Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Rising Expectations
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***
*Click.*
After a brief conversation with Han Cheon-seong, Medelfen soon left the training grounds.
His purpose for visiting the Class C training grounds had been fulfilled by meeting Han Cheon-seong.
Medelfen hadn't tried to press his opinion or strongly emphasize the officer application when speaking with Cheon-seong.
From the moment he first brought it up, his years of experience told him how the student was reacting. He could sense how his words were being received.
Once he realized Han Cheon-seong was displeased by his suggestion, he felt no desire to invest any more time in it.
He had fulfilled his formal duty. Pressing the student further would be like trying to persuade the monsters pouring onto the front lines with words.
To Medelfen, the recommendation letter was of little more significance than that.
*Thump.*
As he left the training grounds, a small laugh escaped Medelfen's lips.
“Still, to think he saw four layers of the blue wavelength…”
Normally, based on the standard for newly enrolled students, seeing three layers in the wavelength test was considered a high level.
It meant a bud of talent was present. To see four layers signified that the student's talent was on a completely different level from his peers.
“They say his Common-grade trait is his biggest flaw, but Han Cheon-seong… that's a name worth remembering.”
Muttering to himself, Medelfen walked through the academy.
Navigating the vast, maze-like interior of the academy, he soon arrived in front of an office.
*Knock, knock.*
He knocked on the office door and waited a few seconds.
*Click.*
The door soon opened, and he found himself face to face with a woman he hadn't seen in a while.
“Welcome, Captain Medelfen. It's been a while.”
“Yes. It's an honor, Major Kalli. No, since we're in the academy, I should call you Instructor Kalli.”
As Medelfen smiled lightly and changed his address according to the academy's rules, Kalli chuckled and slowly guided him inside.
Inside the office, one person had already arrived.
“…Major Anastasia, you were already here.”
“Major Kalli and I had things to discuss beforehand. You're later than I expected, Captain Medelfen.”
As she set down her teacup and glanced at him, Medelfen gave an awkward smile and joined them at the table.
“I had to meet with a student unexpectedly.”
This meeting was his most important appointment of the day.
Meeting with ‘Kalli,’ who had been a cornerstone of the eastern front.
*Screech.*
As Medelfen carefully sat down next to Anastasia, Kalli calmly took a seat across from them.
“Major Anastasia, we agreed not to use ranks within the academy. Just treat me as you would any other instructor.”
Kalli spoke calmly, but Anastasia firmly shook her head.
“How could I dare? You are exceptional, Major Kalli.”
Seeing her determination to show proper respect, Kalli shook her head as if there was nothing she could do.
“You really haven't changed one bit in the last year.”
The discipline associated with military rank was just that ingrained.
But ‘within the academy,’ it was customary for everyone to change how they addressed each other.
Only former front-line officers could become instructors at the academy, and while they treated their former superiors with respect, they didn't address them by rank. The title ‘Instructor’ itself was meant to convey authority.
However, some still insisted on using their old military titles.
Like Anastasia. This was especially true for officers who had served on the same front.
*Clink.*
Kalli's assistant came over and placed a teacup in front of Captain Medelfen, and a brief silence settled over them.
During the silence, Kalli looked at Anastasia with fascination.
*‘She's the very model of an officer.’*
Impeccably upright, yet not overly arrogant.
Her strict adherence to the chain of command was a desirable trait for an officer, especially from Kalli's perspective, having seen many who had grown lax.
That's why this situation felt a little amusing.
After serving on the same front and then parting ways, she had heard much about Anastasia's exploits over the past year, even from a different front.
Upon hearing the news that she had killed an unbelievable number of Apostles, Kalli found it somewhat strange that she hadn't been promoted higher.
*‘If we're just looking at her performance on the front lines…’*
Anastasia could be said to have performed even more brilliantly than herself. But as a commoner, no matter how exceptional her promotions were, there was a clear limit.
On the other hand, for Kalli, who hailed from the Ishtar family, no such limit existed. The reality that she was bound to have a higher rank…
Finding this inwardly amusing, Kalli slowly began to speak.
“The reason I wanted to meet with you both is to hear your opinions on the current situation at the front. I want to know how things are progressing.”
It had only been a few months since she left the front for the academy, but Kalli was already curious about it.
How were things really going on the front lines…?
“…”
Anastasia paused to gather her thoughts about the front, and seeing this, Medelfen gave a bitter smile.
“Major. May I be the one to answer?”
As he spoke up, Anastasia nodded with a somber expression.
Medelfen then began to speak calmly.
“First, Instructor Kalli, as you are already aware, the situation on the front is not good. I can say that it is not improving with time. The number of officers and soldiers on the front lines continues to decrease daily, while the number of monsters pouring in has not diminished at all. As for the frequency of Apostle appearances, one could say it has even slightly increased.”
“…Is that so.”
As Kalli responded with an ‘I thought so’ expression, Medelfen nodded.
“Yes. In truth, every day has been a struggle. The purpose of my visit to the academy is to encourage more students to apply for officer positions, but… honestly, I'm not sure if that will be enough. Within the military, there are even talks about increasing the number of selected academy personnel, or even the necessity of compulsory conscription instead of just voluntary applications.”
As Medelfen spoke without hesitation, as if he had given the matter much thought, Kalli let out a faint sigh.
“So the situation at the front is that bad… But I'm skeptical about forced conscription. Are the higher-ups already considering such drastic measures?”
“…I've only heard rumors. I can't be certain.”
When Medelfen became reserved, Kalli didn't press further.
In terms of rank alone, Medelfen was the lowest among the three present. But his family, the ‘Gracia’ house, could not be ignored, regardless of rank.
—Medelfen Gracia.
He was a talented individual from a historic marquis family, and if he had wished it, he could have entered the military at a much higher rank. But it was his own desire to start as a captain, a relatively low rank.
The information he provided had to be considered as something beyond his rank.
“Then I won't ask any more about the front. It's not like I can return there right now… and there's not much I can do from here at the academy.”
As Kalli concluded the topic, Medelfen nodded calmly.
Then, Kalli's gaze suddenly shifted to Anastasia.
“I'm a little surprised about you, Anastasia. Didn't you insist on staying at the front, even when the higher-ups kept telling you to take a break?”
As she spoke softly, as if to lighten the heavy atmosphere, Anastasia gave a faint smile.
“I had been thinking about resting for some time.”
“So you've only just now decided to take a break?”
“Yes. I… started to miss my family.”
As Anastasia answered honestly, Kalli smiled slightly, seemingly surprised by her candor.
“I heard the news. That student, Glacia, is your family.”
“She is my only living relative.”
“Really? What a strange coincidence. I was the proctor who tested student Glacia during the entrance exam.”
“Did you view Glacia favorably?”
Anastasia's eyes lit up as she met Kalli's gaze, but Kalli shook her head.
“There was nothing for me to view favorably or not. A student's worth is proven by the student themself. The other proctors were all vying to praise student Glacia.”
“…I see.”
As Kalli praised Glacia in a roundabout way, Anastasia smiled with a hint of satisfaction.
“It's rare to see a student reach level 3 in their trait during the entrance exam, so for a Unique-grade student to have achieved it, I was surprised as well. I thought her appearance was somewhat similar to yours, Major Anastasia, but I never imagined you were related by blood.”
At the repeated praise for Glacia, Anastasia mumbled awkwardly, and Medelfen, sitting beside her, watched her with fascination.
As Kalli paused in the now warm atmosphere, Medelfen suddenly spoke up.
“Speaking of which… Instructor Kalli, you're in charge of Class C1, correct?”
“That's right. Why do you ask?”
“It's just that I remembered the student I just met is one of yours, Instructor Kalli. He's a very talented student.”
As Medelfen spoke in a bright tone, Kalli gave him a curious look.
Wondering who he was talking about, Medelfen smiled brightly.
“His name was Han Cheon-seong. He's a student who's been mentioned often within the academy lately, so I met him in person, and he's certainly remarkable.”
Medelfen had brought it up as a light topic.
““...!””
Coincidentally, both Kalli and Anastasia looked at him in surprise.
“…Student Han Cheon-seong?”
“Captain Medelfen. You just met with student Han Cheon-seong?”
The two women's voices overlapped for a moment, causing Medelfen to pause before nodding.
“Yes, I did. Major Anastasia, you know of student Han Cheon-seong as well?”
As Medelfen spoke with curiosity, Anastasia gave an awkward nod.
“He's a student I happened to spend time with yesterday when I met Glacia. I learned of him because he's a friend of hers.”
“…That's quite surprising.”
Even Kalli looked at Anastasia in surprise.
“You spent time with student Han Cheon-seong…?”
“We met briefly yesterday, and I got the impression that he's a remarkably upright student.”
As Anastasia shared her brief impression of Han Cheon-seong, Kalli nodded awkwardly.
“He's certainly a decent student. Both in talent and attitude.”
As she carefully defended him, Medelfen chimed in.
“I never expected a student with that much talent to be in Class C. I was quite surprised when I saw it for myself.”
“…Really?”
Kalli smiled with satisfaction and took it a step further.
“In fact, he's the student I'm paying the most attention to. I believe he's a student who will develop tremendously in the future.”
She openly expressed her expectations for Han Cheon-seong, prompting Medelfen to give a look that questioned if he was truly a student worthy of such high hopes, but Anastasia felt differently.
She had already arranged to meet Han Cheon-seong tomorrow.
…As someone who intended to learn more about him, she felt her own expectations rising even higher.
*‘If Major Kalli is speaking this highly of him…’*
He wasn't just Glacia's friend.
She felt he was a student worth observing more closely.