NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Astrid is Annoyed
Once bread hardens, it doesn’t become soft again, even if reheated.
If that’s the case for bread made with soft wheat flour, then bread made from roughly ground rye with uneven grains would be even worse.
“Sour…”
“How long do you plan to complain about the food, Cadet Leopold?”
“You’re eating it just fine, Cadet Astrid.”
“Mutual respect among squad members is essential.”
On the tray sat an unidentifiable pale gruel poured into one compartment, and two hard rye bread rolls.
She’d thought the side was jam, but it turned out to be mashed turnip.
Despite this, Astrid ate with relative ease.
“I think it’s fine? Look, there’s even meat in it,” Eranya said, scooping up the gruel to show them a tiny fragment of what might be meat.
“This… I didn’t expect the first meal at the academy to be like this…” Leopold sighed.
It was their first meal since enrollment, and it was truly lackluster.
The assistant instructors had mentioned that meals during the first week would simulate field rations, but Leopold had not expected it to be this bad.
“Cadet Leopold, keep in mind that our fathers ate like this during wartime. If they can do it, so can we.”
“Oh, as expected of our squad leader. Such persuasive words,” Astein clapped lightly, putting down his spoon for a moment.
Astrid shot him a sharp glare, then sighed deeply.
“Cadet Astein, sarcasm is a bad habit. Do you understand?”
“No, really, I’m genuinely impressed…”
“I’ll believe you for now. But it sounds suspicious.”
Given Astein’s perpetually squinting eyes, it was difficult to tell if he was sincere. His smile did little to reassure Astrid.
“By the way, isn’t Cadet Veracien eating with us?” Eranya asked.
“Divine Studies cadets eat separately for the first week. It’s something about a ‘Prayer Week’ or so I’ve heard,” Astrid explained.
With 50 squads of five members each, the total number of cadets was 250. After excluding the Divine Studies cadets, there were 200 remaining.
Despite being a 1st-year dining hall, it was large enough to accommodate all the cadets at once without feeling crowded.
“Is there any schedule after this meal?” Leopold asked.
“Cadet Leopold, I’ve told you we must use formal speech among cadets.”
Leopold’s face twisted in frustration.
He had no problem using formal language with others.
But with Astrid? Never in his 20 years of life had he ever spoken to her with respect.
“Is there any schedule after this meal… yo?”
“Is that your idea of formal speech?”
“Technically, it’s formal… yo.”
“No, there’s no schedule. We’ll probably be informed soon. Cadet Leopold, Eranya and Astein are feeling awkward because of us. Please focus on your meal.”
‘Honestly, he’s like a brat just out of puberty. Having only ever been surrounded by doting adults, of course he’d turn out like this. Ugh…’
She’d thought better of him during their journey to Persangte, but clearly, she’d been mistaken. Astrid shook her head in dismay.
After the meal, there were no immediate orders or schedules to follow.
The 50 squad leaders were called to a separate area, where they were given the daily schedule for the week, as well as an overview of morning and evening roll calls, and the rules for free time.
“Wake-up at 6:00 a.m., morning roll call at 6:30 a.m., squad breakfast by 7:30 a.m., and then classes start at 9:00 a.m. Lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., classes end at 4:30 p.m., followed by free time. Squad dinner starts at 7:00 p.m., after which you have free time until lights out.”
‘Wow. This is so much better than the military,’ Astrid thought.
Back in the dorm room, with all four squad members crammed inside, the space felt cramped. Their room was meant for two, but with four people standing around, it felt small.
Astrid stood by the desk while the others sat on the beds as she explained the schedule.
It wasn’t a bad schedule.
There was free time, after all.
And after training from Monday to Friday, they could even go out on weekends.
“—That’s the schedule. From Monday to Friday, you’ll have classes according to your major. Before the end of the day, there will be squad-based combat training. Check your guides for information on your major-specific education.”
Since every cadet had already received a guide for their respective majors, Astrid didn’t need to explain further.
“…What are you two still doing here? Back to your room, gentlemen. We’re done.”
“That’s it?… yo?” Leopold asked, tilting his head.
Astrid nodded.
There was nothing more to say. She’d explained the schedule and told them what to do.
That was the end of it.
—
“Why are we going to the same training hall?” Leopold asked, irritation in his voice.
Astrid’s instinct to remind him of the formal speech rule was strong, but she held it in.
‘Right, he’s the crown prince. On top of that, I’m Astrid. If he’s forced to speak formally to me, that inflated ego might shatter. Since it’s just the two of us now, I’ll let it slide…’ she repeated to herself over and over.
“Thank you for speaking on my behalf, Cadet Leopold,” she said, her smile as thin as paper.
“Tch.”
After breakfast, they had returned to the dormitory before heading to the training hall for the start of their education.
Oddly, the training halls for Magic Knights and Heavy Cavalry Knights were in the same building.
It wasn’t unreasonable, though.
Since both Magic Knights and Heavy Cavalry Knights are branches of the same knightly order, it made sense to combine their training sessions for the first year.
Thus, the “Knight Studies” classes were conducted with both Magic Knights and Heavy Cavalry Knights in the same training hall.
Similarly, “Magic Studies” combined Magic Knights and Magicians, while “Extermination Battle Tactics” paired Heavy Cavalry Knights and Archers. Each session grouped two fields together for joint lessons.
The first class of the day was “Knight Studies.”
At the entrance of the training hall, the armory was already open, and rows of wooden practice weapons were neatly lined up, each labeled with the owner’s name.
Among them, a particularly large greatsword stood out—Astrid’s weapon.
“That’s a clunky weapon as big as you are. Must be so unwieldy.”
“Is that so? You’ll know if it’s unwieldy after getting hit by it once.”
Astrid felt uneasy.
If she wasn’t careful, her appearance and demeanor might give away the fact that she was not the Astrid everyone believed her to be.
Her anxiety, however, was not shared by the other cadets. Nearly a hundred of them had gathered in the training hall, seated in small groups and chatting amongst themselves.
But the moment Astrid and Leopold walked in, the room fell silent.
No matter how “equal” they were supposed to be, names like Miterien and Einthafen still carried weight.
The appearance of Astrid, the daughter of the Miterien family, and Leopold, the Crown Prince, was enough to command the attention of the entire room.
Add to that the imposing image of Astrid carrying a greatsword as tall as herself, exuding a frosty, intimidating aura, and it was clear that no one wanted to cross her.
“Let’s sit down,” Astrid said.
Standing out in a classroom setting was rarely a good thing—especially not in a military academy.
Astrid, having lived through this before, knew that better than anyone. She chose to sit somewhere in the middle.
Naturally, Leopold attempted to sit next to her, but—
“Cadet Leopold, would you care to join me instead?”
A soft, graceful voice called out.
“Oh… Lady Uraid—no, Cadet Akemilla. I see you’ve enrolled as well… yo.”
At the mention of that name, Astrid glanced back.
Unlike Leopold’s shining gold hair, her hair was a gentle honey-gold, radiating warmth. Her face bore a kind and serene smile, with a figure that emphasized her natural grace and elegance.
She wore twin swords at her hips, one on each side.
It was Akemilla Uraid, the eldest daughter of the Uraid family. Though not nobility by birth, the Uraid family claimed distant ties to the royal family.
More importantly, they were the leaders of a massive merchant guild based in the west. During Kreutz’s War of Unification, they served as essential financial backers, and though not officially nobles, they were treated almost like founding contributors to the empire.
“This works out perfectly. I’ll be able to enjoy the class more comfortably this way. Go on, Cadet Leopold,” Astrid said, smiling sweetly.
Leopold hesitated, but ultimately, he moved to sit next to Akemilla.
“Looking forward to working with you, Cadet Leopold.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
Ignoring the friendly exchange behind her, Astrid set her greatsword beside her desk.
“Alright, everyone’s here, right? I trust none of you fools were late to the first class of the year,” boomed a voice from the front of the room.
The man—a giant of a man with muscles that rivaled her father Wolfgang’s—entered with such force that it seemed like he might break down the door. He climbed onto the lectern, showing no sign of restraint.
“I’m Varian. For the next year, I’ll be teaching swordsmanship to you Magic Knights and Heavy Cavalry Knights.
I’m a Heavy Cavalry Knight myself, but I’m more than capable of handling rapiers and regular swords too, so no need to worry.”
“Magic Knight, Heavy Cavalry Knight—we all start with swords. Whether it’s one-handed swords, two-handed swords, or even hammers, I’m sure you’ve all trained with them back home. But I’m still going to see where you all stand.”
‘Don’t tell me…’ Astrid’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“That’s right, we’re starting with sparring. I’ll call on the ones who look the most competent…”
Her prediction had been spot on.
“You there. Girl with the greatsword. What’s your name?”
Astrid glanced around. There were plenty of girls and several cadets with greatswords, but no girl with a greatsword—except her.
It had to be her.
‘So much for blending in,’ she thought, exhaling a slow breath.
“Astrid von…”
“No need for family names. Family names won’t block a sword for you. Just give me your name, Cadet Astrid. Step forward.”
‘You’re not wrong, but somehow, coming from you, it sounds wrong.’
Since she’d been called, she had no choice.
Astrid rose slowly, gripping her greatsword, and made her way forward.
Her academy-issued uniform’s skirt still felt unfamiliar, and walking with it was a little awkward.
“Alright, Cadet Astrid. You’re one of the rare female cadets using a greatsword.”
Of course, he’d recognize her.
After all, this was an academy. Instructors didn’t typically make a show of recognizing specific students. But he’d definitely recognized her.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have that gleam of excitement in his eyes as he looked at her.
“Today, I’ll make an exception and be your opponent myself.”
…Yes, he’d definitely recognized her.