Chapter 54: Invitation
Stefania stared at Georg.
Georg stared back at Stefania.
Although it was something they had already agreed on beforehand, they both understood just how unpleasant and tedious this whole process was.
“Who is more at fault?” and “Who will take responsibility?”
That was why the people dressed in black stood silently around them at a distance from the table.
Crow Court.
A trial where the accused are seated and forced to argue and denounce each other. As emotions escalate, hidden information eventually spills out.
Once everything is revealed, the ones dressed in black, who serve as both jury and judge, decide on the sentencing.
If one party is judged to be more at fault, part of the punishment is shifted from one side to the other.
This malicious method was a well-known form of trial within noble society.
“…Field supervisor. There is consistent testimony from examinees stating that you took no action when the beast attacked the test site. How do you plan to explain this?”
Breaking the heavy atmosphere, Georg was the first to make a move.
“I was tracking the demon. It was moving through the test site, summoning beasts and monsters as it went. I had to prioritize eliminating it first.”
Stefania spoke calmly as she presented evidence. It included a photograph of a mangled corpse, so damaged that it was hard to recognize, and an envelope containing a twisted, ruptured heart.
“…As you can see, I succeeded in killing the demon. However, it took significant time to accomplish, which is why I was unable to take charge of the examinees at the scene.”
She announced the truth as if proudly boasting to the crowd watching from a distance.
Of course, it was a blatant lie.
“Killing the demon was a commendable effort, Miss Stefania. But prioritizing the elimination of the demon over ensuring the safety of the examinees was quite a disappointing decision. I never expected such poor judgment from a student as clever as you.”
Now that Georg’s attack was over, it was Stefania’s turn to strike.
“If the safety devices had worked properly, there would have been no need for me to guide the examinees. I made my decision under the assumption that the safety mechanisms were already in operation. Considering the unprecedented situation of a beast breaking into the exam, wouldn’t it have been a reasonable decision to immediately call back all examinees?”
“Indeed. Which is why we immediately suspended the exam and gathered all students.”
“Then you must have used the safety device’s forced recall function, correct?”
“Yes, just as you said, that function was activated. Most of the examinees from the west test site returned immediately, except for a few. But since the safety device for the east test site malfunctioned, that’s where this whole mess started.”
“It malfunctioned depending on the region, huh. I doubt it was due to a design flaw, considering it was you, Georg, one of the members of that hero party, who personally designed the device.”
“That’s right.”
“Then why didn’t the safety device at the east test site work?”
“The circuits of the magical tool were damaged by demonic energy. Under normal circumstances, it would have withstood it. But the demonic energy in the east test site was so dense, it was as if a real demon had descended.”
Georg parried Stefania’s attack as he pulled out a file and tossed it onto the table.
“Here are the results of the soil and air quality analysis at the east test site, along with reports from the medical team that treated the examinees. Take a close look.”
He lifted each page of the file and floated them in the air, allowing the people dressed in black to view them one by one.
“The analysis revealed levels of demonic energy that would be fatal for a human being. It was strong enough that a person could succumb to demonization in a matter of minutes. Several examinees showed signs of demonic energy contamination and possible demonization, which has significantly complicated treatment efforts for the medical team.”
“Of course. In such an environment, it would be inevitable for the device to fail. After all, everyone knows that demonic energy pollutes mana. Honestly, it’s impressive that the tracking function was still operational. Thanks to that, all missing persons were found.”
“Indeed.”
While pretending to attack each other, they subtly defended one another. Having said what needed to be said, they scanned their surroundings.
Some were busy scribbling down notes, wearing irritated expressions, while others remained expressionless, quietly assessing right from wrong.
No one spoke it aloud, but they all knew.
They had succeeded.
We didn’t have any incidents like that around us, but apparently, the number of dead was more than you could count on your fingers and toes.
It wasn’t in the triple digits, but if you included those who were maimed, about half of our class had been “lost.”
…I wonder if the kids in my class are okay.
Even though I wasn’t particularly close to them, it would be pretty depressing to walk into the classroom, only to see flowers laid on a desk in their memory.
If you’re wondering why I don’t know how my class is doing, it’s because the academy gave us a week-long break after the weekend due to the incident.
It’s not exactly something to be “grateful” for, but it did give me a chance to actually enjoy the weekend.
If the exam had gone as planned, we would have been sleeping outdoors for the weekend and gone straight back to classes the next day.
But honestly, all I did was roll around in bed.
To defend myself, after everything I went through, I think I deserve to lounge around a bit.
Even Dogeon was sprawled out and exhausted since he got back yesterday.
Since I arrived at the academy, I hadn’t had the chance to lay around and relax like this.
“…Huaaah.”
Plus, I haven’t had much alone time recently.
On weekdays, I was busy making problem sets for the kids, and on weekends, I went out with Dogeon.
…The whole river incident doesn’t count. That’s not what I meant.
Just when I thought I might be able to laze around for once, someone knocked on the door, as if to shatter my hopes.
Who is it? What a bother. I wish they’d just leave.
“…Are you asleep?”
It wasn’t even a voice I recognized, so I didn’t feel like answering.
I was about to get annoyed when something was shoved through the mail slot.
Huh. What’s this? A letter for me?
I’m not expecting anything. It’s not a tax notice or something, right?
There’s no one from my hometown who would send me a letter. My parents would be the only ones, but they know about my diary, so it wouldn’t be from them.
Besides, my mom told me a week ago that my dad was still at war, so it’s definitely not from him.
Now that I think about it, I did tell my mom about the physical exam but left out the incident at the river. She said as long as I was having fun, that was good enough.
I did get to show Dogeon my “cool” side, so I guess I did have fun…
…But seriously, who sent this?
Anxious thoughts filled my head. I half-expected it to be some creepy stalker.
But when I checked the sender’s name, I sighed.
Stefania.
I did feel a little bad for ignoring her for a month, but I figured she would have given up by now.
“Ugh.”
But when I opened the letter and skimmed it, it was different from what I expected.
“To all first-year students, We’re throwing a party to lift everyone’s spirits after such a big ordeal. Feel free to come if you want!”
…
They’re throwing a party even though people died.
I never really understood nobles, but maybe it’s one of those “smile through the pain” sort of things.
I’m not going.
If Stefania had sent it just to me, I might have gone out of guilt. But this was just a mass invitation. No one would notice if I didn’t show up.
The party was in six days, but I wasn’t going.
That day, I figured I’d either hang out with Dogeon or just laze around and do nothing.
Of course, for now, I had to wake up that lazy bum and head out for breakfast.
Judging by the loud snoring I heard from his room last night, if I didn’t wake him up, he’d probably stay in bed until 1 or 2 in the afternoon.
I could’ve worn casual clothes instead of my uniform, but if I was the only one in an outfit with an eastern vibe, I’d stand out too much. So, I just went with my uniform.
Besides, it’s more comfortable.
By now, it had become a habit to casually open Dogeon’s door without knocking. As expected, he was lying flat on his back, completely sprawled out in the same clothes he wore yesterday.
“…Get up.”
When I tickled the tip of his nose with my tail, he let out a loud sneeze and sat up.
“Who… huh? Ah, Hoyeon… is it already time for breakfast?”
This guy… At some point, he started treating me like his personal breakfast alarm clock.
Looking at the sad state of his room, my eyes naturally wandered to the front door, where I spotted a familiar-looking letter.
Dogeon was still half-asleep, his mind foggy with drowsiness. Curious, I checked to see if it was the same letter I’d gotten earlier.
Yep, it was. Not a single character was different.
…Hmm. If Dogeon and I both got one, then Anya probably did too.
Come to think of it, I’ve never attended a party with friends in my entire life.
If I didn’t go now, when would I ever get the chance? Going with the three of us didn’t sound like a bad idea.
“Hoyeon, that letter you’re holding… Isn’t that for me?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“…Then why are you the one looking at it…?”
We’re friends, aren’t we? Isn’t it normal to do that sometimes? It’s not like it’s anything important — just a mass-invitation letter sent out to everyone.
“It’s nothing special. I just wanted to check if it was the same invitation from that annoying girl inviting all the first-years to her party.”
“Annoying… girl? Hold on, let me see that.”
“Here.”
Dogeon, still looking like he hadn’t fully woken up, squinted at the letter. As he read through it, his face gradually turned more serious.
“…This is from Stefania!”
Ugh. What’s with him getting all worked up?