novelraw Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Chapter 42
When midterm season began, the most crowded place was invariably the convenience store…… in front of the library.
There were cadets who had come out to briefly fill their hungry stomachs after studying for a while, but most of them were combat-type cadets who had followed the ability-type cadets to the library, then half given up and were stuffing snacks into their mouths instead.
“Ughh.”
And Dokgo Ran, too, was sitting among them with a half-dead look on her face.
Famille, who had come out after studying all night at the library, spotted her and approached with a snort of laughter as she spoke.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m screwed…….”
She was slumped over like wet seaweed, which was rare.
Of course, her mouth was smeared with whipped cream she hadn’t managed to wipe off, probably from eating several pieces of whipped cream cake.
Creak-.
Famille suppressed the urge to retort inwardly, ‘Was there ever a time your exams didn’t go to hell?’, and sat down across from her.
“Seriously, aren’t the instructors crazy? Why are the questions so hard?!”
“Well. Isn’t that just an intelligence problem on your end?”
Ah, damn it, she couldn’t hold it in.
But fortunately, whether she hadn’t heard it, or whether it didn’t faze her because she heard it all the time, she didn’t flip the table.
Because of that, just as Famille was about to say that this alone was evolution enough.
Tap.
Famille suddenly lifted her head and met Dokgo Ran’s dark crimson eyes, which were staring at her with a resolute expression.
“……W-why, why?”
For a moment, she almost pulled her hands back, thinking she might get thrown over like this, but she hesitated at Dokgo Ran’s unusually serious expression.
“Help me.”
“With what?”
But inside, she immediately felt a bit of anticipation.
What kind of crazy nonsense was she about to spew this time?
“Let’s raid the instructor division……!”
“Shut up. Please.”
Should she say ‘as expected’?
Famille cut off Dokgo Ran’s blatant nonsense cleanly, stood up from her seat, and ordered a cup of black tea at the convenience store café.
What was fortunate, at least, was that Dokgo Ran, who on a normal day would have caused a ruckus asking why they couldn’t even stage a coup together as friends, surprisingly let it go without much fuss.
Yeah, no matter how out of it she was, surely she couldn’t have been serious about raiding the instructor division.
“Fine. I’m an idiot for expecting anything. I’ll just do it myself…….”
“…….”
No, thinking about it now, maybe she really hadn’t come to her senses.
Famille took the black tea handed to her by a tall android and walked back toward Dokgo Ran, who was still planning instructor-division terrorism.
‘It tastes good.’
She always felt this way, but the black tea at the café in front of the library didn’t taste bad at all.
It had depth from proper brewing, and the amount was fairly generous.
Sipping the rather satisfying black tea, she tuned her ears to the conversations of the surrounding cadets instead of Dokgo Ran.
“The theory’s a lost cause, sure, but what about practicals? Combat-types always have sparring.”
“Well, what can you do. We’ll end up owing the healing-type kids again this time.”
“True. It’s rough. They’re always pale as ghosts after class.”
“We just end up with a few broken bones, but I heard they really scrape out every last bit of their psionic energy when they use it. So…….”
There was the combat-type way of thinking that classified broken bones and internal bleeding as merely minor injuries.
“Hey, did you hear that rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“They say if you mark number three this time, you’ll hit the jackpot.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. There’s history and reasoning behind it…….”
There were also cadets preaching about just guessing and going to sleep, mixing in all sorts of pointless chatter.
If there was one thing they had in common, it was that most of them were saying they had messed up the exam.
That, at least, was a blessing in disguise.
Of course, that applied to Dokgo Ran, not Famille.
“Hoo.”
After finishing her black tea, Famille rose from her seat, and Dokgo Ran blinked at the sight.
“Where are you going?”
“To study.”
“Huh? Don’t you only have combat practicals left now?”
At that question, Famille swallowed down the surge of irritation and resentment, curled the corners of her mouth upward, and spoke.
“……Because of you, I’ve got one more lecture added.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Dokgo Ran realize she had forgotten the most important thing, and her face went pale.
“It’s tomorrow. Instructor Jin Crow’s exam.”
“I-I’m really screwed…….”
Dokgo Ran collapsed right where she was, recalling the spicy taste of penalty points.
“Hoo.”
Miel Amber took a short deep breath, then entered the classroom.
Since it wasn’t that late, there were already quite a few cadets seated inside, but Miel, with slightly quickened steps, sat down as usual right next to Baek Hwi-young.
“Hwi-young, I’m here.”
“…….”
“Hwi-young?”
“……Huh? Ah, you’re here?”
She’d felt it for a while now, but for some reason it seemed like Baek Hwi-young had been spacing out more frequently lately.
Still, setting that aside, Miel lowered her voice slightly and spoke with a bright smile.
“If I get a good score thanks to the mistake notes you sent me, I’ll treat you at the convenience store, hee.”
Perhaps because her fidgeting face looked quite cute.
Focus returned to Baek Hwi-young’s hazy ash-gray eyes, and he snorted softly as he nodded.
“Why does theory even exist……?”
“To filter out cadets like you.”
“……Follow me to the sparring hall after this.”
Then there were Dokgo Ran and Famille bickering afterward.
“Miss, the gaze of that guy earlier—Shangs or Changs or whatever his name was—was disrespectful. Shall we deal with him?”
“It’s fine. Those kinds of looks aren’t exactly rare. If it gets worse, it won’t be too late to take care of it then.”
Hino Kanae and her escort cadets were having a somewhat chilling conversation.
“……Hmm.”
When even Beatus, quietly reading a small notebook, entered the classroom, it wasn’t long before Instructor Jin Crow and Assistant Instructor Ginatio walked into the classroom.
Tuk, tuduk-.
Eventually, Jin Crow stepped up onto the podium, lightly tapping it as he swept his gaze over the cadets.
The cadets were already seated with one seat between each of them, so he opened his mouth right away.
“The exam time is two hours. This instructor will supervise from the front, and the assistant instructor from the back. If cheating is detected…….”
Swoosh, his hand tugged lightly at the tightly fastened black necktie, and then he swept back his slightly disheveled hair as he continued.
“I’ll leave it to your imagination.”
Jin Crow had merely quoted something an assistant instructor used to say during his military days because he couldn’t think of anything appropriate, but to the cadets, there was no threat more terrifying than that.
Especially when, on top of that, rumors had recently been spreading that he had smilingly torn off the head of a Class-2 wanted criminal, Liberto, and even played soccer with it.
Of course, Jin Crow added indifferently.
“And cadets who submit early should check the practical exam groups posted outside the classroom and assemble at the central sparring ground by 4 p.m.”
At the words “practical exam groups,” the cadets could only tilt their heads in greater confusion, but since Assistant Instructor Ginatio was already handing out the exam papers, there was no time to think further.
[11 : 59]
With the exam papers placed face down, everyone waited for time to pass.
And finally, when the clock hanging above the podium pointed to twelve, the cadets, without anyone prompting them, flipped over their exam papers to read.
「Read the following passage and answer the question.
[Question 1]
[Passage]
Creatures are a species first observed on the colonial planet Area 121. At the time of discovery, they were identified as a species similar to the alien race ‘Triton,’ which went extinct in Space Calendar Year 22, but continued research has established the prevailing theory that they are a more advanced and distinct entity.
After opening the first Void Rift, Creatures deployed a type of bio-vessel known as the Void Turtle…….」
At that moment, silence drifted among the cadets.
Without exception, eyes darted around, and the same thoughts crossed their minds.
‘W-what is this even saying?’
‘Did we learn this?’
‘No, we did learn it, but…… this is way too hard!’
So much so that even Beatus and Famille, who ranked fairly high, and Kanae as well, stared at Jin Crow standing on the podium in bewilderment.
Jin Crow, meanwhile, simply watched them in silence without saying a word.
‘H-how are we supposed to solve this?’
Meanwhile, a combat-type cadet sitting in the very back row, Walker Bitrant, bit his lip hard at the problem that made him dizzy just looking at it.
But even so, he couldn’t give up.
Because his combat practical score was low, he had no choice but to score high on the theory exam just to barely avoid repeating a year.
The paper used for the exam had subtle processing that made it impossible to see unless you were the person taking it, but to a superhuman, that wasn’t much of an issue.
-If it won’t work, make it work.
Wasn’t that a deeply inspiring maxim etched into soldiers’ hearts since long ago?
Of course, that didn’t mean relying on tools that would leave evidence and make it easy to get caught—only amateurs did that.
Glance-.
He rolled his eyes, searching for a suitable target.
‘Miel Amber.’
He owed her a lot as a combat-type cadet already, but today, he would have to get help again.
He would repay this favor someday, no matter what.
Just then, Instructor Jin Crow’s gaze turned to the right, and Assistant Instructor Ginatio passed by as well.
In that instant, Walker immediately twisted his body slightly and raised his upper torso, creating a situation where he could barely see her exam paper, then slowly and precisely rotated his Gear to enhance only his eyesight.
‘The answer is……. the transformed form of the corrosive spike…….’
As expected of Miel Amber, who always made him feel at ease just by looking at her, her answer was perfectly clear and precise.
But perhaps because he was too focused on checking the answer.
At some point, he failed to notice the black shadow cast behind him.
Tap-.
The heavy sensation of a leather glove pressed down on Walker’s shoulder, and instinctively sensing killing intent, he slowly raised his head to identify the owner of the looming shadow.
“H-hiiik!”
Walker Bitrant turned pale and began to tremble, and Jin Crow, who looked down at him with a contemptuous gaze, narrowed his brow as he spoke.
“Failing grade for cheating. Ten penalty points. Assistant Instructor Ginatio.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“Contact the Military Police and tell them to drag this piece of trash away.”
“Ah-.”
Walker Bitrant opened his mouth to deny it reflexively, but he soon recalled the recent rumors circulating around the academy about Jin Crow and was forced to shut his mouth.
‘Jin Crow tears people apart.’
After he was dragged out, pale-faced, Jin Crow swept his gaze over the frozen classroom and said.
“No one’s pen is moving.”
Scratch scratch…….
And all the cadets could do was bury their heads in their exam papers and solve the problems.
“Haa…….”
“Whew, this is driving me crazy.”
After the exam, which had felt like walking on thin ice, finally ended, and Assistant Instructor Ginatio collected the exam papers and answer sheets and left together with Instructor Jin Crow, the sound of pent-up breaths being released echoed through the classroom.
“How was it?”
“Don’t even ask. Why were the questions so hard?”
“I’m screwed. Still, since it’s a linked course, maybe that’s a small relief…….”
Most faces didn’t look good, but surprisingly, there were quite a few cadets with fairly calm expressions as well.
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, one cadet spoke.
“Didn’t he say to gather at the central sparring ground by 4 earlier?”
“Right.”
Didn’t he say the practical exam groups were posted outside the classroom?
One by one, the cadets stood up from their seats and headed outside.
“How was it?”
“Eh, so-so. You?”
“Thanks to you, it went well. By the way, Walker? I kind of felt sorry for him…….”
Baek Hwi-young chuckled at Miel Amber’s chatter as she looked toward the back door of the classroom where Walker Bitrant had been dragged away.
Why did he always get caught after such sloppy cheating?
Still, since Baek Hwi-young remembered him eventually maturing and showing a more soldierly demeanor later on, he roughly agreed with Miel and stood up from his seat.
Then Miel smacked her small lips and spoke.
“Going to check the practical exam groups?”
“Yeah.”
This exam wasn’t much different from what he remembered.
If that was the case, then the combat practical was probably…….
‘A simulation room.’
However, since he always remembered it being individual, there was something that felt a bit odd.
But soon, after leaving the classroom and seeing the practical exam group list posted on the wall, Baek Hwi-young dropped the bag he was holding and had no choice but to stare at the back of Jin Crow, who had already grown distant down the hallway.
「Combat Practical Exam Group Assignments」
Support-type cadets have been excluded.
[Group 1]
Yuseolye, Admin Win, Jason Powell, Ryu Cheng, Nikita Fright
[Group 2]
Baek Hwi-young, Hino Kanae, Dokgo Ran, Famille Demezear, Beatus.
……omitted……
----
‘Knights of the Stars?’
They were names he knew all too well.