"I've already found the answer." In the hallway, Enid, who had recently gotten closer to Wednesday, shouted with excitement.
"The answer to how to evade the hunters of this academy and be able to go to town in search of answers to the questions that are eating away at our brains?" Wednesday stopped, turned her rigid head, and stared at Enid, who wore a bright smile.
"No, that's not important. What really matters is surviving that hunter without being killed." Enid thought she had found the answer to a question that had been keeping her up at night.
Wednesday's expression changed as she said: "That worry is only yours, since you are, after all, a wolf. Fortunately, you can't transform. I think that automatically takes you off the hunters' radar."
"You have a very strange way of comforting people, but thanks." Enid, bitter, didn't know whether to feel happy or sad about that reality.
"A hunter giving a class?"
"I can't believe it, that has never happened before."
"I'm really scared."
Wednesday, who was walking toward her next class, was surprised to hear the news. "A hunter teaching his prey? Now that is interesting, let's go."
"Well, we have more experience." Enid went on to boast that she knew Jonathan, the hunter of the moment whom everyone wanted to meet.
Wednesday, looking at a sculpture in the hallway, wondered if she could solve all the mysteries surrounding her on her own. Without a doubt, coming to this academy was the coolest thing that had ever happened to her.
"I wonder if someone will die in this class."
Wednesday's words were heard by many students entering the room.
…
"Are you saying the professor is the hunter who killed a monster in town recently?"
"I'm not sure about that, but that night I saw him in the middle of the forest." Ajax looked at his friend, who had inexplicably seen Jonathan returning from the woods with blood on his clothes.
"If he were a hunter, he would have already discovered you, wouldn't he?"
"I don't know, I really don't want to think about it." Ajax muttered after wondering if he had been discovered that night or not.
Wednesday looked at the worried expressions of the students who were descendants of dangerous monsters. They were all metaphorically peeing their pants, since they were the most restricted students.
And before doubts could deepen among the students, a series of sharp footsteps echoed from afar, and a moment later Jonathan walked in. "Good morning, everyone, the mandatory class will begin shortly."
As soon as Jonathan entered the classroom, this time wearing a dark red suit, he drew the attention of all the students who were waiting patiently.
Both Enid and Wednesday focused their attention on Jonathan, who didn't make a single sound with any of his movements.
'How does he do it?' Even Enid, who had heightened senses, couldn't detect any kind of sound from Jonathan's movements.
Wednesday looked at Jonathan and admired him more and more. She didn't know how he did it, but simply by existing, he made people fear him.
That was the projection she hoped to have if she began traveling with Jonathan. Maybe that projection could happen if she worked with him…
"Today's class will be about werewolves, also known as lycanthropes."
As soon as Jonathan mentioned this, the entire class grew excited, since they thought they were going to hear about the history of the church and not other stories that were truly fantastical.
Enid clenched her fists nervously, her gaze scanning the classroom, hoping no one else was that interested in the subject. But to her surprise, everyone was paying attention, including her best friend, Wednesday.
"The werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope or lobisón, is a legendary creature present in many independent cultures around the world."
Jonathan looked at everyone, and with a serious expression said: "Unlike other magical creatures, lycanthropes have a hierarchy that is based on five classes, starting with Artificial Lycanthropes, followed by Infected Lycanthropes, Semi-Authentic Lycanthropes, and finally Authentic Lycanthropes. Some of these classes are also sub-races of Lycanthropes."
Wednesday, who was excited about the class, fell into thought. She looked at her friend and wondered what kind of werewolf she was.
How are they distinguished?
"Never in my life did I think I'd be in a class about supernatural creatures. We need to record this." Murmured another weak-looking boy, who quickly pulled out his cellphone to record the lecture.
"What are you doing?" Ajax didn't know why that boy was recording Jonathan, so he asked in a low voice.
Eugene Ottinger muttered: "People will definitely love this."
"You're going to get into trouble."
"A hunter of his caliber wouldn't pay attention to things like this, don't be mediocre." Bianca said with a mocking expression.
"Infected lycanthropes are also an alternate branch to those mentioned a moment ago. They are very different from the others because their appearance is quite distinct."
Jonathan paused and continued in a deep voice: "These are humans who look completely normal—though sometimes a bit hairier—who have been bitten by lycanthropes. On nights of the full moon, they turn into a kind of cross between human and wolf, a man/woman wolf."
"Unlike the other classes, those of this kind cannot transform other humans into infected lycanthropes, and the transformation into a man/woman wolf is extremely painful each time. They also cannot control it and transform unconsciously every full moon night."
As Jonathan explained this, his gaze turned to the werewolves in the room, who were becoming increasingly terrified.
Werewolves were beasts—some could control themselves, others not, like wild animals. Although this academy only accepted lycanthropes who could control their instincts, it wasn't certain that those who were different were truly safe.
But these students were also his opportunity to have a personal group of supernatural agents. If he recruited the most talented ones, he might have a chance to be independent from The Healing Church.
"The world is changing."