Daniel and Hena asked Iolin almost simultaneously.
“Cut it in half?”
“why?”
“I don’t know either.”
Iolin shook her head slightly and said.
“Because I just happened to hear it.”
“If you cut it in half, would it be one half of twenty people?”
“I know.”
While everyone was having a good conversation, Abel just nodded moderately.
Because I knew it would be like that from the beginning.
The reason for cutting it in half was simple.
This is because the number of students has decreased.
‘Failed, dropped out due to personal reasons… … .’
Did you have an accident once or twice in the first semester?
wall of glory. outdoor practice. And even an accident inside the academy.
No matter how much effort was made to prevent the spread of rumors, it was not possible to stop the rumors from spreading among the students.
Of course, the cadets who dropped out didn’t leave the academy simply because it was dangerous.
More importantly… … .
‘It means that the situation is not serious.’
Probably, those who left the academy in that way were the heirs of the family or those of a similar status.
Places where the entire family is likely to be in great danger if they ever get into an accident.
Abel opened his mouth slowly.
“It’s probably not decided for sure, though.”
“okay?”
“Have you heard anything too?”
Immediately, the eyes of the other children turned to Abel.
Abel shrugged and said.
“no. I just thought that if something like anti-integration had been decided, there would have been more rumors going around. Maybe it’s a stage under discussion?”
“is it?”
“Mmm.”
After thinking about it for a while, the children immediately started talking about other topics.
Abel continued to think in his head while appropriately matching the conversation.
‘It’s probably still in the discussion stage.’
But the discussion wouldn’t last very long.
This is because a major accident is scheduled to happen right before the vacation ends.
An accident that could shake not only the academy but also the entire empire.
Originally, it was not a fixed event in the game, but something that happened with a certain probability, but Abel was certain.
that the accident would happen.
It was not an unfounded speculation.
‘A mutant species I encountered at Henna’s villa. The giants I encountered in the Red Hall.’
Besides that, there were a few more.
It wasn’t that there was a common cause or connection to those events.
Abel paid attention to the fact that such incidents occurred several times.
‘Unusual things happen one after another.’
That’s what’s important.
‘Cataclysm’, the most important event in the game, shows a small precursor before that.
From Abel’s point of view, the cataclysm seemed to happen before the start of the second semester with a high probability.
‘Well, there’s nothing I can do right now.’
It was not an incident that could be stopped by anyone, let alone Abel.
Humans cannot prevent natural disasters.
“Oh, let’s start again soon.”
Daniel, who had been chatting for a while, looked at the time and stood up.
Abel arose as well.
“Henna. wake up.”
“Ugh. Can’t we rest today?”
“huh. no.”
Hearing the firm answer, Henna stood up with a tearful face.
After going to Henna’s villa, the four of them used to train together like this.
Originally, one or two of them sparred together and looked after each other’s posture.
So we decided to get together and train.
Since there were four of us, we were able to do 2-on-2 training, and since we were able to take turns sparring, the efficiency of training actually increased.
“Come on, Henna. Let’s start by swinging only 1,000 times today.”
“You’d better kill me… … .”
Training began with Henna’s pain.
* * *
There was a small manor under the towering mountain range.
The name of the territory is Zabellon.
It was the domain of Baron Zabellon, and was famous for its special product called Fairy Mushrooms.
It wasn’t that wide, and it lacked a lot to be called an affluent land, but it wasn’t too bad to live in.
This is because there are hardly any giants nearby, let alone fragments of giants.
In fact, the southern part of the Empire was almost like that.
However, an unexpected roar rang out from such a Zabellon.
coo-! cooong! cooong!
The sound of something huge hitting the ground shook Zabellon.
Residents who came out in the middle of the night because of the commotion soon witnessed the source of the noise.
“A giant, a giant?”
coo-!
A shadow cast over a huge mountain range.
The number of them exceeded ten even at a rough estimate.
thump, thump, thump, thump, thump-!
Over ten giants were coming over the mountain range, shaking the ground.
Weee people
A sharp noise echoed throughout the estate through the alarm system.
The territory, which was almost immune to raids, fell into chaos in an instant.
However, this did not happen only in Zabellon.
Kwagwagagagak-!
In some places, a colossus running on all fours appeared and toppled one side of the city in an instant.
In another place, fragments of the giants rushed in in great numbers, and all the nearby provinces locked the gates and entered Mercury.
Similar things happened all over the continent, not to mention the southern part of the empire.
It all happened in just a few hours.
Not only the empire, but all countries began to gather their strength to rectify the chaos.
However, the chaos showed no sign of clearing up soon, and it affected all directions.
Of course, the academy was no exception.
“I’m leaving today too.”
dorm room.
Daniel, who was looking out through the window, murmured.
Abel also looked outside and answered.
“I know. Does the Milles-class heat include the Centurio-class?”
Outside, Gigant was seen heading somewhere in the distance.
It was probably the troops recruited from the punitive force in the south.
Of course, those troops were the cadets of the academy.
4th year cadets who are about to graduate, who are virtually the same as riders.
“Originally, I heard that most of the 4th grade is practice-oriented.”
“I didn’t get a rider appointment, but there was no big difference in actual strength. On the contrary, it is better than most families.”
The cadets of Del Modor Academy are thoroughly trained as riders over a whopping 4 years.
Even ordinary families invest years to nurture riders, but the difference in level was large.
In the first place, from the time of entering the academy, only those with the best talent were selected.
In other words, since the southern part of the Empire was thrown into chaos by the colossus and its fragments, it was foreseeable that the 4th year cadets would be recruited.
“But wouldn’t it be a huge deal if the instructors were also hired?”
Daniel said in a worried voice.
Abel nodded silently.
As he said, the weight of being recruited as a 4th year cadet and being recruited as instructors was different.
First of all, the start of the semester was delayed by a week.
It was natural.
More than half of the instructors were hired, so how could they run the academy normally?
Of course, it wasn’t something that was done without thinking from above.
It would have been judged that it would be better to mobilize all available forces and suppress it early than to respond vaguely.
The damage will increase as time goes on.
‘The problem is that this is just the beginning.’
In the game, this event is called ‘Cataclysm’.
It’s natural if it’s obvious, but there’s no such thing as a name attached to a one-time incident.
In the future, the southern part of the empire will continue to be attacked by giants.
south of the empire. From the ‘Land of the Dead’ beyond the territory, the sleeping giants began to come incessantly.
Even that wasn’t all.
Not only the empire, but the same thing is happening all over the continent.
It was self-evident that the entire continent was in chaos.
And there were also those who took advantage of the chaos and gradually revealed their ambitions.
‘The pilgrims were also part of the dog.’
The pilgrims are a group under the United Kingdom that we bumped into in relation to the ruins during field practice the other day.
Those who have been waiting for their time for so long will consider this cataclysm a revelation to them.
where are they alone
There were not one or two people who could be called enemies of mankind beyond the empire.
Whewyyyyyyy-.
As I continued my thoughts with a complicated expression, a strong wind blew through the slightly open window.
It was a wind that somehow had an ominous aura.
His heart was naturally disturbed, but Abel tried not to be buried in it.
In terms of games, it was the moment when the tutorial was over and we finally entered the main game.
In other words, it means that it will happen at any time.
It would have been nice if it started a little later, but you can’t undo what has already happened.
Swoop-.
Then, the door to the break room opened.
The one who appeared through the open door was a timid boy with dark brown hair.
The boy looked around the break room with a large bag in one hand, bowed awkwardly and closed the door.
Abel saw the door closed and opened his mouth.
“Looks like you’re going back.”
“I know. Two people returned yesterday too.”
“huh.”
2 people. And just one person.
All were cadets returning home.
Among them, there will be people who are forced to go back to failure, but there will be people who are not.
He must be going home to avoid the rain and wind that will blow sooner or later.
Daniel stared blankly at the closed door before opening his mouth.
“Are you thinking of going?”
Abel responded quietly to the sudden question.
“Nothing. There is nowhere to go back to.”
“okay? Me too.”
Soon, the two met eyes and smiled. Daniel said in a slightly lighter voice than before.
“What will happen in the future?”
“well. If a similar situation continues, wouldn’t it be that the lecture will be focused on practice?”
“Ugh. Like right after the Great War?”
“okay. Like right after the Great War.”
The purpose of the establishment of Del Modor Academy was not something soft like knowledge cultivation or friendship.
First to train strong knights, and now to train excellent riders.
In other words, this place is originally a place to raise ‘warriors’ from the beginning.
The existing curriculum reflected the peaceful era, but if the times change rapidly, the teaching will also change.
Abel’s light words were an accurate description of what was to come.
Whewyyyyyyy-.
The wind blew stronger than before and tousled their hair.
Daniel muttered as he leaned back in his chair.
“A storm is about to come.”
“I guess.”
A storm will come.
A storm that swept across the continent.
Daniel, who was silent for a moment, immediately jumped up from his chair and spoke.
“Whoa. Let’s go to training.”
“okay. let’s go.”
It’s not going to get any better if you’re depressed in a place like this.
Rather, it would be more productive to roll the body hard.
Abel went to the training center with Daniel.
a few days after that.
All first year cadets gathered in the auditorium.
In the past, during the entrance examination, the auditorium, which was almost full, was empty to the point where it looked empty.
With only twenty-two cadets, it was understandable.
“Why did you call me?”
“I know. Are classes open now?”
While everyone was having a conversation, a familiar group of people entered through the front door.
It was Magnus, the headmaster, and some instructors.
They stopped not far from the cadets and opened their mouths.
Magnus glanced over the cadets and smiled.
“Did everyone rest well during the vacation?”
“yes-!”
In fact, whether it was or not, everyone answered in unison.
Magnus shook his head and opened his mouth again.
“The reason we gathered you all is to notify you of the curriculum that will change from the second semester.”
Magnus, who hastened to do so, spoke carefully while erasing his laughter.
“After the explanation, those who disagree with the curriculum may return immediately.”
in a very heavy voice.