Chapter 126

The place Lexus led Iri to was a construction site.

There, the site supervisor was directing various construction dummy robots and automated machines, restoring the area that had collapsed during the last terror attack.

The supervisor, wearing a safety helmet, recognized Lexus immediately and approached him.

“You’ve arrived. I heard about you.”

“Nice to meet you. Sorry to interrupt while you’re busy, but let us use ‘that place’ for a while.”

“Understood. The access authorization has already been set up. Please follow this tin can here.”

An android approached, gave a polite bow to Lexus and Iri, and then walked ahead as if signaling them to follow.

As they walked behind it, they passed by a holographic sign floating in the air that read “Authorized Personnel Only,” heading toward the innermost part of the construction site.

On the way, Iri asked:

“Are we going to the new CQB (Close Quarters Combat) training ground?”

“Huh? How did you know that?”

“I saw it in a report.”

“What report?”

“I’m the Student Council President. I saw it in the documents stating that while the Academy was being restored, a few new training grounds were also being added.”

“The Student Council President does that kind of work too?”

“That, I don’t really know either. The Academy didn’t have a Student Council for a long time. So for now, we’re checking everything that seems like it could be useful to us.”

If they didn’t keep watch, the faculty and megacorps would start playing games with the budget, so apparently, the Student Council had to monitor and protest constantly.

Well, Lexus wasn’t interested in that kind of thing. He was just disappointed that he lost the chance to surprise his new disciple.

“Tch. I was planning on surprising you.”

Lexus clicked his tongue, and soon, a wide space appeared before them.

The CQB training ground.

It was newly established to teach the Tactical Combat Department students the combat system used to engage enemies within 25 to 30 meters.

There had been similar urban warfare training facilities before, but several had been rendered unusable after the terror attack.

Besides, those old urban warfare training grounds always had the same structure, so once you used them a few times, you’d get used to the terrain too easily. And once any equipment was destroyed, it took too long to repair—so they weren’t used much anyway.

In that case, it was simply easier and cheaper to just train in Cyberspace.

To replace that, this new CQB training ground was designed with special panels that could create new structures each time, and any damaged parts could be swapped out individually.

……or so Iri explained.

Lexus looked a bit displeased.

“How come you know this better than I do….”

He sighed and looked down at the training ground.

The construction of the CQB training ground had already been completed. Now, they were just waiting until summer break ended to open it for the students.

Walls made of special panels, 2 to 3 meters high, shifted and connected, artificially creating environments such as buildings, intersections, straight roads, and dead ends.

“So, why did we come here?”

“During the break, you’ve been granted permission to use this place. This is his gift to you.”

“W-what did you say?”

“Now you’re surprised. From now on, besides the training you’ll receive with the other scholarship students, you’ll also be having one-on-one lessons with me here. If you start whining later that it’s too hard and you don’t want to train, I’ll report it directly to the Chairman.”

“T-that won’t happen. But still….”

Iri tilted her head in confusion.

Why here, of all places?

There were many other training grounds.

When she voiced her doubt, Lexus countered with a simple question.

“Answer me. What’s your weakness right now?”

“My weakness? Uh… well….”

Iri stammered, and Lexus shook his head.

“Then I’ll have to start earlier. What’s your weapon?”

“A shield and a shotgun.”

“Why use that combination?”

“I don’t know….”

She hadn’t really thought deeply about it.

The reason she picked up the shield in the first place was because Aaron told her to. At first, it felt awkward, but as she used it, it worked surprisingly well, so she kept using it.

As for the shotgun, it was mainly to complement the shield. A shield alone had limits in offensive power, so she used the shotgun to make up for that.

“I’ve never been very confident in marksmanship….”

She carried a shield in one hand, so she had to shoot with the other. Out of the many options available, she chose something that could still hit decently even if her aim wavered.

“So, did you find it inconvenient?”

“…It’s heavy enough already, but carrying something that isn’t even a module and running around with it—that’s definitely tough.”

“Exactly.”

Lexus snapped his fingers.

“Alright, that’s all the explanation you’re getting.”

“Huh? But you haven’t explained anything yet….”

“The rest you’ll figure out yourself. Once you start rolling around, there’ll come a moment when you realize, ‘Ah, so this is it.’”

“Chairman Aaron pointed out everything step by step when he trained me….”

“Huh? Him? Seriously?”

Lexus looked genuinely surprised.

“So he really does care about you more than I imagined. He’s not the type to ever do that.”

“What was he like before?”

“Don’t ask. You’ll get hurt.”

Lexus answered curtly.

“Damn. I was planning to train you until you broke a bone or two, but if I actually did that, he’d never leave me alone.”

“……”

Iri thought that thanks to Aaron, she had basically been spared her life.

“How strange. Is he just trying to build an image because he’s about to get married, or what? Anyway, you’re ready now, so go stand at the starting point of the training ground. Once preparations are complete, I’ll tell you what training we’re doing.”

“Yes, understood.”

……she answered, and as she turned her back—

She froze.

Wait. Did she just hear something strange?

Marriage?

“M-Mr. Bane. What did you just—”

“Not ‘Mr. Bane.’ Call me ‘Respected Master.’ Or ‘Big Brother Bane’ works too.”

“…Mr. Bane.”

She had no intention of indulging in his nonsense anymore, so she ignored it and continued.

“What did you just say? Marriage? Who’s getting married?”

“Hm? Oh, you didn’t know? Well, I guess there’s no need to tell every student about personal affairs.”

Just then, a ringtone came from Bane’s pocket. With a natural motion, he pulled out something made of plastic and checked it.

It was a smartphone.

Men and women of all ages nowadays ran apps in their bodies through cyberware or nanomachines, so this was a very rare, old-fashioned model.

“Why so surprised? Well, for your generation, this is probably something you’d only see in a museum. But as a Fixer, this thing was actually pretty….”

“Don’t change the subject.”

If one had only lived inside the city, they might not know, but for those from the Fallen Sector, where old technology was still widely used, a smartphone wasn’t anything impressive. Miyu liked that sort of thing too, and Iri had seen a few models in her room before.

What bothered her more was the marriage.

Marriage? All of a sudden?

Chairman Aaron? With who?

She didn’t know why it bothered her so much, but it gnawed at her to the point where she couldn’t just let it go.

“I’m not changing the subject. Look here. This just came in—this is the young lady your sponsor is going to marry.”

With that, Bane held out the screen. On it was a graceful woman, sitting modestly, facing the camera.

“T-this is…!”

“As expected of a conglomerate’s daughter—she sure is pretty. Ah, but what’s to be done with this young lady….”

Bane chuckled like it was someone else’s business, but Iri couldn’t bring herself to laugh at all.

What kind of fate was this?

Because, shockingly, the woman in the photo—

‘Why are you there?’

—was someone Iri knew very well.

Millennium Technology Foundation.

In the office of its CEO, Vladimir Kharitonov, two guests had arrived.

One was Donovan von Delay.

He stood at attention against the wall, stiff as a board.

Though Donovan had a burly physique, he was sweating cold sweat nervously—so much that the sight didn’t fit his appearance at all.

The other guest was a mysterious man.

He wore a long black coat reminiscent of a Catholic priest’s cassock, and his hair was the same deep black, hanging down his back.

For a man, his hair was unusually long, reaching down to his back, and his eyes were heterochromatic—one gold, one silver.

He also had a thick, bushy beard, giving him the look of a sage hardened by long years of ascetic practice.

The man sat on the guest sofa, elegantly sipping tea.

Meanwhile, Vladimir, the host of this office, fidgeted nervously in the seat of honor, constantly stealing glances at the man’s face.

Even as he sipped tea, he kept sneaking peeks. It was to the point where it was hard to tell who was the guest and who was the master of the room.

“……”

“……”

The strange silence continued. For a long time, the only sound was the sipping of tea.

Finally, Vladimir couldn’t endure it any longer and spoke to the man.

“W-would you finally tell me, sir? What should I do next? What would be best?”

“……”

Clink.

The man set down his teacup with a sharp sound. Both Donovan and Vladimir flinched, startled.

The man, whom Vladimir had called ‘Sir,’ answered in a deep, gentle voice with a smile.

“Do not worry, Director Kharitonov. The plan is proceeding step by step. We will never forget your efforts.”

“If—if you say so, then I’m relieved. But I just can’t help worrying. What if Aaron Stingray tries something again….”

“That will not happen, Director. Have we not already upgraded your module as a token of our friendship?”

The man continued soothingly.

“You need not worry. We are in a mutually beneficial relationship. You don’t need to constantly fear us, nor feel indebted. It just so happens that your goals and ours align.”

“R-right, of course.”

Vladimir laughed awkwardly, then crooked a finger at Donovan without even looking at him.

Donovan quickly moved to Vladimir’s side and stood at attention again. Vladimir patted him on the back and said:

“Haha, I really don’t know why you chose this fellow. If you want, I could call for plenty of more capable students….”

“No. This one will do. He fits the qualities we are seeking.”

“Is that so? Well then, safe travels.”

Vladimir and the man slowly rose from their seats. The man gave a slight bow and turned his back first, with Donovan silently following behind.

Vladimir called out to them.

“I hope the surgery goes well.”

“Do not worry.”

The man turned back with a confident smile.

“No matter how strong Aaron Stingray is, no matter how formidable the Stingray Group may be, as long as you assist us, we can overcome anything.”

“Understood. I’ll be waiting for good news.”

The two men smiled at each other.

Donovan couldn’t hide his conflicted feelings at the sight.

‘What… what the hell is going on…?’

Just what…

…are they planning to do to my body?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep