Bolent, Major Sir?

Bolent... Major Sir?

The early morning drills passed without incident.

There was an instructor... No, to be precise, at a school they were supposed to call him a teacher.

With a teacher present, none of the ten people there dared stir up trouble.

Or rather, after yesterday's trial and certain "special procedures" afterward, even if they had other ideas, they didn't dare show them in front of the teacher.

Thus, the morning training proceeded peacefully.

The only thing that could be considered a minor episode was probably Li Qi's appearance, which attracted quite a few people's attention.

Because he was young and had come in first, he naturally stood at the very front during training, drawing the attention of many people.

But they only watched. None of them dared do anything to Li Qi.

After all, pinned to Li Qi's military uniform was a Unicorn Medal representing honor.

Li Qi had followed Wood's advice and worn the Unicorn Medal at school.

As expected, doing so spared him a great deal of trouble.

After training came the distribution of textbooks and classrooms.

Because the military academies in this world had only been established recently, everything was still in the exploratory stage, so there weren't many courses.

Li Qi and the others were freshmen, so they had even fewer courses to study.

The most basic professional courses were "Tactical Planning," "Strategic Formulation," "Military History," "Military Law," and "Military Management."

These were compulsory courses.

The rest were electives based on one's branch of service.

They were divided into the army, navy, logistics, medical services, and...

"...the Magic Corps?"

While choosing his courses, Li Qi spotted one that caught his interest.

Because this world did not yet have airplanes, and Mages couldn't make themselves fly through the sky, there was naturally no "air force" option.

Instead, there was a seemingly newly emerging branch of service.

The Magic Corps.

This was a military branch that had never existed before.

Not even before—in fact, just a few days ago, when Li Qi had still been on the battlefield, there had been no division known as the Magic Corps.

Mages fought alongside the army. Based on their strength and military rank, they were assigned to various battalions and legions, serving as the sharp blades and trump cards of their respective units.

But no one had ever suggested gathering all the Mages together and establishing a separate branch of service.

At least, there had been no such thing on the front line where Li Qi had served.

The reason was simple. As Li Qi had mentioned before, few people possessed magical aptitude. Gathering them together to form an army was extremely difficult.

Moreover, there had never been a precedent for it.

That was why Li Qi felt this was a new branch of service.

Li Qi stared at the course title "Magic Corps Theoretical Guidance" for a long while, but in the end, he didn't choose it. Instead, he chose logistics.

The Magic Corps—one could tell from the name alone that this was a branch that would certainly see battle in the future.

Li Qi had finally managed to leave the front line. Only an idiot would study courses related to the Magic Corps.

Yes, Li Qi admitted that this newly established course must contain the most advanced Magic Theory and Magic Technology of the present day.

It might even include methods for advancing one's magical power further.

But Li Qi didn't need those things right now.

He was only thirteen, and he had a very long life ahead of him. There was no need to throw himself into the vortex of war for the sake of a little Magic Theory.

What Li Qi pursued was a stable life in the rear.

Besides, as long as he steadily improved himself in the rear, once his official position rose high enough, he would be qualified to consult even the most classified Magic Theory.

"Mm. It's better to be cautious. Better to be cautious."

Thinking this, Li Qi stopped paying attention to the courses related to the Magic Corps and turned to leave.

Li Qi's academy life began just like that.

Contrary to what Li Qi had expected, no one came looking for trouble during his studies. Nor did his academy life become "rich and colorful" through some plot straight out of another novel, with people deliberately targeting him.

All there was was the dull, day-to-day study and basic training.

Li Qi didn't think his classmates were all so disciplined and amiable. After all, he did occasionally feel gazes carrying negative emotions.

But those negative gazes vanished without a trace the moment they fell on Li Qi's medal and the military rank on his shoulder.

Wood's advice had been excellent.

The Unicorn Medal had indeed spared Li Qi countless troubles.

It seemed he would have to invite Major Wood to a meal when he had the time.

With no one coming to cause trouble, Li Qi's studies progressed quickly as well.

Although he had transferred in midway, it wasn't long before he caught up with his grade's current curriculum. At this rate, he would be able to transfer into a regular class for the second semester.

To catch up with his courses more quickly, Li Qi often spent his lunch break in the library.

He previewed the courses he would study later while searching for books related to magic.

Rolex Military Academy truly lived up to its reputation as the highest military institution in the Duchy of Uno. It housed many Magic Books unavailable elsewhere, and Li Qi benefited greatly from them.

Time slowly passed amid this somewhat monotonous routine.

It was only a meeting with someone that broke the dull repetition of each day.

That day, Li Qi went to the library after lunch as usual. While previewing and reviewing his lessons, he also looked for some "extracurricular books" to read.

Some books were placed on very high shelves, so whenever Li Qi wanted one, he usually borrowed a ladder from the library administrator.

The book Li Qi wanted to borrow that day had probably not been taken down for a long time and was wedged somewhat tightly in place.

Li Qi pulled it out with force, but accidentally caught the books beside it as well, knocking one to the floor.

Smack.

The sound of a book landing on the carpet rang out.

Li Qi looked down and was just about to climb down to retrieve it when a hand reached over and picked up the fallen book:

"'Technical Analysis of Ancient Magic'?"

"Sorry, I accidentally pulled that book out..."

Li Qi climbed down the ladder and apologized while studying the person in front of him.

The man had short brown hair, neatly groomed with not a strand out of place.

When Li Qi's gaze shifted to the man's face, his pupils contracted slightly.

A large area of his face was covered in burn scars, making his features look rather frightening.

Li Qi didn't dare look for long and shifted his gaze to the military rank on the man's shoulder.

Two silver swords crossed over his shoulder, with a golden diamond-shaped star in the center.

That was the insignia of a major!

"...Major Sir!"

After identifying the man's rank, Li Qi immediately saluted.

The Scar-faced Major smiled at him, handed him the book, and said:

"No need to be so tense, Warrant Officer Li Qi. Just treat me as an ordinary teacher."

"Yes!"

Li Qi lowered his hand and accepted the book. Then he heard the Scar-faced Major ask:

"You seem to be very interested in Magic Technology?"

"Yes. I am indeed interested in Magic Theory."

"But you didn't sign up for the 'Magic Corps military course.'"

The Scar-faced Major spoke meaningfully.

Li Qi's thoughts paused. He raised his head and met the Scar-faced Major's gaze, his mind turning rapidly before he soon gave his answer:

"Because I believe Magic Corps military theory is different from Magic Theory. Besides, I don't think the Magic Corps can continue to exist in the long term."

"Oh?"

A glint flashed through the Scar-faced Major's eyes. "Now I'm rather curious, Warrant Officer Li Qi. Why do you think that?"

"..."

Li Qi didn't answer this time. Instead, he looked at the other man inquisitively.

The Scar-faced Major seemed to understand something as well. He smiled and introduced himself:

"All right, I forgot to tell you who I am. My name is Bolent Olidovich, and I'm currently the head of the Intelligence Department's headquarters. I imagine... you know who I am?"

Hearing the man's name, Li Qi's eyes widened.

Bolent Olidovich was the Intelligence Department big shot who had advocated pulling Li Qi back from the front line to the rear!

Li Qi had never imagined that he would meet this big shot here!