Chapter 122: St. Marian is Swept by the Maze Tide
They were called treasure maps, but in reality, they were just two hand-drawn sketches.
The treasure map in Dark Demon's hand was acceptable; at least it was made of a material that looked like parchment. The background, routes, etc., on the treasure map were drawn with a magic pen and were quite exquisite.
But he only glanced at the treasure map in Virt's hand and found it was a piece of homework paper, covered in scribbles.
Virt was originally excited about receiving something left by his father, but after a quick comparison, he shamefully moved the drawing paper, covering it with half his body.
Dark Demon, however, had no such concerns and looked at it openly.
Headmistress Cynthia didn't say which area these two treasure maps pointed to, but they were clearly related to the secret passages.
And considering the standpoints of the Hero and the Valkyrie.
These were likely just things left by the two parents on a whim during their student days.
Most likely, they weren't specifically left for their children.
Perhaps it was just a trend at the time; not only the Hero and the Valkyrie, but even some other students might have left similar treasures.
Dark Demon carefully finished looking at the treasure map in his hand and found it was a treasure map that used landmarks as connecting points.
The first landmark was something that looked like a chess piece.
Alvit's drawing skills were already quite good, but she used a Q-cute art style, which troubled Dark Demon greatly.
In short, after looking at it, he decided that if he couldn't find the so-called treasure by the end of this semester, he would go home and ask the Valkyrie.
...
Headmistress Cynthia finally reminded them, "A treasure exists because it exists; it won't disappear without reason. You have ample time to find them, so there's no need to be too hasty, especially Virt. Pay attention to your studies."
Afterward, she didn't say anything else.
Whether it was politics, public opinion, or other derivative topics, she mentioned none of them.
But Dark Demon could already discern many things from her attitude.
She might use their identities to stir up some situations in the outside world, but she wouldn't bring those things into the school.
St. Marian's Castle would be a wall, shielding them from the wind and rain.
(￣▽￣)emmm...
If the students didn't read newspapers.
Virt, though, didn't have that habit.
Dark Demon, however, never missed an issue.
...
After leaving the office, Dark Demon and Virt went their separate ways.
Although the Headmistress had given both of them treasure maps.
But both the quality of the treasure maps and their attitudes towards them were different.
Dark Demon, because his mother was still alive, felt this could mostly be treated as an extracurricular diversion.
Virt, however, valued this treasure map itself even more—according to the Headmistress, this was a precious treasure left to him by his father, the Hero.
Both the treasure map itself and the hidden treasure held strong commemorative significance.
If Traveler Street hadn't been temporarily closed, he might have even looked for a frame to mount it.
A treasure map made of homework paper was too easily damaged.
Virt carefully put away the treasure map, preparing to return to his dormitory to store it properly first.
Originally, he had thought of going to the infirmary to pick up Robert, but now he had changed his mind.
...
The students who had merely been injected with Soul-Lost Water were already able to be discharged.
Robert stood somewhat dazedly at the infirmary entrance, sighing inwardly: A day off, just like that.
The students leaving the infirmary were all in pairs; only he was alone.
He thought of Virt's appearance after the transformation spell, thinking he must be careful not to mention that matter.
He had experience, so he knew how embarrassing it was.
Oh.
Now he knew Virt had been turned into a girl, but Virt didn't know he had too. This was an advantage.
How delightful!
...
Those couples who left the infirmary with Robert still didn't know they had been culled because their love wasn't genuine, thus escaping disaster.
If they were to find out...
They wouldn't necessarily break up.
After all, sometimes both the man and the woman were well aware of it.
...
And in the infirmary, the members of the Seafood Cult had also awakened one after another.
Except for Mr. Sea Star, who had been most severely corroded by the goddess's remnant consciousness, the "brainwashing" of the others had been completely eliminated.
Because Sister Carian had only separated them from the victims, after their seafood-themed leather suits were removed, they saw the full appearance of the cult members for the first time.
After confirming each other's identities, everyone appeared very awkward.
Memories from this period kept surfacing, making people feel increasingly ashamed...
For example, Miss Anemone, thinking about how she had actually captured her best friend and ex-boyfriend as sacrifices under the drive of malicious thoughts, couldn't help but—chuckle secretly!
Without the goddess's influence, she definitely wouldn't have dared to do that, right?
Eh? Unexpectedly, it felt pretty good!
Scott also leaned against the hospital bed in a daze.
He just felt that he had done many things he had wanted to do before but hadn't dared to.
Compared to before Mr. Sea Star invited him to join the cult, his whole body and mind felt much lighter.
It was just that his current situation was still unclear; he didn't know what kind of punishment he would receive next.
But as long as it wasn't expulsion, anything was fine.
"How about we...?"
The cult members, excluding Mr. Sea Star, after exchanging glances, suddenly reached a consensus to stick together for warmth.
The goddess may fall.
The Cult cannot fall!
...
Actually, the goddess's remnant consciousness had only amplified their malicious thoughts and hatred, twisting their minds, not creating them from nothing.
Without the influence of the goddess's remnant consciousness, their malicious thoughts would be suppressed by good thoughts, and they would still appear orderly on the surface.
In short, they would pay the price for what they had done, but it might not be particularly severe.
Only Mr. Sea Star, who had truly planned all this, would probably have to pay a greater price.
As for the final judgment, it would still require waiting for the seven pairs of true victims to fully recover.
Professor Didi, who bore considerable responsibility, and Professor Kazel, who was actually already considered derelict in his duties, would also be held responsible.
Probably in two to three days.
The school authorities would report this matter to the court in its entirety.
Ostensibly, they would accept legal punishment.
...
If no one took the opportunity to stir up trouble, this matter would soon pass.
If this were wartime, it would probably be completely over with a single phrase, "No one even died."
The kingdom's legal system was not yet that perfect.
Institutions with "transcendent" status like St. Marian Academy were even beyond the jurisdiction of the kingdom's laws.
In principle, they didn't even need to report it.
They could conduct internal trials entirely.
...
Meanwhile.
Dark Demon, who had returned to his dormitory, was studying the treasure map with a rather casual attitude.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
He opened the door and saw Diana and Rose, already fully equipped.
Diana looked up at him and said excitedly, "Dark Demon, let's go explore the secret passage!"
Dark Demon: "Huh?"
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