Bad Born Blood

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Greedy
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< Chapter 33 >

Enrico Lagan was, of course, a noble. He seemed like someone who had grown up completely unaware of hardship, his demeanor often clueless. As I spoke, he twirled a lock of his wavy brown bangs around his finger, listening.

“…So, you’re saying that your relationship with Giselle isn’t that of an arranged marriage or anything like that?”

Hearing my explanation, Enrico sighed in relief and patted his chest.

“If anything, Giselle is closer to hating me. If we were on good terms, would I really be eating alone like this?”

Enrico nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“That’s true. No matter how much they champion meritocracy, there’s no way a renowned household like the Kusthoria would take in someone from the lower classes as one of their own. I misunderstood for no reason. Hmm, yeah.”

He was casually spouting such words right in front of me. And yet, I didn’t even feel angry. There wasn’t the slightest hint of malice in his words. He disregarded the lower district as naturally as breathing.

Many nobles probably thought and acted just like Enrico. Even among my fellow cadets, it was the same. Most of them were nobles full of a sense of entitlement. The only thing that set me apart was that they acknowledged me as an equal.

It was a striking reality. Having spent so much time at the training camp, I had unconsciously downplayed the differences in our backgrounds.

“Enrico, I’ve used my time to answer your questions. It’s only fair if you answer mine.”

I spoke as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Well, I mean, it’s not like I’m busy or anything. Go ahead.”

Enrico made a reluctant face at my demand, likely because he didn’t see me as an equal.

“Is Giselle naturally that rude, or is it just her personality?”

Enrico would know well, given he liked her.

“Watch your mouth. How dare you say such a thing about—”

Enrico’s tone became openly hostile, but I didn’t let him finish.

“Spare me the empty threats. You don’t have the ability to harm me nor the authority to cause me any real trouble. However, I am capable of killing you in less than a second.”

I spoke calmly. Understanding my words, Enrico’s face turned bright red as he began to rise from his seat.

Grab!

I reached out and pulled Enrico’s arm. Halfway out of his seat, he toppled back onto the bench as if he’d been dragged.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“Even if I left you half-dead here and now, the worst I’d face is probation or a pay cut. They wouldn’t send me back to the lower district. The Empire has invested a lot of time and resources into me. Besides, my training scores are excellent. I even received a Medal of Military Merit not long ago.”

“…Are you threatening me right now?”

Fear spread across Enrico’s face.

“If you try to stand up without permission one more time, I’ll shatter those expensive legs of yours. If you’re curious whether I’m joking, go ahead and test me.”

I let go of Enrico’s arm. He didn’t get up.

“Violent and barbaric, just like someone from the lower district.”

Enrico spat out the only resistance he could muster. That much, I could let slide with a laugh.

“Explain it well to this barbarian, will you, young master?”

I said it lightly, as if making a joke. If I pushed harder, Enrico might very well try to stand, even if it meant breaking his legs. He had that much pride, at least.

But I had no real intention of harming Enrico. It was nothing more than an empty threat.

Enrico closed his eyes briefly before opening them again to speak.

“Giselle is a bit cold. But that’s part of her charm.”

“A bit?”

I scoffed, chuckling.

“She’s from the Kusthoria family, after all. And not just anyone—she’s the daughter of the current Commander of the Imperial Guard. Plenty of people would stick to her, desperately trying to get on her good side. It’s only natural for her to be reserved. In some ways, you could say it’s pitiable.”

Enrico spoke bitterly. I didn’t agree with his sentiment but chose to let it go.

“Let’s set Giselle aside. What about Barbara? Do you know anything about her?”

“Witch Barbara?”

That was an odd response. I needed to confirm if the Barbara he mentioned was the same one I knew.

“You’re talking about the dormitory manager, Barbara.”

“Yeah, that’s her. Her nickname is the Witch. I doubt anyone in the academy likes her.”

“She’s the dormitory manager.”

“Nobody wants that position. It’s nothing but annoying chores with no rewards. She’s practically a servant for the dormitory.”

“…So, being the dormitory manager isn’t about recognition of competence.”

I finally understood. Barbara wasn’t just disliked—she was outright ostracized by the entire academy.

“Aren’t you curious why she’s called the Witch now?”

Enrico, seemingly more relaxed, flashed a small smile.

“Does she curse people like a proper witch?”

“Heh, something like that. Do you know the malfunction rate of Android AI, by any chance?”

Enrico’s expression turned uneasy.

“All I know is that it’s extremely low.”

“0.8 percent. And most of those cases are minor malfunctions, nowhere near full-blown rampages.”

When an AI malfunction caused an android to become uncontrollable, it was called a rampage. At that point, disposal was the only solution.

Incidents of android rampages occasionally occur throughout the Empire. I’ve dealt with rampaging androids myself. Among the tasks assigned to cadets, it was considered a relatively simple one.

“So?”

“Everyone who got close to Barbara ended up involved in an android rampage. There have been five injury cases over the past three years. We call it Barbara’s curse.”

I was a bit surprised. Enrico, noticing my expression, smiled in satisfaction.

“That’s… statistically impossible. The rational conclusion is that someone is tampering with the androids.”

“Exactly, right? But no evidence or traces of tampering were ever found. The only connection is that all the victims were people who got close to Barbara.”

My questions persisted.

“But that’s not Barbara’s fault.”

“That’s exactly what’s so unsettling about her! She knows that anyone who gets close to her ends up hurt, yet she keeps clinging to people. That’s why everyone treats her so coldly. And…”

Enrico trailed off, taking his time to build suspense. He did have a knack for storytelling. I couldn’t help but press him to continue.

“…And?”

“There’s even a rumor that Barbara is the one causing the android rampages.”

“How?”

“Barbara was granted special admission because of her recognized talent in engineering, specifically artificial intelligence. Still, the idea that she could manipulate androids without leaving any evidence is far-fetched, even to me. Besides, why would she do it? And above all, Barbara couldn’t possibly have that level of skill.”

I considered the possibility of Barbara orchestrating the android malfunctions.

‘If Barbara is deliberately causing android malfunctions… and targeting only people close to her?’

If it were an act of revenge against those who look down on her for being from the lower district, it might make sense. But attacking those close to her? That didn’t add up.

‘Unless she’s completely unhinged…’

That thought immediately brought Giselle’s words to mind.

‘The worst psycho in the history of Accretia Academy.’

It was what she’d said about Barbara. I was starting to wonder exactly what she had meant.

“Anyway, that’s why people call Barbara a witch. It’s not normal to keep trying to make friends even when you know it’ll bring them harm. If it were me, I’d have dropped out or lived quietly on my own.”

After organizing the information, I raised my final question.

“What’s the relationship between Giselle and Barbara? They seem to know each other well.”

The moment Giselle’s name came up, Enrico, who had been eagerly sharing, hesitated.

“I’ll tell Giselle that Enrico is a kind and good guy. Not sure if she’ll take my word for it, though.”

At my words, Enrico sighed and began to speak.

“The second victim of the curse was Giselle. Since the young lady of the Kusthoria family was attacked, it naturally caused an uproar. Even then, no evidence of artificial tampering was found. Giselle, who had been injured, only returned to the academy a month later.”

I was surprised in many ways.

“You said only close acquaintances get attacked. So, Giselle and Barbara were close?”

“They were pretty close. Giselle is an aspiring engineer, after all.”

That was where our conversation ended. From a distance, Giselle was walking toward us.

Enrico saw her as well and immediately tried to get up, as if fleeing.

“Why don’t you at least say hello to Giselle before you leave? You like her, don’t you?”

“I-I’m fine just watching her from afar for now. Luka, don’t forget our deal. Say something nice about me.”

Blushing, Enrico hurriedly left.

By the time I turned back, Giselle had already walked up to me and was staring at me silently. She must have seen Enrico and me together.

“You seem to have made a friend already.”

“Oh, well, I guess you could say that. Enrico Lagan is a kind and decent guy.”

Recalling Enrico’s request, I didn’t forget to praise him.

“…Is that so? Honestly, he gives me an unpleasant feeling. It’s like he’s always hovering around me.”

Giselle said this while giving a slight shrug of her shoulders.

Sorry, Enrico. It doesn’t seem like you’ve got much of a chance.

—

Barbara’s curse piqued my interest. I hadn’t expected myself to care about such gossip.

It also meant that academy life was boring me. After living a life where mistakes could mean death, this environment was woefully unstimulating.

‘I might lose my combat instincts at this rate.’

After a week of sitting through classes and staying at my desk, I felt like I was going insane.

Unable to bear it, I went to find Felix, one of my peers. He seemed to be enjoying academy life. There were always students hanging around him.

“Felix, let’s have a match.”

At my suggestion, Felix was momentarily surprised but then stepped closer to me.

“…Luka, I don’t want my friends to see me lose. Especially not in front of the girls. You’re stronger than me.”

Felix whispered his refusal, and with that, I couldn’t push him any further.

‘I want to fight.’

It sounded crazy, but that’s how I felt. I wished someone would pick a fight with me.

I came to the harsh realization that I was nothing more than a war machine in human form. Throughout my cadet life, I was regularly administered synthetic drugs that altered the structure of my hormone receptors. I hadn’t noticed it at the training camp. There, I always had opportunities to vent my aggression in one way or another.

In particular, my aggression was higher than that of most cadets. Naturally, my patience wore thin much faster.

‘What a pathetic sight, Luka.’

I tried to gather my wits and focused on channeling my frustration in other ways.

Whirr!

I tossed my pocket knife upward, letting it fall toward my face. As the blade spun, I watched it carefully and snatched the tip right before it reached my eyes. I repeated this as I walked.

‘There’s no one crazier than me.’

I muttered to myself. If someone suddenly pointed a gun to my temple, it would have been a welcome stimulus. I was utterly starved for excitement.

‘It’s not like my aggression stays at its peak all the time. Once my brain recognizes there’s no combat or training for a while, my hormone levels should regulate to a reasonable level.’

In hindsight, it was akin to withdrawal symptoms. If I could endure this difficult period, I’d eventually stabilize.

Stop.

On my way to the dormitory, I abruptly halted.

Barbara was standing on the path leading to the dorm. She wasn’t alone. Three female students were standing in front of her.

“Ah, sorry about that, Barbara. I’ll wash your clothes for you, so just take them off here.”

One of the girls, holding an empty cup, said this. A sticky yellow drink had spread from Barbara’s hair down to her top, staining it like paint.

“R-right here? I-it’s fine, really.”

“Girls, did I just mishear her? Did someone like Barbara just refuse my kindness?”

The other two girls behind her chimed in, accusing Barbara of being rude. It was childish bullying, plain and simple.

I understood now why Barbara showered so often. This must have happened on my first day at the dormitory as well. That’s why she had rushed to clean herself up.

Splash!

One of the girls standing behind Barbara poured her drink onto Barbara’s pants.

“Oh, geez, I’m so clumsy. Sorry, Barbara. Looks like your pants need washing too. Hurry up and take them off. I’ll wash them so clean they’ll look brand new.”

Barbara squeezed her eyes shut and, with trembling hands, began unbuttoning her top.

I was intrigued by Barbara, but that didn’t mean I liked her. Normally, I might have just walked past such a scene. I had no desire to help someone who didn’t even have the will to resist.

But lucky you, Barbara.

Right now, I can’t stand anything that irritates me. Besides, an amusing idea had come to mind.

Thunk!

I threw my pocket knife. The blade pierced through the empty cup one of the girls was holding and passed cleanly through.

“Kyahhh! Who—are you, are you one of the dispatched cadets…?”

The girl who had screamed looked at me and widened her eyes. Everyone knew who the dispatched cadets were—I was practically a celebrity.

“Stop messing around and get lost.”

I said curtly, walking toward them.

“Do you even know what you’re doing right now? I’ll have you know I—”

Ah, this pattern was familiar. I wondered how many more times I’d have to hear the same words.

I simply stared at them. The girl clamped her mouth shut. My expression must have been terrifyingly fierce just now.

“I hit girls too. In the face.”

I said in a low, menacing tone, like a hungry predator. That was enough. After hesitating for a moment, the girls left with displeased expressions.

“Th-thank you, Luka,” Barbara stammered, her face flushed as she looked at me, in a somewhat disheveled state.

…At this rate, does this mean I’m now close enough to Barbara to qualify for one of those android attacks?