Chapter 178: A Tale of the Past, I am the Teacher and You are the Student.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: A Tale of the Past, I am the Teacher and You are the Student.
“…You tricked me?!”
“Hahaha. Swindled right under your nose, I see.”
“Die!”
“Whoa! Careful! Knives are dangerous!”
“If you knew knives were so scary…! You shouldn’t have done it! Ugh! Let go…!”
“Ah. I was telling your hand to be careful, Miss Sephier. If you swing it around like that, you'll cut your own fingers. And those are important hands, meant to lead Seamless Cloths one day.”
“I don’t need them…! These things…! I’d rather not have fingers…!”
“Is that all your resolve to protect Seamless Cloths amounts to? Your grandmother is still alive. If she saw her granddaughter’s fingers chopped off, she would be utterly devastated.”
“…”
“…You. You will not die a peaceful death.”
“I expected as much. But isn't how one lives more important than how one dies? Even if the world were to end tomorrow, I would still take a moment to drink this cup of tea… Oh? This tastes strange. Did you perhaps put poison in this tea?”
“…A laxative.”
“Hoo… hoo. I drank it for you, knowing full well what it was.”
“Don’t lie! Tch, I should have used a deadly poison…!”
“Let’s continue this conversation after I get back from the restroom. Ah, and I’m sorry, but please don’t attack me while I have diarrhea. Even for me, there’s no way to fight back without getting… Kgh, it’s coming.”
“Stop being disgusting! Human scum like you should be sucked down a drain!”
*
“…Why do I have to learn how to shoot a gun?”
“You should learn while you have the chance. When else would someone like me get to learn marksmanship while using as many bullets as I want?”
“So you were the one who wanted to learn.”
“Ah! You found me out!”
“Trying to live in luxury with my grandmother’s money…!”
“Now, now. Calm down. The most important things when shooting a gun are a cool head and a slow heart. Cool your head, aim over there, and pull the trigger. No, not this way!”
“Die, you scum! …Huh? A flower?”
“Ta-da! It’s actually a fake bullet modified to shoot out a flower. Haha, were you surpris— Ah! Ah! Even fake ones hurt when they hit you! They say you shouldn’t even hit people with a flower!”
*
“Hey. What’s this?”
“Today’s lesson is on alchemy.”
“Alchemy? A lesson? You? To me?”
“Ah, were you perhaps thinking, ‘You’re going to teach alchemy to me, the heir of Seamless Cloths? Someone like you?’”
“Spot on. After that, I thought, ‘Go to hell, you idiot.’ I guess you didn’t know that part?”
“Hehe. Then shall we have a little test? To see whether or not I’m qualified to teach you alchemy.”
“How?”
“Ask me anything you want. I’ll answer it all.”
“Just you wait.”
“…Here.”
“Wow. I told you to ask me a question, and you brought me an entire exam paper. I haven’t solved one of these since the final evaluation at the secondary military school.”
“I made all the questions myself. They’re based on what I learned from my grandmother.”
“They’re difficult. Hmm. This is this, and that is that.”
“Hmph. My grandmother reached the pinnacle of tailoring and alchemy; she was truly the embodiment of Seamless Cloths. She possessed the formidable ability to craft clothes by exquisitely adjusting the formation sequence of each and every alchemic thread. It’s thanks to the techniques she developed with all her might that the brilliant idea of the Clothing Packet became possible! I doubt you can even comprehend a fraction of that technology…”
“I’m done.”
“Lies! How?!”
“Because there’s nothing I don’t know. If you know it, young lady, then I know it too.”
“Hmph. You must have just scribbled down random wrong ans— Huh? It’s correct… How?”
“I told you I know.”
“This… can’t… be. Then I… Why did I…”
“Oh, right. Miss Sephi.”
“…What.”
“Come to think of it, I’m the teacher and you’re the student, but your form of address is a bit rude. Now that the pecking order has been established, shall we sort out our titles?”
“…To what.”
“Call me Teacher. I’ll call you Sephi. Understood, Sephi?”
“Wha… Ugh, T-Tea…”
“Tut-tut! That’s too weak. You must say, ‘Yes, Teacher!’”
“I don’t need to!”
*
“Sephi. We’re having a guest today.”
“…Your guest, Teacher?”
“A guest for all of us.”
“Who is it? Friend or foe?”
“I’ll explain later, so for now, could you please take off your clothes?”
“How much?”
“…‘How much?’ Now you’ve flustered me. I meant your coat, of course.”
“Ah, r-right… But in this weather?”
“It’s precisely because of this weather that I’m asking.”
“Alright… Ugh, achoo. It’s cold.”
“Please bear with it for a moment. I’m sorry.”
The Teacher opened the door and left. In the chilly room, where the fire had not yet been lit, Sephier shivered alone in the cold. Though only one of them had left, it felt as if winter had descended upon the cold room a second time.
In a room that was a little too large for one person, Sephier trembled.
“…More importantly, why am I listening to the Teacher…?”
The Teacher, surprisingly, knew a great deal. Being with him, Sephier felt like she was learning, and that fact wounded her pride.
When a defiant Sephier studied much more difficult material to challenge him, he would answer without hesitation. The only things the Teacher didn't know were problems so esoteric that even Sephi couldn't find any related information.
After quite some time, Sephier acknowledged Hughes as her teacher and began to learn in earnest. She was now half-excited, half-worried about what he had prepared this time.
How long had she been shivering in the cold? At last, a voice came from beyond the door.
“You bastard! No matter how you try to sweet-talk me, I will never cooperate with the Bakiya family, who do nothing but make rags!”
“Ah, Mr. Smen. I’m just asking you to take a look.”
Creak. The door opened, and an elderly man with a messy beard strode in with his dress shoes. He looked around the room with a displeased expression and grumbled.
“Hmph. So this is the workshop. Nothing special! This is a factory, where are the clothes! What I see before me is a place with not a shred of artistry…”
The elderly man wore old clothes, but his appearance was neat. Scowling, the old man spotted Sephier, huddled in a corner and shivering. He scoffed.
“Ha! So the so-called clothes makers are too stingy to even give a scrap of cloth to a child! Are you a servant here? Does your master not give you clothes?”
“This is Miss Sephier Bakiya.”
“…What? The granddaughter of Seamless Cloths?”
Smen’s expression changed.
“Why is the granddaughter of Seamless Cloths not even wearing a coat in this weather…? When there are clothes everywhere?”
“She’s being punished. Her godfather, President Alexei, is a strict man. Whenever there’s a problem with Arch-Avatar production, he gives the young lady a harsh punishment.”
“I heard the head of Seamless Cloths was bedridden… But still.”
“Ah, of course, he doesn’t beat her barbarically. He just takes away one necessity of life at a time and then returns it. That’s how he scolds her. Clothing, food, shelter… I suppose today was clothing’s turn.”
‘But Teacher was the one who told me to take it off…’
Smen couldn’t hear the truth Sephier muttered in her heart. He shouted, his beard trembling with rage.
“How… No matter what, isn’t she the sole heir of Seamless Cloths! How could she be in such a state…!”
“Why the surprise? Mr. Smen, you used to make clothes just as thin and flimsy as this, didn’t you? In weather even colder than this.”
Struck to the core, Smen exclaimed defensively.
“Those were for balls!”
“Does calling them ‘for balls’ make similar abuse acceptable?”
As the old man’s wrinkled eyes twitched, the Teacher gave another ominous smile.
It was a smile that had become somewhat familiar, and thus, all the more chilling. While Sephier pressed her lips together and turned her head away, the Teacher whispered in the old man’s ear.
“You said it yourself, didn’t you, Mr. Smen? That the Clothing Packets of Seamless Cloths, which only stitch together the functional aspects of clothing, are an apostasy that knows nothing of aesthetics.”
“That was.”
“But who was it that, in the end, pursued aesthetics to the point of making girls that age dance in thin clothes? The girls who shivered in the clothes you made, dancing until their feet were blistered to raise their own value. What’s the difference between them and the young lady being abused by her uncle now?”
“It’s not abuse… I was merely, by request.”
“Was the dress you made upon request one that barely covered half the body? One that couldn’t protect them from the cold winter wind, or from the even colder gazes of the world? Hah. Now I understand Clothing Packets. All the function you carved away from clothes must have gone into them.”
“That’s because the kingdom’s culture was…”
Bang. The Teacher slammed his hand on the desk. Smen, who was at least three times his age, clamped his mouth shut and didn’t move a muscle.
“Don’t be ridiculous! You people, who have forgotten the meaning of clothes and pursue only style, cannot claim to be making clothes. What you were crafting was vanity and luxury! Clothes made by stealing the blood and sweat of the people, stealing the precious warmth they needed to survive the day! You were making clothes that kill!”
‘Ah. Another one falls for it.’
The tailor from the old kingdom, lost in regret and remorse, finally conceded to the Teacher’s words.
Whether one should call it silver-tongued persuasion or a bitter pill to swallow, Smen’s spirit was completely broken, and he bowed his head.
“…What can I do to help?”
“First, teach Miss Sephier all of your secret techniques. In doing so, you’ll probably gain something yourself.”
In the end, Sephier’s workload increased, but she no longer resisted needlessly. She studied diligently, believing that all of it would help.
The days of constant learning continued. She would build one block, stand upon it, and then build another. And so, as she solidified her foundation step by step, gradually climbing onto the shoulders of giants, the time came.
Sephier, dressed neatly, waited for the Teacher. She had already poured tea and was sitting with her hands folded demurely when the Teacher, who had just arrived, brushed off his coat and entered the room.
Sephier spoke to him in a low voice.
“Teacher. I heard Alexei is expanding his business.”
The Teacher, turning his coat back into a packet, replied.
“Ah, you heard? Yes, that’s right.”
“I heard Smen is helping Alexei.”
“Yes. He has experience with leather accessories. President Alexei was overjoyed to have a technician with both skill and experience.”
Facing the nonchalant Teacher, Sephier gritted her teeth.
How could he betray her with such a placid expression?
Sephier, a mess of anger, disappointment, and sorrow, spoke.
“…You can’t alchemize leather. The structure of animal hide is messy and complex. The only way to make a better product is to use the hide of an inherently powerful beast.”
“Yes, so I’ve heard. Unless it’s high-grade leather, it’s mostly used for accessories.”
“So… if Alexei gets into leather, there’s nothing I can do. It’s outside my domain.”
“I suppose so.”
Bang. Sephier slammed her hand on the desk. Alchemic threads and fabrics, scissors, and diagrams of Arch-Avatars flew into the air before fluttering down.
Sephier’s voice was lower than ever before. Her violet eyes shimmered with a dew-like luster.
“Teacher… you weren’t on my side?”
“Technically speaking, you could say I’m closer to your side than anyone else’s.”
“Then why did you help Alexei?”
“Because I’m not Alexei’s enemy either.”
“If Alexei lines his own pockets… I’ll have no moves left. I’ll just become a machine that makes Arch-Avatars.”
“Well, that could happen.”
This was so important. Yet his casual reply left Sephier feeling drained.
In truth, she had been hoping. She had hoped that his siding with Alexei was a ruse, a way to make him lower his guard before betraying him at a critical moment.
But it wasn't so. He had helped Alexei in every way possible. Sincerely.
The moment Alexei filled his own pockets, Sephier’s influence would rapidly shrink. Now, she couldn't stop unless she was prepared to destroy Seamless Cloths itself…
No, it was already too late to stop. Seamless Cloths was her everything, her dream. It was something she had to protect, no matter what.
“Get out, Teacher.”
Sephier spoke as if she were tearing herself apart. The Teacher, who had been silently sipping his tea, picked up the coat he had taken off and gave a slight bow.
“If that is what the young lady wishes.”
There was no poison in the tea. Though her tears had mixed into it.
That day, for the first time, Sephier cried.
*
A few weeks later, someone from the Military State came to see Sephier. The man in the uniform, with his collar pulled up to his mouth, silently handed her a letter.
Public Safety.
The secret department said to make even crying children fall silent. A special operations division whose very existence, along with its investigations, was top secret, overseeing clandestine operations both inside and outside the Military State.
Companies, individuals, or even officers loyal to the State. They were the ruthless gardeners of the concrete nation, who would cruelly prune and cut away anything if necessary.
The letter from their chief, the Camarilla of the Five Star Generals who had been shaping the nation since its early days, was filled with unbelievable content.
“…Huh?”
[To the esteemed 3rd Seamless Cloth.
Our nation expresses its deepest regrets regarding the unfortunate circumstances of the two existing Seamless Cloths. We hope you know that all citizens of the Military State feel a great debt of gratitude for the toil and dedication of Seamless Cloths.
However, while Seamless Cloths bears the name of a company, its predecessor was a tailor who had reached the pinnacle of their craft. The great will passed down from the 1st Seamless Cloth has been carried on through the generations, but recently, a few incompetent individuals have sought to defile that noble will and name…]
For the Military State, the letter was written with an unusual degree of politeness, which, paradoxically, made it all the more eerie, as if a monster were wearing human skin.
With trembling hands, Sephier read the rest of the letter.
It was filled with all sorts of unfitting pleasantries, but the main point was in the very last line.
[…Therefore. Our nation plans to carry out a cleanup operation against such individuals.]
Seamless Cloths was facing the threat of annihilation.
*
“I’ve taught you enough over the past year, Sephi. Now, you must choose.”
The Teacher, who had likely orchestrated this whole affair, pressed Sephier to make a choice.
“Sephi. You wanted to take full possession of a complete Seamless Cloths. You wanted to cleanly cut away only Alexei and his cronies, who dared to defy the 2nd and 3rd Seamless Cloths without knowing their place.”
Laid out before Sephi was a list of Seamless Cloths’ assets and personnel. With a trembling hand, she picked up the pen.
This was a death note. Sephi was now the judge of the dead for Seamless Cloths, deciding their life and death.
“But, is that really okay? Is Alexei, who has dedicated himself to the company until now, not part of Seamless Cloths? Are your relatives, who somehow sustained the company when its funds were nearly cut off while supporting the coup, not worthy of being in the beautiful Seamless Cloths you envision?”
If Alexei had no ability or skill, would he have been able to become the interim president?
For a long time, he had taken on all sorts of miscellaneous tasks under the 2nd Seamless Cloth. He must have spent most of his youth dedicating himself to the company.
“In a position where he could be replaced at any time if he couldn’t create Arch-Avatars, Alexei was just desperate to protect his own place. You could call it the struggle of one not chosen by Seamless Cloths.”
When the 2nd Seamless Cloth fell, Alexei took over as acting president instead of the young heir. No one questioned the decision.
After all, the battle-hardened Alexei was far more reliable than a mere seventeen-year-old girl.
“However, in his struggles, he ended up kicking even orphanage children. Dragging them in for ‘vocational training’ and making them work. No matter how little the Military State cares about laborers, it doesn’t neglect children who should be in school. From the State’s perspective, children are unscratched lottery tickets. If a middle-aged man, who can be scratched and thrown away, goes around doing such things… Sigh.”
But Alexei had crossed the line, and the Military State does not tolerate illicit enrichment. Whether the ‘illicit’ part was the bigger problem or the ‘enrichment’ part, there was no reason to keep Alexei around.
“Alexei’s ambitions end here. It can’t be helped. I did my best to help him, but he proved his own incompetence.”
At the sorrowful lament, like that for a wayward disciple, Sephier found herself trembling for some reason.
“The Military State can easily cut off Seamless Cloths, but it can’t lose the Arch-Avatars. The reason they’re approaching the arrogant and insolent Alexei and Seamless Cloths with such excessive caution is to tame you, the only current creator of Arch-Avatars.”
The Arch-Avatar is the template of a human.
Arms, legs, chest, hands, stomach, knees, feet, neck.
It is the conceptual materialization of the human form, gathering each component to appear ‘human.’ Only with this can one create Clothing Packets that automatically adjust their size by linking with a bio-receptor.
Without the Arch-Avatar, a Clothing Packet is no different from a neatly folded piece of clothing.
The Military State was also moving to trim all the side branches, leaving only Sephier.
“In any case, it’s a little late, but now it’s my turn to grant your wish.”
Now, the Teacher looked only at Sephi. It was certainly so, yet Sephi felt an anxiety as if she were standing before a predator.
“Sephi. Your wish is to create the Seamless Cloths you desire. But you can’t fix something without breaking it. You can’t rebuild without tearing it down. The Seamless Cloths you hold so dear is not a simple thing.”
That was surely true. The more Sephi learned, the wider her perspective became, the more she understood. She knew what she sought to gain and what she had to face, and she even understood Alexei’s position and feelings to some extent.
But she had never imagined it would end like this. In fact, no one could have predicted it.
Except for the Teacher standing before her.
The Teacher smiled brightly.
“But it seemed you were hesitating, so I broke Seamless Cloths for you.”
Alexei, who had wanted to create his own company, had recklessly expanded into the leather business. In the process, he gathered tailors from the kingdom and brought in children from an orphanage for labor.
Public sentiment soured, and the Military State drew its sword. The slight reprieve that currently existed was solely thanks to the 3rd Seamless Cloth.
If Sephier were to nod, the Military State would tear apart everyone in Seamless Cloths except for her.
“Now, pick what you want. Put the things that will survive with you and form the next Seamless Cloths into your shopping basket.”
With a smile that was still pure, clear, and captivating, even after driving the Military State’s top holding company to ruin in an instant.
The Teacher began the final practical lesson.
“It’s time to create the Seamless Cloths you desire.”