How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 203

Giving Meaning (6)

The cloisters of the monastery at night are silent. Since such an unfortunate incident had occurred, no one wandered around the corridor unnecessarily at night.

Since mornings are early for the nuns, everyone is ready to go to bed around this time anyway, and outsiders who know the circumstances of Abbot Austin’s death do not come out of their rooms because they do not want to arouse unnecessary suspicion.

Thanks to that, Auxiliary Bishop Melinir and I were able to cross the abbey corridors unseen by anyone.

“In the basement of Cledric Abbey… there is a ‘repentance room’…”

The key chain jingled.

There were so many large bundles of keys hanging from Auxiliary Bishop Melinir’s waist that it was terrifying just to look at them. In fact, it was as if the keys to all the rooms inside the monastery were gathered together.

I passed through the bleak hallway and went down the stairs at the end.

“And among the nuns, there are lambs who periodically come to the penitentiary to confess their sins. Since they are nuns who have committed great sins in the past, they spend time in the penitentiary at night when the full moon rises, reflecting on their sins.”

“Is that so…”

“However, that is only a superficial reason.”

After going down and down for a while, passing through the huge hall on the first floor, I was sucked into the corridor again for a long time.

Passing through the dining room, communal kitchen, supply storage, prayer room, and small garden, we cross the kitchen garden and head to the annex. Even inside the annex, if you go all the way inside and turn the deepest corridor, there is a staircase that goes down to the basement.

There was a sign next to the stairs that read, “The Confession Room.” Even though it was a space of repentance, it was a very remote place.

As I went down the underground stairs, I see… a space like a dungeon made of bricks appeared. When Melinir inserted the key into the barbed wire and entered, he saw a long hallway stretching in the middle, lined with rooms that looked like private rooms on either side.

Each solitary cell is separated by an iron bar, and when you look inside, all you see is a simple Bible or prayer supplies, and a small window that lets in the moonlight. Here, you can pray to repent of your past sins and be forgiven.

What a sin he had committed, coming to this remote monastery and even to the remote penitentiary to pray for atonement. Even if there were many nuns with complicated circumstances, it would be uncommon for them to reach this level.

As if to prove that fact, dust was piled up in every corner of each solitary cell, and many of the iron bars were rusted as if they hadn’t been opened for a long time. In fact, it appeared to be a penitentiary that existed only in name.

“More… I need to go in…”

Melinir led me across the corridor of the penitentiary that stretched out in the middle.

As we reached the end, there was a corridor that turned around, and there were bookshelves with simple fixtures and Bibles.

When I wondered if this was the end of this penitentiary space, Melinir raised her toes and took out a Bible from the top edge. She then put her hand into the empty bookshelf space and whimpered as if she was manipulating something.

-Kagang

A strange sound, like a lever going down, was heard, and a bookshelf slid aside. And behind it, a large wooden door was revealed.

“…”

As I swallowed my embarrassment and put on a complicated expression, Melinir lowered her gaze.

He said it would be better to see for yourself than to explain further… Melinir inserted another key into the wooden door.

– Kiki

Eventually, a secret door opens, revealing a scene inside.

Indeed, it was a sight that all those who saw it for the first time had no choice but to swallow dry saliva.

– Kreurreu, sniff, sniff.

– Caang! Caang!

– Keuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu24999.

It is the sound of a beast breathing.

The sound that came out as soon as I opened the wooden door made me feel like I was in an animal cage.

However… the things in the solitary cell, which had the same structure as before… didn’t have the shape of a beast.

However, it is not completely human.

Melinir gently closed her eyes and crossed the inner hallway with me, looking as if she had accepted everything.

Looking at the solitary cells that filled the sides… I had no choice but to swallow a dry saliva for a while.

Seeing the humans in the underground solitary confinement, the beasts banging on the iron bars revealing their red eyes.

Basically, they are in the shape of a human, but they all drool while exposing the ears and tail of a beast… They were all dressed as nuns.

Ain tribe.

At one time, a group of heretics who overturned the northern grasslands and rose to the brink of murdering Emperor Chloel.

The loser of one of the wars that cost the most in the history of the Chloel Empire, the subjugation of the demi-humans…

It was an enemy of the empire that had been completely erased from history by the imperial family of Chloel.

*

“Zellan the Severer.”

It is the name of a war hero who, along with the guardian Obel, protected the imperial family from the demi-humans.

The three wizards who assisted Guardian Obel in the subjugation war of the demi-humans are already famous.

They are the seeker Glast, the outlaw Kaleid, and the amputator Gellan.

The seeker Glast has passed away, and the outlaw Khaleid is holding a professorship in Sylvania… but the whereabouts of the amputator Gelan are still a mystery. However, I have recently heard a mention from Austin.

– ‘well. You must have heard of the name of the war hero ‘Zellan’, right? He used to stop by the monastery frequently to donate. If we go further into the past… the previous generation of archmage Glockt was like that too.’

That’s what I said when I was assigned a room.

Indeed, should we call it the Austin Abbey, a living history book?

She seems to have been in regular contact with Gelan before she was alive. After the war, Zelan visited this monastery.

The reason is probably…

“After the subjugation war of the subhumans, the one who brought thirteen subhuman children to Abbot Austin was the war hero, Zelan the Severer.”

– Caang! Kang! Kang!

– Krrrrrr! kung! kung! kung!

The sound of animals, not people. The solitary cell is filled with a group of beasts that beat behind bars and want to put their teeth on us at any moment.

Among them… I see the red-haired girl who stopped by on the day I first arrived at the monastery.

I narrowed my brows at the sight of him completely different from that time, having lost his reason.

Even in the midst of such mayhem, Melinir somehow managed to keep his senses and continued talking. Could it be that he closed his eyes gently because he did not want to see this maddening sight?

“They are a group of demi-humans who live for war, but there were some children who were left behind in the village because they were not strong and were too young. This was especially true of newborn girls.”

“You mean those children… Zellan entrusted Abbot Austin to…?”

“Yes. They are subhumans with a different lifespan than humans, but children are still children. Since they are children who have not been involved in the bloody winds of war, they thought they could definitely be rehabilitated.”

The Ain are a race born for war. She naturally lusts for blood and dreams of overthrowing the regime.

That was the Ain tribe that Chloe’s imperial family talked about.

Is it because of the painful history of war? The imperial family’s persecution of the subhumans was already famous.

The Ain tribes who lived on the border of this huge empire were now completely withered.

“He… was skeptical of a war that would only end in blood. After meeting Abbot Austin and receiving forgiveness for his sins, he entrusted the children he brought back alive from the battlefield to this monastery for atonement.”

“Then this penance room…”

“No matter how much I cherish and teach with love, the blood of animals boils on the night of the full moon. That’s why… the children of the demi-humans among the nuns enter this confessional room with their own feet around the time of the full moon. It’s coming in.”

When drunk with the full moon’s blood, it turns into a beast that bites people.

Because they themselves know this fact, the children of the Ain tribe put on a leash and enter the penance room by themselves.

Until the time comes when he can regain his sanity and blend in with humans again… in order not to harm others by confining himself to solitary confinement.

Eventually, when the full moon is over, she goes back to being a nun and continues her religious life. That is the life lived by the children of the Ain tribe, who continue their lives in this Cledric Monastery.

– ‘Among the nuns who take care of Cledric Monastery, there are many friends who have troubled stories behind them. She’s the illegitimate son of an aristocratic family whose name I can’t name, and a few of her cursed bloodlines.’

This is a story that the Abbot of Austin told me implicitly. The one who was born of the blood of a cursed blood relative, did this mean?

She was hiding the descendents of the demi-humans hated by the empire in the monastery under her management.

“If the imperial family finds out about this…”

“It won’t stand still. It will lead to problems directly related to the existence of Cleric Monastery.”

I looked at a solitary cell. A girl with beautifully braided red hair. This is the girl who picked me up to the beach and carried my luggage. The monk’s habit, which is usually tightly wrapped from head to toe, is completely disheveled.

The appearance that seemed gentle and calm is gone, and the ears of the beast are revealed through the flowing veil. Indeed, because it was a habit like this, it was easy to cover the ears of an animal like that.

If only the living space is well separated from the Ain tribe children, they will be able to continue their religious life without being revealed on the surface.

Above all, this Cledric Monastery is a different world on the sea, completely isolated from society. Among them, as much as it is an annex space… You can completely minimize the point of contact with the world.

“Still, Abbot Austin never compromised.”

“…”

“These children are trying harder than anyone else to overcome the curse of their own blood and blend into human society. And… they have nothing to do with the bloody smell of war that their ancestors piled up.”

Melinir bit his lips in pain as he spoke.

“The saying goes everywhere, always… With children, there is no sin.”

War is not in the hands of children. Children are, after all, just victims of war.

Being the head of Austin Abbey who knew that fact, he accepted them even avoiding the eyes of the empire.

‘These are the daughters born of my heart.’

That one line of whispering was the significance of Abbot Austin’s life.

“And… the rumors about ‘ghosts’ circulating in the monastery from a few days ago, the truth is very different from what Ed’s thoughts.”

“…I beg your pardon?”

Melinir led me deeper into the corridor. One of about twenty private rooms. There was a broken window.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but swallow dry saliva.

“──A few days ago, in the middle of the night, Eileen, a child of a demi-human, escaped.”

It was a girl with pretty blonde hair and mysterious blue eyes. Sometimes when she went to her repair shop, you could see her blushing as she lowered her eyes.

Rumors of ‘ghosts’ circulate among the monasteries.

I had concluded that the identity was Lucy Meiril hiding in the monastery, but…

“Abbot Austin… left the corridors in the middle of the night to find Eileen.”

‘Going to catch a ghost’

The meaning of the words Abbot Austin left at the end… was completely different from what people thought.

“Eileen was a rational child among the Ain tribe. He is a child who is close to human enough to keep his sanity as much as possible even on the day of the full moon, but no matter how close he is to a perfect full moon… he wouldn’t have been able to maintain his sanity like the other children. “

“Then, what the Auxiliary Bishop is saying now…”

“…As St. Clarisse said at the meeting just now, there is no way that anyone within the Church of Telos would hold a grudge enough to kill Abbot Austin.”

Melinir was aware of all these possibilities from the beginning.

“Especially in this Cledric Monastery, Abbot Austin is a benefactor to whom everyone owes. So, if Abbot Austin was murdered inside the monastery… the cause is…”

If murder due to personal grudge is ruled out, in the end, the only possibility remains is a bloody beast’s assault.

Coincidentally, right now, there is a girl who is fighting the blood of a beast while going between the roofs of Cledric Monastery, avoiding the eyes of humans.

If the situation fits so well… it becomes the basis for having credibility in itself.

“But Abbey Austin was found in his room. The wound was also stabbed by a dagger. The condition of the room was immaculate. Isn’t it too neat to be the work of a wild beast?”

“that…”

“In addition, the fact that a subhuman drunk on a full moon walks around the monastery for days without being seen by anyone… I wonder if it’s even possible…”

I tried to talk that far, but I was speechless.

As new possibilities come to mind… Eventually, all the puzzles have been completed.

*The next morning meeting.

The imperial family contacted them and said that the investigation team would arrive at Cleric Monastery in the late afternoon.

In addition, considering the time of low tide, it is almost late at night when you can enter this monastery. In the end, it is a story that today again, the VIPs have to spend a suffocating time while being wary of each other.

However, the story had already come to a conclusion.

The meeting of outsiders, which was summoned again by the order of Saint Clarisse, did not seem to last very long.

“Last night, they said everyone was well in their rooms. Upon personnel checks, it seems that none of the outsiders have suffered much harm. Everything seems to be back to normal after locking Lucy Meiril.”

Princess Persica, who was presiding over the meeting from the rostrum in the chapel, reassured the guests who had gathered.

“Around late tonight, the investigation team will come in and finish everything. Turn Lucy Mayril over to the investigation team, and we’ll all have to return to the territory after submitting a brief testimony.”

Auxiliary Bishop Melinir was sitting respectfully in the back with a worried face, and Saint Clarisse was glaring at Persica with a face full of dissatisfaction.

However, Clarisse did not speak carelessly. He was never someone who could be pushed by Persica’s authority… but he seemed unwilling to make hasty moves and drag the situation out of expectation.

It looks like he has a sign of believing in something.

“Lucy Mayril is locked up in the attic at the top of the spire, which is the easiest to monitor. The route to come down is limited, so it won’t be easy to avoid anyone’s eyes.”

If Lucy Meiril put her mind to it, escaping from the attic wouldn’t be a problem.

However, even at this moment, Lucy was stuck in the spire’s attic and had no intention of coming out.

“Do you have any other questions or complaints?”

As if to confirm everything, Princess Persica asked their intentions in front of the crowd. No reply came back. Persica must have thought it would be like this too, so her face was elated.

As if they were different people from the noisy yesterday, the crowd was silent.

Everything is finished without harm to themselves. That alone was reason enough to remain silent.

At the point where the superficial sacrifice of Lucy Meiril was decided, it was only a loss to complain.

Clarisse casts her eyes at me, who was sitting at the edge of the room, leaning back on the prayer seat with arms crossed.

It feels like asking me if it’s okay if everything ends like this. I gently closed my eyes and shook my head.

“Then, let’s put an end to this unsavory incident that happened in this Cledric Monastery…”

So, all conclusions have been made.

That was the end of the case.

* There was only silence in the chapel after the meeting.

Being guarded by the escort knight Tune, Princess Persica, who was sitting at the front of the prayer table, wiped her face once.

“It’s just finished.”

“You have worked hard. Princess Persica.”

“It was difficult because there were a lot of things that went in unexpected directions.

Princess Persica spoke in a timid voice, as if lamenting.

“After all, we’ve come this far… but there’s no such thing as a harvest. It’s really futile…”

Suddenly, on the stained glass of the chapel I looked up at, there was a picture of an angel with a magnificent size and beautiful colors.

Princess Persica doesn’t believe in God. She has no religious beliefs.

The visit to the prayer meeting at the monastery is just an extension of political judgment.

Still, it’s a feeling. Now that we have come all the way to this sacred place, wouldn’t it be okay to pray for God at least once?

With that thought in mind, it was at this point that Princess Persica put her hands together for a moment.

-Kudangtang!

The sound of pushing a chair up.

There were no honored guests left in the chapel after the meeting. This is because there is no reason for outsiders to come to the chapel once the monastic routine begins.

However, there was a boy who was lying in a comfortable position that made you want to be rude… in the back seat that was out of sight. Perhaps he was waiting for the distinguished guests to leave.

He rose from his seat, sighed, and walked along the red carpet leading to the central podium.

When Princess Persica looked back at him with dumbfounded eyes, it was a familiar face.

His half-up blond hair and intelligent impression stood out.

Ed Ross Taylor.

He was the boy who was only rumored.

Due to the sudden change in circumstances, he had not yet been able to live alone, but he had come to visit him personally at his own request.

“You were praying. Sorry to disturb you.”

Ed Rosteyler sat on the prayer seat opposite Princess Persica, and prayed together with both hands together.

While Princess Persica was contemplating what to say, Ed Rosteeler spoke first with his eyes gently closed.

“Actually, I pray this politely, but I don’t believe in gods.”

Same with Persica. Ed Rosteyler is also a man who has no religious beliefs.

Rather than living discussing God and the world, he is a human being who has lived discussing reality and survival. There was no room in the mind for faith in a huge invisible being.

Therefore, praying like this is just an assortment match.

“Even if someone who made the world exists above the sky, there’s no way such a feeble prayer would reach their ears.”

“You’re making a funny noise in the middle of the sacred grounds of the Church of Telos. Ed Rosteyler. I’ve heard a lot about it, but he’s more interesting than I thought.”

“In fact, isn’t it obvious? There is no such thing as an omniscient being who knows all the events and truths in the world… I don’t know unless I’m self-sufficient.”

It’s a disturbing incident. The airflow in the monastery also feels like a lot of tension has risen.

Now is the time to clear everything up.

“But… at least Princess Persica doesn’t know?”

“Me? What do I mean?”

I didn’t lower my hands that I had gathered for prayer.

“The fact that the cause of death of Abbot Austin was suicide.”

Escort knight Tune trembled.

It was a rare mistake for a woman who always did her duty quietly.