Posts from The Empire of Reimia (3) Auto-translated

-I believe they expect us to provide logical arguments as to why the latest reforms by Rinze Reim will have a positive impact on the country. Frankly, the effectiveness of anyone's policies can only be adequately analyzed after a decade or two, but that's not what's required here. There's no need to overanalyze the Empress's decisions or try to add, suggest, or advise anything on her behalf. Miss Grace simply wants to see a positive attitude in you, faith in the Empress, patriotism, and a willingness to support the latest changes in the country, and all you need to do is demonstrate this in the form of an essay.

-I suppose they expect us to come up with logical arguments as to why the latest reforms of Rinze Reim will have a positive impact on the country. Frankly, the effectiveness of anyone's policies can only be adequately analyzed after a decade or two, but that's not what's required here. Don't try to overanalyze the Empress's decisions or try to add, suggest, or advise anything on her behalf. Miss Grace simply wants to see a positive attitude in you, faith in the Empress, patriotism, and a willingness to support the latest changes in the country, and all you need to do is demonstrate this in the form of an essay.

-- So, the idea is to show loyalty? -- Miya frantically writes. -- In other words, in the form of a historical test, we were actually given a test of our willingness to fulfill our duty without question... I think I managed to do that, but I overdid it with the analysis, ideas, and suggestions, and it turned out to be too long, and all of that wasn't necessary... Well, I couldn't have known... Thank you very much, Moriner! I understand!

-Yes, I think so. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to mention a few specific new features, such as creating an alliance, writing a code of conduct... But overall, I hope this helps you improve the result!

-- Uh-huh. I wouldn't have figured it out myself... -- Miya waves to Moriner and, now inspired, addresses Euriale Grace at the appropriate time. -- Teacher Grace, I think I understand! When writing the essay, I noticed many interesting facts, formulated some ideas, and generally tried to be original and sincere, however... The most important thought, about how important it is now to be loyal to Her Majesty Rinze Reim, how much love one must have for Her Majesty and the citizens of our empire, I tried to convey, but it turned out to be simply less noticeable against the background of everything else, less important, but very numerous! If the mistake is in this, then I will try to correct it next time.

Marey was angry. Angry at Rinze. Angry at Mari. Angry at Shogo. Angry at himself. Throughout October, he endured terrible, pointless, exhausting training sessions. He choked on bloody phlegm, fainted, and his face took on the appearance of blood-stained snow – a red flush on his cheeks against an overall deathly pale complexion. In general, nothing out of the ordinary for him, but it didn't boost his enthusiasm. He had to skip Astilbe's lecture. Tom Shogo was literally relegated to the back burner – time and again, he would start reading, but he couldn't get past the first dozen pages. Instead of forming a coherent chain, the words clumped together in his head into an unsightly mess, and after half an hour, Marey completely stopped understanding what information he had read. On his day off, the aspiring demonologist finally abandoned his futile attempts and, annoyed by his imperfect mind, picked up the codex to read.
Smoothing out the crumpled pages – a reminder of his first attempt, when, particularly enraged by some "truth" from the first chapter, he threw the ill-fated book against the wall – Marey began to skim through page after page. He skipped the first part.
Chapter 2.
"Courage... Honor... Poisoning of the soul... Poisoning of the soul and brain decay will happen to me if I take all this nonsense seriously. Not a bad attempt to make me charge at machine guns with a katana, but no. Next..."
Chapter 3
"Justice... And am I not just? Am I not impartial in my judgments? Utter nonsense, all boiling down to the same thing – listen to Mother Rinze and don't be difficult."
Chapter 4
"The feelings of those around you... Ha, I understand too well what those around me are like. Go to hell, Rinze, all you want to do is standardize and paint interpersonal relationships gray. A world of faceless dummies who even speak according to a standard you invented, an identical mass of zombified people – that's your dream. Ugh, disgusting!"
Chapter 5
"Sincerity... Ha, what irony, how cleverly you slipped in this amendment. If I were sincere, I would be rewarded with a stake. Although, thinking about it... At least we can be free in our thoughts – some are not even given that. Eh... It's actually comforting. And in the realm of slavish identity, I am free to be myself, free in my thoughts."
Chapter 6
"Cosmetics? Ugh, you can't turn me into an old woman. When Larian has dolls, we make uniform dolls directly from people. Thousands of identical, plastered, trained soldiers... Brr."
Chapter 7
"And... is it even good? Well, the thought is correct. You can actually achieve a lot with patience and effort. And it even gives practical advice? Apparently, even here you can find some benefit, I didn't expect... I'll keep that in mind."

When the results of the history test were announced, Marey had to clamp his hand over his mouth to avoid bursting out laughing – the demagogic nonsense he had concocted in half an hour was given almost the highest score! Perhaps Marey had never lied so brazenly in his life as he did in his essay, but Evrial ate it up and even praised it.
"That's it, that's your sincerity and courage. You didn't write a single honest, original thought, and it turned out better than anything..."
Nevertheless, no matter how much Marey cheered himself up, no matter how much he smiled, inventing another patriotic lie, the test left a very unpleasant aftertaste. The need to lie was humiliating, each lie was an extra reminder of his true thoughts, and despite all his attempts to justify himself, Marey felt that by lying, he was betraying himself, and the irritation against the Empress and the new order gradually turned into a burning hatred for those who had put these invisible shackles on him.

-- Teacher Grace, I think I understand! When writing the essay, I paid attention to many interesting facts, formulated some ideas, and generally tried to be original and sincere, however... The most important thought, about how important it is now to be loyal to Her Majesty Rynze Reim, how much love one must have for Her Majesty and the citizens of our empire, I tried to convey, but it turned out to be simply less noticeable against the background of everything else, less important, but very numerous! If the mistake is in this, then I will try to correct it next time.

The teacher praised Xenomia with an approving nod. — But not just next time, keep this awareness in your heart constantly, understand?

-- I understand! -- the girl politely curtsied and went about her business.

Linnea wasn't surprised by such an outcome – not at all. Kanade didn't seem like someone who took rejection well. In any case, with her new demand, she had crossed the last line, and the reimi wouldn't tolerate it any longer. Everything has its limits.
— Listen, Kanade, no offense, but I'm simply not interested, — Nei's voice returned to its former tone; the previous softness was as if blown away by the wind. — Neither training at your academy nor a career as an idol. I realized that this is not for me. I prefer to defend the interests of Her Majesty on the battlefield and protect the people of the empire. So, there is no need to accelerate my training. I'm leaving.

"Well then, if there is no interest, there's nothing to be done about it. However," Kanade gave Linnea a look that was stern yet detached, "you should work on your behavior toward your elders. Go now," the idol dismissed Linnea as if she had lost all interest in her, "do not worry, you will still have the opportunity to defend Her Majesty's interests on the battlefield, just as you desire."

Nodding in response to the comment about her behavior, Linnea left Kanade's office and, in a cheerful mood, headed back to her academy. The first thing she did upon her return was take a good shower and revert to her more familiar appearance – no lacquer, pigtails, tank tops, or rosy cheeks. At first, the girl even considered making some changes to her appearance, but ultimately, she decided to postpone that for later. She had done enough for today, even if Kanade's last words sounded a bit ominous. At least she regained the ability to be herself, with the caveat that she had to occasionally shout something praising Rinze Reim.

A few days after this event, Linnea was summoned to Evrial Grace’s office; the reason was not specified.

Apparently, there was no reason to celebrate just yet. There was no doubt that the summons to the office was related to her refusal to comply with Kanade's whims. Linnea had no choice but to face the possible problem head-on, whatever fate had in store for her.

“Linnea Sherman,” Euriala Grace greeted the girl with a cold look and a voice as if they hadn’t known each other for the past few months, “you have received an order for your transfer; you have thirty minutes to gather your belongings and be ready to depart at the academy’s main gate.”

— Miss Grace, may I inquire about the translation of куда?

— You will find out soon, and until then, follow the instructions.