Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Geography and Ecology of Hazard Island
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A short while later.
Collette arrived, carrying fresh water for me to drink, a change of clothes, and the academic book on *Geography and Ecology of Hazard Island* that I'd asked her to borrow. She beamed at me.
“Do you need anything else?”
I shook my head instead of answering.
She knew this was a difficult situation for me to respond in, so she didn't mind my seemingly rude behavior.
“If you're going to read, let me prop you up with a few more pillows. It's not usually allowed, but—I want to do whatever the Executor desires.”
With that, Collette lifted my upper body slightly using her arms and slipped two large pillows underneath.
She then placed the book on the U-shaped side table so I could read comfortably from the bed.
Having finished her tasks, Collette gave a light bow and left the room with a cheerful wave.
*I'm reluctant to get used to it, but it's comfortable.*
In a situation where I couldn't move my body freely, how alluring was the presence of a caregiver who moved like my own limbs?
Even if that devotion stemmed from a misunderstanding about me.
*No helping it.*
The reason I was deceiving Collette right now was because my instincts sensed a threat to my safety.
The magic circle related to the future had mostly been erased from her, but antagonizing her over it wouldn't benefit me at all.
Following an unconscious warning that I couldn't afford to show such a pathetic side of myself, I'd unilaterally decided to form a strategic alliance with Collette.
“Whew.”
I looked down at the book she'd left behind.
There was only one reason I'd chosen *Geography and Ecology of Hazard Island*.
I didn't want to blatantly reveal what materials I was looking for, so after some deliberation, I'd settled on this roundabout choice—an academic tome on ecology and geography.
*-Flip.*
All I could do now was turn the pages like this.
Confined to the ICU, I couldn't request visits from others, and since my life had been saved by a magical device, I'd have to remain here for a while longer.
Roughly two more days, maybe.
The bracelet, which had been a deep, blood-soaked crimson, had faded considerably.
Once it lightened completely, I'd probably be able to leave this ICU.
*-Flip, flip.*
I busied my hands to hide my anxiety.
At first, I couldn't focus and just flipped through meaningless pages, but as time passed, the content started sinking in.
*The initial form of Hazard Island... too far back.*
The illustrations showed the geography and ecology before Aegis Academy was established.
What I needed was information on Hazard Island at least after the academy's founding.
*I need to find out where that place is.*
It would've been easier if I had Theodore's ability to read quickly.
I carefully read page by page.
Just as I was starting to think the data I wanted wasn't in this book and considering giving up—
〔Ecological Changes Between the Preserved Primordial Hazard Island and the Post-Development New Hazard Island〕
The answer was in an unexpected section.
Perhaps due to security measures under the pretext of military training, Hazard Island's geography wasn't precisely documented, but the “Distribution Map of Island Creatures' Habitats” allowed for some inferences.
〔By the will of King Philip II, the Aegis Academy's main building was constructed without harming Hazard Island's unique rare species and ecology...〕
〔With the completion of the stone structure of the main building of Aegis Academy, the first royal academy, it was decided to transplant certain halophytes...〕
*Wild animals relocated their habitats, wild plants transplanted from their original sites. If that's where Aegis Academy stands...*
It was true that interpreting the data was difficult since I wasn't an expert in geography or ecology.
Fortunately, however, the captions accompanying the illustrations allowed me to roughly infer the academy's location and scale, even if not marked explicitly.
*If I could jot notes down with a pen, it'd be so much easier.*
It wasn't without regret, but piecing together my inferences about where the main academy building had been constructed led to a surprisingly clear conclusion.
*-Thud.*
I closed the book.
My conclusion from reviewing the academic paper was this.
*There's an open clearing the cadets don't know about.*
A place inaccessible by normal means, reachable only through something special—like being swept away by currents after falling into the sea.
I'd never heard of such a vast, bizarre clearing on Hazard Island, but what was even more suspicious was the existence of employees who came and went from it.
That employee who'd kicked me to check my face, as if confirming a washed-up corpse.
As if it were routine...
I touched my bruised shoulder.
Collette must have seen the wound while changing my clothes, but since it was a deep bruise not visible on the surface, she hadn't treated it separately.
Looking down at an awkward angle, the shoulder wound from tumbling down the cliff so much didn't resemble a shoe heel print anymore.
*-Tap, tap, tap.*
I drummed my fingers on the table, organizing my emerging thoughts with numbers.
One, no one knows the employees' true faces.
Two, the employees are skilled operatives in their 20s-30s, trained to move silently.
Three, they clearly possess exceptional abilities.
Four, they guarantee “absolute” secrecy on everything seen and heard at the academy.
Five, they're all accustomed to seeing corpses.
When my thoughts reached that point, the singing from outside the window cut off.
Realizing this, I looked around the room and saw that night had fallen, darkness settling in.
“...”
I'd never once found it strange that the employees had such extraordinary abilities.
Perhaps their excessive politeness and deference had distracted me from questioning it.
I'd assumed they had some level of combat prowess since they lived among naturally magically gifted cadets, but that was the extent of it.
However, connecting the odd events I'd experienced with the various suspicious circumstances—
*The employees are armed with force, premised on subduing cadets...*
Anxiety-induced, my head began to throb again like a vise.
I nearly let out an unconscious groan, but a sharp pain forced my train of thought to veer.
I never imagined how inconvenient it would be not to be able to make noise freely.
Alone, I couldn't escape this place or shout for help.
The terrifying sensation of my bodily functions being stripped away one by one gripped me.
*Voice, limbs, what's next? Sight and touch? Then after that...?*
Was the guardian angel trying to isolate my self from my body?
Unable to withstand the headache, I writhed unconsciously and kicked the side table with a flare of burning pain.
*-Crash!*
The table didn't topple, but the book on it rolled to the floor.
Without me even ringing the bell, Collette burst in upon hearing the noise.
“Oh my god, Executor.”
Was she on night duty?
Unlike yesterday when she'd tucked her hair neatly under her cap, her hair was loosely tied back as she swiftly pulled the side table away and held my flailing shoulder from the side.
“Has a revelation come? Or is it that chronic illness that torments you, Executor? It's okay, it's okay. You'll get better...”
Realizing it was a headache-related symptom as I clutched my head, she pressed certain spots on it while still holding my shoulder.
Each time, a sweet scent wafted from her.
“I was about to head home, but I'm glad I stayed late... Do you need anything else? I can help...”
The pain sorted itself out in an instant, but my anxiety didn't subside.
What I wanted right now was time alone.
I didn't voice that inner thought...
But Collette continued murmuring unintelligible words in a soft, singsong voice.
“Saints all endure hardships, you know. I knew you'd recognize it... If you were an Aegis Academy cadet, you'd have spotted it faster.”
“St-stop...”
“Could I be of help in fulfilling your mission? It's in the scriptures too. Like the disciple who testified to Saint Johanna's innocence, or the girl who gave Saint Martin a cup of water...”
“I...”
“Shh—now sleep. You're running a fever.”
Collette soon patted my shoulder and began singing a lullaby with a repeating short melody. It had a strangely regional accent.
I gave up resisting my heavy eyelids.
Instead, just before drifting off, I noted the bracelet's color had shifted to a light pink.
Seeing signs I was falling asleep, Collette cleared the table and book away, then drew all the curtains around my bed.
Submerged in darkness, sleep came surprisingly quickly.
.
.
.
The next day.
The bracelet's color had turned red again.
It probably meant my condition was quite poor.
Perhaps the headache yesterday had been a precursor.
Anxiety rose that I might be stuck in this ICU forever, but judging by Collette's reaction, my state wasn't as bad as I'd thought.
“It's going smoothly. At this rate, maybe—you could even attend the graduation ceremony, even if just briefly.”
“...Graduation ceremony?”
To minimize my pain, Collette chatted with me to distract my thoughts while swiftly changing my bandages.
Of course, I let out “Ugh, ugh” groans each time, but her hands didn't slow.
“Yes. There was that accident at the Full Moon Festival, but they can't postpone the graduation ceremony just because of that.”
Encouraging me to hang in there and recover faster, Collette added,
“Ah—and if the dispatched priest treats you properly, you might be discharged even sooner.”
“Dispatched priest?”
“Well, the Black Lily House cadets aren't official priests, right? So it might not heal fully. We've requested one through proper channels. You didn't know?”
Now that she mentioned it, I recalled the argument between Yudit and the doctor on my first day of admission.
Theodore, who'd gone to the mainland for his internship, had failed to get help, but I'd teetered on the brink of death here on the island and gotten it done easily.
There had been a quicker way, yet we'd suffered unnecessarily.
Drugged with painkillers, I spent another hazy day in a daze.