Chapter 73: Joaquin Graduate School (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73: Joaquin Graduate School (2)
Admission into Joaquin Academy meant that a smooth, paved road to success lay ahead in life.
On Earth, even students from top universities struggled to find jobs.
At Joaquin, however, a diploma alone guaranteed employment, not to mention a fast track to success. This was why high-born noble families clung so desperately to their ties with Joaquin.
Lately, the climate had changed dramatically compared to before—or more accurately, compared to before the 2nd Human-Demon War.
Thanks to the Heavenly Sword, Kang Geomma, humanity was living in an era of unprecedented peace.
Put differently, the domain of heroes had shrunk.
Naturally, the worries of the cadets at Joaquin Academy, an institution dedicated to raising heroes, grew deeper by the day.
In these times when the very raison d’être of a hero had faded, the graduating class in particular wore dark, troubled expressions. They didn't even have the luxury to enjoy the cherry blossoms fluttering in full bloom.
"...What are we supposed to do after we graduate?"
"I know, right... In the old days, hero agencies would hold job fairs for us. Now, there isn't a peep."
"Should I just take over my family business?"
It sounded like a spoiled complaint. After all, even if jobs were scarce, it beat risking their lives on the front lines.
But these were hero cadets. They craved battle. Self-preservation was the last thing on their minds.
"Did they ever figure out what caused the Parsi Massacre? Is the 3rd Human-Demon War about to break out or something?"
A third-year male cadet asked, his voice tinged with a faint trace of anticipation. His desk mate scratched her smartphone screen with a fingernail and replied,
"I looked it up, and they still don't know. Besides, that enemy gave even the Heavenly Sword a hard time. You really think it'd ever be our turn? The Seven Stars would resolve it before it ever reached us."
"True... Lord Heavenly Sword is amazing, but he's too amazing. That's why nothing ever trickles down to us."
"Sheesh, talk about luxury problems."
"I know! But Lord Heavenly Sword is such a high-performance filter that we down at the bottom are stuck twiddling our thumbs!"
"Speaking of which..."
The desk mate thrust her smartphone screen in front of the male cadet. An official notice was displayed prominently across the screen. As he tilted his head, the female cadet let out an excited smile.
"Do you want to apply here?"
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Notice for Joaquin Graduate School Admissions
– 5. 12
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Please check the attached file below for information regarding the late admissions for new graduate students for the year 2044 (...)
※ Application Period: May 20, 2044 (Thu) – June 20, 2044 (Sat)
– New Student Admissions Guide (1 MB)
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"Joaquin Graduate School...?"
"You know how they're constructing that new site right now?"
"Yeah. That huge project behind the main building."
Since the 2nd Human-Demon War, construction had been a frequent sight at Joaquin Academy. Having collapsed once, they were taking the opportunity to redevelop the entire grounds.
Because it was a massive project slated to last a full decade, construction sites were practically second nature to enrolled cadets. Even when a site was particularly large, very few students paid much attention to it.
The female cadet put away her smartphone and added casually,
"They say that's where the graduate school is going."
"Huh? There?"
Just as interest sparkled in the male student's eyes—
The classroom door opened, naturally drawing everyone's attention.
Clack, clack.
It was Princess Victoria, attending class for the first time in a while.
According to rumors circulating around, she had just carried out a major upheaval at the Imperial Court. With no way of knowing the details, her classmates could only speculate.
That speculation naturally turned into curiosity. During the few days Victoria had been absent, a certain conversation had spread among the 3rd-year Star Class cadets:
'What will Her Highness do after graduation?'
The current Emperor was still in fine health, and his authority remained absolute, so inheriting the throne wasn't happening anytime soon. Barring any sudden disaster, he could easily hold power for another decade.
What would Victoria do during that indefinite gap? As her classmates, the 3rd-years felt equal parts concern and curiosity.
Clack, clack.
Victoria walked past the cadets. As she did, the male cadet caught sight of a pamphlet clutched in her hand.
Victoria was the absolute center of attention even within Star Class. If the male student saw it, his desk mate saw it, the student two seats over saw it, and within five seconds, the entire classroom was zeroed in on the pamphlet in her grip.
<Joaquin Graduate School Admissions Guide>
Episode. Joaquin Graduate School
"Korea's construction prowess is the best in the worrrrrrrrrrrrld—!"
...The words passionately belted out by the construction company president were true.
Who could have predicted that progress would move this fast?
I tilted my head back until my neck hurt, staring up at the heights. A crane was busily moving steel beams. Weapon, who had come here on business, was watching right beside me.
"The speed is one thing, but the safety is insane. Concrete hasn't even been poured yet, but you could host a sports day up there."
"Looks that way to you too, huh?"
"Anyone would think so. Thanks to you, I'm getting quite a show."
H Construction, which Abel had commissioned, was displaying its accumulated know-how without restraint. As if proving why foreign countries treated Korea as their trump card for seemingly impossible construction projects.
Flutter.
But speed and safety of this magnitude couldn't be achieved by that alone.
"Ryozo made a bold decision. Importing construction materials via Subspace Warp? If the Council of Elders knew, they would've flipped out. Well, they're gone now anyway. Instantly slaughtered by your Sashimi, Chief."
Ryozo had made a drastic call: transporting construction materials through Subspace Warp.
Even a child knew how much time logistics and material distribution ate up in construction. If you could save all that time and money, progress like this was the result.
"How do they just whip it up so fast?"
"This is Korea's construction prowess."
"...I don't really want to admit it, but I have no choice. You couldn't even build a Lego set of this size in this short time."
"Well said."
Weapon was right.
'They completed the framework in just half a month.'
In another half-month, I'd be snipping the ribbon with a pair of scissors (Sashimi) in front of a finished building. At this unprecedented progress, America would be stunned, China shocked, and Japan green with envy.
Flutter.
Is this too complacent? There will surely be voices criticizing Ryozo for making an arbitrary and reckless choice. But Ryozo judged that it was fine to relax a bit right now. Isn't this an era of peace?
'Even though we're in a situation where the apocalypse could strike at any moment.'
Based on experience, both Yoo Se-in and I believed that the apocalypse couldn't be stopped merely by preparing like that. Rather than localized stopgap measures, a fundamental solution was required.
Joaquin Graduate School was that first step. The preparations for the apocalypse would sprout here, on this land—in the Great Republic of Korea.
Flutter, flutter, flutter.
I tore my eyes away from the construction site and walked away with Weapon. We moved far enough for our conversation not to be drowned out by noise.
"Chief."
Weapon narrowed his eyes.
"Abel was worried. She said you've been obsessed with weird Neotube channels lately."
"What channels?"
"Those videos with tacky thumbnails. They're total nationalist clickbait channels."
I refuted it.
"Not at all. They're current affairs and educational channels."
"Everyone who watches them says that..."
"What does it look like to you?"
"Honestly? You look like an old guy."
...Hmm.
"We aren't even in our late twenties yet. You only watch those videos when you're old and got no other way to get dopamine."
Look at this wicked punk with delinquent hair.
"Well, you've acted like an old man since our cadet days, so it's not like it's news or anything."
"..."
"So, what exactly are you going to teach at the graduate school? I heard the general idea... but I thought it'd be better to hear it straight from you."
I answered, tucking my hard hat under my arm.
"Magic."
"...Chief."
Weapon's face went pale. His hard hat tilted to one side like a seesaw.
"Could you hit me really hard once?"
"Sure. Call an ambulance in advance."
"I-It's a joke! A joke!"
Weapon hurriedly slammed his palm onto his hard hat. I chuckled and spoke up.
"The Association realizes that things in the Human Realm are looking ominous, right?"
"If you mean magic power flowing through it, yeah. Everyone at team manager level and above knows. They're taking it very seriously, too."
"Same with Joaquin. But since it's an educational institution, we aren't just taking it seriously—we're taking a step further."
"...So you're going to teach it?"
I shrugged.
"It's not like they can just master it because we teach them, but I want to introduce the 'concept' to the graduate students. That's why I ripped off the Emperor, after all."
"Chief, you really have a plan for everything, don't you?"
"And here you were calling me a nationalist clickbait addict a moment ago."
"Heh heh. I've been getting into Korean movies lately."
We smiled warmly at each other. This was the warmth of Korean fellowship. Anyhow.
We ambled along, talking as we strolled through the academy. After looking up at the towering construction site, turning around made the surrounding buildings look so small.
Thanks to that, my eyes and ears felt refreshed. With the noise gone, the resolution of the world around me seemed higher.
"The teaching materials are being worked on by Instructor Kim (Choi Seol-ah) and those few professors at the academy who actually have an interest in magic."
"If you need personnel from the Association, just say the word. We're the organization with the most frequent contact with Gehenna lately. I'll support you as much as I can."
An unexpected bonus.
I nodded readily.
"Then I'll ask for personnel to review the teaching materials. Choi Seol—no, wait."
I still get confused. I should tell her to legally change her name soon. How long is that brat gonna keep living under an alias?
"Instructor Kim keeps whining to me non-stop these days, so my ears are practically shot."
"What does she say?"
"She claims she's writing ten times as much text as a web novel author."
"Must be rough..."
"Is it really that much? Ten times a web novel..."
That's only 50,000 characters a day, isn't it?
Weapon stared at me with a face full of unsaid words before finally letting out a deep sigh.
"...The teaching materials seem to be coming along fine. But there's something even more important left."
"I know."
High-quality faculty.
They must be knowledgeable in magic and possess the charisma required to tame modern-day slaves—graduate students.
"Is there anyone who fits that description? The Sword Emperor and Vice President Seong loathe magic, not to mention they don't even know much about it in the first place."
"There is. Ryozo was getting a headache over that too, so I went and resolved it."
The corners of my mouth curled up together in a grin.
"Conveniently, the person who agreed to take the job is scheduled to arrive today."
"Ah, then I'll take my leave."
"Where do you think you're going? Come meet them with me."
"I'm with the Association. Are you sure that's alright?"
"They're someone an Association member has nothing to lose by meeting."
Leading a bewildered Weapon along, I headed to the meeting spot. We arrived at the reception room reserved for top-tier VIPs. Usually, this was where the Sword Emperor or Spear Saint were brought when they visited.
A chair placed right in the middle of the room.
Under thick eyebrows, pupils flashed with a crimson glint. A middle-aged man whose gaze alone proclaimed he was no ordinary person was waiting for us.
Weapon felt tense. As a rising star of the Association, he had seen the faces of almost every big shot at least once.
'...I've never met him before, but a person like that...?'
Someone from the Imperial Court?
If he belonged to that mysterious side, it made sense that Weapon hadn't met him.
While Weapon licked his dry lips, Kang Geomma waved his hand warmly.
"Thank you for making the long trip."
"Not at all. Anything for your summons, Lord Geomma."
He was clearly older, yet he was extremely respectful to Chief. Was his position or standing lower than expected? Arriving at this thought, Weapon relaxed a bit.
"This is my friend, Weapon."
Kang Geomma pushed Weapon forward and introduced him.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Speed Weapon of the Association."
"Nice to meet you. I am Valerion."
Wow.
He must have gotten teased a lot for his name. What kind of parents name their kid after the Dragon Elder...?
'Chief, who has "Demon" in his name, is a special case, so never mind him.'
Weapon's eyes drooped with pity.
But that lasted only a moment. Both Kang Geomma and the middle-aged man stared silently right at him.
Only then did he notice. The middle-aged man's pupils were vertically slit. Could a human's eyes really look like that?
"..."
Huh?