Chapter 148: Summons (2)

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Darius joined the Bayern representative team as an advisor and instructor for a very specific reason.

-Darius, don’t forget about what happened in the Erendal Forest. Please take care of things.

Carl has always been calm, but those around him caused endless trouble. So at least until he graduates from Bayern…

-Hmm, my son, I entrust Carl to you.

-My beloved son Darius. Please take good care of Carl. You know well that he has always been weak since childhood…

Ever since the incident in the Erendal Forest, every letter exchanged with family had Carl’s name written in it.

They kept urging him to watch over Carl as an older brother or to check if he was unwell.

Even if they never said it outright, the constant hints had become rather annoying.

‘He’ll take care of himself just fine.’

At twenty, one was already an adult.

It wasn’t strange at that age to marry, inherit the family line, or even receive a noble title.

Besides, Carl was clever enough not to throw himself into reckless trouble or hardships like other young men his age.

Just as Brother Carius said, it was always those around him that caused problems, dragging him into messes like in the Erendal Forest.

‘……And lately, he seems to have grown a lot.’

Darius crossed his arms and looked at the cadets sparring in front of him.

At present, ten first-year cadets chosen for the Bayern representative team had been gathered.

He had only summoned the main group to assess their abilities.

When he saw Carl’s name included in that list, he had honestly been a little surprised.

It was true Carl achieved excellent results in theory, but his practical skills should still have been lacking.

It must have been because of his reputation as an honor student that he left such a good impression on the professors.

Kang! Kang!

Carl’s current opponent was Laysis.

Second only to Nerian, she was flawless both in martial skill and academics.

Just watching Carl manage to barely fend off her sword was proof that he had made remarkable progress.

Though in truth, it wasn’t what it seemed.

-Your timing is too slow. If you had struck half a breath sooner, you could have knocked the sword out of my hand.

Even while he was being pushed back, Carl gave Laysis advice through voice transmission.

At the moment, her sword techniques borrowed the form of the Boundless Azure Sword Technique.

By analyzing a sword technique in detail, one could imitate its form without actually using the official sequence of moves.

This was a method often used by skilled experts to avoid leaking their martial arts, and Carl had applied the same method to help Laysis.

Shuak!

Laysis immediately absorbed Carl’s feedback, and her movements became a beat faster.

The sharpness of her strike made the other cadets watching exclaim in admiration.

Kang!

In the end, Carl’s sword was knocked from his grip and clattered to the ground.

There was no need to say who had the upper hand.

‘At least, to anyone watching.’

Laysis exhaled lightly and lowered her sword.

She wondered when she would reach the point where she no longer needed Carl’s feedback.

She knew she was improving, but with the target so far ahead of her, her own progress felt insignificant.

“Impressive.”

“In swordsmanship, with Nerian, Laysis, and Lewis, victory should be easy.”

“With three prizes to be awarded, if they take all the top spots, we’ll widen the gap with the other academies by far.”

Walpurgis Night.

One of its most famous events was the martial tournament.

Swords, spears, sabers, bare-handed fighting, and more…

So long as it was martial skill, any discipline was allowed.

It was also the contest worth the most points, and the winner would earn great honor for both themselves and their academy.

“Hm.”

Darius also nodded.

This group could stand shoulder to shoulder with the golden generation of the past.

No, with Yuria excelling in magic, they might even be superior.

“Good. That ends the test. Now, we need to choose a captain and vice-captain for the first-year team. Any volunteers?”

At that, Laysis glanced around.

The position of captain, both in status and honor, was one everyone would want.

The candidates could easily be narrowed to three.

‘Cadet Nerian, myself, and Cadet Lewis.’

Nerian would surely find it troublesome and decline.

He never even pursued the bonus points for mandatory attendance in Bayern’s lectures.

That left Lewis as the strongest competitor.

‘But with Lewis’ temperament, if he can’t be captain, he’ll settle for vice-captain.’

He wasn’t the type to support from beneath someone else, but if framed right…

‘Captain Laysis, vice-captain Carl.’

Making that arrangement wouldn’t be difficult.

“Ahem.”

Laysis cleared her throat softly and raised her hand.

Lewis, standing a bit further away, smirked knowingly and lifted his hand as well.

“So it’s between Laysis and Junior Lewis. Then one of the two will—”

“Three.”

“……”

Someone cut Darius off.

Nerian, standing at the edge of the group, raised his forget-me-not-colored hair along with his hand.

Laysis froze in surprise, while Lewis’ smile stretched wider.

“Three, then. A vote will be best.”

Darius nodded.

He had originally intended to let strength decide, giving the captaincy to the winner.

It was the cleanest, most direct way.

But with three candidates, the fairest choice was a vote among the cadets.

“You have one minute. Send me your choice through the Archive.”

At his words, everyone hastily activated their Archives and began writing down names.

Who would lead Bayern’s first-year representative team for the coming months?

“……”

Carl, writing his message, glanced at Nerian’s expression.

‘What is he thinking?’

From what Carl knew of Nerian, he didn’t like getting involved in bothersome matters.

For him to step forward meant the captain’s position held real merit.

Carl wrote Laysis’ name in the message for Darius.

But just before pressing send, he erased it and replaced it with Nerian’s name.

‘This would be more entertaining.’

If it came down to Laysis versus Lewis, the odds were high that Lewis would be chosen.

Unlike Laysis, a princess of another kingdom, Lewis was a noble of the Empire.

But what if the undisputed top student, Nerian, entered the picture?

“……The results are in. The captain of the first-year representative team is Cadet Nerian.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Light applause spread through the group.

Nerian acknowledged them with a short nod, then returned to his usual expressionless face.

“Then the vice-captain is……”

“May I make the choice?”

But it didn’t end there.

As Darius prepared to select the vice-captain, Nerian raised his hand again to interrupt.

“As captain, I would like to choose someone who will be a real asset to me.”

“Well, that should be fine.”

Darius nodded readily.

It would not greatly affect the overall team no matter who was chosen.

Nerian wasn’t likely to pick someone unworthy, and even Darius was curious who he would select.

“I choose Cadet Carlos for vice-captain.”

“……Carl?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Darius frowned.

There were many other outstanding cadets—so why Carl?

The other cadets also looked puzzled or uncertain, but none strongly objected.

“Well, he is the top in theory.”

“He’ll do well as support.”

“Carl will already have a lot to handle. As the top in theory, he’ll also be in charge of the presentations.”

“I don’t care either way.”

“Still, it feels a bit unsettling for him to be chosen by Nerian. He always keeps to himself, so it’s hard to know what he’s thinking.”

After a moment of murmuring, the cadets seemed to accept it.

If it had been another captain, they might have argued, but with Nerian chosen, no one minded.

“……”

Laysis clenched her teeth as she glared at Nerian from behind.

‘Why?’

Why take Carl away?

The arrangement she had wanted was stolen whole, with only the captain’s seat switched.

Why Carl, of all people?

‘……Could it be.’

Her eyes, filled with anger, suddenly widened as they shifted toward Carl beside her.

“Carl.”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever exchanged words with Cadet Nerian?”

“……Regarding the vice-captain’s seat, nothing at all. I’m just as surprised.”

Carl had known Nerian was interested in him, but he hadn’t expected such a direct choice.

‘Is he finally moving to recruit me in earnest?’

Carl smiled inwardly.

Just as he himself had marked Laysis for recruitment into NOX, Nerian must be making moves to draw him into Hopenheim.

“……”

Seeing Carl’s ambiguous expression, Laysis clenched her fists tightly beneath her sleeves once more.

‘I can’t let this happen.’

To think Cadet Nerian might have such preferences.

She had heard the Empire’s proverb that a handsome man could captivate both men and women.

Nerian was undoubtedly handsome, and Carl was not lacking either.

Since Nerian had shown interest since the start of the semester, it wasn’t strange for such feelings to bloom.

‘I must protect him.’

Laysis looked at Carl with a determined expression.

He remained calm, unaware of the situation, but Nerian had already begun to act.

If Carl lowered his guard even slightly, he could fall prey despite his caution.

No amount of swordsmanship or magic could guard against the human heart.

‘I’ll need countermeasures.’

Nerian was a formidable rival.

Laysis admitted it honestly and accepted her own shortcomings.

But what if she wasn’t alone?

‘As soon as we return, I’ll consult Yuria.’

If it was Yuria, whose mind was sharper than her own, she would surely find a solution.

“……”

Seeing Nerian smiling faintly at Carl after naming him vice-captain only deepened her suspicions.

“Good.”

Captain and vice-captain.

Nerian and Carl.

With both chosen, Darius nodded.

“Lastly, you know that those gathered here will be the core of the representative team. Now you will recommend other cadets to undergo the selection process. Each of you will write down one or two names. It doesn’t matter if they’re close friends or not. Not all those named will be chosen.”

The process for additional members had begun.

Carl, who had already thought of someone, opened his Archive without hesitation.

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