Reading

Thus, Hesta began to read softly.

"Last summer, I was hiking through one or two riverside counties. As dusk approached that day, I found myself feeling somewhat uneasy about the road I was traveling.

"That evening, I met Mr. Lando. He was gentle, sincere, and warm. But at the time, I was more interested in the dwelling that fascinated me so than in its owner's manner and bearing.

"On the floor lay a double-faced jacquard carpet, white with small round green patterns scattered across it. The curtains were made of snowy white thin cotton, quite broad, their pleats crisp and even, all hanging straight down to the floor in a manner both neat and formal.

"The room contained many leather-bound books, splendid wallpaper, carpets, tables with marble tops. The windows here were tall and narrow, and on a side table beside them stood a glass bell jar, beneath which stood a paper rose..."

Liz stared at Hesta as she read. Though her voice was slow and low, for some reason, Liz could sense a faint tenderness within it.

The emotion was restrained and contained, like an oil painting wrapped up and sealed away beneath dust. Yet something had happened to lift one corner of the covering, allowing others, for this brief instant, a glimpse of the brilliant, surging colors beneath.

Liz almost immediately understood that whoever had once read this collection to her must have profoundly influenced Hesta.

By the time Hesta finished the story, Tulan, lying in Liz's arms, had already fallen sound asleep.

In the soft light, Liz supported Tulan's head and carefully moved her onto a pillow beside them.

"Do you still want to talk?" Liz looked at Hesta and spoke quietly. "We can talk outside."

Hesta remembered the silver-haired girl from earlier. "But what about Ligo—"

Liz pointed toward the door. "We'll go to the balcony."

Around two in the morning, Tanyi City was gripped by the biting chill of early spring. Wrapped in a thin blanket, Hesta stood with Liz on the protruding balcony. From here, Hesta could smell cheese and bread drifting from the kitchen behind them, mingling wonderfully with the night wind carrying the scent of distant forests.

Liz wore only a white cotton camisole. She leaned against the ornate iron railing, both elbows braced behind her on it. At a glance, Hesta saw the smooth lines of muscle along Liz's back and arms. Unlike the gentle, girl-next-door softness she had shown beneath the warm light earlier, Liz now called to mind a fit antelope out on the plains.

"Do you have any family in District 3?" Liz asked.

Hesta was silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"Me neither." Liz smiled. "Other than Tulan, most of the trainees here are alone."

Hesta looked at Liz. "She seems a little hostile toward me?"

"Mm... she's a little hostile toward all strangers," Liz explained. "She'll be much better once she gets to know you. Besides, Tulan hasn't been doing very well lately..."

"I heard Miss Viking mention it. Her Bullet Time isn't enough to support her going to the battlefield, is it?"

"That's right." Liz nodded. "She'll turn fourteen next month. When the Type 14 Selection comes around, she definitely won't pass."

"Type 14... what?"

"The Type 14 Selection," Liz repeated. "A Quicksilver Needle's Bullet Time stabilizes twice, once at around fourteen and again at around nineteen—you know that, right? Only those who exceed 4h have a chance of being assigned to a combat unit."

"Then why is Miss Tulan so upset? Won't she have another chance when she turns nineteen?"

Liz smiled and shook her head. "After the Type 14 Selection, the overall picture is basically set. Only a small number of Quicksilver Needles with Bullet Time above 3h30min can possibly break through the 4h threshold through further training. Her chances aren't good... How old are you this year? Eleven?"

"Mm."

Liz sighed. "I was eleven when I first came here too. In the blink of an eye, three years have passed. So fast."

Hesta said, "I heard Miss Valenti say that you'll become full-time in the second half of this year?"

"Yes." Liz nodded. "But I don't have as strong a desire for combat as Tulan does."

"Why does she want to fight Chelated Beings head-on so badly?"

"It probably has something to do with her past." Liz gave a concise answer, then stretched with her arms spread wide. She let out a long breath before continuing, "I'm different... I don't really want to go out on field missions. After all, I still have a lot of attachment to being alive... haha."

"I could tell." Hesta lowered her head. "You have a lot of books."

Liz watched Hesta for a while. "If you like books too, you can come to my room and borrow them anytime."

"Really?"

"Of course." Liz held out her hand to Hesta. "It's nice to meet you... This is the first time I've met a newcomer who already had experience fighting Chelated Beings upon arriving at the base."

Hesta lightly pinched Liz's palm, looking somewhat puzzled. "You mean me? I haven't."

Liz froze slightly. "Didn't you come from Saint Anne Abbey on Severn Mountain?"

"Mm."

"Then it should have been you... An internal base bulletin said that when Chiba led her team there, the Chelated Being in the abbey was already seriously injured—not by you?"

"No," Hesta answered. "At least, I have no memory of it at all."

Liz blinked. "...Then perhaps I really got something wrong. But Chiba Masaki personally brought you here, right?"

"Mm."

Liz stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Then you must have something exceptional about you."

Hesta frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Because," Liz said with a smile, "Chiba is a very shrewd person."

Hesta tilted her head slightly.

Liz looked at Hesta. "As far as I know, she never spends time on useless things. Back at the training base, she thought it was a waste of energy, so she never even served as an assistant officer for newcomers, much less voluntarily became someone's guardian like she has now."

"Is that so?" Hesta recalled how Chiba had specifically driven her to the abbey before. That had taken them nearly the entire day. "...I thought it was just a formality."

"Of course it isn't." Liz smiled. "The procedures for a Reserve Guardian Order may be simple, but its implementation is very strict. Even if the ward enters a boarding school, the guardian must still spend at least six waking hours with her every month.

"During holidays, that requirement rises to more than twenty-one hours a week, meaning they have to spend at least three hours together every day. And considering that Quicksilver Needles can officially join combat after passing the Type 14 Selection..."

At that, Liz paused. "I think Chiba Masaki wants you to join her combat team directly after the selection. Otherwise, I truly can't imagine how an active Quicksilver Needle who is always traveling all over the place could make so much time to spend with you."

Hesta quietly listened to Liz's analysis. The two then talked about many things, from Edgar's standing in the literary world to all sorts of plain but practical advice about life at the base. Near four in the morning, Liz yawned and decided to return to her room to sleep. Before they parted, she went back inside and brought out the two volumes of Edgar's Dark Tales Collection.

"How about I give you these two story collections?"

Hesta looked up in surprise. "Give them to me?"

"Yes, give them to you." Liz smiled. "If a book always sits on a shelf without being read, it gets lonely too, doesn't it? So if you like them, they're yours."

Hesta lowered her eyes slightly. She accepted the books and gently stroked the large gold-stamped letters on their black lacquered covers.

"...Thank you."