Chapter 139: Variables (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: Variables (1)
As soon as lunchtime arrived, I headed straight for the principal's office. I even skipped lunch.
My original plan was to meet up with my club members and have a casual chat. But then, an urgent summons came from Medea.
She was going back on her own words from yesterday, when she had texted me: Geomma, just enjoy your academy life from now on!
It was likely something very serious, urgent, or both.
Are there still minor villains left? Or maybe some lackeys of the elders.
I felt inside my coat. A hard sensation. As if hungry for human blood, Sashimi cried out plaintively.
"...Am I really going crazy?"
Why did I reach for Sashimi first? Even if it was an unconscious reaction, groping for a blade first thing... No, and since when did my habits become so savage?
A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and the strength drained from my fingertips. Reality hit me hard.
"That damn synchronization rate is a pain in the ass."
Tsk. I clicked my tongue. The synchronization rate of the [Blessing of the Sword God] was on a steady upward trajectory. Every time it rose, my Humanity Rank dropped in real-time.
Looking at it yesterday, I was only a step or two away from 35%, the next unlock threshold. Perhaps due to the rising sense of crisis, my eyelids trembled as I stared at the status window.
If it was already like this before even crossing the halfway mark, what would I become later on? By then, I felt like I would truly resort to the sword without a single word.
Even if the rising synchronization rate is considered a growth factor, is there really no way to stop the decline of my Humanity Rank...?
I had gripped Sashimi just to struggle and survive. But in return, my humanity was melting away as fast as a burning candle.
Abandoning my humanity just to survive... It was ironic in so many ways.
Lost in these thoughts, I soon arrived at the principal's office.
The secretary, who was always waiting at the desk in front of the office door, was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone to eat since it was lunchtime.
Knock, knock, knock. I tapped on the door three times. Before I knew it, European knocking etiquette (?) had naturally become second nature to me.
"It's Kang Geomma."
"Oh~ Come on in."
An alluring voice drifted from beyond the door. I flinched, my hand still on the doorknob.
Unlike her urgent text message, her voice dripped with a sultry, relaxed ease.
An absurd situation. A strong sense of déjà vu washed over me. Before opening the door, I had to make sure.
"Principal, if you aren't properly dressed like last time, I'm just going to turn back."
"……."
"I came because you said it was urgent. Surely you wouldn't call a cadet during lunchtime just to play a prank."
"……."
"Principal Medea?"
A sudden silence fell. Rustle. After the soft sound of fabric brushing against itself, her voice drifted out once more.
"Come in……."
"Yes, ma'am."
The moment I stepped into the office, I checked Medea's attire. The buttons of her robe were meticulously fastened all the way to the top.
Medea welcomed me with a goofy grin.
"Wow—our Geomma, how long has it been! I know kids grow fast these days, but you really look different by the day. Did you get taller?"
"My height is the same, but I think it's because I lost some weight."
"What?! You were already slender, and you came back even thinner? Did that old geezer starve you or something?"
"I ate well. It's just... a lot happened in Switzerland. Plus, I worked out consistently. So instead of just losing weight, I gained more muscle."
"Hmm—but at your age, having a bit of baby fat looks good. For a teenager, eating well and staying healthy is all that matters!"
"Yes……."
We caught up like that for a few minutes. Then, Medea's expression turned serious. She spoke quietly.
"I have two main things to tell you, Geomma. Good news and ambiguous news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Medea held up two slender fingers in a V-sign. Her index finger likely represented the good news, and her middle finger the ambiguous news.
"I'll hear the ambiguous news first."
"I knew you'd be curious about that one first."
Medea smiled faintly and folded her middle finger.
"First of all, to be clear, it's just ambiguous for now, not bad news. It's just that if things keep going this way, the situation might get a bit complicated..."
Medea bit her lower lip slightly.
"Anyway, I can tell you this much for sure. Geomma, if anything happens that harms you, I will absolutely not stand by and watch."
"Thank you for looking out for me."
"Oh, don't thank me~ It's only natural as an educator. Anyway, this ambiguous news is related to the text I sent you last night. I mentioned a lot of things, but this is about the Hero Association. You remember, right?"
"That you're collaborating with the Hero Association to root out the remaining lackeys."
"Right. As I said, those Association bastards are strictly by-the-book and rigid, but everyone acknowledges they do their job well, in many ways. They built up their capabilities to make up for their short history. If they couldn't even do their jobs, do you think those high-and-mighty noble bastards and bitches would have let them be?"
"I suppose so."
I nodded in agreement.
"And those competent Association bastards have an incredibly sharp nose. If they suspect someone, they dig into them with relentless persistence. That's where the problem arises..."
"Are you saying they're keeping an eye on me, Principal?"
"…Yeah. It seems the Association has caught wind, however faintly, of your involvement in the subjugation of the 5th Corps Commander. I only found out about this myself this morning. If I had known, I wouldn't have accepted their offer to help in the first place."
Medea let out a heavy sigh. Thumping her chest in frustration, she moistened her throat with some green tea and continued.
"But do you know what's funny? An Association executive actually came to me in person to deliver this notice. That they are keeping a close eye on you, Geomma. That's why I said this news is ambiguous."
"The Association told you openly? Why?"
"Funny, isn't it? Actually, this is more the 'Spear Saint's way' of doing things rather than the 'Association's way'. That gorilla has always said, 'Slinking around and digging behind someone's back is unmanly!' I can't believe he's still like that even as an old man... Honestly, neither that old geezer nor that gorilla will ever grow up."
The Sword Emperor had mentioned it once. Did he say the Association President and the Vice Association President, the Spear Saint, were keeping an eye on me?
After all, they were even separately calculating my 【H.P.】, something that normally wouldn't be assigned to a cadet.
Somehow, the scale of this keeps getting bigger.
Not long ago, I was just an ordinary citizen, but now I had become the focus of attention for global heavyweights. It was a feeling hard to describe.
"But this isn't entirely bad for us. The Spear Saint keeping an eye on you, Geomma, is likely a favorable sign. That could work to your advantage later when you succeed as a Seven Stars Hero."
Medea said, rubbing her temples.
"Among the Seven Stars, if the old geezer, the gorilla, and I push for you, it'll be hard for anyone to object. Though Kojima is a bit of a problem... Honestly, he's the most troublesome one."
While speaking, Medea suddenly turned her head to look at the wall clock. There were less than ten minutes left of lunchtime.
"Ah, we've talked for too long. Let me quickly tell you the good news too."
Medea's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"You don't have to worry about tuition and living expenses anymore!"
I just blinked, staring at her, wondering what she meant.
As I stood there bewildered, a pleasant curve formed on Medea's lips.
"Someone—whoever they are—sent a sponsorship under your name. Tuition, living expenses, and so on will be deposited into your account regularly every month."
"…By any chance, who—"
Medea placed her raised index finger right in the middle of my lips.
"These things are always anonymous."
She winked and added:
"Don't worry too much about money anymore. You're already going through so much at seventeen. A student needs to be able to act like a student."
"……."
"Anyway, our Geomma has made it big! I even heard you got a fan club?! Oh, I'm so proud of you, so proud!"
* * *
At that same time, in the backyard of the Joaquin Academy main building.
Three members of the Travel Club—Saki Ryozo, Speed Weapon, and San Hana—had gathered. It was their first meeting in a month, yet two out of the five were missing.
Weapon asked.
"Where are the president and Chloe? Did the Wolf Class have a separate lesson during lunch today?"
Ryozo briefly explained the absence of the two.
Chloe had family matters, and Kang Geomma had rushed to the principal's office after being summoned by Medea.
"...So they can't make it."
Weapon muttered. He furrowed his brow deeply, lost in thought.
Among the three present, Weapon was the only one who knew the inside story of the night of the purge.
On that day, Elder Cladi was purged, but the Auditore family had also suffered casualties. It was a major disaster in which as many as ten assassins had died.
Thus, it was only natural for Chloe, a member of the Auditore family, to join them late.
She was probably roaming far and wide right now, assassinating the remnants.
He could clearly picture her hamster-like face as she expressionlessly stabbed her enemies.
"……."
Just imagining it made him shrink back like a turtle. Weapon shook his head violently to dispel the horror movie playing in his mind.
...And.
The reason Kang Geomma was called by the principal on the very first day of the second semester? Weapon could easily guess that as well.
Kang Geomma was playing in a different league now. Even now, the declaration the president had made was vivid in his mind.
'After all, I'm the next Seven Stars to succeed the Sword Emperor.'
His heart pounded just thinking about that moment. As a fellow club member and as a man, Weapon felt a burning sense of romance from those words.
To be touted as the next Seven Stars at seventeen. It was like something straight out of a shonen manga. What's more, among the cadets, Weapon was the only one who knew this.
However, Weapon, who was naturally prone to oversharing, constantly felt his mouth itching to speak.
He wanted to go somewhere and scream, "My friend, Kang Geomma, is the next Seven Stars!" Every single day, Weapon desperately needed a bamboo forest to vent.
But Weapon held back that desire. Not only had Kang Geomma requested it, but if it were revealed, it would cause too massive a storm.
To Weapon, friendship was several times more important than personal desires. If a man betrays loyalty, he's nothing but a lightweight.
Still, it was hard to completely shake off the lingering regret. To think so few people knew of Kang Geomma's heroic exploits.
The president isn't getting all the recognition he rightfully deserves...
Weapon scratched his head vigorously. Unlike Kang Geomma, the actual person involved, he was the one feeling suffocated. His insides were burning up.
Damn it.
As Weapon's expression shifted by the second, Ryozo narrowed her eyes.
Ryozo immediately interrogated him.
"What is it? You look like you're hiding something."
"W-what do you mean? What would I be hiding!"
Weapon shook his head vigorously. Ryozo's eyes narrowed even further, and then she let out a smirk.
"Don't ever try to lie to anyone. It's written all over your face. And besides, even if you did hide something, what could it possibly be? At most, some dirty magazine hidden under your bed."
"……."
...How did she know?
Weapon stared at Ryozo with eyes that had grown three times larger. Watching this scene, San Hana only offered a faint smile.
Step, step.
Suddenly, footsteps approached the Travel Club. As the sound grew clearer, the members' gazes shifted all at once.
It was a female cadet. Silver hair cascading past her shoulders and black eyes with a subtle, peculiar gleam. Her somewhat unusual appearance instantly captured the attention of those around her.
Just as Weapon was thinking, I've never seen black eyes on anyone except Kang Geomma, she stepped right up to them.
? ? ?
Question marks popped up over the heads of the Travel Club members.
The female cadet scanned their faces with quiet eyes, then tilted her head.
"Where's this Kang Geomma guy?"
Looking around and confirming Kang Geomma's absence once more, the silver-haired girl muttered with a disappointed expression.
"I even skipped lunch and searched for an hour just to see him."