Chapter 73

Chapter 73

– First... Do not mourn those who left first.

– Your Majesty.

– Jim as well, and someday you too will stand in the same ranks as them.

– Your Majesty, please.

– Just as Jim lived a lifetime as a hypocrite, you too will live as a hypocrite. Perhaps gathering falsehoods will eventually lead you to the truth. Live. Live to continue the hypocrisy of Jim. Will you promise?

– Yes, Your Majesty. I will surely do so.

– That will be enough.

Ivan took a moment to catch his breath, then opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed in. Rising from the sofa, he sorted through the tumult of emotions with a brisk face wash.

It was the usual nightmare. It was the usual day. Contrary to expectations, the familiar ceiling was also the same as usual.

Ivan calmly organized his surroundings, tidied up his belongings, got dressed, and then left the director’s office.

It was the morning of the festival.

***

The main entrance to the St. Jan’s University was packed with a massive crowd – street vendors, curious citizens, foreign tourists, excited students, and their acquaintances.

Only four years since the end of the war, it was a rare international festival in this country with no shortage of festivities. The enthusiasm of the citizens was not surprising.

Ivan scanned his surroundings as he moved through the crowd. Even amidst this dense gathering, he navigated without brushing against a single garment, displaying a skillful agility.

It was a basic form of movement that posed no particular difficulty. Before he knew it, Ivan arrived at the square in front of the statue of the Great King, where the festival was in full swing.

Three people were either checking the time, strolling the streets, or standing idly. The appointment time was undoubtedly 20 minutes away.

Ivan smirked briefly. He had left early to detect any potential risks, but he hadn’t expected the escort targets to arrive so swiftly.

The troublemakers, typically tardy even for their weekly punctual classes, displayed unusual diligence. They were maturing.

Regardless, it wasn’t a bad thing. He already felt that the escort mission would be more manageable.

“Oh, uncle! You came?”

Isabelle suddenly ran towards him, waving her hand. With a cheerful smile, she swiftly reached him and naturally grabbed his arm.

Her tightly fitting attire looked uncomfortable for unnecessary movements. As a knight undergraduate, it was an outfit that would be difficult to score points in. It was suitable for the temperate climate of Tilles, and even then, it was a garment for very special occasions.

“No way, are you coming in your work clothes again today? Ugh, even if you’re a secret agent, don’t they grant government officials a day off? Making you work on a day like this?”

“A day off?”

“Yes! Seriously, this country is insane. Not only government officials, but do they even prevent them from getting married?”

“That’s not true.”

Krasilov had consistently implemented policies encouraging marriage and childbirth, a response to the significant damage to the nation’s structure since the last war.

Although Ivan couldn’t fathom why the topic of marriage suddenly came up, he saw no reason to instill such misconceptions in foreigners. He briefly nodded.

“Uncle, is there anything you’d like to do? I took a quick look around while coming here, and there’s a place that suits you perfectly...”

“Isabelle?” (Ecdysis)

As Isabelle was about to continue, Ecdysis, who had been absentmindedly observing the crowd in front of the statue, walked over quietly.

“What are you doing with Ivan?”

“Huh?”

“Excuse me, I apologize for the interruption. I understand you’ve been learning various things from him. Whenever it’s convenient, may I have a moment with Uncle Ivan?”

“...Huh?”

“Huh?”

As the two stared blankly at each other once again, an elf who had finally recognized them approached.

“Mr. Petrovich, you came early. That divine dedication that is so unhuman should truly be a lesson for all of mankind. I haven’t been waiting too long, so don’t worry too much.” Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

“Huh?”

“Uh-huh...?”

Two humans and one elf. The three of them once again looked at each other in silence.

“...Uncle, are you really crazy?”

“Uh... Uncle, that’s a bit...”

Organizing squabbling kids was as familiar as it gets. It wasn’t much different from dealing with students during class time.

Ivan asserted with the firm and dignified demeanor of a headmaster.

“Line up, all of you. Now, we’ll handle each opinion one by one fairly, and there won’t be any need for fights. Isabelle, you go first.”

“No way...”

Isabelle looked at Ivan with a confused expression, then glanced up at the sky, lowered her head deeply, and splashed some water on her face.

“Hurry up.”

“This is crazy. How can someone be so audacious? Trying to flirt with three young girls simultaneously? This, this is so shameless...”

Grumbling, Isabelle stepped forward.

***

When people think of university festivals, it’s only natural to associate them with pubs, but that’s due to the narrow culture of 21st-century South Korea.

In the case where this event started as a university festival but evolved into a local festival, it was different. In this peculiar mix of apartment bazaars and local small business activation festivals under the guise of a university festival, all sorts of things that one would expect from a “festival” were abundant, including the place Isabelle brought them to.

– Taang! –

“Oh, too bad, it missed! Well, since you hit four, here, I’ll give you a doll!”

It was a shooting booth where participants aimed at small targets with a pistol.

Surprisingly, they used real bullets, but it wasn’t strange. In a world where the concept of air guns didn’t exist, and guns were overlooked due to the societal atmosphere that deemed them ineffective against superhumans.

Moreover, even if someone dared to point the gun at civilians, the moment they turned the barrel, the shopkeeper could intervene. The shopkeeper was also a superhuman.

Superhumans who were beyond the level that the shopkeeper could intervene could prevent mass slaughter without even resorting to guns. There was no need to raise a noisy and attention-drawing weapon like a gun.

Therefore, despite using real bullets, this booth could be considered safer than any other street stall. While there was a prevalence of food poisoning due to the absence of food safety management in this world, there were agents from the reconnaissance headquarters responsible for firearm safety management in the event venue.

“Give it a try, us.”

Isabelle ran cheerfully towards the shooting booth. She knew Ivan was skilled with pistols, but she wanted to showcase her own practice on this occasion.

Demonstrating ‘diligent effort’ to a shooting expert was already a significant scoring factor. As for Ecdysis and Elpheira, they could never dream of such a thing. Did those two ever even try holding a pistol?

Seizing the opportunity to lead once again, using the excuse of exploring the festival, was a subtle display of political prowess. This was the terrifying political monster with a decade of experience in the labyrinth of Tylesse politics.

“Hey, senior?”

“Hmm?”

“Why is the senior... um, doing this?”

At that moment, the shopkeeper of the shooting booth was looking at Ivan with a bewildered expression.

“What are you doing here?”

“As you can see... um. Undercover duty...?”

“Excellent.”

Dmitri hesitated as he handed Ivan a pistol.

Indeed, undercover duty. With loaded pistols scattered everywhere, it’s easy to respond to emergencies. Carrying a pistol around would seem normal in the surroundings, where people would simply perceive it as an ordinary festival stall.

Competent indeed.

Ivan nodded approvingly.

Perhaps the festival could end without any issues, surprisingly for an Academy festival.

Well, this world isn’t devoid of bizarre events like inter-faculty dueling contests. There are no unacceptable friendly events that force elementary students into a first-come, first-served race to steal a dragon’s egg.

Maybe festival terrorism, a ‘common sense’ among academies, serves as a warning against such dangerous events. It might be aimed at widely spreading the lesson that educational institutions should not involve students’ lives in gambling.

If that’s the case, then good. Such wholesome festivals should also exist.

Ivan could somewhat relax.

But that wouldn’t do. Academy events always end up exploding because that is the ‘common sense’ of those occasions.

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