WeTried Translations x Flame Comics
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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Chapter 125: 18. A Date in an Academy Story (1)
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“Is this a dream? Am I dreaming right now? Something like this can't happen to me.”
“Keep your thoughts to yourself.”
“Oh my.”
Elphihara stared blankly at Ivan, then quickly lowered her head again.
It was because of the astounding destructive power of Grikenkos Style Fantasy Shaving. She simply could not look Ivan in the face.
What a cruel twist of fate. Oh Lord, save this poor elf. She had finally won the chance to be alone with him, yet she could not even look at his face.
Elphihara made the sign of the cross and quietly closed her eyes.
-Splash.
Gentle lake water lapped cheerfully against the side of the boat. A dreamy moon hung high overhead, while a thin mist rose from the water and scattered the starlight.
It was perfect. There could be no more perfect timing than this. Tears welling in her eyes, Elphihara looked straight ahead.
“Ah....”
A small rowboat, that figure glowing white with moonlight falling across his face, a neat coat, and muscles flexing firmly every time he pulled an oar.
-Pssh.
The instant Elphihara's nose began to bleed, she formed a hand seal and stopped the flow with mana. Her mana control was so precise that it did not permit even a single drop of blood.
It felt as though her physical control had reached new heights. Naturally, it was the result of her inborn talent, Ivan's remarkable teaching methods, and her diligent studies to win Ivan's favor.
All that effort had borne fruit at this very moment. Here she was, enjoying a boat ride on a moonlit lake.
Good. The mood was perfect, and there was no one around to interfere.
Every Kallion elf agreed on one thing: whoever planted their flag first on unclaimed land became its owner. And elves were masters at planting flags.
“Um, Lord Yermof.”
“Mm.”
Ivan answered in a low, sweet murmur. Ah, this really isn't a dream, is it? Elphihara skillfully suppressed another burst of nosebleed and continued.
“Do you remember twelve years ago?”
“Mm.”
She was talking about when he had first met her as a child.
Ivan nodded without much thought.
“I've wanted to thank you ever since then. If it hadn't been for you, I probably wouldn't be here now. I was so young back then....”
With her face red enough to burst, Elphihara continued, keeping her gaze lowered at roughly a forty-five-degree angle.
Naturally, none of this was necessary. Ivan did not enjoy reminiscing about the past. What mattered was using past wartime maxims to prepare for the future.
Ivan was such a rational person.
Letting Elphihara's words go in one ear and out the other, he glanced at his pocket watch. It was nearly time.
“So I wondered how I could repay you. A debt of life ought to be repaid with one's life. As an elf of the Kalion Archipelago, the most valuable thing I can offer you must be myself....”
Ivan rowed toward the dock. Even as the boat slowly reached shore, Elphihara did not notice.
Her flushed face remained lowered, her eyes brimming with tears as she continued speaking passionately.
“The Kalion Archipelago has all sorts of secret arts that can dramatically extend humans' short lives and short trains of thought. Your only flaw is that you're human, but now even that flaw can be resolved....”
“Time's up.”
“Resolved... pardon?”
“Good work.”
Ivan stood and gave a short whistle. The man who had been fishing at the dock put down his rod and rose naturally.
“Please provide VIP protection as far as the elf residential district.”
“Yes, Commander!!”
The Counterintelligence Command agent snapped into a crisp salute, then quietly approached Elphihara.
She stared blankly at Ivan.
“Huh? What? Wha? What are you doing... where are you going?”
“This operation is over.”
“Operation? What?”
Elphihara stood alone on the dock, watching Ivan walk away for a long time before lifting her head.
The moon shone beautifully.
Only after covering her forehead with one hand and letting out a heavy, boiling sigh did she speak.
“Please tell me this is just a dream.”
“This is real, Miss Grikenkos.”
Hearing the agent's cautious reply, Elphihara's ears drooped, then shot upright again.
Her ears, red enough to burst, began to tremble.
“Humans... you human bastards...!!”
The agent looked at Elphihara, trembling with rage, and thought for a moment. If the daughter of [Fortress Destroyer] Beolgreen possessed even half her father's ability....
Would a [1/2 Fortress Destroyer], venting her rage through hatred of humans, not be a threat comparable to one of the Seven Dragon Generals?
This was the story of the first day of Operation [Spy Search].
Ep. 18. A Date in an Academy Story
“Vanka, have I understood this correctly? Have I understood it properly?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“No, wait. Let me... let me sort this out.”
Elizaveta quickly scanned the thick stack of reports.
Then, unable to believe it, she had to read them twice more.
“First, I need to confirm this. There's a spy? At the university? And they happened to be in your class?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How... how is that possible?”
Why his class of all places, and what purpose could they have for attending it? Those questions did not matter.
This was a situation where “how” had to come first.
Pritchenkaya was enjoying unprecedented security. Naturally.
The fiercely alert Counterintelligence Command was stationed near Pritchenkaya, the Crown Prince faction's nobles had all been driven out, and every department of the royal administration willingly obeyed the Princess.
On top of that, one of the Counterintelligence Command's de facto commanders was a former rebel, one with firsthand experience infiltrating Pritchenkaya.
Now that he had become an ally, the former weaknesses had long since been eliminated. Pritchenkaya prospered under airtight security.
And now Ivan had suddenly brought her a Spy Search Report, claiming there was a spy in his class and asking for approval. How was she supposed to take that?
Ivan, that steadfast man she knew, was not one to make empty claims.
Rather than waste time lying in a report to a superior, he would prove it through results. That had always been true, and it always would be.
That was the faith Elizaveta had in the Annihilation Unit, and in Ivan.
“How reliable is this ‘certain information’ you've confirmed?”
“Personally, I'd say ninety percent....”
Ivan stopped there and closed his mouth for a moment.
Over the past few weeks, amid interrogations disguised as classes, Ivan had tried to obtain information through the three people who shared his idea of common sense.
First was Eugene, the most capable in this field.
“This is a bit difficult, haha. As you know, Brother, if [Affinity] isn't high enough, information doesn't unlock. Right now, all I can see are their names and levels, which is the same as their personal details.”
“Useless.”
“But! But doesn't that just mean we need to become friends with them? Just wait a moment. Who am I? I'm Yevgeny of Karamzin.”
After declaring that, he boldly inserted himself into a group of students.
“Brothers, I have come to deliver the good word.”
“Oh, you're from the Theology Department. We don't go to church.”
“You impious heathens!!!”
That was how he got chased away. Afterward, Eugene kept only to people from the Theology Department, thoroughly dejected.
Oswald was the next to step up.
“Don't worry. You know my specialty, [Mind Sorcery]. Eugene and I have run a great many experiments recently, so I can't make a mistake here.”
“Uh, isn't casting mental spells on students strictly forbidden...?”
“Ahem, Miss Yuri. Do you know why Romeo and Juliet killed themselves?”
“Why?”
“Because they got caught.”
It was the sort of thing one would expect from an elf who believed anything was legal as long as they were not caught. Oswald was, of course, Korean.
His attempt fell apart the moment Elphihara caught him.
“Wh-why are you looking at me? You want me to try too?”
“Mm.”
“Um... do you happen to remember what I was watching when I got dragged here...?”
Yuri had been an illustrator for works that minors could not even attempt to play.
Trying to use someone from that genre as an informant was not the Annihilation Unit's style. The Annihilation Unit did not deal in information obtained through honey traps.
After recalling all that, Ivan answered in a somewhat more cautious tone.
“Fifty percent.”
“...?”
It appeared he was using a highly questionable source of information. Elizaveta shrugged.
“I will reject this operation plan. Still, Vanka, I would like to commend you for finally coming to me before carrying out an operation.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“So why not rest for a while? The Counterintelligence Command is capable, and this university is safe. Even if the spy truly exists, we will certainly detect them when they try to send information back to their home country. Vanka, was there not only one thing I asked of you?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The children of the Hero Party. To ensure those VIPs graduated safely and returned home safely. Some injuries were acceptable, since Ivan could persuade their parents.
“So take things a little easier. I trust you, and until now, you have performed splendidly...”
At that point, Elizaveta trailed off. He had performed splendidly, certainly, so why did she feel so frustrated?
“You have performed splendidly. If you can safely make it through just two more years, your mission will be over. I would like you to become an administrative official after that.”
The administrative official she had in mind was someone who sat comfortably in a warm room, directed attendants, managed the royal privy purse and treasury, and occasionally enjoyed dinner with her.
They would have tea while looking down at the gardens of a pleasant palace. He would gently massage her shoulders when she complained about piled-up work, their eyes would meet, then their lips might meet too, and then....
In two words, an administrative official who performed that sort of work was called a prince consort.
“So take it a little easier. You have no idea how relieved I am that you're teaching classes. At least you can stay in one place for half a year, can't you?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You understand, don't you? You understood what I said?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“That expression says otherwise....”
Ivan gazed deeply into Elizaveta's eyes and thought.
It would be better to do things the Annihilation Unit's way.
It was common sense that behind-the-lines infiltration teams did not report every detail of their operations to the commander. To maintain information security, all operations were carried out at the field supervisor's discretion.
That demonstrated how firm the trust between Elizaveta and the Annihilation Unit was. No matter what happened, it would certainly be for the country, and the Annihilation Unit would never betray her.
Supported by that mutual trust, the Annihilation Unit had also fully accepted Elizaveta's command from behind the lines while carrying out operations. At the time, the Annihilation Unit could boast the highest operational efficiency of any infiltration force.
Ivan was a man who prepared for the future through past wartime maxims. He bowed deeply, then left the office.
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Footnotes:
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