Chapter 4
I couldn’t understand what he was saying at all. It was something I never expected to hear.
I swallowed dryly and pulled down my sleeve to hide my goosebump-covered arm.
‘Stay calm, Melody. This person seems to be a con artist.’
It seemed strange from the start that the student council president of a famous, notoriously closed-off school would come down to this countryside.
“Mr. Eglinton. Honestly, I don’t know how to react. Did you think I’d be scared by such words? What do you want?”
“Do you think I’m lying right now?”
“To be honest, you seem like a real con artist right now. Don’t you agree?”
“……”
“Anyway, I don’t know why you’re making such jokes, but there are quite a few village residents. There are many elderly people and children too…”
“About those villagers. No one walks around during the day, right?”
I paused.
I pondered his sudden question.
The student council president’s questions continued.
“Have you ever seen the villagers eat?”
…No.
I just thought they had small appetites because they were elderly.
“Have outsiders ever visited? Have you received any letters?”
I thought letters didn’t come because the elderly didn’t engage in outside activities.
Then suddenly, I remembered what the middle-aged gentleman who came to inform me of Raven’s death had said.
“It took a long time to find because the address I received said Chesswind Village. I’m sorry for being late.”
Could that have been what the middle-aged gentleman meant then?
That Chesswind was a village where no one lived, but it was written as the address.
Things I had never questioned before now all seemed strange.
If what this man was saying was true, where had I been living for the past two years?
Then, the student council president asked an abrupt question.
“Miss Hastings. If you could turn back time, what would you do?”
“Why are you saying such nonsense in this serious situation?”
“Because I can do that for you.”
“Do what? Turn back time?”
“Yes. But it requires an equivalent price.”
Price?
“I’ll turn back time to when Raven Hastings was alive, that is, one year ago. That’s the best I can do.”
Turn back time.
Rewind time.
To the moment when Raven was alive.
It was nonsensical by common sense, but I was listening to his words as if bewitched.
He’s saying he can turn back time to the past where I can save Raven and clear up the misunderstanding with him?
Just imagining it made my hands tremble.
Finally, I asked him, my voice betraying a tremble.
“I guess you want something from me.”
“When you go back a year, come to Saint Gloria Private School. That’s all I want.”
There was no trace of a smile left on the student council president’s face. It wasn’t a joke.
“…Is that all I need to do? Go to the school? I’ll just take Raven and leave right away.”
“Yes. You just need to come to the school. How about it? Not a bad condition, right?”
“Before that. You said you’d tell me the truth about why Raven died. Can you tell me that first?”
“You’ll naturally find out when you go back a year.”
I pondered for a long time.
But no matter how much I thought about it, this wasn’t an issue that needed contemplation.
“Honestly, I don’t believe what Mr. Eglinton said about the village or about turning back time. I’m not foolish enough to believe that.”
“I understand.”
“But you know, there are moments in life when you want to believe even foolish stories.”
“……”
“For me, this is exactly that moment.”
This isn’t a gamble for me. It’s an obvious choice.
Because a life without Raven has no meaning for me.
I extended my hand to the student council president.
“I’ll do anything. What do I need to do?”
Even if he wasn’t really the student council president but just a simple pervert who wanted to use me as a puppet for some third-rate novel play, it was okay.
I’d still bet on this one possibility of saving Raven.
Seeing the hand extended towards him, a strange satisfaction flashed across the student council president’s face. He said with a smile.
“Good. I’ll turn back time one year. Miss Hastings, do what you want.”
“Is that really all you want in return?”
“Yes. I want you to come to the school. I need you.”
“You still won’t tell me why?”
“You’ll naturally find out later. Isn’t saving your brother enough for you, Miss Hastings?”
I closed my mouth, unable to answer the student council president’s question.
As he said, I didn’t care about anything as long as Raven was alive.
Even if this was actually a trap and I would die instead of saving Raven, it was okay.
If I could save that child even by exchanging my fate for Raven’s.
That’s enough. It’s sufficient.
“When I go back a year and go to the school, will I be able to meet you?”
“Yes. But I’ll be different from now. I won’t recognize you. The me from that time doesn’t know anything, so please understand if I act rudely.”
“What do you mean…”
“Ah. And when time turns back, the ‘beings’ in this village will notice that you’ve changed. Escape from Chesswind Village without letting those beings notice. You need to move quickly.”
“That’s impossible in a small rural village. They’ll quickly find out if I try to leave the village.”
“Make up a reason. A reason they would accept, like going on a long trip to see your brother.”
“Is there no problem as long as I convince them?”
“Yes. Just make sure they don’t realize that you’ve noticed the truth.”
The student council president warned me with an even more serious face.
“Let me emphasize once again. Never let them know you’re planning to escape.”
“What happens if they find out?”
“Then pray to God. Pray for a peaceful death. I don’t know if He’ll listen though.”
The student council president also gave me a few additional precautions.
“It’s time now.”
He said goodbye to me with a smile.
“Then we’ll meet again in the past.”
With those final words, my vision began to blur.
I’m not sure if my vision was shaking or if I was shaking.
The space around me started to distort. I could no longer see the student council president in my sight.
The sky collapsed and the ground disappeared.
I don’t know if it really happened or if it was my illusion or delusion, or what was real.
Just when I strongly felt that space and time were twisting, I lost consciousness.
✦✦✦
02. Escape the Chesswind Village Immediately
Continental Calendar Year 902, August 27.
A male student wearing Saint Gloria Private School uniform sits by the window.
The student council president of the world-renowned <Saint Gloria Private School>, Noah Eugene Eglinton.
Noah, pushing back his disheveled black hair from his forehead, suddenly raised his head.
‘…What’s this?’
The flow of air changed. Something had shifted.
He stood up and stood in front of the window. The familiar scenery of the school came into view.
“What’s wrong? You startled me. What happened?”
Easton, the freshman sitting opposite Noah, asked.
Noah glanced down at Easton.
Easton flinched again for no reason.
Noah’s bright blue eyes that met his were as deep as a cold ice lake.
Noble bloodline, mesmerizing appearance, extraordinary intellect, and elegant manners. Everything that constituted him had class.
Add to that a kind and friendly personality towards everyone, and he was truly a flawless man without a single gap.
That’s why everyone liked Noah but also found him difficult to approach. Everyone knew Noah, but at the same time, no one really knew him well.
Noah quietly looked at the documents sprawled on the desk.
[Chesswind: The Ruined Village]
Various information about Chesswind village was spread out on the desk.
“You’ve done good research.”
“Have you ever seen me do poorly?”
Easton snapped back in his usual manner but then flinched.
He realized he had been sarcastic in front of someone he shouldn’t be.
Noah smiled gently.
“You seem to have a lot of complaints.”
“Ch-change my partner, please. I don’t get along with Raven Hastings. He smells like a commoner.”
“It’s okay. Our junior who speaks like that doesn’t look very noble either.”
“Me?”
“Start by fixing your speech. Then I’ll change your partner.”
“Even my father gave up, and now the student council president is nagging.”
“Does this sound like nagging to you?”
Noah looked at Easton, still smiling. Staring silently.
Easton’s body stiffened under that gaze, unable to say anything. How could an ordinary student exude such pressure?
“W-why did you ask me to investigate Chesswind? It’s the first time you’ve asked us to investigate an external incident.”
Easton, barely regaining his composure, looked at Noah with an incomprehensible face.
“Chesswind isn’t an external incident. It’s related to the school’s ghost stories too.”
Noah looked at a photo of Chesswind village.
Among the ruined village, there was one house that looked intact.
It was a small mansion that seemed to have warmth.
Above all, the girl in the photo, leaning out of the window with her head sticking out, stood out inappropriately for the place.
Elegant platinum blonde hair, unsuited to the old mansion, fluttered in the wind.
There was a girl who looked so delicate that she seemed like she would fall if pushed, giving the impression that she had never done any hard work.
Easton, who was looking at the photo with Noah, seemed to realize something and asked.
“Don’t tell me, are you talking about the ghost story of the Forgotten Ones’ Cemetery on the mountain behind the school?”
🐈⬛
Thank you for reading! ♡
