CHAPTER 217: CHAPTER 217: [MORIA’S WEAVE] [4]

"Haaa... Haaa..."

"...What the hell..."

I seemingly clawed for the air with my mouth while staring at my pale reflection from the mirror. It took a while to stop my eyes from trembling and shake off the creepy unease clawing at me from inside. Once it finally did, i managed to get my thoughts working and realised.

The Stigmata...

It had vanished completely.

The wide, complex tattoo and symbol that was engraved on my lower back was erased. No, it wasn’t erased, somehow i knew that even without Meta telling me, it disappeared. Staring at my bare lower back, it was like the Stigmata was never there.

But with a wave of my hand, i summoned the system screen and stared at a specific tab that was still present. The [Moria’s Weave] Stigma was tagged as a new Stigma and feature on the screen.

With another dismissive wave of my hand, the screen flickered as it vanished.

Just then, i heard a knock resound from the other side of my door outside my room.

-To tok

The sound inadvertently prompted me to turn around with a slight frown. It went without say that the good and pleasant mood i had while waking up had faded to dust in the wind.

I wondered who was it at the door, and without much thought walked out of my bathroom bare chested and reached for it.

"Yes, who is i— !?"

Pushing open the door slightly, just enough to see through, i froze at the familiar but unexpected sight before me.

"Yo— uh?"

Alexander flashed a smile before giving me an odd look

"Morning, sun... shine...? Dude are you alright?"

"Huh?"

He raised a finger at my face as i raised a brow. Suddenly, Alexander’s expression became worried.

"What’s up with your face? You look pale, are you sick? Are you constipated?"

It took me an extra two seconds before my frown eased up slightly and i waved my hand dismissively through the air prompting Alexander to stop his rant.

"Oh, that? It’s nothing, I’m fine. More importantly..."

I inhaled, my head flicking to the sides as i looked down the hallway that was empty.

"What are you doing here?"

Why was Alexander standing right outside my room this early in the morning?

How did he even know my room?

"I thought I’d check up on you since yesterday."

"...Oh..."

Alexander had suddenly vanished after coming to see me at the infirmary yesterday, and now he shows up at my doorstep.

"Plus, i thought we could go to class together."

He smiled and i stared at him as if something foreign was on his face. Blinking, i tilted my head slightly to the side.

"Class?"

Right, indeed. There was something like that.

"...Give me a minute." Eventually, i said.

Without a word more, i withdrew back into my room, shutting the door close on Alex as i turned around and let out a raspy sigh.

I went back into the bathroom, glimpsing at my reflection from the mirror over the sink, as I turned the water faucet on. It was pale and ashen. I really did look constipated... Alexander, that bastard.

I lowered my head over sink and draped my face in water from the faucet as if to wash away the I’ll complexion that painted my face.

I raised my head and stared back at my reflection, beads of water rolling down my face — my gold eyes held an undisguised intensity.

...Did it get brighter? They

Alexander was still waiting outside.

Pulling myself our of my thoughts with that, i moved from the sink and got ready for class.

—Click!

"Let’s go."

By the time i was finished, i found Alex’s still standing patiently outside and we both headed for the first class of the day.

Along the way, Alexander stared at my side, glancing at my left arm hidden under my sleeve and tucked away in my pockets.

"How is it?"

"What?"

I pretended not to understand at first before pulling my left arm out and glancing at it casually. I planned on maybe returning back to the infirmary to get the bandage changed for a new one.

"Oh this? It’s alright, i guess. A little inconvenient for the most part, but it’s fine."

It was a more than a little inconvenient actually, but I didn’t have any need to say that. I was still getting used to having one of my arms almost completely useless, and there were times when it would suddenly throb and spasm.

The Doctor said the aches and spasm will lessen over time, and that my arm would be recover in a couple of weeks. After that, it’s a different matter entirely if it’ll be as good as it used to be.

"I heard about how it ended up that way. You really are craz— ah, i mean reckless. Jumping into the mouth of the Sand Worm like that..."

I stopped.

"You just called me crazy, didn’t you?"

Alexander stopped as well, just a few paces ahead of me and turned around with a straight face.

"You’re imagining things."

"..."

This bast—

***

"I see at least some of you could make it today." A familiar voice spread through the wide classroom — the striking figure of a middle aged young woman with lustrous black hair cascading down her straight back and sharp purple eyes.

Instructor Wren swept a subtle gaze across the room, traces of dark circles lining underneath her eyes as always. And for a moment, those cold and sleep deprived gaze landed on me.

It was only briefly, however. She smoothly transitioned her gaze past me.

Regardless, staring at Wrenna in her neatly ironed white shirt and her straight black pencil skirt, i felt a tinge of wistfulness tickle a corner of my heart.

’It’s been a while.’

It felt like i hadn’t seen Wrenna in months or years. We weren’t close and her impression of me was probably shit, but i was still glad she seemed fine.

’She does look a little paler than usual. Ah, her eyes also even seemed more vacant...’

It was subtle and hard to miss because of the pressure constantly emitted from her being, but my senses had grown considerably more sharper since waking up. My perception was broader, so i could almost easily pick up these slight changes.

It didn’t take me long to understand why it was.

I knew about Wrenna’s sleep schedule and how it was probably shit — it was hard not to when she’d occasionally fall asleep while standing during homeroom.

That could already reflect her workload, just as i had seen the ine time I’d been in her office.

But now it seems a lot worse, and this didn’t take a genius to understand why.

Just like Wrenna, i looked around the class.

It was empty.

More than half the students...

They were missing.

Well...not missing per se — just not present due to one thing or the other.

This was the first time i was seeing something like this, but i didn’t think it was strange considering the current circumstances.

And the main victims of the whole ordeal were the first year students.

Alexander, who sat next to me by my side, noticed my wandering gaze and leaned in.

"The Academy is still trying to keep the aftermath of the incident under control. In all honesty, lectures and classes aren’t supposed to be held, there are still many of the cadets recovering one way or another. This isn’t official, it’s just the Academy putting up a front for the meantime."

That explained the scanty class.

As of the moment, lectures and classes weren’t held officially, and in name only, for the First Years at least. From what i heard from Alexander, ot was just the Academy putting up a front and trying to control the aftermath of the incident, by making it seem like nothing of the system has been affected and still progresses at the same.

And by extension, this also fell on the workloads of the Instructors and Teachers, like Wrenna for example.

But in the end, the emptiness and silence of the classrooms was harf to ignore. There was syill a gloomy weight hanging in the atmosphere.

And perhaps, maybe, it because it feels like it’s been a while since I’ve been back here in class, everything feels like it’s some kind of dream.

Truth is, i actually had bo reason to show up today.

In fact, i had all the rights to skip classes for the meantime, even if the schedule has already officially continued.

I mean, i was one of the leading victims, and i only just recently got discharged after weeks of being bedridden and hospitalised.

So, why was i here?

For someone like me who definitely wasn’t the model student type, why do i show even bother to show up for a fake class?

Hmm...i guess I needed a kind of change of pace? I haven’t been around the Academy much since i was released yesterday, i wanted to see for myself just how far it was affected, i guess.

Plus, showing up this morning helped to distract myself a little from what was happening around me lately... That was i decided to show up with Alexander.

"... It’s already been a few weeks since that ’Incident’. I wonder how much longer the Academy can continue to pull this off by using fake lectures and classes. They’ll have to get back on track soon."

As i thought this out loud next to Alex, i heard Wrenna’s voice drift into my ears from the front of the classes.

"Haaa it’ll be a shame for those of you who did show up today, only to return back with nothing. So i guess I’ll be sharing a piece of news and information with you. All First Year Cadets were originally going to be informed at once regardless through your bracelets, so this should be fine too."

Leaning forward over my desk with the side of my face casually propped up against my right arm, Wrenna’s words prompted my attention forward, focusing my gaze on her slender figure — her curve accentuated by her slick nature of her outfit.

Wrenna’s cold, amethyst eyes regained a spark of their usual intensity as she looked up.

"Classes and activities will officially resume as of next week Monday. And as such, once again, attendance will be mandatory — you’ll have to have very valid reason or excuse not to show up. Insubordination will be strictly penalized as of the usual protocol."