You Have No Right to Say Anything

The corpses of two monsters, chilled cold.

‘To think we’d actually win…’

Rina looked down at her palm with a dazed expression.

The heat in her palm due to the remaining holy power reminded her of the battle that had just ended.

“Ha, haha.”

So she couldn’t hide her shock.

The more she recalled the previous situation, the more unbelievable it seemed that they had eliminated two monsters without much difficulty.

She expected a considerable fierce battle.

She anticipated that at least one person would be seriously injured.

But breaking all those expectations, they achieved victory by cleanly ending the engagement without anyone getting hurt.

And that with just three people, with one team member missing.

‘That child…’

Rina looked straight ahead as she finished her thoughts.

More precisely, at Erika, one of those who participated in the desperate struggle with the monsters, the girl with the smallest stature among the team members.

“Yena, did I do well?”

“Yeah.”

“Then can’t you let me touch your cheek just once?”

“That’s not allowed.”

“Ah.”

The forest fallen into silence.

The conversation between the two filling that blank space.

‘How much have you grown?’

Rina showed a perplexed expression, moving her eyebrows this way and that, while listening to their friendly conversation.

She expected Yena to fight well.

Although she displayed skills far beyond imagination, it was somewhat understandable assuming she wasn’t an ordinary cadet with a special background.

But Erika was different.

Wasn’t she just one of those ordinary cadets abundant in the class? A child without any particularly noteworthy characteristics?

‘…She’s grown tremendously.’

What is this?

She had changed incomparably from the past.

Now she couldn’t be dismissed as a simple child.

Although she received my help, her proactive behavior in eliminating the monster was very different from before when she was shy and acted foolishly.

‘It’s not just that her skills have improved.’

You could say her insight itself has changed.

Her movements of swiftly grasping the situation at the right moments, avoiding attacks and launching ice magic attacks on the monster were at a level no less than mine.

‘She couldn’t have received separate training…’

What on earth did she experience to undergo such a drastic change? It’s unlikely that an instructor called her out separately for lessons, and people don’t usually change so easily.

In the end, it comes down to saying she must have made painstaking efforts, and Rina stared at Erika with a complex gaze.

Should I cultivate a close relationship with that child? If she produced such results through continuous training, it’s amazing.

Why didn’t I know such a child was in my team?

Thinking about it, I seem to have neglected school life while focusing only on the issue with Yena… I resolved to live diligently at the military academy, but what have I been doing all this time?

“Haah.”

Along with thoughts that made her head hot.

“Hm?”

However, she had to take her eyes off Erika before long.

“You crazy bitch!”

It seemed Wolf, who had been trembling alone without offering any help, was approaching them as soon as the monsters had all fallen.

Patter patter─!

Rina moved her feet without a moment’s hesitation.

To mediate between them,

In case of any unforeseen situation.

---

“What? You say I was scared?”

Majestic steps.

“You dare to talk about my level? A commoner who barely won a duel by luck, what did you just say?”

Eyes burning as if lava would flow out.

“Ye-Yena…”

“It’s okay.”

I gave a gentle smile to Erika, who was grabbing my sleeve with her fidgeting hands, and looked at Wolf approaching with large strides.

‘Pathetic.’

Even though he spoke at the top of his lungs with a tone full of murderous intent, even as he approached raising his fist in the air, only feelings of pity filled my heart, not fear or trepidation.

Isn’t it too pitiful?

Acting like this to save his pride?

It was so ridiculous that he was reacting only now.

When I teased him as he was overwhelmed by the monsters’ appearance, he couldn’t say a word, but now he’s approaching only after both monsters have collapsed on the ground – it was pitiful.

He might look scary to Erika’s eyes, but to me, he was perceived as nothing more than an immature brat.

“Tsk.”

But that didn’t mean I sympathized with him.

The fact that this male had threatened my life remained unchanged, and even at this moment, he was interfering with the cooperation between team members, so I couldn’t harbor good feelings.

‘To think an imperial family’s scion is at this level.’

Rather, I felt more disgust towards Wolf than before.

It means such a lowly child threatened me, brandishing his family name?

“Ha.”

I absolutely could not forgive it.

More than the anticipation for various things to come, the anger at being looked down upon by a cadet who didn’t even seem qualified as an officer candidate was greater.

“How dare you…”

So I didn’t particularly avoid Wolf.

I would confront him if he just approached.

Deduction of points due to discord between team members? Negative impact on the final joint training score because of this? Of course, these were aspects to be mindful of, but I was determined not to avoid it if he picked a fight.

‘Can’t I just work harder to make up for it?’

If I dealt with Wolf comfortably and exerted my full effort to make up for the deducted points, it wouldn’t hinder my plan to take the lead among the cadets.

Thud─! Thud─!

“Ye-Yena. Wolf is coming…”

“Don’t worry.”

I made full preparations to meet Wolf, who was raising thick dust clouds as he stamped on the ground.

I adjusted my gloves full of monster blood, ready to pay the corresponding price at any time if he picked a fight or tried to harm Erika.

“You come here, I’ll…”

“Stop.”

“Hm? Rina?”

“I said stop, Wolf.”

However, the situation didn’t escalate that far.

“You heard it too, didn’t you? What that bitch said earlier?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t do anything good either, so don’t push it. It’s true that you didn’t join in fighting the monsters.”

Because Rina blocked Wolf’s path.

“What?”

“Just now, only Erika, Yena, and I participated in catching the monsters. You didn’t do anything then, Wolf.”

“……”

“Fortunately, there was no big problem because Yena and Erika performed well, but we could have faced a fierce battle because we were one person short in dealing with the monsters. You have no right to say anything, Wolf.”

Along with a cold gaze.

“Yena, I’d like you to avoid friction with Wolf as much as possible too. Even if he provokes you. Even if only you two fight, we all get points deducted.”

Rina didn’t stop at blocking Wolf but continued to speak to me as well.

“…Alright.”

And I simply nodded to her request delivered in a stiff tone.

‘This is unexpected.’

While inwardly feeling some surprise.

I anticipated that Rina would mediate the current conflict, but I didn’t expect her to corner Wolf like this and defend me.

Even if Wolf’s fault is greater when judged objectively, aren’t there family relations and personal matters involved?

From what I’ve found out so far, the Streman family is one of the greatest noble groups wielding power in the Empire, so it was a bold choice for her not to side with Wolf’s opinion.

So I wondered.

‘Has her attitude clearly changed?’

Compared to before when she only reacted coldly, it was a huge development and a change that was helpful to me regardless of the reason.

“I have no intention of defending you this time, Wolf. Anyone can see that you’re in the wrong. If you insist on pushing further, I’ll restrain you myself by force if necessary.”

“Huh?”

“The score we obtain in this training will surely affect the qualification screening, and I don’t want to worsen it further.”

It seemed Wolf couldn’t do anything when Rina came out proactively.

In a way, it was natural. Her mana was Grade 2, while Wolf’s was Grade 4, several times weaker.

He would be subdued the moment he stepped forward.

It was clear that Rina would use all her strength to suppress Wolf if he moved to disgrace me.

“Rina, I’m disappointed. We’ve known each other for years, and I believed at least you would understand my feelings.”

In the end, leaving was his only choice.

Crunch─!

Wolf spat while crushing the front leg of the monster in front of him, then turned around coldly and walked away.

Even Rina, who had blocked him by spreading her hand in front of his face,

“Hm, why?”

“That Erika… No, it’s nothing.”

Looked at him with a complicated gaze and was about to say something but closed her mouth, then moved towards Wolf who was leaving far away.

“Hmm.”

“Yena, did something happen?”

“No. Let’s just follow behind Rina for now.”

“Okay!”

In this case, what should I do?

Unless I want the team members to scatter, we should move together,

“Be careful of the monster corpses.”

“Hehe, got it.”

I stepped towards the dimly lit forest, taking Erika, who was relieved that the argument ended without incident.

‘The princess is indeed different.’

Feeling as if I had received unexpected help, I led my legs while looking at Rina’s back with more favorable eyes than before.

---

“Two more cadets have been eliminated!”

“Requesting medical team! One person injured in team 7-13!”

“Team 4-12 has eliminated one Grade 7 small monster!”

The bustling hall.

“Oh, the cadets are fighting quite hard.”

“Fortunately, not too many have been eliminated.”

“…A third of my class has already been eliminated by giant monsters.”

“Oh my, hang in there.”

Amidst this, the instructors watched every situation of the training with bated breath.

As the children from their own classes dropped out one by one, the instructors’ own promotion evaluation scores would also decrease, so they could only wait with anxious hearts.

“Is that true, what you said?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Haha, so that’s what happened…”

However, there are always exceptions.

Among the many instructors in charge of classes, Gartel, unlike other officers, wore a gentle smile with a comfortable expression.

‘They caught a giant monster.’

He could be at ease because news came that the team Yena belonged to, whom he cherished dearly, had subdued not one but two giant monster species that are difficult to catch even one of during training.

He didn’t care much about the other children.

He was satisfied as long as the cadet he had his eye on was alive and well.

So his expression wasn’t gloomy.

As he had hoped, most of the cadets he had listed were continuing their training steadily without dropping out.

“Phew…”

Gartel smoked his pipe with a smile in his eyes, conveying that feeling with a satisfied heart.

‘She’s receiving help diligently.’

The team Yena belongs to includes Rina, a once-in-a-generation genius, and Erika and Wolf, who have somewhat outstanding talents.

As such, they showed astonishing abilities compared to others.

What cadet, and a mere first-year at that, could catch two giant monster species? Even if their abilities were weakened for training purposes, it’s an incredible event.

And Yena is steadily gaining points while receiving help in the midst of that? If the situation flows this optimistically, even a weak girl without mana could pass the qualification screening.

“Not bad.”

Gartel sneered with his pipe in his mouth.

Even if Yena were to be expelled from the military academy and apply for a lower position as an adjutant, he would hold onto her, but passing the qualification screening was the best situation with no room for alternatives.

‘She’ll be able to show off her skills to her heart’s content in a higher position.’

If she just graduates from the military academy safely, her path is open. If Yena manages to complete the military academy’s educational process normally, he planned to support her fully and push her forward.

To where?

To the destination of becoming his successor.

“Hu, huhu…”

Gartel let out a meaningless laugh as he imagined a hopeful future.

Hoping things would continue to unfold peacefully.

Hoping no particular danger would befall Yena.

Thud─! Thud─!

However, the happy imagination didn’t last long.

“Ad-Administrator!”

“Hm? Isn’t it the secretary?”

“I have something urgent to tell you!”

“Hm?”

“Fi-First, let’s step outside…”

“Alright.”

The words that came out of the mouth of the man who suddenly appeared,

“So what’s the matter?”

“It’s about Yena Freud…”

“What?”

“After analyzing the mana traces detected from the diving equipment and the schedules of each officer at that time, we’ve derived a list of suspects who destroyed Cadet Yena Freud’s diving equipment!”

Made his heart sink.

“…What?”