[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero":3,"chapter-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-39":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Became the Academy’s War Hero",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1531746,1990,"Chapter 39 : You Were Much More of a Trash Than I Thought? (2)","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-39",39,"\u003Cp>Chapter 39: You Were Much More of a Trash Than I Thought? (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark clouds loomed in the gloomy sky, as if rain might pour down at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a flock of crows cut through the clouds, a thunderclap followed in their wake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took about an hour from Sentre Station to reach today’s destination—the Bernhardt Family’s fifth villa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the estate and traveling quite a distance by carriage, they finally arrived at the villa furthest from the central area. It was a moment that made him acutely aware of the wealth and power the family had accumulated over the centuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying his best to hide his tension, Jeff climbed the stairs with a stiff face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the butler waiting at the entrance saw him, he bowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a long time, Your Excellency, Marquis Halenber.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm. Is the young lady inside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir. Please, allow me to escort you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the butler pushed the grand door open with force, an unpleasant creak echoed through the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, servants were busily moving to and fro across the lobby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floor was completely covered with a crimson carpet, so pristine that not even a single footprint could be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I shall escort you to the chamber, Your Excellency.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following another butler who took over, Jeff ascended to the second floor, where an unusually large banquet hall caught his eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every piece of silverware and glass, as well as the dishes and wine, were arranged with perfect precision—enough to inspire admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they arrived at the entrance to the guest chamber next to the banquet hall, the butler suddenly stopped, as though he had reached an invisible boundary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a signal that he could go no further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, I wish you good fortune, sir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t exactly something a servant should say before his master’s meeting, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeff chuckled softly and entered the guest chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four people sat around a long, oval table. The seat at the head of the table—just as expected—was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh-ho, Marquis Halenber! You never fail to attend, do you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while, Burgard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is our first time meeting in person. Kael Weinhard, at your service.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pleasure to meet you, Weinhard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alan Dawson, Your Excellency. It’s been a year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as he exchanged brief pleasantries with the three family heads, one man among them did not so much as glance his way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others, too, seemed uninterested—none of them gave the man a single look, continuing their conversations amongst themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, three more people arrived, making a total of eight present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, they idly chatted for some time, waiting for her arrival—discussing the current political climate, the difficulty of managing their residents, their children’s education, and other trivial matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After roughly thirty minutes of such meaningless talk, it was finally time for the host to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you all for coming without delay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a side door at the corner of the guest chamber, a woman with long, straight hair appeared, prompting everyone present to rise instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My name is Chloe Bernhardt. A pleasure to meet you all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With graceful poise, she lifted her skirt slightly and bent her knees in a subtle curtsey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the attendees bowed their heads at various angles, Chloe strode forward and took her seat at the head of the table, elegantly crossing her legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now then… shall we begin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the bright smile curving her lips, the murderous glint in her eyes could not be hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe Bernhardt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourth daughter of the Bernhardt Family, currently in charge of attire and the arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gifted with exceptional aesthetic sense, she occasionally displayed remarkable talent as a designer—but since she quickly lost interest in nearly everything, her body of work was not extensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even among the Bernhardt direct line—who were already notorious for their constant infighting—Chloe’s hostility toward her kin was extreme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, her relationship with her elder sister, Michel Bernhardt, was so infamous among the nobility that some said, “It won’t end until one of them dies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She possessed a beauty that exuded both youth and elegance, a firm footing in her field, the status of a Bernhardt direct descendant, and was still remarkably young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wouldn’t have been strange if she received daily marriage proposals from noble heirs, yet in her case, there wasn’t even the faintest talk of an arranged marriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, her personality was so vile that all her advantages amounted to nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, more than ten families under Bernhardt’s domain had been expelled simply for displeasing her during meetings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even heads of houses old enough to be her father could do little more than stammer in her presence—a scene that repeated itself time and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether she knew or simply didn’t care, Chloe looked over the attendees with a chilling smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You all hate useless chatter as much as I do, don’t you? Let’s get straight to the point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As several heads nodded exaggeratedly, she rested her chin on her hand and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Begin the briefing on the Hockma supply situation, Marquis Halenber.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeff took a brief, steadying breath and recalled the report he had prepared on his way here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Counting tomorrow’s shipment, a total of 420 crates—approximately 4,000 kilograms of Hockma—have been imported.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Manufacturing status?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Currently, about 800,000 doses have been completed, with an additional 200,000 in production.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One million doses… that’s about 10 kilograms?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe nodded silently, then turned her sharp gaze toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was distribution under Burgard’s jurisdiction? How was it proceeding?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, yes. I will report.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Burgard also took as steady a breath as he could and began his explanation in a calm tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That is all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe had looked displeased throughout the report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tapped the table and designated the next reporter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How were things in the lobby?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Smooth. We were contacting and continuing negotiations with eight houses, including Raymond’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Questions kept coming after that, but most of them were practically interrogations—seemingly waiting for any slip-up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching his colleagues struggle yet somehow continue answering, I sighed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Cooperation, my foot. This was utter belittlement.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As evidence, the longer the meeting went on the more the attendees’ shoulders visibly drooped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To show they had no intention of challenging Bernhardt’s authority, they bowed their heads as deeply as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe, who had been enjoying that sight for some time, finally clapped lightly as if satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As expected, our house heads. You are doing excellently. I asked just in case, but there’s nothing to worry about.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahaha….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Awkward laughter and scattered applause echoed around the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Hockma issue—the purpose of this meeting—was proceeding without a hitch, it seemed safe to loosen the reins a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe snapped her fingers and summoned the butlers and maids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As pastries and teacups began to appear on the table one by one, the house heads finally relaxed and exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, they constantly checked Chloe’s expression, tirelessly signaling that they were not offending her mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the others conversed, Chloe called me aside to the next seat and began a private conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you think the Karbenna situation was like these days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believed it wasn’t bad. I’d recently received reports of movements through my son.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say there’s someone stirring up trouble in various places.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Are you referring to Eugene Carter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I think that was the name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feigning ignorance despite knowing everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I touched my mouth and answered casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I couldn’t confirm it firsthand, so I can’t be certain, but he wasn’t someone to be left alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought so too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chloe smiled with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard a bit myself. I should go pay him a visit sometime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A visit… you mean a greeting?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, a greeting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smile full of menace came as a bonus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it was unlikely to be an ordinary greeting, I only replied with an embarrassed smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the notes Lea had left, I focused on concretizing the current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several incidents were entangled at once, and with more than twenty people involved, there were countless variables to consider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I was roughly finishing that organization—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the door suddenly burst open without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff… huff….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Francia Brida.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Instructor… you knew… everything, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked unusually flushed and excited, as if something had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knew everything….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had my suspicions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pushed the notes aside and tilted my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know what you mean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you stop me in the training ground?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t want to see someone die outside the battlefield.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Not because you mistook the person I was meant to take revenge on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed she had noticed that Eric was adopted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There hadn’t been any meaningful information sharing, though.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had there been some trigger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I touched my mouth and leaned back, asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, do you know now? Who you should take revenge on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s vague, of course. That was inevitable. While you had been single-mindedly focused on honing yourself, the true culprits had cunningly hidden behind a veil.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment she lost everything and had no one to rely on, she had instinctively decided to rely on herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She devoted herself to endless self-discipline so she could become that person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wouldn’t have been able to endure otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the condition of not giving up revenge, it had been the best choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood and sympathized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To truly accomplish the goal, she had to take one more step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had to face that ugly truth—almost a trauma—and overcome it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I didn’t expect she’d take the next step so quickly, though.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the Hockma incident, another opportunity like this had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even considering that, it was surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could do anything, she had judged for herself and come all this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It really was so fitting of someone named Francia Brida.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Francia continue to struggle over how to answer, I smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cadet No. 12.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were rather lucky, weren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The bastards who had slyly hidden their faces have begun to show them again after a long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a golden chance to crush those arrogant scum with my own hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my words, cracks gradually began to show in Francia’s expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So then….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drove a wedge in with my proposal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Would you consider forming a joint front, Francia Brida?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An offer she could not refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>",1736,"2026-06-06T06:11:51.613Z",1,"novelbin.me","004e9dc3184b4d82aa3e33f79e77dea3c90dcc3fbd7a063cd1d7bf04fc42c645","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-40","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-38",163,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-cover.jpg"]