Chapter 10 – Episode 10. Astrid Enters
Michelburg, a satellite city of the capital Persant.
More famous as Academy City, this Michelburg city itself is the academy, and the academy was the city.
This imperial military academy, called the Academy, was a huge pillar supporting the local economy of Michelburg, so it was a living city based on not only cadets, but also instructors, assistants, and their families, as well as commercial facilities for them.
Today, the whole city seems to have turned into a huge festival.
Here and there, the national flag of Einhafen is flying, and placards saying welcome to freshmen are hanging here and there.
Astrid looked down at the crowd of other new cadets who were spending time with family, friends, and lovers until the day of enlistment—
‘Still, it’s a relief that there’s no budae stew here.’
He was recalling the terrible memories of budaejjigae he ate on the day he enlisted in the original world.
Which would be more terrible, the time I spent a week after arriving in the capital last week or the taste of that budaejjigae?
Astrid thought that it would be difficult to distinguish between superiors and inferiors.
From the day she arrived, she couldn’t even go to her home.
She was caught by Kreuz, who was extraordinarily happy to see her, saying that she had had a lot of trouble coming, so she was sent to stay in the imperial palace.
– Astrid, go out soon.
“All right.”
Hearing Leopold’s voice from outside the door, Astrid picked up the black griffin fur scarf hanging on the wall and wrapped it around her neck.
What she is wearing is the official combat uniform of the Mitterien family.
In the first place, I couldn’t bring weapons, so I left it at the mansion, but I brought my combat uniform.
‘… It’s fortunate that my second military life started as an officer. How can it not start with an enlisted soldier?’
Astrid tried so hard to comfort herself and opened the door.
Astrid’s impression of looking up and down at Leopold, the crown prince in the imperial royal guard commander’s uniform—
‘Clothes are like wings.’
He was handsome.
So even more irritating.
“Egg plant.”
“Yes, it is.”
*
The atmosphere throughout the ceremony was not very good.
Under the motto of discovering talented people under the name of the Imperial Military Academy, the opportunity to join the school is open to common people, so it is a place where talented people from all over the country flock, but the atmosphere was particularly heavy this year.
Heir to the imperial family that symbolizes the Empire, Crown Prince Leopold von Einhafen.
Astrid von Mitterien, the eldest daughter of Archduke Wolfgang von Mitterien, who was a founding subject of the empire but was commissioned to the north after falling away from power.
This is the current situation where the unprecedented incident of these two entering the church at the same time is taking place.
Astrid was in a good mood.
I only found out after coming to this initiation ceremony. Besides her self, three more young ladies from this powerful family were to be enlisted.
Besides, compared to the Mitterien family, although one or two of them lacked something, they were still from a prestigious family, so weren’t they young ladies who were worthy of being crown princesses?
As long as I stick them in moderation, Astrid is free.
Leopold would, of course, try her best to get her a mate, but it would probably be in vain.
In the first place, Astrid has no intention of getting married.
She will spend four years at this academy, and in the meantime, somehow, surely, she will find a way to return to her original world.
‘I will definitely go back… !’
Anyway, since it’s an alliance, I’ll do my best to find a good match for Leopold, but I’ll definitely go back.
Certainly.
If you slightly turn your gaze and look down at the auditorium below, you can see hundreds of new cadets filling the auditorium.
It is said that when you enter the academy, you will become a cadet who disappears with your position and status, but you have not entered the academy yet.
Since it was before the initiation ceremony even started, it was impossible for the Crown Prince and the children of the powerful families of the empire to be seated in a relatively flimsy auditorium, so he sat in a special seat prepared behind the auditorium’s lectern.
Among the five men and women sitting in the special seats, Astrid was the one who caught the attention of the cadets. Although she doesn’t know herself at all.
Her silver hair, which was fluttering slightly, shimmered, and her slightly raised eyes gave a haughty and ferocious impression.
Mint-colored eyes and slightly grayish lips are the perfect color of heaven, and indeed, Wolfgang von Mitterien is a daughter worthy of being so cherished—- was a common idea among the students.
“Let the initiation ceremony begin!”
A man dressed in an academy uniform climbed onto the lectern and shouted.
The new cadets covered their ears and put on painful expressions at the tremendous vocal volume that filled the auditorium in an instant and still created an echo.
A gigantic voice created with pure physical abilities without any magic.
The room, which was overwhelmed in an instant, soon fell into silence.
With a harsh clicking sound, an elderly middle-aged man in silver plate armor walked out.
The man who stood on the podium prepared for the lectern looked at the new cadets who filled the auditorium with eyes as sharp as his impression, and then smiled kindly.
“What did you guys come here for?”
No one answered the sudden question.
“Don’t you know? Then… Our Crown Prince in the back. Let’s try to answer.”
The question twisted its direction and turned to Leopold.
Leopold, who was sitting in a special seat at the back of the lectern, slowly rose from his seat without even a hint of embarrassment and looked at the middle-aged man.
“I want to become a knight who is loyal to the country, protects the people, respects martial arts, and further contributes to national prosperity and military strength.”
An answer close to the truth.
The middle-aged man nodded his head with a satisfied smile.
The man turned his gaze and looked down at the cadets in the auditorium again.
“Gentlemen, I hope you remember this answer well. I am Ortega, the principal of this Imperial Military Academy. Ortega Van Dykins. Gentlemen, one more question.”
Then, Ortega clenched his fist and pounded my chest.
“Who is the owner of the school? Are you a cadet?”
No answer came.
“You may think they are cadets, but unfortunately they are not. This school is run on taxes paid by the people who want your protection. And His Majesty the Emperor who built this school with that tax. And I am the principal of this school, having been entrusted with full power by His Majesty. Well, then. You.”
Ortega’s finger pointed at Astrid.
“Astrid von Mitterien. Who is the owner of this school?”
‘What are you talking about?’
I couldn’t understand what you were talking about.
Isn’t it a despotism? Obviously, there is an emperor, but Astrid couldn’t think of what to answer when the question of taxes came up.
In such a case, it would be best to make up words roughly.
“Your Majesty the Emperor.”
Because it is a despot.
In Astrid’s opinion, that was the most acceptable answer.
“Hoo. Your Majesty the Emperor?”
Ortega was quite disappointing.
When asked this question, most of the cadets answered that the owner of the school was the emperor, and when asked why, most of them answered that the owner of this empire was the emperor.
Astrid von Mitterien.
I know she’s a pretty direct and unusual lady, but was that just a rumor?
“Why?”
“Because the one who pays is the emperor.”
“What?”
Ortega’s eyebrows twitched.
What kind of logic is this?
However, in Astrid’s opinion, since the person who pays is the emperor, the owner of the school is also the emperor.
“Isn’t it natural that the person paying the money is the owner? What is the tax and what does it matter? If he pays for it, he owns it.”
“Her. Haha.”
Ortega thought for a moment, then he laughed.
There were some peculiar aspects.
It was an unexpected direction, but it was definitely a young lady with a unique side.
“I don’t know what the correct answer is, though.”
Ortega looked around the cadets in the auditorium again.
The Crown Prince, Astrid, and Ortega, who spoke casually regardless of their backgrounds, made a big impression on the students as well.
“What is certain is that you are not the owners of the school. This school is just a school, a cradle for turning you guys into worthy knights. You are going to be knights and you came here for that. Therefore, you will move like soldiers, think like soldiers, and act like soldiers.”
Ortega’s eyes flashed.
It was like an animal looking at its prey in front of its eyes.
“Everyone here, including me, will make you guys like that.”
Inside the already quiet auditorium, a chilly air descended.
“A knight behaves like a knight. Don’t make it that way Got it?”
No one answered.
