In a forest where cold raindrops fell steadily between the central and northern regions, two men in cloaks met in a deserted area.
One of them was Ernst Heinrich Philip August Haeckel, an alchemy instructor from Pavlosa Ruines. He peeked out from his brown cloak and lightly lowered his gaze.
"It's been a while, Master Albus."
Despite his round and innocent appearance, his face was covered with countless scars.
"Yes, how have you been, von Haeckel?"
Albus removed his white cloak and gently stroked the head of the snake coiled around his neck as he responded.
"Yes. von Haeckel… It's been a long time since I've heard that name."
"Oh—apologies, Philip. It's been so long since I saw you that I accidentally used your old name."
"It's fine. After all, there aren't many who remember that name."
Philip scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile. From their expressions alone, it was clear they had a good mentor-student relationship.
After their greeting, Albus got straight to the point without any explanation.
"Philip, it's time for you to return to me."
"Already?"
"The plan has changed. It seems I can't leave you here any longer."
"What's the reason?"
"…My master has suffered greatly from Strange."
"Strange?"
"Yes."
Albus clasped his hands together, condensed mana, then spread his palms wide.
Sshhhh—
As the mana expanded, it began to show the events that Monestiere had gone through.
It started with the encounter with the youngest of the Strange family, followed by the events leading up to his death, all displayed rapidly to give an overview of the situation.
Of course, it didn't show everything. It was just enough for Philip to grasp the current state of the world.
Philip swallowed dryly as he watched the death of the last hatchling.
"So, that means this Verdin kid who killed Baron Moncle is the youngest of the Strange family?"
"That's right."
Philip couldn't believe it.
Monestiere was even more skilled than his master. Not only had he subdued one of the few swordmasters, but he had also become a chosen one, receiving the power of an apostle, yet he met such a tragic end.
Albus handed Philip a neatly folded piece of paper.
"Leave this paper in Ruines. Your mission there is over."
"All I have to do is leave it?"
"Yes, and once it's done, you'll return with me to the Papal Office."
"…May I know what it is?"
"There's no need. Just leave it in your room at the academy. Though, if you can give it to someone with the Strange name, even better."
"By someone with the Strange name, do you mean it doesn't have to be Verdin?"
"Exactly."
Philip rolled his eyes.
"Well, there's a way to do that."
"Oh?"
"Yes, since I'm an instructor, calling a few students is no big deal."
"Three of them?"
"…If you mean the three Strange brothers, that's possible. They usually move together if one is called."
"Then let's do it this way. Since you won't be returning to the academy, it's better to sever ties with them completely."
Albus untied the snake from his neck and handed it to Philip.
"Let's use this opportunity to turn the whole academy upside down. After all, those above have decided to take responsibility for this."
"Those above?"
"Yes, so just focus on completing your mission without worry."
* * *
Tony, Johnny, and Ronnie—the three Strange brothers—found themselves at Philip's office within the academy.
Unlike other instructors, his office lacked the family insignia or the extravagant decorations symbolizing authority. It was merely a hole in the shape of a cave made from mud.
"Brother… this seems too dangerous for us to enter alone," Johnny said, stepping back with a frightened expression.
"Y-Yeah! Let's just tell Philip to come to us in the morning. You've heard the rumors, right? About how creepy the alchemy instructor is!" Ronnie added.
"That's right. I've heard rumors that he used to experiment on academy students. Since he can't do that anymore, he's been catching animals in the forest for his weird experiments…" Johnny continued.
Tony shook his head resolutely.
"What nonsense is that? How could anyone do such things within the academy? Stop spouting ridiculous stories and follow me."
He took the lead, gesturing for his two younger brothers to follow.
Reluctantly, Johnny and Ronnie followed him with displeased expressions.
The three reached the end of the cave-like corridor and stared grimly at the door to Philip's office.
Even Tony, who had confidently led the way, paused at the ominous aura emanating from inside.
"Calling students and emitting such an aura?" Tony grumbled, clenching his fists in frustration.
Johnny and Ronnie whispered as they pressed close to his sides.
"Maybe he wants us to come back tomorrow?"
"Yeah, otherwise it's like he's declaring a fight with us."
As they hesitated to enter—
Creeeeak—
The door opened by itself, and a soft voice came from inside.
"Come in, everyone."
* * *
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed through the academy's quiet hallways, which should have been silent at this late hour.
"Damn it!"
Ronnie, covered in blood, screamed as he ran.
His destination wasn't another instructor or the guards, but Verdin's room.
Bang, bang, bang!
He pounded on the door with his fists three times.
"Verdin!!"
Ronnie burst through the door, shouting.
"It's a disaster!"
Verdin jolted awake from his bed, shocked by the sudden commotion and the sight of Ronnie's disheveled state. He quickly gathered his gear.
"What happened?"
"V-V-Verdin, it's a disaster!"
"Calm down and tell me what happened."
"Well, Tony got eaten by Philip!"
What nonsense is this? Tony, eaten by Philip out of nowhere? Philip was the alchemy instructor here, and Tony had nothing to do with him.
Knowing both of them, this made no sense to Verdin. Despite his confusion, he followed Ronnie to where the incident occurred.
"So, you're saying that Philip suddenly turned into a giant monkey and ate your brother Tony?"
"Yes! The three of us used our summons and tried to stop him, but even our swords and aura were useless!"
"Your swords and aura didn't work?"
"Right!"
"Did the monkey use aura or mana?"
Ronnie rolled his eyes, trying to recall.
"Uh… I don't know. I was too panicked and ran away immediately."
"What about Johnny?"
"He's still in Philip's room. He told me to bring you while he buys time."
"What about the guards?"
"There are no guards in the academy, and you're the closest and the strongest around, so I came to get you!"
Johnny and Ronnie's judgment was spot on. The other instructors were too far away, and fetching the guards meant going outside the academy, which was too time-consuming.
"Brother."
"Yes?"
"Is Instructor Berathir in the academy right now?"
This life isn't like my past life. There's a chance that someone I know might not exist here or might not be in this world at all.
"Oh! You mean that crazy dog?"
So he is here.
"Yes."
"He's here."
"Then you go find Instructor Berathir and inform him of the situation. I'll go rescue Tony."
Ronnie hesitated for a moment but then nodded decisively.
"Got it. But why him?"
"If Philip really tried to eat Tony, or even if he intended to kill him, I can't handle this alone. After all, Philip is an instructor here at Ruines, and I'm an outsider."
"And the other instructors?"
"They won't do."
Many of the other instructors were secretly connected to Philip, unknown to Verdin.
With their plan in place, the two parted ways at the fork in the road, giving each other thumbs up.
* * *
What is going on?
Even after Ronnie had explained the situation, Verdin couldn't grasp it. Even as he ran towards Philip's office to investigate, he was still baffled.
'Philip ate Tony?'
And an alchemist suddenly turned into a monkey? Though Philip was known for his bizarre experiments, he never used his own body as a test subject. His nickname, "Black Snail," came from his notorious experiments on captured monsters and animals near the academy, knowing the risks of his work.
This must be a misunderstanding by Ronnie or perhaps Philip had gone berserk.
'Or maybe…'
Albus might have moved faster than I anticipated.
'Whatever it is, it doesn't matter.'
I have the strength to handle whatever they throw at me now. This isn't arrogance but confidence. There are few stronger than me on this continent. Most of the famous warriors have faced me in my previous life.
As I approached Philip's office, I considered all the possible scenarios.
And it didn't take long to reach a conclusion.
'I should kill him.'
There's no need to recruit him as an ally in this life. It's better to eliminate him than to risk him becoming an enemy.
That's what I decided.
And when I reached his office—
Thud, thud, thud.
I realized I couldn't carry out my plan.
"…Philip?"
This isn't him, damn it, Ronnie.
"Grrrrr!"
A monstrous creature emitting an unimaginable aura stood before me. It wasn't using mana but aura, proving it wasn't Philip. This creature exuded a presence akin to the hatchling and apostle Monestiere I fought recently.
'Is this some modified lifeform I haven't seen before?'
Something I didn't encounter in my previous life.
"Damn it."
Boom!
The creature's punch smashed through the wall and struck me.