episode_0004

“Wow! Dian! Look at that!”

Olisia leaned over the deck railing and shouted excitedly.

A magnificent city appeared in the direction of the ship as it advanced powerfully through the waves.

High and sturdy castle walls along the coastal cliffs. Above it, fortresses waving numerous flags stand firmly.

In the downtown area of the port, buildings with colorful roofs are lined up densely, and many ships, large and small, are coming in or leaving.

At the long piers on either side, ships from all kinds of countries are anchored, showing off their majesty, and sailors and merchants are very busy unloading.

Coastal guard ships floating offshore block suspicious ships, and in the meantime, a fight spreads and several people fall to the deck.

It looks as if the city is alive and moving on its own, like a huge living organism. The scars of the war that was trampled by the devil’s army are no longer visible.

Calvasar, the capital of the great empire. The birthplace of all cultures, technologies, and trends on the continent. This is where I left everything 10 years ago.

“This is my first time in a city that big! oh my god! There are so many people!”

“It’s natural because it’s the capital of the empire. That’s part of it. The land side is bigger.”

“Hee profit?!”

The ship we boarded entered a separate dock a little further in from where the civilian merchant ships were anchored.

That place is the headquarters of the Empire’s 3rd Fleet, lined with ships of a size that is incomparable to the one we are currently on.

They say even the mountains and rivers change in 10 years, and I never would have thought that the fleet that had been completely lost to the Demon King’s army was rebuilt so much in that time.

“What ship’s mast is… It’s taller than the temple bell tower… .”

Olysia looked up at the masts of battleships passing by on our left and right with her mouth open in a daze.

“Let’s get off now, Dian. Miss Olivia.”

As Linus and I disembarked, a luxury carriage drawn by four horses came running from the other side and stopped in front of us. It appears to be Hwangseong’s carriage that came to meet him.

“Wow, I can’t believe I rode all these carriages… .”

As she patted the soft cushion, Olivia couldn’t help but be amazed. Brunswick, where we were, was not a very large city, so there was no need to take a carriage at all.

“By the way, Linus. I have a question. Is there any problem with the academy principal now?”

“There is a somewhat complicated situation. First of all, although his personal skills are excellent, he is evaluated as having some shortcomings in terms of management and supervision ability.”

“Do you think you have a temperamental personality?”

“That… .”

“Wow! It’s a golden castle!”

Just as Linus was about to answer, Olysia suddenly screamed something incoherent.

When I looked out the window, I was in front of the Hwangseong drawbridge. This was where Linus and I parted ways 10 years ago. How is it that this place is the same without a single brick being changed?

The carriage passed straight through the drawbridge without any inspection, probably because it had been notified in advance, and stopped in front of the castle.

“Miss Olivia goes to a separate waiting room. Follow the coachman. Dian, you come this way.”

“See you later, Dian.”

After parting ways with Olysia, I followed Linus into the grand main gate of the castle.

“Welcome, Sir Linus. I was waiting for you, Mr. Dian. ”

As soon as we passed the door, a neatly dressed employee came up and greeted us.

“2The princess is in her office. I will take you there.”

2nd princess? I just thought I would meet a minister related to this matter… . It would be better if it were the emperor. Where did the second princess come out of nowhere?

“Linus. Why do I have to see the second princess?”

“The 2nd princess is currently serving as the head of the empire’s security office. The intelligence department and the inspection team are all under his command.”

“Oh, is that so? You’re hogging all the nutritious food.”

“The Intelligence Department and the Inspection Department are where the demand for graduates of the Special Mission Academy is greatest, so the Second Princess is directly involved.

wait for a sec. Let’s just stay still. What kind of person was the 2nd princess… .

During the war, the 2nd princess was serving as a commander on another front, so I never saw her face. From what I heard, he is very capable and has several records of turning around unfavorable battles.

Since most of the generals from the imperial family and noble families failed repeatedly and failed to achieve any significant results, it is understandable that the second princess held key positions after the end of the war.

“Your Excellency. This is Sir Linus and his close friend Dian.”

As we opened the door to the luxurious office and entered, a young woman stood up from her chair and greeted us.

“Welcome. Thank you for your hard work in coming this far.”

When I first saw the second princess’s face, I was a little surprised.

There is no surprise as silver hair, which is almost gray, is unique to the royal family. There may be differences in height from person to person as well.

What surprised me was the eyes.

The second princess’s left eyelid was crushed and closed. This is because there was a long scar running from the forehead to the chin.

Nevertheless, it is not enough to cover up the overflowing elegance and beauty. Perhaps because of the relaxed smile on her lips, the princess seems to be winking playfully.

I heard he was a commander, wasn’t that right? How could it hurt so badly?

“Why are you so surprised? Is it because of these eyes?”

The princess smiled lowly and pointed to the scar that covered half of her face.

“From what I heard, you were also part of the special lease team along with Sir Linus. Haven’t you seen limbs being cut off and crushed as if you were breathing?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. However, it was a bit surprising to see such a high-ranking person suffer such serious wounds at first sight. Most of them were busy replacing their subordinates and running away themselves.”

At the informal answer, the eyeballs of the person standing next to him started to pop out, and Linus frowned and sighed lightly.

“Hahahahaha!”

On the other hand, the princess laughed so boisterously that her uvula was visible.

“It’s nice because it’s refreshing. Sit down.”

As we sat down on the sofa, the princess sitting across from us leaned comfortably against the backrest and opened her mouth.

“Okay, Dian. Sir Linus recommended me, so I did some research about you. His record was very impressive.”

“I didn’t want to die, so I ran around with Linus and got a little lucky.”

“I see. Isn’t this the incarnation of Hala, the god of battle?”

“If you’re joking, yes, but if you’re serious, no.”

The princess smiled again, as if she liked my answer.

“I like it very much. Sir Linus, your judgment was very sound. It seems like he has enough experience and courage to take charge of the academy.”

“That’s too much praise, Your Excellency. however… I have something to tell you.”

When Linus cautiously opened his mouth, the princess gave him a questioning look.

“Actually, Dian hopes to become a professor, not a principal.”

As the princess waited in silence for the next words, Linus explained in detail the stories we had shared before coming here.

Due to a problem with his personality, Dian left everything and suddenly left the empire and lived quietly in a quiet port city for 10 years. Because of this, he feels tremendous pressure about suddenly taking on the important position of headmaster of the Imperial Special Mission Academy.

However, he could not bear to refuse the request of Linus, his long-time comrade in arms, and instead agreed to become a professor rather than a principal as a compromise.

In Linus’s personal opinion, Dian has superior combat ability than anyone else on the continent, but has never had any experience in a managerial position, so from the Empire’s perspective, this will be advantageous in many ways.

It would be better to leave the existing principal as is and have Dian carry out his teaching duties and provide appropriate assistance and advice.

The princess, who listened to Linus until the end while sipping the drink served by the servant, stayed still and then opened her mouth.

“It’s definitely not a bad method. However, I would like to add one more thing.”

“What is that?”

“Then wouldn’t it be a better picture if we appointed author Dian as a professor and Sir Linus as the principal?”

“Your Excellency. As I said last time… .”

“Then I’ll just leave.”

Before Linus finished speaking, I jumped up from the sofa.

“The reason I came here was to help Linus after hearing that he was having a difficult time becoming a principal. After listening to the princess, I see no reason for me to be here.”

The princess looked at me and asked leisurely.

“Do you think we can get out of here?”

“Do you think you can’t go out?”

A silence fell in the office, as if cold water had been poured.

“Sorry, Sir.”

Linus, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.

“I will come and meet Dian.”

Linus stood up and grabbed my arm.

“Let’s go, Dian. I’m sorry. I’ll find a boat to return home.”

“No. Now that I’m in the capital, I’ll stay for a few days and take a look. Just pay the inn fee.”

“Wait.”

As we were just leaving the door, the princess called us from behind. When I turned around, the princess said, still sitting on the sofa.

“Let me accept that offer.”

“You must tell us exactly what kind of proposal you would like to accept.”

“The current principal should remain in office and Dian Nega should become a professor. Sir Linus will return home as requested. But it is not retirement.”

When he tried to refute that, the princess raised her finger.

“This is parental leave until the child grows up to a certain degree. The period is 10 years. The salary is the same.”

“Wow.”

Admiration flowed out without me knowing. 10 years of paid leave, isn’t this really crazy?

The princess, contrary to my previous impression, was surprisingly a very cool and wonderful person.

“What do you think, Sir Linus? My conditions.”

“Thank you for your undeserved gratitude, Your Excellency. Thank you.”

Linus bowed deeply and expressed his gratitude.

“Good. Then, Dian, go to the academy right away. Please adapt to your teaching duties as quickly as possible.”

“Right now? Yes, I understand.”

“We’ll talk about Sir Linus separately later.”

“Understood, Your Excellency.”

After waving goodbye to Dian, we went out to the front gate where the carriage was waiting.

“Hey, Linus. What is that girl?”

“He may talk strangely, but he is actually a very warm-hearted person. Try to feel better just by looking at me.”

“I see. I’m not sure. But wait a minute. So, is that woman now my boss’s boss’s boss?”

“That’s right.”

Seup, this… . I can’t decide if it’s good or bad. Still, Linus said he was a good person, so let’s give it a try.

“Dian. You must go to the academy alone. I have a lot of work to complete before taking leave, so I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up.”

Linus said with an apologetic expression as he got into the carriage with Olisia.

“It’s okay. I am not a child. Say hello to Celine. I’ll invite you soon.”

“I will do that. Thank you so much, Dean. I survived thanks to you this time too.”

After parting ways with Linus, we headed straight to a place called the Special Mission Academy.

# # # # #

The 2nd Princess was standing at the office window, looking at the carriage passing over the drawbridge.

Did you say your name was Dian? I expected it to a certain extent since he was Linus’ close friend, but I didn’t expect it to be to that extent.

Not only did she not feel at all discouraged in front of the princess of the empire, but when she saw Dian’s eyes asking if she thought she would not be able to leave the imperial castle, the princess felt a chill that made the hairs on her entire body stand on end.

When she was at the front line, she was a princess who only heard that there were people across the country who were posting ridiculous battle records, but she did not know their nature or tendencies.

When Linus expressed his intention to retire and recommended Dian to take care of his child, the princess, after seeing his history, had already decided to give Linus 10 years of paid leave.

And when I heard that Dian wanted to become a professor instead of a principal, I thought it was a very good idea.

Dian wants Linus to take care of the family more than she wants to go to the academy. You might be able to take advantage of that.

However, the reason I bothered to provoke Dian was simply because I was curious about how great the hero’s friend was, but this was more like giving something in return.

Maybe it was a natural result.

The princess lowered her gaze to the document she was holding in her hand. It’s Dian’s military service record. There is a clear stamp on the top and bottom that says Level 1 Secret.

Initial rank: Sergeant Major / Final rank: Lieutenant Colonel (special commission) / Service period: 3 years and 1 month

Award history (commendations below military commander omitted)

Third Class Military Service Medal: For his contribution to the strategic judgment of our forces by acquiring comrades and enemy prisoners during the defense of Camel Ridge.

Third Class Military Service Medal: For killing an ogre of the enemy vanguard with his comrades in arms during the Battle of Dervion District.

Second Class Service Medal: For cutting off the supply lines of comrades and rebels in the Kalias Steppe.

Second Class Military Service Medal: For his contribution to annihilating a number of enemy infiltration teams attacking his comrades and allies during the Battle of Rajoram.

First Class Military Service Medal: For his contribution to blocking and defending a civilian village being attacked by the enemy.

Distinguished Service Medal: For killing a comrade in arms and an enemy corps commander during the Battle of the Black Swamp.

Distinguished Service Medal: For killing a comrade in arms and an enemy corps commander in the Battle of Orendir.

Distinguished Military Service Medal: During the battle to recapture Ibronique Castle, he climbed the wall with his comrades and opened the castle gate.

Distinguished Service Medal: For killing a comrade in arms and an enemy corps commander in the Battle of Pinluk.

Distinguished Service Medal: For killing many of his comrades and enemy command staff in the Battle of Pelimia.

Distinguished Service Medal: For killing an enemy corps commander in the Battle of Tyraelen.

Empire’s Highest Military Service Medal: For his contribution to delaying the movement of the Dragon Hindra Star with his comrade-in-arms team, thus ensuring conditions for friendly forces to retreat.

Imperial Hero Award: Contribution to killing the Demon King.

The principal must be quite embarrassed for a new employee with such experience. Will he be able to continue to hold on to this situation?

The princess smiled lowly and returned to her desk.