I Became the Academy’s War Hero-Chapter 19 : Do You Really Have to See Blood? (4)

Chapter 19: Do You Really Have to See Blood? (4)
“…This is driving me insane.”
I had made it on impulse, but whether it was really the right thing to do was another matter.
Walter let out a deep sigh as he rolled a thumb-sized glass vial in his hand.
His gaze drifted toward the medicinal herbs laid out on the workbench.
Among them was the dark powder Oliver had handed him.
Its official name was Levinel Digitalis a special variety that grew only in the Levinel region.
Its main effects were mana circulation and heart reinforcement.
Because of side effects such as hallucinations, rashes, tremors, and breathing difficulties, it had to be used in only minute doses.
And what Walter had completed using it was none other than the Elixir of Vitality.
‘If the department students saw this, they’d probably be horrified.’
You can make an elixir this easily? — they’d say.
Elixirs were the very last topic one learned in Herbology.
Not only because the manufacturing process was complex, but because the cost of ingredients was downright astronomical.
Even the Elixir of Vitality, one of the cheaper kinds, required ingredients worth at least two gold coins.
Its effects were outstanding for the price, but like all elixirs of this kind, it was never permanent.
Power borrowed from outside always came with a risk.
Cases where people continued consuming it without rest were especially bad.
Those people often developed an extreme tolerance to elixirs, ending up suffering from the side effects without any benefits.
Just as every herb could turn into a poison, an elixir too could be deadly for someone.
If it were a normal person, they would have received the elixir’s effects honestly. But the one in question was Eugene Carter.
For him—whose Mana Heart was mostly unusable—this elixir was no different from a potent toxin.
After drinking it, he would be nearly incapacitated for about a month.
Karbenna never cared for the personal circumstances of its professors.
If they deemed someone unfit for immediate deployment, that person would be expelled without hesitation.
‘Though, in the Special Task Force, such disgrace wouldn’t exist anyway…’
Still, that was how it should be.
It was a fitting punishment for the sins of the past.
Yeah, that was right.
“It’s all up to you, Carter.”
Rationalizing it that way, Walter quietly waited for Carter’s arrival.
Time flowed on without mercy.
At exactly 19:00, inside the Mage Studies Hall.
“…Guess I’m a little late.”
I’d stopped to buy something to eat on the way, so I arrived about five minutes later than planned.
Walter Clark’s private office was located on the third floor of the Herbology Department.
After leading me there, the assistant gave a salute and left.
Creak—
As soon as I opened the door to Room 304 and stepped inside, a mocking voice greeted me.
“I thought you’d ignore me like the old days, but you actually came. And not even that late, surprisingly.”
Walter sat there arrogantly, tapping his desk with an indifferent expression.
“Professor Carter, so busy and important, actually answered my summons. How very kind of you.”
“I can’t just ignore a senior professor’s call.”
There was nothing to gain from trading words with him.
I gave a perfunctory reply and began placing the items I’d brought on the table.
“…What’s this?”
Wine, cheese, bread, and dried meat — basically this world’s drinking set.
Ignoring his suspicious look, I casually leaned against the table.
“It’s the weekend now, isn’t it? Thought we could catch up a bit over drinks.”
At the word catch up, Walter let out a scoffing laugh of disbelief.
“Catch up? You and me? Don’t make me laugh, Carter. Or is this some kind of joke?”
“Take it however you want.”
I smiled faintly, gesturing toward the food I’d brought.
“The rest are just ordinary snacks, but this wine’s a bit of a pricey one.”
“……”
“If you don’t want to drink, I’ll put it away.”
“N-No!”
The moment I reached for it, Walter waved his hands in a panic.
“Ahem. I can’t just refuse such a thoughtful gesture. Food itself has done no wrong, after all.”
“That’s the spirit.”
As if he’d been waiting for that, Walter headed for the cupboard on his left.
“What kind of wine is it?”
“Ebuna.”
“Ebuna, huh… Then this glass should do.”
He took out a suitable wine glass from among various kinds and popped the cork.
After taking a light sip, Walter frowned in mild dissatisfaction.
“Doesn’t seem that aged. Not exactly fine wine.”
“Really? I paid two silver for that bottle.”
At that, Walter gave a short, incredulous laugh.
“You’d have to pay at least ten silver for something barely decent.”
“Yeah?”
“This bastard—knows how to drink but not a damn thing about it.”
“Well, I never really picked and chose back then. As long as it was alcohol, I just downed it.”
When I replied nonchalantly, Walter tilted his head as if surprised.
“…That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“You’ve changed too much, all of a sudden.”
Frederick had said the same thing.
Just what kind of man had the original Eugene Carter been?
Even now, as the one living in his shoes, I couldn’t be sure.
I turned my gaze aside and gave the most plausible answer I could.
“A lot’s happened since then.”
That was the best response I could give.
For the old Eugene Carter, those days had been nothing but disgrace and shame.
Whether he’d denied them out of guilt, forgotten them from substance addiction, or lost them due to my possession, I couldn’t tell.
Whatever the cause, I barely retained any memories from that time.
Either way, it wasn’t strange.
Especially if addiction was involved.
‘A guy who spent his days drinking himself senseless, snorting drugs, and bathing in ecstasy every night…’
As I smiled bitterly, lost in thought, Walter quietly tilted the bottle.
“How about a drink, first?”
“Sure.”
We clinked glasses lightly.
A clear, ringing sound spread through the room.
As the bright yellow liquid flowed into my mouth, a sweet-and-sour taste and fruity aroma spread across my palate.
I subtly glanced at the status window beside me.
Withdrawal Symptoms [Stamina ―20%, Strength ―20%, Agility ―30%, Endurance ―20%, Stress +20%]
※ The chance of abnormal status effects increases. [Dizziness, Delirium, Tremors, Shaking]
‘…It can’t get any worse than this.’
Even as I thought that, my body was honest. Once the alcohol entered my system, my whole body began to tremble violently.
I forced the shaking down and looked straight ahead.
Walter was skillfully tearing off pieces of bread, placing cheese on top, and tossing them into his mouth.
While he was savoring the taste for a moment, I asked him quietly,
“What did you call me here for?”
It was about time to get to the main point.
“…Pure curiosity.”
Rubbing his chin lightly, Walter asked,
“What you said during class yesterday—did you mean it?”
“Of course.”
“You know it’s impossible.”
“With Karbenna’s internal resources, yes.”
“What, are you planning to get help from outside?”
Even if you got cooperation from those half-baked types, it wouldn’t do Karbenna any good anyway…
Muttering so, Walter refilled his empty glass.
I replied with a calm face.
“I’m thinking of contacting the Imperial Special Task Force.”
The moment the words Special Task Force came out, Walter started coughing as if he had choked.
After wheezing for quite a while, he hastily wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth.
“…That’s a very you-like idea, but don’t you think it’s way too reckless?”
“Is it?”
“You know full well how nasty the relationship between the Task Force and Karbenna is! They’re always at each other’s throats—how the hell would cooperation work?”
“Giving up before even trying isn’t really my style.”
“Still as overconfident as ever, huh?”
Even so, Walter seemed intrigued, his hand going to the glass more frequently.
“Even if you somehow convince the Task Force Commander, the Chairwoman will never approve it. Think about it. Why do you think they put someone from the Bernhardt side in charge of Karbenna?”
I knew the answer already, but I asked anyway.
“To keep the Imperial Family in check?”
“More precisely, to keep the Third Princess in check, but yeah, same idea.”
“But that’s not something to worry about, Walter.”
“What do you mean?”
“I already got the Chairwoman’s approval.”
“…Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
It was completely unexpected, but—
“She said there would be opposition, but that she personally supports it.”
Of course, I still had to think carefully about Michel’s true intentions.
How much influence she currently held, what her future goals might be—
Without knowing those, any speculation would just be noise.
We clinked glasses once more.
“No matter how I see it, this seems like a gamble with way too much risk… Why are you so determined to do this?”
“……”
“What, because of your background? Afraid they’ll look down on you as some washed-up Task Force reject?”
“As if I’d do something this reckless over something that petty.”
“Then what is it?”
I looked out the window and spoke quietly.
“An academy for training elite beast hunters. That’s what Karbenna should be.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, all of a sudden?”
“You know how bad the border situation’s gotten lately. We can’t keep going like this. We need real talent.”
“That’s why most of Karbenna’s graduates are being sent to the border, aren’t they? The Empire can’t spare more manpower.”
“What’s the point of numbers? They’re all half-baked and unprepared.”
Walter didn’t argue this time.
“Sending green kids who’ve barely done a few beast-suppression dispatches into a battlefield is just feeding them to the wolves. They won’t be rescuing anyone—they’ll be lucky to survive themselves.”
“…So you’re saying the entire curriculum should be overhauled?”
“Yeah.”
At my firm reply, Walter scratched the back of his head and sighed.
“Ha… I thought you’d become a different person after that incident, but you’re still as rebellious as ever.”
“People don’t change that easily.”
Maybe that line stirred something in him.
Walter stared at me for a while, then exhaled heavily and shook his head.
“Just thinking about the old days still makes my blood boil…”
He then took out a small glass vial from his pocket and placed it on the table.
The turquoise liquid inside gleamed brightly even without being shaken.
The moment I saw its color, I immediately recognized what it was.
“…The Elixir of Vitality?”
“Yeah. I originally made it to screw you over, but I’ve decided not to use it.”
“……”
“What’s the point of revenge now? You’ve already settled your past debts on the battlefield, haven’t you? Better to just sell it as an ingredient.”
It fetches a decent price, after all.
While he put the vial back into his inner pocket, I quietly pushed the last glass toward him.
He accepted it without hesitation and emptied it in one go.
“Ahh… Not bad. Grows on you after a few drinks.”
A faint, relieved smile spread across his lips.
“Thanks for the drink.”