I Became the Academy’s War Hero-Chapter 36 : The Accusers (4)

Chapter 36: The Accusers (4)
The physical training we did on the first day?
Well, it was tough. Everyone was completely exhausted by that evening, and even I had passed out within minutes.
…Or so I’d thought.
At least, until an hour ago.
Feeling every muscle in his body twist in pain, Eric barely managed to exhale.
“Haah! Haah!”
As he stomped his dirt-covered feet and glanced around, he saw that more than half the group had collapsed and were sprawled across the ground.
Only four of them were barely managing to stay standing.
And among those four, only Francia was still maintaining perfect posture and continuing her movements.
‘If I’d known it’d be like this, I should’ve at least gotten some rest….’
I’d thought the first day’s training was just to set the tone and discipline the cadets, but I hadn’t imagined there would be another day like this.
As Eric wordlessly sighed, a calloused hand reached out over his face.
It was Eugene Carter.
“……”
Eric grasped his hand and struggled to his feet.
“Tactical capability, military knowledge, quick thinking — all are important qualities.”
Looking down at the half-conscious cadets, Eugene spoke in a calm, detached tone.
“But what’s even more important is endurance.”
While continuing his explanation, he even took the time to correct the postures of those who had faltered.
“The body grows weary and wants to collapse at any moment, yet the mind is under so much pressure it can’t even rest properly.”
To continue carrying out missions in such a battlefield, one needed the tenacity to endure any circumstance.
After saying that much, Eugene immediately moved on to the next drill.
“Prepare for Exercise 6 — Jumping Jacks.”
“Ready!”
“We’ll do just fifty. How many?”
“Fifty!!”
Satisfied with the cadets shouting the count with whatever strength they had left, Eugene smiled faintly.
“We’ll skip the final shout. Begin.”
The training, which had seemed like it would go on forever, finally ended after another thirty minutes.
As soon as Eugene declared a break, most of the cadets sighed and dropped to the ground in exhaustion.
He instructed those who were still somewhat capable to help line up the rows and columns for proper rest.
While everyone except Francia gasped for breath, savoring their well-earned rest—
“Yes. This wasn’t a reasonable training, that’s true.”
Eugene spoke with a regretful expression.
“But that’s the battlefield you’ll be sent to — the very definition of unreasonable. If your opponent were human, negotiation might be possible. But with beasts, such things don’t work.”
Their shoulders drooped, but their eyes remained sharp and focused.
Eugene nodded in approval.
“Remember — in the end, the only thing you can rely on in your final moments is your own body. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
Judging that they’d rested long enough, Eugene ordered all cadets to stand.
Then, with the four in the front row, he moved toward the training supply storage beneath the platform.
The next lesson shifted into camouflage and concealment training for beast warfare.
Though initially flustered by the unfamiliar drills, the cadets soon adapted rapidly — no amount of repetition and punishment ever failed to produce results.
By the end of the session, everyone could perform the six basic maneuvers flawlessly.
Eugene ended the class precisely at 11 o’clock sharp.
“From next time, training will take place at the Beast Combat Training Grounds. Dismissed.”
“Thank you, Instructor!”
As Eugene disappeared from sight, the cadets supported one another and headed toward the cafeteria.
Only two people walked alone — one refused help, and the other had no one to offer it.
“Eric…”
Seeing Eric Halenber trudging ahead, Billy tried to run after him, but Philip grabbed his arm sharply.
“Hey, are you insane?”
“What? I’m just trying to help him walk—”
“My family told me explicitly not to even get involved with Eric Halenber, remember?”
“I know, but at least we could find out why—”
“When did we ever hang out with that guy because we wanted to? We did it because our families told us to stay close!”
That wasn’t true for me though…
The words nearly escaped Billy’s mouth, but he had the sense to stop himself.
While the two argued, Eric had already disappeared from sight.
“……”
Meanwhile, someone else had been watching in silence.
Francia Brida observed the scene for a while, then abruptly turned and started walking away.
She planned to finish her meal quickly and spend the remaining time in the library.
‘Back then, I was so blinded by revenge that I didn’t even think to question anything….’
But now, everything was different.
Responding half-heartedly to her friends as they approached her with cheerful chatter, she strode forward with firm steps.
Recalling her last conversation with him at the training ground, she clenched her teeth in silence.
At that same time.
In Room 203 of the Mage Studies Hall, Professor Walter Clark from the Department of Herbal Studies was passionately lecturing on the dangers of certain medicinal herbs — spittle flying with every word.
“…Haa.”
Of course, none of it was entering Lea Bronte’s head at all.
Her mind was preoccupied, sorting through countless possible scenarios.
‘All that effort finally paid off, at least….’
She had obtained definite information that Eric Halenber had broken through Karbenna’s outer barrier and left the premises without authorization in the middle of the night — a significant find indeed.
Of course, she herself had snuck out of the dorms, which would be a mark against her.
The problem was that even this witness wasn’t decisive evidence.
The likelihood of Eric Halenber being a Hokhma Broker had risen to over ninety percent, but that alone wasn’t enough.
‘I need a bigger move.’
Whether by raiding the scene and securing evidence, or making the man confess himself — she needed a decisive blow, one way or another.
‘…No matter how I think about it, I can’t do this alone.’
She could the truth and ask for her Master’s direct assistance, but that wasn’t what Lea wanted.
Her own wellbeing didn’t matter — but she refused to let her Master’s reputation suffer because of her.
Yet, continuing the operation alone like this was starting to look hopeless.
So, as soon as class ended, she headed straight for Eugene Carter’s private office.
She briefly wondered if she should have thought it through more carefully, but dismissed the thought.
‘Dragging it out won’t change anything anyway.’
Arriving in front of the office, Lea took a few steady breaths before knocking on the door.
The moment she heard movement from inside, she flung the door open and stepped in.
Eugene, who was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, didn’t even glance at her as he spoke indifferently.
“You’re late, Lea Bronte.”
“…You knew I was coming?”
“If you’d come in the morning, you might’ve witnessed something amusing. A shame.”
“I’m not sure what you mean….”
Though she looked puzzled, Eugene still didn’t bother to look at her and continued speaking.
“We don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point.”
“……”
After organizing her thoughts for a moment, Lea cautiously asked,
“Why did you save me that time?”
“Still trying to test me?”
“…I have my own circumstances, that’s all.”
“Well, I could pretend it never happened, but… I’m a little interested this time.”
Alright, I guess that’s as good a place as any to start.
Only then did Eugene turn his body to face her directly, locking his gaze on her.
Lea gritted her teeth, refusing to back down as she met his eyes.
She had spent all day preparing for this — weighing countless possibilities and variables so that she could answer any question he might throw at her.
This was her chance to determine whether this man was someone who could truly be of use to her Master.
Seeing Lea’s resolute expression, Eugene smiled faintly and asked.
Then—
“Who is your master, Lea Bronte?”
At that question, Lea quite literally lost her words.
I hadn’t asked it because I was sure, but there was nothing for me to lose by asking.
Whether she denied it violently, tried to dodge the question, or feigned ignorance — all I needed was her reaction to make my next deduction.
After a long silence, Lea finally spoke again, this time with hostility in her voice.
“How much… do you know?”
She tried to sound strong, but the faint trembling of her lips betrayed her unease.
“Let’s make one thing clear first.”
I placed a firm hand on the desk and spoke decisively.
“Whoever your master is, at the very least, there won’t be any hostility between them and me.”
From the moment I’d questioned her during the Great Beast Combat Tactics class, something about her had felt familiar.
But I’d decided to look into her more seriously after that encounter near the Cadet Commander’s office.
Since then, I’d been quietly gathering bits of information about her whenever I could.
Of course, the Hokhma incident and the field training matters were far more important, so I couldn’t devote too much time to it.
Her student record revealed nothing unusual — except for the fact that she had taken a one-year leave of absence.
While digging around the Dean’s Office about that, I managed to hear an interesting piece of gossip.
“An anonymous sponsor?”
“You’ve heard about the Bronte family’s situation, haven’t you? Even with the financial aid they received, they barely avoided bankruptcy. There’s no way they could’ve kept up with Karbenna’s tuition fees.”
“…So that sponsor paid her tuition and took Lea away for a year.”
“It’s just a rumor, but something definitely happened during that year. Otherwise, there’s no explaining how much she’s changed.”
“Changed? In what way?”
“Not just changed — she became a completely different person! That timid girl now asks questions in class, for one….”
“I see. Makes me curious what kind of sponsor could’ve done that.”
“…This part’s just a rumor too, but.”
“Yes.”
“They say the sponsor was someone from the Imperial Court.”
Summarizing only the key points of what I’d heard, I laid them out evenly.
Lea had stayed silent at first, but by the end, she was clearly showing signs of nervousness.
I let out a quiet sigh and continued.
“If I had intended to make an enemy of you, I wouldn’t have told you any of this, don’t you think?”
“…Yes.”
“And I wouldn’t have saved you, either.”
“…Yes.”
“From that alone, you should realize that at the very least, our interests are aligned.”
“……”
This time, she didn’t agree.
Leaning back slightly, I nodded to myself.
Alright… I’ve scared her enough. Now let’s apply some real pressure.
“If you plan to stay silent, that’s fine too.”
“…What?”
“Normally, I’d have no reason to refuse sharing information, but… things have changed.”
“What do you mean…?”
“There’s been a whistleblower.”
At the word whistleblower, Lea flinched, though she quickly forced her expression to relax.
Paying it no mind, I continued calmly with my proposal.
“For your master’s sake, don’t you think it’s about time you made a decision?”