Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Identity

In the western suburbs of Igewent, at night in St. Amanda School.

As night fell and after dinner, male students who were supposed to attend evening classes suddenly heard loud gunshots coming from the distant part of the campus. Curious boys crowded to the classroom windows, peering into the dark distance they couldn’t make out clearly. They began to vigorously discuss what might be happening outside until a strict teacher forced them all back to their seats.

The classrooms in the school were still lit, with night classes ongoing. Meanwhile, in a hidden yet spacious basement beneath the school, lights also remained on.

This was a spacious area under St. Amanda School. Numerous large hanging gas lamps drove away the darkness and illuminated it brightly. Many tables and cabinets were arranged in this underground space, all piled high with various stone sculptures.

There were small heads, slightly larger busts, and even larger full-body statues. Tables, cabinets, chairs, and the floor were covered with all sorts of statues, each carved lifelike. Besides the sculptures, many uncarved plain stones of different sizes stood along the walls. Large ventilation openings were set into the walls, with slowly rotating fan blades inside, the source of power unknown.

A layer of white ash accumulated on the ground of the basement, with scattered stools placed around. Corners held various hammers and chisels, while some areas had easels and drawing boards. The drawings on the boards were detailed sketches of human heads or complex geometric structures, but none were colored; the boards only had pencils and no traces of paint.

Overall, it seemed like a stone sculpture workshop. At this moment, Dorothy was standing curiously in the center of the workshop, looking around. Nearby, the school caretaker Dean was carving a stern-faced male bust based on several black-and-white photos, the sounds of tools clinking echoing in the space.

On the empty ground beside Dorothy, five bodies covered with white sheets were lined up.

“Tonight, I truly thank you, sir, for saving me in times of crisis…”

After taking a rough look at the surroundings, Dorothy shifted her gaze to Dean, who was deeply engrossed in his work. Dean continued working and smiled as he spoke.

“Haha… Those members of the Holy Communion were causing trouble near my territory. It was natural for me to handle them. Miss Meyshos, you should thank yourself for being saved…”

Speaking, Dean glanced at the five bodies nearby and then said with praise,

“Among those five, you alone took down four. I merely helped tidy up afterward. When I received the message from your puppet, your carriage had already left for some time. If you hadn’t forced them to turn back, even at my speed, it would have been too late to save you…”

Dean then turned his gaze to Dorothy and continued,

“Your decisiveness, calmness, and thinking… It’s truly remarkable for a girl your age. I’m glad St. Amanda has such an excellent student, especially a female one. She surpasses those self-important young masters who prattle on all day.”

“Sir, you flatter me…” Dorothy bowed slightly and continued,

“I am far from being excellent. There is much I still need to learn and many questions I wish to ask you, sir.”

Listening to Dorothy’s words, Dean smiled and, after sizing her up, said,

“You want to ask me questions? Sure, but first you must answer some of mine. First, how did you notice my uniqueness? Do you possess any ability to discern extraordinary qualities?”

Dean chuckled, recalling that after Dorothy got on the Crimson Eucharist carriage, he sent a gecko zombie puppet to run through the campus and find the still-working Dean. The puppet drew the word “Crimson Eucharist” on the ground in front of him and pointed out the direction, which was one of the ways Dorothy sought to survive, knowing the old man was likely extraordinary.

Listening to Dean’s words, Dorothy pondered for a moment and then spoke analytically,

“Firstly, you caught my attention early on when you stumbled in front of me and my brother, dropping two stone statues. My brother caught them all, and you praised him saying ‘Good move, lad…’ At that moment, you focused on his ‘skill,’ which piqued my interest. Of course, it was just a hint at the time, and I thought it might be overthinking on my part.”

Listening to Dorothy, Dean nodded and said,

“Continue.”

“And then, I became interested in the school’s stone statues. Because of that initial hint, I approached you to ask about them. At that time, you were cleaning the statues. I observed you more closely and noticed how meticulously you cleaned them… No, it wasn’t just meticulous, but also methodical.”

Walking slowly in the room, Dorothy recalled and continued,

“In my observation, you didn’t clean them roughly without a plan. Instead, you followed the structure of the statues. You wiped certain areas multiple times, focusing on subtle features like facial structures and even tiny details like the underside of eyelids.

“More importantly, your technique in cleaning the statues was quite intriguing. Unlike most people, you didn’t wipe back and forth repeatedly on one spot with a cloth. Instead, you always wiped in one direction and started anew for the next stroke. This reminded me of how a chisel carves stone in one direction. Perhaps it’s a habit…

“Haha… Honestly, watching you clean the statues, it didn’t seem like you were cleaning them, but rather reshaping them, recreating the process of carving. I doubt a regular caretaker would do that…”

Stopping her pacing, Dorothy looked at Dean, and Dean, who had stopped his work, clapped lightly at her.

“Haha… Careful observation… Another admirable trait…”

Facing Dean’s applause, Dorothy didn’t pause and continued,

“By this point, I was sufficiently intrigued by you. I observed you seriously. In my observations, you are in excellent physical condition, showing no signs of the usual limitations of an elderly person. It doesn’t seem like someone who could suddenly fall on a flat surface. This made me suspect that your previous fall was intentional, though as of now, these are just my subjective speculations.

“I confirmed your problem with a bit of effort. I manipulated my small puppet to infiltrate the school archives and gather information about you. Finally, in the finance office, I found the employee roster and salary distribution records. There, I saw that the caretaker named Dean had never received any wages from the school.

“From this, I nearly confirmed your identity. You are the current principal of this school, Mr. Audric. Although I confirmed your extraordinary nature, I still doubted whether you were truly extraordinary. However, in the critical moment, I had no choice but to seek your help.”

Dorothy finished her analysis, and Dean laughed heartily,

“Hahaha… Excellent, excellent! You truly exceeded my expectations, Miss Meyshos. Very good… Your analysis is very good… Yes, I am the current principal of this school, Audric…”

Audric walked away from the stone statue, put down his tools, sat down, and looked at Dorothy.

“I am satisfied with your response. Your intelligence impressed me, Miss Meyshos. Now, it’s your turn to ask me questions.”

Listening to Audric, Dorothy maintained a composed expression and spoke slowly,

“Thank you for your praise, Mr. Audric… My first question is… What was your motive for testing us on our first day? What did you discover on that day?”

Dorothy asked Audric seriously, which was a concern she deeply cared about. She was unsure if she or Gregor had done something wrong to draw Audric’s attention.

Hearing Dorothy’s words, Audric did not respond immediately. He drank some tea from the table, smiled at Dorothy, and continued,

“What do you think, Miss Meyshos, or should I say… daring young lady…”

Audric’s voice was no longer as gentle as before, but deep and powerful. Dorothy had heard this voice before, during the recent secret meeting she bravely attended.

This was the voice of “Gray Hill.”

…