96 – The Approaching Dark Touch
‘That memory again.’
During a short break thanks to Professor Grerick’s flexible teaching method.
After falling into a light sleep, Lorne brushed her hair to wake her up.
As her light silver hair, which could be said to be her pride, fluttered to the left and right of her, the eyes of the cadets sitting next to her were naturally attracted.
Although she jokes that she is a country girl herself, Lorne’s beauty is so outstanding that even in this academy full of noble ladies of all kinds, she is ranked first.
“Oh, sorry. Even I did not know….”
“Oh, no. Are you okay.”
Sensing the gaze of the female student sitting on the seat to her right, Lorne realized that she might have harmed the people next to her belatedly, so she hurriedly handed over her apology.
She was such a terrible memory that I wanted to forget it quickly, so it was a reflexive reaction.
Maybe back then, if she had listened to Belle, she wouldn’t have ventured further into the place.
She did return safely in the end, but that’s only a conclusion story.
From that day on, she had to live her day to day, haunted by her guilt of having to live with her secrets from her friends, and her fear of growing a monster inside her.
“Today’s class ends here. Everyone did a great job listening, we’ll see you next time.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
As a result of concentrating on her classes while catching her troubled mind, her end came not long after.
As Professor Grerick announced the end of the class while arranging the materials on the table, the cadets’ faces brightened one after another.
Some people who looked forward to this time especially thanked Professor Grerick for his hard work in a loud voice.
Lorne, who was sighing and sorting through her textbooks and notes, noticed a shadow in her field of vision.
When she looked up to see if someone was on business, Enya, who was in the same class, was approaching her on some business.
“Rone, I have something to do in the teacher’s office, so I’ll go first. See you later.”
“Yes, have a good trip.”
When we go to class together, we always stick together, so it has become a habit for us to reveal where we are going to each other if there is something to be torn apart.
Lorne, who was watching her friend waving her hand and quickly leaving the classroom, looked around the classroom, which had become quiet.
It caught my eye that a few of the remaining cadets were out towards the podium, as if they had a question for Professor Grerick.
I don’t know much about Lorne because I’ve never taken his classes, but it was assumed that he was a fairly popular professor on the outside.
Listening to the class today, it was clear that the content was explained well in an easy-to-understand manner.
“Professor, thank you!”
As soon as the cadet finished the question, he bowed deeply and thanked Professor Grerick.
“You are welcome. Then everyone, don’t run and go back carefully.”
“Professor too! We are not children.”
As the cadets disappeared one by one, Lorne also stood up, thinking that it would be too much for him to sit in the lecture hall like a homebody any longer.
Still, I think my anxious mind has calmed down a bit and I can move.
“Cadet Elua?”
“… Yes?”
She is about to walk out the door of her classroom.
When I turned my head at the sudden voice, I saw Grerick, who was smiling like a person just like before.
Since professors don’t memorize every student’s name, Lone thought it was quite a big deal.
Because I hadn’t done anything specific to engrave my name in Professor Grerick’s memory.
From noble mtl dot com
For better or for worse.
“Ah, sorry for calling you all of a sudden. If you have time, can we see you in the lab after school for a while?”
As if Grerick knew this as well, he didn’t know much about it, but he apologized for suddenly talking to him and revealed his business.
She said, although it was only the content that only deepened the question for her.
“A laboratory…. What business are you talking about?”
Although she had yet to hear that she had never had such an insidious thing happen at the academy.
The act of a male professor who looks quite young for his age and invites a female student he doesn’t know to his lab after school is hardly welcome.
That doesn’t mean that Greerick is seen as a grim figure out to do something with his pupil, but there are always ifs, so Lorne was on high alert.
So, with Professor Grerick’s unique good-natured smile, he eased Lorne’s vigilance as much as possible and brought her to the point.
“From the looks of it, she seems to be suffering from unspeakable worries. I think I might be able to help….”
“…… !”
It was a subtle temptation that Lone could not easily overlook.
* * * *
Back to the present.
In the end, Lorne arrived at the lab, guided by Professor Grerick’s words.
She honestly still couldn’t believe it.
How did that man notice this secret she had never told anyone?
At first, she wondered if it was just something she said to commit nonsense, but she thought that the other person was one of the most talented professors at the academy, so there was no possibility.
More than anything else, it was the slightest bit of hope that brought her to this point.
She hopes that if anyone knows what happened to her body, she might also know how to fix it.
‘Yes, I just need to come after hearing the story.’
She was just about to put her hand on the doorknob when Lorne, who had been pacing in front of her door, thinking there was no need to be afraid of her.
Knock.
“Welcome. I thought there was someone standing in front of the door, but it turned out to be an Elua cadet.”
“Ah…. Excuse me.”
Her
Sensing her presence inside her, Grerick opened her door first and came out to greet her.
Lorne hurriedly bowed her head and greeted her. He smiled kindly, hiding the eyes burning with her desire.
The more you look at it, the more attractive it is.
I don’t know how he cultivated such a vessel at this age, but it must be a sufficient sacrifice to offer for his second coming.
‘It was good to find out.’
However, all of this is the story of the realm of unconsciousness latent inside him.
The consciousness and appearance on the surface of the water were nothing more than those of an ordinary professor who was worried about the cadets.
While he wasn’t aware of it, the thoughts that flowed in his head naturally changed, swallowing and manipulating the consciousness of ‘Grerick Kirsland’.
Make a reason for each action.
It connects them naturally like flowing water, leaving no room for confusion.
That was the biggest danger of this magic being manipulated by Grerick.
“Sit comfortably. All I can offer you now is coffee…. Would coffee be okay?”
“Yes, at your convenience….”
I didn’t come here to drink tea leisurely, so anything like food I liked was good for Lornay.
As soon as she was out of words, Grerick turned her around and started brewing her coffee, hiding her twisted smile.
Within seconds, the delicate aroma of coffee beans filled the laboratory.
His hand went to the drawer next to him as he searched the cupboard for a glass.
Charak.
When I reached inside, the contents were taken out with a sound like paper being rubbed against something.
That’s none other than medicine packaging.
It was a sleeping pill that he had been taking for the reason that he hadn’t been able to sleep well lately.
Even if you don’t ask where to use it, it’s obvious.
He poured sleeping pills into a glass out of sight of Lornet, and added her words with a sly performance.
“Does Cadet Elua need sugar?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“It’s black. It’s mature. I’m not the type to drink coffee without sugar at this age.”
An excuse just in case you saw her taking her pills.
With this, he reduced all the variables and went to the sofa holding a cup of coffee with sleeping pills and his own.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Nothing.”
Grerick’s eyes widened as Lorne, who took her cup, lowered her head and began to blow her coffee into her mouth to cool it down.
It was the gaze of a hunter who had dug a trap and waited for the prey to be caught.
I don’t know if Rone would have noticed the difference in normal times, but today I didn’t notice it because I didn’t have enough room in my mind.
“Hey, professor. It’s about what you said earlier.”
“Ah, let’s talk about that slowly while drinking coffee. It wouldn’t be a story that would be easy to bring up even from the point of view of cadet Elua.”
I had a lot of intentions to listen to the story after making him drink coffee, but that was only when I knew his intentions.
“Ah…. Yes. Then once….”
From the outside, it sounded like it was being given to Lornay, so she put her mouth to her coffee cup without much doubt.
Only Greerk, who knows the identity of the contents inside, tries to watch her actions with eyes half full of nervousness and anticipation.
Kung. Thud.
“Ah, you must be a guest.”
“Hmm? Are you a guest? There will be no one to come… ?”
Grerick’s eyebrows furrowed as Lorne stopped bringing her cup to his mouth at the sound of a sudden loud knock on the lab door.
His blatant displeasure revealed for the first time, who only smiled kindly.
However, knowing that not opening the door here would raise even more suspicion, he got up and opened the door himself.
“You… ?”
“I’m sorry you’re busy, Professor. I came here because I heard that a friend of mine is indebted to you.”
The man who appeared on the other side of her opened his mouth in a gruff tone with a face that showed even more displeasure than Grerick’s.