The two soon arrived at the nearby faculty lounge.
Liz, who had just become a freshman assistant officer, also had the authority to enter and leave here. She brought the spare clothes here for Hesta. Seeing that the girl kept shivering, she brought another cup of hot cocoa, but Hesta just held the cup in her hand. In hand, still not drinking.
"Don't you like hot cocoa?"
"...I'm not used to its taste." Hesta lowered her eyes.
The fire alarm in the entire building stopped at this time. Hesta looked out the window and heard the noise of a crowd gathering downstairs. They were probably all people who came out after hearing the alarm.
"Have I caused you any trouble?" Hesta asked.
"No, you did the right thing." Liz reopened the curtains of the conversation room, "When you are in danger, don't stick to the formalities, but try your best to seek help - you knew how to do this when you first came here, That's great."
Under Liz's comfort, Hesta gradually calmed down.
Liz stood in front of the window, looking at the gloomy sky outside, "The weather has been really weird these days. It suddenly became so cold today - it's quite rare."
Hesta did not answer. She was still thinking about the scene just now, especially the moment she saw the person Sean called "Karl". The strong sense of oppression made her stunned. This discomfort even made her feel as if she had returned to the night when she confronted the chelate in the monastery.
Liz walked back to Hesta and sat down.
"It's my fault," Liz said.
Hesta was puzzled, "What?"
"I should have come out with you today. You are not familiar with this place yet. There are many weirdos in Mercury Needle... I should take this into consideration." Liz said sincerely, "I will pay attention to it later."
"I'm not blaming you," Hesta shook her head, "I didn't even think about it... I have another question to ask."
"you say."
"Besides Sean, I also met a man named 'Carl' today -"
"Ah, that's his brother Calvin." Liz was a little surprised, "Have you seen his brother today?"
"right……"
Liz replied, "Calvin is a big guy, but he is quieter and relatively calm... Yes, it is not surprising that you will meet him today. The two brothers always act together."
"You mean fighting?"
"It also refers to life," Liz replied, "Because Calvin has a calmer personality and can stop Sean when he does stupid things, so the base will hope that Calvin will try not to be separated from Sean."
"I see..." Hesta muttered.
"The two brothers came from the Hekla Wasteland, a volcanic belt in the west of District 3. Have you heard of this name?"
Hesta shook her head.
"Really, I thought you would be familiar with it. Hekla is known as the 'Gate to Hell' by the outside world. It is a place full of killings like Short Ring Alley. It is very famous in the third district because many gray industries will pass through. Some agents hire murderers there."
"...You really know a lot about this place."
Liz laughed, "If you have been here for three years, you will also know this. These two brothers are from the same year as Tulan, and they are both second-year students. I don't have much contact with them. It’s relatively unfamiliar.”
"Do they often approach other people like they did today?"
"I don't understand. After Gal's second awakening, I rarely get close to them."
"……Why?"
"Because I feel uncomfortable around Calvin." Liz replied, "He doesn't know how to control his power, and I am more sensitive to the presence of other mercury needles, so every time I get close to this person, I feel A little chest tightness-other people don’t seem to have this, maybe they’re used to it?”
Hesta raised her head sharply.
"Well, you probably can't feel it now," Liz replied with a smile. "When you experience the second awakening, you will understand what I am talking about."
"But today I-"
Liz's phone suddenly rang. She made a quiet gesture to Hesta and pressed the speakerphone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, are you Miss Fletcher?" A cold female voice came from the phone.
"Yes, it's me," Liz recognized the voice, "Ms. Morley?"
"It's me, is Miss Hesta staying with you now?"
"Yes."
"How is she doing?"
"Very good," Liz glanced at Hesta, "She has recovered. Do you need to talk to her alone?"
"No, I'll inform you about the follow-up plan for this matter."
Liz was stunned for a moment - she obviously didn't expect that this matter would be handled so quickly.
"Okay, you tell me, she and I are both listening." Liz turned the phone's microphone sideways toward Hesta so that she could hear Molly's voice more clearly.
"Then, let me introduce myself first. I am Sophie Morley, Miss Hesta, the order officer of the base. Although you encountered such an accident today, please believe that such matters are not common in the base. , in most cases our mercury needle reserves are like Miss Fletcher, knowing how to love and care for their juniors.”
She finished this long sentence in one breath, speaking as fast as Chiba, but the affairs officer's voice sounded very cold, and Hestad could almost imagine the sinking corners of her mouth through this tone - like Sister Gerding, who always had a straight face.
"We discovered that Mr. Gringoire has stolen your information in the past few days. From today's surveillance, we have also confirmed that he has been following you secretly. No matter what the purpose of this conspiracy All extremely bad.
“With regard to Sean Gringoire’s actions today, we have made the following decisions after thorough discussions. First, his credit rating will be adjusted from C+ to D and the Social Etiquette and Safety Code of the Third District will be revised.
"Secondly, the base will deduct 70% of his living allowance for 12 months from May this year to April next year. 50% of this money will be used as mental compensation for you and will be paid directly to you at the beginning of next month. on the account.
"Third, we will restrict Sean Gringoire's behavior to a certain extent. He will not approach you, talk to you, or make any interference in your daily life for any reason, inside or outside the base. Otherwise we will directly restrict all his actions.
"Considering that you are still underage, we will discuss with your guardian Chiba Masaki how long this restraining order will last. At present, it seems that it should last at least until your second awakening.
"Do you have any other comments or additions to this matter?" the female voice on the other end of the phone said quickly.
Hesta was silent for a while, "Not yet."
"Okay, Miss Hesta." Ms. Morley's voice softened a little, and she paused for a moment. "Please believe that we are fully willing and able to protect your personal safety."
Currently known information:
Short Ring Alley: The wasteland of the third district, located south of Tanyi City, the birthplace of Jane Hestad, a disorderly slum.
Askia: The Wasteland of the Third District, located in the north-central part of the Third District. Liz Fletcher's hometown was once a place rich in water and grass.
Hekla: The wasteland of District 3, located in the west of District 3, adjacent to the border of District 4, also known as the "Gate to Hell". The entire wasteland is filled with all kinds of crime and transactions like Short Ring Alley. There is a relatively peaceful "oasis" in the center, which is the hometown of the Gringoire brothers.
