Damn Academy - Chapter 172

[Episode 172] Suspicion (2)

Inviting Trisha was indeed pushing it too far.

Her sullen expression deepened. I feared that any further provocation could lead to an unpleasant incident.

Doesn’t the theater club promote unity? Unlike the art club, where one might wrestle with their work in solitude, I thought they would bond over shared planning and cooperation.

Luna pressed her lips tightly together, a shy smile creeping up. It felt like ages since I’d seen her smile. Normally, I would have been uplifted by it, but in this stark atmosphere, there was no room for such sentiments.

“Hmph, do as you please.”

Trisha uttered her dissatisfaction and turned her gaze to the window.

Then, with a disgruntled face, she flung off her socks and tossed them onto the seat beside her. Trisha had a habit of being uncomfortable with any fabric clinging to her body, preferring to wear as little as possible. This was such a routine habit in the carriage that I was well used to it by now.

The carriage ride was silent. Trisha couldn’t stay still, swinging her bare feet back and forth. Then, as if my foot was a footrest, she casually placed her feet upon it.

Though this was her usual behavior in the carriage, having Luna beside me made me somewhat self-conscious. After all, we were sharing the space with a guest.

Th is w as c op i e d f r o m ki n gm t l .o r g
Trisha glanced at me and eventually, as if in defiance, stretched one leg out and propped it up on my thigh.

Luna, sitting primly with her hands on her knees, regarded Trisha’s foot as if it were an insect. For Trisha, this was an utterly mundane act, but for Luna, such casual physical contact between men and women must have been unfamiliar.

“What’s with this foot?”

“My legs are pretty, aren’t they?”

“Yes, I get it, now put it down.”

“My legs really hurt from walking so much today. Just let them rest a bit!”

Luna blinked slowly, her expression unreadable.

The ease with which Trisha made bodily contact and the careless words she spouted seemed to shock Luna culturally.

I hope she doesn’t take this as something to learn from.

***
T his wa s co p ied fr o m k i ng m t l . o r g

The carriage came to a stop in front of Silveryn’s estate. We disembarked one by one, gathering our belongings.

Soon after, someone was seen scurrying across the courtyard, fighting to hold down her skirt in the wind.

It was Maid Liria.

“Damian!”

She waved enthusiastically at me. It was a truly welcome face after such a long absence.

Trisha, who was behind me, quietly snorted in disdain.

“Hmph.”

Now that I thought about it, these two didn’t exactly get along.

T h i s wa s c o pie d f r o m ki ng m t l . o r g
Liria approached so close it was almost as if our bodies might touch and looked up at me.

“I heard about the big trouble in the Duchy, Damian, and I was so worried!”

I raised my hands dismissively and then lowered them to show I was alright.

T h i s w as c o p i ed f r o m k ing m t l . or g
“As you can see, I’m fine.”

Looking at Liria, I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt. I was probably the only person close to her age she had to talk to, and I had been absent so often.

How lonely she must have felt in this cold castle. Liria had a tendency to hide her sadness, even if she felt it deeply, so one had to watch her carefully.

Then, noticing Luna following behind me, Liria exclaimed in surprise.

“Luna?”

Luna waved back awkwardly. It was strange to see that they knew each other beyond mere acquaintance.

“Did you two know each other?”

“Yes! Luna became friends when she came to visit Silveryn.”

Luna chimed in as well.

T h i s w a s co p ie d f r o m k i n g m t l . or g
“I received a lot of help from Liria…”

Liria, true to form, showed no particular joy at seeing Trisha, simply offering a perfunctory greeting.

“Damian’s friend has come again, I see.”

“Yes, she’s my closest friend, so she’ll be visiting often.”

There was a subtle standoff between the two. While Luna seemed the most mature among them, Trisha and Liria still had a youthful air, resulting in a peculiar competitive spirit. Liria might be one thing, but Trisha still had her burdens. I wondered when she would finally mature.

***

I was stirring a pot while Luna was behind me, prepping ingredients.

“Could you pass me the wyvern fruit?”

“…Sure.”

I hadn’t noticed her approach due to the silence; I turned around to find Luna quietly standing there, offering the requested item. Wouldn’t it be more natural for her to come to my side or tap me on the back to get my attention? Had I not turned around, she might have stood there until sunrise.
T h is w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i ngmt l .o r g

“Thanks.”

As I received the item, our fingertips briefly touched. Startled, Luna quickly withdrew her hand.

“…Need anything else?”

“No, this is enough. What are you planning to make?”

T h i s w as c op i e d f r o m k in g m t l . o r g
“Traditional Bedonian meat stew.”

“You know how to make that?”

“Yes…”

As Luna started chopping on the cutting board, the bubbling of water and rhythmic chopping created an atmosphere akin to a cozy household kitchen.

“You didn’t secretly prepare anything, did you?”

T hi s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i ng m t l . o r g
“Like… murderous potions or something.”

“…!”

The sound of the knife halted abruptly. It was just a joke, but Luna froze as if startled.

“How… did you know about the book I borrowed?”

“I saw it when you left the library.”

Looking over, Luna was oddly holding out her hand and bent over, blood dripping from her fingers. She had accidentally cut herself with the knife.

“Hold on, just wait a moment.”

I fetched the first-aid basket from the kitchen, always prepared for accidents involving potion brewing or ingredient handling.

Grabbing Luna’s hand, I inspected the wound. It was deep enough to reach the bone. She must be in considerable pain, but Luna hadn’t made a sound.

“Stay still. I need to stop the bleeding.”

I put her finger in my mouth and hastily applied pressure to stem the flow.

I could feel her body tense up in response. There was so much blood it could create a pond, but what could I do?

After a minute of silence, as the bleeding slowed, I finally removed my mouth.

Then, I caught Trisha’s eyes at the doorway.

“…?”

I had no idea how long she’d been there silently watching. What was she doing here?

She was clenching her fist, looking at us with eyes full of spite.

“…Hmph.”

With that, she turned and left.

The only mistake Luna made was cutting herself while cooking, yet why was she looking at us as if we were criminals?

I finished treating Luna’s hand with disinfectant and applied a potion. She covered her eyes with one hand and hid the rest of her face behind her hair, becoming statue-like.

***

The atmosphere at the dining table was desolate. Despite the steam rising from well-prepared dishes, no one seemed inclined to start eating. I hadn’t anticipated this silent situation.

Trisha sat with her arms crossed, still visibly upset about something, while Luna, still adjusting to the new physical contact, kept her head down, fidgeting with her hands.

I started by serving food onto Trisha’s plate.

“Here. Lamb with a special sauce from the Ulyssia Duchy. You like this kind of thing.”

Trisha replied with a gloomy face.

“I never said I liked this kind of thing.”

“You eat lamb best, that’s why I mentioned it.”

T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g m t l . org
“…”.

I turned my attention to Luna.

“Does your finger hurt anymore?”

“…Not really.”

I had a reason for arranging this gathering.

I wanted to uncover the purpose behind the existence of the library within the maze.

Both Professor Ella and Silveryn had given vague responses like ‘it’s not the right time yet,’ but nothing concrete.

“Luna, are you still staying at the Philaion Library?”

There are two libraries in Eternia: the central library located on campus and the Philaion Library, accessible only to those permitted within the maze.

It seemed unlikely to find any information on the lady or the elves’ archive in the central library. So, I needed access to more privileged information.

Luna raised her head slightly, her face still warm with heat, and nodded cautiously.

“Then Luna, do you know what kind of books are stored in that library?”

She shook her head.

“So you’re in the same boat as us, without much information given.”

“Yeah, I don’t have reading rights… Are you curious about the library’s purpose?”

“Yes.”

“…I have seen something strange at the Philaion Library.”

“What was it?”

“About a fortnight ago, I saw librarians returning to Eternia from the north…”

“Really? What brought them back?”

“Twenty went on assignment, but only sixteen returned alive. And what they sacrificed for… was a book.”

To dispatch on a risky mission for just a book?
Th i s w a s co p i ed f r o m k i ngmt l. o r g

“That’s odd. Are they sourcing books from another country?”

Luna shook her head again.

“I could tell for sure. The books they brought weren’t ordinary. They weren’t written in any known language of the continent, nor were they in the language of the northern tribes. It was definitely something else.”

“If it’s sourced from afar, it won’t just be any random book.”

“I felt magic from those books. They couldn’t contain such power unless they were ancient magic tomes.”

The books were certainly out of the ordinary.

Trisha, who had taken a bite of her lamb, perked up her ears to Luna’s story.

“I think I’ve seen something similar!”

“Trisha, you too?”

“Yes. I visited the maze library once before the entrance ceremony, and I saw people wrapped in artifacts carrying loads of books.”

If they allowed students not deeply involved to see such things, it didn’t seem to be considered confidential. It meant that we would likely come to know naturally when the time was right.

It might also be deeply connected to the Masters Class.

Could I find information there about Vivi’s illness?

***

After a late dinner, Trisha was the first to finish showering.

Dressed in just her underwear and one of Damian’s long shirts, she ascended the spiral staircase. The circular stairs had small windows that allowed little moonlight to filter through. To avoid being caught, she didn’t carry a candle and relied solely on the sense of touch, feeling her way along the walls.

Trisha had one goal: to take over Damian’s room before he finished showering.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she stood in the corridor leading to Damian’s room, cautiously scanning the surroundings. Once she was sure it was safe, she moved forward with muted steps. The corridor, thanks to the large windows, allowed her eyes to quickly adjust to the darkness.

Advancing, she noticed something in front of Damian’s door from a distance, causing her to halt momentarily.

As she drew closer, the figure became clearer. A wolf spirit sat like a doorkeeper, steadfastly in place.

Trisha’s steps came to a complete stop. She sighed in frustration.