Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: A Nasty Piece of Work (3)
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Even after the team assignments were finished, we had to linger awkwardly on the training grounds for a while.
With no instructions, no one knew whether we should return to our dorms or stay on the grounds for something else.
Clatter, clatter.
As we stood there indecisively, the sound of rolling wheels came from somewhere.
“Huh? Someone’s coming.”
Turning my head, I saw a man in his early twenties pulling a cart.
Clatter. Thud.
The cart stopped in front of us.
“Where’s the professor?”
“He said class was over and left.”
In response to the abrupt question, one of the brats pointed in the direction the professor had disappeared.
“Didn’t say anything else, did he? Hah. I knew it.”
The man heaved a sigh deep enough to make the ground sink.
Come to think of it, the man’s face was etched with extreme fatigue.
The dark circles under his eyes and his hollow cheeks made him look like he hadn't slept in three days.
“Anyway, forget the professor. Attention.”
The man clapped his hands once and spoke rapidly.
“I’m the dedicated teaching assistant for Professor Dieter Rizzner, whom you all just met. Most things will be communicated through me. Our professor isn’t the type to handle the finer details.”
The man, who introduced himself as a teaching assistant, added to his explanation.
From what I gathered, his role was similar to a secretary or aide for nobles.
Here, though, it seemed they used the title of ‘teaching assistant’.
“As such, I’ll now provide the necessary information for new cadets. Team leaders, step forward.”
The three brats selected as team leaders during the tournament puffed out their chests and stepped forward.
“See the booklets on the cart? Take ten copies each. Keep one for yourself and give the rest to your team members.”
The TA gestured toward the cart with his chin.
Twitch.
Bern Vigete’s eyebrow shot up.
He seemed offended that someone who wasn't even a professor was ordering him around with a jut of the chin.
Indeed, to a direct descendant of a prestigious family who had likely spent his life looking down on even respectable knights, how pathetic must a mere teaching assistant seem?
The other brats didn't look too pleased either.
It was a situation where any normal person wouldn't be faulted for showing their displeasure.
“I know what you’re thinking, but making an enemy of me won’t do you any good.”
But the TA simply urged the brats on again, looking exhausted.
In the end, other cadets stepped up to distribute the booklets in place of the haughty brats.
The TA watched the scene unfold without making any comment.
His expression screamed that he didn’t care, as long as this ended quickly.
“It’s a guidebook. Everything you need to know about life in the Cradle is in there, so be sure to read it thoroughly.”
At the TA's words, I skimmed through the contents.
The teaching methods, schedule, and countless other things we needed to know were listed in detail.
Whoosh.
A few brats, curious about something, shot their hands into the air.
“Don’t ask me any questions. No, let’s just not talk at all.”
But the TA showed not the slightest inclination to answer the brats' questions.
“If you’re curious, read the guidebook. Pretty much everything is in there, so don’t waste my time. I have a mountain of work to do besides cleaning up after you guys.”
And indeed, the TA’s face was worn with fatigue as he spoke.
So much so that I felt bad for even thinking of asking him anything.
“Take one of those small bags, too. One per person.”
Having substituted any further explanation with a referral to the guidebook, the TA strode back to his cart.
“For today, just return to your dorms, read the guidebook, and familiarize yourselves with the personal items you’ve been given. You’ll need them starting tomorrow.”
There was no time to stop him.
“And just in case, I’m asking now—if anyone here feels like they’re going to die in the next ten seconds from a headache or shortness of breath, or if anyone is already dead, raise your hand and speak up now. No one? Good. I’m leaving.”
Just as he had appeared, the TA pulled the cart like an ox and disappeared.
“What’s with the terrible service?”
“I know, right? They all do whatever they want.”
The brats, left standing there awkwardly with a bunch of unknown items, began to complain belatedly.
For once, I agreed with them.
This was our first class at the Cradle, after all, but it was so different from what I’d expected.
I began to wonder if the Cradle's reputation throughout the Empire might be exaggerated.
From what I had seen so far, it wasn't just unremarkable; it seemed even worse than the squire training program of a provincial knight order.
That's what I thought.
Until I returned to my dorm and examined the personal items we had been given.
“Hmm.”
The bag was filled with a bunch of miscellaneous items of unknown purpose.
Among them, a rectangular card of unknown material and a translucent glass plate, also of an unknown material, caught my eye first.
[Yan / Eunsuri / 1st Year]
The card displayed my basic information.
According to the guidebook, this was a cadet ID card.
It was said to be used for everything from attendance to all sorts of other things, but the guidebook didn't specify exactly how.
In any case, it also served as a pass, so losing it would clearly be a major headache.
“But what’s this? An intelligent terminal?”
Unlike the ID card, whose general purpose I could guess, I had no clue what the translucent glass plate was for.
Reading the guidebook's explanation didn't help either.
□Intelligent Terminal
- A plate-type terminal connected to the Cradle's central processing unit, capable of inputting and outputting information.
It was described as a device for inputting and outputting information, but I couldn't grasp what that meant.
I continued reading the guidebook.
The descriptions, filled with unfamiliar words, made my head spin.
Suppressing the urge to throw the guidebook away, I kept reading until I finally came across a word I recognized.
-Used to access the cadet-exclusive Starstream bulletin board and communication channels.
Communication channels.
I knew of something similar.
[The Elegant Lefty] Oh! Lost technology! It’s tech from the fallen ancient empire.
[The Curious Sloth] Simply put, it's a device that helps you do what we're doing right now~~~ communicate~~~
Just then, the stars from the Fringe Constellation channel chimed in.
So, this little glass plate, which wasn't even a relic, held the power of the stars.
[The Elegant Lefty] It’s not that amazing of an item.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] And even then, it can only be used within the satellite city.
[The Curious Sloth] That’s a totally outdated model~~ It’s an antique~~~~
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] When did the ancient empire fall? Of course it’s an antique. You’re stating the obvious.
The stars spoke of it casually, but from my perspective, it was an incredible device.
A device that allowed communication over great distances.
That was something only Ascendants, who had risen to the far reaches of the sky to become stars, could do.
[The Curious Sloth] Ahahaha~ But aren’t you using communication freely yourself, even though you’re not an Ascendant~~~
That was a very special case, a result of a series of coincidences.
For ordinary mortals, it was something they couldn't even dare to imagine.
[The Elegant Lefty] Anyway. First, user registration. Go on, place your palm on that plate.
I did as The Elegant Lefty instructed and placed my hand on the terminal.
Flicker.
The glass plate flashed with light, and text appeared on its translucent surface.
-User registration successfully completed.
-Profile created.
-Temporary ID generated. / ID: YAN_3807
As I stared blankly at the text that scrolled up, the stars’ conversation continued.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] The first thing to do is…
[The Curious Sloth] That, of course~~
[The Elegant Lefty] It’s the only thing to do.
I had no idea what they were talking about.
The stars, having reached a conclusion among themselves, gave me an instruction.
“Huh? Change my temporary ID? Why? Can’t I just use it as is?”
As expected, it was an instruction I couldn't understand the reason for.
Why change the ID first of all things?
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] The temporary ID displays your real name.
[The Elegant Lefty] In communications, when a named user fights with an anonymous one, the anonymous user always wins.
[The Curious Sloth] You’ll thank us later~~~
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] We also preferred it before the real-name policy for communications.
[The Elegant Lefty] I completely agree with Your Majesty. Nowadays, people attack you viciously for every little thing you say. It’s no fun, just tiring.
[The Curious Sloth] Ah~~ I miss the old days~~~
The stars quickly got sidetracked again.
For now, I decided to do as the stars said.
It seemed they were familiar with this device called a terminal.
It’s always wise to heed the advice of experts in an unfamiliar field.
-ID changed successfully.
-ID YAN_3807 --> ID STRIDER11
Following their instructions, I ‘operated’ the terminal and, after a few failed attempts, managed to change my ID.
Personally, I wasn't too fond of the generic ID that made it hard to identify me, just as the stars had ordered.
But at this point, it wasn’t a big deal.
I was more curious about the terminal's other functions than the ID.
[The Elegant Lefty] Now, listen closely.
[The Curious Sloth] No~~~ Don’t think too hard about it~~~
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] So, that is…
A crash course from the stars.
Thanks to them, it wasn't long before I had a basic grasp of how to use the terminal.
“So, what should I check out first…”
There were many places I wanted to explore, like the Starstream bulletin board and the Starstream channels.
But I had to put my curiosity aside.
The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country, who usually only said what was necessary, suddenly flooded the communication channel.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Wargame.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Wargame.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Wargame.
He was telling me to check what wargames were on the terminal right away.
I followed his command without complaint.
I had already heard about wargames while learning to use the terminal.
They were said to be games where you could experience a virtual battlefield, much like the 「Rose Garden of Worms」 from the entrance exam.
Unlike the last mock battle where we could only use the forces we were given, these supposedly encompassed everything from resource procurement and facility construction to troop training at a strategic level.
My interest was piqued as well.
I immediately operated the terminal to check the available wargames.
-League of Knights II
The moment the wargame's title appeared on the terminal, the stars began to speak.
[The Elegant Lefty] Wow. League of Knights 2? What era is that wargame from?
[The Curious Sloth] It’s a classic~ a classic~~
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] True wargames are the classics.
[The Elegant Lefty] Come to think of it, doesn't Your Majesty enjoy classic wargames? I think I’ve seen you play LoK2 before.
I launched the wargame right away and played straight through until dawn.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] No. Avoid the channels marked for beginners. There are never any real beginners in the beginner channels.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] I will now explain the fundamentals of strategy.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Start with the peasants…
I was bombarded all night by what was either a special lecture or nagging from The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country.
Thanks to him, I was surprisingly able to achieve an undefeated record in a wargame I wasn't even familiar with.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] You learn quickly.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] You have a fundamental sense for it.
I spent a good while exchanging words with him as he offered rare words of praise.
“Ah, crap. I’m going to be late.”
I had to drag my exhausted body to class.
The atmosphere on campus was somehow unsettled.
“We’re having classes by team starting today, right?”
“I heard we’re getting assigned a dedicated professor, too. I wonder who it’ll be.”
“I don’t know about anything else, but I hope it’s not yesterday’s professor.”
It turned out that our formal training under the guidance of a dedicated professor was set to begin today.
Having spent the whole night playing the wargame, I had failed to check this important information, so I pieced together the situation by listening to the brats chatter.
Before long, a person who appeared to be Team 3's professor arrived.
But for some reason, she looked familiar.
A tall woman with long, flowing black hair.
Smirk.
As I tilted my head in confusion, she looked at me and smiled.
“...!”
I froze on the spot.
I rubbed my eyes and looked at her again.
Although she looked much younger than I remembered, she was definitely someone I knew.
A crazed laugh escaped my lips.
She was someone I should never have run into in a place like this.