Chapter 55 Projection

A week later, Hesta was able to get out of bed and walk on her own.

When there were no nurses around, she would sneak into the bathroom to check her body, wondering if the hospital had "replaced her with new parts"—just like Miss Chiba.

Fortunately, it seemed they hadn't.

Every day after lunch, if the weather was clear, a nurse would push her in a wheelchair up to the surface for a walk. Hesta had initially thought it was just to get some fresh air, but the young nurse would painstakingly push her to the woods on the west side of the base for a stroll that easily lasted over an hour.

On rainy days, they would push her around the corridors of the underground hospital. Once, she happened to run into Rico, who was doing walking rehabilitation alone with the support of a walking frame.

They weren't particularly close, so they just nodded at each other in greeting and moved on, but the tattoo on Rico's body left a very deep impression on Hesta.

During their hurried first meeting, Hesta hadn't had time to look closely, but now she saw it clearly: it was a black-feathered raven, its wings spread across Rico's back and left shoulder. The bird's neck wrapped around her left shoulder to the front, with its beak stretching toward Rico's heart.

The raven's eyes were a vivid crimson, and if viewed strictly from the front, it could easily be mistaken for the demonic eye of some spirit.

After parting ways, Hesta couldn't help looking down at her own left wrist, where there was now a faint scar left from the chip implantation.

By next year, on her twelfth birthday, perhaps she could also find a tattoo artist in Thany and get an eagle inked onto her skin.

...However, she had a rather hard time remembering what the eagle on her mother's wrist looked like.

Visiting hours here were from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM every day, but hardly anyone ever came. Most of the time, Hesta read books or listened to the radio, and sometimes she practiced drawing and shooting her gun—though the nurses strictly forbade her from making overly strenuous movements right now, so Hesta could only practice secretly behind closed doors.

"Jane—" The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Liz's figure appeared in the doorway. Hesta gave a start, but she was too late to put the gun away. Liz froze at the door, asking, "What are you holding?"

"Ah... this is..."

Before Hesta could explain, Liz quickly closed the door to prevent anyone passing by in the corridor outside from seeing the scene inside the room.

She walked over quickly and snatched the gun from Hesta's hand.

"It's just a toy," Hesta explained with a smile.

Liz, who was attempting to dismantle the barrel, quickly realized that it was merely a plastic model. She let out a long sigh of relief and sat down beside Hesta, her expression filled with profound relief.

"I thought..."

"I was watching some shooting tutorial videos earlier and wanted to practice," Hesta explained. "It's pretty boring staying here, so I had Miss Chiba buy me a toy gun... Why are you here?"

Liz took a deep breath and said softly, "I came to apologize. It's entirely my fault that you got hurt. I didn't measure my limits properly—"

"Don't worry about such small details. It was my impulsiveness; I shouldn't have started hitting people on the spot." Hesta put the gun back under her pillow. "...How is Sean doing?"

"What could possibly happen to him..."

Hesta smiled calmly. "That's good."

Out of the corner of her eye, Liz noticed the wheelchair folded against the wall. "Shall I push you out for a walk?"

"Alright."

It had rained briefly that afternoon, but the shower had stopped just as quickly. The ground was still damp, though free of puddles. Hesta curled up in the wheelchair, constantly looking up at the birds flying past the tree branches from time to time.

At a certain street corner, the distant spire of the church was faintly visible.

"There's something else I wanted to discuss with you," Liz said softly.

"What is it?"

"Your position as aide-de-camp... perhaps I'm truly not the best choice."

Hesta turned her head almost instantly. "Why? Did Molly and the others give you a hard time?"

Liz shook her head immediately, and the look in Hesta's eyes made her feel somewhat heartbroken.

Liz hurriedly looked away. "No, nobody gave me a hard time. I just feel this way myself. Actually, Ms. Molly mentioned this matter to me quite a while ago... and I only realized recently that perhaps she was right."

"What on earth did she say?" Hesta's voice rose involuntarily. "She can't just base it on a single incident like—"

"It's not Molly's problem, it's my problem, Jane." Liz raised a hand to support her forehead. "Perhaps the current me is simply incapable of being a good aide."

Hesta frowned deeply. She simply stood up by gripping the armrests of the wheelchair and turned back to walk to Liz's side.

"...What are you saying, Liz? For these past two months, you've listened to me, taken care of me, taught me how to live here, given me books, and helped me solve all sorts of problems... I think you're exceptionally well-suited for this. Who says you aren't?"

Liz opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but stopped. She turned around and once again reached out to smooth her hair.

The two walked over to a bench beside the path in the woods and sat down. Hesta faced Liz, waiting for her to speak.

"This idea is actually something I decided after discussing it with Miss Valentine," Liz said softly. "I might have... projected some of my own issues onto you."

Hesta asked with a puzzled look, "...What do you mean?"

"A long time ago, Ms. Molly questioned whether I was investing too much energy into your affairs. Actually, I was already beginning to realize the problem back then... Although it might have looked like I was protecting you, doing it this way is actually... not good for you, it's just..."

Liz's hand made circular gestures in the air, and it took a long time before she finished the second half of her sentence.

"I used to... I used to have a younger sister at home," she whispered. "In Askiya."

"I guessed as much," Hesta said softly. "Because you act just like an older sister."

Liz chuckled softly.

"What's wrong with that?" Hesta asked.

Liz's eyes slowly turned red as she looked at Hesta. "If I tell you some things... can you keep it a secret for me?"

Hesta nodded solemnly. "I can."

Liz adjusted her breathing, clasped her hands together, rested her elbows on her knees, and leaned slightly forward.

"The cause of the Askiya tragedy... I don't remember if I told you about it before, but it started with an old couple.

"They originally lived with their children in a small town near the wasteland. There were only a dozen households in that town—very remote, but very quiet.

"One day, the old couple's grandson and granddaughter died after accidentally falling into a river. At first, the family thought the two children had been playing and carelessly slipped into the water, but when the bodies were retrieved, they discovered that both children bore marks of having been beaten.

"This old couple, as well as the children's parents, tried to figure out the truth, so they posted reward posters in every district of Askiya and the nearby towns... searching for potential witnesses.

"At the time, this incident caused a huge uproar in the East District because all the evidence pointed... pointed to the son of an official in the East District of Askiya."