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“You’re going to resign?”

Despite my unmoving expression, the man in front of me was putting on his glasses with trembling hands. But that didn’t change the words on the resignation request form he was holding.

“Can’t you take that back?”

“This is a matter already decided.”

“We were just discussing your promotion with the higher-ups.”

I remained silent and maintained my stance. The man in front of me shook his head and let out a short sigh.

“Well, what’s the point of a promotion for you? If you wanted something like that, you would have come to the headquarters and worked under me long ago.”

“Back then, I wanted to stay on the front lines.”

“Not anymore?”

“Because the war is over.”

The man, who had a gentle expression akin to a kind old grandfather, was Kalstein Marquis. He stood as the pinnacle of the Imperial Army and the Commander-in-Chief on the northern front.

Despite his kind demeanor, he was a highly respected figure among the Imperial Army and feared by the Demon King’s Army, but to me, he was just a comfortable person. We had been connected since before he had aged, when he wasn’t even a Commander-in-Chief or a Marquis.

Of course, that was a story for private times. In a formal setting like this, especially when submitting a resignation request, a mere soldier couldn’t treat the Commander-in-Chief lightly.

Maintaining my rigid posture was beginning to make my neck ache, but Kalstein Marquis rubbed his temples as if he had a headache and spoke gently.

“The Imperial Army still needs you.”

“That’s quite an overstatement for a mere soldier.”

“A mere soldier? If you’re a mere soldier, then I must be a mere officer. Even if you brought in ten thousand soldiers, wouldn’t the number of monsters you’ve personally taken down exceed that? Do you really think ten thousand can achieve even one of the feats you’ve accomplished? I don’t think so.”

“……”

I simply kept my mouth shut. Regardless of the truth in those words, answering such glorification would do nothing to help my resignation.

As expected, Kalstein Marquis’s words seemed to be more of a lament, as he tucked the resignation request into the drawer and shifted to another topic.

“So, if you resign, where will you go?”

“I suppose I have places to go.”

“That makes me feel relieved, as it sounds like you have nowhere specific to go or anything to do.”

“……”

He talked as if I were some jobless person. But he wasn’t wrong. I hadn’t set anything specific to do after leaving the military.

Kalstein Marquis fell deep into thought. His slow, habitual action of stroking his chin came out when he was pondering how to handle something.

Then, he glanced at the top of the stack of papers on his desk and seemed to have thought of something.

I could see the content of that paper too. It was boldly labeled ‘Admissions Guide.’

“How about this? Instead of this resignation request, I’ll have you sign a different document. I’ll change your position and keep your rank intact.”

“I would decline if it were the headquarters.”

“It’s not the headquarters. It’s the academy.”

Academy?

There was only one place in this empire that could be called an academy: Philion Imperial Academy, the place where the finest talents from all allied nations and colonies gathered.

“If it’s Philion, isn’t that where your granddaughter is enrolling this time?”

“Exactly! My lovely granddaughter, who wouldn’t hurt even if I put her in my eye… Ahem! Anyway, since you know that, I’ll be quick to explain. You’ll be going to Philion.”

It was well-known within the military that the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army was a serious doting grandfather.

Not that I wanted to know. Whenever I had time, he would sit me down and talk endlessly about how pretty his granddaughter was or how old she was, so whether I wanted to listen or not, I had no choice.

But anyway, what was I supposed to do at an academy? Surely, he couldn’t be suggesting I attend school at my age.

No, I didn’t want to hear it. I felt a premonition that I would get caught in the Commander-in-Chief’s scheme if I listened to him explain again, just like always. My goal was to resign, so just as I was about to open my mouth to refuse, Kalstein Marquis quickly raised his hand.

“Just listen for now. As you know, it’s been five years since the war ended. The military isn’t needed as much as before. Even the royal family is trending towards reducing military size. The army is a money-consuming monster, so they must be thinking of putting that budget into post-war recovery to win the public’s favor. People are now hoping for peace instead of the long war.”

“That’s good news. I’ll be quitting.”

“Come on, at least listen to the end. Just because people want peace doesn’t mean wars won’t happen. In times like this, we need to prepare for the future even more. The future lies in the hands of the blossoming youth. You’ll educate those young talents so they can flourish. As an instructor at Philion Academy.”

Only then did I understand the meaning of the change in position. Become an instructor at the academy and teach students? Me?

The instructor position at Philion Academy wasn’t a place just anyone could go.

It was reserved for people of note: active Royal Guards, elite mages from the Magic Tower, or distinguished officers from the military. It certainly didn’t seem like a place for a mere soldier like me.

“I don’t even know what I should teach.”

“I believe you can teach better than anyone.”

“How to kill?”

“No. Teach them how to survive.”

“……”

Bitterness settled in my mouth. All the actions I had committed to survive, the old wounds I had buried deep in my heart, began to crawl up my spine, bringing forth unpleasant memories. Each one was stained with blood.

I calmed my mind. As those memories I didn’t want to recall gradually sank deeper, my heart became tranquil, giving me a moment to think.

The biggest reason I wanted to resign was that the ember in my heart had gone out. There was no longer a desperate reason to do anything. I had been in the military for twenty years; I thought that was long enough, and now it was time for me to do something different for myself.

I had owed a debt to Kalstein Marquis several times, and while his high opinion of me felt excessive, I was honestly grateful. I trusted he wouldn’t try to trick me.

Moreover, if I were an academy instructor, I wouldn’t have to stain my hands with blood anymore.

“Then… let me think about it for a moment.”

“Of course! You should think carefully and talk it over. In the meantime, I’ll keep this resignation request safe.”

“Yes. I will take my leave now.”

I left the Commander-in-Chief’s office with a salute, raising my right hand in the imperial style.

*

Kalstein Marquis sighed and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he watched Ion leave.

“Ah… that was close.”

Knowing Ion’s personality, him saying he’d think it over was already half an acceptance.

With that stiff character, if he truly hadn’t thought about it, he would have plainly refused. Just looking at how he had outright rejected the many offers to meet his granddaughter made that clear.

Anyway, leaving Ion, who claimed to be a mere soldier, as a retired veteran would be a great loss to the empire and a disloyalty to the royal family. In that sense, today’s actions were no different from fulfilling his duty as an imperial soldier.

Kalstein Marquis brushed aside the papers piled on his desk and prepared the documents regarding Ion’s position change.

If I gave him too much time, his mind might change, so as soon as the heavy words ‘I will go’ came out of his mouth, I needed to ensure I could process it without delay.

The academy’s president also knew of Ion, so if he were to be appointed as an instructor, they would surely welcome him with open arms and never refuse.

“I should write a letter asking for them to place my granddaughter and that guy in the same class.”

Even the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army couldn’t request admission to the esteemed Philion Academy, but surely, they would grant such a small favor about which class to assign an already accepted student.

Kalstein Marquis was convinced that since he was not empty-handed and was pushing the war hero as a gift, they would readily comply with such a request.

“If a man and a woman are in the same space, even that stiff fellow would react somehow!”

The empire wouldn’t lose a capable soldier, the academy would gain an excellent instructor, Ion would get a new job instead of being jobless, and Kalstein Marquis would secure an opportunity to connect his granddaughter with a potential suitor.

This was truly a win-win plan, a perfect scheme where no one suffered a loss, crafted by Kalstein Marquis, the mastermind behind ‘Dragon’s Scheme.’

 

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