Chapter 36
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 36
Calesa Kano was waiting for us in the chess room.
I glanced at the chessboards and pieces stacked neatly along the wall. Nobles often indulged in the culture of the old era, and chess was one such pastime. Though it was a game of skill, winning or losing hardly mattered—it was little more than a tool for socializing.
"If it weren't for Giselle's request, I would never have met you face-to-face like this."
Calesa spoke from a chair with her back to the window. Two female students flanked her like handmaidens. It seemed she wanted to play queen in this cramped little chess room. Her thirst for power was plain to see.
"And if it weren't for Giselle, I'd have kicked you in the face before we ever started talking."
I said it with a smirk. Calesa's expression stiffened.
Stomp.
Giselle ground her heel into my foot, glaring daggers at me.
"...The fact that you both agreed to my request means you're willing to make peace, correct?" Giselle said, stepping between the two of us.
"If he apologizes to me, I'm willing to accept it," Calesa said, arms crossed, eyes fixed on me.
"An apology? People apologize when they've done something wrong. I was just helping the Dormitory Head."
"You stuck your nose in without knowing a damn thing. Barbara, that bitch, was flirting with my boyfriend."
This matched what I'd heard from Enrico.
The reason Calesa started bullying Barbara.
Calesa's boyfriend had grown close to Barbara, only to get swept up in an 'Android rampage.' Because of that, Calesa despised her. That was the surface-level reason.
"If I were your boyfriend, I'd run for my life out of sheer terror. The sweet-natured Barbara is a far better choice."
I deliberately provoked her. Calesa slammed her palm on the table and shot to her feet.
"You miserable insect!"
Her shrill voice pierced my eardrums.
"Calm down, Calesa," Giselle said quietly.
Face flushed and eyes bloodshot, Calesa jabbed a finger at me.
"But this bastard just—!"
Yet Calesa couldn't finish her sentence under Giselle's cold stare. She looked away, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Are you planning to ignore me right now?"
Giselle utterly dominated her.
Just as I thought.
For all her rotten temperament, Calesa couldn't manage a single peep in front of Giselle.
In the end, she'll make peace with me while salvaging whatever face she can.
Calesa couldn't defy Giselle's wishes. This was exactly what I'd come to confirm.
Something felt off from the moment Giselle offered to mediate. Given Calesa's personality, she'd never accept mediation under normal circumstances.
Yet Giselle had stepped forward with total confidence—because she knew she could bring Calesa to heel.
A hierarchy so clear, so absolute, that it forced Calesa to swallow the pride I'd just wounded.
My theory was correct. My lips twitched slightly.
Suddenly, Investigator Jillian's words drifted back to me. He'd said practitioners of the Akies Combat Style possessed a unique insight that made them well-suited to be investigators.
He wasn't lying.
I was razor-focused right now, catching every word and gesture that passed between Giselle and Calesa.
"I suppose I did act rashly, meddling as an outsider. And it does seem Barbara's Curse might be real after all. Now that someone's died, let's set aside this petty squabbling," I said mildly.
I'd already learned everything I needed. No point dragging out the fight by provoking Calesa further.
Both Giselle and Calesa seemed thrown by my abrupt change in attitude.
"I have no wish to clash with an Imperial Guard Cadet either. Let's just pretend this never happened," Calesa said, her tone softening.
Once the ice broke, the mediation went smoothly. Calesa and I exchanged a final handshake. The bad blood hadn't fully dissolved, but at least we wouldn't be troubling each other at the Academy anymore.
"You may go first, Luka."
Giselle dismissed me from the chess room to speak with Calesa a while longer. I had no interest in eavesdropping, so I stepped out into the hallway.
Leaning my back against the wall, I sorted through my thoughts. As the pieces clicked into place, a few hypotheses took shape in my mind.
No wonder Investigator Jillian was struggling. He couldn't properly interrogate the children of high-ranking nobles.
Before long, Giselle emerged into the hallway and turned her gaze on me.
"Since I've smoothed things over this time, don't cause any more trouble. And stay away from Barbara. Someone died this time because you ignored my warning."
"Don't tell me you actually believe in Barbara's Curse. A superstition like that?" I said with a smirk. We walked down the hallway side by side.
"Whether I believe it or not is beside the point. The fact remains—anyone who gets close to Barbara ends up in an accident."
"Which means none of it is coincidence. It's the work of a human. There's a culprit behind it, Giselle."
"Are you trying to play detective?"
I felt a faint pang of guilt. Maybe I'd been too transparent.
"Not at all. But I'm also a victim of the attack. It's only natural I'd wonder who caused the Android rampage."
"That's none of your business. Now that there's a casualty, the investigators will get involved in earnest."
"As if those investigators could go around questioning noble children so easily."
Giselle stopped in her tracks.
"Are you being sarcastic right now?"
"I'm just stating facts. By the way—Calesa couldn't even squeak a word against you."
"In noble society, family influence is everything. Calesa is simply in no position to ignore me. That's all there is to it."
I paused a moment before speaking.
"...Is that why you had Calesa bully Barbara?"
Giselle's pupils widened. I studied her reaction closely, determined not to miss a single flicker of emotion leaking through her composure.
"Did you not hear what we just discussed? The reason Calesa bullies Barbara is—"
I cut her off before she could gather her thoughts.
"Because of her boyfriend? Did the guy dating Calesa really grow close to Barbara of his own free will? Knowing Calesa's temper, she'd have thrown a fit the moment he glanced at another girl. If it were me, I wouldn't dare go near another woman out of pure terror."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Calesa needed a justification to bully Barbara—and that justification was deliberately manufactured."
Giselle set her hands on her hips, tilted her head back, and stared up at the ceiling. She let out a long, irritated sigh. To me, it looked like she was avoiding my eyes.
"Are you delusional? I've heard that one side effect of high-performance Prosthetic Bodies is brain dysfunction. Overload the nervous system and it can trigger mental illness. You should take this opportunity to get a thorough checkup."
Giselle spoke with open annoyance and walked off. I watched in silence as she disappeared.
I stood there alone, feeling faintly awkward. The situation came down to one of two possibilities:
Either I was genuinely delusional, or I'd hit the nail squarely on the head. Naturally, I was certain it was the latter.
I sent a message to Investigator Jillian through my terminal. Calesa's boyfriend had already graduated, so I had no way of contacting him myself. I'd leave that line of inquiry to Jillian.
* * *
I'd been diligently investigating Barbara's Curse. Even I was surprised by my own enthusiasm. It was far more interesting than I'd expected.
Lunchtime rolled around again, and I made my way to my usual bench. There, Barbara—the girl with the radiant strawberry-blonde hair—was already seated, waiting for me.
"H-Here's a lunchbox. I m-made it myself."
Barbara held out a lunchbox to me. Word must have spread that I got by on tasteless, quick-prep meals every lunch.
"Barbara, I appreciate it, but what's this for?"
"You helped me. A-And maybe because of that, you got caught up in the Android rampage. I'm just so glad you're safe, Luka."
"Even though someone else died in my place."
I replied coldly. Barbara's face crumpled, and she shrank back, thoroughly cowed.
"U-Um... while you're staying at the Academy, would it be alright if I made lunch for you, Luka?"
She spoke as if wringing out every last drop of courage. For a moment I wondered if she liked me. It would be a nuisance if she developed feelings.
Because I didn't like Barbara.
The opened lunchbox looked decent enough. A sandwich—perfect for eating on a bench.
"I thought you might prefer something simple to eat..."
That much was true. I hated troublesome meals.
"It's good. But you don't need to make me lunch anymore. It'll only cause misunderstandings."
I said it after a bite of the sandwich. Plenty of eyes were on us. By evening, rumors would surely spread that Barbara and I were dating.
The bullying aimed at Barbara had all but vanished over the past few days. The Curse had struck again after a long dormancy, this time claiming a life. And on top of that, I—an Imperial Guard Cadet—had stepped in to protect her.
Unless someone was utterly reckless, no one would dare go near Barbara now.
At least until I leave the Academy, no one will bully her.
Barbara hesitated at my words. That frustratingly passive attitude of hers grated on me.
"I-I don't mind if others misunderstand, though."
A blush colored her cheeks. I chewed the sandwich mechanically, not tasting a thing.
"There's one thing I'm curious about, Barbara."
"P-Please, ask!"
She answered, startled. She did have a certain charm when she acted like this.
"Knowing that anyone who gets close to you gets swept up in an Android rampage—why do you keep approaching me? Do you want me to get attacked?"
The rich emotion drained from Barbara's face in an instant. For the briefest moment, I caught a glimpse of a blank, expressionless mask. What it truly meant, I couldn't say.
"I-I'm sorry, Luka. I... I just didn't want to b-believe that I was cursed. I guess... you believe in the curse too, Luka."
"I don't believe in curses. But it's a fact that getting close to you leads to accidents. I've experienced it firsthand, after all."
"I don't know either. Why... why these things keep happening..."
I tried to read her true intentions, but it wasn't easy. I needed to strike more directly at her emotions.
"The reason Calesa bullied you so relentlessly was because Giselle put her up to it."
I said it hoping to crack her composure.
"...I already know that."
Barbara said it calmly. It was I who ended up surprised instead.
For once, my prediction had missed the mark.
"Do you know why Giselle hates you?" I asked, as though interrogating her.
Barbara lifted her head and beamed. In that instant, a chill crawled down my spine.
"Luka, is there any reason I should tell you thaaat?"
Perhaps Barbara was far more calculating, far deeper, than either Giselle or Calesa. A strange, creeping dread radiated from this girl who stood a full head shorter than me.
'But among them is a monster in sheep's clothing. An aberrant monster far more terrifying than any mere wolf.'
Those words came back to me. Perhaps the monster was much closer than I'd ever imagined.