I’m an Ordinary Returning Student at the Academy
Chapter 53

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

Chapter 53

Swoosh—

Under the dimly lit sky, Rika was writing a report relying on moonlight and starlight.

When there was no night operation like now, I reported the current situation whenever I had time.

“Can’t we just light a fire and do this? Rika? We might strain our eyes. Eyes.”

Watching the scene from the side, Eloise murmured while lying sprawled on the ground.

She was speaking somewhat seriously about the serious issue of human presbyopia.

[PR/N: Presbyopia is the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects.]

“Do you not have any flint? Or should I illuminate with light magic?”

“Forget it. If we do that, we might unnecessarily reveal our location.”

At my response, Eloise could only shake her head wryly.

No, aren’t we hunting right now? Why worry about revealing our location? Especially when just today we’ve caught dozens of Luzernes. Are there any left in the vicinity?

Even if we want to catch more, we’ve caught too many already, so there are hardly any Luzernes left in this area.

In any case, Eloise regarded Rika with admiration in many respects.

“Why. Eloise.”

Did she sense that gaze? Rika parted her lips while still teasing her pen. It’s fascinating. Even with moonlight, it’s still quite dark, yet there’s no hindrance in writing the report.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Rather than having something to say… um, I don’t know what to say. Should I say you’re impressive? No offense but you should know that I don’t usually say such things.”

“You mean it as a compliment.”

Ugh—

Rika, who momentarily pushed the report aside, subtly inclined her body forward.

The figure of the woman, who was partly obscured by darkness, became clearer under the moonlight.

“Why are you suddenly like this? Flattery? Or an act to improve our relationship?”

“First of all, there’s no reason for flattery. And haven’t we already improved our relationship enough?”

“….”

For some reason, Rika showed no particular reaction to the last statement.

As she said, we had greatly improved our relationship since Rika joined our unit.

And the method was, of course, capturing the common enemy, the Kanfras, or so-called ‘Luzernes,’ together.

“Um, by the way, Rika. Can I ask you something?”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“Well, what exactly is your relationship with the Baharoth Empire’s Crown Prince, Rufreicht Ragnar?”

“…That’s a somewhat sudden question. Why are you asking about the Crown Prince?”

Then Eloise goes, ‘That’s it. Ahaha!’ scratching her head.

Should I tell her? Is it okay to tell her? After all, there hasn’t been any instruction from the higher-ups to keep quiet about it.

Hmm. Well, since there hasn’t been such an instruction, it should be okay to mention it!

“Since Rika joined our unit until yesterday, the higher-ups have been strongly hinting that Rika, you, should cooperate properly with the Crown Prince. So when I asked why they kept doing that, they said it was because the Imperial Prince specifically requested it.”

“….”

“At first, I thought it was just concern for sending a first-class talent to a distant land, but honestly, how many times should it be repeated? But the fact that they’ve been doing it every day seemed a bit odd.”

That’s why I don’t like elves who are quick-witted… No, should I call her an elf? Anyway, that’s why I don’t like quick-witted elves. It would be nice if they just quietly ignored it.

Grumbling inwardly, I shrugged my shoulders once and responded.

“Yes. That’s right. It’s been about two months since I started seeing His Highness, the Crown Prince. Or is it three months now? We’ve been in a relationship since then.”

“…Wow.”

I wondered if it could be true, and it turned out it was. Is she really someone who could potentially become the future Empress, the future wife of the Crown Prince?

But isn’t that the same woman who teases elves, plays with knives, and was even holding a decapitated head a while ago, saying, ‘Should I take this with me?’!

“Oh, darn. At this rate, won’t the next-next Emperor become some tyrant obsessed with elven blood…? Saying there are no good elves in this world and all… Wow. I’m really worried about this, aren’t I?”

Even Eloise, who usually doesn’t have any affection for her own kind, was momentarily concerned about the future of the elves. And it was a very serious concern.

“Well, I suppose we’re still in the stage of getting to know each other. Honestly, I’m not sure if it will even continue.”

“Why aren’t you sure?”

“My parents don’t know about it. His Highness hasn’t really expressed his feelings yet, and even if he did, he suggested keeping it a secret to avoid unnecessary pressure.”

I think it might be even more shocking if it’s kept a secret until the end. The Empire is really strange after all.

I couldn’t shake off such feelings.

“I see it quite optimistically, though. Rika.”

“What do you mean?”

“”I mean that when you were writing your report to the crown prince, you still seemed a little bit human. Like, if you touch lightly, it feels like it might tear? That kind of feeling?”

Of course, the most human they seemed was when discussing about Karl, but still.

Just yesterday. When I praised Karl a bit, she just kind of floundered.

It was such a dramatic change that I even experimented a few more times.

And the conclusion I drew was that this woman loves her brother to an excessive extent.

Seriously. He’s not the Crown Prince’s rival, is he? Please, no. Rika.

“Don’t misunderstand, Eloise.”

Rika clicks her tongue as if she realizes the implication.

“I love Karl. I love my brother. Just a tad more than others, perhaps due to sibling affection. If you mistake it for something else, I’ll be really hurt.”

With that said, Rika sneaks a dagger out of her arm.

“Wow. That’s too much. It’s not right to threaten while being kind. And similar to the affection between other siblings? What sister would go around cutting throats mercilessly just because of her younger brother?”

I raised both my hands in surrender, indicating I won’t ever fight her.

There was pressure from above, but more than anything, I saw a real fight on the first day.

The conclusion drawn from witnessing that sight was clear. I couldn’t win. No matter how confident I was, this woman was beyond the norm.

The movements I saw at the special forces not long ago were simply incomparable to mere children’s play.

I call myself the leader of the Extermination Unit, but Rika has surpassed even that. How could a human being move like that, I sincerely wanted to ask God.

‘Heh. That’s all it takes to explain Karl’s combat abilities.’

Indeed, it seemed like the family background wasn’t just a saying. I’m sure both Rika and Karl’s parents were undoubtedly of that caliber!

“Let’s stop talking about the Crown Prince. It’s a matter of the Empire, and it’s personal. I’d rather not have personal conversations during operations, Eloise.”

“Wasn’t talking about Karl fine?”

“Of course. My Karl is always precious.”

“…”

How can one say such things so casually?

Now, it’s astonishing to the point of admiration. At the same time, I’m amazed that Karl continues to follow his sister without deviating.

Usually, wouldn’t such clashes make it burdensome and make one behave worse?

Yet Karl seemed to be doing well with his sister, indicating he had received good upbringing.

…Either that, or you’re supposed to be polite when your life’s on the line.

* * *

[ Eloise Loengrad, Head of the Extermination Unit. Reporting. ]

Ugh. So tedious, really. Must it be this way? Can’t we stop showing off?

Our Hyzens combat operatives usually have freedom of action. They don’t interfere excessively.

They just give missions and don’t micromanage the process.

That’s why I’m still here, despite my daily grumblings.

But since Rika arrived, they keep insisting on formal reports every day.

Seems like it’s to show off to the Empire, ‘Hey, we Hyzens are working hard too!’ Is that right?! Anyway, those higher-ups really just like to show off!

“Ten days into the operation. Minor skirmish at dawn.”

[ Any casualties? ]

“No casualties on our side. 17 enemy casualties. Ah. There is one casualty. My watch.”

It was a souvenir I bought in the Empire, and of course, it had to break just now. I was so angry. I think I hit it. If I knew this would happen, I would have taken off my watch before hitting.

[ You can buy a new one with your salary. ]

“Wow. That’s too much. No compensation for casualties during the operation?”

[ If there are no special circumstances, continue with the operation. There’s not much time left now. ]

And with that, the squirrel goes hop, hop, hop! And disappears between the branches.

Seriously, the researcher from our tribe who trained these squirrel friends as messengers deserves to have their head dissected.

I feel like grabbing and shaking them, but anyway, squirrels are cute. It’s hard to be angry in front of them, let alone vent.

‘…Seriously, I can’t take it anymore. After this operation, I’m just going to ditch it, that’s it.’

I’ve already planned everything. I heard they’re recruiting the next Imperial Academy exchange students.

Since I’m somewhat smart, I’ll pass the entrance exam easily and go there―

“Eloise.”

“Oh, yes. Rika.”

“If you’re done with the report, let’s start moving.”

I nodded and began to return to my place to roughly tidy up my sleeping bag.

But, there was something strange placed.

“What’s this…?”

“It’s a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Yesterday I saw the watch you were carrying. It was broken.”

What? You saw that right then? When? When exactly?!

‘…Scary.’

Do you know what’s even scarier? You know, the watch that Rika gave me to wear.

When I got closer, I realized that it wasn’t just a watch. She cut off the wrist of the original owner! Gah!

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]