Chapter 74
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 74
Once again, Karl was right. Oh my god. Oh my god! Locked in my room, I clenched my fist in frustration.
“That’s dangerous, Selena. It feels like these military women are becoming rivals.”
At first, I thought it was a joke. A playful comment to comfort my decision to pursue graduate school.
But it wasn’t. After Eloise, now Lavrenti too. Really, all these women who served in the military were suddenly flocking around Karl!
‘As expected of Karl. To anticipate even this. My amazing boyfriend… No! What should I do now?!’
Choosing graduate school was simply to be in the same environment as Karl. That was the reason.
Part of it was also to properly handle the juniors who were approaching Karl more than necessary.
But those two. Those women who served in the military had a different situation.
One was an exchange student, and the other was a war veteran. Either way, it’s difficult for me to do anything about it.
And because they’re military veterans, they might have something in common with Karl that I don’t know!
‘I-I confessed my feelings with all my heart. And Karl accepted them. Now all that’s left is to spend the next three years with him! Even if he’s busy, it was about making memories together in the same space!’
Of course, graduate students have much less time than regular academy students. They’re much busier.
That means, unavoidably, he might spend more time with those women than with me.
I barely got close. I was barely allowed to be together. What if I’m pushed away?
No. Karl isn’t that kind of person. He’s a hundred, a thousand times better than me. That can’t be possible.
Shake shake―!
Shaking her head, Selena pats herself lightly on both cheeks and clenches her fists.
‘Stay calm, Selena. I just have to do better. As Karl said, I’m always the first one. Don’t lose confidence. Don’t get nervous, or you’ll only embarrass yourself more.’
As if she had made a decision, Selena stood up abruptly and hurried off somewhere.
All she can think about now is her trip to the hot springs, and how she’s going to make sure that Karl’s face is flushed red when he sees her.
‘Come on, juniors, let’s do it!’
* * *
“Ugh.”
Damn. This is suffocating. Is this how it feels to have your neck choked like this? I really want to loosen this collar.
I unconsciously fiddle with the conquest draped over my body. The stiff uniform, the medals hanging on my chest, they’re all uncomfortable, but the most uncomfortable thing is something else.
‘Imperial New Year’s Eve Ceremony.’
The day when the nobles of the Empire gather to welcome in the new year with prayers for the well-being of the Empire and the Royal Family.
Other nobles may not know, but it was an event that was somewhat distant from me. Until now, I hadn’t been obligated to attend the Imperial New Year’s Eve Ceremony, as I was a common nobleman, not even the heir to my family.
Add to that the fact that I had spent the last few years on the battlefield, and it was impossible for me to participate in such an event.
But now, what’s nerve-wracking is that this year’s ceremony is not just a simple “New Year’s Eve Ceremony.”
“Are you nervous?”
“It would be strange if I wasn’t.”
“Haha. Seems like you’re shivering more here than on the battlefield.”
Would you believe it, Father? I’m really more nervous here than on the battlefield.
I look down while taking a sip of water. Behind me, the procession of carriages continues as those attending the Imperial New Year’s Eve Ceremony keep disembarking.
They’re not nobles. They’re ordinary citizens of the Empire. And many of them are elderly.
Those who find it difficult to take even one step relying on their canes. But no one gives them cold looks. Clear as day, I can see people standing by to support them in case they fall or get hurt.
‘Seniors.’
Yes. They’re all like me, recipients of medals of honor. Survivors worn down by the war.
When the Empire was in crisis, when their comrades were in crisis, they advanced without a moment’s hesitation.
Even if it meant dying themselves, they defeated the Empire’s enemies, saved their comrades, and boldly achieved great victories, earning them the title of unsung heroes of the Empire.
Until now, they’ve been living quietly. All of them were longing for a peaceful life.
But according to the Emperor’s wishes, recipients of medals of honor from all over the Empire were called to the palace.
It’s not mandatory. If it’s possible to attend, they would like them to come. It’s the intention to remind people of these heroes who seem to have been forgotten, and those who couldn’t attend due to some circumstances were excluded from the ceremony.
‘Counting the one who just got off the carriage, it’s eleven.’
Among the countless pages of Imperial history, there are not even a hundred recipients of medals of honor. And even with me included, there were not more than twenty people left.
“Sir Karl Adelheit.”
I turn my head, and a royal knight quietly informs me that everything is ready.
“I’ll be back, Father.”
“Sure. See you at the New Year’s Eve Ceremony.”
I move my feet to follow the royal knight. Eventually, I reach a place where people are sitting in neat uniforms, their chests adorned with medals.
“Nice to meet you, seniors. I’m Karl Adelheit, the junior who will guide you this time.”
Bowing my head, I greet them. In response, the middle-aged men sitting there stand up.
“Oh my. No, Sir, it’s okay. Don’t do that.”
“We’ll be more uncomfortable if you do that. Really.”
They say receiving a medal of honor is something you have to tap dance at the entrance to the afterlife to earn.
Naturally, all these individuals who could perform such acts were not nobles, but ordinary Imperial soldiers.
To them, I probably looked more like a precious noble than a junior, given my status as a scion of a noble family.
“It’s finally an honor to meet the hero of the Empire.”
“I can’t believe you received twice what you couldn’t have received once. You seem to be a much greater person than us.”
I shook my head at their words. The number doesn’t matter. Whether one received one or ten, the mindset to receive this was enough, wasn’t it?
“That’s too much praise, seniors. I just did what you all did here. I just did my best to do what needed to be done. I’m not more impressive than you seniors in any way.”
I felt sorry for those heroes over there. I felt apologetic.
They sacrificed more. Just because they were gradually being forgotten as people from the past. They had to stand behind someone like me to remind everyone of them.
“I’m sorry. The people who should be here should be in front, higher up, shining brighter than me. I…”
Thunk—
I looked up at the sound of something tapping on the ground. There, an old man was struggling to stand up with a cane in hand.
“Ah, young lad.”
The elderly man, laboriously approaching me, looked at me with eyes still full of light.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, no, rather… thank you, young lad, for you are the witness, the witness to all that we have done, and without you, it would all be forgotten in the end.””
Without realizing it, I looked at him, and beyond him, at the recipients of the medals.
All of them were old, unlike me. The youngest person was in his mid-forties. Most of them were elderly, over sixty.
It was natural. There hadn’t been such a large war before the war with Luzernes. With no significant events to award medals for, the lineage of the recipients was on the verge of being cut off.
We don’t want war. Of course, the absence of recipients of medals is good for everyone. But for those who have already received them…
Those who have given everything, sacrificed everything, wouldn’t it be somewhat sad if all that faded away? Sometimes, isn’t that a little heartbreaking?
Perhaps, this is exactly what the Emperor wanted from me.
As someone like them, someone who can understand them to the very end.
A witness who will not let go of their memory, even if everyone else forgets.
To remind everyone that they were there, willing to be the foundation for peace, witnesses and advocates for those who sacrificed for that peace.
“You’re more handsome than I thought. Thank God. What if your face gets damaged like this.”
I saw scars on the old man’s face. Despite the passing of decades, those scars remained, scars that were too painful to call marks of honor.
But he didn’t seem ashamed of it. Rather, he seemed proud. Everyone else also had confidence in their eyes. It wasn’t simply ‘I’m a hero’ or anything like that.
‘Even if that moment comes again. Even if I’m put in that situation again.’
Even if that happens, I, we, will always make the same decision, take the same action. That was my conviction.
* * *
At the end of the year, and the beginning of the new one, the Empire’s New Year’s Eve Ceremony began.
In recent years, due to the war with Luzernes, all events had been simplified. But now that the war was over, it was time to once again demonstrate the Empire’s strength.
“The Emperor is entering.”
At the announcement, the noisy hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone stood up and paid their respects towards the figure to whom their hearts were devoted, the absolute ruler of the Empire.
Following behind the Emperor, who finally appeared, were faces never seen before.
Some were old, some were scarred. Some had missing arms, some had missing legs.
A few young nobles may not even know who they are, let alone their names. They were survivors of the old war, now faded memories of the past, found anywhere in the Empire.
But today, even they would come to know who they are. They would realize.
“Karl Adelheit.”
Instead of giving a New Year’s greeting as usual, the Emperor called out the young man who was following them from the back with more medals on his chest than anyone else.
“Remember. O ye faithful of the Empire. O ye subjects of the Empire. Remember who they fought for, who they shed blood for, who they died for. Remember them, and the nameless heroes of the Empire behind them. This is your duty, your eternal shackles. A curse that must be willingly borne.”
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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