Chapter 34

The three students and Henrik faced each other in the hallway.

The children raised their pale faces to look at Henrik.

But their gazes immediately shifted to the person on his back.

"Professor Bena?"

"......What is all this. No, just follow me for now. I'll explain later."

Seeing the devastation in the hallway, Henrik started to interrogate the children, but hearing Bena's low groan, he immediately moved forward.

Now wasn't the time to scold them.

Henrik headed straight to the infirmary with the three in tow.

At the same time, he began issuing instructions to each of them.

"Carmine, can you get the items I'm about to list?"

"What?"

"Get them. Professor Bena's life depends on it."

"Oh, yes."

"Grimory, you hold Professor Bena's hand and control the flow of her mana instead. You can't make any mistakes."

"Yes."

"Amecitia, you quickly bring water and towels."

"Understood."

Grimory was greatly shocked when she saw Professor Bena's shoulder.

The condition was serious. The flesh had turned red and hardened stiffly, with red lightning crackling like static electricity.

It had transformed to look like demon skin.

After laying Professor Bena down in the infirmary, Amecitia hurriedly brought towels and water in a bucket.

Carmine took the note listing the medicinal herbs Henrik had mentioned and went to William.

Grimory grasped Bena's hand and concentrated.

'The mana flow is weak and stagnant.'

It was like someone about to die at any moment.

Feeling the pulse gradually weakening made her terrified.

Then Henrik's calm voice was heard.

"I'll attempt emergency treatment."

* * *

-Stab! Stab!

Henrik stuck syringes into Bena's shoulder and injected medicines.

Painkillers, antibiotics, various types of drugs were administered, but her condition showed no signs of improvement.

"......."

Still, thanks to the help of Grimory, Amecitia, and Carmine, they managed to get past the critical point.

Setting down the small surgical dagger, Henrik collapsed into a chair as if drained, looking at Bena.

He had removed all the hardened skin on her shoulder.

But the red erosion didn't disappear just from removing the skin. It only slowed the progression.

She, who had been groaning in pain, now slept quietly as a mouse.

"Professor...... this is......."

When Grimory looked at Bena's shoulder and spoke, Henrik raised his head.

"It's a curse. Someone used the necklace to cast a curse."

"A curse......."

She was at a loss for words.

Then Carmine spoke up.

"Shouldn't we kill her?"

"......."

At Carmine's words, Grimory and Amecitia were shocked.

"Kill the professor?!"

"We learned that humans cursed like this should be killed because they could turn into magic beasts."

At Carmine's cold words, Henrik nodded.

"That's possible. It would be perfectly acceptable. But since there's still a chance, I'll proceed with saving her."

"Can you save her?"

At Carmine's question, Henrik nodded again.

"We just need to quickly find and strike the source of the curse. Then the curse will be lifted too."

"......."

At Henrik's words, the three were at a loss. Casting a curse meant at least a high-rank demon. Quickly facing a high-rank demon was far too dangerous.

"From here on, this is adult business. It's not a problem for students to handle."

When Henrik spoke firmly, the children bowed their heads deeply.

The three couldn't say anything.

As much as they wanted to help Henrik, they couldn't rashly offer to join because their skills were still insufficient.

In the heavy atmosphere, Amecitia stepped forward and spoke to Henrik.

"Earlier in front of the office, we encountered strange squishy shadow monsters. Could they be related to Professor Bena?"

"Shadows? Squishy?"

At Amecitia's words, Henrik suddenly recalled the Shadows that had gone outside the maze.

"You're saying you faced Shadows?"

"Yes, probably? We couldn't catch them, but...... we succeeded in holding out until they disappeared."

She spoke somewhat sheepishly.

When Henrik looked at Carmine and Grimory, both nodded silently.

"......I'll overlook your wandering around at dawn. This time, you definitely helped me. I'm sorry for getting you involved."

At Henrik's words, the three stared at him with wide eyes.

"For you to apologize, Professor......."

Grimory said with her mouth agape.

Overlooking their dawn wandering was because the three had essentially prevented damage that could have occurred at the academy.

If the location of the Sephirum had been discovered, things could have become even more dangerous, but the disciples had prevented it, albeit unintentionally.

Henrik, regardless, turned his head sharply as if he wouldn't say it twice, soaked a towel in cold water, and placed it on Bena's forehead.

"You all go back for now. I'll have to discuss the rest with Dean Ted."

"Yes......."

Grimory and Amecitia answered in a daze and left the infirmary.

But Carmine looked at Henrik with worried eyes.

"Carmine, do you have something left to say."

"Don't make me doubt you, Professor."

"......."

"A cursed person must be killed immediately-you were the one who taught me that."

"That's right. Even so, if there's still a chance left, don't give up. If you're really worried, you can keep watch over Professor Bena's condition yourself."

"......Yes. I understand."

Seeing him unchanged even after ten years, Henrik recalled the past. In life, Carmine would occasionally make cold remarks that often caused friction with other hunters.

Each time, it was Henrik who mediated between them.

'I used to teach you like this back then too.'

* * *

The next day. The dean's office at the academy.

Ted was groaning, clutching his head.

"Ughhh...... My head is killing me......."

His head was already pounding from the succubus incident, and now he'd received Henrik's report that Professor Bena was connected to demons-his stomach churned.

The biggest problem was that the one controlling Professor Bena was a Demon Sovereign.

When he first heard through Henrik that Professor Bena was connected to a Demon Sovereign, he honestly thought it was a lie.

Following him to the infirmary, he found Professor Bena lying unconscious. And what came from Henrik's mouth was even more shocking. Bena's reddened shoulder-that was the mark of a curse.

And the one who cast the curse was a Demon Sovereign. At the fact that he might be inside the academy, Ted nearly fainted.

"We need to prepare. Ted."

At Henrik's words, Ted raised his head and looked at him.

He was scowling heavily, his eyes dry-probably from staying up all night caring for Bena without any sleep.

"I know, I know...... but of all things, a Demon Sovereign......."

Ted had encountered a Demon Sovereign once before.

The Sovereign of Sloth, Velperia.

The memory of the illusions he'd seen when facing her was still horrifying.

But now another Demon Sovereign-it was enough to drive him mad.

"At this point, aren't Demon Sovereigns just gathering around you, Henrik?"

"That would be fine by me."

"......."

Ted let out a deep sigh.

He'd expected some troublesome matters when he brought Henrik in as an academy professor.

But the troublesome matters he'd imagined were conflicts between nobles and commoners, conflicts between students and professors-those kinds of academy-like issues.

Instead, from demon invasions to now a Demon Sovereign-he'd brought troublesome matters from a completely different direction.

Most of all, what he feared most was how to explain all this mess to Margrave Gus.

Who in the world could openly say, "Your only daughter made a contract with demons and is now in a coma"?

"......."

"Why are you looking at me, Ted?"

At least there was one person who could.

Either way, things had gotten extremely complicated.

"Henrik, how's Professor Bena? Does it look like she'll wake up?"

"......."

At Ted's question, Henrik silently shook his head.

If Professor Bena at least woke up, the situation would be different, but she hadn't regained consciousness since the moment she lost it.

"Ted, there was one thing I wanted to ask."

Henrik said while adding sugar to his coffee.

"What is it?"

"Do you have any idea why Professor Bena made a contract with demons?"

"A reason......."

Ted thought carefully.

It didn't make sense that she, who normally enjoyed teaching students and was diligent in her research, would make a contract with demons.

What could have been so urgent and desperate that she reached out to demons to achieve it? He wondered.

"When we fought in the underground, Professor Bena used fire magic I'd never seen before and said it was nearly complete. I think it's connected to that, but since I've never talked with Professor Bena, I have no idea why she did it."

"Magic, magic......."

At Henrik's words, Ted snapped his fingers.

There was exactly one reason that made sense.

"If it's about magic, maybe it was because of her research?"

"Research? You're saying she joined hands with demons over mere research?"

"The research Professor Bena was doing was a bit different. A secret technique of the family? She was researching that kind of magic."

"A secret technique."

In magical circles, especially families famous for magic, each possessed their own special secret magic passed down through the family.

The Aspera family had no secret magic utilizing unique mana passed down through generations. The reason could be seen in the image of Margrave Gus wielding a greatsword-the Aspera family was a swordsman family.

But Bena, taking after her mother, was born with a mage's talent, so she researched secret magic to help her family and territory.

Secret magic was normally based on research and experience accumulated over generations, but for Bena, trying to create this in just one generation, it must have been an enormous hardship.

As Henrik nodded as if understanding, Ted continued.

"As you know, the Aspera family is the one that guards the great wall of the Northern Continent, right?"

"That's right."

"So every year, yetis come down from the snowy mountains and cause severe damage. They say her mother also lost her life to yetis. That's probably why Margrave Gus cherishes his daughter who resembles her mother even more."

"So that was it."

"With the season when the yetis come down approaching, she must have been very anxious."

"Making a contract with demons to hunt magic beasts."

It was absurd.

Of course, this was all speculation-the exact reason could only be heard when Bena woke up, so he only considered it a possibility.

"So Henrik, what are you planning to do?"

Ted asked.

If a Demon Sovereign was involved, Henrik would never stay still.

That's why Ted wanted to offer help.

"Another class cancellation? Or medicinal herbs? Do you need anything?"

"......I'll need medicinal herbs and spare weapons. I'll write a note and send it later, so have them delivered to my office."

"Got it. I can do that much easily. You're not canceling classes?"

At Ted's words, Henrik nodded.

"At times like this, I need to train my disciples even more. A Sovereign is inside the academy. Then at the very least, I plan to train them so they won't get beaten by the magic beasts the Sovereign commands."

"Uh...... uhh...... mm...... I see."

Ted had heard plenty about Amecitia running laps around the training yard with weights strapped to her body every day. When he'd first learned she was training harder than most knights, he'd felt both sympathy and guilt.

Could it possibly get worse than that?

Ted's idle thoughts vanished at Henrik's next words.

"Two weeks."

"......Two weeks?"

Henrik looked at Ted as he spoke.

"We need to deal with the Sovereign within two weeks at the latest. Judging by the curse's energy, Professor Bena won't be able to hold out any longer than that."

"......."

At those words, Ted pulled out letter paper and picked up his pen with a resigned air.

"First, I'll try requesting help from Margrave Gus. In the meantime, investigate within the academy to see if there are any clues about the Sovereign."

"That was my plan."

Henrik nodded and drank his coffee.

Ted glanced over to see how much sugar Henrik had added. The sugar had decreased quite a bit-it looked like he'd dropped in six sugar cubes.

"I need the sugar."

Sensing the gaze, Henrik offered a brief comment.