Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: That Thing (1)
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I thought the time I’d been out wasn’t all that long, but when I opened my eyes, a lot had changed.
The biggest change was probably that all the cadets were now allowed to carry real weapons.
“You mean we can walk around with drawn swords or bows and such?”
“Yeah. Mages don’t change much since their heads are their weapons, but those majoring in weapons have a whole new look.”
Even Judith, who was explaining the situation to me, had her silver-and-turquoise longsword strapped to her waist.
Shirley wasn’t around, but no doubt she was lugging around a spear even bigger than she was.
I’d always had permission to carry a weapon anyway, so like the mages, nothing much had changed for me.
“What about magic restrictions? Lifted?”
“Nope. Just magical devices.”
“The Thorn Crown House must be complaining up a storm.”
“Not really. They’re thrilled to use the magical devices they invented themselves.”
“Haha…”
It had been half a day since I’d gotten up.
The sight of cadets armed to the teeth walking past the window gave the illusion that I’d arrived at some place completely different from the peaceful academy of the previous month.
Until now, under the pretext of being cadets—students—they hadn’t been allowed full armament, but now they’d shed that student image and taken on the full look of soldiers.
“Seeing it like this really drives it home.”
“Drives what home?”
“That we’re part of the military.”
“You’re late to that realization, Arma.”
Judith lightly tapped my arm with the back of her hand—not hard—then stood from the guest chair.
“This might be what Makina was trying to prevent.”
“So Makina failed in the end?”
Judith didn’t answer my question.
Well, even I, who was deeply involved in the incident, couldn’t fathom what Makina had been thinking to let things escalate this far.
Let alone Judith figuring out her true intentions.
“Anyway, thanks for filling me in, Judith. Let’s head to class for now. Finals are next week anyway, so we can think things over during break.”
“Got it. You grabbing all your bullets?”
“For now. Only got six, though.”
After finals, winter break would start, and most underclassmen cadets would head home while upperclassmen stayed in the dorms to prep for the next semester.
It wasn’t forbidden to go home, but the longer you lived at the academy, the less you relied on your parents, so it just happened naturally.
Fortunately, neither Judith nor I were going home, so we’d have plenty of time to talk about what was going on.
We hurried out of the dorm wing toward the lecture halls.
“Oh, it’s Shirley.”
“Seniors~ Good day.”
With volunteer service fully over, Shirley was back in her academy dress uniform for the first time in ages.
The stand-collar uniform and the light purple wool cloak embroidered with the Spencer house crest went perfectly with her violet hair.
“Been a while since I’ve seen you in that.”
“Such an impressive spear, size-wise, every time.”
At our comments, Shirley spun half a turn, showing off the spear on her back like the star of a parade show—of course, not the dress uniform version, but the real sharpened one.
“It’s such a hassle to carry around.”
Shirley used a unique modified weapon that looked like a shortened cavalry lance.
It was a vicious thing with small barbs on the sharp, slender tip, so she didn’t carry it around much normally.
“Why? It looks cool.”
“I thought so too until I was sixteen.”
Did that mean I shared the same sense of aesthetics as Shirley at sixteen?
Whether I felt self-conscious or not, Shirley stretched her stiff body while hoisting the massive spear.
“Anyway, it’s a done deal that some demon or whatever got summoned, right?”
“That’s right.”
“If it’s evil-aligned, the Black Lily Class has the edge. Their magical devices are white magic-based too, so even if we arm up, we won’t be as efficient as them.”
“You planning to hunt it yourself? This is just for self-defense. Plus, mana use is still banned.”
“Hmm~”
Shirley gave me a mischievous smile at my words.
She looked every bit the rascal like this; it was a mystery how she’d hidden that personality at first enrollment.
“Shirley… promise me. No reckless stuff…”
“Hey, I’m no volunteer. Why would I go hunting it? But if it pops up right in front of me by chance, who knows.”
“If that happens, don’t fight—just run.”
“Hehe.”
Even in this ominous situation, could Shirley’s thrill-seeking nature never fade?
I decided not to poke at whatever lurked inside her for no reason.
The bell tolled in the distance again, urging us on with its deep clang.
“Seniors, is that all you’re bringing? Wouldn’t it be better to carry your major class rifle too?”
Shirley pointed at my chest.
“Nah, no need. It’d tie up one hand and isn’t efficient. Gotta reload it one bullet at a time.”
“I see~ Now that we can carry weapons, couldn’t you carry a different gun? I hear they’ve got ones that rapid-fire with magicite coal these days.”
“You mean the Labyrinth Tower’s new revolvers. Too late now. Even if I applied today, it’d take six months—and by then, graduation’s right around the corner.”
Besides, this gun was special.
It was the self-defense pistol my sister Luin Cruise had given me on my fourteenth birthday.
That was the first time I realized my sister had a shred of human affection.
“Anyway, this one’s fine for me. If something attacks me that I can’t defend against with this, I’m dead meat regardless.”
“Quit the weak talk. I already know your marksmanship rivals pro league level.”
“Thanks.”
Coming from someone lightly carrying a 20kg spear, it was an embarrassing compliment, but not one I minded hearing.
Fully armed, we chatted lightly for another five minutes or so before heading to our respective classrooms.
Along the way, Shirley insisted on escorting me and swung by the second floor of the main building for my ‘Aegis Ancient Languages II’ lecture before heading back.
‘Like a large, uncooperative dog.’
Affable and good-natured, yet she never really listened.
She seemed friendly toward me, but at crucial moments, she always prioritized her own judgment.
With her threat to pick me up after class if I didn’t stay put, I could only nod heavily.
“Alright, looks like everyone’s here, so let’s begin.”
How much time had passed?
As I sat waiting for the lecture to start, Professor Melberry—who’d once canceled due to sudden abdominal pain—took the podium.
From her hair ribbons to her shoes, Professor Melberry was clad head to toe in black, earning her the mocking nickname ‘Black Widow’ for her unique style.
“The greatest turning point in Aegis ancient languages was the Pioneer War led by Saint Johanna. The unification of fragmented tribal societies brought strong northern indigenous accents into…”
The lecture was as monotonous as ever.
One might call this the usual routine, but the real lethal weapons poking out from the cadets’ bodies everywhere made it hard to dismiss as everyday life, creating a jarring dissonance.
*Clang, clang…*
“Ah… That’s all for today.”
The bell rang far earlier than usual, and the cadets murmured lightly.
Professor Melberry quickly clapped twice to get our attention and spoke.
“Oh, actually, a shortened class was decided on suddenly. If we announced it too early, no one would focus, right? So we’re announcing it now—please bear with us. Next week’s the last class, so we’ll do a simple test. That’s all.”
Like she had no intention of taking questions, Professor Melberry rattled off her words rapid-fire and scurried out of the classroom.
Stunned, we exchanged glances and dispersed into the chaotic atmosphere.
*The demon… is wandering around.*
*Senior Arma Cruise was the first to encounter it…*
*So that senior really was the cause after all?*
*Corpses have been found…*
My situation had improved somewhat from before, but it wasn’t like things had gotten dramatically better.
‘Is this hallucination too…?’
To avoid the sunlight, I leaned against a pillar in heavy shadow and waited for Shirley.
To kill time, I blankly stared at the relief of the Aegis Genesis Myth carved into the wall.
*It appeared…*
*R-run!*
The scene of the Genesis God clashing with the demon while wielding a sword was the famous ‘Judgment,’ one of the Genesis Myth’s seven iconic moments.
*It’s a magic beast!*
*Senior! Run!*
Next came the Aegis spear-throw, the intro to ‘The Three Days of Glory,’ and in ‘The Prophet’s Holy Trial,’ an unnamed prophet clears Saint Johanna’s name to lead the Pioneer War to victory.
The Pioneer War mentioned in today’s Aegis ancient languages class had broken out due to that very incident.
“Senior!”
“Ugh?!”
The moment I was about to immerse myself in the massive, epic relief, someone shoved me hard.
*Boom!*
“Arma Cruise! Snap out of it!”
What flashed past my eyes then was a chimera wolf moving so fast it left an afterimage.
Glowing red pupils, black mist cloaking its body—it was the form of the wolf shrouded in that black mist I’d seen flying toward the sky when I stole a glimpse of Theodore and the writing club’s summoning ritual.
The moment I faced that overwhelming presence, like staring into the abyss, instinct told me one thing.
‘No.’
We couldn’t fight that thing.
Meanwhile, blocking my path was Shirley, the violet ponytail spearwoman gripping a spear bigger than herself.
Somehow, this view of her back felt familiar.
I hurriedly drew my gun and fired forward.
The chimera wolf was gray, but the afterimage was black.
It was like it was draped in mist.
“Shirley! No, dodge!”
“Haaaah!”
Stupidly, I couldn’t distinguish hallucination from reality and put Shirley in danger.
Shirley would never back down.
*Bang! Bang!*
As Shirley swung her spear to check the chimera wolf, I provided covering fire to buy time.
But the bullets missed.
They’d hit dead-on, yet bounced off like striking an invisible wall.
I memorized the angle of the ricocheting bullets.
‘So that’s why the other cadets ran…’
That was it.
This wasn’t just any magic beast.
Having such powerful protection meant one thing.
‘Is this the demon… no, the clone’s power?’
While the chimera wolf hesitated, Shirley leaped straight into the wide courtyard.
“Call Senior Judith!”
“No! You too, together…”
“Too late for that!”
“What—”
*Slash—*
The chimera wolf’s forepaw, fitted with a blade the size of an arm, sliced horizontally across Shirley’s upper body.
The moment Shirley ducked her head, she lost balance and staggered.
Shirley’s leg was injured.
*Bang!*
I couldn’t help her from here.
Damn it!
I gave up reloading and ran.
“Shirley!”
Shirley righted herself in the brief instant the chimera wolf took the bullet.
Then she thrust her spear into the chimera wolf’s chest like hurling a harpoon.
*Thud!*
“Kreeeek!”
The magic beast froze for a split second.
I reloaded almost unconsciously.
‘It’s defending with mana.’
We were in trouble.
We couldn’t win.
“Tch, cheap tricks.”
Shirley spat out the blood pooling inside her mouth.
Blood dripped—spit, spit, drip—but the chimera wolf’s red-glowing pupils flashed as it bared its jaws and charged.
Shirley reached to recover her spear.
*Crunch!*
The chimera wolf bit straight into Shirley’s arm.
The spear piercing its chest hadn’t slowed it one bit.
“Sturdy… little bastard?”
*Snap.*
Shirley’s arm crumpled, the sound of bone breaking echoing.
“Senior!”
While Shirley and the chimera wolf struggled, I shoved my arm into the beast’s maw just like hers.
“Grrrrowl!”
*Bang!*
Hit.
The magic beast’s softest spot.
That had to be inside its mouth.
The bullet fired from within punched through the back of its skull.
*Drip.*
Brain-mixed blood sprayed from the hole in the chimera wolf’s head.
The impact twisted its body, sending it tumbling far away.
With the beast’s jaws off her, Shirley’s arm was a bloody mess.
‘Something’s off.’
I was definitely missing something.
What was it?
*Bang!*
I fired once more to finish it.
Hit.
But—
“Kaoooo!”
The chimera wolf howled, frenzied by the smell of its own blood.
‘What do I do? What now?’
Shirley, with her arm mangled.
I had only one bullet left, chambered.
Our weapons couldn’t pierce the chimera wolf’s mana shield.
*Thud…*
The magic beast kicked off the ground and leaped high.
An empty click sounded.
“Shirley. We have to make it. The ground…”
It was a split-second moment.
Did Shirley understand?