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Though it was the uniform of the headquarters, it was the type worn by low-ranking officers. Moreover, by the time someone reached their 30s, they usually had at least one epaulet on their shoulder, but he had none. This was proof that he was from the very bottom of the hierarchy.

‘He must be from the Schlaphe Hall. And not just from there, but the absolute dregs.’

The man probably came here to reminisce, for it wasn’t uncommon for graduates to return to visit.

“You seem to be treating that student a little too harshly,” said the middle-aged man with a blink.

Meldon let go of the collar and was about to bow his head. After all, the man was his senior, and as long as he was still active, it was necessary to show a certain degree of respect.

“Hello, Senior.”

Meldon’s respectful greeting came out smoothly, but what followed was a subtle pressure to stay out of his affairs.

“If it appeared that way, I apologize, but this is all to establish discipline.”

Frost Heart Academy had a strict hierarchy. The dormitories, run on a ranking system, were just one example. The professors implicitly encouraged disciplining and even punishing underclassmen in the name of maintaining order.

“Tradition must be upheld, don’t you agree?”

Having said this much, the man should have understood. The culture of punishment used to be even worse in the old days, so it would have been ingrained in his bones, whether he liked it or not. Especially if he came from the Schlaphe Hall, not the prestigious Buerger house.

But the middle-aged man seemed displeased, approaching with a serious expression.

“I thought things had improved since my time. Was I mistaken? For now, please take a step back from the student.”

At that, a male senior standing nearby spoke up in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Senior or not, aren’t you interfering a bit too much with our policies? This is all to keep the academy running smoothly.”

“Yes, hierarchy is indeed important. And, of course, it is right to impose appropriate punishment if rules are broken. But punishing someone merely because you’re irritated is wrong.”

The middle-aged man’s calm and deliberate speech prompted a female senior to ask in a snappy tone.

“Are you saying we’re bullying this student for no reason?”

“What I’m saying is that you’re not following the proper procedure. If you’re going to punish someone, you should explain what they did wrong and ensure they understand before carrying out the punishment. You can’t just grab someone’s collar without explanation, like you’re doing.”

Meldon quietly considered what grounds they had for punishment.

‘Disrespect and bad attitude? But that’s not enough to justify hitting someone just out of frustration…’

At that moment, the female senior decided to flaunt her authority.

“Wow, I was being polite because you’re a senior. Hey, do you even know who we are? We’re part of the Ten Elites. After graduation, we might be your superiors.”

The middle-aged man’s eyes widened.

Encouraged by his reaction, the female senior pressed on.

“You’re with the headquarters, right? My brother works there too. If I say the word, you know what could happen.”

Respect for a senior only applied to those of similar rank. Once a gap in rank appeared, the hierarchy would reset itself. The middle-aged man squinted his eyes, perhaps feeling some tension. ʀ

“…What’s your brother’s name?”

“Does it matter? What’s important is that I remember your face. I don’t even need to know your name to figure out who you are. How many low-ranking men like you are still around at your age?”

The female senior turned to Meldon and shouted.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to drag him off?”

“Oh, yes.”

Meldon grabbed the collar again. Only then did Hersel, whose soul seemed to have left his body, regain his senses and snap his eyes open. As soon as he came to, the first thing he saw was Meldon, grumbling with his head slightly turned.

“Seriously, is he covering for him just because they’re from the same loser house?”

Hersel despaired, realizing that everything he had seen wasn’t just a bad dream.

‘Is this really happening…?’

***

At a high enough rank, you could behead someone with just a flick of your hand. They had failed to recognize their situation and were acting out in front of such a powerful figure.

“Let go of his collar,” Arental said to the man holding my collar. The woman next to him frowned deeply.

“Old man, didn’t you hear me? Should I have you transferred to some desolate corner of the wilderness?”

This was the result of the professors pampering and coddling their Ten Elites students, practically raising them like golden children. Being spoiled for so long, they had lost all sense of propriety.

‘These insane fools.’

‘Heh, this situation is turning out to be quite amusing.’

“Don’t laugh, Donatan… this is a pretty serious situation right now.”

Because of those lunatics, the support we were supposed to receive might turn into nothing. The only relief is that Arental is a person of gentle character, not someone who would break a promise just because he’s in a bad mood.

If no high-ranking officials accompanying this man witness this, we might be able to get through this crisis smoothly. I opened my mouth, ready to say something to handle the situation.

“Ahem, Aren—”

But my words were cut off again as a tremor shook my pupils. The woman’s sharp, high-pitched voice seemed to have reached outside, because a clerk was now watching the situation from the threshold of the indoor garden—with an incredibly piercing gaze.

“…Did I just hear you spewing that nonsense to the lord?”

Her icy voice froze the entire room. The “Golden Children” finally seemed to realize what was happening, seeing the high-ranking uniform she was wearing, and quickly bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“S-sorry!”

“We didn’t mean to be noisy!”

“We apologize!”

Even though they apologized with desperate voices, the clerk’s sharp gaze showed no sign of softening. She likely found their earlier mistake unforgivable.

“Why are you apologizing to me? It seems like the person you should apologize to is someone else.”

They hurriedly bowed their heads toward Arental and apologized in rapid succession.

“Ah, we sincerely apologize for the rudeness earlier.”

“I said something excessive without knowing the situation. I’m very sorry.”

“We promise this will never happen again…”

However, the commotion did not merely end as a ripple on calm waters; it seemed to have spread like waves. There were others who came, having heard the noise.

“…Those idiots.”

It was Professor Gomon, quietly observing with shifty eyes, and Rockefeller, glaring as if he wanted to kill them. The clerk took this chance to address Rockefeller.

“It seems there are many problems with your education policies. Even if the lord is wearing a simple uniform, these students, who don’t even hold a rank yet—”

“I deeply apologize on behalf of these students, Lady Noras. Those who dared to act so disrespectfully towards an Elder will be punished by me personally.”

At the mention of the word “Elder” from Rockefeller’s mouth, the faces of the “Golden Children” turned pale. In their heads, the events of just moments ago must have been flashing by, and their lives were likely passing before their eyes as well. The female senior who had been the most brazen earlier seemed to realize she was completely done for and began to sob.

But there was no way someone like Rockefeller, who was a sociopath, would have any sympathy for something like that.

“Don’t think you’ll receive a light punishment just because you’re part of the Ten Elites. And don’t think showing tears will make me feel sorry for you. By the time I’m done, you’ll wish you’d been sentenced to death instead.”

The cold look in Rockefeller’s dead eyes made even me shudder. As the “Golden Children” trembled and whimpered, Arental smiled bitterly.

“Haha, Noras, Rockefeller, there’s no need to be so harsh on the kids. This all happened because I concealed my identity and wore these clothes, didn’t it? Oh, of course, this uniform is still splendid.”

As Arental tried to smooth things over, Noras, his assistant and the clerk, smiled sweetly.

“Yes, if that’s what you say, Lord Arental.”

However, the glance she shot at the “Golden Children” clearly conveyed the message: “Don’t think this will end here.”

Unaware of this, Arental approached Rockefeller.

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? How have you been?”

“Yes, Lord Arental, more than well—almost undeservingly so.”

It seemed they had some acquaintance from before. As they chatted, Arental took out his pocket watch.

“Oh my, we’ve been delayed here too long. Hersel Ben Tenest must have been waiting for quite some time. Let’s go at once.”

At the mention of my name, Rockefeller looked between me and Arental with a startled expression.

“…Ahem, Hersel Ben Tenest is over there.”

Arental’s eyes widened, and as he looked at my face, he grabbed his stomach and burst into laughter.

He probably hadn’t realized I was Hersel. I hadn’t mentioned it because it seemed too foolish to say, “I’m the one you’re here to reward” without being asked.

“Haha, what a basic mistake on my part. Now that I think about it, I never asked your name.”

I finally managed to speak calmly to Arental.

“Let me introduce myself again. I am Hersel Ben Tenest.”

“Hmm. No wonder you seemed familiar—you do resemble the Grand Duke.”

Arental smiled broadly and turned as if to leave.

“Now then, let’s start the awarding ceremony. Noras, please bring the formal robes for the ceremony.”

“Yes, Lord Arental.”

It seemed Arental was preparing to conduct the ceremony properly. It would indeed be inappropriate for him to wear such a low-ranking uniform.

“You go ahead and get ready. I’ll prepare everything here,” he said before leaving the indoor garden.

During that time, Professor Gomon whispered in my ear.

“We really dodged a bullet, thanks to you.”

He seemed pleased that I had made Arental laugh.

“Even without me, the result would have been the same. The Lord doesn’t seem like the type to get angry over something like this.”

“No, I mean the restoration work. I didn’t think we’d finish it in time.”

“I merely followed the instructions step by step.”

With that, I shot a sharp look at the “Golden Children.” Their shoulders flinched, and they raised their heads.

“Did you guys eat something rotten while in the Demonic Realm? You’ve gone completely mad.”

Their faces twisted with humiliation. I let out a scoff in disbelief.

“Even though they know perfectly well what just happened, they’re acting proud out of their petty pride. They must know I’m the one receiving the award, but they’re probably reacting out of jealousy.”

“How childish.”

Just as I was about to say something more, Rockefeller used telekinesis to lift them into the air.

“Punishment is the professor’s job, Hersel Ben Tenest.”

With that, he disappeared, taking the “Golden Children” with him. After some time had passed, I was summoned. Leaving behind the supportive Professor Gomon, I made my way to the headmaster’s office.

***

I had just returned to the dormitory after finishing my business. As soon as I stepped in, Athera came rushing up to me, his face pale as he asked,

“D-did my name come up at all?”

“Why would your name come up, senior?”

“Please, just tell me. Whether it was with the elder or the professors. Did they mention me?”

“No, they didn’t. Why?”

Athera’s complexion brightened as if she had narrowly escaped death, and she asked again.

“Really? For sure, they didn’t mention my name?”

“Yeah, seriously. Now stop bothering me and go away.”

I couldn’t figure out what was making her act like this. The fact that she mentioned the elder… Could it be that she was involved in the mess the “Golden Children” caused?

Well, it’s already been resolved, and it’s in the past now.

As I walked away from Athera, this time Ricks, Limberton, and Aslay approached me. Limberton, in a nervous voice, spoke first.

“Hersel, is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“Well… there’s this strange rumor going around that you might be leaving soon.”

Has the rumor spread already? I wondered if someone had overheard something, but that didn’t seem likely. Listening in on a conversation with an elder would be a suicide mission.

It was probably just speculation. After all, when someone with a high status comes to award a mere student, it’s natural to assume it might be a scouting offer.

“Well, they did make an offer. They said I could graduate early and start working immediately.”

“So, you’re really going to graduate?”

Limberton, Ricks, and Aslay smiled, but their eyes trembled slightly. I responded nonchalantly.

“Yeah.”

“Really? Wow, that’s great, right?” Limberton said, trying to lift the mood.

Ricks and Aslay nodded in agreement, but before they could say anything more, I revealed how long I’d be staying.

“In two and a half years.”

“What?”

“Hersel, you mean…”

Their faces dropped with disappointment, and they let out a deep sigh, their lips twitching as if they were trying to suppress a smile. Limberton couldn’t hold back his laughter and said,

“Man, you scared us!”

Ricks added a nonsensical comment.

“Hersel, maybe you don’t actually want to be separated from us, huh?”

Don’t be ridiculous. If it were up to me, I’d leave immediately. The only reason I haven’t left yet is because I need to keep an eye on Frost Heart after the disappearance of the ‘Crimson Magic Book’.

I swallowed the words I wanted to say and let out a deep sigh.

“I’m feeling a bit tired. I think I’ll call it a day.”

I walked toward my room with slightly sluggish steps. But they, still full of curiosity, kept following me, bombarding me with questions.

“So, what kind of position did they offer you?”

“Just the commander of a new unit.”

“Commander? That sounds pretty impressive.”

“Well, yeah, something like that. But I’m really tired, so I’ll head in.”

I had a lot on my mind and needed some time alone.

As I reached my door, I overheard some girls talking as they passed by.

“Did you hear about the special transfer student coming?”

“Yeah, but there’s no way, right? It’s just a rumor, right? There’s no way that ‘she’s’ coming?”

The one they were gossiping about wasn’t just any transfer student. Soon, a special admissions student would arrive here, someone who was crucial to the ‘Asares’ scenario—and extremely dangerous.

If I want to stay out of trouble, I’ll need to figure out how to handle this situation.

***

Inside the carriage headed to the headquarters, Clerk Noras cautiously asked,

“Forgive me if I’m being presumptuous, but I think it’s fortunate that he turned down your offer.”

Arental, looking at the fortress disappearing in the distance, replied,

“Is it because of the other elders?”

“Yes, exactly. No matter how new the unit may be, offering him a commander’s position? Hersel Ben Tenest is still a student who hasn’t even graduated yet.”

The position of commander is a high-ranking post reserved only for the most recognized veterans. To push someone straight from early graduation into a field command position would undoubtedly stir up all kinds of rumors within headquarters.

Yet Arental remained calm in his stance.

“You’ve seen the report on the ‘Demonic Realm’ exercise, haven’t you? I believe my offer wasn’t wrong.”

Noras fell silent for a moment. The report from the professors detailed not just how Hersel had hunted down the instructor, but also how he had recruited the Adele Hall to cooperate and used unconventional tactics to capture the Roaming Band. His abilities as a leader were clearly extraordinary.

“Indeed, that was certainly impressive, but still…”

“In any case, he declined. It seems he wants to take his time to think it over.”

Noras decided not to pursue the matter further. It was all in the past now, since Hersel had already turned down the offer.

After a long silence, Arental spoke up again.

“Oh, by the way, it seems she’ll be enrolling at Frost Heart soon.”

“Enrolling? You don’t mean…”

“Yes, Duke Dortian has finally made his decision.”

Noras stiffened, pressing his back against the chair in shock.

“So it’s true? The infamous monstrous villainess, Dorosian?”

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