Chapter 34
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34
Cracia Academy had a professor who was a former Imperial Guardsman. His name was Gid Alban, and he'd settled at the academy to teach self-defense and related subjects.
I was summoned before him.
"Luka, I hear you threw a knife at an academy student?"
"It was a pocketknife. Even if it had hit, it would have left nothing more than a scratch."
"An assault incident is troublesome."
"I had no intention of hurting anyone. My knife wouldn't have missed."
Gid was looking over my personal records. As his eyes moved across my training grades and evaluation metrics, they widened slightly in surprise.
"Look, I understand Cracia Academy isn't a comfortable place for you. But please, exercise some restraint. In other words—don't make things difficult for the adults. You're a smart one, so you know exactly what I mean, don't you? Heilas sent me quite the headache."
Gid muttered under his breath. He didn't seem to have any intention of handing down real punishment or disciplinary action either.
"Understood."
"This is the first time a cadet from the Lower District has been dispatched to the academy. Even I'm curious about Heilas's intentions."
Gid waved his hand, dismissing the hologram. He stared out the window for a moment before continuing.
"You're no different from a wolf dropped in among a flock of gentle sheep. The kids here aren't learning how to fight."
I agreed.
"And yet they all act as if they'll never get bitten by my fangs."
Gid laughed heartily at that.
"As a former Guardsman myself, I like people like you. Your record is spectacular. Excellent training grades, and more than enough real combat experience. You've even earned a Military Medal. With a record like this, Irregular or not, you're bound to succeed. I can see why Heilas dotes on you."
I'd heard such praise so often by now that it didn't move me in the slightest. I simply waited for Gid's next words.
"But in the end, the ones who order soldiers like us around with a flick of the finger are the elite bureaucrats from this academy. To you, these students might look like sheep... but among them are monsters in sheep's clothing. Grotesque monsters far more terrifying than any wolf."
"I'll keep that in mind."
I replied formally. Gid chuckled, as if he hadn't expected much of a reaction anyway.
"...Youthful vigor is all well and good, but be careful not to cross paths with a monster."
* * *
The way the students looked at me had changed. Where before it had been neutral observation, now there was open hostility. Word had spread that I'd thrown a knife at a student—and for the sake of the witch, Barbara, no less.
At lunchtime, I would sit on a bench and eat a quick meal. Always the same spot.
"You've tangled with a troublesome girl, Luka."
Enrico Lagan said, approaching me. His mouth looked like it was itching to explain something.
"Everyone I've met here has been troublesome anyway."
I said dismissively. Enrico hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice,
"By any chance... did you mention me to Giselle?"
"Ah, I did. Giselle remembers you as a good person. From what I could tell, she seemed to be quietly aware of you."
At my lie, Enrico clenched his fist, his face lighting up with pure joy. As if to repay the favor, he began babbling about things I hadn't even asked.
"...The girl you crossed is Calesa Kano."
"I know her name. Her family didn't seem particularly influential, though."
I was familiar with the major families of the Empire.
"On the surface, no. But the Kano family has deep ties to the Lower District. Word is they run gangs behind the scenes and make their money through illegal businesses. You're from the Lower District too, right? You'd better tell your family to watch themselves. They're probably digging into your background as we speak."
"I'm from an orphanage. There's no point digging into my background. I don't have anyone worth worrying about."
I smirked. At most, there was Gabriel, Gilda, and the others from the orphanage. Whether they lived or died was none of my concern. I had no family or acquaintances in the Lower District who could be used as a weakness against me.
"Is that so? Well, be careful anyway. Calesa's the type who can't rest until she's paid back what she's owed. And she absolutely despises Barbara. One of the victims of Barbara's Curse happens to be Calesa's boyfriend."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Then, about Giselle again—"
"I know. I'll bring you up naturally."
The reason Enrico approached me so warmly was simple. He lacked the courage to approach Giselle directly.
I'd like to help him out if I could, but...
I scratched my chin as I watched Enrico walk away. There were some things in this world that were simply physically impossible.
* * *
I deliberately stayed out late, delaying my return to the dormitory. There seemed to be a curfew, but a few demerit points were hardly worth worrying about.
As night fell, the crowds at the academy thinned out. I made a point of walking toward the secluded gymnasiums and warehouses.
It's been a while.
I rolled my shoulders, lightly warming up my body. I activated my nervous system so I could respond to any external stimulus at a moment's notice.
Barbara's Curse.
Everyone at the academy knew I'd helped Barbara. If the rumors held true, a rampaging android would come for me.
Androids were indispensable to the Empire. Even knowing the risks of artificial intelligence malfunctioning and going rogue, the Empire actively employed them. They couldn't afford to discard efficient labor over minor issues.
I was curious about the truth behind the rumors, and my body was itching for action. I even wanted to smash an android. But I couldn't just go around wrecking perfectly functional ones.
Beep.
My terminal chimed. A message from Barbara.
I checked it on my retinal display. Barbara was worried about me because I hadn't returned past curfew. Perhaps thinking we'd grown close after the last incident, she'd taken to contacting me now and then.
I was about to reply when I lifted my head. I sensed presences around the corner.
Three of them.
Counting the footsteps, I fixed my gaze on the group rounding the corner.
"You're the dispatched cadet, Luka, right?"
Three sturdy, delinquent-looking male students. They snickered among themselves as they approached.
"You have business with me?"
I didn't bother hiding my disappointment. I'd cast the bait, but the wrong fish had bitten.
"Calesa told us to give you her regards. Paying back what you get is the Kano family's golden rule. Just so we're clear—you won't go crying to Upper Command about getting beaten up by ordinary students, will you? You're a grand Imperial Guard Cadet, after all."
The largest of them said, swaggering. He seemed to be a member of the Kano family.
Not exactly gentle sheep.
The big guy looked well accustomed to fighting.
But they're not wolves, either.
If anything, they had the air of back-alley gangsters. It seemed the rumors about the Kano family's Lower District connections were true.
"I'll give you one last chance, dispatched cadet. Kneel and apologize to Calesa. She said she might let it slide if you do."
The big guy chuckled. The two students behind him chimed in obsequiously, playing the part of his lackeys.
"And I'll give you one last chance to walk away with your limbs intact. I'm different from you. I was professionally trained to kill."
I delivered a formal warning.
"As if that means anything. Stop acting so high and mighty."
He wasn't the type to back down from words alone. I hadn't expected him to. Some people only learn once they experience it firsthand.
Clench.
The big guy bit down hard on his molars. It was the trigger to switch his prosthetic body into combat mode.
Whirrrr!
The sound of rising output hummed from his limbs. A faint vibration rippled through his entire body. At a glance, it was a threatening enough sight.
He's using a high-output prosthetic body beyond his capacity to control.
That had to be why he normally kept an output limit on it. Since his brain couldn't manage the load, he had to switch modes with a physical trigger.
He stumbled.
The big guy's steps faltered. Sweat was already pouring down his face like rain, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
"Why don't all three of you come at once? To save time."
I said, bouncing lightly on the balls of my feet. Their pathetic state was so amusing that I couldn't feel even a shred of tension.
Step, step.
The big guy and I closed the distance toward each other. The two students behind him were recording with their terminals. No doubt they wanted to capture the moment they beat up an Imperial Guard Cadet. Sure—if that were actually possible, it'd be something to brag about. An achievement worth boasting about to their great-grandchildren.
Beep, beep.
The big guy and I both stopped in our tracks. A patrolling android had spotted us and emitted a warning tone.
— Do you require assistance?
The android said, approaching. On its inorganic metal face, only its optical lenses glowed a faint blue.
"You bastard. Did you actually check? You said there were no patrols around here at this hour!"
The big guy snapped at the other student. His excessive irritation and agitation were painfully obvious. It seemed his nervous system was already overloading.
"I-I checked, I swear! Androids aren't supposed to come this way in the first place."
"Then why the hell is that tin can here? Hey, dispatched cadet. Let's call it a day and set a proper date next time. When we fight, win or lose, we'll settle it clean."
The big guy spat on the ground and bit down hard on his molars again. The vibration ceased as his prosthetic body's output dropped.
"...Wait. Stop right there. None of you move."
I said, my voice sharp. My intuition had caught the scent of danger.
"You want to fight right in front of an android? The guards will be here in seconds."
The big guy ignored me. The other students also made to withdraw, looking disappointed.
"Impeccable timing, tin can."
One of the students shoved the android aside.
— D-do you r-require as-assistance?
Knocked off balance, the android stumbled before correcting its posture.
"We don't need it. Get lost."
— That is i-im-impossible. I, I, I—
Only then did the student flinch.
The android's voice was drowning in static. Its movements had gone bizarre. Its upper body slightly hunched, its head jerked violently in every direction.
At the android's abnormal reaction, the student tried to back away.
Crack!
The android spun and hurled its arm out. A fist of solid iron slammed into the student's face.
Damn—what a clean strike. The human head exploded, almost unrealistically.
Patrolling androids were built for combat. They were more than capable of crushing a human's skull in a single blow. The student's head shattered, and pink brain matter and flesh burst out the back, scattering like shrapnel.
"Wh-what—?"
The big guy and the remaining student stared blankly at the scene before them. Having never witnessed anything so gruesome, their eyes brimmed with sheer panic.
Whirrrr!
The android's optical glow had turned red before they realized it. Combat mode. It had registered the surrounding students as enemies.
Screeech!
The android lunged forward in its hunched posture, aiming for the other student.
I dropped my waist and knees, then sprang off the ground. Passing right by the big guy, I placed myself between them and the android.
Clang!
My lead foot slammed into the android's flank. It flew over ten meters, its fingers scraping the ground as it braked.
— D-do you require assistance?
Where my kick had landed, the outer casing was merely dented. The android's red optical glare locked onto me.
"I-it's Barbara's Curse! The witch's curse is r-real! It's real!"
The student who'd survived thanks to my intervention had fallen flat on his back, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"A student of the prestigious Cracia Academy shouldn't be believing in curses. Tsk."
I smirked, stepping toward the android.
Whirrrrrrrr!
A roaring sound erupted from the android as it crouched like a four-legged beast. Because its output far exceeded its specifications, the surrounding sand trembled, and smoke began to rise from its joints.
It was a level of output that couldn't be sustained for more than a few minutes. Its delicate internal components were surely already shaking loose.
It knows it needs this much output to fight me.
This wasn't a simple malfunction-driven rampage. The pieces of the puzzle fit together too perfectly.
"This is the work of a human."
I widened my stance and steadied my breathing.