Dumped After My Engagement: Becoming a Military Noblewoman

Chapter 96

In times of peace rather than war, contact, assault, or attacks on military schools and their students are prohibited under international law, and those who violate this, regardless of their status, are subject to punishment.

However, this applies equally to military school students; intentional contact or harm to another country's military is forbidden, and neither side is held accountable only if their actions were in self-defense.

"Haha, I'm in a bind..."

Despite having a sword pressed to his neck, Nils showed a hint of composure, lightly raising both hands and looking up at Instructor Tseri with a wry smile.

"It seems there's some misunderstanding, but if you don't want to regret this, lower that sword immediately."

"Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding could I have about people sneaking around in another country's territory in the dead of night, up to no good?"

"I only came to retrieve my unworthy younger brother. I had asked a acquaintance to discreetly call him out and bring him back, but that girl over there seems to have mistaken me for a kidnapper or something."

"Contact or assault on military school students is prohibited."

"Assault...? Hah, don't say something so ridiculous."

Snorting with laughter, Nils glanced at the knight lying at his feet before pointing with his chin toward something behind Instructor Tseri.

"I was merely trying to shoo away a child who jumped in without knowing the reason and got in the way. Besides, one of my men has been gravely injured by your student."

On Nils's side, one knight had an injured arm, Doan had a wounded shoulder, and the remaining knight lay collapsed with what was likely a knife thrown by Dan embedded in his neck. In comparison, on our side, there were only minor injuries like my hair and my dominant hand, nothing particularly noticeable.

"That guard over there, he's already stopped breathing, hasn't he?"

Glancing at me, Nils gently touched the sword at his neck with a finger and muttered "move it" in a low voice.

"Shooing away, you say...? What I saw was one of my students nearly being cut down by that knight who's now lying there lifeless."

"He probably raised his sword to intimidate. I'll admit it was our fault for doing something that could be misunderstood. So, I won't pursue responsibility on your side."

"No, there's no need for that. You, that knight, and Doan will all be detained and punished under this country's laws."

"...What? Detain me, you say?"

"You broke the law, so isn't that only natural?"

"You, do you know who I am...!"

With a stiffened face and a raised voice, Nils was ignored by Instructor Tseri, who gestured with a flick of their fingers toward Rick. Following the instruction, Rick immediately moved, binding Doan's arms with rope and also restraining the knight lying at the feet of Nils and Instructor Tseri.

The only one left was the knight collapsed near me, but even if I wanted to turn my head to check, Dan's hands had been holding my face forward since earlier, preventing me from confirming whether the knight was alive.

"...Dan, that knight over there..."

"Didn't that old man Tseri say that breaking the law results in severe punishment? This situation is deemed an emergency, so it's not something you need to worry about. More importantly, the real issue is that."

At the spot Dan turned my face toward, Sil and Severi stood, their faces pale as they remained upright, watching the exchange between Nils and Instructor Tseri.

Sil and Nils are brothers, and moreover, princes of the Kingdom of Srelan. If it were discovered that they had falsified their status as members of Baron families to enter the military school, they would be expelled, captured under the guise of protection, forcibly repatriated to the Kingdom of Srelan, or possibly used in political dealings.

If that happens, Sil had said he wanted to help his older brother, but instead of helping, he would only end up dragging him down.

Sensing the turmoil in Sil and Severi's hearts, I bit my lip, wondering if there was anything that could be done, and then gasped.

I had overheard Sil and Nils talking, so I knew they were princes of Srelan and brothers. That's why when Dan said the issue was "that," I could easily agree. But why did Dan consider Sil and the others a problem in the first place?

Just as I was about to ask Dan what he meant while he squished my cheeks, Nils, trembling with rage, shouted "Don't mess with me...!"

"If you knew my status...!"

"I believe you're the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Srelan, correct?"

"Wha...?"

Not only Nils himself but also Sil, the others, and I were shocked by Instructor Tseri's words cutting in over Nils's statement. Meanwhile, Rick and Dan didn't so much as change their expressions.

"Then, shall we proceed with the detainment?"

"Tch, wait, the ones you're protecting as students falsified their identities to enter the military school, so they'll be expelled anyway. If that's the case, I shouldn't be considered to have broken the law. If you say that girl is the issue, then let's call it even, hey, let go...!"

"I can't let you go."

Nils, whose arm was seized and bound, shouted about disrespect, but Instructor Tseri, with an impassive face, tied both of Nils's arms with rope. Watching this in stunned silence, behind me, Dan muttered, "That guy, despite being a former knight, is pretty ruthless, huh."

"If you're going to detain me, you should detain those two as well! Falsifying identity is a serious violation!"

"If you're referring to them, it's not a violation, so there's no need for you to worry."

"Worry...? Hey, what did you just say? It's not a violation?"

"The military school accepts people regardless of status or nationality, but that doesn't mean it's lax. Instructors, incoming students, and everyone working here—all are thoroughly investigated. If deemed a risk, they are placed under surveillance. This is common sense in any country."

"So, you knew from the start and let it slide...?"

"The only one we let slide was Doan. As for Silvio and Severi, it was only after they enrolled that their guarantor reprocessed their paperwork."

"..."

"Uh, um... guarantor?"

Nils, forced to stand by the pull of the rope, wore a suspicious expression, while Sil, standing a little distance away, voiced surprise and confusion.

"The special class created last year wasn't just because of the high number of nobles. It was also a trial run because it was decided that a certain individual would enroll the following year. As a result, everyone at the military school was reinvestigated, and incoming students were subjected to strict background checks. Thanks to that, I was able to retire a few years early, though I was bored for a while. To prevent future issues, I discreetly contacted the Srelan side and had Prince Dick Aalkvist, who became their guarantor, redraw their documents."

"To my older brother...?"

Instructor Tseri nodded to Sil, who widened his eyes in shock, and turned to Nils, who was stunned into silence, offering a faint smile with the words, "So, there was no falsification."

Unwilling to admit that everything had been within Instructor Tseri's control from the start, Nils twisted his face in frustration and wildly flailed his rope-bound arms.

"That guy, did he betray his homeland...!"

"If by 'that guy' you mean the Third Prince of Srelan, you're mistaken. He is the guarantor, but the final approval came from the king of Srelan."

"Wha, Father...?"

"I had heard the succession struggle was heating up, but it seems to be worse than imagined. I think it was a good decision to let princes and princesses who renounced their claim to the throne escape to another country."

"...Tch."

"I doubt the king over there expected that the son he let escape would be targeted by another of his sons. For royalty to take the lead in breaking the law, for it to be exposed in another country, and to be detained like this—it's a disgrace to the nation. I wonder if the Kingdom of Srelan will even negotiate for your release..."

"Th-that's..."

Unable to even breathe properly, Nils was left dumbfounded. Instructor Tseri, with a very gentle smile, said, "Shall we go then?" Normally, such a beautiful and fleeting smile would be captivating, but it sent shivers down my spine and filled me with dread.

"Celes, can you stand?"

"No problem, but are we heading back to the camp like this?"

"That's the plan. The fortress should have been notified, so I think they're sending horses and a carriage to transport these people toward us."

"Ah, Finn! He went into the forest to call for help—"

"It's fine, calm down. I met him in the forest and told him to head back to the camp."

"Met him...?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Dan patted my head and flicked my now-shortened hair with his fingers, muttering, "Ahh, man."

"What are we gonna do about this?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Celes, you're a noble daughter, right? Even if you weren't, I've heard a woman's hair is her life."

"It'll grow back by the time I come of age next year."

"Even so, it's short now. This is bad. You better brace yourself starting now."

"Brace myself?"

"Yeah, yeah. Since this involves detaining royalty, the Marshal and Colonel Ruget are coming."

"..."

"The Marshal is one thing, but Colonel Ruget is the guy who made a fuss about your skin getting tanned when you were at the fortress. If he sees your hair like this... he'll either faint or that prince's head will roll."

Glancing at Nils, Dan let out a stifled laugh. I immediately grabbed his sleeve and muttered, "What do I do?" but he just shook his head.

Just like me, trembling in fear from Dan's teasing, Nils was also shaking a little distance away.

"This is troubling. It seems it's no longer a draw."

"...Tch."

"I wonder what the people of Srelan would think if they knew about your situation."

"..."

"I hear there are guest rooms at the fortress, so it won't be inconvenient. You can wait there for the envoy from this country to handle negotiations."

"Envoy...! The one currently handling diplomacy is...!"

"The Third Prince, right? I've heard he's quite skilled at negotiations despite his youth, so you can rest assured, can't you?"

"..."

"You don't need to look so anguished. If you follow along obediently without resisting, things won't turn out badly for you."

Nils, whose spirit was relentlessly crushed by words, had no energy left to resist. Whether it was intentional or a slip, Instructor Tseri continued to mentally corner Nils, causing Sil and Severi to grimace.

"That guy, he's definitely got a nasty personality. He kinda gives off the same vibe as Colonel Nick."

"What's terrifying is how you can't tell if it's goodwill or malice."

As we walked through the forest, Dan and Rick kept talking endlessly about Instructor Tseri's personality.