Short Story

It was mentioned before that the food in this world wasn't exactly delicious.

Not to mention comparing it to the world Li Qi had originally transmigrated from, even compared to the previous two worlds, it fell far short.

But for one thing, Li Qi had already grown accustomed to the taste of this world's cuisine, and for another...

He now had a "story" to go with his meal.

"So, they went after Corporal Andrew first, and you just happened to pass by and saved him?"

Li Qi summarized the events Andrew and Sean had experienced.

"Yes."

Sean nodded with a wry smile.

The matter was actually quite simple.

As the three current qualifiers of the "Newcomer Class," Li Qi and his companions were subtly resented by the other seven.

But because Li Qi's strength was plain to see and he had military merits to his name, no one dared provoke him.

Sean shared a dormitory with Li Qi, and out of respect for Li Qi, no one bothered Sean either.

Andrew, however, was a different story.

Andrew came from the White Family in the Royal Capital.

Though his father was a count and a high-ranking official in the Duchy's Ministry of Education, Andrew himself was looked down upon for being an illegitimate son.

This wasn't a secret in the Royal Capital's noble circles, and Andrew had often faced hostility and mockery from other noble youths his age.

When he entered the Military Academy, the slot hadn't originally belonged to Andrew.

It was the White Family's eldest Young Master, who felt he couldn't endure the hardships of military training, who passed the opportunity to Andrew.

Andrew was more than happy to escape the family, and so during this assessment, even though he hadn't detected the people coming to "assassinate" him in advance and lacked Li Qi's strength, he still pushed through with a stubborn, unyielding spirit and successfully passed.

He ended up spending a night in the infirmary, but there was no denying that he had caught the attention of the higher-ups.

Yet Andrew was still an illegitimate son, an object of contempt in noble circles.

That was why Beru, his dormmate, couldn't stand him and kept picking fights.

Andrew had originally tolerated their bullying, avoiding them when he couldn't afford to provoke them.

But who would have guessed these people would go too far?

Today, they had cornered Andrew and wanted to beat him up.

Li Qi knew why they had chosen this moment to act.

Nearly a month had passed since their enrollment, and their first assessment was just a few days away.

If they performed well, they could leave the "Newcomer Class" early and catch up with the normal curriculum.

If they failed, they wouldn't just have to stay here—they might also lower the higher-ups' opinion of them.

That was why they had chosen now to go after Andrew.

Sean understood this too, so when he saw Andrew about to get beaten, he immediately stepped in to stop it.

Then Li Qi arrived to resolve the conflict.

That was the whole story.

By the time they finished, Li Qi had also finished his dinner.

He looked at the two sitting before him and asked in a calm tone:

"Are you nobles so idle that you have to fight over something this trivial?"

"Li Qi... Warrant Officer, you're not a noble, so you don't understand how those people think. Besides, they're from the Traditional Faction..."

Andrew said in a low voice.

But before he could finish, Li Qi cut him off:

"I really don't understand how they think, but a bunch of failures who couldn't pass, unwilling to accept elimination, so they pick on those who did pass... What do you think the officer in charge of our assessment would think if he found out?"

Sean and Andrew exchanged glances and shook their heads.

Li Qi didn't give them the answer either. He just picked up his tray, stood up, and continued:

"No matter which faction, a loser is a loser. If they wanted a one-on-one duel with you, win or lose, it might earn them a second look from their commanding officers.

"But... ganging up to bully someone, and for no purpose other than venting their frustration... Hmph."

Li Qi let out a final cold snort.

Though he said nothing more in the end, Andrew and Sean could hear the deep contempt and mockery in his words.

The Duchy of Uno wasn't a nation that particularly revered personal valor.

Especially now, with firearms technology advancing rapidly, that was even more the case.

But while personal valor wasn't revered, sometimes gathering a group to single out one of your own was still looked down upon.

Especially when this kind of "bullying" had no clear purpose—it wasn't revenge, it wasn't retaliation, and it wasn't even about honor.

This was merely a way to vent the flames of resentment and jealousy burning within their hearts.

Li Qi didn't know how such behavior was viewed among the nobility.

But in the military, army commanders clearly wouldn't tolerate this kind of infighting.

If it were up to Li Qi, everyone who ganged up to bully others would be punished.

He wouldn't care whether they were nobles or not.

Watching Li Qi walk away, Andrew stared at his back with a hint of envy in his eyes.

He sighed to Sean:

"As expected of someone from the front lines, completely different from those pampered nobles."

"Right? It's hard to imagine he's only thirteen..."

Sean shared the same sentiment.

But after his sigh, Sean asked Andrew:

"By the way, where are you staying tonight? You can't go back to the dorm, can you?"

"...I'll figure something out."

"If not, what about the infirmary? There are plenty of empty beds there. If you talk to the officer in charge, maybe they'll let you rest there."

Sean offered a suggestion.

The school had a dedicated infirmary managed by three Medical Mage Masters.

These three mages, both male and female, were all gentle people. It seemed that those who could learn Healing Magic never had bad personalities.

If Andrew pleaded with them, they might allow him to stay in the infirmary for a while.

"I'll give it a try." Andrew sighed.

For now, it seemed the infirmary was his only option. Even if he returned to the dorm, he wouldn't be able to rest.

Andrew and Sean's matter was just a trivial incident to Li Qi.

Li Qi had saved them for two reasons: first, to improve his standing in the eyes of others, especially the officers, and second, to build good relationships with his colleagues early on.

He still remembered the 'assessment' the higher-ups had conducted on them during enrollment.

Though everyone was now in the same class, Li Qi was certain that the final arrangements for those who passed and those who failed would be different.

At a conservative estimate, those who passed would likely be grouped together after graduation.

So, to ensure smoother work in the future and more harmonious relationships among colleagues, getting along with Sean and Andrew was definitely the right move.

Back in the dorm, Li Qi went about his usual routine: reading, studying magic, and refining mana.

Everything was normal, with no changes.

No nobles came to cause trouble for Li Qi, even though he had made them lose face in front of so many people. None of them dared to challenge him.

They were a bit foolish, but not stupid.

A Strategic Rank mage was not someone they could afford to provoke.

And so, amid this peaceful daily life, Li Qi welcomed the weekend of that week.

Major Bolent, as promised, sent someone to contact Li Qi and instruct him to go to a designated location.