The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 98 

Marion spoke with a cold, hardened face.

“No good.”

“……”

“I told you. Young people shouldn’t get involved in old people’s fights.”

Marion pointed at Amon with his finger.

“You’re young. Your future is bright. You shouldn’t step into this pathetic affair.”

“……”

“I understand your youthful spirit. Your blood must be boiling. But that’s not your blood boiling. It’s just the dark thing in your head and chest urging you on. Protecting your country and homeland! Or for advancement! Maybe both, or maybe there’s another reason.”

Marion’s eyes were bloodshot.

“I won’t dare say that’s wrong or bad. But it’s not time yet. You should just cheer on those who go to battle with your boiling blood. The time to stand on the battlefield is when that blood has cooled or when the enemy’s blade is at your throat. But you’re neither of those right now.”

Marion’s voice was dripping with conviction, hatred, and sadness.

The atmosphere overwhelmed everyone present, making them forget even to breathe.

After firing words like a machine gun, Marion caught his breath and said:

“Amon.”

“…Yes, senior.”

“Please. Don’t make the same mistake as the drunk fool before you.”

War hero, Crimson Demon. Those impressive titles were the result of foolish decisions.

After Marion’s speech ended, Amon, who had been lost in thought, spoke:

“Senior.”

“Speak. I’m listening.”

“As you said, I am young. But my future isn’t bright.”

“…What? What do you mean?”

For a moment, a look of pity crossed Kai’s face.

He knows about the hidden story between the Drake family and the imperial Amonis family.

Therefore, he also knows that Amon cannot advance normally.

“I can’t give you details. Let’s just say it’s a family matter. Anyway, I just want to say that advancement is difficult for such reasons.”

“…Advancement?”

Marion gave a hollow laugh.

“So in the end, for mere advancement…”

“You said the time to stand on the battlefield is when the blood has cooled. My blood isn’t hot. Hasn’t been for quite a while.”

“What?”

“…Where should I start telling this story?”

Amon smiled bitterly and continued.

“You’ve all visited our territory, right? Well, not Fiora. Anyway, how did it look? Honestly, it didn’t seem very well-off, did it?”

“……”

“But that’s actually much better now. When I was young, don’t even ask. We often went hungry. Yet we were supposed to be a baronial family. Among fallen nobility, poor nobility, we were probably among the poorest. I wouldn’t know for sure.”

Amon was fidgeting with his fingers while keeping his gaze down.

He didn’t want to talk about it since it wasn’t a good story, but since Marion so passionately tried to dissuade him from participating, he wanted to explain his reasons.

“Well, being poor would have been fine but our territory isn’t even safe. Monsters would invade almost daily, so when I was young, many people died. These days it rarely happens.”

Amon cleared his throat as if his mouth was dry but no one seemed to think of offering him tea.

Under their fixed, stern gazes, Amon moistened his lips with his tongue and continued.

“And there’s a small city at the foot of the Drake Mountains. It’s the closest place to our territory that could be called habitable. Something happened there, something predictable.”

“…?”

“You know how we eat white bread here at this restaurant? But when I was young and went to that city, that’s when I first learned there was such a thing as white bread. Isn’t all bread black? Isn’t bread made from rye? Turns out not. But I didn’t know that, and I said to my father who had taken me to the city on business:”

“……”

“Wow! Dad, look at that. The bread is white. Isn’t that amazing?”

Rye bread is a symbol of poverty.

White bread made from wheat is a symbol of wealth.

But that’s just an old saying for the Empire’s citizens.

Due to agricultural promotion and technological advancement, white bread made from ‘wheat’ is even distributed as relief goods in poor neighborhoods.

But it seems that wasn’t the case for young Amon and the Drake territory because it was too barren and too rough a place.

“Well, and then the predictable happened. Some noble’s child who was staying in that city heard those words, and looking at my father and me, said:

“……”

“What’s this? What are these beggars doing here?”

The words heard by a baron family’s child.

Everyone’s face hardened as they listened to the story.

Kai was almost making a crying face.

“Father immediately took me somewhere else. And he remained silent throughout our business, and on the way back he bought me a loaf of white bread.”

“……”

“It was soft and delicious. Incredibly so.”

Taking a small breath, Amon looked at Marion and said:

“As I said, our territory is better than that now. We eat white bread too. But I want to give my family and the townspeople better food than white bread. And I don’t want my sister Ami to ever hear such nasty things anywhere.”

“……”

“There’s no vigor or passion. I want to advance coldly and rationally.”

That was the reason for Amon’s desire for advancement.

And Marion, who had been listening silently with his eyes closed, stood up and left without a word.

“Huh? Why did he just leave without even giving an answer?”

“……”

“I guess it means I can do as I please?”

“……”

No one answered Amon’s words.

They were just desperately staring at the innocent ceiling.

Seeing this, Amon said irritably:

“Ah, damn. This is why I didn’t want to say anything.”

“…Amon.”

“What is it, Senior Sloth?”

“Here’s some chocolate, *sniff*! Eat it.”

“Thanks.”

Munching on the chocolate Sloth gave him, Amon clapped his hands once and summarized:

“Well, anyway, that’s my position.”

Anar’el, whose eyes and nose had somehow turned bright red, spun around and said:

“I’d like to stop you but if that’s how it is, there’s nothing we can do.”

Though Fiora had ill feelings toward Amon and didn’t say much, her gaze toward him had softened somewhat.

Of course, Amon’s inner thoughts weren’t soft!

‘Why is that brute looking at me like that? Are you pitying me right now?’

And Kai, who had been watching Amon with a serious face while crossing his arms, said:

“I understand those feelings well, Senior Amon.”

‘What’s this? Why is this guy suddenly talking like a superior?’

“Though my power is lacking, I’ll help as much as I can.”

At those words, Amon’s eyes grew round.

“Are you going to participate too?”

“What? No?”

What crazy crown prince would crawl onto the front lines?

Amon’s face soured.

“Are you joking? Then what do you mean you’ll help?”

“Ha, hahaha…I mean, I’ll cheer you on from afar, that’s what I mean.”

He had unknowingly spoken from his position as ‘Crown Prince Kaias’.

Anyway, as the situation more or less concluded, Brestle opened her mouth.

“Can we go eat now?”

Before Brestle could finish speaking, she was hit by Anar’el’s headbutt and rolled off her chair.

* * *

In the withered garden located behind the academy, Marion was sitting on a bench there, quietly sipping from his glass.

Unlike his usual gulping, he was thoughtfully savoring the alcohol while deeply contemplating something.

He held out his glass to the side and said:

“Care for a drink Amon?”

“If you’re offering, I’ll gratefully accept.”

Sitting down next to Marion with an “oof,” Amon said:

“This seems more expensive than usual? Different from what you usually drink.”

“When facing deployment, I can’t just pour cheap alcohol down my throat even on a day like this.”

“That’s true.”

After taking a refreshing gulp of alcohol, Amon said:

“Whew, this is good.”

“Amon.”

“Yes.”

“I’m a mage, so I’ll be assigned to the battle mage division. You, as a noble’s child and an academy teacher, will command volunteer soldiers. I don’t know exactly, but you’ll probably start as a captain of a hundred.”

Marion refilled the glass with alcohol and continued:

“Remember their faces well. Never forget them, remember them.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“If you forget, those with blurred faces will endlessly follow you. Not just when you’re sleeping, but when you’re awake too.”

Marion was staring blankly into space as he said this.

It was the usual look of drunk Marion, but after hearing those words and his earlier speech, Amon finally realized:

“Senior, you don’t mean even now?”

Instead of answering, Marion poured more alcohol down his throat.

That was why he always lived drunk.

‘When we first met, saying he just drank because it was delicious was a cover-up.’

It must have also been because Amon’s words about “trying to forget guilt with alcohol” had hit the mark.

Amon said with a bitter face:

“Well, who drinks alcohol because it’s delicious anyway?”

At those words, Marion frowned as if hearing nonsense and said:

“What are you talking about? This is delicious.”

“Huh.”

“Yes, I drink to forget too, but I also drink because it tastes good. What kind of pointless act would it be to force yourself to drink something that doesn’t even taste good just to forget? That would be torture.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Marion chuckled and slapped Amon’s back, then said:

“Anyway, come back safely. I’m asking you.”

“…Thank you. Please come back safely too, Senior. I’m asking you.”

“Mm.”

The two clinked their glasses.

* * *

As Marion said, Amon became the commander of a hundred-man unit of soldiers.

And as promised to Marion, he will never forget their faces.

“Captain! Let’s take it easy! Please?”

“……”

“Tsk, this is why newly appointed noble captains are…”

“……”

The experienced soldiers often disregarded Amon, their new captain of hundred.

‘Should I just kill them all with my own hands? No. Amon, then you’ll be in big trouble too.’

Because of this, his anger was only building up, so he wouldn’t be able to forget their faces even if asked to.

In the end, Amon carved the word patience in his heart and silently moved forward.

That’s how it was on the second night of the campaign.

“Captain Drake! Come to the tent!”

“Yes!”

At the captain of thousand’s call, Amon hurriedly headed to the tent.

Gathered in the tent were all captains of hundred, including himself, and all captains of thousand.

‘What is this? What’s happening?’

Having all commanders gathered meant it was that important a matter.

And Baron Salmon, the commander of the emergency dispatch force, opened his mouth:

“Now, is everyone here without exception?”

“Yes! Sir!”

“Listen carefully, everyone!”

“Yes!”

Baron Salmon scattered documents and shouted:

“The war is overrrr!”

“Yes, what!?”

“Her Majesty the Empress personally led her ladies-in-waiting corps and subjugated Mother Kraken, and consequently the Gunter Archipelago Alliance surrendered en masse!”

The Empire’s Empress!

She was the ‘swordsmanship master’ of Emperor Amonis XVIII, who was a Grand Sword Master and Great Mage.

Such an Empress had coldly raged at the Gunter Archipelago Alliance’s declaration of war.

‘As if it wasn’t bad enough that our Sandrio is sick in bed, these impudent creatures bare their teeth at the Empire?’

Showing her anger unfiltered, Empress Victoria led her personally trained ‘ladies-in-waiting corps’ to the front lines.

For reference, all 50 members of the ladies-in-waiting corps are monsters who are Sword Masters!

When such skilled individuals, led by the Empress, rushed at Mother Kraken, Mother Kraken couldn’t hold out for long and ended up becoming generous octopus sashimi!

“Thus, with all nations of the Gunter Archipelago Alliance swearing allegiance under the Empire’s flag, the war has ended!”

At Baron Salmon’s declaration, all the commanders gathered in the tent burst into fierce cheers.

“Woohooo!”

“Long live the Empress! Glory to the Empire!”

Amid the enthusiastic cheers, the captains of hundred composed of noble children were hugging each other in a frenzy.

It was welcome news that came while they were trembling in fear during their first deployment.

“Hahaha! Hurray! Hurray! The war is over!”

“Hey! Are you crying!?”

“Hahaha! You’re crying too!”

As Amon stared blankly at them hugging and making a commotion while shedding tears, a tear streaked down his own face.

“Oh!? Amon is crying too!”

“Puhaha! That guy who kept saying what’s there to be afraid of every day is crying too?”

“Hic, uhic… huhic…”

Seeing him sobbing hard, the other captains of a hundred gathered around Amon while crying, and buried in their embrace, Amon began to cry even harder.

“Huhic! That’s right, cry you bastard! You were really scared too!”

“Kuhub! Uhueeeeeng!”