[{"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-80":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},1531687,1990,"Chapter 80 : Bombshell Declaration (2)","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-80",80,"\u003Cp>Chapter 80: Bombshell Declaration (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murmur, murmur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the very start, my bombshell declaration sent ripples of unrest through the audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They couldn’t have expected me to dive straight into the main topic like this.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As proof, Jeff Halenber couldn’t give any response—he merely brushed his lips with his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have nothing to say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pressed once more, Jeff squeezed out a reply as if being wrung dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No, I do not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must still be debating which side to take to ensure his own survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, allow me to speak in your stead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I boldly pointed toward Bernhardt’s faction as I continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go back in time—to when Halenber first obtained the Albe Sea trading rights from Bernhardt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Receiving one of Bernhardt’s most lucrative enterprises—there’s no doubt about your capability. The number of smuggling cases has decreased, and you even reformed Raus’ long-neglected trading site. Wouldn’t you say so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Edel had done before, I too wielded both carrot and stick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps thinking I was siding with him, Jeff finally opened his heavy mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That’s right. I’m willing to make all past transactions public. Our Halenber family has nothing to hide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How kind of him—to dig his own grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But there’s one thing that puzzles me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeff, who had been holding his head high, flinched at my words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did a family that never once operated outside of Levinel manage to secure trading rights in a distant port region?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bernhardt, who owns territories across the Empire, would face no such difficulties. But Halenber… isn’t in the same position, is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What exactly are you implying?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m wondering if there might have been some sort of secret deal between Bernhardt and Halenber.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, hostility began to rise in Jeff’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A deal? What deal are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he really need me to spell it out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I feigned ignorance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wouldn’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I merely suggested a possibility, Marquis. A reasonable suspicion based on logical inference.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should stop trying to stir public opinion with baseless rumors, Colonel Carter. I’ve already told you—we have nothing to hide. Our transaction records can be disclosed anytime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Records that may or may not reflect what actually transpired.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Your suspicion goes too far. If you question everything like that, what could anyone possibly trust?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as our argument was heating up—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edel Ribenia finally spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should take responsibility for your words, shouldn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled, glancing between Jeff and me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it turns out that one of the Eight Great Houses has committed illegal acts… the Imperial Court will hold both of you accountable for your claims. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that could wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A week ago, I received an anonymous letter,” she said, pulling a small note from her breast pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The message was simple: ‘No one in the Empire is free from Hokhma’s grasp anymore—not even the ladies of the Eight Great Houses or the cadets of the Royal Academy.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she had been preparing this for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely thirty minutes had passed, and she was already bringing out her second bombshell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As proof, the faces of all those involved with Hokhma under Karbenna—including Jeff—began to stiffen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Academy is the Empire’s future and hope. If even that place has been tainted by Hokhma, then it’s a crisis for the entire Empire. We cannot overlook it. If necessary, we will conduct an investigation and seizure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She extended her hand toward me and the Karbenna members behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyone wish to make a statement regarding this matter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the silence, one person firmly raised his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Eric Halenber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped out of the orb and approached him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Show them what you’ve got, sword dancer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded resolutely and rose from his seat with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing the baton to him, I returned to my seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lea, sitting behind me, poked my back and whispered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not a bad start.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eric, standing at the podium after me, awkwardly tapped the orb a few times before speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eric Halenber. Fourth son of the Halenber family and a second-year cadet candidate of Karbenna.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edel maintained her benevolent smile, signaling for him to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Karbenna, I was carrying out a certain task.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of task?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A task to bring a particular item into Karbenna.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And what was that item?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just when the decisive blow was about to land—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eric suddenly fell silent, like a mouse that had seen a cat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cadet Eric Halenber?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kh… Ugh…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, clutching his chest, he collapsed on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Eric Halenber writhed in pain on the floor, the standby medical team immediately rushed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of Karbenna’s faculty members hurried toward him as well, but his condition showed no sign of improvement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the prestigious Imperial Summit—while the Princess herself stood on stage—such a sudden seizure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone could see that foul play was involved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who the hell would do something like this…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lea, helpless to act, could only vent her anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While everyone, including Eugene, was struggling to find a way out of the situation—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…What is that?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Francia Brida could clearly see it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That indescribable, alien flow of mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…A thread?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took the shape of a line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was faint enough to disappear if I lost focus for even a moment, but it was definitely a line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thin, crimson line stretched from Eric to the opposite side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the other end stood Jeff Halenber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the gathered crowd, Jeff could only watch his son’s life and death from several paces away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were bloodshot red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some might think that it was because he was overcome with fear that his son might die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the opponent here was Jeff Halenber—the cold-blooded man himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were his real son, maybe—but there was no way he’d feel that kind of emotion for his adopted one, Eric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a dreadful possibility began to surface in Francia’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A possibility she never wanted to believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Don’t tell me… you’re planning to kill Eric?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know the method, but once someone like him decided to kill, that was all that mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What mattered was that Jeff had more than enough power to do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have to tell them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was Instructor Carter, he would surely know what to do—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as she was about to rush toward Eugene, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of his bewildered eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way he would be bluffing in a situation like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That look—was genuine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Instructor Carter hadn’t anticipated this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What the hell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there really no one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All these powerful figures gathered from across the Empire—and yet, they couldn’t even save one boy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ggh… Gghrk…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eric’s lips, already foaming, began to tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face had gone ghostly pale, and blood streamed down from his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clear sign of approaching death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Francia Brida drew her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even to herself, it was an inexplicable action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why draw her sword?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sword could only cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she wanted to save him—with medicine, with magic—surely there were better options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could she possibly do with just that blade?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To that self-question, Francia clenched her hands tight around the hilt and raised the sword high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’ll cut it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would slice apart that crimson thread of mana binding Eric Halenber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once she’d made up her mind, she charged straight into the crowded scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lone girl suddenly unsheathing a sword and rushing forward—everyone instinctively backed away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Francia?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only one who didn’t panic was Eugene, who was closely watching Eric’s condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the slightest hesitation, she thrust her raised sword down toward Eric’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack! Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade, glowing a dull reddish hue, bore hastily carved, indecipherable letters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had expected the enemy to render Eric Halenber incapacitated in some way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would’ve been best to prevent it, but even failure wasn’t a major issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I had discussed with him, even if Eric were to die from an “unfortunate accident,” we had already secured plenty of witnesses to take his place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when he suddenly foamed at the mouth and collapsed, I didn’t lose my composure despite having no immediate solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, I might have felt a bit relieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To attempt to silence a witness in such a public setting—how desperate could they be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet what truly caught me off guard was Francia Brida.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, she had aimed her sword at Eric’s chest and struck down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a ripping sound, a surge of powerful mana burst from the boy’s torso.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wh-What is that?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the crimson haze that had risen vanished like dust in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the faint, lingering trace of mana remained as evidence of her act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that wasn’t all—I witnessed another change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>※ [Francia Brida] has acquired a new title: [One Who Cuts Through Corruption].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>※ A new ability has been added to [Copy Slot].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was one of Francia Brida’s defining traits—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The awakening of a demon-slaying swordmaster who could cut through all things impure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>― Never thought I’d face a demon-slaying swordsman twice in one lifetime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Agreed.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Clina, who appeared the moment I opened my message window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting out a faint sigh, I asked inwardly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That boy Eric—he almost died because of a curse, right?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>― Not certain, but I’d say over ninety percent, yes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then why didn’t you act sooner? You’re the expert here.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>― You didn’t seem to want my help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘……’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>― Besides, even if I’d identified the cause, there was no cure. I didn’t want to burden you with a problem that couldn’t be solved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…You did well.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every life was precious, yes—but frankly speaking, within MAGA, the boy’s role wasn’t all that crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If sacrificing one life could bring about Francia’s second awakening, it was a risk worth taking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the end, we’d even saved him—there couldn’t have been a better outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Eric’s complexion return to normal, I smiled in satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It’s fine now, Francia.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wh-What just happened…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it had been instinct, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps a desperate urge to save him had forcibly awakened her latent potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I picked up the fallen sword and slid it back into the sheath at her waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just saved someone who was about to die. Well done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That said—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I comforted her, I turned my gaze to the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There stood Jeff Halenber, stepping back, unable to hide his shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-That’s impossible…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s impossible is your humanity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gathered strength into my legs and closed the distance in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grabbing him by the collar, I glared into his eyes with killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Listen carefully. From this moment on, you’ve got two choices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I raised one finger at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One—you get charged for attempted murder and rot in prison alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two—you dance with a sword and walk out alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, what’ll it be?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1842,"2026-06-06T06:11:51.334Z",1,"novelbin.me","44f4250ad828407dcea096b7069650e525b4c1ba904b8addb4ad560bcf872230","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-81","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-79",163,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-cover.jpg"]