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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Karl and Alisa, carrying their luggage, boarded the transport vehicle as instructed by the petty officer. It soon began moving along the roads of a highly developed city.
Numerous people walked along the sidewalks.
And a considerable number of androids as well.
Interspersed among them were aliens.
Advertising billboards floated here and there.
Alisa thought the city was quite advanced for a peripheral planet. Karl, too, was impressed, thinking, Not bad at all, exceeding his expectations.
The petty officer sharing the transport vehicle glanced at them through the rear view mirror, chuckled, and asked,
“Where are you from?”
The model student answered,
“Planet Hel-Lugal.”
“Hel-Lugal? Wow, you came from an interesting place.”
The First Sergeant, belonging to the transport unit, was well aware of Hel-Lugal’s infamous reputation. People from there were uncommon, so he seemed quite intrigued.
The transport vehicle soon passed through the heavily guarded main gate. Inside, stood several impressive buildings that elicited an involuntary,
“Wow.”
The headquarters building of the Arcmancina planetary forces. And the Curble Knights’ dedicated building would be right here.
…I thought this place would be a shithole too, but it’s better than I expected.
It was good news for Karl, who hadn’t had high expectations. Perhaps he might even run into a familiar face.
They got out of the vehicle in the parking lot and followed the petty officer into an auditorium. There were already several trainee knights present. Of course, Alisa and Karl were the only ones from the training camp.
“Take a seat in an empty space.”
A man who appeared to be a knight instructed the two newcomers to sit. Alisa quickly took any available seat, lest she displease a superior. Karl sat right next to her, though she didn’t seem particularly pleased about it.
After waiting for a while, three or four more people entered the auditorium. It seemed that everyone had finally arrived, as the knight began to speak formally.
“Welcome to all of you who have come to be trainee knights of our Curble Knights. We are the Knights responsible for the entire 865th Section, including Arcmancina. It’s a prestigious position, so you can all be proud.”
Alisa listened attentively, more enthusiastic and focused than anyone else. Karl, somewhat bored, yawned widely.
The knight rambled on with some unnecessary talk before finally starting to divide the personnel. He read aloud from a pre-prepared list.
As their names were called, they were to stand and proceed through a passageway on the side of the auditorium, leading to their assigned units. The model student, Alisa, was called first.
“Alisa Kabri, Escort Unit!”
“Yes!”
Alisa sprang to her feet, answered energetically, glanced at Karl, and marched smartly through the passageway where the others had disappeared. A senior officer waiting in the passageway escorted her away.
Karl’s name was called shortly after.
“Karl Zeile, Intelligence Unit!”
“Yes.”
Karl rose slowly and, unlike the other trainee knights, walked towards the passageway with a leisurely gait. A short woman was waiting there, looking at him with an expression of great anticipation.
The pink-haired, cute-faced woman seemed thrilled to have her first junior officer, her lips twitching with suppressed excitement. Trying to maintain an air of authority, she forced back her smile, held her chin high, and spoke in a serious tone, though her naturally high-pitched voice betrayed little authority.
“Nice to meet you, newbie. It’s a lot to t-take in at first, isn’t it? It’s okay. You’ll get used to it in a few days.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Karl Zeile.”
“Right, I’m, uh, Dana Umianne. …Follow me.”
Pink-haired Dana turned abruptly and started walking briskly ahead.
She had resolved to be an imposing senior officer before coming here, but the moment she saw Karl’s face, her mind went blank, and all her previous resolutions vanished.
…He’s really, really fucking handsome…
He was arguably the most handsome person she had ever seen in person. Dana’s heart pounded so hard she felt like she might faint. …She wasn’t even sure if this was a dream or reality.
She never imagined someone like him would come to the unpopular Intelligence Unit. This was her first junior officer after more than a year since she became a full knight, and something like this happened…!
Lost in her thoughts, they arrived at the intelligence office. Dana, nervous herself, reassured Karl, patting his arm lightly.
“Don’t be nervous.”
The pink-haired woman opened the door with a key card and announced loudly to the senior officers inside,
“Seniors, I’ve brought the newbie!”
Three knights looked towards the entrance. They all seemed quite surprised to see the unrealistically handsome Karl. However, to avoid being disliked as an arrogant newcomer, he greeted them politely.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Karl Zeile. I’ll be working as a trainee knight in the Intelligence Unit from today. I look forward to working with you.”
A few light claps were heard, then silence. The Intelligence Unit Chief, sitting at the back, said, “Come over here.” Karl walked towards the back of the office.
The Unit Chief was a beautiful woman with straight black hair and a somewhat cold impression. She looked to be in her late 20s. Usually, someone in her position would be more relaxed, but her attire and demeanor were sharp. …At a glance, she was clearly a by-the-book type.
…This is going to be a bit of a hassle.
“Have a seat.”
Karl sat down and glanced at the Chief’s desk.
All the office supplies were meticulously arranged in neat rows. Even the pens were placed in the exact same way. The desk was impeccably organized, almost suffocatingly so. She probably had a pretty severe case of OCD.
Shit, did I just walk into a trap?
She deftly tapped the device’s screen, displaying the new recruit’s information.
“Nice to meet you, Karl. I’m Karen Lee, the Intelligence Unit Chief.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chief.”
“Before we start work, I’d like to explain my way of doing things.”
“Please, go ahead.”
Chief Karen straightened her posture and spoke in a clear voice.
“To work with me, remember three things: Don’t postpone assigned tasks, follow orders, and be punctual. If you follow those, there won’t be any problems. Do you understand?”
These were three things that should be taken for granted, but those who emphasized the obvious were often perfectionists. And were there any perfectionists who didn’t have OCD?
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to follow all three points you mentioned, Chief.”
“Good. Then return to your seat. Your seniors will explain the rest.”
“Yes, I’ll head back then.”
Karl saluted and walked towards Dana, who was waving her hand excitedly. She pointed to an empty seat and said, “This is your spot.”
As he sat down, the senior officers approached him one by one. Including Dana, his immediate senior, there was one man and two women. Oddly, there were more women than men here.
“It’s been so long since we had a new junior. Dana, you look like you’re about to burst with joy.”
A friendly-looking female senior officer with a remarkably large chest said this, prompting Dana to wave her hands frantically in denial. Then, a male senior with a cold demeanor, similar to the Chief’s, spoke sharply, as if in warning.
“
Hey, newbie. Don’t get too comfortable. Ask if you don’t know something. You’ll be in trouble if you do things your own way and make mistakes.”
He looked just like the squad leader. From head to toe, the blonde man exuded the air of someone from a good family.
The good-natured senior officer, Alisa, gave a warm smile and reassured Karl, telling him not to worry too much.
“Everyone makes mistakes at first. Don’t worry about it. We all make mistakes in the beginning and learn by fixing them.”
“Senior Officer, if you’re too lenient with them, they’ll turn out like Dana.”
Dana, having been called out, looked a little sullen. It wasn’t pleasant being criticized in front of her first junior officer, especially one as devastatingly handsome as this.
The smiling woman extended her hand as if for a handshake, and Karl politely took it.
“I’m Ellie Rowner. Five years in, the senior officer. Let’s work hard together.”
“Yes, I will work hard.”
Next, the blonde man introduced himself.
“Louis Jin. Four years in. My father is the Vice Captain of a hundred-thousand-ton warship.”
The reason for specifying his father’s position was obvious. It was a thinly veiled threat: “Know your place, you insignificant nobody.”
It might have been an impressive background in this backwater Knights’ Order, but to the son of the Commander-in-Chief, it was utterly unimpressive. He’d need to be the Vice Captain of a ten million-ton warship, at least, to warrant even a feigned surprise.
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Senior Officer Jin.”
Dana, who had already introduced herself, chimed in again.
“I’m Dana. We talked earlier, right?”
“Yes, Senior Officer.”
Just then, a clearing of the throat, ahem, ahem, came from inside. It was the squad leader’s signal for everyone to get back to their posts. Ellie and Louis returned to their places, leaving Dana lingering beside Karl.
“Ask me anything you’re curious about. I’ll explain everything in detail. Got it? If you just do whatever you want, you’ll get in trouble.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Okay, let’s do our best. Junior.”
Dana, a mere two-year veteran, patted the shoulder of her seated junior.
Clueless about who he really was…
Still, there was no point in acting arrogant right after being demoted. He needed to avoid another confrontation with his father, risking further punishment.
…Right, he’d just lay low here for a while, and when his father called, he’d go running with his tail between his legs…
So Karl replied loudly, like the clueless newbie he was pretending to be.
“Yes, I’ll work hard!”
Dana smiled, the happiest she’d been since joining the Knights’ Order.
Unaware that a complete lunatic had just become her junior.
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