novelraw Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Chapter 48
When Jin Crow went down below the instructors’ department, he saw the backs of several instructors who, like him, had heard the scream, along with Assistant Instructor Ginatio who had a cigarette in his mouth.
“Instructor, this is…….”
“Yeah.”
Jin Crow deliberately said nothing more and simply nodded.
He was not asking what had happened.
He was not an idiot.
It was just that, if someone had to move, he had judged that it would be most reliable for Instructor Jin Crow himself to move, so they had asked him back.
“Location?”
“It’s close.”
“Go ahead first and assess the situation.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Assistant Instructor Ginatio immediately nodded at the order, then split space and rapidly headed toward the source of the scream.
Then Jin Crow, without even turning his gaze toward the soldiers who had just come running, put on the leather gloves he had taken off briefly while handling paperwork and spoke.
“Follow me. I’ll go in person in case of any unforeseen situation.”
“Yes, yes! Understood! Instructor!”
The greatest possibility that lingered in Jin Crow’s mind as he muttered that was the Empire, the Red Hand, or a third force.
Wasn’t there sufficient justification?
‘How dare they touch Baek Hwi-young’s mental-care totem…….’
There was no totem more certain than Miel Amber.
Although Baek Hwi-young had sown romantic scandals with countless women in the story, his final love had always been Miel Amber.
Of course, he had no interest in petty love affairs.
Survival came first.
He had no intention of wasting time on romance only to watch a Creature horde roll in during his later years, toss out a trite line like ‘We were really happy, weren’t we, my dear,’ and die nicely.
In any case, whether they had been trying to play the role of a simple spy and gotten caught by Miel Amber, or had been trying to recruit or kidnap a valuable support-type cadet and gotten caught, one thing was certain: the bastard’s life was hanging by a thread.
There was a common misconception.
Hidden behind the fine-sounding title of academy instructor, people forgot that the majority of them were special-duty officers who had lived through the Third Galactic War.
In fact, perhaps that was the reason why, even while recognizing the mighty enemy called the Creature, most citizens of the Composite State—and even soldiers—failed to feel a sense of crisis.
‘Because it’s a world steeped in war.’
One generation experienced war, and on the foundation of that generation’s sacrifices, the next generation enjoyed a short and uncertain peace.
That had become common sense in this world.
It was not particularly strange.
Even in the original world he had lived in, hadn’t later generations enjoyed peace and development at the cost of the blood of several generations before them?
Perhaps human history inevitably grew by feeding on human blood.
“…….”
However, what greeted Jin Crow—who had even taken a gulp from a hip flask containing stimulant components, prepared to use force if necessary—was not an imperial spy or a Red Hand terrorist.
“……So.”
Assistant Instructor Ginatio, rubbing his dry face and avoiding eye contact. And Dokgo Ran, standing there scratching her head, along with a flustered-looking Miel Amber.
And it was not just those three.
Hino Kanae and Famille Demezear, both wearing expressions that clearly looked like they had been caught trying to run away. And…….
“Chance Marbre continued to make advances despite Miel Amber’s refusal. In response, Cadet Dokgo Ran tried to stop it, and…….”
When Jin Crow slowly lowered his gaze, Chance Marbre came into view, half of his fairly handsome face swollen into a pulpy mess, writhing.
“……So you turned him into a bloody pulp like this.”
“Yes! That’s right!”
Jin Crow stared at Dokgo Ran, who looked flushed and proud as if she were some kind of hero, then closed his eyes and called to Assistant Instructor Ginatio standing beside him.
“Assistant Instructor.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“For now, notify the Military Police, then assess the situation and submit a report.”
“Yes, understood.”
At least this time, he could not assign demerits.
For one thing, it was probably not a lie.
Chance Marbre. If nothing else, how could he forget that bastard?
He had no intention of defending him.
‘Still, at least he saved his life this way.’
Rather, getting beaten like this by Dokgo Ran might actually have been the better option for the bastard’s survival.
Jin Crow slightly turned his head and, while watching Baek Hwi-young silently glaring at Chance Marbre, thought,
‘In the original story, he dies at Baek Hwi-young’s hands. And brutally, at that.’
He was what one would call an ‘early-stage villain.’
For reference, Baek Hwi-young was not kind enough to grant a merciful death to someone who laid a hand on Miel.
To the point that some readers even developed sympathy for him.
Of course, it really was only some.
“Ggh…….”
“Tsk.”
Chance Marbre was first escorted by on-site soldiers toward the infirmary, and Jin Crow spoke to Baek Hwi-young, who was grinding his lips together.
“No matter what, you must have been startled, so stay by her side. And Assistant Instructor.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“Just in case, make sure to keep things as quiet as possible during the investigation.”
“Understood.”
This was also a necessary measure for Miel’s sake.
Within the academy, no retaliation could be taken against Miel Amber, but the problem was the bastard’s family.
The former Marbre Baron Family.
The current Marbre Family.
Even within the Empire they were merely a baronial house of the lowest rank, owning nothing more than a single planetary system, but if their eldest son had been utterly humiliated, the Marbre Family was exactly the kind of trash family that would blame others unconditionally rather than question right or wrong.
‘They’ll definitely retaliate in some way. That’s why Baek Hwi-young had quite a headache over it.’
So what did Baek Hwi-young do back then?
……Ah.
The moment a Creature invasion began, he immediately ordered an orbital bombardment.
Just a single shot.
Precisely on the Marbre Family estate.
Because of that, he was demoted and served as a common soldier for a while—he remembered there being an episode like that.
‘Still, this incident probably won’t go to that extreme.’
No matter how vicious the Marbre Family was, or how they still could not stop acting like aristocratic trash, the moment Dokgo Ran became involved, they would probably end up groveling and crawling.
If they wanted to live, that was.
The Dokgo Family was one of the Composite State’s true noble families—far beyond what a mere surrendered former barony could ever handle.
‘Thanks to that, he avoided Baek Hwi-young’s interrogation, so I should give at least one gift in return.
Jin Crow let out a hollow chuckle as if in disbelief while looking at the back of Chance Marbre being dragged away.
‘No need to dirty Baek Hwi-young’s hands either.’
Whether he liked it or not, for now, he had to be raised gently.
Staring at Chance Marbre’s back as it grew more and more distant, Jin Crow made a decision.
If he was going to disappear from the academy one way or another anyway, wouldn’t it be mutually beneficial to at least preserve his life.
Jin Crow firmly believed, without the slightest doubt, that this was truly the path for the academy and the cadets.
“Everyone is misundersthanting.”
After regaining consciousness, Chance Marbre testified that it had merely been ‘clumsy expressions of interest,’ but thanks to Famille, who had been secretly watching and thoroughly recording everything, his words lost all credibility.
However, Famille could not answer why she had immediately followed and started recording the moment Miel Amber headed for the instructors’ department.
“Th-this is all a frame-up!”
Catching a hint from that, Chance Marbre instead claimed that Miel Amber had seduced him and that Famille’s group had conspired to frame him.
However, since he had been dragged to the Military Police without even managing to collect the teeth knocked out by Dokgo Ran, his pronunciation was slurred and his delivery was terrible.
Of course, even if his pronunciation had been fine, the result would have been the same.
“There are quite a few posts on the academy blind criticizing your conduct, Chance Marbre.”
What tripped him up was the already widely spread reputation of Chance Marbre and his clique’s usual behavior.
They might have thought they were keeping it in check, but frankly speaking, the cadets were not idiots—just because someone who acted obnoxiously acted a little less obnoxious, why would anyone look on them favorably.
Moreover, once an ‘anonymous tip seeking justice’ landed in Jin Crow’s hands, the situation began to accelerate rapidly.
“Back on your home planet as well, you habitually committed blatant molestation and misconduct, extorted money, carried out habitual assaults, and have numerous records of lawsuits and accusations……. Tsk, it’s not even worth reading further.”
“Th-that……. H-how did you.”
It was more puzzling how he had not been exposed until now; Chance Marbre’s behavior was, so to speak, filthy.
It was obvious even without looking.
Either he bribed people, or he threatened the locally stationed soldiers and thoroughly laundered his past.
If it had been a single mistake, it could have been taken into consideration.
Everyone makes mistakes.
However, even when both physical evidence and circumstantial evidence clearly revealed ‘why Chance Marbre was a hopeless piece of trash,’ he was the kind of pitiful soul who endlessly kept the word ‘frame-up’ in his mouth.
In that case, shouldn’t there be consideration so he could rest in his scenic hometown.
“Cadet Chance Marbre, expulsion.”
“Th-thith can’t be! I, I’m a noble!”
“If you like the caste system that much, go lick the elves’ feet or something. If you’re lucky, they might even use you as a chair.”
“……Th-that, Instructor Jin Crow, no matter what.”
Jin Crow’s words and the severe punishment handed down at the disciplinary committee were more than enough to stir controversy, but ironically, thanks to his usual reputation and his vaguely known past, it did not become a major issue.
“Expulsion? Isn’t that an excessive punishment?”
“I heard Instructor Jin Crow strongly insisted on it. He said it would actually be better for a noble like Chance Marbre.”
“……Of all things, a convert noble, and on top of that, he touched a cadet attending his own lecture. Looks like he was seriously angry.”
“Well, the Headmistress isn’t someone who would overlook something like this. What a stupid bastard, tsk.”
“Can’t say I feel sorry for him. That’s how people from the Empire are.”
Even without rolling around on the battlefield for twenty years, if one spent a lifetime exposed to the ‘Empire is bad’ stance ingrained in the Human Composite State’s education system, becoming an Empire racist was practically common sense.
Especially toward elves, who made up the mainstream of their knights and constantly spouted things like inferior race or inferior lifeform.
The only reason Chance Marbre had been able to remain at the Central Special Service Academy until now was because he was a rookie backed by a mid-sized faction with fairly solid connections, and because he was a third-generation human convert noble.
“From now on, that family’s reputation is finished.”
“Serves them right.”
Of course, that too would end squarely with Chance Marbre’s generation.
“…….”
In the end, Chance Marbre had no choice but to leave the Central Special Service Academy without receiving anyone’s welcome.
“Ugly to the very end, sheesh.”
“Ran, you’re on probation, right?”
“Well, for now, that’s what they said.”
On the other hand, Dokgo Ran and Hino Kanae wore noticeably refreshed expressions.
The cadets were not fools either.
They might not have noticed killing intent aimed at secret assassination, but they had long since noticed the lecherous gazes.
“Milady, if you had given us the order…….”
“That’s enough. Drawing a blade over such a petty man—how could bushido stand upright then?”
“As expected……!”
Of course, listening to the conversation Hino Kanae had with her escorts, it seemed Chance Marbre had already had his life spared several times over.
“……Um, because of me. Sorry.”
“What. By the way, Miel, can you not fight at all?”
“H-huh? Th-that’s…….”
“That won’t do. They say a strong body houses a strong mind. This won’t do. From now on, every morning…….”
Meanwhile, Miel had been thoroughly bitten by Dokgo Ran, but Baek Hwi-young’s mind was anything but simple.
‘This was absolutely not something that should have gone as far as expulsion.’
Based on past experience, he could be certain.
It was not the first time Chance Marbre had stood before the disciplinary committee, and even the heaviest punishment had amounted to no more than repeating a year.
But this time, he had been cut down cleanly.
……A tip seeking justice?
Rather, what was contained within felt almost like malice determined to bury Chance Marbre no matter what.
And Baek Hwi-young did not even need to investigate to infer without much difficulty who was behind it.
‘Jin Crow.’
……Just what are you acting like this for.
Baek Hwi-young wanted to go find him immediately and ask again, but time had already passed.
“It’s vacation!”
Like Dokgo Ran’s cheerful shout, the first vacation approached.