I Became the Academy’s War Hero-Chapter 43 : You Guys Were Even More Trash Than I Thought? (6)

Chapter 43: You Guys Were Even More Trash Than I Thought? (6)
March 11th, Friday.
Walter and I spent the entire afternoon busy preparing for the advance team’s departure.
The hard labor mostly fell to the teaching assistants and senior cadets, but if we didn’t personally double-check everything, the training couldn’t proceed as scheduled — so we were just as swamped as everyone else.
“Make sure the shock absorption is solid! Those are expensive supplies!”
Walter mainly handled the inventory check of the teaching materials and artifacts we were bringing along.
After finishing my briefing with the coachmen leading the main convoy, I checked the condition of the combat rations that the quartermasters had brought.
The first things that caught my eye were the rock-hard loaves and dried meat, all twisted up and stiff as stones.
Just imagining how those would be prepared for eating made me dizzy.
‘…I should eat a proper dinner tonight.’
No need to go that far for the sake of historical accuracy.
I placed an additional order asking for more generous portions of spices, then headed off to inspect the weapons that would be distributed to the cadets.
It took another four hours before all the checks were finally complete.
“Alright, the advance team departs exactly at 22:00.”
The moment we dismissed the team, I grabbed Walter and dragged him to eat first.
I piled up bread and meat soup like a mountain and shoved it into my mouth without even savoring it. Watching me, Walter gave a look of disgust.
“Hey, is someone chasing you or something? Slow down.”
“…My appetite’s been increasing lately.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Because of the curse that had wrecked my body, I’d been forcing myself through daily strength and endurance training just to get back into shape — and it left me constantly hungry.
On top of that, I’d been steadily improving my stats through Mana Devour and various artifacts.
Compared to my prime, my abilities were still nowhere near enough, but considering how much I’d recovered in less than a month, it was still an achievement.
Personally, I thought I deserved some applause for it.
Walter, who’d been selectively eating only the meat, wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked,
“But why’d you decide to bring Professor Magnus along? She doesn’t seem like she’ll be any help in training.”
“……”
When Belfor said he’d assign four officers from the Special Task Force, I’d spent a while thinking about who to bring from Karbenna.
Walter Clark was a fixed choice, of course.
Not only because of his Special Task Force background — his support-type magical abilities were especially useful in crisis situations.
The next person I chose was Rubia Magnus.
On the surface, the only thing notable about her was being an elite from Duel, but even now — before her power had fully bloomed — her long-range wide-area magic was among the best in Karbenna.
‘This’ll be a good chance to test her aptitude too.’
Chewing on my bread, I answered casually,
“She’s a delegate from the Magic Tower too. No need to worry.”
“Hm…”
“You’re a magician yourself — you should know what kind of status a delegate from the Tower holds, right?”
“…Yeah, I do. But won’t she get herself marked for this?”
“Marked for what?”
“For getting on the bad side of the pro-Bernhardt faction.”
“Can you stop bringing up that damn faction talk already? It’s getting old.”
I stood up with my empty plate.
Walter followed right behind me, adding a few more words.
“Sure, you and I are used to this kind of thing since we’re both from the Special Task Force, but Magnus or Tomlin might not think the same way.”
“Later on, both of them will be glad they chose this side.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll see. Anyway, I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”
We split up as we left the cafeteria.
Walter said he’d grab a quick nap and headed for the dormitory.
As for me, I found myself unconsciously walking toward the first floor of the Mage Studies Hall.
Sure enough, Rubia was tucked away in a corner, deeply absorbed in reading.
Her serious expression peeked out between the towering stacks of books surrounding her.
Even when I came right up to her, she didn’t flinch — she simply turned the page quietly.
“Are you already done with your preparations?”
“…Ah, Eugene.”
Normally, she’d be startled enough to fall backward, but she responded calmly this time.
“I packed everything except for the books I’ll read during the trip.”
“…I see.”
Even now, she still had to bring books, huh.
A headache started to throb faintly in my forehead, but I ignored it and continued speaking.
“I appreciate you accepting the request on such short notice.”
“It’s your request, Eugene. Of course I’d agree.”
“I heard this will be your first time going out on field duty.”
“It’s something I’d have to do eventually anyway.”
“……”
Among the main characters, Rubia was one of the gentlest and kindest by nature — but if someone asked whether that made her a pushover, I would answer with a firm no.
She was someone who could clearly say no when something wasn’t right, and when it came to acting against her own convictions, there was no one more steadfast than her.
The weak and the naïve were entirely different things.
The time she helped me up, and the time she accompanied me to the Beast Habitat Zone — I could see those as gestures of gratitude for the incident at the Faculty Office.
As for the assassination attempt, she’d been caught up in it herself, so that was understandable.
But this time, the situation was different.
I recalled the moment, three days ago, when I first mentioned the field training to her.
“…So, we’re planning to conduct a field exercise for the Beast Extermination Training, and I’m looking for someone to assist us.”
“Me! I’ll do it!”
“…I haven’t even explained the details yet.”
“You need me, right?”
“Well… I suppose that’s true.”
“Then I’ll take that as a yes. Please make sure my name’s on the list, okay?”
Before I even officially asked her, she had already accepted.
Before even hearing the details of the field exercise.
‘Honestly, she doesn’t need to be this cooperative with me.’
Could it be that something about Eugene Carter’s past — the part I didn’t know — was influencing her behavior?
In the original game, Eugene Carter was such a minor extra that even Eric Halenber had more presence.
Even I, the most seasoned veteran of the MAGA world, could summarize his entire character in a line or two.
Of course, that was only from the player’s perspective.
In reality, ever since I’d possessed this body, I’d been constantly recalling what kind of achievements Eugene Carter had made and what sort of past he’d had.
And yet, there were still plenty of blank spots.
Only when I filled in those gaps completely could I truly say I’d become Eugene Carter in every sense of the word.
As I was lost in thought, I shifted my gaze slightly.
Rubia was quietly staring in my direction.
“…What is it?”
“Oh, nothing. Hehe.”
Seeing her smiling so brightly made me smile back without realizing it.
I quickly hid the grin and picked up one of the books she had brought.
After that, the two of us sat in silence, immersed in our reading.
Every now and then, I tried to recall any possible connection between Eugene Carter and Rubia Magnus, but unfortunately, came up with nothing.
At exactly 22:00, the advance team for the course “Great Beast Tactical Training” departed from Karbenna.
There were two carriages: one carrying three people, and the other loaded with various supplies.
Since some of the cargo was fragile, the carriages moved at a steady, moderate pace.
The route left the Imperial Route No. 11 and entered the operation zone via Benamaur Route 211.
Members assigned to reconnaissance and surveillance duties were scattered throughout the area, each carrying transmitters to their status.
“This is the Karbenna surveillance team. No additional advance unit spotted yet.”
“No additional movement from the Special Task Force either.”
“Target just entered Route 211. Estimated eighty minutes until arrival at the operation zone.”
Benamaur border region. A forest roughly twelve kilometers from C–1997.
The Abattoir’s top three elites had finished their preparations and gathered together.
Behind them, four men were bound hand and foot inside a pit, struggling.
Their mouths had been gagged with cloth to silence their incessant screaming.
The 2nd Seat, Maledic, looked toward the pit and asked the others,
“The drugs?”
In response, the 4th Seat, Evelin, took out a small iron box from her robes.
“Don’t inject it until we get the signal. If they go berserk, cleaning it up will be a nightmare.”
“Hey, we’re not idiots, you know? You sure love bossing people around just because you’re the 2nd Seat now, huh?”
Twitch.
Maledic exuded killing intent toward Evelin, who had just picked a fight outright.
“Want to see if it’s skill or luck that got me this seat?”
The atmosphere was growing more and more tense until the 5th Seat, Vicious, quickly stepped between them.
“Stop, stop! If you want to fight, do it after the mission. Unless you’re dying to get tortured by the boss later.”
At the mention of torture, both of them flinched.
Vicious sighed, glancing at the mines buried all throughout the forest path.
Forbidden magic — shunned by all, solely because its potential for abuse was too great.
The members of Abattoir came from all walks of life, from nobles to slaves, but they all had one thing in common:
They were outcasts who had fallen behind.
After planting the mana-charged mines properly, Vicious smirked.
‘No matter how many times I see it, it’s satisfying. Watching those oh-so-proud imperial elites fall helplessly to us outcasts.’
Let’s see how the great War Hero responds this time.
Ten minutes, thirty, an hour passed.
The tedious wait in the forest was finally coming to an end.
“This is the final surveillance team! The target has just entered the Benamaur forest from Route 211!”
The three assassins, upon hearing the , simultaneously cast concealment spells and hid themselves.
Each drew their weapon of choice and leapt up into the trees.
Before long, two carriages came into view, accompanied by the sound of hooves.
‘One minute left.’
Forty seconds, thirty, twenty, ten…
As Vicious counted down silently, he snapped his fingers the moment the first carriage entered the minefield.
KWA-A-A-AANG!
A deafening explosion erupted, and the shockwave swept out in all directions.
Nearby trees shook violently under the blast’s gale.
The front carriage was completely obliterated by the pressure of the mana bomb.
Its frame shattered apart, scattering debris across the ground; the coachman and three horses died instantly.
As for the second carriage, it sustained even greater damage when the panicked horses bolted in terror from the explosion.
Before the dust could even settle, the three assassins rushed toward the carriage carrying the target.
Tree branches had pierced through the shattered windows, making it impossible to see inside.
Vicious stepped forward first.
And at that moment—
CRASH!
The window exploded outward, and a slash came slicing through the air.