“What brings you here?”
The Minerva Academy, the empire’s premier educational institution.
Its size rivals that of a small city, and with all sorts of talents gathered here, the level of the guards was also quite high.
Though the details would only be clear after observing them, they seemed to be on par with junior officers.
“I’m Colonel Allen, appointed as the academy’s special professor starting today.”
“Sir! May I see your appointment letter!”
In response to my words, the guard saluted respectfully.
I casually returned the salute and handed over the letter.
After seeing the emblem of the Minister of Education stamped on the paper, the guard finally let me pass.
It felt refreshing to witness such strict discipline after so long.
“If you need a guide, I can assign a soldier to assist you.”
“No worries. It’s not urgent, so I’ll stroll leisurely.”
“Hah! It was an honor meeting the empire’s hero!”
“Hero? What hero… You all work hard.”
I gave a slight wave as I stepped into the academy grounds.
“Is this the commercial district of the academy?”
Earlier, I mentioned how Minerva Academy’s size matched that of a fair-sized city.
This place was just a city.
Looking at the commercial district alone, it was hard to tell whether this was an academy or the capital.
“Where are you wandering off to?”
At the sharp voice nearby, my head reflexively turned.
The owner of the voice was a girl with flowing dark blue hair.
Her striking violet eyes and sharp jawline made for an impressive beauty.
Seeing such a rare pretty girl appear, I blinked in surprise.
“I think she was eating chicken skewers just now.”
A cool yet somehow charismatic voice followed.
But the pretty girl wasn’t alone; there was another girl with rare red hair standing right next to her.
After hearing what the red-haired girl said, the dark blue-haired girl sighed.
“Haa… Where did he go again…”
“Don’t bother. She’s not a kid; she’ll find her way back. Let’s go before it gets late.”
“We’ll see about that. If I catch her, I’ll just kick her butt.”
With that, the two girls who had been searching for someone gave up and headed somewhere.
Watching their retreating figures, I muttered under my breath.
“They’re like middle school delinquents… Judging by their appearance, they might be high school students.”
I had imagined the academy to feel like a university campus,
but instead, it smelled strongly of cafeteria food.
I assumed they must be lowerclassmen and continued walking.
While slowly looking around, I stopped upon seeing a particular sign.
“The Witch’s Nest… A magical item shop?”
I could see students wearing owl-emblazoned robes entering and exiting.
For magic students, it must be like a stationery store.
Out of curiosity, I walked inside.
“Give me some elemental nutrients please.”
“Where are the salamander tails?”
“Is this really made from oak?”
As I glanced around the shop while tuning out the students’ endless questions,
none of the items displayed made any sense to me since I knew nothing about magic.
Still, just browsing was interesting enough.
Occasionally spotting something familiar added to the fun.
“It’s dungweed. Does something like this even have a use?”
A plant that lets you check your internal waste after eating it.
I used to hand these out to guys with severe constipation.
Or use them for torture.
“Tonkin weed. Eating it raw causes those side effects.”
Looking down beside me, I saw a petite female student fiddling with the plant.
Her rich chestnut hair was adorned with a pure white pearl hairband.
Her bright blue eyes were magnified by large round glasses.
Inside her owl robe, she wore a checked cardigan, giving her an endearing look.
She generally exuded a comforting presence.
Perhaps all the useless observational skills I gained from years on the battlefield were paying off…
“Do you need this?”
“Huh? No, I was just looking.”
“Thank goodness. I need it for this test. With this year’s harvest being so poor, if I didn’t buy it now, I wouldn’t have been able to until after the exam.”
The girl carefully placed the plant into her eco-bag.
Then she looked up at me and bowed politely.
“Thank you for letting me have it. My name is Senna Eos. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, please let me know.”
“Hmm… Do you even know who I am?”
“At the academy, outsiders can only enter during enrollment ceremonies, holidays, or graduation. Since I haven’t heard of any special events inviting guests, you must either be affiliated with the academy or a new resident moving in, right?”
Listening to Senna’s chatter, I blinked in surprise.
Before I could respond, she launched into another rapid-fire speech.
“In any case, we’ll probably run into each other at least once before the semester ends. When we meet again, we should definitely greet each other, okay? I have to go now since class is almost over. It was nice meeting you today. Thank you for letting me have the plant.”
And with that, she quickly finished her purchase and left the shop.
I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before chuckling.
“With someone like her around, things won’t be boring.”
For some reason, watching her rapidly talk and then walk away reminded me of a certain ‘girl’ from the past, bringing a wave of nostalgia.
Perhaps I’ll meet her here.
The magic she used back then was quite remarkable, so unless something happened, she must have become a magician by now.
Since this is Minerva Academy, where the empire’s finest gather, maybe…
I vaguely hoped despite knowing nothing about her age or name.
I wished to reunite with that angelic girl.
***
After browsing the shop a bit more, I stepped outside.
As I slowly strolled along the streets, I reflected on my current mission.
“While we’ve been running around outside the empire, do you know who’s been causing trouble inside?”
“That would be… the Capital Defense Force, wouldn’t it?”
“They’ve just been sitting on their asses as usual… Soon they’ll be drinking blood instead of honey. Their own sweat-drenched blood, which they’ll guzzle down. They might even die doing it.”
Is that something a newly appointed commander of the Capital Defense Force should say?
His words upon taking office were unusually brutal.
I silently prayed for the Capital Defense Force’s well-being.
“So what if they just keep sitting around?”
“Enough with the useless talk.”
Seeing the resolute elder cut me off, I slightly furrowed my brow.
It meant we were about to get into serious business.
“Um… I’ve heard something happened with the Holy Country.”
“Indeed. Specifically, the Holy Knights. Shall we delve deeper?”
Looking at the elder’s stern expression, a foreboding feeling crept over me.
“The Heretic Inquisitors.”
“Could it be…”
“Yes. The ones expelled from the south seem to have crawled into the capital.”
The cause of the Southern War.
The trash that corrupted the World Tree and drove the elves to corruption.
These humans who worshiped the Demon King called themselves ‘Heretics’,
while the world labeled them ‘Heretics’.
Among them, those known as ‘High Priests’ posed an exceptional level of danger.
In gaming terms, they’d be considered S-rank or higher bosses.
“But didn’t I already take out two of them? Shouldn’t they be writhing in agony right about now?”
“There are still five remaining, aren’t there? Those cockroaches have survival skills far exceeding ordinary beings. There’s a high probability that the ones you eliminated have already been replaced.”
“Damn…”
There are seven Demon Kings in this world.
Meaning there are seven High Priests as well.
I took out two, but… does that mean eliminating them was meaningless?
“Surely the ones I got weren’t the weakest, right?”
“You know too much. That’s why you were able to defeat them back when you weren’t even a Master.”
“Ha-”
So that’s why I worked myself to exhaustion fighting the weakest one?
It was truly knowledge I’d rather not possess.
“Those Heretics are likely keeping an eye on you. Even if they were lower-ranked members, a High Priest being defeated by a non-Master is unprecedented in history.”
“I don’t want their attention.”
Knowing it’s spilled milk, I sighed and asked.
“So? How is the academy involved? Surely they didn’t raid it, did they?”
The elder remained silent, staring at me intently.
When I glared back, he simply nodded.
“Damn it! Are you telling me to take them all out alone? Might as well send me out there to die!”
“Listen till the end. When did I say you’d be going alone? Now that you’re a colonel, it’s about time you learned to control your temper.”
“Hmph… Then what?”
“Your mission is to become Minerva Academy’s special professor and protect the students from any potential dangers. The Heretics will be tracked by the Holy Knights and the Capital Defense Force working together, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
Upon hearing it, it sounded like a fairly decent mission.
That nagging “potential danger” felt like a thorn in my throat, but…
At least it wasn’t one of those unreasonably dumped-on-an-individual tasks, so I should count myself lucky.
“But why me? What could I possibly teach?”
What could someone like me possibly teach at the empire’s top educational institution?
I truly couldn’t comprehend it.
“For various reasons… First off, you’re the only Golden Way-level powerhouse currently available. Masters aren’t exactly common either. Considering the value of the students, we needed someone strong, and you happened to be available.”
All twelve members of the Golden Way are Masters, so what the elder said wasn’t wrong…
Should I be pleased or saddened by having my strength acknowledged?
I sighed.
“Haa…”
“And what couldn’t you teach? If a Master offered to teach swordsmanship, every swordsman in the country would flock to learn.”
“My style is amateurish, you know. It might work on barbarians, but probably not on elites…”
Unlike others, I didn’t learn swordsmanship through orthodox methods.
I just picked up military techniques and rolled around battlefields until one day – oh? I became a Master? That’s how it happened.
To me, becoming a Master meant achieving some kind of enlightenment.
I still can’t believe I’m actually a Master.
How am I supposed to teach something I don’t understand myself?
The elder, puffing on a thick cigar, exhaled a smoke-laden sigh.
“Ugh, frustrating. Some people act like Masters despite barely reaching Expert level, while actual Masters lack spirit…”
Pounding his chest in frustration, the elder threw a file folder at me.
I caught it reflexively.
“Stop whining and open it! Decide what you’ll teach yourself. These are students you need to pay special attention to, so memorize them and burn the file afterward.”
Receiving what amounted to a VIP list left no room for escape.
I sighed as I stood up.
“To whom should I report, Elder?”
“You don’t need to report to anyone. As the responsible party, handle it yourself.”
“What?”
“Listen carefully. From this moment on, you are the inaugural captain of the royal palace’s direct special forces unit, the Special Task Force.”
“W-Wait, captain? Directly under the royal palace? And inaugural?”
“That’s right. You little brat.”
“…Just a moment, subordinates? If I’m the inaugural captain, shouldn’t there be subordinates?”
The sudden appearance of a completely unheard-of unit prompted my cautious inquiry.
The elder responded with an uncharacteristically cheerful smile.
“Not yet… none!”
Shit, if it wasn’t a royal order…
What kind of captain has no subordinates?
My vision went black.
***
Despite being given such a substance-less unit!
Despite being merely a nominal captain without any subordinates!
The academy’s first impression was nonetheless excellent.
“Here’s the coffee you ordered.”
Fortunately, iced Americanos exist in this world too.
I enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation at a quiet café while reviewing the files.
Come to think of it, I never got around to reading the VIP list amidst all the shock that day.
[Amy Helios]
-Special Notes: Eldest daughter of the Helios family
…
[Ariane Selene]
-Special Notes: Eldest daughter of the Selene family
The two young ladies of the twin duchy families known as the empire’s double horse carriage were listed at the very front.
If Amy Helios is Earl’s younger sister, right?
Now that I think about it, I never properly bid farewell to that guy.
I should write him a letter sometime since he was the subordinate I knew longest.
Flipping to the next page, I found a name I’d heard earlier.
[Senna Eos]
-Special Notes: The Holy Maiden of the Eos Order
“…She’s the Holy Maiden?”
I nearly spat out my coffee in surprise.
She didn’t seem particularly holy to me.
Still, her chirpy voice echoes in my ears.
Being a Holy Maiden doesn’t necessarily mean exuding a special aura, I suppose.
Carefully perusing the documents, I discovered a special name on the last page.
“So this is why they created such a strange unit and sent me here?”
[Lux Stella Sirius]
-Special Notes: First Princess
The crown jewel of the empire was studying here at Minerva Academy.
Not just a VIP, but a VVVIP appeared, causing me to furrow my brow.
“Tch… This isn’t about succession disputes, is it…?”
As far as I know, the imperial successor has already been practically decided, so there shouldn’t be any familial strife among the royals.
Indeed, there was no related content in the reports I read.
Still, the information-gathering abilities of the Imperial Intelligence Department were impressive as rumored.
The files meticulously documented everything from personal preferences and daily personalities to talents and private information of the individuals listed.
… Though I don’t understand why they included three sizes, I memorized them anyway.
“If they gave me this kind of information during war, it would have been helpful.”
I bitterly muttered while incinerating the documents with aura.
I roughly understood the reason.
Because the influence of the intelligence department is limited within the empire.
Had they known everything, the war might not have even started in the first place.
It was simply regrettable.
Quickly finishing my coffee, I left the shop to head toward the academy’s main building.
As soon as I stepped out, a man bowed deeply toward me.
“It’s an honor to meet the empire’s hero.”
“…Who are you?”
“I’m Alba, the basic alchemy professor at Minerva Academy. I’ve come to escort Colonel.”
A middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe.
The ‘aura’ emanating from his polite demeanor made me feel uncomfortable.
I barely managed to suppress my nausea and lazily nodded.
“I said I didn’t need an escort. Was the message not delivered properly?”
“…Apologies. We underestimated the time of our meeting.”
After a brief consideration, I nodded.
“Lead the way.”
“Yes. Please follow me.”
Thus, I obediently followed behind Alba.
During the journey, silence gradually settled over us, thickening the atmosphere.
“Hmm… You’re quite different from what I’ve heard.”
Unable to bear the awkward silence, Alba spoke first.
I maintained a neutral expression while calmly asking,
“Really? What did you hear about me?”
“A courageous hero who always leads from the front despite being a commander. Someone who treats everyone equally, respected by both soldiers and officers alike…”
“You know quite a lot.”
“Of course, you’re a famous person.”
Alba shrugged while speaking.
“However… I don’t seem to be included in that ‘everyone’, do I?”
Ah, so you were upset about me using casual language from the start?
Then you shouldn’t have been emitting such overwhelming hostility.
“I’m not courteous enough to be polite to enemies.”
“Enemy…?”
At this point, you should have realized already…
I commend your efforts to continue acting.
“What are you repeating? Aren’t you heading to the academy too?”
Even after walking for so long, the academy’s main building remained at the same distance.
In other words, we were circling around near the main building.
Or perhaps we were heading somewhere entirely different.
“I’ve grown accustomed to this illusion magic, but it’s still annoying. Isn’t this enough pretending?”
“…When did you realize?”
“Since before you were even sperm in your father’s body.”
“What…?”
“When a woman tries to mimic a man, noticing it requires no special perception. You’re basically advertising your true identity.”
Though my tone was somewhat harsh, it couldn’t be helped.
I was stressed trying to suppress nausea from this ridiculous hostility since earlier.
My words caused Alba’s eyes to gleam.
“The rumors of you becoming a Master were true then. To pierce through His Majesty’s blessing…”
“Yeah. Thanks to that, I can do this now.”
[Divine Power: Forced Enlightenment]
Activating the divine power, I quietly recited the technique.
“Heavenly Sky Piercing Pillar”
Swinging my fist at the empty sky,
Crack!
The distant main building of the academy and the beautifully landscaped commercial district scattered like shattered glass.
As the illusion magic disappeared, what appeared before my eyes was a forest where countless trees emitted green light.
And black-robed trash that didn’t fit in with the scenery.
“Quite a number have gathered. What exactly is the old man doing?”
Black robes with snake patterns.
This was proof that these were Heretics following the sin of Pride.
