“What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t answer even when I asked. I heard it when I was too young, so I thought my mom was just being nice to me and forgot about it. It just suddenly occurred to me.”
King. It was a word I’ve heard a lot lately, perhaps because I’m on Gloria Island.
“Isn’t it ‘king’ rather than a demon? Isn’t a king closer to that kind of being? He’s probably sealed on this island like the other demons.”
Right. Surely the king my mother was talking about isn’t this king? But it’s definitely not the king.
“Before that, Raven, I have a question. There’s a rumor that you’re the dean’s loyal dog.”
“That’s.......”
Raven trailed off with a troubled expression. To be exact, she seemed embarrassed.
“That’s it. I did it to survive.”
When she heard those words, a corner of her heart ached for some reason.
“I thought the dean was a huge dark figure who controlled you. I thought he might be a scary person.”
I thought the dean might be the one who released the seals of the evil spirits sleeping in the school that Father Cesario and the student council president had mentioned.
Now, it seems like the candidate has moved from the dean to the vice president of the academic affairs department.
“Rather than that, we just cooperated out of necessity. It’s true that the dean wanted to treat me as he pleased. His position at the school isn’t all that great either.”
“Huh? Really?”
I asked back in surprise. I didn’t know that the dean, who was the most powerful person in the school, wouldn’t have such a great position.
“Maybe the student council president doesn’t know such detailed inside stories. I found out while watching the dean... The real power in this school seems to be the vice president of the academic affairs department.”
The vice president of the academic affairs department. The name that had been bothering me was brought up again.
‘I guess the head of the academic affairs department will have to keep watching.’
Anyway, I was glad that the conversation with Raven was going in a positive direction.
I asked him with a little bit of anticipation.
“Raven, so now you’re willing to leave school with me?”
“No. That’s a separate matter.”
Raven’s answer was unexpected.
“Huh? Why? What have you heard me say so far?”
“That’s right, big sister. Think about it. You don’t know why I died in 903, who I died for, or what happened at school.”
“That’s true.......”
I nodded with a sullen look on my face.
Raven answered as if he was telling me to leave.
“So leaving school isn’t the only answer. What if it’s not the school’s problem? What if what happens after you leave school happens?”
I actually thought about that.
But without any additional information, I had no other choice.
I was Raven’s guardian. I had to think and act like a guardian.
I just thought that if there was a way to get out of school, that should be the top priority.
I thought that would be the easiest and safest way.
“We need to find a solution where the cause is, Melody Hastings. Isn’t that right?”
Raven answered with a rather solemn face, calling me by my full name.
Looking back, I also had a tendency to act impatiently because it was Raven’s business.
That’s when I feel that. No matter how smart you are, it’s really hard to look at your own business coolly and act objectively.
I nodded while comforting myself like that.
“So Raven, what do you want to do?”
Raven stopped in his tracks at my question. I followed him and stopped, looking up at him.
‘When did you grow so much?’
It seems like you were about the same height as me before you entered school, but now I have to look up to you.
“The student council president visited you in 903, but the current student council president said he didn’t know.”
“Yeah. It seemed like he didn’t know at all.”
“The two things we need to watch out for are the student council president and the ghost story incident. If we just pay attention to these two things and watch out, there won’t be any problems.”
“But what if you actively participate in the ghost story investigation team and Raven ends up going as predicted in the future?”
Raven responded to my words with a firm, unwavering gaze.
“Sister, if you don’t do anything, nothing will happen. No matter what happens to me in the future, I want to live my life as myself and die.”
“.......”
How did my little brother grow up so upright and strong?
I stared at his straight eyes for a long time, then turned my head and spat out.
“You will never let me die.”
Raven hesitated and did not answer my words, which were like a promise. After a long time, he finally opened his mouth and said.
“Yes. Thank you.”
The date Raven died was July 20th, 903. All I had to do was get through that date safely.
It was now October, 902, so there wasn’t much time left.
I made up my mind again.
Yes. Since it has come to this, let’s find the cause of Raven’s death and eliminate it.
Don’t avoid it anymore.
The first day of the midterm exams had arrived.
The subjects on the first day were literature, math, and foreign languages.
‘Everything I studied came out.’
I was worried because I had been through so much since transferring. I thought I might do poorly on the exam.
‘But wouldn’t it be better to get a scholarship just in case?’
With that thought in mind, I studied hard for the exam.
Surprisingly, the exam was easy.
“Melody! Did you do well on the exam?”
At that moment, Erica and Sally came to Johannes Castle.
Sally slumped her shoulders next to Erica and said.
“Sally failed the exam.”
“Because you didn’t study.”
Sally jumped around, struck by Erica’s cold words.
At that moment, I saw the back of the head of the academic affairs department running somewhere in a hurry.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
Erica looked in my direction and said with an understanding expression.
“The head of the academic affairs department? You must be going to church again. You seem very devout.”
“Church?”
“The teachers at St. Gloria Private School are all Catholics. Among them, the head of the academic affairs department seems to be the most devout.”
The person who might be releasing the seal of the evil spirit is a devout Catholic.
Could there be a relationship?
I quietly watched the back of the head of the academic affairs department and shook my head.
Then I asked Sally ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ and Erica.
“Are you going to the library?”
“Yeah. You have to study.”
“Sally has to study too. You can’t mess up tomorrow’s test like you did today.”
“Don’t you think you’re already late? Don’t stress yourself out and just have fun.”
At Erica’s words, Sally jumped again and the two began to argue.
That’s how they were on their way to the library.
Crack-!
A group of male students were passing by the schoolyard when they fell over someone and rolled on the ground.
The face of the fallen student was familiar. It was Raven.