Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: How the Underdogs Fight (2)
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“I know many of you cadets have been disappointed by the conventional, cookie-cutter training methods so far.”
At Professor Dieter Lizner's words, a few of the kids nodded.
“You all must have been thinking, 'The Cradle is nothing special, is it? It's no different from any other place.'”
I, too, had been feeling a similar doubt.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed by the Cradle's training methods, which, despite its prestigious reputation, were no different from those of a provincial knight order.
Especially since the Cradle is situated upon the brilliant civilization of the Old Empire, a satellite city.
I thought there had to be something different about it.
“If that's what you thought, you judged too hastily, kids.”
The kids' eyes lit up at the lengthy explanation from Professor Dieter Lizner, who had always seemed somewhat lackadaisical.
“Until now… yes, I suppose you could put it this way. It was all preliminary work, a chance to review what you've honed to get here and prepare for a new step forward.”
The kids, who had long been excited about the upcoming group competition, were now burning with more motivation than ever before.
“All training at the Cradle is practical, designed with real combat in mind.”
After saying this, Dieter Lizner glanced our way.
“Whether you participate in perfect condition or not is entirely up to you. The Cradle will only look at the results, regardless of the circumstances.”
It was a blatant declaration not to whine about things like being short a member.
Lian and the other kids from Team 3 stiffened.
Still, perhaps Lian's efforts the day before hadn't been entirely in vain, as none of the kids looked at me with resentment for getting Stefan expelled.
“Now, we will begin the flag defense battle!”
Just as the kids of Team 3 were steeling their resolve, Professor Dieter Lizner bellowed.
The heated atmosphere instantly cooled.
After building up so much anticipation, they all looked disappointed that the training method presented was merely a flag defense battle.
It was understandable.
A flag defense battle—a game where, as the name suggests, you protect a flag.
Whether the flag's position was fixed or not, the methods were largely the same, with only minor differences.
The rules were simple, making it a common training exercise not just for knights and squires, but even for regular infantry.
That was precisely why the kids were disappointed.
They had all been expecting something special, unique to the Cradle.
Though he must have known what they were thinking, Dieter Lizner said nothing more.
“Assistant. Hand them out.”
He simply gave an order to the inconspicuous assistant, who seemed to have been there all along.
“Team leaders, come forward and get your team members' shares.”
The assistant called the team leaders, and those who went up received thin garments according to the number of members in their respective teams.
“This is way too small for me. Do you have another one?”
“This is too big for me. Two people could fit in here.”
As the team leaders distributed the garments, the kids made a fuss trying to find sizes that fit them.
“Stop making a scene and just put on what you're given. The size will adjust on its own anyway.”
The commotion only subsided after they heard Professor Dieter Lizner's explanation.
“Whoa! It suddenly fits perfectly!”
“It's so comfortable! It feels like I'm not wearing anything at all!”
A few impatient kids tried on the garments right then and there, letting out cries of admiration. The other kids, watching, quickly followed suit.
“It's true.”
I, too, slipped on the garment.
Just as the kids who had been making a fuss had said, the garment, which had seemed impossible to fit, shrank the moment it touched my skin.
As if it had been tailored for my body from the start.
“It's called a judgment protector.”
Professor Dieter Lizner added a belated explanation.
The gist of it was this.
It's an item that automatically judges the degree of damage from an impact's force and, depending on the case, restricts movement in the affected area or the entire body.
“Oh.”
I was impressed.
First off, seeing as the Blessing of 'Pathological Curiosity' didn't activate, it wasn't a relic.
That meant this was one of those things called magitools, used by the people of the Old Empire.
I couldn't even begin to guess its operating principles or how it worked.
“Experienced assistant, forward.”
While I was inspecting the garment on my own, Professor Dieter Lizner called the assistant over.
The assistant, who had also put on the garment at some point, looked inexplicably anxious.
I soon found out why.
Thwack.
Professor Dieter Lizner suddenly kicked the assistant's arm.
The forearm section of the gray garment instantly turned red, and the assistant's arm went limp.
“When it receives an impact equivalent to a joint breaking, the garment constricts like this to restrict the joint's movement.”
The kids' eyes widened in surprise at Professor Dieter Lizner's demonstration, but their expressions soon hardened.
The demonstration was brutal, but they also seemed to realize that they could end up in the same state as the assistant during the upcoming flag defense battle.
“Of course, you don't actually feel the pain of a broken arm. The garment has some protective functions. A stronger impact will mean more pain, but it won't be unbearable. See? The assistant is fine. You all will be wearing armor, so it'll be even less of a problem.”
The assistant, drenched in a cold sweat and trembling, looked anything but fine, but that wasn't the important thing right now.
“Whoa…”
“This is…”
The kids' eyes went wide with excitement.
Their mouths hung open like idiots, looking as if they were about to drool.
“This is going to be so much fun!”
I'm sure the look on my face was no different from the other kids'.
I still vividly remembered the thrill I felt in the Rose Garden of Worms.
And this wasn't even a virtual world; it was real.
“Everyone, get into combat gear and return here. For your information, the teams that finish preparing first will enter the battlefield first.”
It was an immutable truth that arriving on the battlefield early gave you an advantage.
And there was no one here who didn't know that.
“Run!”
The kids started running like mad.
Towards the warehouse where the blunted training swords and armor were stored.
I was one of them.
* * *
“Team 3 is second.”
We finished our preparations second, right after Team 1.
“You, what's with all that gear? Are you fighting a war by yourself?”
Professor Dieter Lizner frowned upon seeing me.
But since there was no rule in the flag defense battle restricting weapons, it wasn't a problem.
“Team 3, enter!”
Leaving Team 2 anxiously tapping their feet as they waited for their remaining members, we followed the assistant to our designated location.
The battlefield was an abandoned urban area of the satellite city, specifically a ruined house with its ceiling caved in.
“This place isn't in use, but don't get too excited and start smashing things. You'll be using it again from time to time.”
The assistant, still looking pale as if he hadn't fully recovered from the earlier shock, said.
“It's a huge place, so be especially careful not to get lost.”
It seemed they were making use of the vast area in this way.
“Ah, right. Don't trust that garment too much. Remember, it only protects you just enough to keep you from dying.”
With those words, which could have been a warning or a sign of concern, the assistant left the battlefield, leaving only the members of Team 3.
“This is daunting.”
The kids nodded at Lian's words.
Having received no other explanation, they had no information about the terrain or anything else.
All they'd heard from the assistant on the way here was that Team 1's flag was to the east and Team 2's was to the north.
“Let's start with reconnaissance for now.”
I raised my hand at the order from Lian, who had been lost in thought.
“Oh, Yan. You?”
“I'm small, so I should be able to scout the area without being spotted by the other teams.”
“Our team definitely needs to be careful. We're short on members.”
After a moment of thought, Lian added Pon and Boen to the reconnaissance team.
They needed to survey the surrounding terrain as quickly as possible, but if too many people left their post, they risked having their flag easily stolen by another team that might show up.
“Alright then, everyone be careful.”
With Lian's final instruction, the two other kids and I left the ruined house and split up in different directions.
After confirming the other kids were completely out of sight, I stopped in my tracks.
“This is really strange.”
In truth, I had another reason for volunteering for the scouting mission.
An inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
“Why does this place feel so familiar?”
It feels as if I've been here before.
I had lived my life completely unaware of a floating city, let alone having ever visited one.
Despite that, I couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu.
I climbed a pillar that stood alone amidst the crumbled ruins.
Hanging on, I surveyed my surroundings.
I thought maybe something would come to me if I looked around.
Ruins, and more ruins.
At a glance, it looked like a field of stone tombs, or perhaps a forest of ruined houses.
“Ugh, this is frustrating.”
Nothing came to mind.
In the end, I pushed the sense of unease to the back of my mind and began to carry out my assigned mission.
Careful not to get lost, I crammed the surrounding terrain and landmarks into my head.
“Hm.”
As I was scanning the area, a clock tower-like building came into view in the distance.
It seemed like I'd be able to see just about everything if I climbed up there and looked around.
But I forced myself to abandon the thought.
A place that looks appealing to me is bound to look appealing to others.
The others must have had the same idea.
Of all places, its location was right in the center.
If I went near it and ran into another team, a fight would be unavoidable.
Of course, it wasn't that I lacked confidence.
But Lian, our team leader, didn't want any engagement.
His reasoning was that Team 3, already short on members, had to lay low for a while.
Just as I was about to give up and turn back.
“No, wait.”
I turned back around and headed toward the clock tower.
Then I hid in a ruin not far from the clock tower and waited for kids from the other teams to appear.
After a short wait, just as I expected, a kid started climbing the clock tower.
And not long after, he came back down.
He was being extremely cautious, likely mindful of the possibility of encountering another team.
But he wouldn't have known this.
I stealthily tailed the kid.
Stealth and reconnaissance are two of my specialties.
Unaware that he had a tail, the kid led me right to his team's base.
“Team 1's base location, acquired.”
I immediately left the area.
And headed back to the clock tower.
There, I waited for another person to guide me.
I wondered if it would work again, but having gotten a freebie once, I couldn't resist the temptation.
Besides, Team 2 was the last to enter the battlefield.
Naturally, they would be in a hurry to scout.
Just then, someone appeared in the distance.
It wasn't the kid from Team 2 I was waiting for.
A familiar face.
It was Pon.
“Shoo. Shoo.”
When Pon spotted me from afar and tried to approach, I forcefully shooed him away.
So he wouldn't hang around and get into a scuffle with the person from Team 2 who would soon arrive.
Fortunately, Pon quickly gave up and went back.
And not long after, the kid from Team 2 I'd been waiting for showed up.
“Team 2's base location, also acquired.”
Having gotten what I wanted, I immediately headed for Team 3's base, where Lian and the other kids would be waiting.
While making sure I wasn't being tailed.
“Yan!”
Lian and the other kids, who had been talking about something with serious faces, brightened up when they saw me.
“We thought you'd already been taken out by another team!”
Selma shouted.
“Pon said he saw you near the clock tower, and we were all getting worried because you hadn't come back.”
At Lian's explanation, Udo muttered under his breath.
'Who was worried about a guy like that?'
It sounded like he said something along those lines.
Whatever.
I glanced at the grumbling Udo.
I picked up a twig from the ground and crouched down.
“…?”
The kids gathered around me.
Ignoring them.
I began to draw complex lines in the thick layer of dirt and dust on the floor of the ruin.
“A map…?”
The first to realize were, as expected, the quick-witted twin sisters.
“You scouted this much in that short amount of time?”
“Isn't it more unbelievable that he remembered it all?”
Regardless of their admiration, I continued to focus on drawing the map.
After marking the base locations of Team 1 and Team 2 on the finished map, I straightened my back.
“…Why?”
The kids were staring at me with their mouths agape.