Volume 2 Chapter 5.3
Dusk, Hounds, and Doubts Brought on by
Scars Part 3
Translator : PolterGlast
"Two bags of tea
leaves from Agilyl-san. I will also select some tea snacks for you. As for
other daily necessities, we were out of toothbrushes and soaps, so I'll stock
up on those as well."
It was always
a series of idle conversations that came to mind.
When was the
last time this memory surfaced?
It was
probably about a week ago, around the time I formed an alliance with Nina
Stingray.
"That reminds me,
we're running out of perfume as well."
"We have already
arranged for a shipping company to deliver it. <Aerys No. 6>, is that
correct?"
"Fufu, as
expected of Satya."
"Also, the hem of
your nightgown is a little frayed, so I've had a craftsman make you a new
one."
"...... It's
getting a little scary now."
Karen's cheeks relaxed
as she looked at Satya, who reported with the same blank expression as ever.
The Rodel family,
where Satya was born, has been in the service of Karen's family for about four
generations.
The Ashby family, who
run a weapons manufacturer whose biggest customers are the imperial army, are
very busy. Naturally, the staff working at the mansion are also expected to
work to the highest standards. Satya and Karen have been together since
childhood, and other than her bad habit of developing creative teas that make
people's taste buds go crazy, she is a perfect maid with impeccable standards.
It was thanks to
Satya's devoted support that Karen was able to spend her time training for her
psychic abilities and engaging in battles. Satya's presence was essential for
Karen to become a member of the <White Knights> and to continue to devote
herself to the glory of the empire.
No, it is impossible
to evaluate her existence in such a casual manner.
For Karen, Satya was the
first best friend she had ever had, a confidante to whom she could expose her
weaknesses that she usually hid, and an irreplaceable existence.
In her memories, Satya
has always been expressionless, but her features are framed by a soft light.
But then, she
was attacked by someone.
It was only in the
afternoon that Karen noticed something unusual.
At lunchtime, Karen
usually went to the cafeteria with Satya. Today, however, Satya rushed to the
dormitory, saying that she had been asked to do some work by the main family.
Satya did occasionally receive work from the main family through phone calls,
so Karen did not harbor any suspicion.
However, Satya did not
return to the classroom after the lunch break.
At first, she thought
she might be having trouble with her work, but by the time two hours had
passed, her doubts had turned to frustration.
─Something happened to her.
Judging this to be the
case, Karen ran out of the classroom and headed for the girls' dormitory.
To deny the bad
premonition, she ran, gasping for breath.
She entered the
dormitory by slamming her body against the heavy door, and crossed the deserted
entrance to the second floor. When she opened the door to her room, Satya would
be there, and she would say, "What's the matter?" with her usual
expressionless face. Believing in such a boring and mundane outcome, she kept
on running. However, the outcome was not what she had expected.
Karen saw Satya's
disfigured figure.
The bruises on her
entire body looked extremely painful.
She had bruises in
various places, and her forehead was lacerated and dripping with blood. Her
left arm was the most severely damaged, with the joint at the elbow twisted far
beyond its normal range of motion. A bone protruded from the reddened arm,
though Karen hoped it was all just some kind of joke.
"Satya! Are you
okay!?"
She assumed the worst,
but fortunately, Satya was still breathing.
Her injuries were
severe, but they were mainly fractures and bruises, so there was little danger
of blood loss and death. Nevertheless, there was still a possibility that her
internal organs might be damaged, so she had to be taken to the infirmary as
soon as possible.
After calling the
doctor stationed at the school from the phone in her room, Karen calmly
pondered,
Who in the
world could have done this?
Was it the
work of someone with a grudge against me?
Could it be a
group of rats who have infiltrated the school?
─If so, why target Satya?
"Satya, don't
worry. I'll definitely kill the fool who hurt you."
Then a knock was heard
on the door behind her. She explained the situation to the doctors who came in
with a stretcher and watched as first aid was administered. After watching her
being carried out of the dormitory, Karen finally gave up trying to control her
anger.
◇
─Is this situation really part of Jin's plan?
No, it could not be.
This was definitely a
miscalculation, and the plan Jin had in mind went down the drain.
When Nina opened the
door to the first girls' dormitory building to persuade Karen, her eyes were
met with visions that were completely out of the ordinary.
"What in the
world is happening here ......?"
Nina's questions were
mercilessly drowned out by the screams of the students as they fled outdoors.
She bumped shoulders with one of the students, but she ran off without looking
back.
The students who live
here must have heard of Nina's notoriety. However, this was probably of little
importance in the face of the horror that lay before them.
As far as the eye
could see, there was a majestic scene of destruction.
A swarm of beautiful
crystals, multiplying at a tremendous rate, was about to fill the inside of the
girls' dormitory.
Nina caught the girl
with a cut on her cheek and asked her what was going on.
"Can't you tell
by looking at this!? Karen Ashby is running amok!"
"I would like to
know the reason."
"There was a girl
named Satya who hung around with her, wasn't there? That girl was attacked and
is unconscious. Karen said she's going to keep on rampaging until the culprit
comes forward! She's totally losing her mind!"
"Thank you. I
understand the gist of it."
"What are you
planning to do!? Don't tell me, it was you who-......"
She felt she was being
terribly misunderstood, but she didn't seem to have the time to explain
herself.
A figure was
approaching from behind the cluster of shiny weapons.
The girl who had told
Nina what happened screamed and fled, and before she knew it, the dormitory was
empty except for her.
"Nina Stingray.
Why are you here?"
Karen's pupils were
completely dilated.
She was not using any
of the breathing techniques she had trained in the dojo.
She had no intention
of controlling her abilities, so it was only natural that she didn't need to
control them.
"Yesterday, I got
a message from Satya-san. She said you wanted to see me after school
today."
"Ah, there was
something like that, huh? Just forget about it."
Even as she spoke so,
the crystals kept multiplying, destroying the chairs and tables placed at the
entrance.
Even so, the shining
torrent of light kept growing.
At this rate, it would
eventually break through the walls and even the ceiling.
"I have a few
guesses as to who the culprit might be."
"What are you
talking about? Let's talk about this situation first......"
"Satya was
attacked head-on. There was no sign that the lock to my room was broken. The
only thing I can think of is that Satya opened the lock herself and invited the
perpetrator in. If that's the case, that narrows down the suspects, doesn't
it?"
"...... It was
someone she knew."
"I hate to say
it, but there aren't many people who know her. Satya was always with me. As far
as I know, there are only a handful of people."
"Why don't you
calm down first? We can wait until Satya-san regains consciousness......"
"I'm telling you,
you're the most suspicious of all."
The killing intent
emanating from Karen pushed aside the atmosphere and approached Nina.
"Even if it were
someone she was acquainted with, she would be wary of anyone who would visit my
room during lunch break. Satya is not that dumb. ...... but what about if it
were someone I had promised to meet after school? That person can make up any
number of excuses, like being on the wrong time or something."
Even in the midst of
her rage, Karen seemed to be able to maintain a rational train of thought.
No, perhaps she
remained calm and simply used her hatred and madness as a card to play in order
to hunt down her opponents.
Either way, though, it
was clear that Karen misunderstood something.
Of course, Nina had no
recollection of ever attacking Satya, and Jin would not be the type to do such
a thing. He had never met Satya, either. The person who attacked Satya was
probably a third party that Nina did not know──no, there was only one
person who could have attacked Satya.
Someone who knew Satya
and could make up an excuse to meet her during lunch break.
She had received a
dropped item from Satya at that time. It was something so important that she
should never have dropped it, because it was necessary for the activation of
her psychic ability. A paper bag containing lollipops.
If she knocked on the
door, saying that she wanted to thank her for that time, Satya would likely
comply, right?
Could it be, that Emma
Licorice is the one who attacked her?
But if so, for what
purpose──.
"What's that look
on your face? Are you upset?"
"...... It's
nothing like that."
It was so
unintentional that she couldn't control her expression.
Karen was no longer
willing to accept any excuses and had already determined that Nina was the
culprit. No, she probably doesn't even care if it's true or false.
─If she could unleash her seething hatred on anyone,
she would do so.
Karen's dilated pupils
were certainly screaming so.
"Our alliance is
over, Stingray. As for beating up Casper, ...... ha~, I can't believe I've been
distracted by that idiot for so long, I still have a lot to learn."
What am I
supposed to do?
Should I try
to intimidate her with my usual act?
─No, Karen has already made up her mind to fight.
Should I try
to buy some time by proposing to settle the matter in a <duel>?
─No, Karen does not want such a peaceful solution.
She wants to
keep fighting until one of us is dead.
"What's the
matter, Stingray? Activate your psychic abilities."
"...... Are you
sure? There'll be casualties, you know."
"That's what I
want."
Karen stuck her palm
out toward Nina.
In response, the
crystals that had spread across the entrance moved and surrounded Nina, who was
standing in the center of the room. Numerous sharp blades protruded from the shifting
crystals, making it look as if a huge, bloodthirsty monster was about to devour
her to death.
It was over, she
thought.
There was nothing she
could do now.
It was a foolish idea
to try trapping such a monster in the first place. No half-baked trickery would
work against an overwhelmingly powerful monster who could play the
"rampage" or "out-of-control" card at any time.
The crystals, shining
in seven colors by refracting the light, became huge jaws and approached from
both sides.
What would happen in
the next few seconds was obvious.
Whether she would be
crushed to death or die of blood loss, she did not know what the cause of her
death would be. But it would only take a fraction of a second for the answer to
become clear. Once she turned into a bloody mass of flesh, all that remained
was to be locked up in a beautiful coffin.
─This must be retribution.
Isn't this a
fitting end for a fraudster who has been deceiving people without regard?
Nina gently closed her
eyes as she was engulfed by the deadly and beautiful weapons.
"............
Huh?"
Although Nina should
be completely prepared to die, she hasn't been crushed by the crystals yet.
Nor does she feel any
pain.
Instead, she was
immersed in a feeling of levitation.
The moment she opened
her eyes, Nina realized she was flying through the air.
"Eh, eehh!?
What's going on ......"
"Don't flail
around."
A low, electronically
processed voice could be heard in her ear. It was the person in the black coat
who had attacked Nina and Jin yesterday.
The situation was
finally becoming clear.
Nina, who was nearly
eaten alive by the crystalline jaws, succeeded in escaping from the dormitory,
carried by this person who had jumped in through the window.
Her mask obscures her
true face, but her true identity is most likely─.
"......Emma?
You're Emma, right?"
"Be quiet."
"I suspected you
....... I'm so sorry."
"As I said, be
quiet."
"Hey, why are you
dressed like that ......?"
No answer was given.
Holding Nina with both hands, she jumped from one building roof to another
without uttering a word.
The two of them
reached the front of the gym warehouse as they kept moving across the grounds
at an inhumanly fast speed.
Wondering how she knew
of this place, Nina quickly came up with an answer.
As she recalled, this
was the place that Bennett had originally used as a venue for his tournament.
Jin had said that he happened to run into Emma when he was doing
reconnaissance, so it was no surprise that she would choose it as a place to
hide.
─Was it really a coincidence that she ran into Jin in
the first place?
"Enter."
Told by a voice mixed
with noises, Nina complied obediently.
The mechanism is
designed so that if one doesn't follow the procedure of inserting the master
key and turning it twice to the right and again to the left, a warning light
will shine in the attic, but Jin is probably at Casper's place anyway. Besides,
it would be unnatural to worry about such things now.
Locking the warehouse
door from the inside, the hooded person slowly removed her hood and mask.
She had orange
short-cut hair, dark green eyes, a lollipop, and a moderately toned figure. The
girl in front of Nina was definitely Emma Licorice.
"Umm ......
thanks, Emma."
"Have you given
up your usual, annoying, polite tone already?"
"...... Eh?"
Her vision perceived
the girl in front of her as a friend she had been with for a while, but the
tone of voice that shot through her eardrums and the aura of rejection
emanating from the girl's entire body negated her naive thoughts..
─Who is this person?
"Well, we both
hid our true identities from each other. No hard feelings."
"H-Hey, what are
you talking about? You just saved my life, didn't you?"
"Do you really
think so?"
A muzzle.
A foreign object that
is so out of place in school life is being pointed at her right now.
She is glued to the
abyss where not even light escapes, and she can barely breathe. The pressure
emanating within the darkness of the .38 caliber was so overwhelming and vivid.
Surely it was not rigged to prevent bullets from being released.
"Sorry, Nina
Stingray."
Without even giving
her a chance to question it, Emma pulled the trigger.
End of Chapter 5
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