Chapter 50
“They didn’t stop me.”
The instructors should have ordered him to wait, but it was clear none of them wanted to engage with Lenart. Taking advantage of their avoidance, Lenart slipped away to the nearby first-year testing grounds.
Over there, too, discipline had disintegrated due to various circumstances. The cadets merely cast wary glances at Lenart. Lange, however, spoke casually.
“You always act like you’re a nobody, but moments like this, you sure know how to use your name.”
“……”
That was a new flavor of insult, and Lenart stared off into the void.
‘Why did I even worry about him?’
He had rushed over, worried Lange might’ve gotten injured or caused a fight and failed. But the first thing he heard was that. It wasn’t exactly hurtful—just deflating.
Lenart turned his gaze to the first-years standing behind Lange.
Aside from being caked in dirt, they were all in decent condition. A bit awkward under the gaze of an upperclassman, but none of them glared at Lange.
“Oh, I’ve got something to show you when we get back to school,” Lange whispered, mindful of the weight in his pocket.
“Something strange happened at the testing ground.”
“You didn’t cause a mess, did you?”
“What do you take me for?”
“Honestly? A slacker. A delinquent. A womanizer…”
“What was that? Did you just say your favorite clever and adorable junior?”
Lange replied however he pleased, trying to force the compliment. Just then, Veronica quietly approached and bowed her head toward Lenart.
“Ahem.”
She was clearly trying to get Lange’s attention, but he kept babbling in a cheerful tone.
“Not even a nod? Fine, how about ‘kind’ instead of ‘clever’? Still flattering, right?”
“…Baer!”
Finally realizing Lange wasn’t going to turn around, Veronica directly addressed him.
“We need to talk. Alone.”
“Why?”
Lange tilted his head in confusion.
“You and me?”
He wasn’t mocking her—his tone was neutral. There was no coldness, but Veronica nervously brushed aside her bangs.
“Because I have something to say. Meet me at the library courtyard tonight.”
Her opening line wavered in tone.
Lange found her sudden meekness suspicious, but quickly reconsidered.
The strange behavior from Haesu was caused by a bullet fired from Veronica’s rifle.
He had already collected parts of the rifle, engraved fragments, and other components to investigate. Still, hearing from the shooter herself was vital—and she was offering cooperation.
“Alright.”
“Huh…? You agreed?”
Despite being the one to ask, Veronica seemed surprised by his response.
Lange turned to Lenart.
“Let’s finish our talk tomorrow. I’ll take care of this first.”
Later That Evening – Library Courtyard
Only after the rest of their classmates had returned did the practical exam officially conclude.
Back on campus, Lange headed to the library courtyard with Veronica.
Since final exams had ended that day, the area was deserted.
With a week left until winter break, no cadet would waste time lingering near the library.
Dorms in the distance sparkled unusually brightly—probably from hidden stashes of booze and card games. Or perhaps from everyone catching up on missed sleep.
Lange stared into the distance. Veronica, despite being the one who asked to talk, hadn’t said a word. She nervously picked at her fingernails.
She hesitated for so long that Lange finally let out a deep sigh.
Veronica flinched.
“I was gonna let you speak first, but is it gonna take forever? Mind if I go first?”
“S-sure.”
“Your rifle today—it had an enchantment carved into it, didn’t it?”
Veronica’s lips parted, trying to form an excuse.
“Standard-issue weapons always have enchantments. They’re substitutes for staves, after all…”
“No. The academy doesn’t have the budget for anything beyond basic containment. But your rifle had ballistic correction and even a spell to stimulate Haesu, enhancing her physical capabilities.”
Lange expected her to get angry.
If she admitted to cheating, that’d be a confession. And if she was connected to the Frost Star faction, she’d be exposing her superiors too. The obvious move was to feign outrage and storm off.
But Veronica bit her lip and looked down.
“…You’re right. A trainer promised me a special weapon just for today.”
Her honesty was so unexpected that it caught Lange off guard. He listened closely.
“I didn’t know it would affect Haesu like that… but I knew it’d improve accuracy.”
“Why did that trainer help you? Did you bribe him or something?”
“No, he approached me first… Looking back, it’s weird, but at the time I was desperate and didn’t question it.”
“Who was it?”
Veronica furrowed her brow, searching her memory. Her expression soon soured.
“I… I don’t remember ever hearing a name. I didn’t even see him today.”
Had he been wearing a name tag? She couldn’t be sure.
Lange, who never bothered reading cadet tags anyway, understood her confusion—especially when it came to the nearly colorless instructor tags.
Only now did Veronica realize how recklessly she’d walked into a trap.
Desperate or not, she had blindly trusted someone based solely on their uniform.
While she sat frozen in near-panic, Lange ran through possibilities.
‘Was she really just a pawn?’
If the Frost Star was behind this, Veronica was just a tool.
‘That means the rifle was delivered… someone inside helped. An instructor, maybe.’
Before he could think further, Veronica broke the silence with an out-of-place murmur.
“I’m sorry…”
Her voice was barely audible.
She glanced at Lange, cheeks slightly flushed.
“I dragged you into danger today… and you even cleaned up the mess. Thank you.”
“…It wasn’t that dangerous.”
Maybe for Veronica it was a disaster, but for someone with actual combat experience like Lange, it wasn’t much.
“And I’m sorry for all the times I bullied you and your sister.”
“Erna’s not my little sister. She’s my older sister.”
He corrected her, stunned by the apology.
Lange tilted his head, blinking in disbelief.
‘What’s gotten into her?’
Did nearly getting impaled by horns change her heart?
Not wanting to dive too deeply into that thought, he gave a neutral reply.
“Alright. Apology accepted. Just apologize to Erna too.”
“I will… Thanks, Lange.”
“So that’s everything you wanted to say?”
“N-no. There’s one more thing. The most important one.”
A bad feeling crept in.
He mentally reviewed their conversation. The incident had been addressed, and he’d received an unexpected apology.
What could possibly be left?
As he racked his brain, Veronica slowly reached out.
She gently grabbed his right hand, gaze lowered, lashes trembling with shyness.
Lange tolerated the awkward contact—just barely.
‘She said it’s important…’
But the moment she opened her mouth, he immediately regretted that patience.
“Will you be my partner?”
Silence swallowed the dark garden.
Lange turned his head sharply to the side.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
A familiar line he often heard from Lenart or Erna spilled effortlessly from his lips. His brain was fogged—no other reaction came to mind.
Veronica, anticipating the rejection, straightened her back.
“I figured it’d sound crazy.”
“Good that you know.”
Then why say it?!
Veronica wasn’t so desperate that she couldn’t find a partner.
She might’ve fallen out with Anna and Doris, but they weren’t her main clique. Veronica had her own loyal crowd.
“You’ve got a bunch of flunkies. Pick one of them.”
She winced at the harsh wording but couldn’t deny it.
“I want you as my partner.”
She tightened her grip on Lange’s hand.
“If you team up with me, you’ll benefit a lot. Simone Baek won’t be staying in the capital long. He has no real connections in the military. But if I’m your partner…”
“And you being my partner means… what, exactly?”
Lange rarely lost ground in a conversation, but this time he took a step back.
Veronica stepped forward, closing the distance.
“Count Alacus is my mother. She adopted me under certain circumstances, but she’s my real mom. If I show good results, she’ll guarantee even more support. Even for a magic officer, that means doors could open. If we partner up, we can rise to the top together!”
Lange finally pulled his hand free. His fingers ached from how tightly she’d been holding them.
“I’m not interested in success. And I’m definitely not interested in partnering with you.”
“But—”
“No way!”
Before she could grab him again, Lange bolted from the courtyard.
“Wait!”
“No!”
His voice echoed as he bounded down the steps two at a time.
Veronica hurried toward the stairs to chase after him.
But just before she reached them, something yanked her sleeve—roughly.
Startled, she turned.
Standing before her was someone she hadn’t expected to see at all.
“Erna Baer?”
Unable to respond, Veronica could only stare as Erna flung something pale and light at her.
“Veronica Alacus!”
“Huh?”
“I challenge you to a duel!”
