Stray

Chapter 156: Trouble

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Nemo shook his head, and finally shook off the last trace of drowsiness.
He wiped his face and stood up straight, then he found that he could only look down at Hayden, who made a very obvious shrinking movement.

So Nemo sat back on the edge of the bed again and raised his head slightly.
“Go ahead.”

“First— First of all, I’m very sorry.” Hayden stared hard at the print on the carpet.
“During the ceremony, I had a wrong view of you.
You have a lover.
I’m really sorry.
I… I thought…”

“What?” Nemo was at a loss for a few seconds before reacting.
At the beginning of the ceremony dinner, when Hayden saw his face clearly for the first time, there was indeed a subtle alienation in his expression.
“Uh, don’t worry.
This isn’t something that needs to be apologized for.”

“No.” Hayden’s tone unexpectedly hardened a bit.
“I have to apologize.
You see, you noticed it too, didn’t you? I hate prejudice, but I also…” His voice became smaller, and in the end, it almost turned into a vague grunt.

“Okay, I forgive you,” Nemo responded solemnly.
“I have to wash up, Hayden.
If you have anything else—”

“Yes.” Hayden buried his head even lower.
“That… It’s actually a little hard to say, but… Uh…”

“Please just say it.” Nemo’s expression was a bit complicated.
Nurses should be regarded as the assistants to healers who faced with all kinds of bloody tragedies on the battlefield.
If Hayden Wilhelm behaved like a frightened turtledove, he was unsure whether the other party was really suitable for this major.

“When you’re not with your boyfriend can you try to act with me as much as possible?” Hayden said in a mosquito-like voice.
“Uh, I mean, just go to class together, okay? I ran out of my own money and couldn’t afford to hire a guard.
Five silver coins a day.
If you don’t think it’s enough, I can add more… And, if your boyfriend cares, just treat it as if I didn’t ask.”

Nemo was taken aback.
His gazed crossed the bruise on his opponent’s forehead, and he vaguely guessed in his heart.
“No need to give money.
Of course, we can go together.
It’s just a trivial matter.
Do you know Clementine well? If so, I have a lot of questions to ask you.”

“Thank you.
Thank you so much, Nemo.
I still have a bit of research to do on this place, but just ask me if you have any questions.” Hayden’s eyes were flushed, and he nodded vigorously.
“I’m ready.
Then I’ll wait for you to finish washing?”

He rushed back to his half of the room, as if Nemo would change his mind in the next second.

Nemo shook his head helplessly.
The logistics major needs to go out for group training at six in the morning for breakfast.
He didn’t know if it was because most of the nursing major was female, but training time for nursing was before dinner.
Oliver should have just arrived at the training ground right now.

He finished washing quickly and picked up the textbooks he needed today.
After half-instructing and half-threatening Bagelmaurus, Nemo slowly changed into his white uniform.
When they officially went out, Hayden stuck behind him like his tail while still shaking his head.

Bypassing the corridor of the dormitory, Nemo began to wonder if the other party was using him as a shield— Countless curious or contemptuous glances came over and most of them were completely blocked by him.

The closer they were to the part of the castle that belonged to the nursing profession, the denser the gazes.
It was just that most of these young people have never been outside.
Nemo was baptized by Adrian Cross’ icy gaze in their initial task, so he didn’t intend to take this lack of momentum of contempt to heart.

‘What are we having for lunch today?’ Nemo carried his breakfast bread and thought seriously.
Seeing that he was close to the classroom, Hayden finally dared to stick his head out and cautiously walked side by side with Nemo.

One of the two was wandering, while the other looked down at the tip of his shoe and walked in the corridor as if he was a ghost, paying no attention to the noise around him.
Until there was a loud noise— Nemo subconsciously looked sideway, and his short new roommate was gone.

Hayden was sitting on his back to the floor; the books he was holding in his arms scattered all over the place.
The person that knocked him down wasn’t a man, but a very beautiful girl.
Her figure was exceptionally plump and tall, accentuated by the nursing uniform, and she stood firmly in place, looking down at Hayden who was on the ground.

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The temperament of the beautiful girl was extremely cold.
Her face was full of subtle anger and disgust, as if a giant slug was falling to the ground.

Nemo didn’t know who hit who for a while.
According to Hayden’s way of walking, his roommate could probably bump into an elephant smoothly, so he decided to remain silent for the time being and squatted down to help Hayden pick up his books.

The girl snorted coldly and went straight past them, followed by a tall young man.
He casually poked Hayden, who had just stood up with his finger and cause the latter to fall to the ground again.
“Pay attention next time you walk, little girl.
I can see that you’re not really interested in women.
I heard you’re in the same dorm as this little boy.
What, did he give you some special service?”

He didn’t even bother to hide the sarcasm in his tone.

“She bump into me first,” Hayden murmured in a low voice.
“Don’t say that about Nemo.
He has a lover…”

“What kind of lover?” The uniform of the young person was the cloth armor of the combat major.
It stood to reason that the students of the combat department shouldn’t be here at the moment.
“It’s just a mere logistics over there.
Except for the face, there’s nothing to be gained.
What kind of ‘lover’ are you talking about?”

Nemo raised his eyebrows.
Hayden got up silently again and patted Nemo’s arm.
“Let’s go.”

“Oh, I think this gentleman should apologize.” Nemo stuffed the book he picked up into Hayden’s arms.

“Why? Because I ‘insulted’ your lover? It’s clear that he entered such place— I wonder if his techniques are particularly good? This is really…”

“No, no you misunderstood,” Nemo said calmly.
“I mean you should apologize to Mr.
Wilhelm.
I saw you jabbing him with your finger— As for Ollie, please don’t mention his techniques.
If I made a list of reasons of why I like him, that would definitely be at the bottom of the list.
To be honest, I really don’t mind your bullshit.”

For a while, both the perpetrator and the victim looked at him speechlessly.

“Ha! You—” the warrior’s hand was halfway stretched out and his wrist was firmly grasped by a pale hand.

“Apologize,” Nemo smiled and lowered his voice slightly.

The warrior struggled in disbelief a few times but found that his hand remained motions.
There was an absolutely power gap.
He felt a little sore for a moment, as if it wasn’t a hand that was holding his wrist but a highly poisonous snake.

“Sorry, Mr.
Wilhelm,” he said bluntly, pausing with every word.

“This is over.” Nemo let go of his hand.
“Have a nice day, gentleman.”

The warrior snorted coldly and quickly turned and left.
Nemo shook his hand and turned his head.
The way his roommate looked at him was like looking at a monster.

“You…” Hayden shivered even more.
“He…”

“My hands are stronger,” Nemo coughed.
“Don’t worry.
After all, now that I have become the well-known ‘little white face’, he won’t preach this kind of thing everywhere.”

Hayden let out a trembling breath.

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When they officially entered the classroom, Nemo saw the beautiful girl again.
She was sitting in the first row of the hall, and still had a cold expression on her face.
Nemo sighed and chose a remote corner with Hayden.
The strange thing was at this moment, the hall was full of girls in white uniforms, but they seem to completely ignore their existence as if they weren’t alive, and they all have nasty looks in their eyes.

This was the case for the whole hour of class.

“In general— As nurses, the first task is not to save lives and treat injuries, but to share the pressure of the healer.
Abrasions, lacerations, fractures that are not complicated and such… Must be dealt with by you, rather than wasting the precious magic of the healer.” The professor was an elderly man, dressed in a white robe.
His voice was extremely hoarse.
“As a former healer, I would like to tell you that absolutely obeying the healer’s orders is first priority.
When rescuing on the battlefield, please also abandon your useless sentimentality.
Yes, yes, I believe this is an excessive requirement for women—”

He raised his chin and glanced around.
The female nursing students lowered their eyes and was silent.
The professor nodded in satisfaction.

“As civilians, you can enter this college.
I personally appreciate your efforts.” He coughed a few times.
“But this is just the beginning.
Whether you plan to find a husband during your studies, or look for a goal on the battlefield, I’ll treat you equally in schoolwork— Miss Lawler, what’s wrong with you?”

“…Nothing, professor.” The beautiful girl with a cold expression wiped her hands.
She seemed to have accidently broken her quill pen.

“Okay.
That’s all for our first class.
Please take a break for a while.
Wilhelm, White, come here for a second you two.”

Although Nemo could remember everything, in order to behave normally, he still wrote down the main points.
Wilhelm’s hand speed was even faster than him, as his roommate seemed to want to write down every single word that the professor spit out.
Hearing him called their names, the two put down their pens and obediently stepped forward.

This time, the eyes of the other students finally gaze over.

“Mr.
Wilhelm, your father has communicated with the school.
He still wants you to transfer to a healer major.
To be honest, I read your answer sheet.
Although the content of the healer isn’t excellent, it’s passable.
If you consider going to—”

“No.” Hayden’s voice was pitifully low, but very firm.
“Thank you, professor.”

“I suggest you think about it.
After all, compared to nursing, healers have a much longer life span in terms of social status and occupation.”

“No,” Hayden just repeated in a low voice.

“I respect your decision.” The old professor shrugged.
“Then it’s your turn, Mr.
White.
You got full score on the part of abyssal magic pathology.
The professor over there is very interested in your perspective.
Have you ever considered transferring to a research-related major?”

“What?” Nemo was a little confused.

“You didn’t read the transcript, did you? A letter should’ve been placed on the desk in your room.” The old professor took off his glasses and wiped them carefully.
“With all due respect… If you don’t understand the nursing major, or the number of recommended places is limited, and you want to use this as a springboard, I understand very well, but if you want to stay here, I suggest you… Ahem, don’t be so arrogant.
It’s best to cherish your talents.”

Hayden quietly clenched his fists.
Nemo stopped breathing and looked into the hall subconsciously.
The professor’s voice wasn’t small, and the girls in the front row could definitely hear it, but the old man still spat out words like “arrogant” unconsciously.
It didn’t even sound like deliberate irony, but really came from the heart.

“You heard what I said.
These civilian girls squeezed into this profession purely to find an opportunity to break away from their class and catch a wealthy enough husband or lover.
You… Don’t have the same plans, do you, Mr.
White?”

“No, I don’t.” Nemo subconsciously denied and his brain became a little blank.
“I—”

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“Get out!” A cold and angry voice interrupted the conversation causing the professor to frown.

The beautiful girl left her seat at some unknown time and was throwing a bouquet of roses out the door.
“I want nothing to do with you, Leonard.
I didn’t even know you before yesterday.
Don’t follow me anymore!”

“Is my status too low for you?” Another voice that sounded a bit familiar came from the corridor.

“…I want nothing to do with you.
I’ll say it again, get out.”

“You guys go back to your seat first.
When you change your mind, you’ll come let me know.” The old professor frowned and walked to the corridor.
The two took the opportunity to return to a remote corner.

“What the hell is going on?” Nemo asked a little confused.
“Doesn’t the nursing major sound good? What is this evaluation— Speaking of which why don’t you become a healer? Since you can—”

“That’s what my father wants.” Hayden showed a wry smile.
“But I know very well that my magic isn’t that strong.
You also heard today that healers on the battlefield are extremely scarce, and a little more magic can save one more person.
People like me… Just for the face of my family, what would be the difference in killing people?”

“Then why choose nursing?”

“Because I like to help others.” Hayden’s face was a little pale.
“…Don’t look at me like that.
I’m very good at this.
Nemo, I scored second place in the admission score for the nursing major.”

In order to be less dazzling at the beginning, Nemo specifically answered a lot of wrong questions in nursing, but he hadn’t read the transcript, so he continued asking, “Who’s the first?”

“Marilyn Lawler, the one who knocked me down this morning.” Hayden looked at the beautiful girl standing at the door.
At this moment, she had her arms cross and looked angry.
“I can understand why she doesn’t like me.
Nemo, do you want to know why the professor advised you to change your major? In fact, they are all for the same reason.”

“Miss Lawler’s reputation is well-known.
She’s a well-deserved genius in healing magic.
For all treatment-related parts, she got full marks this time… Her professional application was written as a healer.”

“Then why—”

“In Alban, women aren’t allowed to work as healers.
Let’s just say that nursing is the only high-level profession that allows civilian women to enter.”

“……”

“The working life of nursing is usually very short, up to five or six years.
Most of them will find someone they like on the battlefield and get married.
Others take action earlier, finalized the marriage in the college, and won’t even participate on battlefields, but what the professor just said… I don’t agree with it at all.
At least the ones who are desperately fighting on the battlefield, I—I don’t think they are all doing it to ‘break away from their class’, and some may ‘want to’ do it.”

Nemo opened his mouth but the doubt on his face still didn’t disappear.

“Nemo, you come from a small place.
I don’t mean to look down on you.
This difference may not be seen in small places.
After all, most civilian jobs don’t require a work permit, but in a slightly larger place… Uh, for example, here, most of the respected occupations will have work permit requirements.”

“Well, I know this.” But as a black chapter living at the bottom, Nemo had never had an in-depth understanding of this.
Although the Abyssal Church’s collection of books was rich, there weren’t too many records and studies in this area.

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“They can’t do licensed work without the signed permission of their father or husband.”

“Wait, that means…”

“Yes, they are civilians.
Once they get older and their father dies, it’s impossible to have the opportunity to engage in this kind of work again.
Nobles don’t look at girls who are too old, and even if they marry ordinary civilians, they usually can’t get a work permit.
No one wants their wives to work more decently than themselves.”

Nemo suddenly understood the sources of hostility and indifference.
He could even understand that kind of mood; something that was at the fingertips of others but couldn’t be touched by him all his life.

He turned his gaze to the door of the hall.
Marilyn Lawler’s strength was indeed outstanding, at least much stronger than her frivolous suitor.
She had already left the door and was walking to her seat.
Miss Lawler’s eyes were slightly red, and there was a smell of roses emanating from her body.

But she didn’t say a word, and not even a whimper leaked out.

The original relaxed mood suddenly became heavy.
Nemo sighed and decided to talk to Oliver at noon about his disinteresting discovery, but the trouble came faster than he thought.

“I believe everyone has understood the responsibilities of their profession.
Let’s group together.” The last class before lunch was held on the vast lawn behind the college, and the sound amplified by the loudspeaker array wafted across the field.
“In a real battle, an action unit should be 30 people.
Considering that there are not many fatal dangers in the academy, we’ll temporarily form a group of 15 people.”

“There are ten combat units: one defensive and offensive mage, seven fighters, and one commander; five auxiliary units: one healer, two logistics, and two nursing.
Please identify your teammates according to the list and remember their faces.
They will be your comrades-in-arms and relatives this year.”

Nemo looked at Oliver standing opposite speechlessly, who shrugged.
Hayden was still hiding behind him, and Oliver seemed to be with his roommate who stood next to him.

‘Okay,’ Nemo thought.
Without the discovery he found just moments ago, this would’ve been a surprise, not a nuisance.

It was Marilyn Lawler’s frivolous suitor.

“Ollie.” Nemo hooked a hand around Oliver’s neck.
“Don’t look over there.”

“But someone’s walking by— Wait a minute.
You shouldn’t get into trouble on the first day…”

“Sorry.
I couldn’t hold back,” Nemo said with a stern face.
“I have a bad feeling.”

“…Me too.”

The author has something to say：

It’s impossible to live without trouble, they’re bound to it.

Kinky Thoughts:

I see, so it’s a sexist patriarchal system.
It now makes sense why during Ann’s flashback her brother said that her.