Let’s flash back to that afternoon.
On the way to Isabelle’s house after class, Ivan sensed a faint discomfort from the lingering gazes around him.
The military’s surveillance was more overt than he had expected. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t accustomed to domestic intelligence operations like those of the Counterintelligence Command. The surveillance using students felt almost ostentatious.
Ivan knew he had to conclude negotiations with the military as quickly as possible. He furrowed his brow as he hastened his pace.
Thunk.
Lost in thought, Ivan was abruptly jolted as a student approached and attempted to collide with him, their intention unmistakable.
Reacting swiftly, Ivan grabbed the student’s forehead with one hand and drew a dagger with the other, pressing it against the student’s throat.
“What’s this?”
“Uh, I, I, I…?”
The female student froze in bewilderment. Beyond the large hand gripping her forehead, she glanced at Ivan’s face once before her own flushed with embarrassment.
And as her gaze descended, she saw the cold blade of the dagger. In an instant, her face paled.
“Sonia Blaminovna Borgnine. Who sent you to spy on me?”
“Wh-who, who sent…? More importantly, how do you know my name?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t know the name of a student?”
“B-but, I’m not even a freshman…?”
“That’s irrelevant. Was it Count Valica? Or did Grand Duke Volonovin send you personally? Baron Nakan was affiliated with the royal faction, so it would’ve been easy to recruit him as a northern noble.”
“What does that mean…?”
The student called Sonia stumbled in confusion. Ivan narrowed his eyes as he watched her, finding her performance too natural, given her age. It was as if her training wasn’t suitable for her generation.
“I’m… I’m going to mend your clothes if they got wet,” she stammered.
“Wet clothes? Hm,” Ivan mused.
At those words, he turned his gaze and saw coffee tightly clenched in trembling hands.
Ivan flicked the dagger and took the coffee still held by Sonia. A pleasant aroma wafted from the lukewarm coffee.
Keeping his gaze fixed on Sonia, he lifted the cup to his lips and took a small sip. Despite the attempt to spill it on his skin, implying the poison could invade through epidermal contact, he didn’t detect any poison through his sense of smell or taste.
It wasn’t an assassination attempt. Then why spill coffee on the clothes? Was she mentally unstable?
“Say it right…”
“Uncle—!! Stop!!”
Behind him, a thud echoed. Ivan kept his posture but turned his gaze to find Isabelle. Indeed, not far from there, Isabelle was trotting over.
She rushed up and tapped Ivan’s hand. Swiftly, she brushed off Sonia’s clothes and urgently spoke.
“Senior, how could you rush at that lunatic without thinking?! Do you want to die?!”
“Y-you…”
“First-year Isabelle!! That’s not important! Run away quickly! Before you get dragged to the torture chamber!!”
Isabelle hurriedly saved Sonia. Yet, it didn’t matter. Kidnapping a noblewoman in such a conspicuous situation was difficult, but he remembered all her personal details and movements.
“Do you know what she was planning to do just now?”
“Hmm.”
“Not ‘hmm’! I’ll go crazy for real. Either grow back your beard or something! How many more victims will there be? Poor people, really… She’s just trying to be friendly! Why, is it like when men bump shoulders with each other!”
“You’ll die if you do that.”
When picking a fight for no reason, it’s wise to check if the opponent has an axe or a gun.
And do women attempt social interaction by spilling coffee on others? Such common sense was unheard of even in thirty years of Krasilov’s life.
Isabelle approached Ivan with a pounding heart.
“Anyway! Anyway, there’s that. Don’t bother investigating for no reason just because the senior did something thoughtlessly.”
“The investigation is already over.”
Only face-to-face interrogation is necessary.
“Annoying.”
Isabelle grumbled as she stood in front of Ivan. She glanced at Ivan’s face, then quickly lowered her head to fix her gaze on his chest or so and said.
“I-I still have some time until dinner… C-can you tell me more about the test topics? I’ll pay for the meal.”
“I don’t extort unfair compensation from individual students for their class grades.”
“This is really frustrating.”
A sigh escaped Isabelle’s lips.
“Then just kidnap anyone and torture them to pass the time!! Whether you come for dinner or not!”
“Hmm.”
Isabelle disappeared quickly from sight. Ivan, being a sensible person, had long given up understanding students of that age group.
He soon made his way to the principal’s office. He couldn’t ignore the daily order to report in person.
*
Sonia clenched her trembling hands tightly, gasping for breath.
She ran to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face several times before she could barely calm down. Those young, innocent blue eyes still seemed to be watching her.
“How did he find out…?”
She chewed her lips nervously, lost in distress. She had failed in her father, Duke Volonovin’s secret mission.
Spilling coffee on the shirt, the attempt to approach gradually under the pretext of compensation… Outwardly, it seemed like just a normal mistake, a cute mishap, just the kind of standardized maneuvering.
“I-it doesn’t make sense for all five of us to fail…?”
Thinking of the distorted face of Grand Duke Volonovin made her shiver. She chewed her lips carefully and left the bathroom.
*
Arriving at the principal’s office, Ivan had to raise his hand and kneel straight away.
“You’re accused of threatening a female student with a knife on the main road.”
“No, that’s not true.”
“Was the report misheard?”
“It wasn’t a threat, it was inducing a statement.”
“It seems the misunderstanding wasn’t in the report but in common sense. You made a mistake yourself.”
Elizaveta chuckled ruefully and waved her hand. As Ivan lowered his arm and sat on the sofa, she pressed her temples and let out a sigh.
“Vanka, how about calming down a bit.”
It’s only been two days. That guy’s return to this university has only lasted that short period.
During that period, five female students faced the same misfortune. The outcome was that they all suffered from “attempted facial injuries over trivial reasons.”
Until then, it wasn’t like that. Even during the short time Ivan held the reins, despite the aggressive teaching style, he never directly touched students outside of class.
Shaving his beard—
At that moment, Elizaveta glanced at Ivan’s jaw once and then smiled contentedly.
“It’s definitely not because of that.”
She quickly dispelled the fleeting negative thought.
Of course, the students’ approach itself might have changed due to the change in appearance, but Ivan’s unusually sharp reaction was not due to such a reason.
“The death of Duke Etarique is regrettable even for you.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“I understand mourning. Even if it lasts a lifetime, I understand and it remains. But it would be better not to blame others. Yourself, Vanka. I hope you integrate better into society.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Seeing that Ivan didn’t seem convinced at all, Elizaveta sighed and waved her hand.
“I’ve heard you’ve been nurturing students. Some even accompanied you to Tylesse. Do you consider them the heroes of the era?”
“That’s correct.”
“Do you intend to educate those children?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“So, you believe they will be useful.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Elizaveta tapped the table thoughtfully.
“Will the Demon King return?”
It was a question without context.
She was the one who collected and reported on every rumor, gossip, tale, and whisper in the country. As the head of the Krasilov Counterintelligence Command, she was the best in the world at counterintelligence.
It didn’t make sense that Ivan would be aware of information that even she didn’t know.
But the man in front of her was one of Elizaveta’s less conventional characters; she never judged a hero’s actions solely based on common sense.
So Ivan must have an unspoken plan. If he didn’t say it, she didn’t need to know, and that judgment was probably because even he wasn’t sure.
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“On what basis?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Elizaveta nodded.
“Then do as you will, Vanka, and I will provide the conviction you lack. If you need resources, you may access the palace treasury.”
“Your Highness…!”
The servant, who had been listening, looked at her in surprise. Elizaveta smiled and waved her hand.
“If a hero who saved two nations needs something, so be it. I doubt Vanka would have risked his life in Tylesse in the first place if he was seeking personal gain.”
“I wonder if Grand Duke Volonovin will object….”
“Ha-ha.”
Elizaveta laughed bitterly at her servant’s comment.
“Are you more afraid of the nobles’ backlash than my own intentions?”
“N-no, Your Highness!!”
“Is there still someone in Krasilov who would raise their head when I order them to die? I didn’t know.”
The servant paled and quickly kneeled, bowing her head. She dared not even open her mouth, only sweating profusely.
“Feeling unwell, are you? Go out. Rest enough and come back.”
“P-please spare me, Your Highness!”
“I told you to rest, what nonsense is this? How dare you talk back when you should keep your tongue.”
Trembling uncontrollably, the servant left the principal’s office. Ivan, who had been watching her for a moment, spoke up.
“Whose side was that girl on?”
“She was the daughter of the late Duke Igon. One of my useless stepchildren.”
“Duke Igon. The courtier… Are there any remnants left?”
“If we purge all the palace insiders, how do you think the country will function? If just taking care of that girl can reassure the palace insiders, then it’s a good deal.”
Elizaveta chuckled lightly.
Most of the royalist nobles were administrative nobles. If they were all removed, the country’s administrative system would undoubtedly be paralyzed.
Therefore, it was right to remove a few key figures and securely take away the puppets operating underneath them.
However, mere pledges of loyalty were not enough. Since it was uncertain how much influence Alexander still held. So it was better to both warn and persuade them.
That was the meaning behind keeping the daughter of the deceased courtier close by.
Ivan nodded in slight admiration.
“Grand Duke Volonovin is coming to Frechenkaya.”
“They’re pledging loyalty belatedly.”
“Is that really loyalty? It probably means they want to settle their debts properly.”
Elizaveta smiled crookedly as she stood up.
“Vanka, do you think you can handle it?”
“If I kill Grand Duke Volonovin, controlling the 1st Division will become difficult.”
“…No, who said anything about killing? Why does everyone act like they can kill or spare someone just because you say so? Are you implying such harsh words? I simply meant for you to go negotiate in my place and come back. As discreetly and gently as possible. Can you do that?”
“It will be done as Your Highness wishes.”
Ivan bowed deeply and stood up. It was getting late.
He needed to convey the future actions to the hero party, organize the training schedule, and, most importantly, it was time to eat Isabelle’s cooking after a very long time.
He bid farewell with a nod and left the principal’s office.
“Hoo, hoho….”
After seeing him off, Elizaveta chuckled ominously in the now empty principal’s office.
Starting from sending Ivan to negotiate with the Grand Duke, consistently highlighting Ivan’s presence to the internal channels…
To let all the nobles know.
This man belongs to Elizaveta.
He was sent to the most important position as a substitute, the man who would be sealed as the country’s military king after becoming the future king of this country.
She chuckled while rifling through the documents hidden from Ivan’s view on the table.
It was a report listing the profiles of the hero party.
Isabelle, Ecdysis, Elphiera… At least these three might have some emotional significance to Vanka.
But no one would dare to take treasure from the owner of Krasilov.
She was more accustomed to intercepting what she wanted rather than having something taken away from her.
—
“It looks so good!”
Isabelle laughed cheerfully as she brought a table full of dishes. It was hard to turn away from Ivan, whether he was holding a fork or eating stew with a spoon.
Wow, this is so much fun. Just watching them makes me feel proud and happy.
“Ivan… Where’s your beard… gone… why…?”
Rundis stammered, denying reality. Since everyone except her was happy, if we were to calculate the total happiness, it would be a joyous occasion overall.
Ivan, who was quietly moving his utensils, wiped his mouth lightly and scanned the room.
Now it was time to teach these kids about reality.
—
