Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Lightning Nightmare (1)
Honestly, I completely agreed with the idea that Davide deserved to be punished. Even in the game, he had been an unbelievable piece of trash.
But from the moment that Davide became me, that could never be allowed to happen. That was why I had come here in person like this.
To this place that went by the ridiculous name ‘Chivalry Research Club’. The moment I stepped inside, the disgusting stench that hit me made my anger surge upward.
I must have pushed a little too hard because of that. I stared at Granvi, who was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me. He was a nobody.
And yet, he had a real talent for inciting people, so I had suffered quite a bit when playing. That was only natural—I had to go through an absurd amount of grinding beyond imagination.
“Now. I’ll tell you what I was planning to do.”
The atmosphere around us had sunk as far as it could. They were extremely wary of whatever words were about to come out of my mouth.
I curled up the corners of my lips. I had thought this kind of thing would be boring, but now that I actually tried it, it suited my taste quite well. It was the mindset of a true villain.
“I’ll go to Soloven just like this and provoke her to my heart’s content. Then I’ll take a hit.”
“Eh?”
Granvi let out a stupid sound. If Winter had said it, it might have been cute, but hearing a fully grown man blurt that out left me thoroughly displeased.
“I’ve secured justification. Next comes the pressure. Soloven Rahorakti. I’ll put pressure on the Rahorakti Family.”
“Don’t make me laugh! You, who’ve been expelled, could never pressure the Rahorakti Family!”
“This is why idiots are hopeless. What I have to do is simple. I just ask Bereninche for a favor. Soloven hit me. While insulting Duhein. Now then, what do you think will happen?”
Only then did the faces of those in the club room turn pale.
They were right. I had been expelled and had no power whatsoever. Whether I got beaten to death somewhere or killed someone, it would have nothing to do with the Duhein Family.
But the moment the name Duhein was brought up, that changed.
“Lady Soloven would never say such a thing!”
How naive.
For some reason, these bastards were completely devoted to Soloven. That must be why the club president was Soloven as well.
They were fanatical about Soloven’s chivalry, about Soloven who upheld chivalry. And because of that, they were far too naive.
“It all depends on how you frame it. Even if Soloven insists on her innocence, it’ll be difficult for her to prove it. I’ll make sure of that.”
“We’ll testify! Everything we heard here, in this very room!”
“Did you know? There are people in this world who can perfectly imitate someone’s voice. I happen to know them. I just need to make a simple request. Have them recite those lines in Soloven’s voice.”
Granvi had begun trembling violently. Ah, even I thought this method was vicious. It was this easy to ruin a person’s life.
“Soloven’s life—the one you cling to and worship—will fall into the abyss in an instant. So I’m telling you. Stay quiet. Go ponder the chivalry you love so much. Don’t stick your noses where they don’t belong and ruin everything.”
“…….”
“You don’t seem to know much about Duhein. Though I was expelled, Duhein blood still flows in my veins. And Duhein bites apart anyone who dares to touch it.”
“…….”
“Insult me all you like. I don’t care. If you do it openly, something quite amusing might happen. In any case, I’m telling you to keep it within reason.”
I sneered at them as they now stood completely speechless. This was what happened when they tried to stir up something beyond their depth.
“Look at Soloven. She’s beautiful. Upright spirit, a heart that cares for others. A wonderful woman who upholds outdated chivalry and steps forward before anyone else to protect her allies. It’s you who would ruin a woman like that. Ah, how truly tragic.”
Now I understood why rulers resorted to politics of fear. Seeing them lower their heads without a word made it sink in all the more.
I felt it was time to stop. I opened my left hand. A strange flicker formed above it, and the Holy Scripture of the Anaye Faith appeared.
“You had the guts to defile the chapel. That was truly a foolish act. That place serves The Goddess. It is not somewhere insane bastards can scribble on as they please. Thanks to that, our Goddess is quite enraged.”
“Th-That wasn’t us!”
“That, we’ll see. One way or another, She will pass judgment. Unless I calm Her down. Something very interesting will happen. What do you think? Curious?”
“…….”
“How boring.”
As if I had lost interest, I dismissed the Holy Scripture of the Anaye Faith.
“I’ll see you in a week. I’ll come again at this time. Then you’ll feel it to your bones—just who it was you dared to provoke.”
I laughed heartily for the first time in a while. Perhaps I had bullied them too much, but wasn’t it all self-inflicted?
After saying everything I wanted, I felt refreshed.
***
Recently, a strange rumor had begun spreading around the academy. A tale of nightmares that came with lightning.
Rumors of this sort were not uncommon at the academy. Those who loved stories eagerly spread them, and those exhausted from training and classes found enjoyment in them.
But this time, it was different. The rumor now circulating, called [Lightning Nightmare], was similar to the once-popular [Black Moon].
No one knew the cause, the result, or even the target. Out of nowhere, lightning would strike down upon the head of a student who had simply been eating.
It was not enough to kill, but it was excruciating. A sharp current that crawled along the nerves. An intense pain that felt as though it burned the very cells.
It was more than enough to instill fear in the students. Rumor had it that several students had already been carried away. The real problem began after that.
Three days after the first incident, something else started happening.
A strange figure appeared in their dreams. It presented them with the greatest anger they had ever harbored in their lives.
For some, it was the parents who had abandoned them. For others, a lover who had left. For others still, a friend who had betrayed them. The targets and circumstances differed, but they all experienced the same result.
They ended up feeling the greatest rage they were capable of. And that inevitably led to overwhelming stress.
As the grotesque phenomenon continued, students gradually began to lose their sanity. And Granvi mocked those people.
“Nightmares, of all things.”
It was just a dream. Extremely unpleasant and frightening, but merely a dream. It did not visit every night, and it lasted only a fleeting moment.
Granvi, who admired chivalry and had studied it faithfully, could not understand those who trembled at such nightmares.
A true knight, by nature, did not neglect mental discipline. Balanced growth of mind and body was the proper path of a knight.
He firmly believed in the mental fortitude he had built through meditating for more than an hour every single day.
“Only two today…….”
“……I have no excuse.”
There were only three people in the club room, including Granvi. A place that had once bustled with around ten members had become desolate.
The reason was that nightmare. On the first day Davide had visited, two members were affected. And yesterday, as many as eight.
Those who had the nightmare had all taken up beds in the infirmary. Some had even harmed themselves from the torment they endured; the situation was serious in its own way.
At a member’s words, Granvi waved his hand dismissively. He did not care about such weaklings. He had no intention of wasting concern on those who had succumbed to nothing more than nightmares.
They had received a sharp threat. If they could not overcome even that, they could hardly call themselves knights.
“Granvi. We’ll get going.”
“Right. Good work.”
The sun had long since set. It was roughly eight in the evening. Time had flown as they frantically thought of countermeasures and exchanged opinions.
The two members left first, saying they were hungry. Only after Granvi finished tidying the club room and stepped out did darkness settle fully inside.
The darkness weighed down the atmosphere. But he had not trained so little that he would yield to something like this. Taking out a mana lantern, Granvi headed straight for the dormitory.
He did not feel like eating anything. He just wanted to go back quickly, warm himself in hot water, and rest well.
—Tak.
Something joined in with the sound of Granvi’s footsteps. His senses, sharpened by the darkness, keenly caught the anomaly.
Granvi quickly turned his head. It was an unfamiliar sound. It was not the sound of shoes striking the corridor floor.
—Tak.
“Who’s there!”
The bizarre sound rang out again, as if to prove itself. He shouted loudly, but it was nothing more than a futile outburst.
Standing alone in the corridor thick with darkness, Granvi broke out in a cold sweat. He had no idea what was happening to him.
Was he being overly sensitive? Certainly. He had pushed himself too hard lately. Even after scanning his surroundings for a long while, there was nothing of help. He wondered if he had simply imagined it.
—Tak. Tak.
“Ha.”
When he turned his head toward the window that barely caught the moonlight, he spotted a small bird staring at him.
The bird tapped the window with its tiny beak. Each time it did, that familiar sound echoed from the glass.
How sensitive he was. To be startled by nothing more than the sound of an animal. He had shown a disgraceful side of himself. With an awkward chuckle, he was just about to move his feet.
“…….”
A powerful emotion surged up within him. A sharp tremor rang from the nape of his neck. Where that tremor passed, an inexplicable chill remained.
It made his body tremble. His wide-open eyes could not tell whether what he was seeing was real.
It felt as though he were bound in a massive web of glue. His hair felt as if it were being tugged, and gravity itself seemed to reach out with ruthless hands, pulling him down.
Granvi did not collapse only because, by chance, his right foot had been drawn back. Had he been standing upright, he would have fallen flat onto his back.
That was how great the shock was. But what had caused it?
The small bird beyond the window. And beside it, a strange figure. Reflected in the window, it looked like an evil spirit.
Black flames wrapped around its lower body like garments, while its bare upper torso was covered in incomprehensible tattoos. An eerie aura seeped from its gaunt frame.
Summoning his courage, he lifted his gaze to its face and saw the massive skull of a stag covering its head. From the hollow eye sockets burst a red glow.
The evil spirit was staring at him. About twenty steps away, based on the corridor’s length. It stood near the far end, simply watching his back.
Before long, the skull moved. Their eyes met through the window. Granvi seemed to forget how to breathe, unable to do anything at all.
What in the world was that? What was that unfathomable darkness and emotionless presence?
Was that truly an ‘evil spirit’?
“Guh…….”
Reason, which urged him to turn around and confirm its identity, began clashing with instinct, which screamed at him to run without looking back.
If he were to confront it, he had to face it with his own eyes. If he feared the unknown and wished to flee, he had to run. Unable to decide between the two, Granvi let out a pained groan.
—Chzzzt.
Then it came without any warning. He opened his tightly shut eyes and looked at the window. The evil spirit was no longer there.
Instead, right behind him, close enough for its breath to touch him, the evil spirit was looking down at him.
He stared straight ahead. What I saw was an illusion. Yes, I must have seen it wrong. As he struggled to move his feet, something began to enter the edge of his vision.
A gaunt hand wrapped in lightning. A hand formed of bizarre darkness was slowly approaching his face.
At that moment, Granvi finally lost consciousness.
“Huh? Maybe we scared him a bit too much~”
“Pathetic. To faint over something like this.”
“Mm~ Wouldn’t that be just a li~ttle scary for me too~? If you didn’t know it was coming, you might even wet yourself~”
“Hey. What kind of girl says something like that?”
Leaving Granvi collapsed on the floor, a bright and lively conversation—completely out of place—filled the corridor.