Chapter 15
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15
I paid a visit to Kinuan for the first time in quite a while. It was my first time seeing him since my stint at the Arena.
Kinuan was reading a paper book, a rare sight in this day and age.
"It seems you've internalized the new combat logic," Kinuan said, looking up at me. He closed the book and set it face-down, hiding the cover.
"Thanks to your guidance, Instructor, I've grown stronger. I could feel the difference clearly when sparring with the other cadets."
"It was a power you already possessed. We merely changed how you utilize it. Think of it as a kind of reallocation and optimization."
I looked at Kinuan, filled with anticipation. In just a single month, my capabilities had noticeably improved. My body itched for more, burning with restless energy. I couldn't wait any longer.
"I want to move on to the next stage."
"...Do you remember the title of the book I just closed?" Kinuan asked out of the blue. I hesitated before answering.
"I don't know."
I only remembered that the cover was blue. Hearing my reply, Kinuan tapped the table. A hologram of a sharp, eye-shaped crest flickered to life.
"In the ancient tongue, Akies means 'sharp eye.' Do you know what that signifies?"
"Insight."
My answer came swift, as if I'd prepared it beforehand. Kinuan's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
It was a simple deduction. The Akies Combat Style was a combat system that maximized insight to assess and optimize oneself, the enemy, and the surrounding environment.
"...Because the core of the Akies Combat Style has always been insight. It has been the beginning and the end all along," I added.
"You've grasped it perfectly, Luka."
Kinuan had never directly spoken about the true nature of the Akies Combat Style. He had always referred to it indirectly, through metaphors and actions.
Piecing together those fragments to learn and approach the style was the very qualification for initiation and mastery.
I felt like I had a vague idea of what the next stage of the Akies Combat Style would be. Kinuan's questions continued.
"Do you remember how many times I tapped the table to activate the hologram?"
I didn't know this either. I hadn't paid any attention to it.
"I don't know."
At my answer, Kinuan tapped the table again to turn off the hologram. He closed his eyes slightly and spoke.
"Your terminal is in your left inner pocket. And your right leg likely has a synchronization error in its nervous system. Get that serviced later. When you entered my office, you opened the door with your left hand, even though you aren't left-handed. That's because you spiked the output of your right arm during this morning's sparring, so it must still be numb."
I unconsciously patted the front of my jacket. Just as Kinuan said, the terminal was in my left pocket. And just as he said, my right arm was still numb from overworking my nervous system.
He's probably right about my right leg's synchronization not being perfect, either.
Even I hadn't recognized my own imbalance. It probably would have taken a few more days for the error to grow large enough for me to realize something was wrong.
Kinuan's observation skills were incredible. He knew my body better than I did.
"Is it the maximization of observation skills this time?"
"Never miss even the smallest detail. We gather tiny clues to see the outline of the whole. Do you remember the question you asked me last time?"
I knew it well. And I still hadn't received the answer.
"You said that even if a fight had broken out in Aleph's office, you would have been able to escape safely, Instructor."
At the time, armed gang members were waiting inside and outside Aleph's office. We were practically unarmed, and no matter how skilled we were, it would have been difficult to escape without getting hurt.
"If a battle had started, I would have lowered my body to get out of the line of fire."
I frowned. It didn't make sense.
"Aleph and the gang members were the ones with the guns. If your first move was to hide, you would have missed your chance to attack and been turned into Swiss cheese."
"You would have seized the opportunity to attack. In that situation, you would have taken a bullet if it meant subduing the gang members and Aleph in front of you."
To be honest, I didn't like Kinuan's answer. The answer I wanted was some clever trick to brilliantly overcome the situation.
"What would you have done if I wasn't there? What if I didn't attack the gang and hid or ran away instead?"
"If you weren't there, I would have avoided that situation in the first place. We would have talked in a crowded place. And the premise of you running away or hiding is absurd. You are a soldier trained to have high aggression. You do not make self-preserving decisions or take self-preserving actions."
He was right. I would have taken the hit and subdued the gang and Aleph somehow.
"In the end, if a fight had broken out, I would have been injured one way or another."
Kinuan was taking my injury for granted. For the first time, I found his face detestable.
"Luka, you're misunderstanding something. The Akies Combat Style is not a miracle or magic that transcends the logic of reality. It cannot make the impossible possible. I have more experience and better judgment than you. In that situation, it was only right for you to act as a shield. You wouldn't have noticed that Aleph's finger was modified into a gun, nor would you have known there was a secret passage behind the left closet."
Noticing my dissatisfaction, Kinuan poured out more words.
"You probably planned to subdue the guards first and then deal with Aleph as he drew his gun. But if you did it in that order, you would have been shot in the back of the head. Aleph can fire a gun just by bending his finger. Only if I hide and get out of the target line can I stop Aleph while you're busy subduing the gang. Do you understand now?"
I couldn't say a word. I hadn't known that Aleph had modified his finger into a gun. That was a variable outside my plans. Naturally, I hadn't known about the secret passage either.
"...I understand."
Kinuan's observation and cognitive abilities were superhuman. Even within the same space and time, he grasped far more information than I did.
And there was something I wanted to confirm here.
"Excessive expansion of cognitive ability causes brain dysfunction, doesn't it?"
Kinuan tapped his temple with his finger.
"Keep this in mind, Luka. The Akies Combat Style is a method that draws upon and overworks all of the brain's available resources. Do you know what this means? It means it cannot be used as the standard combat style of the Imperial Guard."
I flinched as I listened. A chill ran down my spine. I had been missing something all this time. Soon, I realized what Kinuan's words meant.
"You can't use the Akies Combat Style while wearing the Legion! Damn it..."
I couldn't hold back a curse. Once I became an Imperial Guardsman, I would be granted the Legion full-armor prosthetic. When there was an important battle, I would head to the battlefield in the Legion.
To me wearing the Legion, the Akies Combat Style would be completely meaningless.
The Legion full-armor prosthetic, a concentration of the Empire's most advanced technology, couldn't be worn constantly by just anyone. Because it was a prosthetic body that relied on high-bandwidth signals, it required all of the brain's available resources. Even then, one had to plaster auxiliary computing units all over it just to control the Legion. Even for an elite soldier who had trained for a lifetime!
I should have thought of this sooner.
It felt like my past month had become meaningless. I even started to resent Kinuan. Feeling agitated, my breathing threatened to quicken, so I took a quiet, deep breath.
"To an Imperial Guardsman granted the Legion, the Akies Combat Style is a useless technique. Unless it's a special situation."
Acquiring and mastering the Akies Combat Style required both talent and time. It was an absurdly inefficient combat style. At best, it was only slightly helpful in diversifying combat logic.
"Heheh..."
Kinuan's shoulders shook as he chuckled in amusement. He seemed perfectly capable of laughing like that even after seeing my scowling face.
"If I had known from the start that it was incompatible with the Legion, I wouldn't have tried to learn it. It's all... because of my own foolishness."
There was no blaming Kinuan. If I had been just a little sharper, I would have realized the true nature of the Akies Combat Style sooner.
"You really are excellent. Outstanding to a fault. I thought it would take you at least another couple of months to realize."
Even at his candid praise, I couldn't bring myself to smile.
"An Imperial Guardsman doesn't wear the Legion all the time, so learning the Akies Combat Style would still be helpful. However, I don't think it's necessary to master it at the cost of increasing the probability of brain dysfunction."
I said, barely suppressing my anger.
"So, is this the end?"
"Thank you for everything, Instructor Kinuan. I will visit you from time to time."
I said, saluting.
"Luka, if you change your mind, you are always welcome."
That won't happen.
* * *
I didn't visit Kinuan for over a fortnight. Meanwhile, a summons from Imperial Guard Captain Heilas arrived.
It was my first time facing the Imperial Guard Captain in three months. He seemed to be on an extremely busy schedule.
Ilay said there were signs of rebellion within the Empire. That must be why the Imperial Guard Captain is so busy...
Chewing on the memory, I stood before the Imperial Guard Captain's office. I saw the golden sword crest that symbolized the Imperial Guard. It wasn't flashy, but it was exquisite.
Psssshh!
Before I could even operate it, the door slid open. I saluted and looked at the seated Imperial Guard Captain.
"Sit there and wait a moment."
The Imperial Guard Captain's pupils constantly shifted between different colored lights. It meant his communication targets were changing frequently. On top of that, numerous low-security information feeds and communications were displayed as holograms around him.
Is a rebellion really happening?
It was my first time seeing the Imperial Guard Captain this busy. For the past year or two, he had shown up so often at cadet training that I'd even wondered if he simply had nothing better to do.
I sat in the chair and waited for the Imperial Guard Captain to finish his work.
"Luka, how have you been lately?"
The Imperial Guard Captain spoke after catching his breath. The holograms surrounding him vanished all at once.
It was unusual for him to ask how I was doing. I thought for a moment before speaking.
"I've been spending my time on personal training. I haven't received any mission assignments for a long time."
"You won't be receiving any real combat missions for the time being. We've judged that your skills are already sufficient. You're at a level where you can immediately become a combat asset at any time without gaining more experience. Especially at the ruins—you carried out your role to the end even under harsh conditions."
I didn't know if this was good news or a relief. Being recognized felt nice, but being excluded from missions was secretly painful. It meant losing the opportunity to gain combat experience.
"It's nice to be recognized, but I don't know if I should be happy about being excluded from mission deployments."
"Missions will be prioritized for other cadets who need more combat experience. I hope you understand."
"A soldier only follows the decisions of the upper command."
I listened closely, waiting for the Imperial Guard Captain's next words. It was about time to get to the main point. He wouldn't have called me just to talk about this.
"I heard you've been in frequent contact with Instructor Kinuan."
The upper command knew every detail of the cadets' activities. They probably already knew about my visit to the black market in the Lower District and my participation in the Arena.
Because a cadet like me is the property of the Empire.
I was about to answer but stopped. The Imperial Guard Captain continued speaking first.
"Are you learning Akies Victima under Instructor Kinuan?"
The Imperial Guard Captain spoke, even naming the exact style. Learning a combat style not found in the Imperial manual was not exemplary behavior.
Did he call me here just to point out that I'm learning the Akies Combat Style?
Although it was somewhat uncomfortable, there was no real problem. I had no intention of learning the Akies Combat Style anymore anyway.
"I am no longer learning it."
The Imperial Guard Captain's eyebrows shot up. He didn't seem to have expected that I'd already quit.
"Until now, there have been several cadets who tried to learn the Akies Combat Style under Instructor Kinuan. But before long, Kinuan was always the first to give up on teaching them."
My eyes probably wavered slightly. The Imperial Guard Captain didn't miss that sign.
"...If I had to guess, it doesn't seem like Kinuan gave up this time. Did you quit first?"
"The Akies Combat Style is incompatible with the Legion. I thought it was meaningless for someone who will become an Imperial Guardsman."
"You've already figured that much out? Isn't it ironic? When someone lacking talent tries to learn the Akies Combat Style, Kinuan kicks them out first. But those with sufficient talent quickly realize there's no reason to learn it at all. That's why, except for Kinuan, no one has ever mastered the Akies Combat Style."
I felt uneasy. It felt like an unwelcome order was about to fall upon me. This kind of premonition was rarely wrong.
"Do you want me to continue learning the Akies Combat Style?"
"To be precise, maintain a close relationship with Kinuan. To do that, it would be best to continue learning the Akies Combat Style. This is an order."
My eyes widened. It was a form of surveillance. The Imperial Guard Captain was wary of Kinuan. Even though I didn't want to, countless speculations ran through my head.
But I mustn't ask questions. I had to set aside my doubts and follow orders. That was what it meant to be a soldier of the Empire.
Above all, I felt that if I learned the truth, my life would be in danger. After all, the best way to keep a secret is to kill the person who knows it.
"Understood. I will continue learning the Akies Combat Style."
This was the only answer that could come out of my mouth.
"Luka, know that I'm watching you. You're the type to succeed."
The Imperial Guard Captain said.
The type to succeed... I think I'd heard something similar from Kinuan as well.