Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 73
>Chapter Title: Academy Festival Common Sense (3)
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*
-Do not mourn... those who have departed first.
-Your Majesty.
-I too, and one day you as well... will stand in the same ranks as them.
-Your Majesty, please.
-I have been a hypocrite my entire life, so you too shall live as a hypocrite. If enough lies are gathered, might they not one day reach the truth? Live. Live and carry on my hypocrisy. Do you promise?
-Yes, Your Majesty. I give you my word. I will do so without fail.
-That is enough.
Ivan took a moment to compose his breathing, then opened his eyes. Sunlight was streaming in. He pushed himself up from the sofa and rubbed his dry face, trying to calm his raging emotions.
The same nightmare as always. The same day as always. Contrary to his hopes, the familiar ceiling above was also the same as always.
Ivan calmly tidied his surroundings, straightened his appearance, and got dressed before leaving the director's office.
It was the morning of the festival.
*
The main gate leading to Saint Yansk University was packed with an enormous crowd. Street vendors, spectating citizens, foreign tourists, excited students, and their acquaintances.
Just four years after the end of the war, it was one of the few international-scale festivals in a country that had little cause for celebration. It was no wonder the citizens were excited.
Ivan scanned his surroundings as he cut through the crowd. Even amidst this dense throng of people, he performed the feat of passing through as if piercing it, without so much as a single collar brushing against him.
It was a basic movement technique, nothing particularly difficult. Ivan soon arrived at the square in front of the Great King's statue, on a campus bustling with the festival.
Three people were passing the time, one checking a watch, another observing the street, and a third standing blankly.
The appointed time was still twenty minutes away.
Ivan tilted his head slightly. He had come out early to detect any potential threats, but he hadn't expected his protection targets to move so quickly.
These delinquents, who were usually late even for classes that started at the same time every week, were acting so diligently. Had they matured?
In any case, it wasn't a bad thing. He felt as though his protection detail was already going to be easier.
"Oh, Mister! You're here?"
Isabelle suddenly waved her hands wildly and ran over. Smiling brightly, she scampered up and naturally grabbed his arm.
Her outfit was tight and looked unnecessarily difficult to move in. As a student of the Knight Department, it was an attire he could hardly give a passing grade. It was the kind of clothing one might wear in Tilles, with its mild year-round climate, and even then, only on a very special day.
"Seriously, you came in your work clothes again today? Gosh, I know you're a secret agent, but don't civil servants in this country get any vacation? They make you work on a day like this?"
"Vacation?"
"Yes! Goodness, this country must be crazy. Do they forbid civil servants from ge-ge-getting married or something?"
"That is not the case."
Krasilov, in fact, consistently promoted policies encouraging marriage and childbirth. This was due to the severe damage the nation had suffered after the last war.
He couldn't understand why the topic of marriage had suddenly come up, but there was no reason to give a foreigner such a misunderstanding. Ivan shook his head briefly.
"Mister, is there anything you want to do? I took a quick look around on my way here, and there's something over there that would be perfect for you..."
"Isabelle?"
As Isabelle chattered on, Esidis, who had been blankly watching the crowd in front of the statue, walked over lightly.
"What are you doing with Uncle?"
"Huh?"
"Ah, you were just talking. Right, you did say you were learning a few things from him. Well, if you're done, may I borrow Uncle for a moment?"
"...Huh?"
"Huh?"
As the two stared blankly at each other, once more.
An elf, having just noticed them, approached.
"Sir Petrovich, you're early. Your un-human-like faithfulness is truly something everyone should aspire to. I haven't been waiting long myself, so don't you worry."
"Huh?"
"Uhh...?"
Two humans, one elf. The three of them looked at each other again and fell silent for a moment.
"Sorry, girls. I came here today with an appointment with *my* Mister."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Uncle said he didn't have any particular plans today. Ah, I know what this is. It's the Tillesian way of speaking, right? Just insisting on your point, that sort of thing."
"Humans are always so surprising. Your racism is so natural that I can't even call you primitive anymore. Ivan, humans are contagious. Come over here."
"Mister is a human too, you know?"
"Isn't confusing a chicken with a phoenix just because they're both birds something only humans would do? Their scientific names are different."
"Their scientific names are the same, though...?"
Meanwhile, Ivan surveyed his surroundings. Many people were looking their way, but the crowd's state of armament was fine.
The warm weather meant people were dressed lightly, making it impossible to conceal weapons. At most, they might have a dagger or a pistol, but that much could be easily detected just by observing their gait.
Even if a more covert attack were to occur, the easier a weapon is to hide, the weaker its power. Ivan was relieved, as it seemed this mission would be much easier than he first thought.
'They're competent this time.'
He had heard that the Counter-Intelligence Command was stationed nearby, controlling the flow of people. Fortunately, they seemed to be acting competently this time.
But it was too early to be relieved. An academy festival was an event that signaled the start of murders, terrorism, raids, massacres, and large-scale demon invasions.
Therefore, Ivan remained fully prepared, conscious of the dagger hidden in his sleeve and the pistol tucked at the small of his back.
If one acts with common sense, things usually don't go wrong. This is why common sense is so important.
Sadly, the other three, unable to read Ivan's thoughts, were crying out in despair at this nonsensical situation.
*
"Mister, are you out of your mind? Tell me. What on earth were you thinking... No, no. Don't say it. It'll just make me more furious."
"Mm."
"Aaargh!!"
Isabelle pounded her chest and screamed. After shouting for a while, she let out a deep sigh and muttered.
"Right, it was my fault for having expectations in the first place. My fault entirely. Yep. I'm the terrible one here. I'd have better luck teaching a golem how to love. At least that has a chance."
Isabelle looked at Ivan with sad eyes, then shook her head and turned away.
"So, does anyone know what 'first-in, first-out' means? In cases like this, I believe the concept of, you know, first-come, first-served should apply."
"Is that how it is in Tilles? Hmm, in Droan, we usually settle things with strength. Foreign cultures are so difficult. Would you like to have a little cultural exchange right now?"
"Settle it with strength...? Are you confident?"
"Oh, Isabelle. It's not that I couldn't get into the Knight Department, it's that I chose not to. Unlike you, I'm also talented with musical instruments. Someone told me I should learn."
Esidis said, then looked at Ivan with a warm gaze.
Ivan was a rational person, so he had no intention of getting involved in the trivial disputes of university students. His mission was to protect the children of the Hero's Party from external enemies, not to mediate some inexplicable emotional squabble.
Students of that age tend to grow closer by fighting with each other anyway.
"Such human-like words. How cute. Now, Sir Petrovich. Shall we go look around over there?"
"Wow, this elf is really being an elf. You want me to draw my sword? Father, I'm sorry, but today my blade will be stained with human blood instead of demon blood!!"
"Goodness, you brought a sword to a festival? This is why people from Tilles are so sinister."
"Open your instrument case! I heard all about how you've been cracking kids' heads with that violin of yours!!"
"Hmm, the ever-honest Esidis knows nothing of the sort. My 'plinky-plonk' is not a weapon."
This is rather chaotic.
Ivan considered whether he should block out the noise. The campus was already loud enough with the festival crowd, so his hearing wasn't particularly useful in this situation anyway.
"Girls, let's just set an order. Me first, then Esidis in the afternoon. The elf before evening. And me at night. How about that?"
"Shall we settle it cleanly with a duel?"
"This is official business. Would the civilians please step aside?"
This is getting difficult to ignore.
Ivan shook his head briefly. Why would he split up the protection targets he had worked so hard to gather?
The people of this world are so irrational.
"We will all move together."
"...Mister, are you actually insane?"
"Uh... Uncle, even I think that's a bit..."
He was more than used to handling squawking little kids. This situation was no different from dealing with the children during class time.
Ivan declared with the firm and stern demeanor of a director.
"Everyone, line up. Now, if we fairly address each suggestion one by one in the order they were brought up, there will be no need to fight. Isabelle, you lead the way."
"This can't be real..."
Isabelle looked at Ivan with a bewildered expression, glanced up at the sky, then bowed her head deeply and rubbed her face.
"Hurry."
"I'm seriously going to lose it. How can he be so confident? Trying to woo three teenage girls at the same time? This is... so shameless..."
Isabelle grumbled as she walked ahead.
*
When one thinks of a university festival, only drinking stalls come to mind, but that's due to the narrow-minded culture of 21st-century South Korea.
This case, which had evolved into a regional festival under the guise of a university festival, was different. This event, a strange mix of an apartment complex bazaar and a local small business revitalization festival, was lined with all sorts of things one would expect at a 'festival'.
A prime example was the place Isabelle had led them to.
-Bang—!!
"Oh, just missed! Well, you hit four, so here's a doll for you!"
It was a pistol shooting booth where you shot at small targets.
Surprisingly, it used live ammunition, but there was nothing strange about it. For one, the concept of an air gun didn't exist in this world, and for another, there was a societal tendency to look down on guns as weapons incapable of taking down superhumans.
Furthermore, if someone were to grab a gun and try to shoot a civilian, the booth owner could stop them the moment they turned the muzzle. The owner was also a superhuman.
A superhuman of a level the owner couldn't stop could commit mass murder without a gun in the first place. There was no need to use a noisy, attention-grabbing weapon like a firearm.
Therefore, despite using live ammunition, this booth was safer than any other stall. In this world, food poisoning was rampant due to the lack of food safety management, but there were Counter-Intelligence Command agents in charge of firearm safety at the event.
"Let's try that."
Isabelle smiled brightly and trotted over. She knew Ivan was skilled with a pistol, but she wanted to take this opportunity to show him her own practice.
Showing a 'hardworking side' to a shooting expert was in itself a major way to score points. It was something Esidis and Elfihera couldn't even dream of. Had those two ever even held a pistol?
Her political prowess, to naturally secure another opportunity to get ahead under the pretext of enjoying the festival. That was the fearsome political monster forged by ten years of experience in the Tillesian royal court.
"Oh, Senior?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you... uh, are you going to do this?"
Just then, the owner of the shooting booth was looking at Ivan with a flustered expression.
"What are you doing here?"
"As you can see... um. Undercover work... sir?"
"Excellent."
Dmitry hesitated, then handed the pistol to Ivan.
Indeed, undercover work. With loaded pistols everywhere, it would be easy to respond to an emergency, and it was even natural, as people would just assume it was an ordinary festival stall even if he was holding a gun.
Competent.
Ivan nodded in satisfaction.
Perhaps the festival really could end safely. Surprisingly, for an academy festival.
After all, this wasn't a world with bizarre events like inter-department dueling competitions. Nor were there incomprehensible 'friendly' events that forced elementary school students into a first-come, first-served race to steal dragon eggs.
Perhaps the 'common sense' of academy festivals—terrorism—was a warning against such dangerous events. It might be to spread the lesson that educational institutions shouldn't gamble with students' lives.
If so, that was good. There should be wholesome festivals like this.
Ivan could relax a little.
He shouldn't have. Because it was 'common sense' that academy events always ended with a huge explosion.
*