How To Survive A Cute Ghost Yandere
Chapter 13: Stigmata Theory

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Stigmata Theory

"You know who I am?"

Estiel looked at him with genuine interest. It was obvious he hadn’t expected to be recognized so easily by a brand-new first-year student.

"...Well, you’re pretty famous, aren’t you?"

"Fair enough."

Estiel himself didn’t seem particularly eager to keep the conversation going. He sat down across from Eiros, then took another look at the books scattered in front of him.

Meanwhile, Eiros, who had no read on Estiel’s personality yet, just stayed quiet for a moment before deciding to speak.

"The first-semester exams are coming up soon. So I figured there might be some clue here that could help me understand my own Stigmata."

Who knew? This kid, whose head was apparently packed full of vast knowledge, might just hand him some genuinely useful insight.

"Hoo."

Estiel nodded. He adjusted the frame of his glasses, then turned his full attention onto Eiros.

"Normally, a student dealing with something like that would head straight for the section covering everything currently known about human Stigmata. So why’d you end up in the history section instead?"

The question made perfect sense. Even though Eiros’s real goal was just to broaden his general understanding of this world, Estiel, having no way of knowing that, would naturally assume Eiros was simply an interesting student.

Eiros forced a smile onto his face. Unlike before, he felt far more at ease now. After all, even if Estiel’s personality was hard to read, at least he clearly wasn’t some sadistic psychopath like Erness.

"I know. But don’t you already understand how comprehension-based Stigmata activation works?"

Faced with that unexpected question, Estiel nodded.

"Of course I know. Who do you think I am?" His voice carried a certain weight as he broke into a wide grin. "A person’s Stigmata always reflects the mark that forms on their body. Like someone with a fire mark—their Stigmata is naturally fire-related."

He paused for a moment, letting the words settle in the air, then added:

"There are some unique cases too, like people with a sword-shaped mark tied to a flow of energy. Those types are usually harder to figure out—sometimes that energy corresponds to an element, but sometimes it comes from something entirely unidentified. Similar to that one hero who could control gravity through his sword—isn’t it incredibly hard to understand something like that without enough clues?"

Then, Estiel took off his glasses, revealing his pale white pupils.

Eiros’s brow furrowed.

"That’s..."

Estiel nodded. He widened his own right eye with his fingers, revealing pale pupils marked with faint striations, reflecting light in a strange, hard-to-describe way.

"My Stigmata sits inside my eye. So, go ahead—let’s hear your explanation. What does this history section have to do with how Stigmata comprehension actually works?"

That was more than a little surprising. Seeing a mark located inside someone’s actual pupil was enough to leave Eiros genuinely impressed.

Of course, there had to be a clear reason he served as this tower’s keeper. Feeling that sense of admiration, Eiros pressed his lips together and took a breath.

"Right now, Stigmata activation is based on comprehension. We’re stuck relying on that method, ignoring the fact that Stigmata are always evolving, holding potential that’s essentially limitless."

"Are you saying comprehension itself is somehow wrong?"

Eiros shook his head.

"No. If anything, isn’t comprehension just one variation among many possible ways to activate a Stigmata?"

Eiros chuckled. He’d actually been mulling this over during every spare moment he got—not just now, but even back in his previous life, as a reader of this webtoon.

There were also a few spoilers that had helped guide him to this line of thinking, reinforced further by the fact that his own Stigmata seemingly required some specific material for activation.

That backed up his whole theory.

"There are some students who go through a certain event, and in that exact moment, their Stigmata awakens fully understood, ready to use immediately. Unlike students born with a Stigmata who have to work out how to understand it themselves, that kind of student can just use their power right away."

"Historically, there are plenty of heroes recorded doing exactly that. They awakened their power in moments of desperation. A hero whose village was burned to the ground suffered so much that his fire-element Stigmata awakened on the spot, letting him burn down whoever had done it."

"An old man trapped on an icy mountain, dying, on the verge of death. Yet he survived, awakened a Stigmata, and instantly knew how to activate it. That very man is still alive today, as it happens."

Eiros let those words settle in the air, then added, a crooked smile spreading across his face.

"Not comprehension. They got it through circumstance, situation, environment—and there are probably even more variations out there. That’s exactly what I’m trying to dig up in this pile of history books."

Eiros left it at that. At some point, Estiel had gone quiet, a faint smile on his face. His eyes, no longer hidden behind his glasses, showed a sharpness and remarkable competence in following that whole explanation.

Then his smile widened.

"Incredible."

He gave a light clap.

"The history books here have already been revised a few times," Estiel added, tilting his head. "I mean, the events you just described are actually written in far more detail in a different book. But there’s never been a way to properly prove any of it, so that theory has never actually been officially recognized as true, even to this day."

That statement caught Eiros off guard.

’That means someone else already realized this theory, even before me.’

Not surprising, really. There were plenty of brilliant people out there—Eiros figured he’d just gotten lucky enough to connect the dots himself. Otherwise, he’d never have gotten anywhere near this.

"We can’t exactly go around setting students on fire just because their Stigmata happens to be fire-related, right?"

Hearing that, Eiros immediately nodded, a bitter smile crossing his face.

"True enough... The circumstance, environment, and situation I mentioned... all of it points toward something heavy, something probably too much for current students to handle."

Estiel nodded.

"This is fantastic. What’s your name?"

"Eiros Clair."

"Alright then, student Eiros. It’s been a genuine pleasure talking with you. From now on, feel free to come find me whenever you have free time. I’m always up on the top floor."

He then handed over a card that carried a strong scent of old books.

"With this card, nothing will stand in your way."

Eiros took the card. He smiled with quiet satisfaction and offered his thanks.

"Thank you, Tower Keeper."

"Sure, sure. No need for that. I’m just happy to run into a few competent students now and then. Ah, and the original texts, the hidden histories and all that—those are all kept on the floor where I live. You’re welcome to read them, but remember to ask my permission first before touching any of them."

He paused, put his glasses back on, and said:

"You should know that not all knowledge is meant to be known. Sometimes, it’s genuinely better to stay in the dark."

With a smile on his face, Estiel gave a cheerful wave and walked off.

Eiros was left standing there alone, quietly basking in his own happiness.

He hadn’t expected any of this to happen—but did he mind? Quite the opposite. Eiros felt genuinely thrilled, having managed to build a connection that mattered, one that could actually prove useful for his survival going forward.

Estiel was going to be a huge help in more ways than one.

Glancing outside, there was less than thirty minutes left before the next class started.

He decided to push his lunch back to the evening and spend the time reading up more on history and the current state of the world instead.

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