I Became the Academy's War Hero

Chapter 31 : Faculty Meeting (1)

Chapter 31: Faculty Meeting (1)“…Wasn’t the faculty meeting only held every Friday?”

“That’s for the regular sessions. This time, it’s a special meeting called at the Chairwoman’s discretion.”

Before I knew it, I was walking with Michel toward the small conference room on the fourth floor of the main building.

“But why a special meeting all of a sudden…?”

“The professors were too strongly opposed during the last meeting. So we decided to hold another session. You’d probably prefer it that way, too.”

“……”

I didn’t agree or disagree, but she wasn’t wrong.

The only reason I’d started this in the first place was because I was confident I could persuade them.

And with the Chairwoman herself setting the stage for me, there was no reason for me to refuse.

Still, I couldn’t say I was entirely pleased.

‘This is going a little too smoothly.’

The fact that Michel, of all people, was being this cooperative was suspicious in itself.

Maybe I was overthinking it, but being cautious never hurt anyone.

After all, among all the heroines, Michel Bernhardt was said to be the hardest one to control.

Rubia hardly ever got angry unless her reverse scale was touched.

Francia had a gentle temperament unless provoked.

Edel often acted independently, but her direction was always clear.

Karen could go berserk, but as long as she was restrained beforehand, it wasn’t an issue.

Michel, on the other hand, rarely showed her true feelings—let alone her intentions—no matter the situation.

Who knew what ulterior motive might be hidden this time?

“……”

Even so, it was clear this wasn’t a situation where I could refuse, so I stayed silent.

What did bother me, though, was that unlike before, not a single attendant was accompanying her.

The doors to the small conference room on the fourth floor were wide open.

Inside, the main participants of the meeting were already seated, chatting quietly among themselves.

The Imperial emblem stretched across the front wall caught my eye.

Around the oval wooden table sat seven officials, spaced evenly apart.

I even spotted a familiar face among them.

As soon as I entered, everyone stood up and saluted.

Strictly speaking, it was directed at the Chairwoman beside me.

She gave a perfunctory nod in acknowledgment and took her seat at the center, where the principal usually sat.

After gauging the atmosphere for a moment, I headed toward a seat on the right.

For a simple reason.

‘That way, it’s four against four.’

While I was assessing the lineup, the conference room doors quietly closed.

Without any formalities, Michel immediately got to the point.

“Alright… as requested, I’ve brought Instructor Carter. Let’s begin the hearing.”

“……Excuse me?”

This wasn’t at all how I expected things to go.

‘…So it’s a hearing now.’

As expected, she was no easy opponent.

Frederick Lake smirked inwardly.

Even as he did, his gaze never left Eugene Carter, seated across from him.

Karbenna was an academy that rarely cooperated with outside institutions.

With nearly two thousand cadets and more than enough internal manpower, not to mention generous funding from both the Bernhardt family and the Imperial Court, it had little reason to seek external help.

As such, whenever it did collaborate with outsiders, Karbenna usually held all the power. A prime example was the dispatch missions of senior cadets.

In short, Karbenna chose its collaborators, not the other way around.ilted his head and continued.

“If I may speak frankly, the Empire’s defensive frontlines are deteriorating by the day. Order and procedure are, of course, important—but the beasts won’t wait for us to get our paperwork in order. Given the circumstances, this was the best course of action.”

The firm conviction in his final statement silenced the entire room.

“……”

“……”

…That sealed it.

Frederick, who had been quietly observing the situation, was just about to wrap things up with a closing comment when—

“All things must be measured by their efficiency relative to their cost, Instructor Carter.”

A new voice suddenly cut in.

It belonged to the head of the pro-Bernhardt faction and the man who had been the first to oppose this entire plan.

Dale Wedmeyer looked at Eugene with a detached expression.

“……”

So, he finally decided to speak.

Dale Wedmeyer—the Director of Planning and General Affairs at Karbenna.

As the head of the Planning and General Affairs Department, he oversaw all budgeting and finances of the academy, making him the second most influential figure after the Dean.

The others could be easily shut down with logic, but not this man.

He had the power to strangle any plan he didn’t like under the pretext of “budgetary concerns.”

If I provoked him and he froze the funding, things would get messy fast.

‘Well, I’ve already thought of a countermeasure for that.’

As I quietly watched him, Dale smoothed his neatly trimmed beard and asked in an interrogative tone,

“How many cadets are expected to participate in this training?”

“…Over three hundred are enrolled in the course, but around eighty will take part in the field training.”

“Too few.”

That answer caught me off guard.

“Do you know when Karbenna last conducted a joint operation with the Special Task Force, Instructor Carter?”

I recited the information I’d already researched.

“As I recall, September of year seventy-two.”

“Right. It’s been five years since the two factions last clashed.”

Dale leaned forward, resting both arms on the table.

“It’s about time we put old grudges behind us and joined forces again.”

“……”

“If you truly planned this operation for the Empire’s future, then I have no reason to oppose it.”

“But, Director…!”

Despite the Head of the Military Studies Department’s protest, Dale continued without hesitation.

“And for something like this, the bigger the better. In fact, why not expand it to include all second-year cadets?”

That would actually be fine by me, but…

As I remained silent, a sly smile crept onto Dale’s lips.

“However, to organize an operation on that scale, we’ll need more time, won’t we?”

“Time… you say?”

“Yes, time. We’ll need to allocate the budget, coordinate with the Faculty Office to revise the curriculum, and obtain cooperation from professors and instructors. Surely that would take at least a month, wouldn’t it?”

Ah.

So that’s how you’re going to play it.

Perhaps thinking my silence meant surrender, Dale folded his arms and looked down at me.

“Let’s delay the operation’s start date, Carter. That way, everything will proceed smoothly.”

My response had already been decided.

After glancing briefly between Frederick and Michel, I folded my arms as well and leaned back in my chair.

Then, with a firm expression, I muttered lightly,

“I refuse.”