I Became the Academy’s War Hero-Chapter 49 : The Uninvited Hero (1)

Chapter 49: The Uninvited Hero (1)
Saturday, the 12th, 6 a.m.
Eric Halenber let out a sigh as his eyes abruptly opened again.
“Haa….”
Ever since he had declared himself as the whistleblower for this incident, he hadn’t gotten a proper night’s sleep.
It was obvious that even if he closed his eyes like this, his mind would just fill up with stray thoughts.
‘Is this why Francia always went out to train before dawn every day?’
Once the sweat poured out of the body, all unnecessary thoughts would disappear before one knew it.
“…I never thought the day would come when I’d understand how she felt.”
With a sigh, he kicked off the bed and stepped outside.
His steps toward the training grounds felt oddly light.
‘Still, there’s no way she’d be training even today, right?’
In a few hours, they would have to gather for the upcoming field exercise.
It wasn’t a long deployment, but there was plenty to prepare and a briefing to attend before departure—no doubt it would be hectic.
“…….”
Yet, as he neared the training grounds, he heard sharp shouts echoing through the air and shook his head.
Was training more of a priority for her than eating or sleeping?
It was enough to make him think that way.
Swinging her sword—he didn’t even know how many times now—Francia swiftly slashed through an imaginary target.
The sound of the air tearing apart burst through the still dawn.
Eric simply stood there for a while, silently watching her.
Without even looking back, she spoke.
“Couldn’t sleep again?”
“…Yeah. Been like that lately.”
“How’s securing the witnesses going?”
“I’ve gotten confirmations from four of them so far, and two are still undecided. Seems like Hockma’s been threatening them—though at this point, I can’t afford to be picky.”
Francia sheathed her sword and sat down on a narrow bench beside her.
Then, absentmindedly, she wiped away the sweat running down her neck.
With nothing else to say, Eric kicked the wooden post in front of him for no reason.
After that near-farewell conversation they’d had at the parade ground a few days ago, meeting like this again—just the two of them—felt awkward.
“I didn’t get to ask you last time.”
It was surprisingly Francia who broke the silence first.
“…Once all this is over, what happens to you?”
“Well….”
He knew very well what she meant.
He also knew how this journey was likely to end.
But even so, he didn’t want to say it out loud.
So Eric let out a short laugh.
“What, are you worried I might die?”
It was a kind of self-suggestion.
A little optimism, as if speaking it aloud could make it true.
When Francia’s expression clouded, he deliberately put on a confident front.
“I’m the guy who survived a fallen noble house and made it this far. You really think I’d go down from something like this?”
And more than that—
“I’d rather not die before you do.”
“…….”
After that, an inexplicable tension lingered between them.
The silence that seemed like it would last a while was suddenly broken by the arrival of an unexpected person.
“Huff, huff… Looks like I owe a commendation to the cadet who said you’d be here.”
“You are….”
Damn it. What kind of dog-training routine is this first thing in the morning?
Walter Clark, still catching his breath, pointed toward Eric.
“Cadet Eric Halenber, right?”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Come with me for a bit. There’s somewhere we need to go together.”
The Flock Region of Ribenia, more than a hundred kilometers away from Karbenna.
A prominent borderland, and one of the most expansive territories within the Empire.
It was said to be larger than both the 2nd-class Parcel and 3rd-class Centre regions combined—enough said.
The nations facing it across the border were Bosnus and Hallard, both powerful and influential countries.
Under normal circumstances, the Empire would have had to invest a massive number of troops in border defense.
But two dominant forces in Flock had completely blocked that necessity.
The greatest deterrent was the city of Inquisitors, Dellowell, located in the eastern part of Flock.
Their combat capabilities rivaled even those of the Imperial regular army, enough to make other nations hesitate before invading Ribenia.
And the other force lay in the northwestern part of Flock—Duel Mallet.
Their strength depended less on raw military power and more on Duel’s influence itself.
Despite the rumors, they were an organization regarded as one of the twin pillars protecting the world, the very pinnacle of magical arts.
“…….”
I tucked the leather-bound book I’d obtained during the skirmish back into my coat and looked ahead.
After riding all night, I had finally reached the Magic Tower.
The two horses were utterly exhausted, snorting harshly as they stumbled forward.
Even with the help of Artifacts, covering over a hundred kilometers in just six hours had been pushing it.
“You two did well.”
As I approached the tower entrance, a few figures in black, plainly designed uniforms came toward me.
When I dismounted, they removed their brimless caps and gave a polite bow.
“May we ask your affiliation and the purpose of your visit?”
“Before that, one moment.”
I carefully lifted Rubia, who was lying inside the carriage, and answered.
“Eugene Carter. Affiliation: Imperial Special Task Force and the Karbenna Academy. Purpose of visit: treatment.”
“…….”
The men simply stared at one another, dumbfounded.
Reception room, located outside the Magic Tower.
I had been waiting there with Rubia for thirty minutes now.
Her complexion was still terribly pale.
Her already fair skin had lost even the slightest hint of color—she looked just like an ice witch from a fairy tale.
Despite her appearance, her body temperature seemed to have returned to a relatively normal range, which was a relief.
‘Still, these bastards sure are taking their time.’
Maybe I should’ve just stormed in.
No—if I had, the Magic Tower’s automatic defense system would’ve pulverized me.
Even the old me wouldn’t have been crazy enough to confront the tower’s defenses head-on.
There were maybe only two people in the entire Empire who could pull something like that off.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting, Sir Eugene Carter.”
The gaunt man bowed his head politely, then opened the door wide.
As soon as he entered, he handed me a small wooden plaque.
“This is a visitor’s permit. You must keep it with you at all times. Failure to do so will result in being treated as an intruder and punished in accordance with the Magic Tower’s internal regulations.”
I gave a vague nod and tucked the permit deep into my inner pocket.
“Let’s go. I’ll guide you inside.”
“Alright.”
When I tried to lift Rubia again, the man quickly intervened.
“If you don’t mind, may we assist with the transport?”
“…Sure.”
The man lightly waved a wand he took out from his coat.
Immediately, a plain, patternless rug appeared in midair and wrapped around Rubia.
The rug floated up and followed the movement of his wand.
“…….”
I silently followed after him.
We went through a back passage connected to the reception room, passing directly through the checkpoint.
Upon entering the interior, an expansive garden unfolded before my eyes.
Most of the people walking along the marble path in the center were dressed similarly to the man beside me.
The sharp gazes they threw my way weren’t much different from what I had faced in Karbenna, and I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
After walking along the same path for over twenty minutes, the entrance to the tower finally came into view.
The gates were always open, wide enough for hundreds to enter or exit at once.
I swallowed dryly as I caught a glimpse of the interior.
I had grown used to the sight of the Academy after seeing it so often, but the scenery of the Magic Tower was something even I found unfamiliar.
It made sense—after all, the title of the game itself was <Make Academy Great Again>, and its central theme was restoring a failing academy.
In fact, the game’s data contained ten times more information about the academy than about any other location.
So when I finally stepped into the tower, I couldn’t stop myself from inwardly marveling.
Countless bookshelves floated on either side of a towering central staircase.
At both ends, zigzagging staircases led up to connecting corridors between the floors.
As I tilted my head upward, a translucent, turquoise sphere hanging from the ceiling caught my attention.
“That is…”
“Is this your first time seeing a Barion Orb?”
A strange voice suddenly sounded beside my ear.
When I turned my gaze forward, a long-haired woman was smiling at me.
The man beside her bowed in the same manner as before.
“As you requested, I have brought the two of them, Lady Meriel.”
“Good work, Novice Graham. I’ll take over from here.”
“I leave them in your care. Then, if you’ll excuse me….”
Even after the man left, the rug carrying Rubia remained suspended in the air.
“…….”
Looking closely, I could sense that it was being held aloft by a faint trace of mana emanating from the woman called Meriel.
“Then, shall we?”
She turned briskly, her tied-up hair swaying as she walked ahead.
Rubia was laid down in a resting chamber located on the third floor of the Magic Tower.
A faint scent rising from the bed seemed to melt away the fatigue that had built up over time.
After moving a few spherical Artifacts—whose origins I couldn’t guess—to the bedside, Meriel began chanting a spell.
The Artifacts emitted a bright light all at once, floating up into the air and orbiting gently around Rubia.
“The basic stabilization is complete. I’ll enhance her mana sensitivity to induce natural healing.”
Well, though this alone probably won’t be enough to wake her up.
With a sorrowful look, Meriel gazed down at Rubia.
I alternated my gaze between the two before cautiously asking,
“…Do you know her?”
“Of course. We were classmates.”
The moment the word “classmates” left her lips, several memories came to mind.
The one who had been among the earliest of their peers to ascend to the rank of Representative during their trainee days.
When Rubia became a Representative a year later, she was the one who constantly picked fights with her out of rivalry.
The one who, upon hearing Rubia was being dispatched to Karbenna as an instructor, was secretly more delighted than anyone else.
Her field of expertise was purification and healing. On the strength of her outstanding research achievements, she had held the first Representative seat for four consecutive years, and was still considered the closest to becoming a Forerunner.
And then, a past conversation with Rubia surfaced in my mind.
“She used to tell me, ‘You’re hopeless in combat aptitude, so stop thinking about unnecessary things and just focus on theory!’—so many times that it’s stuck in my head word for word.”
“Who told you that?”
“Senior Agent. She said it so often I can still quote it perfectly.”
Agent Meriel. A First-Class, Special-Rank Representative.
‘…Now I understand.’
The meaning behind that pitying gaze fixed on Rubia.
It was undoubtedly one of sympathy and compassion—
But beneath it lay condescension toward her peer, and an unshakable confidence in herself.
Meriel finally turned to me with a bright smile.
“I’d like to hear what exactly happened to her—could you tell me the details?”