017
The silence that had formed between Kinuan and me was like a sharp blade piercing the tip of my neck. It was an awkward situation.
It was difficult to do anything on my own discretion. It was only a few days after receiving the order from Captain Heilas that I found myself in this state.
“I was given the mission, but I don’t know anything about it, so I can’t even decide on a direction for my response.”
Kinuan said quietly. I kept my expressionless face.
Kinuan could see through others’ inner thoughts just by their slightest words or actions. His insight was almost like mind reading.
The solution I came up with was to not give any information at all. However, this was also a clue and information to Kinuan.
I had no choice but to be unilaterally involved, having lost the initiative. The information asymmetry was severe. I knew nothing about the current situation. Inside, I felt like cursing.
“Luka, I don’t blame you. It’s natural to obey your superiors’ orders. On the contrary, your judgment is always correct. It’s amazing how you choose only the best from a limited number of options. But… … .”
Kinuan, whose back and the back of his head were all visible, turned his head and looked at me.
I closed my eyes because I didn’t want to be read. This wasn’t a good decision either.
“… … Since you are the type of person who only chooses the right answer, it is easy to read the flow of thought. You are both aggressive and have a strong desire to achieve. However, you have the discernment and self-control to avoid becoming a headache for your superiors. You are the epitome of a model soldier that the Empire demands. You are truly an irregular who came from a two-digit orphanage.”
Never, that was not a compliment. That’s how I felt.
I shouldn’t look into Kinuan’s eyes. I tried hard to keep my eyelids closed.
The eyes contained a great deal of information. The direction of emotion could be determined by the movement of the pupils in response to the words spoken, and their depth and intensity were revealed by the trembling of the eyelids and the constriction and dilation of the pupils.
Kinuan spoke softly. His voice was deep and soft.
“Don’t think that all of this is a coincidence. Think about whether you approached me on your own volition. The higher-ups must have started preparing when you used ballistic control techniques without an auxiliary calculation device. Someone like me who is an irregular but has the aptitude for Archie’s combat techniques has appeared.”
I couldn’t hide my agitation. My body was expressing the ripples of emotion.
… … All of this is of my own free will. I encountered a powerful enemy during a reconnaissance mission. I thought I needed more strength. So I searched through the records of the instructors and found a special person who could help me with my training.
All of this is my choice based on my will. No one else has any influence on my choices. I believe so.
“I chose it.”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer and opened my eyes and mouth.
“Luka, everyone in the world is someone’s slave. There are only those who know that they are slaves and those who don’t. Free will is a product of the imagination that makes us think that we made a choice of our own free will.”
Kinuan stood up, holding his knees. He reached out to my shoulder.
I suppressed my fighting reflex and allowed his hands to touch my body. It was difficult for me to allow physical contact with an extremely wary opponent. That was how I had been trained.
“Let’s go back. If you want to report to Heilas, you can do so.”
I was wondering how to report to the captain of the guard. Kinuan’s words were difficult. But one thing was certain.
‘It’s extremely disturbing.’
If I report Kinuan’s words as they are, my superiors will retake my psychological test. To be honest, I wasn’t confident that I would get a high score like before. I’m shaking now.
It wasn’t just because of Kinuan’s words.
‘Ilay.’
That guy’s influence was there too.
I followed Kinuan, who was ahead. We didn’t say anything on the way back.
* * *
Ilay is a subversive element.
Even though he’s my friend, this is a fact. If it were me in the past, I would have stayed away from Ilay.
Ilay sometimes questions and opposes the system of the Empire. I have no intention of accusing him, but I have even less intention of sympathizing with him.
‘The Empire has recognized me.’
It was thanks to the imperial system that I, who came from the bottom, was able to rise to where I am today. No matter what anyone says, I am a beneficiary of it and am proof that the empire is sound.
After all, not everyone can live in abundance. It is natural that those who create more value and the elite soldiers who protect the empire from external enemies should have more.
Those who have the skills needed by the Empire are treated better. What kind of disagreement can there be?
However, it is true that I have been under some negative influences recently.
“Phew… … .”
I sat upright and meditated. I sorted out what had happened. And I recalled Kinuan’s words over and over again.
‘It’s right to report what happened with Kinuan.’
If I hesitated, I could have caused unnecessary misunderstandings. Not reporting is not something I can decide based on my personal judgment. I am a soldier who has a duty to report everything I have experienced to my superiors.
‘But they’re going to give me a psychological test.’
One cannot avoid the suspicion that he has been infected with subversive thoughts.
Obviously, you will get lower scores on psychological tests than before. If your scores weren’t high to begin with, there would be no problem. However, a lower score is not good news. It means you are being contaminated with bad thoughts.
It’s really a headache.
‘Is this what Kinuan was after?’
I gradually came to know the man named Kinuan. He was not an old soldier steeped in the past and memories. He was not a beast with no claws or teeth.
Kinuan was still a fiery horse, burning fiercely. It was just hiding its flame-like mane by lowering it.
That’s why the captain of the guards is also wary of Kinuan. Although I have no way of knowing the true reason.
‘First of all, it’s a good idea to learn the Akiest fighting techniques from Kinuan’s side. It’s just inefficient, but it’s not that it’s useless.’
It will take a long time to train to the point where brain function abnormalities occur. When that happens, I will be the first to use the Archies combat technique without being told to do so.
‘You must be prepared to pass a psychological examination to report to the captain of the guard.’
The decision was made. I opened my eyes.
“Ilay, give me some time.”
I called Ilay right away.
* * *
Ilay was doing simulation training. He was wearing a helmet with cables hanging from it, and electrodes were implanted into his arms, legs, and naked torso.
Intermittently, Ilay’s body trembled. His muscles twitched and spasmed as if they were actually moving.
It looked like they were fighting hard in virtual reality. At first glance, the training intensity was very high. They’d be exhausted after it was over.
‘Isn’t it amazing that Illei is training so hard?’
Ilay tends to be a bit lax in his training. It was never his interest to become a soldier in the first place. He simply compensates for his lack of passion with his natural talent.
‘Even if Elley had grown up in a two-digit orphanage, he would have been selected as a cadet in the Royal Guard.’
I’ve lived a really fierce life, so sometimes I get angry when I watch Ilay.
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Steam poured out of the slits in Ilay’s simulation helmet. The helmet rose as the hydraulic cylinders moved. The electrodes embedded in his arms and legs snapped off.
“Haa, haa.”
Ilay was panting with a wet face. Sweat poured down his chin and hair like rain. He looked like he had been running for hours.
“Drink this.”
I threw my drink as I entered the training room. Ilay reached out and took the drink without even looking. His pupils were dim.
I waited for Ilay to come to her senses. It takes a while for the brain that has been lost in a virtual simulation to return to reality. This is because it has to perceive reality in layers.
‘Tricking the brain.’
Jumping into a simulation is a process of tricking your brain. Coming back to reality is the process of realizing that your brain has been tricked. You’ll know after a few times, but it’s not a very pleasant feeling.
“Oh, sorry for keeping you waiting.”
Ilay’s pupils came back into focus. He stood up from his chair and wiped the sweat off with a towel. It didn’t take a minute for him to return to reality. He recovered two or three times faster than the average cadet. It meant that his mental resilience was excellent.
“Well, I called you because I needed you. Of course you should wait. It’s not urgent, so go wash up and come back.”
I said as I watched Ilay walk to the shower room. Like the other cadets, Ilay had well-trained muscles. The artificial skin on her limbs blended in without any discomfort, and it was difficult to find even a trace of the joint.
There was a loud noise inside the shower room. It was an automatic system that would finish washing and drying on its own if you just stood still.
Illei quickly came out. He put on the uniform hanging on the wall.
“Haha, what day is it that you come to me first? I’m so happy to receive a birthday present.”
Illei pulled down the top that was hanging over his chest. Looking at his smile, it seemed like he had completely shaken off the fatigue from the simulation.
“Go out and talk.”
I nodded and left the simulation training room first. The outside was quiet. On the parade ground beyond the wall, I could see the cadets of the class below.
“The weather is nice. I should have called a girl and gone out.”
Illai blurted out words she didn’t mean.
“Ilay, you also train separately. I saw you again.”
“I got beat up by you so badly last time. I was pretty pissed.”
That’s what it was. I guess Illei is a man after all. It’s only natural to feel a desire to improve when you suddenly lose to someone you thought was at a similar level.
“You said last time that prestigious families manipulate the screening test, right?”
I’m out of luck. I never thought I’d be the first to say something so offensive. Two or three years ago, I couldn’t have imagined it.
“It’s a well-known fact. Those who fall short will be weeded out anyway because they won’t be able to endure the training.”
Please note that the screening test also includes psychological testing.
“How did you pass the psychological test?”
I didn’t beat around the bush. I asked directly. In a way, it was something I shouldn’t have said.
‘You rigged the screening test.’
It’s like saying this out loud. Psychological tests aren’t so lax that you can pass them with deception and lies.
And I don’t think Ilay would have passed the psychological evaluation in a normal way.
Ilay narrowed his eyes. He only moved his pupils to look at me. The answer didn’t come right away. Ilay must have been trying to figure out the intention of my question.
I spoke again without waiting for Ilay’s answer.
“If there’s a way, please tell me right now. I might need it right now.”
I too have revealed and revealed my impure intentions.
“I won’t ask why you’re asking this, Luca. If you could tell me, you would have told me first.”
“It may seem strange to say this on the topic of rigging psychological tests… … but it is beneficial to the Empire.”
I emphasized that my loyalty had not changed. I wanted to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
Illai paused for a moment and then slowly moved her lips.
“Put your patterned self out into the outside world, and place your self-consciousness inside as an observer. Then you can pass the psychological test.”
I tilted my head slightly and thought about Ilay’s words. Soon, my face crumpled.
“… …What the hell are you talking about?”
Illai smiled as if she had known this would happen.
