High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1952: Chapter 173: Fragmented Chapter (1)

”Is it here?”

”Yes, sir.”

”There’s a smell of death... very fresh death.”

”We didn’t kill any prey, sir.”

”We believe that... such filthy magic residue couldn’t possibly have even a copper’s worth of connection with my lovely students.”

”Did those mutated Getrassi die?”

”We shouldn’t rule out any possibilities.”

In the vast hunting ground, the low conversation between Hilda and Zheng Qing could be faintly heard, apart from which there was no sound, highlighting a surprising stillness.

Even a half-abandoned hunting ground shouldn’t be this quiet.

Zheng Qing noticed this and immediately reported it to the teaching assistant.

”Don’t worry, it’s still within the coverage of the School Guardian Array.” Hilda squatted on the ground, stroking her earring, murmuring, ”Clearly, there was a fierce magic disturbance here. Those sensitive little bugs have burrowed into the soil to play dead... or are actually dead.”

As he spoke, he poked the ground with a finger and dug out an upside-down black beetle. The teaching assistant squinted, closely examining the magical patterns remaining on the dead bug.

Zheng Qing watched this scene worriedly, feeling that Hilda might pop the bug into his mouth any second and chew it up to tell him how long it had been dead.

Luckily, the teaching assistant still had his wits about him and did not take such an action.

”Eliminate pests, and rid the thieves.”

Hilda muttered an unfamiliar spell softly, offering his judgment: ”A classic insect-killing spell... It looks like the master who created this mutation didn’t want even a single bug witnessing his experiment. You guys are very lucky to leave this hunting ground.”

”Experiment?”

Zheng Qing thought about the previous discussions of the Absolution Hunting Team, unable to resist interrupting the assistant: ”Are you saying those Getrassi aren’t being disturbed by demons, but there’s a wizard conducting experiments? Is it a wizard from the school?”

Hilda abandoned the bug, buried it back into the soil, and carefully covered it with dirt, chanting a few prayers for the dead.

Only then did he stand up, look back at Zheng Qing, patted the dirt off his hands, and evade the subject, ”As I said before... we shouldn’t rule out any possibilities.”

Zheng Qing felt that more than one wizard had said this to him — the caution of the wizards was fully expressed in this sentence, even though he was a Stellan.

”Alright, assisting with the investigation ends here, you can go back.” Hilda waved his hand, instructing Zheng Qing to leave on his own; after a while, he looked up at the still hesitant warlock, raising his eyebrows: ”Why, do you want me to see you off?”

”No, no, no,” the young public student waved his hands repeatedly, hesitated, finally made up his mind, and cautiously asked, ”I mean, about the person doing the experiment, do you have any speculations?”

”Experiment? What experiment?”

The teaching assistant put on a perplexed expression, as if he hadn’t uttered those words earlier: ”Where is the laboratory? What is the project? What is the purpose of the experiment? I don’t know what you’re talking about... You are a student, your task is to study, and there are exams.”

”And the captain of the Absolution Hunting Team.” Zheng Qing cleared his throat and seriously added: ”A formal team, registered and approved by the school’s hunting committee, champion of last year’s freshmen competition, a team that participated in the Black Prison battle this year... One important function of the team is to hunt black wizards violating the Wizard’s Codex.”

”Ha! What a frightening resume. Shall I get an autograph from you?” Hilda impatiently waved his hand, the rings on his nose, lips, and ears jingling as he did so: ”Go, go, there’s nothing more for you here.”

”With your team’s records and the task, you could shine brightly in this year’s school hunting competition.” Another black-robed wizard patted the young wizard on the shoulder, reassuringly said: ”You should perform appropriate tasks in suitable hunting grounds. For instance, hunting a group of Star Apes, or slaying a Welsh Green Dragon... The world is your oyster... If you’re lucky, you might win the championship at this year’s school hunting competition.”

”I think we can do something more meaningful.” The young wizard murmured.

”You think being a student isn’t meaningful?”

”That’s not what I meant...”

”Nothing has absolute meaning, my friend.” The teaching assistant shrugged, earnestly saying: ”Hunting demons doesn’t, catching criminals doesn’t, neither does being a teacher or a student... If you don’t understand this, it indicates that you need to focus more on the Philosophy of Magic, or maybe ask Old Yao... if you still have the courage to go to his office right now.”

This was a jest about the rumor that had been circulating.

Zheng Qing let out a couple of dry laughs.

”For you, being a competent student at school now is the most meaningful thing.” Hilda concluded, pushing Zheng Qing’s shoulder, glanced back at his companion: ”I’ll throw this trouble back... stay put, don’t run around, keep in touch at all times.”

”Yikes! Don’t jinx it!”

The other black robe anxiously looked around: ”The way you said that last sentence, I feel like I’m about to die any second. Let’s escort him back together.”

With that, he placed his other hand on Zheng Qing’s shoulder.

”You’re too timid!” Hilda raised his eyebrows.

”This isn’t timidity, it’s caution.” The companion shook his head, denying.

Hilda touched his earring, dismissively said: ”Suit yourself... it’s true, the older you get, the more cowardly you become. It seems it was wise of you to choose to stay at school back then. With that courage, you couldn’t have coped with the wars of opening up the New World...”

”I don’t like fighting every day either... Be quiet, your nagging is giving me a headache!”

The three figures and their chatting voices faded and disappeared together, with the night wind brushing over, the entire hunting ground became clean and empty again, silent and still.

A moment later.

A dozen meters away from where Zheng Qing and others left, a lush bush suddenly transformed into specks of black light, dispersing in the thick night, revealing several figures cloaked in black robes, wearing raven masks.

”Why didn’t you stop them?” A slightly shorter figure whispered to the companion beside him.

”For safety.” The leading raven mask patiently explained: ”... We cannot influence the Protection Array to the extent of completely covering a fierce battle. And they haven’t touched any dangerous content.”

”That assistant is really lucky.”

”Relying solely on luck in such matters isn’t the right approach. The wiser choice is to stay away from danger. Like that black robe... It’ll help us survive a bit longer in this dangerous game.”