novelraw Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Chapter 37
“Yaaawn. ……This is boring.”
At Dokgo Ran’s words, Famille seemed to think there was no value in bothering to reply and kept her eyes fixed on the tablet in her hand, though inwardly she agreed.
‘It’s already been two weeks.’
Even though Jin Crow had left the academy without a word to serve as an admissions auditor, daily life flowed on without anything particularly unusual.
The cadets seemed satisfied just to be receiving lectures from the relatively lenient Deputy Instructor Ginatio instead of the sensitive Jin Crow, and the instructors likewise appeared pleased that Jin Crow had taken on the generally avoided role of admissions auditor.
“…….”
However, when Jin Crow failed to return even after the one week that had been announced in advance by the instructors’ department had passed, the atmosphere gradually began to feel strange.
‘No, it’s not that he hasn’t returned. He couldn’t return.’
The instructors kept quiet about it, but cadets were cadets.
All of them were carefully selected elites, and not a few were children of so-called prestigious families.
In other words, cadets who knew enough had already realized that something had gone wrong.
‘Atla Colony.’
Calculating an angle where she wouldn’t be noticed by Ginatio, who was standing on the podium lost in thought, Famille hid her tablet and skimmed through information related to the colony Jin Crow had supposedly headed for.
‘There’s definitely some kind of information control going on…….’
Previously, in cases like Aurum Planet or Rermal Planet, information control had been lax due to the sudden anomaly known as Creatures, but this time, virtually all information was being thoroughly censored.
Because of that, Famille briefly considered connecting to the darknet, then shook her head.
‘There’s no need to leave a blemish just out of curiosity.’
No matter how personal the tablet was, the location data of the Central Special Service Academy would be recorded.
If that happened, it could inadvertently attract the attention of darknet divers.
Getting entangled with them would obviously be a hassle, so rather than uselessly tapping at her tablet, Famille chose to scan the faces of the cadets gathered in the lecture hall.
“Yawn.”
“Should we go to the store later?”
“After we see Instructor Yang first.”
Whether Instructor Jin Crow’s return was delayed or not, the cadets didn’t seem to care much.
Most of them even looked as if they welcomed it.
However, those who caught Famille’s eye did not fall into that ‘most.’
“Ah, I want to hit someone. I want to spar~.”
“Don’t say that so loud.”
“Ah~. I want to spar~.”
First of all, Dokgo Ran, who was smashing and rubbing her head against the desk, could be excluded since she was originally a thoughtless kid.
“So, what happened? Huh? That kind of…….”
Hino Kanae, having apparently used even her family’s information network, received something from the guard cadets she always kept at her side, her eyes widening.
Soon, she seriously furrowed her brows, then, as if anxious, almost bit her fingernails before showing an ‘oh crap’ expression—an unmistakable airhead.
Who would believe it?
That that woman was the successor and eldest daughter of the famous ‘Hino family.’
Famille let out an involuntary snort of laughter and shifted her gaze.
In truth, the most eye-catching ones were over here.
“…….”
“…….”
Miel Amber, with an appearance like a squirrel.
And Baek Hwi-young, with ash-gray hair, who originally had little presence but had been catching the eye frequently these days.
Though they looked quiet on the surface, Baek Hwi-young seemed anxious as he pondered something over the past few days, and Miel trailing after him while watching his mood had become good gossip for kids in their prime.
That was because both of them fell into the category of being attractive.
Of course, Famille had no interest in that sort of thing.
‘But why on earth do they all look so serious?’
Frankly speaking, even if something had happened to Jin Crow, it had little to do with the cadets.
At most, a lecture or two would get canceled.
‘Well, what does it matter.’
However, Famille soon brushed it off as nothing.
Worrying wasn’t a flaw, after all.
What mattered right now wasn’t their reactions or emotions.
Tap-tap-tap-.
Her fingers moved busily without pause.
As could be seen from Instructor Ginatio standing quietly on the podium, they were in self-study.
‘I should at least study.’
Even with midterms approaching, self-study during a newly established course was rare.
Still, it was understandable.
Since Jin Crow, the key figure, had already failed to return for two full weeks beyond the promised period, there was probably no other choice for Ginatio as the deputy instructor.
“Yawn…….”
“Ugh. This is so boring.”
How much time had passed studying another subject while using the surrounding whispered chatter and Dokgo Ran’s whining as white noise?
Beep-beep-.
In the lecture hall, which had sunk into a low quiet, a watch alarm rang.
The cadets turned their heads, looking for the poor soul who would be scolded, but disappointingly, the source of the sound was the podium.
“……Th-this is?”
Instructor Ginatio first looked down at his watch with indifferent, perhaps slightly dazed eyes.
Then, wearing a strange expression that was both smiling and sighing, he left the lecture hall without a word.
“Hm?”
“What was that?”
Naturally, the clueless cadets blinked and looked at one another, but there was no way any of them could know why Deputy Instructor Ginatio was acting that way.
It was quiet for a moment, but sure enough—
“Guh……. Ah. I’m going to die of boredom.”
“They could at least let us borrow the simulation room.”
“Midterms are coming up soon. There probably wasn’t any space.”
“Want to spar after this ends?”
As one, then two people started talking, the lecture hall quickly grew noisy, and Dokgo Ran’s eyes sparkled as she raised her hand.
“Me too! Spar with me!”
“Hey, hey. Lower your gaze.”
“I said I’ll control my strength this time, okay? Huh?”
When it became so noisy that it could no longer be wrapped up under the name of white noise, Famille seriously considered flipping the lecture hall upside down for a moment, then shook her head.
If she got angry here, how would she be any different from Dokgo Ran sitting beside her, looking for prey?
Thinking that, just as she was about to grab her tablet again—
Creeeak-.
The door to the lecture hall that Deputy Instructor Ginatio had exited earlier opened, and a man walked in.
“……What a mess.”
Naturally assuming it was Deputy Instructor Ginatio, the cadets who turned their heads a bit late had no choice but to freeze on the spot.
Thud, thud…….
The dull sound of military boots struck the ground.
A heavy air unlike before swallowed the lecture hall, and even those cadets who still hadn’t grasped the situation realized that something was wrong and turned their heads.
All eyes gathered on the man standing on the podium, and behind him, Deputy Instructor Ginatio followed in with a slightly awkward expression, looking at the man on the podium with a subtle expression that was both glad and not glad.
“Every cadet who was talking just now.”
A mid-low voice that seemed to carry the ring of metal.
Moreover, despite clearly having black eyes, there was a sharp glint in his gaze.
Sweeping his eyes over the cadets with an impression that had grown even sharper than two weeks ago, as if he had been through something, Jin Crow spoke.
“Five demerit points.”
That his voice sounded particularly devilish was probably not just their imagination.
“……You’ve worked hard, Instructor Jin Crow.”
Ideale personally brewed tea and set it in front of Jin Crow, and Jin Crow nodded and responded.
“There was a lot of work.”
No matter how much the position of admissions auditor was shunned, this time it had gone too far.
Stopping a coup, or facing a Penta Gear–class rebel general, hadn’t been part of the assignment.
Ideale, having already been briefed on the rough situation as the head of the Central Special Service Academy, couldn’t refute that.
Because of that, instead of answering, she silently nodded and took a sip of tea.
“…….”
“…….”
How long did that uncomfortable silence continue?
In the end, the one who couldn’t endure it and spoke first was Ideale.
“The merit of executing the Level 2 wanted criminal Liberto has been recognized, so you’ll soon be awarded the Level 2 Iron Cross Knight Medal. Of course, it may be a trivial reward for an instructor.”
If he had been captured alive, even Level 1 might have been within reach, but she knew well that it hadn’t been feasible.
Of course, despite calling it trivial, the Level 2 Iron Cross Knight Medal was quite a high rank.
Moreover, she had also been able to grant what he wanted as a reward.
“The 15th Fleet that was deployed in the suppression operation has transferred five Pawn Creature corpses collected as specimens. If you want, I’ll arrange it so they can be used for practical training starting tomorrow.”
“That will be enough.”
At this point, it could be said that she had shown all the sincerity she could.
Any further consideration or courtesy would only draw unnecessary attention.
Jin Crow finished the tea remaining in his cup, stood up, straightened his slightly rumpled uniform from sitting, and gave her a brief bow.
Just as he was about to leave the office like that—
“Ah.”
Unlike Jin Crow, Ideale, who was slowly finishing the tea left in her cup, added as if something had just occurred to her.
“It must be exhausting right after your return, but how are the preparations coming along?”
“Preparations for what?”
“……Good thing I asked.”
Murmuring like that, Ideale manipulated the hologram placed on the desk in her office and brought up a neatly organized academic schedule.
“Midterms are coming up soon, so organize the related materials and deliver them to the instructors’ department.”
At her words, Jin Crow realized he had almost forgotten something important, bowed his head a bit deeper than before, and stepped out of the office.
Creeeak, thud.
After Jin Crow left like that, Ideale, now alone in the office, stared for a moment at the spot he had departed from and muttered.
“……Was he very angry.”
As expected, the office was filled with the distinctive, irritable psionic energy he had left behind.
After Jin Crow and Military Police Obia Timist returned, the Central Special Service Academy continued its daily routine like any other day.
“Again.”
“Aaaagh!”
Of course, since an ordinary day at a special service academy was far more grueling than the daily life of other academies, it was sheer hell for the cadets.
Kwaaang!
With a loud explosion, a cadet spewed blood as he was sent flying through the air and slammed into the wall.
At that, Yang Jinlei, the male instructor with a long scar running past his eye, spoke indifferently.
“Miel.”
“Y-Yes!”
At his words, Miel ran over in a flurry to check on the fallen cadet.
“Guhh…….”
At the sight of ribs, as well as arms and legs, twisted unnaturally under the instructor’s merciless blows, tears welled up in her eyes for a moment, but not enough for her to forget her duty.
“Hoo…….”
Taking a short breath, she closed her eyes and extended her hand toward the cadet.
Two small gears within her slowly rotated and meshed together, releasing her unique bright and warm psionic energy.
「Diagnosis」
「Comminuted fracture, contusions, internal bleeding…….」
「First Aid」
Blue lights visible only to her diagnosed the interior without incision, then immediately began treatment.
Ssss-.
From the outside, it looked like she was simply placing her hand on the injured cadet, but the more she sweated, the faster the cadet’s expression improved.
After about a minute had passed—
The cadet had recovered enough to stand on his own, albeit uncomfortably, and Yang Jinlei nodded in satisfaction and said.
“Dismissed. Go to the infirmary.”
“Guh, yes sir. Thank you, Miel.”
“Well, it’s nothing. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Though she shook her head outwardly, Miel’s face was faintly flushed as if she felt good inside, and she ran back out of the sparring area.
Naturally, among the cadets who had been watching, talk was bound to arise.
“……He broke his bones on purpose, right?”
“I saw it. He straight-up stuck his arm out.”
“That lunatic.”
“Well, it’s not like I don’t get it.”
However, the target wasn’t Miel, but the male cadet who had received treatment from her.
Judging by how he left with a grin plastered on his face, it was obvious that he liked her.
“Well, if it’s Miel, that makes sense. She’s super cute, right?”
“Ugh, gross. I feel bad for Miel.”
“But doesn’t Miel have a boyfriend?”
“Ah, that Baek Hwi…… something guy? I heard they’re not dating, just childhood friends?”
“He was handsome. Should I try hitting on him once?”
To the extent that even the female cadets acknowledged it, Miel had few enemies.
No, more precisely, it felt like even if they were jealous, they couldn’t be open about it.
‘Miel. Miel Amber.’
Though it was a Dual Gear, that rare healing-type ability, combined with a cute and lovely appearance and even a timid personality.
‘She’d be pretty fun to play with.’
Chance Marbre, the eldest son of the former Marbre baron family that had defected to the Human Composite State during the First Galactic War, and the current head family of Marbre, rolled her name around in his mouth and forced away an ugly smile.
“Next. Chance Marbre.”
“Yes.”