After the final exam of the fourth week ended, the long-awaited day of the completion ceremony dawned.
After lunch, the expressions of those gathered in the auditorium were filled with excitement and anticipation.
“Wow. This day really came in the end.”
Joseph expressed his regret.
“I know. I thought you’d drop out halfway through.”
“Hmph, not a chance.”
Having returned to the past and faced the completion ceremony again, Gale found it difficult to describe how he felt.
The tension that came with a new beginning coexisted with the composure that came from familiarity, leaving his heart unsettled.
“Candidates, stop chatting and stand in formation!”
“Move quickly!”
Then the drill instructors appeared and organized the formation, and the completion ceremony began in earnest.
“Aah. Can you hear me?”
The training commander, who held overall responsibility for the training camp, appeared on the platform.
He had a warm impression, but he was not someone Gale particularly remembered.
“We will now begin the noncommissioned officer special track completion ceremony.”
As with the entrance ceremony, after a sermon wishing the cadets well in their future, the time everyone had been waiting for arrived.
“...There will be many difficulties ahead, but this training commander believes that all of you will overcome them well. Next, I will announce the outstanding candidates.”
At his gesture, a huge screen appeared beside him, revealing the names and scores of the top ten.
Anesia Kindelly, total score 97.
Gale, total score 94.
Leona Reinbolt, total score 93.
***
“As all of you are already well aware, the top candidate will be granted the authority to choose the unit they transfer to later.”
He paused for a moment, checked the screen, and continued speaking.
“The top candidate of this class is Candidate Anesia Kindelly!”
Cheers and applause erupted, and under the envy of the candidates, Anesia went up onto the platform.
Watching her, Gale applauded with a smile full of regret.
‘It’s disappointing, but I suppose it can’t be helped....’
All this time, Gale had done his utmost to take first place, and he had earned a high score worthy of that effort. However, Anesia had also completed every course as diligently as he had, so Gale had no complaints.
Although he could not transfer to the Military Police in one go, there were still ways to transfer into the Military Police even after being assigned to his unit, so Gale pushed his regret aside and applauded.
While Anesia stood on the platform, waiting to receive her award, “Just a moment....”
Deren popped out from among the Imperial Army officers observing the completion ceremony.
After climbing onto the platform, he whispered something into the training commander’s ear, and then the slightly flustered training commander spoke.
“Aah... There has been a slight error in the order. Before selecting the top candidate, there will be a commendation ceremony.”
A commendation ceremony?
Gale was quietly watching, wondering what was going on, when,
“Gale... Is Candidate Gale here? If you are present, please come up to the platform.”
The surroundings instantly grew noisy, and the candidates’ attention focused on him.
‘Did he call me?’
Faced with an unexpected situation, Gale rose from his seat and went up onto the platform.
Then Deren spoke.
“I will be presenting the commendation certificate on behalf of the issuer. The above candidate....”
To summarize the content of the commendation certificate, it stated that Gale had shown outstanding achievements during the practicum period.
Gale whispered in a low voice,
“What on earth is going on?”
“Just accept it for now. I will explain later.”
Deren cleared his throat and continued speaking.
“...and thus this award is hereby presented.”
When Gale accepted the award, a strange atmosphere flowed through the auditorium.
When everyone stood there with blank expressions, Deren said, “Everyone, applaud!”
Though everyone seemed to think it was strange, they also seemed to decide that they should congratulate him, and faint applause rang out.
Once the commendation ceremony ended, the information displayed on the screen was immediately updated.
Looking at it, the training commander continued speaking.
“The commendation certificate adds 3 points to the total score, so... 97 points. Ahem, then I will continue announcing the outstanding candidates. The outstanding candidates of this training course will be Candidate Gale and Candidate Anesia Kindelly, who are jointly selected as first place!”
At the sudden upheaval, the candidates stared at Gale as though they had honey in their mouths.
A commoner candidate who was not from a high-ranking noble house had suddenly taken first place through such a suspicious series of events, so they must all have found it absurd.
Gale also looked at Deren with the same feeling, but Deren merely laughed heartily.
‘Looks like another strange rumor is going to spread.’
As Gale thought that, the training commander broke into a cold sweat under the strange atmosphere and said, “Haha. Everyone, please congratulate these two candidates who worked so hard.”
And so, lukewarm applause continued, and the completion ceremony came to an end.
***
“What on earth was that?”
Gale said, having gone straight to Deren after the completion ceremony ended.
Deren scratched his head and said, “It was originally meant to be a surprise, but the order got tangled, so it turned out like that.”
“Haa... Well, putting that aside, is there really no problem with this commendation certificate?”
In truth, that was what Gale was most concerned about.
The training camp had to be a fair competition.
That was why Gale had not used any tricks either and had competed in the same environment as everyone else.
But with something like this suddenly happening, even Gale himself found it difficult to accept the result.
Deren told him not to worry about that part and pounded his chest.
“Do not worry. You are more than qualified to receive that award.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Military Police has been tracking the illegal drugs circulating in the capital, Rustav. They moved so meticulously that we lost their trail every time.”
Deren took the River Lethe plan out of his coat.
Its original form had been the distribution ledger for the phantom grass produced at the Yamaguchi farm.
“Do you know how many smugglers we arrested using this?”
In truth, that ledger had only been material to persuade Ron, but from the perspective of the Military Police, which had been tracking the distribution of illegal drugs within the Empire, it was no different from an answer sheet.
“In the end, you accomplished something great, as good as eradicating the distribution of illegal drugs within the Empire. How about it? Do you still have doubts?”
Gale quietly shook his head.
Deren shrugged and continued speaking.
“Originally, I wanted to praise you while making this fact public, but... given the nature of a confidential investigation, it could not be helped.”
Gale let out a sigh.
His own doubts had been resolved, but.
“They said he was the Commander-in-Chief’s child, right?”
“Shh. There’s a rumor that if you get on his bad side, it’s over. Kuff got on his bad side too and ended up completely ruined.”
The voices of the other candidates whispering would not leave his head.
Rumors like that would continue to follow him, but in any case, with this, he had become able to go to the Military Police, where he had wanted so badly to go. Gale decided that was enough.
“Haha. In the end, all is well if it ends well. Have you decided which unit you want to go to?”
At Deren’s question, Gale smiled faintly.
“I will go to the Military Police.”
At those words, Deren smiled brightly.
***
After parting from his brief meeting with Deren and returning to the barracks, Gale found Joseph packing his belongings.
“Oh, you’re back?”
Deep regret could be felt in his expression.
“Where were you assigned?”
When Gale asked, Joseph scratched his head and said, “The 2nd Guard Unit in the west.”
Hearing that, Gale immediately recalled information about the 2nd Guard Unit.
Outside the western wall, the area was mostly farmland, and compared to other units, it was known as a unit with fewer incidents and accidents.
“From what I’ve heard, it seems like a decent unit. Gale, have you decided where you’re going?”
“Yeah, I’m going to the Military Police.”
“Then does that mean I can meet you if I cause trouble?”
He said it with a mischievous smile.
“Maybe.”
“Stay healthy. Let’s meet again next time, Gale.”
Gale nodded.
Knock, knock-
Just then, the door opened.
“Anesia?”
The one who opened the door and entered was Anesia.
She immediately walked up to Gale and said, “You’re going to the Military Police, right?”
When he nodded, she held out her hand.
“I’m going to the Military Police too. Let’s get along from now on.”
“What? Anesia. Are you following Gale?”
At Joseph’s words, she flared up and immediately shot back.
While they were noisily chatting like that, two people appeared beyond the open door.
The three of them immediately saluted.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“What? You are still saying your goodbyes?”
The ones who appeared were Barania and Ron.
“It is our last day, so we were talking about this and that.”
“It is all pointless. I have never seen a single bastard who says he will keep in touch actually do it.”
Barania snickered as she spoke.
“But what brings you here?”
“You two applied for the Military Police, right? I came to escort you over.”
Are we moving right away?
Gale’s gaze reached Ron.
“Ah, Ron said he had something to say to you, so I brought him along.”
When Gale looked at him, Ron nodded and said, “Could you spare me a moment?”
“Understood.”
After saying goodbye to Joseph, Gale followed Ron outside.
It was the first time he had seen him since Moon Shadow Pavilion, so a strange atmosphere flowed between the two of them.
What is he going to say?
As Gale thought that, Ron took something out of his coat and said, “Take it.”
“This is....”
“They said it was a keepsake. Though I did not have a good relationship with Miguel, we were family in form, at least.”
When Gale opened the case, the horribly cracked Braggart’s Mirror appeared.
The fierce flow of mana he had felt when Miguel used it before was nowhere to be found, and only a faint flow of mana could be felt.
Holding the mirror, Gale asked, “Why are you giving this to me?”
At that, Ron turned his gaze away and murmured with an expression that seemed to long for something.
“I do not know either. Perhaps... I simply wanted to repay you, even with something like this.”
Gale did not know what Ron was trying to repay him for, but at least the Ron before his eyes now looked relieved, as if he had shattered something that had been suppressing him all this time.
No matter how evil Miguel had been, the connection to the foster father Ron had shared joys and sorrows with all this time had been severed. Gale thought that whatever emotions Ron felt because of that were surely something he could not understand.
“If that is the case... I will gratefully accept it.”
Ron nodded.
“What will you do now, Deputy Commander?”
“If I had my way, I would like to return to Yoshiura, but since I have been suspended, I plan to stay in Rustav and rest for a while.”
Gale nodded.
Just then, Barania’s voice came from one side.
“Gale! It is time to go.”
Gale looked at Ron one last time and said, “I hope we can meet again.”
“I, too, will look forward to that day.”
With those words as the last between them, Ron waved at Gale as he left, and his face looked more at peace than at any other time Gale had seen him.
***
Under Barania’s escort, Gale and Anesia headed to headquarters.
Headquarters was the base of the Military Police they had been assigned to, and it used the finest building among the Imperial Army’s unit facilities.
Barania first showed them the quarters where the two of them would stay and said, “The Military Police operates entirely with single rooms.”
As Gale looked around inside, he let out a small exclamation of admiration.
“Wow....”
The Military Police quarters were decorated so luxuriously that the barracks he had experienced in his previous life felt like pigsties by comparison.
‘The Military Police bastards were living in a place this nice?’
Unlike Gale, who was so surprised,
“This place is rather decent.”
Anesia, who came from a prestigious noble family, showed little interest, as if she merely thought it was not bad.
After each of them stopped by their rooms and put down their luggage, Barania took Gale and Anesia around to tour the headquarters building.
After wandering around for quite a while, the last place they visited was [Military Police Dispatch Waiting Room]
When they arrived in front of the lounge, Barania sighed and said, “I do not know what you two thought of the Military Police before coming here, but this is the Military Police’s true face as it currently stands, so engrave it clearly in your eyes.”
When the two nodded, Barania opened the door.
Then a dispatch waiting room that looked almost like a banquet hall revealed itself.
Inside, members wearing black Military Police uniforms were lined up at their respective seats, holding a drinking party.
It felt as if they had entered the banquet hall of depraved nobles.
When the door opened, their gazes reached this way.
“Oh! Barania. New recruits?”
“New recruits? Come here and take a drink.”
“Barania, you come drink too!”
Gale clenched his fist as he saw the wretched true face of the Military Police.
He had known from the start.
The Military Police was the most chaotic unit in the Imperial Army, where the Empire’s top talents were tangled together with high-ranking nobles who wanted to rest comfortably.
This is where it begins.
In his previous life, the first place tainted by the Golden Dawn Society had been the Military Police.
In other words, this place would be their first target again this time, and Gale vowed that this time, he would never let that happen.