Free Web NovelNatasha still didn't know what exactly had happened.
That day, only a few hours after she parted ways with her doll-like roommate, a massive explosion rocked the Main Academic Building.
As the epicenter of the explosion, the Main Academic Building, which had successfully survived the previous matriculation drill, had half of its structure collapse.
The weather-beaten stone bricks, the corridors holding countless students' youthful memories, and the portraits of outstanding graduates on the walls, whose stern gazes followed everyone who passed by.
All of them had now turned into a pile of smoldering rubble.
The distinguished alumni in those portraits probably never imagined they would "graduate" in such a manner.
Graduating from the wall, into the ruins.
The construction of the school gate, which was half-framed, was directly declared to start over from scratch.
Those poor workers had toiled overtime after yesterday's drill, finally laying the foundation, erecting the stone pillars, and outlining the wrought-iron gate.
Then this morning, everything was reset to zero.
The foreman responsible for the school gate's reconstruction was a little late because of an upset stomach that morning, only to see a scene of ruins.
It is said he knelt on the ground and cried on the spot.
Not because he felt bad for the construction materials.
But because he had just reported to his superiors, saying, "Expected completion within three days."
Now it seems the accuracy of that prediction is probably on par with the official explanation of "decades-old, poorly maintained steam pipes."
The Second Training Ground, used for mech simulation training and closest to the Main Academic Building, was utterly annihilated.
Those valuable simulation equipment, precise control panels, and the newly upgraded spinal connection systems.
All of them had now become a pile of twisted metal and scorched wires.
The academy's financial director reportedly fainted upon receiving the damage report.
His first words upon waking were, "I want to resign."
His second words were, "No, wait, I need to check if'supernatural explosion' is covered in the insurance policy."
Fortunately, as it was the morning of the first day of school, there were virtually no students taking classes in the Main Academic Building.
New students were gathered in the Third Training Ground, further from the main building, being tormented—uh, trained—by instructors in various ways.
And the senior students were mostly in the hangar, inspecting their training mechs, which they hadn't seen all vacation, and exchanging gossip about their holidays.
However, there were still many students injured by the explosion.
The shockwave shattered the glass of all buildings within several hundred meters, and the fragments rained down, cutting many unlucky individuals.
Some students were knocked over by the air blast, ending up bruised and swollen.
Even more unlucky ones happened to be standing next to unstable buildings and were hit by falling bricks and stones.
The only good news was probably that there were no fatalities.
This allowed the academy's high-ranking officials to breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, if a student died on the first day of school, it wouldn't be a problem that could be solved with money.
Of course, no deaths didn't mean no problems.
In fact, the problems were immense.
For example, how to explain this explosion to the public?
But before the students could discuss it for long, the official definition of the explosion was released—
"A steam explosion caused by decades-old, poorly maintained steam pipes beneath the Main Academic Building."
Natasha didn't know how many students believed this explanation.
But she didn't believe a single word of it.
So, she came here.
"Yo, isn't this our commoner genius?" freēwebnovel.com
A weak but still slightly flippant voice came from the bed by the window.
Frederick von Ashford currently looked like a mummy freshly unearthed.
He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, with only one golden left eye and half of his mouth exposed.
The right side of his body was supported by a brace; he seemed to be badly injured.
And on the hospital bed next to him, Reinhardt was leaning on a pillow, struggling to hold his iconic small knife, aimlessly carving a charred piece of wood.
His face was paler than usual, and like Frederick, he was covered in thick bandages, but he insisted on continuing his artistic endeavors.
"Shut up, Frederick."
Natasha unceremoniously tossed the red apple she was carrying onto the bedside table.
"When the instructor said you two were buried on the second basement level, I thought I'd have to attend your funerals."
"Almost, just by a hair's breadth."
Frederick sighed, tried to shrug, but it pulled at his wounds, making him wince in pain.
"If that shockwave had been off by a few more centimeters, what you'd be seeing now would be «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» a red and white abstract painting."
Natasha pulled up a chair and sat down, her gaze sweeping over the two of them.
Her relationship with these two guys was subtle.
Before entering the Royal Knights Academy, due to certain "business dealings" and past conflicts on the border, they had clashed several times and had also been forced to cooperate.
In Natasha's eyes, these two noble scions, though eccentric, were indeed formidable individuals who could be trusted with one's back on the battlefield. freeweɓnøvel.com
"You know what I'm here to ask."
"I went to the site."
"The crater is over fifteen meters in diameter, the soil on the crater walls is vitrified and scorched, and the surrounding stone bricks weren't shattered, they were melted through. Tell me, what kind of steam pipe can cause this effect?"
The ward was silent for a second.
"See, this is why I always say the academy's infrastructure needs upgrading."
Frederick said with a tone of deep distress, "Those pipes are at least thirty years old, and the corrosion is appalling. I remember someone reporting last semester that the basement radiators made eerie screaming noises in winter—"
"Frederick."
"Hmm?"
"I'm not asking about the radiators."
"I know, I'm just helping you fill in the background information."
Frederick blinked his only exposed eye, "As a responsible eyewitness."
Natasha took a deep breath, pressing down on her throbbing veins.
These two scoundrels weren't going to tell the truth.
They owed her a favor and couldn't directly refuse her questions, so they were fobbing her off with this nonsense.
