32. To Her, It Was Unbearably Harsh (8)
Despite the commotion that had occurred, the Academy was now welcoming the weekend.
Though it was a disturbance—arguably too significant to merely call it such, and too grand to label as a mere ‘commotion’—the academic schedule had to continue. Thus, the Academy was slowly regaining its usual atmosphere.
As soon as the Saturday morning sun arose, Ivan woke up early, cleaned himself, dressed as neatly as possible—by his standards, which meant putting on his Academy uniform—and waited for a call.
“Ms. Albina.”
Lorenzo had mentioned that Albina wasn’t old enough to be called “Aunt,” but Ivan had always called her “Aunt Albina” since childhood, and since she didn’t mind the title, it had stuck.
“Finally, I’ll get to meet her…since she’s a benefactor after all… I suppose I’ll have to give her some thought.”
Because of the incident at the Academy, Ivan hadn’t seen Albina, who was under disciplinary review, for a few days.
Ivan brought to mind Albina’s face and pulled out the small necklace he always wore around his neck to examine it.
“This is something you must always wear, Ivan. This will greatly help you, so you absolutely must wear it. Do you understand?”
It was the very necklace Albina once entrusted him with upon earnestly urging him to always keep it on. Though Ivan didn’t know how Albina had acquired it, he was well aware that because of this necklace, he had managed to stay under the radar so far.
From that perspective, Albina was indeed a benefactor in many ways. Ivan raised his head at the knock that came from the threshold.
— Ivan, are you in there?
“Yes! Professor Lorenzo!”
— Let’s go. Meet her.
As it happened, Ivan was already waiting, so he immediately opened the door and came out. Lorenzo, whose hair was disheveled like a crow’s nest, carelessly greeted him with a lackadaisical expression.
“Seems like you’ve been wanting to see Albina, huh?”
“Yes. She’s been a benefactor to me.”
“Hmm… Well, if that’s the case, I’ve nothing else to say. Let’s go.”
Without waiting for Ivan’s response, Lorenzo turned around.
Ivan, who had spent a few days by now gauging Lorenzo’s character, followed him without any hesitation.
The two didn’t speak as they headed toward the Central Academic Hall where Albina was detained.
Lorenzo walked ahead, and Ivan followed about a half-step behind.
“How long have you known her?”
Startled out of his thoughts by the sudden sound of Lorenzo’s voice breaking the silence, Ivan replied.
“Since I was about eleven, so nearly ten years.”
“Ten years? That’s a long connection. Wait, if it’s been ten years, it was even before Albina met her current husband, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Hence, I’ve known her longer than even Mr. Zarkan.”
“Ah, Zarkan, Albina’s husband… Yes, a long connection indeed.”
While walking, Lorenzo pulled out a mana-cigarette and lit it using the small flame at his fingertips before exhaling a puff of smoke.
“Concerning Albina… I’m doing my best too. I’m striving to ensure her disciplinary action doesn’t escalate to dismissal. There’s no need for too much worry.”
“Yes.”
Ivan quietly watched Lorenzo’s retreating back.
Until now, he had thought of Lorenzo as a spoiled adult. One who always found everything tedious, unwilling to do anything but forced to push through anyway.
But perhaps, unbeknownst to the children, there was something else about him…
“We’re here. Go in. You won’t have much time, so if you have anything to say, it’s best to be quick.”
Lorenzo said this as he unlocked the door with a key taken from his robe and handed it to Ivan. Nodding, Ivan carefully entered and immediately furrowed his brow unconsciously at the scent of dust.
“Ivan, is that you?”
The sound of the door closing was followed by a familiar voice, one Ivan had listened to often, and longed to hear again over the past few days.
“Aunt Albina!”
“Shh! You’re being too loud. Come here and sit down.”
There was no doubt it was Albina, standing with a smile and facing the weak light filtering in through a small window.
“Come on, sit here first. It seems Lorenzo put in some effort, since you’re here for a visit.”
Albina appeared to be in decent spirits.
Despite being under disciplinary review, she looked worry-free, much to Ivan’s relief.
“It’s all right, I’ve been doing well. It seems you’ve been quite worried about me, Ivan, but you shouldn’t. It’s not your fault, is it?”
Albina gently ran her hand through Ivan’s hair.
The kindness in her eyes and the affectionate way she smiled at Ivan felt like that of a mother.
“It’s good to not worry about me. The only problem is not seeing Zarkan.”
“But if I had only been able to defeat that intruder faster, then none of this might’ve happened. Thanks to you, I’m able to attend the Academy… and it pains me, deeply, that things have turned out this way… I’m truly sorry.”
“Oh, Ivan. There’s no need to reproach yourself so harshly. How could this be my fault? Handling such accidents is also part of a professor’s job. It’s a disciplinary action I’m supposed to take. I’ve never blamed you for it.”
“But still…”
“Students aren’t responsible, are they? You’re the victims.”
“…”
Heheh, Albina laughed softly.
Ivan was a kind boy — just like when she first met him nine years ago.
Before Albina graduated and joined the military, she had stayed at the Academy as a temporary researcher.
At that time, Cascata was already famous for producing quality potions, and Albina often traveled there on business trips to purchase them.
During those trips, she met the owner of the potions shop, Zarkan—now her husband—and a boy named Ivan who worked there as an assistant.
When Ivan accidentally saved a potion that was about to fall due to Albina’s carelessness, she immediately recognized his talent.
Over the following visits, they developed a rapport, and when Ivan tragically lost his parents and had to leave Cascata, Albina offered to become his guardian, arranging for him to enroll in the Academy.
“You’re doing well. Karl may be treating you harshly sometimes, but overall, you’re doing good. Karl likely has deep emotional scars of her own by now. I think it’d be better if you looked after Karl more instead of worrying about me.”
“About Karl…”
After the incident, Karl continued to attend the Academy, but only that much.
During breaks, she disappeared somewhere, and if Ivan tried to approach her, she avoided him entirely. She left for home in a hurry when classes ended, and there was no chance of getting close to her.
“Why so silent? Did something happen with Karl?”
“No, not really.”
“That’s good, then…”
“My biggest worry is about you right now.”
“I heard Lorenzo has been exerting effort in various ways. He might seem disinterested, but he cares deeply about you students.”
“I’ve started to think that way too. But I’m not sure about the others.”
“It’s fine. Everything will turn out well. By the way, have you been wearing the necklace I gave you?”
“Yes, it’s right here…”
He proudly pulled it out from under his shirt, and Albina smiled contentedly, patting Ivan’s head.
“Good. You must always wear this. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I wear it all the time.”
“Good, that’s how it should be.”
At that moment, a slight cough and a knock came from outside the door. It was Lorenzo signaling that the visitation time was almost over, so Ivan slowly stood up with an expression of regret.
“I’ll come see you again.”
“Well, the verdict might be coming down soon, I hear. It won’t be too heavy, don’t worry. I’ll let you know through Lorenzo once it’s decided.”
“…Yes.”
With a heavy heart, Ivan slowly walked out of the room. As the door closed behind him, Albina’s smile faded, replaced by a shadow of worry.
“…Even if the boy wears the necklace, it’s just a matter of time before he realizes on his own. I need to find a way to fully eliminate his dual personality…”
Through all appearances, he didn’t know yet that he had a split personality, and the “oppressive necklace” seemed to be working well—but how long that could last was uncertain.
To completely erase Ivan’s secondary personality was the main goal for Albina right now.
“…There’s literally no other trail.”
The final page of the notebook slipped away, leaving only the brown leather cover. Karla sighed as she closed her eyes.
She had assumed there would be some sort of clue, but it turned out to be nothing but the trails she’d already considered. Worse yet, the final trail led to a place Karla had never heard of.
If this place was in the outskirts of the empire or within the borders of an enemy nation, that presented a whole new problem. She couldn’t just roam free as an Academy student.
“This is hopeless…”
There wasn’t much time left before the midterms. With two weeks already passed, only a month and a half remained.
‘Somehow, I have to figure it out…’
If she didn’t, she’d definitely end up… No, no, she couldn’t let that happen. That couldn’t happen, not at all.
Worn out with fatigue, Karla rubbed her eyes, and let out a large yawn. Stretching her arms high, she decided she needed some kind of mood shift. It was already midday, anyway.
—Knock knocked.
“Who is it?”
—It’s me.
“…Come in.”
Fabio.
Not his usual irritating look, but instead an odd expression as if Fabio was trying to read Karla’s mood.
Was it the wind? A few days had passed since Karla had called his name a few times, and now, though it felt awkward, she couldn’t stay mad at her suddenly friendly brother.
“What do you want?”
“Huh?”
“You’re here for a reason, right? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Oh…Actually, there’s something Father wants to tell you.”
“Why didn’t he send one of the servants?”
“…Can’t I come?”
“It’s not like you can’t come, but why?”
Fabio was indeed acting a bit strangely.
His obvious nervousness in Karla’s presence was suspicious for sure.
“Father said to tidy up before dinner.”
“Why?”
Karla narrowed her eyes in suspicion. A nasty feeling was beginning to grow, clouding her mood.
“Lucas von Scheiskel will be dining with us this evening…”
Karla squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her teeth.
Why is it that bad vibes never fail to come true?
