The Duke of Lauderdale stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the approaching Gloria Island with a relieved expression on his face.

    Beside him stood a platinum-haired girl, looking somewhat fatigued.

    “Angela, do you see it? That’s Gloria Island. Soon, the school you’ll be attending will be there.”

    At the Duke’s words, Angela nodded with a somewhat bored expression.

    In truth, she had no desire whatsoever to attend Saint Gloria Private School.

    She had heard notorious rumors about it from the convent. Angela had no interest in ghosts or anything supernatural.

    Then, one day, the Duke of Lauderdale suddenly appeared, claiming she was a shaman and that she was of the Lauderdale bloodline, and took her with him.

    "A shaman, huh?"

    Angela was no shaman. She had occasionally seen ghosts, but most clergy members, including herself, could see them. There was nothing special about her that would lead anyone to think she was a shaman.

    Then, out of nowhere, the Vatican pinpointed Angela, claiming that she was the descendant of a shaman and the lost daughter of the Duke of Lauderdale.

    Despite her platinum hair, Angela looked nothing like the Duke, nor like Eastern or Western Lauderdale.

    Moreover, she had no proof of being a shaman, yet the Vatican presented the fact that Angela had been placed in the convent when she was seven as evidence.

    As a member of the convent, Angela had no choice. If the Vatican said so, she had to comply.

    ‘Damn it. I just want to sleep more.’

    Angela, half-listening to the Duke’s words, began to nod off.

    The Duke, seeing her, shook his head with a dissatisfied expression.

    It was clear that the Duke of Lauderdale was also not particularly pleased with the idea of Angela being his daughter.

    Perhaps it was because Angela was far from the daughter he had imagined.

    Suppressing a sigh, Angela turned her gaze back to the island drawing closer.

    The weather was lovely. Puffy clouds filled the sky in a fantastical display.

    Perhaps because of that, Gloria Island looked especially beautiful. Angela couldn’t help but feel that its beauty was a bit unsettling, as though it were flaunting its charm in order to lure people in.

    ‘What nonsense am I imagining.’

    She chuckled to herself, finding the thought amusing.

    “Well, the Duke of Lauderdale must be happy. He’s found his lost daughter.”

    Just then, someone approached them and casually greeted them.

    When they turned around, an elderly man, fiddling with his long beard, stood there. Beside him was a man dressed in royal attire.

    It was the Pope and the Crown Prince.

    The Duke of Lauderdale and Angela quickly offered their respects.

    Angela noticed the Pope gazing at her with a satisfied look.

    ‘That fox-like old man.’

    The Duke of Lauderdale had raised his daughter in hiding for seven years at his villa.

    Then, when she went missing, he suddenly declared the disappearance of his lost daughter to the world and began searching for her.

    It was that urgent.

    One day, the Pope came and told her:

    “You are the Duke of Lauderdale’s daughter.”

    With those words, Angela became the Duke’s daughter.

    The Pope seemed suspicious. The Duke of Lauderdale appeared to be so blinded by his lost daughter that he couldn’t help but show tears upon seeing Angela, despite how little she resembled him.

    “We’ve arrived!”

    Someone shouted. At the same time, the bow of the ship touched the island, causing it to sway slightly.

    Some passengers, unfamiliar with ships, protested, urging caution.

    The ship carried prominent political figures. Half of them were parents from Saint Gloria Private School, while the other half were invited guests.

    Most were filled with excitement at visiting the long-closed Gloria Island after a hundred years, and some alumni were reminiscing about their time at the school.

    The first to disembark from the ship were the Pope and the Crown Prince.

    However, as soon as the Pope set foot on Gloria Island, he suddenly vomited blood and collapsed.

    “Doctor! Get a doctor!”

    Someone screamed in panic, and the place erupted into chaos with people shouting for doctors while others helped the Pope with emergency treatment.

    Then Angela saw it.

    ‘What is that...’

    Shadows with a dark, ominous energy were gathering from all over Gloria Island, moving toward the Pope’s body.

    Soon, these shadows began to cling to the Pope’s body, almost as if they were devouring him.

    Angela wasn’t a shaman, but as a clergy member, she could see them.

    They were “beings with malevolent energy.”

    The Pope, perhaps having seen them too, continued to glare at them with bloodshot eyes as he vomited blood.

    Then he muttered something.

    “Salvation... Krithoban... you Abaddon descendants... not all will receive... the blessing of Kltutha.”

    ‘What is that?’

    Angela realized. It sounded like a bizarre prayer, but it was definitely a liberation prayer she had learned at the convent.

    However, the prayer was strange.

    The words were all jumbled up, as if those things had randomly combined the liberation prayer and were mimicking it.

    As the Pope continued his strange prayer, the dark shadows that covered his body began to vanish.

    Once the shadows were completely gone, the Pope finally took a deep breath. There was no longer any holy energy emanating from him.

    Angela watched the bizarre scene with a strange feeling before turning her head.

    She then noticed the Duke of Lauderdale, who was staring at the Pope in shock. He had clearly witnessed those things as well.

    ‘It seems like he’s seeing something truly wicked for the first time.’

    The Lauderdale family was known for being a family of shamans, so it wasn’t surprising that the Duke might also be a shaman.

    Moreover, it was said that, as the family line progressed, the shamanic blood became thinner, and the ability to act as a shaman was diminishing.

    Since there were almost no evil entities on the mainland, he probably hadn’t had many opportunities to witness such things.

    It was understandable that the Duke was shocked. Angela understood, as she too was startled.

    Angela turned her gaze back to the entrance of Gloria Island.

    There, a welcoming committee had gathered to greet them, but they, too, had become a scene of chaos upon witnessing the Pope’s collapse.

    Caw. Caw.

    The sound of crows echoed in the clear sky. There was an ominous air surrounding them.

    “Truly ominous. It feels as though something is about to happen.”

    At that moment, someone muttered something that pierced Angela’s ears.

    When she turned to look, the person who had spoken was already turning his back and walking away, but Angela recognized him instantly.

    The man was dressed in royal attire.

    The man approached the Pope, helped him up, and then looked up at the sky where the crows were flying, shaking his head.

    The Crown Prince was a very modern figure. While he respected the Vatican as the crown prince of the kingdom, he was famously known for not believing in God. Furthermore, he believed that the century-old war with evil spirits was a fabricated story created by the Vatican to stir up the masses.

    Angela, too, looked up at the sky. The crows were still flying in the bright blue sky.

    The reason I asked Father Miella for the academic records was because I was confident that I had ranked first in my second year.

    Second-Year Top and Second Rank:

    1st – Melody Hastings

    2nd – Leonard Norton Ramsport

    While I was cleaning at Mrs. Lewis’s cafe, Leonard, who had glanced at the grade sheet I was looking at, exclaimed in admiration.

    “Wow. You beat me again. You’re the first person to ever beat me.”

    I lightly ignored Leonard’s nonsense and asked him.

    “Did you investigate the brown-haired boy I asked about last time? I’m planning to meet a student named Matthew Lennox today.”

    Upon hearing my response, # Nоvеlight # Leonard hesitated before scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

    “Sorry, Melody. You know it’s only been a day since you asked me, right?”

    Oh no.

    After experiencing two ghost stories and meeting the King, I thought quite a bit of time had passed.

    I nodded, feeling awkward.

    Ding. Ding.

    The sound of customers opening the door and entering could be heard. I put down the broom I was holding and walked toward the counter to greet them.

    “Tomelco! We’re here!”

    “You look pretty today, Hastings!”

    “I heard some outsiders just arrived. Anyone want to go see them?!” Sёar?h the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The students from Class F greeted me with smiles. Feeling a bit happier, I smiled back at them.

    As I smiled and laughed with them like the other students, I suddenly felt as if I had truly become a student.

    Then, every now and then, when I realized that was not the case, I felt a little down.

    At that moment, something cold touched my cheek, and when I turned around in surprise, I saw Leonard holding a glass of orange juice.

    “Drink this. It’ll make you feel better.”

    Feeling a bit grateful, I reached out to take the juice, but a man grabbed the cup before me.

    It was Senior Noah.

    He gulped down the orange juice that Leonard had handed him and then handed me a piece of chocolate.

    “Nothing makes you feel better like chocolate.”

    “This isn’t the orange juice made for the president.”

    “As a cafe employee, don’t waste good oranges like that.”

    I absentmindedly watched the two men’s conversation, staring at the chocolate, then responded.

    “I’ve never had chocolate before. Is it good?”

    I had heard it was delicious, but it was my first time trying it. I think I remember hearing that chocolate syrup was used in the parfait last time, too...

    As I stared at the chocolate in my hand, I suddenly noticed the silence around me and looked up.

    I saw Senior Noah and Leonard staring at me intently.

    It was strange. I felt like I had seen this scene before. I hadn’t grown up pitifully, but being among the nobles, I couldn’t help but feel like a pitiable child.

    ‘But if they give me another piece of chocolate because I look pitiful, I’d be grateful.’

    So, I stared at the chocolate with the most longing expression I could muster.

    The two men in front of me became very flustered.