Sword, Magic and Academic Society

After filling each jug with 30 liters of water from the river, Pet and Cordie traced back the path they'd charted earlier. 

The path had an incline, so retracing their steps meant they would have to fight against the pull of gravity this time. They were using Body Strengthening magic as well, though with their exhausted state, it was still a strenuous activity.

Along the route, they could also be attacked by monsters. Though the patrolling soldiers were there to ensure that didn't happen, there was still a chance that it could happen. Just the possibility was enough to strain their spirits.  

"*Huff*... *Huff*... I-I can't believe that… I’ve been relegated to menial tasks. Damn it!"

Feeling cornered by all the unfamiliar tasks, Cordie mumbled his complaint as he climbed up the trail. Though if he still had leeway to complain, then he certainly had enough strength to go on. 

Meanwhile, Pet was tethering on the edge of mana depletion state, barely managing to maintain his Body Strengthening magic. He didn't even have the strength to rebuke Cordie for his grumbling. 

They were about 300 meters into the path when they encountered some of the Dragoon territory's logistic units, who offered to help them out. 

"The shortage of basic supplies happened due to our untimely arrival. So the least we can do is to help you guys."

Hearing that someone was ready to carry their burden, 'Voila' Cordie shouted internally and placed his water jug on the ground. But Pet quickly shook his head.

"I— I appreciate your help, but this is why we're here. You all came all the way from the Dragoon territory, plus you also walked into this remote mountainous region, so you should be just as tired as we are, right? Don’t worry, we can handle this."

When he heard that, Cordie once again carried the water jug into his arms.

A mild-mannered man, who looked older than Pet and seemed to outrank the latter, then said.

"Don’t sweat it. You see that man over there? He's our company commander, and he told us that 'We're not here to enjoy their hospitality.' Also, the higher up has already discussed this matter, so you truly don’t need to be so formal."

The two followed the direction where the mild-mannered man had pointed to, and they saw him. It was the man who had stepped out to greet their company leader. 

Pet couldn't wrap his head over the matter.

"T-The company commander himself is carrying a water jug......?"

To his knowledge, no superior he knew of would have made such an effort. And he believed that was only natural. Then again, at least those superiors didn't run them like horses. 

The man made a wry smile when he saw Pet's dumbfounded expression, and began his explanation.

"That guy… I mean, our Company Commander Beck had gone through quite a series of events. In the beginning, he had been working in another division as a carefree non-commissioned soldier. However, in the early spring last year, some events led him to be transferred to our division. And following some internal matters, he was given a promotion two ranks above his original rank. 

As a result, he became a company commander at a young age. Moreover, it wasn't of his own merit. Of course, he became a magnet of criticism due to that when he first took the post."

Amidst the man's explanation, Beck turned around to look at the man with a bitter expression, probably because the former heard the latter talking.

"Oh come on, don’t talk like you weren't part of that story, Shuin! Heck, the first to get his ass kicked in that mess was you!"

Beck grumbled and jabbed at his constantly smiling company member, who showed not a shred of gloominess about the matter. 

Shuin just laughed at his company commander’s remark and continued.

"...It shouldn't have been easy on him either, but our company commander didn't utter a single word of complaint and continued to put in effort, more effort than anyone else if you ask me. Day and night, you’d always see him doing something. I honestly wondered if he even slept at all. He was trying to fill in the shoes of a company commander of course, yet he would also be the first one to take initiative to do even the menial tasks meant for lower members or anything that require caution."

Hearing that, Cordie hissed, disapproval clearly visible on his face. 

"Hmph. Did he think he could make a name for himself by taking on these measly tasks? As a company commander, he obviously needs to fit into his role better more than anything else."

"S-Shut up, Cordie! I apologize for his nonsense. He's just a new recruit, so he still has a lot to learn."

Pet followed up with an apology in a panic. However, Shuin didn't look bothered by Cordie's remark.

"He's not completely wrong. That guy has yet to fully fill in his role. However, I believe he knows his shortcomings more than anyone else. We're... well, I must say our division is quite a gathering of odd fellas compared to the other divisions of the Dragoon army, and he has been making sure to learn the ways of guiding us. 

He would make joking remarks like 'bold of you to assume you can surprise me' or 'eh, that’s a trifling matter' and so whenever we get entangled with the members of another division, but in the shadows, he would cradle his head into his arms. Before we knew it, we grew to care about him, and wouldn't allow anyone, like the other divisions, to point fingers at him. He's just built differently when it comes to his tolerance. Well, we all had taken a fancy to his style in the end, I guess."

Shuin ended his story with a nostalgic tone as he climbed up the trail one step at a time. 

Feeling that he was being put on the same scale as his peers for comparison, Cordie pouted. However, Pet showed an expression of genuine admiration.

"Amazing~, our ages aren't that far apart, but your company commander is definitely something else. If you don't mind me asking, what was the inside reason for his promotion?"

Shuin's expression somewhat scrunched up, seemingly finding it hard to say, but he eventually replied in a hushed tone of voice.

"Well, it's… you know...... Apparently, his little brother made it to the Royal Academy just this spring."

As soon as he heard that, a smug smile appeared on Cordie's face. Because Dan, his little brother, was ranked 2nd in his class in the Royal Academy. He himself wasn't comparable to their company commander, but in the big picture, he would surely win in the end. 

Just as he wracked his mind on how to boast about Dan, he heard Shuin follow up.

"—But. He never brought that topic up when talking to us. So we also didn't probe him about it on purpose. We only know these things from the rumors. I guess that's what we found intriguing about him. He tried to appear as independent of his family as possible, and he mostly never bosses us around."

Cordie immediately shut his mouth after that. Seeing how the values he always believed in got blown to smithereens, his face turned bright red. 

Pet caught Cordie’s changing expressions, and decided to stop praising the other party anymore in consideration of his teammate. 

"......Well, that makes him quite a nice guy, doesn't it?"

"Hahaha! I wouldn't say that in front of him, but he definitely has that nice guy vibe going for him...... Honestly though, he must have mulled over this fact for sure. I heard that he adores that prodigious brother of his. Of course, he must be proud of his brother's achievement. But he bottled it all up inside, and forced himself to focus on his job. 

He certainly wasn't a charismatic person that everyone would idolize, but I guess it's that personality of his that lets him lead problematic fellas like us."

Shuin concluded his explanation there. After a pause, Cordie went around and forcefully took the water jug from Pet's arm. 

"Haa, look at your shaky legs! You're already out of mana. Let me carry it!"

Cordie said, and with heavy steps, he walked to the forefront. 

Pet hastily stifled his rising laughter as he looked at Cordie's back and chased after him.

◆◆◆

The members of the Unit which Cordie was in — Pet, Luca, and Edge — were in fact the children of the servants serving Marquis Grauksh's family. They had a connection to the Grauksh family, and they also held great potential for the future. 

It was the reason why Cordie was put together with them. They had to be someone experienced to shrug off Cordie's pompous attitude. 

Even the reason the company under the lead of Beck Rovenne, the second big brother of Allen, had been sent to merge with the company Cordie was under had been the result of a private conversation between Marquish Grauksh and Marquis Dragoon. 

Ever since he started his school last spring, Allen had a lot of rumors swirling around him, and his name rose up like a supernova. And then, there was his big sister Roselia. A talented magical tool engineer affiliated with the Advanced Magical Tool Research Institute. One would have to live under a rock to not know of their names, quite literally. 

Against the two superstars, how was their big brother in comparison? It was a natural question after seeing how excellent the two younger siblings were. So, to learn about Beck thoroughly, and to grasp the nature of his character, Marquis Grauksh negotiated with Meria Dragoon to introduce him to Cordie, the elder brother of Dan. 

But, the arrangements stopped there. Marquis Grauksh had no further plans of bothering himself with Cordie. 

Having seen Cordie before, he chalked him up as a moron. He had too flawed of a character, so he didn’t have any expectations for the boy. After all, humans didn't change their nature so easily. Marquis Grauksh, who had a wealth of experience in such a department, was painfully aware of that defect in people. 

Now, whether he would claw his way out, or get squashed by the pressure, unable to change himself, it was all in the hands of Cordie Serdos himself. 

Later down the line when he gained the title of Fiendish Sergeant of the 3rd company, or became a little person with character in the battalion— it would all be through his effort alone. 

T/N - Alright, It legit didn’t occur to me who Beck was until the last spring part came up. And on this short note, Merry Christmas everyone! Though I would add like to add more, I guess let's leave the later greetings for new year, not the creative type so can't exhaust my arsenal here, haha. But, have a good long holidays~

E/N - Wow, so Beck was Allen's 2nd big brother. I don't envy him, the guy's basically the middle child of the Rovenne family. Their eldest is still fine since he can hide in their territory under the guise of assisting his father in managing it. But Beck is in the military under the eyes of people who will judge him using his younger siblings as their measuring stick. The pressure…

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