Eleanor was not exaggerating when she mentioned that she had full clearance to view Nero’s files. In front of her were reports so detailed that very few people could get access to them at all. Naturally, her clearance was not limited to just Nero, but all the cadets she faced.
To have such authority at such a low level, Eleanor had to make many sacrifices, and had to face many great restrictions. However, that was a price she paid in service to her nation, and the academy.
She was not alone in this, as there were a few other counsellors as well, all of whom had to face such harsh restrictions. Yet this was not a role that could be overlooked at all. While a part of their job was to help cadets and guide them, another part of their job was to uncover those with great potential and should receive specialised or focused training and grooming.
One very specific and crucial part of their responsibility, though, was to identify problematic cadets. This referred to a wide range of things, but it essentially boiled down to those who consciously or unconsciously would cause harm to themselves, their fellow soldiers or Kolar as a whole. Or, very specifically those who harbored anti-state or anti-army views.
While such cadets would not be immediately kicked out, they would receive special and targeted counselling to fix their issues. They would also receive a certain mark on their permanent records that could only be seen by their seniors which would prohibit promotions above the Major rank. Thus, their military career would basically come to an end before it even began.
While Nero had not shown any such tendencies specifically, criticising a superior officer, especially one with such a prestigious career and renown, was a dangerous line to walk. The army would not tolerate those who did not obey orders, or held dismissive views about hierarchy, and it especially would not nurture those with a habit of disregarding or belittling their seniors. Even one such bad seed could cause severe harm to a unit’s morale or camaraderie.
Thus, at the point while Eleanor did not jump to conclusions, she secretly became alert. While Nero’s earlier claims of wanting to become a reliable resource for his nation was quite reassuring, his criticism of Earl required deeper investigation.
"You have a habit of teasing the listener by providing partial and sensationalised answers, don’t you," Eleanor said with a soft smile, not revealing her inner thoughts in the slightest. "Explain to me what you mean in your criticism of Lieutenant Earl. I find your statements quite confusing, especially since he is such a beloved and decorated commander."
Nero, too, responded with a soft smile. Regal Command, the Monarch’s passive, was beginning to show its influence.
While Eleanor kept the passive subtle, so that it could not be easily detected, Nero immediately picked up on strange deviations in his emotions. He had come here with a distinct plan in mind, so everything he said was following that. The sudden urge to elaborate in detail about his criticism was derived from Eleanor’s demand to elaborate on his previous statement.
While Nero did not identify the influence as that of Regal Command, he was certain that he was being influenced in some way. That knowledge alone let him know of how dangerous a line he was walking. Maybe he had been a little too sensational in his answers. Yet he knew what lines to cross, and how to increase his own value.
"I don’t dispute Lieutenant Earl’s reputation, nor am I attempting to besmirch his achievements. The truth is, he is one of the most, if not the most honourable man I have ever come across. His regard for his subordinates is tremendous, and his achievements are something I can only hope to emulate one day.
"However, the reason I feel so critical of him, especially since I served under him, is because I feel like in pursuit of maintaining the rules of the army, and the interests of the country, he has adopted a very literal interpretation of what his duty requires, rather than understanding its essence and spirit."
Eleanor was intrigued by his answer. She could tell that Nero had not lied even once so far in their session, so she wondered what he considered the spirit of duty. At least, his answer for now didn’t seem too problematic.
"If you can see my records, you saw that among my team was someone named Noman. I’m sure you already know that Noman was Lieutenant Earl’s son. Yet no matter whose son he was, it made no difference to me for I have met the sons of great men before, and found them wanting. Noman, however, was different.
"His youthful enthusiasm aside, he did at thirteen what grown men are unlikely to do. He fought alongside me, facing death with an unwavering determination. He faced horrors so great that many other Neophytes who faced them became mentally and emotionally scarred, suffering from psychological trauma. Noman Berkin, the soldier, not the son of a Lieutenant, stood on the battlefield with me as I faced a true monster, and instead of freezing from fear or running for his life - as I had ordered him to do - helped the fight in whatever way he could."
Even now, Nero remembered the moment he got Noman’s innate card in the middle of that fight. Up until then he had been so hesitant to share those details, likely because he had been warned not to. Yet when the moment came to step up, he had not hesitated, in the slightest, even when no one would have blamed him for it.
"What I’m trying to say is that Noman was an excellent soldier even at thirteen, with a great and tremendous future ahead of him," Nero continued. "He was called a prodigy by many, but I considered that term an insult to his own dedicated spirit which endured so much. His future had great potential, and to Kolar he was an invaluable asset! Invaluable, and not just because of his innate ability.
"But when the critical time came, the Lieutenant put his own child at risk. Maybe, back then, he was thinking that if he refused to use Noman, it might be considered favouritism. Maybe the value of the information from the traitor was too important. Certainly, I myself as a soldier desperately wanted to get answers for why my team was betrayed, and at whose orders.
"Yet as the commanding officer, he should have weighed it. Between putting Noman, not his son but the soldier, at risk, and putting the life of the captive at risk, the Lieutenant chose his son. Maybe there were countless reasons I am unaware of, but that does not matter. All I know is the result.
"Because his honour demanded it, because he did not want to appear to show favouritism, because the situation demanded it, he put one of Kolar’s most valuable assets at risk, and lost it. The loss of Noman has done far more damage to Kolar than anyone will ever know, because now no one will see him grow up."
Eleanor thought for a moment, and decided to probe a little more before reaching a conclusion.
"But soldiers are not raised in seclusion. Our soldiers are put in the line of fire, face to face with danger. How can one expect a good soldier to be trained without ever giving them any experience?" she asked. "By that logic, what the Lieutenant did was not wrong - it is the core principle of Kolar."
Nero shook his head.
"You’re wrong," he said firmly, looking Eleanor right in the eyes without a hint of backing down. "Kolar trains soldiers like that, not kids, not Neophytes. Even the Chief of Army, the great Sage Morphius faced a judges panel for endangering children by utilising Neophytes. Do you know how much trouble we faced to go inside Perilith as the last team of Neophytes? And yet, after that, when even the Sage had been sentenced, and a clear directive was already given not to utilise Neophytes for missions anymore, the Lieutenant sent a thirteen year old Neophyte to transport a traitor. The children of Kolar have no cowards, but that does not mean that the officers up above can throw their lives away for immediate, temporary gains!"
Eleanor was taken aback, realising that Nero was actually right. In fact, Lieutenant Earl had faced severe reprimand for his actions, but that was not public knowledge.
"In that case, if you were in his shoes, and you had an important captive who needed transportation, and the only one who could have done it was Noman, what would you have done?" she asked, paying close attention to Nero.
By now, he was already in the clear. He was not critical of command or the army, he was actually right. At the same time, he was just a kid who had lost a very close friend, and the wounds from that injury had yet to heal. It was normal to have such strong opinions in that case.
"If my duty demanded that the captive be transported, and the only one who could have done it was Noman, a child, I would have taken on the burden myself. If I could not transport him any other way, and it had to be Noman, I would have directly killed the captive with my own hands. Maybe my career would suffer. Maybe the mission would have failed, and I would have been reprimanded for that - maybe even dismissed or imprisoned.
"But I would have protected the future of Kolar. I would have saved the life of a young, promising soldier. I would have done my part in ensuring that the future generations of this country still had their rising stars. That is what a true leader does. Take upon the burdens himself, so that those under him do not have to."
Eleanor did not comment on whether or not Nero was right. She did, however, make a note in Nero’s file.
’ Fiercely loyal, exceedingly strong protective values. High value candidate for training. ’