I Became the Academy’s War Hero Chapter 42 : You Guys Were Even More Trash Than I Thought? (

Chapter 42: You Guys Were Even More Trash Than I Thought? (5)

The cadets’ loud chants reverberated across the drill ground.

Sitting quietly at the corner of the stands in the C Building training field, the two of them silently looked straight ahead.

Even though it was clearly a rather noisy place, the air around the two was chillingly subdued.

“…Why didn’t you say anything?”

It was Francia who broke the silence that had seed like it would last forever.

Although he already knew the answer, Eric still hesitated for a mont.

“What do you an?”

“You’re not a Halenber, you’re from the Vergel Family.”

“I was from the Vergel Family. Now, I’m a Halenber.”

“You were adopted by force, weren’t you?”

“Who said that? Instructor Carter?”

“It’s not that, but…”

“It was my choice. Entering Halenber, working as a Broker, even doing terrible things to you — all of it.”

He had never intended to make excuses, claiming it was sothing he couldn’t help.

Every choice ca with responsibility.

He had seen far too many people who smiled when receiving benefits, only to cry, “That’s not fair,” the mont they began to face consequences.

The things he had gained after leaving Vergel and joining Halenber—

Favorable gazes, reputation, status, a comfortable life, culture, education, magic and martial arts passed down to him.

He was clearly different from those who could only accept what they were given by birth.

He had made the decision to abandon what was given and embrace sothing new, and he had resolved to humbly accept whatever result that choice brought.

That belief hadn’t changed once — not nine years ago, and not now.

“Just like I chose Halenber back then, this ti I’ve simply decided to stand against it. My nature hasn’t changed a bit — I’m still the sa as I’ve always been.”

At that, Francia looked at Eric firmly and said,

“…I have no intention of showing you so half-hearted pity.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“But if I had known you were adopted… then, at least back then, I wouldn’t have tried to kill you.”

Her tone was calm as she continued to speak.

“That much… I’m sorry for.”

With that single, sincere line, Francia rose from her seat.

“I never thought I’d end up saying sothing like this to soone from Halenber…”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

“Don’t die, Eric Halenber.”

Eric knew all too well what that smile ant.

As his eyes began to sting, he quickly turned his head away and barely managed to reply.

“…You should be careful too. You might’ve already been marked for being Eugene Carter’s disciple.”

“Then, I’ll go.”

“Go.”

Even after Francia had walked away with her usual poise, Eric remained sitting there for a while, staring blankly into the air.

Only the thunderous marching songs of the cadets in the drill field reached his ears.

Sitting alone in the now-empty room, I imdiately checked the contents of the package.

As I peeled off each layer of wrapping paper, a blue light caught my eyes.

A luminous hue, a warm aura, and an intense magical power emanating from within.

An item so rare that even the Karbenna Church’s vault held barely a dozen of them these days.

It was a Purification Stone.

“…Good timing.”

The sender must have been Edel.

As rare as a Purification Stone was, it wasn’t sothing an Imperial Princess couldn’t obtain.

She had probably already learned through Lea that her true identity had been exposed, but that was an entirely separate matter.

If it had been a versatile artifact or sothing like Bernhardt’s weakness, I wouldn’t have been particularly surprised.

But the fact that she sent a Purification Stone now was rather puzzling.

Only two people in Karbenna knew that the corrupted Lukezax was in my possession.

And at this ti, it was practically impossible for either of them to co into contact with Edel.

“But how on earth…?”

Could it be that she had acquired the information through an insider within the Special Task Force, and deduced everything from there?

I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

…Well, fine for now.

This was Edel, after all — with her natural brilliance, overwhelming range of activity, and her status and power as a Princess.

The amount of information she could obtain through those ans was beyond my imagination.

For now, I only needed to rember that she was trying to help .

Smiling broadly, I retrieved an artifact I had carefully hidden in the corner.

“I can’t pass up a free power-up.”

Then I placed Lukezax on the floor and gripped the Purification Stone tightly with both hands.

The principle was simple — a stone imbued with mana, preloaded with the trigger word “Purify.”

The mont I designated the target, the Purification Stone would consu all its mana solely for purifying that target.

If the mana was insufficient, it would then draw upon the user’s own mana.

‘At this size, I think there’ll be plenty left over.’

I steadied my breathing and focused all my nerves into my fingertips.

As soon as I infused a trace of mana, the Purification Stone imdiately emitted a brilliant blue light.

The radiance made it difficult to see with my eyes, but I could clearly feel it—

The flow of mana directed toward the corrupted Lukezax.

The purification process ended in less than five minutes.

Although the dust and dirt still remained, the dark energy enveloping the artifact had completely vanished.

I brushed off the mud clinging to the hilt, drew the sword, and raised it before .

Lukezax [High Grade]

A single-edged sword forged by Magic Swordsman Luke from his own lted bones.

After confirming that the purification was successful, I sheathed the sword again.

With a battle-hungry smile curling at my lips, I murmured,

“…With this, I can finally test it.”

To see just how strong I currently was—having yet to be freed from the incurable curse.

If one ventured deep enough through the winding forest outside Ribenia Centre, a large wooden mansion would co into view.

Of course, this was only true for those granted access; ordinary travelers couldn’t even perceive its existence.

A violent organization operating across five regions of the Empire—Abattoir.

Lately, emboldened by the na of Bernhardt they had attached themselves to, their public activities had been increasing alarmingly.

However, perhaps because of the strict code set by their leader, they were still considered the most moderate among the Empire’s violent groups.

Combined with their overwhelming efficiency, the nobles even had a saying for them: “Reliable Abattoir.”

Now, Abattoir’s leader, Abattoir Schroeder, was compiling recent intelligence with his executive officers.

Though it hadn’t even been three days since the request ca in, a considerable amount of information had already been gathered.

“…So, are we confirming this as A-rank risk?”

“I’d say even B-rank is generous. How dangerous could so washed-up old soldier really be?”

“Don’t forget that that ‘washed-up old soldier’ utterly crushed Jack Brown.”

“Him or Eugene Carter—it’s the sa thing. Neither’s on our level.”

As the executives’ argunts continued,

Schroeder, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke in a deep, resolute voice.

“We’re going with S-rank.”

All the executives imdiately fell silent.

In Abattoir, before any mission—be it kidnapping, robbery, murder, or sabotage—the risk level was always assessed first.

It was a rule ant to ensure the executives could evaluate the mission’s dangers together and prepare accordingly.

B-rank missions typically involved one executive within the top ten seats, A-rank involved two, and S-rank required three or more.

In Abattoir, the leader’s decision was absolute.

Normally, it would be followed without objection—but this ti, unease lingered among the group.

The 2nd seat, Abattoir Maledic, sensing the executives’ mood, cautiously spoke on their behalf.

“With all due respect, I agree with my juniors. Maybe seven years ago, it might have been warranted—but since his return, even calling it A-rank seems generous.”

“……”

“May I ask your reason, sir?”

As all eyes turned toward him, Schroeder closed his eyes for a mont before answering.

“Instinct.”

“…Instinct, sir?”

“Yes.”

Schroeder pulled one of the docunts scattered across the table—the one detailing the target’s recent activities.

“Has that man ever gone all out since his return?”

“That’s…”

“What do you think, Evelin?”

The 4th seat, Abattoir Evelin, hesitated for a while before ntioning a battle in the operation area.

But Schroeder dismissed it outright.

“The Special Task Force’s records can’t be trusted. They only transcribed the testimonies of the three people who fought alongside him.”

Then Schroeder pulled up the reports from February 28 and March 2.

“The only reliable records we have are from the training hall—but even those only show him subduing a trained D-rank beast and blocking a cadet’s berserk strike.”

“…So you’re saying we can’t accurately gauge his current strength from his recent activities?”

“Exactly.”

“But isn’t that overestimating him? Eugene Carter hasn’t even been freed from his incurable curse yet.”

Though most still looked unconvinced, Schroeder had no intention of persuading them.

He cut off the 2nd seat before he could continue and gave his final verdict.

“The mission is S-rank. Seats 2, 4, and 5 will handle the field.”

“……”

“The client said to use any ans necessary. If needed, don’t hesitate to employ mutual destruction tactics. You may also use the mutagenic drugs provided by Bernhardt.”

Ignoring the tense air that filled the room, he continued the briefing.

“The operation will be executed between Friday and Saturday. Target One is expected to reach the area first—keep that in mind. Target Two will follow the main route, so make sure to use the beast attack as cover for the assassination, as planned.”

“…Understood.”

Everyone reluctantly nodded in agreent—except Evelin, whose expression twisted into a grimace.

In that mont, Schroeder’s killing intent pierced through the room like a blade.

“You’re not disobeying, are you, Evelin?”

Realizing too late, Evelin quickly dropped her expression and lowered her head.

“N-no, of course not!”

Schroeder rose from his seat and slowly walked toward Evelin.

“Abattoir’s code is absolute, Evelin.”

He gently brushed a hand through her long black hair and spoke in a frigid tone.

“Defiance ans expulsion—and death. Don’t forget that.”

“……”

“Understood?”

“I—I’m sorry!”

Schroeder swept his cold gaze across his tense subordinates once more before vanishing in an instant.

Only after confirming that the leader had completely left did Evelin finally let out a sigh of relief.