Chapter 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3
"You actually endured that to the bitter end? You should've had the sense to just pass out. You really are stubbornly honest, aren't you?"
It was the day after our Pain Tolerance Training ended. Ilay Kartika, who had come to visit me, said something that was hard to tell apart from mockery. It was probably a fifty-fifty mix of both.
"Because it was bearable," I replied shortly, taking a sip of water.
My mouth was sore, and my throat felt like sandpaper. My fingertips trembled intermittently, and I kept losing my balance whenever I tried to walk.
The aftereffects of the Pain Tolerance Training still clung heavily to my body. I would need a few days of treatment and rest to fully recover.
"Haha, that eyepatch actually suits you. I thought a space pirate had walked in," Ilay said, looking at my face.
"Once my nervous system recovers, I'm getting an Artificial Eye implanted. A better model than yours."
During my recovery period, Ilay visited often.
Wearing a refreshing smile, he spoke in a relaxed, gentle tone. He looked more like an administrative bureaucrat than a member of the Imperial Guard.
But his skills are the real deal. I have to admit that much.
Gradually, the gap in skill among the cadets began to widen noticeably.
Ilay and I were the best. This wasn't arrogance or pride—it was simple fact. In almost every training exercise, the two of us took first and second place, or at least fought for the top spots. In terms of overall performance, Ilay was probably a hair ahead of me.
I grew restless during my recovery. I wanted to return to training as soon as possible. The moment I was sufficiently healed, I rushed to get the Artificial Eye implanted. The doctor recommended scooping out my remaining eye to replace it as well, but I refused.
The Imperial Guard Captain is paying for this surgery out of his own pocket.
I had heard the rumors. Gouging out my eye had been an impulsive act on the Captain's part, which was why he was covering the cost of my surgery personally.
...Someone of the Imperial Guard Captain's stature must have money to burn. His family is incredibly prestigious, after all.
Still, I hated the feeling of being unnecessarily indebted to him.
He didn't gouge out my eye out of malice.
It seemed I wasn't the only one who had picked up on the Captain's attitude.
"The Captain seems to have taken quite an interest in you. You've caught his eye," Ilay remarked.
I had felt the Imperial Guard Captain's gaze on me as well. That was why I didn't feel particularly bitter about losing an eye. In the end, it just meant I'd gotten a better eye ahead of schedule—the biological one would have been discarded eventually anyway.
Whirrrrr.
I couldn't sleep properly for the first two days because of the high-frequency hum ringing in my right prosthetic eye. By the third day, the sound faded. My brain and nervous system had completely adapted to the new artificial organ.
"You made it yours much faster than expected. I suppose that's the caliber of an Imperial Guard talent for you," the doctor said with a chuckle, bringing a diagnostic device up to my right eye and tracking the complex movements of my pupil.
Once the examination was over, I looked into the mirror.
Whirrrr.
As I focused my mind, the right prosthetic eye activated, its outer rim glowing brightly. A virtual interface flickered to life on my Retinal Display, overlaying the surrounding environment with augmented reality data.
[Ballistic Prediction: Active]
It was the eye's most crucial feature.
Since there were no firearms nearby, no trajectories were displayed. Even so, a throbbing headache bloomed behind my temples. A massive flood of information was rushing directly into my brain.
My brain was currently expanding and reorganizing its neural pathways to accommodate the newly added function. It would take some time before I could utilize this feature to its full potential.
"Take one of these before bed every night until your system fully adapts," the doctor said, handing me a pill bottle. It was a drug designed to aid neural connection and neurogenesis.
"Thank you."
"Save your thanks for Captain Heilas. I'm just doing what I'm paid to do."
Heilas. It had been a while since I'd last heard the Imperial Guard Captain's name. Since everyone always referred to him by his title, there was rarely any occasion to hear his actual name spoken aloud.
To feel grateful to the man who gouged out my eye... Ironically, I truly did feel thankful. Anyone else hearing this would probably think I was out of my mind.
* * *
Our training entered the third quarter of its second year. In that time, only two out of our forty members had dropped out. As long as they didn't die, most Imperial Guard Cadets completed the four-year training course and became official guardsmen. Attrition was virtually nonexistent.
But the low dropout rate didn't mean the training and curriculum were easy. The Imperial Guard was a notoriously brutal unit, boasting the harshest training in the Empire. We were expected to master everything required of both frontline combatants and commanding officers.
An Imperial Guardsman had to be a versatile, elite soldier capable of becoming an immediate asset in any situation or mission.
"Imperial Guard Cadets are chosen through rigorous selection tests from the very beginning, meaning they only bring in people who can actually survive the training. That's why almost no one drops out. The ones who couldn't hack it and fell behind probably paid a premium to rig their selection test results," Ilay said, aiming his pistol at a target. His pupil, synced with his firearm, was likely displaying a targeting interface.
Slide.
I drew my gun as well. The occasional crack of gunfire echoed from other lanes across the shooting range.
Although the Imperial Guard favored close-quarters combat, we never neglected our marksmanship. A guardsman was expected to handle every piece of imperial equipment and weaponry at an expert level.
"Is it really possible to rig the selection tests?" I asked.
Ilay's smirk widened.
"There's no hard evidence, but the circumstantial proof is undeniable. The Empire's class divide has been set in stone for too long. The illusion of meritocracy is slowly fading. If you have status and wealth, even the most incompetent fool can dress himself up to look like a genius."
"That's a dangerous thing to say, Ilay," I warned him.
To be honest, his bold statement made me uneasy. Was an imperial subject really allowed to speak like that? No matter how prestigious his family was...
Worry?
I let out a bitter chuckle as I pulled the trigger. I suppose we really had become friends. For an orphan like me to be worrying about a young master from a prestigious family...
"And the proof is... Luka, an Irregular like you. There hasn't been a single case of an Irregular failing the Empire's advanced military training. Why? Because you guys can't bribe your way through. Only the truly exceptional make it up here. Honestly, even calling you guys 'Irregulars' in the first place is absurd."
He could only afford to say such things because he had a powerful family backing him. If it were me, I wouldn't dare utter those thoughts aloud even if they crossed my mind. In fact, I had never even considered such ideas before.
That nobles could be incompetent?
The thought had never even occurred to me.
Nobles were superior, while commoners—especially lower-class citizens—were incompetent. The Empire gave every subject a fair opportunity through the selection tests. If someone lived a failed life, it was simply because they were too incompetent to seize that opportunity.
That was the truth I had been fed my entire life. And I was the living proof of it. Despite my lower-class origins, I had seized my chance through the selection test and climbed my way up.
"Luka, I know exactly what you're thinking. But you only got this opportunity because you were undeniably, exceptionally brilliant. Leaving a talent like you outside the house is just asking for trouble. Rather than watching a stray spark grow into an uncontrollable wildfire, they'd rather bring it inside where they can keep an eye on it..."
The crack of gunfire partially drowned out Ilay's voice.
Ilay pulled the trigger in rapid succession. There was still only a single hole in his target; every bullet had passed through the exact same spot.
"...And only when an Irregular like you succeeds from the absolute bottom can the masses accept the current system, blaming their own failures on their own incompetence."
The more I listened, the more dangerous Ilay's words sounded. I felt an instinctive wave of revulsion. My common sense and my worldview refused to accept his claims.
"I could report everything you just said to the upper command right now. Even a member of the Kartika family wouldn't get off easily for that."
Ilay looked at me, his smile never wavering. His finger kept pulling the trigger, his aim flawless even as he kept his eyes fixed on me.
"I know you won't. If you actually intended to, you wouldn't have warned me about reporting it. Thanks for worrying about me, Luka."
Ilay spoke as if he could read me like an open book. It annoyed me. Because... he was right.
* * *
The Akresia Empire had two long-standing arch-enemies: the Bellato Federation and the Kora Holy Nation. They were the two nations that had settled on Planet Novas before the Empire.
"Shallow opportunists who mistake cowardice for wisdom."
That was how they described the Bellato Federation.
"Fanatics of a false faith who whisper of sweet peace and hypocritical justice while preparing for war behind our backs..."
The Kora Holy Nation didn't enjoy a good reputation either. Though, I suppose they were considered slightly better than the Bellato Federation. Not that there was much of a difference.
The Empire despised the Bellato Federation and was hostile toward the Kora Holy Nation. Yet, there was another group we treated with far greater contempt.
Having branched off from the same starting point of Earth's humanity, Bellato and Kora at least had the potential to join hands. It was said they had even formed reluctant alliances in the past. After all, they were still human.
...But alien species, whose very roots were entirely different, weren't even worth acknowledging. It was rare to see aliens within the Empire. Even if an alien fell victim to a crime within imperial borders, they received absolutely no legal protection, nor did they even possess the right to self-defense.
To us, discriminating against aliens was only natural. They had done nothing but try to exploit and deceive the Empire. If you extended a hand in goodwill, they were the type of scum who would chop it off and steal it.
This was the doctrine I had been taught countless times. Yet, let alone an alien, I had never actually seen a citizen of Bellato or Kora with my own eyes.
Today would be the first time I laid eyes on a Korain. But it wouldn't be a pleasant meeting. Blood would have to be spilled. Of course, not ours—theirs.
"Luka and Ilay will each serve as Platoon Leaders. If anyone objects, step forward and fight for the position," the Imperial Guard Captain announced, perched atop a boulder.
Ilay and I stood on either side of him. Before us, the cadets stood as motionless as machines.
The cadets remained silent. No one disputed our appointments as Platoon Leaders.
"Beyond that canyon lies an outpost of Korains who have illegally occupied our territory..."
The Imperial Guard Captain pointed a finger toward the horizon. Letting his voice trail off for a moment, he delivered his final command.
"...No prisoners. Kill them all."
This, too, was part of our training.
Without a word, the cadets split up and gathered around Ilay and me. The only weapons we carried were a close-quarters weapon of our choice and a single pistol.
The pistols we'd been issued possessed so little firepower they couldn't even penetrate a light combat suit. They were essentially meant for suicide or close-range executions.
We made our way along a narrow cliff path. It was a silent march, so quiet we could hear each other's breathing.
We marched for about thirty minutes before taking a brief rest. Without needing to be told, the cadets took turns standing guard.
"Luka, see that? One of our esteemed seniors is watching us from up there," Ilay said, taking a sip of water.
Following his gaze, I stared at the forest lining the top of the canyon.
Focusing my vision, I saw a faint shimmer in the darkness of the woods. The blurry silhouette was unmistakable: the Imperial Guard's standard Legion Full-Armor Prosthetic. It looked like a steel giant standing silently among the trees.
On paper, he was there to protect us. But his true purpose was surveillance.
Surveillance...
What exactly were they watching for? I shook my head to clear the intrusive thought.
Our brief rest ended, and the march resumed.
Before long, we spotted the outpost situated at the top of the canyon. While its front was fortified with a boundary wall, its rear, which backed up against the cliff, was completely open and exposed.
They likely never imagined anyone would scale the cliffside path.
Scritch.
We began scaling the steep cliff face with our bare hands. Battle was imminent.
Kill them all. No prisoners.
I reminded myself of the Captain's order.
Reaching the edge of the cliff, Ilay and I peered over, scanning the area. Below us, the other cadets clung to the rock face, waiting for our command.