031
As soon as I arrived at Krachia Academy, I felt the eyes of the crowd gathering around me. Students walking around the airport were looking at me. There was a quiet question in their eyes.
‘You must be wondering why Giselle Custoria and I are getting off together.’
The Kustaria family is one of the most prestigious families in the Empire. The head of the family, Giselle, is also a person of considerable note within the Academy.
“The identification color of Academy students is purple, with low saturation.”
Giselle, who was walking ahead, spoke without even looking at me. She tapped the terminal several times.
Chijijik.
An electric current briefly flowed through Giselle’s coat. As the electrochromic function worked, Giselle’s clothes turned purple. Looking at it, the students’ clothes were all different, but the color was consistently purple.
“Hmm, the colors are nice.”
I said with a shrug. The Royal Guard uniform is a plain gray.
“There’s no discoloration function either?”
This girl seems to think that any piece of clothing can have a color-changing function.
“Because the cadets don’t need it.”
“… … I didn’t know you would come without this much preparation.”
“Yes, I am. I am sorry.”
I answered dryly. Giselle looked indignant at my empty words. It was quite amusing to see her reaction.
Even the most proud young lady would not dare to confront her great father directly. So she would just silently play the role of my guide, even though she was getting all irritated.
“Follow me. I’ll guide you to the dormitory where you’ll be staying for the time being.”
I followed Giselle and observed the interior of the Academy.
‘Kracia Academy… … .’
I felt anew that I was standing on the same level as people of good origins. Unlike the bleak training camp, the landscaping was well done. As I passed the garden, I saw a tall statue of the first emperor. Beneath it were inscribed words of praise.
Praise be to Dino Kratzia, Emperor of the Empire, Founding Father, Defender of Mankind.
I turned my head. The students passing by were all wearing high-end prosthetics. It wasn’t high-end because they were high-powered. It was a high-end prosthetic with excellent craftsmanship. I also saw a hand-made prosthetic that wasn’t even factory-made and didn’t even have a model number. I couldn’t even guess how expensive it was.
The bodies of the noble students did not emit even the typical mechanical noise. The artificial skin was meticulously designed down to each and every sweat gland, and there were no seams visible on the shoulders of the students who exercised without their shirts on.
As I was passing the playground, I saw a familiar face. At the same time, he looked at me.
“Ah, Luca!”
He was a cadet of the Royal Guard, just like me. His name was Felix Eigen. The Eigen family was also a very prestigious family. Perhaps that’s why he seemed to know many people at the Academy.
Felix, surrounded by his acquaintances, approached me. He seemed to want to talk to me.
I looked at Giselle’s face. She stood there expressionless, waiting. She also seemed to have recognized Felix Eigen’s identity. She didn’t seem to want to interrupt my conversation with him.
“Giselle Custoria, I’ve met you before. I’m Felix Eigen. I’m a cadet in the Royal Guard, the same order as Luca. May I speak to Luca for a moment?”
Felix leaned forward slightly, placing a hand on his chest. Giselle responded with the same politeness as he did.
Giselle made room for me and Felix, putting some distance between us. I felt a sense of relief, too.
“The rumors are true, the lady of the Custoria family is following you around.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I think it would be better to come alone. But what’s the rumor?”
I vaguely thought I knew, but I asked.
“The captain of the guard is giving you special treatment. Now he’s even showing favoritism. He’s even putting his own daughter by your side.”
“It’s hard to believe she’s the captain’s daughter. She ignored me from the moment we first met. If it were outside, I’d already break her nose.”
Felix laughed loudly at my grumbling. It’s not like he and I are particularly close.
However, we lived together as cadets for three years. We went through all kinds of hardships and sometimes even entrusted our lives to each other. As a result, cadets of the same class can get along without any barriers regardless of their background.
“I didn’t know you would be dispatched to the Krachia Academy. This place is different from the Royal Guard training camp, so you’ll be in a lot of awkward situations. I don’t think Giselle will be the only one acting aggressively.”
Felix indirectly mentioned my origins. It was a worthy piece of advice. It wasn’t malicious or contemptuous, but purely good-natured. No one among my peers would ignore me because of my origins.
But there will be many fools at Krachia Academy who will look down on me because of my origins. I expected that.
“I didn’t want to come either, but it was an order.”
“If it’s an order, then there’s nothing I can do. It’s strange that I sent you here. But if you think about it this way, then it makes sense. The captain of the guard wants you to see a little bit of noble society. For the future. After all, the people you’ll be hanging out with in the future are nobles.”
Felix’s insights were sharp. Most of them were correct. The captain of the guard intends to acclimate me to noble society.
“Haha, or maybe the captain wanted to see me get into trouble.”
I tried to laugh it off. Felix smiled and lightly tapped my shoulder.
“You’re kidding. Even the captain of the guard would cherish his own daughter. Giselle Custoria is by your side. Maybe she’s planning to take you as her son-in-law.”
Felix’s reasoning was almost true. There was a secret agreement between me and the captain of the guard. In exchange for spying on Kinuan, I would be incorporated into the Custoria family.
‘However, not as a son-in-law, but as an adopted son… … .’
Let’s assume a son-in-law. I also hate women like Giselle. My personality is not good, so what would happen if my spouse had a bad personality? It’s horrible to even think about it.
“Luka, are you going to the Academy’s dormitory then?”
Felix asked, somewhat worried.
“Will something bad happen if I go to the dorm?”
“That’s not it… … If you want, you can stay with me while you’re on assignment instead of staying in the dorms. I have my own house in Akbaran, and I have my own school transport vehicle.”
I knew what Felix was talking about.
“Well, the dormitory is where the poor live.”
“Yes, the guys who are only nobility in name and those from lower classes stay there. That’s why other students don’t look upon the dormitory with favor.”
Felix talked for a long time, even though he knew Giselle was waiting. Felix, who was his guide, gave him more useful information than Giselle.
Anyway, I had no intention of looking good for Giselle. As long as Felix was there, she wouldn’t be able to cut off the conversation so easily.
To sum up the dormitory, it was simple. It was a place where children from lower class families and descendants of fallen families, who were recognized for their talents, could not help but stay. Their financial power did not allow them to secure accommodation in the upper class areas.
I rested my chin on my hand and thought, then shook my head.
“… … I appreciate the offer. But it makes me feel a bit awkward. I don’t think the captain expected me to have such an easy time at the academy.”
“I thought you’d reject me. I just wanted to score some points with you.”
Felix backed down obediently. He and his colleagues knew my personality well.
I was about to leave after talking to Felix for a while. Felix had been generous with the information I needed about life at the Academy. I thought I would become closer to him after this assignment.
“Lastly… …Luka, did you remodel that side?”
I felt Felix’s gaze. I followed him and stared at my lower body.
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“Here? No, not yet.”
I only have a prosthetic limb, my right eye, and part of my hip joint. Felix rummaged through his arms as if he knew it.
“Traditionally, dispatched cadets were popular with women.”
Felix smiled meaningfully as he placed something on my palm. I lowered my eyes to confirm the identity of the object.
… … It was a contraceptive.
I ended up laughing out loud.
* * *
The dormitory of Krachia Academy was a neat white building. It was four stories tall, but it stretched out long and wide, so that at first glance, there were over a hundred windows. Just looking at the exterior of the building, it was hard to believe that it was inhabited by fallen nobles and the lower classes.
After all, Krachia Academy is one of the top educational institutions in the Empire. There is no place that has not been given much attention.
“From here on out, you just need to follow the guidance of the dormitory director and the android. And this is my terminal’s unique number.”
Giselle said, showing the terminal screen.
“Let’s exchange numbers? Don’t you hate me?”
I answered indifferently.
“If anything happens while you’re at the Academy, please contact me. I have no intention of ignoring the mission I received from my father.”
Giselle also seemed to have a certain sense of responsibility. Here, my favorability toward her increased. Of course, it was only a drop of ink in the lake.
“I don’t think there will be any reason to call you.”
I said it. I’m not joking, I’m serious.
“I hope so too.”
With those words, Giselle turned around and went back the way she had come.
I ignored Giselle and looked up at the dormitory where I would be staying for the next two months. As I entered, the android bowed to me.
The dormitory was as neat on the inside as it was on the outside. There were androids on each floor, taking care of small tasks.
-This is the room assigned to you, Luca. If you need anything else… … .
“No, that’s fine. At this level, there’s no need for a separate palace.”
I sent Android outside.
‘Is this really where the fallen aristocrats and the lower classes live?’
That’s what I thought the moment I entered. It was twice as big as the room I used to use at the training center. There was a large window that looked out, and underneath it was a stylish four-person sofa. Across from the sofa, there was a display that took up the entire wall.
“The best are different, yes.”
There are several academies in the Empire. The best of them is, of course, the Kratzia Academy, which bears the Emperor’s name.
‘A place where those who are not fit to be soldiers but have outstanding talents come.’
An Irregular who is different from me in many ways is coming here. To be honest, I am a little excited. I think there might be a lot of things we can communicate with.
My schedule was empty today. According to Android, the dormitory director would come to see me after class.
During that time, I thought I would just keep my head empty.
Ssuk.
I sat on the floor and took a deep breath. Even without sleeping, meditation speeds up the recovery of the brain and nervous system. Unlike sleep, which requires time to awaken consciousness, meditation allows you to immediately demonstrate extreme concentration.
Mental training is also necessary to handle high-performance bodies that quickly accumulate fatigue in the brain and nervous system.
While I was meditating, time passed quickly.
Soon after, I heard footsteps beyond the door. It wasn’t an android, it was a human. I opened my eyes and got up from my seat.
I checked the time and it was time for the dorm director to visit.
I stood in front of the door before the other person rang the doorbell. As soon as the sensor recognized me, the door opened.
“Ah, ah… … Uh, hello! I, I’m the dorm director.”
A woman who was about a head shorter than me spoke flusteredly. She seemed very surprised. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I rubbed the back of my neck.
“Well, I’m Luca. I’m a cadet from the Royal Guard who was dispatched.”
I observed the woman as I spoke. She was wearing purple clothes, but the sleeves and collar were very worn. Above all, her limbs were not prosthetic, but living. There was no sign of cybernetic parts or implants.
‘You are not a noble.’
Her speech had none of the stiffness or elegance typical of aristocracy.
“Hello, nice to meet you, Mr. Luca. My name is Barbara.”
Of course, there was no surname. Not all lower-class people had surnames. However, if there was no surname, it was definitely lower-class. Sometimes, when names overlapped and were confusing, people would give themselves a surname they liked.
“There’s nothing to be nervous about. I’m from the lower classes too.”
“Oh, the rumors are true. You’re amazing. You’ve risen from the lower levels to become a cadet in the Royal Guard.”
It always feels good to be recognized.
“You can call me Luca. And I’m not the only one who has risen from the lower classes. Barbara has also entered the Empire’s top educational institution. And being the dormitory director is a success.”
I spoke as if I was giving a speech. Barbara didn’t know what to do, but then she laughed.
I felt a crush on Barbara. It wasn’t a romantic feeling. It was just a sense of kinship because we came from the same lower class.
‘Barbara must have worked hard like me to get here.’
That alone made me look favorably on Barbara.
Barbara closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out. She opened her eyes and spoke quickly.
“Follow me, Luca. I’m going to explain the dorms to you now. Don’t refuse! It’s your duty as the dorm director.”
It seems like a line prepared in advance to seem witty.
I nodded and followed Barbara down the hallway. As I followed her, her bright red-blond hair smelled fresh from the shower. In fact, there was still moisture in her hair. It looked like she had just washed it.
‘You must have just finished class, but you took a shower. You must have been pressed for time… … .’
My intuition, trained by Akiess Victory, worked on its own. I felt a strange sense of discomfort. But if Barbara is diligent, it makes sense.
