Chapter 3 – The Academy Before the Fall (2)
People prepare for a crisis when it comes.
When despair comes, overcome it.
But when destruction comes, they give up.
And think about what you can do for the rest of your life. The things I haven’t enjoyed or the things I haven’t been able to achieve.
When I look back at myself like that, I suddenly realize that my ankles were filled with shackles. The fact that he had to put up with it all because of those shackles. The moment people realize that, they break the shackles and become beasts.
And what follows, of course, is instinctive violence and the blind pursuit of pleasure.
Now. The academy was placed in exactly that situation.
Two months have passed since that day.
“Ha…”
On the morning of the perishing world, I opened my eyes again. The afterglow of sleepiness hadn’t gone away, so my mind was hazy. Just 5 minutes. The delusion that I would be fine with just five more minutes of sleep took hold of me.
Of course, an illusion is just an illusion. I shook off the rest of my fatigue and stood up. And I looked at the calendar without taking my eyes off it.
“It’s Monday…”
I let out a deep sigh at the words I repeated to myself. The reason was the same as before the destruction. Monday is the day I have to go to the academy.
It was a day that no one told me to do, it was a day that I set myself. Twice a week, especially on Mondays, I must go to the academy. The purpose was, of course, to gather information and expand supplies.
The latter purpose was especially strong. On the day I ran out of the academy alone, I brought enough food and other necessities, but there were still many things that were lacking. Or toothpaste. Or soap. Most of them were sanitary products that I hadn’t thought of back then.
Among them, the toothpaste was really painful. Why didn’t toothpaste come to mind then? When I had to endure a week with all my toothpaste, I felt like I was in hell.
In addition, I needed to prepare to get out of the island in case of emergency, so I always stopped by the academy once a week. Of course, it was something I hated to the point of shuddering, so I always sighed before going.
“Ha…”
Still had to go anyway. I immediately got up, packed the things I needed into my backpack, and stood up with my sword as a staff. It was a fairly quick preparation for going out.
“…Cough. Cough.”
As soon as I opened the door, I coughed. It was because of the stench coming from the side. I locked the door tightly and turned my gaze to the source of the smell.
Soon, the nameplate nailed to the door caught my eye. My own nameplate erected for visitors. The effect was good, but the smell was so bad that it was giving me headaches. Anyway, the effect was obvious, so I just hooked it and blew it.
Then, the swarms of flies that had been eating the flesh on the severed hands flew up into the sky all at once.
Whose hand was that I don’t remember, but it was clear when I got it. It was about a month after I left the academy. A group of male students somehow tracked my tracks and broke into the house. Seeing the blunt weapons in their hands, I quickly drew my sword.
After slashing the wrists of the two guys in the lead, they ran away as fast as they came. I thought about relocating it, but I planted one of the severed hands next to the door as a warning. The effect was better than expected.
However, the fact that such people came meant that the academy was not functioning normally. From then on, I started scouting there. And after two days, I realized that my prediction was correct.
I wasn’t happy at all. You may have wished for yourself to be wrong.
And it collapsed way faster than I thought.
“…”
As we walked while reminiscing about not-so-distant memories, we saw the academy in the distance. I sighed again and covered my nose with my sleeve. Now that place smells different.
“Ugh…”
The first thing I noticed was the smell of blood.
Maybe the cause of it is me. Those who escaped with their wrists cut that day shed more blood than expected, and some left dark shadows on the side of the shady bush as if they couldn’t overcome it. I didn’t deliberately check to see if there was a piece of rotten flesh there. Even so, I felt like it would only make me feel worse.
Still, the smells that followed after that were not caused by me. It was the stench of life shed as the unsophisticated daily life was twisted. Or the smell of food waste. Or rotten water. In the meantime, things like the smell of blood and the fishy smell of semen.
If you put up with those smells and move forward, unfortunately, your nose will adapt. When that happens, the sense of incongruity disappears and I feel as if I have returned to the past, even for a very short time. Because to my eyes, the academy doesn’t seem to have changed from before.
I despised that moment. I feel like I’m becoming a part of a corrupted daily life.
Anyway, the scenery in front of the school gate was no different from before. A wide open door and two people guarding it. Even one of them is someone I know, so it seems like I’m mistaken that there’s nothing different from before.
But fortunately today, as I approached, an unusual noise greeted me. I deliberately listened to the sound to feel out of place.
“Uhhhhh”
“Ah… Ah…”
…
“Uhhhhh…”
“Ah… Ah…”
“Hu…Ssangnyeon…Ha…”
“What the…”
Amidst the exhausted sighs and miserable groans, crude curse words were heard, and I involuntarily smiled. The closer they got, the louder the sound of flesh colliding with each other.
“Ugh… Ugh…!”
“Ah…Huh…Ah…!”
The gatekeeper was engrossed in what he was doing, unaware that I was near. As if he had at least a conscience, he hid the partner he was with in the bushes and shook his back vigorously behind him. I endured the rush of nausea and called out loud to one of the two who was familiar with me.
“Professor. Stop and do your work.”
“Huh … 헉 … Who … No … Lope!”
“Aww!”
The professor hurriedly bounced on his back and quickly pulled up his pants. Her bodily fluids dripped beneath the screams of the crying woman. I hated seeing that, so I turned her head and gave her time to sort things out.
“That…Without saying that he’s coming, how…”
“When did you say I was coming? Quickly pull up your pants.”
“Ah…Yes. I’m sorry.”
At first glance, his sweaty appearance looked similar to the day he gave us the news of destruction. If you dig deep, the old sense of duty and conscience might remain somewhere.
“Heh..Hehe…”
However, the evidence of corruption hidden beyond the bush completely denied that possibility. The girl was somehow digging through the leaves, still trembling on her thighs. It was so pitiful to see her trying to save her last face.
Of course, the professor’s position was not entirely incomprehensible. He too would have tried to protect the students at first, but he must have been shocked when he found out that the president and his aides had fled the island. And when they heard that they had taken away all the remaining ships on the island, they would have been devastated.
At that point, most of the guards had disappeared, so he no longer had the power or justification to restrain the students. Perhaps the will to do so had been erased.
That doesn’t justify his actions, though.
“So…So why are you here, Lope-kun? What’s going on today?”
“Why did I come? I came to exchange goods.”
I nodded and tapped my backpack. Inside were things like practice gloves and balloons. For a moment, the professor’s eyes brightened slightly.
“Oh, yes. Exchange of goods. What did you bring?”
“What are you going to do?”
“No, I just… Asked.”
“Then I’ll go. If you’re not busy anymore.”
“Now…Wait a minute! An order to report when Lope-kun comes… No, I was asked…”
“I’ll tell you myself. Let’s talk about the professor who is also a professor.”
“Ah…”
At my words, the professor’s expression crumpled into a mess. Fear flickered in those shabby eyes. The leadership of this academy now belonged to others other than professors.
The second quick-witted and most evil guys in this academy.
Reluctantly, I started climbing the academy stairs again to meet them.
As soon as I entered the academy, I grabbed the handle of the sword. Soon, the voices of several people from afar began to emanate from the shadows.
“Ah fuck… That’s fucked up.”
“Why.”
“I think we’ll be able to break through soon. The defense is better than I thought.”
“I mean. It’s very agonizing. These bitches…”
And the moment he stood in front of me, that voice suddenly cut off. As soon as they saw me, they stopped walking and called my name in a daze.
“Rope…”
“I’m here to trade.”
“Ah…”
It was a strange face, but he seemed to know me. One grabbed the wrist that wasn’t even cut off. Then, before I could say anything, they both ran off somewhere.
Maybe he went to call someone. It didn’t happen once or twice, so I waited without panic. After a while, a man with a familiar appearance walked out.
“Hey Lope!”
Even his voice was unnecessarily cheerful. Instead of showing my displeasure, I looked behind him. Three or four shadows were lingering around the corner, but they showed no signs of approaching.
He said with a grin, as if he had read my expression.
“Don’t worry. It won’t come close.”
“Yes. I’m glad Roman.”
“As always, I’ve said it well. You guys don’t be too nervous! Lope is my friend.”
“…”
Of course, he and I were not friends. In the past, I was in the same class, so I only knew a little bit. The only thing I can remember is that he was a shrewd and short-haired guy. I remember always being attached to the big guy in the class who was good at using magic.
And after that day, it seemed like he was living with the guys who took over the academy by using that talent. I bought their favor by lying about my acquaintance there. Apparently, being able to talk to a madman was more valuable to Carlth than he thought.
I also didn’t really deny it. It wouldn’t be too bad if there was at least one such link in the academy. Of course, the friendly attitude that made me feel bad was a little intrusive.
“So what’s up today Lope? Do you need anything?”
“This and that. That’s why I brought you what you need.”
“Ohh…”
I took out the practice gloves and balloons in front of Roman. The boy then nodded in satisfaction.
“It’s fine. Okay. Let me know if you need anything. Do you need daily necessities like last time?”
“Uh. Also, it would be nice if you could talk about the academy. Is this enough?”
“Enough. You have a good eye, by the way. Who knew you’d need these things when things turned out this way.”
I didn’t know either. I brought my gloves just in case, but I thought there would be balloons underneath them.
And I didn’t even know that those things would be used that way.
“I was still running out of condoms, but…It went very well.”
“…”
“By the way Lope. You don’t need it? What… I’m just asking.”
“Okay I am.”
I didn’t want to know, nor did I want to imagine, how they modified these gloves and balloons. Roman stuffed the items I gave him into his bag and asked in a much lighter voice.
“The amount is the same as last time. Can I give the same amount? With the one I gave you last time?”
“It’s good if you put some food on it.”
“That’s right. I’ll be back soon. Wait.”
“No, wait a minute. I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Are you guys still doing that? Search.”
“Ah. Hunting.”
Roman responded by replacing what I said with more disgusting words. In a good way, search for missing people. As they say, hunting prey.
To be more precise, it was about finding students who had been hiding from them after some students took over the academy.
“I’m still doing it. There are a lot of missing people who haven’t been found yet. But I’ve searched almost all the places I can search. The only places left are the locked places and the places where those bitches are holding a sit-in.”
“You’re still doing it.”
“The academy is large, but there aren’t many places to hide.”
Compared to the meaning contained, the inner meaning was low. There was no need to use much imagination to find out what happened to those who were explored by them. You can tell just by looking at the girl in front of the school gate.
At least, as the guy said, the students who gathered to avoid them sealed off a remote building and are holding a sit-in, but it is unknown how long that will last. Any obstacle, any magic, was bound to break through over time.
That’s why I wanted to somehow find the people I wanted to find before that.
“So what. Is there anyone you want to find? Who is it?”
“That… You know. The blind girl I was talking about the other day. The only one majoring in swordsmanship with me.”
“Ah, he. I still haven’t found him. After a quick look, I don’t think he’s with them.”
“Then what about Saya? Have you ever seen one?”
“Should I buy it?”
“…You’re dumb. He was in my class.”
I ended my speech heavily. That day, I came out of the classroom and looked for Saya, but she was nowhere to be seen. She quickly gave up then, as she was busy packing the necessities, but now she regrets it. Sayaka too. Even the blind junior should have figured out the location.
“Ah…He. I don’t know. But do you have a fetish for people with disabilities? He cares a lot.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just…Do you want to know more about him?”
“…”
I closed my mouth. Not because I couldn’t come up with an answer, but because I didn’t want to ask for a name that came to mind.
Lena.
The name has always been on my mind. But she didn’t know what the hell she wanted to know. It was a name that just came to my mind without any warm feelings, so I didn’t even know if I wanted to know the current situation. If I was caught by them, if I was not caught, how would I react?
“Oh.”
At that time, Roman spat out an exclamation as if something flashed. It was as if he remembered something he had forgotten.
“I don’t know about the kids you talked about, but there are people who can definitely tell you what’s going on.”
“I see.”
“I want to know?”
“Who?”
When I asked, he answered with one eyebrow raised.
“Student president.”