Only children make choices.
Wendy’s question, “Can I see the textbooks first?” had an obvious subtext: ‘I want them all.’
After all, which transmigrator wasn’t a dual practitioner of magic and martial arts with unparalleled strategic wit, who could also compose poetry on the side and start an industrial revolution in their spare time?
However, while ideals were like a slender, delicate young lady, reality was more like a 200-pound greasy man.
When Dean Layana and Dean Aurelia actually slammed two books as thick as bricks — Elementary Magic Theory and Introduction to the Holy Light Scriptures — down in front of him, Wendy was stunned.
He recognized every word on the pages, but when combined, they became an esoteric scripture that he couldn’t understand at all.
What did it mean to “perceive the tides of the Aether Sea during meditation”?
Or to “sublimate the soul with piety as an anchor”?
This was a completely different experience from clicking a skill tree in a game and watching it light up!
He spent 1 hour studying the mysterious magic array patterns and holy runes, feeling less like he was learning and more like he was taking a mental pollution test.
Ultimately, amidst General Beota’s unshielded, hearty laughter, Wendy covered his face and completely abandoned his dream of becoming an all-around powerhouse.
He dejectedly threw himself into the embrace of the Military Branch.
Now that things had come to this, Wendy became quite carefree.
He solemnly declined General Beota’s offer to take him as a personal disciple and provide him with private tutoring.
“Dean, I’m currently carrying the intimidating title of ‘Scorpion Prince,’ but I know exactly how much I’m truly worth. I want to start as an ordinary student and see just how far I can go in this Military Branch.”
These words were his final bit of stubbornness as a transmigrator and as a man.
Beota looked deeply at the Prince, the admiration in her eyes growing stronger.
She was also curious about how this “Scorpion Prince,” who had played the Valoran nobles like fiddles, intended to make a name for himself in her academy, which was filled with “talent” and a mix of all sorts of people.
***
Under the reluctant escort of Astreia and Laxana, Wendy finally arrived at the teaching area of the Military Branch.
“The Military Branch is full of violent lunatics with holes in their brains. Don’t let yourself get bullied,” Laxana said as she squeezed Wendy’s arm.
Her face was full of worry, and her warm breath brushed against the Prince’s cheek, whether intentionally or not.
“Find me anytime if something happens,” Astreia added, her words brief but her protectiveness obvious.
Wendy smiled and waved goodbye to the two of them.
After watching them leave, he turned and stepped into the rugged building, which was filled with an atmosphere of iron and blood.
Following the student nameplate and course schedule Beota had given him, he found his classroom — Strategic Command Department, Room 101.
The Prince jogged the whole way and was slightly out of breath by the time he reached the door.
He pushed the door open to find a spacious classroom with only a few people sitting inside.
They were gathered in groups of two or three, chatting casually in a relaxed atmosphere.
Hearing the door open, those few people turned their heads simultaneously.
When they saw Wendy’s overly beautiful face and slender build, a flash of amazement crossed everyone’s eyes.
But soon, that amazement turned into a knowing smile.
Their gazes seemed to say, ‘Oh boy, here comes another scoundrel.’
Feeling the unspoken understanding between kindred spirits, Wendy couldn’t help but grin back with a devious smile.
Just then, a sexy girl with exotic features and brown, wavy hair took the initiative to approach him.
She wore a modified, skimpy military uniform that accentuated her breathtaking curves.
“Hello, I’m from the Kingdom of Paria. Just call me Athena.”
The exotic beauty smiled, revealing a row of white teeth that looked exceptionally bright.
Several other students also gathered around, enthusiastically introducing themselves.
Only then did Wendy realize that this small classroom was like a miniature international exhibition.
There was a second son of a noble from the northern Makari Empire, the daughter of a prominent merchant from the Eastern Merchant Federation, and even a few princes and princesses from small duchies.
There were people from all directions and various countries, but he was the only one from the newly restored Valoran.
Moreover, he did a quick mental count and realized the Valoran Kingdom had fought wars with almost every country represented by the people in the room.
That was a bit awkward.
However, when he announced his name and origin, the expected distance and hostility did not appear.
On the contrary, the group acted as if they had discovered a new toy and surrounded him with great interest.
“You’re that Scorpion Prince from the Cavalier Kingdom? Quick, tell us, how did that battle at Sunset Fortress really go? I heard you buried over 100,000 Orcs in a mudslide?”
“Hey, hey, what’s so great about that Eldest Princess of Valoran? Why don’t you take a look at me instead?”
Athena even shoved aside a girl who was in her way and sat down on the desk next to Wendy.
She looked down at him from her height, her impressive chest jiggling with her movements.
“What do national grudges have to do with us? Among our countries, who hasn’t stabbed whom in the back? Years ago, our mad Queen Ansuna of Paria even crossed three countries to pick a fight with the Makari Kingdom.”
The noble youth from Makari next to her nodded in deep agreement.
“Exactly. Let them fight their wars while we make our friends. If we really meet on the battlefield in the future, we can go easy on each other. And even if we’re unlucky enough to be captured, having an acquaintance to look after us means we’ll at least get a bowl of hot soup.”
Wendy listened, stunned, before sudden realization dawned on him.
Indeed, no one sent by their families to the Central Academy’s Military Branch to “get some polish” was a fool.
Even if they didn’t understand it themselves, the families behind them knew that wars between nations and personal relationships were two entirely different matters.
Once he understood this, Wendy completely let loose and quickly hit it off with this group of future “enemy generals.”
The topic shifted from local customs and cultures to which restaurant near the Central Academy had the best food, which branch had the prettiest girls, and which department had the guys with the best bodies…
Just as Wendy was listening with great interest, a series of heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.
Tap… tap… tap…
It was the sound of military boots with iron soles treading on the stone floor.
The heated atmosphere in the classroom cooled instantly.
Wendy immediately shut his mouth and, mimicking the others, sat up straight.
Thud!
The classroom door was violently kicked open.
A tall woman in a tight military uniform appeared before everyone.
She had short, sharp red hair and keen eyes.
She squinted at the group of “elites” in the classroom before slowly walking to the podium and slamming a heavy textbook onto it with a loud thump.
The loud noise was accompanied by a cloud of rising dust, causing a boy in the front row to cough repeatedly.
The red-haired female instructor waved her hand to clear the dust.
Then, leaning over the podium with both hands, she looked down at all the students.
“I know exactly what you scumbags are thinking.”
“The Magic Division is too exhausting, and the Holy Studies Branch is too bitter. On the battlefield, those people are the first wave of cannon fodder to be sent to their deaths.”
“As for the logistics department, without a solid family background, you’ll just end up as a high-level warehouse manager and still get sent to the frontline.”
“Only our Strategic Command Department seems the easiest.”
“Either you won’t be given any responsibility and will just draw a nice salary in some safe security department after graduation, waiting for death. Or, even if you are given responsibility, you’ll just hide in a large tent in the rear, drawing lines on a map. If a battle is won, you get a share of the credit; if a battle is lost, it’s clearly because the soldiers on the frontline were too incompetent.”
As she spoke, the expressions on the students’ faces became increasingly colorful.
Because what she was saying was exactly what almost everyone was thinking.
The female instructor looked at their “caught-red-handed” expressions, the sneer at the corner of her mouth deepening.
“But I’m here to tell you…”
She suddenly straightened up and grabbed a metal pointer from the side.
Crack!
The pointer was slammed hard against the podium, making everyone flinch.
Her cold gaze slowly swept across every face.
“You — are — wrong!”
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