Chapter 214
Host (11)
Caught in an intimate act, Luna couldn’t keep her eyes fixed on one point. She struggled to maintain a composed expression, trying to hide her shame.
“You seem close to Damian. Sneaking around at night like this.”
“It’s not like that.”
Th i s w a s copi ed fr o m k i n g m tl . o r g
“Then what is it?”
“….”
Cecil, sensing an opportunity, aggressively pressed Luna.
“Tell me. The only boys you’re friends with at Eternia are actually…”
“….”
“Just one, right?”
Luna lowered her head, avoiding Cecil’s gaze.
“No, it’s two.”
“Liar.”
“The only ones who broke through my defenses and approached me were Damian and Candy.”
“Speak clearly.”
Luna raised a finger to her lips, signaling Cecil to lower her voice.
“You’ll wake Damian.”
“This…”
“That’s why I suspected too.”
Cecil seemed taken aback by the unexpected answer.
“What?”
“There are many differences between Candy and Damian, but also many similarities. So I was secretly observing. Keep it a secret too.”
Cecil, speechless, closed her eyes tightly. Thinking back, it made a lot of sense.
T h i s wa s co p i ed f ro m k in g m tl .o r g
Even Cecil, who was closest to Candy and had a sharp eye, hadn’t figured it out. It was logical that Luna wouldn’t know either.
“So, you were observing Damian because you suspected his identity?”
Luna nodded.
“That’s convenient. I know a surefire way to confirm it.”
Cecil walked over and sat down next to Damian. She began unbuttoning his shirt one by one. Luna’s eyes widened with anxiety. She couldn’t stop Cecil’s bold actions and fidgeted nervously.
Then another person interrupted.
T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m kin g m t l .or g
“What are you doing there?”
Cecil, caught off guard, quickly pulled her hands away from Damian.
A figure with striking gray hair stood out even in the dark night. It was Lilith.
She watched them with her arms crossed.
Cecil responded coldly after confirming it was Lilith.
“This is none of your business.”
Lilith slowly walked towards the campfire. Despite the rough outdoor conditions, her noble and impeccable beauty remained almost untouched.
“You’re not even part of the Art Department.”
“So what?”
“How do I know you aren’t planning something against our leader?”
“You just want to get rid of all the girls around him and mark your territory, right? It’s what you always do when you find someone interesting.”
“You’re mistaken. I’m just taking care of Damian because he’s the one who’s had the hardest time. And don’t overstep your bounds. The Drama Club and Instrumental Department are only here because of the leader’s kindness. We don’t actually welcome you. Understand? You’ve been nothing but trouble for us. The Drama Club was our enemy until yesterday.”
Lilith finished speaking and flicked her long hair back. Her argument was reasonable. Cecil, having nothing more to say, stood up abruptly.
“Showing off over nothing.”
Thi s w a s cop i e d f ro m k i n g m t l . o rg
As Cecil left, Lilith turned her attention to Luna.
Luna also stood up silently. As she was about to leave, Lilith spoke.
“Hey… you.”
“…What?”
“Are you a pervert?”
“….”
“Why were you sitting there like that?”
Luna turned away and pretended not to hear. Lilith tilted her head in confusion.
“Why aren’t you answering? Are you close to Damian?”
Luna replied calmly.
“Yes, we’ve known each other since before the entrance exam. Professor Silveryn introduced us.”
Lilith’s face faintly twisted as if a sensitive spot had been touched.
“Oh… I see. But you weren’t that close, were you? You two didn’t even interact during the entrance exam.”
Lilith’s tone was soft and calm, but subtly provocative.
Luna responded coldly.
“…He was clinging to me too much, so I avoided him.”
“What?”
“I’m leaving.”
“It’s not over. Are you a pervert or what? Hey!”
Luna didn’t bother to address the thrown words and hurriedly left.
“Clinging?”
The image didn’t fit in Lilith’s mind.
With the intruders gone, Lilith looked down at the sleeping Damian.
Exhausted from the day, he was sound asleep. She sighed deeply and gently buttoned his shirt.
“You seem to attract troublesome girls… just like your fate.”
***
On the third day of the external investigation involving the departments.
The joint Art and Instrumental Department group headed to their final destination, Marbas Village. Once they uncovered the truth behind the missing person case there and wrote the final report with evidence to submit to Eternia, their mission would be complete.
The carriage was somewhat functional. The wheels didn’t match perfectly, causing the body to tilt slightly to the left. The door hung loose, allowing bugs and dust to enter, but it was bearable.
However, the spirits of the members in the carriage were low.
Had they fought in the meantime? They seemed uncomfortable being in the same space. Maybe it was the several ambushes and the presence of unfamiliar members.
Particularly among the first-year girls, they avoided eye contact. What was going on?
Lilith, sitting next to Damian, bit her lip in contemplation before asking him a sudden question.
“Damian, I have something to ask.”
“Yes?”
“Is it true you clung to Luna before you entered?”
What’s this now?
Everyone in the carriage turned their curious eyes toward Damian.
Sierra, a senior from the Art Department, added fuel to the fire.
“What? Damian, were you the one clinging?”
“…Excuse me?”
Luna, sitting across from him, bit her lip and looked at him anxiously. To a normal person, it was a slight change in expression, but for the usually stoic Luna, it was a significant reaction.
Th i s w a s c op i e d f rom k i n g m tl .o r g
It seemed there had been some conversation last night.
Luna gave Damian a look, silently signaling him. It seemed agreeing would be helpful for her.
But what had been said to make it look like Damian was clinging to Luna? Before entering, he had been something she detested and avoided.
“I did think something was off when you two were doing things together.”
T hi s w a s c o p ied f r o m k i n g m t l .or g
“It’s not like that. Professor Silveryn introduced us, and I suggested we take the entrance exam together.”
Lilith looked somewhat disappointed.
“…So you did cling to her?”
“…?”
Lilith’s expression darkened slightly.
Silence fell again. Cecil had been looking at the distant mountains for a while, and Lilith seemed sulky, as if she were upset for some reason.
Had Damian said something wrong? The atmosphere grew cold. Being around upset women for unknown reasons was suffocating.
Luna, perhaps trying to avoid responsibility, opened the map and covered her face.
This frosty atmosphere continued until they reached their next destination.
***
Upon arriving at their final destination, everyone froze in shock, speechless. The smell of burning filled the air as it wafted into the carriage from the village outskirts.
One voice, filled with anxiety, broke the silence.
“What… is that smell?”
Cecil, speaking nonchalantly, answered.
“…It’s the smell of burning corpses.”
“I’ll go first and check. Follow me slowly.”
Damian stepped out of the carriage alone.
In the distance, black smoke rose from the village center.
The reason they stopped the carriage was simple.
Marbas Village wasn’t normal.
Everything at the village entrance was destroyed, as if barbarians had raided it.
Leaving the carriage behind, Damian entered the village. It was a reasonably sized village with around forty households. But in broad daylight, no one was in sight.
Houses with broken doorknobs, bloodstains, abandoned clothes, collapsed fences, and a faint chill in the air.
Approaching the source of the smoke, Damian encountered familiar faces.
Eternia students. They were here on a mission, just like him.
They were carrying bodies out of empty houses.
“What are you doing?”
One of the nameless male students carrying a body responded.
“Oh? Are you from the Art Department? You’re late.”
He knew them. Though armed, Damian didn’t recognize him from the first-year combat classes, so he must have been a second-year.
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l. o rg
“Yes, what is this…”
“Just to be clear, we didn’t do this.”
“Was it like this when you arrived?”
“…Yes, it was a horrific sight.”
Then he threw the body into the blazing fire.
“Are all the villagers like this?”
“Some escaped, but most couldn’t avoid the calamity. We left the bodies for investigation, but leaving them like this felt inhumane.”
It was a gruesome situation.
The Art and Instrumental Department members arrived late and turned pale at the sight.
Lilith, who had grown up in a sheltered environment, covered her mouth, unable to make a sound. It might have been her first time seeing a corpse.
The only one who remained unaffected was Cecil.
“Are you burning all the bodies after completing your investigation?”
The students burning the bodies chuckled as if they found it ridiculous.
“The mission is almost over, and we figured everyone who’s coming is already here, so we’re holding a funeral. Didn’t expect to hear that. There are still plenty of bodies, so why don’t you investigate them yourselves?”
Cecil looked at the members.
“Did you hear that? Who wants to investigate?”
No one volunteered, too terrified by the sight of the bodies.
“I’ll go with you.”
Damian volunteered, and Hubert raised his hand late.
“Me too. I’ll help with the cremation after the investigation.”
T h i s was c op ie d f r om k i n g mt l . o r g
One of the seniors carrying a body made a remark.
“But you haven’t given up yet? Gale is way ahead; there’s no hope.”
Cecil ignored him and headed straight for an empty house.
***
Entering the ruined house, they were greeted by the bodies of an elderly woman and a young girl sprawled in the hallway.
Both Damian and Hubert frowned simultaneously.
“…Damn.”
“Crazy psychopath.”
Cecil, unaffected by the tragedy that had struck this peaceful village, immediately began her investigation.
Hubert made a remark.
“Do you have no blood or tears?”
“What, should I cover my mouth and cry? If it helps solve the case, I will. But it won’t, will it?”
“Your reaction is too inhuman.”
“If they were alive, maybe. I don’t waste emotions on the dead. There are plenty of corpses in our department lab. Now, can you be quiet so I can work?”
Cecil’s cold demeanor was striking. The Cecil Damian had seen before was an emotional girl, making this contrast even more notable.
Cecil meticulously examined the body of the elderly woman in the hallway, tracking the cause of death.
Th is w a s c o p i e d f r om k i n g m t l . o r g
“Clean. No stab, cut, or tear marks. No signs of decomposition, so it’s recent. The skin is excessively cold, and there are signs of frostbite… it looks like they froze to death.”
“Froze to death? In this weather, in a house?”
“Obviously, it’s magic. The floor is wet too. We need to check if the cause of death is the same elsewhere.”
Cecil left, and Hubert knelt before the bodies of the young girl and the elderly woman, making the sign of the cross before carefully lifting them.
Despite his light-hearted demeanor, Hubert had a serious side.
Cecil’s investigation didn’t take long. She moved energetically, as if she had been waiting for work.
While Hubert temporarily left to help with the cremation, Damian followed Cecil.
She moved through several ruined houses, concluding her investigation quickly.
“The remaining bodies are all frostbite victims. But I can’t figure out why the killer chose a different method this time. Damian, do you have any idea?”
“No.”
Damian shook his head.
The description suggested a swordsman, but there were no sword marks and only traces of magic. Why? Maybe it was the power of the Magic Sword.
But there was no reason to continue the mission.
With a mad killer active, risking the members’ lives for the investigation wasn’t worth it.
“Damian, are you returning to Eternia now?”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
“…Wait.”
As they were about to leave the ruined house, Cecil blocked the door with her body.
She seemed to have something to say but remained silent for a long time.
An awkward silence filled the space where only the two were left.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s something I want to know.”
“…What?”
“Candy.”
“…!”
A chilling sensation ran down Damian’s spine.
Cecil chuckled as if she found it absurd.
“You’ve hidden it well, but it’s too late to deny it now. The girls who followed Candy are following you the same way. They’re too obvious.”
“….”
“No matter how much you try to hide it, it’s clear in your eyes. Their acting skills were terrible for the Drama Club.”
“…”
Cecil, not meeting his eyes, took a short, tense breath. Her earlier boldness was gone.
In a trembling voice, she said,
“I get it. You must have a reason for hiding. Just… please, tell Candy one thing for me.”
“…What?”
“That I miss him.”
“….”
“I hate him so much, but I keep thinking about him and missing him. I want to talk to him again… ask him to come back to me with that silly mask on. Tell him that.”
“….”
“There’s a survey team camp near the village. The Instrumental Department is disbanding, and I plan to join my friends there to continue the investigation. I owe you, so I’ll send you the investigation data too. Goodbye.”
Cecil didn’t meet Damian’s eyes till the end and fled outside the house.
T hi s w a s co p ied f r o m k ing m t l . or g
End of Chapter