For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

The human model shattered into pieces beneath the ice spike and could no longer move.

“…That was easy.”

“Yes. It’s scary, but looking at it now, it doesn’t seem like much, right? In terms of monsters, it’s about the level of an orc.”

Carla and Elisha tilted their heads as they stood before the fallen debris.

For reference, orcs were weaker than the Big Mouths, the monsters in the first dungeon Carla and I entered.

Though their real combat power might be a bit stronger due to their tendency to move in groups.

“I told you. It might feel bizarre to an abnormal extent, but it’s not dangerous.”

Everything here triggered instinctual disgust and fear… but that was all.

The lost power had taken on the guise of ghost stories, but ghost stories themselves weren’t that powerful in this world.

A scary ghost? If hit with a spiritually imbued attack, it was forced into enlightenment.

A powerful demon? How was that different from a monster?

On the Eurelia Continent, there were many terrifying stories and chilling folktales, but in the end, they all led to exorcism.

“You get the idea, right? Let’s find the rest of the ghost stories and finish them off.”

“Yes! But, Master, if this place doesn’t pose any danger and remains hidden unless disturbed, why go through the trouble of conquering it?”

A valid question.

If it was harmless when left alone, there was no need to complicate matters.

“Of course, there’s a benefit to it. Think about it, Carla. All of this is the aftermath of overlapping space magic, right? A cluster of mana.”

“That’s… true?”

“Right now, it’s wearing the shell of ghost stories, but what happens if we break all those shells?”

“Um, the stagnant mana would spread out. If it could have become another phenomenon, it would have done so by now.”

“Exactly. The mana that has accumulated over 300 years will spread out, centered around us.”

“Ah! A mana shower!”

Carla’s eyes widened as she exclaimed.

Mana shower.

Dousing oneself with a large amount of mana was, under normal circumstances, quite dangerous.

If mana seeped in slowly in an appropriate amount, it would typically induce positive changes.

For example, simple silver could transform into mithril, also known as true silver, and humans could become knights or magicians, ascending to the realm of superhumans.

However, a massive influx of mana in a brief period presents an entirely different scenario.

It would forcibly trigger uncontrollable mutations.

Monsters serve as a prime example.

Even before their allegiance to Evil Gods, monsters existed, and some theorize that they originated from an immense mana shower in the distant past for unknown reasons.

Had monsters been present from the beginning, humans would have perished before the dawn of civilization.

…Wait. This was starting to make mana sound like radiation.

Regardless, a mana shower was perilously dangerous for ordinary people.

But for magicians and knights adept at handling mana, a mana shower was akin to an experiential event.

It would present an opportunity to accumulate a substantial amount of mana all at once.

Understanding the tangible reward, Carla and Elisha’s motivation ignited.

“We’ve taken down one, so that leaves six more, right, Master?”

“The final one isn’t listed, but… Yandel, you must be aware of it.”

I refrained from correcting their misconception about my supposed secret organization background.

I felt a twinge of guilt, but the convenience of a smoothly flowing conversation was undeniable.

I allowed myself a sly smile and nodded in agreement.

“Excellent. Then let’s proceed to address the remaining ones all at once!”

---

The nearest one was a portrait that wept tears of blood and cast curses in all directions.

It was akin to a curse combo meal, inflicting a variety of debuffs such as hallucinations, headaches, hypersensitivity, and loss of balance.

Ultimately, it leads those afflicted by the curse toward suicide…

As long as one maintained a safe distance, it was possible to withstand the curse without special protection by simply bolstering one’s magical power.

So, from afar, I incinerated it with a Fire Ball.

Next was a golem we encountered on the way to the club room.

A broken golem that smashed everything in its path.

It seemed quite powerful, due to its size and material, but…

While Elisha and I held its ankles, Carla used an intermediate spell to create a fissure in the ground and dropped it into a pit.

Then, under our combined assault, it melted into a gooey mess, unable to resist properly.

Next was a lute displayed in the club room.

It had the ability to play itself and cast hallucination magic.

So, I closed my eyes and smashed it.

Its body, made of ordinary wood, broke when I hit it hard on the ground.

Next was a large, full-body mirror set up in a nearby lobby.

A dangerous object that endlessly spat out the doppelgängers of reflected subjects, but…

It could only create doppelgängers if a person was fully reflected.

So, I approached it covered in a nun’s robe I had gotten from Helena, covering my face and upper body, and hit it with my staff.

The staff, made to be used as a blunt weapon if necessary, shattered it in one hit.

Next was the 13th step.

Since we were already in the parallel world, there was no need to go back to the library, the starting point.

Anywhere with a 12-step staircase would do; climbing it and counting would reveal the 13th step.

So, I used magic to pile up dirt and create stairs.

I dissolved the magic before stepping on the suddenly appearing 13th step.

The 13th step also crumbled along with it.

The total time taken so far has been just over two hours.

Now, only one remained.

The last ghost story that must never be known.

“Master, Master! There is only one left now!”

“What exactly is the last ghost story, Yandel? Isn’t it about time you told us?”

“No. I can’t tell you.”

Carla and Elisha looked dumbfounded at my firm response.

“Looking at me like that won’t change anything. I really can’t tell you.”

Knowing all seven mysteries leads to death. Thus, the last one must never be known by anyone.

It was written like that in the ghost storybook, but reality was slightly different.

It was a ghost story that must never be told.

If it had been a story that should never be known, I would have died on my first day in this world.

“Well… There’s no need to go far. I’ll show you right away.”

“Huh? Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t tell us?”

Carla tilted her head, looking a bit dejected. I shrugged and pulled out the ghost storybook I had tucked at my waist.

And then,

“Tinder.”

Whoosh.

I set it on fire.

“Huh? Wh-What?”

“Yandel? Why are you…? Could it be?”

Carla and Elisha were flustered.

Although the book caught fire, it hadn’t burned completely, so I still couldn’t say that it was.

Instead, I nodded and continued.

“Get ready, everyone. Absorb as much as you can.”

At those words, they quickly sat down in comfortable positions, seemingly coming back to their senses.

I also sat down and focused my mind on the Lintblum breathing technique.

Soon, as the remnants of the book burned completely, a gust of wind started swirling around the ashes.

At first, it was like a small breeze of mana, but it quickly intensified into a whirlwind.

The residue created by the magic’s aftermath, though just remnants, became significant when accumulated over 300 years.

Feeling the flow of mana sweeping over my body, I focused even deeper.

Thump, thump.

The mana core, pulsing with my heartbeat, greedily absorbed the surrounding mana.

Of course, I couldn’t absorb all of it, and not all of it was pure enough to be stored directly.

Yet, such an opportunity to amass this much mana in a short period wasn’t common.

How long had I been sitting there?

Gradually, the mana turbulence that I felt on my skin weakened like a gentle breeze and then stopped completely.

Just as I thought it was over and slowly opened my eyes, the dark, ruin-like landscape was gone.

Instead, the third floor of the library, the last place we had seen before entering the ghost story, greeted us.

The library was still quiet, seemingly unaffected by the mana maelstrom that had just taken place.

We were in the same position as when we had held hands and climbed the stairs, making it feel as though it had all been an illusion.

But the unmistakably increased capacity of my core and the bewildered expressions on Carla and Elisha’s faces suggested otherwise.

Ding!

Academy's Seven Mysteries Conquered!

A cheerful bell sounded, accompanied by a translucent system window appearing in my vision, confirming that what I had experienced was real.

I decided to check the notification later and first moved out of the spot.

Even if it was a secluded corner on the third floor, we couldn’t keep blocking the library stairs.

Gently pulling Carla and Elisha’s hands, I said,

“Let’s go back to the dorm. I’ll explain what happened on the way. I can tell you now.”

“Oh, yes, Master.”

“Yandel, you have to explain what you mean by ‘I can tell you now.’”

Of course. I had had a hard time holding back from telling them everything.

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