And then (2)

the next day.

The central hall where Aragos had invaded was crowded with a guard team dispatched to investigate.

The invasion of Helios by a witch beast, and a superior at that, was an unprecedented situation.

It was necessary to reveal the truth in detail, so the guard team was unusually called.

Watching the disfigured central hall and the corpse of Aragos with his head blown off, Inspector Claire of the Guard let out a low sigh.

“This is true. You fought neatly, didn’t you?”

Sunglasses and a tight light purple ponytail.

I came here for an investigation, so I’m dressed comfortably in the world, but the scene I saw in person is not like that.

The wide hall was destroyed in half, but all of that destruction was caused by Aragos’ attack.

Professor Kang Yoo-jin’s attack that killed these guys only killed the beast without destroying the surrounding environment.

The upper class, not the lower or middle class.

Claire couldn’t help but admire the fact that there was a professor who could kill so neatly.

“Even with a gun…”

A professor who hunts monsters with a gun that no one else uses.

She had met such a person before.

“I think I finally found it.”

A mid-to-higher level Demonic Predator that appeared in Rhodes not too long ago.

It seemed that he had finally found the unknown professor who had caught it.

“Sir Claire. The culprit investigation is all over.”

“Uh. Yes.”

Her thoughts did not last long.

This is because the identity of the demon who brought Aragos to Helios has finally been revealed.

“Andrei von Dalton… What is it? He was an aristocrat, wasn’t he?”

After receiving the file from her subordinate, Claire couldn’t help laughing.

The culprit was an aristocrat, and that was because he was a Helios professor.

He was a professor who was in charge of an unheard-of subject called ‘Border Distortion Theory II’, but he was a professor who was about to be dismissed from his appointment due to lack of performance for a long time.

“Heh heh. I understand roughly what happened.”

Since an incompetent professor was about to be kicked out of the academy, he must have planned this incident with a grudge against it.

Since the barrier was also weakened at the time, it wouldn’t have been difficult to contact the Witchbeast, and since her specialty was the barrier, it would have been possible to actually contact it.

After that, it’s obvious. It must have been concocted by making a contract with the witch beast that came into contact.

Anyway, it would have been bright for the professor and staff schedule, and it would have been easy for him to get out of the barrier restoration because he was going to leave soon.

It was a pitiful man’s pitiful plan, and a pitiful end.

“This person says he has a son too?”

“Yes. I have a son named Jason, who recently had a history of suspension from school for inciting border crossings.”

“Rich men fuck in pairs.”

Nervously covered the file.

Anyway, as time passes, it will all be written down in the police report.

I decided to listen to the annoying reports of these damn bastards later.

“Oh right. Hey.”

“Yes, sir!”

“When do you have an interview with Professor Yujin Kang?”

Kang Yu-jin, who killed Aragos himself, was the most important person to secure a statement and police report.

Of course, Claire had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, so she was secretly looking forward to meeting him.

“Uh… that will take some time.”

“Huh? Why?”

“The school refused to deliver today so that he could rest…”

“Ah? What kind of bloated guy refuses to do his official duties?”

“This is the word of the Most Holy Heaven…”

“·······.”

When Laniakea’s nickname came out, Claire also kept her mouth shut.

No matter how much she flew and crawled, there was no one who could challenge the empress of the lofty constellation.

“Ah-oh···!”

I thought I’d meet you now!

Annoyed, he kicked Aragos in the head, who was nearby.

The guard team had to sweat for a while to calm Claire, who was going crazy with fever.

*

After the Witchbeast Attack Incident.

In Helios, an unusual three-day school closure was imposed.

It was to investigate the case, repair the central hall, dispose of the demon corpse, etc., but a problem occurred here.

Since this has never happened before, there is no response team or manual itself, so the faculty and guards are at a loss.

Thanks to this, there was not enough manpower to investigate and repair, and the demon corpse was useless.

While struggling like that, Professor Roshua came up with a trick.

“Can’t we just let the students do it?”

If you stake the store as a reward, there will be quite a few people to do it.

His idea was adopted in an instant, and thanks to that, a rare scene was drawn on the campus of Capella Hall where the students were removing the corpse of the Demon Beast.

-If you volunteer to dispose of the corpse, 5 points are awarded.

It’s not that difficult, but the rewards are sweet.

The students had no reason not to suck the honey in front of them.

A sudden 3-day holiday.

The campus of the Capella Hall was also crowded with students clearing out the corpses of the monsters.

“Hey, guys…! The East Incinerator No. 1 is full. Everyone, go to No. 2!”

And, even in that hustle and bustle, Cynthia was a particularly busy student.

Unwillingly, she became the biggest contributor to stopping this attack, and the school side, who appreciated that ability, entrusted her with the site supervision of the beast disposal.

Naturally, Cynthia was shocked, but she didn’t have the pulpit to reject the school’s decision.

In addition, the students were not particularly dissatisfied with the decision.

The way Cynthia grabbed all of Shelob was that intense…

“The spider wolf bones don’t burn, so I’m told to melt them. What should I do?”

“Inject acid magic into the skull and into the 3rd, 6th, and 11th vertebrae…”

“Shelob’s body is too big to fit in the incinerator.”

“It’s easier to put in the order of head, belly, and legs…”

“His body is about to explode-“

“Oops! Yongyong, go and freeze!”

-Piruru!

Cynthia, who was busy running around, was already crying.

Why would you do this to a kid like me…

Because of Cynthia’s timid personality, she was nervous because she didn’t know when she might make a mistake, but contrary to her thoughts, her work was neat.

His personality is smart anyway, so he will tell you anything you ask, and he’s diligent and doesn’t goof around.

Students as well as faculty and guards highly praised Cynthia’s work.

Thanks to this, Cynthia, whose ratings went up without her knowledge, was getting more and more teary-eyed at the ever-increasing number of questions.

“Hey. Baepsae.”

And, there was another person who came to her.

Cynthia turned her head away in tension again, and tilted her head with a bewildered face.

Because the person who came was an unexpected person.

“Eh… Estelle?”

Wavy blonde hair is flowing.

Estelle, with an expressionless face, was looking at Cynthia while holding a luxuriously wrapped box in her arms.

“Do you know where the professor went?”

“Professor Yujin Kang?”

“yes.”

“Uh… I don’t know…”

Confused, she ran to a nearby guard with the words to wait.

“Hey, officer.”

“Huh? Oh~ student Cynthia. What’s going on?”

The guard greeted her warmly.

Because they put their abilities at the top of their list, she already has a lot of good feelings for her, who is good at work and sincere.

When Cynthia asked where Yujin Kang was, he touched his chin and answered slowly.

“Hmm… you’re probably in the winter forest. I heard you’re going earlier.”

“thank you···!”

“hahahaha. What about something like this?”

Cynthia bowed in greeting and turned to Estelle.

“He went to the winter forest.”

“Thank you, bitch.”

“·······?”

Then he turns around and walks away.

Watching Estelle disappear in a flash, Cynthia tilted her head bewildered.

For a long time, she had to think about the meaning of the baboon…

*

Subuck- Subuck-

The sound of snow breaking as you walk is unusually warm.

The more you leave footprints on the finely piled snow, the more your tired and tired body seems to recover little by little.

“After all, there is no place like this.”

The winter forest he visited after the subjugation of Aragos was as quiet as usual, so it was good to soothe his tired body.

There is a lot of upheaval in the school, but this place is peaceful as if it is a different world.

“No way. I can’t imagine being so tired after fighting a superior.”

It’s not an easy opponent, but at least I hadn’t been this tired in my lifetime.

At least a little short of breath.

On days when I was in good shape, there were times when I faced two or three in a row.

“If they had seen it, they would have been making fun of it all day.”

my colleagues.

The guys who have walked through countless battlefields together, and are now living their own lives.

Knight Patrick.

Witch Doctor Wolfgang.

Wizard Kaya.

Healer Angela.

And, Maria.

They were comrades who entrusted their lives to each other, and they always liked to play pranks.

I wanted to see you especially today.

“Where is this?”

I saw the note I took out of my pocket.

It was something I received from Laniakea the other day, a note with the coordinates of a certain place.

The place is somewhere in the winter forest.

It is a deep forest that even I have never been to.

‘What the hell is going on in a place like this?’

Laniakea said this was a place related to my comrades.

However, I didn’t expect what was in this deep forest.

“·······.”

In fact, I don’t even know why people visit this place with the excuse of taking a break.

I have so many things to do, so why did I have to come?

I don’t know why, but when I came to my senses, my feet were already heading here.

Perhaps the situation of surviving here alone was a bit pitiful.

Or maybe they missed their traces more than I thought.

I hadn’t done this before. I guess I’m too old now.

“Is this it?”

Deep in the woods, walking and walking.

In the place where a small vacant lot was revealed, an old hut stood lonely.

The snow-covered roof and the surroundings without a single footprint represented that people had been cut off a long time ago.

“·······.”

I approached the cabin as if possessed.

The hinges must have been old, and the sound of the door being opened was quite loud.

“…was it made by you guys?”

Traces of beginners were buried everywhere he touched.

Light leaks from the sloppily raised roof.

Wind blows all over the room.

While the infiltrated snow and cold linger in the desolate room, the remaining furnishings remain lonely.

“···under.”

And, on the side of that fresh touch.

There was a bulletin board with numerous pictures.

They were old, faded photos of the times when they were visiting this place.

Photos of their school days that I don’t know, clearly showing them crying and laughing.

As if possessed, I took in each of the photos they left behind.

“… True. It’s still the same in the past.”

A smirk leaked out as he looked at his bad-tempered appearance.

Because it wasn’t any different from any of my co-workers I knew.

Those are the same people.

And.

“·······.”

A picture, pasted on one side of the bulletin board, caught my eye.

According to the regulations, Helios strictly controls the access of knowledge and students.

The knowledge learned here cannot be shared with the outside world, and graduates cannot return to school unless they renew their contract as faculty members.

All measures to avoid being pursued by the Witchbeast.

That’s why, among the photos left here, there were no photos taken with me.

Because they met me after graduating from school.

Even so.

only one. There was a picture of me and all of us.

They couldn’t bring it, so it must have been brought by someone else.

There is only one person like that.

“… is that why you asked me to come here?”

Laniakea.

My constellation that saved me.

“Just to show you this…”

There. There was a picture of ‘we’ from when we were still 6.

I was still immature and immature.

The strength was weak, but the will was ahead of the day.

There was a day when we defeated a high-level monster for the first time and laughed at each other.

His face was bruised here and there, several teeth were knocked out, and his nosebleeding face was miserable.

A smile was brighter than ever on his face.

“·······.”

He took off his mask, quietly put down his hat, and sat down in the middle of the cabin.

A time we can’t go back to now.

Maybe, close friends who don’t even know if they will meet again.

I looked at the picture without saying a word, holding it in my eyes.

Then, he said to the open door.

“Don’t peep and come in.”

“I didn’t peep.”

It was Estelle who appeared from the door.

Estelle’s expression seemed slightly intimidated, perhaps because Yujin Kang’s atmosphere was heavy.

“How did you get into the winter forest?”

“I have access rights for the Altair family.”

“is it.”

Well, it’s not strange that this aristocratic family has such a thing.

If you say there is nothing, that’s because it’s a more strange family name.

“Grandpa will deliver this.”

She handed over the box she was holding tightly in her arms.

“It’s a wine called Selavis.”

“You’re giving me something valuable.”

Sellavis knows that I have heard professors talk about it a few times.

Did you say that it was made with a flower called Yeobaekhwa, which is the material of the elixir?

It takes care of the body and mind, and the taste is good, so the price is very expensive.

It’s over 20,000 shillings a bottle, so Altair must be really rich.

“Is it all right?”

It was just when I was hungry.

Wine wouldn’t be bad either.

When I unwrapped the box, Estelle came over and sat on the floor without a word.

“Whose picture is that?”

“My old colleagues.”

At the word colleague, I looked at the photo as if it was unexpected.

“These are now…”

“Don’t worry. Everyone is alive.”

He responded bluntly and added belatedly.

“…except for one.”

I set the open wine bottle down in front of me.

It’s because there was no cup, so there was no place to pour.

“How are you?”

Looking at the photos, I complain like that.

I just opened my mouth knowing that it would not be communicated.

“Do not worry about the Witchbeast any more.”

I hope you live the life you dreamed of.

It’s because I alone is enough to shoulder the karma of killing the monsters.

You just need to live the life you wished for.

“… I will definitely put an end to it.”

like that.

Where the noon sun shines.

I threw my gaze at the photo without hesitation.