When I entered my room after overcoming all those hardships, I looked around the unfamiliar room and clenched my fist tight.
'Three hours left until 8 PM. Within that time, I have to find a way not to die!'
That was the immediate priority.
To go meet my brother safely, I had to survive first!
I examined the bookshelf first. Several textbooks were placed there looking like new. Judging by the fact that there were almost no traces of them being opened, I could roughly guess Russell Blair's grades.
Thinking that those grades were now mine, tears naturally obscured my vision.
'Introduction to Alchemy', 'Basics of Potion Making', 'Magical Material Gathering', 'Understanding Astrology'....
Passing through the mysterious titles, I discovered what I was looking for.
'Theoretical Basics of Demonic Beast Behavior'
Phew, I blew off the dust piled on top and picked up the book.
THUD.
'What is this?'
Something fell from the book and rolled at my feet. Picking it up, it was a faded letter.
[Don't think about coming back ever again.]
"Hmm...."
The roughly scrawled note didn't have a sender written on it no matter how much I checked the front and back.
It seemed to be someone related to the original Russell Blair, but there was no way to know right now.
'It feels needlessly ominous.'
I put the letter aside and turned the pages of the book. Unfortunately, even time for hesitation was a luxury to me
"You're late."
Flamel looked down at me with a face that said he hadn't expected anything else. Looking at the clock, it was about 8:05.
"Sorry. I had something to prepare urgently."
He glanced at my bulging bag.
"You know how the Moonlight Flower collection proceeds, right?"
"...No?"
"Haa."
Sorry, but I didn't have time to look that up.
Flamel, who ended up having to take along a free-riding team member anyway, didn't hide his blatant annoyance.
"Just stay still. Don't cause trouble."
Being treated as a nuisance felt unjust, but explaining 'I'm not the Russell Blair you know!' to him right now wouldn't make him believe me anyway. I decided to accept it humbly.
"Let's go."
Walking along the trail behind the dormitory, an eerie forest appeared. The name 'Moonlight Forest' was written on a worn-out sign.
It was a forest where ghosts looked likely to pop out just by looking at it. To send two students to such a place.
The Magic Tower is out of its mind too.
STEP, STEP.
Flamel walked ahead without a word.
I also followed behind him, pushing away the branches hanging in front of my face.
"It's over there."
"Huff, huff, what?"
Climbing the mountain path naturally made me out of breath. This jerk Russell Blair must not have exercised either.
"You're tired from just this?"
He stared at me with a pathetic look. Did you think I knew my stamina would be this terrible?
"Over there. Those are the Moonlight Flowers."
Flamel stepped aside. Then, far away, a flower bed emitting a soft glow came into view.
Just like its name, a calm color lingered as if it harbored the moonlight.
"If collected on a day when the full moon rises, they become excellent ingredients."
"Is that so...."
But my attention was focused entirely elsewhere. I looked around swiftly, but darkness had settled in all directions, so I couldn't see anything at all.
"If we use this to collect only the buds.... Hey. Are you listening?"
Sorry, but I wasn't.
"You...."
"Wait a minute."
I cut him off.
"Shh. Be quiet. Don't you hear anything?"
"...?"
When he shut his mouth tight, only the sound of insects crying echoed.
RUSTLE.
"!"
"You heard it."
Right. The reason Russell Blair died.
"The Moonlight Flower isn't the only thing that wakes up on a day the full moon rises."
"You...."
He had a face that wanted to ask how I knew that.
"Stay still. Don't cause trouble."
His expression was worth seeing as I returned his words exactly. But the joke ended there.
― GRRRRR....
A massive thing revealed itself from the darkness. Red eyes that had lost reason locked onto their target and glistened.
It was a werewolf.
'I was waiting for you!'
I gripped the strap of my bag tightly.