Chapter 46: A New Beginning

Arthur stood outside the Academy grounds alongside what remained of the cadets he had trained with.

There were far fewer of them now.

The brutal entrance assessments had begun with hundreds of hopeful Imperial cadets.

Now...

Only those who had survived remained.

Naturally, this wasn’t the only Imperial Academy in the entire Empire.

Far from it.

The Empire controlled countless star systems, and numerous Imperial Academy branches had been established throughout the Central Empire to train the next generation of soldiers, officers, commanders, and Imperial elites.

This particular Academy, however, was special.

It was located deep within the Central Empire.

More specifically...

It had been established on the very planet that served as the homeworld of the Imperial Family.

Arthur slowly raised his head.

And—

His expression changed slightly.

Calling the enormous structure before him an academy almost felt inappropriate.

It looked more like a gigantic military fortress.

Massive metallic walls stretched across the horizon, surrounding a complex so enormous that Arthur couldn’t even see where it ended.

Several towering structures rose beyond the walls, their dark metallic surfaces reflecting the sunlight.

Warships occasionally flew through the skies overhead.

Some were enormous enough to cast shadows across the ground as they passed.

Rows of military vehicles moved through heavily guarded checkpoints.

Imperial soldiers wearing black-and-red uniforms stood at every entrance.

Advanced defensive towers were positioned throughout the enormous complex, their massive weapons constantly tracking the skies above.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

...This is supposed to be an Academy?

The place looked capable of defending itself against an invasion.

And perhaps that was exactly the point.

The Imperial Academy wasn’t simply a place where students came to study.

It was where the Empire forged its future military.

Arthur’s gaze slowly moved forward.

Then...

He noticed something.

A gigantic statue stood directly outside the Academy.

Arthur stopped walking.

The statue towered hundreds of meters into the sky.

It depicted a woman.

Large wings extended from her back.

A blindfold covered her eyes.

And within her hands...

She held a pair of enormous scales.

Her appearance reminded Arthur less of an Empress and more of some fantasy high priestess or divine being.

At the base of the monument was an inscription.

VELECA DON ZARIUS

FIRST EMPRESS OF THE IMPERIAL EMPIRE

Arthur stared at the name.

...Veleca Don Zarius.

Not a name I’m familiar with.

Was she another Ranker?

Perhaps not among the Top Ten. ℴ

It’s not like I could keep track of all the Top One Hundred Players...

〘Master, I don’t think it would be a good idea to be thinking about such things.〙

Arthur’s expression immediately changed.

〘Don’t forget. Your thoughts are constantly being monitored.〙

Arthur winced slightly.

Right...

He had almost forgotten.

Even now...

The Imperial Neural Link embedded within the back of his neck was constantly monitoring him.

His thoughts.

His emotions.

His loyalty.

Arthur slowly looked away from the statue.

...I can’t even casually think about things like that.

The realization was deeply uncomfortable.

For the first time since arriving within the Central Empire, Arthur truly understood just how careful he would have to be.

Not only with his actions.

Not only with his words.

But even with his thoughts.

Arthur let out a quiet breath.

This Academy wasn’t simply going to test whether he could survive.

It was going to test whether he could keep his secrets.

And that...

Might prove far more difficult than killing six death-row inmates.

...Genesis, do you think it would be possible to...

He paused.

You know...

There was a brief silence.

Then...

〘I’m an advanced combat pattern recognition and foresight assistant, Master. I don’t do hacking.〙

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

But...

He glanced toward Genesis.

...You should be able to learn, right?

Genesis remained silent.

Arthur smiled slightly.

...Or are you not your Master’s number one assistant anymore?

Genesis paused for several seconds.

Then, a new holographic avatar appeared.

It was a chibi version of Genesis.

However, this one had a ridiculously pointy nose and a smug expression on her face.

〘Indeed, I can.〙

She crossed her arms proudly.

〘You can leave it to me.〙

She lifted her chin.

Arthur smiled. He was proud of her.

...That’s my girl.

〘What about me?〙

Arthur turned his head.

Eclipsion’s hovering mechanical eye suddenly floated directly in front of him.

Arthur nearly bumped into it.

〘Don’t you have any mission for me, Master?〙

Arthur awkwardly scratched his cheek.

Calm down now.

Eclipsion’s mechanical eye stared directly at him with expectation.

Arthur felt a bit awkward.

...You have my back, right?

〘...〙

Eclipsion froze for a moment, feeling disappointed.

You’re supposed to use your assault drones to protect me.

Eclipsion’s mechanical eye narrowed slightly.

〘But you didn’t let me protect you during the assessment...〙

Arthur sighed.

...Remember what I said before the assessment started?

Eclipsion remained silent.

Arthur continued.

...I can’t have you blasting away recklessly and getting yourself and me discovered.

He glanced toward the massive Imperial Academy.

Besides...

Arthur smiled slightly.

From now on, I’m counting on you to have my back.

There was a brief silence.

Then—

A holographic window appeared beside Eclipsion with a smiley face.

Arthur blinked.

〘Understood!〙

Eclipsion’s mechanical eye spun excitedly.

〘I’ll make sure to make you proud, Master!〙

Arthur couldn’t help but smile.

...These two really are like children.

But perhaps...

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

After making their way through what felt like an endless number of checkpoints, Arthur finally arrived at the dormitory complex.

The Imperial Academy’s security was no joke.

Every few hundred meters, there seemed to be another checkpoint.

Identity verification.

Neural Link verification.

Fingerprint scans.

Facial recognition.

Weapon inspections.

Arthur had already begun wondering whether entering the dormitory required more security clearance than entering a military installation.

...Then again, considering this place basically is a military installation, I guess it makes sense.

Eventually, Arthur arrived at the cadet dormitories.

The massive building towered over the surrounding structures, its dark metallic exterior matching the rest of the Academy’s intimidating architecture.

Rows upon rows of windows stretched across its surface.

Arthur followed the directions provided by his Neural Link and made his way through the enormous building.

But then—

He noticed something.

Someone was following him.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

It was that cadet.

The young man with white hair and crimson eyes.

Arthur had seen him earlier during the entrance assessment.

The same cadet who had emerged from one of the testing chambers with his arm missing... Only now, he was sporting new implants.

The Empire really spared no expense in patching its people up.

He had been following Arthur for quite some time now.

Arthur continued walking.

The cadet continued following.

Arthur turned down a corridor.

The cadet turned down the same corridor.

Arthur stopped.

The cadet stopped.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

...What the hell?

The white-haired young man maintained a cold expression.

His crimson eyes remained completely emotionless.

Something about his appearance made Arthur instinctively feel like the guy was up to no good.

Arthur continued walking.

Perhaps the guy would leave him alone once he reached his room.

Eventually, Arthur stopped in front of a door.

〘DORMITORY ASSIGNMENT CONFIRMED.〙

〘CADET 81 — ROOM 217.〙

Arthur placed his thumb against the biometric scanner.

Beep!

〘IDENTITY VERIFIED.〙

Click.

The door slid open.

Arthur stepped inside.

Then—

Clank.

A second pair of footsteps followed him.

Arthur immediately stopped.

The door closed behind them.

Hissss.

Arthur slowly turned around.

The white-haired cadet was standing inside the room.

Arthur stared at him.

The young man stared back.

Silence.

Arthur’s expression slowly became serious.

His eyes narrowed.

"I didn’t think I’d get found out this early."

The white-haired cadet blinked.

Arthur took a step forward.

"Who sent you?"

The young man’s cold expression immediately disappeared.

"...Who sent me?"

He looked genuinely confused.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed even further.

"Don’t play dumb."

"I’m not."

"You followed me through half the Academy."

The white-haired cadet stared at him.

"...I was walking to my room."

Arthur pointed toward the door.

"Should I assume you are lost, then?"

The cadet looked around.

Then his gaze shifted toward Arthur.

There was a brief silence.

Finally...

The white-haired young man awkwardly raised a finger and pointed toward the room.

"...This is also my room."

Arthur froze.

"...What?"

The young man continued pointing.

"The boys’ dormitories have two cadets assigned to each room."

Arthur slowly looked around.

Only now did he notice something.

There were two beds.

Two desks.

Two storage lockers.

Two separate sections within the room.

Silence.

Arthur slowly turned back toward the white-haired cadet.

The cadet stared at him.

Arthur laughed awkwardly.

"...Ah."

He scratched the back of his head.

"R-right."

Another awkward silence followed.

Arthur looked away.

"...Sorry about that."

The white-haired cadet continued staring at him.

For several seconds, neither of them said anything.

Then the young man finally spoke.

"...That’s my first impression of you, by the way."

Arthur blinked.

"What?"

The white-haired cadet’s expression returned to its usual cold appearance.

"My first impression of you."

He paused.

"A paranoid lunatic."

Arthur’s mouth opened slightly.

"...Excuse me?"

The cadet calmly walked past him.

"Don’t worry."

He placed his belongings beside one of the beds.

"I won’t tell anyone."

Arthur stared at his new roommate.

...Great.

This is going to be a long three years.