The next morning, Ethel looked utterly exhausted when he got out of bed.
First, he had barely rested at all. The entire night had been an endless cycle of nightmares and abrupt awakenings.
Second, the aftereffects of using his Concept had begun to surface. Under normal circumstances, he could always see the red lines, but that was merely their passive state. It couldn't compare to actively pushing his Concept to its limits.
Even though he had undergone formal training years ago, the long period without practice had eroded nearly all of it.
After forcing himself through his morning routine, Ethel dragged his feet toward the door, hoping some fresh air would help.
The moment he opened it, however, he found a silver-haired woman in the purple uniform of the Third Squad standing outside. Her raised right hand suggested she had been about to knock.
"Good morning. I was just wondering when you'd wake up."
Yinbing smiled awkwardly.
"Did something happen?"
"Captain Oenone asked me last night to show you around today. Are you free now?"
"Could you at least tell me where the cafeteria is first?"
They arrived on the tenth floor. The cafeteria was directly behind the reception desk where new recruits checked in.
Apparently, all three squads shared the dining hall. Ethel spotted people wearing the blue uniforms of the Second Squad, others in the Third Squad's purple uniforms, and three familiar faces dressed in black.
"Hey, kid! Over here!"
Tyr waved enthusiastically. His burgundy horseshoe mustache had clearly received meticulous care that morning, every curve perfectly groomed.
"Come eat with us!"
Ethel glanced at Yinbing for permission. She nodded, and the two pulled over chairs to join them.
"Morning, Yinbing. Long time no see."
Quate spoke while stuffing a sausage into his mouth.
"It has been. It's an honor to have breakfast with the veterans of the First Squad."
"Oh, don't be so formal." Tyr laughed loudly, his mustache bouncing with every hearty chuckle. "If you ask me, the Second and Third Squads respect us way too much."
Beside him, Michael calmly took a sip of coffee, paying no attention to his companion's theatrics.
"She's actually a perfect example," Michael said, adjusting his black-rimmed glasses as he looked at Ethel. Apparently this was his casual attire. "You know the name of her Concept, but you have absolutely no idea what it actually does. You'll run into situations like that. When you do, you'll have to adapt on the fly."
Only after Michael pointed it out did Ethel realize he really couldn't infer Yinbing's ability from its name alone.
"Vice Captain Yinbing... what exactly does your Concept do?"
"Huh? Why are you asking all of a sudden?"
"I just realized it."
Ethel answered honestly.
Yinbing looked at Ethel, then at Michael, as if she'd suddenly pieced something together.
"Wait... was it Senior Michael who asked?"
"Pfft—Hahaha!" Tyr slapped Michael's back so hard the table rattled. "Michael, if you're curious, just ask!"
Meanwhile, Michael wore an expression that practically screamed, How on earth did you reach that conclusion?
"Yinbing," Quate reminded her kindly, "we've worked together for ten years."
Only then did Yinbing realize how ridiculous her assumption had been. Her cheeks flushed red as she quickly covered her face with both hands.
"Oh no... I completely forgot!"
So she's absent-minded, not blunt, Ethel concluded.
"So... what is it?"
Ignoring the laughter around them, he pressed on. His curiosity had already been thoroughly piqued.
"My Concept is..."
Her voice came out muffled behind her hands.
"Hey! Don't tell him!" Quate interrupted. "Ethel, here's my advice. Since you're part of the combat division now, challenge each Concept User yourself. Figure out what their abilities are through sparring. It'll help you a lot."
"After all, you only get one first impression. Make the most of it."
It was exactly the kind of training exercise Quate loved coming up with for younger members, and Ethel readily accepted the suggestion.
"Alright. I will."
"Now that's the spirit!"
Tyr reached across Michael's back and threw a heavy arm around Ethel's shoulders.
"Looks like you went on a subjugation mission together yesterday?"
Yinbing seized the brief lull in conversation to quickly change the subject.
"Yeah. It went pretty smoothly. Just another routine subjugation."
"Why did Ethel go with you? I was shocked when I heard. I've never seen someone go on a subjugation mission on the very day they reported in."
She had voiced the question everyone wanted answered. Ethel could feel more than half the cafeteria's attention shifting toward their table.
"Oenone didn't tell you? That's Level Two classified. Though honestly, I think making this Level Two is..."
Tyr grumbled, but he still stopped himself before saying too much.
"Then at least tell me what I'm allowed to know. The moment word got out that the First Squad had accepted a new recruit without warning, our entire squad went crazy. Everyone wants to know why."
Even more eyes turned toward them now.
Some were openly skeptical. What made this newcomer so special that the First Squad broke its own rules and even took him on a mission immediately?
Ethel also noticed Abby and the others watching curiously from a nearby table. Unlike the others, though, their expressions held curiosity rather than suspicion.
"Simple," Quate answered. "His Concept is incredibly useful. Think about it—we've been fighting for years. Our bodies have accumulated all kinds of injuries. If someone shows up with a Concept that can lighten our workload, of course we'd take him."
"And the most important part," Tyr added, "he's non-combat personnel. So even without experience, he can accompany us. As long as he can perform full-body Force Enhancement, that's enough."
The two veterans answered in voices much louder than necessary.
They clearly intended the entire cafeteria to hear.
Unfortunately, that also attracted an unwelcome guest.
"Well, well, well. Talking about yesterday's mission, are we?"
A teasing voice drifted over from the corner.
Had he not spoken up, Ethel might never have noticed Soth eating by himself.
He rose leisurely and strolled over.
A public opportunity to mock someone was something he would never pass up.
"So, are we talking about this coward who spent the entire operation hiding behind me, watching the First Squad fight the demon from a safe distance?" Soth clapped slowly with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Oh! Or maybe I should congratulate him. For a non-combat member, not wetting your pants the first time you saw a demon is pretty impressive!"
A few people laughed.
Most, however, had already lost interest and returned to their breakfasts.
Being humiliated like this irritated Ethel to no end.
The sad part was...
Strip away all the insults, and everything Soth had said was true.
"Try to be a little more useful next time."
Leaving those words behind, Soth walked out of the cafeteria.
"Don't mind him. He's always like that."
Yinbing tried to comfort Ethel, whose expression had darkened considerably.
Without saying a word, Ethel shoved another bite of scrambled eggs into his mouth.
"So," Michael asked after finishing the last of his coffee, "what's your plan today?"
"We'll show him a few more of the shared facilities," Yinbing answered. "After that, it'll be time to start his regular training."
"Want to train with us?" Quate asked.
"What does your training look like?"
Ethel asked curiously.
"Today's endurance day," Tyr replied. "We run around the entire perimeter of Sunblaze Citadel."
"First lap without using Force. Starting from the second lap, Force is allowed. Three laps total."
"Wouldn't that be... nearly five hundred kilometers?"
"About that."
Tyr shrugged as if it were nothing.
"For Force Users, even without reinforcing ourselves, our bodies are already much tougher than ordinary people's. Easy."
No wonder Oenone said their training was hell, Ethel thought.
"I'll pass. Good luck."
"Next time, then."
Each of the three patted him on the shoulder before leaving.
Once they were gone, Yinbing suddenly frowned in thought.
"...I just realized."
"I still don't know what your Concept is."
"Oh. My Concept is—"
"Wait! Don't tell me!"
She immediately stopped him.
"How about we spar instead?"
"...With you?"
Ethel blinked.
"Isn't that a little soon? I mean... you're the vice captain."
"You've already been on a real battlefield."
Yinbing tilted her head.
"And you're saying I'm moving too fast? My last field subjugation was... three and a half years ago."
"...Oh. Wait. I think there was one in between."
"I don't exactly have much combat experience."
"Then you'll just have to catch up."
She smiled brightly.
"One week from today. Same day next week. Sound good?"
Ethel considered it for a moment before nodding.
There wasn't really anything to lose.
"Alright."
"Great."
She grinned.
"It's just a friendly spar. We'll stop before anyone gets hurt."
"My only goal is to satisfy my curiosity about your Concept."
"Besides..."
She pointed at him with a playful smile.
"You want to know mine too, don't you?"
"Seems fair."
With that, Yinbing popped the last piece of bread into her mouth, completely candid about her motives—as always.
ns216.73.217.39da2
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.