Erzebeth Arcana.
The child of the current emperor, Isaac Verno Arcana, and the individual most likely to ascend to the throne in the future.
Ian knew her too well.
Was it because he liked her? Was she a character that captivated his interest?
No, that wasn’t it. There was a different reason.
‘In the original work, Erzebeth was a significant character.’
Her significance stemmed from her role as a princess. That was why Ian couldn’t help but know her well.
Even when playing from Ariel’s perspective, Erzebeth was a frequently appearing character.
However, that didn’t mean she was one of Ariel’s heroines.
‘Quite the opposite, actually. Erzebeth becomes a character who conflicts with Ariel later on…’
As a natural spirit mage, Erzebeth saw through people’s intentions with the eyes of spirits.
Ariel couldn’t escape the scrutiny of the spirits either.
During the inauguration ceremony, the spirits under Erzebeth’s command despised Ariel Volkanov to the extent of provoking a confrontation upon seeing her.
Spirits never held unwarranted hatred.
If they disliked someone, it meant there was an issue with that person.
As the Imperial Princess burdened with the heavy responsibility of the Empire’s prosperity, it was something she couldn’t easily overlook.
‘Unable to understand why the spirits disliked the hero, Erzebeth began her own investigation, which led to her conflict with Ariel.’
So far, there wasn’t a problem.
Ian had no concern about whether Ariel and Erzebeth fought or not.
The real problem lay elsewhere.
‘Starting with investigating Ariel, Erzebeth drew her sword. She began systematically dealing with those who incurred the spirits’ hatred.’
If a more detailed investigation was necessary, she even conducted inquiries undercover.
‘Once marked, you were never let go.’
Erzebeth’s methods were ruthless.
After confirming any hint of hostility in her vicinity, if someone showed suspicious behavior, she immediately deployed the imperial disposal unit.
The next day, that individual ceased to exist in this world.
And now, Ian had become her target.
‘Why?’
Ian inwardly cursed at the incomprehensible reason.
Even after scouring his memories, he couldn’t find a reason why she would take an interest in him.
If he had to guess, maybe because of the transfer exam or the upcoming training…
‘I may have demonstrated talent, but that shouldn’t make her pay attention to me.’
The one whom the elites of the Kallos Empire supported was the 1st Princess, Erzebeth.
Ian’s talent was considerable, but he wasn’t at a level where she would take notice.
If it were the inadequate 2nd Prince, Bedon, it would be understandable, but around her were numerous experts.
Exaggerating a bit, there were experts far superior to himself at every turn.
No matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t his skill that garnered her attention.
‘So, what’s the problem?’
Feeling even more perplexed, Ian stared blankly at the sky.
He wanted to ask if she could be transferred to another platoon or at least another squad, but…
Once she had her sights set, it was impossible to escape.
Kyan, seemingly understanding what Ian wanted to say, quickly responded.
“It’s already decided, and we can’t change it now.”
“…I’ll do my best to handle it.”
Ultimately, Ian had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.
***
After the conversation with Kyan, Ian took Erzebeth and headed to the capital. Upon arriving at the commercial district, Ian led her to a suitable café.
True to her personality, Ian found the right shade. They would have talked.
Normally, he would have found a quiet spot to talk, but it would be insane to sit her down for a conversation knowing she was the princess.
So, Ian found himself doing something he wouldn’t normally do.
“Squad Commander, you should try this too. It’s a dessert called macaron, very popular among the young ladies recently.”
“Sure, I’ll give it a try.”
Receiving the dessert offered by Erzebeth, or rather, Eri, Ian tried to maintain a neutral expression as he looked at her.
She continued to smile happily, seemingly oblivious to why it was so pleasant for her.
‘This is trouble.’
With that thought, Ian’s anxiety grew. It had already been an hour since they started talking, and he still hadn’t grasped her intentions at all.
What was even more serious was that the likelihood of getting the answers he wanted from further conversation was slim.
Right now, they were talking about trendy desserts, for god’s sake.
In the end, Ian had to make a decision.
‘Well… for now, it’s best to refrain from doing anything that might cause trouble and just endure.’
Understanding her intentions seemed impossible. Since it had come to this, Ian decided to wait until she lost interest in him.
She might investigate out of suspicion. If he continued to live without causing any trouble and behaved well, wouldn’t she eventually give up?
‘Yes… I’ll just endure as much as possible.’
He had no intention of showing interest. He would keep conversation to a minimum and, if necessary, respond only in a businesslike manner.
“Oh! Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to give to the Squad Commander, but I forgot while talking.”
“Something for me? What is it?”
As Ian, who was sipping his coffee, looked up at her, Eri rummaged through her bag and pulled out some documents, placing them on the table.
Thud!
It was quite a thick stack of papers. She pushed them towards Ian.
“I prepared some materials that might be helpful since you seem to be having a hard time because of me suddenly joining. They’re nothing special, but I’d appreciate it if you could make use of them.”
“Materials that might be helpful…”
“It’s a collection of information I gathered personally about the key members of other platoons. I hope it helps.”
It was a heavy document folder… As soon as he saw it, emotions welled up inside him. He decided to control himself and give at least a light compliment.
“Impressive. Gathering this amount of information isn’t easy…”
“I have a hobby of collecting information.”
Someone who barely has enough time to think about international affairs has a hobby of collecting information…
Well, I guess that’s possible. Ian took a slow, deep breath before even turning the first page of the hefty documents.
‘Remember. No matter what’s written in here, I mustn’t be impressed.’
That was the only way to save his life. Ian made a resolution as he flipped through the documents.
“…There’s nothing to criticize. It’s beyond my expectations.”
“Thank you, Squad Commander… I worked hard to prepare them.”
‘Ah…’
That resolution was shattered in less than ten seconds.
The level of the information Eri had prepared was substantial.
It included the strengths and weaknesses of the key second-year members who would become Ariel’s comrades, like Celia Wignoron and Bianca Matip, as well as detailed information such as training routines.
What was even more surprising was that it didn’t end there. Somehow, Eri had even included the pasts of these individuals, along with specific physical weaknesses for each.
‘And it’s not just the second-year members. It even includes information about the key first-year members, including Ariel herself…’
As Ian made a dumbfounded expression while looking through the documents, Eri smiled brightly.
“Hehe… It feels rewarding to receive praise from Squad Commander Ian.”
As Ian looked at that smile, he reassessed his plans.
‘Now that I think about it again… it might be a bit of a waste to ignore someone like her…’
Actually, Ian hadn’t expected much from Eri.
Apart from spirit magic, he didn’t think she would be of much help.
Moreover, she couldn’t even showcase her talents while hiding her identity.
‘So if she proves her worth to this extent…’
It could change the situation entirely.
‘She’s competent… more than I anticipated.’
If she wasn’t a princess, he might even propose working together after graduating from Ark.
In the end, less than ten minutes later, Ian decided to change his plans.
‘I originally intended to just let her fade away on her own… but I guess I can’t help it.’
By using what he had to the fullest while being cautious in his actions… a stable future awaited him.
***
“In five minutes, there will be a close combat understanding class with Instructor Haley Miler in the Martial Hall. Would you like to go together, Squad Commander?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Ian, who had just left the cafe, headed straight to the Martial Hall upon Eri’s suggestion.
Was it because he had eased his guard against her? Eri began to approach him with a bit more familiarity, as if she had been waiting for this.
Of course, the more she did, the more Ian maintained his vigilance.
‘One wrong move, and I could lose everything to the Imperial Disposal Unit. I need to keep my wits about me.’
He had to maintain an appropriate distance to avoid arousing suspicion.
With that in mind, he headed resolutely towards the Martial Hall.
Haley Miler’s class, “Understanding Close Combat,” was held on the third floor.
Ian looked at Eri sitting next to him.
The usual muscular guy was gone, and there was a girl sitting there instead, which felt strange.
It seemed he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Ian felt a sharp gaze from the right side of the classroom.
Celia Wignoron, she was glaring at him with a displeased expression, as if there was something she didn’t like very much.
‘Why is she like that again?’
Seeing her unpleasant expression made him feel like something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what the problem was.
Maybe he had done something wrong to her… but Ian stopped thinking about it.
‘Whatever. Let’s give up.’
After all, she had become someone irrelevant to him. He didn’t feel the need to make an effort to understand her feelings.
Just as Ian turned his head again.
“Eri?”
He noticed Eri staring at Celia with a deeply furrowed expression.
At Ian’s question, she smiled again with her usual kindness as if nothing happened.
“Did you call me? Squad Commander.”
“Your expression doesn’t look good… Is something wrong?”
“No. I felt an unkind gaze on the Squad Commander, so I just looked for a moment.”
It was more than just a momentary glance, her expression was quite stern. Ian decided not to pay too much attention and let it go.
Meanwhile, the class had started without them noticing.
In the center of the classroom stood a woman with red hair. From Haley Miler’s lips came her distinctive authoritative voice.
“Since it seems everyone is here, let’s begin the class. As I mentioned in the previous session, today we will proceed with practical exercises.”
It seemed like a simple announcement to the students.
But Ian could feel it. Haley Miler was looking at him throughout her speech.
And there was a somewhat impure intention hidden in her gaze.
‘There’s something going on.’
Ian’s brows furrowed sharply at the sharp gaze.
Eri
