WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 97: 15. Real Combat Is Standard for Academy Summer Vacation Events (2)

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* * *

If one were to reduce a protagonist's power-up event to a simple structure, it would look like this.

1. A sudden attack during a peaceful time.

2. A conspiracy revealed through hardship and adversity.

3. An awakening through positive ideals such as friendship and love.

4. A series of rewards after the hardship has been overcome.

It was a story structure old enough to be called classic by now, but classics became classics for a reason. Even with variations, stories rarely strayed far from that framework.

Thinking one step further made Ivan's preparations clear.

To forcibly start a protagonist power-up event, all he had to do was lay down a conspiracy, attack the protagonist party, keep heaping adversity on them, then throw them rewards later.

There was a minor difference between awakening after overcoming adversity and throwing adversity at them to make them awaken, but as long as they reached the same destination, it didn't matter which road they took.

The result was all that mattered. A trained agent never placed much value on the process. As long as he could produce the proper result under any circumstances, that was enough.

So Ivan decided to prepare rewards, arrange hardships along an appropriate difficulty curve, and weave a "plausible" conspiracy between them.

"At the very least, all the 'protagonists' need to learn neural acceleration and Line-of-Fire Detection... If possible, I'd like them to pick up at least one secret technique as well."

Ivan studied the map, which was covered in tactical symbols and scribbled notes.

What he was doing now was a form of game design. It couldn't be helped.

If this had been a game, he had already cleared every stage the protagonists should have handled during a normal playthrough.

That meant he now had to build the stages for them. A stage had to be designed by accurately calculating the player's experience and the limits of their growth.

It was level design of a sort. Ivan stroked his beard as he looked down at the map.

"The protagonist party..."

He couldn't leave out Isabelle, Elphihara, Aesidis, or Oscar. Those four were undeniably the protagonist party.

Then there was Lucia, Enrika's disciple. She was currently carrying out a "secret mission" with Enrika, the kind of mission personally directed by the Princess, one even Ivan, who had served as commander of Counterintelligence Command, knew nothing about.

If it was a mission that required a member of the Hero Party, it was surely harsh. As for Lucia, who was receiving direct instruction from Enrika in the middle of all that, Ivan did not need to concern himself with her.

That left the remaining "protagonists"...

"Oswald, Eugene, and Yuri."

The three transmigrators. Those children were somewhat complicated. Their growth potential rivaled that of the Hero Party's children, but each of them likely had their own story assigned to them.

For example, Oswald had a romance fantasy with a villainess.

Eugene had an academy story about a good-for-nothing youngest son.

Yuri had...

Well, regardless.

If Ivan interfered directly with their growth and forcibly inserted power-up events, it might be meaningless. Their own stories would fail to progress properly.

Ivan tapped the table as he sank into thought.

Considering how this story might end, the strongest opponents he could imagine were the Demon King or the previous Hero.

In the worst case, he might have to face Maximilian himself, the man who had vanished into seclusion after taking countless "curses" into himself.

If that happened, he could never do it alone. Ivan simply could not imagine himself killing Maximilian by himself.

Besides, it was common sense that a fallen Hero was stronger than the original version. An ally turned enemy always came loaded with every imaginable bonus.

Ivan was a sensible person, so he did not overestimate himself. Instead, he looked down at the map.

He had to use every resource available. The Hero Party's children were the highest-quality resources in his hands.

Raw gems only gained value once they were cut and polished.

As Ivan wrote the operation plan, he thought that trials which did not kill a person made them stronger. Hadn't he grown that way as well?

* * *

Top of the final exams, naturally. The scholarship was "noblesse oblige." What did tuition like this matter before the wealth of House Grikenkos?

Elphihara hummed as she passed through the gates of the estate. Warm summer sunlight brightly bathed the elven residential district.

"Oh, you're back."

"Lady Coenwulf."

Her mood plummeted the moment she spotted the elf balancing upside down on the tip of a sword in the middle of the garden.

Literally, Edelplat Coenwulf had planted a sword upside down and was meditating while balancing in a handstand atop it.

This was why swordsmen were like this.

Meditation was meant to be pursued in stillness, with a pure state of mind. Why did swordsmen need meditation in the first place? It all stemmed from their base desire to imitate mages.

Swordsmen had a habit of copying anything that looked impressive. And most impressive things originated from magic. This was a self-evident truth.

"When are you going back to your homeland, exactly?"

"My, being told to leave already. That is hardly something a noble should say."

"I tried putting it in more noble terms, but you didn't seem to understand."

"What a hurtful thing to say. I understood it all and declined in a noble manner. House Grikenkos's wealth is not so meager that it cannot take in one humble swordswoman as a guest."

"Sorry, but you're richer than we are, Lady Coenwulf."

"Isn't paying rent far too vulgar?"

Edelplat snickered, released the sword hilt, then spun down to the ground.

"I intend to leave before winter comes. I don't wish to experience another Krasilov winter. Though I don't know whether I'll be leaving alone."

"...?"

"Hehe. There's a reason for that. You received some mail, so go and check it."

"All right. See you later."

Elphihara gave a small nod to Adel, who had resumed training, then left.

Mail? Was it from her homeland?

During the half year since entering university, most of Elphihara's numerous love letters had been delivered at school. No human had dared enter the elven residential district.

And elves never conveyed their feelings through something as crude as a letter.

A letter sent to her home was therefore highly likely to have come from her homeland... Her father could contact her through a crystal ball, so who could it be?

Elphihara picked up the neatly arranged envelope on the drawing room table.

"Huh?"

[Sender: Ivan Petrovich Yermof]

"Mister?!"

Elphihara hurriedly hugged the letter to her chest and glanced around in every direction. Naturally, there was no one in her estate beyond the minimum number of servants. There was also no need to hide the letter.

Realizing this through the power of her dazzling intellect, Elphihara cleared her throat and straightened her back.

She crossed her elegantly extended legs, poured herself a cup of the tea prepared with the drawing room refreshments, and took a slow sip.

Hmhm. She gave a single little hum through her nose.

"So you've finally caught on, have you?"

When he had suddenly run off saying he was getting married, she had thought, Ah, human mating season is so blind and foolish. What pitiful creatures they are.

But yes, he had finally noticed the opportunity. The opportunity to be with an elf was truly an irresistible temptation for a human.

So now he was going to wag his tail at her?

Grinning as though she would have wagged a tail furiously if she had one, Elphihara slowly reached out.

She tore the seal open.

She drew in one deep breath.

Hoo. With a hand over her chest, she took a moment to breathe deeply. Then, with a bright smile, she unfolded the neatly folded letter.

Now, a heartfelt confession of love... A confession...

[Invitation to Summer Getaway.

Location: Irtysh Station

Time: 1500 on the final day of the Saint Yansk University term

Details: Board the No. 15 line train departing at 1530 from Platform 1 of Saint Barbai Station.

Note 1. One-way ticket for the No. 15 line train enclosed.]

A confession... What?

"Usually... if you can't express your feelings in a letter, don't you ask someone to come to the school garden or something...?"

This was strange. Everyone around her confessed, was confessed to, and started dating that way.

This was so businesslike... It practically looked like an official document, with the word "invitation" where it did not belong.

And he had even put in a ticket for a train leaving a week from now...?

More importantly, what? Where was Irtysh Station?

Elphihara was thoroughly confused.

* * *

"This is a honeymoon trip, right? Uncle, you think so too, right?"

"Well, it looks more like inviting foreign nobles to military training, to me."

"That's because your romantic sensibilities are completely dead. Ivan and I have that kind of relationship, you know?"

"Well... I've never seen you properly exchange letters or... hold a conversation with that guy."

"That's because you've never dated anyone. When two people understand each other's hearts, they don't need to say things like that, okay?"

"Sure. Let's call it that."

Mord quietly nodded as he watched the bouncing Aesidis with warm eyes.

Brother, I think you failed at raising your child. I know it's late to say this, but she seems to take after Sister-in-law more. You know, in the bad way.

They say daughters resemble their fathers, but that's all a lie.

Or so he thought.

* * *

"Lord Yermof..."

Oscar wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel as he looked at the letter.

A sudden message and a sudden invitation. Under normal circumstances, he would not have given it a second glance...

"He is a strong man."

Oscar had watched the previous tournament as well. Hadn't he already keenly felt Ivan's strength during the field trip attack?

He was a weapon this country kept hidden. Even as the son of a Hero Party member, Oscar had never heard Ivan's name before coming to this country.

The fact that such a man was close to Enrika and Oscar's own father, and that Krasilov's citizens did not even know of a man with strength like that, suggested only one thing.

Krasilov was preparing for war.

Contrary to what many believed, rulers who loudly advertised their military strength feared war more than anyone. That was why Tilles had held such a lavish festival when it granted Gilles Ver the title of Defender Duke.

As Gilles Ver's eldest son, Oscar knew that fact better than anyone. Yet Krasilov appeared to be fragmented by internal strife, spent most of its military power maintaining control over its vast colonies, and had seen all its heroes from the last war either retire or disappear.

Despite that, its domestic intelligence network was suspiciously thorough, and even while it was considered to be on the verge of collapse from internal conflict, its response to terrorism was astonishingly swift.

On top of that, it possessed a weapon of war named Ivan Petrovich and revealed him to no one. It kept him hidden almost unnaturally well.

Then there was only one conclusion. Krasilov was preparing for war.

The great powers sharing its borders were Droan and Tilles. Intelligence indicated that the King of Droan had recently infiltrated Pritchenkaya and made some sort of agreement with the Princess.

That narrowed the countries Krasilov could immediately invade to one, Tilles. As a knight of Tilles, Oscar could not allow it.

"Inform the homeland that regular reports may become infrequent for a while, as I will be gathering internal intelligence."

Ivan Petrovich Yermof. To determine the identity of this mysterious man and uncover this country's intentions, it would be best to remain close to him.

Oscar, son of Gilles Ver, knight of the Hero Party.

Six months after entering Krasilov. Resident agent duties, his actual profession, begin!

* * *

"Yes. This is training."

Isabelle neatly folded the letter and accepted it without hesitation.

Was that "mister" really the sort of person to suddenly flirt with a female university student and ask her to go hiking for a while?

Even at an age when her mind was full of flowers, Isabelle was one of the people who had watched Ivan most closely and for the longest time.

Of course she had figured it out the moment she saw the letter.

He was suddenly calling her outside the city? That mister? Then there was only one answer. What else could it be but training?

Yes, okay. So he was healthy and well.

Which meant he was healthy and well enough to ignore his promise to come eat vegetable stew for days.

And now he was trying to pull her out alone under the excuse of training?

Yes, yes, there were many eyes in this city.

As an intelligence agent, he was naturally a talent managed by the state. Spending time "off operation" with the daughter of a foreign noble house would be burdensome.

So if he called her out separately under the excuse of training and asked her to take a train trip with him...

Yes, yes, she understood.

"This is love."

Really, his habit of speaking in circles was awful.

Isabelle grinned and began packing.

* * *

"Strange. Why does it feel like there are so many familiar faces? Don't you think?"

"You're right. Are you going to Tilles as soon as vacation starts? Well, if you take this railway all the way, you do reach Tilles, right?"

"That makes sense for me, but Droan should be on the platform across from this one."

"Didn't Oscar say he would be staying in Pritchenkaya over the vacation?"

"I have something to take care of. What about you, Miss Elphihara?"

"Don't talk to me. There are too many humans around, and it's making me dizzy. I'm allergic to human fur."

"How does she even attend school when she's like that?"

Summer vacation, begin!

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Footnotes:

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