Chapter 54

Chapter 53

The Hero Never Studied - 1

At the temporary headquarters of the Imperial Army's Northern Campaign, there were many ger (yurts) scattered around, which were often used by the Imperial Army due to their ease of setup and dismantling.

"Wow, this guy is the chief team leader?"

"Things are really bad. The status of the 4th Division has hit rock bottom."

Inside one of the ger, seven men and women gathered. They wore dusty black uniforms, their faces etched with fatigue, yet they were giggling as if something was highly amusing.

"Of course, this is the natural result."

The man with black hair at the center spoke confidently. Having successfully secured the title of chief team leader, which had been undecided for a long time, his face was filled with mockery and disdain for the other team leaders.

"I can't even sit at the same table with these mere team leaders; they stink."

"What should we do with this guy?"

"Let's take him down first."

At those words, the six team leaders pounced on the chief team leader, laying him on the ground and beating him with various objects.

"Shit! This is insubordination!"

"What hierarchy is there among team leaders?"

"Do you think being chief makes you better than us? Hey, you're just in charge of promotions."

After a few minutes, both the beaten chief team leader and the six enthusiastic team leaders got up as if nothing had happened.

"This is why we stay in the 4th Division. Where else can you beat up the heir to the Empire?"

"Filthy red blood."

"Should we take him down again?"

Still, their faces were filled with laughter. This kind of prank was a regular occurrence.

"Still, it's surprising. They actually decided on a chief?"

"Team leaders have been dying so quickly. Even if they chose one, he'd be gone soon. Why bother?"

"True."

The average survival period for a 4th Division team leader was not long. Especially after the war in the north broke out. That's why they didn't bother to appoint a chief. But the current team leaders had survived far longer than average, so a chief was finally appointed.

"Let's make it all the way to the end of the war."

"When the war ends, I'll quit this damn inspection department."

"I... I'll confess to the girl back home..."

"You must be crazy."

Even the team leader who had never had a girlfriend joined in the strange talk. Talk of the war ending and what they would do afterward. If this were a play, it would be foreshadowing a sad ending. But the seven didn't care.

We will definitely return to the capital alive. That's what the seven thought, without any hesitation.

***

The morning sunlight seeping through the curtains tickled his face, and he opened his eyes.

"Oh."

Shit, it was a dream.

Heaving a small sigh, he got up. Lately, he had been hearing so much about those guys that they even appeared in his dreams. Still, it was fortunate. It was a not-so-bad memory that had surfaced in his dream.

'Why did I like it so much back then?'

At the time, he was secretly pleased to be appointed as the chief team leader. It was a ridiculous thing. If it were now, he would have clenched his teeth and avoided any position with more responsibility. Back then, he felt good because it seemed he was recognized as better than the others. It was a funny thing.

What's really funny is that the people who were the 4th Division chief and team leaders back then are now the minister and director, respectively.

He stretched his stiff neck and got out of bed. Then, the thought of quitting the inspection department after the war, which they had jokingly discussed, flashed through his mind. One of them had suddenly spoken with genuine sincerity during a casual conversation.

The sudden truth game led the others to share their real wish lists, not just talk about the girl back home. But no one, not him, not the others, realized that quitting the inspection department was the hardest wish to fulfill.

Thinking about it made him chuckle.

As soon as he arrived at the club room, he opened the cookie jar, but it was empty. It seemed that no cookies had been added during the fair, and it was the first time it had been empty.

"Oh."

A sigh of disappointment escaped his lips.

His small human snack was gone. Eating cookies alone in the empty club room had been his routine, but it was broken now. He would have to ask Louise to make more today.

Putting the cookie jar aside, he sat in his usual chair and looked around the club room. With plenty of ingredients and tools, he often thought about becoming a pastry chef when he was alone. He had been spending club hours alone for months.

'I'm thinking weird thoughts again.'

He needed to resist this temptation. He knew his cooking skills well. He had once made food for the officers, and the result was terrible.

He had never thought about cooking in his life, so it was a natural outcome. But he had no choice when the situation arose.

'Maybe I should bring a book.'

To avoid the risk of flour everywhere, he had avoided keeping other items besides cooking tools. But what could he do alone for so long? Today, he felt particularly nostalgic for club hours.

The club members who arrived after waiting alone for hours were more diligent than he had expected.

"We'll have to focus on studying for a while."

"Okay?"

He nodded calmly at Louise's words. It was indeed the exam period. Whoever planned the academy schedule had a knack for raising the mood with the fair and then plunging everyone into exams.

"It's my first exam since entering, so I'll try my best!"

Seeing her clench her fists, he couldn't bring himself to say, "You don't need to; just make cookies for me, I feel dizzy."

If he had asked Louise, she would have agreed, but he didn't want to be the kind of adult who blocked a child's future.

"Good, work hard. Effort will pay off."

"Okay!"

In the end, he could only offer the usual encouragement. He would have to visit the library from morning tomorrow.

"Actually, this place is good for studying. It's quiet since we're the only ones here."

"We can talk to each other, so it's better than the library."

"Ah, that's true. The librarian's gaze is a bit intimidating in the library."

Erich and Lather's conversation from the side confirmed his thoughts. For a while, the club room would smell of paper and ink, not cookies.

In fact, for the majority of the academy students, who were nobles, grades had little significance. They didn't need to attend higher education or find a job after graduation, so high grades weren't necessary.

Of course, some went into the administration or military, but they had separate recruitment exams, not based on school grades. In fact, recommendations were more useful than exams. It was a world where recommendations still held more power than exams.

Still, the reason noble students focused on exams was simple. It was a visible metric for competition. For the proud blue blood, it was the most important reason. In contrast, commoner students worked hard to get high grades to impress the nobles, as it was a matter of their lives.

"Quite a lot of subjects for the exam?"

"Huh? They said it's actually reduced from before?"

When he commented on the textbooks Louise was pulling out, he got a puzzled response. Reduced? It seemed like a university-level workload, and before that, it was high school level?

Staring blankly at the textbooks, Louise tilted her head and then awkwardly smiled.

"Still, as Brother said, it is a lot."

Seeing Louise's slightly trembling pupils, he nodded lightly and moved on. He had answered without thinking and then realized.

'I'm an adult who hasn't been to school.'

Louise's initial reaction was, "Didn't Brother learn more in school?" It implied that he, a graduate from the past, shouldn't react like this.

But he didn't know that past. He had never even enrolled in the academy. Fortunately, Louise recalled it before he had to explain, avoiding an awkward moment.

Louise's ears were slightly red as she turned her gaze to the textbooks, almost revealing her academic background. It must have been a close call. Yes, I understand. I'm a special case.

"Ah, didn't the advisor never attend the academy?"

You don't understand, you Talula.

Ryutis's sudden comment made his body stiffen, and Louise cautiously observed his reaction. Even Erich, who was far away, flinched and looked at him.

"...Yeah, that's right."

"Hey, I also had a lot of doubts about attending the academy. You don't need a diploma, and how great would it be to find a suitable job earlier than others?"

'You idiot.'

If the 2nd Division chief had said that, he would have already hit him. It was even more infuriating because it was a pure exclamation, not malicious or mocking. It was hard to get angry at "It's great that you found your calling and worked earlier than others!"

"You should have found another path instead of coming to the academy."

"Well, didn't I meet good people after coming here? I would have regretted it if I hadn't come."

Seeing Ryutis laugh, he smiled in a different way. If Ryutis hadn't come, it would have been better to reduce the number of useless people from five to four.

"Brother, even if you hadn't attended the academy, you're already a great person. I think that's even cooler."

Although Louise tried to support him, recognizing that Ryutis had no ill intent, it wasn't particularly comforting. He wasn't bitter about not attending the academy but about the path he chose after giving it up.

Of course, as Ryutis said, he had met many people by choosing this path. But the fact that he had chosen a difficult path under the influence of the clan head always loomed in his mind.

"Thank you."

After a moment of silence, he finally managed to respond.

Author's Note

After experiencing the Chul-chul and Pokémon Gold incidents, I've been perceived as older than my actual age. I hesitated a bit while deciding on this subheading.

But I ultimately followed my heart. The hero never studied...

Thank you for reading this chapter!