PTSD Military Chaplain of the Academy

We quickly returned to the administrative office. Sub-priest Sofia and Laura stayed close to my side the entire way back.

I settled the two of them into a comfortable sofa and headed to the break room in a corner of the administrative office to prepare some warm drinks.

“I wonder what the kids like these days.”

Among the various coffees and teas available, I noticed the cocoa powder tucked away in a corner. I picked it up.

“Hot chocolate.”

Sweet and richly flavored, it was perfect for the kids’ tastes. I promptly added three or four spoonfuls of hot chocolate powder, along with sugar and hot water.

In my early twenties. A young and vibrant youth. A sub-priest from a rural village.

Until that time, I had preferred sweet things. Hence, I wasn’t fond of bitter drinks like tea…

Tastes change over time. I had come to dislike sweet things.

As the spoon stirred gently, it created small whirlpools in the mug of hot chocolate. The warmth spread from the mug into my hand. I stared blankly at the glossy hot chocolate.

“….”

– Where on earth did you get this?

In a war-torn setting where even a single spoonful of sugar was precious, I was clumsily making hot chocolate with cocoa powder brought from somewhere.

I tightly shut my eyes, fearing that a smile would creep onto my face, even if just a little. I didn’t want to let that memory slip away.

Her pure white face and flowing blonde hair, unaware of being stained by gunpowder and dust. Really foolish… smiling so innocently.

– Here, eat this and gain strength.

Clink—!

I tightly held onto my trembling right hand. The spoon fell, causing a small splash of hot chocolate.

“…Damn it.”

I placed the dropped spoon in the sink and took out a new one. I noticed hot chocolate splattered on my hand and reflexively brought it to my mouth.

The hot chocolate was sweet enough to make my tongue tingle.

And suddenly, I felt this scene was quite pitiful. A sardonic laugh escaped me.

“Ha, seriously….”

Even I thought it was truly pathetic.

* * * * *

“Ahhh… it’s warm….”

“Well, it’s not bad….”

As the warm hot chocolate went down my throat, it seemed to soothe me a bit. Having prepared one for Professor Esther as well, I quietly sat on the opposite sofa with my cup of black tea.

Feeling somewhat settled, I thought it was time to gently ask about the events that transpired. I cautiously turned to Laura.

“So, Laura von Adelheit. What were you doing in the annex at this hour?”

Laura looked at me with an expression still tinged with fear. Her previously pale lips had regained a bit of color.

“I-I was… doing an assignment in the library.”

“I believe the library closes ten minutes before curfew. Didn’t the library committee member inform you?”

“That’s correct. A senior male student mentioned that it was closing time… If I wanted to study independently at night, I could do so under the supervision of a faculty member in the administrative office… So I left the library. But….”

I listened attentively to Laura’s story. Professor Esther, sitting next to me, was also focused on what Laura was saying.

Swallowing hard, Laura continued.

“I was on my way to the administrative office. But then, I noticed a classroom door slightly ajar. And a really bright red light was seeping out from the gap.”

“Bright red light….”

As I muttered while stroking my chin, Laura nodded vigorously.

“Yes, yes! It was really bright red. I thought the light was so ominous… I wanted to run straight to the administrative office, but then….”

“And then?”

“I… I ran into it. Those eyes. Those bright red eyes…!”

“Please elaborate a bit more.”

“The eyes… they were bright red. The skin was, as if covered in… blood. Blood was dripping….”

“Red liquid… you mean?”

“We could call it red liquid… No, it was definitely blood. I’m certain. It was definitely blood.”

As if the thoughts alone sent chills down her spine, Laura began to wipe her arms repeatedly. Her small hands gripped the blanket draped over her shoulders tightly. I remained silent, allowing her to collect herself.

“…Anyway, after that, I can’t remember well. I came to my senses and found myself running in a panic. Then, I encountered you here….”

“You ran into me.”

Sub-priest Sofia, unusually serious, continued the conversation.

“Wait, why were you there, Sub-priest Sofia?”

“I was just going to the bathroom! But then I saw someone running breathlessly from the annex in the distance. So I thought to bring them to the administrative office! But I also saw it…!”

To summarize, Laura witnessed a strange being and, in the midst of her panic, was noticed by Sub-priest Sofia, who was heading to the administrative office, and they encountered the being again together.

“So, you were hiding in that dusty pit?”

“If you’re talking about under the stairs, then yes.”

I casually brushed off the dust from Sub-priest Sofia’s hair. She wore a momentarily bewildered expression before clearing her throat.

“Anyway, Head Priest. What was that?”

“Um….”

Bright red eyes and skin soaked in blood.

With such simple pieces of information, it was a bit much to speculate on its identity. I grasped the Bible in my hand and stood up from the sofa.

“Alright. Let’s investigate.”

“…Yes?”

“What did you just say…?”

Sofia and Laura looked up at me, taken aback as if they had misheard.

“Uh, Professor Lucio? You’re joking, right…?”

Even Professor Esther looked at me earnestly, signaling for me not to be joking. However, I couldn’t be bothered.

“There may still be students left in the annex. We need to check on the library committee members as well.”

“That’s true, but….”

“Professor Esther. The students could be in danger.”

As I spoke firmly, Professor Esther nodded with a serious expression.

“…You’re right.”

“You should also take your cane with you.”

Professor Esther nodded as she went to put on her robe draped over a chair in the administrative office. I glanced at Laura and Sub-priest Sofia, who were sitting idly on the sofa. Laura continued to tremble slightly, her shoulders quaking.

I sighed. The haughty and neurotic version of her that I knew was nowhere to be seen; instead, a timid girl who looked as if she had just seen something frightening was shaking in fear.

“Sub-priest Sofia. Can you use miracles?”

“Ah, yes. I can manage simple ones….”

“Please recite the Prayer of Valor.”

Sub-priest Sofia clasped her hands and began to recite the prayer. A faint golden light began to flow from her and permeated Laura’s body.

Soon, Laura’s trembling subsided. I sighed faintly and called out to her.

“Student Adelheit. We will patrol once more. Can you remain alone in the administrative office?”

She gasped, tightly grasping my hand. She pulled so hard that my body almost stumbled.

“Professor! Please don’t leave me alone, okay?”

Though Sub-priest Sofia had helped, it seemed she was still frightened. I brushed back Laura’s white hair, damp with sweat, to calm her down.

“Laura von Adelheit. Look me in the eyes.”

“Y-yes.”

“I’ll ask you again. Can you stay on your own?”

Laura shook her head vigorously. That was pretty much the end of the discussion.

“Then, let’s go together.”

“…Huh?”

“We need to head to the place where we encountered that thing, so please guide us, Student Adelheit.”

It felt questionable to leave Sub-priest Sofia alone as well. Didn’t Laura just mention that she couldn’t even handle it by herself and ran away?

So, it’s better to take her along.

After a moment’s hesitation, Laura seemed to have settled down a bit and nodded heavily.

“Okay. Then….”

Once again, it’s time for patrol.

* * * * *

In truth, I initially found it hard to completely believe Laura and Sub-priest Sofia’s words.

Logically, it seemed unlikely that the story would progress without Chloe, the protagonist of this world, and above all, I couldn’t dismiss the possibility that they were imagining things.

But what if we added a spoonful of cliché from academy novels here?

The protagonist, or the academy students who accompanied the protagonist, discover something that could threaten the academy and warn the professors.

However, the professors of the academy dismiss their concerns as nonsense and handle the situation carelessly. The students, including the protagonist, have to exert themselves to solve the problem.

And in the end, despite their efforts, an incident occurs. Only then do the professors of the academy hurriedly try to respond, but too late.

There are no fools quite like them. When students bring up their stories, they shouldn’t simply ignore them; they should seriously assess if there are genuinely dangerous elements.

And I am not a fool. I won’t just weakly gloss over such an obvious cliché.

We walked slowly through the corridors of the academy annex. Sub-priest Sofia and Laura stood on either side of me, while Professor Esther was slightly ahead.

How long did it take?

“This, this should be around here….”

With a trembling voice, Laura clung to my sleeve. Just a moment ago, she had been clinging to my arm tightly, but it seemed she had calmed down somewhat.

The corridor was still dark. I took a quick glance at Professor Esther’s pocket watch.

The current time was 1:40 AM. The time when the night was at its deepest. The cold night air seeped into my skin.

On the way here, Laura and Sub-priest Sofia had not run into the strange being they spoke of. Despite the claims of being soaked in blood, there was not a single drop on the corridor floor.

“Oh, over there…!”

Laura pointed towards a spot. As we approached, a bag sprawled on the floor came into view.

Laura picked it up with a joyous expression. Struggling to lift it, I naturally reached out to snatch it from her and carried it instead.

“…Hmm.”

Wow, it’s really heavy. What on earth is in it to weigh this much?

As I opened the bag to sneak a peek, Laura gasped and stopped me.

“Y-You’re not supposed to look.”

“…Understood.”

“And… thank you for carrying it.”

I nodded lightly and quickened my pace. As we continued walking, I finally spotted the classroom Laura had mentioned.

“Is that the one?”

“Yes….”

Laura was shaking like a leaf. Seeing her clench my arm again, I exhaled quietly.

Indeed, a gentle red light was seeping from the classroom, and if I listened closely, it sounded like a lively conversation was taking place.

“Please, don’t go….”

“Student Adelheit. We need to check it out.”

“…….”

Laura, whose lips were quivering, relaxed her grip on my arm. I slowly, very slowly approached the classroom.

– …and the students were huddled together in the classroom….

As I got closer, the voices grew clearer. With Esther and Laura closely trailing behind me, their eyes were resolutely fixed ahead. We had arrived at the open door of the classroom.

– So, at that moment… that man suddenly burst in through the classroom door…!

Creak—!

“What are you all doing?”

“Yeah! Just like that… huh?”

A male student with a gleam in his eye pointed at me. The surrounding students stared at me in shock. After a moment of silence…

“Uwaah—!”

“A ghost!!!”

“Hah….”

I felt a sudden wave of emptiness washing over me and sighed. Among the screaming students, I recognized Chloe’s face, one I knew all too well.

Professor Esther, following closely behind me, peeked her head in.

“…Dare test?”

On the classroom blackboard, the words “Occult Research Club Courage Test” were written in large letters.

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