RATH 77
TL: Eevee

10. We came, we saw, we won (2)

#2 Their story: A certain student council president’s story.

In a giant hall several times the size of Yugrasia’s main auditorium.

The insides were decorated with extravagant decorations and the food was luxurious and plentiful.

“Mm. it’s tasty.”
“It is, the wine’s high class as well.”

And we, the main characters for today were looking around here and there for food.

“Hey, but why does all this delicious meat, taste worse than those sandwiches we desperately searched for during the holidays?”
“Oi, Risen. Are you really the one to be saying that? You found and ate them on your own so of course it’d taste good!”
“Yeah, it would have. Ah, but wasn’t the one bite we each shared around pretty good as well?”
“I know right. I remembered them every now and then and went to the sandwich shop to buy a few, but they just didn’t taste the same.”

And yet none of all these decorations and furniture, the food.

Nor the VIPs that came here to meet us satisfied our hearts.

“Damn it, I’m bored.”
“I know, they should just start the damn festival already. They do this on the last day as well, don’t they?”
“It’s actually even bigger on that day. With the mind that since it’s the last day they’re using everything they have left.”
“Hear, hear. I’m honestly not in the mood for all this.”
“”””””Until we are victorious.””””””

That’s how it was. Our objective was victory in the imperial festival.

And on the side, we were aiming for an extremely overwhelming, total victory that would leave its mark on imperial history.

Because otherwise, hell awaited us.

“Hm, it’s been a while, Nerkia.”

As we wet our throats with low-alcohol wine and I wished for tomorrow to come as quickly as possible, someone came looking for me.

“Milord Duke Zearr.”

The twin pillars of the empire.

The Raina Archduchy, and the one that led the Archducal House of Zearr.

But the important thing here was that this Archduke Zearr was a member of Arucia during its golden age, and the one in charge of this year’s imperial festival.

Meaning in some aspects, he was our enemy!

“I feel something quaint from the students of Yugrasia this year.”

As I accept his outstretched hand and shook it, he immediately took a wary shot at us.

Hmph, that’s a former Arucia for you.

He probably set the events up that Arucia would be ever so slightly favoured as well.

But Professor Nicerwin said this to us.

Luck is also skill.

And if luck is a skill, then of course schooling, contacts and bloodline must also count as skill!

And his teaching that since the world revolves around it all even if they don’t count, then get promoted and set up your own faction, is still ingrained in my head!

Indeed, don’t get angry that Arucia has the favour of an archduke, but win a perfect victory at this year’s festival so that we have an archduke’s children enroll at Yugrasia next year!

This hell, it’s unfair if I’m the only one to… I mean, it’s a great loss for the empire if I’m the only one that receives such excellent education!

“There were many changes in Yugrasia this year. Thanks to that the students’ skills have improved.”

As I thought of the days gone by at school, my mana flow wavered momentarily.

Huh? Did my hand break out in a cold sweat, the archduke’s hand was damp as he withdrew.

Damn it, it’s my mistake.

“I’m sorry, as I was thinking of what happened at school, I just…”
“W, was it so trying for you?”

Trying? Did that come anywhere near what it was actually like? We’d all have rather fought the kings of hell!

“Don’t they always say that students grow through adversities?”

Although of course we didn’t want those adversities.

They say that one must overcome trials and tribulations to become a hero and earn your happy ending.

But as we struggled through our trials and tribulations, we realised.

You’re perfectly happy if there are no trials or tribulations to begin with, right?

Through great sacrifice, we realised that doing nothing and gaining nothing made us much happier than sacrificing something and enduring all sorts of trials and tribulations to obtain something at the end of it all.

If we could meet ourselves of the past, we would want to yell at them that we don’t need anything like Yugrasia rising up again so don’t ever bring Professor Nicerwin, but it was already much too late.

“It seems you have had it hard.”
“No, milord. How would we turn back time that has already elapsed? We simply wish for anyone wanting to enroll at Yugrasia next year to not come.”

But humanity’s greed is endless, and they endlessly repeat the same mistakes.

Those who could not abandon their greed in the face of Yugrasia’s victory will end up in Yugrasia one way or another.

I have no reason to care about those moths charging into the flames!

“Really now…”

I waited for milord archduke who was lost in thought.

But he’s thinking for too long? What is it?

Ah! Might this not be some strategic action?

It wasn’t out of place for someone managing the festival, and one of the highest representatives, an archduke to come meet the student council presidents, but meeting an archduke which was like the difference between heaven and earth for most students, even if they are nobles, would put them under extremely heavy pressure.

Although it was nothing to me that had already faced the fear of death multiple times, but if it was me from last year, then no doubt I would have been shivering and quivering all over hoping I didn’t make some mistake.

In that case, he was definitely aiming for that and pretending to think over something.

That’s a former Arucis for you!

I need to assume that the battlefield is already all but enemy territory already.

“I’m sorry. I have kept you for too long.”
“No, milord.”

Did he realise I had caught onto his machinations.

Even as I bowed my head to Archduke Zearr as he moved away with a slightly sheepish expression, in my mind I had different thoughts entirely.

‘Yes, struggle all you want! Victory is already ours!’

Of our certain victory.

#3 Their story: A certain management’s story.

If you were to ask what the most popular event in the imperial festival was, then it would undoubtedly be the swordsmanship tournament and the contest between the Four Great Academies.

And so as the one in charge of this year’s imperial festival, I attended the pre-festival party where all students were in attendance, and was going around greeting all the student council presidents.

Encouragement for my successors at Arucia, courage for Marcis that challenged Arucia.

And for Mercaria that didn’t suit the imperial festival, yet did their best anyway, I gave them some special words.

And finally, when I went to meet the Yugrasia student council president…

‘Wh, what the?’

Before I was an archduke, as a proud swordsmaster of the empire, I led from the front in countless battles.

And yet this space was filled with an aura that made even me halt my feet momentarily.

With a few very friendly exceptions, the students that fought each other at the imperial festival often stayed with their peers from the same school.

Meaning, the students standing here were almost certainly Yugrasia students, but this mood does not suit the Yugrasia of the rumours I had heard.

The aura emanating from these students was one of bloodlust and iron willpower that you would only expect from an army that had fought in countless battlefields, and would have to fight in many more in the future.

Was this the mood of Yugrasia, a school that could be dropped from the Four Great Academies at any minute?

Although rumours said that there were drastic changes in educational policy driven by the legendary summoner Professor Nicerwin, but the ones leading the students in practice were still the student council, with their president at the head.

“Hm, it’s been a while, Nerkia.”

And my predictions were exact on the mark.

“Milord Archduke Zearr.”

The Yugrasia student council president that was present at last year’s opening ceremony led by that Archduke Raina looked like a completely different person compared to the one in front of me now.

His figure as he led Yugrasia, the ones considered weaklings, unexpectedly well compared to the powerhouses of Arucia and Marcis left a deep impression on my mind, but that was nothing compared to him right now.

“I feel something quaint from the students of Yugrasia this year.”

Firstly, the way he unhesitatingly reached out for a handshake.

That was not the reaction of your average low-ranking noble.

Even when the child of a high-ranking noble, Arucia’s student council president took my hand, just how much did he shake?

But this Yugrasian student council president, he simply kept his composure and smiled without so much as a twitch.

“There were many changes in Yugrasia this year. Thanks to that the students’ skills have improved.”

The smile was befitting his answer, but his force was not.

The flow of mana he unleashed for but a moment was similar to that of His Majesty’s aura of pure annihilation.

And the force that a mere student emanated cause my hands to soak through with sweat.

“I’m sorry, as I was thinking of what happened at school, I just…”

Was it to pretend he didn’t notice my mistake?

The Yugrasia student council president calmly apologised to me.

“W, was it so trying for you?”

So flustered was I that I uncharacteristically stuttered, but he seemed to not care.

“Don’t they always say that students grow through adversities?”

Instantly, the atmosphere of the room shifted.

At just one word from the Yugrasia student council president, the mana of all the students in the area was oppressively pressing down on this space!

This was not simply a matter of showing off.

When a soldier freshly returned from war, spoke of an enemy country or mortal enemy that stole something important from them, they would unconsciously unleash bloodlust, and this pressure was the exact same feeling I got from that!

As the parents around us looked around in shock, the boy himself was surprised as he calmed down his mana.

“It seems you have had it hard.”
“No, Your Grace. How would we turn back time that has already elapsed? We simply wish for anyone wanting to enrol at Yugrasia next year to not come.”

Yugrasia already had the lowest enrolment rates out of the Four Great Academies.

Even if the Letia House and a few other influential families sent their children to Yugrasia with expectations of Professor Nicerwin, if they don’t have a good showing at this year’s imperial festival then that could really be it for them.

To think that he would not want students to come to his school even under those circumstances.

Although he graduates next year, those words should simply not be said as Yugrasia’s student council president.

“Really now…”

Was Yugrasia in such dire straits that even their student council president would say such things?

One could assume that from the rumours, but the force emanating from this Yugrasia did not match them.

Then, was it possible for students to be standing with this much strength in just half a year?

No matter what, I could never train soldiers like these in just half a year.

Moreover, to make students like this, not even soldiers, the only person that could make this happen in the entire empire would be Her Imperial Highness the Imperial Princess.

‘Hang on… no, it can’t be!’

A shiver ran down the length of my spine.

To think I would see vestiges of the Imperial Princess, a person untouchable in the imperial court in these students!

“I’m sorry. I have kept you for too long.”

Once I realised that I also realised that I had kept a single student for too long.

“No, Your Grace.”

Normally in situations like this even a noble hardened in high society would be nervous, but none of it applied to this student council president.

And after my final farewells and well-wishes, where my feet took me was in front of a single noble.

“It has been a while, Archduke Zearr.”
“No, Marquis Letia.”

Marquis Letia, the father of Young Lady Letia, the person that might be most closely related to the changes in Yugrasia, as well as the leader of a division of the imperial army.

He who protected the inside of the empire, and I who protected the far reaches of the empire often talked together, and were quite personally close to one another so I got straight to the point.

“I heard your daughter enrolled in Yugrasia.”
“She did.”
“I also heard that it was Yugrasia’s education that allowed her to become a god-class summoner. And I also heard that the army contributed a fair amount to Yugrasia as well.”
“They did. I heard that some members of the summoning corps became teachers at Yugrasia.”
“Yes, there were some that went to Yugrasia after retiring, but it was quite an amusing topic when some active soldiers were also sent over.”

Looking at Marquis Letia nod his head, it seemed that there was not much information regarding Yugrasia.

“So, your daughter went to Yugrasia, was there anything else she got out of it aside from becoming a god-class summoner?”

But since it had to do with his eldest daughter, he would still know more than I did.

And the answer I got back was an unexpected one.

“Something she got out of it… yes, there was. Aside from when she was young, I saw the tears of my daughter that had grown up so quickly.”
“Lady Aris’s tears?”

Young Lady Letia was nicknamed the female general in high society.

The tears of Lady Aris, that everyone around her wished her on to become a splendid female knight?

“And my daughter, learned how to overcome death in Yugrasia.”

Wait, hang on?

“How to overcome death?”
“It’s as I have said. I am very grateful to Professor Nicerwin for allowing what can only be learned on the battlefield to be taught in a safe environment.”

Marquis Letia, the man who I thought was reasonable kept on saying things that I simply couldn’t understand.

“Yugrasia is that kind of place.”

In the end, the only other thing I got out of him was that he was currently in the process or restructuring his army with the enlightenment he gained from Yugrasia, I couldn’t hear what I wanted to know.

“I can’t understand what you are saying.”
“You’ll understand once you see Yugrasia’s first matches come tomorrow morning.”

Now even more curious, I stayed with Marquis Letia for a while longer and asked him a few more questions, but in the end I could not get what I wanted.