17. I have a junior now.
17. I have a junior now.
Carrying their luggage, Kal and Alisa boarded the transport vehicle as guided by the non-commissioned officer. It soon began to race along the roads of a highly developed city.
Countless humans walking on the sidewalk.
And quite a few androids, too.
Plus, aliens scattered here and there.
Even billboards floating around everywhere.
Alisa thought it was a remarkably developed city for a fringe planet. Kal also got an impression that exceeded his expectations, thinking, Not bad.
The NCO riding in the transport vehicle with them looked at the two through the rearview mirror, let out a snicker, and asked.
"Where are you two from?"
The answer came from the mouth of the nerd girl.
"We're from the planet Hell-Lugal."
"Hell-Lugal? Whoa, you guys come from an interesting place."
As a First Sergeant in the transport unit, he certainly knew of Hell-Lugal's shitty reputation. People from there were rarely seen, so he seemed quite intrigued.
Before long, the transport vehicle passed through the main gate, which was heavily guarded by security personnel. Inside stood several buildings so impressive that one couldn't help but go, "Wow," just by looking at them.
The headquarters-direct unit building of the planet Akumansina. And the Keuble Knights' exclusive building must be right here.
...I thought this place would be a shithole too, but it's better than I expected.
This was good news for Kal, who hadn't expected much. Perhaps he might even run into a familiar face.
They got off at the parking lot and followed the NCO into an auditorium. There were already several trainee knights who had arrived. Of course, Alisa and Kal were likely the only ones from the training center.
"Take a seat in the empty spots."
A man who looked like a knight instructed the two who had just entered to sit. Fearing the superior might get angry, Alisa quickly sat in any empty seat. Kal sat right next to her, too. Of course, she didn't seem all that thrilled about it.
After waiting for a while, three or four more people entered the auditorium. Only then, seemingly because everyone had gathered, the knight began to speak in earnest.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Keuble Knights as trainee knights. We are the knight order responsible for the entire Sector 865, including Akumansina here. It's a place with that much renown, so you can all take pride in it."
Alisa listened to his words more passionately and attentively than anyone else. Kal, on the other hand, was a bit bored and just yawned wide enough to tear his mouth.
He rambled on with some useless talk for a bit longer before finally starting to sort the personnel. He read out a pre-written list.
When a name was called, they would stand up, go to the passage leading to the building next to the auditorium wall, and head to their assigned unit. And between Kal and Alisa, the one called first was the nerd girl.
"Alisa Cabri, Escort Unitㅡ!"
"Yes, sirㅡ!"
Alisa jumped up, answered energetically, glanced at Kal once, and walked briskly and with discipline into the passage where the others had disappeared. A senior who had been waiting in the passage took her and disappeared somewhere.
A while later, Kal's name was called too.
"Kal Jale, Administration Squadㅡ!"
"Yes."
Kal stood up slowly and, unlike the other trainee knights, headed to the passage with a relaxed gait. A short woman waiting there was looking at him with a face full of anticipation.
With pink hair and a cute face, she kept twitching the corners of her mouth because she was happy, perhaps because it was her first time getting a junior recruit. Still, wanting to maintain dignity, she forced back her laughter, held her chin up high, and spoke in a serious voice. Of course, no dignity could be felt in her squeaky voice.
"Nice to meet you, newbie. You're, uh, nervous because it's your first time, right? It's okay. You'll get used to it in a few days."
"Yes, nice to meet you. My name is Kal Jale."
"Right, I'm, uh, Dana Umianne. ...Follow me."
Pink-haired Dana turned around abruptly and started walking briskly forward.
In fact, she had vowed to herself several times before coming here to be a dignified senior, but as soon as she saw Kal's face, her mind went blank, and she completely forgot all her resolutions.
...He is seriously, seriously f-fucking handsome....
It was safe to say he was the most handsome person she had ever seen in real life. Dana felt like she was going crazy because her heart was pounding like it was about to burst. ...I can't even tell if this is a dream or reality.
She never imagined that such a person would come to the unpopular Administration Squad. This was her first junior recruit in over a year since she became a full knight, and for this to happen...!
While thinking this and that, the two had already arrived at the Administration Office. Dana, who was the one nervous, lightly tapped Kal's arm to reassure him, telling him not to be nervous when he was perfectly fine.
The pink-haired girl opened the door with a card key, went inside, and shouted loudly toward the seniors in the office.
"Seniors, I've brought the new recruitㅡ!"
Three knights looked toward the entrance. They all seemed quite surprised to see the unrealistically handsome Kal. Still, since he couldn't afford to be hated as an arrogant bastard right from the start, he greeted them politely.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Kal Jale. As of today, I will be working as a trainee knight for the Keuble Knights' Administration Squad. I look forward to working with you."
A few light claps were heard, then stopped. The Administration Squad Leader, who was at the very back, told him to come over here. Kal walked briskly into the back of the office alone.
The Administration Squad Leader was a beauty with black straight hair and a somewhat cold impression. She was roughly in her late 20s. Usually, when one becomes a squad leader, they might loosen up a bit, but her attire and behavior were still sharp. ...I could tell at a glance that she was a stickler for principles.
...This is going to be a bit annoying.
"Sit there."
Kal sat in the chair and took a quick glance at the squad leader's desk.
Every office supply was lined up in perfect order. Even the way the pens were placed was identical. The desk was aligned so perfectly it was suffocating. She probably had a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Fuck, did I get stuck with the wrong person?
She skillfully tapped the device's screen and pulled up the new recruit's information.
"Nice to meet you, Kal. I'm Karen Lee. I'm the Administration Squad Leader."
"Yes, nice to meet you, Squad Leader."
"Before we start working, I want to explain my methods to you."
"Please go ahead."
Squad Leader Karen held her neck straight and spoke in a clear voice.
"If you want to work with me, just keep three things in mind. Don't procrastinate on assigned tasks, follow orders well, and be punctual. If you just follow those, there won't be any problems. Do you understand?"
In fact, these were three things that should naturally be followed, but the more someone emphasizes the obvious, the more likely they are to be a perfectionist. Then again, is there ever a case where someone with OCD isn't a perfectionist?
"Don't worry. I will strictly follow all three things you mentioned, Squad Leader."
"Good. Then go back to your seat. The seniors will teach you the rest."
"Yes, then I'll head back now."
Kal saluted and headed toward Dana, who was waving her hand frantically. She grabbed an empty seat and said, "This is your seat."
As he sat down, the seniors approached one by one. Including Dana, his direct senior, that made one man and two women. Strangely, there were more women here than men.
"How long has it been since we got a junior? Dana, you look like you're dying of happiness."
When a female senior with a friendly impression and huge breasts said that, Dana hurriedly waved her hands, saying it wasn't true. Then, a man with a cold impression like the squad leader said sharply, as if warning him.
"Hey, trainee. Don't let your guard down. Ask if you don't know. If you mess up by doing things your own way, you're going to get scolded."
He was clearly a person with similar tendencies to the squad leader. The blonde man reeked of "I'm the child of a good family" from head to toe.
The good-natured most senior member smiled kindly once again and reassured Kal, telling him not to worry too much.
"You can make mistakes at first. Don't worry too much. Everyone makes mistakes at first and learns by fixing them."
"Senior, if you coddle him too much, he'll end up like Dana. You have to tighten the screws a bit at the beginning."
Dana, who got dissed for no reason, looked a bit sullen. It's obviously not pleasant to be insulted in front of her first junior recruit. Especially when the junior is devastatingly handsome.
When the smiling woman reached out her hand as if to ask for a handshake, Kal politely took it.
"I'm Ellie Lawner. 5th year, and the most senior. Let's work hard, us."
"Yes, I'll work hard."
Then the blonde man revealed his name.
"Louis Jin. 4th year. My father is the vice-captain of a 100,000-ton class ship."
The reason he went out of his way to reveal his father's position here was obvious. It meant if you're a nobody, you should know your place and crawl.
That might be a background that works in this fringe knight order, but to the son of the Commander-in-Chief, it was a position that meant absolutely nothing. At the very least, if he wanted him to even pretend to be surprised, it would have to be a 10-million-ton class ship.
"Yes, nice to meet you, Senior Jin."
Dana, who had already introduced herself once, chimed in again.
"I'm Dana. I told you earlier, right?"
"Yes, Senior."
Just then, a "ahem" sound was heard from inside. It was the squad leader's signal to go back to their seats and get to work. Ellie and Louis returned to their seats, but only Dana stayed sneakily next to Kal.
"If you have any questions, ask me everything. I'll teach you in detail. Got it? If you do things your own way, you'll get scolded."
"Yes, I understand."
"Alright, let's do well. Junior."
Dana, who was only a 2nd-year, patted the shoulder of the junior sitting in the chair.
Not knowing who this person dares to be...
Still, it wouldn't do for a guy who got fired to show off his seniority as soon as he arrived. He should avoid getting into a tussle about going to prison or not, just because he fell out of his father's favor again.
...Yeah, I'll just lay low here, and when Father calls, I'll go swinging my balls and head over.
So Kal answered loudly like a clueless new recruit.
"Yes, I will work hardㅡ."
Dana smiled the happiest she had since coming to the knight order.
Without even knowing that a crazy bastard had come as her junior.