Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Is Romance Between Cadets Right or Wrong?
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“Kalli?”
“…Huh?”
“Who on earth are you staring at like that?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
Kalli awkwardly shook her head at the words of Esia, the instructor for Class A4. As they naturally settled into the café, Esia calmly sat down across from Kalli.
*Swish.*
A woman with silvery-white hair that cascaded down to her waist, her eyes shining with curiosity. Esia suddenly looked at Kalli and burst into a knowing laugh.
“Kalli. Is it still hard to adjust to seeing cadets like this after being on the battlefield?”
“It’s not that.”
“Oh, come on. For someone who says that, there have been a lot of rumors about you lately. I heard you even apologized directly to a Class C cadet. I don’t know what happened, but knowing your personality, I was surprised you’d go that far. What on earth was it about?”
“That… I just apologized because I made a bit of a mistake.”
“If that’s the case, you could have just called the cadet aside and said you were sorry. Apologizing where all the other cadets could see… you have a reputation to maintain, you know.”
“It just happened that way. The situation called for it. Esia, this is a little embarrassing for me, so I’d rather we stop talking about it.”
“Ah, right. Okay.”
After Esia called over a waiter and began to order, Kalli’s gaze drifted around before settling once more in a particular direction.
A window seat.
Her eyes were fixed blankly on Han Cheon-seong, who was sitting with a female cadet from Class A, someone who would stand out to anyone.
“So, Kalli. How is it? Being an academy instructor, are you finding it manageable?”
“…It’s not difficult. I just have to teach according to the curriculum.”
“You seem a little lukewarm about it, though. I, for one, like it. It’s so much more relaxing than being on the battlefield. I’m staying at the academy as a sort of break, but I’m even thinking of settling down here for good.”
“You’re thinking of settling down at the academy…?”
“Yeah. Teaching the cadets is quite rewarding, and seeing these fresh-faced kids is kind of cute. Besides, standing on the battlefield isn’t the only way to fulfill my duty, right?”
As Esia carefully expressed her opinion, Kalli slowly nodded.
‘Perhaps this path is the right one for Esia.’
Even as she thought that… she felt strange.
Her chest felt strangely tingly, yet an unexplainable displeasure lingered.
She hadn’t felt this way when she entered the café with Esia…
Her gaze drifted back again, and she found herself thinking.
‘Her name was Glacia, I believe?’
The blue-haired female cadet looked familiar to her. She was one of the cadets whose scores she had graded during the entrance exam.
All the other examiners had given her scores close to the maximum, and she herself had given the cadet a very high score.
*Clink.*
“A fruit parfait and a chocolate cake. Here you are. Enjoy your time.”
“Thank you.”
As Esia replied lightly, Kalli brought her gaze forward, her lips hesitating.
‘Cadet Han Cheon-seong… he definitely told me it was a misunderstanding.’
When Cadet Han Cheon-seong explained to her that he had no interest in romance, she had believed him.
She had also deeply blamed herself for her rash actions two days prior.
Their conversation had been brief, but she had genuinely felt how much Cadet Han Cheon-seong valued effort and was dedicated to his studies.
But…
What was this scene before her now?
“Kalli?”
“Yes?”
“You’re acting a bit strange today. Why are you staring off into space like that? Your parfait is going to melt.”
Awkwardly picking up her spoon at Esia’s words, Kalli felt like a fool.
‘What on earth am I thinking….’
Today was the weekend.
And while he was a cadet, his private life should be respected.
It would be going too far for an instructor to interfere with what a cadet does on the weekend. She, too, believed that while she should be strict during lectures, she should allow them freedom in their personal time.
*Swoosh.*
She took a bite of the parfait and gave a slight nod.
‘Right. I should stop thinking about it.’
…The sight of Cadet Han Cheon-seong with the female cadet named Glacia left a great question in her mind, but she forced herself to suppress it.
“Esia. This parfait is delicious.”
“Right?! I’m telling you, this café is a big part of the reason I want to stay at the academy.”
As Esia smiled blissfully, a smile escaped Kalli’s lips as well.
Seeing this girl, who had always been so gloomy on the battlefield, smiling so happily at the academy, made Kalli’s heart feel a little more at ease.
…
Their conversation continued on various topics.
Perhaps because Esia had arrived at the academy a few months earlier, she shared all sorts of things about life as an instructor, and much of it was good advice worth listening to.
How to balance the intensity of lectures, the importance of creating opportunities for cadets to strive voluntarily, and that one shouldn’t give a cadet too much attention.
There was quite a lot of advice.
And many of her words struck a chord within Kalli.
…It felt as if they perfectly described her current situation.
‘Even if I favor Cadet Han Cheon-seong, my attention is definitely excessive.’
She felt she needed to reduce her interest a little.
Even if she was thinking of Cadet Han Cheon-seong, it was strange to be conscious of him even outside of lecture hours.
He and she were clearly in the positions of instructor and cadet. Therefore, it was necessary to maintain a proper distance.
“Oh, and Kalli. About romance between cadets.”
“…Yes.”
“Knowing you, I figured you’d view romance very negatively, so I wanted to mention this beforehand. It might not be an issue now, but as time goes on, you won’t be able to stop cadets from dating. You can see it in their eyes when they like each other, how their attitude slackens. Remember when we were at the academy? There were kids who fell in love. But… I heard from a senior instructor that there’s nothing you can do about it. If the dating cadets do well, they do well. If not, you just have to let them be.”
She emphasized her point, and Kalli instinctively paused.
She had accepted everything else Esia said positively, but this one point was something she couldn’t agree with.
“Esia. Why would you let cadets date?”
“Why? I just explained it. No matter what you do, you can’t stop them from dating. They’re twenty, an age where passions run high. On top of that, they like each other. Do you think we can stop them just by trying? It’s just something you can’t help.”
Esia spoke as if it were something to be taken lightly, but no matter how Kalli thought about it, that seemed…
It just seemed wrong.
An instructor, as she saw it, was someone who should help and care for cadets so they could walk the right path.
She believed that instructors should pay even more attention to cadets who possessed brilliant traits or talents, like uncut gems.
“Esia. I don’t think that’s right.”
“…Hmm?”
“If a cadet has neither a good trait nor talent, it can’t be helped if they fall behind. But what if they excel in at least one of those areas…? Shouldn’t we guide them properly and show them the way forward?”
“Uh… well. You have a point, Kalli. We all want talented cadets to do better.”
“See? That’s why. I believe romance between cadets should be prevented as much as possible. It’s not something to be accepted as inevitable. Even if it seems inevitable, we should guide them to focus on their own development and hard work, to look toward the future, rather than on romance during this period.”
As she calmly continued, she found herself nodding in agreement with her own words.
Why should an instructor simply stand by and watch a cadet go astray?
Of course, cadets could like each other. It was a natural emotion. But she believed there was a need to ‘overcome’ even such natural emotions.
This was the most crucial period for their traits to be bestowed and established. They had to work their hardest now; afterward, there would be no opportunity for their traits to grow.
Traits also had their own specific period of growth.
Once they left the academy, there would be no instructors to guide them directly, no one to tell them what to do.
The vast majority of cadets became independent after graduation, and their dispositions would solidify as they were.
“Um… Kalli?”
“Yes.”
“I’m saying this just in case, but even if cadets start dating, don’t react as excessively as you are now. I know you’re right. It’s heartbreaking for an instructor to see a talented cadet become lazy and stop trying because of romance. But it won’t work out the way you think. No matter how much you try to persuade them with words, how can they deny their feelings of affection? It would be too hard for the cadets.”
…As Kalli quietly listened to Esia, she found herself even more unable to understand.
“Are you saying a cadet can’t overcome their own feelings?”
“…They’re twenty years old. They’re practically kids. Do you think they’ll be good at restraining themselves?”
“Then we should make them restrain themselves.”
Staring blankly at Kalli’s words, Esia suddenly let out a deep sigh.
“Kalli.”
“…Go on.”
At her calm voice, Kalli felt this was one thing she could not concede.
“I’m just asking, but… it’s not like you have some grudge, telling cadets not to date just because we haven’t, right?”
Her unexpected words left Kalli momentarily stunned.
It was so absurd she almost let out a hollow laugh.
“Esia. What kind of nonsense is that…?”
“No, I was just wondering… I thought you were overreacting a bit. This is your first time teaching cadets, isn't it? You didn't care much when our peers dated back then, but you seem overly strict with the cadets.”
Esia tried to lighten the mood, and though Kalli understood her intention, she suddenly felt as if she had been slapped.
“Esia… we’re twenty-five now.”
“Right.”
“If we wanted to date, we could date anyone, couldn’t we? We’re just voluntarily choosing not to. Why are you suddenly saying something like that? It’s making me uncomfortable….”
She was genuinely flustered as she spoke.
Was she negative about cadets dating because she wasn't dating? What kind of ridiculous thing was Esia saying?
That wasn’t the reason she was opposing Esia’s words.
She could declare that she was doing it out of a pure desire to help the cadets.
“Sorry if I offended you… but I’ve been feeling a bit strange lately. It’s true that our marriages are delayed because we were on the battlefield and then came back. And like you said, twenty-five is still a vibrant age….”
“…And?”
“But still, you know? I sometimes have this strange thought. That maybe I should have tried dating back when I was a cadet. Now that I’m back at the academy as an instructor, I honestly don’t see any men who catch my eye… It’s like romance, just like traits, has its own shining moment? I’m starting to regret it a little late.”
Kalli’s brow furrowed at Esia’s words.
It was good that Esia seemed so bright at the academy. But she didn’t understand why she was showing such curiosity about personal feelings and romance.
If she had truly experienced the weight of the battlefield, she wouldn’t even have such feelings, being anxious about the empire's immediate future.
“Esia. I know what you’re trying to say. But it’s absolutely not what you think. I’m just thinking of the cadets. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t misunderstand.”
“Really? Then I’m sorry… I guess I said something unpleasant. So, Kalli. Who is it?”
“…Huh?”
“There’s definitely a cadet you’re interested in, right? Who is it?”
As Esia asked with a curious glint in her eyes, Kalli was momentarily flustered.
“…”
And she had no idea why she was flustered.
Esia’s question wasn’t strange at all; she could have just answered calmly.
But… she found her lips hesitating, the words not coming out.
“Hmm? Kalli~ Who is it that’s making you so passionate and interested? I’m really curious. You can tell me, right? Hmm?”
As Esia pressed on with eyes full of curiosity, Kalli was finally able to speak.
“…There’s a cadet named Han Cheon-seong.”
“Han Cheon-seong… Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Ah! The one who fought Leonhardt to a draw?”
“Yes. That’s him.”
“No wonder. I was wondering why you were suddenly so worked up. I guess I can acknowledge a cadet of that caliber. He’s the Common trait who managed to be the only one to draw with the Legendary Leonhardt. Imagine how much effort he must have put in.”
Kalli slowly nodded at Esia’s words, a sense of pride welling up in her heart.
…Of course, she hadn’t directly helped with the outcome of the duel Cadet Han Cheon-seong achieved. But he was still a cadet she was teaching.
Hearing her friend praise Cadet Han Cheon-seong made her heart tingle with pride.
‘Well, we did train together, even if just for a day… and I did help him in my own way.’
Cadet Han Cheon-seong was definitely worthy of it.
So, her gaze unconsciously drifted over again.
To the window seat where Cadet Han Cheon-seong was sitting…
*Thud.*
The spoon she was holding slipped from her grasp.
Just by looking, she felt her heart sink coldly.
“Kalli. What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“…No. It’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
As she stiffly turned her head… the image of the cadet she had just seen seemed to linger before her eyes.
Holding hands with the female cadet named Glacia.
The sight of Cadet Han Cheon-seong… smiling faintly.
“Esia.”
“Yes?”
“As I thought. I don’t believe romance between cadets is right.”
“R-Really? If you say so… I guess it is. I can see why… you’d think that.”
Looking at the flustered Esia after her firm declaration, Kalli’s mind was made up.
After class tomorrow, it was necessary to give Cadet Han Cheon-seong some proper, separate guidance.
No matter how she thought about it, for him to be showing such behavior already…
It did not seem right.