72. Regina, Regina, Regina Parla (1)
After the court adjourned, there was quite a debate about whether it was acceptable to release Karla without restraint.
The side led by Cascata argued that it didn’t matter, while Shaiskeil’s side insisted that, considering public morality – namely, the significant tragedy of a fiancée killing her fiancé – Karla should be detained until the royal palace made a decision. However, the result was rather anticlimactic.
Despite everything, she was the eldest daughter of Cascata, and for this simple fact alone, Karla was released without being held. In truth, Karla never once believed she would be detained.
Leaving the central hall building, the first person to greet her was Lorenzo.
Lorenzo was still smoking a mana-cigarette, his expression filled with fatigue, but his eyes shone brightly. He looked at Karla with those eyes and said:
“Go to the dormitory, or the student cafeteria. I hear your companions are having a celebratory dinner there.”
“Will you not join us, Instructor?”
In response to Karla’s question, Lorenzo smirked, took out a portable ashtray, and placed the cigarette butt inside before answering:
“What would I, an old codger, do there? Nobody likes having me around. Enjoy yourselves. Since I’ve given you my message, I’ll be going ahead.”
Karla did not respond.
She wasn’t the type to press the issue, and most importantly, she wasn’t close enough to Lorenzo to do so.
“Ah, that’s right. Karla.”
“Yes.”
“It’s about Ivan. Ivan Kontadino.”
“Yes.”
Karla responded while looking at Lorenzo. His eyes, which had been sharp just moments ago, now seemed strangely subdued. His gaze was deep, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
“…Don’t you think his personality changes… quite frequently?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
Karla tensed internally.
How had Lorenzo guessed something that no one else knew, something she hadn’t even noticed? Was he only suspecting that Ivan’s personality changed, or did he suspect something more – like his split personality?
“I am your instructor, after all. Watching you from afar, even if you don’t notice…”
“…I don’t understand what you’re referring to. But I’ve sometimes felt that his personality changes quickly.”
She wouldn’t say anything about dual personalities, especially since it involved Ivan.
Ivan.
At her response, Lorenzo gave a sly smile, curling the corner of his lips upward.
“That guy, Ivan, is a suspicious character.”
“…”
Karla did not answer.
Regaining her confidence along with her lost arm, she might have been willing to speak harshly even to Lorenzo, but her patience had grown significantly over time.
“Ivan has an unsettling aura. Usually, people like him are wearing masks.”
“…Pardon?”
Karla widened her eyes and unknowingly repeated his words like a fool. She immediately closed her mouth, but Lorenzo’s ironic smile remained, as if he had already noticed her reaction.
“You, too, are a proper noble young lady. You don’t know how to suspect others. You’ve probably never doubted Ivan’s original nature, have you? The world is full of strange people. Those who wear masks are alarmingly common.”
“…”
Karla stood silently and glared at Lorenzo.
Lorenzo seemed to be unbothered by her gaze and lit another mana-cigarette, exhaling the smoke into the air.
“Develop the habit of doubting everything, my lady. That’s what you should do.”
*
When Karla entered the party venue, the atmosphere was already quite lively.
In front of the four students sat a large beer pitcher, and their faces showed that they were already several drinks in – not a single one of them appeared sober.
Just then, Ivan noticed Karla entering the cafeteria and started to stand up with a delighted expression when Liam’s voice cut across the room.
“Isn’t that the Avenger! The Avenging Lady! Karla della Cascata! Are you finally here!”
“What is this… avenger business?”
Karla furrowed her brow at the strange title.
Her expression seemed amusing for some reason as Liam stood, picking up the beer pitcher.
He then dunked the beer pitcher into a large oak barrel beside him, fishing it out before approaching Karla with it in hand.
“Come now, stop that. Karla, truly remarkable! We had no idea you’d go as far as to kill Lucas! It’s an impressively cool deed, almost worth being born a man!”
‘He’s drunk.’
Karla accepted the beer pitcher Liam offered.
She had accepted it, but still stood awkwardly near the entrance of the cafeteria. Fortunately, there was no one coming in or out to disturb, but she was starting to feel uncomfortable.
“Li… Liam. Come on… Karla looks flustered…”
It was Emil.
Emil’s usually pale face had turned red, clearly indicating he was quite drunk as well.
He approached and grabbed Liam’s arm to pull him away while Ivan quickly moved to greet Karla.
“Did the trial go well?”
“Trial? How did you know I went to one?”
“How could I not know?”
“…It went well. It seems it will be ruled as self-defense.”
Karla didn’t argue further with Ivan at his words.
The moment his strangely piercing gaze met hers, Lorenzo’s earlier words echoed in her mind.
“I… Come here… Karla, sit down and eat something. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad.”
Regina approached from the opposite side of Ivan, looping her arm with Karla’s and pulling her over.
What should she do to resolve this situation, she was briefly contemplating when Karla decided to play along and take a seat. Immediately next to her, Liam approached with a thud.
“Great job, Karla. I heard from Ivan! Apparently, you really tore that Lucas guy up, right?”
With that, Liam gave her left shoulder a loud pat.
When Karla winced in response, Emil, who had been watching carefully, began poking Liam’s ribs.
“Don’t do that, Liam… You’re hurting Karla.”
This made Karla look at Emil.
Emil, who had unintentionally made eye contact with Karla, let out a “Hik,” sound, retracting his neck like a turtle, prompting Karla to think he was perhaps too timid.
“One hard hit might even kill in a fight, isn’t that right? No matter how noble one is, if there’s a hole in the chest, one will die. Karla won, and the loser had the potential to die!”
With these words, Liam raised the beer pitcher high.
“Come on, let’s cheers!”
“Cheers… again?!”
Regina furrowed her eyebrows in disapproval.
Perhaps they had already gone through several rounds before Karla arrived, she thought, as she took a sip of the beer. It was already lukewarm and lacked flavor, but she still finished the glass and raised her left arm.
“Now that I think about it, what happened to your left arm?”
“Explaining will take time. Even if I do, you probably won’t believe me. Let’s just say, I got lucky.”
“Can arms really grow back just by luck?”
“Things grow back when there’s good luck.”
Regina’s dissatisfaction was evident from her pouting lips, but Karla ignored it and picked up a sausage to eat. She hadn’t realized how pleasant it was to hold a plate and use a fork comfortably.
As the glasses went around several times, Karla was starting to feel slightly tipsy.
Liam still appeared fully sober, holding his ground, while Ivan looked drunk, his vision blurred and his mind unclear.
— Have you not considered the possibility that Ivan is putting on an act?
Karla glanced at Ivan through her blurred vision from the alcohol.
Actually, the idea that Ivan was acting was hard for her to believe.
The horror from her childhood that had dominated her young life, even to this day— the sinister, chilling voice that had seemed to come from the eye of the storm, from the depths of hell—it was hard for her to believe that voice belonged to a barely aged Ivan back then.
“What are you thinking about, Karla…?”
Karla snapped out of her reverie and turned to look at Emil.
Emil was smiling broadly, though moments earlier he couldn’t even make eye contact with her. Clearly, the influence of the alcohol was strong.
“Just thinking how wonderful it is that my left arm has come back.”
“Haha… that’s wonderful…”
Emil moved his spoon and changed seats next to Karla.
Looking at his spoon, he let out an odd sound:
“Why is my cup so small…?”
“…That’s a spoon, Emil.”
Karla extended her hand to take the glass. She wondered if it was wise to serve Emil with even more alcohol, but considering today was a good day, she decided otherwise.
“Karla is really amazing…”
With both hands cupped around the glass, Emil sipped the drink like one would sip hot tea. His cheeks were already rosy.
“Hmm. I suppose I am pretty amazing.”
Karla nodded in agreement. After all, it was the truth — she was amazing, wasn’t she? Even when she had only one arm, she had been a bit unrefined, but that was in the past. Now with both arms, she was invincible — although comparing herself to Ivan was another story.
“Still… you’re strong… I envy you…”
“You can become strong too if you try.”
“I… can’t… I’ll never be like you…”
Emil began to doze off.
Karla watched Emil quietly, finishing the last of her beer.
‘The alcohol is taking effect…’
As she blinked her eyes trying to shake off the dizziness, she noticed the sight before her.
“Ivan, let me take you home. Let’s go…”
“Huh…? But I’m not done…”
It was Ivan.
And next to him, Regina supporting him, ready to leave the cafeteria with him.
Seeing this, Karla instinctively stood up.
“A-a!”
The exclamation woke Emil up momentarily, but Karla was already past caring about Emil in this moment.
