56 Inteiru Expota - Rising Champions (1/2)
Hina and I discuss what we should include in our report to General Nero. I want to include everything but Hina prefers to leave out the piece about the referees and our previous knowledge of the snake earring group. We agree on putting in a time lapse in our story that nothing happened the first time we went to the Hodgepodge.
We make our way back into General Nero's office and give him our findings. I incorporate the piece about our previous knowledge despite Hina's disagreement. I hope it'll give us another opportunity to participate somehow. It also doesn't feel right to purposely leave out information.
”Interesting…” he mutters and smiles. He pauses for several seconds before continuing, ”Good work. You're free to go now.”
”This may be rude of me, but can you give us another task to follow up on this?” I ask.
”What task do you have in mind?”
”Well… The Academy was destroyed by those masked men who may be related to those snake earring guys. We were hoping to have the opportunity to investigate them in Neomeris.”
”I'm afraid I can't let you do that. You'll have the opportunity to embark on these personal investigations once you've reached the next rank up.”
”Personal? But they attacked our city. We could learn more—”
”Everyone lost something in the attack. Each one wants an opportunity to find some answers, but it's not on our priority list right now.”
”How can it not be on our priority list? With the Inteiru Expota coming up, they could be planning another attack and deceive everyone into thinking that we did it.”
”After meeting with the Elf, I will personally go to Syrina to inform them of their ruse. We will let them handle it since it's their territory. We could get caught in the crossfire if we send our men in there now. Besides, if you leave for another mission now, you won't have a chance to participate in the Rising Champions.”
”Rising Champions?”
”You'll learn more about it in the coming days. It's a potential opportunity to advance to Lieutenant quicker. You're excused. I have other work to attend to.”
We bow our heads and then leave the room. I ask, ”Mail station?”
”Yeah,” Hina answers, and we make our way there. ”I can't believe you always have the gall to talk back to General Nero, despite that you want to strictly follow your orders.”
”Well, there's no rule saying we can't talk back, is there?”
”I guess not…what do you want to do now?” Hina asks. She continues in a whisper, ”Investigate?”
”Hmm…” I interject. It's really tempting, but the risk's high. We know where the meeting point is, but there's no way we could hear what Viessa has to say without getting caught. And someone will find out that we're missing if we investigate up north. That would take at least a few days…not to mention the dangers even if we were to not be caught. There's so little to gain and so much to lose. Then there's this Rising Champions thing. ”No, we should stay put for now. I'm curious what this Rising Champions thing is. The fastest way to have our investigation could be to become a Lieutenant as fast as possible.”
”Right…that's what I was sayin' to you yesterday. If you take only risk-free decisions, it'll be a long time until you advance.”
”Well, I mean…slow and steady wins the race, right? I could advance faster by taking risks, but at the same time, it might be slower if things don't go as planned. And the entire platoon suffers for it through punishments. That's just something I—wait,” I cut myself off. Two guys are chatting nearby. I stop walking and gesture Hina to turn away from them.
”What're you—”
”Shh.”
”Thankfully, I wasn't drafted this year either,” one man says.
”Man it's not fair. Ya got moved into a Sigma platoon this year, but ya didn't get drafted,” another man says.
The man laughs. ”It's because Alpha platoons are expendable. They're saving the big guns for the Inteiru Expota.”
”You know…” Hina mutters and then sighs. I cock an eyebrow as she turns around.
I whisper, ”Wait, where're you going?”
She approaches the two men and says, ”Hey. Couldn't help but overhear. Are you talkin' about the Risin' Champions by any chance?”
”Yeah…why? Who're you?”
”I'm Hina. I joined the army about seven months ago, so I don't know anythin' about this. Same with him.”
She didn't… I turn around, finding her pointing at me. I smile and wave. They give me weird looks.
”Don't mind him. He's a bit of a weirdo. So, what's the Risin' Champions? All I know is that it's a way to advance up the ranks quicker, but you're talkin' about it like it's a bad thing.”
”Well, you're new so it's not a surprise you don't know. The Rising Champions is an event held by the four Human kingdoms every year. Twelve platoons from each army form six groups that fight groups from other kingdoms. The kingdom that has the most victories between each Inteiru Expota is chosen as the representative for our race for the next Inteiru Expota.”
”What's special about bein' chosen as a representative?” Hina asks.
”Well, nothing. Honor's the only prize. It's one thing the kingdoms do to decide which country's superior to the other.”
”That doesn't sound so bad. Why wouldn't you want to participate in somethin' like that?”
”It's dangerous. Even though it's a friendly battle, you're fighting with real weapons against real weapons.”
”I don't know how familiar you are with the Academy, but they held a tournament every year. Real weapons were used too alongside magic. So it's kind of like that?”
The man stares at her for several seconds without responding. Only cocking an eyebrow but then he continues, ”From what I know, the rules are completely different. You have referees and safeguards at the Academy…but there aren't any for this battle.”
”What do you mean, no safeguards? It's a fight to the death?”
”Well, no. Not exactly. But it can be.
”Explain.”
”I don't know the exact rules. I only know what other people have told me.”
”That's fine. Tell us what you know.”
”People end up fighting each other until the other side can't fight anymore. So what I'm saying is…your opponents could end up seriously injuring you or killing you.”
”What? That doesn't make any sense. Can't you surrender?”
”I heard about people surrendering without even fighting, but it's incredibly dishonorable. You'd be subjecting yourself to punishment if you do that. It's not like everyone ends up killing each other. It's when neither side gives in to surrender that fatalities occur.”
”I see. How's the winner determined? The last man standin'?”
”I'm not sure. The exact rules are determined on the day of the battle by the veteran overseers. Are you in The Reserve?”
”I'm in Sigma 8,” Hina says and then points over to me. I palm over my face. ”He's in 4.”
”Ohh… You were an Adventurer before you joined?”
”Yeah,” Hina answers. One of the men narrows his eyes, grimaces, and shakes his head. He looks to the other man who has a similar expression and points his hand the other way. The two men walk away without saying another word. ”What's your problem? Hey!”
They don't stop. I put a palm over her shoulder and say, ”Forget it. This is why I don't talk to people anymore.”
”They're just rude.”
We continue our way to the mail station. ”Well, whatever. I'm surprised you haven't bumped into anyone like that considering you're talking to other platoons.”
”I've been mostly connectin' with the Delta platoons. They have access to the cookin' stations. They weren't rude like that.”
”Those two probably originated from The Reserve. I bet everyone there's saying bad things about us.”
”Why would they do that? Part of my platoon came from The Reserve, but they're nothin' like that.”
”I don't know. There were two members who left my platoon after the incident in Beltan. Maybe those two are giving me a bad reputation.”
”What'd you do to them?”
”Nothing,” I say. Hina quirks an eyebrow. I continue, ”Really, nothing. No, wait. I take that back. I was quite reckless back then and took on a whole bunch of requests whenever the chance arose. They weren't happy with me taking those huge risks, and I don't blame them. I definitely wouldn't do anything of that sort now, despite what you tell me.”
”Doin' nothin' is the problem. Haven't I told you that you need to inspire people? Take the time to train them?”
”And I told you that it's a waste of time. If they don't wanna train, they won't train. So I won't train them.”
”It's because of your attitude that people are goin' to think you're stuck-up. You have to show people they're valuable.”
”I really don't care what people think of me. If I'm in charge of them, they'll have to do what I say as their commanding officer. If they don't like it, they'll quit. They always do, but someone will always be there to replace them. In the end, it doesn't matter.”
Hina shakes her head. ”So you're the reason that those two guys just walked away mid-conversation…”
”Well, I wouldn't go that far… I'm sure some of the other Sigma platoons are having similar issues. I can't be the only one refusing to train them. Do you know what's going on between the other Sigma platoons?”
”No, I haven't spoken to them.”
”There you have it.”
”Still… It's possible that you caused it.”
I smile. ”But it's also possible that I didn't, so there's no point thinking about it.”
She sighs. ”Okay, Kai.”
The mail station is just up ahead. We split off to check our own mailbox. I unlock mine and open it. Two papers inside. I read the one on top.
Sergeant Kai, come find me when you get this. Captain Albius.
I scrunch up the paper and toss it. What does he want now? I read the other piece of paper.
Congratulations. Sigma 3 and 4 have been selected to form one of six groups to participate for this year's Rising Champions. You'll receive more information tomorrow. General Nero.
Yes! Our group was selected. An opportunity to advance to Lieutenant quicker! We're with another Sigma platoon which should be an easy win for us. What about Hina? I close my mailbox and meet up with her. Nothing's in her hand. I ask, ”You didn't get anything?”
”Nope. Looks like you got somethin' though.”
”Yeah. Turns out playing my cards safer got me selected. My platoon is partnering with Sigma 3 apparently. Should be a cinch to bring a win back and impress General Nero.”
Hina frowns and tilts her head. ”Kai… Do you know who belongs to Sigma 3?”
I chuckle. ”Of course I do. They have former adventurers like us.”
”Yeah, but…do you know exactly who's in that platoon?”
”No. Why's it matter?”
”It matters a lot. Ada's in that group.”
”Ada?” I ask, my stomach turning.
”Yeah. You remember her right?”
”Of course.” How can I forget? I clench my fists and frown, thinking only about how she treated me half a year ago.
”Did somethin' else happen between you guys?”
I relax and sigh. I can't let anyone find out what about happened. ”Oh, no. Just really angry how she was so quick to lump me with the masked men. And how she made Sitos out to be a criminal.”
”Well okay. You two are goin' to have to get over your differences if you're plannin' on winnin' your battle.”
”Of all people to be grouped with… That's just unlucky.”
”I'm startin' to think it wasn't by coincidence.”
”How do you know that?”
”Do you think General Nero knows that you don't get along with Ada?”
I hesitate to answer. I know he knows based on what happened during our last interaction but I can't explain to Hina why I know that. But there's also that time… ”Yeah, he knows. He heard Ada accuse me of crimes back at the big execution with Sitos' family.”
”So I was thinkin'…he put you two together on purpose to get over your differences. Everything we've been doin' with trainin' villagers and all that. Learnin' about the Inteiru Expota. It all makes sense. The Risin' Champions sounds like a trainin' exercise to improve teamwork and coordination between platoons. If somethin' happens at the Inteiru Expota, we'd be forced to work with anyone on our side.”
”That makes sense…but then why didn't you get chosen?”
Hina smiles with her chest puffed out. ”Well isn't that obvious? I'm well-liked by everyone. I've made friends with various Delta platoons. You on the other hand… The lone wolf. The one givin' everyone in a Sigma platoon a bad reputation.”
I frown. ”Okay, okay… Lone wolf, sure. But that other part isn't true.”
”But you don't know that, so there's no point in disagreein'.”
I stare at her. She laughs.
”So I'm forced into the same group as her. But we don't have to work together. I know her group's pretty capable because we fought in the tournament before. We could operate as separate platoons during the battle.”
”That doesn't sound like it incorporates much teamwork. You don't know about the rules yet either. What if the rules say that you must work together?”
”Ugh… I really hope not.”
Her smile melts into a frown. ”Well, I'm goin' to convene with my friends to fill them in on what's goin' on… We'll spread rumors about me wantin' to meet me in the cafeteria around dinner time. I'll see you then.”
”Wait, that's it? We're not gonna practice our lines?”
”It's better if we don't prepare to make it look natural. I'm countin' on you to follow my lead and improvise. Just remember that I asked you to meet me,” Hina says and then walks away.
It's time to do my part. Where would Marin be a little past lunchtime? The archery range, her room, the cafeteria, the training area, or somewhere else? I'll check her room first since it's the closest.
I head down the stairs onto the second level and into the 'B' sector. Her room is conveniently on the second floor near mine. It certainly would be harder to keep us a secret if she lived on a different floor for the number of times she's been seen by others wandering these hallways. People would raise eyebrows and rumors would spread. I knock on the door marked with 'B381'.
Seconds later, the door opens. Marin greets with a smile, ”Oh, hi Kai.”
”Hey, Marin,” I greet and walk in. I close the door before showing her the piece of paper with the news. ”Did you receive one of these?”
”Yeah. We all got them this morning. I wonder what this is about.”
”We're gonna end up fighting another group from either Neomeris, Elbar, or Xantho. Apparently, if we win, it'll make us look good, and I'd be able to become a Lieutenant quicker. ”
”That's great news!”
”It is…but that's only if we win. I don't know the rules yet, but soldiers from The Reserve don't seem too thrilled about it. The worst part is… Sigma 3's Ada's group…” I inform.
”Oh, no… I'm sorry to hear that Kai. I know you two don't get along well.”
”We're gonna have to somehow see eye to eye if we're gonna win this thing. I know this is gonna be hard for you too. You're hardly comfortable talking to our platoon other than Ruby and I. Now you've gotta communicate with an entirely different team. But you might not have to. I'm hoping that we don't have to actually work together. If we're lucky, we can agree to stay as two separate entities. We'd be a team by only appearances.”
”That would probably be for the best. But don't worry about me, Kai. I'll figure something out. How'd the mission with Hina go?”
What happened after the meeting with Viessa sticks to my mind. But right now, the most important thing is the meeting. ”It went…well. I need to fill you in on what we've learned. It's pretty important.”
I fill her in on everything she missed. She's silent for a few minutes. It takes a while to absorb. I'm not surprised. It's a lot of information.
”The Cursed Expedition… Do you think those masked people were responsible for that too? The timing seems too perfect. This entire time I thought mom and dad died in their line of work…but—”
”It doesn't matter now,” I say. ”The end result's the same. They're gone. No use thinking about it now. We have no way of knowing whether they had something to do with that or not. What's important is finding who those people are and making them pay. Something's definitely gonna happen at the Inteiru Expota. We've gotta focus on performing well in the Rising Champions so that General Nero's more likely to select us as escort to Neomeris.”
”Okay… Did you want to do some training with our platoon first? Or work out a strategy?”
”Maybe later… I don't really wanna do anything until we've received more information about this thing,” I say. I need to bring up that other matter. ”About the thing with Hina… Um… Later today we're executing the plan to start the fake relationship. I don't know what's going on exactly we're just improvising on the spot. She's gonna spread rumors that she asked to meet with me in the cafeteria at dinner time.”
”Okay. Did you tell Ruby about it yet?”
”No, but I will when I see her. Have you seen her recently? I haven't seen her since we first left to train the villagers earlier this week.”
”No, I think she, Jetia, and the others are still gone.”
”Hmm… Well, they should be back in time. General Nero wouldn't give them a task that conflicts with participating in the Rising Champions.”
”Yeah.”
”Soo…” I say, still delaying to bring up the other matter. ”So there's one more thing Hina wants me to run by you… I know you said you'd be okay with us three, well…doing stuff. But for part of our plan to work, I need to be alone in a room with Hina… doing stuff…several times a week to not draw suspicion. At least make it appear that we are, but Hina's asking if we don't have to pretend. Hina said that she's fine with just a physical relationship but it's also fine if you don't want me to do the whole fake relationship thing either because it'll take away from us. So…the choice's up to you.”
Marin stays silent for several seconds before asking, ”Do you want to go through with it?”
It feels like she's testing me. But she should already know that my heart lies with her. Though, I still don't want to really bring up last night to her in detail. This whole act is just a friendly gesture to Hina as her friend. I want to help her if I can. ”Yeah. I can't ignore it. If she doesn't do anything about it. It could lead to…”
Something much worse. Something unthinkable. Something I won't let happen if I can help it.
”I understand, Kai. You can go through with it. But only if you promise…” her voice growing quieter with every word. I gulp. She stares into my eyes and wraps her arms around my neck before continuing, ”…that you'll make up the time that we don't see each other for when we do.”
”Of course,” I answer with a smile.
”How about now…?”
I wouldn't mind indulging a little…but I don't want to to keep Captain Albius waiting too long. If he finds out that I've been back but haven't done as he has instructed me, he might get angry. ”I wanna, but Captain Albius' asking to see me. You wanna come?”
”Are you sure if that's okay?”
”Eh, I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal. Worst case, you can wait somewhere while I talk to him.”
”Okay, let's go.”
We leave her room and then try to locate Captain Albius. He's not in his office or the training area. He might still be in the cafeteria since it's close to lunchtime. Not in the cafeteria, but maybe one of the cooking station rooms. We check, and there he is with his platoon. He sees us immediately and approaches us before we enter the room.
”Sergeant Kai, good to see you,” Captain Albius says with a smile. What ploy does he have this time?
”Hello, sir. What'd you wanna see me for?” I ask.
”I'm goin' to need to speak to you in private, go on a walk with me.”
A bit hesitant, but I'm in no position to refuse. ”Sure.”
Captain Albius leads me out into the outer hallway toward the outer corners. Pretty deserted area since there's no reason to be here. All the entrances to the four zones on this level are closer to the center and entrances to the castle. The only ever reason to be here is for some occasional privacy, patrol, or running laps.
”So I've got some insider information for you about the upcoming Rising Champions,” he informs. I'm a bit skeptical since he never does things out of the blue that are solely for my benefit.
”What's the catch?”
”There's no catch.” I cock an eyebrow. ”I know we've had our differences…but it was a misunderstanding. I had the wrong first impression about you. Thought you were just another cocky adventurer but these last few months proved me wrong. I'm truly sorry for how I treated you in the first few months. The thing is… I had no other choice.”
I don't believe any of this but I nod my head and pretend that I do. He continues, ”General Nero has been on my ass ever since the attack on the city. And I really shouldn't be tellin' you this, but I want you to see that we can be friends.”
”Friends? I don't wanna be rude…but you covered me in shit.”
”Wasn't on my orders. It was General Nero. That's what happens when he's angered. His punishments are really brutal. I didn't want to come into his crosshairs.”
He continues in a whisper, ”He's tasked me to basically treat all the new recruits like trash. Tauntin' and annoyin' them whenever possible. I didn't mind considerin' I didn't like how some ex-adventurers behaved in the past and most recruits at the time were adventurers… I didn't want to get on his bad side, you know. I had to suck up to him. Do as I'm told. He knew that you weren't lyin' on that report the first time around.”
I open my mouth slowly into a gape. Wait. No… That can't be right. Is he talking about that report back then? I clench my fists and answer, ”You're telling me… I had shit dumped on me when he knew the truth the entire time? He made me eat shit for no reason?”
”I had to play dumb because he was watchin' me. No hard feelings. For some reason, he wanted to pick on you out of all the adventurers who joined. You've got any reason why?”
”I have no clue… I thought I was on his good side during our first meeting.”
”Look… I've been tryin' behind the scenes to tell General Nero what a great job you've been doin' and tryin' to convince him that you're not another one of those smug adventurers. Naturally, he's not too fond of them either. They usually come with attitude problems. Got problems with bein' told what to do. He believes that deliverin' harsh punishment would change their attitudes for the better.”
”How does delivering harsh unjust punishment change my attitude? I didn't do anything wrong. Punishment's one thing…but he made me eat shit.”
”It's because of his personal experiences. Believe it or not, he used to be a petty criminal. He was caught, endured harsh punishments, and changed completely. That's why he believes that harsh punishment's the way to change people. I know you want to get payback, but that's not what you want to do. Swallow your pride and suck up to him. Get on his good side and reap the benefits.”
He used to be a criminal? I can see that. Sometimes I felt like he was really unprofessional. Captain Albius is right though. What kind of revenge would I be able to achieve? I'd be putting Marin and Ruby at risk. And no one else would believe me because he's the general. His word against mine.
I don't think Captain Albius is lying anymore. I knew things were fishy when they suddenly apologized for that mess back then. General Nero is the real villain here. But I can't do anything to him… It's better to suck up to him to minimize the damage.
”I personally believe you've got what it takes to make it far up the ladder. I vouched for your platoon to participate in the Rising Champions for this year. He wasn't plannin' on lettin' you participate until I pushed him for it.”
”Thanks,” I say. Feels really weird saying that to him after what we've been through.
”Anytime, Sergeant Kai. If you need anything, let me know. As a token of our new friendship, I'd be willin' to do you a few favors.”
This is convenient. ”There's one thing you can do for me today.”
”What can I do?”
”Do you know Captain Citrio?”
”Yeah. I know him. What business do you have with him?”
I could use Captain Albius to make him back off of Hina. But, if it doesn't work, things could end badly. It's not like he has any control of any of the other Captains. It's better to proceed with our plan. ”I need him to be present at the cafeteria tonight at 6 PM. He's been harassing one of my friends and we're putting on an act to make him back off of her.”
”Oh? That sounds interestin'. I'll find a way to make sure he shows up.”
”She's having her friends spread rumors that she asked to meet me at the cafeteria tonight. Just need to make sure Captain Citrio's actually there when the time comes.”
”I'll make it happen. Now onto the insider information… How much do you know about the Rising Champions?”
”Not much. Heard from two people before. It's like the tournament without any safeguards. Dishonorable to surrender but you can give up at any time. Something about exact rules being determined by the veteran overseers. I guess that's you?”
”Exactly. The group you'll fight will have one too. We'll have a discussion and come to an agreement on how the winner should be decided.I've participated a few times both as the fighter and overseer. I'll tell you exactly what the purpose of this event is.”
”Isn't it just to select the representative for the Inteiru Expota?”
”Yeah, but…its true purpose's to allow newbies to get combat experience and toughen them up. Traditionally it's also used to clear any bad blood between platoons. Makin' them work together to accomplish a common goal. That's why I can't change his stance on movin' you with another platoon. It's a part of my job to make sure that both platoons are behavin' properly and workin' together.” Captain Albius smiles before continuing, ”If Sigma 3 doesn't behave… I'll make sure General Nero knows it. Winnin' the match isn't the most important determinin' factor.”
Is he saying what I think he's saying? That I don't need to win to impress General Nero? I smile. If Captain Albius is on my side, I won't have to worry about being penalized. I'll try my best to get along with Ada. It's not my problem if she's still hostile toward me. I thought it was all over but thanks to his insight this trial will be a cinch. It'll even be better if Ada doesn't play along and we manage to win. Or maybe it'll be better if we lose? It would clearly be her fault and she'd take the downfall.
”I understand. Thanks for the heads up, Captain Albius.”
”No problem. Let me know if you need anything else. You're free to help yourself to our leftovers. I'll introduce you to my team.”
”Uhh…” I interject, hesitating for a moment because of the last time he offered me food. But that was in the past. He's only here to help me now. ”Sure. I'm pretty hungry since I haven't eaten. Marin can join too, right?”
”The more the merrier.”
We head back to the cooking station he was at, Marin waiting. She gives me a confused look, but she follows me inside.
”This is Sergeant Kai,” Captain Albius introduces. ”I'm sure you know already.”
”Of course we know,” someone responds. ”He's the one who had the gall to challenge you on his first day!”
They laugh. Captain Albius says, ”Now, now…that's all in the past. Sergeant Kai's won me over. He's not like those adventurers we've dealt with in the past. He's someone you should keep an eye out for. He's going to be the newest Lieutenant in record time. I feel it.”
”And this is Corporal Marin, right?” Captain Albius asks, pointing to Marin.
”Yes…” Marin replies quietly.
”Well, help yourself, Sergeant Kai.”
”Right…” I answer and sit next to these men I don't know. The only thing I can think right now is eating the meat in front of me. There's a good portion left. From the looks of it, it was a boar.
”Get this man a plate and some food!” Captain Albius exclaims.
”Yes, sir.”
”I need to run some errands. I'll see you guys at six sharp tonight,” he says and then leaves.
”See ya, Captain,” several men say.
He must be meeting with Captain Citrio. Glad he's not wasting any time on this. I like how he emphasized six o' clock. We need the biggest audience we can get. A man hands me a plate. Another cuts a large portion of the boar onto my plate. A bit messy, but can't complain.
”Here you go, sir,” a man says holding a fork and knife.
”Thanks,” I say and take the silverware. I help myself to the food.
”So what'd you do to impress Captain Albius to this degree?” a man asks. ”Captain Albius rarely praises anyone. On top of that, he hates adventurers.”
I'm still chewing, so I don't answer.
”Whatever man. Captain Albius is on board with this kid, so hell with it. I'm on board. Tell us one of your old adventurer stories.”
”Does the girl want to join too?”