Sevirpol Coastal City

“Ugh, urghh.”

I hear Erika’s groans.

“Yena, I don’t feel good…”

She was leaning against the wall, practically lying down in the transport truck with seats arranged on both sides, complaining of motion sickness.

“Just hang in there a little longer. We’re almost there.”

I patted Erika’s back, though it probably wouldn’t have much effect.

It feels like we’ve bumped around over a hundred times.

We’ve been driving for over a day on unpaved dirt roads, so it’s understandable to feel dizzy. Even I would have thrown up heavily if I hadn’t been controlling my sense of balance with mana.

But we should be approaching the training site by now.

To Sevirpol, that is.

Thud, thud─!

When I first heard that the famous coastal city was our training location, I was really surprised. My eyes sparkled as I thought about the scenery of Sevirpol from the past while in the bumpy vehicle.

Sevirpol used to be my favorite vacation spot in the past. There was so much to see, since it was one of the few ice-free ports in the Federation.

I wasn’t able to go for a few years when war broke out with the Federation…

But after several victories by Su Eobeun turned the tide of the Great War in the Empire’s favor, and we finally occupied Sevirpol, memories of going there again to relax came flooding back.

Now I can see that beautiful beach in reality?

Even though it’s just past experiences from a game in the end. The thought that I’m finally seeing the ‘real’ Sevirpol for the first time made my heart pound with excitement.

“Urgh…”

Plus, since we’ll be seeing the Federation’s top ‘Awakened Training Center’, my heart was filled with an unusual anticipation, unlike my usual self.

The fact that they’re conducting joint training specifically in Sevirpol must mean we’re going to that place with dozens of professionally managed monsters and a huge training ground utilizing the vast territory.

I knew the internal facilities and reputation well, having infiltrated once during the war under the pretext of investigating Federation forces.

So I was looking forward to it.

I had only roughly grasped what kind of forces they had through investigation, but this would be my first time actually going to the Sevirpol training grounds to receive education.

There will surely be functions quite different from Astrakhan Military Academy. The monster combat training should proceed as scheduled too, right?

Shiver─

.

My whole body trembled with excitement, a faint smile settling on my face.

I wonder how it will go with my team members?

There was much to look forward to in this large-scale training beyond just the curriculum.

The famous Wolf and Rina were assigned to the same team, weren’t they? This joint training will surely affect the qualification assessment, so I was curious if they would cooperate nicely.

Given Wolf’s pride, he probably won’t be willing to yield to someone like me who’s just a commoner from his perspective.

Well, however it turns out, it shouldn’t be boring.

“Hnngh──!”

I stretched, finishing my long train of thought.

“That, that’s Yena over there?”

“Don’t make eye contact. She may look gentle, but I heard she’s a psychopath who likes beating people up…”

Then I clearly heard the murmurs I hadn’t been conscious of before.

“Eek, she’s looking this way!”

“Qu-Quick, look away.”

As Ithrite had said, rumors about my relationship with Wolf seemed to have spread widely. Whenever the kids made eye contact with me, they got scared and turned their heads away.

I need to change this mistaken perception soon.

While it was much better to be viewed with fear-tinged gazes like this than to be looked down upon, it still wasn’t good.

Even if I someday become a position to lead these people, there’s no meaning in having them follow orders out of fear. I need to change their anxiety into reverence.

Making them look up to me like that is the ultimate goal.

“We’ve arrived, disembark!”

Crackle─!

With the instructor’s shout, the curtain at the truck entrance that had been tightly closed finally opened. The view that had been nothing but army green was now filled with bluish land and sky.

“We’re here, Erika.”

“Urgh, urrgh, we finally made it…”

“Watch your step.”

I carried the half-asleep Erika on my shoulder and slowly landed on the ground.

“Wow, wow. It’s beautiful.”

“It sure is.”

The outside was beautiful.

The glimpses of the surroundings from inside the truck were already appealing, but the space that greeted us after getting off was even more breathtaking.

Whoosh─!

The crashing sound of waves that could never be heard in Astrakhan, and the cries of seagulls ringing in the air as if adding harmony to it.

“It’s, it’s so blue.”

“It’s the same color as your hair, Erika.”

As if she had already forgotten her dizziness, Erika marveled, and true to her reaction, Sevirpol’s appearance was radiant with the light of nature.

“Shall we go?”

“Y-Yeah!”

That’s why I was even more excited. What events would unfold under this brilliant region, what joys would we experience,

Trudge, trudge─!

I took a step forward together with Erika.

“The weather is amazing, Yena…”

“Yeah, it really is.”

And so we arrived at a beach in Sevirpol.

Under the blazing sun perfect for sipping a cool tea under a parasol, cadets were gathered in small groups.

“You’ve all worked hard, traveling for so long by car. There’s no particular schedule today, so feel free to rest.”

They were focused on Lustet’s grand speech in a plaza several times more magnificent than the military academy.

As if they had become more officer-like, the candidates looked at the principal on the platform with calm faces, unlike at the entrance ceremony, neither nervous nor flustered.

“Ah, you’ll be able to find out your team’s training schedule in the afternoon, so keep that in mind. I won’t force you, but it would be helpful to understand the training content in advance.”

Thud─

Lustet took the microphone away from his mouth about ten minutes earlier than usual, perhaps considering the cadets’ physical condition.

“Well then, let’s end it here, since you all look tired.”

As he showed a kind smile with his mustache twitching, the cadets shouted in unison to match.

“Salute to the Principal──!”

“For the Empire!”

When thousands of children simultaneously stretched their hands to their foreheads, it was truly a majestic sight with a sense of discipline.

“Hmm, for the Empire.”

Lustet raised his marshal’s baton to return the salute and descended from the platform.

“Dismissed!”

Finally, the welcoming ceremony was over. As soon as the instructor’s shout rang out, the cadets left the plaza to go about their business.

“Let’s go too.”

“Yeah!”

I was no different.

There was no reason to stay here any longer. Wanting to see what facilities the Sevirpol training grounds had as soon as possible, I slipped away leisurely, taking Erika with me.

Trudge, trudge

Not bad.

The evaluation I made after walking around for a few minutes was that it was better than expected.

The Federation was, after all, a country born not long ago, and with its territory devastated to the extreme by civil war, it had inferior technology compared to other countries.

Considering that level, the Sevirpol joint training grounds were showing an impressive appearance beyond what I had expected.

“Look at these flowers! They’re so pretty.”

“They sure are.”

Like the cute flower garden spread out right before our eyes, various leisure facilities, seemingly considering the welfare of the cadets, were alleviating the bleakness of the facility.

“Yena! Let’s eat that.”

That shop Erika is running towards with drool between her lips must also be part of the welfare for the people working here.

“I’ll buy yours too today!”

“…Thanks.”

“Aw, it’s nothing. Hello. Can I have two charcoal skewers please!”

Erika followed the faintly wafting sweet smell of seasoning and poked her head out at the counter to order food.

Has she already recovered? Until just now, she was walking around listlessly as if her motion sickness hadn’t subsided, but as soon as she spotted food, she immediately regained her cheerfulness.

I guess the desire to eat meat overcame fatigue. She truly was an innocent kid.

“Alright.”

The shop owner who had been silently guarding the grill gave a short answer, then turned on the fire and started grilling the meat.

Sizzle─

The surface of the meat appealingly turned a chestnut brown. The faint aroma of sauce and the smell of meat juices wafting from the grill made my mouth water.

“…”

But I deliberately showed no interest in the food at all. I didn’t even glance at the meat that looked delicious at first sight.

I only stared at the owner who was passionately cooking. To be precise, I stared at the crown of the man’s head, which had a somewhat special appearance compared to others.

“Here you go.”

“Hehe, thank you! Here’s yours, Yena!”

Only when Erika handed me the skewer full of bright red seasoning did I turn my gaze away.

“Ah, thanks.”

Ears that looked three times larger than a human’s and skin color even lighter than a white person’s. That man must surely be…?

Trudge, trudge.

“Mmm.”

As I pushed my hair behind my ear and put the meat in my mouth, I recalled the characteristics of each non-human group that existed in this world, namely other races.

If my memory is correct, the owner just now must have been an elf. In other words, not human.

Now that I look closely, there are a lot of other races here?

“How did your research go this time?”

“It failed.”

“Ah, alas.”

“I guess it’s a sign to work harder? Haah.”

I looked back at the path we had come, drawn by the snippets of conversation catching my ear. True to its reputation as a large-scale training facility, as diverse as its size, various races caught my eye.

Elves in researcher attire, dwarf guards wearing the Federation army’s distinctive fur hats guarding the surroundings – seeing them made my heart pound.

It was my first time meeting intelligent life forms other than humans in reality, not virtually! If I had welded with aliens in my past life, it would be exactly this feeling.

What an enviable sight.

“Yena, what’s wrong?”

I snapped out of my daze from looking around only when I heard Erika calling. She tilted her head with her cheeks puffed out full of meat.

“Did something good happen?”

Looking at her again, she really resembled a squirrel. Except for her blue hair and sea-colored eyes, she had exactly the same appearance as that mammal.

“The grass just looked pretty.”

“Ah-hah.”

“Is that any good?”

“Mmm, it’s a different taste from the school cafeteria!”

“I see.”

I patted Erika’s head to allay her worries. After reassuring her, I looked around again.

But my expression wasn’t pleasant.

Crunch─!

I chewed my lip with my teeth as I looked back and forth between the elves and dwarves. Seeing the vibrant Sevirpol created by the fusion of diverse creatures made the Empire’s leadership seem even more pathetic.

Why on earth are they rejecting other races?

The ideology of the Prime Minister, that is, Erdoff who will later become the Chancellor who dominates the Empire, seemed more foolish the more I thought about it. He treated other races as objects of hatred just to gain power.

“Nom, nom”

How inefficient a politics this was. Although the frown on my brow eased as I savored the meat juices filling my mouth from biting the meat, the irritation enveloping my chest did not disappear.

This was also the reason for the defeat in the Great War.

By treating dwarves with good handiwork and elves with superior mana quantity and utilization compared to humans as second-class citizens, they became collaborators with enemy countries.

And finally led to the occupation of the Empire’s capital.

It needs to be overthrown.

In the end, to prevent the homeland from walking the path of destruction, we must somehow get help from other races. We must drive out the leadership with anti-racial ideology.

It will surely be difficult, and the path ahead will be unclear. But we must not give up and forge through this thorny path.

Thud─

Only then can we fix the state of the Empire, which is similar to the food waste I just threw away the empty skewer into.

In the past, I didn’t need to pay attention to such aspects because I used characteristics like status windows given as part of the game. But now it’s reality, not virtual, right?

Moreover, since it’s a revised version, I don’t know what settings have changed or been added, making the help of other races absolutely essential.

Equality? Racial rights? Discrimination?

I didn’t care about such empty formalities. There was only one reason for wanting to help other races – for my own safety.

“Erika, that was good.”

“Yeah, hehe…”

The joy of illuminating the future should be as great as how dark it is. I faintly curved my lips stained with seasoning, recalling various events that would unfold in the near future.

It will be fun.

“Shall we go this way next?”

“Okay!”

But whatever choice I make, the priority is what needs to be done right now. I put aside any further complicated thoughts and walked.

Trudge, trudge.

Looking forward to the upcoming meeting with my two team members, Rina and Wolf.