"I say this now that the cleanup is over. He thinks 'this is unfair' once, and every uncontracted Phantasm in the whole base gets terrified and swarms in to beg forgiveness? Does that make sense?"
"What is there that couldn't? It is hardly new for low-Grade ones to tremble before a high-Grade Phantasm."
"No, but that's a matter between Phantasms......."
Choe Ye-na, an instructor belonging to the Phantasm Training Office, shrugged her shoulders slightly in front of her senior.
"Even the military police were mobilized for the investigation. And at the end of the questioning they nailed it down that the cadet had not lied."
In fact, Choe Ye-na did not entirely trust the investigation results either. The situation was so far outside common sense that there was no helping it.
"And in actual fact, after headquarters mobilized even the Seonang, Seongju, and Teoju deities, the problem of the Phantasms watching the cadet's mood has been resolved."
But what could you do about the fact that reality was like that?
In any case, ever since the Dimensional Gates broke out the world had always flowed along without common sense. Or perhaps it had been that way even before.
"I heard about that. Sealing his presence, veiling his soul, something like that?"
"Yes. Though apparently even this amounts to no more than a temporary measure."
In such a state there was no need to bring up the lack of common sense anew and deny it.
This age was an age in which, rather than putting effort into denial, acknowledging it first and finding a way to respond was faster and consumed less mental strength.
"Still, they say there will be no more uproars like today's. That is, on the assumption that no further variables arise and that management continues periodically."
"Well now...... should I say a tremendous junior has come in. If the Search Force kids hear about this they'll get bloodshot eyes and cling to him."
"It will be that he was not chosen by the Twin Dragon Swords for nothing."
At this point even the cadet himself, who had been chosen by the Twin Dragon Swords and still felt anxious, began to feel like a gag.
"The Safety Office kids seem to be screaming that they have more to manage, though......"
"Well, as long as it isn't our department."
"That is true."
But if you ask whether she really could not understand that feeling, that was not so either.
A seasoned member of the Hwadam Army knows the value of the Twin Dragon Swords well, but the other party was a brat who had only just entered the military academy. It was only natural for him to feel the unfairness or the impatience of 'why only me' over the other kids getting on with Phantasms perfectly well.
"More to the point, then he'll be First Platoon without further ado?"
"I would think so."
"Hm. While we're at it, shall I take a look at this year's prospects...... whoops. The First Platoon candidate list is this thick? This year we've struck it rich for talent."
Her senior stopped working and began checking the cadet roster and information. Since it was a common occurrence, Choe Ye-na simply accepted it.
"But, Ye-na."
"Yes."
"There are two Pyos among the candidates? It's not that Pyo I know, is it?"
"Mm. Come to think of it, that person's sons would be about......"
"......Who is this year's First Platoon homeroom instructor again?"
"That fellow."
"We're in for it."
But her senior's last words she could not bring herself to assent to. No, she acknowledged them but did not want to acknowledge them.
"We will have to hope nothing happens."
Choe Ye-na prayed only that her junior would not cause an incident. It was a wish that did not seem likely to come true.
***
At last the provisional enrollment period ended.
And the personnel finally selected came to 376 in total. Considering that the Special Military Academy's initial quota is 400, that meant a shortfall of 24 already.
'The ones who dropped out get sent to the regular Hwadam Military Academy, was it.......'
This was something that happened because personnel possessing Phantasm Aptitude were so rare.
The difference in treatment between the regular Hwadam Military Academy and the Hwadam Special Military Academy was severe, so most try to remain here, they say.
"Hello, everyone."
With that thought I emptied my mind of thoughts about the shortfall.
More important than kids I did not know whether I would have any business with was this occasion of being introduced to our homeroom instructor.
In a space rather wide for eighteen cadets and one instructor to use, the instructor stood.
It was not a classroom. This place, which had been an empty room in Daeyeon Hall, was where platoon equipment was stored and a gathering point. Classes were not held here, but it was apparently used now and then for morning assemblies or platoon-level activities.
Rather than a classroom it seemed more correct to see it as an athletes' waiting room. Both in how it looked and in its use.
"I am Seo Ha-shin. Your First Platoon's homeroom instructor."
In any case, our homeroom instructor made a fairly unusual impression. That held even considering that the Hwadam Army's ethos is (very) free compared to other branches.
"I think you will all have been told when you were assigned, but our First Platoon is very special compared to other platoons."
First, that his eyes were covered with an eye mask, fine. That the eye mask was an unspeakably cute capybara eye mask did stand out.
"The Hwadam Special Military Academy is itself a place that trains elite soldiers. But First Platoon is a platoon of the prospects picked and picked again from among them."
Second, he was a little short for a man. I wondered whether he even passed 170cm. Among the boys assigned to First Platoon there was exactly one person shorter than the instructor.
"That's right. You are the eighteen with the best records at this point in time."
Last, he had dyed his hair moss green.
I was certain it was dyed because the roots were a bright color. Roughly white or sky-blue in family, it looked like.
"There will be times when the expectations are heavy, and many times when they are a burden. But since you have received everyone's recognition anyway, let us see it through to the end. For one year at the shortest and five at the longest, I look forward to working with you."
Still, it was First Platoon.
Considering that on the last day of provisional enrollment I had unintentionally caused a massive incident, the instructor's oddness made no difference. Just being in First Platoon was moving.
In fact, thinking about the original comic, that did not even count as unusual.
"We look forward to working with you!!"
"We look forward to working with you!!!"
In any case, the First Platoon members including myself shouted in spirited voices.
Homeroom Instructor Seo Ha-shin grinned as though satisfied. His eyes were not visible because of the eye mask, but his lips drew large movements as if in their place, so reading his expression was easy.
"Now, my introduction is finished, so it's your turn, isn't it?"
Instructor Seo Ha-shin announced that he would call us in name order. As is usual, the surnames that come first in the alphabet were called forward first.
"First-year, First Platoon, Cadet——"
"That's far enough."
But when it was my turn, Instructor Seo Ha-shin suddenly cut in.
"I am truly curious about the self-introduction of Cadet Ya-hwi, this class's greatest prospect, but I cannot disobey instructions from above."
He was an instructor who had chimed in or clapped now and then during the other kids' introductions. But this reaction was on a different level from the previous ones.
At the homeroom instructor's marked reaction, the gazes already gathered on me took on an even stranger light.
"Let me say sorry first. I do not usually cut in during self-introduction time. But since Cadet Ya-hwi's circumstances are what they are, I will add a few words."
If he were really sorry, wouldn't not cutting in be the right thing...... no. Perhaps this was better.
It is not something to boast about, but I seemed to be regarded as a subtly avoided object among the cadets. And that even now, past the provisional enrollment period and after unit assignment.
"Probably most of you here have many questions about Cadet Ya-hwi."
It was not that I had done anything to earn dislike. It was simply that, as the instructor said, the 'circumstances' I was in were the cause.
"Why is this fellow carrying this on his back. Weren't personal belongings not permitted. From what we hear he alone used a separate room the whole provisional enrollment period; is that allowed."
Pandora's box, which everyone had been swallowing tacitly, was opened by the instructor.
The cadets wrapped themselves in a silence of an entirely different atmosphere from a moment ago.
"Perhaps there are some of you who felt bad because this treatment felt like 'privilege.'"
For the record, everything the instructor said was true.
I really did use a solo room the whole provisional enrollment period and carried the Twin Dragon Swords around. When everyone was using four-person rooms and was banned from personal items, I alone was given a solo room and a personal item (the Twin Dragon Swords).
"However, unlike the guesses you will have made, what Cadet Ya-hwi enjoyed is not privilege."
Whether this was a benefit stemming from having been chosen by the Twin Dragon Swords was a bit ambiguous. The cause lay with the Twin Dragon Swords, but it was not for the sake of treating me well.
"Cadet Ya-hwi. Can you show everyone what you carry on your back?"
"Yes, sir."
"Including unwrapping the sealing cloth. As homeroom instructor I have been granted partial authority to involve myself in your special circumstances."
"Yes, sir."
Since he said he had received authority regarding the Twin Dragon Swords' seal, there was no reason not to comply.
I set the Twin Dragon Swords down on a chair for a moment and undid the seal. When I unwound the outermost linen cloth, silk bound with cords twisted from talismans appeared.
Since the sealing was more thorough than expected, I could feel the kids rolling their eyes.
Rustle-rustle.
Undoing the talisman cords and the silk too took less than twenty seconds. After a very long interval, the black and white blades were in view.
"Cadet Ya-hwi. What is that Phantasm's name?"
"The Twin Dragon Swords, sir."
"Grade?"
"......Legend-Grade, sir."
"Right. 'For now' it is Legend-Grade."
I quietly stroked the Twin Dragon Swords' scabbards gently. They ought to be cold, but because they were Phantasms a faint warmth could be felt.
"The Twin Dragon Swords are classified as Legend-Grade, but their measured destructive power makes them a Phantasm capable of instantly cutting down a Grade 9 Otherworld Creature at minimum. In practical terms they are an individual capable of handling even a Grade 10 Otherworld Creature."
"......!"
But the power lodged inside them was not so gentle.
The longer the period I spent with the Twin Dragon Swords, the more bitterly I became aware of that.
"Now, is there a cadet who can tell us what sort of being a Grade 10 Otherworld Creature is?"
It was not for nothing that the Hwadam Army told me to postpone the formal contract.
Receiving this power out of nowhere in a state of being neither accustomed to Phantasms nor rich in related knowledge would only mean hardship for everyone.
"Hm. Good. That cadet with his hand up. So...... Cadet Pyo Do-hyeok. Speak."
"Among the Grade 10 Otherworld Creatures that have appeared in history, the one that caused the greatest damage was the individual that appeared in Russia in 1991. Because of that incident one sixth of Russia's territory was reduced to scorched land, and this damage has still not been restored."
"Good. Can you say more?"
"The individual that appeared in Beijing, China in 1983 overturned the government, although it is said to have coincided with several other misfortunes, and the scar left by the individual that appeared in the deserts of the southwestern United States in 1957 is also still being restored."
"Well done, Cadet Pyo Do-hyeok. I am extremely glad a clever fellow has come in."
And the power of the Twin Dragon Swords as measured by the Hwadam Army, estimate though it was, was comparable to a Grade 10 Otherworld Creature.
Considering power alone, it made me wonder what the government could have been thinking when it granted early-days me permission to go out. It was practically going out holding a nuke.
"You all heard what Cadet Pyo Do-hyeok just said. A Grade 10 Otherworld Creature is that dangerous a being, and naturally a Phantasm on a par with one is dangerous too."
While I was pondering the choice the government had made at the time, someone raised a hand. It was Seong-gwon.
"Speak."
"Thank you, sir. I am curious as to why such a Phantasm is in the hands of a mere cadet."
"A very good question. Now, Cadet Ya-hwi. So how did you come to have the Twin Dragon Swords?"
Instructor Seo Ha-shin tossed Seong-gwon's question to me. As he did, he looked my way, and his lips faintly mouthed one sentence.
'Do not mention the Rear World.'
It seemed to be because it was a concept not yet taught.
"......The Twin Dragon Swords chose me, sir."
Without mentioning the Rear World, there is almost nothing worth saying.
I recited an objective truth that might sound like boasting but could not be put any other way.
"I see! But can't you leave the Twin Dragon Swords in someone's keeping? Setting them down somewhere for a while would not seem difficult."
From the position of someone who knew the circumstances, it was a question whose answer he could not fail to know. That Instructor Seo Ha-shin was throwing out such a question anyway must in the end be for the cadets' sake.
I chose my words again.
"The Twin Dragon Swords refuse to be separated from me, sir."
"Is the cadet's will the same?"
"......Not completely the same, sir. Since their size is what it is, at times they are inconvenient."
But leaving the Twin Dragon Swords behind because of my inconvenience was impossible.
"Even when you ask for their understanding, they do not permit it?"
"Yes, sir."
Inside the house might be one thing, but if they were separated from me outside, the Twin Dragon Swords...... showed a reaction close to an outright fit. And in the form of smashing up the surroundings.
"For the record, in an experiment conducted under the observation of officers, when the Twin Dragon Swords were separated from Cadet Ya-hwi by 5m or more they half-destroyed the surroundings. The force was enough to smash a 1m-thick concrete wall with ease."
It was hard even to call it using their power without permission; when the Twin Dragon Swords swore their oath they had attached the condition 'as long as you do not take us off your body.' So they had not broken the promise.
In fact the reason that experiment was begun in the first place was to determine the detailed criteria of that clause.
Let me say in advance: after that experiment I have been keeping the Twin Dragon Swords on my body as much as possible even at home. Inconvenient as it is, it beats having my surroundings turn into what my surroundings turned into.
"Now, even so, does Cadet Ya-hwi's using a solo room feel like privilege?"
"......"
"An ambiguous reaction. Meaning you cannot be convinced by this alone?"
Of course, explaining this far did not resolve the cadets' standoffishness toward me at a stroke.
From their position, daily unfreedom or not, it could feel like 'in the end it means he was chosen by a strong one, doesn't it?', so it was not strange.
"Fine. Cadet Ya-hwi. Would you also say why I blocked your self-introduction earlier?"
Even so, the instructor seemed to want to break down the material for conflict between me and the kids as much as possible.
I was slowly starting to feel sorry for having thought 'he makes an unusual impression.'
"......A contract with a Phantasm is formed through the medium of a 'name.' So I have been ordered not to say my name myself, sir."
"Right. Introducing your name yourself is an act that gives a Phantasm an opening. To compare it, it is close to leaving the door of your house open. Not an invitation, but leaving behind a pretext for coming into the house."
Instructor Seo Ha-shin propped his other arm on the arm he held out horizontally, and propped his chin on that arm again. It was a posture that looked light, if you called it light.
"So those whose quality is too outstanding avoid saying their names directly as much as possible. Because there are cases where, the moment they speak their name aloud, Phantasms forcibly form a contract. It is extremely rare, but it is not as though there are no precedents."
But the words he spoke were not light.
"To sum up, it is like this. Cadet Ya-hwi will never in his life introduce his own name, and he cannot leave the gate of the military. Foreign travel is of course beyond dreaming, and even moving about domestically is possible only with permission. Even at headquarters he is watched. That control will remain in effect until he gives the military the confidence that he perfectly controls the Twin Dragon Swords."
For me, the party concerned, it was a story I had been told long ago, so it was nothing new......
"Now, even so, does what Cadet Ya-hwi received feel like privilege?"
Still, that some of the gazes that had looked at me with unease right up until the self-introduction turned positive was not at all bad.
"......"
Conversely, the gazes of a few cadets who had seemed not even to care about me turned worse than before the introduction.
Well, you cannot get along with everyone.
Tab 14