44. Ah! Hero! Ah! Carbonated Water!

The festival has ended. There was something a bit strange on the first day, but it passed without a hitch.

The academy is once again the Empire's ivory tower, squeezing the students' passion for academics.

“Exams are right around the corner. Aren't you all really looking forward to this, students?”

The students who saw the devil in the grinning professor were horrified.

Announcing exams right after the festival is too much, isn't it?

There's still two weeks left, so why say 'right around the corner'?

So, as the academy students return from the joy of the festival to academics.

Karl, who calls himself an ordinary returning student, is in a difficult situation due to the expected incident.

“Senior. What exactly happened on the first day?”

“That? It's just because the booth was a mess.”

“Senior Karl, when you climbed on top of someone, you punched...”

“Wait, I'm not that violent, junior.”

“You said you tried to pounce on someone, right?”

“Damn it. What kind of nonsense is that... Hmph. Junior. Do you want to die?”

The last part seems seriously misinterpreted, but actually not entirely wrong.

In fact, the image of climbing on top was really similar to pouncing.

During the festival, since he didn't say anything, they thought it passed quietly.

Schlippen, Wilhelm, Alexander, and Joachim had stepped in in time to cover it.

But it was a misunderstanding. It was just because it was during the festival.

There were more important things than gossiping about uncertain events.

However, after the festival ended and returned to daily life, those events began to spread little by little.

Thanks to that, the one currently most on edge is the Special Intelligence Agency. No, the Foreign Ministry.

“This will be troublesome if the Kingdom and Heigens raise an issue!”

They had anticipated what the Luzens would do.

They even knew they might target not Empire personnel but students.

But the Empire didn't take preemptive measures. Rather, they waited.

As a result, they succeeded in wiping out the leadership using that gap.

However, because the operation was exposed due to some misfortune, the possibility that they would get closer to the truth increased.

In this case, they could be criticized for using foreign personnel for the Empire's benefit.

Actually, they don't particularly care about being criticized. It's something that has always happened.

What the Empire's Foreign Ministry is worried about is whether the pro-Empire factions in the two kingdoms will shrink back because of this incident.

If the hardliners gain the upper hand, the relationship they've worked hard to build could be ruined.

Eventually, the related ministers held an urgent meeting, and this result came out.

- The Luzens are trying to sow discord between the Empire, the two kingdoms, and Heigens. -

- The Empire's Special Intelligence Agency was preparing a 'conveniently' operation to eliminate the leadership and couldn't pay attention to that part. -

- It was a close call, but a person who 'conveniently' saved the foreign students appeared. -

- That person is the Medal of Honor recipient, Karl Adelheit! -

If Karl heard this, he would be shocked why the scale keeps getting bigger.

He might say why is it always like this when he just wants to live quietly as a returning student at the academy.

Honestly, even the War Ministry minister couldn't hide his guilt towards such a Karl.

But from the ministers' perspective, the problem was that there was no better opinion than this.

Honestly, if it weren't for Karl. For the Medal of Honor recipient, the one who stopped the terror single-handedly.

If someone else stepped up and subdued them, it would be a bit forced to say 'conveniently'.

He is an academy returning student. A veteran who survived the battlefield and is a returning student.

A Medal of Honor recipient who exists in only two-digit numbers in the long history of the Empire.

It's not a problem at all that such a person 'conveniently' stopped the festival.

He stopped the train terror and the academy's tragedy. Since then, he has influenced the direction of Empire diplomacy not once but twice as a decisive factor.

So, if they don't elevate Karl as a hero, who else would they?

The ongoing discussion of double Medal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Honor recipients suddenly gained momentum.

It would be very welcome if this incident could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be covered by the double Medal of Honor.

“How about emphasizing through Karl that our Empire did its best for the Kingdom and Heigens side?”

“It sounds appropriate. Even an individual student is resolute enough to step up for the foreign students. This alone will make our Empire's position unshakeable.”

“But... isn't it going too far?”

“He's already a Medal of Honor recipient. It's just adding glory to an already honorable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠person. There's nothing that will cause problems or harm to Karl.”

Even a single Medal of Honor makes the name engraved in imperial history forever.

But double? There has never been such a case. And they thought it would be impossible in the future.

It was done by Karl Adelheit. Unique. Maybe the first and last.

When this opinion came out, the War Ministry minister had no choice but to be persuaded with 'Is that so?'

And the one who sealed the ministers' opinions appeared.

“How about calling him to the palace? That way, the two kingdoms and Heigens will know how important Karl's role was in this incident. Furthermore, they will understand how our Empire thinks of and deals with foreign students.”

The Empire's Crown Prince, Ruprecht Ragnar. He began to take the forefront.

*

While the Special Intelligence Agency was crushing the bedbugs hidden in the country, Eloise faithfully performed her duties.

Moving with them, giving advice, and sometimes going to the field together to relieve stress.

The most important mission, escorting some of the Luzens leadership to the Heigens side.

“Now, you can rest a bit, right? You won't be working me to death here, will you?”

For more than a month, without a day off, working until late every night.

It's not a joke anymore. Now, I really need to rest. My face is already puffy and lacking energy, isn't it?

The smooth, glossy skin has lost its luster. If I work any more, I might really die!

If the upper management has a conscience, they won't use me anymore.

Luzens are the ones, not Heigens. Since they're noble and considerate elves, of course they would.

As soon as she heard those words, it was natural for curse words to come out of Eloise's mouth.

“Are you kidding right now?! I've been working like I'm dying for a month! Adding up a month, the total sleep time is barely two days! Look! I have dark circles under my eyes!”

Eloise, who caught the squirrel, brought it close to her face.

“You can't say that if you see it! While sitting and giving orders, you don't know what's happening at the scene?!”

“It must have been done by the Empire guys, why do we have to investigate?”

Hah—

Eloise let out a sigh and scratched her head nervously.

The words were not wrong, so she was even more irritated. As they said, there is nothing better than being sure.

Moreover, it was a major issue that could twist the relationship with the Empire.

Still, this is crossing the line. They said they'd let me rest.

Her stomach was boiling. It's too different from the original contract.

They promised rest and overtime, so they gave her the position of leader.

If they keep changing the contract conditions, it's natural to be angry from her side.

And naturally, this anger and irritation was borne entirely by the Luzens prisoners.

“Kyaa! Kek! S-save me! Save me!”

“Shut up. You're not dying. Don't worry.”

Among the things developed in the Empire and seeped into the elf society is carbonated water.

At first, there were those who asked why they buy and drink this water with money.

But soon, they were captivated by the taste.

There was nothing that could replace the refreshing feeling that comes at the moment ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of drinking.

Ordinary elves were captivated by the new drink and started drinking it like water.

Meanwhile, some of them found new possibilities in carbonated water.

“Here. Drink it all.”

“Kyahk! Kek! Kek!”

Eloise's method of 'a little stimulation to get the desired information'.

And to explain as is, just pouring carbonated water into the nose.

It's not a method of skinning and breaking bones. It's just pouring a bit of water.

Thanks to this, it was quite clean to look at, so there were almost no problematic parts.

But it was enough to create a fear of death.

“So? Does it feel good with the nose pierced?”

“Kyahk! Kek! Kyahk!”

“Let's go easy. I want to sleep a bit. If I add up the sleep time I've taken while working for more than a month, it's barely two days. I only slept an hour a day.”

The answer Eloise wanted from the prisoner was simple.

That day, what happened. Did your leader really die.

If it's confirmed dead, how did the top important person disappear so easily.

“Kyahk! Kek! W-wait! I'll tell you! Please!”

It's a question about someone already dead. It's a question about the already collapsed Luzens.

He judged that insisting further would be useless, so he quickly continued.

“It was! Yes, that time! When our Luzens was about to start a big counterattack! The moment we were about to narrow the encirclement and annihilate the isolated Empire army in one breath! A, a sudden bullet flew in and pierced his heart!”

“Is that really all?”

“Y-yes! It was instant death right there. There was no time to heal it!”

Eloise, listening quietly to those words, quietly grabbed his hair.

And then tilted his head back and started pouring carbonated water into his nose again.

“Kyahk! Kek! Kyahk!”

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

“I-I've said everything! P-please! Kyahk! Kek!”

This time, Eloise poured carbonated water loaded with juice and salt.

Because she was tired, her eyes were dazed. That was quite eerie.

“Kyahk! I-I don't know anymore! Kek! That's how he died. I really don't know anything else!”

I see. This woman wants to kill me. If I want to live, I have to say something more.

“Y-yes! Because of the confusion that day, we retreated our troops! Right that day! The, the gap was used by the Empire guys to remove some troops from the encirclement! I really don't know anything more! Kyahk! Kek!”