Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 100

EP.100 The Game of Wits Begins

“Hahaha! Hahahahaha!!”

Stop laughing so much. We might get attached at this rate.

After finishing his lecture, Kyle headed to the café where Yurika would be waiting.

Suddenly, the Minister of Education appeared, asking to have a word.

‘Is this the academy or the Ministry of Education? Why does he come so often?’

Grumbling inwardly, Kyle quietly followed him.

It was obvious that the Minister of Education was in a great mood, with a smile stretching from ear to ear.

The reason was clear from the way the minister hummed as he walked.

Although Yurika was waiting, it wasn’t exactly a meeting he looked forward to.

Sparring, sparring, she would definitely bring it up as soon as they met.

Of course, sparring was enjoyable, but there were many drawbacks.

There was no proper space inside or outside the academy to really let loose.

If they went all out, it would result in another tragedy of the academy being half-destroyed.

Jonathan desired full-force combat, not mere sparring.

Moreover, he had recently had an intense fight with Mathieu from the Alliance.

Sparring would only leave him unsatisfied. He might as well use that time to exercise.

‘I’ll go a bit later. Ten minutes should be fine.’

Kyle casually did something that would make the Minister of Education jump if he knew.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education entered the dean’s office, bursting into laughter.

The dean, who was already there, started laughing as well.

“…You seem to be in a good mood, Minister.”

Kyle thought to himself that no other student had such frequent meetings with ministers.

Sitting down, he spoke.

So, tell me what’s so funny so I can laugh too, was what he meant.

“Of course, I’m in a good mood. Thanks to you, Kyle, I’ve been very happy lately.”

“That’s strange, not too long ago, you were about to die because of me.”

“Let bygones be bygones. That’s not the case now, is it!”

Anyone would think it was a story from years ago.

It was a bit absurd, but he decided to let it go.

After all, the minister must have been very troubled and stressed.

“Kyle, thanks to you, the prestige of the Ministry of Education has been revived. The academy’s evaluation has skyrocketed because you’re here. Look at this article.”

“…The first medal recipient in decades. Kyle Jonathan, a first-year student at the Imperial Academy, receives a medal from the royal family for the first time as an academy student…. This is a source of pride for the academy… well, anyway. It’s a good story, right?”

“A student’s excellence is the pride of the academy, Kyle.”

The dean chimed in, clapping lightly.

He had expected this, but facing it directly felt a bit strange.

He had gone out and done something unbelievable as an ‘academy student.’

Whether it was related to the academy or not, the fact that he was an academy student was crucial.

It was an important opportunity to elevate the academy’s dormant value.

“Even the Minister of Finance wanted to visit.”

“Why him? I heard he grinds his teeth at the mention of Jonathan.”

“Well, not anymore. Now, he might even bow to you.”

“…No way.”

Ministers were at least of count rank, and important departments were led by marquises.

Moreover, being under the direct control of the Emperor, they were ranked higher than regular nobles.

The only ones they would bow to were the Emperor, his close circle, and the three Grand Dukes.

“It sounds like a joke, but it’s true. Thanks to you, Kyle, the budget that would have been consumed has been significantly reduced, allowing the Ministry of Finance to secure the surplus for next year’s budget in advance.”

Hmm, if it’s a budget issue, that makes sense.

The Ministry of Finance’s survival depended on it.

If there was even a single hole, the entire Ministry of Finance would be turned upside down, and it wasn’t an exaggeration.

“It’s not just the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of War is also in a festive mood. Not a single casualty occurred while subduing the Alliance. It’s not just about money; the fact that there were no human casualties is really important.”

“How is the army reacting? They went to the battlefield but didn’t even get to swing their swords.”

“No matter how excellent a soldier is, everyone wants to return home alive and embrace their family.”

Well, that’s normal. It’s just that Jonathan is peculiar.

When they go to the battlefield, they must fight, and when they fight, they must determine a winner.

They are prepared to lay down their lives for an honorable and excellent battle.

The only problem is that most of them don’t die.

“Oh, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs too. They also breathed a sigh of relief thanks to you and Jonathan.”

“Why them?”

“Think about it. If there had been casualties in the battle with the Alliance, which department would have been most anxious?”

“Of course, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Finance, right?”

“That’s true. But looking at it more broadly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also included. Regardless of how it started, they missed the Alliance’s movements, didn’t know about their sinister schemes, and let things escalate to this point.”

Honestly, it felt a bit forced.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs isn’t a factory producing spies; how could they know everything?

In fact, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could be seen as a victim in this situation.

But what can you do? Politics is a daily mud fight.

Even though they all serve the Emperor and are loyal to the Empire, they still keep each other in check.

Through this mutual scrutiny, they prevent any collusion or conspiracy.

If there’s a fault, it’s right to hold someone accountable, and if there’s merit, it’s right to acknowledge it.

Overlooking even a small issue could lead to a bigger problem later on.

Therefore, the cold gaze towards the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was inevitable.

“Moreover, if the Alliance were completely erased, that would also be a problem. Without the Alliance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ workload would be significantly reduced. They’d be left with just monitoring the various islands in the south.”

“The Empire’s political scene isn’t generous enough to maintain a department with extremely little work.”

Kyle quickly grasped the key point, and the Minister of Education nodded.

He even added that Kyle seemed smart, perhaps because he was an academy student.

But Minister, wasn’t it you who rejected his admission to the academy?

“You tried to mend relations with the Grand Duchy of Littorio, didn’t you?”

“What? Oh, yes. I did. …I still am, actually.”

When Kyle only said, “I did,” the minister’s expression turned slightly odd.

So Kyle quickly added that he still was.

“That would have a good influence on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are many from Littorio in that department. If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs faces significant issues, Littorio would naturally be affected. In that sense, Littorio would also feel indebted to you. It’s not a bad thing to have the Grand Duchy owe you.”

Kyle thought for a moment before tilting his head.

No matter how he looked at it, that debt didn’t seem like it would return in a favorable way.

He had a strong feeling it would come back as something very troublesome and shocking.

Very strongly, indeed.

“If you have some free time, how about we go out for a coffee and continue our conversation?”

“Minister, with all due respect, aren’t you busy? Shouldn’t you be heading back soon?”

“I am busy. But spending time with an excellent talent from the academy is worth it. And if you think about it, this is also part of my job!”

“That’s strange. As far as I know, the highest authority in the Ministry of Education rejected my admission application….”

Ahem! That’s all in the past! Ahem!

The minister, clearing his throat, avoided Kyle’s gaze, feeling a bit guilty.

Anyway, there was no more time to waste.

The ten minutes he had set in his mind were up.

He couldn’t help but feel anxious if he delayed any longer.

“I’m sorry, Minister, but I don’t have time for that.”

“Do you have another lecture?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then what is it?”

“I have an appointment with the Princess.”

Pfft—

The minister spat out the tea he was drinking.

The dean, equally shocked, just blinked his eyes.

“Who did you say…?”

“Her Highness, the Fifth Princess. Come to think of it, she’s been waiting for a while now.”

“W-Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because you dragged me away without warning, Minister.”

“No, no! You should have explained the situation earlier….”

“Do we have to keep doing this? Her Highness has been waiting for hours.”

At Kyle’s words, the minister jumped up and shouted for him to go quickly.

“You were the one who held me up. I could tell Her Highness the truth.”

The minister, shaking his head vigorously, hurriedly sent Kyle off, screaming that Jonathan was out of his mind.

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***

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Having vented his accumulated frustrations about being dragged away and his admission being rejected, Kyle walked with a refreshed mind.

Although he had lost some time, he had also gained something.

The perception of those who found Jonathan extremely troublesome had changed.

And he had resolved some difficulties for Littorio in the process.

‘At least I won’t be called the academy’s destroyer anymore.’

Instead, he would be known as the Empire’s hero or the medal recipient.

He understood why people were so eager to achieve merit.

Additionally, he now understood why Nell wanted to become a knight.

‘Nell, right. I’ve been neglecting Nell too much.’

Unintentionally, he had missed a month of PT sessions.

Even though he had been paid, he had essentially ghosted for a month, which was unacceptable.

‘She must have been exercising diligently for a month. I’ll make sure to push her hard tomorrow.’

He decided to be even more rigorous to make up for the lost month.

With that thought, Kyle opened the door to the café where Yurika was waiting.

Ding-.

“Kyle!”

“Brother Kyle!”

“…?”

What’s this situation now?

Yurika was sitting at the far end. Next to her was the Saintess.

Across from them sat Elga and Tisha.

‘Hmm.’

Kyle suddenly felt the urge to turn around and flee.