I Became the Academy’s War Hero

Chapter 3: Eugene Carter (3)

At the same time, in the Special Task Forces Commander’s office.

“Hm.”

Lieutenant General Alvin tilted his head slightly as he examined the two official documents that had come through the administrative office.

One was a personnel order — dispatching Colonel Eugene Carter to Karbenna.

And the other was an appointment letter sent from Karbenna itself.

「To Eugene Carter

The above-named individual is hereby appointed as the 3rd Instructor of Practical Tactics at Karbenna Academy. (1477.3.1.~1478.2.29)

February 21, 1477

Chairman Michel Bernhardt」

“It’s a relief that the troublemaker finally seems to be coming to his senses… but I wonder if this will really be okay.”

Colonel Belfor, who had first brought up the idea, must have been just as surprised.

Who would have thought that the infamously notorious Eugene Carter would volunteer for Karbenna of all places?

Alvin had half expected Carter to come knocking at his door midway through, begging him to call the whole thing off.

Yet even up to today, the day of his dispatch, Carter hadn’t shown his face on the third floor once.

That probably meant he was confident in his decision.

“Still looked as frail as ever, though.”

Although Karbenna was an imperial educational institution, its fundamental principle was one of extreme competition.

No matter how brilliant one’s past achievements, or how much fame one currently held — none of that mattered in Karbenna.

Both cadets and instructors competed solely on results.

Anyone who couldn’t prove themselves with skill wouldn’t last three months there, let alone a year.

Even so, Alvin had agreed to Carter’s request without much resistance.

Partly because the conversation had simply flowed that way — but more than that…

“…Those eyes.”

The eyes that once brimmed with arrogance and vanity now burned with conviction and determination — a look the old Eugene Carter could never have had.

That gaze had been enough to convince Lieutenant General Alvin.

He stacked the two documents neatly and pushed them aside, letting out a deep sigh.

“Well, it’s not exactly a losing deal for us either.”

Eugene Carter was the symbol of the Special Task Forces — both its disgrace and a relic of its past.

To show the world a renewed, reformed Special Task Forces, they needed to cut ties with him completely.

Reviving him to serve as a figurehead would be ideal, of course — but that possibility seemed slim.

Alvin rose from his seat and walked toward the window.

Even from afar, Karbenna’s towering spire was clearly visible, as if flaunting its presence.

Pointing toward it, he gave a faint smile.

“Well, might as well land a blow on that cunning chairman while you’re at it, Colonel Carter.”

That might even lift Her Highness’s spirits.

With that short murmur, Lieutenant General Alvin left the Special Task Forces office — heading off for the Imperial regular briefing.

“My role ends here, Colonel Carter. Please follow the instructions of the main building’s Academic Affairs Department for the rest of the admission process.”

“Mm.”

“Then, I wish you the best of luck.”

Angela flicked the reins and disappeared with the carriage.

I stood there watching her back for a moment, then turned around sharply.

Right in front of me stood Building A — the main building of Karbenna Academy.

A quiet murmur escaped my lips in brief admiration.

“…Seeing it in person, it really is something.”

The polished stone walls shimmered under the sunlight, their numerous windows gleaming like glass jewels.

Students in cadet uniforms bustled around near the entrance.

Even from a distance, their gloomy expressions were plain to see.

And the atmosphere around them wasn’t much different.

The gazes I felt from the crowd were cold, to say the least.

Part of it was the Academy’s notorious competitiveness — but more than that…

‘It’s because of my uniform.’

While the design of the Imperial Army’s dress uniform varied little between units, a few exceptions existed.

My navy frock coat, adorned with ornate badges symbolizing the Emperor’s direct command — anyone could tell at a glance that I was a Special Task Forces officer.

“Let’s see… the year’s 77, so I’m about a year late.”

Originally, Karbenna and the Special Task Forces had maintained a complementary relationship.

Both were under the direct command of the Imperial Family, and since most of their resources circulated between them, there had never been a reason for hostility.

Their relationship began to sour in ’74, when the Princess and Karbenna’s chairman clashed — each for their own reasons.

Their conflict reached its peak about a year ago.

Things had cooled off for now, but… the flames would reignite soon enough.

In exactly two weeks.

From that perspective, Eugene Carter found himself in quite a fitting position.

It wasn’t all that unusual for a Karbenna graduate to serve as an officer in the Special Task Forces — but for such an officer to return as an instructor?

That was definitely something rare.

‘It’s almost unheard of for things to line up this perfectly at the start of a playthrough.’

I clenched my fist and smiled.

“I can’t wait to see who I’ll meet first.”

After finishing my registration at the Academic Affairs Department on the second floor of Building A, I waited for about thirty minutes.

“Thank you for waiting, Colonel Carter.”

I hobbled to the counter, supporting myself with a cane.

The staff member continued in a dry, bureaucratic tone.

“It appears your administrative processing was already completed as of yesterday.”

“…I see.”

“If you’ll be using any teaching materials, please submit your request by tomorrow. The course syllabus is due by the 26th. For lecture hall scheduling, please coordinate with the Facilities Management Bureau. As for your dormitory admission, that will be handled in Building G.”

Ah, and—

The staff added one last thing.

“The Chairman requested your presence this morning.”

“…The Chairman?”

“Please visit by 11 o’clock.”

Once the briefing ended, the staff immediately called for the next person.

‘I didn’t expect to be summoned this soon.’

What could be the reason?

To issue a warning? Or to size me up?

Perhaps to make an offer — to abandon the Special Task Forces and join their side.

Whatever the proposal, I had no intention of entertaining it.

Stepping outside slowly, I glanced at my wristwatch.

9:16 a.m.

“I’ve got some time to spare.”

Maybe I could stop by Building G first.

‘Anyway, this damn gait of mine is the real problem.’

Of course, it was true that a mana heart affected one’s physical abilities—but even so, this was too much.

My gaze lingered briefly on the newly added status effect.

Withdrawal Symptoms [Stamina ―30%, Strength ―30%, Agility ―40%, Endurance ―40%, Stress +30%]

※ The probability of suffering from status ailments increases. [Dizziness, Delirium, Tremor, Shaking]

Among the 999 challenges, there were always a few like this.

Ones that made the character fall ill, become a drug addict, or turn into a cripple—those infamous “fragile missions.”

Corruption missions that forced you to commit every manner of immoral act.

And finally, destruction missions that drove your characters to deceive, isolate, and divide until they killed one another in the end.

Detailed challenge settings in a training simulation game were nothing new—but MAGA was notorious for taking them to the extreme.

And I was the lunatic who had played that game for ten years straight.

Something like withdrawal symptoms wasn’t nearly enough to make me flinch.

‘But actually experiencing it myself feels completely different.’

In any case, I needed to get my physical condition back to normal as soon as possible.

Only then could I properly perform at the Imperial Council meeting in about two weeks.

That was when it happened.

“Hey, excuse me!”

Bang!

A loud voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of a desk being slammed.

Everyone in the Academic Affairs Office turned their heads toward the source of the noise.

It turned out a teacher was in the middle of filing a complaint.

“Why is it that this book is the only one that’s not allowed?”

“As I said before, according to our regulations—”

“I already explained several times that it doesn’t violate any of your regulations! Why can’t you understand that?”

The one arguing was a young woman wearing Karbenna’s white uniform, layered with a short black cape.

Her long blue hair reached down to her waist, and she held a thick magic tome in her arms.

The moment I saw her profile, I knew immediately.

Rubia Magnus.

One of MAGA’s representative main characters.

A theoretical mage dispatched from the Magic Tower Duel Mallet.

Her school of magic was Varion, her position an acting agent, and her rank: First-Class, Special Grade.

‘I didn’t expect to run into her this soon.’

A quiet laugh escaped me as I watched Rubia fume, her lips tightly pressed in frustration.

I quickly pieced the situation together.

She must have submitted a textbook she intended to use for class, only for the Academic Affairs Office to reject it.

And since she clearly couldn’t accept that, she’d started making a scene.

‘…They rejected a magic tome in Karbenna, of all places?’

Karbenna—the epitome of efficiency and meritocracy.

Such cases were so rare that the conclusion was obvious.

I began to approach slowly.

Apparently lost in her own tunnel vision, Rubia was entirely focused on persuading the staff member in front of her.

“So I’m telling you, this book doesn’t contain any material like that—!”

I slipped right in between them and placed my hand on the book in question.

“Excuse me. Mind if I take a look?”

“……You are—”

Ignoring Rubia’s surprised expression, I turned toward the staff member.

“What’s the reason for rejection?”

The employee responded with an indifferent expression.

“Is she an acquaintance of yours?”

“No. Just heard the commotion and came to see what was going on.”

His face said it all—Nosy, washed-up Special Task Forces type.

“I’m not required to tell you.”

“Not required? Why not? I’m an instructor here now. What’s the regulation regarding that?”

“……”

“Well, let me guess. It’s considered subversive, right? A book that denies the essence of the Empire?”

“…And if you already know that, why are you getting involved?”

I gave Rubia a sidelong glance before replying.

“Because that’s complete bullshit.”

For Rubia Magnus, a top-class agent of Duel Mallet and a theoretical magic professor at Karbenna Academy, today was a truly bizarre day.

The carriage she took at dawn had suddenly overturned, she barely made it to the Academy only to find the doors locked, and after finally submitting a book she planned to use as a supplementary text—it got rejected right before her eyes.

‘Did someone curse me with bad luck or something?’

No, even so, this was absurd.

There hadn’t been a single complaint last year, but now, a week before the semester began, they were making a fuss about it?

Overwork and misfortune combined had pushed her mental state to its limit.

So while she had lost her temper and snapped, Rubia hadn’t expected much from arguing.

‘…The Academic Affairs Office of Karbenna is notorious for being the least flexible bunch.’

It seemed the situation would end with her simply giving up—until a man who looked like he was from the Special Task Forces suddenly intervened and started poking holes in their regulations.

“So you’re saying that a book used as an official textbook in the Imperial sanctuary of Dellowell Academy is now labeled heretical?”

“T-that’s not what we meant! We were simply following—”

“Should I take this to Dellowell and ask the Inquisitors myself? Ask them if the books they studied back in the Academy were actually promoting blasphemy?”

Watching the Academic Affairs staff flounder under Eugene’s verbal assault, Rubia felt a surge of satisfaction.

The people who always hid behind ‘regulations’ and plugged their ears were finally panicking—it was deliciously cathartic.

News that a former Special Task Forces instructor was causing a ruckus in the Academic Affairs Office spread through the main building almost instantly.

Within ten minutes, the corridor behind them was packed with onlookers.

Rubia stepped sideways nervously.

‘I-I didn’t think it would escalate this much…’

The staff were just as bewildered.

They had assumed it was just another teacher’s complaint—never expecting it to turn into a full-blown incident.

Of course.

The opposing side had no intention of backing down either.

A deep, commanding voice echoed from inside the office.

“What’s all this commotion?”

Step. Step.

A tall man—easily over 190 centimeters—appeared, his heavy tone announcing his presence.

The moment he saw Eugene, a sneering smile spread across his face.

“…Long time no see, Carter.”

His eyes made it clear he was looking down on him.

“It’s been, what, seven years since that incident? You’ve got some nerve showing your face again. You don’t look like you’re doing too well, either.”

At the provocation, Eugene touched his lips lightly, then tilted his head.

“Who are you again?”