Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: The Followers (4)
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The next day.
Along with the news that Machina's punishment had ended, I was finally allowed to walk again.
With no reason left to stay in the hospital, I went through the discharge procedures and had a brief conversation with Collette, who had come to see me off one last time.
"Executor, it was truly an honor to attend to you."
"Honor? Don't say that. Thanks to you, I got to leave sooner."
"Hehe. I hope to see you again. But since this is a hospital, it's probably better if I don't."
"...You're probably right."
Collette, dressed in her white nurse's cap, blouse, and matching pants, handed me a bundle containing the items I'd had on me when I arrived at the hospital.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
She had come all the way to the hospital dormitory entrance, and when she opened the door, she shrank back from the chilly wind that blew in.
"You should head back inside."
"Yes, yes. I suppose I should."
Collette watched me for a very long time as I walked away.
Even as I turned the corner toward the dormitory, I could still see her watching me from afar.
'An incredible amount of tenacity. It's almost like she's staring right through the back of my head.'
It felt like my skull was about to be pierced.
And without any sexual undertones, yet so persistent.
I'd felt uneasy the whole time in the hospital, so only now, after the full moon festival, did it finally feel like I could rest.
-Creak.
"Ha, seriously."
It wasn't something I'd normally do, but still in my outing clothes, I flopped onto the bed.
I felt like I could pass out just like this.
The magic tool that I suspected had saved my life multiple times had returned to almost the same color it was when I first received it—now so faint that you had to look closely to detect the reddish tint.
"I forgot to ask how much longer it can be used."
I stroked the bracelet with my right hand—the one not wearing it—then lay back on the bed and thought.
'Is there no way to find out how much longer I can use this?'
No matter how much I racked my brain alone, it would probably be faster to find a black magic major from the Crown of Thorns Class who aims to work at the Labyrinth Tower.
As those thoughts swirled in my mind, my eyes grew heavy, and even without washing up, they began to close.
-Swish.
"...Who?"
It was at that moment. Along with the sound of fabric brushing against something, I felt a clear physical movement from my jacket. Startled by the hand removing my jacket, I grabbed its arm.
"Ex-Executor..."
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"W-We..."
When I came to my senses, not only was there the girl whose arm I'd grabbed, but also a boy about her age in my room.
Looking them over quickly, they appeared to be cadets from the Silver Chalice Class, dressed in training uniforms.
The odd thing was that they weren't armed, coming in empty-handed—not like assassins or thieves—and the kicker was that both had something familiar on their arms.
'My pajamas...'
Good thing I didn't draw my gun; if I'd unconsciously pulled the trigger, it would've been a disaster.
The two were brazen-faced but naive-looking freshmen with round faces.
And both had black hair, so at a glance, they even looked like siblings.
'Black hair again?'
I stared at them silently.
Since they showed no sign of attacking, I only defended to that extent, but if they made even the slightest wrong move, I planned to draw my gun immediately.
"We heard that you collapsed, Executor."
"And as the duty cadets..."
"Collapsed? Duty? This is insane."
More nonsense. I looked around, searching for whoever might be watching me from somewhere.
"Who is it? Where are you watching from? Are you going to tell me, or—"
In the midst of my thunderous anger, I clamped my mouth shut.
For one, the kids in front of me were terrified, but more importantly, I felt I shouldn't provoke them.
"—Haa. Both of you, out."
My head throbbed.
The two who had silently intruded exchanged glances and hurriedly left my room.
I went to the door, locked it securely, drew the curtains in a rush, and checked the room.
But there were no traces inside.
It would've been better if something had come out.
I'd just turned my room upside down for nothing.
"Damn it."
My head throbbed.
Even the one place I could rest, my room, was under surveillance.
Sleep fled completely, so I washed up roughly and left the room again.
"Hello, Cruise Cadet."
"Yes, hello."
As I exited, a few dormitory acquaintances from long-term living greeted me lightly.
I was tearfully grateful that my title wasn't 'Executor.'
-Ding-a-ling.
I went to the entrance and rang the bell to summon a servant.
Soon, a servant with a dagger at their waist appeared quietly.
"I have a request."
I wrote a note asking Arthur to come to the Wooden Cross dormitory annex and handed it over, then headed not to the regular dormitory where my room was, but to the annex where Shirley and Judith stayed.
I asked the servant waiting in the annex to fetch Judith and Shirley, then went to the common parlor, feeling utterly drained.
Shooting requires not just arm strength, but leg strength as well.
I'd done some exercises intermittently without using my feet much to keep my leg muscles from atrophying, but they were still a bit weak.
"In this state, the graduation exam is in danger."
What a mess. At Aegis Academy, you needed to show better results than the previous year each year to qualify for graduation.
Regression was proof of laziness and disloyalty. You had to demonstrate growth as a soldier in some aspect.
But in this physical condition, I had no idea how to prove my growth.
A moment later, Judith appeared, Shirley tucked under her arm with a sleepy expression.
"Shirley, looks like you didn't sleep at all?"
"Uuughhh..."
"Get it together and say something. You're sounding a bit like an elephant right now."
"That's ridiculous..."
Around the large wooden table that could seat about eight, there was a side table facing it with simple tea sets and finger foods.
I stood up first, planning to brew strong black tea to wake Shirley.
"Ah, the patient—"
"I'll do it. My stamina's in bad shape right now. Shirley, black tea's fine, right?"
"Thank yooouuu..."
"Judith?"
"Coffee for me."
Judith answered while looking pitifully at Shirley, who had started rubbing against her shoulder.
I poured Shirley's extremely strong black tea (bitter enough to make her tongue numb, but it's her taste), Judith's coffee, and warm water for myself into a tray and returned to the table.
"Arthur should be here soon. I sent word through a servant."
"That guy's been out of sight lately. Do the servants know where he is?"
"Out of sight?"
"Yeah. The spring semester special intensive class selections started, right? Seems like he's been dragged around for that."
The special intensive class was a program where you stayed at school after graduation for additional coursework; its official name was the Aegis Academy Master Class.
Your student status extended by about two years, but it counted as military service, so you got two extra pay grades upon commissioning to the mainland.
Judith hadn't taken it because she wanted quick commissioning, but Shirley aimed for the special intensive class, so her curriculum would differ slightly from ours. Thus, Shirley had expected it, but Arthur...
"But starting Master Class now? Isn't it a bit late?"
"He took the promotion exam early not long ago, and after that, Sir Whitten went crazy over it..."
"That guy's been obsessively fixated on Arthur Usher in a weird way. When Arthur chose a double major in Wooden Cross, he apparently flew into a rage; it was a sight not fit for open eyes."
"...That happened?"
"You seem so aloof, but you're really oblivious to outside stuff."
Was I?
Still, I had my reasons.
For one, the things happening to me were too harsh.
Dealing with new scandals every year and all sorts of ridiculous rumors naturally made you cautious.
"Sir Whitten... The professor teaching manufacturing in Crown of Thorns, right? Arthur's aiming for Swordmaster, so why him..."
"I don't know. Arthur must have some fatal charm that drives Sir Whitten mad."
"Poor guy."
Arthur's fatal charm that drives Sir Whitten mad... I don't know what that is, but Arthur definitely has an aura that stirs up the people around him.
Thinking about where that aura comes from isn't pleasant.
'The Usher family's Arthur actually has no bond with him, I suppose.'
As I recalled Arthur mumbling traumatic nonsense along with the seal binding him, a knock came from outside the parlor.
"Arthur, come in."
Shirley said, now awake and sipping her tea.
It's always amazing how she identifies presences without looking.
"...Hello."
Arthur was neatly combed back as usual.
The difference was that today he wore training clothes instead of his usual uniform.
"Sorry, were you training?"
I'd sent the note to the dormitory, but the capable servants always pinpoint even cadets holed up somewhere.
At first I thought they were just skilled, but now that I know they're highly competent, it's pretty scary.
"Sit here."
Hiding my expression, I offered Arthur a seat.
Arthur hesitated, then sat next to Shirley instead of the empty spot beside me.
This left three of them facing me.
'Thought he was better, but he's doing it again.'
Come to think of it, Arthur had been wary of me from our first meeting.
I already knew he didn't like me much, but I thought we'd grown closer these past few weeks, yet this suggests otherwise.
"So, what's this about?"
Arthur's voice carried a hint of fatigue and inexplicable anxiety.
Something else must have happened, but he wasn't the type to open up if I pried.
So I cut straight to the point.
"I called you about Theodore. You probably know better than me what's going on with him, right?"
Arthur didn't answer, just twitched an eyebrow.
If he'd been busy with Master Class stuff, maybe he didn't know.
I explained what was happening to Theodore now and said,
"So, I want your help convincing him to transfer. Of course, changing majors is tough—"
"No."
But Arthur, whom I'd expected to cooperate, answered far more firmly than anticipated.