Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

12-12. Fingers (6)

Kyaaah!

An untimely scream echoed through the midnight academy.

As everyone remained as still as stone, I immediately pushed open the door and rushed out into the hallway.

“…Damn.”

However, it had already disappeared from the hallway. Even though I had come out right after confirming its presence, it had hidden itself like an apparition, covered in blood.

Could it really be the spirit of Giovanni, the principal priest of the academy?

Frantically searching the hallway, I caught sight of white robes peeking from behind the corner of a wall at the end of the hallway. I sprinted forward without hesitation.

Whether it was a spirit or something else, I knew for certain that the entity existed. If I didn’t resolve this here, I may never know when I would encounter it again.

“Huff…! Hek…!”

I ran with all my might to the point where my breath was almost ragged. And then, the corner of the hallway appeared before my eyes.

Just before turning the corner, I tightly grasped the rosary in the shape of a crucifix around my neck. Whatever it may be – a demon or any malevolent entity – I would defeat it right here.

“I found you…!”

However, as soon as I turned the corner, there was only an empty hallway to greet me.

“Ugh… Ugh…. Damn it….”

Curses slipped out of my mouth. It frustrated me to keep wasting time like this. What on earth was it? Was it a demon? Was it truly the spirit of Principal Priest Giovanni?

The attire it wore was undeniably similar to the vestments that priests typically wore. Aside from the blood stains scattered about.

Although I couldn’t see the sword that was supposedly embedded in its chest, Daniel’s words were becoming increasingly plausible.

Kwaaah!

I clenched my fist tightly. I mumbled with a voice filled with resentment.

“You damned son of a bitch…!”

It felt like it was mocking me. Whatever this ghost-like being’s true identity may be, I would definitely find out tonight. I couldn’t leave a malevolent presence in the academy.

First, I regained my scattered breath. In the meantime, Sophia, the prefect in charge of the defense, who had somehow caught up to me, approached while catching her breath.

“Heh…! Hek…! Pr, Principal Priest…!”

“Huff… Sophia, I missed it.”

“Yes, yes… Weren’t you just out of the classroom as soon as you saw it?”

Bowing her head weakly, the complexion of Sophia Busje also darkened.

“By the way, how are the other students?”

“It’s complete chaos…! We were talking about ghost stories, and suddenly, the main character of the story doesn’t show up out of nowhere! The head priest suddenly rushes out…!”

“Sigh… I’m sorry. Let’s go back quickly. Oh, and…”

“Yes?”

Looking at Sophia Busje, he slowly pulled out a charm from his pocket. Sophia Busje widened her eyes at his restrained movements.

“Perhaps, we might need to use our power at some point.”

“…Is it a demon?”

“Not a demon. Probably… There are no demons as timid as that. Still, it’s an unknown matter. Always be cautious.”

“Oh, I see.”

The most certain fact now was that it didn’t lure us anywhere, nor did it try to possess us. It just ran away from us.

As if it was saying, “You’ll never catch me.”

* * * * *

“Professor Antonelli. What’s with that attire?”

Laura looked at me with a bewildered expression. I shrugged my shoulders and casually replied.

“The priest’s charm amplifies a small amount of divine power. It’s similar to the Bible and rosary for priests. You can think of it as a wand for a wizard.”

“Well, I know that, but…”

“So, we need to prepare too.”

Using divine power didn’t come naturally to me, but…

I slowly unfolded the Bible, starting to recite verses that boosted courage. It was a task that couldn’t capture everyone in fear every time we faced it.

“…He says, ‘Fear not, for I am with you. You, descendant of Peter, be bold as a lion and firm as the walls of Theoria. I am with you.'”

Woom—.

With the resonating sound of my heartbeat, the golden light of power emanated from my body. The gentle divine power permeated everyone in the classroom.

“Wow…”

“Yeah, as expected.”

“For some reason, courage is surging within me!”

“A-Amazing! Professor Luchio!”

The occult research club’s signboard and Professor Esther were visibly excited, while Laura seemed hesitant for some reason.

“Tch. What am I becoming with this…?”

“What did you say? Adelheid student.”

“…I didn’t say anything.”

Somehow, Laura’s words from the first class came to mind.

“…It’s much more effective than when I did it. It’s incomparable.”

Amidst everyone enthusiastically burning with fervor, Sophia approached me with a sullen expression. Well, it was true that the effect was much better than when Sophia had prayed to Laura.

As I watched Sophia’s lips protruding slightly, I casually tousled her hair with my hands.

“Uh-oh…! W-What are you doing?”

“It’s nothing. It meant to encourage you a bit more.”

“I-I know!”

At that moment, a highly excited Damien approached me. Damien, now fearless, threw punches into the air, exuding boiling passion.

“Professor Antonelli! Let’s go find him from the fingertips! If we run into him now, we might even knock him down!”

“Damien. You shouldn’t knock him down.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. Vivian.”

From Noble mtl dot com

Still remarkably composed, Vivian, everyone filled with enthusiasm. I asked Damien.

“Find his fingers?”

Upon hearing that, Daniel nodded as if it were obvious.

“In the end, what Giovanni Head Priest is after is the blood-stained finger, right? If we find that finger first, it might lead us to him naturally.”

“…Certainly. It makes sense. Let’s do that.”

And so, we left the classroom. To find Giovanni Head Priest’s blood-stained finger.

* * * * *

We quickly left the classroom and, following Daniel’s suggestion, headed to the Occult Research Department’s office. The hallway was still shrouded in darkness.

As we climbed to the second floor of the Academy Annex, a room labeled “Occult Research Department” with a plaque popped up.

“Um… wait a moment… Vivian! Where did I put that notebook?”

“It should be in the box in the left corner.”

“Left? Right?”

“I don’t know. Let’s check both. I’ll help you.”

“Oh! Thanks!”

While Vivian and Daniel rummaged through the boxes piled on the shelves of the Occult Research Department, I anxiously glanced at the clock.

The current time was 3:30. According to Daniel, Giovanni Head Priest’s ghost disappeared along with the sunrise.

The approximate sunrise time at this time is around 6:30. There were roughly three hours left, but considering that Esther and I were going to search for Sophia’s substitute around 12 o’clock…

“We need to hurry, Daniel.”

“Yes. Um… Just a moment. Probably around this time….”

Time is running out. If I miss this opportunity, I might not encounter that elusive figure again.

The worst-case scenario is having to brief the professor on duty tomorrow night about what happened tonight…. This was not a method I particularly favored.

So, today. I must uncover that secret.

“Professor Lucio. How can I assist you?”

Professor Esther approached me, tightly gripping her wand. I pondered on how to trace the whereabouts of the finger.

“Professor Esther, your specialization is illusion magic, isn’t it?”

Illusion magic, aside from showing illusions to enemies, is a magical discipline with a wide range of applications. Since most of it involves magic utilizing the visual environment, there should be quite a few useful spells for us.

For example, seeing through walls to locate objects.

“Oh… yes?”

Professor Esther nodded gracefully in response. As an expert in illusion magic, she would probably be of great help.

“In that case, do you have any magic that could help find a certain object? For instance, a scrying spell or something….”

“Hehe…. Leave it to me. Can I do it now?”

“Yes. Please make sure it’s an effective spell.”

Professor Esther smiled mischievously and twirled her wand. Magic gathered at the tip of the wand, leaving a violet trail wherever it passed, following her gestures.

Dots gathered to form lines, and those lines formed surfaces, which, in turn, assembled into three-dimensional shapes.

“A circular shape is a dragon.”

Professor Esther murmured to herself.

“The lines represent paths. Triangles signify eyes. The inner part represents truth.”

Woooom—

In this way, a completed magic circle appeared in the air.

A violet dragon, circular and with its tail in its mouth. The intricate magic circle within it rotated so quickly that it was difficult to discern its form.

“Ouroboros (ουροβóρος).”

Pwaaah—!

In an instant, the corridor of the annex shook, and the field of view expanded dramatically. Soon, the walls of the corridor began to appear transparent. It was as if we were looking at the blueprint of the academy, and everything within about five meters was now visible through the wall.

Impressed by the tremendous power of the magic, Cloy and Laura, who were surveying the surroundings in wonder, murmured.

“My, my… To simplify a Circle of Five magic like this….”

“You’re truly amazing, Professor!”

“The professorship at the Chaldea Imperial Academy is not earned through mere luck, you know?”

Professor Esther began to chuckle, and thanks to her magical abilities, Daniel finally shouted as if he had found something.

“I found it!”

Daniel raised a dusty notebook that was buried in dust. As a result, the dust covering the notebook scattered all over Daniel’s head, but he wore a purely joyful expression as he leaped out of his seat.

“Professor Esther’s magic is truly amazing! Thanks to it, I found it right away!”

“Hehehe… It was worth the effort.”

“Daniel, my student. So, what is this notebook for?”

As I rummaged through the bright red-covered notebook that Daniel handed me and asked, Daniel approached me and began to explain.

“This is a research journal that our occult research club’s seniors have been writing for generations. Finding the Finger of Vengeance is our club’s long-cherished dream, you see. It should be around this part… Ah! Here it is!”

“This letter begins in the Empire…”

“Oh, I made a mistake. Not here… but here!”

Following Daniel’s guidance, we finally came across densely written words in the stack of more than dozens of notes. I followed the words along with Daniel’s finger.

“The place where the Finger of Vengeance appears is the Chaldea Royal Academy. It also appears in the brightest shadow there…?”

When I looked at Daniel with a puzzled expression, he scratched his head with an embarrassed look.

“Daniel, I need an explanation.”

“It seems that our seniors… were quite engrossed in the occult, I think… Haha…”

After a moment, Daniel fell into thought, rubbing his chin. I lowered the notebook slightly so that everyone could see it.

“Well… The Finger of Vengeance probably refers to the blood-soaked finger. And, in the brightest shadow there…”

“…The brightest shadow?”

“How do we figure that out?”

Vivian’s endless words made everyone scratch their heads as they tried to interpret the words.

“The brightest place…? Maybe the rooftop?”

“Isn’t there a suitable place for shadows on the rooftop?”

“Then where is it?”

“Could it just be a light bulb?”

“Do you know how many light bulbs are in the annex?”

“Oh, there must be a lot…”

How much time passed like that? Suddenly, Cloe raised her hand.

“P-Professor! I think I know! The brightest place at the academy!”

“Where is that?”

The place Clare mentioned after hesitating for a moment.

“So, that means… behind the crucifix at the Academy chapel, right?”

“Yes? What…”

“Well, you know. It’s said that the brightest light also harbors the darkest shadow, right? In terms of symbolic meaning, the crucifix is the brightest place. So, wouldn’t the shadow behind the brightest place be behind the crucifix?”

“But… doesn’t the Academy chapel seem a little out of the blue? And that ghost only wanders around the annex courtyard.”

Elin raised a valid question. And in response, Chloe tilted her head.

“Hmm…? If someone’s hiding their finger in the Academy, it means that someone hid it, doesn’t it?”

“Really? Why would they do that?”

“Well, if it were me, I would hide it in a place where the searcher would never find it. If I said it would be in the annex, they would never think to look elsewhere, and they would never find it.”

“……!”

Upon hearing Chloe’s suddenly shrewd remark, I felt as if I had been hit on the back of my head with a hammer. Yes, that makes sense. Why couldn’t I infer that?

“…Let’s go right away.”

We moved toward the Academy chapel. Even as we walked, I didn’t forget to inspect the fragile rooms and lecture halls with Esther’s clairvoyance magic.

“Academy chapel….”

To think that the shadow behind the brightest place represents the crucifix. I truly couldn’t have imagined it.

As expected, the protagonist is different.