Damn Academy - Chapter 210

Chapter 210

Host (7)

The combined group of the Art Department and the Instrumental Department set up camp about thirty minutes by carriage from Luden Village.

After a late meal, Tami and Sierra from the Art Department were scouting the area around the camp to prepare for any possible ambushes.

Most of the other students were asleep at the campsite.

Though they volunteered to stand watch as experienced seniors, they were still not used to the wild nights, having lived a life of nobility.

Despite being second-year students, they were still just scared girls, reacting nervously to every breeze or insect sound.

Rubbing the goosebumps on her arms, Sierra said.

“It’s eerie.”

“We’re still within Eternia’s territory. No monsters will appear, so relax… Eek!”

Tami jumped in fright after stepping on a twig.

Sierra also flinched in surprise.

“Oh. You scared me too.”

“This stupid twig… why is it here…”

Sierra suddenly sensed something off and put her hand to her ear.

“Wait a moment. Shh! Don’t you hear something?”

“What, what?”

Both of them fell silent, and a strange sound emerged from somewhere in the forest.

-Hic, hic, hic.

“…!”

“…!”

Tami covered her mouth, silently horrified. Sierra calmed her down.

“Listen carefully. This sounds like a woman crying.”

The eerie sound of a woman weeping in the dark, isolated forest spooked Tami, who grabbed Sierra’s arm.

“Let’s go back. We should call the others and go together…”

“No, we can’t. What if we miss it when we get back? What if it’s a monster and it attacks our camp at dawn?”

“Can’t you go alone?”

“Shut up, you’re coming with me.”

Sierra grabbed Tami’s wrist and cautiously moved toward the sound of the crying.

The source of the sound wasn’t too far from where they were.

As they pushed through the underbrush, the sobbing grew clearer.

Sierra saw a human figure in the faint moonlight and quickly ducked down, slowly raising her head.

In front of them stood a figure, undoubtedly human. Long hair, slender body, skin so pale it was visible even at night.

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“Hic, how could you do this to me…”

“…?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Sierra was momentarily taken aback.

“Hic, I did so much for you… I cherished you so much… Candy, how could you…”

The crying person was none other than Cecil. She was sitting alone in the woods, hugging her knees and sipping wine.

Sierra and Tami exchanged glances. It didn’t take long to decide. Leaving a drunken girl in the dangerous forest wasn’t an option.

Sierra approached cautiously.

“Hic, Candy, how could you…”

“Hey, Cecil?”
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Cecil turned her tear-streaked face slowly.

“…”

“It’s dangerous to be here alone.”

“I thought it was a ghost. You scared me.”

Cecil responded coldly.

“Please, leave me alone. Hic.”

“This is about that guy, isn’t it? The one Hubert kept teasing you about…”

“Yes. What did I do wrong?”
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“So it’s true? That clueless guy kept scratching at your feelings…”

Cecil’s eyes were half-lidded. She was clearly drunk. Tami crept up and gently took the wine bottle from her.

Sierra squatted down and tried to calm her.

“If it’s about a guy… we can talk about it together.”

***

Gathered around the campfire, Sierra summed up what Cecil had said.

“So, you got entangled with him from the entrance ceremony, and since then, you’ve liked him?”

“…”

Tami chewed on jerky and took a swig of wine, speaking bluntly.

“Why do you chase after ugly guys? Just find another and move on.”

Sierra added.

“Yeah, what’s so special about him?”

“It’s strange… You’re so pretty, with a great figure. You should have guys lining up for you like sausages. Instead, you’re crying over some ugly weirdo. Life is surprising.”

“Just find another guy. You’re too good to be crying over him. Damian is a great guy too. I’ve seen handsome but empty-headed guys, but Damian is different. Want me to set you up with him? There are many great guys out there.”

“Yeah, after some time, you’ll wonder why you ever chased after him.”

“I want to find another guy too…”

“…but?”

“But I can’t find anyone as cute as him…”

Hearing her lament, Sierra shook her head in disbelief.

***

Even in the late night, Louis was awake, fervently training. The sound of his practice woke Icarus, who crept out to watch him.

“Louis, do you really want to crush the Art Department that badly?”

Without responding, Louis continued practicing his sword techniques, eventually running forward and slicing through a thick tree with one slash.

Swish.

The young oak’s trunk slid off smoothly. Louis caught his breath and sheathed his sword.

“Beating the Art Department head means crushing them. Our opponent is just a first-year brat.”

In this ambush, Louis and Icarus, along with one other Drama Club member, would face Damian.

It was inevitable that the cocky first-year would be crushed. The question was how brutally they’d do it.

“I heard Damian came from the bottom. He has grit and won’t surrender easily.”

Louis smiled, removing his sweat-soaked shirt, revealing a well-toned upper body, honed through years of training.

“He’s not the only one who came from the bottom.”

Icarus admired his physique.

“Wow, you’ve got quite the impressive body…”

“Yeah, guys who only use their heads envy bodies like this.”

“People often disregard unseen strength. A skinny, weak wizard is treated poorly.”

“Is Luna sleeping? She thinks I’m some pampered young master. She wouldn’t think that if she saw this.”

“She’s silent in her tent, so probably.”

Louis turned slightly, pointing to a long, thin scar on his left abdomen.

“See this?”

It was a scar about a hand’s length, a visible blemish on his otherwise perfect body.

“What is it?”

“I got this while subjugating a karak with the estate knights. I bled a bucket’s worth. If it had been any deeper, it would’ve damaged my organs.”

“…”

“I like this scar. It’s like a medal proving my rough life. Assuming I’ve never experienced the bottom because I lived as a high-ranking noble is a big mistake.”

“…”

“He’s not the only one with grit.”

Icarus nodded slowly.
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“I didn’t know you held such a grudge against him. Good. I plan to break Damian’s nose during the ambush.”

“How?”

Icarus brought his fist to his mouth and blew on it as if cooling something hot.

“With this. In the chaos of the ambush, I’ll break his nose. Once his face is ruined, he won’t dare approach the Drama Club again.”

“That’s ruthless.”
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Louis chuckled. Icarus joined in with a grin.

***

“Luna.”

“Luna.”

“Luna, are you asleep?”

Louis, freshly bathed and dressed neatly, called out to Luna in front of her tent several times.

But she didn’t respond or make any noise. After a few moments of internal conflict, he gave in to temptation.

“Just for a moment.”

Holding a candle, he slowly opened her tent. He knew it was wrong, but sometimes new relationships are formed through bold actions, he rationalized.

In the dark, he heard Luna’s gentle breathing.

Louis approached her quietly, feeling a bit guilty for entering uninvited, but that guilt vanished upon seeing her beautiful face. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she wasn’t perfectly composed, but she was as beautiful as ever.

Louis admired her like a work of art.

“…I can see why the King of Spirits chose you.”

He reached out towards her face but pulled back before touching her skin.

Then he noticed something below.

Luna was asleep, clutching a piece of parchment.

Luna’s daily life was always veiled in mystery, sparking intense curiosity. He reached out and slowly took the note, reading its contents.

“….”

-Damian eats oat porridge well but doesn’t like it. He’s interested in apple pie.
-Damian has never mentioned his family. Based on what the spirits have said, he likely has no family.
-Damian dislikes being compared to other men.
-He’s very cold to those who aren’t on his side.
*Art Department’s class at 10 AM. Act like it’s a chance encounter in the student square.

The note was filled with details about Damian, including seduction tips seemingly taken from a book.

“What is this…”

Louis felt a strange sense of betrayal. It wasn’t Damian chasing her, but the other way around. His trust shattered, leaving him deeply confused.

As he brooded, he sensed a presence behind him.

Heavy footsteps.

“Grrrrr—”

A deep, rumbling growl that seemed to shake the ground. Louis quickly turned.

At the tent entrance stood a wolf spirit the size of an ox, baring its fangs and drooling.

A menacing aura. Unlike the last time it appeared like a large puppy, now it looked like a predator ready to kill. The spirit saw Louis as an intruder.

“W-wait…”

Before he could finish, the wolf lunged with its fangs.

***

Early in the morning, with a hangover, Cecil was throwing stones at a tree.

“Why won’t it fall… I’m starving.”

With the Instrumental Department joining them, they had more mouths to feed, requiring some food foraging.

Despite her efforts, only leaves fell, none of the ripe fruits.

Frustrated, she drew a dagger and started climbing the tree, using the handle as a foothold.

Reaching a precarious height, she shook the branches with the dagger handle.

Meanwhile, some onlookers approached and shouted.

“Hey! What are you doing up there? It’s dangerous!”

“Still not sober?”

It was Sierra and Tami, who had spent the previous night talking with her. Tami joked.

“You’re not climbing to die over a guy, are you?”

“No! I’m picking fruit!”

“Heh, but why climb in a skirt? We can see your underwear!”

“We’re all girls here!”

“But aren’t you cold wearing such tiny panties?”

“Stop looking!”

As they bantered, Cecil urgently called for help.

“Can you help me?”

She had picked some fruit but couldn’t find a foothold to climb down and was now dangling precariously.

“Try moving your foot to the right.”

“Here?”

“Further right. No, more!”

Realizing the seriousness, Sierra and Tami shouted.

“Hold on, we’ll get help!”

But the situation escalated quickly. Cecil lost her grip on the dew-soaked branch and slipped.

“Aagh!”

She lost support with one hand and dangled by the other. Falling from that height could cause serious injury.

“Help!”

Before Sierra and Tami could react, Cecil lost her grip and fell.

In that split second, something darted out, catching her and falling into the bushes together.

Sierra and Tami rushed over.

There they found Cecil and another man tangled together in the bushes.

Recognizing him, Sierra shouted.

“Damian!”

“What if it wasn’t Damian? Cecil, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

Despite his heroic act, Damian lay there with a stoic expression.

Cecil, blinking in confusion, asked.

“What… what happened?”

“You’re heavy. Get off.”

Cecil, still lying on top of Damian, struggled to understand what had happened.

“…What?”

Turning her head, she saw Damian beneath her and blinked in confusion.

“Why are you here?”

“…”

“Did you catch me?”

“If you understand, get off.”

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Finally regaining her senses, Cecil awkwardly began to get up but suddenly stopped.

“Thanks for saving me… but what’s this smell?”

She pushed Damian back down and sniffed his shirt.

Damian, annoyed, shoved her aside and swiftly moved away as if he had a phobia of dirt.

Sierra and Tami ran over to greet him.

“Rookie! Where have you been?”

“Where’s Pavela?”

Instead of answering, Damian glanced in a direction. There, Pavela was walking over, still holding her belly.

“Oh, Pavela! Still playing pregnant?”

Pavela chuckled and pulled out a large rye bread wrapped in cloth from her belly.

“Being pregnant gets you lots of perks. Maybe I’ll stay like this.”

***

[Philip, I can’t repay the three sacks of wheat I borrowed. A lunatic with a sword, who’s been lurking around our village for five days, kidnapped my son, Ian. Damn bastard. The council has barred outsiders. My wife went to ask for help in Rigved, and I’m hiring mercenaries…]

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The rest of the parchment was blank, as if the writer had stopped mid-sentence.
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Sierra, munching on a roughly cut piece of bread, asked.

“Where’d you find this?”

“I found it rummaging through the trash of an abandoned house. The handwriting is messy, likely because the ink kept smudging, leading them to rewrite it.”

“Maybe plans changed, and they rewrote it. What did Pavela find?”

“I asked the villagers directly. Said I wanted to know if it was a good place to raise children. They told me everything without suspicion.”

“What did you find out?”

“The maniac came to Luden Village to order a new sword. But that wasn’t his real purpose.”

“Why kidnap? Is it a wealthy family? Do they have mining rights or something?”

“Judging by the house, no. One side of the roof was sagging, and the floors were moldy. Far from wealthy.”

“Maybe they have some great talent? A magic prodigy?”

Pavela answered.

“The kidnapped boy, Ian, is just a seventeen-year-old blacksmith apprentice with no notable talents.”

Sierra bit her lip, deep in thought.

“He’s almost our age. Poor kid.”

As the meeting paused, Cecil reminded them of their mission.

“It might sound harsh, but our job isn’t to solve the problem. We don’t need to save this poor village boy or capture the maniac. We’re here to figure out what happened and gather evidence.”

Hubert, quickly swallowing his bread, added.

“Yeah. Leave the righteous acts to the great Gale. With his confidence, he’ll probably accomplish something big.”

***

Without further delay, we boarded the carriage and headed to our second destination, Foron Village.

Within a few hours, the scenery changed, and the members gasped at the magnificent mountain range before them. Seeing their childish reactions, Cecil commented.

“You know, to get to Foron Village, we have to climb that mountain.”

Hubert furrowed his brows.

“You’re joking, right? The map shows just a small mountain.”

“I didn’t expect it to be this treacherous either. Also, we’ll soon leave Eternia’s seasonal magic zone.”

Everyone fell silent at her words.

Leaving Eternia’s territory meant losing the protection of the Plantara scouts.

Though more experienced and from the prestigious Eternia, they were still like greenhouse flowers compared to the wild.

Tami asked anxiously.

“Will there be Plantara nearby?”

“Yes, but given the vast area, they can’t clean the whole region.”

While the Plantara did patrol outside the territory, their slower pace made it difficult to block all incoming monsters.

Unlucky encounters with monsters were still possible.

Cecil calmly studied the map and continued.

“I’m looking for an easier path, but there’s no clear solution.”

Sierra, sitting next to her, studied the map too.

“Yeah, no matter the route, the terrain is too steep for carriages.”

Cecil asked.

“Why are villages in the Shin Tagma region so hard to access? Are they conflict zones?”

“It’s not because of people. Without the protection of a state, they had to hide and survive somehow.”

“…”

Cecil, lost for words, turned to me.

“Damian, you’re the leader. Foron Village isn’t accessible by carriage. The schedule might be delayed due to the mountain. What now?”

Though not directly stated, Cecil implied we should split up.

There wasn’t much to think about. The investigation didn’t require large numbers. With only three days left, moving leisurely would prevent us from achieving our goal.
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“Let’s split up. Investigate Foron Village and Marbas Village separately and then regroup.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“How do we split?”

“Who wants to go to Foron Village?”

No one volunteered, as expected. Who would want to climb a steep mountain?

Tami sighed.

“They all know it’s tough.”

“I’ll go alone.”

Lilith suddenly raised her hand.

“I’ll go too!”

Cecil eyed me and Lilith suspiciously. Since saving her from the tree, she had been giving me strange looks.

I declined Lilith’s request.

“It’s faster alone. And since Gale’s group is in Marbas Village, it’s better for more people to stay with the carriage.”

Gale’s group wasn’t the only threat. We had many enemies. Small, weak animals survive in groups.

“Uh, okay…”

Lilith lowered her hand, looking dejected.

Pavela cautiously asked me.

“Are you sure? The road to Foron Village is tough, and other members might be lying in ambush. It might be better if one of us joins you.”

I hesitated but then declined.

Going alone was better for handling unexpected situations.

***

Climbing the rugged ridge, I finally reached the plateau. The place, swept by the fierce wind, was named ‘Breath of the Wraith’ for its eerie atmosphere.

Jagged rocks, like loaves of rye bread, stood ominously in the fog, resembling giants.

At the path to Foron Village, three Drama Club members waited.

Icarus asked.

“See anything?”

From a high rock, first-year Crewd complained while scanning the lower ridge with binoculars.

“Why is there fog in this clear sky?”

The wind left their hair damp with dew.

Louis, standing beside Icarus, said.

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“It’s not fog but clouds passing by. This must be why it’s called the Breath of the Wraith.”

“Did we climb that high?”

“Stop whining and check the entrance. Anything?”

Crewd suddenly shouted.

“There! A black carriage is passing on the southern plain.”

Louis slowly stood up, admiring the view.

“A black carriage can only belong to the Art Department. Hurry and set up the magic circle.”

“We’re almost done. Just need to distribute the magic and stabilize it.”

“If our predictions are right, Damian will come this way. But be prepared just in case.”

“Don’t worry. The other paths are too rough, so he’ll come here.”

“…Alright. I’ll lure Damian.”

Louis smirked at his comrades. They seemed more excited than afraid for the upcoming fight. The Drama Club boys harbored resentment and hostility toward Damian.

“But… is your arm okay? It was fine last night. Did a monster attack overnight?”

Icarus looked worriedly at Louis’s bandaged left arm. His sudden change in appearance puzzled his comrades.

Louis, caressing his arm, chuckled.

“This is nothing.”

End of Chapter