The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

22. The Night of the Full Moon (1)

Late in the evening, the maids of the Charnelia mansion were busily running around the hall. Today marked the start of the new semester at Arsene.

The dormitory, which had been empty, was now filled with new students, and even the part-time maids were called in to handle various tasks.

As a result, the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the Charnelia mansion.

The noisy school cafeteria. I sat facing Airi.

“Is something going on?”

“Today’s the first day of school, so it’s probably the busiest day.”

I had seen the maids working at Esperanza, so I knew roughly how things worked. It wouldn’t be much different here.

I emptied the water glass in my hand. Beside me, Kyle was poking Serin Anett.

“…How many times do I have to say it? You’ve already won. Thinking about my honor at this point is humiliating for me.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“I turned all the students who took the exam into enemies during the test. It’s my fault that I couldn’t defend against the attack from behind, and it’s not something you should comfort me about.”

“No, no, just listen!”

Even if I tried not to, the conversation was still unsettling. Especially the part about the attack from behind. I was the one who fired a bullet at Serin Anett’s back.

“Is that what Si-on said?”

“Probably.”

It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who was uneasy, as Aira whispered to me. I nodded vaguely and checked the timer.

Time remaining until the event – 00:44:04

There were about 40 minutes left until the event occurred. After finishing dinner, we still had a lot of free time.

I wondered if the difficulty level would change or if time would speed up, but it seemed that wouldn’t happen.

If things continued like this, the first incident would occur at the predicted time.

Thanks to the energy drink I had in the afternoon, I wasn’t feeling sleepy at all. I would have to stay up all night, and the same went for the main characters sitting here.

Whether I liked it or not, I would get caught up in it. Especially Serin Anett, who was currently engaged in a fierce debate with Kyle, was a typical victim.

In the hell difficulty level, it was highly likely that another student would become the first victim, but Serin Anett usually ended up being the first.

At the same time, she was also the toughest enemy. Just looking at the entrance exam, she was the one who got a perfect score on her own.

Of course, I had already prepared to take her down.

“Anyway, no matter what you say, what’s already happened can’t be changed. It’s a battle royale, so there’s no reason to feel guilty about it.”

Serin Anett, who said this, looked tired, and I almost felt sorry for her.

But what could I do? It was my mistake to be assigned to the same dorm as Kyle.

“By the way, Aira.”

“Yes?”

“Where did you hear the rumor about the dorm?”

In the original story, the first incident started with Aira spreading a rumor about the dorm.

I was just curious. Where did she hear that rumor, and what was its origin?

“I heard it from my sister.”

“Your sister was here?”

“Yes, but she’s now attending Yoahim.”

Aira, who had just taken a sip of her drink, patted my cheek. She seemed to be trying to wake herself up, but she wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully tonight either.

“She used to attend Arsene before transferring to Yoahim, and she said she stayed at the Shanelia dorm here.”

“That’s a new story I haven’t heard before.”

“Hehehe…”

I knew that Aira had a sister, which was mentioned in her profile in the setting book.

I was secretly impressed. The world I had faced as a game was really alive and moving.

“My sister told me that on the night of the full moon, a faceless maid appears.”

“…Do you believe such a rumor?”

Someone suddenly interrupted. I thought it was Kyle, but it was Serin Anett who reacted.

“It’s not a rumor, but something my sister directly told me.”

“Don’t spread weird rumors from the very beginning.”

“It’s not a weird rumor! But what if it’s true, right?”

Airi, who was desperately protesting with both hands, was quite a sight.

I was just amazed by this situation. Serin Anett, who was reacting so excessively, was unprecedented even in the original story.

“It’s just a rumor. There’s no way such a thing could happen.”

However, Serin Anett, as reflected in my clairvoyance, was clearly nervous.

Her clothes were drenched in cold sweat, and her complexion had changed slightly. It was then that I understood why Serin Anett was reacting so excessively.

“Are you scared?”

“No.”

As she said that, Serin Anett quickly turned her head away.

“I just don’t want any bad rumors spreading around the dorm from the very first day.”

Although she was denying it with her mouth, Serin Anett was terrified. She desperately avoided eye contact with Airi.

…She’s afraid of horror stories.

On the surface, she seemed like a fortress, but unexpectedly, she had a weakness.

“Anyway, my sister saw it herself. So, Si-on, you should be careful too. They say that if you talk about it, you’ll get cursed.”

“Okay, I’ll be careful.”

Even if I said that, no one would believe me.

Airi’s words were true. There really were ghosts in this dorm.

Perhaps the first person to encounter the ghost would be the one who was now sleeping at the table, having just finished eating.

That would be Kail Ivansteer.

***

Dorm B, Titania Hall.

In Titania Hall, located across from Chanelia Hall, the instructor’s guidance was underway.

After receiving the pamphlet with notes and completing the self-introduction…

“Fu…ah…”

I struggled to fight off the drowsiness that was slowly creeping up on me, but eventually, I couldn’t help but let out a huge yawn.

“B-32, Lara Stillhaiden.”

“Ah! Yes!”

“In Arsen, we value the dignity of our students. This time, we’ll let it slide, but next time, you might receive demerits, so be careful.”

“Ah, yes… I understand…”

I felt the gaze of my fellow students around me. Some of them seemed to be sneering. They must be the students who got beat by Lara in the exam.

Of course, Lara didn’t respond and just opened the pamphlet. The notes were filled with warnings, but none of them caught her attention.

Her eyes were heavy. She had been running around all night, searching for a particular student.

Galion was nowhere to be found. Despite searching every nook and cranny of A, B, and C dorms, Lara couldn’t find even a single trace of Galion’s name.

“Maybe…”

At this point, unnecessary thoughts started to creep in.

The ominous thought that Galion might have failed the entrance exam and dropped out.

The instructor’s guidance continued, but Lara couldn’t focus on the content at all. Her gaze kept drifting to the ring on her finger.

This ring had been a great help during the entrance exam.

Her magical energy, which had been depleted, had recovered, and her magical power was now fully replenished.

Thanks to that, she could cast high-level magic that would normally be intimidating. She had also earned a lot of points, so she wouldn’t have to worry about living expenses for a while.

The problem was, that was exactly the issue.

What would happen if Galion, who handed over this ring, had such power?

By giving away the artifact he possessed, he couldn’t use it at a critical moment, and instead, put himself in danger.

It was a reasonable inference.

Galion’s name was nowhere to be found in the dormitory, which meant he had already packed up and left for Arsen.

‘Because of me, Galion…?’

Rara couldn’t accept that fact. She couldn’t acknowledge it.

This meant she had not only failed to repay her debt but had also created an even greater one. Especially since she didn’t even know Galion’s surname, the method to repay her debt seemed even more obscure.

“…Next student.”

If Galion had really been eliminated due to lack of ability, what should she do?

There was no clear solution in sight, and the more she thought about it, the more complicated her mind became. The pressure of owing an unrepayable debt weighed heavily on her chest.

“Next student.”

No, it couldn’t be.

Whatever the reason Galion gave her the ring, he had handed over his artifact. He had hoped she wouldn’t get eliminated.

As a result, she had taken Arsen’s spot.

“Next student, B-32. Rara Stillhyden.”

“What?!”

Rara jumped up from her seat, startled by the sudden call. For some reason, she was being noticed.

“You seem to still be half asleep. Rara Stillhyden.”

“No, I’m not! I’m just…”

“It’s time for self-introduction.”

Lost in thought, Rara realized it was her turn. She, who had been caught by the teacher’s gaze since the first day, cleared her throat.

“B-32, Rara Stillhyden. I… will do my best.”

With a slight bow, Rara sat down. The teacher’s gaze made her nervous.

The self-introductions continued after that.

There were a total of 88 students in Building B. About 50 students were waiting behind Rara.

Today, her eyelids felt unusually heavy, so Rara pinched her hand. Her left hand turned red.

…And finally, evening arrived.

As the students gathered together, Rara hadn’t eaten properly. She dozed off, letting time slip away.

“Hey? Hey?”

“Yes?”

“Ah, you need to wake up. It’s time to wrap up.”

“Wrap up… you mean?”

When she came to her senses, it was already bedtime. If a maid hadn’t woken her up, she would have slept until morning.

“Ah, thank you.”

She slowly got up, her head throbbing in pain. She used the cane she had taken from the storage room for its original purpose.

Tap, tap.

As she passed the entrance and climbed to the second floor…

Crash!

Aahhh!

A woman’s scream echoed from the end of the corridor.

Her shoulders trembled. It seemed like something had happened, so she cautiously approached.

The dimly lit corridor. The ceiling lights flickered. Lara frowned.

She carefully approached the end of the corridor. As she turned the corner, she saw shattered glass scattered all over the floor.

The sparkling fragments were, upon closer inspection, broken plate pieces. A fallen tray, plates, cups, and forks were scattered chaotically underneath.

“I broke it again…… I’ll get scolded by the housekeeper……”

And, amidst the mess, a maid sat with her face buried in her knees.

“Hey, are you okay……?”

Lara reached out her trembling hand towards the sobbing maid.

The maid didn’t budge, only shaking her shoulders and sniffling.

“I broke it again…… I’ll get scolded by the housekeeper……”

“…Hey?”

“I broke it again…… by the housekeeper……”

She just kept repeating the same words.

Lara sensed something. An unusual magical fluctuation was felt, so she gripped her wand tightly.

Just as her outstretched hand was about to touch the maid’s shoulder, the maid turned around.

The maid had no face.

Time remaining until the event – 00:00:00

Main Quest: The Ghost Incident at the Dormitory

There is a rumor that a faceless ghost appears at Arsen’s dormitory.

Do not engage in conversation with the ghost under any circumstances! You may become entranced in an instant! If you encounter a student entranced by the ghost, immediately escape or suppress them quickly!

As time passes, the ghost’s power grows stronger. Only you can resolve this situation.

Good luck to you.