Chapter 55

Chapter 55

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

Chapter 55

The crown prince sat beside me, laughing incessantly, lost in his own thoughts.

And my current state... to be honest, I’m quite bewildered. It’s unbelievable.

I killed him. The leader of Luzernes. With a single shot. One bullet, straight to the heart.

No matter how much I deny it, when you combine the testimony of those involved with the circumstances, it all points to me.

It’s absurd. I know better than anyone about my marksmanship skills.

While others were fighting and killing with guns? I was scattering peace with my gun.

Watch out. Bullets are flying over there. Oh. Don’t dodge. You won’t get hit even if you don’t dodge!

Luckily, I was active in close combat, otherwise I wouldn’t have had anything to say even if I was misunderstood as a spy for the real Kanfra.

‘That’s about it, but... No, this is ridiculous. Why would a casual shot to draw attention to myself go right through the heart of the leader?’

I thought about it and realized that I was aiming at their camp, not at thin air.

If you go to a fence and get hit, they’ll start screaming about raids and stuff.

In case you’re wondering, I didn’t shoot to catch anyone.

I wasn’t in a position to, I couldn’t afford to, and most importantly, I didn’t want to.

It was a cumbersome gun anyway, so I shot it and threw it right away.

Thanks to that, the platoon leader asked me where I left my gun. It was an added bonus that I was frantically wondering if I’d abandon my lover like that.

Anyway, I killed the leader of Luzerne. I killed him with one bullet.

I wasn’t aiming for it, but it was so perfect that I had to assume I was aiming for it. The situation is such that it is safe to say that Sharpshooter came, sniped, and then left.

‘Was it really okay to do that?’

Ignoring Luzernes and rescuing allies? That’s not a big problem. There are plenty of others who have made significant contributions on the battlefield.

Preventing a terrorist attack? Protecting exchange students? That’s fine too. I’m a recipient of the Medal of Honor, after all.

Even if all three of those scenarios were known to everyone, I concluded that there was nothing to worry about.

But killing the leader of Luzernes is different. If that gets out, it could be really troublesome.

It’s not just about journalists coming or receiving more medals. There’s a high probability that the remaining Kanfra bastards will try to kill me in any way they can.

It wouldn’t be a big deal if they only targeted me. I won’t just stand by and take it from them.

The problem is that their anger could spread to innocent people.

Where am I right now? At the academy. And the people around me? They’re students.

We’re far from the battlefield. If the Kanfra bastards really come after me with all they’ve got, it could be a big problem.

Now, in addition to that, they probably also want to express gratitude, albeit unofficially, for the assassination of the hardline faction leader.

When the prince finishes speaking like that, he takes a sip from the cup himself, nods, and says, ‘That’s it.’ Hey, Your Highness. Isn’t that a bit self-congratulatory...?

“You don’t like tea? I’ll pour you a cup too.”

“Uh, thank you. And it’s an honor. Your Highness personally pouring tea for me...”

“I thought you might not be too familiar with tea.”

Oops. How did he know? I honestly thought he’d be drinking water with these tree leaves.

He’s definitely not your average prince of the Empire. Could this guy be using psionic energy? Reading people’s minds and saying things like, ‘You’re a traitor? You’re being punished.’ Nah, probably not, right?

“Anyway, I came to see you for that reason. I wanted to hear directly about what happened that day. Whether you really fired the gun yourself. Ultimately, it turned out that the Empire’s hero was, and is, a hero.”

If only he had mentioned another Medal of Honor. I would have said, ‘Two is enough.’ Your Highness.

After finishing his cup of tea, the prince slowly gets up to leave.

Seeing him like this, he doesn’t seem like the grand prince of the Empire, just a regular academy student.

“Look forward to the Medal of Honor ceremony. Karl. I’m expecting great things. Since it’s a ceremony presided over by a prince, it will be as grand, if not grander, than the princess’s.”

“I’ll... do my best, Your Highness.”

If I had known this would happen, I would have just gone to the palace to receive it.

* * *

“Ladies and Gentlemen of honor, first, let us offer a prayer to our protector and guide, the Light. May your light bless this event today—”

Hmm. Déjà vu? This sounds like the beginning of something I heard recently.

I sneak a glance around. Academy students and faculty, as well as mid-level Empire officials, are all gathered. There are even several members of the rarely seen noble families.

Those standing over there seem to be the heads of the families to which the members of those Four are related. Maybe I should go after the ceremony and say, ‘Please scold those bastards and make them come to their senses!’?

“...Next, there will be the presentation of the Medal of Honor by His Highness the Prince.”

Humans are creatures of adaptation, aren’t they? The second ceremony was a bit less embarrassing than the first.

Even though applause and cheers erupted as if the academy was about to collapse, now it’s okay....

“Hero of the Empire! Come here! Let me give you a hug!”

Nope. Cancel. It’s not okay. It’s even more embarrassing. Kyaaah! Your Highness, why are you doing this? Seriously!

Before the presentation of the medals, the prince suddenly grabs me and pulls me close.

In the moment of confusion, wondering what was going on, the prince pats my back.

And what he said lingered in my heart for a long time.

“To those who couldn’t stand with us, let there be honor as well. The moment we remember them is the Empire’s greatest moment. The moment we forget them all is the moment the Empire ceases to exist.”

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]