Enchanted University of Magemenos

Chapter 39:Busy hunt

"Oh, where did you learn your A, B, C's from?" Nathan teases, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"From a Montessori, why?" I retort, a touch of defiance in my tone.

With a hint of sarcasm, Nathan replies, "Did that Montessori of yours happen to include lessons on the 58th letter of the alphabet? Or perhaps the 27th, 28th, or 57th? You might want to put that brain of yours to good use."

"Alright, I didn't notice those numbers before, but... you didn't have to be so rude about it," I remark, feeling a bit stung by Nathan's sarcastic response.

"It seems likely that those numbers have some significance related to the identity of the killers," Says a braided hair girl.

"The mention of the victim being a chemist is an interesting detail. It feels deliberate, like there's more to it than meets the eye."adds a guy whose presence I hadn't even noticed until now

"It's Professor Felice and Professor Nicholas," Nathan declares confidently.

Curious about his reasoning, I chime in, "How did you figure out? And why them specifically?"

"The periodic table, where the numbers 26-3-58 denote the periodic numbers of the elements Fe-Li-Ce and 28-27-57-16 denote Ni-Co-La-S"replies Nathan.

However, his sudden expertise leaves me curious. "Hold on, how in the world do you have all this periodic table knowledge stored in your brain? Is it all stored in your brain or Are you secretly hiding a trunk full of chemistry books somewhere?" I ask, half-jokingly.

Nathan's glare sends a shiver down my spine, causing me to instinctively lower my guard and redirect my attention to the clue at hand.

"Alright, here's the plan," Nathan declares, taking charge. "Five of us will search for Professor Felice, while the rest will track down Professor Nicholas."

We head towards the teacher's dormitory in search of Professor Felice. However, upon arrival, he is nowhere to be found. Undeterred, we approach the assistant professor to inquire about Professor Felice's whereabouts.

With the assistant professor's guidance, we learn that Professor Felice is currently conducting a class in room 310. Time suddenly becomes our most precious asset as we hastily make our way towards the designated room, acutely aware of the looming time limit. 

Interrupting Professor Felice's seminar, we hurriedly collect the second half of our clue from him. However, to our dismay, it turns out that he possesses only one part of the puzzle. The other half, we discover, lies in the possession of Professor Nicholas. 

Opting to wait for our companions, we hold off on deciphering the partial clue until the remaining five members of our team arrive. Once reunited, we piece together the two halves of the clue, eager to unveil its secrets. With the puzzle complete, we take a collective breath before reading aloud the contents of the second clue.

Clue 2:A place where today comes before yesterday. 3..2..1,Go find me as soon as you can

I contemplate the puzzling clue quietly, grappling with its elusive meaning. "A place where today comes before yesterday..." The words echo in my mind as I ponder possible interpretations. The notion of a time machine springs to mind, but I hesitate to voice my thoughts aloud. The fear of ridicule from Nathan looms large, prompting me to keep my musings to myself for now.

"What if it's a time machine?" a voice interjects, breaking the silence.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing—" I begin, but before I can finish, Nathan cuts me off abruptly.

"It's not a time machine," Nathan interjects, his tone dismissive. "At least, you wouldn't find one at school. It just doesn't fit."

"Yea exactly"I reply with a sense of relief that I hadn't finished my sentence earlier.

"Or perhaps it's more metaphorical, like an 'imagination'," I suggest tentatively, breaking the silence.

"Interesting idea," responds the chubby guy, his voice contemplative. "Imagination could be linked to creativity, and where better to find creativity than in the drawing class?"

"Let's give it a shot," Nathan decides decisively, leading the way toward the drawing class.

Feeling a sense of pride in my suggestion, I lead the group to the drawing room, convinced that we're on the right track. However, upon arrival, our hopes are dashed as we find nothing of significance.

"What else could it be?" I ponder aloud, feeling a tinge of frustration creeping in.

"Maybe it's referring to a fictional book or something like a time-lapse book?" suggests the girl with braided hair, her voice filled with uncertainty.

"That's a possibility," I agree, considering her idea.

Suddenly, the chubby guy's voice chimes in, "A dictionary! It's a dictionary, isn't it?"

"Of course!" Nathan exclaims, his eyes lighting up with realization. "Let's head to the library and check it out."