—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Midnight.
Gazing up at the cosmos-colored sky, Alisa exhaled a long breath, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within. She was once again lost in deep thought, questioning whether her actions were truly right. …But right or wrong, the situation was like spilled water. Now, she had to entrust the outcome entirely to his choice.
She checked the time again. The display clearly showed 0:00. The exact time she had specified.
Of course, given the circumstances, she didn’t expect him to arrive precisely on time. He had to avoid the duty officer and the night watch to get here, so unforeseen circumstances were possible.
Still, after spending this much time in the training camp, she had begun to notice the loopholes. If he was determined, she believed he could slip out undetected.
Among her peers, there were already quite a few who bragged about sneaking out at night for thrilling sexual encounters. Of course, many suspected a degree of tacit approval from the instructors. It was unlikely the instructors or assistants were unaware of the loopholes known to the cadets. Perhaps they allowed a small release to prevent pent-up desires from exploding in negative ways.
Nevertheless, Alisa remained vigilant, mindful of the possibility of getting caught. She didn’t want to tarnish her reputation as a model student.
Then, from somewhere, she heard faint footsteps. They were clearly approaching her location. She hid herself to identify the person.
Fortunately, the figure emerging from the dim shadows was Karl, that very guy. He had arrived at the right place at the right time, just as she had instructed.
“Ah—.“
For a moment, she hesitated. Should she reveal herself? Had summoning him been too impulsive? The thought lingered, irritating her like a bump on her tongue.
But before she could make a decision, he had already sensed her presence and spoke in her direction.
“You called me out, and now you’re hiding? …Chicken?”
The word “chicken” sparked Alisa’s anger. A knight should not fear death; that was her creed. Fearing anything, in any situation, was not the image of a knight she aspired to. The knights she had seen countless times were all composed, bold, and confident. She wanted to be just like them.
“Chicken? Don’t be ridiculous.”
She forced her voice to sound as strong as possible. Her posture followed suit.
Karl gave a strange smile. Alisa found it inexplicably irritating, as if he were mocking her.
“I thought you’d chickened out and run away.”
“I had no intention of doing that. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Good to know.”
He approached her boldly. His aura was so strong that a shiver ran down her spine. But she mustered her courage and walked towards him, refusing to be intimidated.
Even if this guy was invincible in the simulation, in reality, he was just an ordinary human like her. Surely, he hadn’t had those expensive physical enhancements implanted—!
“So, why did you call me out? …Were you planning to suck my dick as a reward?”
“You bastard. Don’t insult me by comparing me to some cheap slut.”
“Really? That’s disappointing. I came here with high expectations. …Guess I wasted my time.”
Karl chuckled lewdly. Alisa cursed the universe for bestowing such immense talent on such a vulgar person.
In truth, she had summoned him to ask for his guidance. As long as she placed within the top three, she would have the opportunity to pursue knighthood, so giving him the top spot wouldn’t necessarily crush her dreams.
Of course, it would bruise her pride, but she couldn’t imagine surpassing his natural talent. The defeat in that battle had been that despairing.
So, she thought it would be better to concede the top spot to him and learn some combat techniques from him. Even if she somehow managed to enter the knighthood program, she knew it was notoriously difficult. To survive the infamous program with its over 99% failure rate, she needed to learn and practice as much as possible.
In that sense, he could be an excellent teacher. He was a fellow trainee and possessed astonishing natural talent. Plus, he seemed to have considerable experience in combat techniques, so he could undoubtedly be a great help.
…However, she found it strangely difficult to ask him for help. It was because of his disrespectful attitude.
As a knight, she wanted to give him a score not of zero, but negative. His delinquent attitude, speech, and posture were utterly repulsive to her. If it weren’t for his overwhelming talent, she wouldn’t even want to exchange a word with him.
“…This damn bastard…!“
Alisa had barely managed to restrain herself from storming off when he started talking about dicks and whatnot. It was all because of her intense desire to become a knight. …Honestly, realistically speaking, even if she did manage to enter the knighthood program, the chances of her surviving were slim. In other words, there was a high probability she would be among the 99% who failed.
On the other hand, if he wanted to become a knight, the likelihood of his success seemed very high. Of course, there was no guarantee that learning from him would improve her skills, but she was clutching at straws. That’s why she had crawled into this infamous hell—Lugal’s training camp.
Alisa hesitated considerably. Should she say it or not?
But having come this far, it was worth casting the fishing line. There was no need to jump to conclusions before seeing if he would bite.
“I just… have a favor to ask.”
“A favor? Our little goody-two-shoes asking a delinquent like me for a favor? Wow—, that’s pretty hot.”
“Cut the crap. I swear…!”
Alisa clenched her fists and glared at Karl. He grinned and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Alright, alright. Tell me. Let’s hear it.”
She felt the words “teach me combat techniques” swirling on her tongue. She felt disgusted with herself for having to lower her head to this obnoxious bastard.
However,
A knight…, the knight she so desperately yearned to be—!
She thought about it over and over.
Hardship is temporary, but glory is eternal—.
Those were the last words of a valiant knight who went to war. She had even shed tears when she first read that passage. Such noble conviction—!
Alisa decided to consider this a momentary hardship. At most, she only had three months left with this guy. If she endured just that much, her future could brighten. How could she abandon her cause over something so trivial—!
“Teach me…,” she said.
“Teach you what?”
“Combat techniques. …How to fight like you do.”
Upon hearing this, Karl’s smile widened. It was an unexpected request. …Well, not entirely unexpected, but still quite surprising. He hadn’t imagined this prideful goody-two-shoes would ever seek guidance from a crazy delinquent like him.
…She might lack talent, but her attitude is commendable.
Of course, this universe was harsh; without talent, no matter how commendable one’s attitude, they wouldn’t be treated well. In Karl’s opinion, it would be better for her to give up on becoming a knight. Don’t reach for a branch you can’t grasp.
“Want me to be honest? You’re incredibly untalented. Knighthood? Just give it up. This universe is teeming with people like you.”
—!!
Alisa bristled at his blunt assessment but remained silent, biting back a retort.
She hadn’t expected any kind words from this delinquent anyway. She was planning to use him, and he likely knew it. They were even.
Karl chuckled, thinking, Interesting girl—. She was talentless, but she had a spirit he hadn’t seen in a while. That’s what piqued his interest.
He stepped closer to her.
“Alright, fine. Since you’re begging, I’ll help you out. …So, what are you going to do for me in return?”
“…Do I really have to do something for you? We’re learning from each other, so you can just put in a little extra effort. That’s why I asked you. …Is that so hard?”
Karl was impressed by her audacity, how she managed to turn the tables even while asking for a favor. It was as if her lack of talent was completely compensated by her willpower and shamelessness.
“I’ve never met anyone like you before. Don’t you know about equivalent exchange? Give and take. Quid pro quo.”
“…I don’t have anything. Nothing to give.”
“Yes, you do. You have something good.”
Karl grabbed Alisa’s ample breasts.
“Gasp!“
She recoiled, slapping his hand away.
“What the hell are you doing—!”
“You don’t care about wasting my time, but you care about your tits? …You’re a funny one.”
“Fine, then don’t do it. Hmph, what a jerk. You should know your place.”
Alisa would rather die than be molested by this bastard. She’d rather give up on the whole thing.
Ironically, it was Karl who became flustered.
“Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll teach you. Happy now? I don’t need your tits.”
He grabbed her arm as she turned to leave, completely falling for this audacious negotiator’s tactic. Whether she intended it or not, it was a complete victory for her.
Karl was genuinely intrigued by this strange girl. Even in his long travels across the universe, he rarely encountered someone so brazen, especially someone aspiring to be a knight—! Even space pirates knew that what they were doing was wrong.
“…Seriously?”
“Damn it, this is such a loss for me….”
“Then don’t do it. I’m not forcing you. I’m asking.”
“Damn it—.“
The situation had taken a strange turn. Honestly, who would have predicted her stubbornness?
“Hey, but honestly, couldn’t you at least suck my dick? …Wait, wait, I’m not finished, you bit—… Fine, if you insist. Fine, if you insist—!”
“Ha, if I insist? That will never happen.”
Scoffing, she thought to herself that her body was born solely for knighthood, not to be toyed with by men’s fleeting desires—!
“Well, we’ll see about that. …So? Are you in or out? If not, forget it. I won’t bother either. Damn it, do you think I want to waste my precious time?”
Karl, regaining his composure, launched a counterattack. But it didn’t faze her; it was just a feeble struggle against her relentless advance.
“…Fine. Don’t go back on your word. If you do, I’ll pretend this never happened. I’m leaving. And don’t get caught.”
“As if I would.”
Hmph.
Alisa snorted and walked away. Karl let out a hollow laugh, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
“…You bitch, you think you’ve got everything you wanted? Don’t you dare try to climb on top of me.“
Life in the training camp was already mind-numbingly boring. Now he had an interesting toy to play with; it wasn’t a bad deal at all.
He was curious to see how far this determined goody-two-shoes could climb. Would she crumble at the first hurdle, or would she advance further than expected? It was the curiosity of a senior who had already experienced the path to knighthood.
…And then, at the right opportunity, I’ll have my fun with her.
There were plenty of women who would readily spread their legs for him. It was the ones whose entire lives were focused on a single goal that were special. Especially the ones who thought they were the best in the world—!
My father is the one who corrupted me like this. Damn it, two tours in this training camp is overkill.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
