PTSD Military Chaplain of the Academy

Chloe lay in bed with a pounding heart.

The lights in the dormitory were out, and the sound of the dorm supervisor’s footsteps could be heard. Elin approached Chloe, who was lying with her hands neatly clasped on her stomach, and let out a sigh.

“Chloe. Are you really going tonight?”

“I have to go. It looks fun.”

Chloe and Elin had received a tip from the head of the Occult Research Club, which they had joined not long ago. Tonight, they were supposed to conduct courage training in a dilapidated lecture room in the academy’s annex; if they were interested, they could come by.

As a student of the Magic Department with a unique curiosity, Chloe, who usually paid great attention to various mysterious phenomena, was drawn to that irresistible proposal.

Thus, on a normal day, she would have fallen asleep while chatting with Elin, but tonight she had prepared everything early and was wide awake in bed.

Seeing the sparkle in Chloe’s eyes, Elin raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

“If we get caught, it won’t just blow over.”

“Who’s on duty tonight?”

“Professor Antorelli and Professor Esther.”

“Ugh…”

Lucio Antorelli, the theology professor responsible for the first-year A class. Chloe involuntarily recalled the face of that young and decadent professor.

The impact of the primordial flower he had shown on the first day of class was like a tsunami to the first-year A class students. Students in the Magic Department, to which Chloe belonged, began to focus intently on the theology class, and heated debates about the primordial flower he had demonstrated became common.

At one point, a student who had seen the primordial flower presented by Professor Antorelli was so enchanted that he took out his notebook right there to sketch part of its structure and quietly sold it to other students for money. The price was rather high, to say the least.

In fact, the primordial flower he had shown was not that extraordinary. It was a method frequently used by priests to elevate their ranks or prove their faith. It wasn’t something you saw every day, but it wasn’t so rare that you would only see it once in a lifetime.

However, the primordial flower he had showcased was on a different level. A soft and warm yet solemn gold hue that lingered in one’s heart. That color illuminated the entire classroom.

Moreover, unlike the other flowers presented by different priests, the structure of the divine power that made up the primordial flower he created was extremely complex yet meticulous, and at the same time, it was vivid and clear.

For that reason, it came as a shock. It was an opportunity for the students of the Magic Department to closely observe such a vivid structure of the primordial flower and the miracle of God created by high-density divine power.

Although Professor Antorelli continued with mundane and tedious classes afterward, he left a deep impression on the promising students of A class with just that one lesson.

And another evaluation of Professor Antorelli was…

“W-wait! The scary Professor Antorelli…?”

Aside from his ability to use high-purity divine power skillfully, he had an exceedingly cold and ruthless personality. Students who witnessed his somewhat extreme principled nature were awestruck.

He was scary normally, and even scarier when he got angry. That was the dominant evaluation of Professor Antorelli.

Chloe’s frightened eyes quivered precariously. Elin nodded gravely and asked.

“Are you really going to go with Professor Antorelli on duty?”

“W-well…”

“You saw what happened to Miss Adelheit in the first class. This might not just end with demerits.”

“Ugh….”

After a moment of contemplation, Chloe clenched her fist and stood up.

“But I’m going!”

“Ugh… I knew it. If you could be dissuaded that easily, it wouldn’t make sense.”

“Elin! You’re going with me!”

Hearing those words, Elin made a blank expression. Then she glanced around for a moment before slipping naturally back into her blanket.

“Snore….”

“Hey! For real! You’re also in the Occult Research Club! Let’s go together…!”

“Cool… Uh, uh?! Hey! What are you doing!”

“Eek! If you don’t go, I’ll carry you…!”

“Okay, okay! I’ll go! Just let me down! Aah?!”

In the deep night, as the dorm supervisor’s patrol created gaps, two figures discreetly slipped out of the dormitory.

* * * * *

“…So, is that the answer?”

I deliberately put on a stern expression. I didn’t want to be disliked by the protagonist of this story, but breaking curfew was treated as a serious matter at the academy, so there was no choice.

“Y-yes… After that, our head asked us to loosen up with some scary stories…”

“Head?”

“Our Occult Research Club head. Over there.”

I looked where Elin was pointing. It was a male student wearing thick glasses and looking rather gloomy with dark shadows around his eyes. I glanced at the color of his tie.

“Red tie…? So, you’re a sophomore. What’s your name? What department are you in?”

“D-Daniel. I’m in the Spellcasting Department.”

“Got it. Daniel. And this one?”

Next to Daniel sat a demure sophomore female student. Unlike the other students who were startled when I entered, I liked that she maintained her calm demeanor from start to finish.

Had it not been for her make-up reminiscent of a goth with dark lipstick, that would have been even better. She continued to look at me with a serene expression.

“Vivian de Vallerge. Second year. Combat Department.”

“Hmm… Vallerge Student.”

“Vivian is fine. Professor.”

The goth student sitting in front of me, Vivian, was peculiar in many ways. A student addressing a professor in such an informal manner, coupled with her heavy goth make-up.

At that moment, Laura peeked her head in from behind me and exclaimed in shock.

“V-Vallerge? Are you talking about House Vallerge?!”

“Yes. That’s right. Who are you?”

“…I’m Laura von Adelheit.”

“You’re the daughter of House Adelheit. Nice to meet you.”

Whether it was because she was a senior or because House Vallerge held significant sway in politics, Laura von Adelheit, who usually carried an air of arrogance, seemed to adopt a humbler demeanor.

Anyway, I scanned the four students with a stern face. Daniel and Chloe were sweating coldly on their knees, while Elin had somehow raised both arms and was standing against a wall in a corner of the classroom. At least she was quick on the uptake.

“Elin. Stop that and come here.”

“…Yes.”

“Put your arms down.”

With Elin kneeling next to Chloe, the troublemakers from the Occult Research Club sat in front of me in a line.

“It’s good for you all to engage in club activities. The academy actively encourages club activities, so I want to ensure you have as much freedom as possible in your activities according to the academy’s policy.”

“T-then…”

Hope flickered in Daniel’s eyes, but it was in vain.

“However, that does not mean you can break curfew and cut into your sleep time. Isn’t that basic common sense?”

“…….”

The three students, excluding Vivian, maintained silence, staring only at the floor. I knew they weren’t reflecting but were awkwardly observing the floor’s texture with feelings of awkwardness and guilt, yet I chose not to point that out.

“I will report this incident to the dorm supervisor. Any direct discipline will come later.”

A look of relief appeared on the faces of the three. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t as harsh a punishment as they had feared.

I could impose a strong discipline if needed, but I wondered if it would yield a good influence if the protagonist received a severe punishment at the academy. Hence, I was also a bit cautious.

“Haah… So, Daniel.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Daniel’s dark eyes were filled with tension as they met mine. I asked Daniel if he had seen the unidentified figure with bloodied red eyes that Laura had witnessed.

“Uh… what is that?”

Daniel looked as if he didn’t know. I summarized and explained the events that had transpired so far.

Vivian suddenly began to look at me with bright eyes for some reason, but my focus was on Daniel’s answer.

After a moment of deep thought, Daniel shook his head.

“I haven’t seen such a monster. Uhm… Chloe and Elin probably haven’t seen it either.”

“Right. If I had seen it, I’d be out cold in less than a second.”

Chloe clenched her fist resolutely as she spoke. Indeed, just a while ago, the academy had echoed with screams when they walked into the classroom. It seems unlikely that Chloe, who appeared timid, could remain sane after encountering that.

I gazed at Laura with slightly subdued eyes. Seeing my look, Laura’s face went pale, and she waved her hands in panic.

“I-I wasn’t lying! I really saw it!”

“…I didn’t say anything.”

“Eek! You coward…!”

With Laura’s face turning bright red, I sighed. Did she really see some sort of illusion?

However, the real issue was that the protagonist, Chloe, had ultimately gotten involved in this incident. In novels, the protagonist’s involvement usually leads to something happening…

At that moment, the demure Vivian tugged at my pant leg and spoke up.

“Professor Antorelli. I have something to say.”

“Hmm?”

All eyes turned to Vivian. Her face turned slightly red.

“…Don’t stare so much; it’s embarrassing.”

“Vivian, what is it?”

“I think I know about that red-eyed monster.”

“Tell me a bit more about it.”

I looked at Vivian with a serious expression. Vivian hesitated for a moment before gathering her words.

“Actually, the reason we gathered this time was to find something located in the annex.”

“Something?”

At that moment, Daniel suddenly clapped his hands and leaped up.

“…Ah! Could it be…?!”

“Do you remember something, Daniel?”

“Actually, the form of that monster, or whatever it is… I had a vague memory of it. Thanks to Vivian, I recalled it. Haha… why did I forget this?”

“Daniel, cool down and tell me in detail.”

Daniel hurriedly sat back down. Then he picked up one of the candles on the floor and held it under his chin. In a lower voice, he began.

“The reason our Occult Research Club came to the academy on such a deep night is… Ah! Hot!”

“Let’s put down the candle.”

After a brief moment of gloom, Daniel continued his story.

“Actually, we gathered to find something. A bloodstained finger that is said to be found somewhere in the annex of the academy.”

“A bloodstained finger…?”

It was a somewhat dangerous choice of words. If an Inquisitor from the Holy Empire were here, they might suspect heretical acts or devil worship.

As I frowned, everyone else’s complexion turned pale, as if reading my thoughts.

“T-that item isn’t what you think! I swear! Professor! I really, truly have no idea what it is!”

“Calm down. I’m not an Inquisitor.”

“Phew… then I’ll continue.”

After taking a deep breath, Daniel continued his story.

The night at the academy was growing deeper.

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