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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Hierarchy of the Training Center
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* * *
The prime god, ‘Primera.’
The successive emperors of the Pavilion Empire were said to be granted the full extent of Primera’s authority.
No ability user, even if born with mana, could use magic unless Primera permitted it.
And just a moment ago, the emperor had opened the core in my heart, allowing me to be reborn as a true ability user.
This meant I was no longer the helpless, weak, seven-year-old Lilis who couldn't do a thing.
“Hehehe.”
I covered my mouth and giggled.
The emperor didn't know it, but he would one day regret granting me this power for a long, long time.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
After a spirited cheer, I followed the administrator to the room where I would be staying.
The training center had dormitories.
I immediately checked the nameplate on the door.
The names of the girls I would be sharing the room with were written there.
Alicia Meyer
Diane Becker
Michelle Coleman
Gem
Lilis Rubinstein
Even the nameplate on the dormitory door was color-coded like our name tags.
‘This training center is insane.’
I gritted my teeth inwardly and entered.
The room was quite spacious.
There were four bunk beds, each wide enough for two people to lie down with room to spare.
Three girls spotted me and hurried over.
“Hi, hi! Nice to meet you. I’m Alicia Meyer. This pretty one here is Diane, and this cute one is Michelle! We’re all nine, so you can speak casually with us!”
Alicia, who had short pink hair, shyly introduced her friends, her yellow eyes sparkling.
Diane was the elegant-looking one with long, navy-blue hair that reached her waist.
And the small, cute girl with light brown hair in two braids was Michelle.
I mentally noted my roommates' features and greeted them warmly.
“Yeah, nice to meet you all! Alicia, your older sister is Charlotte Meyer, right? She came to visit my house once!”
“That’s right! You’ve met my sister!”
Alicia beamed and linked her arm with mine.
“Diane, Michelle, it’s nice to meet you, too. Let’s get along! But isn’t there one more person?”
As I asked, the girls’ expressions stiffened.
Michelle gave an awkward laugh and looked behind her.
“Yeah. She’s in our room, but you don’t have to greet her.”
Their gazes fell on someone in the room.
It was the back of a figure lying on a bottom bunk, facing the wall.
Her red hair was cut short like a boy’s; if this weren’t a girls’ room, I might have been mistaken.
‘That must be the girl named Gem. A commoner, I see.’
In this dog-eat-dog, pyramid-structured world, she must be at the very bottom of the food chain.
My other roommates all seemed nice enough, but they wouldn't stoop to mingling with a commoner.
‘But why would they put a commoner in our room? Judging by how this place is run, you’d think they’d group students from similar family ranks together.’
My question was soon answered.
“Lilis, aren’t you hungry? It’s afternoon snack time right now.”
Diane asked kindly.
“They give out snacks here?”
“Yup. You just have to get them from the cafeteria.”
The girls’ eyes all turned to Gem, who was still lying on the bed.
Michelle shouted.
“Hey! You… go get the snacks, now!”
“No. I’m not having any.”
“Wh-what did she say? Who cares if you’re not eating! I’m telling you to get ours!”
“…”
Gem didn’t answer.
At that, Alicia glanced at me, then squeezed her eyes shut and yelled.
“Y-you… you lowly commoner girl! Do you know who this is? She’s the daughter of Duke Rubinstein! We’ve let you off the hook until now, but you have to listen to us!”
Gem shot up from the bed.
With sharp, upturned eyes, Gem looked like a boy at first glance.
She also looked much older than us.
“I said no. I don’t care who she is. If you’re hungry, go get your own food with your own hands.”
Gem was tall and well-built, with a fierce-looking face.
Intimidated by her sharp retort, the girls shrank back, pouting.
‘Hmm, I see why they assign one commoner to each room.’
I nodded to myself.
I bet every room, not just this one, has a child with a white name tag mixed in.
And what is their position?
They’re basically servants.
It was a way to teach us about class differences and solidify the hierarchy.
‘Wow, no doubt about it. Absolutely no doubt. This training center is the first thing I need to destroy.’
This place was a breeding ground for corruption!
I smiled at Gem, who was glaring at me warily.
“She’s not a servant, so why should she get our snacks? Let’s go get them ourselves. Want to go together?”
“Oh my, Lilis.”
“You’re so nice.”
“She’s weird. The commoners in the other rooms all do as they’re told, but she’s the only one who acts like that…”
“Gem, want to come with us?”
I asked, but Gem ignored me, turning her back and lying down again.
“Wow, look at that nasty girl!”
“Lilis, let’s just go by ourselves.”
I sighed and went outside with my roommates.
Just as I expected…
Children with white name tags were walking around, their arms full of bread and milk.
‘So they’re really being used as snack runners…’
I had no idea where to even begin fixing this environment.
Then, a horrifying thought struck me.
“That’s right!”
“What’s wrong, Lilis?”
My Chessier has a white name tag, too!
* * *
Chessier was quicker than anyone to grasp the reality of the training center, which was like a small, class-based society.
He had four roommates.
It wasn’t difficult to figure out each of their positions.
“Hey, commoner,”
a thuggish voice called out.
Chessier, who was sitting on his bed, looked up.
“What’s your relationship with the Rubinstein girl? I saw you talking all friendly with her after the entrance ceremony.”
Bruce Chamber.
He wore a red name tag.
The highest rank, aside from the gold name tags of the top predators.
It meant his parents were of high standing.
“We’re nothing to each other.”
“Nothing? Spit it out. Who are you? Aren’t you a commoner?”
“I am a commoner.”
“You are? Nothing else? Then how do you know the Duke’s daughter?”
Bruce pressed him menacingly.
Just then, a boy sticking to Bruce’s side like a lackey nudged him.
“Hey, hey. I think it’s this.”
The boy raised a hand and made a gesture of scanning his own face from top to bottom.
“What? His face?”
Bruce stared blankly at Chessier.
“Ha, right… I guess you caught her eye because you have a pretty face.”
“Exactly.”
The boy who agreed with Bruce like a subordinate was named Simon.
A blue name tag.
It seemed to be the rank just below red.
The enforcer of this room was Bruce.
And Simon was the lackey who pandered to him.
Chessier finished his assessment.
“I was worried for nothing. So you’ve got nothing but a pretty face, huh?”
“Hey, it’s snack time.”
“So it is.”
At Simon’s words, Bruce began to smirk.
“Hey, commoner! Go to the cafeteria and get our snacks. And refill the water while you’re at it.”
Bruce pointed to the water pitcher in the room.
Seeing that, Chessier asked.
“Is there a designated person for getting snacks and water?”
“What are you talking about? There’s nothing like that.”
“Then why should I do it?”
Bruce and Simon scoffed.
Bruce then tapped his own name tag and then Chessier’s.
“Explanation enough?”
“Ah.”
No wonder.
He had thought students with the same color name tags would be roomed together, but there was a reason he was placed with nobles.
“No.”
Chessier replied curtly and sat on the bed to start unpacking his things.
“What?”
“I said no. Get it yourselves.”
“What’s this kid saying?”
Bruce laughed in disbelief and looked behind him.
“Hey! What should I do with this punk?”
As if unconcerned with the hostile atmosphere in the room, a boy was reading a book on a top bunk.
Chessier’s eyes sharpened as he glanced at him.
“Why are you asking me that, Bruce? I’m busy reading right now.”
“Oh, uh. Right. Sorry…”
He had fine, light violet hair and eyes the color of a slightly darker violet flower.
With a beautiful face that could belong to a girl, his name was Gerard Schmidt.
Seeing how the enforcer Bruce groveled before him, it was clear that Gerard was the one with the real power in this room.
…He had a gold name tag.
“H-hey, guys. D-don’t fight. I-I’ll go get it, like I always do.”
Just then, the last roommate, who had been timidly watching the situation, chimed in.
The boy’s name was Rom.
A commoner with a white name tag.
He was the lowest on the food chain in this room.
“Hey, hey. Get over here.”
Bruce beckoned, and Rom approached.
Smack—!
Chessier’s eyes widened.
Having struck Rom on the head without warning, Bruce shouted, his face red with anger.
“Are you asking for a beating? I told you to stay quiet as a mouse. Didn’t I tell you not to open your mouth unless I talk to you first?”
“Y-you did. I’m sorry…”
“Jeez, why do you always forget?”
Simon tapped Rom on the head.
Just then, unable to watch any longer, Chessier shot to his feet.
He was a head taller than the other boys.
“Gasp.”
Startled, Bruce and Simon flinched, pulling their necks in.