the era of calamities-Chapter 94: Gossip

Two Days Earlier

The vast parking lot of the military base was alive with activity. The thousands of candidates who had been there for several days had grown accustomed to the place.

The echoes of battles raging beyond the walls had become familiar background noise. They still didn’t know who was fighting or against what, but none of them cared anymore.

Some, too curious for their own good, had tried to sneak a look at what was happening on the other side but all of them had been caught and reprimanded by the enforcers from the Bureau of Military Affairs.

After several failed attempts, even the most stubborn candidates gave up and sought other ways to pass the time.

As Carla walked between the tents, only the chatter of idle voices filled the air. Few were still preparing seriously for the battle ahead.

Two groups of candidates remained at the base: those from the Bureau of Military Affairs and those from the Laboratory. The candidates from the three other bureaus had all left within the first three days.

During those first three days after the director’s announcement of the second trial, everyone had shown exemplary zeal, throwing themselves into preparation for the coming fight against the Duchy’s forces.

But after four days, with no sign of any calamities and their duties becoming monotonous, their enthusiasm faded, and laziness took over.

(Is this part of Lady Iris’s plan, or her brother’s?) thought Carla.

She didn’t understand why Iris hadn’t done anything to motivate the candidates and had instead let them sink into idleness.

"No, I mustn’t question Lady Iris’s decisions. After all, how could I comprehend the thoughts of someone so noble and perfect?" She brushed the thought aside with a wave of her hand and entered a larger tent.

Inside, about ten Laboratory candidates were repairing the damaged weapons stored in the base’s armory , one of the few groups that hadn’t succumbed to laziness.

Carla greeted them before taking a seat and getting to work.

As a former member of the Imperial Army, she had received training in weapon maintenance. She wasn’t especially skilled, but she had volunteered anyway, believing that even a little help might be useful.

She chose an old, scratched rifle covered in dust and began examining it. Once she had an idea of what to do, she laid it on the table , but before she could start, a loud voice called her name.

"Carla, you here?"

It was a tall, muscular young man with an imposing build for his age. Carla recognized the voice instantly and felt a headache coming on.

The man spotted her quickly and hurried over, his deep, booming voice edged with panic.

"Carla, I’ve been looking everywhere for you! I heard that the man claiming to be Lady Iris’s brother is on the brink of death, that there’s no way to save him, that Lady Iris is in tears and completely inconsolable!"

"Bruno," Carla murmured, rubbing her temples. "Could you lower your voice, please? I can hear you just fine without the shouting. Calm down first if you want to understand what happened."

Bruno looked around and saw that everyone in the tent had stopped working to glare at him.

"What’re you all staring at? Get back to work! Anyone who keeps looking at me will regret it!"

His size and tone were enough to startle the others, who quickly returned to their repairs, muttering curses under their breath.

Bruno grabbed a nearby chair and sat beside Carla.

"Alright, tell me what happened. Those idiots outside can’t explain a thing."

Carla sighed.

"I’ll say it again: stop shouting, and stay calm if you want me to tell you."

She waited until Bruno truly settled down before continuing.

"Yes, Lady Iris’s brother was brought here badly injured, but he’s now out of danger.

A few hours ago, a Master from the Bureau of Archives arrived, carrying him on his back. Those who saw him said his body was covered in markings they assumed he had used Sigma Mode to get here so fast.

Once he arrived, the Master asked the Laboratory candidates to treat him. Unfortunately, none of them managed to stay calm after seeing his condition. Some threw up, and the rest said he was beyond saving."

Bruno frowned, confused.

"Wait, what do you mean beyond saving? You just said he’s out of danger."

Carla sighed again.

"If you’d let me finish, you’d know.

I don’t know why that Master brought him here instead of taking him to the Order’s headquarters, where the best doctors in the world are said to be. I also don’t know why he asked the candidates to treat him instead of the base’s medical team. Maybe it’s part of the exam , I’ll ask Lady Iris later."

She paused briefly.

"Anyway, the state of Lady Iris’s brother was deemed impossible to treat.

If you remember, among the eleven candidates who passed the first trial, there was a girl who joined the Laboratory."

"Oh, that girl with the glasses? Hmph. She’s nothing compared to Lady Iris."

Carla raised an eyebrow.

"Of course she isn’t, but that’s not the point.

Her name’s Ana Lebert , I think that’s it. She was apparently a medical student before applying to the Order’s exam. She’s the one who stepped forward to save Lady Iris’s brother."

"And what happened next?" Bruno asked, his voice rising again, drawing everyone’s attention once more.

But this time, they weren’t looking at him , they were all staring at Carla, their curiosity piqued.

Carla, a little embarrassed by the sudden attention, continued.

"Lady Iris’s brother had multiple severe injuries: a hole in his abdomen, broken bones... I can’t even list them all , too many complicated medical terms.

Anyway, Ana said there was still hope. None of his vital organs had been fatally damaged, despite the countless wounds. The real problem was the poison."

"Poison? What poison? Who poisoned him?" one of the candidates blurted out.

"If you’ll let me finish," Carla urged.

"According to the Master who brought him, Lady Iris’s brother was poisoned during his fight with a Count, and the toxin spread through his whole body. Unfortunately, Ana didn’t recognize the poison and couldn’t cure it without knowing what substance it was."

The group couldn’t contain themselves.

"Wait, he fought a Count?"

"The calamities are already here?"

"What happened then?"

The flood of questions overwhelmed Carla until Bruno roared:

"Silence! Anyone interrupts her again, I’ll smash their face in!"

Carla rubbed her temples, then pressed on.

"Yes, he fought a Count and, as you’d expect from Lady Iris’s twin brother, he managed to defeat him, though at the cost of his life.

From what I heard, even though the Count was cut in half, he was still breathing. The Master brought him back to the base, and right now, Lady Iris is interrogating him."

Everyone’s eyes lit up with surprise, and Carla straightened slightly, pleased by their reaction.

"Anyway, the poison was the real issue, and even Ana Lebert couldn’t do anything about it. I thought the situation was hopeless but then someone stepped forward, boldly claiming he could save him."

Every gaze was fixed on her lips now, but no one dared to interrupt.

"This guy , if I remember correctly, his name’s Kritos. Kritos Franklin. He’s from the Laboratory too. Despite doing absolutely nothing since the start of the second trial, he came forward.

As soon as Ana heard what he said, instead of denying it, she actually looked relieved, like she already knew him.

If Lady Iris’s lessons on feminine intuition are to be believed, the way Ana looked at him was strange but that’s beside the point.

Anyway, this Kritos claimed he could cure him. I don’t know how, but it didn’t take him more than ten minutes."

The tension in the tent spiked, and Bruno leaned closer.

"How?"

Carla hesitated, unsure how to explain.

"Kritos bit Lady Iris’s brother on the neck, drank a bit of his blood, then started saying all sorts of strange, scientific things about the poison.

After that, he transfused his own blood into him. Once the poison dissipated, he began massaging his body in a weird way and the fractures actually started healing.

The rest was too complicated to describe, but once he finished, Ana checked his condition and declared him out of danger."

Carla fell silent for a moment, then added, almost as an afterthought:

"Oh, right. As he left, Kritos said to Lady Iris, ’I want your eyes.’"