Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 97
>Chapter Title: Academy Summer Vacation Events are Real Combat by Default (2)
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*
Let's simplify the structure of a protagonist's power-up event. It goes something like this:
1. A sudden ambush during a moment of peace.
>2. A conspiracy revealed amidst trials and tribulations.
>3. An awakening through positive concepts like friendship and love.
>4. A series of rewards after overcoming adversity.
It's a classic story structure, but classics are classics for a reason. It means that even with variations, the story doesn't stray far from this framework.
Thinking one step ahead, one could discern Ivan’s preparations.
To forcibly initiate a protagonist power-up event, one simply had to lay the groundwork for a conspiracy, ambush the protagonist’s party, relentlessly push them through adversity, and then toss them a reward later.
There was a minor difference between awakening after overcoming adversity and being thrown into adversity to force an awakening, but as long as all roads led to Rome, it didn't matter.
In the end, as long as the result was good, nothing else mattered. A trained agent never prioritizes the process. As long as they could produce the right results in any situation, that was enough.
Therefore, Ivan decided to prepare the rewards, arrange the adversity with a carefully considered difficulty curve, and weave a ‘plausible’ conspiracy in between.
“At the very least, all the ‘protagonists’ should be able to learn Nerve Acceleration and Line of Attack Detection… and if possible, I’d like them to pick up a secret technique as well.”
Ivan thought to himself as he looked down at a map densely covered with scribbled tactical symbols.
What he was doing now was akin to game design. It couldn't be helped.
In gaming terms, he had already cleared all the ‘stages’ that the protagonists should have handled through normal gameplay.
So now, he had to design the stages himself. And a stage, after all, must be designed with precise calculations of the player's experience and growth limits.
It was a form of level design. Ivan stroked his beard as he gazed at the map.
“The protagonist party.”
Isabelle, Elfihera, Esidis, and Oskar were indispensable. Those four were definitely the protagonist party.
But Lucia, Enrique’s disciple, was currently on a ‘secret mission’ with Enrique. A mission of a kind that even he, the commander of the Counter-Intelligence Command, knew nothing about—one directly controlled by the princess.
A mission requiring a member of the Hero's Party would surely be harsh. In that environment, Lucia, being personally tutored by Enrique, was someone Ivan didn't need to worry about.
Therefore, the remaining ‘protagonists’ were…
“Oswald, Yujin, Yuri.”
The trio of transmigrators. These kids were a bit complicated. Each had a growth potential no less than the children of the Hero's Party, but they were each meant to have their own narrative.
For instance, Oswald had a romance fantasy with a ‘villainess.’
Yujin had an academy story about a ‘delinquent youngest son.’
And Yuri… well, anyway.
In that case, directly intervening in their growth to forcibly insert a ‘power-up event’ might be meaningless. It would prevent their own stories from progressing.
Ivan tapped the table, lost in thought.
Considering the end of this story, the most powerful adversaries he could imagine were the Demon King or the previous Hero.
In the worst-case scenario, it could be the vanished Maximilian—the man said to have secluded himself while shouldering numerous ‘curses’ alone. He might have to face that man directly.
If so, he could never do it alone. Ivan simply couldn't imagine himself killing Maximilian by himself.
Besides, it was ‘common sense’ that a fallen hero is stronger than their original self. Allies-turned-enemies always came back buffed with all sorts of bonuses.
Ivan was a man of common sense, so he didn't overestimate himself. Instead, he looked down at the map.
He had to use every resource available. The children of the Hero's Party were the highest quality resources he possessed.
A raw gem only gains value once it is cut.
Ivan thought as he wrote the operational plan. Trials that don't kill you make you stronger. Hadn't he grown that way as well?
*
Finals, first place, of course. The scholarship was a matter of ‘noblesse oblige.’ What was such paltry tuition in the face of the Grikhenkos family’s wealth?
Elfihera hummed as she walked through the main gate of her mansion. The warm summer sun was cheerfully warming the elven residential district.
“Oh, you’re back.”
“Sir Koenwulf.”
Her mood took a sharp nosedive. It happened the moment she saw the elf doing a handstand on the tip of a sword in the middle of the garden.
Literally, Æthelflæd Koenwulf was meditating while doing a handstand on a single sword planted upside down.
This is why she couldn't stand swordsmen.
Meditation should be done with a pure mind in tranquility. Why did a swordsman even need to meditate? It all stemmed from a base desire to imitate mages.
Swordsmen had a habit of trying to copy anything that looked good. And most ‘good-looking things’ originated from magic. This was a self-evident truth.
“When exactly are you planning to return to your home country?”
“My, what a way to show a guest the door. Such un-aristocratic words.”
“You didn’t seem to understand when I put it in aristocratic terms.”
“What a hurtful thing to say. I understood it all and simply refused in an aristocratic manner. The Grikhenkos family’s wealth is surely not so meager that it cannot host a single humble swordsman as a guest.”
“I’m sorry, but Sir Koenwulf, you’re richer.”
“Isn’t it too base to pay rent?”
Æthelflæd chuckled, released the sword hilt, and spun down to her feet.
“I plan to leave before winter. I don’t wish to experience a Krasilov winter again. Though, I’m not sure if I’ll be going alone.”
“…?”
“Hehe, something has come up. There was mail for you, go and check it.”
“Yes, I’ll see you later then.”
Elfihera gave a slight nod to Æthelflæd, who had resumed her training, and left.
Mail? From home?
In the six months since she enrolled at the university, the numerous love letters Elfihera had received were mostly delivered at school. This was because no human dared to enter the elven residential district.
And elves never conveyed their feelings through letters.
So, a letter delivered to her home was most likely from her home country… Her father could be reached via crystal ball, so that left… who?
Elfihera picked up the neatly placed envelope on the drawing-room table.
“Huh?”
[Sender: Ivan Petrovich Yeremov]
“Mister?!”
Elfihera hastily clutched the letter to her chest and glanced around. Naturally, her mansion was empty except for a minimal number of servants. And there was no need to hide the letter.
Realizing this with her brilliant intellect, Elfihera cleared her throat and straightened her back.
She elegantly crossed her long legs and took a sip of the black tea prepared on the tea table in the drawing room. Slowly.
*Hmph.* A little snort.
“Looks like he’s finally caught on, has he?”
When he suddenly ran off to get married, she had thought, *Ah, so this is how blind and foolish a human’s mating season is. What a pitiful creature.*
Yes, he must have finally noticed the ‘opportunity,’ right? The ‘opportunity’ to be with an elf… it must have been an unbearable temptation for a human.
So, you’re going to come wagging your tail at me now?
As if she would have been wagging her own tail furiously if she had one, Elfihera grinned and slowly extended her fingers.
*Pop*, she broke the letter's seal.
She took a deep breath.
*Hoo*, she placed a hand on her chest and took a moment to compose herself. Then, with a flourish, she unfolded the neatly folded paper.
Now for the heartfelt love confession… the confession…
[Invitation to a Summer Resort.
Location: Irtysh Station
>Date: Day of Saint Yansk University Term End, 1500 Hours
>Details: Board the 15th Sector Railway departing from Saint Varvai Station, Platform 1, at 1530.
>Note 1: One-way ticket for the 15th Sector Railway enclosed.]
A confession…?
“Usually… aren’t you supposed to say something like, ‘Meet me in the school courtyard for what I couldn’t say in the letter’… or something?”
This was strange. She was sure all the kids around her confessed, got confessed to, and started dating that way.
This was so formal… like some kind of official document, inappropriately using the word ‘invitation.’
And he even included a ticket for a train ride a week from now…?
Besides, what? Where in the world was Irtysh Station?
Elfihera was thrown into confusion.
*
“This is for a honeymoon, right? Or a trip? That’s what this is, right? Uncle, you think so too, don’t you?”
“Well, to my eyes, it looks more like a summons for a foreign noble to military training.”
“That’s because your sense of romance is dead, Uncle. Uncle Ivan and I have always had this kind of relationship. You know?”
“I… see? I’ve never seen you have a proper conversation… or even exchange letters… with the guy.”
“That’s because you’ve never been in love, Uncle. When two people’s hearts are connected, you don’t need things like words, you know?”
“Right. Let’s just go with that.”
Mord nodded silently, watching the bouncing Esidis with a warm gaze.
*Brother, your parenting has been a failure. I’m telling you this now, but she takes after her mother more than you. You know, in a bad way.*
*They say daughters take after their fathers, but that’s a complete lie.*
He thought.
*
“Sir Yeremov.”
Oskar wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel as he stared at the letter.
A sudden message and a sudden invitation. Normally, he wouldn't have given it a second glance, but…
“He is a strong one.”
He too had watched the last tournament. He had keenly felt Ivan's martial prowess since the incident during the field trip ambush.
He was a weapon this country was hiding. Even as the son of a Hero's Party member, he had never even heard Ivan’s name before coming to this country.
The fact that such a man had a close relationship with Enrique and his own father, and that despite his strength, the citizens of this country were unaware of his existence, suggested only one thing.
Krasilov was preparing for war.
Contrary to popular belief, a monarch who loudly advertises their military strength is one who fears war the most. That was why Tilles had held a grand festival to honor Gilles Vert as the Guardian Lord.
As the eldest son of Gilles Vert, Oskar knew this fact better than anyone. But Krasilov, on the surface, appeared fractured by internal strife, was consuming most of its military power to control its vast colonies, and all the heroes of the last war had either retired or vanished.
And yet, its domestic intelligence network was suspiciously meticulous, and its response to terrorism was surprisingly swift, even in a situation where it was said to be on the verge of collapse from internal conflict.
On top of that, it was harboring a weapon like Ivan Petrovich without revealing him to anyone. He was being kept suspiciously under wraps.
The conclusion was obvious. Krasilov was preparing for war.
The major powers bordering it were Droan and Tilles. And the King of Droan was recently understood to have infiltrated Pritzhenkaya and made some sort of agreement with the princess.
That narrowed down the potential target of Krasilov’s military aggression to one nation: Tilles. As a knight of Tilles, this was unacceptable.
“Inform the home country. Regular reports may be sparse for a while as I will be gathering internal intelligence.”
Ivan Petrovich Yeremov. To uncover the identity of this mysterious man and the intentions of this nation, it would be better to stay close to him.
The knight of the Hero's Party, son of Gilles Vert. Oskar.
>Six months into his stay in Krasilov. Commencing deep cover operations (primary occupation)!
*
“Yep. This is training.”
Isabelle folded the letter crisply and accepted it without fuss.
Was ‘that Mister’ really the type to hit on a college girl by casually suggesting a hike?
Even if she was at an age where her head was in the clouds, Isabelle was one of the people who had observed Ivan the closest and for the longest time.
Naturally, she knew the moment she saw the letter.
Summoning her out of the city? That Mister? Well, there was only one conclusion. What else could it be but training?
Right, yep. So he’s healthy, is what he’s saying.
Which means he's healthy and perfectly fine, yet he’s been ignoring his promise to come eat ‘vegetable stew’ for days.
And on top of that, he wants to train me and is trying to get me alone?
Yep, yep, there are too many eyes in this city.
As an intelligence agent, he was naturally an asset managed by the state. Spending ‘off-the-books’ time with a foreign noble lady would be burdensome.
So, if he used training as an excuse to call her out alone, to go on a train trip together…
Yep, yep, I get it.
“This is love.”
Honestly, this habit of his of beating around the bush is a bad one.
Isabelle grinned and began to pack her things.
*
“This is strange. Why do I feel like I see so many familiar faces? Right?”
“I know. Are you heading to Tilles as soon as vacation starts? I guess this railway does go all the way to Tilles, doesn’t it?”
“That might be true for me, but Droan is on the opposite platform, isn’t it?”
“Didn’t you say you were going to stay in Pritzhenkaya during the break, Oskar?”
“I have some business to attend to. And you, Lady Elfihera?”
“Don’t talk to me. There are too many humans, it’s making me dizzy. I have a human-fur allergy.”
“How does she even attend university acting like that?”
Summer vacation, begin!
*