episode_0047

It was the day the competition began. Gilbert, who left the dormitory early in the morning to take Professor Brianna’s class as usual, saw the cadets waking up early in the morning, unlike usual.

Some cadets were getting dressed up, while others were meditating.

Competitive matches are important.

It was a normal feeling. Since I didn’t have much desire for competition, I didn’t really care what they were doing. His mind was already filled with the events surrounding the Academy attack after the competitive match.

I wanted to stop the culprit right now, but it was impossible to stop it early. This was because even in the game, it was not clear exactly who was behind the attack.

The fact was not known in the game, and the game company did not release any official features, so the identity behind the attack was always a hot potato among users.

In the end, because there was no clear evidence, nothing was determined as true, but the most influential theory was that they were either remnants of the Resistance or a type of special force dispatched by Infractus’ enemy country to throw the empire into chaos.

Of course, because there were some things that were unclear to both of them, the mastermind behind the academy attack remained a MacGuffin.

Resistance…

Originally, Gilbert was of the opinion that both hypotheses were wrong, but through the last subjugation battle, he came up with one hypothesis.

What if the leader of the resistance, Van Dyke, who we found out through interrogation, was a MacGuffin?

So what if he was behind the attack that was unknown in Tactical Combat?

Gilbert stopped in his tracks and blinked as a cold sensation ran down his spine.

If he was the mastermind behind the attack, there was one more thing that needed to be addressed. During the resistance suppression operation, he broke through the tight siege and search magic and disappeared without a trace. At the time, I simply thought it was the work of an insider or an outsider, but what if it was the work of an insider?

The most criticized part of Tactical Combat’s main story was the academy attack part. The background was not revealed, and it was unclear that the enemy would suddenly attack without any probability.

In addition, the fact that the popular Professor Brianna died while protecting the cadets was a forced event, so we never heard good things about it.

However, if we say that the improbable parts were all MacGuffins and actually helped an insider carry out the attack, the story would be different.

The story becomes more plausible if it is said that Brecht, the head of the Tactical Combat Resistance that Gilbert knew, actually acted that way to save Van Dyke.

If we say that he worked during the comprehensive evaluation, predicted that a punitive force would come, and sacrificed some resistance members to prepare the ground for an attack on the academy, everything becomes clear.

At this moment, Gilbert felt as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer. As I gathered all the missing pieces of the puzzle, I started to see a flow. All of this was a play run on the board of a man named Van Dyke.

But knowing that fact didn’t change anything. If you suddenly said that the Academy would be attacked, how many people would believe you?

It is true that people’s views of him have improved a bit in recent years, but it is not enough to cover up all the rumors. It’s just that I can no longer look at them in the same way as before.

Moreover, if he revealed this fact, the problem was that insiders believed to be within the Academy would find out about it. At least for now, we can estimate the date of the attack, but if the story progresses and the date of the attack becomes wrong, even that becomes impossible.

Caught in a possessor’s dilemma, he ultimately decided not to tell anyone about this. If you think about it, revealing the source of the information would also be problematic, so keeping it to yourself was the best option.

Returning to square one, he erased his distracting thoughts and entered Professor Brianna’s private training room to take her class.

“Hello? Master.”

“Um…”

Brianna, who was meditating in the morning, slowly opened her eyes. Eyes as blue as the cool winter sky turned to Gilbert, who had just entered the training hall.

“I would have said it would be okay if I didn’t come out today.”

“Training is everyday life.”

Brianna burst into laughter as she gently relaxed and relaxed her body, which had been stiff all night. Regardless of whether the rumor is true or not, I really liked him because he seemed like a sincere disciple just looking at his current appearance.

“Are you not interested in competitive games?”

“Do you want to win?”

Gilbert asked, stretching his arms. Considering the attack incident, it was best to get decent grades, but I had no choice but to follow what Briana, my exclusive teacher, said.

“You speak with confidence.”

“I am not conceited. I just don’t want to get caught up before I even start.”

” was done. It’s not my job as a teacher to force something on a guy who has already earned a knighthood as a cadet. You can do whatever you want.”

“You are saying something different from what you said during the comprehensive evaluation.”

At that time, he said that since he was his student, he would not tolerate receiving bad grades. At the time, she had said this out of concern that Gilbert would become lazy, but Brianna could not imagine him living a lazy life now.

“Useless words.”

However, I felt a little embarrassed by what I said and briefly dismissed it. Gilbert chuckled to himself, knowing that this was Professor Brianna’s characteristic expression of awkwardness.

“Raise your sword. Since the competitive match starts today, I plan to end it with a light sparring.”

“Okay.”

After relaxing his entire body, Gilbert pulled out the sword lying on one side of the training hall and stood facing Brianna. The two gazes calmly settled down, and the moment they flashed, they rushed towards each other like lightning.

***

Dorothy looked filled with emotion as she finally arrived at the main gate of Demeia Academy. This was where Brianna, whom she admired, was.

Where are you?

Dorothy’s heart began to pound violently.

She had dreamed of becoming a knight since she was very young. If I had to give a reason, there wouldn’t be much. It all started because I thought the knight I saw as a child was really cool.

However, it was Brianna who visited the Lithuanian estate that made his dream of becoming a knight concrete.

The moment Dorothy first saw Brianna, who exuded a cool-headed and sharply sharpened aura, she realized that this person was her role model.

In the first place, it was not unreasonable for Dorothy to become a fan of Brianna simply because she was a knight who rose to the top position on the continent with just a sword. Moreover, for a woman like her, it was natural for her to become an ideal and goal.

Since that first meeting, I have always admired Brianna and worked hard to get to where I am today. Now I can face her with a little more confidence.

After barely calming down her pounding heart, she was guided by the attendant and sat down in the seat assigned to the Count Heart family for the opening ceremony of the competition. When I looked around, I saw that some influential noble families were there.

Immediately, I straightened my posture and straightened my back. Since she was here as the representative of the family, she couldn’t show her usual self.

“Distinguished guests who visited the venue, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to visit Demeia Academy. We will soon hold the opening ceremony of the Demeia Academy competition.”

The opening ceremony of the competition was held more spectacularly than the entrance mock competition. The opening ceremony began with the academy’s school song, followed by introductions.

Although it was a slightly boring sequence, the atmosphere around it was different because the competitive match had such great meaning. Dorothy also took advantage of the atmosphere and inspected the cadets lined up to see if there was any talent that could be brought into the family.

And at that moment, the cadet representative’s oath began. The cadet leader was someone she knew well.

‘He even represents the cadets…’

Blonde hair, eyes as bright as ruby.

Wide shoulders and a strong, muscular body.

It was Dorothy’s older brother, Gilbert.

She began to look sharply at her older brother, whom she had not seen in a long time. He didn’t show the same grumpiness he had when he was in the estate. There was moderation in the restrained, uncluttered movements.

Is that really the big brother she knew?

It may be premature to judge simply by appearance, but the atmosphere he gave off was like a different person.

“Our resolution.”

It was a reading of a different oath. It was a beginning that did not follow the usual set format. In particular, his powerful low-pitched voice had a strange magical power that captivated the audience.

“We are cadets of Demeia Academy, loyal to the Empire.”

It means a declaration as a member of the empire and a proud cadet of Demeia Academy.

“One. We protect the empire and its people, and become the sword and shield that protects the homeland.”

But the enemy is merciless.

“Two. We become unbreakable defenders of our beliefs through training similar to actual combat.”

Training to cut bones.

“Three. We abide by the laws of the empire and absolutely obey its solemn orders.”

We obey the orders of His Majesty the Emperor.

“Four. We never lose honor and faithfulness.”

I will become someone who protects honor and faithfulness.

As the oath was read, which was short but full of strong promises, people started clapping without saying who should go first. At best, it was the first time that the oath, which was part of the opening ceremony, was met with applause.

Even Dorothy, who looked down on her brother, had something about the oath just now that touched her heart. One thing that was certain was that her brother had become a different person. The frivolous Gilbert she knew was not the kind of person who could say something like that.

After the opening ceremony, I will have to meet alone.

Dorothy promised that.

Meanwhile, Gilbert was receiving applause.

‘I thought the service doctrine would work well.’

I grinned to myself, recalling the tenets of service in the Korean Army.