Vol. 1 - Ch. 29 - Two Souls (1)

"Arma Cruz! Wake up!"

Someone kept urging me to get out of bed.

The voice wasn't Shirley's or Judith's; it was the last person I expected.

Machina Christie, the one who usually tried to make me uneasy with her calm demeanor, was the one standing here.

"... Winter?"

"Why are you muttering such strange things?"

"He lost so much blood that his consciousness has changed! Enoch Clark! Hurry up and call someone!"

I felt cold and thirsty, surrounded by many people.

Blinking my eyes, I noticed the ceiling had changed. The last time I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar yet sickening hospital ceiling.

I closed my eyes again.

"No... back here... boring...."

"Are you really saying that now?"

Someone pressed my nose with their finger, their voice filled with resignation.

Without even opening my eyes, I turned around to see the person and said,

"I think I will take a leave of absence."

"As you wish."

"I'm taking a break from school!?"

"Ugh..."

Judith, still wearing the helper's robe, stood up in surprise and sighed deeply.

The last time I saw Judith, she was in a knight's robe, covered in blood. Now, she wore a clean one; it seemed she changed while I was unconscious.

"Your mother, Countess Tessa Cruz, has been contacted. It's expected when my precious son is shot."

"Oh my..."

He committed filial piety, almost appearing immoral in various ways. Surprisingly, what devastated me more was that they contacted my mother because I got shot.

"The wound is completely healed now."

"You're saying that? If it weren't for Machina, you would have died."

"Ah, right. And her?"

"Resolved the accident."

"The festival?"

"Firstly, it was reported that your accident was accidental, so they proceeded to close it yesterday as scheduled but a bit early."

"Oh my...."

As if being falsely accused of murder wasn't enough, I got stoned, almost bit by a beast, and then shot. Regardless of the fact that the intensity of the crimes was getting stronger, it felt like some kind of disaster was starting with me.

"They say the incident was intentionally under-reported. It was judged that the hysteria of the cadets would go too far."

Judith said, pressing her head as if she were in pain.

"No, no, I don't think it is something to talk about now. First, you get some rest. If something seems wrong, shout out. Because of your situation, someone will be standing at the door."

I nodded. Judith watched me for a moment, then turned her back and left. I fell asleep looking at it all. It was a sleep close to an escape, so I fell swiftly into it.

I still had some symptoms of anemia, but they said it would be cured if I ate and slept well, so I returned to the dorms that day. Even after being discharged from the hospital, I toiled for a whole day. Perhaps due to the stress, the fever wouldn't go down, and in my dream, I was shot by Arthur again.

The sensation of something wriggling in my stomach was something I never wanted to experience again, whether in reality or in a dream.

The next day, Theodore visited and apologized, saying, "I am sorry, Arma Cruz. I didn't know something like that would happen." He blamed himself for the accident since we had separated that day.

"But Arthur Usher has gone missing."

Well, if he stayed after shooting, he would be in more trouble because he still didn't know what kind of fate awaited him. It would have been scarier if Arthur Usher had been leading a normal life from the day of the incident until now. In any case, Arthur's disappearance didn't become a hot topic, perhaps coinciding with the festival period, and it seemed to have remained that way until now.

I saw Theodore, who was shocked, talking incoherently, citing fatigue as an excuse. Just as I was contemplating what to do because I felt like I would fall asleep again and dream of getting shot, there was a knock on the door.

"Yes."

"Sorry for this, Cadet Arma Cruz; this is..."

It was a call from Machina Christie, the student council president. Thanks to Machina's divine healing power, the aftereffects weren't as prolonged as expected. By the time I was called by Machina, I could walk and talk on my own without any support.

As I stepped into the Black Lily Hall, I had regained enough composure to smile and greet the cadet who was following me timidly.

When I returned to the local hall for the council, it looked as majestic as ever.

No, I didn't realize it looked that way just because of the way Machina was sitting at the desk.

"Hello."

"I hope you are at peace. Are you feeling alright now?"

"Thanks to you."

Machina looked at me in an upright form with her hands placed on her thighs, then slowly got up.

"Please sit this way."

Sitting across from Machina at her luxurious table carved from mahogany wood, I unconsciously touched the spot where I was shot. I felt conscious of her, like my belly button was tingling, where Machina's divine power had permeated.

"I am sorry for calling you out like this because I was in a hurry, even though I knew it wasn't the right time."

"No, I understand."

Well, the wound itself was almost completely healed on the first day, and I was able to eat too. When I think about it that way, I can actually say that Machina's patience in waiting for me until now is amazing. Nevertheless, Machina apologized politely, and I accepted her apology.

"I don't want to argue with the patient for a long time, so I will get to the point. I am talking about what happened then."

"I don't remember anything."

I played it cool, even though I knew she wouldn't believe me. Machina didn't seem to expect an easy answer either.

"That cannot be possible, right?"

"I really don't remember anything."

"On the day of the incident, you were bleeding profusely and speaking gibberish. But now that you are alright and the memories are recalled to an extent, you should remember the culprit."

"The moonlight felt dark, and I couldn't see a face."

"It was without a single cloud that day; it cannot be like that."

"The criminal had his back to the light."

Machina was tapping one of her eyes. Her silver hair, which slightly curls at the end, and her childlike expression of dissatisfaction made her look like a cupid. In the end, she shrugged her shoulders.

"We made a pretty big decision for your sake."

"Thank you so much. They said that my  life was saved all thanks to you."

"It is nothing."

Machina, tapping the desk in dissatisfaction with the words, raised her left arm. On the thin wrist exposed through the academy's uniform cloak were the same restraints that had been on her wrists just a few days ago. The restraints felt like an unholy decoration that didn't fit her face.

"Is it because of me?"

"I am the council president, right? As president, I need to set an example for the cadets."

"I am truly sorry."

She just stayed silent, maybe thinking that any more talk with me was meaningless.

The restraints used at the academy are mainly employed to restrain the body and take away freedom when desired.

But this is an academy that trains elite individuals in magic.

When it isn't possible to subdue someone simply by restraining them, they vanish too. Even in a life-or-death emergency, Machina punished herself for breaking academy rules by wearing the restraints on her own hands.

There was a short silence, and then a knock was heard.

"Yes."

It would be rare for someone to come and visit Machina at a time like this. Finally, it was Sir William Reynolds, the president of Aegis Academy, who came.

Sir Reynolds was a nervous, middle-aged man with a stern look. His stubbornly raised eyes and mustache made him stand out.

"I am glad to see you healthy."

He must have come to see Machina, but he spoke to me directly without even turning to her.

"I keep causing trouble; I don't know what to say."

"Right, this one is... extremely tough. I hope you get what I mean."

"Yes."

"And Arma."

"Yes...."

Unlike how he usually dealt with Machina, he was nagging me in an overbearing manner. The nagging was so constant that it felt like the wound, which healed thanks to Machina, was hurting now.

"President. Don't you have something to discuss with me?"

Machina got up and stood between me and him.

"It is a bit unfortunate, but it would be better to end our talks here."

"Well, I have said everything I should."

"Nice, then let's leave it at that."

Machina didn't lose in words. It was a natural reaction since she seemed to have guessed that I was being considered the culprit. I left the Black Lily Hall with the cadet from the council who came with me.

First of all, it was known that my accident was an accident, so they closed the festival yesterday as scheduled and a bit early.

In any case, according to Judith's words, the incident in which I fell down after being shot four days ago was considered my own mistake.

"But this is better."

I hoped that Arma Cruz would be considered a lucky guy overall.

Because I was never going to say out loud that Arthur had shot me. And that wasn't the full truth.

"Arthur definitely put down the gun."

It might not have been Arthur's original intention to drop the gun and then fire. Thankfully, the injury was to the stomach alone.

First, he had a gun at my forehead, so it's a miracle that the hole was in the stomach with blood loss. Moreover, in that brief moment when Arthur's dropped gun hit the ground, it felt as if I had seen a struggle between Arthur, who pointed the gun at me, and Arthur, who didn't want to shoot. It was as if two souls in one body were clashing for power.

"But that cannot be."

It was something absurd---two souls in one body? And both of them, Arthur? Nevertheless, the fact that this truth couldn't be completely denied seemed like a bad joke.

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