I Possessed a Character in an Academy Without a Protagonist – Chapter 37

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Tsk……”

Ludwig clicked his tongue as he lifted the cloth dyed bright red.

The sight of the head flying off above the neck was quite disgusting.

“In the end, we couldn’t even see the face.”

Ludwig stood up again, wiping the blood on his hands with a handkerchief.

Small signs with numbers were stuck next to footprints, bloodstains, and so on.

It was said to be for preserving evidence…… It was a somewhat unfamiliar sight to Ludwig, whether it was a recently adopted investigation method.

“What’s this?”

Ludwig stopped in front of a sign with the number 3 on it.

It was stuck in front of a stone, and he couldn’t understand at all how this was evidence.

It looked like a stone that had just rolled into the mansion.

No, rather than a stone, it was a fragment of a shattered stone.

“Ah, that? It’s a technique Henderson often uses, Head Professor.”

Ludwig narrowed his brows at Sergey’s words as he appeared from behind.

“What do you mean by technique?”

“Rather than explaining it in words, it’s better to show it to you directly. Here. Let’s assume I’m Henderson.”

“What is this-”

Sergey spoke incomprehensible words as he put his hand in his pocket.

At that moment, a small stone rolled out of Sergey’s pocket.

Ludwig’s eyes unconsciously chased that stone.

It was a moment later that he realized the identity of that stone.

“Now. You’re dead, Head Professor.”

“…… A luminescent stone?”

“Yes. Your eyes can’t help but go there, right? Then you lose your sight and get caught off guard by Henderson.”

“A tricky technique.”

Even if you were aware of it and closed your eyes, you couldn’t avoid it.

If the opponent closed their eyes, Henderson would simply not detonate the luminescent stone and launch the first strike as is.

Then the opponent’s reaction would be a beat slower because they closed their eyes meaninglessly.

It was a simple but powerful technique that could surely secure the first move in a confrontation.

‘Even if I were in that position, it would have been difficult to survive.’

Ludwig had to admit it, though his pride was somewhat hurt.

If he had faced a fighter like Henderson at such close range, he would have been instantly defeated.

Especially if he had been hit by something like a flash.

He could utilize the high-level technique of using mana waves to grasp the surrounding environment, but it wasn’t as precise as eyes, so it seemed difficult to respond to Henderson’s assault with just that.

If someone had sufficiently high mana sensitivity and was completely used to using it like eyes, they might be able to respond even after being hit by a flash.

‘There’s no way such a person exists.’

Ludwig had suspiciously wondered if Schlus might be such a person, but he quickly denied the possibility.

It was impossible.

To accept mana waves and then convert them into the form of vision and interpret them.

It wasn’t a process that the human brain could endure.

Moreover, although Schlus’ eyes were a bit…… no, very lifeless, judging by the movement of his pupils, he was definitely not blind.

“Then how did Schlus Hainkel survive this?”

“……”

Ludwig muttered as he examined the traces of mana left in the surroundings.

Fragments of the shattered barrier spell still remained in the surrounding mana.

One layer…… two layers…… three layers……

A total of 4 layers of barriers. They were quite thick and had resistance to 4 elements in their structure.

In other words, Schlus’ attack had penetrated all 4 layers of these barriers and still had the power to shatter Henderson’s head beyond recognition.

“I’m not sure either. If we ask him directly…… Ah.”

Sergey turned around and sighed.

He had remembered that Schlus had already left.

There were mountains of things he was curious about, but the person in question had gone to sleep peacefully.

“How will this incident be handled?”

“What do you mean?”

“If it’s announced that Schlus Hainkel killed Henderson, there might be a big commotion. It would be better to announce that Professor Sergey killed him……”

“Ohoho! I think I’m starting to understand now!”

Sergey suddenly patted Ludwig’s back.

Ludwig openly showed his displeasure at the unexpected physical contact, but Sergey only laughed heartily without noticing at all.

“The terror attack in the lecture hall which was stopped. It was Schlus’ doing, right? And you, Head Professor, took credit to protect him.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Hahaha! Don’t pretend you don’t know. You’ve already been exposed, Head Professor.”

“…… Tsk.”

Ludwig finally turned his head away.

It was supposed to be a secret.

Before he knew it, too many people besides those involved knew about it.

“But I don’t think we can do that this time.”

Sergey pointed somewhere with his chin as he spoke.

At the end of that path, over a dozen people were walking in a line.

There were knights shining in full armor and magicians in uniforms.

From their attire, it was easy to tell that they were people from the palace.

“The Imperial Family will probably want to commend the one who caught Henderson with a reward.”

It was Henderson, who was being chased for the crime of assassinating the Crown Prince.

The Imperial Family will surely investigate thoroughly and reward the one who killed Henderson.

If it was discovered then that the merit was fabricated, even Ludwig or Sergey would face a punishment equivalent to the death penalty.

“It’ll become even noisier.”

“Indeed.”

Somehow, ever since Schlus came, there had been a constant stream of chaotic incidents.

How big of a ripple effect would this incident cause……

Ludwig left the scene, rubbing his throbbing temples.

He had a lecture tomorrow, so he had to get some sleep, even if it was brief.

***

“Haah……”

I woke up feeling extreme fatigue.

It was definitely around 6 o’clock, the time I always woke up.

But perhaps because my sleeping place had changed, I couldn’t sleep properly at all.

I thought about sleeping for another hour with the blanket over me, but-

‘So what? My dead eyes will always look tired anyway.’

I just decided to have a somewhat tiring day today.

I also had to practice swinging a sword in the morning.

I wondered if Emilia slept well.

With that thought, I opened the door and-

“Ah…… Good morning……”

I encountered Emilia, who looked like a zombie.

I heard that she woke up at 4 o’clock to finish cleaning before I woke up.

But the chairwoman’s residence should only be a bit large……

In the end, after 2 hours had passed, she still hadn’t finished even half of it.

Seeing someone more tired than me right in front of my eyes, my complaints disappeared.

“It’s quite large, right? Do it roughly and rest.”

“No. It seems to have been neglected for a long time, so there’s a lot of dust everywhere…… Considering Mr. Hainkel’s health, it’s right to clean it thoroughly once.”

After saying that, Emilia picked up a mop again and started wiping the floor.

Seeing her work silently without asking for help or complaining even once, I thought it was a bit cute.

It was like a child wanting to be acknowledged.

I smiled and picked up the mop leaning against the wall.

“Ah, Mr. Hainkel? You don’t have to help. If you rest for a bit, I’ll be done soon……”

“I’m not helping you. I’m the type who can’t rest comfortably when someone is busy moving around. I’m doing this for my own comfort.”

“……”

Even though I made an absurd excuse, Emilia didn’t say anything back, just bowing her head.

She must have also guessed.

That there was no particular reason for helping.

The cleaning was finished in about an hour.

But until the cleaning was done, an awkward silence settled between us.

Is she being wary because I’m suddenly being too nice to her……

She might think I have some ulterior motive.

Come to think of it, I discovered a few interesting rooms while looking around the mansion.

One was the warehouse in the basement, which seemed like it could be used as a training room since it was empty. It was surrounded by a sturdy barrier, so it was perfect.

The other was a library full of books.

I couldn’t check what books were there while cleaning, so I headed to the library to check right away.

“Oh……”

The chairwoman’s library.

Alexia probably rarely used this mansion, so these must be books brought in by the previous chairwoman.

Before I knew it, I was mesmerized by the scent of books, passing between the bookshelves and caressing the books.

Most of them seemed to be high-end books, judging by the leather binding.

But if these are left neglected, they’ll get moldy.

I should tell Emilia to pay special attention to this library.

“Huh?”

Then, a book caught my eye.

The title written on the relatively new-looking cover was unusual.

I pulled out the book with trembling hands.

And as I carefully turned the pages, a passage froze me.

-To be, or not to be, that is the question.

It was that famous passage that anyone would have heard before.

“I’m really sorry! But you can’t do this!”

At that moment, a cheerful voice came from behind, and a hand reached out and closed the book.

When I turned around, sure enough, it was Alexia with a grinning expression.

“Sorry! I came to find some belongings I hadn’t taken care of! I didn’t know you’d already moved in!”

“Ah. Should I step aside for a moment?”

“No! There are only a few! I’ll take them and leave right away!”

After saying that, Alexia made a round in the library, pulling out a few books with telekinesis and stacking them in the air.

As the books piled up one by one, I had to constantly strive to suppress my agitation.

Because the titles were all unusual……

“Chairwoman.”

“Yes, Schlus?”

“Those books. I want to borrow and read them.”

“Ah! I’m sorry! These are designated as banned books!”

“Banned books…… Why is that?”

“The source and author are unclear! The content is also somehow unnatural and strange! Should I say it’s like depicting another world? So we’re investigating if it might be a code for foreign spies!”

“…… I understand.”

“If it’s determined there’s no problem! Then I’ll lend them to you at my discretion!”

With those last words, Alexia left the library with the 4 books.

Even after Alexia disappeared, I couldn’t escape from the shock for a long time.

Because the titles of the books were respectively……

Hamlet. Crime and Punishment. Faust. And The Little Prince.

The author’s name wasn’t written, but I could be certain.

They were literary works from my original world, Earth, not this world.

***

“Hohoho. Looks like you have an eye for it! How did you pick exactly this!”

Returning to her office, Alexia put down the books and laughed.

It seemed the bewitching power these books held was also felt by Schlus.

Hamlet. Schlus had picked this up.

Alexia sat at the desk, almost lying down, and opened that book.

“It’s really…… so interesting!”

It was a book she had already read completely 5 times.

It was a somewhat unfriendly novel set in a world that felt disconnected from reality, yet without any explanation about that worldview.

Even after reading it several times, there were quite a few parts where she had to guess the meaning because she couldn’t understand it.

Nevertheless, this novel was strangely entertaining. Even though she couldn’t understand or sympathize with it, there was a strange corner that made her feel that way.

It was a sensation that was difficult to explain in many ways.

“But where did these come from?”

These books appeared about a month ago. In other words, around the time when the Imperial Academy entrance exam was just being held.

One book was found in a corner of the library.

One book was found on the street.

One book was found in an ordinary home.

They were all discovered in various places, but there was a commonality.

The fact that they suddenly appeared one day, even though they had never been seen before.

Even after using all her power as the chairwoman to investigate, she couldn’t find out anything about the identity or author of the books.

She only reconfirmed that these books did not belong to this world.

“There are many mysterious things in the world!”

It meant another unsolved mystery had been added.

Alexia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation that the number of puzzles to solve had increased.

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