"Mother,"
"..."
"Is it alright for me to investigate Lars?"
"..."
"I won't kill him or torture him. I won't harm him unless you say so."
"..."
"...Sorry, that was a lie. I might kill him before knowing it if I see him make a move on my sister."
"But apart from that, I won't harm him. So, is it alright?"
The tip of the smooth inverted bone cross moved up and down a little.
"Thank you, Mother. I won't take my words back... perhaps."
"..."
"Yes, I will try my best to not kill him. It is not like I am a sadistic killer."
"..."
"Alright, thank you for your gracious understanding, Mother."
Kissing the cross and pressing on his forehead, Caelum carefully put the cross on the left side of his chest, where the heart was beating.
A small smile found its place on his face.
*****
With leisurely steps, I entered the class, and the whispers of students were louder than normal. This indicated that something relatively serious happened.
"Hmm?"
Focusing on my hearing, I listened attentively.
"Did you see that move? That was hella strong. How is a commoner girl like her got a sword skills like that?"
"The other commoner was hilarious! He fainted even before the sword touched his skin. Hahaha!"
"HahahhHH!"
"What a coward!"
"Although she is a commoner, her skills seemed very high. Do you know who is her master?"
"Why would I know a random commoner's master? Nevertheless, she might be a genius. Can we take her? She might turn out to be useful if she grows stronger."
"..."
"But she is lucky or has some brains. She lifted her sword to a commoner like herself. If she were to point her swords at any of us, she would be executed in an instant. That would be a waste of talent."
"If she were to do that, that would be deserved death. We are of blue blood while she is of common blood."
'...'
Wandering my gaze on the students of the class I found out that Lars was missing.
'So, he got scared enough to fall unconscious? Pffft...'
There were only two commoners in this 'Royal' class, one of them was Lars while the other one was a black-haired girl with bleak eyes.
Hence there was no need for me to investigate. It was easy to conclude that according to the students, the bleak-eyed girl was the one who attacked Lars.
As for the reason, 'Lars probably touched her or something.'
My eyes subconsciously roamed around the bleak-eyed girl's body.
'Fuck! Again? Lars's virgin mind stronger than I thought.'
Mind infection of Lars was gradually wore off, I needed a day to completely purified by it.
'Although, it is quite a bit rude to say but she doesn't seem to have "assets" that would entice Lars.' I thought while looking at the bleak-eyed girl, who was wearing entirely black clothes — black pants, shirt, and gloves. Dark circles, even bigger than mine, were present under her eyes. Dry and chapped lips, pale skin and rapidly moving up and down the chest.
Her health didn't look good.
"Hey, you. Come here." I called out the bleak-eyed girl. Her pupils shook greatly with my call.
The whispers of students got louder and louder.
"Damm, she is dead now. She got the executioner's attention."
"Would he dispose of her? The Executioner that merciless?"
"Nah...maybe... I don't know. Maybe he just wants to talk?"
Hearing the students' words was a sad thing. What did they see me as? A blood-lusting manisc? I just wanted to talk with the girl.
"Actually no, I won't think he will talk but probably take her as a trainee. I hear the inspection office likes to take in every kind of maniac."
'...'
'... the office is indeed filled with crazy people but saying it like this...'
I tore my focus away from the whispers of students and directed to the bleak-eyed girl, who was coming toward me with steady steps. Her previously shaking pupils were sharp.
However, even though she looked normal, her breathing was still irregular.
'She is just hiding her discomfort and anxiety.'
Concluding this, I decided to talk with her somewhere else. She was just too nervous to talk here. First, I needed to calm her down before she unsheathed her sword again like how she must have done against Lars.
"Follow me behind. Don't try anything something stupid."
After saying this, I walked out from the door with my gloved hands in my pockets.
'I know I have an office here but I don't know where. How troublesome. It will be better if I can speak with her alone.'
Turning my head to the bleak-eyed girl, I lightly coughed.
"Ahem. Do you by any chance know where is my office?"
The girl blinked a few times as if she didn't expect this kind of question. That was normal. After all, she probably expected scolding or besting from me, the rumored blood-lusting Executioner.
"..."
"..."
"...yes. I know." The girl answered, her voice lacked the warmth that teenage girls usually had. She was like a walking corpse. Emotionless voice and bleak eyes.
'Huh, she knows? I don't even know where my office is.'
"Then lead the way." I gestured to the girl as she took the lead.
I carefully inspected her hands, which didn't have the prominent callouses a skilled sword user would usually have.
'Is she genius or the brats in the class is just a bunch of untalented fools?'
My gaze slid a few times from her hands to various parts of her body, but that couldn't be helped.
The fault was on Lars, not me. Really.
After some time, the bleak-eyed girl stopped in front of a door and looked at me without saying anything.
Taking out a key from my pocket, I stopped at the bleak-eyed girl's side and put my hand on her shoulder while I was bringing the key to the keyhole.
LEFT
In an instant, a sword was coming to greet me with a sharp, dangerous hug.