NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8 - Regular Classes
Thud─! Thud─! Thud─!
Nervous footsteps echoed. She stomped her feet so forcefully that dust swirled on the ground.
‘…As I expected, I was right.’
Rina shook her shoulders, clenching her fists tightly.
The smile that had casually bloomed on Yena’s face was still vivid. If she were a commoner, she wouldn’t have dared to counter my question as a former imperial princess, but she was nonchalant.
Yena didn’t deny hiding her grade.
“I hoped it was just a delusion…”
At first, she thought she was being unnecessarily suspicious. With her bright eyes and snow-white skin, she looked like a pure girl without any dark side.
But it was a mistake.
An ordinary commoner couldn’t treat Wolf like that, let alone answer my question without any fear.
It’s embarrassing to say, but I was nobility itself to commoners. Yet she answered casually and wasn’t nervous?
‘Impossible.’
Although she didn’t want to categorize people by class, this was the reality of the Empire. Of course, they say the boundaries between nobles and commoners are breaking down after the Great War, but…
There’s a limit, isn’t there? Even the Gallic Republic, famous for equality between elves and humans, doesn’t equate an imperial princess with a commoner.
Crunch─!
She ground her teeth, trampling on a branch on the ground.
No further deliberation was needed.
‘Surely someone must be behind her.’
Now she was strongly convinced. Yena wasn’t just a simple commoner, but a child supported by some unknown noble. This explains her peculiarity in treating nobles casually.
It was a reasonably rational suspicion in Rina’s mind.
Yena not only boldly confronted the Streman family, but also emitted a mana light that even she, who had completed specialized magic education in the imperial family, had never seen in her life.
‘Then the question is, for what purpose did she come here…’
She frowned, twirling her white hair with her fingers.
To extract military secrets? Hmm, no. No noble, no matter who, would do such a crazy thing.
Assuming she’s a spy, it could make sense,
but the possibility that the Empire failed to filter out such a disguised student and admitted her to the most strictly managed Awakened education school is beyond small, it’s non-existent.
In the end, there’s only one answer.
‘To monitor other nobles.’
Of course, this assumption was also very unlikely to be realized. If discovered, it would form an antagonistic relationship with the military, so who would attempt it?
“……”
But Rina knew someone who might do such a thing.
She knew him too well.
The ruler who once reigned at the pinnacle of the Empire, now deposed and exiled to the neighboring Kingdom of Holland.
‘The Emperor.’
No, Father.
That old man would certainly do it.
There was sufficient justification too.
You are the only Awakened one in the imperial family, strive to revive the family again, even though I’m in Holland, I’ll be watching to see if you’re properly following orders…
With his personality that drove her every day with hysterical levels of coercion and oppression, he would certainly send minions to monitor whether she was doing futile things.
‘To him, I’m nothing but a mere tool.’
She was despised simply for being a daughter who couldn’t inherit the throne.
Even at this moment, to him, she was just a woman to be strategically married off to the Streman family, nothing more, nothing less.
“…I have no intention of putting up with it anymore.”
Rina bit her lip until blood beaded. Although she had entered the military academy at her father’s command, she didn’t want to live under his grip even here.
In fact, she came here to escape that hellish surveillance.
That’s why Rina steeled her heart even more.
‘I’ll keep an eye on that girl.’
She resolved never to turn her back on Yena, and to someday uncover the secret she must be hiding.
And based on that evidence, to strike back at her father.
Although her view of Yena might be mistaken, now that the nightmare of being tormented by the Emperor was resurfacing, it was already too late to make a different judgment.
There was no turning back now.
She could only hope that suspicion would become certainty, and certainty would become reality.
‘I’ll show that Father was wrong, that I was competent enough to become Emperor.’
Definitely.
Thud─! Thud─!
Rina moved, clutching the fabric of her chest tightly.
A brightly sunlit morning.
“Hmm……”
I stretched with a yawn.
With messy hair, I got up from the bed and awakened my drowsy mind.
Pillow marks on the face. The neck of the nightgown slipped to my shoulders, hair covering my vision. My appearance told everything about how comfortably I had slept.
Perhaps thanks to that, my tired body had somehow regained its vigor.
The dormitory bed is certainly much more comfortable. It seems several times cozier than the one in the temporary lodging.
“Oof.”
I energetically got up, savoring the sunlight coming through the window.
Thud─ Thud─
I took off the sleep socks I had been wearing and headed to the bathroom.
“Unity and freedom, for our fatherland─!”
As if welcoming my energetic steps, a cheerful music played just then.
It was the national anthem of the Empire.
I didn’t expect to hear this song, which I had heard countless times during my service as a Magic Officer in the Great War, so soon.
But it feels good to hear it after so long.
Feeling oddly excited, I smiled faintly as I entered the bathroom and neatly arranged my nightgown in front of the door.
Swoosh─!
Soon, I met the water stream with my bare white body.
Finally, my drowsy mind awakened, and my eyes opened clearly.
“So it wasn’t a dream after all.”
Squeak─
When I rubbed the steamy mirror with my finger, a black-haired girl greeted me.
It was reality. The memory wasn’t a delusion. It means this world is still intact, and thinking about the various things I’ll face in the future already made my heart pound.
Then organizing what I couldn’t do yesterday should be the priority.
After quickly finishing the shower, I put on a shirt and moved to the desk.
Scratch, scratch─!
Using the fountain pen and a sheet of paper I had prepared the day before, I began organizing various political events that would have a significant impact on the inside of the military academy or the Empire in the future.
As I scribbled with the fountain pen and filled the blanks with black, the paper was soon filled with characters.
“This should be enough.”
Thud!
I roughly put down the pen and held the paper up in the air. Both sides were so densely packed with writing that even when held close to the lamp, light barely passed through.
Perfect.
A satisfactory result was born.
[Comprehensive Summary of Domestic and Foreign Events in the Empire]
Below the title to enhance readability,
[Imperial Year 133: Labor Party becomes majority party]
[Imperial Year 136: Bern Empire declares rearmament]
[Imperial Year 138: Austrant Unification Movement]
.
.
.
A document that would cause terrible ripples if made public was created, with items listed in a consistent style.
“It’s going to be a mess.”
I smirked as I read the paper in descending order.
Just a few simple words showed at a glance how chaotic the Empire was.
With the aftermath of the Great War still lingering, and less than 10 years since the establishment of the republic, the Empire was in turmoil with various political factions vying for power.
Therefore, to gain power and enter the upper echelons, one must belong to a group that will rise in status in the future, by any means necessary.
I should join the Labor Party after all.
Rustle, rustle─
Even as I put on clothes other than the shirt, I stared intently at the top of the paper.
Among the numerous event names entering my vision, the word ‘Labor Party’ took up a particularly large proportion of the text.
This meant that in the future, the party advocating for workers would soon have a massive impact on the Empire, no, the world.
So I must cooperate with them.
It was no different from a golden lifeline for me. For someone who entered the school solely on the value of their father’s name without any backing, the Labor Party was my only salvation.
This was also the reason for my plan to build relationships with instructors from now on.
The military had immense power and was closely connected to the political sphere. If I maintain good relationships, I might have a chance to join the Labor Party someday, right?
Of course, I only needed the Labor Party’s power, without any intention of being loyal to them.
“…Rather, I should get rid of them.”
Those foolish lot, I mean.
Just recalling the actions of those who occupied positions without any ability, solely on the name value of the Labor Party, made my teeth clench.
In fact, they were the main culprits who made it difficult to win the Great War.
The party leader who served as chancellor plunged the Empire into a quagmire at every critical moment, and his minions followed suit with foolish actions.
In the past, thinking it was just a game and there would be many opportunities, I tried to be loyal to the idiots of the Labor Party and drag out the Great War, but this time I didn’t want to go along with them.
Well, for now, I’ll have to grovel like a dog to please them.
“Hmm.”
After putting on my outer clothes, I tied up my hair that had flowed down past my shoulders. After finishing that, I put on stockings that came up to my thighs.
Although the attire was still unfamiliar, I had become somewhat accustomed to it now.
Finally, by fastening the buttons on the sleeves, I completed putting on the officer’s uniform. In front of the mirror stood not an ordinary girl, but a soldier exuding charisma.
The epaulettes indicating the candidate rank and the shining golden belt added to that atmosphere.
I looked at myself in the mirror for a few seconds and then turned around. After confirming there was nothing amiss, I put strength into my palm.
Zing─!
Starting with a bright flame, followed by frost-swirling ice shards, a small swirling stream of water, and so on, colorful magic immediately appeared.
For now, it’s better to hide it.
There’s no benefit in revealing that I can handle various elements. Of course, if I were to reveal this to Gartel, I could receive great help.
I might even gain the attention of the military academy principal. Or beyond that, there was a possibility of many politicians and instructors coming to see this rare ability, allowing me to form relationships with them.
But it wasn’t time yet.
It’s an ability no one expects. As such, if a crisis comes, it shouldn’t lose its value as the last bastion to protect myself.
It’s not too late to talk about it after I’ve grown strong enough to protect myself.
There’s no need to be hasty when I can attract attention by telling the instructors after I’ve surpassed this pathetic Grade 7 mana quantity. There’s plenty of time anyway.
Whoosh─
Let’s be patient until then, I thought as I dusted off my palm where white smoke remained and headed for the entrance.
There’s a lot to do.
From aiming for growth in magical power and physical abilities to turning the bad relationship with Rina from yesterday into a close one. There’s a mountain of tasks to solve in the future.
“…This is going to be fun.”
I had great expectations for cadet life accordingly.
What kind of incidents and accidents will befall me? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I moved forward confidently, embracing that refreshing feeling.
Click─!
Outside the dormitory door.
To attend the first class at the military academy.
Desks arranged in circular tiers centered around the blackboard. And thick textbooks placed at each seat.
It was a facility reminiscent of a modern university.
How much effort must have been put into it? Although the historical background was clearly modern, the facilities of the military academy were not much different from what I had experienced in my past life.
“Finally, the first day……”
“I guess we’ll study with this book?”
Meanwhile, the cadets were chattering noisily.
Zing─
“Rina?”
“……”
By some coincidence, not only did I take the ability test with Rina, but we were also assigned to the same class.
Her piercing gaze sent a tingling sensation to the back of my head.
“That girl is here too?”
“Hmm, that’s good. I was wondering what to do if I got bored.”
Wolf, with whom I had a deep bad relationship, was also here. It seemed that the group that conducted the test together the day before was formed into the same class as is, as his gang was also in sight.
This is an opportunity.
People I wanted to meet had gathered all at once. For me, who needed to get as close as possible to Rina or find out Wolf’s background, this was an unexpected gain.
“The instructor is not a bad person……”
Thud─ Thud─
“either.”
The creaking sound of the wooden floor gradually grew louder. The cadets one by one turned their eyes to the entrance of the lecture hall.
“Hey, hey, he’s coming!”
“That instructor, yesterday?”
The chaotic space instantly fell into order.
“Everyone, attention.”
As the room quieted down, a familiar middle-aged man finally appeared.
Gartel, who had overseen the ability test the day before, appeared with his hands behind his back.
“For the Empire.”
“F-For the Empire──!”
He briefly completed the imperial salute and then headed towards the podium in the center of the blackboard.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you all. From today, I’ll be in charge of the eligibility screening and the entire first-year curriculum. We met yesterday, but that was temporary, and now I’ll introduce myself officially.”
And he opened his mouth, sweeping his gaze over the cadets.
“I am Instructor Gartel, in charge of the first year and overseeing the administrative work of the military academy.”
“Hello, sir!”
As soon as Gartel finished speaking, the cadets shouted in unison.
It was a scene of strict military discipline.
The first class at the Empire’s top magic officer training school, the tension of the first formal encounter with a veteran senior with extensive knowledge – the cadets answered stiffly.
Even the renowned Rina and Wolf were no exception.
As if reenacting the moment of the entrance ceremony, they focused on the mouth shape of the man showing sharp eyes while gripping the podium with both arms.
I wasn’t much different.
Although I didn’t tremble like the other children, I opened my ears wide and focused on the class, wondering what kind of lesson he would conduct.
“Good. I’m glad to meet you too. Then let’s start the education now. Everyone, please open the first page of your textbook.”
Following his words,
Rustle─
I turned the cover of the book, moving my lips.