Chapter 18: The Eldritch Godness and the Underground Shrine

And so, our school investigation team was formed.

We would uncover the truth behind the mysterious nightmares tormenting everyone!

...Well, there’s no doubt it’s my fault, but still...

"But how, exactly, do we investigate?"

"We’ll scour the school for anything—or anyone—out of place," Klaus replied, glancing at Emilia. "In the incident Lady Emilia dealt with, hidden traces in the buildings played a key role. We’ll do the same."

"Look for signs of a cult," Emilia said, swiftly sketching strange symbols onto a blank sheet. "Not any religion we know. Something entirely other. The mad worship of alien gods from beyond. I suspect this is connected."

I recognized those symbols immediately. They were the same ones etched into the blasphemous idols and grimoires my father worshipped.

"Search for these marks—but do not try to understand them."

No worries there~. Even I, an actual evil god, have no clue what they mean~.

"Understood. No one goes alone—always in pairs," Klaus ordered.

I turned to Emilia, hoping to pair up, but—

"Lady Emilia! I shall protect you with my life!"

"Ah... thank you, Your Highness."

—Leonhardt had already claimed her.

"Um, Lord Klaus—"

"I’ll handle the faculty, military police, and any journalists snooping around. Full use of my father’s connections. Miss Iris, you’re with Felix."

Ah. Of course it’d end up like this.

"Th-Then, Lord Felix... please take care of me..."

"...Right. Let’s get this done."

Being alone with him is worse than the nightmares. This is hell.

What do I even say to him?! This is so awkward~!

"We’ll search the dorms," Emilia said. "What about you two?"

"The old school building. Reports say that’s where Lady Marie collapsed."

And so, Emilia and Leonhardt headed for the dorms, while Felix and I were left with the abandoned wing.

"……………………"

"……………………"

This is unbearable. So unbearably awkward.

I’m not exactly a social butterfly, and small talk isn’t my forte. But this silence is killing me!

"Um, Lord Felix—"

"Miss Iris—"

We spoke at the same time. Why does this keep happening?!

"P-Please, you first. Mine wasn’t important..."

"Fine. I’ll talk."

Felix exhaled, then began.

"Would you laugh if I said I had a sixth sense?"

"That... depends on what kind of sixth sense."

"Fair. I can detect malice—evil things with hostile intent. I’ve had... experiences like Lady Emilia’s."

"Like Emilia’s?"

I still don’t even know what happened to her, though...

"I was raised being told I was a 'sensitive child.' My mother once said, 'You see things others don’t.' She was right. Old churches, graveyards, abandoned mansions—I could always tell where something horrific had happened."

"So... you sense malevolent spirits?"

"I’ve never seen a human ghost. What I detect isn’t the victims—it’s the perpetrators. The things that drive people to madness."

His tone was deadly serious.

"The human mind is fragile. Far more than people realize. Evil entities corner it, break it, twist it. A sound body means nothing once the mind shatters. That’s what makes them so terrifying."

"How frightening..."

He’s literally describing me. Is he indirectly calling me out?!

"Have you heard the rumors? This old building was once a site of witch cults—demon worship."

"This place...?"

"Demons, witches—they’re among the evils I’ve sensed. You might scoff, but they exist. And here... the presence is stronger than anywhere else."

"Then the source could be—"

As I listened, it struck me: his "sixth sense" was eerily similar to Emilia’s. Like her, he could detect beings like me—evil gods from beyond—or witches like Claudia.

"I don’t know," Felix muttered. "My senses detect evil, but they don’t always reveal its source. We’ll need to investigate further."

"Understood. I’ll help."

Not that I have any leads. I mean, I’m the culprit, but it’s not like I left behind any evidence...

"This is the classroom where Lady Marie collapsed."

Felix pushed open the door.

"Do you sense anything, Lord Felix?"

"Faintly. Something was here, but it’s gone now."

"I see."

His detection skills are scarily accurate. I’m in trouble here... This feels like a destroyer blasting active sonar while I’m a submarine trembling on the seafloor...

"This way."

Felix moved deeper into the abandoned wing without even glancing at me.

"I feel something ahead. Stay alert, Miss Iris."

"Y-Yes."

We stopped in front of a disused classroom. I tilted my head, puzzled—had something happened here?—but stayed close behind Felix.

With a sharp kick, he shattered the door.

Something scurried out.

Rats. Their eyes melted, their skin festering as if scorched by chemicals. A swarm of them rushed past our feet, vanishing into the shadows.

"Those were—"

"Look, Miss Iris."

My spine chilled as Felix pointed inside.

"A magic circle... and a hidden staircase...?"

"Bingo. This leads underground."

Wow. The school had this all along? And it’s completely unrelated to me?

"What now, Lord Felix? Do we investigate?"

"We’ll scout ahead, then report to the faculty."

"Understood."

Felix conjured flames, using them as a torch as we descended the sealed-off spiral staircase. The ancient stone steps were dust-coated—clearly unused.

Please don’t let us run into actual witches or demons. Probably won’t. Maybe.

"H-How far down does this go...?"

"No idea. Want to wait upstairs?"

"No. Lord Klaus said to stick together."

"Right. My bad."

I’d survive alone, but Felix might not. I don’t want anyone dying, so I’ll back him up properly.

"We’re underground. The stairs end here."

A damp, moldy stench mixed with something fouler wafted from below.

"This place is—"

"I never imagined the school had something like this beneath it."

Felix’s flickering flames revealed a cavernous space reminiscent of the heretical chapels I’d seen with Father.

No—this was grander. Not a chapel. A temple.

Grotesque stone statues lined the walls, their malformed idols glaring down at us. At the far end loomed a massive, coiled mass of tentacles—the same abomination Father worshipped, but far larger.

"What do you make of this, Miss Iris?"

"Heretical worship. Exactly what Lady Emilia warned us about."

I kept my voice steady despite the creeping dread.

"No doubt. The question is who built it—and who’s been using it."

"Surely not anyone at the school...?"

Felix snorted in frustration.

"No outsider could’ve left ruins like this underground. We need to dig deeper. Assist me."

"With what?"

"Finding whatever explains why this exists."

Fearlessly, Felix advanced into the blasphemous shrine.

"But can we even understand it? It’s... beyond reason. Unsettling. Incomprehensible."

"We’ll never grasp their faith, but we might learn its name. There has to be records here."

"A grimoire, you mean?"

"Yes. I’ve seen them before. In places like this."

Like Father’s books? Not that I could ever decipher them...

"Wait."

Felix froze. I jolted to a stop.

"Something’s here."

……………………