Zealot

“Did you have a good vacation?”

“Yes, I had a good rest, thanks to you.”

“I see, you do look like you rested well.”

“……”

Click! Click!

Amidst the awkward conversation, the sound of stiff footsteps filled the corridor.

We walked down the hallway maintaining an uncomfortable silence, except for a few brief exchanges with Gartel, with whom I used to talk freely before leaving the military academy.

He must have heard everything.

Gartel had been waiting in the corridor until I came out after entering the principal’s office. He must have sensed the chilly atmosphere flowing between Lustet and me.

That’s why this burdensome atmosphere is flowing now.

Moreover, Gartel is faithfully following a soldier’s duty, isn’t he? It’s just awkward that his pupil returned as a party member in an instant.

“These are choices that reflect your unwavering will?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

He glanced at me briefly, and upon hearing my answer, turned his head back to look down at the grass outside the window.

“…Sigh.”

If this wasn’t a corridor, he looked like he would have lit a cigarette.

“Yena Freud.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

With that, Gartel finally stopped walking, frowning one eyebrow and chewing his lip.

We were at the end of the corridor, with less than ten steps remaining until we reached the square outside the main building where Erika and Lina would be.

“I don’t want to force any ideology or behavioral patterns on you. Whether you support the Labor Party or follow the political leanings urged by the Bern Army.”

Thud, tap!

He grabbed both my shoulders and narrowed the distance.

“As an instructor, as your only superior, I don’t think the direction you’re heading is wrong.”

He lifted his eyelids, revealing a bright gaze like sunlight.

“However, you are a soldier. Even if you’re certain that the destination of the path you’re leaving footprints on is for the national interest, even if you’re striving for national benefit, there’s a line you can’t ignore.”

Gartel showed the most enthusiastic reaction since my return, spitting out words as if a gourmet was chewing a steak.

“The Imperial Army, let alone magic officers, cannot just pursue ideals. I hope you understand this.”

While it was advice, it was quite different from Lustet’s words.

As we faced each other at such a close distance that even the wrinkles in his pupils were clearly visible, I could feel that his tone, his words, and his gaze were all imbued with consideration.

I was certain that these were all advice given out of concern for my future.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

Is he helping me as an instructor hoping for my well-being? It’s a very grateful and pitiful worry.

But he said I’m not wrong.

I was about to dismiss it as a line typical of an ordinary instructor, but I closed my lips at one sentence that wouldn’t leave my mind.

It’s an assertion that an ordinary officer wouldn’t dare utter. It was a sentence that only Gartel, with his years of experience, could say because there was no one else around.

No, that’s not enough.

Wouldn’t it only be possible to make such an assertion if one had goodwill towards the Labor Party and supported Erdoff’s radical moves?

“Ah.”

As the questions and worries that wouldn’t leave my mind came together like a puzzle being solved, my fist clenched tightly.

“Anyway, as you must have heard from Principal Lustet, you won’t be referred to the disciplinary committee separately for your violation of school rules. But I hope you’ll be careful from now on.”

“…I’ll engrave it in my heart.”

“Then you may go.”

I responded to Gartel without saying much, while not relaxing the strength in both hands. However, I briefly smiled as I stared at the instructor’s back as he walked ahead.

“Ye─na!”

Under the bright blue sky, a shout that resonated across the square pierced my ears.

“I missed you!”

Erika ran energetically and hugged me tightly with both arms, not even a few seconds after we faced each other.

Whoosh!

Her unique faint scent of mint shampoo tickled the bridge of my nose. The softness felt from her tight embrace was a bonus.

“Yeah, me too.”

It was a warm reunion achieved again at the end of reaching the square. It had been about ten minutes since I parted with Gartel after receiving some cautions upon leaving the main building.

Nothing much has changed, I see.

Erika’s appearance hadn’t changed particularly from before I left for vacation. She was still the same talkative and cheerful self.

“…It’s been a while.”

“Thanks for coming out to greet me.”

Even being a princess didn’t make a difference.

“Just what is your identity?”

“Hm?”

“You said you were going away to recuperate, but then you show your face in the media and even meet Prime Minister Erdoff whom even I haven’t met…”

Although her lips trembled slightly, perhaps shocked by the various news reported in the newspapers, her attitude and way of speaking towards me seemed unchanged from before I left.

Compared to Lustet, whose demeanor had changed to the point of being almost hostile, they were in a good state.

If anything has changed, it’s me who has changed.

“Here, take this.”

“Huh? What’s this?”

“A gift.”

I smiled faintly as I handed over the gifts I hadn’t been able to give to Erika and Lina.

Joining the Labor Party was no different from voluntarily giving up an ordinary daily life. It was no longer possible to spend the semester just as a capable student by chance.

I’ll have to deal with the intensifying scrutiny of the instructors from now on, and build up strength so as not to be helplessly caught by rough check swings.

I had no regrets. It was the future I had chosen myself and so earnestly wished for.

“I prepared one for you too, Lina.”

“For me?”

“Yes, here.”

I just feel a bit wistful at the thought of losing peaceful and quiet days.

“It’s cake!”

“This is… perfume.”

As I had carefully chosen the items considering their behavior so far, their reactions were equally enthusiastic.

“It’s whipped cream!”

While Erika buried her face in the wrapping paper like a puppy, savoring the faint scent of whipped cream and swallowing her saliva, Lina’s expression was also worth seeing.

“This, this is unexpected. To prepare a gift.”

She tried to maintain an expressionless face by lowering the corners of her mouth as if indifferent, but her fingers couldn’t stay still and kept fidgeting.

It was the princess’s favorite perfume, wasn’t it?

It was none other than a new product, and according to my memories from my previous life, it was the Gallian Republic perfume that the princess loved the most. It’s truly the best gift for her.

I guess it wouldn’t be available in Astrakhan, which is the backwater of backwaters. It was worth paying the high price.

“Where, where did you get this?”

“In Bern. I’m glad you seem to like it.”

“Hmm, you have better taste than I expected.”

Slide─

“If there’s no reason to stay here longer, let’s go to the research department. Senior Ithrite and Berto are waiting too.”

Lina carefully peeled off the box, cradled the perfume bottle she took out as if handling a baby, and gestured outside the square with a somehow softer tone.

“Let’s do that.”

As there was no particular reason to object, I obediently followed her.

It’ll be a reunion with the seniors after a long time too.

I didn’t hesitate in my steps as much as I was curious. Finally, it’s an opportunity to hear from upperclassmen and fellow students other than close figures like Lina and Erika.

Trudge, trudge!

I looked up at the bright spring sky for a moment, then straightened my collar and cap before heading towards the main building.

“Erika will come a bit later?”

“Yeah, I’ll just store the cake and come. Just in case, I can’t drop it!”

“You’re just storing it, right?”

“…Gulp, yes!”

After seeing Erika off.

It didn’t take long to reach the department room. The main building was close to the square, and I was now familiar with the geography after staying for over a month.

“Excuse me.”

The atmosphere in the department room I was visiting after nearly two weeks was unexpectedly not bad.

“Oh, it’s Yena. Welcome!”

While Ithrite greeted me without any problem, the cadets who were writing reports or assignment submissions just focused on their tasks without showing any reaction.

Occasional glances tickled my spine, but it was nothing compared to what I had prepared for.

I thought it would be cold.

Rather, it was so ordinary that I tilted my head involuntarily. I had acted in a way that could easily be seen as disruptive by other cadets. But it’s this quiet? I couldn’t understand.

“You’ve finally come, Yena Freud.”

“I’ve come to report my return.”

However, that question was soon resolved with the appearance of one man.

“It doesn’t matter. I’d like to hear your story once, Yena.”

“Pardon?”

“What’s Prime Minister Erdoff’s actual personality like? What about Chief of Staff Erius and Minister Paulo? I heard you had conversations with them, what kind of content was exchanged?”

It was the appearance of Berto, an enthusiastic Labor Party member.