Chapter 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 9
I went to see the Combat Arts instructor, Kinuan. It wasn't unusual for a cadet to visit an instructor for personal matters. Especially around the third year, once basic training was over, cadets would identify their own weaknesses and design their own training curriculums.
"It's rare for you to seek me out."
Sitting deep inside his office, Kinuan spoke as he looked at me. Like the other instructors, he was a retired Imperial Guardsman.
"I came because there's something I'd like to ask."
"Have a seat first. Would you like some tea?"
Kinuan stood up, his loose robes fluttering. He was already pouring the tea before I could even answer.
"Thank you."
I took the cup and sat down.
Slurp.
The tea was astringent and bitter. I barely managed to keep a straight face. If he hadn't been my superior, I would have spat out a curse, asking why anyone would pay money to drink this garbage.
Kinuan inhaled the steam of the hot tea before taking a cautious sip. He looked completely at ease, savoring the ritual of it.
I studied him. He had the face of a middle-aged man—calm enough, at a glance, that he barely seemed like a soldier at all.
But Kinuan was strong. Even back when I was learning Combat Arts under him, I could feel the difference. He was simply on another level.
"When it comes to Combat Arts, you have nothing left to learn. You're already excellent. Even if you searched through every cadet who's ever passed through these halls, you'd find few who were more skilled than you."
Interpreted differently, it meant there were indeed some who had been better than me.
"Being excellent at a cadet's level isn't enough."
There was no point in dragging things out. I got straight to the point.
"There's no need to be so greedy."
"I could do nothing but watch while the Imperial Guardsman and the Holy Knight of Kora fought."
"Of course. Isn't that precisely why you're still a cadet? I've read the records and the reports. You performed your role admirably. You made the absolute most of your abilities."
Kinuan chuckled.
"Strictly speaking, I failed the mission."
My fellow cadets, including Claude, had died under my command. Without the Imperial Guardsman's intervention, we would have been wiped out entirely.
"That was an opponent you couldn't have defeated even at full strength. It wasn't your fault. That failure belongs to Upper Command. In fact, the evaluation of you has only gone up since the last mission."
"I don't care about Upper Command's evaluation. I need the ability to cope even when I run into an unexpectedly powerful foe."
Kinuan fell silent, his eyes narrowing. I raised my head and waited for him to speak.
"...Time is on your side. You'll gain more experience going forward, and you'll receive a better prosthetic body eventually. You'll grow stronger even without rushing. Upper Command, having lost cadets to their own misjudgment this time, will also exercise more caution going forward."
Kinuan spoke in a gentle, admonishing tone. I straightened my neck and back, staring intently at him.
"I heard that you, too, came from a Double-Digit Orphanage, Instructor. Just like me."
Kinuan was just like me—an Irregular who had climbed up from the very bottom.
The One-Digit Orphanages and the Double-Digit Orphanages were qualitatively different. Orphanages 1 through 9 housed genetically superior children. I'd heard that many of them were illegitimate children of noble families, and they received unstinting support from the Empire.
Kinuan and I were from Double-Digit Orphanages. Because our potential to become elites was judged low, the Empire's support for us had been meager at best.
Yet, a select few outstanding individuals still managed to rise to the top despite the harsh environment.
The Empire is fair. It gives everyone an opportunity.
That was what people believed. I had believed it too.
But according to Ilay, the Empire merely used Irregulars to plant that illusion in the minds of its subjects.
...A dangerous thought. I shouldn't let my mind wander any further down this path.
I swallowed hard and listened as Kinuan continued.
"Luka, you possess better qualities than I ever did. Back when I was a cadet, I barely escaped being dead last in most of our training. My peers whispered behind my back, saying someone who didn't deserve to be an Imperial Guardsman had somehow slipped in."
This was unexpected. Being an instructor was a highly prestigious position. Only those whose achievements were recognized within the Imperial Guard could rise to become one.
I found it hard to believe that Kinuan had been an underachiever during his cadet days. Of course, that was only relative to other cadets. On the scale of the entire Empire, he would still have been an exceptionally talented individual even then.
"You seem to find it hard to believe."
Kinuan smiled as he looked at my silence.
"Because I've seen your record, Instructor. Especially—"
During his active service, Kinuan had made major contributions in every significant battle he'd fought. The Military Medals he'd received while serving in the Imperial Guard were countless.
I paused for a moment before continuing.
"...I heard that you infiltrated enemy lines using a non-combat prosthetic and performed brilliantly."
Kinuan had once feigned surrender on a front line that had been locked in a stalemate with the Bellato Federation for months. The prosthetic body he'd used at the time was a low-output, everyday model, entirely unsuitable for combat.
Seeing the unarmed Kinuan, the Bellato Federation had accepted his surrender. And then, catastrophe. Kinuan killed the officer interrogating him, stormed into the conference room, and slaughtered the field officers in command, causing a temporary paralysis of the entire front line.
Taking advantage of the opening, the Empire launched an offensive, leaving the Federation with no choice but to retreat.
The detailed records of that operation are beyond my clearance.
I didn't know how Kinuan had pulled off such a feat. The soldiers of the Bellato Federation couldn't have been fools. They'd fallen because Kinuan possessed something that defied common sense.
"You are very curious."
This was no compliment. In the Imperial Guard, curiosity—no, to any soldier of the Empire, those words were a warning.
Do not seek to know what lies beyond your clearance.
Silently maintain your post. Remain loyal to the Emperor. Protect the Empire's subjects.
I knew this all too well. If it had been me even a year or two ago, I never would have pushed this far. I was vaguely realizing it myself now.
I am changing.
I was gradually drifting away from the virtues an Imperial soldier ought to possess. No matter how much I turned it over in my mind, it always came back to that damn Ilay. He was having a bad influence on me.
"...My apologies, Instructor."
I prepared to stand. In my opinion, Kinuan was the most outstanding of the current instructors. But I had no intention of pressing someone who clearly refused to be persuaded.
"Are you planning to visit every instructor like this? Many will look upon you with disfavor. Reputation matters just as much as skill."
"I have no intention of climbing the ranks by flattering others. I plan to rise by my own strength. I have no background to speak of, after all."
Kinuan stared at me quietly, then smiled. He pushed off his knees and stood.
"Follow me, Luka."
* * *
Kinuan stopped in front of an empty training room. A lens above the doorframe slid open and began scanning for visitor identification. Soon, the sound of a lock releasing echoed through the corridor, and the door slid open.
The walls and floor of the training room were entirely cold metal tiles. The space was so vast and empty that even the sound of breathing seemed likely to echo back.
"You have always been an excellent cadet," Kinuan said, walking to the center of the training room. He looked at me with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Thank you," I replied reflexively.
"Since your grades in Combat Arts were particularly outstanding, I felt proud as your instructor. Show me what you've learned from me so far, Luka."
I immediately took a stance and prepared for combat. There was no reason to hesitate. If this was a test, I had to pass. This was a chance to learn the combat techniques of a man who had survived countless battles.
Whirrrr.
My right cybernetic eye analyzed Kinuan's full-body prosthetic. Low-output. Everyday model.
Other instructors and active Imperial Guardsmen used combat-grade specifications even during peacetime.
Just in terms of raw strength in my prosthetic arm alone, I'm ten times stronger.
Overall, my specifications were far superior. My only disadvantage was that, since I lacked a full-body prosthetic, my organic parts were less durable.
I regulated my breathing and drew out my full power. I didn't let my guard down for a second. Kinuan was a powerhouse who could dispatch a cadet like me with ease, even with such low-spec prosthetics.
"I don't recall teaching you to hesitate. It seems you've forgotten the basics."
Kinuan spoke, his hands still clasped behind his back.
"Then, excuse me."
I muttered as I lunged forward.
Clack.
The metal tiles rang coldly beneath my feet.
The Empire's Combat Arts pursued lethality and efficiency above all else. Strikes targeted vital points via the shortest, fastest paths available.
Whoosh!
I moved with textbook precision. Stamping my foot, I channeled my body's momentum forward. The punch I threw as a feint aimed straight for Kinuan's face. Light as the probe was, a direct hit would have shattered his skull.
Swoosh!
Kinuan tilted his head smoothly, dodging my fist. I hadn't expected him to actually get hit by something so obvious anyway.
Close the distance while striking...
I threw my other fist, fingers loosely spread, ready to grab him the instant I found an opening.
If I could catch any of Kinuan's limbs in my grip, I could twist and tear them out, joints and all.
Tap!
Kinuan lightly tapped the inside of my wrist with the back of his hand, redirecting it. With that single, simple movement, my whole body tilted off-axis.
Huh?
My arm and torso lurched like a derailed train. My feet stumbled as I lost my balance completely.
I didn't try to force myself upright. If the continuity of my attack broke now, I'd be the one at his mercy—and I was already well within his striking range.
Swish!
Letting myself fall further, I planted a hand on the floor and whipped my stumbling leg upward, aiming for Kinuan's chin.
Even to me, it was a sharp piece of improvisation. I inwardly hoped that even Kinuan wouldn't be able to dodge this one.
I shifted my gaze to look at him. He was smiling. The moment I saw that smile, I knew I was done for.
Tap!
Kinuan deflected my kick, pushing it down with his palm.
Whoosh!
My body spun through the air like a wheel. Unable to control my momentum, I crashed flat onto my back.
"How on earth..."
I couldn't help but mutter the question aloud. It came out as something closer to admiration than complaint.
Kinuan had only tapped me lightly, each time. Yet every single time, my body had stumbled and lost its center completely. In the end, he'd even parried my kick and redirected its full force back against me. It was a technique nowhere to be found in the Empire's manuals.
And I was certain now. Coming to see Kinuan had been the right choice.
"It's a personal self-defense art," Kinuan said, reaching out a hand to help me up off the floor.
"Can I learn—"
I cut myself off. Kinuan's hand was trembling. Noticeably.
It wasn't just his hand. His entire body was shaking, trembling, losing control by the second. It meant there was something wrong with his brain function.
"Shortcuts always come with a price," Kinuan said, a bitter smile crossing his face.