I Became the Academy’s War Hero

Chapter 4: That’s Not What I Want (1)

The reason I was able to adapt so quickly to this world right after possessing this body wasn’t just because of my overwhelming understanding of MAGA, but more importantly because of the memories belonging to Eugene Carter.

Perhaps it was due to the incurable curse, or maybe because I had lived the life of an addict afterward, but the memories were fragmented here and there.

That part was unfortunate.

Still, identifying the giant standing before me wasn’t difficult.

I almost greeted him like an old acquaintance, but instead decided to play it off lightly.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

A weak provocation deserves a stronger one.

With this much attention on me, I had no choice but to come out strong whether I liked it or not.

‘If I lose the battle of wills here, it’s over.’

As if he immediately understood my intent, the hulking man crossed his arms and smiled pitifully.

“Haha… Guess it’s been so long you don’t even remember, Carter kid.”

Twitch.

Eugene Carter’s memories stirred violently at the old nickname.

Frederick Lake. Born in 1433. Commissioned as an Imperial Army noncommissioned officer in ’53. Served in various posts and eventually concluded twelve years of service as a drill instructor.

In ’65, he was appointed as a basic physical training instructor at Karbenna, joining the academy and concurrently serving as dormitory supervisor for the 4th Cadet Division.

Back then, Eugene Carter had been a top-performing fourth-year cadet, and the two had frequently clashed due to their differences in values.

For Frederick, who had spent most of his life as a soldier before being assigned to the academy, discipline and structure were of utmost importance.

It was only natural that he’d find Eugene Carter, who smashed through those systems head-on, utterly distasteful.

‘If there’s a problem in the system, then fix the system — not blame the people in it.’

Karbenna, shaken to its core by Eugene Carter’s reforms, continued to expand its influence thereafter.

Contrary to Frederick’s beliefs.

That was the irony of it all.

After Karbenna’s prestige within the Empire grew even greater than before, one of the people who benefited the most was none other than Frederick himself.

So, his feelings toward me must be quite complicated now.

Once, we’d been like mortal enemies — but more than ten years had passed since then.

Feigning calm, I responded with a casual smile.

“Ah, I remember now. How have you been, Instructor Frederick?”

This time, it was my turn to strike back.

“Instructor? Watch your tone.”

“You’re not my superior anymore, are you?”

“Not directly, no. But what happened to showing respect to your senior instructor?”

“Oh? You’re still teaching physical training? My mistake then, my apologies, Vena Ribenia.”

As I gave a cheeky salute, Frederick’s lips twitched with restrained anger.

He forced down his irritation and spoke through clenched teeth.

“…I’m the Director of Academic Affairs now.”

“I thought so. I could tell by your outfit. My apologies for the disrespect, Director.”

“Haa…”

Realizing my intent, Frederick’s expression began to crack.

“…When I heard you were returning, I figured you wouldn’t stay quiet for long.”

He placed a hand on his hip and clicked his tongue.

“So what is it this time? I doubt it’s anything trivial. Would be nice if you could act like the has-been you are and just stay out of the way.”

“I tried to, but… at this rate, Karbenna’s reputation might take a hit.”

“Still as shameless as ever, aren’t you…”

Frederick scratched his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

“Who do you think is causing all this trouble right now? Hm? Do you even realize the administrative office is behind schedule because of you?”

“If that’s what’s bothering you, why don’t we take this conversation somewhere private? Shall we move inside?”

“No need to go that far. Why not just wrap this up here?”

“Are you admitting it, then? That Karbenna denied Dellowell’s educational framework?”

Flinch.

Right. No matter how tough you are, you can’t help but twitch at that name — Dellowell.

For someone who had been through countless battles, that infamy must’ve sounded even more intimidating.

“…You’re exaggerating, Carter.”

“Whether it’s an exaggeration or not isn’t for you to decide.”

“……”

“If you’d like, I can go straight to Dellowell myself and verify the truth.”

As I maintained my composed demeanor, Frederick finally took a step back.

“So what is it you want, then? You don’t intend to make a bigger fuss out of this, do you?”

Ah, so threats didn’t work — now he was switching to persuasion.

I could have chosen to stop here and call it a day, but…

‘Eugene Carter wouldn’t end things at this level.’

Placing a hand gently on Rubia’s shoulder, I spoke.

“I request a full re-evaluation of the banned literature list.”

Frederick’s expression darkened with confusion once again.

“…A re-evaluation?”

“It’s the proper procedure, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, but… you seem different. You were never the kind of man to fuss over such minor details.”

“……”

“Or are you close with that professor? Is that why you’re taking the fall for her?”

Did he really need me to spell it out for him…

I gave him a sidelong glance.

“I don’t know why you came back to Karbenna, but you’d better be careful. This place isn’t as easygoing as you remember.”

“We’ll see about that soon enough.”

“…I see. So that’s what this is about?”

Frederick lowered his head, chuckling to himself as if he’d just realized something.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

The words almost slipped out, but I barely held them back.

For some reason, Frederick seemed genuinely amused. After a long chuckle, he finally lifted his gaze.

“There’s less than three weeks left, right? I hope you’ll live up to your old reputation then, Carter.”

“…You can count on it.”

“Good. This time, I’ll play along with your tune.”

Frederick tapped the stack of magical textbooks on the counter.

“Let’s see… Professor Magnus, was it?”

Rubia flinched at suddenly hearing her name and quickly responded.

“…Y-Yes!”

“You know this case is an exceptional one. Next time, I’ll be judging strictly according to regulations. Understood?”

“Ah… yes, understood.”

“Try not to use any textbooks that might stir controversy. No need to make anyone uncomfortable.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Frederick gave me one last, lingering glare before sharply turning on his heel and heading inside.

* * *

After the commotion at the Academic Affairs Office settled down,

I was heading toward the Chairwoman’s Office with Rubia supporting me.

I briefly considered resting at the terrace since there were still many eyes watching us, but there wasn’t enough time for that.

‘That damn Frederick, always running his mouth for nothing.’

As I maintained a calm expression, my eyes met Rubia’s.

Without warning, she bowed her head slightly.

“Once again, thank you so much, Colonel Eugene Carter.”

Her tone was completely different from earlier.

So this was Rubia Magnus’s true way of speaking.

“You don’t need to say my full name. Just Eugene is fine.”

“Then I’ll call you Mr. Eugene!”

Her bright smile made it hard to keep a straight face.

As soon as she noticed my expression softening, Rubia immediately asked a question.

“There’s something I’ve been curious about, Mr. Eugene.”

“Yes?”

“Are you also interested in divine magic?!”

Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

I deliberately shifted my gaze into the air.

“Why do you think that?”

She pursed her lips and looked down at the book in her hands.

“Well… you seemed to understand the contents of this difficult book so easily. Even among Gluon School mages, Zosimos’s writings are considered quite niche.”

“I just happened to come across it in the past.”

If I told her I’d extracted the book’s key points using my unique skill, she’d probably be disappointed.

“So this is your first year being appointed as a professor, right, Mr. Eugene?”

“Yes.”

“What subject are you in charge of?”

“For now, I’m listed as an instructor for practical tactics.”

At the word “practical,” Rubia’s eyes widened even more.

“As expected of a Special Task Force veteran. That’s amazing.”

“It’s nothing special. Just part of the job.”

“Ahaha, I only know theory, so…”

“There’s no such thing as practical training without theory.”

After that, we continued chatting pleasantly for about ten more minutes.

Throughout the conversation, Rubia actively showed friendliness toward me.

It might have been because I defended her earlier, but even taking that into account, her attitude was overly warm.

As if… she had already known Eugene Carter for a long time.

My conclusion was simple: ‘Let’s watch a bit longer.’

‘I don’t remember her, but… it wouldn’t be strange if there was some connection somewhere.’

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the entrance to the Chairwoman’s Office on the seventh floor.

“Thank you for helping me.”

I gave Rubia a slight nod.

“I hope I didn’t take up too much of your time.”

“Not at all.”

Rubia nodded, her expression deeply impressed.

“…So the rumors at Karbenna really can’t be trusted.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

With a pure, radiant smile, she extended her hand.

“I hope we meet again, Mr. Eugene.”

I lightly shook her hand and smiled.

“I feel the same.”

As I watched Rubia walk away with light steps, the words slipped out of me instinctively.

“…Guess possession really is something to experience once in a lifetime.”

Knock, knock, knock—

“Chairwoman, Colonel Eugene Carter has arrived. May I let him in?”

A youthful voice called out softly from inside.

The servant waiting beside me nodded and opened the door.

‘It’s good that I’ve already made contact with two heroines on my first day… but of all people, why does Michel have to be the second one?’

I did my best to walk straight.

The room was so full of decorations that for a moment, it felt smaller than it was.

Portraits of past emperors and chairmen lined the walls.

On the floor, patterns of gold and silver were intricately engraved into the polished marble.

It gleamed so brightly that my reflection shone back at me.

“Come closer, Colonel Carter.”

Her voice was graceful yet sharp.

I stepped forward and met the gaze of the woman before me.

A simple outfit, naturally silver hair cut neatly, and green eyes deep enough to pull you in.

Unlike Rubia’s bright smile, hers was faint and clearly forced.

“I heard you called for me, Chairwoman.”

The third daughter of the Bernhardt family — the most prestigious noble house in the Ribenia Empire — and the eighth Chairwoman of Karbenna.

Tap, tap-tap.

With a familiar motion, she drummed her fingers lightly against the desk.

Michel Bernhardt asked,

“What brought you to Karbenna?”