Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Suspicious Circumstances of the Experiment (2)
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Grace House was an expansion of the lodging used by the island's hunters, just as Judith had said, but it wasn't some shack despite being called hunters' quarters.
It was a mansion remodeled from a seasonal villa owned by a certain fallen noble who had once been the master of Hazard Island.
Grace House was located right next to a sort of wall that divided the Aegis Academy's boundaries. While it shared the wall, it was effectively outside the academy.
'The academy hires them, but their lodging is a bit far. And it's not even on the grounds—it's off the grounds.'
Dormitories were usually within the academy's premises.
Even for employees, they weren't complete outsiders, and considering the academy was a 'military academy'...
Moreover, the medical staff from Grace House who had supposedly fled were vital experts responsible for the cadets' health, so their confidentiality clauses would have been strict—stricter, not looser.
'Hard to think of any reason other than avoiding prying eyes.'
Was this confirmation bias, or had I hit the nail on the head?
I left my name on the formal attendance sheet and headed to the reception room in the main building, where I'd agreed to meet Judith again.
Inside the open reception room door, I spotted Judith in her training clothes.
As expected, she'd arrived before me and was waiting.
"Judi—"
As I waved and approached Judith, I noticed she had a visitor—she was looking up and exchanging a few words with someone.
It was none other than Arthur.
'Oh, she's telling Arthur about it too, I guess.'
Arthur, who had unwittingly become deeply entangled in guardian angel business.
He only had one blunt childhood friend as a true confidant, but even that friend was caught up in disaster after disaster and slowly breaking down somewhere.
What was Arthur thinking right now?
I didn't want to interrupt their conversation, but just peeking in like this felt weird, so I made some noise as I entered the reception room.
"Judith, and Arthur."
"You're here."
Judith had been perched on the reception room table but turned toward me.
It was improper etiquette among nobles, but like Shirley, Judith had this bold side to her.
Arthur, standing opposite her with his pomaded hair, didn't seem to mind her behavior either.
"I was explaining the situation."
"Is this the place for that?"
"Well, no one was around. Anyway, Arthur's busy with Master Class prep, so he's sitting this one out."
I'd thought Arthur would join us since Theodor had promised cooperation, but oh well.
Arthur's goal was to stay at the academy anyway, so this time it was unavoidable.
Dressed in training clothes with a black shirt underneath, Arthur looked nearly perfect despite the early hour.
He showed none of the sluggishness typical of mornings.
"Oh, right. When do the results come out? For Master Class."
"The deadline to qualify is the end of this month. The actual test is next month."
"It's open to the public, right? Theodor and I'll come cheer you on."
"......Sure."
Arthur nodded lightly in acknowledgment and left the reception room without a sound.
"He always seems in top form, no matter when I see him."
"He's at that sensitive age. Also the most arrogant."
"Any senior advice?"
"He needs his nose broken once to learn. Right now, he thinks he's the greatest. And he actually is pretty great."
Judith smoothly drew her sheathed sword from her waist and swung it.
Her expression darkened slightly as she gripped the sword, now resembling a club.
'That expression again.'
It was the face of unresolved anger toward herself, the kind only someone doubting their very foundation could make. It was heartbreaking.
"Judith."
All I could do for her was speak.
So she wouldn't dwell on it endlessly, regret without end, hate herself.
"Let's go."
But in the end, all I was doing was exploiting Judith's weak spots.
What could I even do without Judith or Shirley by my side?
I couldn't say if using people's kindness to confront 'evil' was the right thing.
"Yeah, we have business today."
Judith spun the sheathed sword above her forearm and slid it back into her scabbard.
Come to think of it, she'd lent that sword to Arthur once before.
To lighten the mood, I decided to ask her about it.
"Just occurred to me—didn't you lend your sword to Arthur once? Can you draw someone else's mana like that?"
"If it's a magic tool with that function, anyone can. Usually, you need something you understand well as a medium. For us, it's a sword."
"Then Shirley's spear?"
"She lends a hand or wastes some mana. Don't overthink it—think of it as using someone else's honed, razor-sharp blade without any effort."
"...What about me?"
"..."
Judith completely clammed up at my question.
'What...? Did it sound like self-harm blackmail?'
I replayed my words belatedly, but they weren't weird.
I'd been pondering if I needed a powerful weapon lately.
"First off, the best thing is for you never to end up swinging a sword or spear."
"Oh, right. Obviously."
"And second, to answer your question—"
Judith stared at me intently (probably checking my pupils) before replying.
"Most couldn't handle it, but assuming you've got enough mana tolerance, it's possible."
It was welcome news midway through.
Leaping optimistically, if I could withstand the mana in a weapon, I could face a guardian angel alone.
"But, Arma. One thing you must remember—"
Yet it was Judith who gave me hope and then crushed it.
She tapped below my collarbone and said,
"The vessel for mana is the heart. Don't get any funny ideas."
"Ah..."
Of all things.
What a pitiful body in every way.
It looked decent on the outside but was hollow inside—this body that had heard tales of impending doom since early childhood. How tragic.
'If I don't get funny ideas, we'll all die, Judith.'
Whether devoured by what's written in the chronicle, or trapped on Hazard Island dying of some unknown disease.
But the former worried me more.
I wasn't holing up in fear of immediate outbreak because the employees and remaining professors hadn't set up any special quarantine like we had.
If Sir Reynolds had suddenly gone into seclusion with masks or other measures, I'd have followed suit in terror.
"Arma, watch your footsteps in the woods."
"Got it. Why?"
"I've been thinking—the birds here are too sensitive. Maybe someone's trained them that way."
"...I'll be careful."
Not that it would help evade birds watching from above, but Judith had a point.
I was increasingly feeling dissonance with everything on Hazard Island.
Like an open prison on all sides...
We could still meet up like this, roam the island, sneak to Grace House...
But somehow... we... couldn't... leave the island...
"Ugh."
"Arma?"
"No, sorry. I've been getting really bad headaches lately."
"If you're not feeling well, we should head back."
"With the great Judith Taylor escorting me, what do I have to worry about?"
"You're cracking jokes in this situation, so you must be better off than I thought."
Despite her words, Judith slowed her pace.
I walked beside her at similar strides, carefully scanning our surroundings.
The trees around here were mostly conifers resistant to salt air—less dense than the deciduous groves but evergreen year-round.
That was probably why Grace House had been chosen as the hunters' rest spot.
"No signs of life."
Judith hid behind a bush grown to waist height, peeking only her head out toward Grace House.
Grace House consisted of a three-story main building of red brick with a pointed roof, attached to a long, two-story extension of ivory brick with a flat roof.
Judging by the windows and size, it could house around fifty people, so it being empty was absurd.
"All the people living there just ran away?"
"No, then the others would've noticed sooner. Plenty of cadets can't function without servants."
True—Aegis Academy was full of cadets who seemed like they'd wither without employees running their errands.
If that many servants vanished at once, the remaining ones would've collapsed from overwork handling the noble brats' whims.
"Better to think they evacuated."
At my words, Judith's expression sharpened.
The gentle, refined air she'd had until now seemed to shatter in an instant.
"What now? Wanna go in?"
"We're here—might as well."
-Clack.
No sooner had I spoken than I chambered a round and headed inside Grace House.
"Yep, no one's here."
Judith was right—there were no signs of presence.
Or rather, not just presence—nothing else either.
"This—how are we supposed to take this?"
Like the academy's main building, Grace House's interior was stark and angular, empty enough to pass for ruins.
The only traces of human habitation were well-worn doorknobs and faded wallpaper where mattresses had lain.
As if they'd stripped out every person and fixture inside, Judith and I could only look around in stunned silence.
We were one step too late.