Ch.2525. The First Clock Hand

During winter break, the principality accepted additional students and faculty members sent from the Empire.

The addition of new faculty members was part of a process to remove professors involved in corruption and bring in new ones.

While students weren’t directly involved, if they had complaints compared to the Empire’s Hardia, they would first approach familiar professors with their concerns.

This was one of the strategic moves by both the Grand Duke and the Empire.

As a result, the noble alliance couldn’t hide their anxiety and called a meeting.

“If this continues, won’t everyone end up being people from the Empire?”

“What can we do about it? It’s clear the Imperial family has sent spies!”

Although some professors had managed to escape the principality’s investigation by cutting ties, already about 20% of Levrant Academy’s faculty had been filled with people from the Empire.

When it was just Professor Jake, they dismissed it as insignificant, but with numbers growing this much, the situation had changed.

If complaints reached the Empire and the principality conducted direct investigations, they might lose everything they had.

“Calm yourselves. We do have options.”

The leading figure of the restless alliance drew the attention of the nobles and professors.

“Let’s move up the schedule for the joint practical training.”

“Move up the joint practical… Professor Flocan, are you suggesting we proceed with that?”

“Indeed. If the academy is filled with their faculty members, we can simply blame them and hold them responsible. Any objections?”

No one opposed this proposal.

Even if it meant harming the students, they were determined not to relinquish their absolute power.

Even if it meant shaking the very foundations of the Ardelion Principality.

Meanwhile, today was the day people flocked to the principality in response to recruitment requests sent to the Empire.

Among them was a young lady who had returned to her homeland after visiting the Empire on business—the head of the Eshrelet Baronial House.

However, she didn’t appear to be in good condition.

【I shall turn the first hand of the clock.】

“Lady Charlotte! Are you alright?!”

“Hah, hah… huff… Who, who is it…?”

“My lady…?”

It would have been better if it were just motion sickness, but unfortunately, the problem was a voice that only Charlotte could hear.

【To you who has committed the sin of impulse. I bestow upon you the karma of your past.】

“Ugh… what is this…!”

While others walked normally, Charlotte heard a woman’s voice as soon as she set foot on the soil of the Ardelion Principality.

Complaining of extreme headache, Charlotte collapsed and began to shed tears.

【Remember. What consequences the blade you held has created.】

-‘Others might accept you, but I will never acknowledge you as my senior.’

-‘Why are you still in this party when you’re completely useless? You’re just holding everyone back!’

-‘It’s because of you… It was all because of you!! This party fell apart because of one incompetent person like you!!!’

“Ah… Aah…”

“My lady!! Someone, please help!! Our lady has collapsed!!”

Charlotte Eshrelet thus fainted after briefly glimpsing fragments of some incident rushing into her mind.

***

Winter break will be over tomorrow. One could simply say that time has passed and we should prepare for what comes next.

However, the greater concern is the danger signal that will appear for me in a few days.

Today is the day when additional personnel, including faculty and exchange students from the Empire, arrive.

“Another Tembris party member, I see.”

So far, the Tembris members who have been directly connected to me or involved in events I’ve faced include Michelle and Senia.

Erica, who was Michelle’s end-of-semester evaluation partner, is also included, but fortunately, I’ve never met her. The rest seem to have been handled well enough.

But what if another person is added?

Needless to say, it means more troublesome events are about to unfold.

Yes. Among the additional personnel arriving today is one of the Tembris members.

“Charlotte, huh…”

Charlotte Eshrelet.

A girl with the distinct status of being the youngest baronial head of the Eshrelet family, who might become my partner this time.

The story of how she single-handedly paid off debts after her incompetent parents dumped them on her and fled is still famous.

They say she awakened her unique magic at 13, fully developed it at 14, went to the battlefield, and then paid off an enormous debt in one lump sum.

As a result, she became the real power of the family and ascended to the position of family head at a young age. Catching the Grand Duke’s eye, Charlotte was sent to the Empire on business.

The problem is that her timing of arrival happens to coincide with the beginning-of-semester evaluation after winter break, at the start of the third year’s first semester.

Moreover, the beginning-of-semester evaluation is fixed as a joint practical training… and I end up on the same team as Charlotte.

Unless the selection order changes enough to buy time like the end-of-semester evaluation, there’s no way to avoid it since the beginning-of-semester evaluation is based on the previous semester’s class, so nothing will change.

This means I’m destined to be on the same team as Charlotte for the joint practical training.

I can’t help but sigh.

In some ways, she’s the biggest problem this semester. It’s quite awkward that we’re inevitably going to meet.

Not that there’s absolutely no way through this.

If my past self believed that effort and practice could accomplish something, Charlotte is the opposite.

She believes that no matter how hard one tries, limits are predetermined, and if a person’s limit is set, they cannot grow beyond it.

She thinks people should do work that matches their capabilities and know their place in appropriate settings. That’s the value system of the Charlotte I know.

“Well, such values aren’t necessarily bad right now.”

I had already thought about how to deal with Charlotte, and I took out the map of Levrant that I received yesterday.

“The starting point is… here.”

The first joint practical training to take place at Levrant Academy, which had no casualties for 10 years after its founding.

The main casualties in the joint practical training held in the third year’s first semester are due to the absence of vanguards.

Teams without someone to hold the front line, or those who boasted that they didn’t need vanguards, died and became food for magical beasts.

The starting point begins in the underground waterway, and ultimately results in a significant loss of the academy’s student forces.

I plan to step forward early to minimize that damage.

***

Junon isn’t the only one visiting the physical training room.

There were also cases of people who became curious about Junon’s noticeable changes and started building their strength.

And it was Michelle’s role to introduce such a Senia to Goden.

Senia gave a look to someone who had unnecessarily introduced herself, but the person who had made the introduction was just playing dumb.

“…So, to summarize, you see me as an appropriate target and want to recruit me?”

“Oh, you’re indeed smart. I like how you understand things so clearly.”

“But isn’t it a bit strange? Why me specifically?”

“Gnicleg leaves. Lecrotre leaves. Weren’t you the one who tested them by throwing them into the river? You were the only one who tried that during this semester’s final evaluation.”

Goden had been delayed because he had to break an ice bridge made by a partner who was completely hopeless.

But by chance, he saw Senia picking some leaves to test the acidity or toxicity of the river.

Impressed by what he saw, Goden decided to recruit Senia, and since Michelle knew her, it didn’t take long to find her.

“Someone that meticulous would be sufficient to identify the weaknesses of magical beasts from the front line. What do you think, is that inadequate?”

Senia felt somewhat uncomfortable that her actions had been accidentally revealed.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t deny Goden’s point that the current class division criteria seemed completely wrong.

“How far are you planning to go? I’ll decide after hearing it.”

“Until we can go on subjugation missions as an independent party.”

As soon as she heard that, Senia jumped up with a bright expression.

“What? You call that a plan? Don’t be ridiculous! Maybe we could make a name for ourselves in a mere practice, but how could we, mere students, go on subjugation missions?!”

“Do you think this country will change without going that far?”

“Well…”

Again, Senia couldn’t deny Goden’s point.

It was true. To remove the deep roots embedded in the Ardelion Principality, such achievements were necessary.

“I know you have your own purpose too. For example, something overlaid by borrowing magical power. Aren’t you anxious? It would be troublesome if discovered.”

“Ha, I get it. Let’s just do it.”

“Okay. Looking forward to working with you.”

That made two. The Tembris members were gathering steadily, just like in the past.

Except for Junon, precisely.

“By the way, Michelle, what about your partner?”

“Partner…? Oh, Erica, my partner from the end-of-semester evaluation?”

“Right. She seemed pretty dissatisfied with the nobles too. I thought she’d make a good next member.”

Michelle and Erica had met for the first time during the end-of-semester evaluation, and the two shared the common point of being tired of the nobles’ exhausting ways.

Besides magic, they also had many overlapping aspects in terms of personality and preferences, so they became friends easily.

Michelle also replied to the two that Erica would likely accept willingly, and immediately went to contact her.

Seizing the opportunity, Goden drew his weapon.

“Then, let’s have a duel until the two arrive.”

“Huh. How could I possibly beat you? That doesn’t make sense…”

“As I said earlier, you’ve already awakened your unique magic. I’m offering to help you realize it, so just accept it.”

As soon as Goden finished speaking, he charged without warning and began a duel to help Senia develop her unique magic.

***

Charlotte, who had fainted as soon as she disembarked from the ship, was immediately transported to a nearby hospital.

The doctor asked if she had been under stress lately, and the maid could only shake her head.

During that brief exchange, Charlotte opened her eyes.

“Lady Charlotte, are you alright?”

“Ugh… Where am I…?”

“You’re in the hospital. They suspect stress-induced fainting. Have you been under any strain lately?”

It seemed the sound reverberating through her skull wasn’t recurring.

Charlotte needed time to think, so she decided to dismiss everyone first.

“…I suppose I was tired. I have been handling excessive work recently.”

“I see. Please don’t overexert yourself. Such incidents continuing would certainly be bad for your health.”

The doctor provided a simple prescription and left the room. At the same time, Charlotte sent her maid out of the room as well, saying she needed to think.

Left alone in the hospital room, Charlotte recalled the situation just before she fainted.

“These memories, what are they…”

What came with the headache were memories she couldn’t possibly comprehend.

“Did I really say such things… do such things…?”

Her head filled with questions, and as she reached the edge of the memories, she found herself clutching the bedcover tightly.

She didn’t know what future had unfolded in the principality from the memories that had flowed in.

All she knew was that her future self, from a future that hadn’t yet come, had lost her reason and was expressing intense emotions, blaming just one person.

“Junon… was it?”

The person at the center of these memories. Charlotte felt she needed to find and meet this person.