WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint ◈
Chapter 70: I Want to Become a Hero (2)
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Honestly, any man born in South Korea who had served in the military had probably dreamed of this at least once.
The so-called Buster Call.
Or calling down a shooting star.
Basically, it meant dropping a general into your company.
Even though I had only been a military doctor, I had served too. Whenever I heard stories like that, I always thought it sounded fun.
I never imagined I would fulfill that dream in this life.
“...That’s why the Academy is closing for fifteen days. They need to find new teachers.”
But that evening, after the prince visited the Academy, listening to Freya, it seemed the shooting star’s impact had been rather powerful.
The shooting star I had dropped was none other than an imperial prince.
The problem was that his position happened to be chief personnel officer of the central army.
In other words, he decided which organization every soldier would be assigned to.
They always said the personnel department held the most power in any workplace.
Prince Edmund was the head of that personnel department.
And I had dropped someone like that onto the teachers’ heads.
‘Hmm... I had no idea.’
I had never paid much attention to high society.
I only knew that the prince held a high position in the military.
I had never dreamed he was in charge of personnel.
At the time, I had only thought to ask for the prince’s help because the Academy belonged to the military, making it difficult even for Father, a magistrate, to intervene.
For reference, this was how I had asked the prince for help.
“Haah... Pardon? Is something wrong? No, it’s just a personal matter. Your Highness needn’t worry about it.”
“You want me to tell you? But...”
“All right. The thing is...”
I had not asked him directly.
I had simply made it obvious that something was weighing on me while conducting the baby’s regular checkup that morning, and he had asked what was wrong.
The prince immediately asked what had happened, and I reluctantly told him about the incident.
And that evening, I heard the result from Freya.
“The principal and vice principal were dismissed, and thirty-two senior teachers were forced into retirement. More than half of the remaining teachers received pay cuts or were passed over for promotion.”
Forced retirement was retirement in name only. It was simply dismissal.
Unlike the principal and vice principal, they were at least being allowed to keep a shred of their honor.
What was more surprising was that these decisions had been made on the very first day.
They were still discussing further disciplinary measures.
“For now, some teachers, including the principal and vice principal, will face additional punishment.”
The prince’s blade danced fiercely.
So fiercely that more than half of Adler College’s faculty had been swept away.
And there was clear justification for it.
Security had been breached at a military educational institution meant to cultivate the Empire’s future, and no measures had been taken while students remained imprisoned for two days.
The final blow was that, even after the incident, they had not even discussed protective measures for the affected students.
Still, this refreshing justice had a minor side effect.
“But there are no teachers left to teach the students. The Academy will close for around fifteen days, until it can be filled with new teachers. Depending on the circumstances, it might take a month.”
That was right.
With the teachers having vanished, the school had no choice but to close temporarily.
My parents, however, did not seem particularly concerned with the school’s circumstances.
“Freya. Do you really need to return to the Academy? Your mother is worried that it may be too difficult for you.”
“If you wish, we can transfer you. Adler is not the only college with a High Division. You may take a leave of absence if things are too hard.”
My parents could not bring themselves to tell her to quit school.
They knew how badly Freya wanted to become a magistrate.
But Freya remained firm.
“No. I want to graduate from there. My friends are there.”
Once she put it that way, they could not press the matter.
Friends were important.
“All right. If that is what you want, Freya.”
“Thank you for understanding, Father.”
That concluded the discussion of Freya’s education.
She was still struggling, so nobody said any more about school.
Dinner ended shortly afterward.
The family returned to their respective rooms.
I, too, drained the last of my tea at the table and returned to my room.
I sat in my chair, considering the students’ treatment and what to do with the captured lizard, not as Julian but as Director Schun.
Glint.
The communications device on my desk glowed faintly.
When I checked the crest on the crystal ball, it appeared to be a message from Prince Edmund.
I touched the communications device, and the prince’s face and voice came through.
[Sorry to contact you so late, Sir Julian.]
“It’s no trouble, Your Highness.”
[Have you eaten?]
“Yes. I just finished dinner with my family and was resting.”
[I envy you. I’m only about to eat now.]
“At this hour?”
[The baby just fell asleep. Lately, he refuses to sleep. He cries whenever I try to pick up my spoon, and by the time I put him to sleep, it’s this late.... I’m exhausted enough to have no strength to eat, but I still need to eat.]
Normally, he would leave such things to a nanny.
Perhaps it was because the baby was so precious, born after so much suffering.
Despite his status, the prince devoted himself completely to caring for his child.
“Come to think of it, how is Prince Aster’s stomachache?”
[Ah, I have been applying peppermint oil as you instructed. It works well.]
“I say this only out of caution, but you must never use any medicine besides what I prescribed.”
[I know. It has not even been a few years since the star anise incident. Of course we are being careful. The maids have also been cautious since the secondary palace was thrown into an uproar last time.]
“I did not sleep at all that night.”
[Ahem. My apologies.]
Was it a few weeks ago?
They had tried to feed the baby beet porridge, and I had given them quite a talking-to.
Newborns had an immature ability to process nutrients found in foods such as spinach and beets.
That was why I had repeatedly told them not to feed the baby salads.
But one maid had carelessly added beets to the baby food, turning the secondary palace upside down.
The maid begged them to kill her, while the prince panicked over whether the baby would be in danger....
That dawn.
Called back to the secondary palace yet again, I had to calm everyone by explaining that eating it once would not cause a problem.
In any case.
[I am eating now. Would you mind if we speak while I eat?]
“That’s fine, Your Highness.”
[Thank you for understanding.]
He worked during the day and cared for the baby after returning home.
The prince was busy, no matter how one looked at it.
I could hear him chewing through the communications device.
After the sound continued for a while, the prince spoke.
[Have you heard the results of their disciplinary action?]
It came out of nowhere, but I understood whom he meant.
“Yes. My younger sister told me. Thank you, Your Highness.”
[No need to thank me. I only did what was right.]
The prince swallowed another mouthful of food before continuing.
[Ah, the military tribunal has not delivered its final verdict yet, so I cannot be certain. But I believe those responsible for this incident will receive frontier penal service.]
Frontier penal service.
Commonly called fortress punishment.
It was a sentence that stripped an offending noble of their title and sent them to a fortress on the front lines as an ordinary soldier.
It was meant to give them an opportunity to restore their honor through hard service on the front lines.
Of course, not many nobles who received that punishment ever restored their honor.
While everyone else began at zero, those nobles began in the negatives.
To regain their former honor, they had to achieve military accomplishments far greater than ordinary ones.
[Of course, their families will not lose their right to reside in Sanctum Hill.]
At first glance, it might sound merciful.
But that was a mistake.
They were hostages.
The message was simple. Their families would be allowed to live in Sanctum Hill, so they had better not try anything foolish at the fortress.
If they betrayed the Empire, their families would pay the price.
“Has it been decided which fortress they will serve at?”
[Not yet, but I have an idea. As you know, since I reclaimed the strategic positions on the Southern Front, the south has stabilized. The other borders are not doing nearly as well. I hear the western fortresses are especially troubled.]
The prince spoke indifferently.
[I imagine they will serve in the west. Though he is the second son, he still carries a count’s bloodline, and they have military experience. They will find a way to survive.]
The prince finished speaking and picked up his spoon again.
While he ate, I remained silent.
Only after his bowl was empty did I speak again.
“...Your Highness. I am worried that I may have made an excessive request.”
[Excessive? What do you mean?]
I cautiously revealed my true feelings.
“I am concerned that I may have presumptuously borrowed Your Highness’s authority to settle a personal grievance.”
What I wanted from this incident was for justice to be served, not revenge.
The moment the punishment became an act of retaliation, it would invite further retaliation.
That retaliation would invite another retaliation....
In any case, it was the sort of vicious cycle that exhausted people.
My web of favors and grudges had become far too complicated lately, so it was a cycle I wanted to avoid.
As a doctor, I knew well how thoroughly such a cycle could wear people down.
“May I ask how people are usually punished in cases like this?”
There was a brief silence from the other side of the communications device.
Then a low, heavy laugh rang out.
[Heh heh... Hahaha!]
“...”
[Ah, forgive me. You were simply worrying in such a... yes. Such a Julian-like way.]
The prince stopped laughing, still sounding amused.
[You are far too upright for your own good. Rest assured. Not a single drop of personal feeling went into this punishment. Frontier penal service is the punishment for filing a false report. That is a serious violation of military law.]
“I apologize for doubting Your Highness.”
[No. You are simply too kind for your own good. If it had been me, I would have pleaded for an even harsher punishment.]
Huh?
There was an even harsher punishment than this?
“May I ask... what that harsher punishment would be?”
[Hmm. The first thing that comes to mind would be burning out their mana circuits and exiling them to H Sector in Limbus Pit.]
Huh?
That was possible too?
[You said your younger sister was caught up in this, correct? They could have used her to abduct you, then used you as a sacrifice for black magic. That could have endangered the imperial grandchild. With that justification, it would be possible to burn out that house’s mana circuits and exile them.]
“...”
[Or would you prefer that? Their punishment has not been finalized yet, so it is possible.]
I shook my head.
If that happened, my reputation would be destroyed first.
The young master of a baronial house who borrowed the prince’s authority to burn out an entire house’s mana circuits.
Just hearing the phrase made him sound like some scheming court official.
And there was the prince’s political position to consider.
If rumors spread that he had used his role as chief personnel officer at a young age to carry out punishment based on emotion, it would cause him trouble in many ways.
I did not want to punish them that badly.
“I am already deeply grateful for all the help Your Highness has given me.”
[If that is what you say... very well. We will conclude this with frontier penal service.]
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
[Now, enough of that matter.]
The prince’s tone lightened again.
[I contacted you because there is something I would like to propose.]
“A proposal?”
Surely he was not going to ask me to become his personal physician or Aster’s godfather again?
[Where should I begin...? Yes. Let us start with the cause of this incident. Do you know that a military tribunal was held over this matter?]
“Yes, I heard.”
[During the process, we uncovered much of what happened. First, the fortunate part is that the principal had not colluded with the black mage.]
“Is that so?”
[It was pure negligence. No bribes, no secret dealings. He was simply lazy. That is, in its own way, a surprising result.]
I was surprised too.
I had assumed he was receiving bribes behind the scenes.
To think it was pure incompetence.
In some ways, that was even more pathetic than collusion.
[According to the investigation, the Academy’s security system itself was not defective.]
“Then how was it breached?”
[It was a matter of security priorities.]
The prince continued as he sipped his after-dinner tea.
[As you know, demonkin are the Academy’s first security priority. Mimic-type magical beasts are second. Black mages are third.]
I knew that.
Black mages broke into the Academy all the time, yet I rarely heard that demonkin or magical beasts had infiltrated it.
That was because most Imperial military institutions placed their highest priority on preventing demonkin and magical beasts from entering.
The Academy was no exception.
Black mages knew that, which was why they targeted the relatively easy Academy grounds.
For the record, unless they were completely insane, black mages rarely targeted important military institutions.
That was when the knights who hunted magical beasts would come after them.
Looking at it this way, the whole thing felt like one enormous WWE match.
[As you know, the budget and personnel simply cannot cover defenses against black mages as well. And the cost is difficult to justify.]
That was true too.
Security was originally like rock-paper-scissors.
If you knew your opponent would bring scissors, you prepared rock.
But in this world, black magic was like someone pulling out a gun during rock-paper-scissors.
It could attack, but there was no particularly suitable way to block it.
And the cause of all this was....
“This began after Great Sage Louis destroyed the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month.”
It was because of my teacher.
After my teacher destroyed the black-magic Magic Tower several centuries ago, research into defenses against black magic had failed to advance very far.
Bulletproof vests were only invented after guns had been made.
But with the Magic Tower gone, no proper bulletproof vest against black magic had ever been developed.
That was also why the vaccine had received such an enthusiastic response.
It was the only countermeasure against plague curses that had previously been impossible to stop.
The prince gave a bitter smile.
[You have identified the issue precisely. As you said, after the Great Sage swept away the black-magic Magic Tower, black-magic research itself became taboo. Officially researching it is enough to have one treated as a heretic.]
“Black mages pass their knowledge down secretly underground, but nobody can research defensive techniques. As a result, the spear keeps getting sharper while the shield has remained unchanged for decades.”
[Exactly.]
Perhaps that was also related to why medicine had failed to develop.
Medical knowledge was already taboo, and this world had divine magic that could fix most things with a snap of the fingers.
It was only natural for medicine to have trouble advancing in a world like this.
[This Academy breach was also simply a matter of insufficient funding. Your report said they used a fairy ring. It appears they lacked adequate countermeasures against it.]
“...”
[Even so, the security breach itself can be taken into consideration. The military tribunal did take it into account. But they should not have reacted that way after the breach. At the very least, soldiers should have taken the situation seriously.]
The prince clicked his tongue as he looked over the report.
[According to the report, when the students disappeared, the principal attempted to handle it carelessly.]
The students were not valuable knights or nobles, only a handful of commoners.
So he had tried to handle the matter casually.
Of course, he could not have expected this outcome.
Contempt colored the prince’s face as he spoke.
[Those who learned tactics at desks instead of on battlefields are always like that. War is not a game of numbers. Tsk, tsk.]
In any case.
[As someone representing the military, I should apologize for this. I hope you will not be disappointed.]
“I am not disappointed, Your Highness. I know there are people like you in the military.”
[...Thank you.]
I heard the prince quietly exhale.
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
[That is why I contacted you today. I would like you to help develop defenses against black magic.]
“Me?”
[Lately, you and your fiancée have become famous in several ways. I hear you are skilled at investigating unsolved cases and incidents involving black magic.]
“Compared to my fiancée, I still have a great deal to learn.”
How could I possibly compare myself to Charlotte?
But the prince did not seem to think so.
[I heard that in this incident, you inferred the use of a fairy ring merely from hearing the account, then identified their base within a day. The Academy’s self-proclaimed experts spent an entire day and found only a single trace of mana.]
“It is nothing remarkable.”
I could not deny that.
The rumor had been deliberately spread as part of separating Julian from Director Schun.
It seemed the prince had taken note of that rumor.
[That is why I intend to establish a black-magic defense course in the Academy’s Academic Division.]
The Academic Division.
The final educational course that produced heroes and knights.
If the Academy’s High Division was equivalent to high school, the Academic Division was the sort of academy found in classic fantasy stories.
Academies with Academic Divisions held a very important place in the Empire.
The Empire’s core professions, including heroes, healers, knights, and officials, were produced through this Academic Division.
That was why even the military, which half-neglected the High Division, took a strong interest in the Academic Division.
[It will teach future heroes how to track black mages and defend against them. It is an area nobody has taught before.]
“That is an excellent idea. If my advice can help, I would gladly assist.”
Helping establish a black-magic course was manageable.
In fact, it was exactly what I wanted.
I could quietly add my name to the list of people who had helped establish the course.
“Then do you have someone to teach it?”
[I do.]
The prince chuckled briefly.
[You are speaking to him right now.]
“...”
The instant I heard those words.
I slowly closed my eyes.
Yes. It had finally come.
The event where they put a leash around the neck of a protagonist in one of those misunderstanding stories, always yearning for freedom and trying to escape.
Footnotes:
Buster Call is a reference to One Piece, where the term refers to summoning overwhelming naval firepower.
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