บท 142: Identity of the Villain (3)
Another new day has begun.
At 6 a.m., the students wake up to the sound of the wake-up call and head to the field in front of the dormitory building.
The field is divided in half, one side for women and one side for men. All wearing gray sweats.
They follow the gymnastic movements of the instructor standing at the front, shaking off the last of their sleep into the cold early morning air.
Afterward, when the exercise is over, the students disperse.
Some go back to sleep to catch up on their sleep, some head straight to the bathhouse, and some head straight to the dining hall.
For the girls, some head straight for the long process of applying makeup.
The academy's baths are quite large and well-equipped, with cold, hot, and even a sauna.
After passing through the locker rooms smelling of pungent foot odor, a dip in the hot water and the early morning chill in the air would not only help you sleep, but also revive your appetite.
As roommates, Vikir and Piggy headed straight for the bath after gymnastics.
"Ugh, the air is so cold at this time of day. Please don't make me do early morning gymnastics, I think my brain could use a little more sleep at that hour...."
Piggy, a morning person, grunts like his entire body is falling apart during every gymnastics session.
Vikir comforts him as he heads to the bathhouse.
Two people see them and wave to them.
They were Tudor and Sancho, who were also sharing a room.
"Hey, Vikir and Piggy. You came straight to the bathhouse again today."
"Yeah. I come right after gymnastics so the showers are free. We have to wait in line for the showers after breakfast."
Tudor and Sancho follow Vikir to the showers and get into the hot water.
"What are you guys going to do after your bath, eat right away?"
"I don't have an appetite today, so I'm skipping it. I'm going straight to the lecture hall to catch up on my assignments."
"I'm going to sleep a little longer and eat just before the cafeteria closes. That way I can eat a lot of leftovers. What's the side dish today, anyway?"
Piggy, Tudor, and Sancho are deep in discussion about what to do with their morning.
That's when Vikir chimes in.
"I'm going straight for the food."
It's always the same pattern for Vikir.
He doesn't change his plans based on other people's schedules and always walks his own way.
Piggy, Tudor, and Sancho thought for a moment before nodding.
"I guess I'll go eat, then."
"Hmm. Now that I think about it, I'll be hungry until lunch if I skip it. I should eat too!"
"Right. You're going to eat right away, and I'll join you. Rice tastes better together."
Vikir's consistent lifestyle was quickly becoming a standard for his friends.
Whether consciously or unconsciously.
At exactly ten minutes, Vikir got out of the tub, showered, and left the bathhouse.
Piggy, Tudor, and Sancho did the same.
Tudor shook his head as they left the bath.
"That's weird."
"What?"
Sancho asked, and Tudor smirked.
"That Vikir guy. When you're with him, you naturally stand next to him."
"Is that so?"
"It is. It's like you're looking at a big brother, or an older brother. Is it because I don't have an older brother in the house?"
"Yeah. He's always moving like a machine. I think it's good that we move together because it keeps me on track. It's something to emulate."
"I'd like to get to know him a little better, but he's a bit stiff. He doesn't let go easily."
"Time will tell, we'll be seeing each other for the next four years."
It was the same for Piggy, who was listening to Tudor and Sancho's conversation.
'Vikir is amazing.'
Tudor, a highly retarded member of the Don Quixote family, and Sancho, a scholarship student from the Northern Mercenary Guild, both want to get to know him first.
He even studies well and is popular with the girls.
He's even kind enough to help someone who was struggling in a talent show.
Piggy thought he was lucky to be roommates with someone like that.
'I should be a good roommate to make Vikir feel lucky to have me.'
Just as Piggy was saying to himself.
"Hey. Piggy."
Vikir, walking at a steady pace in front of him, suddenly stops and looks over.
Tudor and Sancho, who were walking next to him, also stopped and looked back.
"Ugh, huh?"
Piggy asked, a little confused, and Vikir gestured toward him.
"Why are you coming from behind like that. Walk a little faster, we're supposed to be working on our morning class assignment together."
Vikir said, glancing to his side.
Suddenly, Piggy's face lit up.
"Yeah! I'll go! My leg hurt for a second...."
"Your leg? Did you hurt it?"
"No! It doesn't hurt now!"
Piggy rushed over and stood next to Vikir with a look of pride on his face.
Then Tudor and Sancho say something to Piggy, too.
"Did you hurt your leg in gymnastics? Where does it hurt?"
"Small injuries should not be taken lightly. I'll give you some of the herbal juice I brought from the north. It's a salve that even works on broken bones."
Piggy smiled brightly at his two new friends' concern.
Something sprouted in Piggy's chest, an unfounded confidence that he could make it through the next four years.
* * *
Later, after bathing, they went to the dining hall for breakfast.
Bread and cereal, grilled corn and pineapple, and some blanched vegetables.
There are also sausages, chicken, fried eggs, and grilled octopus legs, but few people eat a full breakfast.
There wasn't as much separation between boys and girls as there was in the cafeteria, but first-year boys and girls generally sat far apart.
After breakfast, Vikir headed straight for the lecture hall.
Piggy, Tudor, and Sancho walked beside him, side by side.
Then.
Tudor suddenly stopped walking and called out to Vikir.
"Huh? Wait a minute. Hey, Vikir, this is the way to the main staircase, and we can't go there because it's only for professors and fourth years!"
"...."
That was something Vikir already knew.
Except.
'I'll have to find the least traveled way out of the academy at night so we can use it to get back in.'
As a matter of strategy, Vikir had checked out every single passageway in every single building in the academy.
As a result, even though it was early in the semester, he had a pretty good idea of the layout of the Academy's buildings.
Of course.
"Beep, freshman, why are you taking the central staircase?"
It also put him at a huge disadvantage in terms of his lifestyle score.
Then, the face of the person who had warned Vikir drew closer.
Dolores Rune Quovadis. The student council president had spotted Vikir and given him a detention.
When Dolores recognized Vikir's bushy bangs, horn-rimmed glasses, and face, she placed her hands on her hips in wonder.
"Vikir. Is it you again?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm a stray."
"This central staircase is where the professors and seniors do their research. How many times have I told you that it's off-limits to freshmen, not only because it's supposed to be quiet, but because there are many experimental areas that are classified or downright dangerous?"
"I'm sorry."
"There's no such thing as a junior in the club, it's a demerit."
Dolores wrote down Vikir's demerits and the reasons for them in her magic journal.
<Vikir-Life Attitude Points (Demerit Factors)
-1 point for using the emergency exit on the third floor of the dormitory building.
-1 point for entering the 4th grade private area of the performance hall
-1 point for using the central staircase on the 1st floor of the blind reading lab building
-1 point for entering the smoking area of the Experimental Monster Breeding Center
-1 point for using the central staircase on the 6th floor of the Faculty Research Center
-1 point for using the central staircase on the 3rd floor of the Hot Class.
-1 point for entering the physical training room after hours.
-Entering the restricted area next to the cafeteria food warehouse -1 point.
.
.
The demerits were already piling up.
Dolores looked at it and opened her mouth in disbelief.
"...You're a very poorly behaved child, aren't you?"
A stunned Piggy, Tudor, and Sancho stepped forward and apologized to Dolores.
"S-sorry! We should have told you!"
"Oh, well, he's such a stray."
"We'll take better care of him next time. Hey, when did you get so many demerits...."
They all looked back at Vikir and gestured for him to keep his head down.
But Dolores wasn't about to be deterred by their pleas.
"No, no. Your demerits are out of line, Vikir, and you have to do mandatory community service this weekend."
I had already done community service several times over the weekend.
I don't know why, but it was because Professor Morg Banshee had a thing for me.
Dolores' punishment was a little off the mark for Vikir.
"If your demerits were at a certain level, I would end it with community service, but... you deserve more than that. A lazy kid with a bad attitude like you won't be able to get away with community service."
"...If that's the case."
"Then what, you're off-campus service!"
Hearing Dolores' words, Piggy, Tudor, and Sancho covered their faces with their hands.
Vikir had crossed the river of no return.
Everyone looked back at Vikir with pity.
Off-campus service.
This is not the kind of service that involves cleaning toilets on the weekends or working a few shifts in the cafeteria.
You have to go to a facility outside the academy, like a hospital, monastery, or orphanage, and do odd jobs throughout the holidays.
This weekend happened to be a ten-day long golden holiday with a long weekend, the school's anniversary, and Easter celebrations.
Unfortunately for Vikir, he was sentenced to forced labor during this time.
"You have over a week to reflect on your volunteer work. If you're lucky, your demerits will be reset on the last day, depending on what the heads of the institutions think."
Dolores looked Vikir up and down with a cold gaze, then turned and walked away.
Tudor and Sancho looked back at Vikir and offered words of comfort.
"Looks like you've got some ugly hairs on your back from that club thing. Cheer up, boy."
"You mean your opinion that the Night Hound is a villain? I personally support your opinion, Vikir. I do not understand the saintess's reaction."
Piggy, meanwhile, spoke in a pitying tone.
"Vikir. I'm going to tell you where you're going to do your community service this time. You need to know where you're going so you can prepare yourself."
Piggy was a wealth of information.
He knew where the academy's troublemakers and flunkies were sent for community service.
"This time, you'll be going to the Indulgentia Children's Home."
"Indulgentia Home?"
Vikir, Tudor, and Sancho repeated, and Piggy nodded.
"It's a orphanage run by the Indulgentia family, a branch of the Quodavis family, and its director is the founder of the Orphanage Foundation, as well as an outside instructor at the Academy."
"The director? Who is that?"
Vikir asked in a serious tone, and Piggy tilted his head once before answering.
"Guilty L Indulgentia, head of the House of Indulgentia, an outer relation of House Quovadis."
Vikir's eyes narrowed at those words.
Guilty. Householder of House Indulgentia.
A man whose name he had recognized many times before, even in the reports sent by Sindiwendi.
He was Vikir's next assassination target.
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