Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Interval of Misfortune (1)
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Judith mulled over the contents of the note before speaking up.
“Not a fan.”
“Of what?”
“The one who sent this note. It feels like they’ve got some ulterior motive. They even specifically wrote that they won’t forgive anyone who hurts you.”
“…Ah.”
The moment I heard Judith recite the note’s words from her lips, something clicked.
“Actually, there was something bothering me before I came here.”
“What was it?”
“I thought it was just a coincidence, but now that I’ve gotten this note, it probably isn’t.”
I explained to Judith the circumstances of how I’d received the note.
I’d been looking at a book I’d borrowed from the reading room to prepare for finals. Then Vincent River, the cadet who sat down next to me, accidentally dropped a book on my instep.
Judith listened carefully to what had happened in the library before I came here, then shook her head with a serious expression.
“You got played.”
“Right?”
It wasn’t intentional, but Vincent had hurt me, and then he’d gotten hurt in the exact same spot.
The location was none other than the library, and while there were no servants around to help us, it was exam period, so plenty of cadets were passing by.
“No one else knows the contents of this note, right?”
“Of course not. How many people in this academy even exchange three words with me?”
“Lady Lilian would get a kick out of hearing that.”
Judith let out a small chuckle at the sudden self-deprecating joke.
Lady Lilian was Countess Lilian Cruise of Logatina, the only one among us four siblings who had married into nobility. My second older sister.
She was famous in high society not just for her fiery temper and her handsome husband wrapped around her finger, but regardless of her personality, her merchant’s gift of gab always made her the center of attention.
“Countess Lilian stands out even among the Cruises.”
“True enough. Anyway, Arma, I don’t know what this guardian angel’s deal is, but from the contents, they won’t touch you directly.”
“That’s what I think too. If anything, they might target the people around me.”
“We can only hope they’re the type to take the hard road on purpose.”
In response to my words, Judith puffed out her chest arrogantly on purpose and patted the sword at her waist.
Judith was one of the academy’s top talents, vying for first and second place with Arthur Usher.
From her perspective, it was only natural to think her own odds were better if the ‘guardian angel’ targeted her instead of me.
‘But from the listener’s side, it’s not exactly pleasant…’
The last thing I wanted was to see Judith get hurt because of me, even after I was dead and buried.
“Don’t worry for now. I was planning to keep the note’s contents secret even without you telling me. Any weird rumors would just make things harder for me.”
Judith watched me tuck the note into my collar, patted it down, then let out a small sigh.
As if the post-workout languor was hitting her, she stretched long and declared at me like a declaration of war.
“We’ve still got two left.”
The two left referred to the vow where she’d said she’d grant any unreasonable request up to three times.
“We’re good now.”
“Dragging it out forever like this could be seen as the mark of a master strategist.”
I knew Judith was the type who couldn’t stand owing debts, but promises involving her life didn’t have to be kept to the letter.
I wondered who would win this battle of stubbornness—Judith or me.
“For now, Arma, let’s head back. I’m fine, but if you skip another class, you’ll get held back.”
“No way!”
I was already teetering on the edge of failing.
Even though I’d skipped class while hovering between life and death after getting shot, Aegis Academy wasn’t about to give leeway to someone late from tea in the greenhouse.
I shot to my feet and hurried to the lecture hall.
***
The next day.
It turned out the gap in my misfortunes wasn’t one day, but two.
-Arma Cruise…
-So she cursed Vincent…
-He’ll never walk again…
The incident from two days ago in the library had grown and mutated into something else entirely without my knowledge.
According to the rumors, I, ‘Arma Cruise,’ had become a ferocious, terrifying figure who had crippled Vincent River’s leg after he accidentally dropped a book on my instep.
‘Of all places…’
The spot where Vincent had accidentally dropped the book on me: my left instep.
The spot where Vincent River had been injured by a falling flowerpot from the sky: his left instep.
The dominant story was that I’d retaliated against Vincent River in spectacular fashion out of rage for hurting me, and now I felt an invisible wall closing in around me.
‘Even without revealing the note’s contents, it’s come to this.’
Whether this self-proclaimed guardian angel would be a boon or a bane to me was obvious.
‘That’s why I wanted to pretend it never happened…’
Idle rumors were far more unpredictable than I’d imagined.
“-So it’s best not to mess with her.”
“What’s that senior’s name?”
“Arma Cru- from Tree Cross House Class, shooting major. Ah.”
Just then, as I walked down the first-floor hallway of the main building—lined with pillars, carrying a rectangular case holding my major class rifle—I ran into two underclassmen kids who happened to be talking about me.
“…Hey?”
Most hallways in this academy had columns lining them, opening toward the garden.
They’d even built the brick walls with gaps between bricks for aesthetic appeal.
It was great for ventilation but terrible for security.
Unless you wanted your private chit-chat broadcast far and wide, you weren’t supposed to gossip like that here.
The two underclassmen turned pale in an instant and bowed their heads deeply.
“-Eek!”
“We’re sorry!!”
Even if they hadn’t memorized all the upperclassmen’s faces, it wasn’t common to see someone walking around the academy with a rifle, so they couldn’t have failed to recognize me.
I replied with an awkward expression.
“Uh, yeah. I’m not-”
“We’ll be going now!”
“mad…”
I ended up giving a meaningless greeting to the two cadets who fled like their pants were on fire, then ignored the prickling stares around me and kept walking forward.
“This is hilarious.”
I wasn’t the type to blend into crowds and enjoy life, but walking like this with everyone keeping their distance made my situation feel pathetic.
Was this another meticulously laid trap by the guardian angel or whatever?
But one thing was clear: they’d picked the wrong target.
I’d never received lavish treatment in this academy, nor been tossed in the air by a cheering crowd.
So now, having people keep their distance from me wasn’t exactly a shock.
“Senior Arma.”
Amid the crowd desperately putting distance between us, someone suddenly approached.
It was Shirley, my physical-attribute guardian angel, who showed up whenever I was in a pinch these past few weeks to help out.
“Shirley-”
“Ah, whatever. I’m past the point where any explanation makes sense. I’ll just not listen.”
Even as she said that, Shirley was grumbling, ‘What kind of magic does Senior Arma have to curse them like that!’
‘Maybe I should’ve taken a leave of absence after all.’
I’d shelved the idea because it felt like I shouldn’t, but with all this chaos swirling around me, it was getting hard to hold out.
“Anyway, Senior, I heard from Judith. You’ve got a stalker now?”
“Yeah. Annoying as hell.”
“Your dark popularity is through the roof.”
As if she didn’t have enough light popularity to go around, she had dark popularity. The irony.
I gave Shirley a weak smile, then asked about the purpose of her coming all this way.
“Oh, right. Theodore came looking for you. I told him to wait in the main building parlor. Was that a bad call?”
“No, I figured he’d show up around now.”
The timing just sucked.
I was already under weird scrutiny, and meeting with Theodore from Thorn Crown Class would drag him into the suspicion too.
“Why the serious face? What’s the worry?”
“I don’t want to unnecessarily involve Theodore-”
“Ha! Get a grip, Senior. Theodore’s the one who’d be involving you. Dark popularity versus dark freak wizard. Who loses more if they get linked?”
Anything paired with ‘dark popularity’ lost, obviously.
It was a phrase that made everything seem trivial.
Anyway, from what I’d seen, Theodore was a really good guy, and while Shirley talked like this, she didn’t dislike him.
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll go meet him now. You off to volunteer work again today?”
“Bored out of my mind. But it’s over this week. Until then, jot down the names of anyone bothering you.”
“Next time it won’t end with volunteer work. Please hold out, for my sake too.”
Shirley made a death-glare face like she was suffering terribly, then brushed past me.
I’d suspected Thorn Crown Class’s poisonous plant club of being cursed weeds that grew whenever you looked away, but that was definitely Shirley nitpicking.
I parted ways with Shirley and headed to the main building parlor.
“Eek!”
“It’s Arma Cruise!”
The gasps and stares from the cadets were par for the course on the short trip.
I spotted the parlor in the distance and quickened my pace.
The parlor was on the second floor front, not the first floor with just the entrance and stairs, guarded by statues of armored knights holding spears on either side of the door.
-Creak.
As I flung open the heavy wooden door, there was Theodore, sitting in the innermost seat by the window, staring straight at me.
This long room called a parlor had three marble tables that could seat six each, but for some reason, not a single cadet was using it today.
‘No way—did they clear out because of Theodore?’
Thanks to the White House commotion, Theodore had a reputation as the devil’s child, leaving him as isolated as me.
If you asked for the most isolated cadet in the academy besides me, it’d probably be Theodore.
“How’re your eyes? All better now?”
“Yes. They didn’t even hurt much after I was admitted.”
“Good to hear.”
I scanned the empty parlor once more, corner to corner, then took the seat across from Theodore.
“What’s up? You could’ve sent word through a servant if you had business.”
“Oh, this is why.”
What Theodore pulled out was a small glass vial containing the ‘Theodore Special’ I’d requested in my letter.
“It’s low addiction potential, but not zero. Follow the dosage carefully.”
“…Thanks.”
I’d braced for him to pry into why I needed it, but Theodore’s attitude was refreshingly straightforward.
I pocketed the vial he handed me and glanced around.
Theodore tilted his head at my behavior.
“But what’s going on? You seem weirdly wary of your surroundings.”
“Oh, it’s a long story. You shouldn’t come see me where people can spot you from now on.”
“What happens if I do?”
“They say Arma Cruise’s summoned spirit will retaliate.”
“Will you?”
“Nah. But let’s move spots anyway.”
The guardian angel might be listening in.
I hurried Theodore along, deciding to head to my room.
In my rush, I flung the door open and collided with a green-haired cadet who was just entering the parlor.
“Ah, sorry… Aaaah!!”
The cadet’s face, calm until our shoulders bumped, crumpled in an instant.
Then he suddenly flinched back, stumbling away.
“Watch out!”
The green-haired cadet forgot the stairs were right behind him and missed his step.
I’d already lost my balance pulling the staggering green-hair toward me, grabbed the railing to steady us, but couldn’t hold both our weights and slid down the stairs, slamming my knee.
“Ugh.”
Even through my pants, I felt my knee scrape badly and start bleeding.
But I’d at least spared the green-hair from tumbling down and concussing himself.
That was the moment Theodore, who’d been unable to exit the parlor because of our fall at the door, finally opened it.
-Crash!
One of the knight statues guarding the parlor door toppled toward us.
The tip of the spear it held was aimed right at us.
“!”