[{"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-93":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},1531700,1990,"Chapter 93 : Butterfly Effect (4)","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-93",93,"\u003Cp>Chapter 93: Butterfly Effect (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A day earlier, Sunday afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubia and I, who had been camping out in the library, received a letter from the Magic Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sender was Gustav, Master of Duel Mallet’s Magic Tower, and to summarize the contents—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—“I’ll visit Karbenna around 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. Let’s have a meeting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from that, the letter was so full of rambling chatter that both sides of the stationery were crammed with text.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What do you think the purpose of the visit is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Considering he mentioned a meeting, it seems he wants to discuss the schedule and agreements for the technology exchange…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were all, he wouldn’t be in such a hurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There might be some new information as well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Information…? Like what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whatever it is, it won’t be bad news for us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as I held his weakness, Gustav could never betray us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For him, nothing was more important than his own position and safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t break the cooperative relationship, he would only try to strengthen it further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The firmer his faction stood, the higher his chances of survival—he knew that well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Things are really going to get noisy from tomorrow, in more ways than one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying that, Rubia carefully asked, watching me dive back into the book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That aside… have you made any progress?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not yet. Not at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shook my head, brushing against the tall row of books beside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that the technology exchange has resumed, let’s go through the Magic Tower’s collection as well. There has to be a breakthrough somewhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hope so, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closing the book she had been reading, I asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There haven’t been any cases of anyone successfully commanding an S-rank beast or higher, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And obviously no case of resurrecting one either?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…If there had been, governments and academia all over the world would have gone mad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, this was an age where even research on evil spirits—creatures considered less instinctual and malignant than beasts—was nearly nonexistent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humanity had learned quite a bit about the traits and abilities of beasts, but had only reached the stage of understanding and reproducing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the most skilled beast tamers could barely manage to control B-rank beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as for curses and similar unholy magics—less than twenty percent of their nature was even understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So what we need is a discovery that overturns the established common sense entirely…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>MAGA had been a game that was remarkably detailed about backgrounds and world-building, but it still focused mostly on the backstories of the playable characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as one of the game’s most dedicated veterans, I possessed almost no information on this matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…The clue must be in the lost memories, then.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d have to visit the Special Task Force again soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having reached that conclusion after two days, I began returning the books one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were so many that it took nearly twenty minutes to put them all back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, Professor Rubia, what were you looking for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I tried to peek at the book’s contents, Rubia hurriedly closed it and hid it in her arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll tell you later. It’s a secret for now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Understood. Well then, I’ll go eat and get some rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, will you be eating alone today? I don’t have much of an appetite…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded and gently patted her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry too much about anything. Everything will be fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be sure not to be late tomorrow morning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. See you then, Eugene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, back to the present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing beside Rubia and me were Gustav and Meriel, and the opposing side fell silent, jaws slack in astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Michel gestured toward us and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s with the surprise? You said you wanted a technology exchange—of course we had to invite them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-That’s…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come, take your seats. We still have much to discuss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We quickly took the empty seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frederick gave us a brief rundown of the situation for those who had arrived late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, it was the usual extortion story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we expelled Rubia and me and cut ties with Mallet, they threatened to cut off the education funding they’d been providing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he used ventriloquism to quietly ask me,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you really anticipate this, Carter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I muttered back in the same hidden tone,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…To some extent, yes. Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Chairwoman said as much—‘Just as Instructor Carter predicted.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After losing most of their justification over Halenber and the Hokhma incident, I had been certain the Bernhardt Family’s next move would be financial pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I hadn’t told Michel this directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, she must have bluffed—and since she played it so naturally the moment I entered, her bluff had become reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely suppressed a laugh as I watched the flustered opponents, unable to decide where to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Less than a week after the summit, and they’re already resorting to open threats? How sloppy can they get?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging from such reckless and emotional behavior—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this had to be another one of Chloe Bernhardt’s schemes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The Bernhardts must have a real headache. To think an idiot like that holds a direct seat in the family.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Imperial Court suffer similar troubles, it was clear this era truly lacked capable people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In another sense, Chloe’s choice was far too reckless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As proof, I exchanged glances with Gustav and continued,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Karbenna’s tuition is entirely free. While this is possible thanks to Imperial support, it’s mainly because each cadet’s family contributes massive educational subsidies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, the stiff expressions of the parents began to ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Y-Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, well. Looks like you’re more reasonable than I thought, Instructor Carter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were quick to agree over such a minor concession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feigning a troubled look, I turned toward Dale and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we lose their support, Karbenna’s finances would take quite a hit, wouldn’t they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hmm. In the long run, losing a consistent source of funding would certainly be damaging.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In that case…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing the moment, I revealed my trump card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If there were others willing to cover the educational subsidies in their place, there’d be no problem at all, correct?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, an outcry erupted from across the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our support exceeds thirty thousand Riben every year! You’re saying there’s another group willing to replace us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring their red-faced outrage, I didn’t even bother looking in their direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply kept staring to his left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Gustav stood up from his seat, looking resigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hand was an official document from the Duel Headquarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is an official letter from Headquarters. You should check the contents yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, what could it be—just a letter from the penniless Magic Tower’s HQ… huh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opposing side, who had been skimming through the document, gasped before they even finished reading it and dropped the paper onto the table in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the paper slid toward our side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I confirmed the full text, I responded with a smile brimming with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To convince the still-skeptical audience, Gustav repeated the key passage once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Applauding the Empire’s new choice… the Duel Headquarters will support the forefront of Imperial education, Carvena, with a total of 250,000 Riben over five years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The balance of the situation had completely tipped to our side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I looked at the parents, who sat in dazed silence, I recalled the conversation I had with that rascal Gustav two hours ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Duel Headquarters is funding an Imperial academy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An unprecedented case. It’s the shortest execution period and the highest amount ever granted to the Empire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Did you pull some kind of trick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And who exactly would that benefit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, if it helps Carvena, it helps Mallet too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no guarantee of that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, the people at Headquarters aren’t the type a half-baked Tower Master could sweet-talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a fairly accurate self-assessment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…We can figure out their motive later. For now, it’s a windfall we can’t refuse, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t deny that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. You make the declaration; I’ll set the stage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still unable to grasp the situation, the marchioness’s hands trembled as she reread the contents of the document.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t much justification to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that they couldn’t even wield money as a practical means, there was only one choice left for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So hurry up and run, tails between your legs.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing they had no chance of winning, the parents all rose to their feet at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll discuss this matter again another time. Please pretend the funding discussion never happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. And next time, do let us know before your visit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a handshake between Michel and the marchioness, the morning’s protest ended as nothing more than a minor incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the faculty and servants waiting outside came forward to see the guests off, Michel kept only the key members of the meeting in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director of Planning and General Affairs. Cadet Commander.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems you’ll both be quite busy, but you may leave now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dale pulled the reluctant Cadet Commander away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the two left, Michel closed the door and cast both Locking and Soundproofing Magic on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, pointing to the document on the table, he asked Gustav,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The contents of this document—are they authentic?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You don’t trust us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s always the possibility, however small.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Michel’s firm stance, Meriel mediated in his place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you look at the last page, you’ll see the Duel Headquarters’ financial seal—engraved, not stamped. Even the Chairman himself can’t revoke it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To prevent any tampering or erasure, the document is bound by strong magic as well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Michel ease up, showing a faint smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To think Duel would accompany us on this endeavor—there’s no better news. Welcome, both of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shall we begin the real discussion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We spent some time exchanging ideas about technical collaboration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Topics like field training, artifact provision and usage sharing, joint research, and combined drills came and went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Gustav looked rather displeased, but the longer the discussion went on, the more animated he became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that, as the Master of the Magic Tower, being involved in such a major undertaking greatly motivated him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meriel, too, appeared determined to no longer be swayed by past grudges and expressed her opinions actively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think that about covers the fundamental discussion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While jotting down notes, Michel turned to Frederick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can the schedule be adjusted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll need to coordinate with the Special Task Force, but… it should be manageable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Instructor Carter, do you have anything to add?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, my turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Then, I have only one suggestion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced around at everyone except Michel, then spoke with firm resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To prepare for a possible attack, Carvena must reinforce its defense system. That’s the only way we’ll survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An attack? Are you suggesting someone’s targeting Carvena?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could answer Frederick’s question, it was Rubia who spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Empire’s strongest military organization—Dellowell’s Inquisition… am I right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it was finally time to get to the heart of the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>",1864,"2026-06-06T06:11:51.334Z",1,"novelbin.me","6ad1aee00956d1bfce7d543cedded97423df2812150c78efc88d7c4b3c221bfc","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-94","i-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-chapter-92",163,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-war-hero-cover.jpg"]