Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Free Planet Alliance, Capital Star Mercato.
“Wow…….”
Aside from the Empire, which was effectively an enemy state, the Free Planet Alliance was the foreign nation most familiar to the citizens of the Human Composite State—yet, surprisingly, not many had actually been there.
In a way, that was only natural.
How many planets made up the Human Composite State, and how many colonial planets were treated as quasi-federal territories?
There was little reason to go out of one’s way to come to the Free Planet Alliance, which required complicated procedures and even the issuance of a passport.
Whether it was for a honeymoon, simple tourism, or even relocation of residence.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
“Wow, is that an elf?”
“Yes. And you’re being rude.”
To the citizens of the Human Composite State, other races were unfamiliar.
No—rather, it would be more accurate to say they were hostile.
To them, elves were enemies, and the humans of the Empire who collaborated under elves were nothing more than miserable imitation humans who needed to be liberated.
When they already looked down even on Imperial humans whose genetics matched theirs at nearly 100%, there were fewer people than one might expect who welcomed rubbing shoulders with other species.
“……Well, it is kind of fascinating.”
“Yeah. It’s my first time seeing so many people of other races.”
“That one, um, that’s a Titan, right?”
Of course, among the cadets, unfamiliarity seemed to outweigh disgust.
“Hmm.”
Even Famille—who had just moments ago rebuked Dokgo Ran for openly pointing at a passing elf—rolled her eyes subtly as she scanned the surroundings, while Hino Kanae and Miel Amber kept letting out pure exclamations of amazement.
That was only natural.
True to its name, the Human Composite State was a society centered on ‘humans,’ and naturally, the mainstream of society consisted entirely of humans.
It wasn’t that there were no other races.
Most of the colonies were inhabited by other races.
However, when even androids were subjected to overt and covert discrimination, there was no need to spell out how those races were treated.
“Elves really are pretty.”
“Wow, that guy—what’s with those muscles? Did he shoot up with something?”
Miel’s admiration and Dokgo Ran’s voice, brimming with rudeness, brushed past his ears.
……This is embarrassing.
He couldn’t help but think that.
As a matter of fact, their behavior was bustling enough to draw the surrounding attention.
‘I can’t say I don’t understand.’
Still, to Baek Hwi-young, it was a sight he had seen to the point of exhaustion.
Even without coming all the way to the Free Planet Alliance, once the war against Creatures intensified, it would no longer be a problem limited to humanity alone.
At that point, there would be no distinction between humans and other races.
If someone could hold a gun and offer up their life, anyone would be put into a uniform and driven onto the battlefield.
Paradoxically, it had been a time when all discrimination was neatly erased under the premise of survival.
To the extent that, by the end of the war, his adjutant had been an elf with whom he had lived like sworn enemies.
‘I wonder how she’s doing.’
She was hopeless in her actions, but as a noble and a knight in her own right, there was probably no need to worry.
It was just as Baek Hwi-young was briefly chewing over the past.
“Alright, that’s enough. Especially you, Ran. You’ll pick a fight at this rate. Calm down a bit.”
Beatus, apparently just as accustomed to scenes like this as Baek Hwi-young, said that and added,
“And don’t think something like, ‘If someone picks a fight, we’ll just fight back.’ There probably won’t be any trouble during the day, but it’s still better to keep your head down as much as possible. This place is practically a crossroads for all the mercenaries and PMCs in the galaxy. Same goes for criminals.”
“You seem to know a lot. Have you been here before?”
At Hino Kanae’s question—she seemed to get along particularly well with Beatus among the girls—he nodded.
“Didn’t I mention it? Before enrolling, I was originally a PMC mercenary. I was just an apprentice, so I didn’t do many operations. That’s what a senior told me back then.”
“Huh?”
“That’s unexpected.”
Baek Hwi-young already knew, but it must have been the first time everyone else had heard it.
However, unlike the surprised reactions around him at the unexpected revelation, Beatus’s expression remained calm.
Perhaps because of that,
the other cadets’ reactions were limited to a simple ‘that’s unexpected.’
It didn’t seem like something that should pass over so easily.
‘PMC.’
Choosing that path despite being a superhuman was impossible without some sort of circumstance.
And it certainly wouldn’t have been a bright one.
They were all from families so prestigious that even calling them distinguished felt insufficient.
Even Miel, whose standing was the lowest among them, would not have been strange to look down on an orphan like himself or Beatus, considering the social influence of the Amber family.
‘Back then, it all felt natural.’
Now, he knew that this was not natural.
Rather, enough to remind him once again that he had friends far beyond what he deserved.
Because of that, he forced away the bitter smile that had unconsciously formed at the corner of his lips and said,
“So, when is the car coming?”
They were currently standing on the wide boulevard stretching out in front of a department store, waiting for the resort vehicle that Dokgo Ran had reserved.
If there was a problem, it was that after visiting the department store, their already considerable luggage had doubled, and they had been waiting for nearly an hour.
“Ugh. J-just a moment.”
It wasn’t only Baek Hwi-young who was starting to get tired; when Famille’s sharp gaze stabbed into the back of his head, Dokgo Ran smiled awkwardly and turned on his watch.
But just then.
A sleekly designed black pickup truck came to a stop in front of them, and soon the passenger-side window rolled down as a man in a suit spoke in a brisk voice.
“Are you the customer who made the reservation under ‘I’m Dokgo’?”
“Ah. Yes!”
“Yes. Just a moment!”
The man soon parked the car and got out.
“Please hand over the luggage. Heave-ho.”
He opened the trunk and loaded their bags inside.
“‘I’m Dokgo’?”
“……That’s really lame.”
Of course, Dokgo Ran didn’t mind.
After loading all the luggage and getting into the car, the man smiled slyly, glanced at the rearview mirror, and said,
“We sincerely welcome you to Carpe Diem Leisure, haha. I’m your dedicated manager, Artin. I look forward to working with you!”
Soon, the black pickup truck swiftly disappeared among the cars.
And right at that moment.
In an alley they had just passed, a woman wearing a long hooded coat dropped the cigarette from her mouth onto the ground, then took a gulp of liquor with a trembling hand that bore the distinctive seams of illegal implants.
“……Hah.”
She slightly shrank her body as pain surged in unconsciously, and then the strands of her hair that had slipped free were revealed as if sliding along the tilt of her lowered head.
Her deep violet hair was nothing short of rough, as if it had not been washed for days, yet its owner seemed unable to care about such a trivial problem, doing nothing but draw in harsh, ragged breaths.
“Huuk. Kh.”
How much time had passed?
After trembling there for quite a while, she finally turned her head toward the group of men who had appeared behind her and spoke.
“Are the preparations to infiltrate the resort complete?”
“All set, Captain.”
“Good.”
Captain—no.
……Now reduced to one of the galaxy’s countless wanted criminals, Satra nodded at their words, then sharpened her gaze as she mulled over the black pickup truck that had departed moments ago.
‘Red Hand.’
She swallowed another mouthful of liquor.
The sharp alcohol suppressed the pain that surged up from time to time, and with her mind cleared a notch, she moved her steps into the darkness of the alley, chasing after their trail.
“Ah-ha, so you’re cadets from a special service academy. Training even during vacation—how admirable. I suppose these are the people who protect the galaxy, right?”
“Sure, we came here to train, after all.”
They said first impressions never lied.
Artein, who introduced himself as their dedicated manager, had great social skills befitting his bright and cheerful impression, and he got along quite well with the similarly straightforward Dokgo Ran.
“So, at our academy…….”
“Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?”
“No! I saw it myself, I swear? A moth this big, really…….”
Was it because the atmosphere had loosened up quite a bit?
Or was it because they were physically and psychologically far removed from Sigma Satellite City, where the Central Special Service Academy was located?
Famille and the others all seemed to have relaxed considerably as they continued chatting comfortably, and most of the conversation revolved around life at the academy.
And when cadets gathered together, there was inevitably one topic that had to come up.
“Don’t you think Instructor Jin has changed a bit lately?”
The first to speak up, unexpectedly, was Miel Amber.
She said it while chewing on a donut she’d bought at a department store, which Dokgo Ran insisted was ‘a flour tanghulu.’
“Well, he did change. He saved Ran, after all.”
“What did I even do…….”
“Who was it that picked a fight the moment we enrolled and made him draw special armaments?”
“T-that was. Ngh.”
At Famille’s words from the very back seat, where she alone had been reading a book, Dokgo Ran puffed out her lips, and Beatus, who had been tending to his firearm, nodded and added in agreement.
“True, I was pretty tense after only hearing the rumors, but he was more reasonable than I expected. ……Except for when his eyes kind of go wild sometimes.”
“Ahaha…….”
“……It seemed like it got worse after he came back from that business trip.”
“Did you see Assistant Instructor Ginatio’s face? He looked like he’d been cut in half.”
In fact, it was fairly well known that ever since Instructor Jin Crow took charge of the Creature lectures, his complexion had been deteriorating.
Did Ginatio know?
That recently, regardless of whether it was instructors or cadets, the person receiving the most sympathy was himself.
So much so that there were even rumors going around that instructors would often buy him meals, regardless of faction.
That was when it happened.
While silently listening to the cadets’ conversation as they nodded along, discussing ‘Jin Crow,’ Artein casually asked them in passing.
“Wow, that instructor must be really scary. Like a tiger instructor? That kind of feeling?”
“Uh…….”
“He’s not a tiger.”
“If we really had to say…….”
The remaining four—excluding Baek Hwi-young, who was staring out the window alone, and Famille, who was reading a book on her device—looked at one another, then each murmured at the same time.
“Wouldn’t he be a crow, after all.”
“A wolf.”
“A cat?”
“A snake……. Huh? Why a cat?”
If Jin Crow had heard it, it would have been the kind of talk that would make him want to hand out demerits to all of them, but fortunately, Jin Crow was not with them.
“Well, he’s sensitive and hands out demerits a lot…….”
“But he’s not a bad person, right?”
“Who knows. You can’t judge a person from just one side.”
So how long had they been driving down the road like that?
Starting with Dokgo Ran, the chattering group fell asleep one by one, and since the awake Baek Hwi-young and Famille did not respond to Artein’s occasional muttering, they reached a quiet outskirts in silence.
And once again, after passing through a deep forest and arriving halfway up a mountain, Artein turned off the AI-assisted driving system and forced out a cheerfully bright tone over his slightly lowered voice.
“Alright, we’ve arrived, cadets.”
“Mm…….”
“Ssuh, arrived? Huh?”
At those words, the ones who had been sleeping opened their eyes, and Artein got out of the car first, opened the door for them, then stretched out his arm with a rather proud look as he spoke.
“Once again, welcome to Carpe Diem Resort!”
What appeared before their eyes was a luxuriously built high-rise resort, along with, far in the distance, a structure like a massive ranch stretching on endlessly.
-Kieeeeeee!
And what echoed from its far end was the vivid howl of a Creature.