Chapter 52
Anna and Doris weren’t exactly close acquaintances, but since they had accurately pinpointed the reason, Lange didn’t avoid answering.
When she told them that Veronica had suddenly suggested pairing up, both of them agreed that it had been an inconsiderate thing for Veronica to do.
“Veronica’s always been pretty cruel to you sisters.”
“Not that we have much room to talk ourselves.”
Anna and Doris observed Lange’s indifferent expression.
They hadn’t actively bullied her, but they had ignored her all this time—making them complicit in the ostracism. Unless you were the victim, it wasn’t their place to loudly criticize Veronica.
It didn’t seem like Lange was bringing it up to gossip either.
The two exchanged awkward glances.
In the meantime, Lange plopped herself down between Anna and Doris.
“I was so startled I ran away, but I honestly don’t get why she did it.”
Since they’d run into each other anyway, Lange figured it was a good chance to get some opinions.
“Maybe… she was moved by you.”
“Moved…?”
“You saved her from getting trampled by that deer. And you got rid of that weird rifle too.”
“So what?”
Lange genuinely couldn’t understand.
Destroying Veronica’s rifle had been a decision she made entirely for her own sake.
It was important evidence for the ongoing investigation, but it wasn’t possible to secretly keep the whole thing. And letting it be recovered as-is would leave a bad feeling—and if it were deemed cheating, her own grades could be affected too.
The best move was to destroy it before the instructors arrived and at least collect some fragments.
As for saving her life—that had just been the obvious thing to do.
What was she supposed to do, just leave her there?
No one deserved to die in a place like that. It wasn’t a battlefield, and Veronica hadn’t put her life on the line knowingly.
In the past, Lange might’ve dismissed it as someone else’s problem, but since her first trip with Erna to Simone, she had resolved not to live like that anymore.
Her refusal to hold grudges long-term naturally evolved into a mindset of not being cruel.
Rather than explaining all this, Lange waited to hear Anna’s take.
But Anna just gave a vague smile, as if asking, “Do you really not know?”
“Veronica got help from you, didn’t she? You kept her from facing consequences.”
“I was just trying to avoid trouble for myself… Oh.”
Lange finally understood.
She hadn’t explained anything when she destroyed the rifle—there hadn’t been time or reason.
But Veronica and the other group members could easily have interpreted it as her trying to cover for their cheating. And in the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t entirely wrong either.
Even if she clarified that it was all for her own benefit and she didn’t care if Veronica got punished or expelled—it would be meaningless now.
Lange rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands.
“This is a mess.”
Anna and Doris weren’t helping untangle her already complicated thoughts.
“We get where Veronica’s coming from, too. The people she used to hang out with were awful. If she let go of some resentment today, maybe she suddenly felt like partnering with you.”
“I would’ve done the same. Maybe not as impulsively, but still…”
A bell rang faintly in the distance—it was already 8 PM.
“It’s getting late. Time to head back to the dorms. How about you, Lange?”
“…I’ll stay a bit longer. If Veronica’s outside the door, could you get rid of her for me?”
“We’ll try.”
Anna and Doris brushed themselves off and stood up. Lange also stretched out and gave them a half-hearted wave.
The two hadn’t taken more than a few steps before stopping and turning back.
“We don’t think we thanked you properly yet. Really, thank you for today.”
“If you hadn’t warned us, we could’ve gotten seriously hurt. We might never have left the test site. We definitely couldn’t have taken that sea beast down.”
“Veronica wasn’t the only one who was moved. We’re grateful too. If we ever get the chance… we’ll repay the debt.”
Lange didn’t dwell on their words for long.
Receiving such earnest thanks felt awkward, and thinking about it was tiring.
No, she was actually just physically exhausted.
She’d used a lot of magic during the practical exam, missed out on rest because of Veronica, and even had to sprint at full speed.
Anyone who felt fine after all that wasn’t human.
“…I’ll make them treat me to something later. Once it’s all settled, I won’t have to worry about it again.”
But more importantly—there was still another problem to deal with.
Lange checked the fragment rattling around in her pocket and stood up.
If Anna and Doris were truly loyal, they would’ve handled Veronica already. There was always the last resort of calling the dorm supervisor.
“Senpai?”
On her way back to the dorms, Lange ran into Lennart.
For some reason, he looked visibly relieved when he saw her.
“I mean, I’m happy to see you too, but why do you look so relieved?”
“…No reason.”
There was clearly more behind that “no reason,” but before Lange could press him, Erna and Heine showed up.
“I thought you were resting. Why is everyone outside?”
Their expressions were too similar to call this a coincidence. Lange turned her attention to Erna, who looked the most unwell.
“Your cheeks are frozen.”
“Because… we were looking for you.”
That was a better answer than Lennart’s. Since they were on school grounds, they couldn’t use search magic recklessly, so if they’d been wandering around looking for someone, their state made sense.
“Were you looking for me?”
“You went to meet Veronica and didn’t come back.”
Erna avoided her eyes, skipping over the details.
Lange turned to Lennart.
“Did you help them look for me too? Were you worried?”
“…Something like that.”
“Even so, you didn’t have to wander around in the cold. Be a bit braver, will you?”
“Before you say that to me, take a good look at your own behavior.”
“Anyway, it’s good we’re all here. I was going to ask to meet tomorrow.”
Lange pulled out the largest fragment.
The magic-infused destruction had left it in poor shape, but under a streetlight, she could just barely make out the carved insignia. The snake was more than half obliterated, but the star at the center remained clear.
Erna’s pale lips parted.
“This is…”
“It matches the symbol we saw on the medallion.”
“I picked it up during today’s exam.”
The three exchanged glances, realizing it was connected to what they’d overheard in the library.
Thanks to Veronica’s pairing offer and Erna’s duel challenge, they’d momentarily forgotten that unsettling conversation.
While the others expected Lange to elaborate, she simply slipped the evidence back into her pocket.
“This will take a while to explain. Let’s continue tomorrow.”
It wasn’t something to discuss out in the cold. The night wind was biting.
And it was too late to change locations now, so they had no choice but to nod.
Lennart looked toward the library and made a suggestion.
“The reading room should be empty tomorrow too. Let’s meet in the afternoon.”
Unfortunately, Lennart’s assumption turned out to be incorrect.
They weren’t the only ones who thought the room would be vacant now that exams were over. By the time they arrived after lunch, someone else had already claimed the space.
Couples, taking advantage of the free afternoon, had snagged the cozy, quiet spot to snuggle up together.
Even when Lange threw open the door with a bang, they didn’t flinch—instead, they glared back as if they were the ones being disturbed.
Even as Erna, Lennart, and Heine joined her, the couple made no move to leave.
In their minds, the reading room belonged to whoever got there first. The ones intruding were Lange’s group—for ruining their alone time. Besides, weren’t they all underclassmen?
Finally, Lange opened her mouth.
“This isn’t a bedroom, you know.”
“Watch your tone with your seniors.”
“You’re a senior?”
Lennart couldn’t take it anymore and cut in.
“You’re in first year, and I don’t recognize you—of course that means we’re upperclassmen. Even if you don’t have common sense, at least check the color of our name tags.”
“Not like that’s important.”
Lange ignored them and turned her attention back to the clingers.
“Anyway, could you leave? We need to study, and you’re in the way.”
“Study? Right before break? Come on. Just ignore us and concentrate if you’re so serious. It’s not like this is your personal library.”
“If that’s how you’re going to be, we absolutely do have the right to kick you out.”
With plenty of reason to be irritated and none to stay patient, Lange kept arguing.
Sensing a fight about to erupt, Lennart reluctantly resorted to a threat.
“You should probably go. If we call an instructor, you won’t like the outcome.”
Getting handsy in the library was already problematic. Even if the school had relaxed rules, it was still a military academy. Romance between cadets wasn’t allowed.
After much grumbling, the couple finally left.
The four of them checked to make sure no one else remained, then blocked the door with a chair. Only then could they relax and talk.
Lange placed the wooden fragment on the table and briefly explained what had happened during the exam.
Once she finished, Heine’s face turned grave. He lowered his hands beneath the desk.
“It’s similar to what happened during the entrance exam.”
Erna picked up the thread.
“Back then, we couldn’t be sure the school was involved. The perpetrators were all outsiders. But this time… it’s clear an instructor played a part.”
“The problem is… we can’t exactly investigate further from here.”
As Lennart said, finding a lead was great, but if a teacher was involved, that alone wasn’t enough to dig deeper.
They didn’t even know which instructor, or why traps had been set during the exam. If they weren’t careful, the real culprit could disappear for good.
Lange absentmindedly ran her fingers over the now-faded symbol.
“We’ll have to find a way around.”
She began thinking of people who might help point her in the right direction.
“For now… let’s take Veronica off the list.”
Veronica had just been bait—used and manipulated. She was unlikely to offer anything beyond what they already knew.
“…Do we have to look inside the school?” Erna asked quietly.
