Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Three Letters
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Hiding out in a corner of the cadet school and smoking with Manfred, I spotted a junior cadet running toward us from afar, arms full of letters.
"Looks like it's for you?"
"Yeah."
Manfred asked, and I stood up to greet the junior.
"What's up, Paul?"
"Huff... huff... Senior, you've got a ton of letters, so I brought them for you!"
"Ah, damn! You're late! Why are you so slow?!"
Soon, another junior appeared around the corner and handed me some letters.
These two were the fruits of a project I'd been working on lately.
Officially dubbed the "Get Close to the Juniors!" project.
...Well, putting it nicely. More bluntly, it was just a plain old faction-building operation.
For some reason, most seniors and juniors at the cadet school kept each other at arm's length, so I decided to claim that blue ocean for myself.
The smuggled goods slipped to us by our graduated seniors had played a huge role.
"How do you expect to become a general moving that slow?"
"What'd you say, punk?"
"Hey, hey, no fighting..."
The first junior was Paul Malon, and the latecomer was Alfret Knoller.
Paul was from a non-Junker background like me, while Alfret hailed from the Kingdom of Württemberg, and our families were connected through their parents, making it easy to bond.
Using them as a base, I'd been extending my... black tentacles—no, benevolent hand—to the other juniors.
"Here, have a smoke."
"Whoa, thank you, sir!"
"Loyalty to the senior! Loyalty!"
Suuuuck—
...Look at them puffing away so savoringly.
Seeing how quick they were to snatch the cigarettes, I wondered if I'd been played.
"Hmph."
I eyed them dubiously and unfolded the letters.
Let's see, this one is...
"Oh, a letter from Elise? You two have been exchanging love letters?"
"...Damn it."
Of all people, it had to be this guy who saw it. Who would've thought my first letter would be from Elise?
'Crap!'
"Lemme see too."
Damn! Manfred snatched the letter right away.
"Whoa, 'I miss my dear brother. It's so tragic that a single wall separates us.'"
"Then the flow..."
"'Imagining a walk down streets blanketed in autumn leaves with you... Haha...'"
"Then the flow breaks..."
"Ahahahahaha!"
"Kekeke... Ahem, I didn't laugh."
First, I silenced the juniors and fired eye lasers at Manfred.
Of course, it meant nothing. The guy's too shameless for that.
"'I'm counting the days until your commissioning...'"
"..."
In the end, I pulled out my secret weapon.
"Ahaha! Guys, check this out. Your revered senior is..."
"...B-Be careful."
"Senior Rommel, calm down. Calm..."
"Huh?"
Yeah, now he turns around.
Cracks spread across Manfred's face. But it was too late.
"Hey... sorry!! My bad—!"
Smack!!! Without a moment's hesitation, I slapped the back of Manfred's head.
Manfred jumped up with a yelp.
"Ow!! That hurts like hell!! I said sorry!!!"
"This jerk won't learn unless you hit him."
I shook my stinging hand.
Juniors might not get it, but you can't smack a peer on the head, so my hand just hurts.
Back of the head or head smack, same difference? Kid... no, they're not.
I snatched the letter back from Manfred, who had surrendered to my back-of-the-head bombardment.
"Does it feel good teasing me with a letter from my sister? Don't you feel bad for her?"
Manfred straightened up and replied.
"Nah. It's too funny."
"..."
I thought they got along, but siblings gonna sibling.
I said nothing and quietly turned the page.
Manfred promptly draped his chin over my shoulder to peek again.
"Let's see... Oh, this one's from Dr. Junkers."
-To my dear Rommel,
[Based on your idea, I've managed to design a decent fighter plane. The military has given it high praise...
(Omitted)
...So I'm letting you know that I've deposited the royalties into your account.
Once I save up some business capital, I'll tackle a monoplane next. It might not suit military use, but I'm confident it'll revolutionize civilian transport.
Until next time. Feel free to share any good ideas anytime. I've got plenty of blank contracts waiting.]
-Your partner in innovation, Hugo Junkers.
"Whoaaaa...!"
Manfred reacted like he'd gotten a signed letter from his favorite idol, eyes sparkling.
With desperate eyes, he said to me,
"Hey! If you don't need that letter, can I have it? It's gotta be collector's item material!"
"S-Sure, take it."
"A letter from Dr. Junkers! Haha, someday I'll be exchanging letters with him too, right?"
Manfred was thrilled when I handed it over. How did he end up such a hardcore aviation nut...
Historical convergence or whatever.
Since I'd memorized the contents, writing a reply wouldn't be an issue even if I gave it to him.
I read the next letter.
The sender was...
"...Count Schlieffen?"
"Whoa, Senior, you're really on friendly terms with Count Schlieffen?"
"...Manfred ruined everything."
Instead of Manfred, who looked ready to kiss the Junkers letter,
Poke— the ill-mannered juniors were peeking at it already.
The sender was indeed Count Schlieffen.
...Hmm, Count Schlieffen.
"..."
"Aren't you gonna open it?"
"Come on, read it quick?"
"Ow, shut up, you lot."
Tense, I hesitated to open it.
It was the first letter from him since being chased out of his mansion last time. I couldn't help but worry about the contents...
"Eh."
I furrowed my brow and ripped it open in one go. Had to read it eventually anyway.
-To Cadet Rommel,
[The program has been approved. No need to worry about that.
I got an order from His Majesty the Kaiser to go rot in the countryside breathing dirt.
The nation's future worries me to no end, but this letter will surely be censored too, so I won't say much.
Anyway, I'm truly retired now, just an old countryside relic.
In short, I'm bored as hell, so come explain that drug-fueled report of yours.]
-A relic, Count Schlieffen.
"Whoa, so is this an invitation?"
"What kind of letter is this short?"
"..."
Rustle— I set the letter down for a moment and pulled out my lighter.
"Guys."
"Yes."
"Yes, Senior."
"We never received this letter."
"...Huh?"
Click—fwoosh— I lit the letter and tossed it onto the dirt.
Manfred and the juniors gawked like I'd lost my mind...
But anyone who wouldn't burn this is the crazy one.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?"
"Wh-What if you burn a count's letter?!"
"Hey, let it burn. Nice flames."
"Why?!"
Manfred asked frantically as they tried to put it out.
I gave a hollow laugh.
"He's a guy marked by His Majesty the Kaiser."
My cold attitude shut them up.
"You think I'd go visit someone the Kaiser deliberately crushed? I'm just a lowly cadet."
The fact that the letter was censored meant Schlieffen himself was under surveillance.
If I went to see him... word would reach the Kaiser immediately, and he'd fly into a rage that a mere cadet ignored his authority.
"It's a crazy trap. A modern-day poisoned apple."
Then my head would roll. Whether for lese-majeste or an execution in some alley, it wouldn't end well.
"Is the old man senile... or did he plan this...?"
This was political. For a veteran like Schlieffen, who had weathered every storm, to send this...
It was profoundly meaningful.
Even Manfred would've rushed off heedlessly and died.
"...Still, did you have to burn it?"
"That's how these things become trouble. It's basically a time bomb. Take it home, and your whole house goes up."
I grumbled and poked the burning letter with a stick to make sure it burned clean.
Burning nicely.
But what was his real intent...? I recalled how he'd tried to trap me during the last military parade.
I thought we'd built some rapport planning the Schlieffen Program together, but maybe I was wrong.
"Tch, it's already ash. Forget it."
I bitterly kicked the remnants into the dirt.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
My cadet life—long if long, short if short—was drawing to a close.
The cadet school's curriculum was flexible, to put it kindly; unstructured, to put it bluntly.
Some graduated in two years, others lingered like ghosts.
I was among the former...
"Perfect score, perfect score, perfect score... Hoo. If not for you, I'd suspect cheating."
"You're too kind."
"I don't know if you'll rewrite military history, but you've certainly rewritten this glorious school's."
The instructor, finishing some paperwork, handed me a document with a flourishy signature.
"Gross-Richthofen... No, the shortest graduation in the history of all national higher cadet schools. It was an honor to teach you."
"Ooooh..."
"Congratulations."
Clap clap clap! The instructor smiled warmly, and the others applauded in admiration.
I shook his hand humbly.
"Thanks to you instructors. My gratitude."
"Mm! Your early graduation is confirmed, but some administrative processing remains. Wait in the dorm until then."
"Yes, sir."
I fought to keep a grin off my face.
Finally, the tutorial of this military system was over.
Next up: commissioning.