I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 321

Finally, the day of the decisive battle dawned.

A clash of pride between the Navy and the Army.

The prelude to an inevitable, all-out showdown had finally begun.

‘At this rate, I might actually end up dealing with a corpse.’

Standing in the middle of the formation, aligned in perfect rows, I couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

Turning to the side, Park Min-heung and Son Seong-ji, now comrades in spirit, were also trembling with tension.

“Hey… is His Majesty really coming?”

“That’s what they say. You guys have been here for a while, haven’t you? Have you ever seen His Majesty?”

“Never even seen a member of the National Assembly, let alone His Majesty.”

“But is the atmosphere always like this here? It feels like someone’s about to die…”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling it.

If looks could kill, the Army guys on the other side would already be dead.

No, considering they’re glaring at us just as intensely, no one here would survive.

‘Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be an exchange match? Even if it’s a battle of pride, it shouldn’t be this hostile, right?’

Eugen Choo was once again realizing how great the King’s power was in France.

There’s a joke that the King is above the Emperor, and maybe it’s not an exaggeration.

‘Well, in Asia, they recognize His Majesty as an Emperor, not a King…’

I heard that graduates have visited previous exchange matches.

Last time, a flag officer serving as a Navy Rear Admiral gave the opening address.

Many seniors come, so if you perform well here, you’ll have a smooth military career.

Conversely, if you screw up badly, your future will be ruined.

I heard that the Naval Academy team, which suffered a crushing defeat in the last competition, couldn’t even hold their heads up.

But this time, it was on a different level than last year.

“Hey… look over there. Isn’t that Admiral Gaspard, the Chief of Naval Operations of the Pacific French Navy?”

“Wow… the Rear Admiral who gave the opening address last year is sitting in the cheap seats. What’s going on?”

“All those lined up over there are field-grade officers?”

The faces of the cadets, looking around at the audience, turned beyond pale, becoming icy.

An inter-school exchange match where you can’t even sit down unless you’re a general?

The person holding the scoreboard for the generals to see easily is a cosmic horror wearing a Colonel rank insignia right before your eyes.

“Are you telling us to play a game in this situation…?”

“This is too much. I’d rather play against the British team in front of the citizens of Paris.”

“Oh? Aren’t those the Atlantic French generals over there?”

The reason why there weren’t enough seats for field-grade officers was that the Atlantic French generals next to them were all here.

From the Chief of Staff of the Army to the Chief of Naval Operations, and even the Marine Corps Commandant and Deputy Chiefs, it was truly a festival of stars.

I doubt I’ll see more stars in my entire military career than I’ve seen today.

The goalkeeper, Mark, who was graduating this year, muttered quietly.

“If I let in a goal… those guys will all see me concede, right?”

Thank goodness I’m not the keeper.

At the same time, Park Min-heung, who heard Mark’s words, let out a hollow laugh.

“If I make a ridiculous miss, those guys will all be watching.”

Thank goodness I’m not the central striker.

‘I just need to pass properly.’

It’s true that I’m incredibly nervous, but let’s try to change my perspective.

If I perform well here, wouldn’t all those generals have Eugen Choo’s name etched in their minds?

Besides, I heard that His Majesty will personally award the medal to the MVP of this exchange match.

Especially if an Asian like me is chosen as the MVP, it will attract even more attention.

Using this as a stepping stone, the title of the first Asian general might not be just a pipe dream.

Just as I was solidifying my will to win with my comrades lined up next to me.

Finally, with the sound of celebratory gunfire, the King of France appeared on the podium.

“All rise and salute His Majesty Christian of the Great French Federal Empire!”

The sight of not only the ordinary officers but also the generals, who were usually stiff-necked, rising from their seats and saluting was a magnificent spectacle.

After lightly accepting their greetings, the King sat down and smiled faintly as he looked at the players about to compete.

Then his gaze lingered for a moment above me, Park Min-heung, and Son Seong-ji.

Perhaps he was intrigued that not one, but three Asian students were playing as representatives.

‘Good. I’ve succeeded in making an impression.’

Now, all I have to do is win the game.

The eyes of all the players looking at the round soccer ball were burning with almost manic fervor.

※※※

“Waaaaaah!”

“Block! Block them!”

“It’s those bastards again! Block those Asian bastards!”

Amidst the shouts and curses on the field, the most noticeable were the three Asian exchange students.

Eugen Choo dribbled past at least two defenders with dazzling footwork, constantly threading passes into open spaces.

At the same time, Son Seong-ji, living up to his nickname of having two hearts, never stopped running for 90 minutes, adding energy to the team.

And when a decisive chance was created, Park Min-heung was in charge of scoring the decisive goal.

“Gooooooal! Park Min-heung scores an additional goal, making the score 3:1! The Naval Academy is clearly in the lead!”

In response to the commentator Colonel Matthias’s shout, the Navy officers stood up and applauded.

“Yesssss! That’s it! The Army bastards can’t handle us!”

“This is the power of the Great French Imperial Navy!”

Although they didn’t make a fuss like the field-grade officers, the generals were also wiggling their butts and grinning.

In particular, Gaspard, the Chief of Naval Operations of the Pacific French Navy, sitting right next to Christian, didn’t forget to subtly promote himself.

“Hahaha, look at that, Your Majesty. This time, I specifically, strictly, and resolutely instructed the school principal to select representatives based solely on skill. And the result is those three Asians.”

“It is indeed a rare sight to see Asian students flying around like that.”

“That’s right. Look at the Army team. Almost 90% of them are white. That’s an absurd ratio considering the population distribution of our Pacific France. That’s why they’re so helpless and being pushed back.”

“Ahem, Admiral Gaspard! Are you saying that our Army Academy committed racial discrimination in the team selection process?”

The Chief of Staff of the Pacific French Army, who had been listening next to him, flared up and joined the conversation, but Gaspard shrugged nonchalantly.

“I’m not saying they committed discrimination. I’m just saying they didn’t fully see the potential of the students. Unlike our Navy. That’s the result we’re seeing here. In our France, where many races live together, we need leaders who can maximize the abilities of each member. Especially in the military.”

Originally, the privilege of talking smack after winning is reserved only for the victor.

The Army generals could only grit their teeth with expressions that looked like they had a mouthful of poop.

The Army was secretly hoping for a last-minute comeback, but in the end, they conceded another goal, and the result was a 4:1 victory for the Navy.

“I just came here on a whim, but I didn’t expect to see such a high-level game.”

Christian personally selected the three players who had performed the best in this game.

Eugen Choo, who recorded three assists on his own, and Park Min-heung, who scored two goals.

Finally, Son Seong-ji, who recorded one goal and one assist and ran like crazy on the field for 90 minutes.

The three of them came up to the stage with faces that held both joy and a hint of fear.

“I didn’t know there were players in the academy who could play in Ligue 1 [France’s top professional football league]. What are your names? Starting with you, the one with the impressive Marseille turn [a football trick involving spinning the ball].”

“Yes! Eugen Choo, sir!”

“Eugen Choo… Heh heh heh, well, even your name sounds like you’d be good at soccer. Then what about you two over there?”

“Son Seong-ji, sir!”

“Park Min-heung, sir!”

“Son Seong-ji… Park Min-heung… Ah~! I see. Yes, yes. I’ll be sure to remember your names.”

For some reason, Christian, who was suddenly in a good mood, burst out laughing.

I don’t know why, but if the King is pleased, that is a victory for all the generals who attended today.

Eugen Choo, seeing the faces of the dazzling stars lined up behind him brighten up, was certain.

That the radiance would be a harbinger of light illuminating their path.

The effect didn’t take long to appear.

As soon as they went inside to change their clothes, people who had never spoken to them before were lined up waiting for them.

Even the white cadets, who had subtly ignored the Asians until now, greeted the three with bright smiles and handshakes as if nothing had happened.

“Hey hey~! I knew you could do it! You know me, right? I’m your friend, Jang!”

“Bullshit! Since when have you been acting like a friend? You know me, right? Julien. I passed to you in the first soccer game.”

“The star of our France! From now on, any insults against Asia will be considered an attack against me! Oh, by the way, my name is Nael. I’d appreciate it if you remembered it.”

“Um… my name is Noah, and I was wondering if you could come to our gathering next time?”

After that, Eugen Choo had to introduce himself to almost all the cadets of the academy for almost 30 minutes.

It was someone who the King of France, Christian, had personally patted on the shoulder and said he would remember his name.

Not only the cadets but even active-duty officers came to talk and subtly let them know their names.

“Ahem, ahem! I saw earlier that Admiral Gaspard said he would like to invite you to a dinner. So, I was wondering if you could slip my name in at that time?”

“I was really frustrated watching the Army guys gloat after losing the last game, but thanks to you today, I’ve relieved my resentment. I’ll treat you well in the same place as me, so keep up the good work.”

The legend of Eugen Choo, who later became the first Asian general in the Pacific French Army, began with such a minor soccer game.

And in another sense, there were those who became even more famous than Eugen Choo: Son Seong-ji and Park Min-heung.

Shortly before graduating from the academy, the two of them suddenly took a ship to mainland France for some reason.

Afterward, the names of these two, who became the first Asians to reach the dream stage of Ligue 1, were constantly mentioned in the newspapers of Paris for a while.

-The first Asian major player! Minungang Bak! Will he be the first Asian Ballon d’Or [an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football] winner in history!

-Rejection of Paris’s highest transfer fee offer ever! Minueng Bak! “My left foot only moves towards the goals of Lyon and the Pacific French opponents.” It touched the hearts of all Lyon fans.

-“My two hearts beat for Pacific France and Lyon.” A famous quote from Saint-Jeux Song. We should pay attention to Asia in the future.

France, which is newly reborn as a great empire, is now definitely not just a country of white people.

It is also not just a country of white people, black people, and natives.

Embracing the newly incorporated Asians, the Great Empire of France was reborn as a truly multi-racial and multi-cultural country.