“Want me to take over the class? Well…! Since it’s a favor for my disciple, I could do a special lecture. How many weeks?” (Enrique)
“The remaining semester.” (Ivan)
“This guy is completely insane.” (Enrique)
After reflexively spewing profanity, Enrique paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.
He wasn’t the kind of guy who would suddenly drop the entire class just because he didn’t feel like teaching…?
No, he was more like the epitome of responsibility….
What’s going on?
As her thoughts reached this point, something came to mind. Whenever something happened to this guy, it usually involved official duties.
“Did Command give you another assignment? You’re not exactly field material anymore. Unless there’s a civil war among dwarves.” (Enrique)
“Not certain yet.” (Ivan)
“If you’re not certain, why is the commander heading to the field?” (Enrique)
“Because we’re not certain.” (Ivan)
If the mission’s outline is clear and the direction of command is certain, there’s no need for him to be directly involved. Allocating appropriate levels of manpower would suffice.
As he had reflected before, it’s impossible for him to intervene in every event in this world.
However, in this situation where it’s clear that it’s intertwined with the ‘main story’ and the distinction between friend and foe is not yet clear, it’s not possible to entrust field agents.
Utilizing agents for tactical objectives that even the commander isn’t certain about was not the modus operandi of an eradication unit.
Furthermore, there was one more advantage to the commander personally entering the field.
“Krasilov is vulnerable to external intelligence.” (Ivan)
“Wow, you ruthless bastard….” (Enrique)
Understanding his meaning, Enrique exclaimed with his mouth wide open.
If the commander of the intelligence unit personally goes to the front line and says, ‘I came because our external intelligence is weak,’ what on earth will happen in that branch?
Enrique expressed her condolences to the unknown field command headquarters.
“Well, if that’s the case. I can handle teaching the kids. It’s not that difficult.” (Enrique)
“Thank you.” (Ivan)
“What days?” (Enrique)
“Wednesday to Friday.” (Ivan)
Enrique chuckled at Ivan’s words. Why three days…?
“Each worth 5 credits. I’m counting on you. I’ll send the course materials by this afternoon.” (Ivan)
“Wait, hold on. Three? Three classes? Each worth 5 credits?” (Enrique)
“Yeah. And Isabelle, Oscar, Elpheira, Ecdysis, and Eugene. They’re planning to apply for credit substitution through external study this semester. I’m also asking for your help with that.” (Ivan)
“Hey, wait! What? What?!” (Enrique)
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” (Ivan)
Fifteen hours a week. Including the journalism department class she’s teaching, it adds up to 18 hours. It’s almost enough time to fulfill the minimum credits per semester.
As Enrique opened the door and left, she yelled back at Ivan.
“This is truly insane!!” (Enrique)
The door to the professor’s research lab closed coldly.
—
“Autumn in Tylesse”
—
Clack, clack.
Passing through the long tunnel at the border, unlike the snowy scene in Niigata, Japan, it felt like returning to summer after crossing the border of Krasilov.
Beyond the car window, a vast expanse of clear noon grassland stretched endlessly.
“This is autumn. This is the weather. Ugh, really.” (Isabelle)
Isabelle, sitting across from him, had been grumbling like that since leaving the outskirts of Krasilov. It was a common saying among most foreigners experiencing winter in Krasilov for the first time.
Ivan absentmindedly turned his gaze out the window. The weather was clear, so the scenery was beautiful. He thought.
It was common sense for bandits or robbers to appear when the main party of heroes moved to a new location for the next scenario.
Being a sensible person, he was prepared to grab an axe handle at any time, conveniently placed by the window.
Outside the window, the same landscape stretched endlessly. Tylesse was a country with vast plains and shallow hills. This scenery would continue until they reached the urban area.
Isabelle, who had been staring out the window with a somewhat bored expression, suddenly spoke.
“Uncle, were you close with my father?” (Isabelle)
“To some extent.” (Ivan)
Maximilian was generally friendly to everyone, and Ivan treated everyone similarly, so it’s hard to confirm if they were really close.
However, since Ivan had spent a considerable amount of time with Maximilian, he subtly nodded his head.
“If you were close, then what’s ‘to some extent’?” (Isabelle)
Isabelle grumbled once and then turned her gaze out the window, as if recalling a certain point in the past.
“Returning to my hometown reminds me of Father. At first, I resented him a lot, you know? I mean, having an only daughter go abroad for studies and not even coming out of the mountains… I had so many bad thoughts, said so many bad things…” (Isabelle)
Isabelle lowered her head with a gloomy expression.
She remembered the conversation she had with Einar when he visited. The curse bestowed upon the killer of the seven dragons, about the contamination of the soul.
Maximilian had personally killed two of the seven dragons and the demon king. Yet, until now, he had never shown signs of insanity.
How remarkable that was. As Isabelle, she couldn’t even imagine it. She couldn’t fathom how bitter the end would be for the one who killed a god. There was no way to gauge the magnitude of the evil spirits pouring onto the one who killed a god.
So, she just thought it was foolish resentment. She had lived as the daughter of a hero, receiving more than just her abilities, but love beyond that.
The daughter should not resent the father who saved the world. Because what her father wanted to save included her world too.
That was pure sacrifice. Devoting oneself entirely.
Someday, she would have to follow that path. Not as the daughter of a hero, but as a new hero. With that determination in mind, Isabelle lifted her head.
“Now, memories of the old stories Father used to tell come to mind. Since I don’t know when I’ll see him again, I try to remember them forcibly. Because it’s embarrassing to remember Father’s face only as a statue or memory, as I become more of a daughter.” (Isabelle)
Isabelle smiled brightly with a determined face.
“It would be awkward if we met again someday. Somehow, I feel like we’ll definitely meet again. And I feel like we’ll see each other again if we walk together, Mister.” (Isabelle)
“Hmm.” (Ivan)
Ivan nodded expressionlessly and turned his head.
A reunion with Maximilian.
It’s not a situation he hopes for. Because he doesn’t know what state Maximilian is in. If his condition is worse than expected, or if it becomes a situation where he must be stopped, it could escalate into a problem.
“Eugene’s confirmation quest was ‘survival’ for Jill Ber, and for Maximilian, it was ‘encounter.’”
Simply put, it’s possible to judge that Jill Ber faces a threat to his life while Maximilian does not.
But who could threaten his life? One might say it’s only natural.
However, if not for such reasons… If Maximilian himself is already an enemy to be destroyed.
“No, if that were the case, the quest would have demanded Maximilian’s elimination.”
Ivan narrowed his eyes. Eugene’s quest once tasked him with eliminating Ivan. In terms of difficulty, Eugene probably didn’t see much difference between Ivan and Maximilian. Both would die the moment they became hostile.
So, quests issue orders regardless of difficulty when necessary. If we understand it that way, it’s still too early to conclude that Maximilian has definitely become an enemy.
And decisively.
Ivan didn’t want to see the face of that man, devoid of his smile.
Because the symbol of hope surrendering to despair seems to imply that humans can never progress beyond that.
There are still four of the seven dragons left in this world, and behind the facade of peace, the kings and ambitious individuals are preparing for the next war. A war unlike the past one, where the alliance kingdoms will face their final battle.
But even at the end, humans can still live with hope. That’s what the symbol of a hero represents. It’s what Maximilian had, and what has been passed on to Isabelle.
Ivan looked silently at the chattering Isabelle.
The former kings perished before the heroes arrived.
It was a battlefield where the righteous fell first. Because those who carried the weak and volunteered to be a barrier against the onslaught of death always fell first.
It cannot go on any longer.
Peace built upon the bodies of the righteous should suffice once.
The heroes of the era must arrive faster than despair. It must be so, and it must be made to happen.
Fortunately, Ivan is well-versed in ‘common sense’. With his guidance, Isabelle can prepare more quickly.
After all, Koreans are experts in efficient leveling optimization.
Ivan glanced at the chattering Isabelle and then turned his gaze to look out the window.
Three days later, Ivan arrived at the capital of Tylesse, Saint Mathilde.
The train Ivan boarded stopped at Matil-Etuale Station, the largest train station in Saint Mathilde.
Matil-Etuale Station was one of the main trade routes that ran directly from the southeastern port city of Tylesse to Krasilov, passing through Saint Mathilde.
The train station at midday was incredibly crowded. It was packed to the brim, filling the entire vast station.
Isabelle began to nudge and boast to Ecdysis, who was gaping absent-mindedly. Unfortunately, Elpheira, who had seen Kalion’s aerial port, and Eugene, who was from Earth, didn’t show much interest.
“How is it? Uncle, it’s amazing, isn’t? The Frechenkaya Station is nothing compared to this!” (Isabelle)
“Hmm.” (Ivan)
It’s roughly equivalent to Seoul Station.
A subtle comparison, but considering this era, it’s quite large. Ivan nodded honestly. He had encountered countless military supply trains on the battlefield, but he couldn’t help but feel impressed when he saw such a thriving train station.
He knew many men who fought hoping that scenes like this would become commonplace.
And in the distance, one of those men, standing slightly crooked, smoking a cigarette and staring up at the sky, caught his eye.
“Just a moment.”
Ivan gestured to the lively Isabelle and stepped forward. The man, who had been leaning against a corner of the train station smoking a cigarette and exhaling deeply, weakly raised his hand.
“You’ve come.”
“Pavel.”
Pavel looked at Ivan with tired eyes, then flicked his cigarette to the ground and shrugged his shoulders.
“Why do I have to go through all this trouble…?”
“Why are you here?”
“It was Her Majesty’s command. She told me to go as a diplomatic envoy.”
He pulled out a notebook from his coat and handed it over. It was a simple identification document with the royal seal imprinted on it.
– Ivan Petrovich Yeremov.
– Third-grade diplomatic envoy.
Pavel brushed his hand and shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m your watchdog. They even gave you a diplomatic envoy title, worrying about what mischief you might get into.”
“Haha.”
Ivan briefly recalled that scene and suddenly burst into laughter.
Seeing that, Pavel let out a deep sigh and extended his hand.
“Well, it’s official business, so I guess I have to salute you. Take care, Assistant Ivan.”
“Yeah, I’ll do my best.”
Historically, diplomatic envoys were often the most representative spies of friendly nations.
A significant portion of the foreign intelligence department’s agents were dispatched as part of diplomatic envoys.
Therefore, this meant that he could operate as a legally sanctioned spy for a friendly nation.
