Chapter 35: The Accusers (3)
When I kept silent again, Eric, as if guilty of sothing, hurriedly spoke once more.
“There’s sothing I wish to make public.”
“…Make public, huh.”
I rubbed my lips and paused for a mont.
I could roughly guess what he was getting at.
It was the Halenber family, which had secured trading rights over the Albe Sea and established the largest foothold in the Western Port.
In that place, which had beco a hotbed of smuggling, no family had been more deeply involved in the drug scandal than Halenber.
Of course, the best target would be the Bernhardt Family behind them, but they weren’t an easy bunch to deal with.
Even the title of “War Hero of the Century” wouldn’t be enough; at least two collaborators would be necessary.
Halenber might be easier to approach than Bernhardt, but that didn’t an they would collapse easily.
Still, it wasn’t like they were spotless. There was plenty of room to pry an opening.
If I could secure concrete evidence, I could make the issue public whenever I wished…
‘The problem is—why is he the one bringing this up?’
Even if he’d had a change of heart after his match with Francia, it wasn’t normal for soone to co to wanting to expose his own family’s corruption.
‘I thought he’d at least know I’m not on Bernhardt’s side.’
Rubbing my lips, I let out a small sigh.
There was still so ti left before class, so perhaps I’d try to test him a bit.
“I can decide after hearing it, right?”
“The promise cos first.”
Despite the tension in his deanor, his voice was resolute.
“You’re quite bold, aren’t you, Halenber’s fledgling? Were you that sure I’d cooperate?”
“…Yes.”
I smiled faintly, an expression of mild surprise on my face.
“Go on, then.”
Eric glanced behind him for a mont before continuing.
“I understand that you’re very interested in reforming Karbenna.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“And that you’re also dedicated to strengthening the cadets’ abilities. You’ve already achieved results, too.”
“You’re well-inford. Because you were one of the people involved, perhaps?”
“…You’re hitting where it hurts.”
Even as he said that, Eric’s face looked rather relieved.
“You helped Francia, a fallen noble, both materially and ntally, and you’ve been working hard for the Empire’s future in various ways. I thought you could be trusted, Instructor Carter.”
“So if it had been anyone else, you wouldn’t have co to ask this favor?”
“Yes.”
“That’s quite the generous evaluation.”
“Is it?”
“You never thought all that effort might just be for building my own influence?”
“…Even if it is, I don’t mind.”
Eric said that and looked at with eyes full of determination.
Well, that drew a small, involuntary laugh from .
What on earth had caused this change in attitude?
He was a completely different person from just a week ago.
Did sothing happen between him and Francia in that ti?
I folded my arms and nodded slowly.
“Fine. I’ll cooperate. What do you want to do?”
Eric’s pupils widened for an instant, as if he hadn’t expected to agree so quickly.
Without hesitation, he got straight to the point.
“During the upcoming eting, please expose Karbenna’s drug situation.”
“……”
“I’ll secure the evidence myself.”
For a while, I couldn’t say anything in response to Eric’s proposal.
Not because it was Eric Halenber, of all people, who was making such a request—but because of sothing else entirely.
A status window suddenly appeared next to .
※ You are [Eric Halenber]’s [Growth Contributor].
※ You have obtained the following privilege: [Status View].
There was no particular limit to the number of individuals a growth contributor could affect.
Even if the person wasn’t a main character, as long as I contributed to their growth, I would naturally receive so benefit.
Even if I hadn’t intended it, if the other party grew as a result of , the system would grant authority over them.
Nothing too surprising so far, but…
Murmuring quietly to myself, I quickly checked Eric’s status.
Eric Halenber, 18 years old. From the Imperial City of Levinel. Adopted into the Halenber Family at the age of 9. His five core stats: Endurance, Anti-Magic, Technique, ntal Strength, and Eloquence.
Overall assessnt: “A survivalist torn between guilt and self-pity.”
If there was sothing notable about it, it was the complete lack of any remarkable abilities.
‘If he was adopted into Halenber at age nine…’
Then the main incident must’ve been about nine years ago.
I rummaged through my mory, recalling as many events from the year 1468 as I could.
Before long, the headlines of newspaper articles from that year filled my mind.
Putting all that information together, I spoke firmly.
“I managed to talk one revenge-driven fool out of it, and now another one’s trying to take up the torch. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
Eric’s eyes went wide with surprise.
“…You knew?”
“What, that you’re from a fallen noble house?”
“…Yes.”
You think a ten-year veteran of MAGA wouldn’t know that much?
—Is what I wanted to say, but even I didn’t have every bit of in-ga data stored in my head.
To retrieve the right information at the right ti, a proper keyword was necessary.
In this case, that keyword had been Eric’s status.
“Eric Vergel. After watching the neighboring Brida Family’s territory collapse into ruin, you ca up with a survival strategy—adoption.”
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
In an empire with a history spanning hundreds of years, such cases were far from rare.
But I hadn’t expected he would actually knock on the door of the very family that destroyed his own.
As Eric continued to remain silent, I asked again.
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“……”
“I suppose you don’t an to say your choice back then was all a setup for this mont?”
“Of course not.”
Eric glanced off into the distance as if recalling those days, then looked back at with a hardened expression.
“I rely chose the best ans of survival available to .”
“…Well, I suppose that makes sense. A family like Halenber, capable of destroying their own kin so easily, wouldn’t exactly be at risk of collapse.”
He silently nodded.
“There was a ti when I desperately wanted to beco one of them. I thought that was the only option left to . But then…”
“But then?”
“…After watching Francia and you, I realized sothing. Maybe I had other choices too.”
A fierce smile spread across Eric’s lips.
“This ti, I won’t make a mistake.”
That was his conclusion.
He was willing to beco an internal whistleblower to correct the mistakes of his past.
In response, I leaned back slightly and said,
“Doing this won’t make Francia look at you differently, you know.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m doing it for her to acknowledge .”
“…Is that so.”
“Isn’t it the sa for you, Instructor?”
“You sure do have a smooth tongue.”
“Not as much as you.”
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh — it felt like he’d hit the nail on the head.
Eric chuckled faintly too.
Before long, it was nearly 7:30.
I clapped my hands lightly and nodded.
“You pass, Candidate No. 17.”
“…Pass?”
“You wanted to expose Karbenna’s drug situation during the eting, right?”
As Eric looked at with a still-confused expression, I drove the final nail in.
“I’ll take responsibility for the whole thing.”
At first, he hadn’t been sure.
He’d chosen this person out of necessity — because there was no one else he could rely on.
Still, he had a faint sense of expectation.
After all, despite his many missteps, the man who had achieved results and brought about change was none other than Eugene Carter.
It was undoubtedly thanks to him that Francia — once thought unchangeable — had blood.
It hadn’t taken long for that faint expectation to solidify into conviction.
Recalling how he’d ended up spilling his entire past without realizing it, Eric let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah… really, it’s strange.”
Had he secretly cast so sort of confession spell on ?
Thinking such thoughts, Eric made his way toward the parade ground near Building D when a familiar voice called out from behind.
“Hey, Eric!”
It was his close friend, Billy Gray.
The usual companion, Philip Petra, was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’d Philip run off to? You walking around alone today?”
“He said he needed to hit the bathroom for a bit…”
“Ah, I see.”
Eric responded half-heartedly and quickened his pace.
A few minutes passed.
Then Billy, who had been quietly following behind, suddenly apologized.
“Um… sorry, Eric.”
Eric, debating whether to ignore him, replied without even turning his head.
“For what.”
“For leaving you back then. Philip probably feels the sa way.”
“Oh, really?”
“I just… wanted things to go back to how they used to be, you know? But my family keeps pressuring …”
He probably thought that was a reasonable explanation, but to Eric, it was nothing but empty noise.
‘There’s no point in saying more — it’ll just tire out.’
Instead, he turned his head slightly and left him with a single line.
“Just stay away from . You’ll thank later when you don’t get dragged into sothing ugly.”
“Eric…?”
“I warned you.”
By the ti they reached the parade ground, most of the cadets had already gathered.
Having learned their lesson from the rough orientation, everyone was quietly waiting for the instructor to arrive.
However, a few murmurs briefly rippled through the group when Eric showed up.
As he descended with an indifferent look, his eyes t Francia’s.
The two exchanged a silent, wordless greeting.
Monts later, Philip ca running breathlessly into the parade ground, marking the full attendance of Class 3, Year 2.
And then—
At exactly 8:00, Eugene Carter appeared once more.
“B–Bena Ribenia!”
Class president Chloe, already on edge, was the first to raise her hand in salute, prompting the rest to follow in unison.
“That’s enough. I’m not gonna eat you lot alive.”
When Eugene waved his hand dismissively, the cadets hesitated, glanced around, and cautiously lowered theirs.
He slowly circled around, scanning each candidate’s face one by one.
Only the faint, nervous sounds of breathing broke the silence.
After a long pause, Eugene nodded in satisfaction.
“Now you’re finally starting to look like soldiers.”
Well, considering how brutally I’d drilled them since day one, it would’ve been stranger if they weren’t ntally fortified by now.
“Loosen up your bodies a bit, then we’ll begin the proper training.”
Of course, they were still far from ready, these little brats.
“From now on, follow my movents precisely.”
With a cold smile, Eugene assud the first position of the PT exercise routine.
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