Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Denunciation (2)
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Sir Reynolds was a toothless tiger, an old retired soldier.
Excited cadets surrounded me, and all the hired hands Sir Reynolds had brought along to keep them in check rose to their feet.
In a brawl, nothing proved more effective than sheer numbers.
In this space where the hired hands couldn't go all out, Sir Reynolds was no match for the young, vigorous cadets.
"These fools have truly lost their minds. From the very start, it wasn't Arma Cruise you were after—"
"From the very start? That sounds like you were targeting someone other than me from the beginning."
"No, that's not what I meant."
"So the Chancellor really was conducting human experiments on us..."
With every word I uttered, I could feel some inexplicable power infused into it.
At the very least, in Aegis Academy, the consensus forged by the majority held stronger sway than faith.
But in this moment, I felt a profound connection not to the Creator God Aegis, but to 'that.'
-Human experiments...
-On us cadets?
-The flu that's been going around lately—could it be?
-No one has died or gone missing except for Senior Cale Ace...
The murmurs grew louder.
Even from beyond the altar, I could clearly hear the uneasy stirrings.
Shirley approached during a brief lull, trying to remove the needle, but I waved my arm to stop her.
"Senior, you're not in your right mind. You don't need this kind of show anymore."
Her low, subdued voice and slightly constricted pupils made it abundantly clear just how furious she was.
Instead of looking up at Shirley, I rapped on the altar to draw everyone's attention.
'I've waited long enough. I have to expose the civilians' grievances, even if my arguments fall short.'
This was something to worry about after everything went smoothly, but next year, I would be leaving this island.
Unlike Collette, who might have to continue living with enemies in the academy.
That was why I could fully empathize with why Collette wouldn't testify for me—for us.
"So, we'll need an explanation for why you activated this device at this particular moment."
As I gazed at the blood still dripping from the tube on the opposite side, I gauged how much I had bled.
Someone, unable to bear watching, had placed a silver chalice used for worship beneath it, making it far easier to measure.
'Once that chalice fills to the brim, it'll be dangerous.'
I hurried to continue.
"As I've said repeatedly, I'm a complete novice when it comes to magic. But all of you gathered here are different. You're the elite of the kingdom, after all."
At my words, Sir Reynolds began grinding his teeth audibly.
But he couldn't take any further action.
The cadets, already seething with rage, had surpassed the point where Sir Reynolds could control them.
The student council cadets were watching closely to prevent bloodshed, but they themselves were quite worked up.
"The most striking feature of this machine is that, from the moment it began operating as a magic tool, it started emitting plasma containing specific components."
"Plasma?"
At my words, the cadets in the chapel halted everything they were doing amid the standoff.
"To be precise, it's elemental plasma induced by mana, which invades the body through the respiratory system. This plasma has one key characteristic."
Adam Peacock had only come down with the flu, but Alex, the local child, had teetered on the brink of death.
The difference between them was none other than the presence or absence of 'magical aptitude.'
"Elemental plasma infects through the respiratory system and causes illness, but after a certain period, it reacts to the mana within the body and gradually diminishes."
That was also why the adult hired hands had been fine, unlike the young ones.
They lived and ate at Aegis Academy, constantly exposed to the faint traces of mana emitted by the cadets, gradually building up an immunity.
"Now you all understand why you're fine here. Whether this respiratory illness manifests depends on the degree of immunity to mana one has developed."
No further confusion arose.
The cadets all nodded neatly, their expressions showing clear understanding.
We had received this kind of foundational education for a very long time.
For example, the differences between commoners and mages, the regression of science and medicine alongside the intrusion of mana and holy power into daily life, and the progress of magitech.
Moreover, in this place, the one most at risk from exposure to the plasma was none other than myself.
"As you all know, simply living in this world grants us a certain degree of immunity to mana. This plasma infection strikes those without immunity, like young children, or rarely, adults who haven't developed it."
-Drip, drip.
It was obvious, but even now, the circulation device was steadily drawing out my blood drop by drop, and before long, it was overflowing the chalice and falling to the floor.
I recalled the cold symptoms that had begun circulating in Saint Martin's garden.
Adults recovered quickly after a brief bout, but children did not.
In fact, according to Logan—the only child among the caretakers...
-Snap.
At that moment, Makina snapped her fingers.
It was a simple healing acceleration spell that didn't even require a magic circle; my dizziness lifted for an instant.
"Sir Reynolds, do you truly believe that the mass exodus of medical staff from the infirmary right now is happening for no reason whatsoever?"
-The medical staff is fleeing en masse?
-The ones dispatched from the mainland?
-Of course, they're not mages...
Every word I spoke swept over the cadets like waves.
That was precisely why I had chosen to make this public here.
The only way to control information in my location and selectively disseminate only the elements I wanted was to publicize it in a place cut off from the outside.
'My time scraping by wasn't for nothing, after all.'
The countless rumors and slanders that had formed in my absence were the kind I couldn't control.
I never dreamed I'd resort to such a cowardly tactic myself...
"The remaining medical staff and hired hands here are all locals, not dispatched from the mainland. They're excluded from the information flow, not nobles, and have no mainland to flee to."
Ironically, not a single local—the biggest victims— was present in this place.
I had deliberately not invited them.
I worried that the invisible plasma infection filling the chapel might spread, but also because I couldn't guarantee their safety if things turned violent.
-Drip... drip...
-As expected of you, Arma Cruise.
Something offered praise.
It was probably the guardian angel's wicked whisper or my own self-mockery.
A choice befitting me. Was it my nature to ultimately draw the worst possible hand like this?
In this denunciation, I might have chosen to protect the civilians while abandoning the cadets.
"Nonsense. What a farce."
"—Then you all must be thinking this: What does exposing the civilians' grievances have to do with Arma Cruise draining her own blood right in front of us?"
Ignoring Sir Reynolds' words, I laid out only my main points.
A few showed guilty reactions, as if I'd hit the nail on the head.
It was only natural.
I would think the same.
But I had my own thoughts on this matter as well.
"...Hoo. A few days ago, quite by chance—I encountered a child suffering from the respiratory symptoms caused by that plasma I mentioned earlier..."
"Who was it?"
Makina interjected into my words with a very natural question.
Even though she would surely know which cadet I meant.
......"It's a sensitive matter, so it's hard to name names. I'll just call him 'John' for now. Is that alright?"
"—Proceed that way."
Makina replied with a smile.
'As expected, she knew.'
No dissenting voices rose from the other cadets who had heard our exchange.
To them, that wasn't what mattered, so it was only natural.
After wiping the cold sweat trickling down my chin, I continued.
"'John,' who was suffering from a high fever and respiratory illness severe enough to cause loss of consciousness, barely crossed the threshold of death just a few hours ago. Fortunately, he's now in the recovery phase."
I deliberately avoided naming Alex, who still hadn't risen from his sickbed.
I feared that even after recovery, the stigma of 'infected' might cling to him like a label.
It would make it harder to lend legitimacy to the story I was about to tell...
But there was other 'evidence,' so it would be fine.
-Snap.
Throughout my story, Makina kept snapping her fingers, repeatedly casting healing spells on me.
My consciousness, which had been sinking like a leaf caught in rapids, kept resurfacing and submerging intermittently.
"At this point, I'll read the note left by Cadet D, whose name was also on my indictment."
[Despite Aegis Academy repeatedly refusing to prescribe medicine for local civilians, I administered medication under my own name, but there was no recovery. I believe the pill prescription was not a fundamental treatment.]
[Fortunately, however, the child survived, suffering only chronic damage to the respiratory system rather than death. I am confident that surviving alone makes the child a witness proving this incident.]
"Hahaha! I've seen it all now."
Sir Reynolds burst into loud laughter, as if trying to muddy the waters of the argument.
What could possibly be so amusing? No, in truth, he was feeling tension, not amusement.
He was clearly cornered, to the point of forgetting his peculiar habit of tapping his pipe.
He was feigning composure, but he clearly lacked any talent for acting.
"Suppose your words are true—that this happened, and that damned machine was brought here by some 'blasphemous group.' Where is the proof that this device was activated?"
The medical staff involved in the experiments had all fled, and the locals who seemed to know the circumstances weren't here.
I had fully anticipated Sir Reynolds pulling this card.
-Click.
I stopped the device, which had been endlessly drawing my blood without anyone to transfuse it back.
Then, lifting the chalice filled with the blood just extracted from the opposite tube, I said,
"This blood—and 'John's blood—will serve as proof. Test the serum antibodies. They'll be activated in both."