Bad Born Blood - Chapter 33



Only Noblemtl

033

Enrico Lagan was, of course, a nobleman. He was a bumbling, ignorant boy who seemed to have never experienced hardship. He was listening to me, twirling his curly brown bangs with his fingers.

“… … So you’re saying that Giselle and you weren’t in a political marriage or anything?”

Enrico sighed in relief after hearing my explanation.

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

Enrico nodded.

“That’s right. No matter how much you believe in meritocracy, there’s no way a prestigious family like Custoria would accept someone from the lower classes as a family member. I misunderstood. Hmm, hmm.”

How dare he say such things in front of me. But I didn’t even feel angry. I didn’t even sense any malice in Enrico’s words. I was ignoring the lower class as if I was breathing.

Many nobles would think and act like Enrico. Even my fellow cadets. Most of my fellow cadets are nobles with a sense of privilege. They only recognize me as a special equal.

This is a new reality. Having spent all my time in the training camp, I have been taking the differences in origins lightly.

“Enrico, I have spent my time answering your questions. You should answer mine, too.”

I said it as if I was supposed to.

“Well, I’m not busy either. You can ask.”

Enrico looked indignant at my demands and attitude. Perhaps it was because he thought I was not on equal terms with him.

“Is Giselle originally a sly character?”

Enrico would know about Giselle, because she was his favorite.

“Watch your words. Who dares… … .”

Enrico was openly hostile to me. I didn’t listen to everything he said.

“Leave your pointless threats behind you. You have no ability to harm me, and you are not in a position to put me at a disadvantage. But it wouldn’t take me a second to kill you.”

I spoke calmly. Enrico understood what I meant and blushed as he tried to leave.

Thud!

I reached out and grabbed Enrico’s arm. Enrico, who was half standing up, fell down and was dragged to the bench.

“Wh, what are you doing!”

“Even if you were to kill me halfway here, I would only receive a disciplinary measure like a suspension or pay cut. You can’t send me back to the lower sector. The Empire has invested a lot of time and money in me. And my training grades are excellent. I even received a medal of honor not long ago.”

“… … Are you threatening me right now?”

Fear crossed Enrico’s face.

“If you try to stand up on your own one more time, I’ll break your expensive legs first. If you want to see if I’m joking or not, then go ahead and do it.”

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

“As expected from someone from the lower classes, he is violent and savage.”

Enrico let out the only rebellion he could muster. Even I could laugh it off.

“Please explain to me, my savage, my lord.”

I said it as if I was joking. If I go any harder here, Enrico will stand up even if his legs break. He must have that much pride.

And I really had no intention of harming Enrico. It was just a threat in name only.

Enrico closed his eyes, then opened them and opened his mouth.

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

“A little?”

I said with a hollow laugh.

“It’s the Custoria family. And she’s the daughter of the current captain of the guard. There are so many people who try to get to know her and become friendly with her. She can’t help but be exclusive. In a way, she’s pitiful.”

Enrico said bitterly. I didn’t agree with that, but I did it anyway.

“That’s enough about Giselle. What do you know about Barbara?”

“Barbara the Witch?”

The answer was unusual. I need to check first whether the Barbara Enrico mentioned is the Barbara I know.

“I’m talking about the dormitory manager, Barbara.”

“That’s it. Her nickname is Witch. I don’t think there’s anyone in the Academy who likes her.”

“Are you the dormitory director?”

“Nobody wants to be a dormitory manager. It’s just a lot of annoying work for no reward. It’s like being a dormitory maid.”

“… … It turns out that you didn’t become the dormitory director because your abilities were recognized.”

It was only then that I understood. Barbara was being ostracized, especially by the entire Academy.

“Now you wonder why Barbara is called a witch?”

Enrico also smiled, as if his tension had eased.

“Are you putting curses on others like a witch?”

“Haha, that’s similar. Do you know what the probability of Android AI malfunctioning is?”

Enrico made an eerie expression.

“I just know that the odds are extremely low.”

“0.8 percent. Most of those are minor malfunctions, and they don’t even go as far as a runaway.”

When an Android goes out of control due to AI malfunction, it is called a runaway. When it gets to this point, there is no other way but to dispose of it.

Occasionally, androids go wild and break out here and there in the empire. I’ve dealt with a runaway android myself. It was one of the simplest tasks for a cadet.

“so?”

“Anyone who’s been close to Barbara has always been involved in android rampage incidents. There have been five cases of assault in the last three years. We call it Barbara’s Curse.”

I was a little surprised, too. Enrico smiled with satisfaction when he saw my expression.

“Certainly… … It’s statistically absurd. It’s reasonable to assume that there was artificial manipulation.”

“Anyone can see that, right? But we couldn’t find any traces or evidence of manipulation. The only connection was that all the victims were close friends of Barbara.”

My questions continued.

“It’s not Barbara’s fault.”

“That’s why she’s so annoying! She knows that the people she’s close to are getting hurt, but she keeps clinging to them. That’s why she treats everyone so badly. And… … .”

Enrico trailed off and paused. He really is a talented storyteller. I couldn’t stand it any longer and urged him on.

“……and?”

“There are even rumors that Barbara may have orchestrated the android rampage.”

“By what means?”

“Barbara was admitted with special privileges because she was recognized for her talent in engineering. In artificial intelligence, that is. But I also think it’s too much to say that she manipulated an android without leaving any evidence. There’s no reason to do that. And there’s no way Barbara would have that kind of skill.”

I also assumed that Barbara had manipulated the android.

‘What if Barbara artificially caused the android to malfunction? And it only attacks people who are close to it?’

It would be understandable to retaliate against those who look down on you for being from a lower class, but it makes no sense to attack someone who is close to you.

‘Unless you’re a seriously crazy person… … .’

As soon as I thought about that, I remembered Giselle’s words.

‘The worst psycho in the Krachia Academy.’

It was a word referring to Barbara. I’m starting to wonder what exactly it means.

“Anyway, that’s why Barbara is called a witch. It’s not normal for someone to keep trying to make friends when they know they’ll get in trouble for getting close to you. If it were me, I would have dropped out of school or lived quietly on my own.”

After organizing the information, I brought up the last question.

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

Enrico, who had been talking excitedly, hesitated as soon as Giselle’s name was mentioned.

“I’ll tell Giselle that Enrico was a kind and good man. I don’t know if she’ll listen to me.”

At my words, Enrico sighed and opened his mouth.

“The second victim of the curse was Giselle. Since the young lady of the Custoria family was attacked, there was naturally chaos. However, no evidence of artificial manipulation was found. Giselle, who was injured, returned to the Academy a month later.”

I was surprised in many ways.

“You say only close friends get attacked? Giselle and Barbara were close?”

“We were pretty close friends. Giselle also aspired to be an engineer.”

Our story ended here. From a distance, Giselle was walking towards us.

Enrico also saw Giselle and immediately stood up as if trying to run away.

“Why don’t you at least say hello to Giselle before you go? You said you liked her, didn’t you?”

“I, I’m still content to just watch from afar. Luca, don’t forget your promise. Say good things about me.”

Enrico blushed and left.

Giselle, who had walked up to me without me noticing, stared at me blankly. She must have seen Enrico and me together.

“I see you already have a friend.”

“Oh, well, that’s what happened. Enrico Lagan was a kind and nice guy.”

I remembered Enrico’s request and did not forget to praise him.

“… … Is that so? To be honest, he’s a really annoying person. I feel like he’s always hovering around me.”

Giselle said, her shoulders shaking slightly.

I’m sorry, Enrico. I don’t think there’s any hope for you.

* * *

Barbara’s curse caught my interest. I never thought I would be interested in such gossip.

That also meant that life at the academy was boring to me. Having lived a life where mistakes meant death, I was severely lacking in stimulation.

‘If this continues, my fighting sense will rust.’

I was going crazy after sitting at my desk for a week just taking classes.

I couldn’t stand it anymore so I went to see my classmate Felix. He seemed to be enjoying his life at the academy. There were always students hanging out with him.

“Felix, let’s have a go.”

Felix was slightly surprised by my suggestion and came closer.

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

Felix whispered and refused. So I couldn’t complain any longer.

‘I want to fight.’

It sounds crazy, but that’s how I felt. I wish someone would pick on me.

I realized that I was a war machine in human form. This was because I had been administered synthetic drugs periodically throughout my cadet life, which changed the structure of my hormone receptors. I didn’t feel it in the training camp. There, I had the opportunity to release my aggression in some way.

In particular, I was on the aggressive side among the cadets. It was only natural that my patience would quickly run out.

‘You look pathetic, Luca.’

I tried to concentrate and come to my senses. I tried to relieve my frustration in other ways.

Whirlirik!

I threw my pocket knife up so that it fell on my face. Then I looked at the spinning knife and snatched the tip just before my eyes. I repeated this as I walked.

‘There is no such thing as a crazy person.’

I muttered to myself. I wish someone would suddenly point a gun at my temple. I was sorely lacking in stimulation.

‘I don’t always stay on the edge of aggression. When the brain recognizes that there will be no fighting or training for a while, the hormone levels will adjust to an appropriate level.’

If you think about it, it was a kind of addiction symptom. If you just endure the difficult times, you will feel better.

Towering.

As I was walking to the dormitory, I stopped walking.

Barbara was standing on the way to her dorm. She wasn’t alone. There were three girls standing in front of her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Barbara. Take your clothes off here so I can wash them.”

“The girl holding the empty cup said. The sticky yellow drink was spreading like paint from Barbara’s hair to her top.

“Hey, here? Okay, it’s okay.”

“Guys, did I mishear you just now? Did Barbara turn down my offer?”

The two other girls behind her chided Barbara for her bratty attitude. It was childish bullying.

I knew why Barbara showered so often. It must have happened the first day I arrived at the dorm. That’s why she came back after washing up in a hurry.

Chomp!

One of the girls behind her spilled her drink on Barbara’s pants.

“Oh, I’m being a jerk too. Sorry, Barara. I need to wash your pants too. Hurry up and take them off and give them to me. I’ll wash them and return them to you like new.”

Barbara squeezed her eyes shut and tried to unbutton her top with trembling hands.

I was interested in Barbara, but I didn’t like her. Normally, I would have just walked away from that sight. I didn’t want to help someone who had no will to fight back.

But you’re lucky, Barbara.

I can’t stand things that are an eyesore these days. And then a funny thought occurred to me.

Pick!

I threw my pocket knife. The blade pierced the empty cup the schoolgirl was holding.

“Gyaaaah! Who, you, you’re dispatched… … .”

The screaming female student looked at me and her eyes widened. The dispatched students were famous, so everyone recognized me.

“Stop your nonsense and get out.”

I spoke briefly and walked towards them.

“Do you know what you’re doing? I… … .”

Well, this pattern is familiar. I wonder how many more times I’ll hear the same thing here.

I stared at them silently. The schoolgirl kept her mouth shut. My expression just now must have been very fierce.

“I hit women too. And in the face.”

I spoke in a low voice like a starving beast. This is enough. The hesitant female students left with displeased expressions.

“Uh, Uh, Luca, thank you.”

A blushing Barbara was looking at me in a mess.

… … At this point, am I close enough to be attacked by an android?