Chapter 83

At those words, Chase, who had been staring at the barbecue, turned to Rodesha and asked.

“A scary story?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t it be fun? It suits this kind of eerie night perfectly. Let’s each share a story, one by one, as it comes to mind.”

Perhaps thinking it would be a good way to pass the time while the meat cooked, Rodein and Chase quickly agreed.

Meanwhile, Judith, who was easily frightened, tensed up slightly. It might have been fine in broad daylight, but telling scary stories on a chilly, dark evening like this one gave her a sense of unease.

While she nervously braced herself, Rodein began to speak first.

He shared a short ghost story that had been circulating around the Academy. Though the content wasn’t particularly remarkable, his vivid storytelling made it quite intriguing.

“……So, they say that ghost still tries to snatch students away whenever it gets the chance. That’s the end of my story.”

When it was Chase’s turn, he thought for a moment before bringing up a ghost story about the alchemy lab.

Considering he had personally cleaned that place before, there was no better person to tell such a story.

He recounted a few short anecdotes that his professor had told him before he started cleaning the lab.

Although the story lacked tension, the content itself was quite interesting.

Rodesha seemed to think so as well, as her eyes lit up with curiosity when she asked,

“So, when you and Judith cleaned the lab, nothing strange happened?”

At that, Judith smiled and replied.

“Well, when I went in, Chase mistook me for a ghost and got scared.”

“What? Haha, so Chase is more of a scaredy-cat than I thought.”

Hearing this, the Roziena siblings chuckled, while Chase, feeling wronged, turned red and grumbled.

“I thought I was the only one there, okay?”

After the laughter and chatter died down, it was finally Judith’s turn.

After thinking for a moment, she shared a story she had read in a history book about a mad mage.

As soon as she finished, Chase spoke with an impressed look on his face.

“As expected of the supplementary class teacher, you’re really good at explaining things.”

“Exactly. I’ve heard that story before, but it sounded much shorter and more entertaining when you told it, Senior.”

Blushing at their compliments, Judith replied coyly.

“Even if you flatter me, you’re not getting anything out of it.”

While three people had taken turns sharing their stories, the meat was now looking deliciously cooked.

Glancing at it, Rodesha spoke up.

“Then I’m the only one left. Once I finish my story, we can eat.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing how scary your story will be, Sister.”

Rodein rested his chin on his hand, watching Rodesha with interest. Judith and Chase also focused on her, curious about the story she was about to share.

“Well, my story is really short, so it might not be that scary. Do you all remember when the Student Council President almost got crushed by a chandelier right before the summer party?”

At the sudden mention of Axel, Judith flinched and held her breath.

“And?”

Chase, sitting beside her, asked in a gruff voice.

“Well, it turns out that after investigating the incident, they found traces suggesting someone had deliberately used magic to damage the chandelier’s connection. In other words, it wasn’t an accident—it was someone targeting the Student Council President.”

“……That’s ridiculous.”

Judith frowned and interjected.

“If someone really targeted the Student Council President, the school would’ve already started an investigation. But everything’s been so quiet.”

“Well, apparently the Student Council President himself stopped them, saying he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. So, Judith, haven’t you heard anything about this? You’re close with him, aren’t you?”

Rodesha looked at her with eyes full of curiosity. Judith now understood why she had brought up this story.

She wanted to hear the truth through Judith, who was close to Axel.

However, their relationship had already grown distant, and Judith had no information to share.

“Sorry, I don’t know anything about it. This is the first time I’m even hearing about it.”

When she answered firmly, Rodesha looked slightly disappointed.

At that moment, Rodein, who had been quietly listening, began speaking with a thoughtful expression.

“Now that you mention it, I actually happened to be at the scene when the accident occurred. But…….”

He trailed off before continuing.

“Strangely enough, Axel noticed the falling chandelier before anyone else, but he didn’t move out of the way. He just stood there.”

“Maybe he was too shocked to move?”

“Well, that’s probably it. Anyway, thanks to Cedric reacting quickly with his magic, there were no injuries, which was a relief.”

Listening to the Roziena siblings’ conversation, Judith paused. Something about the story felt off.

Axel, standing still even though he saw the chandelier falling?

From what Judith knew, Axel, as the heir to a prestigious family, was trained in advanced self-defense techniques to prepare for any unforeseen situations.

He had been trained to stay calm and act decisively in emergencies. And yet, he hadn’t moved when the chandelier fell?

‘And the fact that someone deliberately used magic to damage the chandelier is also suspicious…….’

To make matters worse, his closest friend, Cedric, was renowned at the Academy for his exceptional magical abilities.

Unable to shake her doubts, Judith began recalling the events that had unfolded after the accident.

There was Cedric, who had initially boasted about driving a wedge between her and Axel, only to suddenly change his attitude and invite her to visit Axel in the infirmary.

Then there was Axel, who was supposedly too weak to speak but had been perfectly fine when she arrived, pleading with her to attend the summer party with him.

Axel’s behavior was familiar. Since childhood, he had always acted pitiful to get what he wanted.

When he teared up with those beautiful gray-blue eyes and begged, no one could refuse him.

Even Judith, seeing his vulnerable state, had reluctantly agreed to his request.

Was it all just a coincidence? Or……

Could Axel and Cedric have orchestrated the chandelier incident to sway me

No, perhaps she was overthinking things. After all, it was all in the past now.

In any case, once she visited the Fedelian estate next weekend and cleared things up with Axel, she wouldn’t have to deal with his family anymore.

Steeling her heart, Judith forced a smile and enjoyed the dinner with her friends.

* * *

The next day, Judith woke up early to the sound of birds chirping.

Whether it was because she had stayed up late the previous night or because her thoughts about Axel had kept her awake, she wasn’t sure.

Waking up early felt like a chore, but she had no choice. She couldn’t miss the chance to see the famous lake in the area.

Moreover, Rodesha had promised that boating on the lake would be incredibly fun, which made Judith feel excited.

Yes, she decided, it was time to forget about yesterday. Nothing more would come of it anyway.

Although the thought of returning to the Academy after the boat ride felt daunting, the four of them gathered promptly at the agreed time and boarded the carriage heading to the lake.

“Look over there, that’s the lake!”

Not long after, a large silver lake appeared through the trees, glittering under the morning sunlight.

The surface of the lake sparkled like it had been sprinkled with powdered jewels.

The water was so clear that they could see the fish swimming beneath the surface.

“It’s beautiful.”

Judith couldn’t help but exclaim. Now she understood why Rodesha had insisted they visit the lake.

Despite feeling like she had stones tied to her eyelids earlier, the sight of the lake instantly washed away her exhaustion.

Before long, the four of them had jumped out of the carriage and run to the lakeshore.

At a small dock, several wooden boats were tied up. Rodesha pointed to one of them and shouted.

“That’s the boat we’ll be taking!”

However, the actual boat was much smaller than they had imagined.

The long, narrow wooden boat blended perfectly with the surrounding scenery, but it looked far too small to hold four adults.

Chase seemed to share Judith’s concern as he tilted his head.

“That’s the boat we’re taking? Isn’t it too small for all of us to fit?”

“Hmm…… You’re right. What should we do?”

Rodesha frowned, looking troubled.

“I guess it felt bigger because Rodein and I used to play on it when we were kids. You’re right, it’s too small for four people. If the boat tips over, it’d be a disaster.”

“Well, there’s no choice. We’ll have to split into two groups.”

Chase answered simply and naturally stepped closer to Judith.

“Judith and I will go together, and you two can take the other boat.”