NOVEL WEB [Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 180
“Uuugh.”
Lately, Lefia couldn’t bring herself to raise her head.
If you asked if something had happened, well, yes, it had.
But if you asked if it was something she experienced as a foreigner, the answer was no.
The students here treated her better than anyone else.
Then what exactly had happened? Why couldn’t she hold her head up high?
‘Karl, what are you doing…!’
A corner of the academy square had been under construction, and suddenly, a statue appeared.
A man carrying an injured imperial soldier, running while bathed in light pouring from the sky.
His clenched jaw, determined eyes, the expression of someone determined to save another…
It was a magnificent statue, even if it didn’t quite capture Karl’s real-life charm.
It wasn’t just anywhere, but at the academy, his name forever enshrined alongside other heroes of the Empire.
Every time she passed by, she would hear first-year students say, ‘This person here is still a student at our academy!’ It always made her happy.
Whenever Karl’s name was praised, a shy smile would spread across her face, and she would be startled by her own reaction.
But that was one thing, and having the face of the person she liked so prominently displayed was a bit embarrassing.
To be precise, it wasn’t Karl who was embarrassing, but her own feelings for him.
“Lefia! You’re here again.”
A female classmate she had been friends with since their first year approached her.
She was from some noble family, but Lefia still couldn’t remember the name of the territory.
“Were you looking at Karl’s statue again?”
“N-no, I wasn’t!”
“Oh please. You know this is the perfect spot to see his statue.”
Lefia almost asked how she knew that so well.
If she had actually asked, her friend would have grinned and teased, ‘Caught you! Why so sensitive? Are you jealous?’
“Anyway, let’s go. We have 10 minutes left before class.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
The next class was ‘Imperial History – Advanced (2),’ focusing on wars and the resulting changes in the Empire.
To understand the Empire’s history, one must first understand its history of conflict.
Only then could one be treated as an imperial citizen, even if they weren’t one, when living in the Empire.
For that reason, Lefia was more dedicated to the history class than anyone else.
If the people of her homeland, Lasker, knew this, some would be saddened, and others would be furious.
She might have renounced her title as princess, but her royal lineage remained.
Even though they were cooperating with the Empire now, the people of Lasker had fought against them in the past.
In that context, it would be uncomfortable for them to see Lefia, a former princess, trying to assimilate into the Empire more than anyone else.
That’s why Lefia didn’t want to return to her homeland.
When Karl visited the parents of the other women, she was a little envious but said she was okay. She said she didn’t need to go to Lasker, and that was the reason why.
‘What can I do? I may be Laskeran, but who made me live as an imperial citizen?’
It was frustrating, but she wasn’t angry. Rather, she was coming to terms with it.
She knew that the blood flowing through her veins was more of a curse than a privilege.
“Alright, let’s begin the class. Does anyone remember where we left off yesterday?”
Lefia, who had been resting her chin on her hand, reflexively answered the question.
“We were at the beginning of the chapter on the Southern Great Forest War, Professor.”
“Oh, Lefia. You answered right away. Must have been studying hard, huh?”
It wasn’t studying. It was because the person deeply involved in that incident was sitting right next to her.
Unable to say that, Lefia just chuckled.
“Professor.”
Today, there was a teaching assistant standing next to the professor.
The assistant called out to the professor, who responded with a surprised ‘Ah!’ and paused the lecture.
“We have a supplementary text to share with you regarding the Southern Great Forest War. It’s just been distributed by the Ministry of Education, so it’s not official yet. They’re looking for feedback to see if there are any revisions needed, so please take a copy and read through it.”
The teaching assistant then opened a package on the podium. Inside were books that looked freshly printed.
“The Imperial War Heroes? Oh, it looks like a new edition.”
“It is. But why did they revise it again? Were there any errors?”
The students whispered amongst themselves as they received the books.
As a reference book on war heroes, it underwent thorough verification and was usually used for several years once distributed.
But they had received a new one just last year, and now there was another update. This meant there must have been some errors…
“Huh?”
Lefia’s classmate let out a gasp as she looked through the book.
Surprised by her reaction, Lefia asked, ‘What’s wrong?’
“Look here. Isn’t this Karl?”
“Karl?”
“What page is it?”
“Almost at the end. It’s a newly added section.”
Lefia quickly flipped through her book.
< Sergeant Karl Adelheit – The Unsung Hero of the Southern Great Forest War >
< The Legend of the Rescue Mission. Single-handedly Brought Back an Entire Company, Turning the Tide of the War >
< Subsequently Awarded the Medal of Honor. The Only Case of a Noble-Born Soldier Receiving the Medal of Honor >
‘Oh my goodness. It was true. Karl was in the new edition. Ah, that’s why they were redistributing it as the latest edition, even though they received a new one last year.’
A thought suddenly occurred to her. Paper was an important resource, so was it okay to use it so freely?
They could have released the updated version later, so why were they rushing to revise it now?
As Lefia pondered this, she soon came close to the answer.
‘The Empire wants to avoid showing any sign of neglecting its heroes.’
Whenever a new hero emerged, they made sure to publicize it to the citizens of the Empire.
While a world without heroes might be the ultimate utopia, the world wasn’t like that, so they needed heroes even more.
“Wow, they’ve written about him in such detail. It seems like Karl’s section alone takes up almost 50 pages?”
“That’s probably because it includes what happened after the Southern Great Forest War.”
“I don’t think so. Look here. There’s nothing written after the train terrorist incident.”
“Ah, it says here, ‘Karl Adelheit’s actions after the Southern Great Forest War will be covered separately. The Radiant Church, Hyzens, and Lasker…’ Ah, so they’re saying they’ll release something else about those later.”
“At this rate, Karl’s name might even appear in the Imperial Diplomacy and Theology classes.”
As the students chuckled at the joke, Lefia blushed.
‘Wow…’
Karl was everywhere. He was all over the academy.
The other students just laughed it off as a famous senior being featured, but it was different for her.
From her perspective, Karl was everywhere she looked, and it was making her heart race!
First the statue, and now through the textbook with the professor’s passionate lectures.
She heard from other students that there was even a special lecture scheduled for the weekend!
But was this the end? Of course not. It was just the beginning.
“Did you hear the news?”
“What news? Did someone break up again?”
“Not that! I just heard that there’s been a sudden surge of noble children wanting to enlist in the military. They say they want to experience their limits by serving as soldiers or something.”
Cough!
Lefia, who was having coffee alone at a cafe after class, choked.
Noble children suddenly wanting to enlist in the military. This could only mean…
“Is that because of Karl? I can’t think of any other reason.”
“I’m guessing the same. With statues of him all over the Empire and his name being so well-known, it seems like more people are thinking that his military service was the start of it all.”
“No way. That’s just because Karl is amazing.”
According to the students’ conversation, the Ministry of War was troubled by this trend.
Naturally, it becomes very difficult to manage when children from noble families enlist as soldiers.
The vast majority of conscripts are commoners. If a noble joins them, it could disrupt the hierarchy.
Even though Karl never acted arrogantly or demanded special treatment as a noble and faithfully fulfilled his duties, there was no guarantee that everyone would be like him.
If they caused trouble, it would only tarnish the reputation that Karl had built for nobles.
Besides, their parents might not be as reasonable as Karl’s.
Clearing her throat, Lefia nodded silently.
‘He was truly an amazing person. To think he would even start a trend of military enlistment.’
She could now understand the saying that a good influence spreads faster than wildfire.
“Oh!”
“Wow!!”
The quiet cafe suddenly became noisy.
As Lefia was about to raise her head to see what was happening…
Thump—
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
Karl sat down in front of Lefia and continued speaking as if it were nothing.
“Lasker. Let’s go. This summer break.”
“What? B-but…”
“If they say anything, just ignore them. A daughter wants to visit her parents, a son-in-law wants to visit his in-laws.”
It was none other than the Empire’s war hero speaking like that, so Lefia couldn’t help but nod.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]