Surviving in a School of Ghost Stories-Chapter 31

"Father Cesario."

It was a name I had heard from Erika. The student council advisor, and the one who was known to be at odds with Father Miella.

The Student Council President, Noah-sunbae, spoke as he slowly closed his eyes. His entire body felt like it was on fire.

Could it be sepsis from the injury?

I became frantic and helped Noah-sunbae rise, supporting him as we moved from the spot.

Craaack—craack—

Through the mess of graves, tall trees rose high into the sky, densely packed together.

Carrying Noah-sunbae on my back, I walked deeper into the dark forest.

I looked up at the sky. The clouds had already started to clear.

I must’ve missed class. Would I be okay? Missing class on the second day of school...

But, well, since the Student Council President is here, I’m sure things will work out somehow.

I wasn’t really planning on engaging much with school life anyway. But I shouldn’t get expelled, so I should probably be careful.

Creeeek—creeeek—

Noah-sunbae’s feet dragged on the ground, but there was nothing I could do. This was the best I could manage.

I gritted my teeth. Sweat beaded on my forehead. I was worried that by carrying him like this, I might worsen his injuries, but I had no choice.

Look over there. He’s fallen asleep.

He’s asleep.

Move before he wakes up.

Now’s the chance. He’s asleep.

I heard the voices of people whispering from somewhere. I jumped, looking around in panic.

Shaaah—

The rustling of dense underbrush in the wind was the only sound that filled the air.

What was that? Did I imagine it?

I stood still and listened carefully, but nothing else came.

In the end, I decided to hurry again. Noah-sunbae was severely injured, so there was no time to waste.

Fortunately, I soon saw the small church Noah-sunbae had mentioned.

A large, towering mansion with high walls appeared, just beyond the church.

"Be careful with the doors and mirrors. If a door is open anywhere, make sure to close it immediately. Especially you, Hastings."

I had opened a door in Chesswind Village and ended up at Saint Gloria Private School in one swift move.

But this time, it seemed I had opened the main door to the school’s internal hospital and ended up outside in a cabin.

From now on, I promised myself I would be extra cautious with the doors.

I stood in front of the church.

Honestly, I still wondered if this was all just a dream. Could I really distinguish between what’s real and what’s not? Could I, at this point, tell what’s genuine?

Had I gone mad after hearing about Raven’s death? Maybe that’s the most plausible explanation.

I took a ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) deep breath, holding Noah-sunbae up, and stood in front of the small church.

The church was eerily quiet.

At the entrance, a statue of Sister Gloria stood, with prayer candles lit in front of it.

Though it was in a secluded area, it seemed there were still some parishioners who came here.

The students from the main school used the internal church, so they were probably villagers.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. After a moment, it opened.

The first thing I saw was messy brown hair, looking beastly.

He looked to be about thirty-five?

His red eyes, under his black cassock, gave off a chilling vibe.

"I’m looking for Father Cesario."

The priest squinted at me, then at Noah-sunbae, who was on my back.

"I was expecting you. It's more serious than I thought."

Expecting me?

As I was puzzled, a cat walked out from beneath the priest’s feet. It seemed to be the same black cat from before, though now its eyes were yellow instead of blue.

Meow.

The black cat meowed as if happy to see me. It looked just like an ordinary cat now.

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Since Noah-sunbae didn’t need the cat’s body anymore, it made sense it appeared like an ordinary cat.

It seemed when Noah-sunbae borrowed its body, the cat’s eyes turned blue.

I gave the black cat a fond look before I turned back to the priest and asked again.

"Are you Father Cesario?"

"Hmm."

"Noah-sunbae said that if I came to find you, you would help."

The priest narrowed his eyes, scanning my face carefully. Was he doubting me?

I sighed and added more.

"Why? Do you think I’m trying to harm this person or kidnap him?"

"I haven’t said anything yet."

"You spoke with your eyes first."

"How interesting, being able to read eyes."

"If we wait any longer, this person might die. Can you please find Father Cesario?"

"I am Father Cesario."

I wasn’t surprised. I had suspected this would be the case after seeing him drag things out.

He quickly walked over to me, lifting Noah-sunbae off my back.

"Follow me. Close the door behind you."

Father Cesario led us past the main hall into a small prayer room.

Holding the lantern he handed me, I walked down the dark corridor, scanning my surroundings.

Seeing me so cautious, Father Cesario chuckled and said,

"There are no such things here. Don’t worry."

He was clearly referring to the evil spirits, sensing my unease about them.

Eventually, he led us into the small prayer room.

"It’s better to talk here. It’s safe."

I set the lantern down.

Father Cesario looked at me and spoke.

"When I heard Noah’s words, I was uncertain, but it seems you’re one of the seeing ones. Well, thanks to you, the Chesswind rumors are over. Everyone seemed to want to protect you. Anyway, you’ve been through a lot, so take a breath."

"Protect me? From what?"

"From the evil spirits that sleep in this school."

Father Cesario answered as he set up a cot in the prayer room. He gently laid Noah-sunbae down and began rummaging through supplies.

‘Why is it so cold?’

A chill ran through me, and I shivered. It felt like cold wind was seeping in from somewhere.

‘The ceiling?’

I looked up. The ceiling was decorated with stained glass, but one of the pieces of glass was missing.

"Oh. A piece of glass fell out. I need to fix it, but I forgot. Sorry. If it’s too cold, cover yourself with this."

Father Cesario handed me a blanket and turned off the lantern.

Even though it was late summer, I didn’t understand why it was so cold.

I wrapped myself in the blanket and used a match to light the candles in the prayer room.

"Father, what do you mean by 'the seeing eye'? You mean the eye that sees ghosts?"

"Yes. People with the ability to see ghosts aren’t common. Noah can’t see them with his bare eyes, but you can see them so effortlessly, as if it’s just part of your everyday life, right? It's rare for anyone who isn’t a clergyman to have such an ability."

I never imagined I’d be hearing about ghosts from Father Cesario himself.

Ever since I returned to the past, I’d been dealing with strange occurrences, but this reality was still hard to accept.

I just wanted to save Raven, but who knew I’d get caught up in ghosts?

"The graveyard rumors of the forgotten ones are over because of you. Their medium seemed to be you. I’ll say it again, but they seem to have desperately wanted to protect you, Melody. I’ve never seen anything like this before."

Father Cesario spoke similar words to those of Noah-sunbae.

The people from Chesswind Village weren’t human, but they genuinely cared for me.

Although escaping the rumors was terrifying, I had truly grown fond of them during our time together.

In the end, my last feeling toward them was sympathy.

‘May they rest in peace.’

I hope that’s the case.