Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Mutual Concerns
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***
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong. The Grand Royal Academy's regulations don't explicitly prohibit relationships between cadets, so it isn't a violation. And I believe that when cadets of your age take classes together and see each other every day, it’s perfectly possible for positive feelings to develop. You might admire a talented, handsome, or pretty cadet, express that interest, and eventually develop a romantic relationship. Those are perfectly natural emotions, and no one should be blamed for them.”
Watching Kalli speak so calmly, I was momentarily speechless.
Kalli was suddenly talking about relationships between cadets.
“However, has it not been less than a week since you all enrolled in the academy? I believe this is a time when everyone should be burning with determination, focusing their efforts on growth and advancement…”
Kalli trailed off, then tapped the teaching aid she had brought with her. The sound echoed strangely, making me flinch for no reason.
But I truly felt wronged.
It wasn't like I was actually dating another cadet. I was just facing the absurd situation of being rejected for a confession I never even made, all due to a misunderstanding.
Strictly speaking, I was purely a victim.
I glanced at Luna, the root of the problem, and as if by coincidence, she was looking back at me.
"..."
“...”
The moment our eyes met, her unique violet pupils wavered, and I found myself blinking involuntarily.
I had assumed Luna’s sudden declaration stemmed from pure malice, or perhaps a genuine misunderstanding. But her reaction now was just too strange.
She quickly averted her gaze. For a fleeting moment, it was as if she felt sorry for me.
*Am I imagining things?*
Luna wouldn't do that.
Just as I was lost in thought.
*Thwack!*
I flinched at the sudden noise.
I turned to see Kalli, having slammed her hand down on the teaching aid, glaring at me with eyes fiercer than before.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
“Ah, yes… Instructor Kalli.”
“I… don’t want to blame you for such feelings, as they are perfectly natural. And really… I am not trying to embarrass or humiliate you. It’s just that this is the beginning of your time at the academy. I would like you to be a little more discreet. That’s what I wanted to say.”
Faced with Kalli’s cold demeanor, I could only nod.
“…Yes. I understand. I will be more careful.”
It was a no-win situation for me.
There was no response I could possibly give.
The rumor about me and Luna had already spread far and wide, eventually reaching Kalli’s ears.
If I tried to explain now that it was all Luna’s misunderstanding, I knew it would only make me look even more pathetic.
I immediately understood why Kalli was looking at me so coldly. In the original story, she never approved of relationships between cadets.
She was one of the instructors who vehemently despised them.
She believed that when cadets fell in love, they neglected their training. To her, who valued effort above all else, a cadet in a relationship was an object of scorn.
It was why, in the middle of the novel, she had even berated Leonhardt, shouting, ‘Did you come to the academy to date?!’
“…That is all I have to say on the matter. Let us begin the lecture. Cadets, please open your textbooks.”
At Kalli’s firm words, I dazedly took out my textbook, my spirits sinking.
I had prioritized Luna, only to be saddled with an untimely misunderstanding, and as a result…
Kalli’s perception of me had taken a turn for the worse.
This… was a huge problem for me.
*What do I do?*
Kalli’s private training hall. Would I ever be able to use that special place again?
It was an essential space for my advancement. It wasn’t just a consideration; I *had* to improve my relationship with Kalli to be able to use it.
Right now, Kalli was more important to me than anyone else.
“Hang in there.”
…*Pat.*
As David gently patted my shoulder, I barely managed to swallow the sigh that threatened to escape.
***
“…Let’s take a short break. We will resume the lecture in ten minutes.”
As Kalli announced a brief recess, the cadets finally let out sighs of relief and cautiously rose from their seats.
Kalli’s lecture, which had continued from morning to afternoon in a frigid atmosphere, was enough to freeze the entire classroom. No one dared to get on her bad side.
Everyone tried to focus on the lecture as if their lives depended on it, glancing at Kalli for permission before even breathing or stretching lightly.
…But the break was an exception. As most of the cadets vacated their seats, Kalli didn't feel at ease watching them go.
In fact, she felt more uncomfortable than most of the cadets.
“……”
She slowly sat down in the instructor's chair and blankly ran a hand over her face.
*This isn't like me.*
…She felt it once again.
From the moment she entered the classroom and throughout the entire lecture, she had felt countless times that she wasn't being herself.
She couldn’t understand why she was acting so foolishly, making the cadets uncomfortable by treating them so coldly… The more she thought about it, the more she felt like an idiot.
*Why am I being like this?*
…What was making her so upset? Why was she in such a foul mood all day?
The way she seemed to be taking out her frustration on the cadets… she was starting to hate herself.
*Rustle.*
She ran a hand roughly through her hair, her gaze drifting aimlessly around the classroom.
There were a few diligent cadets reviewing the lecture material in their textbooks, but the majority had left, as if they couldn't bear to be in the same room with her during the break.
She felt it keenly.
And then…
Her eyes suddenly landed on Cadet Han Cheon-seong.
“……”
He was sitting quietly in his seat, his eyes on his textbook as if reviewing the last lecture.
Cadet Han Cheon-seong was clearly working hard.
She had watched him frequently throughout the lecture, and not once had she seen him slack off or lose focus.
*…I’m sorry.*
Looking at him now, she felt even more apologetic.
In a classroom full of his peers, she had singled him out and given him a public shaming.
She had said she wasn't trying to embarrass him, but how humiliated and mortified must he have felt in that moment?
He was only twenty years old.
Though legally an adult, he was at an age where emotions were not yet fully controlled and everything was still immature.
Looking back at herself just a few years ago, she knew all too well what foolish thoughts and values she had held before standing on the battlefield.
And yet, she had done something to a cadet that she should never have done.
How malicious of her as an instructor, to use her authority to trample on a cadet’s dignity…
She bit her lip, still unable to understand her own actions.
*…Why on earth did I do that?*
She had said that relationships between cadets were natural and not something to be blamed for, yet she had clearly berated him for it, backing him into a corner.
She had practically forced an answer out of him, spouting nothing but foolish words.
"..."
She let out a faint sigh and absently brushed her hair back.
And she had a vague inkling why.
*Perhaps…*
Had her expectations for Cadet Han Cheon-seong been too high?
A few days ago, they had eaten lunch together, and she had even sparred with him in her private training hall, spending a significant amount of time with him.
The feeling she had gotten while observing him then was truly special.
*A massive, shining, uncut gem… I felt he was a talent who could become a pillar of the Empire.*
The term ‘Pillar of the Empire’ referred to the exceptionally talented individuals within the Empire, numbering fewer than twenty.
She had believed she had already found a cadet who could become one of those pillars.
—Han Cheon-seong.
His trait was only Common-grade, but how much would he develop in the future, and how much strength would he bring to this Empire?
And as the front lines were gradually pushed back, in a world full of danger, how many people would he save?
She had placed an absurd amount of expectation on a single cadet.
Was that why she had gotten so foolishly angry about his romantic feelings… and felt so arbitrarily disappointed?
“……”
She took a shallow breath and composed herself.
*Just act normal.*
She needed to relax, treat the cadets a little more gently, and once this lecture was over, she had to apologize properly to Cadet Han Cheon-seong.
She knew what a foolish thing she had done, so she absolutely had to.
***
The day’s classes, which had felt much longer than usual, were finally over.
*Swoosh.*
As if desperate to leave the classroom as quickly as possible, several cadets shot up from their seats, and David was no exception.
“Han Cheon-seong?”
“…Huh?”
“You got plans today? If not, I was hoping we could train together.”
His cautious offer made me feel incredibly grateful.
But more importantly, I still had something I needed to do.
“Thanks so much for the offer. But… I have something to say to Instructor Kalli.”
“…Do you have to do it today?”
Seeing David’s surprised question, I nodded awkwardly.
I had to talk to her today.
It was obvious Kalli now held a grudge against me. If I let time pass before trying to resolve it, that negative impression might solidify.
That would be the worst possible outcome for me.
“Yeah, I think I need to speak with her properly today.”
“Well… I can’t say I recommend it. But if you say so, then you say so. Anyway, good luck.”
*Pat.*
David patted my shoulder once more before leaving, and I gathered my resolve.
Honestly, I still had no idea.
How was I supposed to smooth things over?
By the end of the lecture, Kalli’s icy demeanor seemed to have thawed slightly, but her gaze was still cold.
It was the same even now.
Kalli remained in her seat after class, seemingly lost in thought.
Watching her, I completely understood why the other cadets were in such a hurry to leave. There was a certain intimidating aura about her.
*Still, I have to face it.*
This, too, was my reality.
A reality I had to confront. A reality I couldn't, and shouldn't, avoid.
*Swoosh.*
I rose from my seat and slowly approached Kalli.
*Step.*
*Step.*
As I drew closer, my hands began to tremble faintly.
Could I really persuade Kalli?
Could I have a proper conversation with her when she likely held negative feelings toward me?
I was incredibly nervous.
When I finally stood before her, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Instructor Kalli.”
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
Then, as if by chance, our voices overlapped, and I was startled.
In the next moment, as our eyes met…
I felt a very strange sensation.
*Why do her eyes…*
The look in Kalli’s eyes completely defied my expectations.
So much so that…
For a moment, I forgot what I was going to say.