The dormitory door closed, cutting off the prying eyes from the hallway.
Bell threw himself into the sofa, sinking completely into its cushions.
His mind was a mess.
It felt as if hundreds of flies were buzzing around inside his head.
“Have some water.”
A glass of warm lemon water was handed to him.
Fine beads of condensation clung to the glass, and a napkin folded into a triangle rested beneath its base.
Bell looked up.
Tia was standing by the sofa, wearing an apron printed with strawberry patterns around her waist.
Her silver hair was loosely tied in a bun, with a few stray strands hanging by her ears.
She looked very homely.
Very alive.
If not for the occasional stream of data flashing through her eyes, Bell might have forgotten she was made of Mithril.
“Thank you.”
Bell took the water and downed half the glass in one go.
The sweet and sour liquid flowed down his throat and into his stomach, washing away some of his irritation.
“Are you thinking about Senior Horn?”
Tia sat down beside him, naturally picking up the remote from the coffee table to dim the room's lights.
Her movements were as natural as breathing.
There wasn't a hint of mechanical stiffness.
“Yeah.”
Bell set the glass down, his thumb tracing the rim.
“The headmaster said his body is stuffed with wailing souls.”
Bell frowned, the image of Horn’s timid appearance flickering in his mind.
That tech geek who cried while hugging a cannon barrel.
The madman who was more serious than anyone else when a data error occurred.
“I don’t believe it.”
Bell exhaled sharply.
“A person who can’t even put his socks on right and trembles in front of the Disciplinary Committee is a man eating demon?”
“If he were really that dangerous, why would he go through all the trouble to run that pathetic club?”
“Wouldn't it be easier to just eat everyone who opposes him?”
Tia tilted her head.
She reached out and gently straightened Bell’s collar.
Her fingertips were warm.
“I don’t think so either.”
Her voice was soft, carrying the slight pauses of someone in thought.
“I’ve seen how he is in the laboratory.”
“He treats those instruments better than himself.”
“Last time, I accidentally knocked over a test tube rack. His first reaction was to catch it with his bare hands, and he even cut himself.”
“Eyes don't lie.”
Tia looked into Bell’s eyes and spoke seriously.
“That kind of pure thirst for knowledge cannot be faked.”
Bell nodded.
This was exactly what he was struggling with.
His intuition told him Horn was a good person, or at least a pure one.
But his logic told him otherwise.
An old fox like Griffin had no reason to make up such a lie to deceive him.
What would be the point?
To target that run down club?
Or to get Horn’s unwashed laundry?
“However.”
Tia’s tone shifted.
“The headmaster wouldn't make a baseless accusation.”
“Perhaps...”
Tia paused, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.
“Perhaps Senior Horn doesn't even know it himself?”
Bell’s heart skipped a beat.
A dual personality?
Or passive parasitism?
Regardless of which it was, it was like a time bomb.
There was no telling when it might explode right next to him.
“This won't do.”
Bell stood up abruptly.
“Guessing is pointless.”
“Let's go find Leovet Victor.”
“Since he’s the one who said it, I’ll make him explain it clearly.”
...
The top floor of the Black Stone Tower.
The wind was strong.
It made the windows rattle loudly.
Leovet Victor was sitting behind his massive desk with his legs crossed.
He held a delicate small knife, peeling an apple.
The peel formed a long, continuous spiral hanging in the air, remarkably unbroken.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking echoed.
“Come in.”
Leovet didn't even look up.
The door was pushed open.
Bell walked in with Tia following behind.
Leovet’s hand paused.
The peel snapped.
It fell onto the carpet.
He looked up, his silver eyes scanning the two of them before settling on Bell’s face.
A playful smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
“A rare guest.”
“What brings you here?”
“If you want me to continue your training, I’d be more than happy to.”
Leovet took a bite of the peeled apple.
Crunch.
It was crisp and juicy.
“Horn Montfoss.”
Bell got straight to the point.
“The headmaster said you evaluated him as being stuffed with souls.”
“Is it true?”
Leovet’s chewing stopped.
He swallowed the fruit and casually tossed the rest of the apple into the trash bin.
He pulled out a tissue and began to wipe his fingers meticulously.
His movements were as elegant as if he were cleaning a piece of art.
“That old man has a loose tongue.”
Leovet crumpled the tissue into a ball and flicked it into the bin with a snap of his fingers.
A bullseye.
“It’s true.”
He looked up, his gaze becoming sharp.
His lazy aura vanished instantly.
“Two years ago, when he first entered the academy, I saw it.”
“That is not the soul of a single person at all.”
“Thousands upon thousands of fragmented, twisted, and resentful soul fragments have been forcibly stitched together.”
“Stuffed into that frail body.”
“He is like a plastic bag filled with kitchen waste.”
Tia instinctively tightened her grip on Bell’s hand.
“Then why didn't you do anything?”
Bell questioned him.
“If he’s a dangerous object, why was he allowed to stay in the academy?”
“Why was he even allowed to become a club president?”
Leovet laughed.
It was a mocking laugh.
He stood up and walked to the floor to ceiling window, looking down at the academy below.
“Dangerous?”
“Bell, you’ve misunderstood something.”
“In this world, who isn't dangerous?”
“Is that sister of yours not dangerous?”
“Is a genius like you, who can bring back the dead, not dangerous?”
Leovet turned around, leaning against the glass.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over him, plating him in a layer of blood colored gold.
“As long as the trash doesn't stink, no one is going to dig through the trash bin.”
“For the past two years, he has been very well behaved.”
“Aside from doing those messy research projects, he hasn't done anything out of line.”
“He doesn't even dare to complain when the cafeteria food tastes bad.”
“For a monster with such strong self management skills, I usually offer a bit of leniency.”
Leovet spread his hands.
“After all, an observation sample is also very precious.”
Bell fell silent.
Was this the logic of the strong?
Treating everyone like lab rats.
“Furthermore.”
Leovet suddenly took a step forward.
He leaned in close to Bell.
A strange light flickered in those silver eyes.
“I haven't had the time to deal with him these past two years.”
“Because I found much more interesting prey.”
Bell frowned.
He instinctively took half a step back.
“What do you mean?”
Leovet extended a finger.
He pointed at Bell’s chest from a distance.
Then he pointed toward the direction of Cecilia’s long empty seat.
“From the day you two siblings stepped into this academy.”
“My eyes could no longer see anything else.”
Leovet licked his lips.
It was as if he were savoring some peerless delicacy.
“Two unreadable souls.”
“Compared to you two.”
“Horn’s jar full of trash...”
“...is simply boring to the extreme.”
Rate on N.U.
