63 – Yuna’s Song (3)
“It is an act of treason.”
“No.”
“This is a clear act of treason that harmed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
“It’s a simple conflict between students.”
“The opponent raised his sword.”
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“It’s self-defense.”
“I swung my sword at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
“But it was Claes who swung first. It was Eren who was injured by the sword.”
“President!”
“Please don’t yell. Even if you are a bodyguard for His Highness the Crown Prince, such rudeness cannot be tolerated at the Academy.”
“…”
“This is an academy. It is a place ruled by learning and intelligence, not authority. Please show the minimum amount of courtesy.”
“…Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that the crown prince of the empire was humiliated as a result.”
“That’s right. As you said, let’s take a look at the results. Two students attending the academy got into an argument, and it was Claes who attacked first. Even though it was a fake sword, it had clear murderous intentions towards Eren. As a result, Eren’s forehead was torn, two teeth were broken, and one arm was cracked. On the other hand, Claes was fine except for a few abrasions.”
“Isn’t this simply a problem between students?”
“If you think of it that way, the problem is even bigger. It was none other than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who swung the sword within the academy, which is protected in the name of His Majesty the Emperor. And that too against innocent children of the Empire’s citizens.”
“That’s because that commoner presumptuously touched His Highness the Crown Prince’s woman.”
“Those facts have not been confirmed. Even at the ball, it was Miss Elise who first proposed a partner, so it doesn’t matter what he did to his partner at that time. If anything, the problem is that Claes-kun used violence back then as well. It’s a problem.”
“But…!”
“After listening to the testimonies of the students, they said that even after that, Mr. Elise never tried to make unnecessary contact with Ms. Elise. On the contrary, I heard that Ms. Elise used to spy on Mr. Ellen. And, to point out the point, Mr. Claes and Mr. “Miss Elysee isn’t even engaged yet. I don’t know what will happen now.”
“President!”
“In my opinion, it is better to cover this incident up as an ordinary violent incident. Since it has not been exposed to the outside world yet, it is possible to do so. If this is leaked to the outside world, His Majesty the Crown Prince’s image will fall into the abyss. “You’re his bodyguard, but you can’t even think about that?”
“…”
“Claes-kun is also my student. Eren-kun and Claes-kun too. I want to protect them in the same way. I don’t want any student involved in this incident to get hurt. Sometimes, in order to protect everyone, I put more emphasis on the truth. “There is a need to cover up the better truth.”
“But President, you know.”
“…”
“Anyway, he insulted the imperial family. Even if he buries the fact itself, I can’t let him laugh like nothing happened.”
“Yes. I know.”
“To be precise, you will have to suffer.”
“I understand.”
“…”
“We will take action.”
I can’t breathe. Because of the dust, or because of the heavy shadows. Or maybe it was loneliness disguised as boredom. In the oppressive boredom, I habitually yawned and tears came out. Why do tears come out when I yawn? The reason was simple. Because the wound around my mouth was torn and blood was leaking out.
“…”
The gauze applied to the lips comes off very easily. I thought about it and eventually took it off. Then the dusty air stung my wounds like salt water. I felt a faint pain, but I did not moan. Even if you whine like a child, no one will listen. Guero and Illya.
Yunado.
“Ha…”
I sighed and raised my head. There was no one except me in the behavior correction class that I had only heard about through rumors.
Behavior Correction Class. This place, commonly called Class C, was not a place for students who could not pay tuition, such as early graduation classes. A place where students who commit serious mistakes that cannot be controlled through disciplinary measures are sent to be corrected. The only place in the academy where corporal punishment is allowed.
To summarize, it was the academy’s prison.
It was not simply a metaphorical expression. Actually, I’ve been trapped here ever since I woke up after fainting that day. For three days, I couldn’t hear any news from outside and just waited for the upcoming correction time.
Although it is called correction, no student has ever been corrected here and returned. As with the early graduation class, students who come here are either expelled or receive an honorary graduation. The only difference is that this place is much more terrible and painful.
It is not known what kind of torture they are subjected to. However, unlike other classrooms, the strength of the room could be roughly guessed from the doors made of thick steel and the ugly restraints placed here and there. According to rumors, it is said that the worst people in the academy are assigned to corrections, so you can expect it.
It’s torture.
Suddenly, I felt like the area under my fingernails was getting sore. The scar that wasn’t even there was very painful.
“Ha…”
I sighed to myself and leaned back in my chair. You idiot. That’s not the problem now. What matters now is that you ruined everything. Your life too. Mother’s wishes too. The future that we at least have.
And maybe Yuna’s life too.
…
I should have endured it.
Belated regrets cannot change anything. It only adds to the fear of the future. Maybe I will end my life here as a half-asshole. Even if I’m lucky and get kicked out of the academy, I’ll never be able to see Yuna for the rest of my life. Because of the things she did for Yuna, she becomes distant from Yuna. It was a joke that wasn’t even funny.
Maybe this is my destiny. The captain said so. Don’t even dream of dreams that don’t fit the bill. He said that people like me were lucky not to be trapped in a coal mine and suffocate in coal and dust. I said that people above me should enjoy the good fortune of living with a noble lady, rather than me. Only then will the entire society become happy, and blessings will come back to me someday. That’s the trickle-down effect. I lived with those words in my mouth.
The trickle-down effect is…
Thump. Thud. Thud.
“…Ah.”
While I was thinking about my foolish past, I heard the sound of pounding footsteps from afar. The sound of footsteps that has a lot of weight even just by hearing it. As far as I know, there are only two people in this academy who can make that sound. But that couldn’t be Guero, so the answer was fixed.
He must be the crown prince’s bodyguard.
I wanted to applaud the academy’s way of handling things. Instead of a shy person, send your closest aide to the crown prince who is probably angry. It was a wise yet cruel attitude.
“Aha…Ha…”
I tried to mock myself, but even that wasn’t easy. As I heard the sound of approaching footsteps, my heart sank and I held my hand involuntarily. I, too, seemed to be scared of the coming future.
Thump…
Soon, the sound of footsteps stopped in front of the door and the door handle began to rattle. The cold metallic sound seemed to be saying this to me.
Shall we begin?
I couldn’t even laugh and straightened my back. At least I didn’t want to show that I was nervous. While I was bragging, the door opened and bright red hair flew out in front of the door. I clenched my fists and raised my head as calmly as possible.
And then, I made eye contact with the magic professor who greeted me brightly.
“Ah…Hello! Eren!”
…
“…Huh?”
Her voice was the same as always, so I tilted my head and looked behind me. By any chance, did he come with a torturer? But I couldn’t see anything like a huge shadow following me. She whined, carrying the heavy, noisy bundle, wondering what it contained, and slamming it down on the floor.
“Huh…Um…Eren? Hello?”
“Ah…Yes. Hello.”
“Are you in a really bad mood? I guess I shouldn’t have spoken informally? I just wanted to be friendly…”
The professor awkwardly scratched his cheek and trailed off. I tilted my head as I still couldn’t understand the situation.
“No, you can speak comfortably. But why are you here, professor?”
“Why are you asking that? Are you putting a burden on me by coming?”
“That’s absolutely not the case. I just thought that the person in charge of corrections… Would be someone more scary.”
“I guess I should have done that? Actually, someone else was supposed to come at first. Someone who was scarier and more powerful than me. I guess they needed someone like that to educate Eren-kun, the academy’s most problematic child, right?”
I couldn’t answer quickly because of her calm tone. And she smiled softly at me.
“Actually, I think the imperial family thought so too. But me and Professor Heyd. So the president didn’t want such a coercive method. So I volunteered. The professor agreed.”
“But then problems will arise later…”
“That’s not something you have to worry about, Eren. And what’s the problem? It’s true that they sent a scary person just as they wanted. A crazy professor who was disciplined for causing a riot while drunk at a student prom. “I mean.”
She gave a refreshing answer, then pulled a chair in front of me and sat down. And I couldn’t help but be impressed again by the way the Academy handled things. As Yuna said, the president was a wise and warm person.
“Ah…Ha…”
When I thought that I would not be tortured, I unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. And she also opened her mouth with an expression that seemed somewhat relieved.
“Still, I’m glad. The campus student was Ellen. At first, I didn’t know you were the main character of the incident. There were ugly rumors going around among the professors. They said you might get beaten up by the campus student if you’re not careful.”
“That will never happen. So…The magic professor is my proofreading professor?”
“Oh, please. Can you stop calling me that harsh name?”
“Yes, sister.”
“Ugh. I remembered.”
Her face blushed in embarrassment and she glanced away. It seemed like memories of that day suddenly came to me.
“Hey, Eren. Your sister is fine too, but if anything…”
“Yes.”
She twirled her hair for a while, perhaps because she was embarrassed by her title as older sister, and then finally opened her mouth.
“Could you just call me Professor Sarah normally? Like other kids do.”
“Ah, yes. I understand. Genius wizard Professor Sera.”
“Don’t add strange nicknames for no reason…”
Professor Sarah’s face was now even redder than her hair. Only then did I relax and open my mouth in a calm voice.
“So, Professor Sarah. So what should I do here?”
“What did you do? Anyway, you did something wrong so you have to be punished. It might be a little painful, so be prepared.”
Professor Sarah smiled mischievously and began to take out various items from the bag. Of course, most of it was far from the torture I knew. Thick book. Writing utensil. Even when colored pencils and a large piece of drawing paper came out, I started laughing without even realizing it.
“Ahahahaha…”
“He’s laughing? You’re going to be punished anyway, so keep a serious expression. The imperial family has requested correction, so if you laugh outside, I might be disciplined again.”
“From the imperial family.”
“After all, that’s what the bodyguard asked for. Honestly, I think Claes-kun should also be punished. You were the one who got hurt, but the perpetrator is taking a break under the pretext of recuperation. Does this make sense?”
“Recuperation?”
“Yes. The psychological damage is great. It may be true, but no one has seen it in person, so no one knows. Is it real or is it a trick?”
Professor Sarah seemed convinced that it was a trick, but I actually thought it was real. Since I was shaking and incontinent, I may have had my own nightmare. When I think about it now, I wonder if I did too much for such a delicate guy.
But what I had to worry about now wasn’t Claes or anything like that. I carefully tried my luck after observing Professor Sarah’s thoughts.
“Hey… Professor. Do you know what happened to Yuna? Ever since she fainted, she’s been trapped in this building…”
“You’ve been here the whole time? Oh my god, really?”
“Yes. I eat here and do other business in the multipurpose room in the corner…”
“Oh my god. Did you really do that? I’ll do something about it.”
She responded angrily and passionately as if it were her business. Perhaps because of that, I felt a strange confidence that she would somehow get me out of here.
But that wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear right now. So I asked the question again, even though I knew it was rude.
“Thank you, Professor. But what happened to Yuna?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. I meant Yuna.”
Then a slightly bitter voice came out. I asked, hoping not, but also just in case.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“No. It’s not like that. It’s just… We tried to prevent information leaks at the academy level, but you know that you can’t stop everyone.”
“Then…Does the entire empire already know about this incident?”
“Not to that extent. But it seems that some key figures in the empire knew the general details of the incident. Who was involved in the incident and roughly what the results were. Some of them did everything they could to understand the entire incident. “I’m making an effort.”
“That means…”
“Yes, yes.”
Professor Sarah let out a very shallow sigh. And then she ended with her bright voice.
“So, I heard that the Duchess is coming to the Academy again this time. So I guess Yuna is busy with various preparations. Due to the situation, the President seems to want to prevent it at all costs… But the Duchess is also very polarizing. Ahn so?”