Zero Gems, Oh Shit
As thoughts of the young ladies coming to visit me at my sickbed flitted through my mind, the first thing that came into view was a plain, unadorned ceiling. It took a solid three seconds before I registered my situation. Ah, so I passed out.Shit. Lady Tiabel must be worried out of her mind.
"Ugh…." I groaned, struggling to prop myself up, but the best I could manage was leaning against the headboard. My body didn't actually hurt anywhere. I was just completely drained of mana, leaving me too weak to move properly. I rolled my shoulders, trying to coax some life back into my limbs, when a strange creaking sound caught my ear.
Screeech….
I turned toward the noise and spotted a familiar face peeking through the half-open door of the infirmary room.
"…Aren?"
"Oh, hey, milady."
I waved cheerfully at Tiabel, who stood there frozen like she'd seen a ghost. She rushed over with a look like she was about to burst into tears, and we had our tearful reunion….
"What do you mean 'oh, hey, milady'? Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
…or not. I got an earful instead. I'd half-expected it.
"Sorry for making you worry. But hey, I'm alive and back, so that's what counts, right?"
"Counts my ass! When I heard you'd collapsed, I was scared half to death!"
"Come on, milady. You know you're supposed to keep quiet in the infirmary. Calm down, yeah?"
I laid on the charm extra thick to soothe her. She was still fuming, huffing and puffing, but she eventually plopped down gracefully in the chair beside my bed.
"…I heard from Lady Bronheim. She said you got hurt shielding her from the explosion."
Lady Bronheim? Looked like they'd gotten chummy enough to drop the formalities. Taking it as a good sign, I flashed a grin.
"Aw, don't say it like that—it makes it sound like I got hurt because of you, milady. You saved my skin too, so we helped each other out."
"I know. She told me. But that was still way too reckless. What if something had gone wrong?"
Truth be told, I hadn't had time to think that far ahead. I'd just yanked Duchess Bronheim into my arms on pure instinct to protect her. But if I said that now, I'd probably get smacked. Honesty wasn't the best policy here.
"You don't need a reason to protect someone. You would've done the same, milady."
"…Yeah, I guess I would. Sorry. That was a dumb question."
Quoting some cheesy anime line from my past life had worked like a charm. Thank goodness for my pure-hearted lady. It felt a bit like tricking a little sister, which left a weird aftertaste, but hey, crisis averted.
"Anyway, what happened with the exam?"
"It got canceled. The proctors rushed in as soon as Lady Bronheim explained, and they personally escorted all the students out."
"Man, they must've had their work cut out for them."
There were probably about ten proctors at most. Picturing them scrambling to round up nearly three hundred students made me feel a pang of sympathy. Then again, it was their fault for letting a terrorist slip inside in the first place. Reap what you sow.
"What about the investigation into the terrorist?"
"They're looking into it, but no leads. The explosion obliterated everything, bodies and all."
"Yeah, figures."
I'd half-expected that, but it still left a bitter taste. Even if the bastard had faked his way through the entrance exam and infiltrated as a freshman, his identity was probably ironclad. Guess I'd have to settle for saving the protagonist and one heroine.
"Speaking of, what time is it? It's pretty dark outside."
"Seven."
"Already? Have you eaten?"
"You think I could eat with you looking like this?"
She shot me a glare sharp enough to cut glass, like I'd asked the stupidest question ever. Realizing I'd poked the bear, I averted my eyes. With a heavy sigh, she stood up.
"You need to eat anyway. I'll go grab some food. Wait here—we'll eat together."
"Thanks. My stomach was just about to start eating my spine."
Her news put a smile on my face. She glared daggers at me one last time as she left the room, like she had plenty more to say but was holding back for now.
Phew, crisis dodged. Now, while I waited for her to come back, time to sort my thoughts. Two big questions stood out. First: the identity of that guy I ran into today—or more precisely, the group he belonged to. Second: what the hell they were after.
The first one was basically unsolvable for now. The academy's investigators had skills, but if they'd come up empty so far, I sure as hell wasn't cracking it solo. The second— their goal—was trickier. Were they just sowing chaos from the inside, stirring up shit for fun? Or were they gunning for Theo, the protagonist?
Should I just ask him outright?
His shady answer at the entrance ceremony flashed in my mind, souring my mood. I wanted to grab him by the collar and yell, "Hey, dude, what the hell were you hiding back there?" But fat chance he'd spill. It'd just stir up trouble. Best to play it cool and watch how things unfolded.
Knock knock.
"Yes? Who's there?"
Lost in thought, I responded to the knock. Tiabel wouldn't have bothered knocking—maybe the doctor? Before I could tilt my head further, a familiar voice came through.
—It's Bronheim. May I come in?
"Duchess? Yeah, come on in."
It was none other than Duchess Silvena Bronheim. With permission granted, she eased the door open and stepped inside, carrying a small fruit basket.
"I ran into Roze Tail on the way. She said you'd woken up."
"You saw milady? Ah, have a seat first."
"If you insist."
She sat in the chair Tiabel had just vacated and set the basket on the side table.
"I heard what happened. Sorry you went through all that trouble because of me."
"Trouble? Compared to you saving my life, it's nothing. How's your body holding up?"
"Fine. Just low on mana, so I'm a bit weak, that's all."
"Good to hear. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't have been able to face Roze Tail."
They'd gotten close enough to drop titles and go by family names casually. Nice.
"……."
"……."
…Why was the vibe so weird? Maybe it was my imagination, but Duchess Bronheim seemed… awkward around me. Was she still feeling guilty, thinking it was her fault I ended up like this?
"Uh, Duchess."
"Y-yeah? Did you call me?"
"Sorry if I'm off base, but are you still feeling bad about it? You seem kinda distant."
I went straight for it—no beating around the bush. We weren't close enough for "distant" to fit perfectly, but it was the best word I had.
Her eyes went wide, and she waved her hands frantically.
"N-no, it's not that. Well, I am still sorry, but not in the way you think. I mean…."
Whoa, the ice queen herself, fumbling and rambling like this? A historic discovery. She didn't seem like the type to lie, so I could relax. If only I could lift that guilt off her shoulders, but forcing it wouldn't help. Best leave it be.
"Take it easy. My bad for bringing it up and confusing you."
"It's not your fault. Blame my poor way with words."
She scratched her cheek with an index finger, looking sheepish as she gauged my reaction. Like she had something else to say. I cocked my head, and she took it as her cue.
"…Anyway, think you can make it to classes starting tomorrow? The class placement exam got halted, but regular lessons resume as scheduled."
"Yeah, nothing's really wrong, so I could discharge today if I wanted. No point dragging it out and showing up late—everyone else will already be buddies by then, leaving me on the outs."
"You've got a recklessly boyish streak."
"Guilty as charged."
I shrugged. No point hanging around longer; nothing dramatic was gonna happen here. Back in college, skipping orientation had turned me into a total loner for half a year. I knew how crucial these early days were. I didn't need to be Mr. Popular, but at least I wanted to exchange names and chat with my classmates.
"…Huh?"
Wait a sec. Classmates?
Come to think of it….
"Duchess."
"What is it?"
Something felt off, so I called her cautiously. Her response felt oddly warm. Imagination?
"You said the exam got halted. So how'd they do class placements? Anything on that?"
"Roze Tail didn't tell you?"
"Nope."
I was too busy getting chewed out to ask. I just nodded.
No way they were making us retake it, right? Tomorrow's first day suggested otherwise.
"From what I heard, they based it on results up to the point of interruption."
"…Pardon?"
Her unexpected words hit me like a sucker punch to the back of the head.
Up to the interruption? If memory served….
I hadn't collected a single gem, had I?
Oh, shit.