen.”
Yuria’s dark eyes glinted.
“Name the method.”
Karina smirked.
“You. Ever heard of the Ghost Knight that appears in the cemetery?”
Yuria nodded.
How could she not?
It was a kind of urban legend recently circulating again in Icata.
Every place has a tale of ghosts or corpses rising from graves to wander the town.
Icata was no exception.
The Icata Cemetery, located between the Grand Cathedral and the Academy, had spawned many oral traditions over its long history.
The most famous was the legend of the Ghost Knight, and recently, sightings of this Ghost Knight within the Academy had been spreading.
“Whoever catches the Ghost Knight first wins.”
“That’s just a rumor.”
“It’s not a rumor. People in my family have seen it! And if it is a rumor, we can compete another way later. What, you scared?”
Yuria’s eyes twitched.
“No? Let’s do it.”
“Then meet me at the dorm’s main gate after curfew. Tell the dorm supervisor it’s for night training. Got it?”
Just as Yuria was about to agree—
“Wait. I’m coming too.”
Karina’s sharp gaze turned toward the voice.
“You’ve been butting in since earlier. Can’t you read the room?”
Ivan stood his ground.
“It could be dangerous for just the two of you. Just in case, I’m going too.”
“Ugh…”
Karina’s face twisted with irritation as she ruffled her hair.
Then—
“Then I’m going too.”
A man stepped out from behind a tree, his boots thudding.
Karina’s eyes widened at the sight of him.
“Gwyn Gaiard! Why are you coming out from there? How long have you been hiding?”
“Seemed like something interesting was about to happen, so I was watching.”
“You and that guy, both sneaking around like creeps!”
Gwyn glanced at Ivan and cleared his throat.
“Ahem! Anyway, Karina. I, too, have a debt to settle.”
“What nonsense… Oh.”
Karina surveyed the scene.
And a sly smile crept onto her face.
The numbers were smaller, but the situation wasn’t much different from the earlier mock battle.
“…Now that you mention it, you’re right.”
No. It was even better.
All the annoying classmates who’d been in the way were gone.
“Don’t forget your promise.”
At Yuria’s words, Karina curled the corner of her lips.
“I won’t. But it won’t come to that.”
Late at night.
The four gathered at the dorm’s main gate and secretly slipped out of the Academy, heading toward the cemetery.
* * *
The cool night breeze brushed my cheeks.
The cemetery was behind the mountain.
It wasn’t part of the Academy’s grounds.
But it was close.
A one-hour trek up the northeastern slope would get you there.
That’s where the Icata Cemetery lay.
The target to retrieve was the eye of a villain who, after years of imprisonment, had been beheaded in the grand plaza.
Digging up his grave and extracting the eyeball from a rotting corpse was stomach-churning work, but I wasn’t in a position to be picky.
After all, there’d be far worse jobs in the future.
If I’d planned to be choosy, I’d have quit and fled long ago.
I’d steeled myself for this, so I felt no particular aversion.
A tall outer wall came into view.
With a single running leap, I vaulted over it.
From here, it was no longer Academy territory.
A forested hill within the city.
How long had I been running?
The air grew heavier, and a thick fog soon enveloped everything.
It wasn’t natural fog.
Fine droplets with an unpleasant stickiness.
The trace of dark magic, born from ancient death.
Its source was deep within the cemetery’s core.
Before long, towering iron bars loomed ahead.
Next to the wide-open gate was the caretaker’s post.
The jingling of a bell in the wind added to the eerie atmosphere.
The light in the post was off.
Sensing something off, I cautiously approached, but there was no sign of life inside.
Sir Roitz, who should’ve been there, was absent.
What’s this?
Then, a small sign on the door caught my eye.
[On Patrol]
Hmm. On patrol.
Bad timing.
If he’d been in the post, I could’ve snuck in, done the job, and slipped out.
Now, there was a chance of running into him inside.
Encountering him mid-job would be the worst-case scenario.
“Then I’d have to fight.”
But avoiding combat was the best course if possible.
Fighting inevitably left traces, and I couldn’t know how those might come back to haunt me.
The best precaution now was to pinpoint Sir Roitz’s location in advance.
I devised a plan and entered the cemetery.
My destination was the grave where the villain was buried.
I’d secure that spot first, then scout the surrounding 100-meter radius to check for Sir Roitz.
The deeper I went, the thicker the fog became, obscuring my vision.
The air grew heavier, and with every breath, a filthy stickiness clung to my lungs, irritating them.
The wind carried a mournful wail, echoing all around.
For some reason, the breeze right beside me sounded like a human whisper.
Sometimes a sob.
And at one point, that sob suddenly swelled, transforming into a piercing scream.
Kyaaa—
I walked for another ten minutes.
Among the rows of tombstones, I found a familiar name.
[Charon Vieri]
Here it is.
Beneath this lies the artifact the Beltus Cult seeks, ‘Gaze of Amplification.’
I activated the thievery skill, [Detection], and scouted the area.
Fortunately, there was no trace of Sir Roitz.
He was likely patrolling the opposite side of the cemetery or deep within the core.
If so, there was nothing to worry about.
I touched the ground and channeled mana.
Whoosh, whoosh.
With each use of [Telekinesis], clumps of dirt floated into the air and were discarded to the side.
A mound of earth piled up beside me.
A pit formed in front of the tombstone, and the buried coffin was exposed in no time.
I opened the lid and faced the corpse.
“….”
No need to search.
The only part that hadn’t decayed was the right eyeball.
I carefully reached for it, feeling an unnatural hardness, unlike human tissue.
I retrieved it and slipped it into my pocket.
I closed the coffin lid and restored the area as best I could, ensuring no traces remained.
Checking my pocket watch, I realized 30 minutes had passed since arriving at the cemetery.
I muttered under my breath.
“…Something’s off.”
Yeah.
Something’s wrong.
This was too easy.
It was as if Sir Roitz, the obstacle, had never existed.
All my preparations for him felt pointless; the job had ended almost anticlimactically.
Of course, a job isn’t over until your safety is secured, but I had a gut feeling I wouldn’t encounter Sir Roitz on my way out.
Honestly, it felt like Sir Roitz wasn’t anywhere in this cemetery.
Where was he?
And what was this sense of unease I’d felt throughout the job?
Instinctively, I turned and stared somewhere.
Another part of the cemetery, hidden in the deep fog.
I gazed at it for a moment before turning away.
“No. It’s probably just the cemetery’s atmosphere.”
Let’s not overthink it.
Just as I was about to leave the cemetery—
I stopped in my tracks, noticing something.
On the damp grass, a clear set of footprints.
Judging by their size and the way the grass was pressed, they were definitely a man’s.
A man in the cemetery.
It had to be Sir Roitz.
—Or so I thought.
Then I noticed something else and crouched down.
…New footprints.
Clearly from someone else.
And there were two more sets nearby.
Four sets of footprints, all different sizes.
They led through the black fog, deeper into the cemetery.
Toward the cemetery’s core, where the dead reside.
And then—
Kyaaa—
Another chilling scream echoed through the cemetery.
I realized too late.
The scream I’d just heard wasn’t caused by the wind.
There were others here besides me.
And I was certain I knew who it was.
The moment I heard the scream, the face of someone I’d spoken to days ago flashed in my mind.
Her name was Karina Zain.