Chapter 147: Gathering for Mobilization Training
Chapter 147: Gathering for Mobilization Training
Despite a few incidents here and there, I managed to enlist safely with my two disciples.
The location assigned to us through the random draw was the Mongolian Border Region.
I had hoped to be assigned to the North Korean line again this time, but I suppose things in life rarely go exactly as planned.
"Well, at least it's not Siberia. That's a relief."
Setting aside the godawful cold, the Soviets' "miraculous" supply distribution was infamous among Heroes.
If Siberia was the absolute worst, the second worst at the moment would probably be the West Japan line.
Normally, it would be the perfect place to kill time, but now that the Hokkaido Barrier had been blown away, it had become the front line. They probably spent every day on high alert, digging trenches.
"Pardon? Senior? Did you say something?"
"Krr-ghhh..."
As I was lost in thought, my two disciples spoke up.
Well, technically only one of them.
Han A-bin was sitting quietly in her chair, staring straight ahead.
Meanwhile, Baek Si-hyun was nodding off, letting out bizarre noises.
"No, I just said I'm glad we didn't go to Siberia."
"Ah. That place is notorious. I've never been there myself, though."
Hmm. How many years has it been for A-bin now?
"Did you say you were in your fourth year?"
"I entered my fifth year while training under you, Senior."
I see.
"Then you've probably done Mobilization Training three or four times. Where were you stationed?"
"Twice on the Chinese line, and twice on the North Korean line."
"China, huh? Not bad. It's a pretty standard location. North Korea is decent, too. You've had some pretty good luck with the draws."
On the Chinese side, supplies are delivered normally, and the strength of the enemies is about average.
The only problem was...
The landmass was so ridiculously large compared to the number of Heroes that there was never enough time to rest.
As I was thinking that, a voice reached my ears...
"...You think the North Korean line is decent?"
It was A-bin’s voice, sounding utterly aghast.
"Yeah. It's close to Seoul, so supplies are plentiful and the support is great."
"I mean... that's true, but..."
"What's the problem?"
"You get a neurosis from listening to the sound of artillery all day. And the enemies are insanely strong."
Ah... so that was the issue.
It was a blind spot I hadn't considered.
To me, the constant roar of artillery was just background noise, and the strength of the enemies was negligible by my standards.
"Because of that, we consider it a 'dud' assignment. People die there sometimes, and if you're unlucky, you'll end up with a broken bone or two."
Hmm...
So kids these days consider the Mobilization Training itself a gamble.
Usually, I just showed up, kept to myself in solitude, and left, so I had never really talked to anyone. I'd just gained some valuable information.
Not that it was particularly useful.
Honestly, what was I supposed to do with information about how kids felt about the Mobilization Order?
It was only an 18-day stint that rolled around every 20 cycles.
If I had gone there as an inspector like I did in Czechoslovakia, it might be different, but this wasn't something I could interfere with.
This system was necessary.
There weren't enough people like us who wanted to work for the Management Bureau forever, but if we catered too much to the Heroes' convenience, the Tower might collapse.
That was why this "reserve force" rotation system was created. Or something like that.
Anyway...
"A-bin."
"Yes?"
"Did you talk to the Lord of Infinite Castles?"
Since I just remembered, I asked the question I'd been putting off for days.
My wavering heart had finally settled.
"Hm? Oh. You mean about becoming his disciple?"
"Yeah."
"I turned him down. It didn't seem like a bad offer, but you're here, Senior..."
I see.
With those words, the knot that had been tightening in my chest for the past few days finally unraveled.
A knot I hadn't even fully recognized.
Thoughts I had been piling up.
Things I would have had to teach her if she had moved on.
All of that vanished.
Just as I was about to relax my posture and lean back in my chair...
"...And I'd be a bit worried... leaving Si-hyun alone, wouldn't I?"
A-bin’s voice continued.
Her voice was filled with genuine, desperate emotion.
Influenced by that tone, I turned my head toward Baek Si-hyun.
"...Fair point."
Seeing my idiot disciple shivering and drooling in her sleep, I had no choice but to agree.
How could anyone go anywhere and leave that behind?
"...You might not realize it, Senior, but I'm learning a lot from you, too..."
"What was that about learning?"
"...No. It's nothing."
A-bin turned her head away as she spoke, but...
Nothing, my foot.
My ears aren't broken; there's no way I didn't hear that.
Learning something from me, huh...
I fell into thought for a moment.
...I don't really see it?
To be blunt, all I've been doing lately is helping them find their footing in combat.
Since Si-hyun’s fighting style is similar to mine, I can correct her.
But A-bin’s style is vastly different, so my help is limited to mere advice.
And yet, she says she has 'things to learn'... Being a master is a headache. To think I have to worry about my own inadequacies.
I might have felt more at ease if I had more information, but A-bin had shut her mouth tight.
And Si-hyun, who was strangely knowledgeable about these things, was fast asleep.
The chair that had briefly felt soft became a bed of needles again. I had been shifting uncomfortably for a while when...
"Heroes, please! I ask for your silence!"
A soldier standing on the podium shouted into the microphone.
Screeeeeeech—!
A loud burst of feedback followed.
Was the branch short on cash? They had gathered the Heroes in a fairly nice auditorium, yet they were having these kinds of technical issues.
"Ugh? Did something start?"
Perhaps it was too loud to ignore; Baek Si-hyun, who hadn't even twitched an eyelid at the previous announcements, finally opened her eyes.
"The assembly is starting."
"Uh... can I sleep more?"
"..."
What on earth am I supposed to say to this girl?
While I was lost in thought...
"Sigh. Si-hyun. Just stay awake. it's not even that long..."
My other disciple let out a heavy sigh and scolded Si-hyun.
Perhaps those words worked; Baek Si-hyun, yawning and rubbing her eyes, soon snapped out of it and began looking around with sparkling eyes.
Maybe it was because she hadn't seen many other Heroes, but she tilted her head at the martial artists in their uniform attire, her eyes gleamed at the gathered firearms, she scanned the other Magical Girls sharply, and looked at the transformation Heroes with wonder.
She looked just like a child who admired Heroes, with eyes full of innocence.
To her, I...
Thwack.
I reached out and smacked the back of her head.
"Stop looking around so much."
I spoke as if soothing a child.
"But it's my first time seeing so many Heroes gathered in one place!"
Despite the scolding, Baek Si-hyun raised her voice as if it didn't matter at all.
"Is she a rookie?"
"First-years are all like that."
"She'll get used to it soon... Wait, haven't I seen her somewhere before?"
Thanks to her, eyes were drawn to us, and whispers began to dominate our surroundings.
Amidst the brief moment of embarrassment...
"You saw them during the Gray Eater incident."
I whispered, mentioning the name of The Enemy that had finally been identified.
"I didn't get a good look back then!"
Despite my whispering, my disciple only responded with a loud voice.
"You'll see them plenty during the mobilization period anyway. Now, be quiet."
"Yes!"
Naturally, she ignored my request for silence with another loud reply.
Well, I can understand how she feels.
People who have a great admiration for Heroes are often like this.
The only problem was that being the acquaintance of such a person and receiving all that attention was more embarrassing than I had imagined.
I wondered how much longer I'd have to endure these stares, but...
"The unit commander is entering."
As the ceremony proceeded, the eyes on us vanished.
A man walked slowly onto the auditorium stage.
Wearing a military uniform with the Management Bureau Defense Force mark, he didn't look much like a soldier.
He had a soft overall appearance, looking more like someone from the administrative branch.
"He's not Mongolian?"
"In small-scale organizations, the Defense Force sometimes takes command instead of the regular military."
After those whispers passed...
"Ah, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all the Heroes who have participated in this Mobilization Order without fail."
Just as his appearance suggested, a gentle voice flowed from his mouth.
"I am Riche, in charge of the Mongolian Great Barrier. I would be very grateful if you would follow our instructions during the mobilization period. Of course, there will be penalties if you do not comply, but as you are all Heroes, I trust that won't be an issue."
I'm starting to get sleepy too.
"As this is the first summons of the year, there may be more enemies to clear out than usual, but since the Mongolian region originally has a small number of enemies..."
Nod.
"...it is primarily centered around monsters. Heroes will basically be in groups of ten..."
Nod.
"...since there were complaints regarding the artillery last year..."
Nod.
"Krr-ghhh."
"...sufficient sleep will be guaranteed..."
Nod.
"...there's been a lot of talk lately about how a Hero should act like a Hero..."
Nod.
"...This concludes the induction ceremony. Thank you very much."
"Senior, wake up. Si-hyun, you too."
I opened my eyes at the warm touch on my shoulder.
"...Huh? Oh, what? Is it over already?"
What the? I felt like it had just started.
With that thought, I moistened my dry mouth and turned my head. Everyone was getting up from their chairs and leaving the auditorium under the direction of the Defense Force members.
"Yes. Both you and Si-hyun were fast asleep, Senior."
"..."
I have nothing to say.
After all that lecturing I gave Si-hyun, I fell into a deep sleep the moment the ceremony started.
Maybe that Defense Force guy actually used a mental-type ability.
Continuing those useless thoughts, I stood up and headed toward our assigned quarters.
"Did they say we're going straight to the Barrier?"
Of course, I didn't forget to ask Han A-bin, the only model student among us.
"No, they said we should rest for the remainder of the day. They'll announce it over the speakers if anything special comes up."
"...A whole day of rest?"
"They said the Mongolian region has so few enemies that the standing army is sufficient unless something extraordinary happens."
Wow. It turns out this place was a hidden gem.
Since it was my first time in the Mongolian region, I hadn't known.
"Now, if only the food is good, it'll be perfect..."
"What about the room?"
"You and I both slept fine even in Nanjido. It can't be worse than that."
As long as there's a TV, cell service, and a bed, what does it matter?
"I suppose so..."
"I'm happy as long as I'm with you, Master!"
"Uh, sure."
After about three or four minutes of walking through the corridors of the Great Barrier while continuing our banter...
"Room 318. It's here."
We finally arrived at our quarters.
Creak. Creeeeeak.
Maybe the hinges were rusty.
As Han A-bin, who was walking ahead, opened the door, that sound echoed briefly, but it wasn't particularly annoying.
I quickly scanned the state of the room.
"...It's ordinary."
"It is."
"Bed! Bed!"
Ignoring the idiot who dashed past me to dive onto the bed, I calmly observed the room and came to a conclusion.
A room for four.
Four beds. One television. Four lockers. One refrigerator. One table. Four chairs.
Plus, it had an attached bathroom.
It was perfectly average.
Neither bad nor good.
Now that my anxiety about the room was resolved, only three things remained.
First, communication.
Since we were near a Tower, the signal would be incredibly strong.
Second, food.
I'd find out soon enough once dinner time rolled around.
And finally...
"As long as the person sharing the room with us is decent, we're all set."
"Most people seemed nice. I don't think you need to worry too much."
"I only need you, Master!"
"Thanks for the positive responses."
With that, I settled into a chair in the middle of the room.
A roommate, huh.
I hadn't really known since I'd always used a single room, but being with my disciples led to situations like this.
Actually, if you request a private room, they usually give you one. There are more than enough rooms inside the Great Barrier.
However, this time, at the disciples' request, we had applied to share a room.
Since there were three of us, we were naturally assigned to a 4- or 5-person room, so having a roommate was expected.
I hope it's someone good.
* * *
How long had it been since we finished unpacking and started our personal maintenance?
Knock. Knock.
A knock sounded.
"Come in."
Creeeeeak.
The sound of the hinges echoed.
And then, a woman entered.
"Ah. Hello! I am the Magical Girl Christina! Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you. Bear."
The one who appeared through the door...
Was a blonde, blue-eyed Soviet Magical Girl who looked to be a middle schooler at most.
And perched on her back was a mascot in the shape of a Bear Mascot.