Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Engagement I Wasn't Told About
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“Run, you chicks! Do you still think you're nobles?!”
“I'll make you regret choosing the Officer Department! What are you doing? Get running!”
“You worthless lot! Even the Koenihesen bastards crawling around would be faster than you!”
Argh! Damn it, damn it! Goddamn it! I must be crazy! Why the hell did I even consider the Officer Department?!
Those are our seniors? They're just monsters with gleaming eyes who get off on tormenting people!
So that's why Richi tried to stop me—there was a reason for it!
Sorry, Richi! I didn't get the big picture and went yapping about the Officer Department!
...Ah. Wait a sec. Thinking back, I only considered it—I never actually decided.
Turns out the one who stamped both the Revenge Department and Officer Department applications was Richi?
You sneaky bastard! You were planning to go to hell alone but got lonely and dragged me in!
I ground my teeth without thinking. It was so unfair. Way too unfair!
Maybe I should've just quietly gone to the Administrative Department and prepped to be a bureaucrat!
“Richi... Richi...!”
“Shut up! Close your mouth! You'll wake me up! Get up already?!”
Before I knew it, a second-year Officer Department student had rushed over and was manhandling me.
I could feel his intent to make me one with the dirt if I didn't get up right now.
I wasn't ready to return to the earth just yet, so I jumped up and started running.
“Kuhk! Hek! Haaah!!”
From afar, they just looked like disciplined students.
I might've harbored some vague fantasy about being an officer.
But no. At least the Officer Department seniors weren't the cool types.
What kind of people are they?! No matter how I look, they're beasts with gleaming eyes!
Ferocious predators eyeing poor, fragile herbivore freshmen to devour!
“Right now, your heads are probably filled with thoughts like this: I'm a noble! I'm a future officer! Why am I running like this, rolling in the dirt, suffering through this agony?!”
“It's something you should learn on your own, but for you pitiful chicks, I'll spell it out! When you give orders, this is the suffering your soldiers go through! No—probably even worse than this!”
“Those who issue commands must understand this! How your words make your subordinates suffer, the pain they endure! Only then can you stay sharp and give proper orders!”
“If you want respect, then understand. And to understand, experience it first! Got it, chicks?!”
Nuuueeeek!—
“Listen to that response! You want to run until sunset?! Got it, chicks!?”
Nuuueeeeeek!!—
“Good! I like that response! Everyone, ten-minute break!”
The moment the break was called, the second-years scattered like they'd never been there.
I'm dying. This is too much. I skipped workouts thinking I'd just study, and now look at me.
“Kuh...”
“Told you. Why crawl into this hell?”
Lester approached from the side, holding out a bottle half-full of water.
Michel, peeking over, nodded vigorously too.
Before answering, I decided to wash the dust from my throat first.
“Kuh. What're you saying? Richi half-forced my name onto the Revenge Department application. You think I came here because I wanted to? I wanna choke him right now!”
“Richi said you were secretly interested in our department too.”
“I said it, sure, but just said it! I never meant to actually do it!”
Especially not if I knew they'd work us this insanely!
“Don't be so upset. You're not the only one who applied to Revenge Department besides us.”
Michel glanced somewhere and said that, so Lester looked too.
Ariete was sitting there quietly, catching her breath alone.
“At first, there was a ton of talk in our department too.”
“Obviously. It's the Knight Department of all places. If she'd just transferred here fully, fine, but doing both? No way people wouldn't talk.”
“Hey, she's Clozen though. It's okay.”
“She's only getting this much because she's Clozen. If she were from some ordinary noble house, they'd be ripping into her nonstop.”
I was reminded again just how intense the pride rivalry between the two departments was.
No wonder Richi got help to properly screw us over.
“Impressive. As expected of a duke's daughter.”
“Who knows? Knight Department training too, and maybe the Kainel Duke Family knights prepped her ahead of time?”
Still, impressive is impressive. Even if prepped, tough is tough.
Thanks to her, I felt a tiny bit—really tiny—ashamed. A girl holding up like that, and here I am, a guy!
“More than that, I thought Richi was the impressive one.”
“Richi?”
Why bring up Richi all of a sudden?
“Enter, you didn't see? How Richi was doing.”
“Uh... no? I was too busy surviving.”
“Tough break.”
Michel patted my shoulder and continued.
“Even we Officer Department starters are barely adapting and going nuts, but earlier I saw Richi training without changing expression once.”
“No way.”
I know Michel isn't the type to lie.
But even knowing that, this was hard to accept.
The training isn't normally tough— even Ariete over there is panting.
Lester and Michel too, and all the other freshmen look half-dead.
Yet Richi took it without a flicker of expression?
“I thought it was a joke at first. But other freshmen saw it too, apparently. They were wagging their tongues. 'War hero family makes a difference' or whatever.”
“...Weird. Did he get some special training?”
“Maybe. Second son of the Reinhardts—think he'd really just read books?”
I listened quietly to them. It didn't match what I knew.
I prided myself on knowing Richi for a long time.
And in all our talks, I'd never heard about him doing training like this.
At most, he'd gotten familiar with some officers or NCOs.
“What're you guys chattering about so intently?”
“Eek!”
“Damn, you scared me.”
Speak of the devil, and he pops up—Richi stuck his head in.
Perfect timing. I had something to ask anyway.
“Richi. Have you done training like this before?”
“What weird talk out of nowhere? It's me, your friend Enter.”
“No joking. I'm serious.”
I dropped the smile and lowered my voice, and Richi hardened his expression too.
Good. No dumb jokes incoming.
“Would I? Of course not. Our family's war heroes, sure, but they don't drill military training from childhood. Especially since I was singing I’d never join the military back then.”
“Then why'd you handle the training so well?!”
“Beats me. Why, indeed.”
Suddenly, Richi's eyes changed subtly. More precisely, he looked lost in thought.
For a split second, it reminded me of his father. No, his grandfather.
He'd get that look recalling distant pasts—why was Richi doing it?
“Ten minutes up! On your feet! Up, you bastards!”
“Chicks, ten minutes rest and you're already slacking with chit-chat?! Huh?!”
“By dinner, I'll squeeze you till only the strength to hold and chew food's left! Brace yourselves!!”
Arghhh!! Save me! Save me!!
It went just as expected. So spot-on it was almost deflating.
This was par for the course. No—this place was actually better.
At least here, since we're all nobles, they don't outright beat us.
This level of PT is standard even for soldier buddies.
If guys aiming to be officers can't handle it, they should just drop dead.
Think you'll sit in a chair on the battlefield just barking orders? Gotta run on your feet too.
“Kyaek! Keaek!”
“Huuuk! Hooook!”
What's so tough about it? Didn't you all come prepared for this?!
Crawl like dogs! This is the officer life you wanted! Keeheehee!
“Richi student. First place.”
Obviously first. Flat running—who can't do this?
Set up obstacles, mud pits, barbed wire... Ah, skipped the wire.
“Did some PT prep beforehand?”
The third-year senior tossed the question casually, but reading between the lines:
-Did the Reinhardts send you prepped? You a promotion pick?
He must be freaking out. The current Imperial Army Marshal's son shows up fully prepped?
Promotion guaranteed—feels wrong to hassle someone who could be your boss later.
I get it. I'd never touch a scary junior like that either.
“Just did it on my own.”
-No plans to ride family glory for promotion, even in dreams.
“Is that so? Impressive.”
-Shit. Spooked.
Worried for a sec they might relax and hassle me more.
Like, “When else to mess with a Reinhardt?!”
Gotta brace for fallout, but it'll be ten years of bar stories later.
“Richi Reinhardt! Where's Richi?!”
What? They really gonna grab me? Seniors! Help! Not more hassle—
“No answer?! Front and center, now!”
“Here!”
I bolted forward, and a few seniors approached.
Thought second- or third-years at first, but up close? Huh? Fourth-years who never showed before—what's up?
“Change to dress uniform and prep for outing. Execute!”
Rookie move: Why? and eat a fist.
Amateurs just yell “Yes sir!” and run.
Pros get all the info first.
“If I may, what's the reason? It'll help pick the right uniform, sir!”
“The absolute best! Official summons from the Allied Forces Supreme Commander!”