Chapter 105
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 105
The start of a new school year, a new semester, is just around the corner.
Everyone around me, including myself, has been incredibly busy with their own affairs.
“Karl. If, by any chance, I want to set the grad school on fire, stop me.”
Perhaps it’s because the time for her official entry into graduate school is approaching, but Selena is visibly anxious. She seems stressed even before starting.
She just heard from her advisor yesterday about the upcoming schedule, and she’s already reacting like this. She tries to laugh it off as a joke, but it must be a tough schedule.
I responded, not rationally, but as her boyfriend.
“If you really want to do it, Selena, don’t. I’ll do it for you.”
“D-Don’t say that seriously. I was just kidding!”
“I’m kidding too. There’s no way a professor would intentionally make things difficult for you.”
Selena is the daughter of the Marquis of Nafplion. She is also the girlfriend of the crazy Karl Adelheit.
We haven’t officially married or gotten engaged yet, but most of the academy already accepts it as a fact. They know that if they mess with her, they might get a visit from the Medal of Honor recipient’s greatsword.
Anyway, because of that, no one will unnecessarily harass or give her a hard time.
Professors can sometimes be out of their minds, but they also know how power works.
Would they antagonize two noble families? If they had that kind of brain, it’s a wonder they became professors in the first place. The academy would probably discipline them immediately.
“But still, just in case, tell me, Selena.”
I’m confident in my ability to wring someone’s neck. Not that I’m proud of it.
It’s true that I have to uphold the honor of being a Medal of Honor recipient, but a man who just watches his woman suffer doesn’t deserve that honor. Everyone understands that, right?
If, and it’s a big if, there’s a twisted professor, I’ll personally step up and straighten them out. The aftermath can be taken care of with the debt I owe my brother-in-law, the Crown Prince.
Selena aside, it seems like Lav, who’s newly enrolled, is also quite busy.
At first, Selena was the only one tutoring her, but now she’s receiving guidance from others.
While Selena struggles with her grad studies, Lav’s situation is a bit different.
“Master, I really respect you.”
“Suddenly?”
“How do you manage to understand such difficult subjects… and even volunteer to return to a place where you have to study? It’s amazing. I could never do that.”
Being a noble and having memories of past life, a sort of academic elitism, made studying tirelessly at the academy not too difficult.
However, reaching the level the professors expected in one go was challenging. Due to two lifetimes of military service, my mind felt a bit rigid. That was the only real difficulty.
But for Lav, even sitting still and looking at a book is a struggle.
She can manage to wait patiently as a sharpshooter, but memorizing and interpreting the densely packed letters in a book is a pain.
“Lav, you’re the one who willingly waits hours to make a single shot. You can do it.”
“That’s true, but that had an immediate, achievable goal. This continuous endurance… As expected, the academy is tougher than the battlefield.”
The way you say it makes me, the one who gritted his teeth and returned to the academy, look strange…
I simply didn’t want to stay in the military anymore. I wanted to return to that peaceful place, the place where I made a huge mistake in life, and try to make things right.
Those were the reasons I returned, but to Lav, it seemed like I had jumped into a new battlefield.
When I told Selena this, she said, ‘Really? That makes sense. Lav is still a bit lacking academically.’ But her voice was a bit stiff.
I thought they were getting along, but maybe it was just for show. Are they still wary of each other?
‘Actually, I thought the one who would be most wary of others wouldn’t be Selena or Lav, but Eloise.’
Unlike Selena, who worries about social perception, or Lav, who keeps her distance due to their difference in status and their teacher-student relationship (this is entirely from Lav’s perspective), Eloise is the type to go for it from the start. She even confessed to me, ‘I’m a woman who only knows how to charge forward!’
So, I thought that would be the case, but Selena and Lav don’t seem to be too wary of Eloise.
And in reality, Eloise is busy with other things elsewhere.
“…The Hyzens Exchange Student Friendship Project?”
“Yes! That’s right! What do you think, Karl?! Isn’t it exciting and amazing?”
“…Is it supposed to be?”
“Of course it is! Think about the elves! They have nothing better than the Empire, yet they’re so full of pride! And they’re so stubborn! But now they’re eager to make friends with the Empire’s students! This is a really, really big deal!”
“…”
There was a lot I wanted to say. First, whether they really wanted to make friends or were just rolling around to avoid having their ears pickled in salt.
– Eloise Loengrin Creates a New Trend Among Elven Exchange Students –
I’ve heard something like this before. Not directly, but when I went back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to dissuade the minister from wanting to give me another highest merit award.
What was even more absurd here was the ‘creating a new trend’ part. This so-called new trend was actually the result of violence and threats with fists and knives.
‘Did she say she’d cut off their ears and pickle them in salt if they didn’t listen to her?’
As far as he knew, almost all the elves who came to study at the academy were from noble families.
In other words, they were backed by powerful nobles, just like in the Empire. Eloise had not only threatened these esteemed individuals but had also resorted to violence.
I was shocked when I first heard about it. I wondered what this crazy elf was doing. I wondered what would happen if Hyzens’ home country made an issue out of it, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told me that Hyzens was too busy with its own internal affairs to care.
“Just wait and see. Soon, there won’t be any elves walking around with their heads held high. And no one will talk carelessly about Karl either.”
“…Is the reason you did this because of the former or the latter? Be clear, Eloise.”
“Which would you prefer? The former or the latter?”
“Of course, I’d prefer it if it were neither.”
I meant it sincerely, but Eloise laughed it off, saying I was good at jokes. She also added that she would take care of the elves’ education from now on, so I shouldn’t worry.
Honestly, I didn’t feel bad. In fact, I felt quite good. As Eloise had said, the stiff, unsociable, and still closed-off elven exchange students often disrupted the atmosphere of the lectures.
That being said, I couldn’t just treat them harshly. They were, after all, exchange students from an allied nation, and causing unnecessary trouble could put the Empire in an awkward position. So, I held back.
Of course, I was lenient because they were from Hyzens, our comrades who fought alongside us against Luzernes. If they were Kanfras, I would have skinned their heads and hung them on trees, just like they did to us.
‘More importantly…’
The Empire quickly regained peace. Even though the war in the south was still raging just a year ago, the Empire, true to its name, managed to quell the chaos and take a step forward.
The main reason was that the chaos wasn’t too widespread, and the damage wasn’t too extensive. Thanks to this, not only were the material and human resources preserved, but the public perception of the situation was also handled smoothly.
However, outside the Empire, things were different. With Luzernes’ fall, a wind of rapid change was blowing through Hyzens.
On the other side, Lasker was in turmoil over the issue of a new heir to the throne. Avileshti was relatively quiet, but… even that couldn’t be guaranteed.
But somehow, the situation didn’t feel so calm and comedic. It felt like something… something was about to happen.
‘This feels ominous.’
Yes, it does. It’s not about the Empire being in danger or anything like that. It’s the anxiety creeping up on me that another medal might be pinned to my chest.
I really want to just live a normal life as a returning student, flirting with Selena, hanging out with the other four troublemakers, and… well, I’m not sure what to do with Eloise and Lav.
Anyway, I want to live like a normal returning student. Honestly, I’ve done enough. If I do more, the higher-ups might think, ‘Ah, it’s a shame to keep such a talent at the academy,’ and force me to graduate early.
You think that wouldn’t happen? I thought so too, but considering the medals I’ve received, it seems plausible.
‘Asking me to talk to my friends in Lasker…’
…No, I shouldn’t think like this. It’s bad luck. Besides, I have no connection or relationship with Lasker.
Honestly, my abilities are limited to the Anti-Kanfra front. I wouldn’t be able to use them anywhere else, even if I wanted to.
Especially with Lasker’s knights, hmm… I’m not sure how to deal with them.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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