"So I have to fill this first?"
"Yes, please. After you fill the sheet you can collect the bracelets."
"Okay..."
Staring at the piece of paper in front of me, I took a pen and started to fill it. It was just basic stuff. Name, date of birth, and so on...
Within a few minutes, I was done.
Or so I thought.
".....Team name?"
I paused to look at the last gap that I needed to fill. Team name. How was I supposed to fill this?
Looking around me, I could see hundreds of different cadets roaming around the hall. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces. Meeting the gazes of a few, I noticed obvious hints of hostility.
In particular, I noticed a few gazes in the distance staring at me with hints of mockery.
They weren't even trying to hide their disdain as they spoke in loud voices.
"He's weak."
"This is the best that there is in Ha-"
Just a lot of nonsense. I couldn't be bothered to hear all of it. Kiera would've been perfect for such occasions.
With how she usually acted, she would've probably beaten them all on the spot.
Currently, all team leaders for the upcoming event were called up to collect the rule book, and 'bracelets' which were supposed to be handed to all team members.
It was a low-ranked relic. A one-time use. In case a dangerous situation occurred, the bracelet would shatter and the spell [Barrier] would evoke, protecting the cadet from suffering any meaningful injuries.
Besides that, it also relayed the teams the overall scores of their team and the other teams.
It was a must-have item.
That said...
"Is it possible for me to come back in ten minutes?"
"Yes?"
"I wasn't told that I needed to come up with a team name. Can I talk it over with my team?"
"Ah, no. Unfortunately, not. We need the documents signed quickly, and an announcement was made. I'm not sure how you weren't aware of it."
".....Right."
So they made an announcement...
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})It was bullshit, but what could I do? Staring at the paper in front of me, I sighed before jotting down a team name.
"He..."
I decided to go with the most random name I could think of.
It wasn't going to matter anyway.
"Here you go."
Once I was done filling out the paper, I handed it to one of the assistants on-site who handed me five bracelets. They were rather heavy to the touch and were also rather thick.
Just as I was about to put on my bracelet, one of the assistants stopped me and warned me.
"The moment you put on the bracelet, you will feel a little bit of pain. Please don't worry. It's part of the procedure."
"Hm?"
Pain?
Why would there be pain?
"The bracelet does more than just protect you and display your team points. It also measures your heart rate and mana capacity. If something is wrong, we'll be quickly alerted. To do that, it'll insert small needles into your skin."
"Oh..."
That made sense, but needles...
"....."
I stared at the device before putting it on.
As expected, a pain did come, but it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Rather, it felt more like a pinch.
"Wow, you're rather resilient. You're the first cadet who didn't as much as flinch. I'm impressed."
"....Thank you."
I wasn't sure whether the compliment was real or not, but I still thanked him.
I was just about to leave when I heard a soft whisper reach my ear.
"There's no problem with your bracelet."
My steps stopped and I flicked my head to look back. However, the assistant from before had long disappeared from my sight.
"Where did..."
But it didn't take long for me to understand what had happened.
'....It's them.'
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The organization.
Lowering my head, I stared at the bracelet again. For them to contact me now of all times...
"How annoying."
Especially since I already knew that there was something wrong with the bracelets. After a little investigation, the only possible inspectors that were mentioned in the visions were the ones who checked the bracelets before they were handed over to the cadets.
It was obvious to me that whatever was going to happen, had something to do with the bracelets.
They were the only things that the cadets were allowed to bring to the examination.
"....What should I do?"
It was a troublesome situation.
The only message that I received was a simple, 'There's no problem with your bracelet.' What did this even mean?
Don't interfere? Interfere? Do whatever you want...?
"Haaa..."
I massaged my forehead.
"Why wou-"
Halting mid-sentence, I pursed my lips. I suddenly started to have an understanding of the situation.
"So that's how it is."
I didn't know how to react. No, rather. I felt like utter shit.
'In the end, they're just treating me as a pawn.'
It didn't take much for me to piece the pieces together. By telling me this information, they were essentially giving me a chance to prevent whatever they were doing.
It was almost as if they were treating this entire situation as if it was a game.
Either way, they weren't going to lose out.
If I were to succeed, then Delilah would 'trust' me more. If I were to fail, then their plan was going to succeed.
Whatever I did, they would benefit.
That feeling...
'It's disgusting.'
The feeling of being treated as a mere pawn. I had a hard time trying to stomach it. However, despite my apprehensions about it, I didn't let my frustrations out.
There was no need for me to show my disgust towards the situation.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})At the end of the day, I was also playing with both sides.
"Haha."
The irony of the situation made me laugh.
"Right, right..."
Fiddling with the bracelets, I took a second look behind me before leaving the premises.
".....Guess I'll continue to play along."
***
Three days passed in a flash. It was now the day of the midterms.
[Is everyone ready...?]
The [Labyrinth Raid] was one of the most anticipated events in recent history within the Empire. The viewership, which had been expected to be within 20-30 million, surpassed that by a large margin, hitting numbers closely resembling that of the yearly draft.
The media was naturally very interested in the event with recording devices set up all over Haven's arena grounds.
Within the tunnels that led to the main stage, the loud voice of the announcer echoed through.
[....In a short moment, we will announce the participating teams' names. Please show your support once they come out. For now, let's welcome the members of Montel Institute!]
In the corner of the tunnel was a small display that flashed as Johnathan Monroe, the genius of Montel Institute proudly stood with his sword raised. Behind him were his other group members.
"Wooo—!"
The cheers of the crowd reached the tunnels.
"Wow, holy shit."
Staring at the end of the tunnel where the crowd was, Kiera blinked her eyes rapidly. Feeling the thunderous atmosphere outside, she felt subtle goosebumps run down her body.
".....I can feel the ground quaking by how loud they are."
Standing beside her, Josephine stood rigidly. Her face was entirely pale as she held onto the side of the wall to support herself.
"R-r-re-all-y?"
"What's wrong with you?"
"N-n-not-h-in-g. I'm f-f-ine."
"Pussy."
"Ah...."
"Knock it off, Kiera. Can't you see she's nervous?"
Unable to take it anymore, Luxon interfered. Instantly, Kiera's face scrunched up as she looked up at him.
".....Then get her to calm down. In her current state, she'll probably get knocked out by the wind."
"That's..."
Luxon's lips twitched.
He couldn't argue with that...
"But still. You're making the situation worse."
"Ah, please."
Kiera waved her hand dismissively before looking towards the end where a figure appeared. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, he appeared to be deep into his own thoughts.
Kiera called out for him.
"Oy."
And he opened his eyes.
"....."
"What are you looking at me like that for?"
She pointed towards Josephine who was now on her knees, blankly staring towards the ceiling while silently mumbling, 'I'm not nervous. You're nervous. No, you.'
Kiera's eyes widened.
"Crap, she's fucking lost it."
"...."
Seeing that Julien was still silent, she frowned.
"What? Say something."
"Something."
"Uh?"
"I said something."
"The f-Haa, shit."
Covering her forehead, Kiera clicked her tongue. How useless could one get? She was just about to take matters into her own hands when she recalled something.
"Oh, right. What's our group name?"
At that question, all heads flicked in Julien's direction. Even Josephine's head turned as she finally seemed to have recovered a little bit.
The news about a sudden team name had left everyone stunned. Because that bast-guy, had forced them to train so hard for over the past week, they hadn't seen the announcement about the need to come up with a team name.
In the end, Julien was the one who had named their team. Three days had passed since then, and even now they still weren't aware of what their team name was.
"....."
Feeling everyone's gaze, Julien remained silent.
"So...?"
Only when Kiera urged him did he reply.
"I didn't put much thought in the name."
"Okay, and...?"
"That's it."
"Uh?"
Kiera blinked. So did the others. Frowning, Luxon spoke in Kiera's stead.
"We're about to get called up soon. Shouldn't you tell us what the name is so that we won't get confused later?"
"Confused?"
Julien suddenly looked up. All of a sudden, the corner of his lips lifted and everyone's expressions froze.
They felt chills.
"Did he just..."
"Yeah."
"What is...? He can smile?"
"....."
Unbothered by their comments, Julien moved away from the wall and stepped ahead, heading deeper into the tunnel.
Just in time, the light that signaled for them to enter flashed.
As everyone stared at him in confusion, his even voice quietly reached their ears.
"There's no need to worry about getting confused."
"....?"
"What does that even mean?"
"Hold up, wait!"
Following him from behind, the five of them headed out of the tunnel. Along the way, Kiera would pester him for answers, but all she'd receive was the cold shoulder.
From the outside, the cameras picked up their appearance, and the stadium roared with cheers.
"Uwaaaah! Hooooo—! Kiera!!"
"Ahhhh! They're here! Kill them!"
"Boooo!"
It was a mix of cheers and jeers. Nonetheless, their appearance sparked something within the crowd as the entire stadium shook.
"Wow, shit!"
"Ah...! I think I'm going to faint."
Kiera flinched and Josephine almost tripped over her own feet. Thankfully, Anders supported her in the nick of time.
"Woooo—!"
The crowd's reception was drastically different compared to the other teams that had already set foot into the stadium. It was a lot more heated.
If not for the fact that a protective shield separated the crowd from the cadets, things would've been thrown at them.
The recording devices picked all of this up as their faces appeared on the magical screens up above the arena grounds, and finally, the long-awaited announcement came.
[Let's welcome the newest team....]
With a short pause, the recording devices zoomed in to pick up the faces of the team.
Staring up ahead, they seemed to be eager to hear their names. They were indeed eager.
Just what was their team name going to be?
With bated breaths, they waited for the announcement which came shortly after.
[.....Julien and his sidekicks!]
At that moment...
Besides Julien, all the other members' expressions twisted as their heads flicked towards him.
"....."
Staring back for a brief moment, his head turned and he acted as if nothing had happened.
However, if one paid close attention, they'd notice a subtle tremble of his shoulders.
"H-ho..."
Noticing this, Kiera felt her chest tremble. Taking a step forward, she brought her hands forward.
His neck. His thick and sturdy neck… In Kiera's eyes, it looked lonely.
The others quickly widened their eyes.
"Wait! Kiera...!"
"No, stop!"
"Not here!"
"I'll kill you!"
