I Became the Academy’s War Hero Chapter 22

It didn’t take long for Walter, who had been quite drunk, to come to his senses.

“What, an assassin barged in?!”

His voice went up an octave, maybe because the alcohol hadn’t completely worn off.

An assassin… an assassin, huh….

Muttering the same word under his breath, Walter’s eyes suddenly widened.

“Don’t tell me that bastard was planning to pin it all on me if things went south…!”

“That bastard?”

“N-no, I mean, what I’m saying is…”

“Who’s that bastard?”

Rubia glared at Walter as if interrogating him.

I quietly offered an answer from the side.

“He must be referring to Bernhardt’s servant.”

“H-how did you know that?!”

Watching Walter nearly topple backward in fright, I sighed inwardly.

‘…Did I think too lightly of this?’

I came here because I thought fellow Special Forces veterans ought to stick together.

Though, I should’ve accounted for the fact that he was drunk.

When I remained calm and composed, Walter finally began to sense the atmosphere.

Of course, it was too late to hide anything now.

There was no way I could shake off the ever-curious Rubia at this point.

As I leaned back silently in my chair, Rubia—who had been lost in thought for a moment—snapped her eyes open and asked,

“…You’re planning to make this incident public, aren’t you?”

So she brought it up, after all.

Naturally, it was something that had to be revealed to the world someday—but not yet. It was far too early.

I brushed my lips with my thumb and slowly shook my head.

“For now, I’d prefer to keep this between us.”

“You mean you’re thinking, ‘Well, since you survived, that’s good enough,’ right?”

She wasn’t entirely wrong, so I nodded in affirmation.

“No one complains about nearly dying on the battlefield.”

“This isn’t a battlefield, Eugene.”

Rubia leaned closer to me, her expression growing firmer.

“This place might have a terrible reputation for all sorts of reasons, but Karbenna is still an educational institution. If word gets out that an assassin was freely roaming around the campus at night—what parent in their right mind would send their children to a place this dangerous?”

“That’s exactly why we have to keep it under wraps.”

“No…! We should be tightening internal security so that something like this never happens again!”

She wasn’t wrong. Not at all.

Before that incident, Rubia used to have a rather positive view of Karbenna.

That attitude fit both her values and her personality.

But I could no longer see Karbenna in a positive light.

At least not the Karbenna I had seen—thousands of times over.

“Professor Rubia, do you trust the people inside this place?”

“…If I can’t trust the people inside, then who can I trust?”

“No one.”

“……”

As silence fell over Rubia, I turned my gaze toward the window and continued.

“The one who ordered the assassination was Bernhardt. But I don’t think the Chairwoman had any involvement. She never showed hostility toward me.”

“…So, someone within Bernhardt’s faction who holds a different stance from the Chairwoman targeted you. Through that servant.”

“Yes.”

“If the Chairwoman is on your side, wouldn’t that help strengthen your position when you make this public? She’s still the most powerful ally in Karbenna….”

Rubia’s tone carried a faint note of hope, but I shook my head again.

“She may not be hostile, but I doubt she’s fond enough of me to lend us her support.”

Michel already had her hands full dealing with enemies inside Bernhardt and the imperial family’s interference. Expecting her help on top of that would be too much.

“I’m sure you’ve already experienced it enough to know, but Karbenna is divided into countless factions. Many are connected to prestigious noble families, and there are significant ties to the imperial family as well.”

There must be some who support internal reform.

But now was not the time.

Not until I had a reliable force of allies.

‘Especially not if it means putting Rubia on the front lines.’

If things went wrong, both she and the Magic Tower behind her could be put in danger.

I glanced briefly at Walter, who was slowly regaining his senses, and continued.

“Making it public could serve as a warning, sure. But that’s all it would be. We don’t have enough cards to play yet.”

If we were going to poke a hornet’s nest, we needed to be ready for the swarm.

Otherwise, we’d only end up making things worse for ourselves.

Realizing she wouldn’t be able to convince me any further, Rubia finally lowered her head with a reluctant nod.

“…I understand what you mean.”

Even so, her expression clearly showed a trace of disappointment.

I smiled faintly at that.

“Still, it makes me feel good.”

“Huh?”

“…Eugene?”

“After living like trash and barely getting myself together, I thought I wouldn’t have a single ally left in the world. But now… I already have such reliable comrades beside me.”

At that, both of their faces began to redden rapidly.

For Walter, it was probably because he still had some alcohol left in his system. But Rubia—she was practically a human tomato.

Watching the two of them, I blinked innocently.

“What’s wrong with you two?”

“N-nothing at all!”

Rubia quickly turned her gaze away and waved her hand before slapping her knee and glaring at me.

“This is the last time! If something like this happens again, I won’t just sit back and watch!”

With that, she abruptly stood up, snatched the wand I had been holding, and stormed out of the room.

Bang!

The door slammed shut with a loud noise.

I turned to Walter, who was still looking bewildered.

“Professor Walter?”

“Y-yeah?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“W-what kind of favor?”

I firmly grabbed one of his arms with both hands and smiled brightly.

“Come with me to the Imperial Special Task Force.”

At my words—which were enough to sober him up completely—Walter jumped and shook my hands off in shock.

“W-what the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?!”

“I was originally planning to go alone sometime next week, but I changed my mind.”

“Then just go by yourself! Why are you dragging me into it?”

He tried to push me away, shaking his head violently.

But what could he do? Once the die was cast, there was no turning back.

“You still don’t get it?”

“Get what?”

“That being associated with me is to your benefit right now.”

“What are you even….”

He probably wanted to brush it off as nonsense, but choices always come with a price.

“If you were going to refuse, you should’ve done it before hearing me out. Too late now—you’re already an accomplice with that servant.”

Depending on how the other side moved, the timing might change, but eventually, this matter would come to light.

And when it did, Walter would be the first to fall under suspicion.

There was no way he had that expensive Levinel Digitalis just lying around; it must have been supplied by the servant.

Still, Walter was the one who actually made the elixir.

Professors capable of brewing an elixir in a single day were exceedingly rare, even in Karbenna.

Even if he managed to sell it off quickly, it wouldn’t change the fact that he was in a disadvantageous position.

‘Not that I particularly care what happens to this fool….’

But it would be a waste to lose the title of being one of only two professors in Karbenna who came from the Special Forces.

“……”

Finally seeming to grasp the situation, Walter bit his nails nervously and shot me a sideways glance.

“You probably know better than anyone what the Empire and Karbenna are like.”

I drove in the nail with a cold, firm tone.

“If we’re going to fight anyway, shouldn’t we stick together as comrades?”

“…Loving my comrades, loving my country, is that it?”

“Exactly.”

“Haa… I should’ve listened to the Director from the start.”

“The Director?”

Walter clenched his eyes shut, grabbed his hair in frustration, and shouted,

“Damn it, seriously! Nothing good ever comes from getting involved with you!”

Then, rubbing his forehead roughly, he let out a deep sigh.

“…Never thought I’d be saying this to you, but—”

He grabbed my hand again, eyes glistening.

“Please, Carter. I’m counting on you. If I get kicked out of here, I’m screwed—you know what I mean, right?”

“…Yeah, of course.”

I averted my gaze as I answered.

March 5th, Saturday — Imperial Special Task Force.

Inside his private office at the administration section, Eric Belfor was buried under a mountain of paperwork.

Most of it was related to the Eber Suppression Operation. With less than three weeks before deployment, new issues were popping up endlessly.

Of course, there were also trivial reports unrelated to the operation mixed in, and sorting them out was no small annoyance.

As Belfor swiftly divided the papers left and right, his eyes caught on a document with an odd title.

“…What’s this?”

Karbenna 2nd Year Practicum Course: ‘Advanced Beast Combat Tactics’ Cooperation Request

· Overview & Objective

To enhance the practical combat abilities of Karbenna cadets against high-grade beasts and accelerate their mastery of related tactical systems, we request cooperation from the Imperial Special Task Force in conducting joint beast-slaying training.

· Schedule: 77.03.10.~77.06.02. (Every Thursday) 13:00 ~ 20:00

· Location: To be discussed

· Participants: Students enrolled in ‘Advanced Beast Combat Tactics’

· Instructor: Eugene Carter, Practical Tactics Instructor No. 3

· Notes: Details to be discussed during a visit to the Task Force within this week

Frowning deeply as he read, the first thing that caught Belfor’s eye was the instructor’s name.

“Someone get over here, now!”

At his fiery shout, a couple of adjutants rushed into his office.

He waved the paper in irritation and barked,

“Who received this? Check it immediately.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The adjutant ran off with the document and returned in less than three minutes.

“They said a servant from Karbenna delivered it to the Task Force, and the administration section collected it, sir!”

“This part—‘will visit within the week to discuss details’—what’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me they’re coming today, right?”

“I’ll confirm right away!”

Just as the adjutant hurried out of the office, another member rushed in, nearly colliding with him.

“Sir! Two visitors from Karbenna have arrived! They said they came directly regarding the cooperation request, but I’m not sure what’s going on….”

“……”

What in the world was happening now?

Belfor brushed past the bewildered adjutants and stepped forward.

“I’ll go myself. You all get back to work.”

The first floor lobby of the Task Force was packed with soldiers.

At the center of the commotion stood two very familiar faces.

As Belfor appeared, the soldiers began saluting one after another.

As the crowd naturally parted, he strode toward the pair.

Seeing him approach, Eugene Carter wore an expression of mild surprise.

“You coming to greet us in person? That’s unexpected, Belfor.”