Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Responsibility
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‘Did I bring Arthur along for no reason?’
On the way from the great hall to the chancellor’s office.
A long corridor stretched out beneath a high ceiling adorned with holy paintings crafted by master artisans between the pillars.
At the front of that corridor strode Sir Reynolds, followed by me in my wheelchair being pulled by Judith, with Makina and Arthur flanking us on either side—an impressive procession.
Employees coming and going from the preparation room (armed, of course) and a few cadets helping with the graduation ceremony preparations bowed their heads upon spotting the chancellor.
“Arthur, if you’re tired, you can head back now.”
I glanced sideways at Arthur, who had his lips pressed tightly together and his brow slightly furrowed, then spoke.
Arthur turned his head slightly and looked down at me without a word.
Those gray eyes, nearly silver, exuded an intimidating pressure every time I met them.
Was it a backlash from the few clashes we’d had by coincidence, or an instinctual warning…?
“I’m fine.”
With his hair neatly tied back and dressed in his formal uniform, Arthur himself was a point of pride for Aegis Academy.
Young, handsome, and strong—Arthur surely deserved a brilliant future ahead.
Yet the future I knew for Arthur was anything but.
The fear of a destiny I alone had to bear crept up on me once more.
“You might want to go to the hospital wing. The facilities are great there.”
On top of that, there were nurses who were excessively kind.
Though I doubted whether Collette would lavish the same devoted care on Arthur.
Still, it wasn’t as if there were no options at all.
Once Arthur became an Executor, he’d naturally receive that kind of attention, encouragement, and meticulous nursing care…
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but… no.”
“Fine, hate it all you want. I never asked to end up like this either.”
Well said.
I’d never once begged to become an Executor of Aegis.
And as a result of all that adoration, here I was, confined to a wheelchair after climbing a burning wooden tower barefoot.
-Jolt!
Judith was trying her best to maneuver the wheelchair smoothly, but this corridor hadn’t been designed with patient mobility in mind from the start.
Gardening equipment and tools strewn about for decorating the graduation hall littered the floor here and there, making it no easy task to weave the wheelchair through them.
In truth, Judith would find it easier to carry the wheelchair than to push it.
The fact that she wasn’t doing so was purely out of consideration for me.
‘But Makina back then—’
Makina, who had attended the Full Moon Festival and watched me burn right in front of her.
Even in my dazed state, our eyes had definitely met.
She had seemed to say something to me then—was that just my imagination, fueled by the euphoria of the moment?
“Makina, back then—”
“Please endure just one more day.”
The moment I tried to speak to Makina, she opened her mouth almost simultaneously.
“One day?”
“Yes. By then, dispatched priests from outside the island should arrive.”
Dispatched priests were coming.
That meant we could finally request proper help.
Yet instead of relief, I sank into a certain unease.
‘What if nothing changes this time either?’
Learned helplessness led me to prejudge an outcome that hadn’t even happened yet.
It was then, as I belatedly tried to respond to Makina, that I realized she was staring at my lower body, covered by the blanket.
“It’s not as serious as it looks.”
“…Normally, an injury like that should be treatable at my level.”
Makina muttered something and placed her hand on my shoulder.
I didn’t know exactly what it was, but judging by how Judith and Arthur flinched, it must have been magic.
Regardless of Sir Reynolds’s evident discomfort up ahead, Makina stayed focused on me.
“It’s no good after all.”
“Makina Christie.”
“Sorry. I just can’t make sense of this situation either.”
At what sounded like a warning from Judith, Makina shrugged.
“The mood’s tense. I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”
“……”
Judith fell silent afterward, pushing the wheelchair wordlessly.
We passed through the garden—fenced on both sides with wooden barriers where faculty mostly walked—and headed for the chancellor’s office.
***
“So, what is it you want?”
No matter how many times I saw it, it was a pitch-black room.
Whether the wood was naturally that dark or treated to appear so, I couldn’t tell, but every time I came here, I got this strange feeling like I’d wandered into a place I wasn’t supposed to be.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“What else?”
“Shouldn’t you at least explain what happened, outline plans to prevent a recurrence, or maybe even apologize? I got hurt like this participating in an academy event.”
I deliberately banged loudly on the wheelchair’s armrest, and Sir Reynolds let out a scoffing chuckle.
I couldn’t fathom why an adult like him had to act so brazenly.
Then again, thinking about it, all the ‘adults’ on Hazard Island had always been like that.
I kept a close eye on my companions to ensure they didn’t explode in anger and escalate things on my behalf.
Specifically, Judith’s expression.
‘She’s in full danger mode.’
Ever since she’d drawn her sword in front of the employees, Judith’s face hadn’t relaxed once.
That’s why I was anxiously watching to make sure she didn’t try to resolve what I couldn’t, only to get herself in trouble like Shirley might have.
‘Arthur, you’ll stay put, right?’
Please.
Fortunately, Arthur looked more tired than usual but showed no signs of suddenly flying into a rage and lunging at me or Sir Reynolds.
“They say the issue was with the incense oil used.”
His tone sounded like he was trying to pin the blame on the cadets.
Makina, naturally, didn’t let that slide.
“Incense oil? The Full Moon Festival uses the same Nad incense every year, doesn’t it? It’s never caused problems in past festivals. And that doesn’t even make sense—Saint Johanna’s shroud is enchanted to protect the wearer.”
As Makina interjected, Sir Reynolds glared at the two of us in turn.
He must think we’re ganging up on him.
How absurd.
Makina and I weren’t taking sides—we’d publicly debated in front of hundreds of cadets under the pretext of finding the true culprit in a murder case.
“The shroud was handmade by Arma Cruz cadet, per procedure, of course. The consecration to function as Johanna’s shroud was handled by the professors, same as always.”
“Can you take responsibility for what you’re saying?”
“Responsibility? What kind?”
Sir Reynolds’s threat didn’t faze Makina in the slightest.
No, she was even provoking him further, as if daring him to continue.
Cadets distrusting adults, adults distrusting cadets—they were starting to clash.
And this was our current reality.
“The Student Council President Makina will take responsibility for her words.”
Unable to stand it, I cut in.
At my words, both Makina and Sir Reynolds fell silent.
Looking at Sir Reynolds, I said,
“If you first acknowledge, as President Makina says, that Aegis Academy failed in ensuring cadet safety.”
Sir Reynolds’s face twitched.
To be honest, I didn’t see this as entirely the academy’s fault.
It was more like… a natural disaster.
Who could you blame for lightning from the sky or the earth shaking?
Similarly, the guardian angel trying to burn me alive to shatter my mind and possess me wasn’t the school’s fault.
‘But if this goes on, Makina will be in trouble.’
I didn’t think Makina had spoken without thinking.
However, I judged that she shouldn’t openly antagonize Sir Reynolds like this.
After all, I’d decided to bring Makina to my side.
“To be frank, if I’d at least known how to use magic, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Lighting a fire on a wooden tower was a recklessly dangerous idea, not just some academy ploy to stimulate apathetic cadets.
In truth, if it had been Makina instead of me—or even the escaped Adrian Nell Elman—things wouldn’t have escalated this far.
Such absurd safety incidents hadn’t occurred before because cadets capable of adequately protecting themselves from flames had always taken Johanna’s role.
‘Anyway, I jumped in to stop Makina and Sir Reynolds from talking alone… but does this look like enough of a protest?’
Lately, Makina’s attitude toward Sir Reynolds had noticeably cooled.
One might assume it was just her going rogue after the disciplinary action, but I didn’t buy that.
On top of that, Sir Reynolds lying to me about settling compensation with my mother, Tessa Cruz, nagged at me.
No matter how much of a gold-worshipping merchant my mother was to her core, she wouldn’t let this slide so quietly with her child in a wheelchair.
“Even so, regarding this incident—”
“I told you I’m fine, Makina Christie.”
Makina tried to provoke Sir Reynolds again.
As expected, Makina was clearly antagonizing him with intent.
Even after demotion to a lower year post-disciplinary action, her authority remained solid.
For such a Makina to clash with Sir Reynolds?
At a time when employees were armed and the guardian angel was trying to seize Hazard Island?
‘I absolutely can’t let that happen.’
What terrified me was that I couldn’t fully grasp Makina’s inner thoughts, nor know if her heart was purely uninfluenced by anything.
Seemingly unwelcome to my mediation, Makina clamped her mouth shut like a clam.
“Though Cadet Cruz was seriously injured, if she doesn’t want to continue this discussion, we should wrap it up here.”
At some point, Judith—who had been listening to our conversation—seemed to pick up on something and quickly stood by my side, backing me up.
It felt like someone had taken over the wheelchair handles; positionally, it was probably Arthur.
“This was a safety incident at the school, but considering a typical Aegis Academy cadet could have defended against it, further protests seem pointless.”
“……Hmph.”
The academy was blameless, and it was all due to my own shortcomings.
Wrapping it up roughly like that, Sir Reynolds nodded, clearly unsatisfied but willing to compromise to that extent.
“And about discharging me.”
“Ah, sorry, but I can’t grant that request.”
“…Pardon?”
“It happened right in front of nearly the entire student body. Discharging you like this wouldn’t look good for the academy.”
No concessions whatsoever.
As I opened my mouth to push harder, Sir Reynolds tapped his hard pipe.
At that, the now-familiar armed employees entered in orderly fashion from outside, surrounding us.
“Sorry, but I don’t want to waste more time.”
“……”
Not content with kicking us out, Sir Reynolds added a parting shot at Makina, as if to make up for his earlier setback.
“You’re done too, Cadet Makina Christie? Now there’s no pretext left, I assume.”
“—…Ah, yes. Pretext, you say. Understood.”
Returning to the angelic expression I knew so well, Makina smiled and bowed her head politely.