Three Feet of Snow, Mountains and Fields One Color (4)
"Let me preface this by saying the investigation is over. One cadet gets accused of something, feels wronged, and every uncontracted Phantasm in the unit comes swarming over in a panic begging for forgiveness? Does that sound reasonable to you?"
"Why wouldn't it? It's hardly news that lower-grade Phantasms tremble in the presence of a high-grade one."
"No, that's between Phantasms themselves, isn't it..."
Choi Ye-na, an instructor assigned to the Phantasm Training Division, squared her shoulders slightly in front of her senior officer.
"Military police were brought in on the investigation too. After interrogation, they even confirmed in writing that the cadet hadn't lied."
In truth, Choi Ye-na didn't entirely trust the results either. The situation was simply so far outside the bounds of common sense that there was nothing to be done about it.
"As a matter of fact, headquarters went so far as to summon the Seonang deity, the Seongju deity, and even the Teuju guardian spirit for verification. The Phantasms really had been watching the cadet's every move, and that problem has now been resolved."
But what could anyone do about the fact that this was reality?
Ever since the Dimension Gates tore open, the world had always run on its own absurd logic. Perhaps it had even before then.
"Oh, I heard about that. Something about sealing his presence, or veiling his soul?"
"Yes. Though apparently even that is only a temporary measure."
Under the circumstances, there was no point in trotting out appeals to common sense just to deny things.
This was an era where, rather than expending effort on disbelief, it was faster and far less draining to simply accept what happened and start looking for a way to deal with it.
"In any case, they say there won't be another incident like today's. That is, assuming no new variables pop up and the management is carried out regularly and properly."
"Well, well... should I say we've landed ourselves one remarkable junior? If the search-and-rescue boys heard about this, their eyes would go wide and they'd latch on and never let go."
"I suppose it's no accident that the Twin Dragon Blades chose him."
At this point, the image of a cadet who'd been chosen by the Twin Dragon Blades yet still worried he'd been passed over was starting to feel like a punchline in its own right.
"Though I get the sense the Safety Office people are screaming over having one more thing to manage..."
"Eh, as long as it's not our department."
"Quite right."
That said, she couldn't exactly claim she didn't understand the sentiment.
Seasoned soldiers of the Hwadam Army knew full well the value of the Twin Dragon Blades, but their new bearer was a wet-behind-the-ears kid fresh into the Academy. If other cadets mingled freely with Phantasms while he alone couldn't, it was only natural he'd feel cheated — or anxious.
"So then, that settles it. He goes to 1st Platoon, no question?"
"It would seem so."
"Hmm. Maybe I'll take this chance to size up the promising ones from this year's class... whoa. Why is the 1st Platoon candidate list this thick? We've struck a gold mine of talent this year."
Her senior set his work aside mid-task and began pulling up the cadet roster and personnel files. It was such a common occurrence that Choi Ye-na simply let it slide.
"Say, Ye-na."
"Yes?"
"There are two Pyos among the candidates? Don't tell me one of them is that Pyo."
"Hm. Come to think of it, that gentleman's sons would be about the right age..."
"...Who was assigned as 1st Platoon's homeroom instructor this year again?"
"Him."
"We're in trouble."
But his final remark was the one thing she couldn't quite bring herself to accept. No — she accepted it. She simply didn't want to.
"Let's hope nothing happens."
Choi Ye-na prayed her junior would do nothing worse than cause a disaster. It was a wish that seemed unlikely to come true.
The induction training period was finally over.
The final number of selected personnel came to 376. Considering that the Special Military Academy's first-ever authorized capacity was 400, that meant a shortfall of 24 already.
I heard the ones who washed out get sent to the regular Hwadam Military Academy...
This happened because personnel with an aptitude for the Phantasm arts were so vanishingly rare.
Of course, the gap in treatment between the regular Hwadam Military Academy and the Hwadam Army Special Military Academy was so steep that most cadets would do anything to stay here. But still.
"Hello, everyone."
With that last thought, I pushed all speculation about the missing slots out of my mind.
However unsure I might ever see those other cadets again, the meeting where our homeroom instructor would be introduced mattered far more right now.
In a space that felt somewhat roomy for 18 cadets and a single instructor, the instructor stood waiting.
It wasn't a classroom. This place, once a spare room of the Daeyeon Hall, served as both the storage point for each platoon's equipment and its rally site. No classes were held here, but I'd heard it saw regular use for morning roll calls and platoon activities.
Athletes' locker room was probably the better description than classroom — both in appearance and in purpose.
"I am Seo Ha-shin. Your 1st Platoon homeroom instructor."
All jokes aside, our homeroom instructor had a rather distinctive look about him. Even factoring in that the Hwadam Army was (extremely) freewheeling compared to the other branches, that still held true.
First of all, the eye patch was one thing — but the fact that it was an absolutely adorable capybara eye patch rather stole the show.
"You should all have been briefed when you received your assignments: our 1st Platoon is considerably more special than the other platoons."
Second, he was a bit short for a man. I doubted he cleared 170 centimeters. Among the boys assigned to 1st Platoon, only one of us stood shorter than our instructor.
"That's right. You are, at this moment, the eighteen cadets with the best scores."
And third, his hair was dyed moss-green.
What convinced me it was dye were the light roots — pale white, or maybe a pale sky-blue.
"There will be times when expectations weigh heavy on you, and plenty of times when the pressure gets to you. But now that you've earned everyone's recognition, let's see it through to the end. Whether it's a short year or a long five, I look forward to working with you all."
Still — 1st Platoon.
Considering I'd accidentally caused a major incident on the very last day of induction training, the instructor's eccentricities couldn't have mattered less. Just making it into 1st Platoon was thrilling enough.
Truthfully, if I thought about the original manhwa, this barely even counted as unusual.
"We look forward to working with you!!"
"We look forward to working with you!!!"
At any rate, the members of 1st Platoon — myself included — shouted ourselves hoarse.
Instructor Seo Ha-shin smiled, satisfied. His eyes were hidden behind the eye patch, but his lips moved with such exaggerated sweeps that reading his expression was easy enough.
"Now, my introduction is over, so it's your turn, isn't it?"
Instructor Seo Ha-shin announced he would call us up in alphabetical order of our surnames. And as usual, the surnames starting with the earliest alphabet marched forward first.
"First-year, 1st Platoon officer cadet—"
"That's far enough."
But when my turn came, Instructor Seo Ha-shin abruptly cut in.
"I'm truly dying to hear the self-introduction of this year's top prospect, Cadet Yahui — but I can't go disobeying orders from above."
This was an instructor who'd chime in with an approving word or a round of applause now and then during the other cadets' introductions. But this reaction was on a whole different level from anything before it.
Under the homeroom instructor's conspicuous attention, the stares that had already been gathering on me took on an even stranger light.
"First, let me apologize. I don't usually butt in during self-introductions. But given Cadet Yahui's circumstances, I'd like to add a few words."
If he were really sorry, wouldn't the right move be to not butt in...? No, never mind. This might actually be for the better.
It was nothing to brag about, but I'd apparently become a quiet object of avoidance among the cadets. Even now — past the induction period and well into our official assignment.
"I imagine most of you here have plenty of questions about Cadet Yahui."
I hadn't done anything in particular to make myself unlikable. The cause was simply, as the instructor put it, my 'circumstances.'
"Why is this boy carrying something like that on his back? Wasn't personal property off-limits? I hear he was the only one given a private room for the entire induction period. Is that even allowed?"
The Pandora's box everyone had been silently swallowing down was pried open by the instructor himself.
A stillness of an entirely different character from before settled over the cadets.
"Some of you may even have felt sour about it — like this treatment was some kind of 'privilege.'"
For the record, everything the instructor had said was true.
I really had spent the whole induction period in a solitary room, carrying the Twin Dragon Blades with me everywhere. While everyone else was packed four to a room and forbidden personal items, I alone had been granted a private room and personal property (the Twin Dragon Blades).
"But contrary to what you may have guessed, the things Cadet Yahui enjoys are not privileges."
Calling these boons something that stemmed from being chosen by the Twin Dragon Blades was a bit of a gray area. The cause lay with the Twin Dragon Blades, but the blades weren't the ones arranging the accommodations.
"Cadet Yahui. Can you show everyone what you carry on your back?"
"Yes, sir."
"Unwrap the sealing cloth as well. As your homeroom instructor, I have been granted partial authority over the particulars of your special status."
"Yes, sir."
He'd been given authority over the sealing of the Twin Dragon Blades — there was no reason not to comply.
I set the Twin Dragon Blades down on a chair for a moment and undid the seals. Peeling back the outermost linen cloth revealed silk bound fast with a cord of twisted talismans.
The sealing was even more thorough than I'd expected — I could feel the others' eyes practically rolling out of their heads.
Shrrrk.
Untying the talisman cord and the silk took less than twenty seconds. After a long stretch of time, the black-and-white blades came back into view.
"Cadet Yahui. What is the name of this Phantasm?"
"The Twin Dragon Blades, sir."
"Its grade?"
"...Legend-class, sir."
"Right. Legend-class, 'for now.'"
I gave the Twin Dragon Blades' scabbard a discreet, gentle stroke. Things that should have been cold to the touch carried a faint, lingering warmth — because they were Phantasms.
"The Twin Dragon Blades are classified as Legend-class, yet the destructive power they've measured is sufficient to instantly kill a Grade 9 otherworld entity at minimum. In practical terms, this is a Phantasm capable of contending with Grade 10 entities."
"...!"
But the power slumbering within them was far from gentle.
The longer I spent in the Twin Dragon Blades' company, the more bone-deep that realization became.
"Now — is there anyone who can tell us what a Grade 10 otherworld entity actually is?"
There was a reason the Hwadam Army had told me to hold off on a formal contract.
Handing this kind of power to someone with no familiarity with Phantasms and little relevant knowledge could only end in everyone suffering for it.
"Hmm. Very well. The cadet who raised his hand. That is... Cadet Pyo Do-hyeok. Go ahead."
"The Grade 10 entity that inflicted the greatest damage in recorded history appeared in Russia in 1991. As a result of that incident, one-sixth of Russian territory was transformed into scorched wasteland — a loss that remains unrecovered to this day."
"Good. Can you continue?"
"The entity that appeared in Beijing, China in 1983 toppled the government there, compounded by any number of adverse factors — and the scar left by the entity that surfaced in the southwestern American desert in 1957 is also still undergoing restoration."
"Excellent, Cadet Pyo Do-hyeok. I'm very pleased to have such a sharp mind in the platoon."
Incidentally, the power the Hwadam Army had measured in the Twin Dragon Blades was, even if only an estimate, on par with a Grade 10 entity.
Going purely by firepower, I sometimes wondered what on earth the government had been thinking when they approved my outings back then. It was practically the equivalent of stepping outside while carrying a nuclear warhead.
"You all just heard what Cadet Pyo Do-hyeok said. A Grade 10 entity is that dangerous — and a Phantasm of corresponding caliber is, naturally, dangerous as well."
As I was still puzzling over the government's decision, someone raised a hand. It was Seong Gwon.
"Go ahead."
"Thank you. My question is: why is a Phantasm like that in the hands of a mere cadet?"
"An excellent question. Now then, Cadet Yahui — how did you come to possess the Twin Dragon Blades, again?"
Instructor Seo Ha-shin tossed Seong Gwon's question my way. Then he looked over at me, and his lips flickered through a single sentence.
'Do not mention the Rear World.'
It seemed to be a concept I hadn't learned yet.
"...The Twin Dragon Blades chose me."
Leave out the Rear World, and there was almost nothing left to say.
I recited the objective truth — the kind that might have sounded like bragging, but couldn't be softened without becoming a lie.
"There we go! But couldn't you leave the Twin Dragon Blades somewhere? Leaving them behind for a little while shouldn't be so hard, I'd think."
For someone who knew the full situation, it was a question with an obvious answer. And yet the fact that Instructor Seo Ha-shin was asking it meant it was, in the end, for the cadets' benefit.
I chose my words again.
"The Twin Dragon Blades refuse to be separated from me."
"Is that refusal shared by you, Cadet?"
"...Not entirely. They're large — quite large — so they can be inconvenient at times."
But leaving the Twin Dragon Blades behind on account of my inconvenience was impossible.
"Even if you asked permission?"
"No, sir."
Inside a secure facility might have been another matter, but the moment I was outside and separated from them, the Twin Dragon Blades reacted with something bordering on a seizure. The kind that blew the surroundings to pieces.
"For reference: in an experiment conducted under the observation of commissioned officers, the Twin Dragon Blades half-destroyed their surroundings when separated from Cadet Yahui by more than five meters. The force was roughly enough to casually demolish a concrete wall a meter thick."
It wasn't quite fair to say they'd used their power without permission — when the Twin Dragon Blades had sworn their oath, they'd attached a single condition: 'so long as you do not separate them from your body.' They hadn't technically broken that promise.
The whole reason that experiment had been run in the first place was to nail down the precise standards of that clause.
And let me say this up front: after that experiment, I made a point of keeping the Twin Dragon Blades on my person even at home. Uncomfortable as it was, it beat waking up to find the area around me had quietly become a crater.
"So — knowing all this, does Cadet Yahui's private room still feel like a 'privilege' to you?"
"......"
"A lukewarm response. I take it this alone doesn't convince you?"
Of course, explaining everything up to this point hadn't dissolved the cadets' awkwardness toward me in one stroke.
From their perspective, all the inconvenience and daily hardship aside, it could still boil down to 'so in the end, doesn't that just mean he got picked because he's strong?' — so no, it wasn't surprising.
"Fine. Cadet Yahui. Then perhaps you can tell us why I interrupted your self-introduction earlier?"
For all that, the instructor seemed determined to demolish every source of friction between me and the others as thoroughly as he could.
I was starting to feel genuinely sorry for having privately thought 'he looks kind of odd.'
"...A contract with a Phantasm is forged through one's 'name.' Which is why, sir, I was ordered never to speak my name directly."
"Exactly. Introducing your own name of your own accord is an act that hands a Phantasm an opening. Think of it as leaving your front door unlocked. It's not an invitation — but it leaves behind an excuse for something to slip inside."
Instructor Seo Ha-shin rested one arm across his other, which he held out horizontally, then propped his chin on that. It looked, at a glance, like a lighthearted pose.
"Which is why those whose aptitude is truly exceptional avoid speaking their names whenever possible. The moment your name passes your lips, a Phantasm can force a contract upon you in certain cases. Exceedingly rare — but not without precedent."
And yet the words that came out of that mouth were anything but light.
"To summarize, then: Cadet Yahui will go his entire life without ever introducing his own name, and he will never leave military service. Foreign travel is, of course, beyond his wildest dreams, and even moving about within the country requires official permission. He is under surveillance by headquarters itself. Those restrictions remain in force until he can demonstrate to the military's satisfaction that he has the Twin Dragon Blades under complete control."
For my part, the person concerned, I'd been told all of this long ago — it hardly felt like news.
"So. Knowing all of that — does what Cadet Yahui received still feel like a privilege to you?"
That said, some of the wary glances that had been pointed my way up until the self-introduction had shifted to something more positive, and that was more than fine by me.
"......"
On the other hand, the gazes of a few cadets who'd never spared me a second thought before soured into something distinctly worse than they'd been an hour ago.
Well. You can't get along with everyone.