Chapter 108
*
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Everything is luck.
Whether a person falls ill.
Whether people point fingers at them.
Whether they become a hero in an instant.
Whether their status suddenly changes.
Effort can never beat luck.
Never.
==============
Clack.
Inside the dormitory.
Jenny covered that phrase she'd seen for what felt like the umpteenth time with the worn, tattered cover of her notebook.
Charlotte, who had been silently watching Jenny, spoke.
“Come to think of it, Jenny seems to like writing things down.”
“Haha... well...”
“What do you usually record?”
After hesitating for a long time, Jenny answered.
“Lucky moments.”
“Lucky moments?”
“Things where I got lucky, I mean. Like finding a coin on the street, or guessing a question on a test and getting it right.”
“Or when you win at horse racing?”
“Well, yeah.”
Jenny shrugged and sat up from the bed.
“All right. Shall we go gather some more luck to add to the notebook?”
“Where are you going?”
“Naturally, dinner.”
Jenny winked at Charlotte.
“Dinner with your fiancé.”
“And why is that luck?”
“In this academy, where all I can afford to eat is the disgustingly bad academy cafeteria slop, someone who'll treat me to a meal tastier than anything at a suburban restaurant happens to be my roommate's fiancé. If that's not luck, what is?”
“You're pretty optimistic, Jenny.”
With a sigh, Charlotte rose from her desk.
On the desk lay the case log she had been reading until just a moment ago.
“We're only going to dinner to ask for advice on the case.”
“And yet you meet him almost once a week, don't you? And you always drag me along?”
“The reason we meet once a week is that most of the cases in the academy territory get assigned to me, and I'm bringing you along as a chance to learn.”
“Hmmm...”
She wasn't completely wrong.
Though it was knowledge about dark magic only,
it was knowledge that, strangely enough, proved very helpful to healers.
'Thanks to Professor Julian, my mastery of antidote magic and dispel magic has risen by leaps and bounds...'
No wonder the professor specializing in healing and antidotes was auditing Julian's classes.
That was how useful his lectures were.
Jenny pursed her lips, unable to argue back.
Watching her roommate like that, Charlotte let out a snort of laughter.
"Well, it is true that my fiancé is a good cook. He'll be happy if you go and praise him."
"...Charlotte. Come to think of it, you like arguing back about anything, but when the subject of your fiancé comes up, you never object."
"Who knows."
Charlotte slipped on the coat that had been hanging haphazardly on the wall.
For a marquess's daughter, especially one who was a scholarship student in the Hero Department, she had remarkably commoner-like manners.
"I'll put on some makeup and come out."
"Don't you usually not wear makeup for your other classes?"
Without answering, Charlotte disappeared into the powder room.
Jenny stared at her roommate for a long time, then let out a long sigh.
"Even someone like her has a partner..."
Repeating to herself that life really was all about luck.
***
Inside the softly lit restaurant.
Clatter.
Two plates were neatly placed before Charlotte and Jenny respectively.
"Clear fish consommé with water parsley, and duck breast with a carrot garnish."
"No matter how often I see Sir Julian's dishes, I can't help admiring them."
"Thank you, Miss Jenny."
Julian sat down and folded his napkin neatly onto his lap.
"Please enjoy your meal."
The meal continued alongside light conversation.
"Miss Jenny, are you still working as an assistant healer at the clinic these days?"
"Yes. It would be hard to make ends meet on academy pocket money alone."
Across from Jenny,
Charlotte, who was gently cutting her fish with a fork, muttered,
"If I just reduced my spending, I wouldn't have any problem living..."
Tap, tap.
As if telling her not to say it, Jenny lightly tapped Charlotte's shin.
Jenny's gambling habit was known to almost no one inside the academy.
Even among those who did know, it was only her family, her roommate, and a few holy knights and priests who were close to her.
To everyone else, her public image was that of a textbook model of an upstanding priest: diligent, friendly, and polite to everyone.
It was so much so that it was hard to understand why she even hung around with someone like Charlotte.
Naturally, Julian also knew Jenny as that kind of student.
Jenny gave Julian an unnatural smile and said,
"After living an ascetic life at the seminary and then stepping out into the secular world, everything I looked at seemed fascinating."
"I understand. Once you start living in society, your heart flutters and you lose all restraint. Before you know it, there's no money left."
"Did you have that kind of experience too, Sir Julian?"
"Of course. I've been new to it too."
Charlotte, who was listening, tilted her head.
Could Julian ever run out of money?
Even when he was just starting out in society, surely he would have had to stand shoulder to shoulder with the heads of noble houses, not merely noble children?
The question rose in her mind for a moment, but she didn't bother to voice it.
Julian now turned his head toward Charlotte.
"Have you been attending your classes properly lately?"
"I'm not particularly interested in hero studies."
"Being a picky eater isn't good, Charlotte."
His gaze moved to the corner of Charlotte's plate.
A heap of carrots she'd picked out was piled there.
Charlotte softly covered the carrots with her palm and said,
"The human brain has its limits. There's no need to cram unnecessary knowledge in there and make things complicated. You do that too, Julian, don't you?"
"I can agree that there's no need to overcomplicate things, but I can't agree that a person's head has limits. There are no limits to the human brain or human potential."
Charlotte avoided Julian's gaze.
"Still, I'm holding at the three-to-four-star level."
"That's something to celebrate, Charlotte."
The conversation continued like that for a while.
By the time the three of them had emptied their plates,
Julian wiped his mouth with a napkin and said,
"Charlotte. What brought you to see me today?"
"There was a part I got stuck on during the investigation, so I came to ask for the professor's advice."
"And the price?"
Julian, who had said he would not give Charlotte special treatment in the academy,
made no exception in a situation like this either.
If she'd come asking about class material, no payment would be necessary.
But asking for advice on an investigation was entirely related to Charlotte's hobby.
He couldn't very well not receive payment.
Charlotte knew that as well, and nodded as she took out the payment.
"I'll settle it with this."
Clatter.
A gold coin was placed on the table.
It was pocket money she had saved by solving all sorts of cases while staying at the academy.
Julian nodded as he looked at the gold coin.
"Good. Let's hear it, then."
"Thank you, Professor."
Charlotte handed over the case log.
"Recently, there have been consecutive deaths of adventurers stationed in the academy territory and several upperclassmen."
When she opened the log, the corpses of people who had died with grotesque smiles on their faces appeared.
Julian skimmed the photos with mild disinterest and said,
"It happens to be a case that was also requested of me."
"Were you already investigating this, Professor?"
"No. I've only received a request to perform the autopsies."
Julian gave Ferricia a glance.
The cool-looking elf nodded, then disappeared upstairs.
Meanwhile, the two continued their conversation.
"I already sent it to the academy territory investigation bureau. It seems Miss Charlotte never received the autopsy report."
"Lately, the investigators have been giving me the cold shoulder, saying I keep stealing their results."
"Jealousy is something that follows talented people wherever they go."
Julian tilted his wineglass and emptied the red wine.
"While my adjutant is looking for the files, let's hear Miss Charlotte's thoughts. I need to know how much you've figured out and where you're stuck so I can help."
"Understood."
Charlotte pointed a finger at one of the photos.
A photo of an adventurer with a back bent like a bow.
"This victim too,"
Her finger moved to another photo.
"And this victim too. They were all found dead in similar conditions. The investigation bureau believes black mages attacked the students."
Black mages had begun to run rampant recently.
Ever since Julian started his black magic defense class,
perhaps because they thought their position would be threatened once the heroes graduated, reports of their attacks kept coming in all over the academy.
"But as Charlotte knows, the academy's security shouldn't be so easily breached. So far, every attempt has failed."
"That's true."
Charlotte nodded.
Attack attempts had been reported countless times.
But there had still been no successful cases.
"And yet the investigation bureau insists that they somehow broke through the security."
"Do you think so too, Charlotte?"
"No."
Charlotte shook her head.
"I suspect it was an accident."
"An accident?"
"Yes. All of the victims received enhancement procedures at the academy."
She pointed to another photo.
A magic-circle-like tattoo had been engraved on the victim's back.
"They were <Toxic Resistance> imprints. A favorite imprint among adventurers who mostly go out on field practice in the east and west, or plan to work there."
"You think this imprint was the cause?"
"Yes."
Julian nodded as if urging her to continue.
Buoyed by that, Charlotte continued her deduction.
"My theory is this: these victims were probably given their imprints by Karbadaks, with water parsley and wild carrot serving as the symbols. But water parsley is similar in shape to hemlock water dropwort, so accidents often happen when the two are mistaken for one another."
Pfft!
Jenny spat out a little of the drink she was in the middle of sipping.
That was because today's menu happened to be fish consommé with water parsley and duck breast with a carrot garnish.
'No way... did he know and choose that menu on purpose?'
Of course, it was a coincidence.
But Jenny had no way of knowing that.
Unaware of Jenny's feelings,
the two continued their conversation.
"Then you're saying Miss Charlotte thinks water parsley and hemlock water dropwort were confused, either on purpose or by mistake?"
"Yes."
Though she didn't say it outright, the two of them were already thinking of a similar case.
The Star Anise Incident.
An incident in which a criminal organization in Sector E, blinded by money, supplied poisoned star anise to nobles.
Charlotte was seeing this case as one of the same kind.
"So I investigated every Karbadak at the academy who had performed those procedures..."
"And contrary to expectations, they were all using perfectly normal ingredients."
"That's right."
Charlotte nodded with a dark expression.
"No matter how I think about it, there don't seem to be enough clues within my knowledge to solve this. Can you give me the clue I need?"
When Charlotte said that, Jenny looked at Julian with wide eyes.
She had watched Charlotte solve cases at her side all this time.
From observing her up close,
the only things Charlotte didn't know were astronomical facts unrelated to the case.
And even then, she had shown such genius that she made veteran investigators look like fools.
For her to ask someone else for help first...
'I never believed it when people said she was better than me anyway...'
I had thought she was only saving face for her fiancé.
So Charlotte's words had not been empty after all.
(For the record, she didn't think it was a crush. It was hard to imagine Charlotte, of all people, being blinded by love.)
"It's been a while since Charlotte asked for help like this. Then can I count this as my victory this time?"
"Understood. That's 345 wins and 33 losses."
"My first win at the academy."
Julian smiled faintly.
Was it because of the meal menu, or because of that attitude of his, as if he already knew everything?
Jenny found Julian's smile chilling.
"Good. I'll tell you. Ferricia just brought the autopsy report."
Julian held out the autopsy report.
Charlotte shared the report with Jenny and read through the contents.
[Abnormal postmortem rigidity. Tongue deeply bitten, molars broken or missing]
[Dark purple-black discoloration of the lips and nail tips, petechial hemorrhaging in the conjunctivae (signs of asphyxiation)]
[Numerous dirty, poorly healed scars found on the back]
"This is..."
"Miss Jenny. It would be best if you looked closely."
"Huh? Me?"
"I think the latest theory in healing studies has something to do with this corpse."
"The latest theory...?"
The first thing that came to mind was germ theory.
But Jenny tilted her head.
"Could it have anything to do with germ theory?"
"I'm only guessing myself, so I can't give you a definite answer."
Charlotte, who had been examining the autopsy report intently, looked at Jenny.
"Germ theory? What's that?"
"Ah, so Charlotte is a bit behind on the news."
Jenny gave her a brief explanation of germ theory.
Charlotte took notes as she nodded.
"So you're saying disease can be carried from one thing to another by dirty objects?"
"Exactly."
Despite the somewhat disorganized explanation, Charlotte grasped the point in an instant.
"Then..."
As if something had just occurred to her, Charlotte sprang to her feet.
She hurriedly put on her coat.
"The meal was delicious, Professor!"
"Take care on your way, Charlotte."
"Hurry, Jenny. Before those investigators catch on to the truth!"
As if she meant to get back at those who had shut her out,
Charlotte urged Jenny on with bright eyes.
Under Charlotte's rough tugging, Jenny was dragged outside unwillingly.
"Th-thank you, Sir Julian, no, Professor!"
"Be careful on your way back, Miss Jenny. And make sure you don't get hurt."
The two of them left the restaurant in an instant.
Ferricia naturally began tidying up the empty plates.
"I'll do the washing up."
"I could do it..."
"I will do it."
At Ferricia's firm words, Julian gave a wry smile and sank back into his chair.
Soon after, once Ferricia had also left the restaurant,
Julian muttered to himself.
"I wanted to be the first to prove it was tetanus..."