4. To the Northeastern Military Academy…… (1)
Once the inspection of the magic awakeners was finished, Jayden and the other trainees immediately followed the knight to Northern Command.
When they entered the enormous building, countless soldiers were passing through it.
They went past them and continued up the stairs.
“Loyalty! I have brought the trainees.”
“Come in.”
At the words telling them to enter, the knight carefully opened the door.
Inside, two clovers were displayed. And on one nameplate was written, “Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee.”
“Are these the new trainees?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Understood. You may leave for now.”
At the man’s words, the knight handed over the report, saluted, then closed the door and left.
After briefly checking the documents, he cleared them away and looked steadily at Jayden and the other trainees.
“The fact that all of you volunteered for the Northern Army means you are prepared to accept a certain degree of risk, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, sir!”
As if proving they had properly endured life at the training camp, they answered the lieutenant colonel’s question at once.
“Good. Then this will be easy to explain. The fact that you’ve made it this far means each of you has a certain amount of talent. For that reason, I intend to give you some degree of choice.”
The lieutenant colonel placed a sheet of paper on the table.
“This is an application form for admission to a military academy. If you graduate from there, you will basically begin as an officer.”
As he said that, he even waved it about as though it were something remarkable.
“It seems none of you quite grasp it yet, so I’ll explain what rewards come with enrolling there. First of all…… your military service will be reduced by at least two years.”
At Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee’s words, the children’s eyes began to waver.
Jayden, on the other hand, remained calm. It was something he already knew to a certain extent, and he was also well aware that the price for those two years was serving day and night on the front lines.
Perhaps he was not the only one who knew this, as several of the children did not seem particularly interested either.
Seeing that, Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee smiled and said,
“There is an additional way to reduce your service further. That is to apply to the Northeastern Military Academy. If you do, you can cut off another two years.”
At Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee’s words, the children’s interest sharply waned this time.
There was not a single child here who had not heard of the Northeast’s notoriety. The fact that they had awakened magic without undergoing training meant they had been born into fairly affluent families, and that meant they had come after hearing at least the basic information.
“In addition, if you achieve good results at the Northeastern Military Academy, you will be allowed to graduate from the academy two years early. That means you can shorten your military service by another two years.”
A chance to reduce military service by a total of six years.
A chance for twenty years of service to become fourteen.
It also meant that, excluding the time spent at the military academy, they would only have to serve ten years.
Conditions like these might seem worth attempting, but this was the Northeast, known as the most dangerous among the Northern front lines. Since it was always counted among the three most dangerous regions on the entire continent, even with such conditions presented, everyone still tried to avoid it.
“Are there any other rewards?”
At Jayden’s question, the children nearby all looked at him strangely.
They looked at him as if asking whether he had truly never heard of the Northeast’s infamy.
Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee, on the other hand, drew a smile on his lips. Among the children listed in the report, the most outstanding one had shown interest in the Northeast.
“First of all, you know that the North’s base salary is twice that of other armies, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“The Northeast pays three times the salary of an ordinary Northern officer. Promotions will also be the fastest. In particular, the Northeast is the only place in the empire where promotion is possible even while at the military academy.”
Jayden was not particularly interested in Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee’s words.
In general, veterans discharged from the Northern Army were treated well no matter where they went on the continent.
Even if they worked as mercenaries, they were treated as elites, and if they went to the capital, they could rake in money by serving as knights for noble houses or guards for merchant families.
So it was only natural that he had little interest in money.
“Also, as a rule, you will be issued the weapon you desire. A weapon containing at least ten percent mithril. You may take it with you even after discharge.”
At the words that they could take a weapon containing mithril with them, the children’s expressions changed.
That was because mithril and rare metals generally did not appear on the market often, and maintained extremely high prices.
“I assume there are also disadvantages.”
“Yes. First of all, the Northeast is dangerous enough to be notorious to everyone living on the continent. In reality, its casualty rate is overwhelmingly higher than that of every other army in the empire.”
“Is there more?”
“Yes. The high annual salary I mentioned earlier cannot be used until discharge. Instead, it will be held for you until the day of your discharge with five percent annual interest. Also, you cannot take leave.”
At those words, Jayden nodded as if he understood.
To go on leave from the Northeast, located in such a harsh region, one would need at least a month or more, and even after going that far, all they could do was stay at home for a few days at most. It was meaningless.
“Instead, before discharge, you may use six months of leave all at once. That means, at most, you can avoid six years and six months of military service. Also, while your salary is locked away, special mission pay will be issued separately. You can save that up and buy weapons, buy alcohol, or do whatever you want with it.”
After Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee finished speaking, he silently looked at Jayden.
“From my position, I would be grateful if you applied to the Northeast, but I cannot carelessly recommend it. It is that dangerous a place. However! I would like you to know one thing.”
“What is it?”
“At the very least, those there do not abandon their comrades.”
Jayden fell into thought for a moment.
He knew well that the Northeast was dangerous, but from Jayden’s perspective, having experienced a monster wave in his previous life, he did not judge it to be dangerous to that extent.
Moreover, he thought that if it were him, he might be able to achieve the maximum reduction of six years of service.
‘Six years…….’
Thinking that with that much time he could prepare anything, he sank quietly into thought.
‘I’ll endure it.’
After deciding so, Jayden spoke to Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee.
“I will apply.”
“I’ll ask again. Will you truly apply to the Northeastern Academy?”
To the lieutenant colonel, who gave him one last chance to change his mind, Jayden lowered his head with a firm expression and answered.
“Yes, sir. I will apply.”
“Good. Sign here.”
At Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee’s words, Jayden immediately signed the document handed to him and stepped back.
In truth, Jayden also very much wanted to avoid dangerous places if he could.
The reason he had left the Leonhardt family was because he thought it would be difficult to survive in that insane household.
But when he thought about various things, it was not as if there were only disadvantages.
First of all, contrary to how only its status as a danger zone was emphasized, the Northeast was a place where countless special creatures lived naturally.
That meant there might be a possibility that another divine beast could form a contract with him.
Furthermore, because the Northeastern army was thoroughly concealed, it was also a place where even the mighty Leonhardt family could not extend its surveillance network.
In other words, when he was discharged, he would be that much safer.
“You may feel disappointed, wondering why I am not asking you about the Northeastern Academy. But conversely, I want to remind you that it is that dangerous a place.”
At Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee’s words, seriousness began to settle on the faces of the children who had been slightly disappointed.
If someone without talent went to the Northeast for no reason and died, there would be nothing more unjust.
From the North’s standpoint, if their already insufficient forces pushed themselves to go to the Northeast and died, that would also be a headache. Thus, although the Northeast always suffered from a shortage of troops, it did not accept just anyone.
“If you truly want to go to the Northeast, go to one of the Northern military academies and build up achievements. Originally, that is how one enters the Northeastern Academy.”
“Then what about Number 1223?”
“This fellow has that much talent. You saw it yourselves, didn’t you?”
At Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee’s words, all the children closed their mouths.
Because everyone had seen Jayden’s skill in his spar against the knight. Jayden was already showing a level of presence that made them wonder, “Could I do that after two or three years?”
“This fellow is not a genius either. However, he is at a level where he can manage to endure in the Northeast.”
“A level where he can manage to endure, sir?”
Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee did not particularly rebuke the child who reflexively added “sir?” as he asked, and simply nodded.
“Yes, those who go to the Northeastern Academy are all monsters. If you truly want to go there, then you must become monsters yourselves.”
Having finished with those words, Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee recommended academies suited to the children, counseling them one by one, then had everyone sign their academy admission applications.
“In the North, getting into a military academy is not the end. Surviving there is what truly matters, so I hope you survive to the very end and become officers of the Northern Army.”
With those final words, Lieutenant Colonel Milwaukee opened the door, and a knight entered to lead Jayden and the other trainees out again.
Everyone looked deep in thought, so the knight neither walked in a hurry nor urged them on. In particular, perhaps because he had heard from outside that Jayden had applied to the Northeast, he left him alone in his contemplation.
That was how dangerous the Northeast was; simply applying there was worthy of praise.
“Oh! He’s back!”
“The pride of our squad has returned!”
Seeing his squadmates cheer for him, the only one in their squad who had awakened mana, Jayden smiled faintly.
“Number 1223! Are you going to a military academy?”
“I think so.”
“Where did you decide to go?”
“The Northeast.”
The children, who had been asking with sparkling eyes, fell silent all at once.
As if there were no children gathered here who did not know of the Northeast’s ill repute, they all looked at Jayden with pity.
“Why go there? You should just go somewhere else.”
“They say that place is insane.”
“I heard everyone who comes back from there comes out crazy?”
“They said more than half of them die.”
The children spoke with worried expressions, but Jayden told them it was all right and subtly asked about the other squad members.
“How did everyone else do?”
“They said Number 1225 and Number 1221 might be able to go to a military academy if they do well.”
“What about you?”
“They said if I do well, I might serve as a soldier and then become a noncommissioned officer! They said the rest will probably pass, too.”
It seemed that after he had gone to be examined, they had conducted the mana awakening tests one by one.
In the North, it was customary for all noncommissioned officers to be selected from among those who had served as enlisted soldiers, for the peculiar reason that noncommissioned officers had to know a soldier’s life well.
As the rank that connected officers and soldiers, they had to be closer to soldiers than anyone else.
“They said Number 1230 might fail.”
“Ah! Right.”
Looking at the boy sitting gloomily in one corner, Jayden approached Number 1230.
“Why are you sitting there looking so depressed?”
“Because if I get kicked out of here, I’ll have to live like a beggar again.”
“That won’t happen. Even if you can’t awaken mana, you can undergo forced awakening.”
“They said even that might be difficult.”
Jayden sighed at Number 1230, who looked dejected.
“You won’t know until you try. That’s why you’re still here. If it really is difficult, they’ll at least implant a mana stone and forcibly create a circuit for you.”
“Do you think so?”
“Of course. The North never abandons those with talent.”
The Northern Army was the sort of place that would scrape the very bottom of the barrel to make use of anyone with talent.
To begin with, if he had not had even the slightest talent, he would already have been filtered out at the main parade ground.
“That’s right. The fact that you’re still here means you’ve got enough of a chance, too.”
“I peeked, and the other squad members were leaving and stuff.”
“Yeah. I heard more than half of one squad left.”
“You heard that, right?”
“Yeah.”
At Jayden’s words, a little life began to return to the face of the boy who had been depressed.
Then, like children, they began chattering again and encouraged one another to live well even after they went to different places.
Watching them, Jayden also cheered on his peers and brought his final days at the training camp to a close.