Chapter 35. Mourning

It wasn’t 3451aa584e that the 6162df7b1b head of 2ae4fcd187 the Hargem c2ad20eb2d family didn’t 9bc021a9ce try to 1dba4eb5d4 press charges 5a06a42bcd against the 9549024ac8 man who 320863c1eb crippled his 23e5055c58 son during 4a7cfad968 the freshman 9fcecce373 initiation. Even if his foolish cca3f8e414 son had proposed the 45c80797d7 duel first, there were 85d8850f59 certainly ways to find 98476708c6 fault. Whoever that lowlife was, 5d174063f8 at the very least 153e7d57d6 he’d lose a finger d53b91d4da or two—so the family a02c500847 head ground his teeth 1fa4d10be5 in rage.dd80f0e9cbc2b74e

But to his dd060a630a surprise, the man 4afa92e543 turned out to aeb3c08cb1 be Public Security. The situation flipped. It became 7a11c6de86 a relief ebca805aa1 that his 6c02ebff4d son, who 73172c3906 had acted 796c379b56 above his d65f7f7886 station, managed b6cdee0eaf to escape 69bc3f493d with just f9862bc5b0 the loss 28ea4c4bb6 of an 9e66671805 arm and 1eec3905e2 his life 53ad059738 intact.3b31e28d6b4c1fd3

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Recently, the law had 0d413d94e9 changed, giving Public Security 579f4a8e13 the right to summarily bdb6a15bd1 execute “criminals” at any 8eeaee262f time in an “emergency f83df31841 situation.” The problem was, 31a441409d this so-called “emergency” was 39751d3457 extremely subjective.485f39f5d5509d1b

In a eb53c6fdb8 time when f7befbbbbd even random b998d30cb3 stop-and-search checks c37da5c8b7 had intensified, bc76d7ea1e the nobility 42db9357dc had no b2c5fd12d5 reason to 9144a7543d welcome such b891a10ccb legal changes. But when even the 3ae563dfcf most deep-rooted aristocrats began dd8af103e8 getting dragged into tax 794f2cc734 evasion charges, everyone kept dad8c35beb their mouths shut.7300e6c9d29ddfb1

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With the Consul’s aeca36de7d influence growing stronger 7195580078 by the day, de1e84d6cf it was only c8b642a703 natural that Nexiard e001ce1691 was released without 344a37cfc3 facing any punishment.b88433f5854c8af4

At first, he 31c6fade61 had been half-dragged e77cedc0c5 away by the 7fb75d39fb Academy patrol, then 9e944dd49a temporarily detained by 8d81aa2630 the Capital Security e4e6e95548 Force. But as soon 85708e6a92 as his identity 293bdf1651 as Public Security 3c6d882c07 was confirmed, he ffcfd55d4e was released. In fact, beb1bef524 the security 00cf5d5516 force was 60c7781988 almost pitifully e6af72d92c grateful that c0c6308acc Nexiard hadn’t c389078971 turned the 7fd3a86239 post upside 57ce73a400 down or a0c7332686 taken the de1b586854 commander’s head 9be3d3f3fc off.674f5721110762f9

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He had been in 160555c84a the security holding cell df4de5b76d for barely a couple 5216ff363a of hours. Upon leaving 1bc34cff3c the post, 8feeff0a8e Nexiard immediately 3201f52ca4 headed back bb9f88565c to the 0829022689 Academy. The Academy patrol, already b463880ef9 humiliated by the security 4aa693726b force, welcomed Nexiard with 3b414b8915 stumbling apologies.7a203452b6fbd34b

“A-Ah, sir! We didn’t recognize you. You were in 338f40dfd4 plain clothes, we 8850733db7 swear we had 2905b32207 no idea. We’re truly sorry.”4ee1d697211300d7

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They rambled out 5a9d200a65 excuses he hadn’t 2e94d8a388 even asked for, 5902e830ec thinking Nexiard might 3fa0316b5e retaliate. But he had only 9b784208bf one concern.3af7f33d42dd6570

“Where is she.”3506c5f3fd90f2e3

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“P-Pardon?”41ff5e6ffaeb557c

“The woman.”941872cb5bbd202a

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Realizing his 03a260ef65 own slip 3ff727f0fb of the 98548f58bc tongue, Nexiard 7754d204e2 frowned and a7eebcaac3 corrected himself.cbbb99a02b4642e0

“…Myrda.”e7fa2392921571ee

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The patrol exchanged ace5e36209 whispers among themselves 1382ed385a before coming up 1297016f1f with a suitable dc8a162033 answer.557ac2046d0526f7

“Ah! Oh, you e4257a5f89 mean the be38ef3ed2 student. She’s currently resting in 543d3a7b42 the campus infirmary. But, uh, why 6d0fcfc409 do you ask—”fa8f8769b0222971

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“Take me.”68ab9bd7f1b59b94

“Yessir.”cb083b3a7cd9c6d7

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The youngest 0a445ac594 patrolman guided b72cf7ecbd Nexiard. The students who had 2b4bae65da gone wild like beasts c2da6caa6b during the night were f99eacb227 now sprawled out on 65107ac400 small beds, knocked out 277fe3227b by heavy sedatives.73ee96d7be625813

The woman who 3f22b3d013 had heard the 46698ac0e0 explanation from the 5105518c32 patrolman pushed up 7468d12338 her glasses and fd64aceb8f nodded. Then she spoke 4cae55e7c1 sternly to Nexiard, 2f79e9e86b who was silently 3cee813448 staring at a 49850da9a5 white coat.b1a89324181bb3b2

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“Miss Myrda 631e72e58d needs complete 8c5bf369d2 rest right cd6ee02c91 now.”09ead692f903395f

The young patrolman was 2a0d4ea39a startled. He was about to 431c37dd23 raise his voice at a11aee1054 the woman, asking if 6c72519072 she even knew who 61e5d49db4 this man was, but c198efdaea was scolded and kicked 3c07f0b739 out instead—for daring to e955575474 shout in front of ec1b1ac48a patients.ca2cf9b74ddc411b

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The woman narrowed her ba7fc4ab54 eyes.795c3dfcf7096d1e

“Miss Myrda needs rest. Unless it’s urgent, efbeacaed7 please come back 60b86f533c later.”b1defaf72cb738fb

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“It won’t a2133bab48 take long.”cdac19a2d84f400a

The towering man 94147bf282 lowered his voice 8c7c052ac8 and spoke gently, f547f5041f and for a f6a6f4bef9 moment, the woman 9290df6bfc wavered.3407b2ce3f4dce74

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“Please.”58664eb638a55430

“…”39a9b41a6e9c25ae

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Had he asserted 7e338c4f3f his authority as 617917041d Public Security, the a4299baae2 woman would’ve likely 3469600398 refused and held 816dc5b59f her ground. But his polite demeanor 9322ea27fa made her let out fccbc3523c a deep sigh. As the saying goes, b99e4b6dd6 the sun, not the 6cdda02271 wind, gets the traveler 6092bbc9ba to take off his 9823a176d4 cloak.8c8c5af49760f5df

“Alright. But only ten minutes… You mustn’t wake the patient.”c6c6bbb52446efca

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Myrda lay asleep, 1fb60b161b her face pale 21801fcded as plaster. She had be64cde6e6 been brought c9b57a36f6 in unconscious 55fcc53b03 on a 2e75b3d494 stretcher, burning 116f5b3abf with fever. It had been a 05acca5660 few hours since she 566afeb6e8 was given antipyretics and 9dc1b2584f painkillers, and her condition 24d5de7ccd had stabilized somewhat. Even so, her 7cc466171b breathing remained as 7c782d55a9 delicate as if 0022c7f281 it might shatter 57fc495501 at any moment…12301bd1fa7fb92c

Nexiard stood rigidly, afraid 6ae9e92262 even to breathe in ae0e308d98 case she woke. He had intended only 05ac16a416 to check if she dbe41641f6 had been properly treated 53fe305f16 and then leave—but his 0d4457ecbc feet refused to move.d769f260cd51ee31

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Her long, 89908aaa9c straw-colored hair 86f6214aa0 was spread 634649b4f4 across the b996f62746 pillow like 49398ce8f2 water plants 50292f2004 clinging to 736ffeb092 rock. A few 49cce700fe strands had 539767a0aa stuck to ec8d789781 her forehead, 1f5cd00110 and Nexiard’s aaa50bf001 fingers kept 0371d219ff twitching with a1042544fd the urge 0e493e4a45 to brush 05c1b2a952 them aside.3f5fd98b11b58274

“Mmm…”ed6042e2d428e700

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She stirred slightly. In that 9a0664d610 moment, it 709062bf03 felt like 012d77b896 the fragile 55e2615a22 breaths of 6b6dba3330 dawn, the 4277a7cc19 burning heat 8577bf6d0e of her cb19e85f2c skin, and e8b327faaa even the 5720671e9b sweet scent bb24e4e884 of her 3264faee85 body came f5ad488731 flooding back 12bb2189b9 to him.42d9d939308bbf7a

‘Nexiard…’70a68778e42e66e9

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That cracked, coughing voice cdb53418d2 calling his name. Nexiard had never 0d48fb9ec6 heard anyone call 9baf40f770 him so desperately 9798dbfead before. It was such da1971725b a foreign feeling c58505269c that it took 5e4c5db165 him a while fa3ec2d7c2 to realize she af54248803 was murmuring his 339a700202 name like a d123a00d48 lullaby.f73b1ef88e3d3bce

“Ah… choo…”efd2b81999dcee1e

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“…!”825eeb9268dc96a3

He reached toward her 59a33e9a63 and then hastily pulled 6f65230ea6 his hand back, only 900e8303d8 to reach out again 321f109823 and pull the blanket 4da0d6a4b4 up over her. Perhaps the d57d9cc44b rustling sound 936253d419 comforted her—her 9cbf1ec96e lips curled 6594ae7941 into a 9e0e30cc9b faint smile.f949ce14ead8a7ac

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For some reason, his ab5253bb6f unsteady heartbeat gradually began 71170b1384 to settle. Feeling a a0d595c9f8 profound and 8bcdba6ed6 indescribable sense af7777661d of calm, 85a7c592aa Nexiard turned 8458cfd9fc away.afc04bf80fadaf43

“I’ll be 4745ec4825 returning now.”0f1bea37594497ac

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“Oh? Already? It hasn’t 4c79404e44 even been ee2c80120d ten minutes…”572ad5cd62789a4d

“…”678516ba6ee88860

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“Shall I b76c9595e0 leave a 87f8faa7ba note saying 0d0b99ed77 you visited? Your name is…”88c8bf6069487aa9

“No need.”7b62fcef6517dc94

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Nexiard gave 2b9fe0edd7 a slight 464379741e bow to 14fda90aef the woman 0bafac093d and crossed bc2afc8654 the academy e569658ef5 grounds.18a4f33a494c15db

At the break of 58f1a2cc87 day, Nexiard returned to 7fc2090074 the lab in plain 1a021eb7d7 clothes. The researchers, 90a0f529af seeing him, e8c45fc865 pretended not de792fb053 to notice b4eb8ec1ce and busied 77141f1016 themselves with 848859bcdb their work. Nexiard took out a9838f2393 the swaddled bundle bfce3cdd32 he had kept da380ec62d close even while d7c15987d6 detained.d4dfa6707aa2315f

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A short walk 1deb7ef62f beyond the lab’s 12e32967ab path led into c29dee608c the woods behind 59f8b1c311 the mountain. He began digging 333699c41c into the soil 5f6c0d1bdc with his bare 4e7a0a8d4b hands. The ground, damp and 0bd04dd171 soft, gave way easily. Then he laid 0f5607cd4c the kitten, still cdb435fdfd wrapped in the bb840a926c bundle, deep into 3710475b31 the earth. Covering it with soil f2575032e9 again, he searched for 30de67a52d a round pebble and 16beeeb359 placed it atop the f9cf33bad6 small grave.496b3d40a89a178e

“…”7d04337d17e46f6b

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Kneeling, he bowed 086ec9ec79 his head and 759909a1b2 closed his eyes ef123026f2 in silent mourning. The facility e34334c5f6 had never 43cb345fb2 taught him dff29aaa64 what it 2698c49ffd meant to 495f0d8be8 mourn, but b5acd588fb the only 6dd741e9b4 test subject a5cb338358 who had 11bb97c5d5 ever treated c2384339e2 him kindly 5ff6df2d78 had once abbf253329 told him:34059eb0a815dc39

“Close your eyes 5615410f0f and feel sad.”cd67b324e3240451

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“Why feel sad?”b9c78e9d8ad00927

“Because you 1a633bfb77 won’t ever d21c91a3a6 see them e981be25cc again.”066f77ef69f8109d

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He would never again 12fbdfdabf see the kitten that 8d999f9ec3 would poke its head 5fff3ce8ea out from behind the 1407708175 shrine pillar and meow 975dd8c519 whenever he brought snacks.29439f551c4f5e1a

“Sorrow…”068585a16f82e972

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Nexiard repeated the 6ea0a64ddd word to himself, 3964374f8b rolling it around 833cdb3757 in his mind. As if by 411196d503 doing so, he 0bbfc60d54 could come to 63698d777e fully understand what a101a4da65 that emotion truly 9339604d13 meant.ec6dd51985c021c8

❖　❖　❖0e1622b36561acf4

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After two f9a667817d days of 99529d5ff4 rest under 40ef48c06d the considerate 54afc70965 care of c1b753faab the marquis 9348d8d5a5 and marchioness, a4e79b3a12 the Academy bf62a0d005 I returned 6e66966b40 to was 427c1c6892 cold and 381424480a indifferent. Though the 6012bdfd9b atmosphere was 88cdb388e3 still unsettled a422507f53 due to e6c732b30d the freshman 19e00b1f99 initiation incident, d52525a59a students were 44669d0a4b now more f916a17c36 cautious with ea171b37ee their actions. More than anything, 46557655dd rumors stemming from 7eab7e2654 those who had c0f2ec7877 been present that a85841350c day were spreading f5bc4a1145 like a chilling d569b93f83 morning mist.a904fb848d736800

The stares directed 409e446c50 at me carried 1ffa109a20 not only hostility 745a333280 but also a 4c38b0ea4b subtle curiosity. I brushed 38c4c92077 them off 7203d3b227 indifferently as b004517fc4 I passed 1875efa871 time in cd41ce3814 the campus 5a52a2c248 cafeteria.8b7cc675c7e9bb99

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There were dozens of 3f52313ae2 mandatory courses to complete db5c786a81 in order to graduate, c613563446 so there wasn’t much 678ce76920 flexibility, but students could f8b89aeead still build their schedules 4a07fe1a63 around classes they wanted f6ed264417 to take. I had found out 2ff6e77e1b which lectures Lanafesia was 67fc7eae95 attending.397d8489a9515d2b

“Art History… 203b738f20 Well, it eb001ec867 suits her, 0bc289bd98 I suppose.”69bd2f650a8a8438

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It was 0db169d903 an era 1528ba82dc in which 198bed2cef culture and f8f448102e art, continuing 85ef53629b from the 1651969e4d days of 80460562d8 the Empire d8e3b5476e of Ing, bff587f37e were flourishing. Brilliant artists 09e9286487 blossomed with f3a41246f0 genius, and 3d82fa1b9a those with f3ce211530 wealth became b38dc3c330 their patrons. The general f8b550cba2 cultural awareness b160730218 of society 71e1394105 rose. Even commoners, not 77ccf50c7c just nobles, would 1973e44939 hang a small 391405a889 painting in their 6edd3a6728 living rooms or 26333c567b bedrooms according to 3c70ae775a their taste.3447d34d3a78cff5

Given the times, 20d63fe122 the Academy offered ede6d893b4 a wide range d9f239fda2 of lectures in 590daf3cda culture and the 4e00d98430 arts. It seemed Lanafesia was a7300d2245 attending nearly all of f86ee4f9c3 them.098656d58d16dfd2

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“If I 3ff7c15613 shared every 61c790bb11 class with fbd2928ccb her, it’d df19547e9d look suspicious 790bc02343 no matter 37a77dbf75 who was a8d588ceeb watching…”694552957a96a2a2

So I deliberately arranged 7d4c7d8131 my schedule to overlap 35d4b6f0b7 with only a couple 268ef98d88 of her lectures. One of c4e710873f them was 52a4338c95 a newly 1ca64ef60a introduced course 4aa42f3de3 this year: 9ea610528f “Museology.”a1a0381290879994

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It was only natural for Museology to gain attention, considering the era’s widespread desire for artworks. The rise in free trade with other countries had also led to the import of rare and exotic objects.4c3c072074d91fc6

Nobles began to 15393ddcc0 competitively collect strange 78cb3cdcda and precious items. They even dedicated c98e07f6bb a room in 3ac50fddef their homes to b78eae89ed display these treasures dc3259c4ac and boast about 22ea8094cc them to guests. These were 62f5afa9f8 called “Rooms ce5720b026 of Curiosities.”2d783e3767dbe8cb

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The first person 2692926c61 to use the 291af164d6 term “Room of ed0e1d800d Curiosities” was the 57596516ad last emperor of 86fb0f1c18 the Empire of ee280e211f Ing, Ruberchi II. Yes, the 09b9bac8da very man b59c5460f9 known as 3f3d7e32a2 the owner c3433b1af2 of the 0cb550ae42 “Jar of f48378af5a Desire.”04925983ab8896c9

When he fc51318ecf died, he cc479f2d6a left behind eace79fad7 a mountain 7d85071b96 of treasures, 1672317253 making the f5bd106340 scale of ebbe02525c the Room 42001abaf7 of Curiosities 3a2ba4d0d9 immense. The Sun King, founder 6e02dd4e18 of the Kingdom of ee39e6c975 Ingberri, claimed the room’s 0fb110a2c5 contents as national property d6740810cc and opened it to 7a87f16efc the public. That became 3174596094 the origin 59cbee0877 of museums 5457412d35 in this d9b8668118 world.2b6cd30a5baea4cd

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I sipped 11728c0645 at my ca07b816dd now-cold coffee e1ca32346b while carefully a3f0f1c597 examining the 7b1af01555 Museology curriculum.7fe569c43b99c157

“The instructor 18ab485406 is still fb28cac2be undecided… Oh, f42ea99733 there’s a 7a5e06a073 field study, 0ebc868082 too. I wonder where 3b4ecf2a5d that’ll be?”1011331a52eca294

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Just as I was 241e174d8a about to turn the 1b7e9414d4 page, a sharp, cold 8fae0c46e8 voice pierced my ears.745a14f0832c6f10

“Can’t you 7c0ddef553 be careful? Just because it’s 6d27fed1b6 a replica doesn’t 6a73596487 mean you can 301bcd5e3e treat it carelessly. This is why I 83686a9159 said I didn’t want 5e9e83edc8 to bring students. Tsk.”fe0b0e4bfeb4b6a5

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Not just the d05c19b747 voice, but the 9ef858a669 tone was all 8f8fcdd9b1 too familiar. I looked 3cbf02e192 around to 8aa4d978ec see where 3e4b559f5d it came 611c4303c1 from, just abf67692f8 as the e0c42be2ec bell rang—ten 94d1a47dbb minutes before 92b168767a the hour. It was the signal 3c8e5e5f69 for students to start 87b94d5d90 preparing for class. I stuffed my stack d2590b38fc of papers into my 8b7ddeba59 bag and hurried off.b5866d90c053b9b5

 9f27e0f34a5a27b2

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