A Faint Crack

“Hmm…”

He brought the glass to his lips and just exhaled through his nose. It was an uncharacteristic hesitation for Ernst.

“No, Ernst von Stresemann, Conservative Party leader. Do you have some connection with Yena Freud, Party Leader?”

“Chief of Staff Erius?”

And a mountain of a man seized the opportunity to interject.

“I was so moved by this girl’s life story that I brought her out here myself, haha. But what brings such a famous person, who the distinguished guests would never let go, here?”

“Well, Erdoff despises indoor smoking. I left the management to my adjutant for a moment and came out to get some fresh air.”

Click, hiss!

Erius, who had appeared from who knows where, naturally leaned against the railing right next to Ernst, took out tobacco from his sleeve, and lit it with a match.

What incredible timing.

I wonder how he managed to appear at such a crucial moment. Thanks to him, the chance to hear Ernst’s most anticipated answer flew far away into the sky.

“I suppose that’s true. I thought perhaps you and Ernst had some connection, haha!”

Crunch─

Seeing that face crumpling as he let out a hearty laugh, I unconsciously gripped my glass of liquor tightly.

It doesn’t really matter since I’ve already grasped Ernst’s intentions, but…

You know how there are some types of people whose mere presence makes you uncomfortable? Perhaps because his past incompetent and self-righteous actions overlapped, I felt tension in my forehead.

“If you’ve heard enough of Yena’s story, may I borrow her for a moment? It’s been about an hour since the banquet started, and the Party Leader wants to see this girl.”

“By all means, take her. It’s only right to comply with a request from the Chief of Staff, second only to the Prime Minister and the Empire.”

“Hahaha! Thank you, Representative Ernst.”

Hiss!

In any case, Erius’s appearance brought an end to the long private conversation. Now it was time to meet Erdoff.

“Yena Freud.”

“Yes.”

“I enjoyed hearing about your life story. If I can treat you to a meal later, I’ll prepare some good dishes. Not things like pineapple pizza or mint chocolate.”

“…It would be an honor, Party Leader.”

Finally, after exchanging sentences that essentially signaled acceptance of the deal with Ernst, we parted ways, and I headed straight into the banquet hall following Erius.

Click! Click!

“Yena Freud… You grew up in an ordinary household, not from any noble faction, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I heard you personally carried the arsonist out of the Diet building. It was brave, and also admirable. It’s an aspect incomparable to others your age I’ve met.”

“Thank you, Chief of Staff.”

On the way up the stairs covered with a red carpet to meet key officials, I engaged in light conversation with him.

“Having this meeting with you, Chief of Staff, I don’t know how to conduct myself.”

“Hm?”

“I’ve long admired your leadership in commanding the Storm Troopers under you, and your skill in managing even remote local organizations despite our country’s vast territory.”

“Oh, is that so?”

As this was my first personal meeting with a member of the Labor Party’s power circle after Erdoff, I didn’t waste time on small talk.

“I also know about that scar on your nose bridge, a mark of your efforts to protect the people from the vicious invasion of the Allied Nations. I want to express my proper reverence for your patriotism.”

“Even most party comrades don’t know about this scar. Your claim of loyalty to the Labor Party wasn’t a lie, was it?”

Even if I disliked him, he was undoubtedly the Labor Party’s second-in-command, or rather, a man currently on par with the Prime Minister.

That’s why he was purged.

Currently, excluding Erius, I can guarantee there wasn’t a single person with power and connections similar to Erdoff’s.

Of course, this alone wasn’t why he was eliminated. No matter how cruel Erdoff might be, isn’t he the type to keep individuals who are useful to him until the very end?

“Well, there’s no need to praise me so much. As you loudly proclaimed in the auditorium, I’m just doing my best to willingly bring about change in Bern, which is steeped in defeatism.”

“Change in Bern… you say?”

“As a commoner, you would know. Those who squeezed the blood and tears out of Bern’s people to cover the post-war reconstruction costs, and couldn’t come up with a single solution even when the economic crisis was triggered.”

There was a good reason why Erius had an unfortunate end to his life.

“Those leeches with nothing but noble names! And the dirty capitalists sucking the marrow out of the common people’s bones are eating away at Bern. This country needs the wind of a new era,”

It was this ideology of his that was the problem.

For the Labor Party’s second-in-command to be a socialist crying out for bourgeois suppression and nationalization of businesses – it’s completely opposite to Erdoff’s line, who desperately needs the help of capitalists.

“Ahem! I’ve said too many frivolous things in front of a young child.”

Although it might be dismissed as a minor ideological difference now, it will accumulate and eventually reach a breaking point.

I wonder who I should help when that time comes.

“H-Hurrah for Erius!”

“Where is the Prime Minister?”

After climbing the stairs and passing about a dozen or so members of parliament leaning against the corridor drinking champagne, we finally arrived in front of a certain door just as the heat of conversation was dying down.

“He’s receiving cabinet ministers in the VIP room on the left. Minister Göring and Election District Chief Paulo are also in attendance.”

“Tell them I’ve brought Yena.”

“Hurrah for Erius!”

And less than a minute after arriving, the Storm Trooper who had left with Erius’s order returned with the news.

“They say you may enter.”

Now the banquet will truly begin in earnest.

“Follow me.”

“Yes.”

While everything up to now was merely a luxurious dinner to fill our stomachs, from now on meaningful encounters would begin.

Click!

I adjusted the jewel of my necklace to sit at the center of my chest, smoothed out the wrinkles in my dress, and politely entered through the door that Erius opened for me.

---

“I think this is an intolerable situation.”

A shout erupted from near the corner of the rectangular conference table.

“I agree.”

“A public speech for the Labor Party?”

If it had been just one person, it could have been dismissed as a spontaneous situation, but following the old man’s loud voice, angry protests could be heard from various places around the table.

“Until now, we’ve turned a blind eye to whatever political ideology a cadet might hold. But isn’t it too much to collude with the party government and appear in the media, Principal Lustet?”

They were all dissatisfied with Yena Freud’s recent actions.

‘This is troublesome.’

Lustet pressed his philtrum in response to the instructors who had barged in like a typhoon. It felt terribly dirty, like regaining a headache he had forgotten during the rare calm days.

‘What on earth did she do?’

He had tried not to use harsh words towards cadets as much as possible, but he couldn’t help himself due to his lack of understanding.

Didn’t she leave for the purpose of recuperation?

After praying for her parents’ peace, he had assumed she would be eating delicious foods she couldn’t enjoy at the military academy or at most, drinking some alcohol.

“Huh.”

But instead of a bottle of alcohol, she was grabbing the head of the Diet building arsonist? It was so absurd that he couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.

‘And as if that wasn’t enough, she even held a party initiation ceremony.’

He had asked Gartel, wondering if he might be involved, but nothing came of it. If so, it means it was a complete coincidence…

‘One way or another, it’s going to be noisy for a while.’

What does it matter if her speech was moving or not? It was all useless in the face of the fact that she publicly supported the Labor Party with photos that seemed to show loyalty to Erdoff.

“She should be immediately referred to the disciplinary committee.”

“The long-established military discipline is at risk of crumbling. We must restore order through her punishment.”

“What if that child reveals the identity of magic officers! This is why background is important…”

She had created an opportunity for die-hard noble-born officers who viewed her unfavorably and communist-leaning types who would grind their teeth at the mention of the Labor Party to cause a commotion.

“Still, I don’t think she’s the kind of child who would do reckless things with ill intentions. She has a record of helping resolve recent unfortunate incidents without much fuss.”

“Hmm, hmm. I see it as a separate issue…”

“Moreover, she has shown the most outstanding abilities among the new students. Even if she supports the Labor Party, she has sufficiently proven her loyalty to the military.”

“Tch.”

“Haha, Instructor Derian. Are you excessively covering for her because she’s a member of your research department? The Labor Party is a group trying to eliminate the military!”

“That’s right, the Storm Troopers? Don’t you know their trick of trying to replace the military with organizations full of riffraff who’ve never even held a gun? Yena could become the seed of that division!”

Crunch!

Lustet glanced at the men opposing each other, divided to the left and right with him at the center of the conference table, and clenched and unclenched his fist on the table.

“Isn’t that because you’re enthusiastic about the Communist Party? The Labor Party is the only alternative for Bern’s revival!”

“What did you say?”

“Can’t you come to your senses even after seeing how weak we’ve become due to the Versa Treaty? Look at our pitiful state, hiding in some countryside in the Federation without even the freedom to train our military!”

“Haha, such foul language!”

The meeting room, which had gathered to decide the treatment of a single student, was now overheating as factions opposed factions and ideologies clashed with ideologies.

“That’s enough!”

Boom!

Lustet, unable to just watch the situation any longer, slammed his fist on the table.

“This isn’t the Diet where you engage in dirty dogfights. Looking at you, one might think you were politicians.”

“Uh, ahem. I apologize for my rudeness.”

“I will correct my behavior.”

“Regardless of their background or abilities, the children gathered here are patriots who willingly came together to be the oil that will brighten Bern’s dying future.”

He exhaled forcefully through his nose while looking around the now quiet room.

“Actions that project one’s ideology and concepts onto opinions to pursue personal gain will never be tolerated.”

It’s impossible to continue any further.

This was Lustet’s conclusion after looking around silently for a few minutes. It was a hasty decision to hold such a meeting when Yena hadn’t even returned yet.

‘I’ll have to wait until the commotion dies down.’

This is a topic that should be discussed at least after hearing Yena’s full story, and after resolving the ongoing Federation exchange student-related work, when the instructors have found some peace of mind.

“Let’s dismiss for now. Everyone, focus on your duties.”

Lustet stood up, putting on the coat and cap he had taken off.