WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 40: 9. Academy Field Trips Always Get Attacked (4)

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* * *

Contrary to what many people believed, Ivan was not particularly obsessed with axes. (Dmitry, who had once served directly under him, disagreed.)

Still, Ivan believed axes were tools with a great many advantages.

When splitting or cleaving something, their center of balance carried more force than a sword's.

The back could be used as a blunt weapon, while the curve of the axe blade could hook and entangle an opponent's weapon like a rake.

Even aside from its advantages as a weapon, it had many other uses. Ivan had once organized a list of the axe's various applications.

Bottle opener, can opener, door opener, head opener, and useful for opening every other object that could be opened.

-Sshrring.

There was no great reason Ivan was thinking about that.

He was drawing a sword. He did not particularly like swords, but this was necessary.

He intended to respond to the field exercise attack with everything he had. The fact that he had demoted his axe to a secondary weapon showed just how serious he was.

‘Beolgreen.’

Every time he thought of that arrogant elf, his teeth ground together. Beolgreen had shown up with every offensive spell imaginable prepared in advance, then called it a test?

Meanwhile, Ivan had come out like he was taking a casual stroll without even bringing most of his weapons. All he had was a pistol and an axe!

That was his excuse, anyway. Ivan knew it was an excuse, but he had learned an important lesson regardless.

-Always remain armed in preparation for a Hero Party-level combatant to appear and become hostile.

Ivan was not picky about weapons as long as he could hold them. There were weapons he was more accustomed to, but no weapons he was unskilled with.

After all, he had spent twenty years on the front lines. Issued weapons often broke, so soldiers at the front had to make use of whatever they could get their hands on.

Ivan fastened daggers at his waist and sleeves, slung a sword diagonally at his side, strapped an axe behind him, and tucked a pistol, magazines, and several explosive rounds inside his coat.

* * *

“Isn't this year's class remarkable, Madam Enrika?”

“Ah, it is.”

“I have high expectations. An examination personally overseen by Madam Enrika! Every noble in Pritchenkaya wanted to come watch.”

“Are you saying you want to turn the students into a spectacle?”

“Ah, no! I didn't mean it that way!”

Enrika shook her head with an expressionless face. The person chattering beside her was a second-year Knight Department professor. His name was... she could not remember.

Basically, she had lived a long time. (She would never admit it.)

That meant she had met and watched many people leave over the years.

This was how long-lived races viewed the world. They did not bother trying to remember people they had no reason to remember. Otherwise, they would spend their entire lives mourning every acquaintance they would eventually have to part with.

This person was not worth that effort. Enrika had not bothered memorizing this professor's name.

“I hear Oscar's talent is especially outstanding. I have great expectations for him.”

“Ah, you're from Tilles, aren't you?”

“Yes, you remembered!”

She vaguely recalled something. He had been from some royal guard knight order in Tilles...

Enrika shook her head.

“Isabelle is talented as well. Yuri Frank is an excellent student too.”

“Isabelle, certainly. As for Yuri Frank, I did look through that student's file, but well... She is quite capable for a lowborn.”

“Lowborn...?”

Enrika let out a quiet laugh. Yuri was a war orphan, so perhaps one could call her lowborn.

Did this sleek-looking bastard know that half the Hero Party had come from lowborn backgrounds?

Maximilian, Einar, and herself. Enrika.

Still, what could she do? The noble gentleman wanted to think that way. Enrika no longer had the fiery spirit of youth, so she only shrugged.

“Enrika.”

At that moment, Ivan came trudging over from the distance. Enrika ignored the chattering professor and raised a hand.

“Oh, Ivan! What brings you here?”

“May I observe?”

“Today's exam? I don't mind, but why bother?”

“There is something I want to confirm.”

“Confirm...?”

Enrika grinned and moved to stand beside Ivan. The professor standing nearby immediately turned cold.

What was with this preferential treatment? In his eyes, the man who had just arrived was nothing more than a shabby gardener.

“Good to meet you. I am Robert Sennard de Mondrang, a full professor in the Knight Department. And your name?”

“Ivan Petrovich.”

He could tell just from the name. With only Krasilov's distinctive patronymic and no family name, Ivan was clearly a lowborn.

Robert's gaze grew colder. He frowned.

“A commoner should know his place and return to it. There must be plenty of trees at the university that need tending. Why have you come all the way out here?”

“...?”

What was he talking about? Ivan tilted his head.

It was strange. It had been so long since someone had picked a fight with him like this that he found it difficult to come up with an appropriate response.

Normally, in situations like this, Ivan buried an axe in the other person's head. Being looked down on in the military led to all sorts of bothersome problems.

But this was a university. What was one supposed to do in society again? Ivan took a moment to sort through his thoughts.

Fortunately, he did not need to step in himself.

“Hey, Professor.”

“Yes, Madam Enrika!”

“Do you want to die?”

“...Pardon?”

Enrika was glaring at Robert with blazing eyes.

“Ivan is my guest. On a small scale, he is my friend. On a larger one, he is my comrade. How dare you insult my guest in front of me? Is this Tilles etiquette?”

“I...”

“Shut your mouth. I have a good nose, and your stench was already getting on my nerves. Four years ago, I would have killed you for that alone. The world has gotten so much better.”

Enrika's killing intent oozed through the air. Ivan reached out a hand to calm this unreasonable, hysterical old relic from a premodern age.

“Enrika. It is fine.”

“No, this bastard is pissing me off!”

“The exam needs to start. The students are waiting.”

“Damn it.”

Enrika rolled her neck, then turned and walked away. Robert, who had been directly exposed to her killing intent, was still trembling.

Ignoring him, Ivan followed Enrika. Students had gathered in a clearing in the forest.

The first major examination for the Knight Department's first-years, [Ambush Response], had begun.

* * *

There were fifty-two first-year students in the Knight Department. Armed with the university's standard-issued equipment, they watched Enrika standing on the platform.

Enrika raised one hand and opened it wide. A small orb rested in her palm.

“This examination is Ambush Response. Students I personally trained have been scattered throughout this forest. They will be attacking you directly.”

The students did not stir at Enrika's words. This much was within their expectations.

“But that would not distinguish you enough. Some students might simply get lucky and never become targets. So, students who defeat the attackers targeting them will receive bonus points. One more thing.”

She spoke while shaking the orb.

“Each of you will receive one of these orbs. They are magical artifacts with a simple location-tracking spell. If you protect yours until the end and reach the other side of the forest, you pass. If you have more than one orb, you receive additional bonus points.”

A commotion spread among the students.

The best response to an ambush was to form a group. A crowd could eliminate blind spots.

But what about under these conditions? The best option would be to form a small group, wait while the attackers and other students tore each other apart, then collect the orbs and escape.

“Not everyone can pass. The first five to leave the forest will receive the highest scores, and points will be deducted depending on when you escape. You have four hours. Protect your orbs and cross the forest within that time. Understood?”

Ivan nodded as he listened to Enrika. It was almost identical to the curriculum used to train new Annihilation Unit recruits.

The examination was familiar enough for that reason alone, but it was familiar in another sense as well.

‘It is an ideal environment for hostile external forces to intervene.’

This forest was part of the Pritchenkaya region. A military unit was stationed not far beyond its outer edge as well.

In other words, it was supposed to be a completely safe space. That was likely why the university had approved such an extreme examination.

But this was an academy field exercise. Therefore, an external attack was certain to occur.

So instead of asking why, Ivan considered how.

‘They cannot be lying in wait in the forest. Enrika's subordinates would have searched it already.’

Then where would the attack begin?

Not from the sky. After the elves' air warship incident, Krasilov had become extremely serious about defending its airspace.

An attack from the ground was almost impossible. Even if someone found a way to reach the area without alerting the military unit, the Counterintelligence Command was highly sensitive after the recent train terrorism incident nearby.

That meant...

‘Underground.’

By process of elimination, underground was the only place the attackers could emerge from.

One had to be certain an attack would happen to reach that conclusion, but Ivan was a sensible man, so he did not doubt it.

‘Those collectivist bastards.’

If the attackers were coming through underground tunnels, only dwarves came to mind.

Those communist dwarves. It was almost impossible to prepare for an underground attack they planned in advance. There was no predicting where they would emerge.

Still, their tactical objective made deduction possible. If dwarves attacked, and the demonfolk army went out of its way to target an academy's first-year midterm examination, then the targets were obvious.

‘Isabelle or Oscar.’

The children of Hero Party members were themselves targets of terrible hatred for the demonfolk army.

The Hero Party had slaughtered most of the Seven Dragon Generals and killed the Demon King. The members themselves had now settled into different parts of society and were difficult to strike directly, but their children were another matter.

To the demonfolk, seeing the people who had driven their entire race into the abyss have children and raise them happily was enough to make their vision go red.

From Ivan's perspective, this situation was extremely clear.

Once the motive, method, and target of the terrorism had all been identified, it was no longer terrorism. It was just a rampage.

From afar, Ivan watched Isabelle holding an orb. She was grinning to herself, apparently lost in thought.

-Click.

Ivan rested a hand on the sword slung at his waist.

He had even brought out a sword to deal with dwarves. Dwarves were troublesome to handle with an axe.

In other words, his preparations were complete.

* * *

“Oh, mister... Seriously.”

Isabelle smiled as she looked at Ivan standing at the edge of the platform. He was oddly reassuring, standing there proudly with a sword worn diagonally at his side like a knight despite how poorly it suited him.

Ivan was a gardener. Strictly speaking, he was a state secret agent, but on the surface, he was a gardener.

If Ivan had gone out of his way, really gone out of his way, to observe this examination, what other reason could there be?

“He worries too much. Really.”

Isabelle forced herself to control her expression and looked away. That deeply thoughtful mister was worried about her. And he probably wanted to see for himself the results of the training he had given her.

Fine, then. She would show him.

Isabelle loosened her shoulders and gripped her sword hilt tightly.

She would show him the results of those terrible past few days, take first place with pride, and boast about it.

Then, after naturally thanking him for helping with her training, they could have a meal, um... At least coffee. Hmm... Or maybe even see a play.

Krasilov was renowned for its culture and arts, after all.

For a moment, Isabelle imagined Ivan watching an opera. She burst out laughing at how horribly unsuitable it was.

“...”

At that moment, Ivan was an extremely efficient man, so he was preparing to shave some dwarves.

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Footnotes:

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