30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue
30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue - Chapter 96

Throughout the entire director’s office, the luggage he would carry wouldn’t even fill a single bag. Since there were weapons in the command, ultimately it was mainly necessities, but even that could be resolved with supplies from the command.

So, Ivan took out a notebook from under the director’s desk after a long time.

“….”

Initially, he thought of this world as the prologue to an academy story and scribbled down doodles. The notebook was packed with hastily written ‘common sense’ of the academy, in its own way.

Even though only a few months had passed, Ivan flipped through the notebook feeling a vague sense of nostalgia. Surprisingly, many of the ‘common sense’ he had written back then had already been resolved.

Wait.

Resolved?

Ivan sat down, struggling to recall a vague memory swirling in his mind.

Staring at the notebook in silence, he tried to remember where he had heard it. What was it exactly? It was quite memorable… So.

Ah.

-Title: Disgusting Aspects of Academia for Real

-Isn’t it that the protagonist completes all the growth events, takes all the quest rewards and hidden pieces, monopolizes the heroine’s redemption narrative, and when any problem arises, says, ‘In the end, do I have to step up’? Yeah, that’s right, haha.

“Oh….”

Ivan finally captured the thought that had just come to mind and quietly put down the notebook.

The first tutorial of the academy. Train assault. I resolved it.

Field practice assault, I… resolved it.

The secret room of the academy. I resolved it.

The tournament called the flower of academia. I… no, this wasn’t related to the academy from the start.

Handling nobles who conspire against the princess (principal). Since this is close to the clichés of academia (eaters of death) from a macro perspective, that’s right. I resolved it.

At this point, Ivan set the notebook aside for a moment and pondered.

Is the protagonist’s party getting too weak?

While there’s some leniency towards training, in the first place, training in academia is merely mentioned in passing as part of everyday narration. After all, it’s common sense that protagonists don’t get stronger through training.

Studying at school is not an academia story but a documentary. Academia is supposed to pursue a mother lioness-style teaching method, throwing students into terrible adversity and nurturing them in front of terrible hardships.

For a protagonist, awakening through real battles, trials, hardships, friendship, and love is the typical process. There’s no protagonist in this world who becomes stronger through physical and skill training.

It’s not such a diligent and soft world. That’s academia. Naruto couldn’t even become stronger solely through training.

So, isn’t this a bit of a problem?

At this rate, facing the final boss, probably the demon king or someone equivalent, alone would be a crisis. Whether that’s possible or not is another question, but whether it can be treated as an ending even if achieved is also a problem.

Enrique told him to turn his page by himself, but given the series of events happening now, isn’t it too unclear whether the genre of this story is academia?

“Experience in real battles, not just training, needs to be accumulated.”

Ivan finally reached a conclusion. He even felt a sense of crisis that he shouldn’t leave the members of the hero party to focus solely on their studies.

Even in pure literature, you don’t study at school. Pure literature is rather about murders happening or male-to-male intercourse happening. School is never a place for studying. (No.)

Real battles, real battles.

Ivan looked at one side of the director’s office with dry eyes.

The countless sergeant kits meticulously maintained every day, now neatly stacked.

The sight of those being carried and utilized to the fullest during that time when they had to rampage with all their might.

The Northern Front where snow fell.

Ah, that’s right.

“It’s almost vacation time.”

During academy vacations, it’s common sense for students to participate in a kind of training camp as part of their training. Ivan nodded quietly in the darkness.

In the dim light of a late night with not a single ray of light, Ivan sat at the director’s table with his chin resting on his hands, his two eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

For the protagonists, real battles are necessary,

For him, real battles are murder.

Chapter 96: Academy Summer Vacation Event: Real Battles are Common Sense

Saint Jan’s Academy is always lively. In fact, it’s a given. Considering the hefty tuition of this university, students who can afford it generally don’t worry about university credits or life after graduation.

This can be understood by thinking of Earth’s art universities. Parents who can afford to send their children to art schools for four years are generally wealthy. Under such circumstances, art schools could almost always be vibrant.

Even if a noble heir graduates and at best takes over the family estate, then the lordship of the estate is already confirmed. It’s worth considering that studying is not necessarily a priority for the children of factory owners.

Therefore, as the final exams are just ending, Saint Jan’s Academy was enjoying a festive atmosphere day by day.

“Bella! What are you doing after school? Wanna go to a café together?”

“No, I’m busy.”

Isabelle walked around with a gloomy expression, not searching for students, of course. She was trying to locate her uncle, a gardener who had been missing for several days already.

Is he injured again? She had definitely seen him collapse, but upon hearing that the princess herself was nursing him and the hospital was closed due to the blockade, she couldn’t go check immediately.

Since then, it had been the same. The orphanage is still under repair, and the intelligence headquarters is busy, cut off from the outside world. (Intelligence agencies are supposed to be cut off from the outside world.)

So,

“Uncle, he said his marriage failed! Oh, how sad. What should we do? Shouldn’t someone really take care of him? Do you know any girls around here?”

– Hmm, well, can’t be helped. Alright then. Just wait for two more years. Even if you’re alone until graduation, I’ll, what, take you with me out of volunteerism.

– Don’t get so touched. Hehe, I’m in my prime too, you know? Who knows? Maybe I’ll meet someone else during that time.

– No, no, no, don’t get hurt like that! No! No way! I don’t have any intentions like that!

But, well, you know.

Such situations. Hoping for such situations, going to the training ground every day, sitting blankly in the yard at night waiting, even walking around with correctional measures at lunchtime looking for suspicious gardeners.

Despite all that, he was nowhere to be found. Ivan couldn’t be found anywhere. Suddenly, anxiety crept in.

The man is a spy, and moreover, a highly competent one, to the extent that the princess personally directs operations.

Moreover, he’s sincere enough about marriage to participate directly in the princess’s marriage tournament and even to confront the strongest elf elder (no.) with all his might.

Maybe the princess also has some interest in that man?

“Hey!!”

That’s impossible. Come on, even if his eyes are pretty, look at that beard. Always tangled, with a nasty twist, and on top of that, his hair is always a mess. Who would take a man who always wears shabby work clothes everywhere?

Yeah, that’s right. He’s a pitiful old man (it’s not.) with no one else to take him if not me.

Then is he really badly injured? Can’t he move at all?

Isabelle muttered for a while as she moved her steps. Today, she was going to try that shredded vegetable stew again, and this time, she planned to pickle the salted meat that the man liked.

If Ivan had seen that scene, he would have shed tears and exclaimed, “The day has come when we wrap spam in kimchi,” at the menu.

*

“Miss Eirardottir, if you’re not busy after school today, would you like to…?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. My fiancé doesn’t like it.”

“Fi-fiancé?! You’re engaged…?”

“Yes, hehe. My father arranged it. We’re planning to marry right after graduation.”

Ecdysis was enjoying her life in conducting.

These noble aspirants who didn’t personally play instruments were generally among the most sociable at the Conservatoire. This was due to the sharpness typical of artists being greatly dulled by the academic nature.

Issues like how cheap or expensive the opponent’s instrument was, how they handled it, were mere foreign stories to the conducting department.

Although conducting batons were abundant and even surplus, even if they were carved out of gold, they were merely expensive sticks from the perspective of nobility. The ceiling itself is different from expensive instruments.

Moreover, Ecdysis’s conducting baton was made of iron. The goddess who sang anger, Vio-unni (2nd generation: 2 months), was actually in a form more akin to a mace than a conducting baton.

Exotic princess, immaculate appearance, gentle personality, modest behavior. In the face of the fervent youth of a university freshman, Ecdysis could never feel lonely.

“Miss Einardottir is engaged…?”

“T-that’s… that’s not possible…!”

“This can’t be reality. What on earth am I in this university for…?”

Therefore, the male students of the conducting department scattered in shock and disbelief at this thunderbolt-like news. (They understood. Engagement was a common wedding procedure.)

“Eshi! S-so, who’s the fiancé? Is he handsome?”

“Um. I just found out recently, he’s from some provincial nobility… he’s handsome. He’s a friend of my father’s… “

“Ugh.”

Engaged to Dad’s friend…? Then how old is he?

A tinge of envy crept onto the faces of the students who were excited about the romance of this century by Ecdysis’ side.

If it’s Eshi’s dad, then he’s the Slayer of Droan, King Aynar…

Uh-oh, if she liked that ‘slayer’… and if he’s of similar age as her dad’s friend… then their tastes might be similar too…

In the students’ minds, a muscular middle-aged man laughing heartily with beer foam clinging to his beard flashed by.

“Miss Einardottir! Y-you, marriage should be approached with more caution…! No matter how precious the political issues are, they’re not more precious than Miss Einardottir’s life! Do you understand? I-I will definitely save Miss Einardottir!!”

Where did that Tylesse Viscount’s son rush off to screaming? Ecdysis stared coldly at his retreating figure, then shook his head.

“Where are you now? If you’re in Frechenkaya, I really want to see you!”

At the words of a fellow student who had become quite close, Ecdysis’ expression hardened.

Yeah, where could he be?

He went as far as to engage, participated in the tournament saying he’d marry another woman, fought until he fainted, and then was carried away with no news.

Basically, it’s behavior that’s not acceptable in Drovian. Drovian is a civilization society where monarchy has been entrenched as tradition. Such barbaric engagements are something to be dealt with as ‘traditional games’. Usually, they are rejected.

Since they had only received the consent of both families and had just been engaged, such a thing wouldn’t happen, but… still, if they think about their future married life, they need to maintain propriety.

Ecdysis quietly caressed her conducting baton (made of steel) lost in thought.

At that moment, Ivan was sitting in the operational situation room of the headquarters, examining the military map of Krasilov.

“Supply lines?”

“They can be secured from nearby territories. Isn’t Chelyabinsk nearby? Duke Sheretif, who has just ascended, will surely be favorable to our headquarters operation.”

“Excellent. How many deployable troops are there?”

“Excluding agents operating within Frechenkaya and personnel deployed in the northern and western regions… the total number of personnel within the southern Krasilov zone is approximately 63.”

“Excluding essential personnel from the domestic intelligence bureau, how many armed personnel are there?”

“In that case, there are 47.”

“That should be sufficient.”

Since the agents currently engaged in the operation cannot be touched at this point, if the personnel awaiting deployment in the operation are mobilized for training, there will be around 50 people.

That would be enough to form a sufficient strike team that could be used as a small-scale disruption force in the rear area.

Controlling around six personnel is more than manageable.

Ivan nodded satisfactorily. The operations officer asked cautiously.

“We’re planning to announce training orders, would you like to submit the operation plan?”

“I’ll do it myself. The operation name is….”

Vacation.

It’s one of the essential elements for the Academy’s summer vacation.

Establishing an operational zone that encompasses both the sea and mountains, and conducting ‘realistic’ training that incorporates all of his practical experience within it.

So, the operation name is Vacation. That’s all it needs to be.

Ivan nodded and stood up from his seat.