Chapter 18: A Trip to Disaster VI
Aetheris-Veston Border—Awakened Camp.
Southern Helia Standard Time: 7 PM.
It was too early for this nonsense.
The students stood assembled by the park side, a mass of half-conscious teenagers who clearly wished they were anywhere but here.
Yawns spread like a virus. Some had the unmistakable look of people who had never seen the morning sun voluntarily.
Enma, despite being the King of Naps, looked just as exhausted as everyone else. Somehow, even with the longest sleep, he still looked fatigue.
Then, of course, there were the few who looked almost suspiciously fine.
Others like Arianna, her entourage, Alfonso, and Chitose who looked better than the other students.
"Fufufu. What a good morning, isn't it, C-class rep?"
"Piss off."
"My, my, I should've expected you wouldn't be one of them—the overly excited types who bounce around like fools."
Alfonso's eye twitched at that. "Watch your tone, Rosebell."
"How scary~"
Naturally, it wouldn't be Rosebell if she weren't getting on someone's nerves, but even though she did, she didn't mean it to begin with.
Not to mention.
"Ms. Chitose of D-class, you also look better than expected."
"Well, after training, we were kind of tired, so after curfew, we simply hit the brakes and went to bed."
Arianna nodded, truly how a musclehead would act and think.
But she didn't find it repulsive or anything as most would think because of her looks.
Instead, she laughed lightly and unfolded her fan, covering her features.
"What about Creed the Fifth and the E-class rep?"
"I'm here…"
"Eep!"
"Oh fuck! That scared me!"
The one to speak wasn't even Lucas too who had been dozing off while standing, but rather, it was the E-class rep who answered.
He was a male slightly shorter than them with a darker shade of raven hair.
If he hadn't announced himself, they wouldn't have spotted him.
Thinking about it now, he was the only one who they didn't see.
No, rather than what they were thinking, it was more like they didn't notice him.
Not because he was hiding away from them, but his natural presence was so thin that if he didn't announce himself, they wouldn't see him.
Of course, amongst the few that had caught sight of him were the Creed.
"Since when did you' get here?"
"I've been here the entire time."
The boy who they had just noticed now gave off an uncanny feeling that made them look dangerous at first glance.
Not because of his appearance, but because of his presence.
He gave off the feeling of someone whose speciality was sneaking up on people—in other words, an assassin.
But his timid expression made him look like someone who would apologize before stabbing you.
And, even though he was in their front, if they weren't looking at him, they wouldn't notice.
"Now that I think about it, I didn't see you yesterday."
"Uhm… I was there; I talked to Shane immediately after the assembly yesterday evening."
The E-class representative said that while scratching his head.
Naturally, as class representatives, they stood at the front with their class; students lined up behind them, so they were able to converse as such.
"Then, may I have the honour of knowing your name?"
"Ciaris. Ciaris Shadowmane."
Ciaris said that he formerly introduced himself to his fellow class representatives, who also introduced themselves.
"Oh, my, I thought Mr. C-class was a ruffian who wouldn't bother with timid people like Ciaris over there."
"Rosebell, you've been running your tongue over and over; I bet it's finally time for me to shut you up myself."
"I should be saying that to you too."
This time, it wasn't Arianna that said that, but the D-class rep who had spoken up after Arianna's taunt.
While Arianna was indeed nasty for taunting Alfonso like that, Chitose, however, thought it was extremely rude the way Alfonso was talking to a lady like Arianna.
"And you, Ms. Arianna, stop poking the bear."
"Who the heck is a bear, dammit!"
Chitose then bent her head to look at the noble lady, who simply covered her features with her fan and laughed it off.
It was an expression that seemed to say that she would do it again at any chance she gets.
She was extremely talented at getting on people's nerves like that, and once something caught her interest, she would never let go.
At this point, one can only say as expected of a lady whose family runs a mafia.
"Alright, everybody gather round."
Glancing over, the instructors, alongside the Creed, finally began approaching them.
Taking the lead was Celeste, rubbing her forehead like she already regretted her life choices.
Which was fair.
Because she did.
Student's had been told—rather, Shane had told each rep to assemble their class before the instructors came, and they did just that.
And as Celeste and the other instructors approached, the students all adjusted themselves on foot, almost in attention, almost military-like, as Celeste now took the stage.
It seemed like she had gotten the chance to take her medication before coming.
"Haah. Good morning, students."
She rubbed her head almost lazily as she said that, the other instructors standing beside her as Shane stood behind her, and the other Creed went to the A-class line.
"Good morning, ma'am."
They all replied in unison.
"Heh. Glad to see you're all in better spirits than you were yesterday."
Celeste said that, crossing her hand under her chest.
She had remembered yesterday when most still looked sceptical, but now, they seemed to be holding themselves better.
"That's right. I like the look on your faces; this is how it should be. I, my fellow instructors, the first years Sc, Dc, and Class reps, will all do our best to help you, so you kids should also do your best too."
Other than the F-class. The representatives from B-class to E-class looked like they had no aversion to the on-field training.
And, it was a «Journeyman» rank nevertheless.
Yet, these four looked so confident that it'd make one think they'd had prior experiences.
And you'd be correct if you were to think so.
The Rosebell daughter comes from a mafia family; hence, there's no doubt they would have trained her for situations like this.
For Alfonso, on the other hand. The representative of the C-class, on the other hand, had once found himself a victim of a dungeon break.
It was from there he awakened. As soon as he did, in a fight to save his life, he had his first combat experience right there.
Coincidentally, he is also a physical combatant like Chitose, who comes from a family of trained martial artists.
In her family, things like wrestling a three-foot bear were but daily occurrences.
And then, for wrestling the bear, they do it without enchantments—that is, using mana to physically enhance their strength.
Yes. One could say that Chitose Ayumu had the strength of a three-foot bear.
Then, there's also Ciaris, who has an abnormally thin presence that unless you had good sensory abilities, you wouldn't detect him if he really wanted to hide from you.
That was also how capable he was.
Amongst every student, who was not to say that each of these four were not more than qualified to be in A-class?
In the end, for them, class rankings were nothing but a means of showing hierarchy.
Most had less mana than most but had more combat capabilities than most. What was the difference?
Additionally, there is also that about the written theory concerning things most hadn't bothered learning.
Lucas, on the other hand, was a transfer student. Even if he did have a high aptitude, standards demanded he start from the bottom.
Were his grades to be far ahead of what was required of that class, then they could promote him accordingly by the next semester.
That was how it was.
"Now then, I believe it's time for roll call again. Then, let's have at it—!"
With the help of each class rep, the registers were called out in no time.
Having done that, they then handed it over to Shane, who was to hold it in hand.
Yosen was a sucker for things like this; after all, it was a college that was under the family that made the association a thing.
In the end, everything, rather, every activity was to be compiled as a report that would then be submitted to the Board.
The Board would then submit it to the association, which would then be taken to the Great Clans.
It was an extremely tedious and professional job, and since Shane was capable of it, why not give it to him?
But what made her frown was how he wasn't complaining to her by now.
The Shane she had known would have done so while calling her a "demon."
But if he wasn't complaining. It was good for her.
By the time roll call had been done, they had started marching down to the camp's main facility.
Naturally, they had passed through other residential-like buildings, like hotels and mansions, filled up in what would look to be like an estate-long street, each more glamorous than the last.
Additionally, by the sides, there were obviously facilities that your typical training camps wouldn't have.
They were right to think about this as a mini-city.
"Welcome,"
By the time they'd reach the edge, they were greeted by a massive facility that stretched out sideways.
Then, an additional one by the two ends of the point at which the building in front stopped, making a rectangular "U" shape type of building.
There were additional structures beyond it, each layered into the distance like a perfectly organized military outpost.
Security had noticeably increased. From their lodge till they got here, the deeper they went, the more patrols they saw.
But they seemed to be more focused around this part than any other place around.
The same officials that had come to greet them yesterday were once again in their front with three others professionally bowing to them.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"No. The pleasure is all mine. Please come in; we have secured everything."
One official had said that they motioned to the building in front as they entered through the front door.
Grand. Was all you can say.
The floors are made with marbles; one can faintly smell the scent of freshly painted walls.
At the front, opposite to the door they entered from, was the reception desk.
At the point where the desk ended, on both sides were staircases that led upwards.
Naturally, there were also rooms on the sideways part of the building that just seemed to extend.
Additionally, there were two doors, a little bit past where the stairs leading upstairs were, were two doors that led to what looked like a garden, which was on the other side of the U-shaped facility.
And lastly, were awakeners moving to an fro around the halls.
"Woah."
"You can only say 'as expected,' can't you? The level of technology and architecture the Great Clans possess is far beyond what's commercially available."
It was Arianna that said that, fanning herself; she doesn't look to be in awe as most of them were.
After all, it wasn't every day they had the chance to be in a facility like this.
"So, what? The Great Clans are gatekeeping a technology like this from the others?"
"No, it's the other way around; it's because they should."
As Alfonso had spoken up, Shane behind him was the one who naturally brought back his view of the Great Clan back too.
"Oh my~ As expected of you, Shane. Yes. It's because it's too great of a technology."
"As we speak, the anti-awakened factions are doing as they please with the current technology, using it against people who created it to battle monsters in the first place."
As if they were instructors, they began giving lectures—Arianna and Shane—to the students who weren't that knowledgeable on that matter.
"Not only Awakeners, but also on facilities like this. It's not only a training camp of sorts, but also a research hub, that's why the Great Clans don't distribute their advancements openly. It's kind of a double-edged weapon in the Great Clan's hands, really."
"Fufufu~ Shane has said everything I wanted to say."
Hearing that, Alfonso, who had rushed to blame the Great Clans about the difference in technology between their governed facilities and others, soon went silent.
Even as they were students, they weren't safe from the attacks of those anti-awakened factions, more so, places like this.
"Please, students, do not worry; this entire facility is protected by a layered mana-barrier. It filters excess mana particles and recycles it to maintain an active security net. There's no need to worry. This place is not so easily penetrated."
One of the professional officials leading them had heard their conversation and turned back to them.
Giving them a characteristic professional smile.
Naturally, the boast was evident; after all, they had worked here for some time, hence they knew what the Great Clan was capable of.
As they spoke, researchers were still finding a way to capture excess particles of mana for renewable uses.
"... I hope so."