Leave a comment

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

After the earth-shaking impact finally subsided, Luke suddenly witnessed a massive pillar of light rising from the surface of Quartz Lake into the night sky from the highest bell tower of St. Campbell Church.

The light wasn’t one of the primary colors—red, green, or blue—nor was it a rainbow-like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet. It could only be described as a “black light,” an eerie, sinister glow that made anyone who looked at it feel nauseous.

“What is that!? What’s happening? Could Jill possibly be there…?”

Luke had guessed correctly, driven by his instinct as a boy in love. However, it wasn’t because of any particular intelligence or intuition on his part. Rather, his mind had been so consumed by thoughts of the girl he loved that he followed this overly simplistic logic: strange event = related to Jill’s disappearance = Jill must be there.

In other words, he hadn’t arrived at the correct answer through reasoning; the correct answer had simply come to him by happenstance.

Resisting the urge to rush out immediately, he focused all his energy on maintaining the wind barrier protecting the church—an intense storm-like wind that engulfed the building. This was, of course, not a natural phenomenon, but one born from Luke’s pledge to the wind spirits, who answered his call.

Sweat dripped down his face only to be blown away by the wind, while his golden hair—like a crown that usually drew cheers from female students as he walked through the academy grounds—fluttered wildly. His blue eyes, usually filled with melancholy and kindness, now bore a deep exhaustion and weariness.

Peering through the wind barrier, Luke saw undead creatures emerging one after another from between the trees, marching in a straight line toward the church, surrounding it.

Under the glow of the church’s lights, Luke recognized their faces and equipment. Many of them had once been the adventurers introduced to him as part of a group bearing a crest of swords and wheels, now reduced to these wretched forms.

“—Damn. Were they wiped out?”

For a moment, the worst-case scenario—total annihilation—flashed through Luke’s mind, but fortunately, it seemed that fear was unfounded.

He spotted adventurers holding torches or casting magical light, along with soldiers, though whether they belonged to the national army or were the lord’s private troops was unclear. Their uniformed equipment made it obvious they were professional soldiers, and they were chasing down the undead from behind.

“Surround them!”
“Burn them! Use this wind to our advantage!”
“Don’t let them near the church!”

Hearing their brave shouts even through the wind barrier, Luke sighed in relief.

Though it was too early to fully relax, from his vantage point above, it was clear that the number of undead was steadily decreasing thanks to the overwhelming numbers and superior skill of the adventurers and soldiers. Even the large masked ogre, the most concerning threat, seemed to be slowing down.

It looked like they were finally escaping this nightmarish battle. As soon as things settled, he could go search for Jill… With that thought in mind, he glanced once more toward the lake, only to find that the pillar of light had vanished without him noticing.

—bathump!

Oddly enough, it was now—after the light disappeared—that Luke felt something far more ominous than when it had appeared. His heartbeat surged in alarm, and he prepared to send out a gust of wind to investigate when—

“Nyaa!?”

Sechs, who had been perched on his shoulder, suddenly let out a deathly wail and, nearly falling from the tower, scrambled to hide behind a column, curling up and trembling violently.

What’s wrong!? Luke thought, but before he could even voice his question, the wind barrier he had been maintaining shattered like a soap bubble.

His senses as a wind user picked up the sound of the wind spirits screaming in terror as they fled.

“What… what is this…?”

Despite it not being winter, Luke’s entire body began to shiver uncontrollably, and his teeth chattered.

Without knowing why, he leaned against the nearest column, trying to support his legs, which threatened to give out beneath him.

If he let his guard down for even a second, he felt as though he might fall straight down from the tower.

And then—

“Oh, a spirit user, is it? Interesting. You’re still somewhat inexperienced, but your life force and magic are plentiful. Most importantly, your mind is untainted. A pure and righteous spirit, indeed.”

A gloomy, oppressive voice that seemed to shake not just the ears but the very soul echoed from nowhere in particular.

Luke’s eyes darted around, searching for the source, but before he could find it, that thing appeared in the front yard of St. Campbell Church—suddenly materializing in midair, at the same height as the bell tower. In an instant, the church’s barrier was reduced to ash.

“ “ “ “ “WHA——?!” ” ” ” ”

The barrier, though weakened by the fierce assault of the undead and the large ogre, Gus, was still one of the strongest in existence. After all, it had been reinforced by none other than the shrine maiden Clara herself.

Moreover, the truth was that only the outermost layer of the barrier had been on the verge of breaking. The exorcists of the church and the academy’s instructors had all predicted that the multi-layered protection around the entire church wouldn’t be breached in a single night.

Yet, it had been torn apart in an instant, like a fragile paper balloon!

What is that thing!?

Naturally, every gaze was drawn to the figure—cloaked entirely in black, with a single arm visible beneath the robe—hovering in midair.

“Heh heh heh heh heh…”

In response, the mysterious figure lifted its face from beneath the hood, and its eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

“ “ “ “ “—————” ” ” ” ”

In an instant, before anyone could even resist, their consciousness was snatched away, and they collapsed like a doll with its strings cut.

“Ugh…”
“D-damn you…”
“Ugh…”
“Monster…”
“This…is no joke…”

The only ones who managed to withstand it were Luke, Cestlavie, Lieselotte, and Viola, along with a few adventurers and instructors. Even so, they were barely able to stay on their feet.

When Luke glanced down, he saw countless flies, mosquitoes, and other insects lying dead at his feet. It was clear that they had perished from a mere brush with this unknown power. It wasn’t surprising that humans with weaker wills had fainted.

“…This seems a bit beyond us, does it not?” Lieselotte, who rarely showed weakness, muttered as she surveyed the fallen adventurers and soldiers around them, lying motionless but still alive.

Beyond her, with the barrier gone, the undead were slowly advancing, and Viola forced a bitter smile. “Indeed, we are practically sitting ducks. Honestly, I always thought if I had to go, it’d be surrounded by beautiful ladies, dying in peace.”

Unfortunately, the only people lying around her were rugged men. Viola shrugged once more, muttering, “What a pity.”

Listening to their conversation, it almost seemed as though there was still hope. But in reality, they were far beyond a desperate situation—on the brink of being snuffed out. The undead were so close that their foul, rotting breath—if they had any—could be felt on their cheeks.

Meanwhile, they could barely move. The only reason Viola and Lieselotte could still make snide remarks was their extraordinary courage. As for the leader of the adventurer group—a man named Orland, second-in-command of the Steel Wagon—he was on the verge of panic, letting out a scream like a teenage girl as he frantically tried to crawl backward.

“Wait,” a voice commanded from the figure cloaked in black. “I must replenish the life force and magic I lack. Leave those still breathing alive. They shall serve as my sacrifices.”

In obedience to those words, the undead froze in place, halting like wind-up dolls that had run out of power, crouched in their positions.

Lieselotte and the others swallowed hard at the sight.

This man—likely a man—had complete control over the undead. Even the Great Ogre Gus knelt humbly, bowing his head to the ground like a servant before a king.

“…So this is the mastermind?”
“This aura, this miasma… clearly, we’re dealing with something far beyond a mere necromancer.”

Support Us

Unlock Early Access ------- Select Project ------- Project Gender Bender Project Necro ∴ Support your favorite series and unlock chapters before the public release.