I Became the Academy’s War Hero Chapter 68
The answer I received from Eugene Carter was so straightforward that it momentarily made me feel refreshed.
Michel habitually tapped the desk as she remained silent.
It wasn’t as if she had never had loyal subordinates of her own.
However, they too had families and people they loved. As time passed, her faithful aides either hid themselves away, betrayed her, or disappeared altogether.
By the time she reached adulthood, Michel was convinced she was completely alone.
That was why Carter’s proposal now sounded perfectly rational to her.
Not for Michel Bernhardt herself, nor for her personal goals… but for the shared cause of rebuilding the family—a coalition based solely on mutual benefit, each side using the other.
‘But then… why?’
Why did it feel like there was no sincerity at all behind his words earlier?
‘Is it that he can’t say it, or that he simply won’t?’
Either way, it didn’t change the fact that she no longer had any choices left.
So instead of answering, Michel slowly rose from her seat.
After all, what needed to be done had already been decided.
“Follow me, Carter.”
We headed toward the private chamber located in the very back of the spacious Chairwoman’s office.
‘…Didn’t think she’d actually let me this far in.’
It was true that I had played a part in saving her life.
But it had been Walter who led the treatment, and Frederick who had done most of the damage control.
Even so, for her to lead me into her private chamber….
‘A gesture of sincerity on her part… or perhaps a mark of ownership.’
No turning back once you’ve entered—an unspoken warning that escape from her grasp was impossible.
Well, that was fine by me. It was what I’d wanted, after all.
Once inside the room, Michel first locked the door.
In the meantime, I brought up the one thing that had been bothering me.
“There’s just one thing I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“To be honest, I can’t believe someone like you nearly lost your life to such a sloppy trick.”
“……”
“What exactly did the enemy do?”
“Good question.”
Instead of replying, she walked over to the display cabinet in the room.
On the top shelf were several small vials, each no larger than two joints of a finger.
As she ran her eyes over the rows of glass bottles filled with colored liquids, she finally spoke.
“The Magic Eye of Sharos, a top-tier ocular magic.”
Wait a second.
What did she just say…?
“With this eye, poisons don’t affect me.”
“…Which means.”
“If neither assassins nor poison can touch me, then you can probably guess what the enemy’s only remaining option was, can’t you?”
The Eye of Sharos.
One of the highest-ranking “Perceptive Magic Eyes.” Those who possessed it could see poison.
Although toxicity was defined by dosage, the Eye of Sharos classified it by color—
the closer to white, the safer the amount; the closer to black, the more fatal, and utterly forbidden to ingest.
The poisons she had stored here must all be of the deadliest kind—potent enough to kill even in minute doses.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone like Michel possessing a Magic Eye.’
The main characters of MAGA each had at least one core principle guiding their actions.
Francia Brida—revenge and perseverance.
Rubia Magnus—theory and curiosity.
Edel Ribenia—salvation and insight.
Karen Rosefield—discipline and faith.
And finally, Michel Bernhardt—vigilance and suspicion.
No matter the path of growth they chose, those traits never changed.
Michel had been born steeped in vigilance and distrust.
Even without a Magic Eye, she could have neutralized most assassination attempts.
But with the Eye of Sharos as well, no matter how powerful her enemies were, there was nothing they could do.
‘And yet, someone managed to push that Michel to the brink of death….’
By process of elimination, there could only be one explanation.
Still—
That only made it harder to understand.
Was I missing something?
“Why would that person try to kill you? That person is your—”
“That’s far enough.”
At Michel’s sharp interruption, I instantly shut my mouth.
“Focus only on our matter. I’ll take care of my own problems.”
“…Understood.”
“Since your curiosity’s more or less satisfied, let’s drop the subject there.”
Now then—
“Let’s get to the real issue.”
She reached beneath a small wooden table, past the cabinet lined with poisons, and pulled out a small wooden box.
After disabling the layered locking spells on it with her wand, she unlocked the silver clasp with a key she had kept on her person.
Inside the box were four items.
She took out the largest, thickest stack of papers among them.
“Don’t tell me…”
“The Hockma Distribution Ledger. Records of distribution from February to April, Year 41.”
At the end of the cover was the name and seal of the supervisor in charge.
「1441.02~04 C―3 Distribution Log | Class-1 Confidential
Supervising Officer | Chloe Bernhardt」
After quickly skimming through its contents, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh of disbelief.
‘…And she thought she could deny everything with this kind of evidence lying around?’
Then again, that idiot probably didn’t even realize the ledger had been stolen.
‘I am curious how she managed to steal it, though.’
Michel wasn’t known for forgery or manipulation.
Maybe it had been the work of an ally she’d cooperated with at the time.
After flipping through to the last page and memorizing its contents, I handed the ledger back.
“You should reveal this evidence yourself at the decisive moment, Chairwoman.”
“The decisive moment?”
“Ah, I almost forgot to mention it. Actually…”
I briefly explained the public hearing that Eric Halenber and I were planning—
the outline of the trade dealings within Karbenna, the physical proof, the people involved, and the witnesses we’d secured.
Michel’s expression stayed mostly calm as she listened, though her brows furrowed slightly.
“...I had a rough idea of what was going on, but I didn’t expect things to have gone this far off the rails. Interesting.”
“…Are you sure it’s all right to make this public?”
“Even if I told you not to, you’d still go through with it, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, that’s true….”
She leaned against the table, letting out a faint sigh.
“Rotten flesh has to be cut away. There’ll be bleeding, but if that’s the only way to survive… then all we can do is struggle through it.”
“…There’ll be room for leniency, I think. That’s what the Technology Exchange Agreement was for, after all.”
As Chairwoman of Karbenna, even if it hadn’t been intentional, the sin of having turned a blind eye to the Hockma Incident was heavy.
But by now, Hockma had spread not only within Karbenna but across the entire Empire. Karbenna couldn’t be treated as an exception.
If we drew sympathy through Eric’s and the witnesses’ honest confessions, and steered the focus toward the root issue—the distribution of Hockma—
then perhaps half of the arrows of criticism aimed at Michel could be deflected.
And more importantly—
Once Edel learned that I was siding with Michel, she would have no choice but to lend her support to this side as well.
Uncrossing my arms, I continued.
“I’ll make sure you’re not demoted, no matter what.”
“……”
“Karbenna’s restoration can’t happen without you.”
Something in her expression changed at those words.
Michel met my eyes squarely, then grasped my right arm firmly.
“…If I had to choose someone to stand with, then…”
There was the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.
“I like you too, Carter.”
That smile was both unlike her and yet so quintessentially her, that I couldn’t help but steel my resolve once more.
Swish!
The mind must always remain calm and still.
Swish!
When distractions creep in, the sword loses its edge.
Swish!
If you can’t do it right, it’s better not to start at all.
Swish!
Don’t forget, Francia.
The greatest weapon I ever forged—was you.
Slash!
The thick wooden training pillar split cleanly, as if it were made of tofu.
Francia took a deep breath, staring quietly at the mystic light glimmering along the edge of her sword.
The blade that extended straight from the hilt was woven from the fabric of mana itself.
The sword that had shredded the pillar to pieces faded into dust not long after.
Watching that sight in silence, she sank deep into thought.
Tomorrow was the day of the Summit.
That was where many things would begin to change.
The fate of the Halenber Family, who had played a part in the downfall of the Brida Family, would be decided there as well.
It wasn’t exactly satisfying—but it was, at least, a liberating end.
‘Then why…’
Why did she feel so uneasy?
Was it because once Halenber fell, that man’s situation would become uncertain as well?
So what of it?
Whatever happened to him had nothing to do with her—honestly.
Or was she, at this point, trying to feel pity for him?
Just two weeks ago, she had been burning with the will to kill him.
She knew the hidden truth now, but that didn’t erase the sins Halenber had committed.
For Francia personally, and for the safety of the Empire, they were a family that deserved annihilation.
Whether he intended it or not, Eric had benefited from their protection and privileges.
Even as a whistleblower, escaping punishment would be difficult.
Even Francia, who had been consumed by vengeance and focused only on training, knew full well of Hockma’s infamy—
and what awaited those involved in it.
A minimum of five years in prison—and in severe cases, execution.
“……”
No, execution was too much.
She wouldn’t let him meet such a miserable end.
Once her mind was set, there was no reason to hesitate.
Francia sheathed her sword and swiftly turned toward the exit of the training grounds.
And there, right before her eyes, stood Lea Bronte.
“You’re…”
“So you were here.”
“If I’d gone by the dorm first, we might’ve missed each other.”
Her breathing was rough as she spoke.
“Were you looking for me?”
“Yes. I’ll explain the reason later—no time right now, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
Lea extended her right hand and got to the heart of it.
“I want you to come to the Imperial Palace with me, Francia Brida.”
Francia froze. She understood perfectly well what those words meant.
“…The Imperial Summit? Me?”
“Aren’t you curious what’s going to happen to Eric Halenber?”
“……”
“You know you might never see him again, right? Are you really fine with that?”
The words pierced right through her heart, and Francia instinctively shook her head.
“Then I’ll take that as a yes!”
Lea gave a small grin and grabbed Francia’s hand.
Francia followed without protest, only asking cautiously after a while,
“Um… how did you know?”
“I’m good at picking up on things.”
Nearly running, the two of them soon arrived before the office of their supervising instructor.
A familiar name was written on the plaque.
「Practical Combat Instructor No.3 – Eugene Carter」
They knocked on the door together.
Knock knock―
“This is Lea Bronte. I’m here with Cadet Francia Brida. May we come in?”
And before getting an answer, Lea turned the knob and opened the door.
Creak―
“Sorry for barging in. There’s something we wanted to re—uh…”
“……”
Both girls froze the moment they stepped inside.
Because, instead of sitting at his desk preparing for the Summit as they expected, Eugene was standing on his hands against the left wall.
“What took you so long?”
Honestly, kids these days really didn’t know the value of time.
Still upside down, he bent one arm and began doing push-ups.
After about thirty reps alternating arms, he flipped through the air and landed gracefully.
Hoo.
Letting out a short breath, Eugene gestured toward the two.
“First thing’s first—why don’t you close the door?”