Chapter 7 – Promising Student at Admission (3)
Chapter 7 – Promising Student at Admission (3)
Chapter 7 – Promising Student at Admission (3)
―Flutter!
“….”
A single white document swayed before his eyes.
Deus glanced at it briefly before lowering his gaze.
A blonde woman stood before him, barely reaching his chest — no, a lady.
Tiamat, the physical education Professor, was smiling.
“A recommendation letter, you say, Professor Tiamat?”
“Yes! A recommendation letter, And it’s not just any letter—it’s a recommendation letter for the dispatch team!”
So, what exactly was this dispatch team? That needed to be explained first.
With no notable reaction, even Professor Tiamat realized something was amiss.
“Huh? Seriously! Deus, you don’t know what the dispatch team is?!”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie! You can’t fool me, I’m your Professor!”
“I truly don’t know.”
He was just someone caught up in a genre mix-up. How could he possibly know?
“Oh my god. Unbelievable. Then how on earth did you end up in the cradle?!”
“Someone passing by said, ‘You must enter the cradle.’ So I did.”
A place where talented people gather. He guessed he could use the covenant there.
Coincidentally, the cradle’s graduates were said to deal with monsters at the gates.
For that reason, he applied blindly and was accepted right away.
That’s how someone who mistook the genre ended up in the cradle.
“Really. This won’t do! I’ll explain, so listen carefully! It’s about the dispatch team!”
…A rather chaotic and strange explanation ensued.
While explaining about the dispatch team, the Professor suddenly switched topics.
And even asked what she had covered so far, having forgotten herself.
Deus, who had been listening intently, began with a ‘So,’ breaking the silence.
“So. According to the Professor’s explanation, the dispatch team consists of students who, as cradle graduates with the best abilities, are qualified to deal with monsters popping out of the gates. Is that correct?”
“That’s right! Exactly that!”
She had just spent 15 minutes elucidating a concept that was, in essence, quite straightforward.
They had said that if one’s body was in good shape, the mind wouldn’t need to exert itself, but this was a bit much.
“For the dispatch team, the first and second students of all years, except first-year, are eligible to enter. And if more than half of the cradle’s professors write recommendations, they can get in.”
“Yeah! Wow, Deus, are you sure you’re a martial arts user?! You summarized it so neatly.”
This was not a skill, it was something basic. One might wonder if this person even had muscles in her brain.
Despite looking like an adorable golden retriever, she was quite peculiar.
‘Wait. Then I can’t just get in right away because Professor Taimat wrote a recommendation letter, right?’
More than half of the cradle’s professors need to write a recommendation letter.
With over a hundred professors here, at least fifty are needed.
“Hey? I see, I see. I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your eyes! You’re wondering, what’s the point with only one person doing this, right?!”
“…I have never thought that way.”
She claimed to be a martial arts user. But this was more in the mental field, like mind reading.
“Starting is the most important thing! And even though I may seem like this, I actually have quite an influence, you know?! If someone like me, who has never written a recommendation letter before, writes one for the first time, the reactions of other professors will be remarkable too!”
What was this? Her actions seem so childish, they’d make one tilt their head in wonder.
Upon closer inspection, she was indeed top-class among the professors, or she said.
While acknowledging the praise for Professor Tiamat, Deus shook his head.
“Thank you for your kind words, but I have no intention of joining the dispatch team yet.”
“Huh?! Why?! Do you realize what a great record you will receive by joining the dispatch team?!”
One receives formal recognition as a person with special abilities only after graduating from the cradle.
And only such individuals, with the Empire’s approval, have the authority to eradicate monsters from the gates.
The cradle’s dispatch team was the sole exception to this rule.
Being associated with the dispatch team was a clear indication of possessing genius-level talent.
Upon graduation, those even slightly associated with the team receive offers from all corners.
Even among the Empire’s talented individuals, they receive favorable treatment.
Or they might even enter prestigious families. If fortunate, they might even serve directly in the imperial guard as future prospects.
Therefore, all students at the cradle devote themselves to tireless efforts, regardless of their status.
For the first and second ranks, to qualify for the dispatch team, to gain practical experience as valuable as life itself, and to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with their seniors!
“It’s okay. I really don’t want to.”
‘And yet. He’s refusing a recommendation letter for the dispatch team?’
Professor Tiamat had to shake her head.
Could he believe that he was capable even without such a recommendation?
It was entirely possible. Considering Deus’s abilities, he could not only achieve the second rank but even the first rank as soon as he became a second-year student.
‘But… he is still a first-year student! A newly enrolled freshman, no less! Such an enormous privilege is unheard of for anyone. Even our senior Charvel considered the greatest talent in cradle history, didn’t receive an offer until the 2 semester of his 1st year!’
Ultimately, all talented people dreamed of one thing: to become the best. While some may have different reasons, they were a tiny minority. Even those who move out of obligation harbor such desires in their hearts!
The other person was one of the new students who had just entered school. To view it in the extreme, their arrival bore the innocence of a child’s first foray into a world larger than themselves. It was impossible not to be shaken when faced with such an incredible opportunity.
With a grin, Tiamat smiled and picked up the recommendation letter she had been waving around and tore it apart.
“Yes. I’m Sorry, Deus. Even if this teacher guesses wrong, it’s a big mistake.”
“…?”
” You are a talented person. If you’re a real man, that’s how it should be. Wow, impressive! It would have been nice if you had come 5 years earlier. I might have even asked you out as the top student of the 4th year!!”
“Forget about today’s events. This Professor was foolish! A recommendation letter? Let’s pretend that it never happened! Well then, I’m off. See you in PE class!!”
With those words, Tiamat turned into a golden flash and disappeared in an instant.
“….”
Deus stared blankly at the spectacle before sighing.
“Ugh.”
He had never been tempted, or so he thought. Truthfully, the allure was there. It wasn’t just about the experience, but the opportunity to engage in a formal battle with the monster.
He wanted to test the limits of his body’s capabilities and was eager to see how far he could go.
However, even then. The reason he rejected the offer was because.
“I receive no assistance in the face of a fight.”
The covenant. Because he thought the world was going to be destroyed. He misunderstood the genre.
Thus, he was bound by a self-imposed curse.
When the moment to fulfill comes, when it needs to be avoided, his body reacts automatically.
Just like now.
—Ssss
The pain that caused a sharp ache in his left arm soon subsided.
Signaling the moment when the covenant could be violated and serving as a warning.
Even receiving a recommendation letter in this situation was an extension of help.
Originally, it was said that the qualification began with the 2nd year, so ‘help’ is indeed appropriate.
Receiving help would violate the Covenant. And upon violation, terrible things happen.
It exacts a corresponding price. You can lose power or in the worst case; Death.
‘…Come to think of it, isn’t it ridiculous?’
He was clearly instructed to make the covenant. As if he was reading a genre of apocalypse.
So, he decided. He engraved the pact into his body as an obligation, a curse, and even as a source.
But the world wasn’t what Deus thought it would be.
He pondered why he had been urged to set the covenant when in fact people here were not using the covenant but special abilities.
“Ahh!”
While walking and contemplating, he heard a desperate scream for help.
Glancing up, he saw a baby cat stranded on a tree branch.
—Meow! Meow!
It sounded quite desperate. It seemed that the cat climbed up but couldn’t come down.
Below, two female students appeared unsure of what to do.
“Kitty! It’s okay! Um, what should we do? Should we quickly go call others?”
“I think that’s… Oh! The wind! What do we do? It might fall like this!!”
Of course, there was a strong wind blowing. The tree branches swayed wildly.
Thanks to that the baby cat which looks precarious might fall at any moment.
‘Hmm.’
They were talented students as well.
They would handle it well, he had thought.
With this belief, he attempted to pass by, yet, curiously, his feet refused to move.
It must have been that accursed covenant.
Indeed, it appeared to be restraining him once more.
Now it was even interfering with things like this. Truly impressive.
With a slight shake of his head, Deus lightly moved towards the ground.
—Meow?!
In an instant, he jumped up from 5 stories high building and caught the cat.
Then, he landed right in front of the students who were trying to rescue the cat.
—Thud!!
A man’s romance. Superhero landing. Trying it like this.
He thought to say, ‘The cat’s here,’ in a somewhat silly manner.
“Ugh, I’m sorryyyyy!!”
“Aaaaah!!”
“…?”
He observed the group with a mix of bewilderment and frustration. Hadn’t they been attempting to rescue the cat?
If they keep running away like this, what am I supposed to do…?
Deus feeling puzzled, looked at the cat which had been hanging by the scruff.
—…Meowww!!
If it could speak human, it probably would’ve screamed like this.
‘What! What is this monster!? Let go! Save me! Don’t eat me! Cats taste bad!!’
There was one unfortunate thing here.
Deus couldn’t understand animal minds.
While looking at the cat screaming in his hand, he said.
“Alright. I will become your caretaker.”
—Meowwww!!
And thus began the cohabitation of a monster and a cat.
****