Chapter 130: Star Lecturer (5)

Echina Luton.

Her entrance alone drew all attention.

She had just turned twenty-one, and yet the influence held by that black-haired female knight was formidable.

If the Western Grand Duke’s daughter wielded overwhelming power as a businesswoman,

and the Saint held sway over religion and the public’s hearts,

then what she possessed was military might.

Her talent and leadership were already well known, not only in Nord but even within the Imperial Palace.

“I stand here before the Order today because I have one thing to announce publicly to the citizens of Nord, including our knights.”

She resembled a knight commander right before casting her gauntlet.

Indeed, ten years from now, she would rise to that position.

But even at this point, she already carried charisma to match it.

“This time, the Imperial Academy has announced a new career-track program in collaboration with the Erian Foundation.”

It was information the public was mostly aware of through the newspapers.

However, the words now coming from her lips hadn’t yet been reported by the media.

“The Nord Knights will also be accepting new members through that program.”

Of course, it wasn’t a decision made on impulse overnight.

The Emperor himself had privately discussed it beforehand with the Grand Duke of the North.

This was simply the first time it was being disclosed to the public—through Echina’s mouth.

“……”

The reactions from the senior and junior knights weren’t particularly favorable.

After all, Nord had the second-highest application rate, right after the Imperial Knights—

it was a dream job.

Still, the justification was sound.

The North had long recruited exceptional talents of common birth, even if they weren’t nobles.

It aligned perfectly with the Emperor’s vision of a society where everyone could receive equal education.

“Of course, there will be some discontent. Some of our members may feel uneasy about those raised in the comfort of the capital joining our ranks.”

However, the entry process into the Nord Knights was notoriously harsh.

Public sentiment even said that those from the North were far tougher than the students of the Imperial Academy.

The knights of Nord, fully aware of such a culture, shared a strong sense of identity among themselves.

“But what is our goal?”

“To defend our homeland on the northern front!”

One of the younger male knights, who had long admired her, answered.

Echina nodded, as if to say he had answered well.

“Exactly. Our mission is to protect the nation and its people.”

The nearby guests, seated around the room, gave a brief round of applause, stirred by her words.

“Rejecting capable individuals with noble aspirations simply because they come from a different background—

That would be ridiculous.”

She said this sharply, as though rebuking the seniors and juniors who usually indulged in factional games.

Her gaze was completely unlike the one she’d shown me.

“That’s no different from the punks who giggle in taverns, gossiping about others behind their backs.”

“That’s right……!!”

Several knights responded in unison, seemingly in agreement.

“There should be no discrimination among comrades working for the sake of the nation.

So I ask that you all warmly welcome our new comrades.”

Everyone seemed to be following her lead, taking in the situation with a positive attitude.

But there was one person who remained unimpressed.

“……”

Former instructor Tom Reed.

His cynical eyes met Echina’s gaze.

A standoff between a newly matured lioness and a scarred leopard who had survived countless battles.

And it was the old leopard who struck first.

He suddenly raised his hand and asked in a voice as cold as the Nord mountain range.

“To serve the nation, huh… How noble a goal.”

All attention turned to his sardonic voice.

Even Bennett and I, who had stepped aside to the edge of the viewing area, were now watching.

“Then, Lady Echina, are you saying you’re willing to lay down your life for the nation?”

Like dirty water poured over a neatly wrapped gift, his venomous words burst forth.

A crude and devastating blow.

“Can you really throw away a life you only get once so easily?”

Every knight turned a sharp glare on him.

But the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter said nothing for a moment, then quietly raised one hand.

A gesture telling everyone that she was fine, and to let him speak.

“When a person dies, nothing remains, my lady.”

I looked at him with a serious gaze amidst the murmuring crowd.

Right now, Instructor Tom was laying bare her convictions and putting them to the test.

“In the end, if you die, what meaning do this Empire, or its people, really have?”

He was questioning whether she had been swayed by my sweet talk, using patriotism to cloud her judgment.

Testing her, perhaps recalling the mistake he himself had once made with his students.

“You’ll be nothing but a handful of ash.”

What he was saying wasn’t wrong.

If I die, what does anything matter?

That single phrase alone was powerful enough to resonate with the current generation of youth.

“I see. I understand why you would think that. Especially you, Instructor Tom.”

Echina first responded politely.

As soon as she said his name, the fierce looks on the knights’ faces shifted to surprise.

They all knew of Tom Reed’s reputation.

A man who had trained many students rapidly—only for most of them to perish.

Thanks to that, his dress shirts rarely survived a day without being grabbed by furious parents.

To such a former instructor, Echina’s words might have sounded utterly fake and laughable.

No matter how she was the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter, she was still just a twenty-one-year-old woman.

How would she respond to this ambush?

I watched closely, taking her impromptu lecture very seriously.

“Instructor Tom, as I understand it, you too once served on the battlefield.”

“That’s right. I fought in the Imperial Civil War twenty-five years ago.”

Before the invasion war, there had been a civil war.

The war among the princes for succession to the throne had ultimately ended with the current emperor, Leonidas, as the victor.

“Afterward, you stepped down as an instructor and produced many knights who made great contributions in the war against the Northern Kingdom.”

“Contributions? They were merely consumed in an invasion.”

The middle-aged man shot back, cutting her off without hesitation.

But Echina showed not the slightest trace of surprise—her expression didn’t even flinch.

“Consumed… For those words to come from someone who trained them personally, your guilt must be quite profound.”

Rather than opposing him, she seemed to understand him.

She was already beginning to show empathy for others—something she would only fully come to realize ten years later.

“I understand. If the students you raised like your own children died not in a noble war, but while invading enemy lands, it must have left you feeling deeply hollow.”

Echina’s golden eyes looked at him with a gaze full of sympathy.

That rare expression made even the other knights feel that they were witnessing a new side of her.

“But as you know, Instructor, it wasn’t a war without cause. The Northern Kingdom was the force behind the attempt to depose His Majesty during the civil war by supporting another prince.”

“That’s true. But still, the Empire did push too hard, trying to exploit their territory.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter closed her eyes for a moment.

Then, after a brief breath, she lifted her eyes again with a calm, intelligent gaze.

“Eliminating a potential threat before it grows is the safest option. They’ve now lost their grain-producing regions, making it difficult for them to increase military power.”

Echina assessed the situation with a cold, clear mind.

Rather than appealing emotionally, she looked for a rational way to break through.

“Thanks to that, we are now able to enjoy a peaceful era without any immediate security threats.”

The citizens, seemingly in agreement, nodded calmly.

After all, the fact that they could now attend Bennett’s lecture was itself proof that the Empire had entered its golden age.

“The youth of today will likely enjoy many happy days in this era.”

A time to play, drink, and be curious about romance.

And Echina was no different in that regard.

“This golden age was made possible thanks to people of my father’s generation—like Instructor Tom and your students.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter slowly approached the audience.

She descended the steps and stopped in front of the middle-aged man sitting in the very front row.

“The seniors you raised were not ‘consumed’ by the nation.”

All lights now shone on her and the former instructor.

Bathed in golden light, Echina knelt on one knee.

“They are heroes who made it possible for us, their juniors, to greet peace.”

Instructor Tom looked silently at the Grand Duke’s daughter before him.

Then, as if struggling to keep his expression in check, he shut his eyes tightly.

“I too, if it meant the Empire could enjoy times like these, would gladly sacrifice myself.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter gently held his rough, calloused hand.

Her hands, too, had grown calloused from years of training.

“So please, don’t blame yourself for sending your students into danger.”

But—

When their hands met, they could both feel the warmth of each other’s palms.

The heat of a passion willing to sacrifice itself for the sake of the nation.

“Your actions weren’t wrong, Instructor.”

“……”

The middle-aged man couldn’t easily open his eyes.

No, he didn’t want to.

Perhaps because no one had ever said such words to him before.

A man who had drowned himself in alcohol daily and died alone, quietly, on the street.

Who would’ve thought a man like him would one day hear these words from a much younger junior?

“Is that how the Grand Duke of the North taught you…?”

“No. My father and I have hardly ever had a conversation like this.”

He tried to deflect with his usual rough tone.

“Then was it that sly-looking fellow who called me here?”

“It wasn’t him either. Today, I stood here purely by my own will.”

Echina paid her respects to her senior with utmost sincerity.

When she closed her eyes, her long and graceful lashes fluttered gently.

“I simply held to a conviction I formed the moment I first picked up a sword—

to protect the ones I wanted to keep safe.”

“……”

Only after hearing those words did the instructor open his eyes.

As if he had once heard those exact words long ago.

“How strange. That’s exactly what one of my students said when he became a Swordmaster.”

Echina was currently a high-ranking expert, just a step below Swordmaster.

If she showed her full ability, she could easily overpower me.

I might have been able to lift her up with brute strength,

but once swords were drawn, the story would be entirely different.

“I don’t know… Even if you have such a noble conviction, who knows how those above you will see it.”

It seemed Tom had decided to acknowledge her sincerity, at the very least.

But he still couldn’t bring himself to trust the Imperial court or the nobility.

“A pure-hearted knight is easy to exploit.”

Upon hearing that, Echina responded with a soft smile that said there was no need to worry.

Her complexion looked even more radiant than usual.

“No, that won’t happen. I already have a reliable advisor by my side.”

Echina pointed toward me, quietly observing from the corner of the viewing stands.

I had poked just my face out, like someone peeking from a fox’s den.

And yet, somehow, she had found me.

“Roger, would you mind coming up here for a moment?”

“Ahem…”

Wearing an awkward smile, I got up from my seat.

Then I slowly walked up and stood beside Echina.

“Explain the career-track program you’ve prepared to the instructor, if you would.”

A flawless stage set perfectly by her, far beyond anything I’d expected.

Thanks to her, I was now able to comfortably present the plan I had so carefully prepared.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

Echina whispered to me, covering her lips with one hand.

From a distance, the Western Grand Duke’s daughter, Helena, had been watching the entire performance unfold with a sulky expression.

Clearly, she was not impressed with Echina’s show.

But I had no time to sense the strange tension between the two.

What mattered now was wrapping up the stage Echina had so perfectly set for me.

“I’ve been listening all along, and I believe our instructor here may have misunderstood one key thing.”

As I began to speak, the attention of the crowd shifted to me.

Tom was no exception.

He, too, looked at me with anticipation, wondering what someone trusted by the eloquent Echina might say.

“I suspect Instructor Tom thinks our Erian Foundation exists to cultivate talent for the Imperial court.”

Tom and the knights all nodded in agreement.

After all, the newspapers had reported that the Erian program was created by imperial decree.

“Isn’t that obvious? Students from the Erian Foundation will be sent to the capital, right?”

But—

Soon, all their eyes widened in unison.

“No. That’s not my intention at all.”

I denied it, firmly and without hesitation.

“Then… where are the knights trained at your foundation supposed to go?”

At the old instructor’s question, I raised one hand.

Then, with a gesture like I was rubbing coins together, I flashed a sly grin.

“Our graduates have one top priority—‘money.’”

Money.

A word not just worldly—but downright materialistic.

Tom blinked in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape.

“I personally verify every workplace and make direct connections for employment.”

I placed a hand over my left chest and spoke with confidence.

“Not in the Imperial Palace, but in the sweetest positions with good pay and benefits.”

Both knights and guests glanced at each other, unsure how to react to such brutal honesty.

But my expression remained as composed and unwavering as ever.

The Empire’s golden age was about to unfold.

A time of peace carved out by our predecessors.

And in that era, the talents we raised would live comfortable lives, earning fair wages.

Those words offered Instructor Tom a new perspective.

“That’s…”

A new starting point where the students he trained could finally live happily.

“Our foundation will proudly boast a one hundred percent employment rate for knights.”

I would take responsibility for our people to the very end—in my own way.

At my brazen, businessman-like gaze, the retired instructor looked half-stunned.

Meanwhile, Echina actually seemed delighted.

She smiled—a fresh, rare smile—right in front of everyone, as if to say, that’s just like you.

But today, that smile looked unusually tender and feminine.

Her face, paler and more luminous than usual, was strikingly beautiful.

Must be the lighting.

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