The morning period continued with a physics class, then math, until it was time for the Lingua mortuorum class at 12:00.
Noah and Sirius entered the classroom. It was a class like any other, but as they walked in, hateful and spiteful eyes were drawn toward them. It had happened so many times that it had become routine by now.
Noah and Sirius sat quietly in the last row. Sirius rested his head on the cold desk, waiting for the teacher to arrive.
"Noey-kun, do you know any dead language?" Sirius asked curiously to pass the time.
"Yes. I'm not that skilled, but I can at least read them," Noah replied calmly, surprising Sirius.
"I don't know any at all. They're so hard," Sirius said in frustration, straightening up in his seat.
The subject "Lingua mortuorum" wasn't about learning human languages like French or Spanish—those were taught in middle and high school.
These foreign languages came from mysterious sources: dungeons, or the depths of caves. They were believed to be the languages of monsters or demons.
Studying them wasn't easy—it took 540 years to decode their characters after humans first discovered them, and even now, new symbols and phrases are still being found.
So far, two foreign languages have been discovered:
"Eletheran"—believed to be the language of monsters and demons,
and "Zahakural"—a language discovered by accident when a diver ventured into underwater caves in the Pacific and found strange writings.
Zahakural's script was very close to human languages, to the extent that some theories suggest it might be the original root of all human language.
Of course, such a theory is nearly impossible to prove, and so it was removed from the list of the seven provable theories.
Just then, the door opened and the professor for "Lingua mortuorum" entered, surprising Noah—
It was Professor Mei Renho.
She walked to the front, stood behind her desk, placed her bag and belongings down, and looked into the distance, where Noah was sitting in the back. A faint, strange smile curled on her lips.
"Hello, my dears. I'm Professor Mei Renho. I'm sure you all know me already, so there's no need for long introductions. Let's get straight to the lesson!~" she said with a friendly smile, which barely hid something eerie behind it.
"What kind of luck is this…" Noah thought to himself, feeling anxious and uneasy.
Mei Renho turned to the board, picked up a piece of chalk, and began writing letters in an ancient language. She wrote the following:
𓆓 ᓭ ᒧ ᒣ ᘓ ᖶ ᘎ ᖙ ᕬ
ᘿ ᔑ ᓂ ᔭ ᙈ ᘺ ᔦ ᓵ ᒥ ᘁ
ᕻ ᕠ ᕹ ᙵ ᒍ ᔋ
"Does anyone know what language this is?" she asked the students.
One brave and confident student raised his hand. Mei Renho nodded, giving him permission to speak.
"It's the Eletheran alphabet," the student answered.
"That's right. It's the script believed to be the monster language—Eletheran. Since you raised your hand, can you speak this language?" she asked, tilting her head in fake curiosity, not blinking even once.
"…" The student fell silent. His confidence vanished, and he looked down in embarrassment, unable to answer.
"Just another failure…" Mei Renho thought to herself, then turned back to the board and wrote:
𓆓ᘓ ᓭᔑ ᘎ ᓂᘁ ᘓᖶᔦ ᘿᕬᓵ
She turned back to the class with a cheerful and hopeful smile.
"Can anyone read this sentence?" she asked again.
Silence filled the classroom. Students avoided her gaze, fearing being chosen and embarrassed.
Mei Renho sighed, annoyed, and accidentally broke the chalk from her frustration.
"These foolish students... You're useless. Go study at home, damn you," she muttered, then noticed Noah in the distance raising his hand nervously.
"Go ahead, Mr. Grace," she said, hopeful again.
"A-aaccording to what I studied, it reads: Qir-Mi Shi-Xi Ae-Nul Mi-Dra Tha-Gr-Ek Orr-ZaSyl, and it means 'The apostles guide the path through the void,'" Noah said anxiously. He was confident in his answer, but the pressure of being the center of attention unsettled him.
"…That's correct. Well done, Mr. Grace," Mei Renho said, standing still in shock. It was unbelievable to her, like discovering a hidden treasure in an old closet—something she'd been waiting for a long time.
Everyone gave Noah strange looks—some filled with jealousy, others awe, and a mix of other conflicted emotions. Whispers spread around the room.
"How does he know that?" one whispered to another.
"How would I know? Maybe he cheated or did something," the other replied.
Mei Renho turned to the board and walked toward it slowly, a happy smile appearing on her face, though no one saw it.
"The apostles guide the path through the void"—what a beautiful phrase. This was the very first sentence ever translated from the Eletheran language.
It was found in a high-level dungeon about a thousand years ago and took 500 years to decode. But what a poetic line.
Who would've thought monsters and demons could write such a verse? Then again, it's just a theory. Who knows?~" she said excitedly as she walked through the rows of students, heading toward the back where Noah and Sirius sat.
"That's why he knew it. It's a famous phrase. Makes sense he'd know it—not like he's some genius," muttered one arrogant student, arms crossed.
Mei Renho reached the back row, stood behind Noah, and placed her hands on his shoulders, gently rubbing them as if giving a massage.
"What the hell is this?!" Noah thought nervously.
"Mr. Grace, it seems you're talented in my dear subject. If you're interested, maybe we can talk after class," Mei Renho said, leaning in near Noah's neck. He felt her warm breath on his skin and grew even more anxious.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't bite. I'm friendlier to good boys than you might expect," she whispered in his ear, gently placing her hand around his neck and lifting his chin slightly.
"I want to get out of here! No woman has ever gotten this close to me! What do I do?!" Noah panicked internally.
Mei Renho chuckled lightly and walked back to her desk.
Noah's heartbeat quickened slightly from a mix of fear and excitement. Then a terrifying realization hit him.
"Damn! She touched my neck. Now she can tell whether I'm lying or not, right? I'll be in danger if she asks me something I have to lie about like my skill!"
Noah checked his neck for any marks or signs of injury, worried that some parasite might've been inserted, but the only mark left was a faint red handprint from Mei Renho's grip.
"There's nothing... Could it be a microscopic parasite? Or maybe Luo Yan's theory was wrong… Either way, I'm not sure. But I better avoid Professor Mei Renho until class ends," he thought anxiously.
The lesson continued peacefully. Mei Renho explained the Eletheran language and only asked simple, non-translation questions that the students could answer which kept attention away from Noah.
The bell rang at 1:15, signaling the end of the afternoon period. Students gathered their things and left. Noah and Sirius also left, but were stopped at the door.
"Mr. Grace, may I have a moment of your time?" Professor Mei Renho asked politely.
Sirius waved as he walked away.
"I'll see you later in the garden then, Noey-kun," he said before disappearing from view.
Now, Noah and Professor Mei Renho were alone in the classroom and technically alone in the entire building, as all students had left.
"Are you interested in a job offer?" Mei Renho asked, her eyes filled with hope.
"A job offer?" Noah asked, curious and worried.
"Yes. Work with me in "Lingua mortuorum". Become my personal assistant. I see potential in you that no one else does, Mr. Grace—so think about it," she said. Her friendly tone vanished, replaced by a professional, experienced one.
"Aren't I a little young for such a job? Also, I'm not really an expert. I only knew that phrase because it's famous," Noah said, trying to avoid her.
"You're lying, Mr. Grace. I can see the truth, and a simple lie like that won't fool me," she said confidently.
[The host's calm is maintained by the passive effect "Frozen Mind."]
"I forgot she can tell truth from lies… Should I just turn her down, or use this as an opportunity?" Noah thought to himself, cold and composed.
"You're fluent in Eletheran, aren't you?" Mei Renho asked, giving him a sharp look—already confident in the answer.
"...Well, that's not wrong," Noah sighed and replied, maintaining his calm and cool demeanor.
"Then, what do you think of my offer?" Mei Reinhu said, her eyes filled with hope and anticipation.
"...What will I get in return?" Noah asked curiously, trying to avoid her offer while securing as many benefits as possible.
"I will support you as a professor. By being my personal assistant, you will gain more benefits as my position in the university grows—and it's not a small position. You'll also gain the respect of the other professors, and no one will be able to create any trouble for you, since you are now under my protection. And there's more, much more!" Professor Mei Reinhu said, seeing a ray of hope and trying to make the most of it.
"Accepting this will only get me into more trouble. I'll be at risk of being exposed by the professor if she ask me something I can't lie about. Plus, more people will hate me, and I'll be harassed more... but she said no one would try to bother me since I'm under her protection, right? Doesn't that also mean that whatever I do, I won't be punished? Well, I can make good use of this," Noah thought to himself, analyzing whether accepting this offer aligned with his future plans—and it seemed to fit perfectly.
"Alright then, I'll accept your offer," Noah said, a friendly smile forming on his lips.
"Yes, you will never regret this, Mr. Grace!" Professor Mei Reinhu said, smiling excitedly as she grabbed Noah's hand and shook it.