Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Someone (1)
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I didn't mention the most important fact, the one about devil worship.
It was my own dangerous speculation, but it was also an unresolved issue lingering in my heart—I worried that it might draw me too close to that unspeakable 'thing.'
'Should it be isolated, or should it not be? I can't make a judgment...'
But at this point, even if I couldn't undo what had already happened, maybe I could at least change the path ahead?
"Arma?"
"Ah, yes."
The conversation had paused for a moment, so Dillon prompted me.
I decided not to put Eliya, whose eyes were starting to droop with sleep, through any more testing.
"I originally approached this with a light heart, but the situation and how things unfolded weren't accommodating."
"Yeah, cut ties with those guys. I'll formally report it to Makina too..."
"I think I need to dive even deeper into it instead."
Eliya, who had been nodding off, suddenly snapped his eyes wide open.
Isaiah, who had been jiggling his legs, stopped as well.
'It must sound strange.'
But there were too many nagging concerns for me to back down here.
For starters, though it was just a hunch, I suspected that the Writing Club had marked me because of something related to future events.
Even so, I couldn't say that outright, so from their perspective as listeners, it probably just sounded like nonsense.
"Then I'll be going now."
"Huh?"
I had only meant to mention in advance that I'd need to get more deeply involved with the Writing Club than expected, but Dillon looked dumbfounded, as if he thought I had come with some other request.
"That's it? You need to explain more, right?"
"What is there to explain? I just came to tell you so you wouldn't misunderstand if I stuck around the Writing Club for too long."
"Ugh, the trials of hardship indeed."
"Pardon?"
"Sorry, he's not well socialized."
"Ow!"
Dillon twisted Eliya's nose at his inexplicable exclamation.
Isaiah looked at Eliya pityingly and shook his head.
"Even if drugs are circulating in the Writing Club, isn't it not something for Cruise senior to handle directly?"
"Hmm."
Isaiah had calmly struck at the core.
I agreed.
But my impression was that even if I reported it to the academy now, no strong measures would be taken.
"A lot has happened to me lately, but nothing has been cleanly resolved."
"Ah."
Thinking back on the series of events starting from the murder case that happened to me, it seemed like reporting it to the academy wouldn't lead to any sharp solutions.
"That doesn't mean Makina is half-hearted about academy matters."
"No one would suspect that."
Eliya nodded immediately in agreement.
Even though Makina had once suspected me of being the murderer, her actions afterward showed she wasn't negligent about things happening in the academy.
The protective measures she took after the murder case to calm the cadets' hysteria were one example.
Though it wasn't ideal for a small number of special cadets, it had succeeded in quelling immediate complaints.
And what about the time she broke the rules and used holy power to save me after I got shot in the stomach?
However...
"I doubt the Student Council is unaware of what's happening right now."
"..."
At my words, Dillon crossed his legs and shut his mouth.
The tension in his clenched jaw suggested he had some inkling.
"Right, Makina... it would be hard for her not to know."
"The president? The president's in the Black Lily Class, so she might not know about the wooden cross stuff, right?"
"No, I don't think so."
Dillon seemed to choose his words carefully.
Having attended the school that long, he probably knew Makina far better than I did.
I nodded and replied.
"You're right. I don't think so either. But the Student Council is overwhelmed right now... too much to handle."
"To put it more bluntly, the biggest problem is that 'they can't step in until an incident actually occurs.'"
To pinpoint the academy's issues so clearly like this.
Dillon was a man whose every detail except his name was a secret.
He could speak so assertively because he lived without even dipping a toe into Aegis Academy's petty social circles.
In any case, as Dillon said, the problem was that all the cadets here were children of noble houses.
'That's why Makina can't move without solid evidence or an actual incident.'
In a class-based society, only royalty can wield absolute power.
Yet strangely, aside from distant branches, no royalty attended Aegis Academy.
That's why the Student Council wielded unusual authority, but only limited to problems arising within the academy.
"Man, I've seen all sorts here, but this year's got to be the weirdest yet."
Dillon rubbed the back of his neck tiredly.
Come to think of it, when I entered the academy mid-year at 13, Dillon was already an upperclassman.
Ten years had passed since then, so even if he was 18 back then, he was at least 28 now.
Considering that Aegis Academy cadets usually enroll around age 10 and finish military training by 25, Dillon's age was precariously close to the limit.
'Hmm? But is there a rule about cadets who don't graduate?'
It was odd now that I thought about it.
Dillon looked no older than his early twenties, but even at late twenties, no one seemed to care that he hadn't graduated from the academy.
His presence there felt so natural, like part of the scenery.
"Hey, Arma. Even so, do you need to put yourself in danger?"
Perhaps seeing my silence as stubbornness, Dillon asked again.
"There's something I want to investigate."
"From what you've said so far, there's nothing you need to infiltrate the Writing Club personally to hear."
"There is. The drug distribution routes. If drugs become trendy, the Cruise family will be hit first."
"...How does that work?"
Isaiah's eyes went wide, his face fully awake now.
He had the same hair and eye color as Eliya, but their impressions differed greatly, largely due to those round eyes.
"The rumor of drugs spreading will make customs procedures stricter for exports from that country."
"Ah. The Cruise family is famous for maritime trade."
"Yes. And if smuggling is coming by sea routes, those routes could be shut down entirely."
Only then did Isaiah withdraw his suspicious gaze and nod.
Her innocent tone invited carelessness, but her questions were all sharp.
I could glimpse the makings of an outstanding negotiator in Isaiah.
'Did I fool her for now?'
The problem was that Isaiah was still young, and I had the verbal skill to trick her.
"Even with drug addiction, the Student Council can't step in until a major incident happens."
I looked at Dillon, who still hadn't dropped his suspicion, and said.
"But me being marked by the Writing Club is already a done deal. On top of that, it's tied to a drug case that could affect the family business."
"Urgh... If that's the case, then yeah, but I still feel like no. Even so... hmm."
Dillon was now mumbling to himself without even looking my way.
For some reason, I got the feeling he knew something but couldn't say it, or was frustrated because he couldn't intervene.
"Whatever, fine. I get what you're saying."
Dillon sighed, face buried in his palms.
"I thought since you came all the way here, you'd ask for help, but you haven't fully opened your heart yet."
"...Above all, I can't impose on you."
Dillon deliberately pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
It was a gesture saying he'd let it slide.
"If the situation turns out to be 'real,' I'll report it to the Student Council then."
"Got it. I'll remember your words clearly."
"Thank you."
I'd achieved all my goals in the end.
In truth, coming here and laying out my future plans was also to create an alibi of sorts.
I had zero intention of getting involved in the drug case again.
But if for some reason I got tangled up in a headache, I needed witnesses who knew the circumstances to testify on my behalf.
*-Ding-a-lang, ding-a-lang...*
Right on cue, the bell signaling the start of class rang out.
"Oh, the preliminary bell."
"It's the main one."
"Eek!"
I'd come prepared to be late anyway, but Eliya apparently hadn't.
Eliya, whom I'd picked out a few papers for because he seemed left-handed, spread them on the desk and pondered, then spilled ink on them and propped them up.
'Quite the clever trick.'
In a situation where submission mattered more than the score, that would suffice.
Isaiah pouted discontentedly, but there was no better ploy to avoid expulsion for not submitting.
We parted ways to tackle the academy's endlessly repeating routines once more.
I was a bit late, but within reasonable bounds, so no major guilt weighed on me.
"Arma Cruise, ready!"
Cookie, who had been rolling around in the corner of the sponsored area, came bounding over at my voice.
"Woof woof!"
"Whoa, you're heavy."
Knowing Cookie would do this, I hadn't reloaded, so I held the gun in one hand and petted Cookie with the other.
"Thanks for the rowdy welcome today too."
"Huff!"
But then I felt something loose and string-like around Cookie's neck.
"What did you bring this time?"
Cookie was greedy for toys and often fetched fist-sized objects from the roadside.
But no matter how greedy, Cookie couldn't tie a string around its own neck...
I grabbed the line hidden in Cookie's fur and tugged it just enough not to choke.
"..."
It was a necklace made from roughly torn plain cloth and twisted paper.
Looking at the triangular flap of paper sticking out, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
"Cookie, sit."
Sensing the ominous tone in my voice, Cookie sat down, abandoning its rolling.
"Who did this?"
The unfolded paper was familiar.
〔Life is short
Light is brilliant
Paths exist everywhere〕
It was the phrase I had written to join the Writing Club.
No coincidence possible, since it was original.