Chapter 168: A Walking Textbook (4)
Up until now, my routine at the academy had been simple. I’d wake up early in the morning, have breakfast, then casually head to the club room, where I’d loosen up a bit before making my way to the Vice President’s office to spend time with Marghetta.
After that, my daily life consisted of pleasantly waiting until club activities began. It was mostly peaceful and laid-back, unless some surprise event decided to pop up.
“The Adume clan and the Gariltio clan were rivals, constantly clashing over the leadership of the Ranka tribe. They pretended to hold back in front of Kagan, but I hear things got pretty wild behind the scenes.”
“Oh, I see!”
And then, something new was added to that simple routine: exciting and heart-pounding discussion sessions with Gerhardt.
Technically, it was mostly one-sided information sharing, but when the listener reacts positively, it gets me pumped too! I mean, it would be pretty depressing if I tried to share something only to get an “Huh?” response, but thankfully, Gerhardt had asked for this discussion first.
“Please eat while you talk.”
“Thank you, I will.”
“Thank you, Christina.”
In the midst of our lively discussion, Christina set some snacks on the desk.
Her default facial expression as a master’s student usually looked gloomy, but her voice somehow sounded oddly cheerful today.
‘I’m glad she’s happy.’
A scant sense of human conscience kicked in. If I hadn’t managed to exchange her thesis for something better, that poor master’s student might have bitten her tongue out of frustration! It felt like I had saved a life here.
Honestly, if I threw in the towel on this whole life, there wouldn’t be any threats to worry about. But hey, they picked this path themselves, so who am I to say anything?
“How’s your thesis coming along?”
“It’s going great! It’s all thanks to you, Prosecutor!”
“I didn’t write it, so there’s really no need to thank me.”
Her cheerful response made me chuckle. It felt weird to be thanked for trashing a perfectly good thesis. I did extend the deadline for it, but that was more like turning a minus into a zero, so no biggie.
I knew all too well the frustration and anger that comes when you have to rewrite a thesis. I had my share when I wrote my undergraduate thesis. Even a thesis that everyone else passes can provoke uncontrollable rage when something goes awry—imagine the frustration with a master’s thesis!
“If you run into problems, feel free to ask me anything. I’m around every day, so it’s the least I can do.”
“Haha! Just having you here is more than enough, Prosecutor!”
Gerhardt laughed at my words, but he didn’t say it was fine either. After all, the more Christina asked questions, the more knowledge seemed to spill out, and I guess he wouldn’t want to stop that.
‘Is this normal for scholars?’
I wondered if all scholars were this passionate, or if Gerhardt was just exceptionally brilliant. Considering his dedication to the painfully resource-lacking studies in the North, it seemed like the latter. A talent like his shouldn’t be wasted in a minor field.
‘Why isn’t someone like this in the administration?’
Suddenly, I was flooded with regret. While academy instructors technically fall under civil servants, they’re not the kind rolling around in bureaucratic administration.
Such ability, such passion! Shouldn’t they serve in the administration for the Empire? What a shame!
—
That night, I received a call from the Minister.
— What have you been up to these days?
“What?”
I flinched for a moment. I’d often heard lines like “What the hell are you doing right now?” when something went badly wrong, so my instincts kicked in, and I tensed up.
But after taking a moment to breathe, I realized it was merely a genuine inquiry. His expression seemed calm. He definitely wasn’t angry.
“I’m doing well, thanks! I wish every day could be like this.”
— Ah, so you’re casually admitting you’re a salary thief? Doesn’t that itch your conscience?
“Not at all. From today onward, my dream is to become the king of thieves!”
And good grief, considering how hard I’d worked, I should at least qualify for a pension from the Empire even if I stopped working right now!
The Minister chuckled; he didn’t seem to intend any sarcasm. If he could have been a salary thief, he probably would have taken that route a long time ago.
After a good laugh, he got back to business.
— I heard you made a request to the Compilation Department.
“Ah, are you talking about that?”
I found it curious he suddenly reached out, but then realized he must have caught wind of something.
The civil service tends to get smaller the higher up you go. The department head probably relayed something to the Minister of Education, who then passed it on to him.
There probably wasn’t any grand intent behind it; just a casual topic in the usual chaos of everyday work. I had been there myself, after all!
“There’s an assistant teacher at the academy. I just asked for a delay in receiving their thesis.”
— And why did you go ahead and ask that?
He was in a hurry as usual, wanting answers right away. He’d probably rush off somewhere else just as fast.
Sometimes, I wished for him to vanish suddenly, but if that happened, it could get problematic. That Crown Prince bastard was waiting for a chance to swoop in and fill my position the moment it was vacant!
“Oh, that’s because…”
I continued to explain how I inadvertently triggered a snowball effect. While the kids were studying, I casually dropped hints, and before I knew it, the teacher had come running to me. I had nothing pressing to do, and thought spreading knowledge about the North could be beneficial, so I decided to help out.
And how I ended up accidentally throwing a fragile master’s student into despair with just a few simple words, thus creating another legendary tale in the academy!
“How could I just overlook that as a human being?”
Only fools with a clear conscience should be allowed to throw stones at me!
— You madman!
See? Even the Minister couldn’t bring himself to cast stones and only let out a soft sigh.
But after a brief silence, he seemed to remember something and questioned me.
— What’s the name of this assistant teacher?
“Christina.”
— And her last name?
Now that was something I hadn’t asked.
Typically, when nobles introduce themselves, it’s customary to share their last name as a sign of respect. At least knowing which family they belonged to is polite.
However, my first meeting with Christina was anything but normal, so I still didn’t know her last name.
“I don’t know.”
— Are you serious?
The Minister continued effortlessly, stroking his chin.
— Could she be my niece?
“…Excuse me?”
The unexpected revelation left me speechless.
—
The shock from the previous day nearly sent me spiraling. I couldn’t believe that the master’s student I had unwittingly doomed was actually the niece of my direct superior!
“There’s a saying about Kagan having eight warhorses. It’s a rare record from the Gar tribe, but I couldn’t grasp what those warhorses referred to.”
Gerhardt thankfully kept the conversation rolling, helping me remain grounded.
“It doesn’t refer to actual horses. It’s about the eight most powerful individuals under Kagan’s command.”
I began jotting down names on paper. The eight “warhorses” under Kagan, roughly known as the Eight War Machines, were known for their overwhelming power.
There were cases where they got taken down one by one, some barely managed to subdue entire groups, and others even miraculously managed to escape alive.
“The Eight War Machines are Chauzid Solr Ure, Sarei Dobra Tala, Udesr Zairug, Ranka Adume Kirytai, Zalyr Mog Karial, Mog Timuen, Ordo Kuman Ilay…”
Without Kagan, each of these monsters would likely have ruled their territory as Khans. It was a struggle to keep them in check even when all our resources and efforts were focused solely on Kagan.
“Lastly, Udesur Dorgon. And that makes eight.”
He was the only one among the Eight War Machines who survived. And not just any survivor; he was Kagan’s own son.
His lineage and abilities were top-notch, which is why Kagan entrusted him with the leadership of Kesik.
‘Thinking back, this is just infuriating.’
This was exactly why the Empire still couldn’t break free from the North’s hold. The most troublesome one of them was still alive!
I barely managed to suppress a sigh and turned my gaze from the paper back to Gerhardt. His eager eyes gave me a bit of comfort.
It was really weird. In the North, people curse at that name in their dreams. But now that they’re dead, it had become a name that could bring some fondness. Is this what they mean when they say people leave their names behind after death?
‘So, these things find their worth in death?’
May it serve as fertilizer for the growth of the Empire’s scholars!
“Thank you so much! If it were just me, it would have taken years to figure this out…”
I awkwardly smiled at Gerhardt as he bowed for my gratitude.
It’s one thing to give him one piece of advice and receive thanks right away; but if I offered two, he thanked me four times! Sure, it’s polite, but it’s almost worrisome how exaggerated such courtesy can be.
‘Better than having nothing, I suppose?’
Trying to think positively, I redirected my focus to Christina.
— I heard my niece is working as an assistant teacher. I’ve been worried because she insists on studying a field with little practical use.
Those were the Minister’s words yesterday. The name Christina, her job as an assistant teacher, and her pursuit of a field of study with little practicality.
With all these details aligning perfectly, I felt no need for further investigation. Even though I didn’t know her last name, it was clearly her from the matching clues!
“Miss Christina?”
“Oh, yes!”
Christina, who had been intensely scribbling something, quickly raised her head.
“It’s embarrassing, but it seems we haven’t properly introduced ourselves.”
“Oh, uh…!”
It seemed Christina finally caught on to the fact that this was indeed our first formal interaction, as she nodded vigorously.
“I’m Christina Iris!”
‘Right, there it is.’
That’s her name! That was the last name the Minister’s wife used before marriage!
Tsk! I didn’t realize I’d played a prank on the Minister’s niece… how shocking…
‘I’m going insane here!’
From that day on, I started giving even more enthusiastic advice to Gerhardt and Christina.
To be fair, if Christina was just some distant relative of the Minister, I wouldn’t fuss much, but the fact that she’s his wife’s niece changes everything!
“The Minister might seem a bit rough around the edges, but he truly has a warm heart.”
“Of course, ma’am. I’m well aware.”
“Thank you! Knowing my niece has someone like you here really puts my mind at ease.”
I honestly found it puzzling how the Minister and his wife ended up together, given how different they were, but she’s truly a wonderful person.
Damn it! How did I get so tangled up in all of this?
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