Chapter 70
*
Honestly, if you're a man born in Korea and you've done military service, there's one thing you've probably dreamed of at least once.
The so-called Buster Call.
Or “calling down a meteor.”
It means, roughly, dropping a general onto a company.
Even though I was a military doctor, as someone who'd actually served, whenever I heard stories like that I used to think it'd be amusing.
But I never expected I'd fulfill that dream in this life.
“…because of that, they say it's a fifteen-day leave of absence. They need to find new teachers.”
That evening, after the prince visited the Academy.
Judging from Freya's words, the fallout from that shooting star had been pretty intense.
The shooting star I had dropped was none other than the prince.
The problem was that his post happened to be the Central Personnel Staff Chief.
In other words, it's the position that decides which institution every soldier gets assigned to.
Don't people say that in any workplace, the HR department has the most power?
Prince Edmund was the head of that HR department.
And I had dropped that sort of person right on top of the teachers.
‘Hmm... I didn't know that.’
I just had no interest in high society.
I only knew the prince was someone important in the military.
I never dreamed he'd be in charge of personnel.
At the time, I simply figured the Academy was under the military, so even my father, a magistrate, would have trouble getting involved, and I just wanted to borrow the prince's help.
For reference, this was how I asked the prince for help back then.
— “Haaah... Hm? You ask if something happened? No, it's just a personal matter, so Your Highness doesn't need to worry.”
— “You want me to tell you? But....”
— “Understood. Well, the thing is....”
I hadn't asked him directly.
I had just been making a big show of how tired I was during the baby's regular checkup this morning, and he asked me what was wrong.
The prince immediately asked what was going on, and I pretended to be reluctant as I told him about this incident.
And the result of that, I heard through Freya's mouth this evening.
“The principal and vice principal have been dismissed, and thirty-two senior teachers have been forced into retirement, apparently. More than half of the remaining teachers were given pay cuts or passed over for promotion too.”
Retirement was retirement in name only; it was basically dismissal.
Unlike the principal and vice principal, at least they were being allowed to preserve some dignity.
More surprising was that this had all been decided on the very first day.
Additional disciplinary action was still under discussion.
“For now, it seems some teachers, including the principal and vice principal, will face further punishment.”
The prince's purge was ruthless.
So much so that more than half of the Adler Colleg faculty had been swept away.
What's more, the justification was airtight.
Not only had security been breached at a military academy that nurtured the empire's future, but they had also failed to take any action while a student was held captive for two days.
And the final blow was that even after the incident, they hadn't even discussed protective measures for the victimized student.
However, this satisfying catharsis had a minor side effect.
“The problem is there aren't any teachers left to teach the students. So they're saying the school will close for about fifteen days until they can fill the vacancies with new teachers. Depending on the situation, it could be a month.”
That's right.
With the teachers having vanished from the school, it had no choice but to close its doors for a while.
However, my parents didn't seem all that interested in the school's circumstances.
“Freya. Do you really need to go back to the Academy? I'm worried it might be hard on you.”
“If you want, I can transfer you. The Colleg (upper division) isn't limited to Adler alone. If it's too hard, you can take a leave of absence.”
My parents couldn't bring themselves to tell her to quit school.
That was because they knew very well how badly Freya wanted to become a magistrate.
But Freya's attitude was stubborn.
“No. I want to graduate there no matter what. My friends are there.”
When she said that, they couldn't bring themselves to say more.
Friends are a serious matter.
“Very well. If that's what you want, Freya.”
“Thank you for understanding, Father.”
With that exchange, the discussion about Freya's schooling was over.
Since she was still struggling herself, the topic of school wasn't brought up any further.
And so dinner came to an end.
The family returned to their own rooms.
I also drained the last sip of tea from the table and returned to my room.
And while I was sitting in my chair, pondering as Shun Isa rather than Julian about how to handle the students and the captured lizard,
Glint.
The communication orb on the desk was glowing faintly.
Checking the crystal orb's message, it seemed to be a call from Prince Edmund.
When I touched the communication orb, the prince's face and voice flowed out.
[Sorry to bother you in the middle of the night, Sir Julian.]
“Not at all, Your Highness.”
[Have you eaten?]
“Yes. I had just finished dinner with my family and was resting.”
[I'm jealous. I'm just about to eat now.]
“At this hour?”
[The baby just fell asleep. These days he keeps refusing to sleep, so it's a real problem. If I try to lift a spoon, he cries; by the time I get him to sleep, it's already this late... I'm so drained I don't even have the strength to eat, but I still have to.]
Normally, you'd leave this sort of thing to the nursemaid.
Maybe because it was a precious baby won after so much suffering.
Despite his status, the prince was extremely devoted to the baby.
“Come to think of it, how is His Highness Aster's stomachache?”
[Ah, we've been applying the peppermint oil you mentioned. It works well.]
“Just to be safe, please don't use any medicine other than the one I told you about.”
[I know. It hasn't even been a few years since the Star Anise incident, so of course I should be careful. Since the side palace was in an uproar last time, the maids have been careful too.]
“I didn't get a wink of sleep that day.”
[Ahem. Sorry.]
Was it a few weeks ago?
There had been an incident where they tried to feed the baby beet porridge, and I had laid into them.
Newborns are still immature in their ability to process nutrients like spinach or beets.
That's why I told them so clearly not to feed the baby anything like salad greens.
But one maid mindlessly put beets into the baby's food, and the side palace had turned upside down.
The maid begged me to kill her, and the prince threw a fit, worrying the baby would be in grave danger if he ate it...
That pre-dawn morning.
I was called to the side palace again and had to calm everyone down, telling them that eating it once wouldn't cause any problems.
Anyway.
[I'm in the middle of eating right now. Mind if I talk while I do?]
“Of course, Your Highness.”
[Thanks for understanding.]
Working during the day, taking care of the baby after coming home.
The prince was busy, all right.
Through the communication orb, I could hear the prince chewing something.
After that sound continued for a bit, the prince opened his mouth.
[By any chance, have you heard the result of their punishment?]
It came out of nowhere, but I thought I knew what the prince meant.
“Yes. I heard it from my younger sister. Thank you, Your Highness.”
[Put the thanks away. I only did what was natural.]
The prince chewed and swallowed for a moment before continuing.
[Ah, this is before the court-martial results are out, so it's not exact, but I think the people responsible for this incident will probably be sentenced to fortress duty.]
Fortress duty.
Also known as the fortress sentence.
It's a punishment that strips a guilty noble of his title and sends him to the frontier fortress as an ordinary soldier.
The idea is to give them a chance to work hard at the front and restore their honor.
Of course, there aren't that many nobles who manage to restore their honor after receiving this punishment.
Because while everyone else starts from zero, that noble starts in the negatives.
To recover their old honor, they have to achieve military merit far greater than ordinary feats of arms.
[Of course, we won't strip their families of their residence rights in Sanctum Hill.]
At first glance, that might sound merciful.
But don't be fooled.
That's a hostage.
It means we'll let their families live in Sanctum Hill, so don't pull any tricks at the fortress.
If they betray the empire, their families will pay the price.
“Which fortress will they be assigned to?”
[It hasn't been decided, but I can make an educated guess. As you know, since I recaptured a key stronghold on the southern front, the south has stabilized. But the other fronts aren't in such good shape. I hear the western forts in particular are in poor condition.]
The prince said it indifferently.
[I imagine they'll serve in the west. They're second sons, yes, but they still carry the bloodline of an earl's house, and they were once in the military roster. They'll manage to survive on their own.]
The prince finished speaking and lifted his spoon again.
While the prince ate, I stayed silent for a moment.
And only after his bowl was empty did I speak again.
“...Your Highness. I'm a little worried I may have asked too much.”
[Too much? What do you mean?]
Carefully, I voiced my true thoughts.
“I'm worried that I may have presumptuously borrowed Your Highness's authority to settle a private grudge.”
What I wanted from this incident was justice, not revenge.
If it turns into vengeance and the punishment becomes retaliatory, it'll only invite another act of retaliation.
That retaliation would just breed yet another retaliation....
Anyway, it was the kind of thing that exhausts people in every possible way.
As if that weren't enough, my web of grudges and favors had already become too complicated lately, so it was an ugly cycle I wanted to avoid.
And as someone who had lived as a doctor, I knew all too well how much that vicious cycle could gnaw at a person.
“May I ask how cases like this are usually punished?”
After hearing me, silence briefly fell on the other end of the communication orb.
Then, a low, weighty laugh echoed out.
[Kuh-kuh... hahaha!]
“....”
[Ah, sorry. It's just that you're so... well, you're worrying about it in a very you-like way.]
The prince let his laughter fade and said, sounding amused.
[You're far too incorruptible for your own good, Sir. Rest easy. Not a single drop of my personal feelings went into this decision. Fortress duty is the punishment for false reporting. This is a serious violation of military law.]
“I apologize for doubting Your Highness.”
[No. If anything, you're too kind for your own good. If it were me, I'd have begged for a harsher punishment.]
Huh?
Could there be a harsher punishment than that?
“Um... may I ask what that harsher punishment would be?”
[Hmm. The first thing that comes to mind is burning all of their mana circuits and exiling them to the Limbus Pit H Sector.]
Huh?
That's possible too?
[You said your younger sister was caught up in it, yes? Then if they kidnapped you through her and used you as a sacrifice for black magic, the imperial grandson could have been endangered. If we presented it that way, it would be possible to burn that family's mana circuits and send them into exile.]
“....”
[Or would you rather I do that? It's still possible, since the disciplinary measures haven't been finalized yet.]
I shook my head vigorously.
If that happened, my reputation would be ruined first.
The baronial young master who borrowed the prince's authority to burn an entire family's mana circuits.
Just hearing that sentence, I can't shake the feeling it'd make me sound like some kind of toady.
On top of that, the prince's political standing would be a problem.
If rumors spread that, at such a young age, he had held the post of Central Personnel Staff Chief and acted on emotion, the prince would be in trouble in many ways.
I didn't want to go that far just to punish them.
“I'm grateful simply that Your Highness helped me this much.”
[If you say so... very well. Then we'll settle it with fortress duty.]
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
[Now, enough about that.]
The prince's tone lightened again.
[The reason I contacted you, Sir, is that I have a proposal I'd like to make.]
“A proposal?”
Could it be that he's asking me to be his personal physician again, or to become his godfather?
[Where should I start... yes. First, let me talk about the cause of this incident. You know a court-martial was held over it, correct?]
“Yes. I heard about it.”
[Through that process, the full story of the incident was brought to light to some extent. First, the good news is that the principal was not colluding with a black mage.]
“Is that so?”
[It was pure negligence. No bribes, no collusion. He was just lazy. That was, oddly enough, a surprising result.]
I was surprised too.
I had thought he might have been secretly taking bribes behind the scenes.
To think it was pure incompetence.
In a way, that's an even more pathetic reason than collusion.
[According to the investigation, there wasn't actually anything wrong with the Academy's security system itself.]
“Then why was it breached?”
[It was a matter of security priorities.]
The prince continued while sipping his after-meal tea.
[As you know, the Academy's number one security priority is demons. Second are shapeshifting monsters. Black mages are only third.]
I knew that.
The Academy gets breached by black mages all the time, but surprisingly, you rarely hear news of demons or monsters infiltrating it.
That's because most imperial military institutions prioritize stopping demon and monster intrusions.
The Academy is no different.
Black mages know that too, which is why they go after the easier target: the Academy.
For reference, unless they're crazy, black mages usually don't mess with important military institutions either.
Because once they do, the monster-hunting knights come to give the black mages a sound scolding.
Looking at it this way, it kind of feels like one giant WWE match.
[As you know, we don't have the budget or manpower to cover black mages as well. Besides, the numbers just don't add up.]
That was true as well.
Security is basically rock-paper-scissors.
If you know the other side is coming with scissors, you prepare rock on your end.
But in this world, black magic is like pulling out a gun all by yourself in rock-paper-scissors.
It attacks, but there really isn't any good way to stop it.
And the source of all these problems was....
“This all started after the Great Sage Louis destroyed the Mages' Tower of the Thirteenth Month.”
It's all because of my teacher.
Centuries ago, after my teacher wiped out the black magic tower,
research into defenses against black magic hadn't advanced much.
Body armor is usually developed only after guns are invented.
But once the tower disappeared, no proper body armor for black magic had ever been made.
The vaccine had been so well received precisely because of that.
It was the only countermeasure against plague curses, which had previously been impossible to block.
The prince gave a bitter smile.
[You've hit the nail on the head. As you said, ever since the Great Sage swept away the tower of black magic, the study of black magic itself has become taboo. If you say you're researching it openly, people treat you like a heretic.]
“Black mages keep passing their knowledge down in secret underground, but we can't research defensive techniques. In the end, the spear keeps getting sharper while the shield has been stuck decades in the past.”
[Exactly.]
Maybe the reason medical technology hasn't developed could be related to this too.
It's already taboo knowledge,
and then there's divine magic, which fixes most things with a snap.
In a world like this, it's only natural that medicine would have a hard time advancing.
[The reason the Academy was breached this time was simply a lack of budget. I read your incident report, and it said they used fairy rings. It seems there weren't sufficient countermeasures for that.]
“....”
[Still, we can make allowances for the security breach. The court-martial did so as well. But they shouldn't have reacted that way after the breach. At the very least, as soldiers, they should have taken the situation seriously.]
The prince clicked his tongue as he looked over the incident report.
[From the report, it seems the principal tried to handle things complacently when the students disappeared.]
After all, they weren't precious knights or nobles, just a few commoners.
So he moved at a half-hearted pace.
Of course, he never imagined it would turn out like this.
A look of contempt settled on the prince's face as he said that.
[People who learn tactics at a desk instead of in the field are always like that. War isn't a numbers game. Tsk.]
Anyway.
[As someone representing the military, I will apologize for this part and move on. I hope you won't be too disappointed.]
“I wasn't disappointed, Your Highness. At the very least, I know someone like you exists.”
[… Thank you.]
I could hear the prince quietly exhale.
And after a moment, his voice continued again.
[So, the truth is, I contacted you today to talk about this. Regarding defenses against black magic... I'd like you to help develop them.]
“Me?”
Lately, you and your fiancée have become rather famous, I hear. You're skilled at solving unsolved cases and incidents involving black magic, aren't you?
“Compared to my fiancée, I still fall far short.”
No matter what, how could I compare myself to Charlotte?
But the prince didn't seem to think so.
[I heard that even in this case, you only heard about it in passing yet still guessed fairy rings and found their base in a single day. The so-called experts at the Academy took a full day and all they found was one trace of mana.]
“It's a pretty insignificant talent.”
I wouldn't deny that.
It was a rumor deliberately spread during the process of separating Julian and Shun Isa.
The prince seemed to have taken notice of that rumor.
[That's why I'm planning to establish a black magic defense course in the Academy's college division.]
The college division.
The final stage of education that produces heroes and knights.
If the Academy's upper division is like high school, the college division is the clichéd fantasy-academy version.
The Academy's college division occupies a very important place even within the empire.
That's because this collegiate program produces heroes, healers, knights, bureaucrats, and the other professions that form the backbone of the empire.
As a result, even the military, which pretty much neglects the upper division, tends to show a great deal of interest in the college division.
[It's a subject that teaches future heroes how to track black mages and how to defend against them when they meet. An area nobody has taught before.]
“It's an excellent idea. If my advice can help, I'll gladly assist.”
Helping set up a black magic course is something I can do.
In fact, it's what I want.
Because then I could quietly slip my name onto the list of people who helped establish the black magic course.
“Then is there anyone who can teach it?”
[There is.]
The prince gave a short laugh.
[You're talking to me right now, aren't you?]
“....”
The moment I heard that.
I slowly closed my eyes.
Yes. At last, the day had come.
The event where a leash gets put on the misunderstanding-story protagonist who keeps yearning for freedom and trying to escape.