Do Your Own Revolution

#025.

“So. That’s what he said?”

Late at night in the mansion.

Keiren was stroking the hair of Mari, who had fallen asleep after playing, when he smiled with interest upon receiving Walter’s report.

“Walter. What do you think?”

“I didn’t expect him to add more conditions at that point. However……”

Walter pondered the boy’s words before answering Keiren’s question.

“I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request.”

The boy called Eugene didn’t ask for material things like money or magic stones.

Instead, what he demanded was Keiren’s oath.

He wanted several promises made in the name of the Buckenheim family.

The first promise concerned Irene, who escaped with him.

He demanded that her identity be concealed and that she be provided with an education befitting a noble’s child.

‘From what I heard about the terms, Major General only needs me. Once the situation stabilizes, there’s a possibility that Irene might be abandoned.’

‘……’

‘She’s a child who followed me from that basement trusting only in me. I can’t let her be abandoned, not even as a remote possibility.’

The second demand that followed was to keep his magical power training and imprint development strictly confidential.

Unlike the first one, this request was puzzling even from Walter’s perspective.

‘The mages of Buckenheim are all among the empire’s finest. I assure you they would be of great help in Young Master Eugene’s training, but…’

Despite Walter saying this, Eugene just shook his head.

‘I cannot explain the reason. Please just relay that to the Major General. He will judge the rest.’

As the boy said, when Keiren heard his demands, he nodded with a willing expression.

‘The first condition is to avoid tracking by the Elcryer family.’

Irene’s surname was Elcryer.

She was the daughter of the Elcryer family, which held the seventh seat among the 12 magic nobles.

If such a child had been imprisoned in the Elcidore mansion, there was only one fact that could be inferred.

‘An illegitimate child.’

The Duke of Elcryer’s womanizing was well-known even among the nobles.

A family’s shame born from the head’s adultery.

A bloodline of the Elcryer family that shouldn’t exist.

A child who shouldn’t have been born.

If such a child were still alive, the Elcryer family wouldn’t sit still.

Rather than face embarrassment before other families, it would be more efficient to erase her previous identity and treat her as Eugene’s sister.

‘And the second request is because of the magic imprint that boy possesses.’

One of the five imprints sleeping in the imperial underground, ‘Wings of Crimson.’

If Buckenheim’s mages were to see it, it would immediately be reported to the imperial family.

A situation where he could lose his magic imprint while trying to develop his magical power.

The boy said he would rather give up Buckenheim’s education than risk that.

“Good. I accept the deal.”

“I will prepare the signing ceremony.”

“Please do.”

After finishing his report, Walter left the room.

“To think a ten-year-old child would surprise the commander of the Eastern Front.”

The reason Keiren had shown Eugene this mansion was to demonstrate what he could offer in advance.

A luxurious life never experienced from the boy’s perspective.

By showing Eugene a part of it directly, Keiren had attempted to gain the upper hand, so to speak.

‘However, that’s where I got caught instead.’

Even after seeing the grandeur of the Buckenheim mansion, the boy wasn’t intimidated.

Rather, he gauged his own value through his and Walter’s actions, and secured more benefits for himself.

A mere ten-year-old child had negotiated with a magic noble.

‘This isn’t just genius level. Eugene, that boy… he’s already a complete force to be reckoned with.’

A mage with advanced combat training and practical experience at the young age of ten.

With his patronage added on top of that, just how far could that boy rise?

“Even after retirement, this should be quite entertaining to watch.”

While indulging in some pleasant imagination, Keiren stroked the face of his sleeping daughter Mari.

“……”

And not long after, the smile on his face gradually faded away.

All that remained in the dark room was the sound of Mari’s steady breathing.

While stroking Mari’s red hair, Keiren spoke to himself with self-deprecation.

“I made an utterly despicable decision, Anna.”

Growth potential? Outstanding talent?

What laughable self-justification.

“To save my daughter, I’m pushing someone else’s child onto the battlefield. I took advantage of the harsh environment that child was in, and used his weaknesses to steal his entire life…!”

Confessing to his sleeping daughter, he clenched his fist.

A fact that couldn’t be hidden no matter how much he tried to dress it up.

Each time he spoke it aloud, Keiren’s heart grew heavier.

“But even so… I can’t send this child to the battlefield.”

As he muttered these words, Keiren thought of his departed lover.

Her smile that shone even on the harsh battlefield, her voice encouraging discouraged soldiers.

The scent of coffee shared in the trenches at dawn, and her tears when receiving flowers from a rough soldier.

And even himself, that fool who could only cry helplessly when he found the engagement ring in the giant monster’s stomach.

“Anna. Would you accept the decision I’ve made now? Or would you curse me as a cowardly craven?”

There was no answer.

Only the lamp lit at Mari’s bedside gave off a soft magical power glow.

“Haa.”

He couldn’t stay so gloomy in front of his daughter.

After kissing Mari’s forehead, Keiren turned off the lamp and got up.

He needed to smoke a cigarette and finish reviewing next quarter’s supply plans.

Keiren’s footsteps grew distant as he carefully closed the door.

And……

Mari, who had been lying in bed, slowly sat up.

***

Thanks to butler Walter’s competence, the adoption procedures for Irene and me were completed much faster than expected.

“Everyone, let me introduce you. These are Eugene and Irene, who will be joining us today as my adopted children.”

Although it was said to be a mansion owned by the Buckenheim family, there were no knights here.

Instead of the Buckenheim Knight Order, the mansion was guarded by soldiers wearing imperial army uniforms.

Judging by the shield emblems on their shoulders, they were all from the 72nd Division.

‘So everyone in the mansion is Keiren’s person?’

I thought this while receiving the ceremonial welcome from the soldiers and servants.

Even if I was adopted, those people wouldn’t treat me like a young master, and I wasn’t expecting such treatment anyway.

“Young Master Eugene and Miss Irene will be staying here.”

The next item on the agenda was introducing our quarters.

A room twice the size of the guest room we stayed in on the first day, with two enormous beds, welcomed us.

“W-woooow…”

Surprised? I’m surprised too.

From a beggar’s hovel in the slums to the Elcidore family barracks, and now to the Buckenheim family’s ultra-luxury private room.

I must be the only one in the empire who has achieved such a rise in status in just 2 years.

‘Of course, it’s not going to be given for free.’

The Imperial Military Academy is an educational institution where the empire’s most promising talents gather.

Even with a recommendation letter from a division commander-level person and noble status, it wasn’t a place you could enter freely.

Numerous theory tests, practical tests, and magical power measurement tests.

You couldn’t enter the military academy without passing all of those.

So what do I need to do now?

‘These fucking studies.’

A tower of books too tall to even count crashed down before my eyes.

Imperial Literature History, Basic Mathematics, Imperial National Identity, Etiquette Manual, Tactical Manual, Introduction to Military Science, and so on…

“Woooow……”

“Irene. You know you’ve been making that sound all day, right?”

And what are you even amazed about?

About 30 percent of those are things you have to do.

While I was counting the towers of books placed before me one by one, Mrs. Maybelle, who had personally brought these books, pushed up her glasses.

“Young Master Eugene, you are far behind in studies compared to other children your age. To catch up with all of that, you don’t have a single day to waste!”

Hearing that all-too-familiar high-pitched voice, a fucking awful feeling crept up from deep inside my chest.

Entrance exam studies.

Who would have thought I’d encounter this fucking word again in this strange game world after suffering through 12 years of elementary, middle, and high school.

However, compared to the hardships I’d endured until now, this was rather decent.

‘Right, whatever. It’s not like I can’t handle entrance exam studies.’

I recalled what I had done to get here.

I escaped from back alley gangs, desperately survived from a crazy assassin group, and sent a magic noble of the 12 families and the head of the Revolutionary Army to their graves.

I planned and schemed all of that, so how could I not handle mere studies?

Thinking that way, I sat down following Mrs. Maybelle’s guidance.

Entrance exam studies? That’s nothing compared to what I’ve done so far.

Bring it on.

I can definitely do this!

………Several hours after I immersed myself in studying like that.

“No, no, Young Master Eugene! The Berkelian grammar requires verb conjugation here, and you need to use the dative case here! I can’t believe you couldn’t handle even such basics……”

I realized that in my past life, my grades in Korean, English, and Math had been 4, 6, and 6.

…That’s right.

I was a complete mushroom.

***

“Your language and mathematics scores are nearly at rock bottom. We’ll have to start education from the basics again.”

“I understand.”

“It’s fortunate that you’re quick to admit it. However……”

Mrs. Maybelle couldn’t help but sigh while looking at the devastatingly poor assessment test.

But that was only for a moment.

When she turned her attention to other subjects, she soon let out an exclamation of surprise.

“Your history and military science are remarkably excellent. Especially in history, you’re on par with university students…”

‘Well, that’s because I’ve memorized all this game’s settings.’

If there was any silver lining in this misfortune, it was that I wasn’t completely hopeless in every subject.

Of course, after killing Maximilien, the future became completely unpredictable, but at least I knew everything that had happened until now.

…Of course, most of what the history books say is lies.

“Looking at the first three subjects’ scores, I was worried about how this would turn out… but now I see hope.”

Language and mathematics.

Since I only needed to study two subjects, at least I wouldn’t get grades like 4, 6, 6 like in my past life.

No, I’d have to work like crazy to prevent that from happening.

As Maybelle left the room and I was left alone wrestling with textbooks.

“Wow, you really suck at math.”

A red-haired girl who had somehow approached behind me was saying that while looking at me.

“…Lady Mari?”

It was incredible.

The first words she says to someone she met just a day ago are ‘you really suck at math.’

The mushroom’s heart ached at this heavy fact-bomb.

“Eugene, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Unlike me, who was adopted, Mari was this household’s precious daughter.

Even if I became her brother, how would the people of this house view me if I suddenly started treating her like a little sister?

As I responded politely with that in mind, Mari looked at me with an unfitting blank expression.

“Can you use magic?”

“…Pardon?”

When I asked back, she spoke with her arms crossed as if she knew everything.

“I know everything. You’re the kid Papa brought in to send to the army instead of me, right?”

Wow, what’s with this heavy fact that hits right on the mark?

From what I could see, this child clearly had a talent for fact-violence.

And Keiren, you sir.

What am I supposed to do when your daughter finds out just a day after making the deal?

“Then that means you have much higher magical power than me and can use magic, right?”

“…That would be correct.”

What’s the point of lying when she already knows?

When I confirmed it, Mari raised her finger at me as if she had made up her mind.

“Alright, then make a deal with me!”

“A deal?”

“Yeah!”

When I responded, Mari exclaimed confidently while looking at me.

“I’ll teach you language and math. In return, teach me magic!”

And the mushroom who heard those words.

“I don’t want to.”

Rejected that proposal as if it were only natural.