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“Look, Lord Gilbert is passing by.”

“Could he really be a new cadet like us?”

“At least we can’t call him a troublemaker anymore.”

The cadets whispered among themselves as they watched Gilbert walking through the academy hallway. In the past, most would have dismissed him as a troublemaker, but now things were different. Unlike before, when they would mock him as a troublemaker, now they exchanged favorable comments about him.

But this wasn’t unnatural; it was an entirely expected and natural phenomenon.

Not long ago, during the academy invasion incident, the sight of him single-handedly leading the colossal mechs to repel the invaders left a deep impression on the cadets.

The unprecedented academy invasion, involving a total of over 100 colossal mechs, was a disaster that could have resulted in massive casualties if things had gone wrong.

The belief that the academy’s sturdy defense system was unbreakable backfired, slowing the initial response. The panicked spectators made the situation uncontrollable.

Even though the experienced professors managed to evacuate as many people as possible, escaping unscathed from the destructive colossal mechs was no easy task.

Some professors managed to lead the colossal mechs out, but the overwhelming numerical disadvantage made the situation dire. If it weren’t for the valiant efforts of Professor Briana, the Empire’s Best Sword, maintaining balance would have been difficult.

However, even Professor Briana couldn’t protect all the cadets while fighting, and eventually, she found herself in a desperate situation, shielding the cadets.

At that critical moment, Gilbert appeared.

Facing dozens of colossal mechs alone, Gilbert rescued Professor Briana from danger and then swept through the enemy lines like a whirlwind.

Fearlessly charging at countless enemies, he resembled a legendary knight straight out of a fairy tale. After a fierce struggle, he single-handedly destroyed over twenty colossal mechs.

If Gilbert hadn’t risked his life to face the colossal mechs alone, a horrific tragedy beyond imagination might have occurred. The cadets who witnessed the scene couldn’t help but see Gilbert in a new light.

However, Gilbert, the protagonist of the invasion incident, casually ignored the cadets’ murmurs and headed to the training facility. He had grown accustomed to the situation over the past few days, but his personality wasn’t one to care much about such things.

He was simply satisfied that the troublemaker label that had been following him like a tail was gone. That reputation could have been a significant obstacle when progressing through the main scenario.

Thinking of the cadets’ reactions as just that, Gilbert completed his usual extreme physical training and mana cultivation before leaving the training facility.

Thanks to his consistent training, there was a noticeable change in his stats. His physical stat, which had barely increased, had gone up by one point—a cause for celebration.

“Lord Gilbert.”

“Hmm?”

While checking his stats on the status window, he closed it upon hearing a maid with brown hair calling him. Previously, he was the number one target to avoid among the staff due to his troublemaker reputation, but now that seemed to have changed.

“Here.”

The maid who called him handed him a note, bowed, and quickly left before Gilbert could even stop her. Her swift steps took her down the hallway and out of sight in no time.

The academy’s staff are no ordinary people, huh?

Gilbert chuckled as he unfolded the note he had been handed.

The note didn’t contain anything particularly special. Just a single blackened petal drawn in the center.

But Gilbert’s expression hardened immediately upon seeing it. He knew this wasn’t an ordinary note.

The blackened petal symbolized the wild rose, a group that tightly controlled the back alleys.

When the wild rose sent such a symbol, it usually meant they had obtained the information requested by the client.

Gilbert crumpled the note and put it in his pocket. He quickly thought about his schedule for the day, but since regular classes hadn’t started yet, he didn’t have much to do.

However, he needed to visit the wild rose in person. There was no branch near the Demia Empire Academy’s jurisdiction, even for the wild rose, who dominated the back alleys. The closest location was Obitus, where he had met the manager before, but it wasn’t a casual trip.

He would need to get permission to leave the academy. Given that he was now the academy’s hero and being used for propaganda, the chances of such a small request being granted were high.

Gilbert hurried to find Professor Briana, his supervising professor, to get permission to leave. The information from the wild rose might indicate that the main scenario in the borderlands was about to begin.

If the main scenario was indeed starting, the upcoming break would be an extremely busy time.

***

As expected, the permission to leave was easily granted. Professor Briana, who had grown to trust Gilbert more, only asked about his reason for going to Obitus and didn’t stop him.

After making up a plausible excuse, Gilbert immediately set off for Obitus and arrived at the back alleys late at night. Perhaps due to his changed status, he was able to meet the manager much quicker than before.

“It’s been a while. I’ve been keeping up with your recent exploits.”

“Nothing much. More importantly, do you have information on the borderlands?”

The manager smiled faintly at Gilbert’s straightforwardness, skipping the usual pleasantries. Seeing that Gilbert hadn’t changed much, the manager suspected that the troublemaker reputation might have been a facade to hide his true self.

“Yes. The western borderlands, specifically near Bismarck.”

“…”

So, it’s as expected.

Gilbert realized without a change in expression that the starting point of the next main scenario was approaching. It was the main event that would begin during the break following the academy invasion.

In terms of difficulty, it varied depending on the clearing method, but it wasn’t fundamentally hard.

In fact, even though it was a main scenario, it was possible to clear it without taking any action.

The resulting story changes were inevitable, but it was the only main scenario where failing to clear it wouldn’t result in a game over.

In fact, many speedrunners often skipped this scenario entirely. Since it didn’t affect the game’s progression, they simply bypassed the time-consuming scenario.

Gilbert himself, after clearing all the achievements available in this scenario, often skipped it. He found pursuing achievements more enjoyable than replaying a scenario he had already completed countless times.

“What’s the information fee?”

“10 gold.”

The 1 gold he had given earlier was just a deposit. To actually obtain the information, he had to pay a fee based on the information’s value.

While it might seem unfair that the seller determined the value, if one didn’t like it, they could simply choose not to use the service.

Moreover, the quality of information sold by the wild rose was far superior to other information guilds. Given the lack of alternatives, it was a necessary structure.

Gilbert, well aware of this, paid the information fee without complaint.

“Thank you for your patronage.”

“Tell me everything about the borderlands.”

“From what we’ve gathered, the barbarian tribes are suffering from a severe drought.”

The Scandina region, known to be inhabited by barbarian tribes, was hit by an extreme drought.

The Scandina region, originally a steppe climate, also known as a subtropical high-pressure zone, typically received very sporadic rainfall.

As a result, large trees were rare, and short grasses dominated the vast plains. However, a drought severe enough to be recorded in history had struck.

All the tribes living in Scandina initially thought the dry season was just a bit longer when the rainy season arrived but no rain fell. Given that the dry season was usually longer than the rainy season, they assumed it was just another variation.

But contrary to their expectations, the drought continued without end. The once-green grasses withered, and the herbivores that grazed on them collapsed from thirst.

After six months of drought, they had no choice but to accept the reality: the dry season might never end, and the rainy season might not come.

And unfortunately, their fears were accurate. The drought persisted, and with drinking water and food supplies dwindling, they had to make a choice.

“Though it’s called a choice, there’s really only one option. If they don’t choose, it’s death. They recently held a tribal union meeting, likely to elect a new chieftain for the vacant position.”

“A chieftain, huh.”

Gilbert sighed after hearing all the information. For the barbarian tribes—or rather, the Sigurdians—the position of chieftain was akin to a war lord.

For a tribal society that formed unions, electing a chieftain, or king of all tribes, was tantamount to declaring war.

It seemed his prediction was correct: the main scenario was about to begin.

“Was the information helpful?”

“You look like you have more questions.”

“My apologies. I can’t help my curiosity when it comes to our guests.”

Gilbert glanced at the slightly bowing manager, having finished his business here. There was no more information to obtain, and knowing that the main scenario was about to start was enough.

Leaving the manager’s request for future visits behind, Gilbert exited the back alleys. Having entered late at night, dawn was already breaking.

Though he had stayed up all night, his robust, well-trained body didn’t feel much fatigue. Only the thought that the upcoming main scenario would center around war weighed on his mind.

He didn’t even consider ignoring it as he might in a game. He was now the eldest son of the Lion Heart Count Family, a noble with a duty to protect them.

No, he didn’t even need that reason. Even before inhabiting Gilbert’s body, he had been a soldier who fought alongside comrades to protect the nation and its people.

He had risked his life solely out of a sense of duty, and he was the only survivor among his many comrades.

Could such a person turn a blind eye to war and flee?

The choice was already made.

With a resolute expression, Gilbert rode his horse back to the Demia Empire Academy.

The rising morning sun began to follow him from behind.

 

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