Damn Academy - Chapter 178

[Episode 178] Suspicion (8)

Luna watched the woman perched on the roots of the Guardian Tree with a wary gaze, the woman who had Peep resting on her forearm. With her pale blue hair, the woman looked down at Luna emotionlessly and spoke with a soft voice.

“…So its name is Tweetie. Cute.”

The woman referred to the spirit with a name Luna had never heard before, making it unclear whether she was speaking to herself or to Luna.

“…Do you know Peep?”

“I met it on a walk.”

“…”

Had Luna seen her somewhere before? Despite the familiarity, the woman’s chilling aura and the strong magical energy she radiated were almost too much for Luna to handle.

Even after seeing Luna, Peep stayed perched on the woman’s arm, as calm as if it was sitting on its master’s hand, obediently following commands.

The pale-haired woman extended her hand towards Luna as if to send Peep back.

Reacting to the movement, Peep fluttered over and landed on Luna’s palm.

Peep trembled as though it had been through an ordeal, shivering uncontrollably.

“Peep…?”

Th is w a s c o p ie d f r o m k ingm tl. or g
Then, Damian’s voice came from behind Luna.

“Luna!”

He burst out of the forest to stand by Luna’s side and noticed Peep on her palm.

“Where did you find Tweetie? Is it okay?”

“…Tweetie?”

Luna stared at Damian’s mask with a puzzled look, as he used the same name as the pale-haired woman.

Realizing his slip, Damian corrected himself.

“No, I mean Peep. Why are you trembling like this? What happened?”

Damian could have forgotten the name Peep since it was a name Luna had given the spirit alone. But how did that woman know the name Tweetie, which Damian had used? Even Luna, with her keen senses, hadn’t heard it.

“…I don’t know.”

Damian stroked Peep’s head with his finger, but it kept shivering as if caught in a cold draft.

“Is there a way to make it feel better?”

“…It’s cold. I’ll hold it for now.”

“Would it help to feed it something?”

“Yes, that might work. I know just the thing.”

“Since it’s an ethereal spirit… Do you think it needs baby food?”

“…”

Luna couldn’t help but smile at his words, thrown out without a clue. Damian caring for Peep almost resembled a couple devotedly parenting a child.

“But where was it?”

Turning her gaze to the Guardian Tree, Luna replied,

“It was over there, by the Guardian Tree, with a senior…”
Th i s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i ngm t l. o r g

But when they looked back, the pale-haired woman had vanished without a trace.

Puzzled, Damian asked,

“Who was there?”

Luna stood there, staring blankly, and said,

“…Yeah.”

***

Peep was not well, but there was nothing I could do. I had neither knowledge nor ability concerning spirits. It was only thanks to Luna’s offer to care for it; otherwise, I would have been helplessly wandering all night.

Luna didn’t give a clear explanation about whether Peep had been kidnapped or had simply rebelled. When I asked, she just kept her mouth shut and seemed lost in thought.

And that’s how the commotion ambiguously came to an end.

I returned to the Thorn Garden dormitory and finished the day by cleaning the enchanted sword and the wooden sword with a handkerchief.

Suddenly, Trisha flung open my door without knocking and peeked in.

“Damian… What are you doing up so late?”

“I have some things to tend to.”

“Really? Aren’t you nervous? My duel evaluation is tomorrow.”

“Mine too.”

Trisha’s face was filled with worry and anxiety. What kind of opponent had she encountered to make her so uneasy?

“I asked around a lot, even the seniors in the drama club. If Ruskeus and you fought, who would win?”

“And?”

“Not one person said you would win!”

“So, what? Is there a problem?”

Frankly, people who didn’t know me well would naturally choose Ruskeus. After all, he was of higher grade and seemed to have a wider gap in experience and skill.

“You can’t use your full strength, can you? And those weird swords are off-limits too!”

Was she worrying about me instead of herself?

“That’s right.”

“It’s so frustrating! What if you lose?”

T h i s w a s co pi e d fr o m k i ng m t l . o r g
“If I lose, I lose. There’s always something to learn.”

Trisha’s face drooped as if it was her own battle.

“They put all these restrictions on us and didn’t teach us anything. I don’t want to see you getting beaten one-sidedly.”
T hi s wa s c o p i e d fr o m k i ng mt l. o r g

“When the time comes, they’ll surely teach us at Eternia. I don’t plan to be beaten one-sidedly.”

Trisha trudged up to my bed and picked up the wooden sword that had been leaning against it.

“If only you had this, you could have given them a good thrashing!”

Suddenly, the wooden sword transformed into its sapling form and began to entwine around Trisha.

“Wait, stop! Damian!!”

I paused checking the enchanted sword and quickly snatched the wooden sword away.

Once in my hand, it reverted back to its original wooden sword form.

“Why is it so sensitive today!”

T h i s w as c o p i e d fr o m k i n g mt l . o r g
“It’s always been sensitive. Go to bed.”

“Ugh, nothing goes right!”

Trisha lay down on my bed as if it were her own and wrapped herself up in the blanket. Then she shouted as if it was the most natural thing to do.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to sleep, turn off the lights!”

“…”

I left Trisha alone and sat down at my desk to pull out a parchment. I needed to seek Silveryn’s advice about the incident with Peep.
T h is w a s c opi e d f r o m k i n gm t l . o r g

After writing for a while, I left the dormitory, leaving the sleeping Trisha behind, and released Stitch into the sky with my letter.

Truth be told, I hadn’t realized anything until Trisha mentioned how sensitive the wooden sword was.

I could never have anticipated such an accident.

The next morning, the day of the duel evaluation, I couldn’t believe what I saw. The wooden sword, in its sapling form, had wrapped around the enchanted sword, which now lay in two pieces.

I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was dreaming.

But upon looking again, yes, the enchanted sword was indeed split in two.

Right there, the stem of my wooden sword had crushed the enchanted sword as if its tendrils were like the arms of an octopus.

“What in the world…?”

How was this even possible?

As I touched the sapling, it immediately returned to its wooden sword form, and the remnants of the enchanted sword clattered to the floor.

What was the problem? Did it covet the magic of the enchanted sword and try to absorb it? If so, it should have happened earlier when they were stored together. It was as if it waited until I wasn’t looking to cause trouble.

“……”

The commotion woke Trisha, who stumbled out of my room, rubbing her eyes.

“What happened…?”

Seeing me holding the wooden sword, she asked in bewilderment.

“Why… did you break the sword? Weren’t you going to use it today?”

“…It wasn’t me.”

“Then who did it? Was there a burglar?”

“No. I don’t know why this happened.”

***

As I prepared breakfast, Trisha propped her chin on the table, waiting.

Hearing about last night’s events, she chuckled gleefully.

“Was it jealousy?”

“Don’t say silly things.”

“It could be! Maybe the wooden sword got jealous and destroyed the newcomer in a huff!”

Trisha spoke as if the wooden sword possessed its own ego.

“Friends should get along, not destroy each other. Would you break someone who stole your friend?”

Startled, Trisha hastily turned her head away, then whipped it back to retort.

“That… might be a bit too much?”

“…”

Then she continued, now with a note of conviction.

“Still, I bet the wooden sword was a little angry! Damian, you don’t care about your friend’s feelings!”

“Yeah, it’s my fault. I should have asked the wooden sword’s permission before bringing a new friend home.”

“Exactly! Think about how hurt the original friend must feel!”

“…”

I had a headache from the situation, but Trisha was vehemently defending the wooden sword.

Truthfully, I was confused. Was it really jealousy as Trisha was suggesting? Maybe later I should put the wooden sword together with my magic sword and see what happens. I’m curious to see the outcome.

I never dreamed that the new sword I had acquired for today’s duel would break in a day. It wasn’t a defective item, so I couldn’t ask for a refund from the shopkeeper.

Who could have predicted that this wooden sword would cause such trouble?

And now, what to do about today’s duel? My plans were significantly disrupted.

I tossed some logs into an empty hearth and placed a pot on top, then called for Peep, who had been cared for by Luna the previous night.

Immediately, Peep appeared out of thin air.

“Peep!”

It seemed to be in good condition. The energetic wing beats and the resonant calls suggested Luna’s care had been effective.

Peep perched triumphantly on the pot lid, puffing out its chest proudly.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d fro m ki n gm t l . or g
Why was it so confident? What had happened last night?

Trisha, seeing the spirit, giggled.

“It’s adorable every time!”

“Peep!”

With a few flaps of its wings, Peep not only ignited the wood in the hearth but caused flames to burst outward explosively.

Caught off guard, I quickly dodged to the side.
T his w a s c o p i e d fr om k i n gm tl . o r g

“…?”

Trisha’s eyes sparkled.

“Wow, did Peep do that?”

The spirit that had barely managed to transfer a spark to the logs had returned, somehow stronger than ever. Just yesterday, it had been weakened—what had changed?

“Peep!”

Each flap of Peep’s wings made the fire in the hearth rise higher. It seemed to be the spirit’s doing, but this change was baffling…

***

While passing by the Guardian Tree on my way to the first class of the morning, Stitch flew to me. It carried the response to the letter I had sent to Silveryn the day before.

I quickly read the reply.

[Your ethereal spirit should be fine. Spirits can recover even if they’ve lost power, as long as their contractor is still strong. And though that spirit is young, it’s not frail. You can trust it; it was carefully chosen by your teacher.]

I folded the letter and placed it in my pocket, then extended my hand. Peep descended from the sky and settled on my finger.

It still carried that air of self-assured pride.

Although its appearance hadn’t changed, Peep’s inherent abilities had grown substantially since I last saw it.

Was this Luna’s doing?

Perhaps Peep could even replace the enchanted sword that had perished.

***

A woman with her black hair tightly bound behind her sifted through the students’ specialties listed on the documents.

Observing her, Clyde, a third-year leading student from the Department of Magic, inquired,

“Who’s on the schedule today, Senior Neria?”

T h i s w a s c o p ie d fr om ki n g m tl. or g
The woman flipping through the files was Neria, the second-ranking student of the fourth year in the Combat Department and a representative for her year.

“Luna, the top student from the Magic Department, along with Victor and Sion from the first year of the Combat Department.”

“And Damian?”

“Damian? Who’s that?”

“Don’t you have a duel evaluation today? Aren’t you going to watch?”

“Maybe.”

“He’s said to have played a significant role in the Duchy recently. Wouldn’t it be worth watching him?”

“There’s no clear account of his contributions, and the most crucial part, his grades, are ambiguous. We need someone reliable.”

Clyde removed his glasses and wiped the smudges off with his scarred hands from recent experiments.

“Haley was highly recommending him. She said you should see Damian.”

Haley had made a significant impact in last year’s academy exchange and was positioned to be selected again this year if she wished. Any ordinary fourth year would have easily been swayed by her influence, but not Neria.

She shook her head as if displeased.

“An arm wraps around its own, huh? She’s just covering for her art club junior. I can’t base my decision on her word alone. You know that.”

Clyde scratched his temple awkwardly, adding more.

T h is w a s c o p ied f r o m k i n gmt l . o r g
“And… Flynn from the Combat Department recommended him too. Pushing hard for Damian’s selection. Not sure what their connection is, though…”

“Ha, we need to be careful with this year’s exchange. If we could win easily as before, I’d just pick a figurehead. But I’ve heard that the students from the Imperial Academy are not to be underestimated this year. It definitely won’t be easy. Our Combat Department might struggle.”

“This year, our Eternia isn’t to be taken lightly either. There’s that Sion, and Gale is seriously formidable.”

Neria’s face looked troubled as if weighed down by worries. She had heard that the Imperial Academy had someone far surpassing this year’s first-year Combat Department students.

She stretched after putting the files on the table and said,

“I’ll focus on watching Sion, Victor, and Gale for the first-year duel evaluations, and for the second years… who’s up for the duel evaluations?”

“Ruskeus.”

“Right, we’ll decide whether to select Ruskeus for the exchange after seeing his skills today.”

As Clyde scanned the duel matchup list, he remarked,

“Ah, Ruskeus has been matched with Damian for today’s duel.”

Neria yawned, showing little interest in Damian.

“Yawn, I hope that guy, even if he loses, will at least draw out Ruskeus’s full potential.”