The Theft Incident
Monday came around again, just as it always did. Bayul had left the manor early in the morning, and for the entire carriage ride he kept his eyes on the scenery outside. It was on the off chance he might catch a glimpse of Black — a hope that turned out to be wasted. By the time he reached the Academy, he hadn't seen so much as a single passing dog, let alone Black.
―We're here!
The moment the carriage stopped, Innocent shrieked and shot up into the air. She'd spent the whole weekend whining about how boring the manor was, and apparently she had recovered from her sulk just fine, too. Once again, her anger had dissipated on its own.
―We have to go play at the Water Garden!
"Bayul!"
Even at this early hour, the front gates were crowded with a fair number of students. Parting through them came Eli, guitar slung over his shoulder, waving a hand in greeting.
"Eli!"
It had only been a single day apart, and yet it felt like a month. Bayul sprinted straight toward him.
"You're here already? Were you waiting for me?"
"Got here a little while ago. Figured I'd hang around just in case."
Eli wore a picture-perfect smile as he smoothed down Bayul's hair, ruffled from the run.
"Where's Innocent? Is she here?"
"She came with me, but she headed straight for the Water Garden. She's been dying to go since yesterday."
"What's even at the Water Garden that she's so obsessed with it? Does she have a friend there or something?"
"No idea, but she says she likes the temperature of the water."
"The temperature?"
"Yeah. She says it relaxes her? Sounds less like playing and more like going there to rest."
"You have been looking worn out from training lately. Hello there!"
When Eli flashed a smile at a group of girls passing by, their cheeks flushed as if on cue. It was a routine occurrence whenever he was around.
"Actually, I was thinking the same thing, so I took it easy over the weekend. There was another reason too, though."
"What other reason?"
"My uncle sent a new escort knight. And since we happened to be hiring new servants at the same time, there were a lot of eyes on the house, you could say."
"Your uncle sent an escort knight? Not your father?"
"...He tends to worry a lot."
"Watching out for his nephew so attentively — he must be a kind man."
"He is. A warm person."
The only one I have.
Bayul forced a bright smile as he looked up at Eli.
"Hey, guys!"
Just then, a welcome voice rang out for the two of them. They turned quickly to find Aidan and Quinn walking up together.
"Quinn! Aidan!"
"How come you two came together?"
"Ran into each other down the hill. Hehe, hitched a ride on his carriage. Thanks, Quinn!"
Aidan offered his gratitude, but Quinn didn't so much as nod. He simply stood there, stiff and silent, wearing that same cold expression as always.
"Did you have a good time with your sister?"
"Ugh, don't even ask. Clara dragged me around all day, and I'm dead tired. Playing with little kids is seriously not for me."
"Weren't you the one who called that 'healing' just the other week?"
"Or did you forget when I said working a part-time job would be easier?"
"No, I didn't forget. I remember the look on your face when you said it, too."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"How about you, Quinn? You said you had something important to take care of. Did it go well?"
"Oh right, you did leave early because you were busy. Did everything work out?"
"Why would I need to tell you that?"
"...Huh?"
"Keep your pointless curiosity to yourself."
All Quinn had been asked was a simple how-are-you, and his response landed like a sharp thorn. It wasn't just his tone — cold air was practically blasting off his entire body.
"What's his deal? Bad mood from the crack of dawn?"
Eli scowled as he watched the back of Quinn's head disappear through the school gates. Part of him wanted to fire off a jab, but something about the atmosphere made it feel like Quinn was better left untouched, so he held back.
"Did something not go well with his errand?"
"Errand? What errand?"
"No idea. His face was already sour from the bottom of the hill."
"His face is always like that, though."
"...Could it be something with the merfolk?"
Bayul spoke worriedly, his eyes still lingering on Quinn's retreating figure.
"It's possible he got some bad news over the weekend, right?"
"Hm. You think something's happened to the Mermaid Kingdom's royal family?"
"Have either of you heard anything about the merfolk lately?"
At Eli's question, Bayul and Aidan both shook their heads. The nation bordered the Empire and came up often in history class, but as a beast-folk country, there had never been much opportunity to study it in depth.
"Well, I can't exactly tell you without knowing what it is. Anyway, his mood is cold enough to pierce the sky."
"Let's just give him time. He'll talk about it someday, when he's ready."
"Quinn? Don't make me laugh."
As if to say such hope was never on the table in the first place, Eli waved his hand in dismissal, and Aidan nodded in agreement without a single second of hesitation. Bayul had said the same thing, but in truth, his thoughts weren't so different from Eli's.
"By the way, what's that you're holding? Where'd the luggage come from?"
"Oh, this?"
Aidan was cradling a bundle in his arms that looked heavy enough to be a struggle just to carry, holding it as reverently as one might hold a sacred relic.
"Ehehe. Almost forgot about it."
"What's with that idiotic grin? Don't tell me you hauled back a mountain of chocolate?"
"Nope. Something a hundred times better than that."
"A hundred times?"
"Yeah. When I think about everything I went through to get this, honestly, it brings tears to my eyes."
Making exaggerated sniffles, Aidan clutched the bundle even tighter to his chest.
"What is it, then? Go on, unwrap it and show us."
"Not here. It'll get dusty."
"So what if it gets a little dusty? You wipe it off. Since when were you such a neat freak?"
It had been none other than this very guy who'd recommended a pasture full of livestock dung as a training ground. For the boy who trod carelessly through 'that' to start lecturing about dust was simply absurd, in Eli's opinion.
"Do you even know how precious this is? You couldn't buy it with all the money in the world!"
"If it can't be bought with money, how'd you get it? Someone give it to you?"
"Well, sort of. It cost me every last coin I'd saved up, on top of that."
"You said you didn't buy it, so why'd you get fleeced for money? Your story doesn't add up."
"Have any of you ever seen a demon? Because I have. Just yesterday, in fact. If demons really exist, they'd look exactly like that guy!"
"Where's this random demon talk coming from? Who hit you on the head? Why are you suddenly spouting nonsense? Wait — no, that can't be it. You're way too unharmed for that to be the case."
"Stop judging people by their outsides and look at what's inside. Can't you see my bruised heart?"
"You got bruised? Where?"
Eli stopped dead in his tracks and, without warning, yanked open Aidan's shirt. It all happened so fast there was no time to dodge. His tie went crooked, and three or four buttons popped free of their holes in an instant.
"Hey, now, this is quite a sight."
That was when a face they'd all rather not have seen appeared. Jared came swaggering up with his lackeys and a crowd of other students in tow, and they formed a ring around the three of them.
"What's this, then? Planning to jump us all at once?"
Their glares and bearing were so ferocious it seemed they might lunge at any moment. What was strange was that every single one of those hostile eyes was fixed on Aidan.
"Obviously! Little punks who run wild without a clue about the world deserve a good beating!"
"How dare you covet what isn't yours? Maybe I'll snap that wrist of yours clean in two!"
"Let's stomp him flat so he can't pull any more dirty tricks! Finish him off today, once and for all!"
"This is exactly why my mother told me never to associate with the poor. I felt sorry for them and played along nicely, and this is how they repay me? Backstabbing ingrates! Ugh, I'm furious!"
"Did you really think you'd get away with thieving forever? Do you even know how much the things you stole were worth?"
It followed the same pattern as before. Jared would open his mouth, and his lackeys would pile on with raised voices. Most of it was utter nonsense, but branding someone a thief — that was a first, even for them.
"What did you all just say? What exactly did Aidan do?"
"Are your ears plugged? You heard us fine — what's with the questions?"
"I'm asking because it's too ridiculous to believe. This guy, a thief? You expect me to buy that?"
"If you don't believe it, ask him yourself. Hey, runt. How about you say something for once?"
At Jared's smirking taunt, the corners of Aidan's mouth lifted for the first time. It was too laughable — laughable beyond words. A frame-up, of all things, was the best scheme he could come up with? How utterly tiresome. It was almost disappointing.
"You've been so quiet lately — turns out this was what you were preparing? In that case, I'm truly let down."
"Don't even think about wriggling out of this. Everyone here is a victim."
"Everyone except you?"
"Lucky me, huh?"
"Hah! Now that you mention it, I'm suddenly dying to know what I supposedly stole. So? What exactly did I take that got this whole pack of dogs swarming after me?"
"You, of all people, should know best what you took."
"Got any evidence? Oh — or did you prepare that in advance, too?"
That would explain it — that must have been why even the boys he was ordinarily friendly with had joined in. Aidan looked at them spitting curses through faces twisted with betrayal, his gaze turning bitter.
If it were me, I would have asked first.
No — I simply would have trusted him.
A helpless ache welled up in him at the sight of their choice, so unlike his own.
"This is why you should know your place instead of enrolling at the Academy and stirring up trouble. A man has to understand his station, you know. Do you really think the likes of you belong here? A pine caterpillar lives on pine needles — that's just how the world works. You tried to reach beyond your means, couldn't handle it, and now look — you've resorted to theft. Hmm?"
"These idiots see one crack and all pile on at once. This isn't Aidan! Why are you pinning slander on an innocent person? All of you, get lost!"
"That's my line. Now, if you'd kindly step aside, you low-born gypsy. You're dragging the whole atmosphere down."
"The most low-born thing here is you, Jared. What good does a fine family do when your head's not screwed on right? I can see the gloomy future of House Hector from here, oh yes, I can."
"Worry about yourself and hand over the stolen goods, would you? Where'd you hide them? Sold it all off already? Don't tell me you traded it for that thing in your arms?"
At Jared's remark, every eye in the crowd swung toward the bundle in Aidan's arms.
"What are you carrying? Looks pretty valuable."
"This belonged to my family in the first place! So mind your own business!"
"We'll know once we unwrap it, won't we?"
"What did you say?"
"Boys!"
At Jared's bark, the students lunged at Aidan as if they'd been waiting for the signal.
"H-hey, let go! I told you, it's mine!"
Even Aidan, who had stood defiant the entire time, couldn't help but falter in that moment. He had carried that precious bundle all this way, cherishing it for fear it might gather so much as a speck of dust. Because of it, he had suffered endless torment — he'd even struck a bargain with a demon.
And now these shameless louts were drooling over it?
"Touch it and I'll kill every last one of you!"
Aidan shouted, but there was no chance anyone would listen. It was a whole crowd against just the three of them. Shoving aside Bayul and Eli as they struggled to intervene, the boys finally tore the bundle from Aidan's arms.
"Jared, over here!"
The bundle was laid at Jared's feet like an offering before a king.
"Unwrap it."
Jared grinned with obvious satisfaction at the scene and gave the order.