WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ How the Child of Prophecy Survives ◈
Chapter 7: True Warrior
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Ernst and Robert went straight to the Disciplinary Officer after cleaning their room. It was possible because they had free time after dinner.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Disciplinary Officer. Cadets Ernst Krieger and Robert Zimmermann.”
After Ernst spoke, a faint rustling came from inside.
“Come in.”
Once permission was granted, Ernst opened the door and entered. His eyes swept across the Cadet Corps office in an instant, confirming that, besides the Disciplinary Officer on duty, there was also a Disciplinary Assistant present.
At the sight, Ernst narrowed his eyes slightly. At a glance, it almost looked like he was smiling with his eyes.
Snap!
Ernst approached the Disciplinary Officer and saluted. Robert followed suit. The Disciplinary Officer returned the salute carelessly.
“What is it, Krieger? Zimmermann?”
The Disciplinary Officer asked with an indifferent expression. In truth, the officer had a good idea why Ernst and Robert had come.
There was no way the Disciplinary Officer did not know that Robert Zimmermann was on the verge of expulsion after receiving an enormous number of demerit points due to upperclassmen’s harassment. It was one of the traditions of the Imperial Military Academy, and ignoring the freshmen who came every year to protest its unfairness was another tradition of the Disciplinary Officer.
The Disciplinary Officer knew what Ernst and Robert would say without hearing it. They would whine about upperclassmen bullying them.
“The Imperial Military Academy’s security has been breached, and it is under attack. We must respond as soon as possible.”
“...What?”
But what Ernst said was not the whining of a brat.
“What exactly are you talking about, Krieger?”
Doubting his own ears, the Disciplinary Officer frowned and asked Ernst again. Ernst answered boldly, his expression serious.
“The Imperial Military Academy, which raises outstanding officers for the Imperial Army in Grimman, the capital of the Mihanil Empire, under Their Majesty the Emperor’s command, is being attacked by the enemy.”
“...Haa...”
At Ernst’s words, the Disciplinary Officer rubbed his forehead and let out a long, weary sigh.
“Disciplinary Officer, this is a matter that must never be overlooked.”
Ernst spoke in an exceptionally resolute voice.
“The Imperial Military Academy is the Empire’s finest educational institution for training officers. Yet this Imperial Military Academy is being ravaged by an enemy attack. This is undoubtedly an attack by rebel forces or allied forces who fear the Imperial Army producing capable officers.”
“Enough. Enough.”
The Disciplinary Officer cut off Ernst’s passionate speech. He was deeply confused. It was impossible to tell whether Ernst was spouting plausible nonsense to stop upperclassmen from harassing him, or whether he truly believed this was an enemy attack and had reported it.
Ernst was warning of the enemy threat with such serious eyes, blazing with firm resolve.
After rubbing his brow and thinking for a moment, the Disciplinary Officer recalled that this cadet, a hereditary noble from a military family, was quite intelligent despite seeming so scatterbrained.
Waving a hand in irritation, the Disciplinary Officer said, “Krieger, Zimmermann. Don’t waste any more of my time with that nonsense.”
“But the enemy...”
“Enough. Krieger, if you spout that nonsense one more time, I’ll give you demerit points.”
After speaking sharply to Ernst, the Disciplinary Officer closed his eyes and fell silent for a moment, as though enduring his irritation. Then, after opening them, he spoke to Ernst again.
“Krieger, Zimmermann. This is not a place that takes care of toddlers who cannot even walk. Handle your own affairs.”
The moment those words were spoken, Ernst wore an unreadable expression. His lips slowly moved.
“Does that mean we may deal with this matter according to our own judgment?”
Ernst asked in a remarkably calm voice. The Disciplinary Officer narrowed his eyes and looked Ernst up and down. Truly, he was confused. He wondered whether this boy from a military family had silently endured upperclassmen’s harassment until now simply because he had received no orders from a superior.
“Yes. Handle your own affairs.”
So the Disciplinary Officer answered carelessly. He did not want to waste any more time on this annual event.
“Understood. Then.”
Snap!
“Yeah, yeah.”
Ernst saluted, and Robert followed after glancing around nervously. The Disciplinary Officer waved them out quickly, then stopped paying attention to the two of them.
After leaving the Cadet Corps office, Ernst calmly returned to the room.
“What are you going to do now?”
“We’ll start tomorrow morning. Rest easy until then.”
“Even if you tell me to rest easy, I don’t think I can. Well, whatever. My fate is out of my hands now anyway.”
Robert let out several deep sighs, then shrugged as he accepted reality and began to genuinely relax.
As usual, Ernst sat at his desk and studied. He read books for classes that had not begun yet, since they had only undergone drill training so far. He organized his desk, read more books, paced around the room while thinking about something, read again, then stood by the door and looked around in every direction.
Robert had already grown used to Ernst’s scattered behavior, so he did not comment on it.
“You really are resting just because I told you to. Aren’t you going to study?”
Ernst asked Robert, who was lying on his bed and blankly staring at the ceiling.
“I might be expelled tomorrow. Do you think I can focus on a book?”
Robert answered bluntly, but slowly sat up and took a seat at the desk. He knew what Ernst would say without needing to hear it.
“You might not be expelled.”
“Damn it. I knew you’d say that. Yeah, I might not be expelled. Thanks to you. Got it? Ernst. Do you get it? I’m seriously begging you, please save me!”
“I’ll try.”
“Don’t try. Just save me!”
“I said I’ll try.”
“Ah, I want to go home.”
“You want to be expelled?”
“No!”
Ernst snickered. Robert glared at him, grumbled, and began to read.
In any case, there was nothing Robert could do except trust Ernst. So trust him he would.
* * *
“Those bastards?”
“Yeah.”
“Those insolent little...”
“They’re idiots. Blabbing like that where I could hear them.”
Having heard this unpleasant news, the Disciplinary Assistants decided they could not let those arrogant freshmen off the hook. It was unpleasant enough that they had held their heads high and endured until now. Now they had even tattled to the Disciplinary Officer. It was utterly unforgivable.
“Zimmermann will be expelled with two more demerit points. End it tomorrow.”
“What about Krieger?”
“He’s the bigger problem. What could commoner trash do on their own? It all came from that bastard’s head.”
They did not consider Robert a noble at all. They only thought of him as a rich commoner. Naturally, they believed this was all Ernst’s doing, and they were not wrong.
“I think Hartmann has taken an interest in him.”
One of the Disciplinary Assistants spoke with some discomfort. No matter how senior they were, they could not casually mistreat Brigadier General Hartmann’s eldest grandson.
“But he hasn’t made a move yet. Krieger is alone. Just finish him. If he crawls somewhere to hide afterward, we can stop then.”
However, those who had decided to punish the insolent and spineless freshman who could not endure the Imperial Military Academy’s mild initiation hazing and tattled to the Disciplinary Officer had no intention of leaving Ernst alone.
Robert would be expelled if he received just two more demerit points. To ensure his expulsion tomorrow, they had to turn his room upside down while he was away, making it impossible for him to respond, then give him two demerit points for poor organization.
The surest opportunities were when he was away for morning and afternoon training. But there could be unforeseen circumstances, so they had to finish things decisively whenever they had the chance.
Thus, they decided to first target the time when the cadets gathered for breakfast. Then they would target morning training and expel Robert Zimmermann that very day.
* * *
When Ernst and Robert returned to their room after breakfast, they found a complete mess. Not only Robert’s things, but Ernst’s belongings as well, had been thrown into disorder.
“Your room is in a terrible state. Krieger, Zimmermann, demerit points for both of you. Zimmermann, one more demerit point and you’re expelled.”
From beyond the open door, an upperclassman grinned as they handed out the demerit points, then strode away.
“Good. It’s going according to plan.”
“Mmm...”
Ernst was satisfied that everything was going according to plan. Robert, who had heard the plan from Ernst that morning, did not panic in terror. He only watched nervously with an uneasy expression.
The two cleaned the room together for the next phase of the plan.
“Krieger.”
They had left the door open, so other freshmen could see them cleaning their room. Ferdinand, Brigadier General Hartmann’s eldest grandson, had no intention of watching this disgraceful conduct any longer.
“It seems you need something.”
Ferdinand spoke in a low voice. If he wanted to, he could put a stop to this shady, unpleasant, disgusting behavior easily enough. In truth, Ferdinand did not want to use his grandfather’s authority to solve problems. Brigadier General Heinz Hartmann would likely feel the same.
But Ferdinand thought this was the sort of matter for which he could borrow his grandfather’s name, and Heinz would probably lend it willingly.
“No. I already have everything I need.”
However, Ernst smiled gently and declined Ferdinand’s offer.
“...”
Ferdinand narrowed his large eyes as he looked at Ernst, then slowly nodded.
“If you say so, then that’s how it is.”
After saying that, Ferdinand closed the door and strode back to his own room.
“...I think he really thinks highly of you.”
Robert whispered to Ernst for no particular reason.
Ferdinand did not spare Robert a single glance, yet showed tremendous trust in Ernst. Robert could not understand what the Brigadier General’s eldest grandson saw in Ernst that made Ferdinand regard him so highly.
“That isn’t important right now. Don’t make a mistake.”
“I know. I know.”
At Ernst’s serious warning, Robert nodded wearily. He had already heard the warning several times.
Ernst had everything he needed. What he needed now was a small helping hand, and Robert was the only one who could provide it. Ernst would inspect everything carefully, but if Robert made even one major mistake, the entire plan could fall apart.
“We don’t have time. Let’s hurry.”
“Fine. Let’s pay those bastards back.”
Ernst and Robert grinned at each other.
Only after hearing Ernst’s plan did Robert finally understand why Ernst had been so delighted.
Robert was rather delighted now. There had probably never been a happier moment in his life.
* * *
The cadets gathered for morning training sat at desks in the classroom, chatting in small groups with faces holding a little tension and a little anticipation.
At last, they would receive proper education instead of only drill training.
“Hartmann.”
At the voice of another cadet who had approached quietly, Ferdinand turned away from staring intently at Ernst and looked back.
The cadet whispered something softly into Ferdinand’s ear.
“...Excellent.”
Ferdinand nodded heavily, then pressed his lips together. His voice, changed by puberty, had cracked and nearly shot upward.
While Ferdinand was pleased to hear an interesting story, another boy who heard the same story had a different reaction.
“Wilfried.”
Wilfried, the fourth son of the Duke of Rabid, turned toward the cadet calling him. His beautiful blue eyes blinked once.
“About Krieger.”
“Did you find something interesting?”
Wilfried asked with a bright smile. It was a mature and charming smile that was hard to believe belonged to a fourteen-year-old boy, though it still held a faint trace of impatience.
“The family itself is nothing... No, there was nothing special about it.”
Remembering Wilfried’s warning, the cadet whispered in a low voice, then corrected themself.
Wilfried realized he was slightly disappointed by those words. Even so, he did not show it.
“The family itself... Then what about anything else?”
At Wilfried’s question, the cadet lowered their voice further.
“Krieger’s father, Hires Krieger. I heard he received the Noble Heart Medal. While he was alive, too.”
“...Noble Heart.”
Wilfried fell silent for a moment and repeated the words.
After turning them over in his mouth several times, he grasped their meaning. Narrowing his eyes, he sharply turned to glare at Ernst.
The Noble Heart Medal was the highest medal an Imperial soldier could receive. Of the soldiers awarded the Noble Heart Medal, almost none lived to wear it on their chest. The Noble Heart Medal was foremost even among medals bestowed upon those who sacrificed themselves for the Empire.
In other words, it was essentially a medal created to honor high-ranking nobles such as counts or dukes, or soldiers who made truly heroic sacrifices, after their deaths. To receive it while alive meant one had devoted oneself to the Empire and performed feats worthy of being recorded in history.
Hires Krieger received the Noble Heart Medal fourteen years ago, after the Mihanil Empire’s war of conquest came to an end and Hires had retired from service.
In other words, Hires Krieger had already retired as a colonel before receiving the Noble Heart Medal. Even so, Their Majesty the Emperor had exceptionally bestowed the Noble Heart Medal upon him.
Had Hires not retired at the time, he might now have worn the Noble Heart Medal on his chest and glittering gold upon his shoulders.
Had Hires died during the operation, he would have been recorded as a major general, even in death. Recipients of the Noble Heart Medal were posthumously promoted two ranks.
As this astonishing news began to spread through the cadets like a wave, the classroom door suddenly flew open so violently it seemed ready to break.
Bang!
“Ernst Krieger! Robert Zimmermann!”
The Disciplinary Officer strode into the room, shouting the two boys’ names.
“Yes, Disciplinary Officer.”
“Yes.”
As though expecting this, Ernst calmly rose from his seat. Robert stood as well, looking a little frightened but composed. The Disciplinary Officer glared sharply at the two boys. Rage seemed ready to burst from his face.
“Take them out!”
“Yes!”
At the Disciplinary Officer’s shout, the Disciplinary Assistants rushed into the classroom with pale faces still swirling with fury. The freshmen turned pale and whispered when they saw the black clubs in the upperclassmen’s hands, but at the sight of the Valt pistol in the Disciplinary Officer’s hand, they could not even breathe.
Ernst and Robert raised their hands and waited without resisting.
“You bastard!”
Thwack!
But one Disciplinary Assistant became too worked up and swung a club at Ernst’s shoulder. The club, made from extremely dense wood painted black, was far heavier than it looked and was enough to shatter a young boy’s bones.
Yet when the club struck him, Ernst did not so much as blink. He slightly twisted his body, took the blow with his muscles, and did not even groan.
“Gah!”
Then it was not Ernst, who had been struck by the club, but the Disciplinary Assistant who had swung it who fell over. Ernst staggered, but remained on both feet. The others did not know why the assistant had fallen, but Robert, standing beside Ernst, clearly saw what had happened.
As Ernst took the club on his shoulder and pretended to stagger, he reached out at an angle the others could not see and grabbed the Disciplinary Assistant’s sleeve. Then he lightly shoved aside the assistant’s body, which was staggering as though about to fall on him, and knocked them down.
Crash!
“Argh!”
The upperclassman crashed into a desk as they fell, and the classroom became a mess in an instant.
“Y-you bastard!”
“Stop.”
Just as the fallen Disciplinary Assistant leaped up with a red face and tried to rush Ernst, another voice rang through the chaotic classroom. The upperclassmen who had been about to turn Ernst and Robert into bloody pulp froze.
“D-Dean.”
The Disciplinary Officer turned toward Brigadier General Kramer Schäfer, Head of the Academic Department, with a deathly pale face. Kramer strode into the classroom. The Disciplinary Officer hastily stepped aside and saluted Kramer, but Kramer neither returned the salute nor even glanced at him.
Kramer’s heavy, sunken blue eyes slowly swept over the wrecked classroom. Everyone avoided that gaze without even daring to breathe.
“Well done.”
“...”
“Did you report this to the Cadet Corps Commander before acting?”
“W-w-well...!”
“At the very least, I received no report of this matter.”
Kramer spoke in a flat voice, almost as though reciting. The Disciplinary Officer trembled and could not speak properly.
Kramer raised a hand and smoothed back their hair with a thumb. Yet there was not the slightest disorder in that hair, already pressed perfectly into place.
Kramer’s face appeared emotionless, but there was unmistakable anger over this matter.
No matter what mistake the cadets had made in their daily lives, even if it was something that required drawing a gun, they could not act without the Academic Department’s permission when they were in a classroom intended for cadet education.
“Report.”
“Reporting!”
At Kramer’s low, heavy command, the Disciplinary Officer repeated the order forcefully with a pale face. Trembling, he reported to Brigadier General Kramer Schäfer, Head of the Academic Department, why he had come here carrying a gun. After hearing the astonishing story, everyone blankly turned to look at Ernst and Robert.
Robert had gone deathly pale at the fact that even Kramer had stepped in, nearly unable to breathe.
“...”
But Ernst merely stood with both hands raised, wearing a calm expression as he waited to be arrested.
After hearing everything, Kramer quietly looked into Ernst’s two black eyes, as if something unknown to them might be hidden within this young boy.
Kramer knew well that this was not something an inept person like Robert could have done. They asked Ernst, who dared meet a Brigadier General’s eyes directly.
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The stern voice resembled that of a judge delivering a verdict.
Ernst answered Brigadier General Kramer Schäfer, Head of the Academic Department, in a calm voice.
“Because I judged that recognizing we were under attack and not responding, no matter how minor the matter was, would endanger everyone. This was merely a response to an act of treason.”
“Treason.”
At Ernst’s shocking words, Kramer briefly repeated that chilling word. Then Kramer spoke to Ernst again.
“You have no authority to make that judgment, Cadet.”
Whatever principle guided Ernst’s actions, he was merely a cadet who had just enrolled. He had no authority whatsoever.
Of course, Ernst knew that. Was that not why he had already prepared a way out?
It was not Ernst but the Disciplinary Officer who trembled in fear at Kramer’s words.
“After reporting to the Disciplinary Officer, I was ordered to make my own judgment and act accordingly. So I judged the matter for myself and acted.”
“...”
Kramer silently stared into Ernst’s eyes. Ernst met that gaze calmly. But as the silence lengthened, Ernst could no longer bear Kramer’s soundless pressure. He drew a short breath and looked away.
In the chilling silence, Kramer spoke.
“Take them away.”
“Y-yes!”
To reduce friction with the Cadet Corps for the moment, Kramer handed Ernst and Robert over to them. But this matter would not pass easily, no matter which side was involved.
At Kramer’s command, the Disciplinary Assistants seized Ernst and Robert by both arms and hurried out of the classroom, tense with fear.
Kramer’s eyes sharply followed Ernst as he was arrested and dragged away.
An event that would remain long in the history of the Imperial Military Academy had occurred.
Ernst Krieger and Robert Zimmermann had been arrested on charges of attempted murder committed within the Imperial Military Academy.
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