When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 149

Episode 149

Jez’s performance in the martial arts portion of the midterm was a major mess, but everything else went relatively smoothly. 

…Although it went smoothly, the teachers were still scratching their heads over Victor’s interview exam. There was no doubt among the teachers that Victor was a genius. They wanted to nurture his talent, but Victor’s approach—working to align opinions in debates and finding common ground—was completely unsuited to him. 

Victor Alchemis was, for better or worse, a seeker of truth. In many ways, this was a very correct attitude for an alchemist. However, the teachers worried that such an approach could be a disadvantage when he had to handle significant projects as an adult.

No matter how brilliant a person is, there are limits to what one person can achieve alone. In the adult world, it’s well known that even researchers and technicians who seem capable of working independently actually rely heavily on teamwork.

In short, Victor Alchemis’ interview for the midterm was deemed unassessable. The debates set up for the exam did not fit well with him, so it was understandable. Even Victor himself had a puzzled expression during the exam.

Meanwhile, while Victor and Jez were stirring up the exam process with their unique personalities and without realizing it, Erin, Miriam, and Seraphina were each focused on their own tasks.

Erin felt she had done fairly well in this exam and was confident she could aim for the top spot again. However, it was likely difficult to beat Jez or Victor in their specific fields. Despite her intention to hold onto the top overall spot, spending two months with them had forcibly reminded her of the overwhelming difference in talent. Before meeting Jez and Victor, Erin had always taken first place in every subject and overall.

But when she encountered truly overwhelming talent, her balanced approach became a hindrance. She couldn’t win against Jez in martial arts, couldn’t surpass Victor in magic or academics, and might even struggle in the interview portion. Miriam was right behind her as well, so there was no room for error.

The overwhelming confidence Erin had in herself just a few months ago was crumbling. She had naively thought she might become the youngest legion commander in the future, but such delusions were quickly fading.

It’s clear from historical records that no past legion commander was mediocre. Every legion commander had a strong individuality. The qualities needed for a legion commander are the ability to overcome all adversity, a strong will to protect the nation, and the charisma to lead warriors and citizens.

Erin wondered if she had these qualities. While Victor was out of the question, Jez Norman was likely more than qualified to be a leader. Though Jez himself did not seem to have such ambition and was more prominent in martial arts, his leadership and ability to unite people were outstanding for his age. It even seemed he might do well in administrative roles, though that was hard to believe given his martial arts prowess.

As Erin pondered these thoughts that night after the midterm, she decided to take a solitary walk around the academy to clear her mind. Usually, she would be studying in her room around this time and preparing for bed, but tonight she needed to distract herself by walking under the moonlight.

After leaving the girls’ dormitory and walking for a while, she headed towards the open plaza they used for classes. The clear night sky seemed beautiful in the open space, so she made her way there.

“…Huh?”

A sound escaped her. Under the clear starry sky, Jez was in the center of the expansive grounds, slowly performing some kind of movement, repeatedly, over and over. Initially, the movement didn’t seem to change much in appearance, but gradually it became smoother and more beautiful.

Even Erin, who didn’t know this style, could tell that Jez was gradually reaching a higher level at this very moment. She noticed that the movements he was practicing might be imitating the powerful techniques he had used during the martial arts exam.

How much time had passed as she was captivated by his moonlit movements?

Snapping back to reality, Erin saw Jez was wiping sweat off his brow and walking toward her.

“Hey. It’s unusual to see you out at this hour. What’s up?”

He spoke as if it were no big deal. Erin felt a bit awkward, as if she had unintentionally glimpsed a secret training session. More than that, she felt slightly embarrassed about the fact that she had been watching his movements for quite a while.

As she mulled over these thoughts, she felt she needed to say something clever. Scanning her surroundings, her eyes landed on the beautiful moon.

“…The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

That was the best she could come up with. Hearing this, Norman was momentarily surprised before letting out a slight laugh.

“…Hey, why are you laughing?”

Feeling as though her choice of words was being mocked, Erin defensively snapped at him.

“Oh, sorry, sorry. I heard from a foreign merchant a long time ago.”

Norman, deliberately pausing for effect, smirked and continued.

“Apparently, in that foreign country, ‘The moon is beautiful’ is a phrase used for confessing love.”

Jez still vividly remembers Erin’s expression the moment she heard that. She was initially bewildered, unable to grasp what Jez meant. But as understanding dawned, her eyes widened and her face turned beet red.

It was an unusually rare expression for the always-cool Erin. Seeing this, Jez chuckled a little more, then looked up at the night sky.

“Well, yeah, today’s moon really is beautiful.”

“…Yeah.”

Though Erin seemed to want to say something more, she swallowed her words. Swayed by Jez’s tone, she looked up at the night sky again.

A quiet moment passed. Under the starry sky, she occasionally stole glances at Jez’s profile that appeared in the corner of her vision.