OHNIR – Chapter 81
Chapter 81: The Spy
Although she had put on a calm and collected front for Satrick, the bloody wound was actually quite severe, aching so intensely it felt like her bones were turning to jelly.
Kelusta had no choice but to grimace, limping on one leg as she half-hopped, half-shuffled her way slowly to the entrance of the academic building.
—and then stared at the long flight of stairs, falling into an awkward yet polite silence.
"Wow," the System said sarcastically, "I have to commend you. Leaving early today was truly an act of self-awareness."
The entire way, the System's attitude toward her had been laced with obvious complaint, its tone so peculiar it was clearly being passive-aggressive. But because Kelusta knew she was in the wrong regarding the earlier incident, she didn't dare utter a single word of rebuttal, even after being openly and subtly mocked for some time.
For although the System was merely an AI, it was still capable of developing emotions through its interactions with a host. It was impossible that it hadn't felt angry and worried about Kelusta's reckless actions just now.
"...I came out early to squeeze in some last-minute review," Kelusta said, her confidence wavering. "If you have to blame someone, blame Satrick... Stop scolding me, stop scolding me, you're going to scold me stupid."
The System rolled its eyes and scoffed. "You should have just run away. It's only a ball. If you wanted to refuse, you should have just refused. He's a grand prince, Satrick. What could he possibly have done to you?"
"I don't want to cause trouble for Gloria," Kelusta explained helplessly. "Besides, Satrick's faction is one of the forces I can try to win over before the final battle... On minor matters, it's fine to be a bit arrogant, but when it comes to issues of face, I can't afford to be the least bit careless."
One could tell just from the pretentious air Satrick put on every time they met that the royal family, even more so than the nobility, placed the utmost importance on etiquette and face.
The System fell silent.
Despite all it had learned, it was still just an AI, forever unable to truly comprehend the complexities of human relationships. Its thought process was naturally straightforward, and it had never considered that Satrick might hold a grudge against Kelusta over such a minor incident.
"Alright, my apologies, temporary host," the high-tech AI's electronic voice sounded inexplicably dejected. "I was being presumptuous."
Kelusta paused, slightly taken aback.
Then, she sighed before breaking into a smile. "No, what you did wasn't being presumptuous."
The System froze, asking blankly, "Then what is it called?"
"That... is clearly a case of 'caring leads to confusion.'" Kelusta said with a grin. "Old Sy, fess up. Have you also been captivated by me, the Flower of Seaside Town who embodies both beauty and talent?"
System: "..."
Kelusta: "If you love me, say it loud and proud! Though you can't compare to Gloria, you're still a good brother who's been through thick and thin with me. I definitely won't reject you outright!"
System: "..."
So you'll reject me indirectly, is that it?
It replied, mentally exhausted, "My sincerest thanks to you. Now, before you run your mouth any further, I suggest you first consider how you're going to get upstairs."
Kelusta pouted, silenced, and swallowed the rest of her silly remarks.
Indeed, it was better to figure out how to get up there first.
The brown-haired girl, having had a morning full of bad luck, slumped her shoulders and sighed, feeling small, pitiful, and helpless.
The exam was scheduled to start much later than regular classes, yet she had left even earlier than usual today. Naturally, she was met with a deserted academic building.
She couldn't even find a single kind soul to lend her an arm.
Just as Kelusta was about to grit her teeth and drag her injured leg up the stairs, a familiar voice suddenly called her name from behind, tinged with a hint of hesitation.
"Ruth...?"
Kelusta froze. She turned her head and met the boy's gentle, green eyes, which were like willow leaves in the spring.
"...What a coincidence," she said. Reflected in Kevit's eyes, his childhood friend pulled an awkward smile and spoke with an air of helplessness. "Hurry over and give me a hand—I can't make it up these stairs."
Kevit: "..."
It was as if he suddenly snapped back to reality. He frowned, rushed to Kelusta's side in a few quick strides, and looked her over from head to toe.
When his gaze fell upon the shocking wound, the boy couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. He snapped his head up to stare at the brown-haired girl, who wore an expression of pure innocence.
"How did this happen?" Kevit asked, his tone urgent.
"Sigh, it's a long story," Kelusta said, holding out a hand to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Help me up first, and I'll tell you later. Oh, right, I have my potions exam today. Thanks for the help."
But Kevit didn't immediately take her arm. Instead, he glanced around warily and asked tentatively, "Is it alright for me to be seen with you like this?"
"It should be fine," Kelusta said, blinking as she gave him an approving look. "I've been standing here for nearly twenty minutes and haven't seen a single soul. No matter how resourceful Starangui is, she wouldn't send someone out at the crack of dawn just to spy on the two of us."
"Besides, you've been doing a pretty good job lately, haven't you?" Seeing Kevit's continued hesitation, the brown-haired girl tilted her head and teased with a grin, "I imagine your 'probationary period' is over. She probably doesn't distrust you as much as she did at the start..."
"Mr. Spy, while your caution is commendable, I'm already crippled here. Could you please, for old times' sake, give me a little help?"
—From the very beginning, when Kevit had deliberately tried to sabotage her relationship with Gloria, Kelusta had been suspicious of her childhood friend's true allegiance.
At the start of the school year, she had discussed with Kevit the question of "overthrowing the powerful or becoming one of them," and his attitude at the time had made it clear that he had taken her words to heart.
Based on Kelusta's understanding of Kevit, once he truly accepted a certain viewpoint, he would adhere to it with great resolve, refusing to be swayed by external factors.
Therefore, the Kevit who had grown up with her in Seaside Town would never, because of some temptation from Starangui, so easily betray the deep friendship they had shared for nearly twenty years.
Kelusta had always held firm to her suspicions, never once doubting her judgment of him.
And the truth... was indeed just as she had expected.
—One morning, beneath a flower-covered trellis, when Kelusta made the secret slingshot signal they had often used as children, the response she received was "hit the heart," which signified compromise and compliance, not "counter-snipe," which meant refusal and resistance.
When she saw the boy across from her place a hand over his heart, Kelusta remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
...She had won her gamble.
Kevit was, indeed, on her side.
This unplanned asset had silently embedded himself deep within the enemy's camp for her.
Kelusta shed tears of emotion like a proud father.
And so, the opportunity now arose for her childhood friend to perform a good deed!
Mr. Maity—the man being asked to do his good deed for the day, the surface-level villain, the excellent spy with superb professional skills and vigilance—looked at her speechlessly. After a long moment, he sighed, extended his hand in compromise, and obediently became her support.
Then, like a snail carrying a tortoise, they began their slow, halting ascent up the stairs.
"...Can't I just carry you on my back?"
Two floors later, a sweating Kevit finally lost his patience with the panting Kelusta. "How long is this going to take? What if one of Starangui's people goes crazy and decides to take their exam early? If that happens, I'll assume you really don't want me to be your mole anymore!"
"Hey, don't be so irritable, my friend," Kelusta said with a lazy yawn. "I already found out that all the second-year exams officially ended yesterday. No matter how resourceful Her Highness is, she wouldn't have planted that many spies among the first-years. You can relax."
Kevit thought for a moment and realized he had indeed never seen Starangui giving orders to any first-year students.
And so, he relaxed slightly.
—But only slightly, as frustration still simmered in his chest.
With a dark expression, Kevit glared at Kelusta's pained grimace and said, on the verge of a breakdown, "Fine, even so, why can't I just carry you? Is this supposed to be our morning workout?"
His arm was already sore. How in the world was he supposed to take his herbology exam later!
"Tsk, you're a grown man, don't be so fragile," Kelusta retorted with a pout, turning to lecture him with a straight face. "We're too old to be carrying each other around so intimately... You need to be mindful of appearances and not just look for the easy way out. Now, keep supporting me!"
With that, she looked up at the seemingly endless flights of stairs and grinned mischievously. "Two more floors, Classmate Kevit. Persistence is victory—You can do it, go, go, go!"
Kevit: "..."
Did she injure her leg, or her brain?
System: "..."
Next time, I must remember to submit feedback to headquarters: absolutely do not pick hosts for us out of the trash can anymore.
Though the journey was long and slow, the good news was that even if a snail climbs three meters by day and slips back two by night, as long as it keeps climbing, it will eventually reach the top.
Holding his breath with exertion, Kevit finally managed to get Kelusta to the door of the potions classroom. He felt so exhausted he could have died on the spot, and he couldn't even feel the ache in his arm anymore—because it had gone completely numb.
Meanwhile, the recipient of his aid was patting him vigorously on the shoulder with a grateful expression, saying insincerely, "Quick, sit down and rest! Those who help others will always be helped in return. The next time you're in any trouble, I will definitely do my utmost to assist you and will never stand idly by!"
"..." Kevit said, barely breathing. "The greatest help you could give me is to stop hitting me."
"Oh," Kelusta said, withdrawing her hand with a shrug. "Alright, I was just trying to help you catch your breath."
"I think you were trying to knock the wind out of me," Kevit retorted, rolling his eyes. He stretched his stiff arm a little, then squatted down to carefully examine Kelusta's wound. Frowning, he asked, "Alright, tell me. How did you do this?"
Kelusta was silent for a moment before changing her tune. "Sigh, since it's such a long story—it's probably better not to tell it. It would be a waste of time. Why don't we study together instead? We can make efficient use of this spare time and do a little last-minute cramming, how about it?"
Kevit: "..."
A master of changing the subject. That's you, alright.
He was silent for a long moment before saying helplessly, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. It's not like I can force you."
Kelusta guiltily darted her eyes about before sticking her tongue out at him in a placating gesture.
Kevit averted his gaze and, true to his word, didn't press the issue. Instead, he began to carefully examine the brown-haired girl's gruesome-looking wound.
"This looks pretty serious; we can't just leave it," he said, looking at the dirt and gravel mixed in with the blood. "We'll need both a disinfectant potion and a hemostatic potion," he stated decisively. "See if the classroom door is locked."
Kelusta obediently reached out and pushed the door, then turned back to report, "It's locked. It won't open."
Kevit clicked his tongue, stood up, and muttered, "I remember there are some potions in the classroom that the students made for practice last time." As Kelusta watched, he held out two fingers, and a verdant vine slowly materialized from their tips.
Not long ago, Kelusta had seen this kind of materialization from Tina, who was a noble... but her vine compared to Kevit's was like a sapling next to a mature tree. It fell far short of his in both length and thickness.
—Not to mention, the vine on Kevit's fingertips was still growing rapidly, and in a short moment, it reached the astonishing length of half a forearm.
"...How has your Wood Magic improved so quickly?" Kelusta asked, dumbfounded as she watched the scene unfold. "Even nobles who have honed their magical abilities since childhood can't do what you're doing!"
Kevit raised his wrist, guiding the tip of the vine into the keyhole of the classroom door. Frowning as he carefully manipulated the tumblers inside, he said distractedly, "Starangui has a potion that can rapidly increase the user's magic power... Because Lady Gloria was distant from you for a while, she was in a good mood and gave me a few extra bottles."
"A potion that enhances magical power?" Kelusta said in astonishment. "That's completely unheard of. Are you sure it's real?"
Kevit focused, carefully hooking the bolt inside with the vine. After hearing a faint click, he satisfyingly withdrew his magic and pushed the door, which swung open in response.
Kelusta looked at the composed expression on his face, then at his hand, and began to wonder if she should abdicate her title as protagonist as soon as possible.
"It's definitely real," Kevit said, walking into the classroom and glancing around as he answered Kelusta's question distractedly. "I've tested it myself... You just saw it. That potion can indeed significantly increase one's magic power, making the user stronger."
"Unbelievable." Kelusta limped to the edge of the classroom and leaned against the doorframe, sighing in amazement. "There aren't any side effects, are there?"
"There shouldn't be. No one who has taken this potion has shown any adverse reactions..."
After searching for a while, Kevit's gaze finally settled on a small box next to the ingredients cabinet.
His eyes lit up. He walked over quickly and opened the box, and sure enough, he found a large pile of differently colored potions inside.
Kelusta watched as he very seriously took out the potions one by one, comparing their color, viscosity, and sediment. His technique was professional and his eye was sharp; even Wend would probably have to call him an expert.
...Was this the same Kevit who used to be just as clueless as her in potions class?
Kelusta asked in shock, "How do you know how to do all this?"
After sorting through them for a while, Kevit finally selected a satisfactory hemostatic potion and a disinfectant potion. He turned his head to give Kelusta a strange look and replied, "Didn't I just tell you? Starangui possesses a certain potion that could drive the entire continent of Nobili into a frenzy."
Kelusta froze, as if she had just understood something. "You mean..." she said in disbelief.
Kevit nodded, handing her the two vials, and said with certainty:
"Starangui is a potions master of considerable skill. To bestow a favor upon me, she once personally taught me some rudimentary potions knowledge."
"And even that potion that can enhance a person's magical power... was also created by her own hands."
Kelusta's fingers tightened slightly around the potion vials.
The classroom where the Fake Illness Potion was brewing, her and Wend's successive departures, Starangui taking advantage of the empty room...
It really was her.
Kelusta exhaled, thinking calmly.
From now on, I'll have to be extra careful with any potion that's handed to me.
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