Готовый перевод Комната Историй / The Room of the Stories: Глава 6

Act 1. Chapter 6

Author's Note:

So. New chapter. New emotions. I hope I was able to display the emotions correctly since it's been too long since I picked up a brush... that is, a keyboard to write. Although no, I wrote, I wrote, but I somehow forgot about The Room.

But anyway, now I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Phew.

By the way, how long has it been since the last update? Hmm. Almost three months? Wow! I'm getting better! Did I promise two chapters in a year? Here's three! That's how good I am, huh? Praise me! Worship me! Just don't throw stones, okay?

But anyway, let's get back to the Story Room.

Chapter 6 is over. Don't worry, there are no spoilers for this chapter. There are for chapter 7 and beyond. What exactly? Well, I'm going to do a little time skip (dinner) and start chapter 7 with a discussion about what it's like to read a book about them, what they think of the author, and Ozpin and Glynda's conversation about it (although I'll probably just skip that, but who knows?). So, it'll start like this. Then another time skip (sleep and breakfast), and finally, the book will fall into the hands of our inquisitive kitty. Oh, how long she's been waiting for this... a year and four months, if my calculations are correct.

Okay, let me not drag this out any longer and let you finally start reading the EIGHTH *hysterical laughter at the sight of 310 pages* chapter of The Room of Stories.

* * *
A few minutes after the end of Chapter 5, all the locked people gathered around the table again. Several people managed to remove empty plates and replace them with new ones, others managed to relieve themselves, and others simply chatted about the previous chapter and what would happen in Chapter 6. But one way or another, everything was coming to an end, and the little rest was also over.

"I think we should begin," said Ozpin, the informal and formal leader of their entire group. Smiling, he glanced at each of them, noticing slight fatigue and impatience. Making a mental note to rest for the students, the man turned to the next reader and with the same smile said the now all too familiar phrase. "Mr. Ren, you may begin whenever you wish."

Ren nodded. The book opened to the last page he had read, and his pink eyes quickly ran over the lines of text, memorizing and analyzing the information. It would be a lie to say that the boy wasn't interested in the book and the person who wrote it. After all, anyone would wonder who the author was when the character was based on you.

And yet, there are minor differences from the real world. For example, the War Games they decided to organize in the book were still only in the planning stage. And only adults knew about it: teachers and directors. So information about this should not have fallen into the wrong hands. And if it did...

The gaze stopped on the book.

So how long would it take to write this book? A day? Not much. A week? Possibly, but still unlikely. A month? That's something, but still not it. Then how long? A year? They've been here for a few months at most. No one could analyze their characters, habits, and thoughts, and write such an amazing book.

And yet the book in the guy’s hands refuted all his thoughts.

//"However, it doesn't matter for now," flashed through Li Ren's mind. Now he had to read the sixth chapter, and after dinner, try to find paper and a pen in one of the rooms. In these few hours of reading the book, he had managed to hear quite a lot of interesting, although not particularly important information. But even so, his inner voice whispered to him that perhaps it was worth writing down the strange, interesting, and just plain funny moments.

What if they never get the chance to read the book again?

<…> Chapter 6 – The Lines are Drawn, - Ren began the sixth chapter. - <…> "Even without a home, they drew attention. People whispered of them in hallways, while others watched nervously from afar. A group of isolated and directionless men was nothing new, but there was something about those ones. Those nomads were different; they moved not with fear, but with hope.
And for people without any? That was enough." - Having finished the short passage, Ren paused for a moment to pause between sentences, and then finished: - <…> Attributed to Unknown Male, West Wing

"Is that all?" Nora asked, slightly disappointed, her brows furrowed. She leaned forward and stared at the lines of text. Her face twisted. "Last time it was much…"

"Miss Valkyrie," Glinda said calmly.

"Got it, ma'am!" Nora's loud cry rang out, causing several of the older students from Haven to frown slightly, but no one paid any more attention to it, as Ren, knowing his partner, continued reading the very moment his childhood friend fell silent.

<…> Looking back, it was only a few hours, but at the time it felt like we marched for days. The night gave way to day, and with it came the baking sun that threatened to overwhelm us as we traversed through Beacon, nothing more than a scroll showing a map, and my half-assed guesses as to a destination to guide us. That we'd managed to avoid trouble so far spoke more of my dogged determination to stay away from any objective points than it did luck, not that anyone else thought that. Russel had already begun to proclaim our fortune divine providence, and I was less than enthused with the sonorous agreements of the congregation. - Jaune didn't even change his expression. What happened? Well, after five chapters... okay, four or three, he realized that the further into the forest, the more, um... let's say, the young blond realized that if things continued like this, he would simply blame the Author of this work for everything. After all, it was just a book, not reality. And that allowed him to think of it as a fantasy or a dream, where everyone worshiped him and where it was normal. Yeah... it was much better... probably.

Jaune's sigh was drowned in a glass of juice.

<…> At least at the front I had Ren and Cardin to talk with, and I'd never thought I would count Cardin on a list of people I wanted at my side. - Meanwhile, Ren continued reading the book, and when the conversation turned to him, he felt strange. It was now that the young brunette realized how Jaune felt when he read the book to himself. Perhaps any person in our world, when reading a book in which he is, will feel this... a strange mixture of feelings of unreality, interest, and flattery. Although it most likely depended on the content. So far, Ren did not have such dark feelings towards the book as it was now with Jaune. And therefore, he did not stop after reading, but immediately continued reading, this time the remark of the book Cardin. - <…> "Do we have any idea where we're going?" Cardin asked. "Not that I mean to doubt, of course. I'm simply curious to hear my Lord's wisdom."

There were some light chuckles, which Jaune managed to endure, taking another calm, as it seemed to him, sip of juice. He didn't notice how his cheeks slightly flushed. Although his mind was able to become clear and understand the meaning of existence, his body still reacted to such moments. However, Ren was not going to stop.

<…> I glanced at him for that, wondering if he was being sarcastic, but to my horror he wasn't. He was deadly serious. //"Cursed by Mercury's madness," Jaune thought, forgetting about the fact that all of this had started not with his fellow prisoner, but because of Russell, or more precisely, because of the Author of this book, who had decided to create a new religion using Russell. But either way, Jaune simply hadn't thought about anything that deep. The knight had already decided that if Mercury continued to talk about Arc's Divine Light at the end of his imprisonment, he would simply kill him.

...

Okay, he won't kill him, but he will definitely send him somewhere far away... although it would most likely be him who would be sent somewhere far away, since he was only a first-year student, while Mercury was a third-year student, and also, he didn't enter the Hunter Academy with fake documents, and, of course, we shouldn't forget that a third-year student could have his Semblance open...

The more Jaune thought about it, the more gloomy he became.

Okay. He can't solve the problem with force. Maybe with logic? The festival shouldn't last long, and after that, Mercury will disappear from his life, allowing quiet days - quiet? What kind of word is that? Jaune forgot about it the moment he entered the Academy - to return to their rightful place. But what if he makes a mess before he leaves? He's already defiled Yang and Pyrrha with his False-Church-of-Jaune. What if he starts glorifying it to the masses?

Jaune felt a shudder.

//"No! This is complete nonsense," Jaune thought, his cold fingers gripping the glass. "No matter how crazy Mercury is, he simply won't praise me for nothing... like that..."

He blinked.

Wait a minute… could the books be taken out of the Room once they could find a way out? The thought struck the young, intelligent student like a bolt from the blue, leaving him lost in thought until he happened to listen to the voice of his military brother and teammate.

<…> "You'll see when we get there," I said, hedging my bets. "You'll see…"

//"You don't know yourself," flashed through the minds of those who were skeptical of Jaune's abilities, and in general, were not in the circle of love interests. So almost everyone could literally foresee the next lines of the text.

<…> I had no idea where to go, obviously.

Weiss wanted to smack her face hard with her palm. But her face was too pretty to be hit, so she turned to Ruby and then Yang with a bit of interest. She sighed. Fine. Apparently, she couldn't express her disappointment with such a simple, but rather obvious action. So she simply shook her head, quietly whispering something about idiots leading others to their deaths.

<…> The whole school belonged to the women, and we were entering one of the other wings now, which promised all kinds of questions. To put it in picture, there were four main wings of Beacon Academy, each split off from the centre circle that most people just called the academy proper. The wings pointed out like spokes, with curved architecture reaching down from the central tower to join them. I'd seen Ruby's Uncle and Weiss' sister fight atop those, though I wasn't sure why they had, or why no one else hadn't been at least a little concerned about it.

"Wait!" Weiss jumped up from her seat. Her face was stunned by what she heard. "What did you just say?!"

Ren blinked as many eyes turned to him. Most of them were filled with mild shock and interest, as Jaune and his team had no idea Ruby and Yang had an uncle or Weiss had a sister, at least for Jaune, but the Haven team merely raised their eyebrows, while Ozpin, out of range of communication for the first time in hours, frowned. Ms. Goodwitch also raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Ren looked down at the lines of text. "I'd seen Ruby's Uncle and Weiss' sister fight atop those, though I wasn't sure why they had, or why no one else hadn't been at least a little concerned about it."

After these words, all attention was drawn to the frowning Weiss, as well as the two puzzled sisters.

"Um, is something wrong?" Jaune asked quietly. Weiss's menacing gaze was directed at the stupid plebeian.

"Yeah, Ark, something's wrong. Didn't you hear what Ren just said?!"

"Um," Jaune repeated, glancing at Pyrrha and receiving a puzzled shrug. "Do you have a sister?"

Weiss choked on her next words. She blushed and glared at the blond, who cowered away from him, but instead of screaming, she took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Yes?" Ruby agreed slightly nervously, blinking her unusual eyes. The heiress continued her questioning.

"And he's in Beacon?"

"Well, no, he's usually on a trip, even though he's a teacher in Signal, but..." a menacing look made the young girl fall silent, then quickly shake her head. "No! He's not in Beacon!"

The people listening to this little interrogation also frowned. At least those who began to understand that something was wrong. Ren put the book down on the table and thoughtfully read the contents of the last lines again. Why did Weiss startle at this? It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary... Ren stopped his thought when an idea struck him. Turning his head, he stared at Jaune in surprise. All this time he was watching from his point of view, or rather from the book, but the story was now told from Jaune's point of view. And it was he who thought about Uncle Ruby and Weiss's sister fighting in that place. And here one "But" appears.

Why didn't the real Jaune know anything about this? There was only one explanation.

"Weiss, is your sister in Beacon?" Ren asked, tilting his head thoughtfully. Weiss turned around, as did everyone else. Judging by the girl's furrowed brows, the brunette realized he was right. Apparently, the heiress of a large company was thinking the same thing.

"No," Weiss replied, causing the others to freeze in shock. "Although she is in Vale now. Due to her many commitments, she can hardly visit Beacon. At least until the Tournament begins." Weiss turned to Ruby. "What about your uncle? Does he have time to visit the Academy?"

"I..." Ruby trailed off. She looked pleadingly at Yang. Yang was also frowning and tapping her fingers on the table, clearly lost in thought. "He is usually traveling. Often for several months. Maybe he will have time, but I'm not sure..."

Meanwhile, Glynda turned to Ozpin and frowned, whispering, "What's going on?"

Ozpin didn't answer. He was thinking. Remembering, to be precise. Up until this very moment, the book had been able to tell a lot about the students, to reveal their personalities, and also to show the potential of many in battle. And all of this matched reality. From thoughts to events in the past. But now there was a discrepancy. Because Ozpin remembered that Qrow was supposed to arrive only at the beginning of the Tournament. At most, after a few fights, but not now. And here... here it said that Winter Schnee and Qrow had fought. There was nothing unusual about it, from their first meeting, they had become like two poles of a magnet. They were ready to start a fight almost every time they met.

The matter was different.

Time.

The timing was off. Ozpin stared at Ms. Schnee thoughtfully. She thought she said that Winter could have come by the start of the Festival… and Qrow too. Ozpin began to beat rhythmically on the table. He didn't notice that everyone had gone silent and were staring at him. He didn't notice the piercing gaze of Cinder, who was silently listening and noting everything in her head. He didn't notice the worried look in Glynda's eyes.

Ozpin continued to look at the book on the table and think.

//"Qrow should have arrived by the time the Festival started. Winter would have been free by then. Could they have met?" Ozpin didn't even have to think. He sighed. "Knowing Qrow, he would have made a big show of himself, like destroying a few Atlas droids to get the attention of the senior Schnee. And this is a duel..."

"Um, sir, what's going on?" Yang finally couldn't stand it any longer, raising her hand and asking the director. "Why is it written incorrectly in the book? Is it a typo?"

"A typo? Seriously?" Mercury repeated, but was cut off when Em hit him in the shoulder. "Ow! For what?"

“Shut up,” she said menacingly, turning to the headmaster.

The Academy Headmaster remained silent, but this time, the tapping of his fingers stopped. The students could not understand what he knew. Because they were missing one key detail that could explain what was happening in the book. One detail that could dot all the "i's". And that was...

Time.

In all the few chapters they had been able to read, not once was a time mentioned. No date, no month. And yet they had been able to figure out that it was before the Festival. Because… well, the Festival was still a few weeks away, so how could someone write about something that hadn’t happened yet, right? Ozpin was also sure that the book was about events that took place “Before the Festival.” But now. After the words of… bookish Mr. Arc. Ozpin changed his mind. The students only knew that Weiss’s sister would arrive at the start of the Festival. They didn’t know that Qrow was supposed to arrive at the same time. But Ozpin and Glynda knew.

And obviously, the book Jaune Arc knew about it. And if he knew, then so did the Author of the book. Ozpin picked up his coffee mug, took a sip, and continued his thoughts. Of course, all of this could just be a typo, an event that the Author wrote based on his knowledge of the characters in the book. But here the question arises. Why would he need to do this? Why tell such an insignificant detail that was hardly needed to describe those constructs?

The answer is simple.

There was no need for that. But the Author had written. And then Ozpin wondered. What if the events that took place in the book actually didn't happen before the Festival, but right at the beginning of it? Could the teachers and the headmasters have come to an agreement by then? Ozpin was sure that they would have been able to accept a reliable answer then. Either yes or no. Right now, they were still thinking. But by the time the Festival began, they would have had an answer.

The coffee was bitter. Or was it the aftertaste of someone far more power than Ozpin had initially thought? Not just mind control, space control, but also reading… the future? Knowledge of the future? Could someone find the Relic of Knowledge and ask it a question… no. That was stupid. Semblance. It had to be Semblance. That would also explain how someone could write a book about Mr. Arc, in just a few months. But how long ago? How powerful was this future-sight?

His gaze fell on the bookcases. Dozens, if not hundreds, of books stood in a neat row, causing his gaze to instinctively slide over them. They were empty. But Ozpin knew they would not be let go so easily after reading this book.

"Headmaster?" A young voice interrupted his thoughts. Blinking, Ozpin turned and met silver eyes. He blinked again. "Um, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Ozpin asked, noticing the many gazes directed at him. Ozpin's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled softly. "Just thinking. Mr. Ren, you may continue reading."

"But what about the mistake!" Blake pointed out, frowning. The other students, including Ren himself, also drew their eyebrows together. There was a strange passage in the book, so why was the headmaster acting so calm? "Shouldn't we discuss it?"

Ozpin smiled softly.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Writers are human too," the headmaster cleverly noted. At his words, the frowning looks of several people disappeared, replaced by... something more puzzled. Of course, none of the students wondered whether the Author of this book was a human. They only exchanged puzzled glances and decided that after this chapter, they would discuss all the strange and incomprehensible moments that happened to them, as well as their book versions, on this day. There would be dinner and after it, they would have the rest Miss Goodwitch warned them about. Therefore, they did not grumble about it. However, it is worth noting that some students were still dissatisfied with how easily the director discarded this point.

And only Jaune was happy.

//"Now it doesn't matter what they write about me, I can just say it's a mistake!" Jaune stared with genuine admiration at Ozpin, who continued to drink his coffee from his mug. The blond didn't notice the headmaster's clouded gaze. But Cinder did and narrowed her eyes. She didn't say anything. But she definitely remembered that moment.

\\"Whether it's a mistake or not, it's definitely important," a fleeting thought flashed through the half-maiden's mind.

Meanwhile, Ren was also looking thoughtfully at the lines in the book. Although he was perhaps the smartest among his teammates, even he could not guess the Author's thoughts when he wrote this sentence. And yet, like Cinder, he also noted that this could be more than just a mistake.

But since he didn't know what to do with it, Ren decided to just continue reading the book.

And while there was still an air of confusion among the students, especially Weiss and Blake, who were each annoyed in their own way: Weiss because her sister had been mentioned, and Blake because of the error in the book. Her cat… ahem, human curiosity simply couldn't sit idle.

One "mistake" seemed to affect everyone in the room... well, almost everyone. Nora was still Nora... Jaune didn't seem too shocked or upset by the mistake either. Neo was also sitting there blinking her eyes. Maybe Mercury and Emerald too?

Ahem, let's just say that half of the Beacon students felt weird after reading that line of text. The rest simply forgot about it, choosing to focus on the ongoing story.

Oh, and since we're talking about the story, why not continue it?

Ren's voice began to tell the story of Warchief Jaune of the Arc family again.

<…> The wings pointed out like spokes, with curved architecture reaching down from the central tower to join them. I'd seen Ruby's Uncle and Weiss' sister fight atop those, though I wasn't sure why they had, or why no one else hadn't been at least a little concerned about it. - Weiss and Blake frowned at the same time. Ozpin's gaze grew more misty, while Glynda crossed her arms thoughtfully next to him. Ren and Cinder mentally noted again that this simply couldn't be a simple mistake. And perhaps only Jaune himself was thinking about what his doppelganger had said. //'Really, why doesn't anyone care that Uncle Ruby and Weiss's sister fought? Although, no, wait, where else have they fought?' Jaune blinked, missing his chance.

Actually, if you think about it, they were all fixated on the fact that Sister Weiss and Uncle Ruby were fighting. But no one even thought about why they were fighting? Why they were fighting in that place? Even if it was a typo or a mistake, even so, isn't it strange that no one thought about it?

Jaune shook his head.

//"Okay, I'll ask about it during the break. I don't think it should be a big deal anyway... I guess?"

<…> Either way, Beacon was shaped somewhat like a compass, except that the four spokes that made the wings didn't actually point in the cardinal directions. That felt like more an architectural mistake than anything else, though. When it came to the wings, they still tended to have the points of a compass as names. - Ozpin blinked and coughed discreetly into his fist. - <…> We'd come from the South Wing, which didn't have any objective points in it. That was where most of the older students bunked on account of them knowing Beacon well enough to not get lost finding their lessons.

This time, many people focused their attention on the words of book Jaune. For the first time in the entire book, the people in the room heard the location of the main characters. Now everyone could understand that the journey to find food and Zwei's escape took place in the South Wing of Beacon.

<…> Right now, we were in the West Wing, and that was bad because it meant we were not only moving into contested territory, but that we were crossing close to the cafeteria – the seat of the women's powerful empire. - Having said all this, Ren's face remained calm, his poker face did not waver. Although, unlike him, several girls blushed with embarrassment. Yes, hearing that they were part of the Empire of Women was quite embarrassing.

Suddenly, Ren stopped reading and said: “There is a note next.” He did not say that the note was from the book Ren since that was obvious.
<…> (And what a seat it was. Apart from the obvious advantages of food and supplies, the cafeteria's position as the most central point of the Academy also allowed them to react quickly, taking the direct route to any engagements. It was a powerful place to hold, let alone call your capital.)

Turning the page, Ren said, "The story continues here," some nodded, showing that they had heard him. So he continued telling the story. - <…> "I'm thinking we should maybe try the North Wing," I said, pointing to the map, and coincidentally toward the second-year dorms. "It's opposite the South, so it'll probably be the last place they think to look for us."

"That's... quite clever," Weiss said with a frown. Shaking her head, as if wishing to forget her praise, she abruptly uttered her next criticism. "However, even if you go to the northern corps, the female army will still catch up with you.

"Us?" Jaune blinked, pointing at himself as Weiss looked at him. "You mean book Jaune and Ren, right?"

Weiss was taken aback for a moment. Then she nodded as if that was what was being discussed.

"Sure, what were you thinking, Ark? Hm," and ignoring Yang's raised eyebrow and Ruby's slight smile, she turned to Ren. "Keep reading! I'm already hungry!"

"You just ate a few of my cookies," Ruby muttered, her eyebrows furrowed sharply.

“Cookies are not food,” Weiss said in her usual tone, listening to the brunette who had started talking again.

"Bububu…"

"Did you say something?" Weiss turned around, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Ruby blushed.

Emerald, sitting to Ruby's left, rolled her eyes at this childish behavior. Who was she dealing with, huh?

<…> Nora and the others probably assumed we'd fled into the West or East Wings, which we obviously had, but they wouldn't expect us to dare travel even further. - Pyrrha smiled weakly. She might actually think about it. But she didn't dare say it out loud, so as not to spoil her partner's elevated spirit. - <…> At the moment, they'd still be scouring the South for us. That gave us time, but not much.

<…> "Ren, is there any news on the forums?"

<…> "People have noticed the female army," he reported, flicking his thumb and finger over the display. "There's a lot of noise about it, and it looks like someone on their side spilled the beans. There's a bounty on your head." - what was said interested everyone. Even Jaune, momentarily stunned by his friend's words, became interested in how high the reward for him would be.

"Oh! The first bounty on your head, fearless leader, I'm so touched! Sob!" Nora pulled out a handkerchief from nowhere, blew her nose, and said with tears in her eyes. "You've grown up so fast!"

"Nora!" Jaune blushed and tried to calm his teammate down.

"Oh! A bounty on the head? I wonder what my bounty would be?" Yang said with a smile.

"What, what," Blake muttered. "It's just a holiday, do you really think they'd put a bounty on Jaune's head?"

Ruby blinked.

"Wait, then what reward were you talking about?" Her words attracted the attention of all the students. Only a few remained calm, including the teachers. Weiss rolled her eyes at her leader's stupid question.

"What do you think? Most likely it will be food," the heiress answered.

"Or the ability to walk around the Academy without hindrance," Blake said thoughtfully. "I guess anyone would like to be able to walk the corridors without fear."

"Wait, how is that even possible?" Jaune raised his hand in surprise. "Well, I can understand about the food, but the second one... isn't that against the rules?"

Blake shrugged.

"We don't know any rules. More precisely, only that you can't leave the Academy and cause intentional harm to the defeated students."

"You can't escape from captivity!" Ruby raised her hand.

"And you also need to capture points!" Nora climbed in, grinning.

Rolling her eyes, the cat faun sighed.

"Okay, so we know a few rules. But can't we just let one guy go? What can one man do against an entire army?"

There was a moment of silence. Ozpin drank from his mug of the nectar of the gods. Cinder looked thoughtfully at her nails. Ruby's nose itched.

"Anyway," Blake continued, ignoring the others, "we're talking about the bounty on Jaune's head here."

Jaune cringed slightly as several eyes were directed at him.

"Anyway, we'll find out as soon as Ren continues reading," Pyrrha chimed in distracting the guy's attention. The blond sighed in relief and then smiled softly at the girl. As expected, he could always rely on his partner... as long as it didn't concern his self-esteem.

"As expected," Weiss and Blake thought.

Only Jaune groaned at what he heard. //“Rebellion? Multiple crimes against women? When was that?! Although, in the book, I once encountered a patrol… and I encountered Nora… yeah, but the first time I had Ren and Cardin’s team with me! And the second time, I didn’t even win, I just escaped! But I distracted her from Ren… damn! But even so, a bounty on my head just because of that? What nonsense!”

Ren continued reading:

Jaune turned pale.

//"Oh, God," Jaune slapped his forehead. "The last thing I need is one brainless believer… well, I only have one, the book version of me has two. Russell and Cardin."

For the first time, Jaune realized that maybe his situation was even more or less okay. He didn't have to run and hide from girls; think of dog food as food; and travel with two madmen. Although, the same Russell could attract even more followers to his "Cult". For some reason, this thought calmed the blond down a little.

Yeah, Jaune never thought he'd be happy with Cardin being a jerk to him. Hah, it's better than what happens in the book...

/"Oh my," some of them, like Weiss, said. "Cardin really went crazy over Arc..."

Weiss sighed. She decided to make a mental note that if she ever listened to Nora's report, she would reduce the enemy ratio by ten times. After all, even here, six suddenly turned into several dozen guys. Shaking her head, she took a sip of tea. She winced. In all this time, her tea had gotten cold. She didn't like cold tea.

A group of fourteen people listened with interest.

Blake listened with interest. If she had a tail, it would definitely be wagging from side to side.

"Wait, what?" Weiss asked, confused.

"Tsk!" Blake hissed at her, listening to Ren again. Although not even that, she literally raised herself up and tried to make out the text in the book out of the corner of her eye.

Hearing this, many of the students froze in their seats, confused. To follow the group, just because there was no more hope left? It was… well, they couldn’t find the right word. Only Ozpin himself knew how desperate people were willing to follow others. He had once been in Mr. Arc’s place, leading an army against Her. That had been a long time ago. The constant despair among the troops, the constant pain of their lives being nothing… that had been a long time ago. It was better if all of that remained in the past. Closing his eyes, Ozpin took another sip of his coffee. Cold…

All: "Nothing!" Turning away they continued to listen to Ren.

//"He's brainwashing them," one blond thought.

Anyway, the rest of them weren't too interested in the mechanics of the story. They were the very model for the words: "Panem et circenses!"

But somehow we've strayed from the topic. So-o-o-o-o...

Ren continued reading the story.

Once again, several people chuckled or snorted. Weiss rolled her eyes once again. She couldn't even imagine what kind of idiot would be happy about Arc's praise. Although... glancing sideways at the Champion, the heiress changed her inner thoughts. Okay, let's say some people would be happy about such praise.

Shaking her head, Weiss listened to the story again, her mind still wandering.

Jaune couldn't help but sigh at that. He hoped that wouldn't happen, that his book counterpart would be able to come up with some sort of plan, like they would need more food, so wasting their energy on capturing the flag would be a waste of energy. That thought was quickly shattered when the Fearless Knight noticed Mercury smirking slightly as he looked at Ren while listening to the story.

Jaune sighed again.

//"Who am I kidding? This is only chapter six of the book. There are seven more to go, and in those seven, anything could happen. The Fall of the Tribe, an escape, or even some kind of Revolution behind enemy lines. And I," Jaune momentarily lost his train of thought. "I mean, book me would definitely suffer the consequences of such actions… damn Author. Damn Mercury and book Russell. Damn Room…"

The mug of coffee froze near his lips as many glances were cast at the headmaster of this establishment. Without changing his expression, he put it down on the table and, smiling as usual, looked at Jaune, who was looking at him with interest, like the others.

And only Glynda felt a little embarrassed.

Only she and the other teachers knew that the choice of team leader was often based on a different principle. It was indecently simple. However, Ozpin was not wrong in this speech either. Anyone can become a leader. So - from another point of view - even if you just poke at someone, you won’t be wrong. You just need to come up with the easiest name… ahem-ahem.

Glynda Goodwitch turned away from Ozpin smiling softly, holding his mug in his hand again and drinking coffee. She didn't have the strength to look her students in the eyes. She wasn't going to tell them the method by which their team leaders were chosen. Or the team names, either.

Meanwhile, the mood of the people in the room had returned to the desire to read the continuation of the story about the War Games. So it was not surprising that after a few minutes, the voice of the young man sounded in the room again.

Weiss, and several others, listened with interest to the last words.

Ren turned the page.

The heiress blinked in surprise at Ren's words. She sat up more comfortably, suddenly becoming interested.

Weiss slightly raised her nose at these words.

After these words, everyone's attention was focused on Weiss this time. The heiress blinked in surprise when Ruby sitting on her left asked a question.

"Seriously, Weiss, why do that?" Ruby tilted her head. "I mean, it's possible to tell who's a girl and who's a guy."

Weiss stared at her leader with the same expression on her face.

"Someone could steal the girl's scroll," Mercury said, resting his cheek on his fist. Weiss shot him a sharp look. He chuckled. "What? I'm just throwing out ideas."

"Hmm, I don't think stealing someone else's property is according to the rules," the heiress rebuffed the attack.

Weiss flexed three fingers and smirked.

"So it is impossible to pass through the outpost."

Emerald sighed slightly.

Mercury had already opened his mouth when he suddenly felt something pressing against his stomach. He glanced sideways and saw a knife. The knife was in the hands of Emerald, who wasn't even looking at him, but was smiling softly at the students from Beacon.

Either way, the guy wasn't an idiot, even though it sometimes seemed that way to many, so he just shut his mouth.

"So," Emerald cleared her throat. "Can we continue?"

Clearing his throat, Ren continued reading where he had left off.

After reading the next lines with just his eyes, Ren sighed mentally.

Her hand froze, the cookie halfway to her mouth. Ruby blinked. Her eyes widened as she licked her lips and quickly dove closer to Ren to hear the rest. Although this wasn't the first time she had appeared in a book each of her friends now had their titles. Maybe now was the time for her to get one? Her first title! Ruby couldn't help but shake with excitement.

Sitting on the other side, Jaune paled slightly. Well, it seemed like his double would have to perform a miracle again to get out of this situation. Who knew, maybe he would awaken an incredible Semblance that would allow him to pass through the outpost?

Jaune stared at the table silently.

Others simply listened to the rest of the story.

Ruby blinked, then glanced to the right. The look on Yang's face was exactly what would happen to anyone who even slightly offended her. And the way Jaune and Ren paled didn't help the little Huntress. Ruby puffed out her cheeks, leaning back and crossing her arms. She wasn't a child who needed to be protected at all times.

Why can't Yang just understand this?

Ruby pouted even more. What nonsense?! She could easily handle those big men before she even got to Beacon! Well, that was a few days before Beacon, and they weren't exactly skilled Hunters, so... but that didn't mean anything! Ruby was confident in her abilities. And in Crescent Rose. And she was definitely sure that if Yang or anyone on her team tried to intimidate Jaune and the others, she would stop them.

She was already a grown-up girl!

Ruby grabbed the cookie and popped it into her mouth.

And it was one hundred percent true!

Ren paused for a moment.

Glynda blinked in surprise. Well… that was true. Even the last lines of the note were partly true. However, the last part was partly due to their long friendship. If she and James were to face each other… she was seventy percent sure that James could defeat her.

//"Why does everyone leave the final decision to me?" the blond muttered to himself, leaning even harder on his fist. "Am I some kind of genius or tactician who can change the course of a battle with a single sentence? Somehow I doubt it..."

Everyone listened to Jaune's decision. Will he attack or try something else? Everyone was curious to see what the young novice Hunter would do. Ozpin took another sip of coffee with a smile.

The Beacon teams simultaneously flinched. Fortunately, no one was going to dwell on her words. Only Pyrrha waited with interest for her leader's decision. If he really did choose the path that led to her… her cheeks flushed slightly.

Startled by her name, Yang blinked. Then she smirked and began to giggle slightly at the whole situation.

Of course, Ren didn't stop there, continuing to read the story:

"Then, could you please read it and we can finally go to dinner."

"And after dinner, shall we continue reading?" Ruby asked with interest.

"No," but Glynda's answer was not what everyone expected. Blake's eyes widened in horror. "After dinner, Professor Ozpin and I will discuss what to do next," the headmaster's eyes widened as if he didn't know about it. "For now, you could talk about what you heard and learned from this book."

"B-but we're going to read the book today, aren't we?" Blake asked, raising her hand. Glynda shook her head, crushing the young girl's hopes.

"We have a hard day ahead of us tomorrow, so we will read the remaining chapters tomorrow."

"But wouldn't it be more logical to finish them all as soon as possible?" Weiss chimed in.

"No," Goodwitch frowned. "Especially not when it has to do with your health and your daily routine. And no arguing," she said, noticing Blake's mouth open again. "After dinner, the book goes back in the closet, and you go to bed."

A discordant chorus of voices was heard.

Glynda narrowed her eyes and looked at everyone.

"Let me repeat, did you understand everything?"

"Yes, Miss Goodwitch, we understand!" All the Beacon students suddenly sat up straight. Cinder nodded, Neo gave a thumbs up and the remaining two from Team CNEM also gave their agreement.

"Very well," Glynda nodded, feeling that the green tea had given her back her strength and desire to bring justice and righteousness to the masses. Her gaze fell on Ren. "You may read a passage, Mr. Ren, and we will listen to you."

There was silence in the room, partly from curiosity, as the last passages had often been funny, partly from Glynda's influence.

Ozpin thoughtfully twirled the mug in his hand.

Hope.

And also that feeling because of which many good and not-so-good people died.

Yes. Hope is a really simple, yet so complex emotion.

Shaking his head, Ozpin sighed, coming back to reality.

This is just ridiculous...

By the way, he wasn't the only one thinking about it, as the white-haired girl was also shaking her head from side to side. However, everyone in this room thought what the stranger said was a little... absurd.

Ren continued reading, and only once did he take advantage of the pause to wet his throat. But even so, he quickly returned to the passage of the story.

"Yoohoo! I am the Red Reaper!"

"Congratulations," Weiss, Yang, Jaune, and a few others said, rolling their eyes. "Now, could you please shut up so Ren can continue reading?"

Ruby fell silent, but she was still shaking with excitement. After all, now she had her own title! Hooray! Her eyes simply couldn’t help but sparkle with delight.

The reaper never noticed that her cheeks had turned red from all these words.

Yang couldn't help but giggle. This time, even Jaune was embarrassed by the stranger's words.

Everyone was silent, listening to these words.

Blake shook her head. Although, she couldn't help but admit that those words didn't touch her heart. After all, part of her thoughts were still focused on the White Fang. And so, she unconsciously connected Sun's words with the White Fang. Blake couldn't help but shudder at that.

Everyone's mood fluctuated.

Ozpin took the last sip of coffee from his mug.

Ren stopped and then smiled slightly.

Everyone was silent.

"End of chapter six," Ren said first, closing the book and putting it aside for Goodwitch. "I'm done."

The teacher nodded, looking around the room.

"Well, I think that's all for today," she finally heard the faint chorus of sadness and denial again. Especially Blake, she literally looked like she was being stabbed in the heart. But Miss Goodwitch was unmoved. "That's it," she repeated. "Now, we need to prepare dinner. I hope some of you know how to cook."

Several people nodded to her.

"Excellent," she said, standing up. "Then let's get started. The rest of you can go and rest."

* * *

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http://notabenoid.org/book/87121/577697

Переводчики: Camrad_RIP