Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Theodore's Room Transfer (1)
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“Arthur.”
Every time Arthur swung his arm, a squelching sound echoed.
I grabbed his arm to stop him before his excitement led him to do something irreversible.
“Let go.”
“Hit him more and he’ll die. I’ve been watching because I lack the strength, but ease up.”
“……”
Arthur, who had been beating the fallen zealot—the same one Camilla had previously called [Cowardly Benson]—into a pulp, finally lowered his bloodied arm.
I patted Arthur’s shoulder to send him back, then checked on the fallen man’s condition.
‘Where are his teeth?’
Benson’s face was so swollen it was hard to make out its contours.
His nose bridge had collapsed, making it difficult to breathe through it, so he was gasping through his mouth. Thanks to that, I noticed several of his teeth were missing.
“Hand them over.”
I nodded at my chin toward Arthur, who still had his fist clenched tight.
Arthur frowned at me for a moment before extending his fist toward me.
-Plop.
Along with the dripping blood, what landed in my palm was one of Benson’s molars and an incisor.
‘He hid them on purpose.’
Since this was Aegis Academy, where magic could be used, it was hard to kill someone with ordinary fatal wounds.
But there were plenty of ways to delay treatment, like hiding severed body parts or swinging a contaminated weapon to worsen the injury easily.
Still, it was fortunate that Arthur hadn’t shattered Benson’s teeth—which he’d collected on his own accord, gauging my mood—and returned them.
“……”
I tucked the blood-soaked teeth into the pocket of Benson’s fallen robe.
Then, just as Benson had done to Theodore earlier, I loaded his limp body onto the cart.
-Thud!
-Drip, drop.
After struggling to hoist the bloodied Benson onto the cart, I suddenly realized just how much strength and physical power Arthur possessed. He had casually lifted and shaken that massive frame as if it were nothing.
Even Benson, who had been raging madly before him (though now a ragdoll, unconscious), looked pathetic in comparison.
‘By the way, this guy Benson… his texture feels kind of… like a banana now.’
Slippery and squishy. Ah, the difference from a banana is that it’s hot.
Of course, Benson was an irredeemable villain with no room for sympathy.
If we hadn’t noticed in advance, and if Benson and his accomplice had been a bit more cunning and thorough, Theodore could have died in the worst-case scenario.
Thinking about that made something boil up inside me.
“Theodore, you aren’t hurt anywhere?”
“…My waist?”
He’d pretended to be unconscious while being carted here, so it must have been quite the ordeal.
Even after witnessing the raw murderous intent directed at him with his own eyes, Theodore’s expression showed little change.
But that very indifference was what bothered me.
‘Is it really a good thing that he isn’t shaken by something like this?’
Humans naturally have a protective instinct toward themselves.
And as inevitable social creatures, we can’t help but care about others besides ourselves.
But what was with that reaction?
That emotionless gaze fixed on Benson, who had dragged him here with intent to kill.
“You could stand to get a little angrier, Theodore.”
“……”
“You nearly died.”
“I—wouldn’t die to such a sloppy plan.”
Theodore might have been right.
Even if the zealots’ plan had gone perfectly in the worst case, and he’d been ensnared by the restraint and dragged here, he might have had some other countermeasure.
“You’re right, Theodore. I know you’re far more remarkable and strong than that. Still, just a bit more…”
“……”
Just a bit more—what should I say?
I hope you’d value yourself more, or listen to your own emotions—plenty of people besides me have probably already said those things.
The reason Theodore didn’t value himself stemmed from something more fundamental.
“Well, whatever. It’s ridiculous to tell you to act shocked when you aren’t. I’d like you to be comforted, but I don’t know how.”
“Comfort?”
“Yeah. It’s inconsistent of me to say this after dragging you into it. Anyway, let’s head back.”
I’d come here in a flash of anger, losing my reason momentarily, and while I’d prevented a major incident in the end, it left a bitter taste.
Theodore glanced between me and Arthur before silently following behind us.
-Rattle.
“Ugh……”
-Rattle!
Arthur pulled the cart with half-hearted effort.
Because he tugged it carelessly with one hand, the cart jolted roughly, eliciting groans from the two battered men atop it.
‘The other two… Izmel should have handled them well…’
In the dead of night, spotting the cadets tying something to a tree branch had given me a real scare.
From that moment, we’d roughly predicted the destination of the four conspiring cadets for tonight.
Izmel had arrived first, subduing the two preparing the altar in an instant, while Arthur waited here for the two perpetrators to arrive.
“What do we do now?”
“What do you mean? We take them to the Student Council.”
“To Makina Christy? Didn’t you say you distrusted the Student Council President Makina?”
“Right.”
Arthur, walking ahead with only his back visible under the moonlight, came to a halt.
He then shot me a strange look, as if sizing me up again.
“But no matter what I think of Makina, judging their crimes is the Student Council’s job. At least in Aegis Academy.”
Aegis Academy was practically extraterritorial for cadets.
Only the Student Council could judge their offenses here.
“Given the severity, you’ll be grilled pretty hard in the investigation too.”
Arthur didn’t respond to my words.
He simply resumed pulling the cart.
For the twenty-odd minutes heading to the Student Council building, none of us spoke a word.
I kept thinking about how Theodore had nearly died, how Arthur had beaten a man nearly to death, and how, if you traced it back, I was the root cause of it all.
“At this rate, everything’s going to fall apart.”
I unwittingly voiced my thoughts aloud.
Arthur and Theodore both seemed to turn their attention to me, but I didn’t say more.
I felt anxious.
But if I didn’t sort out what was happening now, I’d surely regret it big time later.
We crossed the night forest in heavy silence.
***
〔Emergency Cooperation Request: Heretical cult gatherings within the academy are prohibited.〕
〔Damage to cadets from private prohibition acts by some radical heretical cult factions has been reported.〕
〔Disciplinary Notice: In accordance with Academy Rule Article 1, Clause 2, prohibiting immersion in heretical cults and private magic, the following are notified.
Emily Louise Hollis
Michael Walker
Alfredo Benjamin Benson
Grace Oliver
The above four from Thorn Crown Class are expelled.〕
***
If Makina Christy were a surgeon, she’d be one with exceptional skill.
At dawn, when we arrived at the Student Council building dragging the cart, we met Makina in her uniform, as if she’d known we were coming.
-…And so, we’ve apprehended these four red-handed.
-I see. No words for that. I’ll handle it, so don’t worry and go. I’ll notify you of the disciplinary results via your attendants shortly.
That was the extent of our conversation.
I handed over the four zealots who’d nearly become murderers to Makina and stood up.
Once Makina decided to cooperate with us, things proceeded smoothly.
After that, I stopped by Judith and Shirley to explain the situation and told them not to be surprised when the disciplinary notice went up.
“There are more empty rooms now.”
The day after the incident was fortunately a weekend, giving us time to sort out our affairs.
While packing Theodore’s belongings, I glanced back and noticed several doors facing the hallway standing open.
“This place will be empty too now.”
At my words, Theodore peeked outside through the gap between me and the door before silently resuming his packing.
Now, Theodore and I would share a dormitory room for the semester.
To make that happen, we first needed to pack his things.
I helped Theodore gather his few clothes and desk stationery into a single bag.
He was lightning-fast scrambling with chalk in hand, but when it came to cleaning and organizing, even the great Theodore moved like a slug.
“I’ll be up all night at this rate.”
In the end, I couldn’t stand it and rolled up my sleeves.
Today was the day Theodore’s dormitory room transfer was decided.
It had been less than a day since I’d reported the incident to Makina and spent a full eight hours persuading Theodore to agree to the class transfer.
‘Well, it’s not a full transfer in the end.’
Though a complete transfer wasn’t approved, due to the special circumstance of nearly being burned alive by fellow cadets, his Wooden Cross classes for the spring semester would count toward his credits.
At first, I’d worried it was too hasty given Theodore’s restraint, but Theodore himself didn’t mind that part.
-I can play the violin. Even if it were a real transfer, my skill is decent enough to convince them.
-…Really?
Wooden Cross gathered misfits with relatively low mana aptitude compared to other classes, but it also housed arts specialty students.
So, having an instrument one could play above average meant no risk of failing out in Wooden Cross.
As for why Arthur hadn’t mentioned this sooner, I chalked it up to his deep concern as a friend.
‘Then what about the remaining three semesters…’
Like Arthur said, I wanted Theodore by my side at least until graduation.
Among those around me, the most unpredictable was none other than Theodore White.
As I quickly gathered the bedding, uniform, and the notebooks and textbooks shoved in the drawer, Theodore’s room was now empty.
The attendants waiting outside took the large luggage bags one by one and vanished.
“All packed?”
Theodore gave the room a final once-over to check for forgotten items, then donned the gray checkered frock coat from the desk and looked at me.
“Now it’s done.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
For someone who’d resisted the transfer so stubbornly, his attitude was remarkably brisk.
Since Theodore’s transfer wasn’t finalized, he didn’t return the key.
The fifth-floor room where he’d wandered in his sleep alone would now stand empty.
We headed to the lobby to leave Thorn Crown House dormitory.
“Arthur.”
At that moment, a tall figure standing in the lobby approached us.
It was Arthur, backlighted by the light.
“Ah, Arthur.”
“Hello.”
Arthur greeted me with impeccable politeness and manners before turning his gaze to Theodore.
The two stood facing each other in silence.
For some reason, I was certain that Arthur, expressionless as ever, was flustered.
Theodore gave Arthur a parting greeting that felt almost curt—“See you later”—before starting to walk away.
Arthur watched him for a long time, then bowed silently to me and turned away without a word.