Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 122 - The Machine God's Gospel

Chapter 122 - The Machine God's Gospel

As soon as the grim, blinking red HUD flashed across my vision, a surge of dread coursed through me. Without thinking, I yanked off my WEEB smartwatch and hurled it to the floor with a panicked cry.

"Nyeh!" I yelped, my voice cracking slightly.

The smartwatch bounced twice against the cold, tiled floor with a metallic plop-plop, drawing an immediate wave of attention. Heads turned. A ripple of confused stares spread across the library—students peeking from behind book piles, startled by my outburst. Even the stern, hawk-eyed faculty members at the far corner looked up.

The librarian, a frail old lady with half-moon glasses and a shawl draped over her shoulders, glared at me from her desk.

"Shushhhh," she hissed with the wrath of a thousand silent tomes.

That was the moment I realized I had overreacted. Big time. My heart was still racing, but guilt now crept in, mixing with the panic. I shouldn't have caused a scene, especially not here. I should've found a quiet way to deal with the gospel—the one given to me by the Machine God—without making myself a public spectacle. Most of all, I didn't want her to see it.

"I-I'm sorry..." I muttered, forcing a sheepish smile as I tiptoed toward the poor smartwatch. Its screen was now cracked, a web of fractured glass reflecting my anxious face. I didn't dare put it back on—my left arm was still glowing faintly, pulsing with eerie crimson circuits, betraying the secret I wanted so badly to keep.

From the side, I noticed Myrrh staring at me. Her brows were furrowed in quiet concern, her eyes briefly flickering to my glowing arm. But she said nothing—just watched.

It was Dianca who finally broke the thick silence that wrapped around me like a fog.
"Zaft, are you alright?" she asked softly, her voice laced with genuine concern.

"I-It's fine," I replied quickly, waving one hand in dismissal while trying to calm my breath. "I just... had a bit of a panic attack."

"Panic attacks? Just from solving Advanced Calculus problems?" Cindy raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"That's pretty unusual," Remuel chimed in, tilting his head. "Usually, it's Myrrh who gets those panic attacks whenever Advanced Calculus is even mentioned."

"Shut the fuck up, you midget," Myrrh snapped, her eyes narrowing into laser-focused slits as she shot Remuel a death glare. "Want me to throw you like how Zaft tossed that smartwatch across the floor?"

Remuel flinched and whimpered like a cornered puppy. "Please don't..." he whispered, holding his arms up in surrender like she was about to pounce.

I scanned the group. Neil and Fei were unusually quiet—too quiet. Their eyes weren't on the cracked smartwatch, but on me. No, more specifically, on my left arm. They must've seen the brief glow—the ominous crimson circuits still faintly pulsing under my sleeve. I could practically feel their unspoken questions hovering in the air like static. Myrrh, Fei, and Neil probably wanted to corner me after this.

But not now. Not here. I had to act normal. Keep it together. Switch the subject.
"Don't mind me," I said, mustering the most casual tone I could. "Let's just go back to our lessons, yeah?"

"That's right!" Dianca beamed, her enthusiasm washing over the tension like sunlight piercing storm clouds. She pumped her fists with a radiant smile. "Fei, I'd love it if you could tutor me in Advanced Calculus! Myrrh, I'm counting on you for Firearms and Ballistics! And Zaft..." she leaned closer with a glimmer in her eyes, "...teach me everything else!"