That's Her
"Huh."
The girl due to enroll at the Imperial Academy stared blankly at the scenery ahead. She was already past adulthood, so calling her a girl felt a bit off... but her face still looked quite youthful for her age. Having inherited her grandmother's name, she was Beni—or Beni Junior. A large pair of glasses sat crookedly on her nose, slightly distorting her blue eyes.
"Uh... umm..."
At the end of her gaze stood a massive marble statue. The founding emperor, foot planted on the severed neck of a dragon corpse, thrust a long blade high into the air. In Karimille, the city of culture and art, countless artworks adorned the streets—but this was the grandest of them all. It was the city's landmark, its ultimate masterpiece. Beni couldn't help but gape in awe at its majesty. She doubted the wonder would ever fade, no matter how many times she saw it. It was that impressive.
Why here again...?
But even so, seeing it four times in less than an hour dulled the magic a little. Beni just gazed up at the founding emperor's visage with a dazed expression.
Truth be told, she was hopelessly directionally challenged. Exaggerating a bit, even making it from her hometown to Karimille was a miracle. She'd figured she could navigate with a map, so she'd relaxed... but then.
"Um, excuse me. Is this shop...?"
"Eh? That place collapsed about a year ago?"
A big city changed too fast for a country bumpkin like her. Or maybe the jerk who sold her that map was peddling flammable trash older than a year.
I thought the Academy would be this huge building—easy to spot.
The problem was the city dwarfed even the Academy in size. Beni let out a deep sigh without realizing it.
She couldn't dawdle too long. Dorm check-in had a strict cutoff, and missing it meant coming back tomorrow. She had enough travel money and could afford a night at an inn if needed. But why waste what she could save? The funds from home and the Academy stipend weren't infinite.
"Excuse me."
"...!"
Someone spoke up right then. Beni jolted as if she'd leap into the air, her massive bundle on her back shifting heavily.
"...?!"
But that shock paled compared to turning and seeing the speaker. A crisply ironed uniform. The peaked cap bore the empire's emblem: a bird of prey. For an imperial commoner, being addressed by a soldier from the Empire's Army was intimidating. Even innocent, you felt guilty, suspected. Had she done something wrong? Was loitering like this seen as spying?
All sorts of wild thoughts raced through Beni's mind.
"Wh-what... can I do for you...?"
"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."
Beni's voice came out meek—she worried too late it might look suspicious. The soldier narrowed her eyes slightly, fixing Beni with fierce amber orbs like polished pumpkins.
"I was watching from that café over there. You've been circling this area. Lost?"
"Y-yes... th-that's right."
"If it's okay, mind if I show you the way?"
Unexpected kindness flowed from her lips. Beni's eyes widened behind her lenses.
"Eh? N-no, I couldn't trouble you that much..."
"Just nosy because it bugged me. Don't sweat it."
"...Then, um, sorry, but I'd appreciate it."
Beni waved it off once, but accepted the second offer. She knew her place. Risking royal insult aside, she didn't want to see that statue a fifth time. With a hesitant nod, she glanced up again.
She's so kind...
Not much taller than Beni—maybe a few centimeters. Good proportions made her seem average height for a woman. But Beni's hunched posture versus the soldier's mannequin-straight stance amplified the difference. Neatly tied black hair swayed in the breeze. Slightly dark skin. Overall, the kind of looks that turned heads. Yet her face was hard to read—rigid, sharp. The stereotype of a cool, reliable soldier: admirable, respectable, but not someone you'd want as a boss. Probably strict and righteous, unable to ignore a civilian in need.
"Academy freshman?"
"Y-yes. That's me."
"Perfect timing. I was heading back anyway."
Back? Beni ventured cautiously.
"Are you... a professor?"
"No, not an officer-professor. I'll be working at the Academy, though."
The soldier muttered in a slightly low voice for a woman—beautiful tone, but her speech gave it a stiff edge.
"More like an errand girl for the other instructors. As you see, not high-ranked enough to teach."
She flashed her cuff insignia. Beni smiled awkwardly.
"S-sorry. I don't know ranks well..."
"Lowest one. Among officers, anyway."
"Ah, got it."
That eased Beni's tension a tad. A fellow newbie—some camaraderie there.
"Your name?"
"Beni. No family name."
"I see."
"...You don't mind I'm a commoner?"
"Why would I?"
Beni had braced for a shift in attitude, feigning nonchalance.
"Officer academies started admitting commoners limitedly a year ago. Military bands even earlier."
The soldier didn't bat an eye.
"The Academy never distinguished status from the start. Know what the founding emperor said at its inception?"
"Um... embarrassing, but no."
"Something like, 'Why not test if commoner fireballs hurt by smashing one on that bitch's head?' Records say that much—consensus is it was harsher."
She added calmly.
"I agree. Any battlefield officer would. In a pinch, does a knight care if backup's noble or commoner?"
"R-right... yeah."
"That's the Imperial Academy's ethos. Gather talent, status be damned."
It was why a commoner like Beni got a recommendation. She nodded gratefully at the emperor's undeserved grace.
"Thank you so much for guiding me."
"We haven't arrived yet."
"I could thank you a hundred times. When I realized I was lost, I was..."
Fear of soldiers, fear of nobles—stripped away, only a reliable, kind big sis remained. (Age unclear; she had a seasoned air but looked peer-age.) Beni smiled again, chatting idly en route. Meeting someone trustworthy before even arriving? What luck.
"Long walk—your legs okay? I can carry your bag if it's tough."
Venting about the grueling trip, the soldier—Yura Konstantia, she'd introduced—offered gently.
"Uh, well..."
Even on first meeting, after such kindness, Beni couldn't impose more. (Though a bigger issue loomed.)
"No. I couldn't burden someone with bad legs..."
Her eyes flicked to Konstantia's cane and limping left leg.
She wasn't that shameless. Awkward smile, polite refusal.
"Aura lets me walk normally. It's in the imperial field manual as emergency mobility for the injured."
"St-still, no thank you."
"Alright."
No arguing with that. Konstantia stayed composed, as if expecting it. Soon, the Academy's main gate loomed: massive, unflashy arches wide for multiple carriages, carvings of figures atop.
"Welcome to the Imperial Academy, Miss Beni."
"Wow..."
Guards flanked it, ornate swords at hips.
"Long live the Emperor."
"Long live the Emperor."
"Lieutenant Konstantia, and that one...?"
The guards saluted, fists to chests. Konstantia returned it crisply.
"Freshman. ...You have your admission letter?"
"Y-yes. Here somewhere..."
Beni dropped her bundle, rummaged, pulled a book with an envelope bookmark—her anti-wrinkle trick.
"Verified. Welcome in advance, Beni."
Guards skimmed it, handed it back. Simpler than expected.
"Surprised they let you through so easy?"
"Y-yeah."
"Once-in-a-lifetime for you, routine for them. Bound to slack a bit."
Plus, no one fakes a royal-sealed letter without guts, Konstantia shrugged.
"Anyway... this is as far as I guide. That's the dorm—twenty meters straight. You can manage."
"I-I'm not that hopeless!"
"Kidding."
Not long chatting, but not as stiff as first impressions. Teasing like that proved it. Beni huffed lightly, then bowed with a faint smile.
"Thanks for escorting me."
"We help each other. We'll cross paths over the next three years anyway."
Yura Konstantia patted Beni's shoulder, turned, and limped away.
"..."
Not everyone at the Academy would be this nice. Beni wasn't naive enough for that delusion at nineteen. But not everyone would be cold or ruthless either. That receding back proved it.
Whatever comes, I'll push through.
Beni clenched her fist in resolve. Endure any bullying, steadfastly.
"That's her—the one who brought that vanguard as a bodyguard on enrollment..."
"Yura Konstantia...?"
'?????'
A few days after dorm check-in. No noble student had bullied Beni yet.
They just hadn't approached her either.