It's my first time posting bright and early, but that's only because I stayed up all night 😅😅

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After the school year started, the Imperial Military Department announced the news of the joint military exercise. Carlo and Klaire had already entered their third year of college, and although they had started school early and were only eighteen years old, they had been working hard all through the school year. They successfully passed through the school’s multiple rounds of selection and were finally chosen as part of the lineup for the military exercise. They were both students in the school’s command department, and the school assigned them leading roles.

This military exercise followed a model where the empire’s military schools would be divided into two large competing teams. Klaire and Carlo were both assigned to Team A. Students who performed exceptionally during the military exercise would receive a third-rank merit, so all the students put forth their best effort. Although it was only an exercise, everyone attached great importance to it. Both sides were deeply worried about the battlefield situation. If they were slightly incautious in the battle’s simulated setting, they might be blown to pieces by their enemies’ ion cannons!

Klaire had the experience of piloting an S-class mecha, so it was incomparably easy for him to pilot the low-level mechas used in the military exercise. Carlo had been born into the Bech family, and he had been working with mecha parts since he was small. The two of them were at the head of the almost one hundred students in the mecha operation department. Using surprise attacks to outflank the enemy, they ingeniously broke through their line of defense, and like a sharp blade, quickly ran into the enemy’s heart!

The vanguard’s successful breakthrough gave confidence to all of their comrades-in-arms, and the rear forces immediately provided support. Like a torrential storm, they swept everything away. They took the initiative to surround and annihilate the other party, and secured a beautiful victory!

Carlo and Klaire’s outstanding performance attracted the attention of many high-ranking military officers. Even the imperial marshals who came to watch the battle sat up and took notice of these two boys. At the award ceremony after the military exercise ended, Marshal Rosen personally presented them with medals of honor representing their military exploits. The two of them excitedly received them with both hands.

This was Klaire’s first time seeing the legendary Imperial Marshal Rosen Bessemer up close.

The man in front of him was tall and sturdy, his features were robust, and his gaze was deep and fierce. Perhaps it was because he had passed through many battlefields, but he carried a steady calm that was impossible for others to imitate. It was as if just by standing there, he gave off a sense of power that set people at ease. He was an idol to much of the empire’s populace. It was only with him there that the empire had been able to maintain the security of its borders for this long. He had achieved countless military exploits, and the Glory Corps that he led had the greatest combat strength out of all the corps in the Empire.

Klaire and Carlo respected a man as powerful as this from the bottom of their hearts. After they received their medals, they stood at attention and gave him an official salute.

Rosen returned the salute, then reached out and patted the two boys’ shoulders. He said, “You performed very well, but today was just an exercise. The military put in place various security measures to prevent student casualties. The real battlefield is a hundred times more brutal than this. You have to remember that as commanders, a single mistake in decision-making may very well cause the troops you’re leading to be completely wiped out. Every time before you make a decision, you have to deliberate carefully and be decisive and resolute, do you understand?”

Carlo and Klaire looked at each other and said in unison, “Understood!”

Rosen said with a calm expression, “Everyone can understand theoretical knowledge, but when the time for actual combat comes, not a few get scared stiff. I hope that when you reach the battlefield, you won’t become cowards who look impressive but are actually useless!”

This sentence seemed to have an underlying meaning. Carlo and Klaire were just wondering about it when they heard the marshal say in a low voice, “After you graduate, how about coming to my Glory Corps as trainees?”

Carlo and Klaire were wide-eyed with surprise.

Rosen said indifferently, “Of course, it’s up to you which corps you want to go to after you graduate. I’m only offering you priority conditions for recruitment.”

When Klaire heard these words, he was overjoyed. Many imperial soldiers longed to get into the Glory Corps. Right now, out of the six major corps, only the Glory Corps fought at the frontlines all year round. Although being at the frontline was very dangerous, it was only there on the battlefield filled with gunsmoke that one could find more opportunities for actual combat. There, they could grow and improve at the fastest speed, as well as achieve more military exploits. For Klaire, going to the Glory Corps was undoubtedly the best shortcut for becoming powerful as quickly as possible.

Carlo, however, was a little hesitant. He had already promised Aiden that after he graduated, he’d return to take him as his wife. In addition, he was from the Bech family, so he should go to the Cobra Corps that the Bech family controlled, but… Glory Corps, the corps that had the greatest combat strength in the empire, that was invincible throughout the universe, was really a temptation to Carlo… He’d better go home and think about it carefully some more. In any case, there was still a long time before graduation.

After the military exercise ended, the news of Carlo and Klaire obtaining a third-class merit soon spread to the capital planet. Xi Wei happily sent Klaire a message congratulating him, while Aiden also smiled and said to Carlo, “You’re really amazing.”

Carlo was very happy to be praised, but when he thought about the question of where he was going to go after graduation, he started to worry again.

Two years passed by in a rush, and the graduation ceremony he thought was a long time away started just like that, on a beautiful sunny day.

Dressed in neat military uniforms, the students who had gone through four years of military school stood in St. Romia Military Academy’s assembly hall, receiving their diplomas from the headmaster in succession. Starting from tomorrow, they would leave the campus to go to different corps, becoming true imperial soldiers.

Klaire reported to the Glory Corps without the slightest hesitation. He was surprised that General Byron, as the commander of the Morningstar Corps, didn’t raise any objections to his son going to another corps. Instead, he said very calmly, “Since you’ve decided, then learn well from the marshal, and don’t let me down.”

But Madam Grace was reluctant for him to leave. She patiently urged, “The front lines can’t compare to the capital planet. The conditions are lacking, the climate is poor, and the life is difficult. What’s more, the fighting will be constant for the next few years. Klaire, you have to take care of yourself…” While saying this, Grace’s voice couldn’t help but get a little choked up. She hurried to wipe her eyes, and said, “Take good care of yourself.”

Klaire said seriously, “I know. Don’t worry, I’ll come back safely.”

After hesitating again and again, Carlo finally decided to go to the Cobra Corps. This was because the Cobra Corps’s current commander, General Drew, only had one son, named Brian. This cousin of his had been completely uninterested in military command from a young age. He spent all day with his dad Berg, studying mecha components, and said that in the future, he wanted to become an outstanding mecha creator like his grandfather.

General Craig really doted on his son, and he didn’t intervene in his son’s choices. After discussing it, the elders of the Bech family felt that out of the family’s younger generation, only Carlo was suitable to succeed Drew as commander of the corps. The other children were either too fickle in temperament or too lacking in talent. Only Carlo fit the requirements. So the elders unanimously thought that Carlo should come to the Cobra Corps as early as possible, to learn how to manage the corps from his uncle General Drew.

It wouldn’t be good for Carlo to go against his family elders’ wishes, and on top of that, he really longed to see Aiden again. Although not being able to go to Glory Corps made him feel very regretful, he still had to make a choice. In the end, he resolutely filled out his career aspiration form with the Cobra Corps’s name.

That night, Carlo and Klaire went to the dormitory rooftop together. Carlo had bought two bottles of wine, and he gave Klaire a bottle, saying, “We won’t have many opportunities to see each other after this. Let’s drink a toast together, and I’ll count it as sending you off.”

Klaire smiled and took it. The two men clinked their bottles and drank a few gulps of strong wine.

They had known each other since they were five, and now they were parting at the age of twenty. They could be called companions who had grown up together. They had worked hard together to gain early admittance to military school, and later they were assigned the same dorm room. They had also often discussed how to pursue their own omegas. Their relationship could be described as that of sworn brothers who had treated each other sincerely.

Now, they had to separate. Although they felt reluctant at heart, they still understood that everyone had to make their own choice. Klaire well understood that Carlo, as the successor of the Bech family, had no choice but to go to Cobra Corps. Carlo also understood that Klaire wanted to become powerful as quickly as possible by going to the Glory Corps to gain experience, in order to become worthy of Xi Wei. When all was said and done, both of them had someone in their heart they couldn’t put down, and they still hadn’t wooed them over at the moment. They could be called fellow sufferers of the same disease.

After the strong wine went down their throats, they felt rueful at heart, and fell silent for a while.

After a long while, Klaire said, “While I’m not on the capital planet, if something happens to Xi Wei, I’ll have to ask you to take care of him.”

Carlo said, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you look after him. If a fly comes over to bother him...well, I feel like I won’t have to lift a finger, Xi Wei will swat it to death himself.”

Klaire couldn’t help but start to smile. “That’s true, he’s so fierce, I don’t have to worry about people bullying him. It’s just that, when it comes to His Majesty... Do you still remember what I said to you once? If His Majesty arranges a marriage for Xi Wei, the partner is very likely to be you.”

Carlo quickly slapped his chest and assured, “I’ll definitely refuse!”

You’re joking! Having him marry a big monster and take him home, will he still be able to live?

Seeing the other’s resolute look, Klaire smiled and lightly patted Carlo’s shoulder. He said, “You also have to pay special attention to how things go with Aiden. I’ve always felt that Aiden’s dad Randy’s identity and background aren’t simple. He might become the biggest obstacle to you and Aiden getting together. You have to consider that if you want to go to his house and propose, you still have to obtain your family’s consent. Marriage isn’t that simple of a thing.”

Carlo nodded seriously. “I know, I’ll find a way to persuade them.”

The two men looked at each other, raised their bottles and clinked them, and then drained the remaining wine with one swallow.

The next morning, Carlo and Klaire took up their luggage and set out, but they went in different directions.

Carlo went directly to the space station and took a spaceship to the capital planet of the Cepheus solar system. Klaire took a hovercar to the Glory Corps airstrip. Before he boarded the battleship, he had Bluestar send a message to Xi Wei: “I’m about to leave for the Glory Corps, take care of yourself.”

Xi Wei replied: “I know. Keep yourself safe on the front line, I’ll wait for you to return.”

Although to Xi Wei, this was just the concern one would express for a friend, when Klaire saw a reply like this, his heart felt very warm.

Regardless of what kind of feelings Xi Wei had for him, if he met with an accident, Xi Wei would definitely feel very upset. Xi Wei was waiting for him on the capital planet, and he would definitely return in triumph! He had to let him know that in this world, he had the ability to protect him well. There would definitely come a day when they could get together.

Klaire smiled slightly and put away his communicator. He took his mecha Bluestar and walked slowly into the battleship the Glory Corps had sent to meet the recruits. The huge battleship soared into the air, drawing a perfect arc in the azure sky, and immediately disappeared into the horizon.

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4 hours and 27 minutes for 2,267 words, or 11.8 minutes for every 100 words. An increase in rate by 2.4 minutes...haha...all the description was hell this chapter, good thing it was short.

I just wanted to mention a little something: throughout the book, Xi Wei's been referred to as a 大怪兽, or "big monster." Now, this is something that comes across better in Chinese than it does in English. It's kind of weird that English has fairies, werewolves and unicorns, yet the words "creature" and "monster" still have very charged negative connotations. A 怪兽 is really more of a mythical creature. Just think of Pokemon, which stands for "pocket monsters." Here, it's a way of referring to someone who's a bit odd, an "odd bird," if you will, in a way that can be affectionate.

If you like this translation, please consider giving me a coffee on Ko-fi. Extra chapter for every two ko-fis! 🌸

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