Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Team Formation
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After eating, we headed back to the clearing.
Quite a few cadets had already gathered; it seemed we were among the last to arrive.
I saw Skull standing somewhere in the middle...
Near him were a few of the guys we'd gotten friendly with over the past few days, but when they saw us, they all avoided our gaze.
"..."
An awkward atmosphere settled in, and Evan gave a bitter smile.
They hadn't hung out for long, but it seemed he'd considered them friends.
Karis's reaction was similar.
And me... I felt strangely devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
It wasn't that I had no regrets about those guys; we'd had a decent time together.
Is it because I'm just naturally hard-hearted?
"Ahem."
The instructor standing on the platform cleared his throat.
It was Martial Arts Teacher Juan, and he wasn't alone.
Behind him, all the Grand Master Teachers were assembled.
Juan scanned the cadets with his eyes and spoke.
"Cadet Karon, is everyone present?"
"Yes, sir."
Come to think of it, since when?
The instructors had started treating Karon like the cadets' representative.
They not only had him do these headcounts but also relayed any brief instructions through him.
Karon always led the way during mobile classes, and he accepted this treatment as if it were his due.
"The rankings... hmm. Judging by your expressions, it seems you've all checked them."
Juan offered a somewhat uncomfortable smile.
"Now that you all know, I will make the announcement. The rule Cadet Karon added was: [Points can be traded between cadets]."
"...Is there a reason you're telling us this now?"
Hector asked, his voice tight with suppressed anger.
Juan looked at his face before speaking.
"No."
"What?"
"Just as there was no reason not to tell you, there was no reason to tell you either."
"..."
Juan smiled faintly.
"Cadet Hector, if you were hoping for kind explanations and systematic training, you should have enrolled in the Imperial Academy, not the Bednicker Family's training camp."
For the first time.
Something sensible had come out of that instructor's mouth.
"If that's all you have to say, we will now proceed with subject selection. You see the instructors standing behind me, yes? They will each be in charge of a separate subject. After a brief introduction, you will choose the subject that best suits your aptitude."
Then, Tanko stepped forward and spoke.
"I'm Tanko. Naturally, I'll be teaching about hunting. If you want to take the head of a cultist, even if it means staying awake for three days and nights, come to me."
A very fitting introduction for him.
One by one, the other instructors introduced themselves.
"I'll be teaching survival skills. If there's anyone who wants to stay alive, even if it means rolling in shit, get over here."
"I am Law Teacher Ainsburn. We live under one empire, but imperial law does not hold sway in all lands. I will teach you the laws you must abide by in the imperial outskirts or the territories of other races."
"I will be teaching history, from the founding of the empire to the present day. Of course, if you wish, I can also tell you stories of the twenty-one heroes you all admire, or even of the Age of Gods that came before."
"I am Doctrine Teacher Juniang. I don't believe everyone here aspires to be a hero. If you have an interest in the Sun Cult, come to me. I will kindly explain the doctrines of the Sun God."
The Grand Master Teachers' introductions continued, and finally, Juan spoke.
"I am Martial Arts Teacher Juan. Swords, sabers, spears, axes, bludgeons, daggers, bows... I can offer instruction in most weapons."
At his words, the cadets' eyes lit up.
Being young, they clearly preferred practical classes over tedious theoretical ones.
And among those, they seemed most drawn to the Martial Arts Teacher.
The Hunting Teacher and Survival Teacher, perhaps due to their personalities rather than their subjects, attracted particularly few people.
"Ruan, which class are you going to take?"
"Well..."
I briefly pondered Evan's question.
What class do I need the most right now?
The answer came easily.
'The Blessing.'
Not just proficiency with the Blessing, but I need to learn how to use it in the first place.
Of course, there was no such subject.
But I couldn't just ask someone to teach me... After all, I had to hide the fact that I'd received a Blessing but couldn't use it.
Therefore, my choice was—
"I have a question."
As I raised my hand, Juan smiled and spoke.
"Cadet Ruan, what is it?"
"What happens if I don't choose any subject?"
"That is not permitted. It would mean that Cadet Ruan would do nothing during the elective class period."
"What about self-study..."
"Absolutely not."
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
So it wasn't going to be that easy.
After a moment's thought, I walked toward one of the Grand Master Teachers.
"...Hmm."
The Grand Master Teacher tilted her head as she looked at me.
"Ruan Bednicker."
"Yes."
"I didn't expect you to come here... Is there a particular reason?"
Is that so?
Then again, this was the least popular class among the cadets.
I looked at Doctrine Teacher Juniang, who stood before me.
A Grand Master Teacher of the Bednicker Family, a cleric of the Sun Cult, and also a skilled Inquisitor.
"I figured you would be the one who knows the most about the Dark Cult."
"That's true, but..."
The Doctrine Teacher muttered with a slightly annoyed expression.
"...This means I can't slack off."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
I stared at the Doctrine Teacher, bewildered, but the woman maintained her silence with a perfectly straight face.
The Sun Cult.
I had chosen this class thinking the doctrines of this religion, which worshipped the Sun God Aton, might give me some inspiration for my Flame Arts of the Greatest or the White Sun Eclipse...
'Did I make the wrong choice?'
In any case, the subject selection ended, and the Grand Master Teachers returned to the instructors' building.
We were about to take a break ourselves, but the Martial Arts Teacher hadn't left the platform.
Does that old man still have something to say?
"It has already been a week since you cadets entered the training camp. The Bednicker Family's training camp always attracts individuals of incredible talent, but this batch seems particularly outstanding."
It was likely just empty flattery, but a few naive guys wore proud expressions, as if they believed it was true.
"One week. Now that you've somewhat adapted to life here, it's time to begin the training camp in earnest."
"In earnest?"
Evan muttered at the ominous word.
The other cadets, also sensing trouble, fell silent.
As all the cadets focused on the platform, the Martial Arts Teacher slowly opened his mouth.
"We will now form teams."
"...Teams?"
"Yes."
"What? What's this all of a sudden?"
A scrawny cadet asked with a dumbfounded look.
His tone was rather disrespectful; had it been any other instructor on the platform, he probably would have been much more polite.
Despite the cadet's somewhat rude tone, the Martial Arts Teacher maintained a gentle expression and said,
"Is something wrong? When you become official heroes, you will be undertaking missions as a team far more often than you will be operating alone. Cooperation is one of the most important virtues of a hero."
"I-I know that, but..."
The cadet who had asked reflexively mumbled at the Martial Arts Teacher's sound reasoning,
"It's just so sudden..."
"Haha. My apologies for that."
'At least pretend to be sorry.'
I thought, looking at the Martial Arts Teacher's shameless face.
"I will now explain a few things about the teams. First, once a team is formed, it will not change until the end of the training camp, barring special circumstances. So I hope all of you who become teammates get along well."
"What are the special circumstances?"
To the cadet's question, the Martial Arts Teacher replied with a faint smile,
"Wouldn't there be cases where the number of team members unintentionally decreases?"
"..."
The cadets, who had been standing there blankly, stiffened.
The word 'death' must have crossed their minds.
"Furthermore, the teams will consist of four members. There are a total of 39 cadets in this training camp, so there will be nine teams in total."
"Nine teams... the numbers don't add up, do they?"
"No. That's why one team will have only three members."
I thought for a moment.
Is a team with fewer members necessarily at a disadvantage?
"Lastly, from now on, your bonus points and penalties will often be shared with your teammates. For example, if one cadet achieves an excellent result and receives bonus points, their teammates will also enjoy the benefits."
A murmur spread.
His words caused a bit of a stir.
The Martial Arts Teacher seemed to have intentionally mentioned a positive scenario, but—perhaps thanks to a week of experience in this godforsaken training camp—
the cadets no longer took his words at face value.
'It means if points are deducted, they're deducted together.'
Forget cooperation; it would be strange if fights didn't break out.
In that case, having fewer teammates might actually be better.
"How will the teams be decided?"
Karon, who had been silent until now, asked.
The Martial Arts Teacher replied with a bright smile.
"The instructors have decided them fairly, based on objective indicators."
I doubted that, too.
I acknowledged the competence of the Grand Master Teachers, but apart from that, I had no idea what some of them were plotting.
Chief among them being the Martial Arts Teacher standing right there.
Karon also fell silent.
He looked lost in thought, which was understandable.
After going so far as to use a rule change to secure the overwhelming first-place position, he was now in a situation where he could lose all the points he'd earned if he got stuck with strange teammates.
Moreover, if the teams were indeed formed fairly, Karon had a high chance of being teamed up with relatively less capable cadets.
"That concludes the explanation. I will now announce the teams in order. First, Team 1. Ruan Bednicker, Evan Helvin, Charles Rubieta, Mir Giant."
"....?"
What?