NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 20
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 20
“Hmm.”
Princess Miquella skimmed through the newspaper in her hand.
As expected, it was filled with yesterday’s train hijacking and attempted terrorism incident.
Miquella is a member of the royal family.
Receiving news of the Empire’s affairs through the newspaper is all for the sake of the royal family.
Wouldn’t the crown prince be embarrassed if he appeared to be interested in the affairs of the empire for no reason?
It’s necessary to show no political ambition to avoid unnecessary suspicion. While the crown prince may not be that kind of person, it’s always better to be cautious.
‘I bet my brother’s head is hurting from this incident.’
At times like these, I felt grateful for not being the firstborn. If I were the crown princess, I would be twisting in agony in this confusing situation.
I can almost picture my brother, pulling his hair out in frustration.
The only silver lining is that things went well thanks to one man.
< The individual who subdued the train hijackers is Sergeant Karl Adelheit! >
< Medal of Honor recipient. Once again, he saves the people of the Empire! >
< Count Friedrich. Despite his extreme reluctance to speak, he expresses pride in his son. >
‘What a great man.’
From the moment I saw him receiving the medal, I didn’t think he was an ordinary person.
His modesty and consideration for others before himself left a deep impression on me.
And such a person, this time, was active not on the front lines but within the Empire.
“Your Highness.”
“Oh. You’re here?”
As a polite lady greeted me, I responded to the greeting comfortably.
“Have you heard the news, Rika?”
“Yes. I have.”
The woman’s expression as she spoke was far from good. It was stiff and hardened.
It’s certainly not because she’s ignoring or feeling uncomfortable around me.
I knew better than anyone else why she was like that, being part of the princess’s circle.
‘Wasn’t she making that face when her brother was in the army? She seems really worried.’
That’s overprotectiveness for you. This woman. The words almost slipped out of my mouth.
Enlisting as a soldier, being deployed to the battlefield, and saving not only himself but also hundreds of comrades.
He said it was purely luck, but was it really just luck? He clearly possessed remarkable skills.
He’s the kind of elite soldier who could be sent anywhere.
Didn’t he single-handedly subdue and neutralize the terrorists in the train hijacking incident?
And yet, she’s worried like that. It’s a bit baffling as a friend who shares the same worries about their brothers.
But instead of doing that, I decided to ease my friend’s expression with different words.
“Your brother. He seems quite remarkable.”
“…”
“By saving hundreds, he saved thousands of futures. And this time, he prevented significant casualties. It would be nice if all young men in the Empire were like him.”
“Hmm. Hmm.”
Look at that. Just by praising her brother, her lips are trembling with joy. Is it so great that your brother is doing well, Rika? Do you want to worry about him every day and hope he’s doing well every day?
“I’d like to go to the academy.”
“Why now?”
“Because my Karl is… uhm, hmmm, my damn brother hasn’t called me, and he’s been through this and he’s never told me he’s okay. I’m going to have to go give him a stinging warning!”
“….”
You? I’m guessing she’s going to be all over him, asking if he’s okay and if he’s hurt anywhere?
Not to mention sobbing all over her brother’s body, who’s a head taller than her.
“Maybe it’s best not to go.”
With genuine concern, I tried giving advice as a friend.
“I’ve already made arrangements.”
Of course, it wasn’t going to work.
“…Just go and do it in moderation. Okay? Your brother, he’s all grown up now, he’s been in the army, Rika.”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’ll give him a proper scolding.”
“No… Just… Make sure it’s a gentle scolding.”
I’ve been saying this for how many years now.
I shook my head and turned my gaze back to the newspaper.
* * *
“Sergeant Karl Adelheit!”
“Please say a word!”
Geez! They’re like zombies! They’re chasing after me! If they catch me, my precious Sunday will be completely ruined! They won’t give me a break and keep asking all sorts of questions! With crazed eyes!
“Please, for the sake of the Empire’s citizens, agree to an interview!”
“Are you really just coincidentally caught up in this incident as a recipient of the Medal of honor?! Or—!”
Damn it. Damn it! What the hell is this? A pursuit at the academy!
Even though I’m confident in my physical fitness honed in the military. I ran almost thirty minutes straight, but those people didn’t give up.
“Ah! I have nothing to say! Stop chasing me!”
“In addition to receiving an Medal of Honor, you also prevented terrorism—”
“There’s no need to ask me! I’m not a soldier anymore, I’m just a civilian, a regular civilian! Stop bothering a normal academy student. I’ve already had enough trouble because of the four protagonists!”
No matter where I hide or run, the reporters keep following me.
Where did those people even come from to enter the academy?
“Karl!”
Selena suddenly stuck her head out and gestured towards me.
“Here! Quick!”
The person I just parted ways with appeared in front of me again. What does this mean?
Ah! She’s found a place to hide, for me, who’s being chased! Whew! Whew!
Without a moment’s hesitation, I followed Selena’s lead and quickly changed direction. Then Selena grabbed my hand and started running.
“Sergeant Karl Adelheit!”
“Over here! This way—”
I could still hear the reporters’ voices from behind. They’re relentless.
What if they catch us? What should I say? While worrying about that…
“How did you caught up?”
“It’s obvious. Karl, you’ve been running towards obvious places to hide. We need to go somewhere difficult for them to follow.”
“Ah… I see.”
“We’ll just have to hide here for a bit, because those reporters were running straight ahead, and if we go that way, we’ll end up in the opposite direction from here.”
“You know the way really well, don’t you?”
Then Selena says, ‘That’s right.’ Then her face suddenly blushes. why. Why?
“…That’s right, of course I do, I’ve been here at the Academy the whole time, Karl, when you were in the army.”
“Ah. Aah! Really?”
Since I enrolled and took a leave of absence after a month, knowing the way is strange. I’m glad Selena’s here. If she weren’t, I would have been chased for hours.
“Thank you. I owe you one, Selena.”
“Yeah…”
With a somewhat awkward response, Selena fiddled with her fingers. It seemed like she was waiting for a response to what happened earlier.
“Selena.”
“Uh, yeah. Karl.”
“You said something earlier. You asked for forgiveness.”
Her face became noticeably tense. Seeing Selena like that, I suddenly burst into laughter.
Why are you apologizing? Why are you asking for forgiveness? You didn’t do anything wrong.
“There’s no need for forgiveness or anything like that. If anything, thank you for saying that.”
My response made Selena blink and stare at me blankly. It might seem strange to her, but it was obvious from my perspective.
“I was worried that I might make you uncomfortable again. I was afraid we couldn’t even be friends or colleagues. Honestly, I kind of pushed you a little too far with my confession, in front of everyone. I didn’t put myself in your shoes.”
“…”
“So, asking for forgiveness or forgiving each other, that kind of thing was never between us. It was just a bit awkward, and we were all still young and immature back then. If anything, let’s think of it as an opportunity for further growth.”
Selena bowed her head deeply and replied shortly, ‘Yeah.’
Thank goodness. We’ve erased all the awkwardness and apologies between us. It was a bit daunting to think about how to spend the next six months, but things have worked out well.
“Um, but… Karl. I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier… What’s going on right now?”
“Huh? Oh. This.”
“It looks like reporters from the newspaper. What’s going on?”
It seems Selena doesn’t really know the current situation. I’ve heard that the graduating class is always busy, so maybe that’s why.
“Shulifen, Wilhelm, Alexander & Joachim. So… from now on, let’s call them the four protagonists. Anyway, those guys were planning to enlist as soldiers, you know?”
“Oh, I heard about that.”
“I went to the Imperial Army recruit training camp on Friday to convince them.”
After half a day of persuasion, we finally succeeded in sending them home. But we spent too much time, so we returned yesterday, on Saturday!
Selena, who heard about it, patted my shoulder sympathetically and said I had a hard time.
“So, are the reporters swarming because of that? Shulifen, Wilhelm…, really? Karl, you managed to convince those four?”
“No way. We returned, but those damn Kanfra hijacked the train. Their ultimate goal was to explode the station or something. We handled that, and they’re making a fuss. It’s nothing.”
“I see… Wait, what did you just say?”
* * *
Hmm. I think that’s about it. Eloise looked around.
Even though we’re still on imperial land, this forest should be enough to shake off any pursuit.
Though I’ve never had a tail, it’s always good to be cautious.
Thunk!
I caught a squirrel that appeared out of nowhere, then after scanning the surroundings, I opened my mouth.
“Eloise Loengrand. Awaiting orders~”
After a moment, the squirrel’s eyes glazed over strangely, and another voice came through.
[Received.]
“Mission accomplished. We’ve made the train terror incident disappear for now.”
[Survivors?]
“The Empire took them.”
[Exposed?]
“A bit. We were about to start the operation when a strange man had already dealt with everything.”
[Name.]
“Karl. We don’t know his last name yet, but he’s a veteran of the Luzerne War. Suspected sharpshooter level shooting skills. Top-notch combat abilities. And lastly, very handsome!”
After a brief silence, the squirrel spoke again.
[Based on confirmation, the individual known as Karl is presumed to be ‘Karl Adelheit’.]
“I see… Oh? Hold on a moment. That man, by any chance?”
[Recently honored by the Empire with a medal.]
“Heh. I see. Oh, I get it now. No wonder he seemed unusually capable for a returning student.”
A strange laughter echoed from Eloise’s lips, who had been momentarily looking pathetic.
The squirrel, which had been watching her with a bit of pity, continued.
[Get yourself together, Eloise. There’s another mission ahead.]
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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