Chapter 22 – Unexpected Situation (2)
Chapter 22 – Unexpected Situation (2)
[Translator – Late Dreamer]
[Proofreader – Seeker]
Chapter 22 – Unexpected Situation (2)
Unexpected gate alarm. A disaster had manifested in the cradle.
It was not the first time, but it was not a common occurrence either.
Seal stones were placed because they were the hopes that would protect the future.
“Raise the Cradle’s alert level to the maximum.”
A figure born and survived during the early days of the gate incident.
A past hero who rose as a guardian with the gift of supernatural powers.
Now, this hero served as a foundation for the juniors who would lead the future.
“Yes. Principal.”
The 17th principal of the Cradle, Von Bauken Johan. In short, Principal Von closed his eyes.
The beginning of everything was the destruction of the seal stone. And the reason was a friendly match between two students.
But there was no intention of blaming Deus and Luciel at all.
Rather, their appearance could be seen as two sturdy pillars that would safeguard the future.
For the moment, the focus was on addressing the deficiencies to prevent a recurrence.
‘The Seal stone has never been broken due to the shock of a sparring match between students… I was too complacent. I’ll let my successor know when I hand it over later.’
The principal was not too worried. There were no civilians here.
Each individual possessed special abilities, including the managers.
Of course, there would be differences in the level, but at least they can take care of themselves.
The gate in question posed no significant risk. Consequently, the monsters within were not expected to be formidable.
‘I heard that Hunter and Tiamat are on the scene.’
Hunter has retired from the field, but his skills are still close to active duty.
Tiamat was still active but came because she wanted to be a teacher.
Both were fully capable of subjugating monsters and closing gates.
“Just in case, tell them to make sure that other gates do not appear. In addition, evacuation work should not be neglected.”
“The student council is already working on evacuating students to the active seal stones.”
“There must be no setbacks. The seal stone that was broken this time is located in the first-year area to some extent.”
Principal Von thought that today’s work would probably not be finished before evening.
Hunter and Tiamat entered the gate, so it would take about an hour.
After the subjugation was completed, it would take the same amount of time to return the students.
If we clean up the surroundings, it seems like we will be able to finish it today.
…That was a few hours ago.
“Are you saying that the gate hasn’t disappeared yet?”
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“Ye, yes. Principal.”
“And there’s no word from Hunter and Tiamat?”
At first, he thought the subjugation was being delayed for some reason.
I trusted them because they were both excellent or still excellent ability users.
However, the extent of the delay suggested that something had gone awry.
‘…I wish they had waited instead of entering the gate?’
There were two main ways for the gifted to deal with gates.
Go back into the gate before the monsters come out and sort them out, or wait outside with full preparation until they come out.
The latter was mainly used for high-risk gates.
If a strong monster appears, strike it with one blow and take the initiative.
Conversely, the former was when the gate was not very dangerous.
Or when there were too many important facilities or civilians near the gate.
It was a method mainly chosen when monsters should not come out.
This was the cradle. Whether the gifted were everywhere or whatever, it was the second most important place after the imperial palace and the system.
It was not a very good picture for monsters to run rampant in such a place.
‘If we had waited outside, the newspaper guys, who were anxious for sensational articles, might have written something to shake public sentiment.’
As the principal of a cradle, one had to balance student welfare with political considerations. Thus, it was a logical decision for Principal Von to choose entry over waiting.
“Is there any chance that the gate rating was misjudged?”
“Not that I know of. The rating has never been wrong since the beginning, has it?”
“That’s right. But… just in case. There can be a first time.”
Anxiety had crept in. It was not the unreasonable fear of an old man.
As a senior who had faced bloody battles in the past, as someone who remembered the smell of death better than anyone else.
This sensation that seemed to pierce his entire body had kept him alive until this age.
‘I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll have to ask for support.’
It had been a little strange to ask for support from a cradle full of gifted people.
Weren’t most of them the hopes that would be responsible for the future of the empire?
If something had happened, it wouldn’t have been about the principal’s position or anything like that.
He would have lived his whole life cursing himself and regretting it.
Principal Von immediately contacted the Imperial Department of Abilities.
He had asked them to organize additional personnel just in case a gate occurred in the cradle.
But the answer was unexpectedly, ‘It is not possible at this time.’
[Translator – Late Dreamer]
[Proofreader – Seeker]
[ I’m sorry. Principal Von Bauken. But we don’t have any room here either. ]
“No room. What do you mean?”
[ Gates have sprung up simultaneously across the empire, starting near the system just a while ago. The number has already exceeded five hundred. This is the first time this scale has happened, so all the gifted people who were on standby have entered an emergency system. ]
“Then….”
[ I’m so sorry. We will send the gifted people who have cleared the gate as soon as possible to the cradle. Please wait a little longer until then. ]
Principal Von, who ended the call stared blankly out the window.
‘It’s not strange for gates to appear because not all parts of the empire have seal stones. But, did it happen at the same time to the extent that all the gifted people had to be mobilized…? Has this ever happened before?’
It was definitely not the same situation as before. It was different. Definitely different.
This was like… a being with some malice was attacking on a large scale. It feels like being thrown in front of a very organized invasion.
“What the hell is going on…”
The evening sky was darkening. Perhaps it was cloudy, as neither stars nor the moon were visible. Literally pitch-black darkness.
It was quietly, slowly, but surely approaching.
***
At the same time. Other teachers at the cradle had also realized that something was strange.
It was a gate that could be handled by two teachers, but Hunter and Tiamat were still missing.
Meanwhile, more gates were being created like bamboo shoots after rain.
“From now on, let’s move in groups of four instead of two.”
“But… wouldn’t that make us too short on staff?”
“We’ve requested support from the outside, so we’ll be able to hold out until tomorrow.”
They also know about the simultaneous appearance of gates.
At the same time, they knew that all imperial ability users were skilled.
The importance of the cradle was needless to say. Of course, they were confident that support would arrive.
Their efforts were focused on preventing any incidents until then.
“How about choosing to wait instead of entering?”
“Are you saying we should let the monsters out in the cradle? Absolutely not!”
“I agree with Ruler. Monsters must never set foot in this sacred cradle. It’s obvious what kind of rumors will spread.”
If the imperial palace and system were the heart of the empire, the cradle was a symbol that promised the victory of the gifted.
Guardians who had slaughtered monsters had been born there.
As long as they had been there, no matter how many gates were flooded, they eventually were able to live.
This belief had been deeply rooted in the hearts of the imperial people.
But what if monsters appeared in the cradle and made a mess?
How would the imperial people who heard the news react?
No matter how effectively one blocked it, there were things one couldn’t help but see.
“All right. Then we’ll enter the next gate in groups of four. However, just in case, we will leave more than a certain number of teachers behind.”
“Mr. Smith! Please stay in the rear with the dispatch team!”
“Ah! Okay!!”
Another gate had opened its disgusting mouth wide. The teachers, survivors, and veterans had crossed over into it.
They would clear it as quickly as possible and return to protect their juniors and students.
Meanwhile, Mr. Smith, who was in charge of Monster Behavioral studies, had called the dispatch team.
“Mr. Smith. All members of the dispatch team, except for the Student Council, have gathered.”
Starting with Luciel, the 4th year chief and captain of the dispatch team, the 4th year deputy chief, who was the deputy commander.
In addition, two 4th year students belong to the dispatch team, plus the 2nd year chief and deputy chief.
“President of the Student Council, Neferti! Leave the acting President to the General Affairs Manager… Ugh! …I’m here!”
“Come on. Get up. President. Vice President Kasar of the Student Council has also completed the assembly.”
Third-year chief, Neferti and deputy chief Kasar also returned to the dispatch team.
“Will the Student Council be okay?”
“Yes, sir. Other executives are doing their best!”
“That’s a relief, but… ahem. First of all, do you all know about the current situation?”
-Nodding-
The two teachers who had entered first were still missing.
Subsequent gate entry had been organized into groups of four, not two.
Originally, external support should have arrived, but the outside was also in the worst situation.
“…So, we have to hold out with the power of our cradle alone until at least tomorrow morning.”
“Then, Mr. Smith, do we also enter when the gate appears?”
“That’s….”
Mr. Smith scratched his head as if he was embarrassed to death.
Originally, the entry was correct. It had been correct, but the situation was very different from before.
Even though it was not a high-risk gate, the teachers hadn’t returned yet.
That meant there was some change that was very different from before.
Students who lacked real-world experience could not be put into such a place.
What was more, weren’t these people with a very promising future?
“First of all, it’s on hold.”
“When you say wait, do you mean wait until the monsters come out of the gate?”
Mr. Smith became even more embarrassed at Luciel’s question.
It was not just any student, it was Luciel. She was the princess of the empire.
That was why she was even more sensitive to the fact that ‘monsters were roaming the cradle.’
What on earth should I say here? Just as Mr. Smith was wondering what to answer here,
“Mr. Smith!”
The last four teachers who were waiting had approached.
“We think we should go in too.”
“Yes? No, weren’t you supposed to stay at least in case?”
“That’s what I did. Look over there.”
Another gate. The problem was that it looked different from the previous ones.
It looked dangerous at first glance. The rating was also higher than before.
If left alone, monsters would really be running rampant in the cradle.
“We’ll go in and block it first. If you have any returning teachers, please tell them to follow us if they have time.”
“Ah… Okay. What about dispatch support….”
“The dispatch team has to take over our role. The role of the last bastion.”
Mr. Smith saw off the last remaining teachers.
Then he raised his head for a moment and looked up at the night sky.
Still, there was only pitch-black darkness with no ray of light in sight.
[Translator – Late Dreamer]
[Proofreader – Seeker]