Crownless: The Fallen World

Chapter 19: Plans

When they arrived at their floor, they gathered in Gregor's room. Alpherion felt a pang of sadness when he remembered that Bernice was the only one among them to suffer due to the operation. Emaciated and weakened, she endured the aftermath.

According to their timetable, they were to study theories and undergo rigorous physical training. A person as frail as Bernice wouldn't have withstood it for even a month. That was the impetus for their assembly—to strategize on supporting Bernice after her second surgery. Given that the three were to receive synthetic skin implants, their ultimate operation had transpired the previous day. After much deliberation, they decided to meet clandestinely in a secluded garden. It was then that Sebastian disclosed that Memento could generate a portal. They planned to use it to escape undetected.

"Where are you going to connect it, though?" Alpherion asked.

"I have a private space we can use. I'll prepare it for tomorrow and administer a recovery fluid to Bernice while I'm at it," Sebastian replied.

Alpherion and Gregor exchanged glances when they looked at Sebastian. They weren't suspicious, but their minds brimmed with questions about him. It was surprising that he came recommended by Hale Grafton, the sole heir to the Grafton Dukedom and Vice President of the High Order Academy's Student Council. Even his background was largely unchecked, a courtesy extended out of respect for the Grafton Dukedom and its future Duke. After all, it was Hale who had vouched for his identity. Sebastian's transfer was executed with swift precision, allowing him, within that very same month, to begin attending classes.

Besides that, he possessed a wealth of practical knowledge and had experienced much of the world beyond. They knew Sebastian had traveled extensively. He also possessed a broad understanding of various fields. One look at his body revealed the unmistakable signs of a battle-worn individual. In truth, everything about this man was shrouded in suspicion.

However, for some reason, he did not appear on any of the lists of students requiring surveillance. It must have been Hale's doing. She was protecting Sebastian's identity, and no one questioned it.

Despite Sebastian's enigmatic reputation, they gradually came to view him as harmless. Instead, he was likely to become a person of interest after graduating from the High Order Academy. Furthermore, with Duke Grafton as his sponsor, Sebastian would not be able to take any actions that might jeopardize the reputation of a Duke.

In any case, Sebastian was clearly on their side, so Alpherion and Gregor harbored no suspicions toward him. It was beneficial that Sebastian was gradually willing to unveil his true identity to them. Although they felt conflicted about keeping this a secret, they could hardly cast aspersions given their nonconformity within the academy. The microchips, positioned externally on their bodies, rendered them the prime suspects in any covert academy maneuvers. Gregor would not have entertained doubts had Alpherion not awoken mid-operation, panicking over the need to extract the microchip embedded within them.

This secret, shared with Hale, was one they had to keep at all costs.

Faced with the task of discerning whether Bernice was worthy of their trust and could join their ranks, they acknowledged the challenge ahead. Confident in their ability to persuade her, they refined their plan and afterward retired to their respective quarters for the day's remainder. Sebastian took care to leave behind their medications and recovery fluids; due to Alpherion's rapid metabolism, his prescription differed from Gregor's, which was suited for a standard metabolic rate.

After providing them with instructions, Sebastian entered his bedroom and proceeded to his laboratory. Already donned in protective attire, he checked on the progress of testing the effects of the pill. It had been quite some time, yet there were still no results.

The pill, mandatory for all newly admitted academy students, puzzled him; despite assurances of its necessity for post-operative recovery, he harbored suspicions of it being a placebo and resolved to delve deeper. They were instructed to take it post-first operation and had just one day to recuperate before the second, final procedure. Providing merely one day for recovery seemed highly suspect. Did this suggest that they should expect an event to occur within their bodies in that brief interval? Sebastian had employed all known methods to test for toxins or poisonous substances in the pill, but despite more than a day of rigorous testing, he turned up no results.

Could this be a slow-acting toxin? No, that seemed implausible.

As conjectures swirled in his mind, he dismissed the possibility of a slow-acting toxin or a regenerative effect. Then what was it? What crucial detail had he overlooked?

Sebastian's agitation mounted as his mind buzzed with myriad thoughts, yet it offered no clear insights.

Wait.

All movement halted abruptly as a sudden realization dawned upon him.

He had to think back to the beginning, and then it all began to make sense—but only if his conjecture was correct. Sebastian retrieved a chemical from the Holowrist's compartment and ground the pill into powder. He then extracted an artificially grown cell for experimentation. Upon confirming the powder's penetration, he deactivated the cell's vital functions and watched its meticulous preservation.

True to his hypothesis, the liquid and the pill were designed to work in tandem.

If those who operated on them allowed only one day for recovery, then it was presumably enough time to assess the pill's compatibility with their bodies during tomorrow's operation. The discovery also accounted for the severity of Hale's unhealed scar. Since they would all be cloaked in their synthetic skins tomorrow, he surmised he could inject the dissolved pill powder directly into the system to achieve the intended effect. Since the classes would start early in the morning, the staff scheduled the operation for two hours after lunch.

Sebastian had ample time to prepare.

He also needed to discuss his findings with Alpherion and Gregor over breakfast in his room this morning. He must focus on the current task and strategize his next moves. 

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