Qualification Review

Sometimes there comes a moment when one must make an extreme choice for the greater good.

Even if the other person is a close friend with deep ties, or a reliable subordinate who always brought smiles, if disposing of them is necessary to uphold military discipline, one had to do so with tears in one’s eyes.

“Sigh…”

Rustet placed both legs on the desk and continuously smoked tobacco.

‘It’s complicated.’

This is why the position of administrator was difficult.

One had to make choices prioritizing the group over the individual.

“This is not right, please reconsider.”

Moreover, it was the duty of an administrator, the principal of Astrakhan Military Academy, to quell the dissatisfaction of group members who opposed that decision.

“This is an unprecedented measure. This child is still a first-year student!”

It was quite a headache.

“Phew… so you’re capable of getting angry too.”

“Principal, no, Commander!”

Rustet looked up at Gartel, whose eyes were blazing blue.

Look at those trembling fists.

He should be grateful that Gartel didn’t slam the desk out of respect for his superior.

“So you’re capable of getting angry too, I see.”

“…Commander!”

“Sign it. It’s an unavoidable decision.”

“You’ve seen her competence in the Magic Tactics Planning Department, haven’t you, Commander? How can you issue such a ‘disposition’ to this girl!”

Crack!

Rustet forcefully broke the cigarette that wasn’t even half smoked.

“Because she’s competent… as you say, it’s a decision made because that child is insanely competent! Administrative Officer Gartel, don’t you understand yet!”

There was no one present who hadn’t witnessed Yena’s talent.

She possessed a vessel worthy of becoming a great chief of staff with her outstanding academic knowledge.

And what about her prowess?

With that tiny body, she not only defeated Wolf in sparring class but also went as far as crushing limbs in Sevirpol.

If Lina was a genius that appears once in a hundred years, Yena was close to a heavenly being born to save the Bern Empire.

‘If only that ability had been used solely to fulfill a soldier’s duty…’

The rare talents of the century were divided into two branches.

If there’s no desire for power and politics, a scholar.

The opposite is…

‘A revolutionary.’

We don’t need seeds that overturn the military system.

Puff, puff, puff!

Rustet threw the split tobacco into the trash can and lit a new one.

“Sigh, Administrative Officer Wilhelm Gartel.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“You know too, don’t you? The danger of that child.”

“……”

“If left unchecked, she’ll dye Astrakhan with the red heat of the Workers’ Party. The military discipline that has been maintained for hundreds of years since the monarchy will crumble!”

Even if she was a gem emitting light comparable to a diamond, if she was someone who intended to fill the military academy with political colors, she could not be left alone.

‘The balance of power between the military and the Workers’ Party must be maintained.’

Since the Workers’ Party passed the Enabling Act, they’ve been expanding their influence by dissolving all political parties except their own.

If we leave things as they are, the Workers’ Party’s expansion will reach deep into the military, and it’s only a matter of time before the organization falls into Erdorf’s hands.

The military group would be replaced by something like a shock troop.

Walter Erius, was it?

Then would he become the Minister of the Army?

‘The military being subordinated to the Workers’ Party.’

What a terrifying future. To think we’d be controlled by the likes of ‘The Corporal from Bohemia’. It cracked the pride of officers. I couldn’t stand by and watch the ugly sight of being pushed back by a group that’s at best a militia level.

‘Yena is the catalyst for that infiltration. She must be suppressed.’

I’ve been pondering since that girl came back from giving a speech in Bern.

Wondering if there was any other way.

But there was only one solution.

Rustle!

“Sign it, Administrative Officer Gartel.”

Yena was an existence that accelerated the tipping of the scales to one side. We couldn’t leave her be to infiltrate the military academy.

“The students are taking sides according to factions. And what about the instructors? You saw how the faction supporting the Workers’ Party opposed Yena’s punishment, while other forces agreed, didn’t you?”

“But this is…”

“Soldiers should be hermaphrodites, looking towards one grand goal. The moment cracks appear and egos run rampant, decline is a predetermined course.”

“……”

“I believe without doubt that even this ‘disposition’ will serve as a foundation for her growth as a soldier. In other words, it’s giving her a new trial. Well, if she fails the review due to her mana grade, it won’t even be implemented. In that case, you can do as you please.”

Rustet handed him the document titled 《Order of Affiliation Disposition》.

He had already obtained signatures from other instructors.

Only the [Administrative Officer] slot, meaning Gartel, was blank.

He was placed last in order because he was Yena Freud’s supervising instructor and the only one who could weakly rebel against the principal’s decision.

“……”

But rebellion is just rebellion.

Soldiers do not disobey their superiors’ orders.

Scribble, scribble, scribble.

[Administrative Officer Wilhelm Joachim Guster Gartel]

It was a fight with a predetermined outcome.

Gartel wrote down his full name ‘Wilhelm Joachim Guster Gartel’ on the line.

“Commander.”

However, he didn’t comply until the very end.

“The reform demanded by the times is not a fire that can be extinguished by human breath.”

“Hm?”

“I’m rather concerned that this current decision might turn a fire that would have just burned one house into a monster that devours mountains.”

Gartel handed the fountain pen to the principal and uttered one last word just before leaving the office.

“That child will surely return as a fire demon.”

---

“This is Yena Freud.”

“Ah, it’s good to hear your voice after so long, hoho!”

“Have you been well?”

“Well, I’ve been doing well thanks to you. The newspaper business is going very well too, hahaha! Just as you said, Yena, when we changed the reporting style, our circulation revenue increased fivefold! The broadcasting revenue is quite substantial too!”

“I’m glad to hear that, haha.”

“If you ever need money, contact me anytime. I always have enough funds prepared to easily arrange a couple of mansions for you.”

Talking with Ernst, who was boasting in a confident voice, I could almost hear the sound of him beating his chest through the receiver.

It’s a familiar voice now.

How long has it been since we last met?

The last conversation was when I asked him to arrange a meeting with Serti, so it’s been almost 2 months, no, over 3 months if counting by days.

I called to check on him one last time before taking the qualification review.

“Isn’t running the newspaper company overwhelming these days? It must be quite difficult while performing your ministerial duties.”

“As a matter of fact, I’m in the process of transitioning it to a state-owned media.”

“You mean nationalization?”

“Yes, Paulo has already been operating his newspaper as a state-owned media. There are several policy advantages, so I’ve decided to reorganize the business to be managed by the country as well.”

“I see.”

“Don’t worry if you’re concerned. I plan to have it operated under my subordinate department anyway. There’s no chance of the company being taken away by Paulo.”

“That’s a relief. Anyway, we should talk more often. Contacting you after 3 months, there’s a lot of surprising news, haha.”

It was good to see that he seemed to be doing well.

He was proceeding with media control step by step on his own.

“Ah, and the ‘Editor’s Law’ I told you about will soon be passed in the plenary session. It received deliberation from the Ministry of Government Legislation last week and was deemed appropriate for legislation. We plan to process the agenda during the regular session of the Imperial Parliament.”

Seeing that he was diligently handling the Editor’s Law following proper procedures, I wasn’t worried.

The Editor’s Law.

Simply put, it was a law restricting media activities.

It contained provisions attaching conditions that media activities would only be possible if registered in the occupational list of the Press Agency, a subordinate department of the ‘National Enlightenment Guidance Department’.

In the original history, Paulo had legislated and passed it, using it as a cornerstone to manipulate public opinion at will, but now Ernst was on the verge of promulgating it by enacting the bill based on my advice.

It was another instance of snatching power away from Paulo.

Though he probably doesn’t even realize he’s been robbed.

I shared several more casual conversations with Ernst that we hadn’t been able to have.

“Then I’ll contact you again after the qualification review.”

“Alright, good luck.”

“Yes, take care.”

Only after we had shared most of our curious questions did I put down the receiver.

He’s handling things well on his own.

He’s the one who raised up a family on the brink of ruin.

He was a person with political skills superior to mine.

I had some uneasiness not knowing how the newspaper company was running while I was focused on training, but at this level, there was no need to worry.

Knock knock!

“I’ll be going now. Thank you for lending me the office.”

“It’s nothing. Contact me anytime if you need anything. And you…”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing. Good luck.”

I saluted sharply to Gartel, who had willingly lent me his office and was waiting in the corridor smoking tobacco.

There was a suspicious behavior from Gartel in the middle, but I didn’t pay much attention to it.

It wasn’t a situation where I had the luxury to pay attention to such things.

As mentioned earlier, the reason I called Ernst was to check on each other one last time before taking the qualification review.

In other words,

“Attention to all candidates. There will soon be a roll call before the qualification review. Please gather in the square as soon as you hear this broadcast. I repeat. Soon…”

It meant that the moment determining the fate of the candidates was approaching in the near future.

Three weeks have passed in the blink of an eye.

Just like how the sea is strangely calm before a tsunami hits, the military academy didn’t announce any special schedules as the qualification review approached.

They even gave free time instead of classes.

In other words, the past 3 weeks were the final organization stage.

“Erika, where did you say we could get magic stones?”

“Th-Th-That…”

“Mainly elves…”

“Mainly in high mountain areas where elves used to live a lot! In ancient times, there were many monsters around elven habitats, so naturally there were many magic stones!”

“Oh, correct answer.”

“Yay─!”

We organized the content of 4 months of classes,

“Erika and Lina, don’t overdo it today. The qualification review is next week.”

“Alright.”

“Okay!”

Sparred in Sevirpol once a week to maintain our sense,

“Last lap, Yena. You can do it.”

“That’s right, Yena. Fighting!”

“Huff, huff…! Stamina is, phew, really…, sigh, garbage.”

And focused on running around the square every morning to maintain physical strength.

It felt like high school students preparing for final exams in modern times.

Erika had undergone additional awakening too, so there wasn’t much else to do.

We focused only on basic ability training.

If anything, the most important action was being a conversation partner every day without fail to prevent Lina from falling into despair again.

“Yena, are you here?”

“Yes.”

The fact that those efforts weren’t in vain was the biggest achievement gained during the long period of 3 weeks.

“Everyone’s already here, Yena. Let’s hurry!”

“Alright.”

Erika never had a gloomy complexion, so that’s that, but Lina’s complexion noticeably improved.

It’s not about physical health, but Lina, who always seemed to have a dark shadow cast over her face, now had the fog lifted as if sunlight was shining through.

Lina was Lina.

She didn’t betray my trust.

She overcame the battle with herself, the negative emotions.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Of course!”

“Yes.”

Everyone is in top condition.

Erika, Lina, and I had nothing to fear in the qualification review.

We’ve waited long.

Only the final threshold remains.

[Officer Commissioning]

The finish line was in sight.

“Let’s go.”

We marched towards the square outside the main building with imposing steps.