Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Failed Holy War (2)
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“Holy war... weapon?”
As expected, asking Theodore in this state had been the right call.
Unlike the current Theodore, the one I’d encountered during the ritual had memories of the future but hadn’t uttered a single word about it.
Shirley said this was repeating because Theodore had lost his memories.
In other words, for some unknown reason that hadn’t been revealed in detail, my friends from the future had promised to keep silent forever about the repeating misfortunes befalling me.
‘Now things are starting to connect.’
It had been a jumble of fragmented information, and since Shirley, Arthur, and Theodore had all stayed silent for their own reasons, piecing it together had been more complicated than expected.
On top of that, Theodore’s memory loss made it hard to decide which information to accept and which to discard.
But at least I’d learned one thing.
The fact that Theodore would face a battle on such a massive scale that he called it a holy war.
-In the end, even the last remaining chance chose us instead of a weapon. Arma Cruise, don’t fight this time. The more we fight, the stronger it gets, and your soul will shatter.
My soul that’s already shattering...
If that’s really the case, then maybe I need to seal all this away before it completely breaks apart and scatters.
If my stubborn childhood survival—clinging to life even when it felt like my breath would give out—was all for this moment...
-Thud, thud.
What snapped me out of my thoughts was Theodore trudging forward with those vacant eyes, always onward, onward.
By now, Theodore wasn’t reacting to anything I said.
He was up and walking, yet completely lost in sleep.
Rather than forcibly dragging Theodore, who kept trying to head somewhere, I decided to subtly adjust his path little by little.
-Scuff, scuff.
I carefully grabbed the arm of Theodore, who was blindly slamming into walls just to go forward, and slowly turned him around.
Fortunately, he started heading back toward the room as I intended.
‘The reason Arthur didn’t wake sleepwalking Theodore on purpose was because he’s a black mage.’
If Theodore woke suddenly from a stimulus, was he more likely to feel safe or threatened?
I knew Theodore well enough—he wasn’t the type to cast spells rashly—but that didn’t mean provoking a black mage was a smart move.
“Good, almost there...”
I kept adjusting his direction to avoid obstacles, slowly backing away.
After about ten minutes of this.
Finally, I got Theodore into the room.
‘Oh no, Cookie.’
What if Cookie realized we were back and jumped on Theodore?
I quickly scanned the room and saw Arthur already coaxing Cookie to stay calm.
“Arthur.”
“First— Theodore.”
It was a low, steady voice.
I patiently watched until Theodore entered the dressing room and lay down on the cot, then closed the door behind him.
“Whew.”
I hadn’t done anything strenuous, but I was drained—sweat drenched my forehead.
As I wiped my damp brow, Arthur looked over with eyes demanding an explanation.
“Ah— I talked to Theodore after he woke up late, but he was rambling nonsense. I already knew about the sleepwalking, so I figured it’d be better to follow him than risk waking and startling him.”
“The episodes are getting shorter.”
Arthur replied, his face pale and hair slightly disheveled.
“I let my guard down since it rarely happens during the day.”
“How could you keep tabs on a full-grown guy like him all the time?”
Theodore’s roaming range was on par with a wild animal.
It took a good twenty-minute walk from Thorn Crown Class to Wooden Cross Class, and Theodore would cover that distance back and forth multiple times just to find me.
That alone explained how much he prowled around Aegis Academy.
Of course, Arthur the swordsman had better stamina than Theodore, but even so, he couldn’t stick to him twenty-four-seven.
“Nothing else happen?”
“Theodore kept banging his head against the wall, so I debated waking him.”
“You did well. Never wake him.”
“Yeah, I was scared he’d panic and unconsciously cast a spell.”
Arthur nodded silently.
He’d followed Theodore for the same reason without waking him.
A brief silence hung in the air.
I saw Arthur’s mouth open as if to ask something and quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, did the lunch bell ring? I missed breakfast sleeping in, and I’m starving.”
“Come to think of it, no bell today. The storm’s not worse than yesterday.”
Neptune region’s storms were persistent, coming in scattered waves.
Not one spinning typhoon, but multiple ones passing in sequence, churning up the entire sea.
But it wasn’t so bad you couldn’t step outside the whole time—days like today with lighter rain or just strong winds happened occasionally.
“Lots of people went to the cafeteria, or maybe something else.”
I wanted to head to the cafeteria and escape Arthur’s watch, but the situation didn’t allow it.
Pretending to play with Cookie, I sat with my back to Arthur.
He seemed to catch my intent and didn’t press further.
Uncomfortable silence mixed with anxious thoughts.
‘Before the holy war starts, I failed to gather all the weapons.’
Even now, the unfinished task kept surfacing.
Was choosing to save people over weapons ultimately trapping me in a loop where I could never gather them?
‘So what choice should “now” me make?’
Time flew by, and the rain paused for a bit.
This area didn’t get much snow, so the ground never turned to slushy mess.
Theodore, waking late, mumbled complaints about oversleeping with a dazed look, remembering nothing.
We silently prepared to head out while waiting for dinner.
Having all skipped lunch for our own reasons, we were ravenous.
-Clack, clack, clack.
Before the dinner bell, came the sound of Dillon’s wooden clapper for roll call.
“Huh, roll call?”
Had Dillon ever gone around with that thing this early?
Ah, once.
But that was because Judith had declared she’d kill the cadets pranking her, grabbed her sword, and vanished...
Needless to say, the guys who’d messed with her after that day vanished cleanly.
Anyway, Dillon doing roll call at this hour was definitely odd.
We checked our gear and listened to the door.
-Assembly order. Temporary room leaders, please gather in the first-floor central hall shortly.
“Assembly?”
I’d been at this school for over a decade, but a dorm-issued assembly was a first.
I hurried out.
Confused temporary room leaders trickled into the hall at the surprise order.
The cadets standing alone on the black-and-white marble checkerboard floor looked like chess pieces.
“What’s going on, room chief?”
Dillon counted heads with a complicated expression.
Whatever it was, he didn’t look like he had good news.
“We’re starving—make the announcement quick and done.”
Everyone was on edge from hunger; the air felt sharp.
Dillon glanced at the grumbling cadet, scratched his head.
In the restless atmosphere, they just waited for his words.
Finally, Dillon clapped sharply as if resolved.
-Clap!
“Attention.”
Unlike his earlier hesitant, troubled look, Dillon now carried the dignity of a dorm room chief.
The cadets who’d been about to complain shut their mouths at his rare serious face.
“What I’m about to say has been cross-verified by the student council and consulted with Chancellor Sir Reynolds.”
-Murmurs.
The situation seemed graver than thought.
Student council and chancellor’s name together? Rare.
I swallowed dryly without realizing.
“Starting four days ago, food stockpiled in the cafeteria has been vanishing.”
Food.
Cadets already irritable before dinner.
Hearing about stolen food now...
Half scowled; the other half tilted heads like, so what?
I was in the first group.
‘With lightning burning warehouse supplies, forcing this lockdown, and now this.’
If it was just a day or two’s worth, Dillon wouldn’t call temporary leaders.
And the theft scale seemed bigger than expected.
If it was only Wooden Cross House, they could’ve asked other dorms for supplies—but no such thing happened.
“Lying here wouldn’t be wise. In just four days, a week’s worth of food for all of us is gone.”
“What?”
Wooden Cross Class dorm had about three hundred residents.
A week’s food for three hundred gone? Unbelievable.
A few cadets raised hands with the same thought, firing questions.
Dillon listened seriously and answered.
“We haven’t caught the culprit. But fortunately, only short-shelf-life fresh foods were taken.”
Meaning preserved meats and long-shelf items were still safe.
But no room for relief.
Neptune storms typically lasted about two weeks.
Losing two weeks of fresh food meant most stockpiles were gone.
Dillon watched our confusion, then sighed softly.
“I called you to check remaining food and redistribute shortages from dorm reserves.”