I Became the Academy's War Hero

Chapter 197 : Spring of Arfe (1)

Separate from Abel Ribenia's declaration of himself as Emperor, the time for the great war was drawing closer by the moment.The ideal outcome would be eliminating every rival, including him, before the appointed time. Even if we could only eliminate Abel, that still wouldn't be a bad result.

Even so, we wouldn't be able to stop the citizens from taking action.

Whether someone would step up in place of the now-quiet Greenwhistle, establish a civilian army, and launch a full-scale coup, or whether simultaneous uprisings would break out across every region, no one could say.

Whatever happened, stopping it was Edel's responsibility and mine. There was no need for anyone else to shoulder that burden.

I didn't know whether that was why Edel hadn't called the others, but I couldn't just leave talents of their caliber sitting idle.

We needed to go through some trial and error in advance to prepare for the coming great war against the Beast Monsters.

'That was why I pushed for the field manual revision in the first place.'

Although the Revision Committee had yet to be formally established, considering the extraordinary circumstances of wartime, there was nothing stopping us from conducting military training on the scale of an entire academy.

It would be difficult to deploy them in the opening battle. Their chance to demonstrate the results of their training would come a little later.

The closer the world came to destruction, the greater the impact our changes would have on everyone else. For the sake of total war, this transformation was absolutely indispensable.

I didn't have time to explain everything in detail, but the two of them quickly grasped the core of my plan.

“So, because of the extraordinary circumstances of wartime, we'll temporarily suspend the Academy's educational functions and conduct military training for all members while applying the revised field manual. Is that the idea, Carter?”

“Exactly.”

“Then I should first announce the situation throughout Carvena so everyone can prepare, and afterward head to Parliament. Today is my official appointment as Head of House.”

“I'm counting on you, Michelle.”

“As Director, I need to focus on the Academy's current affairs, so for the time being I intend to entrust House Bernhardt's management to Parliament. Whether it's restoring the trust we've lost or considering the welfare of our remaining members, I believe that's the most reasonable decision for now.”

Even so, Michelle admitted she was still concerned about everything that had happened recently.

She said she would visit the territory tomorrow morning, if only briefly, to fulfill her duties as Head of House.

“The matters over there are undoubtedly urgent as well... but I have an obligation to look after the remaining members of my family. I'll leave things here in your hands, Instructor Eugene.”

“Go without worrying. By then, everything here should already be settled.”

After finishing our conversation, I left the main building.

Just as I was about to head out, Frederick stopped me in the lobby.

“Where are you hurrying off to?”

“Ah, Department Head. Do you still have business here?”

He casually placed a hand on my shoulder before saying,

“Come with me. To the Imperial Special Operations Force.”

It sounded less like a suggestion and more like an order.

“...Don't you have plenty of work to deal with? You should stay here and take care of things.”

“What do you take the Academic Affairs staff for? Leave work like this to them and they'll handle it just fine. They've always done so.”

“......”

“More importantly, shouldn't I personally learn about this revised curriculum from the Imperial Special Operations Force?”

“I can explain that—”

“Enough! Let's go, Carter.”

With that, Frederick dragged me toward the relay station.

There was no way I could stop a giant of a man—especially my direct superior—from insisting on coming with me.

In the end, we arrived at the Imperial Special Operations Force together, where Belphor guided us inside.

“They're all gathered in the Command Control Room.”

“Who?”

“Her Highness, the Commander, the Chief of Staff, and her personal maid. Four people.”

“I see.”

“...But why did the Department Head come?”

“...It's a long story.”

I brushed off Belphor's question as we arrived outside the Command Control Room on the top floor.

Once he'd finished guiding us, Belphor turned to leave.

I grabbed him and pulled him along.

“C-Carter?”

“You're really going to pass up an opportunity like this?”

“N-No, I was only supposed to guide you here...”

Ignoring his protests, I walked in with him.

Creeeak—

Inside, the three of them were deep in discussion.

Standing beside the entrance, Lea looked at me with a tense expression and subtly signaled with her eyes.

Her gaze was filled with anxiety and concern.

“......”

I gave her a slight nod, telling her not to worry, that somehow we'd make it through.

Then I walked over to the others.

Commander Alvin Caldwell and Chief of Staff Paul Ebert greeted me first.

“So you've arrived, Carter.”

“...Frederick? What brings you here?”

“There were... certain circumstances. Let's discuss them now.”

Frederick calmly took a seat across from them.

After watching him for a moment, Lieutenant General Alvin turned toward Belphor.

“And why are you still here?”

“Ah, Commander, well...”

“Please let Belphor participate in the operation as well. I'm sure he has something to contribute regarding the field manual revision.”

As I forced Belphor into a seat, Alvin tilted his head.

“Field manual revision? What's that supposed to mean?”

“Ah, that's...”

I was about to explain when I glanced at Edel to gauge her thoughts.

Fortunately, she looked as calm as ever.

“I'll keep it brief.”

Since this was something Edel needed to know anyway, I decided to bring up my proposal first.

The proposal to place Carvena under wartime status and use it as a training ground for revising the field manual.

“......”

“Hm.”

The members of the Imperial Special Operations Force all reacted differently, but their overall stance was essentially the same.

If I had to summarize it in one sentence, it would be this:

“We certainly don't mind... but will the members of Carvena actually cooperate?”

Looking directly at Lieutenant General Alvin, who had spoken on behalf of the group, I replied,

“We'll have to persuade them.”

There had been plenty of people who refused to fight for similar reasons during the war against the Dellowel Diocese.

Back then, it had only been a localized conflict—a small war between fellow Imperial citizens—so people could avoid participating by making up suitable excuses.

This time, however, that wouldn't be possible.

Last time, you could survive simply by running away because the nation's fate wasn't at stake.

This war, however, would determine not only the Empire's future, but humanity's as well.

If I ran away, the comrade beside me would die.

If everyone around me died, then eventually everyone precious to me would perish as well.

There was no paradise waiting at the end of escape.

If fate awaited us on the battlefield, then the only choice left was to fight for that fate.

We had to make the cadets fully understand that reality and unite them as one.

By the time the students resolved themselves to fight together, the adults would already have made up their minds.

Seeing my unwavering determination, the Commander nodded and agreed to cooperate.

“We've already selected the initial members of the Revision Committee, so we'll proceed with the field manual revision using them. Future training will be conducted jointly with the Imperial Special Operations Force.”

“Yes. We'll begin in earnest once this matter is over.”

“Indeed. We'd better start preparing immediately. Things are only going to get busier from here.”

Alvin immediately ordered the Chief of Staff and Belphor to organize a task force related to the project, while Frederick volunteered to assist them.

That left only Edel, the Commander, Lea, and me in the room.

Only then did Alvin's expression grow serious.

“As you know, Your Highness, even before the coronation ceremony, there's nothing inherently problematic about Abel Ribenia proclaiming himself Emperor.”

“......”

“The First Prince died long ago, the First Princess transferred her allegiance to Kalt, and His Majesty passed away not long ago. It's only natural for the Crown Prince, who now stands first in the line of succession, to inherit the throne.”

“That's true.”

Edel answered indifferently before continuing.

“But that's not why we're here, is it?”

“Exactly.”

I casually joined in.

“What we should be discussing... is how to assassinate Abel Ribenia without leaving behind any witnesses.”

The murderous resolve in my eyes spoke for itself.

No matter how you looked at it, Abel Ribenia had no chance of securing the throne for long.

Even if we left him alone, the citizens would eventually drag him down.

That was true even outside Apocalypse Mode.

The people of the capital, Arfe, who had suffered under him longer than anyone else, would later praise the event and call it the “Spring of Arfe.”

Whether he was surrounded by citizens and stoned to death...

Whether he fled and threw himself into the Adens River...

Whether he was beheaded at the guillotine...

Or thrown to the Beast Monsters as food...

For the birth of the new Empire, Abel Ribenia had to become the sacrifice.

That process was entirely natural.

It had to happen.

But...

'The Platinum Dawn Society chose the perfect moment to interfere.'

Now that the Society had inserted itself into the situation, our own position had become far more complicated.

Originally, after Abel was judged by the people, the citizens who had demanded reform of the Imperial Family would naturally elevate their leader, Edel, to the throne.

This time, however, things were different.

Everything had progressed far too quickly.

Compared to the speed of events, the Empire's leadership had shown a thoroughly disappointing performance.

“We didn't have enough time to respond.”

Excuses like that wouldn't work on the people.

The overwhelming majority of Imperial citizens were commoners.

They had never ruled others themselves, so they would never be persuaded by the self-serving excuses of those in power.

There had always been dissatisfied people.

They simply gave up because the risks of rising up were too great.

But now...

The ruling class had been completely exposed.

Everyone had realized that those arrogant people weren't nearly as impressive as they pretended to be.

If, on top of that, the Platinum Dawn Society stepped forward to lead them, then the citizens' choice would be obvious.

Trust Edel one more time?

Not a chance.

They would first sweep away the entire existing establishment, and only then decide whether to make Edel their leader.

Perhaps, if we were fortunate, Edel would still ascend the throne and proclaim the new Empire.

But unlike the collapse of noble power, the complete collapse of the class system carried far greater risks.

It was something we had to avoid if at all possible.

Without recognizing the legitimacy of the Imperial Family, the Holy Ribenia Empire itself could no longer exist as a nation.

That made our objective perfectly clear.

Before the citizens learned the truth, we had to eliminate Abel Ribenia.

Then, present the people with a new imperial succession system following the Emperor's death, allowing them to choose the next Emperor from among the three remaining candidates.

There was no need to proclaim ourselves Emperor.

That would only be a self-destructive move.

All we had to do was preserve the Imperial Family while actively accepting the will of the people.

This wasn't merely the best choice for Edel.

It was the best choice for the Holy Ribenia Empire as well.

If the nation's very form changed amidst the current chaos, we would lose the golden opportunity to stop the Apocalypse entirely.

That was why I spoke once more to the two who remained silent.

“We won't be able to force him to relinquish the throne through threats. What threat could possibly work against someone who murdered even his own father?”

“We could consider exiling him from the Empire, but that would require far too much time.”

“We don't have that luxury.”

“So we'll have to choose the fastest and most reliable method available.”

I gripped the handle of my Lukeaxe, openly revealing my killing intent.

“I guarantee it.”

“I will not allow Her Highness to stain her hands with blood.”