Surviving as a Villain at the Academy

98 – Haunting Lands (4)

The Haunting Lands were gradually expanding their territory, starting from a place not far from Sacrum.

The virgin was immediately assigned the task of investigating the territory of the Undead after practicing the Art of Esté. She gathered a group of knights and priests named in the kingdom and set out on a journey to investigate the area, earning praise from many citizens of the kingdom.

Due to the expanding range of the Undead territory around the Vatican, the people couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The majority of the citizens, including the Pope, cheered the virgin’s return this time, hoping that she would be able to deal with this situation.

Ignoring various procedures, the virgin gathered her investigation team and headed directly for the Undead territory.

* * *

The Undead Queen, Umbra, observed the growing momentum of the investigation team from a distance.

“…Hm, a strong presence is surrounding us.”

Adrian muttered, and the rest of the group reacted in a similar manner. It was a natural response to the name “territory of the Undead.”

“Light.”

She whispered softly, then shot a large beam of light into the sky.

-Wuuu―!

As the wailing of the Undead echoed around them, the shadows surrounding them disappeared, and the bright light began to rise into the sky. The other priests also joined Adrian in shining their lights.

“Let’s keep moving forward. First, let’s establish a base, and then reduce the light to attempt a conversation with the spirits.”

“Understood.”

Since Adrian had brought Lina and Nea with him, he insisted on making the most of them. Naturally, as Adrian was the leader of the current expedition, no one opposed her opinion.

“Where do you think would be a suitable location for the base?”

“I think it’s better to first set up the base at the entrance and gradually expand the detection range. We don’t know what threats may be inside if we go further.”

“…Makes sense.”

Adrian and the others agreed with my opinion.

Since it was a very reasonable suggestion, there was no room for opposing opinions.

And so, we quickly established a base at the entrance of the spirits’ territory and took a short break. Although it was said to be the spirits’ territory generated near the Papal Office, it took us about three days to reach here, so rest was necessary.

Spirits were known to quickly overpower humans. Especially if it was Spirits who resided in the spirits’ territory, their power would be considerable… It was possible that they would be able to influence us in many ways if we faced them with low stamina without taking a break.

In order to eliminate that possibility, it was best to conserve as much stamina as possible before embarking on the investigation.

The priests lit a fire and infused sacred power into the fire to prevent the approach of the spirits. They decided it was better to prevent the spirits’ approach while taking a rest, so as to conserve stamina for when we had to fiercely fight them later.

A large furnace was set up at the base, and the members of the expedition gathered around it to talk.

Especially, it was Adrian who led the conversation. She put aside her usual playful attitude and started discussing in a serious manner how we should approach the investigation.

“For now… Lina, Nea. You both said you have learned tactics, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’d like to know how capable you are of having a conversation with the spirits. We should plan accordingly.”

“We can have detailed conversations about what they did in their lives.”

“Oh.”

“However, there are several conditions. The spirits naturally hold grudges against the living, and… If the spirits’ territory is spread so widely, it may be difficult to establish a conversation. It is necessary to weaken the spirits’ power until the conversation is established. Spirits driven by grudges will not even listen to human words.”

“I see.”

Adrian nodded at Nea’s detailed explanation. As expected of a master in tactics, no one knew better than her how to handle the spirits in this situation.

“Thank you, Nea.”

“Not at all. By the way, is the actual investigation starting from tomorrow night?”

“That’s right. It’s better to take a rest today. Since the spirits only appear at night, after getting enough rest until the day, we can move.”

“Understood.”

After hearing Adrian and Nea’s conversation, everyone prepared for proper rest… That is, they prepared to go to sleep. I was the same.

Honestly, it had been quite a tiring journey, so I was also feeling exhausted. It was not just me, but everyone else must have been tired as well.

When we set up the base, we had built enough tents so sleeping arrangements were not that uncomfortable. Well, sleeping bags… I had used them enough in the military.

Asta was sleeping next to me. Since it was a large tent where a considerable number of people were staying, the people around me… including Asta, Ruslan’s group, Lina, and Nea, were all in the same space.

-Frah.

-Why?

-Someone is watching us. It would be better to be cautious.

-Someone?

-Yes. Probably the ghost queen you mentioned before… the title of ghost queen is not something to take lightly. Even when encountering her for the first time, an enormous power can be felt.

-You too?

-Of course, I’m naturally weaker. But her power is definitely something that cannot be ignored.

-…I see. She will probably continue to watch over us. If something strange happens, be sure to let me know.

-Yes.

-I don’t know how the conversation with the ghost will go, but we shouldn’t let our guard down. The ghost queen will probably test us… let’s try to find the right balance for now.

-Is that why you brought Lina and Nea?

-Yes. I mentioned before that we need to establish some form of conversation with the ghost before we can reach the queen, right? They are the foundation for that.

-The ghost seems to have a deep grudge, will we be able to have a proper conversation?

-Lina and Nea will be able to handle it. Especially Lina, she has the ability to attract ghosts. In fact, she is more necessary than Nea for this task. The ghost likes Lina.

-…Hmm.

Asti showed a slightly annoyed expression. It seems like she’s upset because I complimented another woman… It’s a reaction that I couldn’t understand before, but after communicating with her multiple times, I can now roughly understand her emotional state.

-Of course, without you, I wouldn’t have been able to even attempt to obtain the Bound Sword. If someone unworthy holds the Bound Sword, their soul will be taken away in an instant. You gave me strength, and with that strength, I was able to become stronger. It’s something that was made possible because of you.

-Are you really okay with it?

-Even if it’s not okay, we have to do it.

-What did you see in the future?

-…Now, it’s difficult for me to see the future. Everything is uncertain.

-Because it’s distorted too much?

-Yes. The things that have changed because of my proactive actions are too many, so the future I knew will unfold differently. Even trying to obtain the Bound Sword is because of that.

-…You have to be careful.

-Thanks for your concern. Trust me. I can do it.

-Yes.

With that conversation, I fell asleep. I had to start moving busily from tomorrow.