I Became the Academy’s War Hero Chapter 72

The capital, Arpe, was far more crowded than usual.

The sight of the imperial carriages—ones that were rarely seen even occasionally—pouring into the Imperial Palace in droves was nothing short of grand.

The citizens greeted the visitors with a mixture of excitement and tension.

With the influence of Beasts growing day by day and most existing festivals and events suspended, the Imperial Summit carried enormous significance in many ways.

Reporters who had entered the palace early were likely being guided to their accommodations for the duration.

From atop the highest stone spire of the palace, she silently looked down upon the procession of carriages.

About ten minutes later, a knock came from behind her.

“This is Katrin, Your Highness.”

“Come in.”

Countess Katrin Hudwood, one of her personal attendants, bowed her head deeply the moment she entered.

“You were here again, I see.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Still gazing out the tower window, she reached out her hand.

“Did you bring all the documents?”

“The list is here, Your Highness.”

The first document Katrin handed over contained the names of all participants in the summit.

“…Twenty-four delegates from Bernhardt? That’s the highest number this year, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Arta, Halenber, Unchild, Wedmeyer, Etihonen, Taurus, Braid, Wittelsbach… what a parade. Truly exhausting.”

Including the Eight Great Houses and other title holders, the number of attending nobles nearly reached a thousand.

Flipping through the pages of noble families, her eyes soon caught the list of academies participating this time.

What drew her attention most among them was the Empire’s greatest academy—Karbenna.

“……”

It wasn’t surprising that the chairwoman and the heads of each department would attend, but this time, there were an unusually large number of student names.

The stated reason for their participation was written as “Assistants for the joint magic demonstration.”

‘Smart move, Carter.’

Since the summit’s participant list was managed solely by the Imperial Court—and most of them were unaware of Karbenna’s internal situation—such a deception was indeed possible.

Nodding in satisfaction, she turned her head.

“Has the report on Carter been compiled?”

The maid hesitated, looking troubled.

“Not yet?”

“Ah, well… the investigation has been completed, but the report itself hasn’t been fully organized.”

“So?”

“There’s… quite a lot of material, Your Highness.”

Then she lowered her head deeply.

“I apologize for failing to meet your deadline!”

“That’s fine. Just bring it here.”

Katrin respectfully handed over the rest of the documents she had been holding close to her chest.

It was several times thicker than the list of summit participants.

“I’ll head out when it’s time. Wait outside.”

“…As you command.”

After sending her maid away—

Edel Ribenia sat on an antique wooden chair beside the window and began reading the report.

House Carter, based in the Parcel region of the Ribenia Empire.

The family did not favor factional conflicts but was currently aligned with the Arta Family.

Among the pro-Arta faction, they leaned moderate, respecting imperial authority as much as possible.

The current head of the family was Leslie Carter, age fifty-five.

Though still in his prime, he showed little interest in external affairs, participating in at most two public activities per year.

The family had virtually no vassals—only thirteen members in total, including immediate family and three servants.

He had only one child, a son—Eugene Carter.

Thanks to the boy’s overwhelming achievements, the Carter name had gained recognition, though the family itself was already in decline and had never established any meaningful ties with other noble houses.

‘Eugene Carter’s complete disinterest in political marriages must’ve played a part in that…’

As she continued reading the report, one particular detail caught her eye.

“…There’s hardly anything here.”

Information about the event in which Eugene Carter was forced to retire due to an Incurable Curse was extremely restricted.

— Access beyond this point denied. [Imperial Special Task Force Classified]

‘I ordered this investigation under my own name, and still…’

A secret even the Third Princess was barred from knowing—how fascinating.

Smiling faintly, she flipped through a few more pages.

Next was the record of exchanges between the Carter and Brida families.

The last interaction between the two went back ninety-eight years—nothing more than a formal gathering, sharing a meal and a friendly match between their subjects.

There wasn’t even a trace of connection to Illusion Swordsmanship.

Of course, informal or unrecorded exchanges might have occurred.

“At this level… it’s fair to say there’s been virtually no contact.”

If the previous generation had no connection, what about recent years?

The Brida Family’s fall was fairly recent, but its timing didn’t overlap with Eugene Carter.

Francia Brida was certainly gifted, but she had only just come of age.

And being talented and being a good teacher were entirely different things.

“…At least from what I know, she lacks the qualities of an educator.”

Which meant that Eugene Carter had achieved that level of mastery on his own.

Even if he was praised as the greatest talent in the Empire, wasn’t that still absurd?

‘And to think he even saw through my true identity at a glance….’

Eugene Carter’s downfall had ultimately been caused by overconfidence.

Believing only in himself, he distrusted information and relied too heavily on intuition.

Of course, reaching the same conclusions through intuition wasn’t strange in itself—

But if that wasn’t the case—

Then it was more accurate to say he had changed completely after that incident.

“Perhaps not merely changed… but awakened.”

Edel slowly rose from her seat.

For now, it was all speculation.

To turn suspicion and expectation into certainty, she would have to face the truth directly.

Looking toward the one now on his way here, she smiled resolutely.

“No matter the outcome, this summit will mark the greatest turning point.”

For you—and for me.

“So give it your all, Eugene. Make me believe in you.”

Then she stepped forward—

Facing the waiting hyenas with a confidence unmatched by anyone.

“…That’s all I have to say.”

“……”

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

Since everything would be made public at the summit anyway, there was no reason to conceal it now.

Of course, I didn’t mention that Bernhardt was behind it.

No need to go announcing, ‘Hey, I’m your enemy.’

Those who had listened to my story all showed similar reactions.

They clearly wanted to say something but seemed unsure of whose side to take, hesitating awkwardly.

Perhaps unable to bear the strange silence, Frederick was the first to speak.

“…You’ve gone through a lot on your own, Carter.”

“Seems I’m paying the price for living my life the wrong way,” I said, staring into the air.

Then, Dale’s voice rang out from the front.

“So, you’re saying you couldn’t track down the ones who escaped the earlier battle?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The enemy commander’s name was… right, Abattoir Schroeder, wasn’t it?”

“That’s probably not his real name.”

“I figured as much… hmm.”

What are you pretending to ponder for? You already know everything.

But the words that came out of Dale’s mouth were quite different from what I had expected.

“The organization Abattoir—quite famous among the nobility. They take on nearly any request, from kidnapping to assassination, with a success rate exceeding ninety percent. They’re considered a legendary syndicate in the underworld.”

I hadn’t expected him to admit it first.

“You seem to know quite a lot about them.”

I asked, keeping my poker face.

“Don’t tell me, Director—you’ve used their services yourself?”

“Do I look that desperate to you, Carter?”

“…That’s not what I meant.”

“I do pursue profit, yes—but there are still lines I won’t cross. My family isn’t so weak that we’d need to rely on the likes of them.”

He spoke with a hint of pride on his face.

I nodded slightly, speaking half-jokingly.

“So, you’re implying that the weaker noble houses are the ones who hire Abattoir?”

“…Not necessarily.”

When Dale averted his gaze, Orwell cautiously stepped in.

“Are you trying to find out who commissioned them, Carter?”

Too obvious—it was almost boring.

I sighed and looked out the window.

“I’d like to know, sure—but at this point, it’s impossible. Unless we’d captured one of their subordinates alive, which we didn’t. They’ve all vanished.”

And it’s not like they were the type to leave behind evidence anyway.

While I feigned disinterest, Frederick jabbed my side.

“Earlier, you said we should keep things quiet for Karbenna’s sake, Carter.”

“I did.”

“Well, I think this one should be made public.”

At his statement, the others all flinched.

“…That could end up being disadvantageous to the Chairwoman.”

“Even so, we must uphold principle, mustn’t we?”

How very Frederick of him—honorable to the end.

If he was willing to share the burden, I had no reason to object.

Just as Dale and Orwell began to exchange wary glances—

Clatter!

The carriage finally crossed the bridge.

I smiled faintly as the faint silhouette of the capital appeared ahead.

‘…The prologue dragged on too long.’

Well, the beginning always feels the longest, doesn’t it?

This is a world I’ll be living in for at least five years and eleven months. Best get used to it quickly.

As carriages began to line up on both sides, ours gradually slowed down.

The tall, sharply rising stone spires of the Imperial Palace felt more imposing than ever.

The five who arrived first were assigned lodging in District 1 of Arpe, the area closest to the Imperial Palace.

Because the capital was under the direct rule of the Imperial Court, nobles who possessed their own territories were prohibited from residing there.

District 1 was mainly for landless nobles, and many of its facilities were even finer than those outside the palace walls.

Among all summit participants—except for the Eight Great Houses required to stay within the palace—these five received the highest level of accommodation.

After receiving their individual rooms as per procedure, they briefly gathered in the lobby.

It was still early morning. The academy participants wouldn’t arrive until evening, and the members from Karbenna had yet to reach the capital.

There couldn’t be a better time for a private discussion.

Thus, Michel called the four together and left them with a warning.

“I trust everyone understands that rash actions are strictly forbidden.”

“……”

“The agenda will be announced after the banquet, so for now, we’ll wait for Instructor Carter to arrive.”

At that, Lea Bronte raised her hand carefully.

“…What if Instructor Carter doesn’t return by evening?”

“In that case, we proceed as planned.”

The reply came swiftly.

As the four exchanged uneasy glances, Michel declared firmly:

“This is the Empire’s greatest battleground. Anyone who can’t perform their role has no place here.”

Her sharp gaze fell particularly on Francia and Rubia.

“If you still plan to rely solely on Carter, then you’d best return to Karbenna immediately.”

“……”

“I’ll see you all at the banquet.”

With that, Michel strode out of the lodging.