Ludwig immediately made his way to the boys’ dorm, his body moving swiftly through the dimly lit pathways of the academy. As he approached the dorm, he saw a crowd of students gathered outside, their faces pale and their voices hushed. The atmosphere was tense, a mix of fear and confusion hanging heavy in the air.
“Ludwig!” a familiar voice called out. Hoyo stood near the entrance, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a look of shock and unease. His face was pale, and his hands trembled slightly as he clutched his arms.
“Hey, man,” Ludwig said, his voice calm but laced with concern. “You guys are good?”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Hoyo stammered, his eyes darting toward the dorm. “But man, that shit was awful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Did you hear anything?” Ludwig asked, his hollow eye sockets narrowing as he scanned the area.
“No, not really,” Hoyo replied, shaking his head. “I was having dinner by myself after I split up with Kassandra. When I came back to sleep for the night, I saw this whole mess. Do you think it’s the same…” He leaned closer to Ludwig, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Killer?”
“I don’t know,” Ludwig said, his tone grim. “I’ll have to check. Is Danny upstairs?”
“No, he’s on the bottom floor,” Hoyo said, gesturing toward the dorm. “That’s where the murder happened. Be careful, man.”
Ludwig nodded and headed inside the building, flashing his student council badge to the two students guarding the entrance. The interior of the dorm was eerily quiet, the usual sounds of laughter and chatter replaced by an oppressive silence. The faint smell of burnt wood and blood grew stronger as Ludwig made his way to the room where the commotion was centered.
Just as he reached the hallway leading to the room, a hand grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. “What are you doing here?” a stern voice demanded.
Ludwig turned to see Professor Vastion standing behind him, his expression a mix of annoyance and concern. The professor’s sharp eyes bore into Ludwig, his grip firm but not hostile.
“I’m a student council member,” Ludwig replied, his voice steady. “A person from my dorm was killed. I have to be here to see what’s going on.”
Vastion frowned, his lips pressing into a thin line. “You won’t be of any help anyway. Might as well just leave.”
“Sorry, but I have to see this with my own eyes,” Ludwig said, his tone firm. He pushed past Vastion and entered the room where Danny was standing outside.
The scene inside was gruesome. Blood was splattered across the walls and floor, the metallic scent overwhelming. The room was torn apart, furniture shattered and debris scattered everywhere. Soot and grime covered the walls, as if the room had been blasted with a blowtorch. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burnt wood and flesh.
“Ludwig, you’re here,” Danny said, his face pale and his voice shaky. He looked visibly shaken, his usual composure replaced by a look of horror.
“Yeah,” Ludwig replied, his gaze fixed on the body in the center of the room. It was Kuro, his lifeless form lying in a pool of blood. His organs were missing, and his limbs were twisted and apart, the wounds jagged and brutal. It was the same pattern as the previous murder—Von Hubert’s death.
“Who reported the body?” Ludwig asked, his voice low.
“A student living here,” Danny said, his tone grim. “He’s a beast-kin. He said he smelled smoke…”
“Smoke?” Ludwig frowned, his mind racing. “With this much fire damage and burnt materials, it should have been more obvious. A fire this big should have caught more attention. How did the killer get away with doing so much without anyone noticing, but one single guy?”
“That’s the thing,” Danny said, his voice tense. “There was something stopping the smoke, sound, and vibrations from leaving the room. If it wasn’t for the student’s enhanced sense of smell, no one would have figured it out.”
“It’s a spell,” a voice interrupted. Vastion stepped into the room, his expression grave. He crouched down and placed his hand on the ground, his fingers brushing against the charred floor. his face contorted into an ugly grimace, “No wonder we haven’t been able to detect it. It’s Dark Magic. [Dark Erasure].”
Ludwig’s eyes widened. “Dark Erasure?”
Vastion nodded, his voice solemn. “It suppresses senses and alters perception. The killer can use this spell to commit his murders undisturbed. Once the spell ends, it deteriorates and eliminates all traces of dark magic in the area. It makes the whole place feel as if nothing happened—except for the physical damage. Any magic used becomes obsolete, and even Memory of the Earth won’t be able to reveal what happened.”
“I never knew such a spell existed,” Danny said, his voice filled with disbelief.
“Because this spell belonged to my house, ” Vastion said, his tone heavy with regret. “It’s one of our secret spells.”
Ludwig frowned, his mind racing. If the spell belonged to Vastion’s house, did that mean the killer was connected to him? Was Vastion indirectly admitting that one of his family members or house members was responsible?
“I know what’s going on in that head of yours,” Vastion said, his sharp eyes locking onto Ludwig’s. “And it’s not that. My house fell more than a hundred years ago. I’m the only member left. Due to that spell itself, it’s Dark Magic after all…”
He took a deep breath, his expression pained. “Whoever did this had access to the archives that were confiscated by the Holy Order. This is getting more and more serious. I’d require you two to stop looking into this. The teacher board will be taking over the investigation from now on. This is getting dangerous—way over your level.”
With a wave of his hand, Vastion conjured a magic circle that sealed the room, locking it down completely. “I’ve sealed the room. Make sure the whole dorm is no longer accessible. We’ll relocate the students to another dorm.”
He turned to Ludwig, his expression softening slightly. “I’ll need you to ask your master to come over. We’ll need his expertise now.”
Ludwig nodded, his mind racing. From the looks of things, these murders weren’t simple. But at the same time, they seemed completely random. Ludwig had no idea who the first victim was, but neither Kuro nor Von Hubert had anything in common, as far as he knew. One was a swordmaster from a noble family, the other a commoner with a simple background but powerful spells.
As Ludwig stepped outside to contact his master, he couldn’t shake the feeling that things were getting more and more complicated in the Black Tower Academy. The killer was out there, and they were playing a dangerous game—one that Ludwig was determined to unravel.