Chapter 75. Alchemy Night Class (2)
Tunia had never been to school before.
To show her loyalty to the guild master who had raised her as an orphan, she had repeated assassination training without a single day off since she was a child.
Although she had come to the academy for an assassination mission, she actually had a fantasy about school.
Something like a school life surrounded by teachers and friends.
However, the mission was Tunia's top priority.
School life at the academy, if the assassination succeeded, she had to quit at any time and go back.
Tunia always carried a withdrawal form in her pocket.
Whenever she got used to the academy, she would think of the withdrawal form and strengthen her resolve.
That she had to succeed in her mission quickly and quit this place.
But she didn't have to do that anymore.
'For now, continue attending the academy. It would be stranger if you suddenly quit, right?'
At the hunting competition, the 8th Prince had told Tunia as if it were no big deal.
It meant that she should act as if there were no problems on the surface, as if she were still trying to assassinate him, not that she had failed.
Tunia also agreed with that.
Although a new assassin was scheduled to come to deal with Tunia in a week, she couldn't just tremble in fear without doing anything until then.
'So I had this side to me too.'
For the first time, Tunia spent her days without worrying about assassination.
Surprisingly, everything became comfortable once she stopped thinking about the mission.
The lectures were fun, and the meals served at the school were delicious.
She also slept soundly.
She had been attending the academy comfortably for a while.
That was until the alchemy night class.
'You've got to be kidding me.'
Her excellent sense of hearing did not miss the chatter of the 1st-years around her.
"I heard we have to walk around the lake to the middle of the mountain."
"No way. It's too dangerous to cross the lake."
"Are you telling me you believe the stories about ghosts appearing?"
Tunia swallowed hard.
Thanks to her high level of training, her cold expression remained unchanged, but Tunia's pupils were trembling slightly.
'You want me to go to that dark place where ghosts are likely to appear?'
Even for a first-class assassin like her, ghosts were unsettling.
No, to be honest, she hated them.
Did it make sense that there was a being that didn't disappear even when attacked!
On top of that, the night class was not something where several people went together.
You had to move in a team of two or go alone.
Tunia, of course, applied for a team of two.
Although she was shy, she didn't care if it was a complete stranger.
She absolutely did not want to go alone.
Perhaps due to her bad luck with the draw, she was paired with the 7th Princess, but it was much better than going alone.
"Radel, are you really going to go alone?"
Inette, who was standing in line with Tunia, asked Radel, who was in the line to the right.
The line to the right was for those who had decided to go alone.
"Yeah. I'm going alone. Everyone here is going alone."
Radel said nonchalantly.
However, the line for those going alone was significantly shorter.
Moreover, looking at Radel's face, he seemed very excited.
Tunia couldn't understand.
Isn't he a real madman...?
* * *
It was very dark all around.
Inette was fumbling to find her way with a map in her hand.
"...Lamp."
Inette hesitated and then spoke to Tunia, who was holding a magic lamp next to her.
She had been walking while keeping an eye on Tunia, but the map was not clearly visible because she was walking at a distance.
Tunia silently tilted the lamp towards the map.
Seeing Tunia's cold expression in the lamplight, Inette felt even more wary for some reason.
'I can't tell what she's thinking, probably because she's an assassin.'
Still, it seemed better to have someone next to her.
She couldn't walk alone on a dark path where a ghost might appear.
The two of them soon approached the lakeside.
They were scheduled to walk along the path by the lake to the middle of the mountain, where the herbs would be waiting.
Inette and Tunia had the same thought.
They said it was okay to pick just one, so they would quickly pick it and go back.
Ribbit.
Chirp, chirp.
The lakeside at midnight was even quieter.
Inette walked carefully, listening to the croaking of frogs and the chirping of insects.
Rustle.
Inette flinched at the sound from under her feet.
Because it was so quiet, the sound of stepping on leaves was particularly loud.
Did she get caught being surprised?
Inette stealthily glanced at Tunia, who was walking silently beside her.
She didn't want to be looked down upon by that assassin.
"H-hem. Well, the night class is no big deal."
Inette pretended to be tough and took a big step.
But then she didn't see a dip in the ground and misstepped.
"I could have just come alone... Mom!"
At that moment, Tunia caught Inette, who was about to slip towards the lakeside.
It was a swift movement befitting an assassin.
Inette, who was pulled back by the collar by Tunia, belatedly flinched and put some distance between them.
"Don't touch my body!"
Memories from her childhood came to her mind.
The memory of people who had approached Inette burning.
It was a terrible memory.
She was sweating cold sweat in that short moment.
Tunia, who felt Inette's breathing become unstable, answered quietly.
"...I didn't."
And she put the magic lamp on the ground and raised both hands to show Inette.
It meant that she had no intention of attacking.
Tunia already knew that the 7th Princess was wary of her.
Besides, she was an assassin.
It was understandable that she didn't trust her, being alone in such a remote place.
At Tunia's calm attitude, Inette also gradually calmed down.
Above all, Tunia did not burn.
Inette, who had sighed inwardly, hesitated and then opened her mouth.
Although she had made a fool of herself, she had to greet her properly.
"S-sorry for shouting."
"It's okay."
"And thank you for helping me."
This time it was Tunia's turn to be surprised.
She knew that the 7th Princess was very proud, but she didn't know she was this honest.
"...Yeah."
Tunia picked up the magic lamp again.
Inette also cleared her throat a few times and opened the map again.
"Ahem, ahem. We still have a long way to go."
Comparing the path they had roughly walked with the map, they still had a long way to go to their destination.
It meant that they had to walk that much with Tunia, with whom it had somehow become more awkward than before.
'To think I made a mistake in front of her!'
Inette blamed herself for misstepping and thought that she had to get a grip.
Her opponent was an assassin.
And one who had tried to kill Radel.
She couldn't let her guard down just because she had received a little help.
Inette, who had composed herself, strode forward again.
No, she was about to.
"Ugh!"
If a ghost wearing a white sheet hadn't suddenly appeared, she would have.
"Aaaah!"
Inette was so surprised that she swung her fist without realizing it.
The problem was that her fist was strong enough to knock a person down.
The hand that Inette extended hit the ghost's jaw accurately.
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
The ghost was sent flying far away with a single punch from Inette.
And it lay limp without moving.
Inette, who had come to her senses belatedly, looked at her fist in a daze.
Ribbit.
Chirp, chirp.
The lakeside at midnight was just quiet.
* * *
"I'm not scared of ghosts! It was because I was surprised. Got it?"
The flustered Inette began to make excuses.
The scream just now was too loud even for her own liking.
Then, Tunia nodded slightly.
In fact, she wasn't sure if she could have avoided killing the person in ghost costume if they had suddenly appeared in this situation.
It was fortunate that the 7th Princess had not learned any assassination techniques.
Inette approached the fallen ghost with Tunia.
When they took off the white cloth that was covering its head, a person with blood on their mouth and around their eyes appeared.
"Ugh!"
Inette was horrified at the gruesome sight.
To have blood gushing from his mouth and even bleeding from his eyes with a single punch!
Could I actually be a murder weapon?
However, Tunia, who had approached and examined him, shook her head.
"It's fake blood."
It seemed that he had pretended to take off the ghost costume to surprise the 1st-years once more after scaring them as a ghost, and had put on fake blood.
It was a costume that showed the meticulousness of the alchemy major seniors.
"I-is he dead?"
Inette asked hesitantly.
Now that she knew that the one who was hit by her fist was not a ghost but an alchemy major senior, she was filled with worry.
Tunia touched the senior's carotid artery and then shook her head.
"He's alive."
"Phew, I see."
Inette let out a sigh of relief and swept her chest.
At any rate, she had avoided an unnecessary murder.
Still, in case Tunia might look down on her for being agitated, Inette pretended to be calm.
"I didn't know he'd go down with one punch! That's why people should train regularly."
Tunia silently agreed with Inette's words.
The two of them decided to lay down the unconscious senior for now and wait for someone to pass by.
They couldn't just leave a fallen person and go to collect herbs.
With the magic lamp in the middle, Inette and Tunia looked into the darkness.
As they were sitting, hoping that the other seniors would find them, a figure was seen in the distance.
"Huh? Someone's coming."
It was Inette who spotted it first.
It seemed like something in a black robe was gesturing from that direction.
But strangely, its face was blurry and not clearly visible.
Inette, who realized that belatedly, whispered to Tunia.
"It's a person, right?"
"...I don't know."
Tunia also couldn't make an accurate judgment.
First of all, it was dark over there, and this side was bright because of the magic lamp, so it was a disadvantageous situation to identify the opponent.
Should I turn off the lamp?
However, she didn't want to do anything too conspicuous as long as she didn't know the opponent's identity.
Tunia and Inette looked at each other for a moment.
Although they didn't speak, they knew what each other was thinking.
'Could it be a ghost?'
The two of them turned their gazes back to the hooded figure and were so surprised they almost fainted.
In the short moment they had looked away, the figure had come right in front of them.
At least that's not human.
The two of them had the same thought at the same time.
Tunia stepped in front of the frozen Inette.
"...I'll block it."
But even to Inette, Tunia's voice was trembling.
As soon as she heard that voice, she knew.
That assassin was also actually afraid of ghosts.
To be afraid herself, and yet as an assassin...!
'Is she telling me to run away now while she blocks it?'
Inette slowly took off her gloves.
Although she knew that her ability didn't work on ghosts, she couldn't just run away like this.
"I'm not going either."
Tunia's eyes widened upon seeing Inette standing next to her.
Inette also looked back at Tunia with a determined expression.
Looking forward again, the ghost was now right in front of them.
'When did it get this close?!'
In the moment the two were flustered, the figure in the suspicious robe came closer and revealed its face.
"What are you guys doing here?"
The identity of the ghost was Radel, wearing a black robe and carrying a backpack.