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Chapter 18
Chapter 18 : It starts now (1)
[Selection personnel convocation.]
Quite a bit of time had passed since the disciplinary review. Strictly speaking, my status was still a Selection personnel candidate, not Selection personnel. Nevertheless, the fact that a convocation order was issued meant that a mission to test greenhorns like me was prepared.
Because of that, I could not take the Nectar yet. It was an item that would inevitably bring about a rampage of the Mana Core, so it wasn't the appropriate time.
‘It is still okay.’
W е b̃ n о̇ v е_l Е́ ñ ǔm̄ a_
The influence of Pollution was continuing even now. It just wasn't noticeable because habitual irritation only surged up while Overclock wasn't activated. I could endure this much as long as no other problems accompanied it.
“I really almost died this time.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Do you know what it feels like not to sleep for three days and nights?”
“It's fortunate since we secured the results.”
At the assembly point, cadets of the upper years belonging to the Selection personnel were also present. The sight of them raising the corners of their mouths and exchanging trivial conversation; their numbers were not that many.
‘The mortality rate of Selection personnel exceeds 50 percent.’
Е̊ n ǔ m̊а̇
The Selection personnel here survived through those odds. The saying that the strong survive is close to the truth. In that sense, they were revealing their value just by existing.
‘But in the end, about half of them will die again before the investiture.’
I don't mean to simply state a statistical fact. I confirmed most of the faces after arriving at the assembly point. Among them, those I couldn't remember properly were exactly about half.
It's awkward to say it myself, but my memory is much better than others. It is a rule that all cadets participate in the investiture ceremony, and I have experienced this in my past life.
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‘If I couldn't recall them, it means their given future is not very long.’
Considering the mortality rate, it was a natural occurrence. However, sometimes there are cases where it is difficult to understand even knowing the result.
Е n̈ um̂а_.i ḋ
“Even if two of us attacked, we wouldn't be able to handle him.”
“Aiden, what did you do in the meantime?”
What I was watching was an unofficial sparring match happening on the spot at the assembly point, a light deviation of boys who couldn't stand their bodies itching for action.
“It would have been different if it was real combat, you know? It wouldn't have been easy if you guys were serious. Still, it feels good to hear praise.”
The person who wiped the sweat from his forehead and showed a smile mixed with acknowledgment was Aiden Ivanov. Information about him could be viewed through the Academy administrative database.
‘From a noble family that has produced scholars for generations, yet maintains the top rank within the upper years along with the highest performance among the Selection personnel.’
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
On top of that, he possessed outstanding skills. I don't know if he wants to act humble or if his personality is actually gentle. The movements he showed just a moment ago were definitely comparable to an active-duty knight.
There aren't many cadets like Aiden who possess ideal conditions in many aspects. As if proving this, the footsteps to build friendship around him did not cease. He must be skilled in interpersonal relationships too. Usually, people call that kind of human perfect.
“More than that, there is someone I want to talk to now.”
Then Aiden glanced at my side and spoke. Until now, no one was paying attention to Selection personnel candidates like me.
We are unverified personnel, probably because they didn't feel the value to do so. It was a practical reaction rather than a cold one.
“If you say so, well...”
Wèbn̄о v êl̆ Е n̆ u m̃ а
“He's so kind.”
“Unexpectedly, he has an eccentric side.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
However, Aiden moved his steps toward me without caring, wearing a good-natured smile. Soon, he stood in front of me and reached out his hand.
“Nice to meet you, I am Aiden Ivanov.”
“I am Jin.”
I held his hand without refusing. I wasn't curious about what business he had with me. There were plenty of elements to be interested in.
Е̇nu ṁå
Interest is always on the positive side. Even more so when it is no exaggeration to say the opponent's investiture is certain. Therefore, it was the same for me that Aiden bothered me.
‘One of those I do not remember properly.’
What this situation tells is simple. Aiden dies before the investiture. The time is probably not far off. If not, he would have left a deep impression on me in some way.
***
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Aiden knew the news related to me. Even how I became a Selection personnel candidate. It is true that it is a move worth taking interest in.
- Hierarchy and order are definitely necessary. However, they should not become tools for oppression or discrimination. So I have a good impression of you. The idea of reform often comes from resistance.
W ё b̃ ǹ о v̈ ѐl Е ń ùm̀ а
Aiden, who took a friendly attitude toward me, spat out words like a foolish idealist to put it badly. If my mind were close to a boy, I would have felt charmed.
However, the current me was not naive enough to be lured by schematic justice. The ideology Aiden expressed cannot change the world. At least the future I know is not much different.
‘Still, he would have become a decent knight.’
If he could have been invested, that is. Aiden's death was a determined fate. Perhaps he might have been held back by such weakness at a critical moment.
Well, it would be better to stop this story here. For me, who has my own fish to fry, worrying about others is no different from luxury. And I am far from luxury.
“It's the first time having a conversation just between the two of us like this. I was so distracted. How are you these days, Cadet Jin?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Not bad.”
Along with a perfunctory answer, I made eye contact with the middle-aged man sitting opposite. Selection personnel candidates like me had to have an interview time with the Principal as a formality. Since we are in a position to officially go on our first mission.
“Unlike what I heard, it seems you have a side that isn't honest.”
“I also choose people, you see.”
If he heard about me, it would have originated from his child, Rieta. If I revealed the same honesty as back then, it would be arrogance. Actually, it just popped out slightly just now too.
“Hahaha! So being honest was correct!”
Ẅе̇ b n о̊vе̌ l̆ Ĕn ûmā
It was a hearty laughter that didn't match the position of a Principal. Should I say it feels more like a bandit than a knight? There would be no reason to feel awkward about this anew.
“I apologize. It would be better to correct the question. I am not asking about your daily life. I asked if you received proper help regarding the suppression method of Pollution.”
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Hausen spoke while maintaining the smile on his lips. This time, instead of a perfunctory answer, I decided to continue the conversation through the buried question.
“So it wasn't a coincidence that Ian took the temporary instructor position.”
“Because coincidence is, in the end, inevitability created by repeated karma.”
Hausen would have been watching me as much as Yuri. And at the point where the method of suppressing Pollution became necessary, Ian coincidentally appeared.
Е̌nù m̈ӓ . ì d̀
I am sorry, but if it were Instructor Jugli, he wouldn't have been able to teach me this quickly. Hausen, who knew that, seemed to have intervened implicitly.
‘That means he knows the fact of Ian and Instructor Jugli's Pollution.’
Were Hausen and they close? Based on memory, they weren't. Of course, since I am not close enough to know everything about Hausen, it would be difficult to be certain.
“What is the relationship between Ian, Instructor Jugli, and the Principal?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
At my question, Hausen took a sip from the teacup placed on the table and answered.
“You can think of it as a cooperative relationship.”
Еň û m̊а̂
“A cooperative relationship, you say?”
“Because we have a common goal of chasing Simon.”
Simon was mentioned again. If someone of Hausen's level is interested, it wasn't an ordinary matter. Therefore, my curiosity increased even more.
“I need an explanation about the person named Simon.”
“Hmm, it would be proper to tell you that much.”
Along with the answer to my question, the atmosphere of Hausen, who put down the teacup, settled down.
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“I am reluctant to say this, but Simon is a person worthy of being evaluated as a peerless genius. The academic knowledge he left behind is becoming the foundation of Mana Core research today.”
As I guessed, Simon was a Mana Core researcher. However, the expression 'peerless genius' was difficult to understand. If he was a figure of that level, he should have been recorded in the Empire's history.
“Now he has become a sinner.”
“You pinpointed it accurately.”
The fact that he wasn't meant he committed a significant felony.
“A direct wanted order wasn't issued and he was merely erased from the records, but like you said, Simon is a sinner.”
Ӗn̈ǔ m а̊
The wrong actions of someone superior to others possess symbolism. If one is not careful, it could cause doubts about the Empire's control. It was a treatment that made sense to some extent.
“Do you happen to know the group called Del Larte?”
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“Del Larte...”
I knew that name. How could I not know that name? The damn group that brought the beginning of misfortune to Yuri and vanished.
‘...The worst traitors.’
Del Larte were the culprits who murdered Yuri's biological father, Beric Erenroch. They were the cause that created the futile end of the knight called the strongest of the modern era.
Ŵ е̄ bnõ v̀ e l̄ Еnũ m̃ а
“Simon was a member of that group.”
If it was that, I could understand. Hausen was still moving for the revenge of his close friend. That alone would be sufficient as a purpose to chase Simon.
“Does Instructor Erenroch also know?”
“Do you think I would have told her?”
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“She doesn't know.”
If Yuri knew this fact, she would have tried to take the lead. Then I also wouldn't have been ignorant about this information.
Е̂n̄.ūm ӑ ..id
“To make a long story short, I also harbored a suspicion that you, who approached Yuri, might be related to Simon. Because he had a history of collecting orphans from the Lower Sector and committing unethical experiments. He might still be doing the same thing somewhere, and there was no guarantee that you weren't one of those subjects.”
Orphans, who are nothing more than impurities of the street like dried moss stuck in building cracks, do not show even if they disappear one day. They would have been suitable as materials for unethical experiments.
And I am also an orphan from the Lower Sector. Hausen's suspicion was reasonable. There must have been parts that couldn't be taken lightly in many ways.
“Saying you harbored it means you don't anymore.”
“Since my helpers must have judged so.”
Helpers meant Ian and Instructor Jugli. Looking at it, it seemed Hausen didn't intend to simply give help on the suppression method of Pollution through the two from the beginning.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
At the same time, I could vaguely guess the past they possessed. Perhaps, they were some of the orphans mobilized for the unethical experiments mentioned just before.
“The given time is over. I am sorry I couldn't say anything actually helpful for your first mission. To give you belated advice, you have been assigned a quite troublesome mission.”
I ruminated on those words that were like light encouragement. There is an order to things. I pushed the names of Del Larte and Simon into a corner of my consciousness.
And I checked the handed-down first mission. Written on it was the Selection personnel of the upper years who would be deployed on the mission with me.
‘Aiden Ivanov.’
A person who does not exist in the future I know; the name of a figure whose death is confirmed. Perhaps that time might be this mission.
Е n̂uṁа . і d
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