I Became the Academy’s War Hero-Chapter 32 : Faculty Meeting (2)

Chapter 32: Faculty Meeting (2)
Until he heard the last remark, Dale still held a slight sense of pity toward Eugene Carter.
‘A pitiful fool, living deluded without even realizing he’s being used by the Chairwoman.’
It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand.
Despite having once reigned as a war hero from Karbenna and the Special Task Force, both the Imperial Court and the Task Force had treated him poorly.
The official reason was that he’d tarnished the Empire’s dignity through drug addiction, but in truth, he had simply been discarded after being used.
The influence of the faction to which the Carter Family belonged was no longer what it once was. Among them, the Carter Family—being the weakest—was already regarded as a house on the brink of ruin.
Eugene Carter had been the last hope of that fallen family, but an unexpected accident had mercilessly snuffed out even that faint ember.
For a man left with nothing but a wretched body, Karbenna was practically his last stronghold.
And Michel Bernhardt had cunningly exploited that desperation to turn him into her pawn. How detestable.
Suppressing the incredulous laughter that kept threatening to spill out, Dale barely managed to keep a straight face.
‘Who do you think helped you reach that position, Michel Bernhardt?’
A woman who wouldn’t have survived a day without her father’s influence.
A puppet should simply follow orders faithfully and step aside when the time comes.
If she kept clinging to her position like this, wouldn’t it only displease those above her?
‘…Well, this might work out in my favor.’
It was a perfect opportunity to strengthen his footing within the pro-Bernhardt faction.
And as a bonus, he could throw a bone to that pitiful Carter boy and “save” him.
With that resolve, Dale had deliberately leaked the information about the one-month period to Eugene.
As long as he could outlast the duration of the Imperial Conference, removing Michel from her post would be entirely possible.
If circumstances allowed, it would be ideal to bring down the Third Princess along with her—but that wasn’t a matter within his control.
After all, the opponent in question was none other than Edel Ribenia.
No matter how powerful the pro-Bernhardt alliance might be, complacency was a luxury they couldn’t afford.
‘It might even be worth drawing Carter to our side and using him.’
Even if he was a washed-up has-been, one couldn’t simply dismiss his past achievements.
There was no one more suitable to use and discard afterward.
As Dale entertained those thoughts while looking down at Eugene, a completely unexpected answer reached his ears.
“I refuse.”
“…What?”
What the hell did he just say?
Eugene’s cold face didn’t waver as he repeated himself, every word deliberate.
“I don’t want any changes to the plan.”
As I made my stance clear, Dale’s expression gradually darkened.
“…You went ahead with everything without prior consultation, and now you’re being stubborn on top of it?”
As if he had ever been lenient before, he now glared at me with open disdain.
“If you keep acting like this, I’ll have no choice but to use underhanded means. Is that really what you want?”
So, he did know what kind of man he was—underhanded indeed.
Feigning ignorance, I replied lightly, as if amused.
“Underhanded means, you say?”
“Look here, I’m the Director of the Planning and General Affairs Department. I have an obligation to manage Karbenna’s budget and finances transparently and fairly. If you proceed with this external training on your own, it’ll throw off the existing budget allocations we’ve established.”
“I didn’t realize Karbenna’s finances were so tight that a single field training session would cause concern, Director.”
“Other courses received their budgets according to the proper procedures. Making an exception only for you would be unfair, don’t you think?”
“Will you still talk about fairness and procedures when the Academy faces a crisis where beasts are at our doorstep?”
“How dare you speak so rudely to the Director!”
The Cadet Commander shot to his feet in outrage, but I didn’t even flinch.
Meeting Dale’s gaze with a cold, unyielding stare, I stood my ground. The Cadet Commander awkwardly faltered and sat back down.
Dale’s brow twitched slightly, but his expression didn’t change much.
“If a horde of beasts really invaded Karbenna, I’d agree with you. But that’s not the situation right now, is it?”
“If beasts reached Karbenna, that would mean the Empire itself has already collapsed, wouldn’t it?”
“……”
“The situation on the frontlines is far more dire than you imagine. This isn’t the time for complacency.”
“Are you saying we’re being complacent?”
“Isn’t that so? We’re in a wartime situation, Director. What the Empire needs right now are weapons to tear beasts apart—not bureaucrats or scholars.”
“…You’re impossible to reason with.”
Funny, I was thinking the same thing.
Dale shook his head and leaned back slightly in his chair.
“With such differing stances, there’s no point in continuing this discussion. I can’t approve the budget, so handle it as you see fit.”
As he started to rise from his seat, I spoke up casually.
“You’re acting exactly as I expected, Director.”
“…What?”
“I anticipated this, so I’ve already arranged something.”
At that, every gaze in the conference room turned toward me.
The looks on Dale’s and Frederick’s faces, in particular, were priceless.
After glancing at Michel one last time, I continued with a faint smile.
“The Special Task Force has agreed to assist with the budget allocation.”
* * *
‘Things are getting interesting.’
Frederick glanced between Eugene and Dale with a look of surprise.
It had been a while since the incident, so perhaps their grudges had faded somewhat—but even so, to think he would reach out to the Special Task Force.
That meant Dale, who could no longer use the budget as his weapon, was now at a significant disadvantage.
You really got him there, Carter.
Still, Dale wasn’t the type to back down this easily.
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
“Excuse me?”
“If I later confirm that what you said isn’t true…”
“What’s there to confirm? It’ll all come to light soon enough.”
Eugene smoothly deflected Dale’s questioning and immediately went on the counterattack.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question, Director?”
“Confidence? What are you talking about?”
“You keep doubting my intentions. But shouldn’t Karbenna and the Special Task Force be working together?”
“……”
“If you continue like this, Director, it’ll only hurt your reputation externally. Surely that’s not what you want?”
“You sure know how to run your mouth, Carter. Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”
“Of course. A representative of Karbenna, nothing more. Surely you’re not about to pull rank or bring up your family status within Karbenna, are you?”
“You little—!”
Eugene continued to hold his ground, his attitude provocatively daring Dale to step forward.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Frederick finally spoke up, unable to watch any longer.
“How about we proceed with the plan as scheduled, Dale?”
It wasn’t as if he had any particular reason to side with them.
He valued order and structure, and technically, the opposing side was the one upholding those principles.
Even so, Frederick chose to stand with Eugene and Michel.
Why?
No matter how he tried to reason it out, there was no clear answer.
Dale tilted his head slightly, visibly surprised by the unexpected intervention.
“I didn’t expect you to step in, Frederick.”
“…Neither did I, Dale.”
“I understand you care about your former student, but I have my position to consider too. I’m not backing down on this matter.”
“Don’t you owe me a favor, Dale?”
The moment the word favor left Frederick’s mouth, Dale flinched and leaned back.
“Let’s… pretend that doesn’t exist.”
“……”
“How about now? Feeling any urge to step down?”
“…I don’t understand. What do you stand to gain by helping that guy?”
“That depends on how you see it.”
Caught off guard by Frederick’s unexpected move, Dale fell silent for a long moment, pretending to think before he finally waved his hand and nodded.
He didn’t need to stake everything on this matter anyway—there were more than enough ways to apply pressure later.
Besides, it wasn’t like he had any reason to refuse when someone was choosing to overlook one of his fatal weaknesses.
“Well, fine. I’ll let it go this time.”
Even as he relented, Dale made sure to have the last word.
“But know this, Instructor Carter. Whether your little venture turns out to be folly or foresight—all depends on the results.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“…You never yield, do you?”
“Neither do you, Director.”
Hmph.
Dale exhaled softly and rose from his seat.
Without so much as a salute to Michel, he abruptly left the conference room.
Once the head of the opposing faction was gone, the remaining three quickly followed suit.
Half the participants had now left the room.
That marked a complete victory for the supporting side.
Watching the situation unfold, Michel let out a small, amused sigh.
“…There’s no reason to continue any further.”
“……”
“Director.”
“…Ah, yes.”
“I have another engagement, so I’ll head out first. Please make sure to secure the professors’ cooperation.”
“Understood.”
Creeeak—
With the Chairwoman’s departure, the meeting was officially over.
Before long, only Eugene and Frederick remained in the now nearly empty conference room.
They exchanged silent glances for a brief moment.
“…You should really be more careful about who you bluff against, Carter.”
Breaking the silence first, Frederick Lake spoke in a calm yet pointed tone.
“What would you have done if Dale had continued to oppose you?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I already had a connection in the Special Task Force.”
“That was a lie.”
“……”
Eugene didn’t bother denying it.
Frederick sighed lightly and continued.
“I’ll give you credit for your nerve, but if you plan to keep operating like this… you’d better be careful. You’ve always been talked about, but ever since you returned, the rumors have only grown worse.”
“Oh? Are you actually worried about me?”
“As if.”
Frederick leaned in, his large frame looming right in front of Eugene.
“Because I’m going to crush you myself. I won’t let anyone else do it.”
“How touching. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Hmph.”
Without another word, both men stood up almost at the same time and walked toward the main entrance.
As Eugene stepped outside first, Frederick threw him one last warning.
“You of all people should know—half-hearted efforts are worse than doing nothing at all, Carter.”
“……”
“If you’re going to do it, do it thoroughly. Forget about the wounded or the budget—focus entirely on training. Got it?”
“Of course, Director.”
Frederick kept glaring at Eugene, dissatisfied with his unchanged expression, before letting out a faint laugh.
‘Keeping up with this unruly student of mine isn’t easy.’
This week is going to be a handful.
Muttering under his breath, Frederick trudged off toward the Faculty Office, his steps oddly light.