I stood there, staring at Alicia."I came as you asked."
She nodded indifferently."Good. Come here and sort these documents into categories."
I raised an eyebrow. Really? Was she actually going to make me work as her assistant? ...I still couldn’t fully believe it.
Either way, refusal wasn’t an option.
I walked over to the desk, picked up a random stack of documents, placed them on the table, and sat down on the sofa. The moment she saw that I had obeyed her orders, she returned her attention to her work. For a few minutes, silence filled the room.
The only sounds were the scratching of a pen and the rustling of papers.
But I couldn’t take it anymore and asked,"Is this really all there is to it? Just working like this... no more interrogation or questions?"
She replied without even lifting her head,"Yes."
How I hated the unknown."I don’t understand how this benefits you."
"As I said before, it’s to monitor you."She answered indifferently, as if she had expected the question.
"Do you pity me because I’m just an experiment to them?"
Her hand stopped moving. She lifted her head, and her crimson eyes settled on me."Pity? ...Perhaps I should feel pity for them, after you erased one of their bases."
Well, she had a point.
"Don’t you doubt my intentions? Or what I want to do?"
She raised an eyebrow."It’s obvious you hold a great deal of hatred toward them. It doesn’t take a genius to understand what you want."
Am I an open book in front of this woman?
I opened my mouth to say something, but the words stuck at the tip of my tongue.
"Do whatever you want. Just don’t cross the line... or you might not like how it ends."
After those words, she resumed her work and completely ignored me.
Don’t cross the line?
I sighed and refocused my attention on the pile of documents in front of me.
...
Time passed without me realizing it as I became absorbed in reading and organizing the various files.
By the time I finished, the sun was already close to setting.
"If you’re done, you may leave."
At her words, I stood up to go.
She looked at me one last time."I’ll send you a message with the times you need to come."
I nodded and left the office.
When I exited the administration building, I let out a sigh.
"Strange..."
...
The days at the Nexus passed in the blink of an eye as I fell into a fixed routine.
Fighting Elliot in the morning until I could barely move again.
Attending some classes and skipping others.
Trying every kind of food in the cafeteria.
Working with Alicia in her office, and spending whatever time remained training on my own.
And just like that, the day I had been waiting for arrived in the blink of an eye.
The day we would be briefed on the details of the mission.
Fourteen people stood in a semicircle around one of the instructors.
In his hand was an electronic tablet, which he kept glancing at and scrolling through as he spoke."You all know why I summoned you... today, you will be given your first mission."
"Normally, this type of mission is reserved for second- and third-year students, but it seems the administration has a different opinion this year."
He looked at us."The mission will take place in a city called Karthen, located on the borders of the Empire... a small city filled with criminals and controlled by three major gangs."
"Recently, the city’s condition has deteriorated severely, especially since the security division there is extremely weak. As a result, criminals have begun acting openly—from threatening the residents to robbing them and raping their women... even killing those who refuse to submit."
I heard murmurs from the people around me, especially the girls.
Princess Ellen stepped forward."How was this allowed to reach such a terrible state?"Her voice carried anger and disappointment... well, she was the princess of this empire, after all.
The instructor nodded to her."We apologize, Your Highness... but this is due to the city’s former mayor. He was an extremely corrupt man—so much so that he devoured most of the budget allocated for security and even struck deals with the criminals there."
"Using his money and connections, he covered up his actions and the city’s condition... he even had the gangs eliminate those who opposed him."
Hearing this explanation, the princess could only step back into her place, her jaw clenched.
The instructor returned his gaze to the tablet in his hand."Most gang members are Rank 1 individuals, but they do possess a small number of Rank 2s... so be careful, especially since you will not receive any assistance or safety measures."
"The information you need will be sent to your phones... and you will depart tomorrow at six in the morning by train, so don’t be late."
He turned off the tablet, set it aside, and looked at us."No official from the academy will accompany you, so you will operate at your own discretion. You may cooperate, form teams... or even work individually."
"Once you arrive in Karthen, the highest-ranking officer there will receive you and brief you on the situation."
He gestured toward our uniforms and continued,"Do not reveal that you are affiliated with the Nexus to anyone except the city’s security. You may freely use any relic items you possess... but do not act openly in front of ordinary civilians."
"There is no fixed time limit for the mission. Once you finish, each of you is to write a report and submit it to the officer who receives you. They will handle cleaning up the mess and tallying your achievements... which you will be rewarded for individually."
Then he smiled at us."It would be wise to look forward to the reward. It’s quite generous this time... medium-grade essence stones."
Silence fell over the room, until a soft cough sounded and a blonde girl raised her hand."Instructor, you still haven’t told us what exactly we’re supposed to do... are we meant to arrest the criminals, or what?"
The instructor raised an eyebrow."Arrest them? ...No. Your mission is—"
"Exterminate them all."