Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"Colonel Isaac, open the door properly!"

"Don't always kick the door."

"Several doors are already broken!"

Isaac looked at his men, whom he hadn't seen for almost a year, and laughed, "Hey! Everyone looks great!"

"Welcome back, Colonel Isaac!" several of his men laughed.

After all, it had been almost a year since they last saw each other, and they really missed their young superior.

However, they immediately turned their attention to Violet behind Isaac.

Who is this little girl?

"So cute!"

"She's an angel!"

Violet's exquisite face momentarily stunned the group. They also wondered why a child would be at headquarters.

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Isaac said, "Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is my subordinate from Tersis, Violet Evergarden."

Upon hearing Isaac's words, everyone paused for a moment, then began to whisper among themselves.

"What should we do? Colonel Isaac has started abducting underage girls."

Should we call the police?

"Aren't we police officers?"

Tsk, it seems my prestige has almost disappeared in the few months I've been away.

Isaac shouted, "Shut up, all of you! Is this the kind of person your commander is? Get back to work!"

Isaac's roar was quite effective; the group immediately stopped and resumed their work.

At that moment, Roy and Hawkeye walked over.

"Colonel Isaac, it's been a long time," Hawkeye greeted politely.

"Long time no see, Lieutenant Hawkeye. Are you still assisting some incompetent alchemist?"

“What do you mean by an incompetent alchemist!” Roy Mustang cursed.

"Hey, isn't this Roy? I heard you've been getting cocky lately."

"Hmph~" Roy smiled smugly when he heard Isaac's words. "I'm a colonel now, and I'm on the same rank as you, Isaac. Of course I have to be proud of myself."

He then put his arm around Isaac's shoulder and said, "And with what I've accomplished so far in Eastern City, I believe I'll be transferred to the central government soon. Don't worry, I won't forget about you and Hughes then."

Isaac looked at Roy Mustang, who was talking big, and pulled a document from his pocket and slammed it on Roy's head.

"Huh? What's this?" Roy took off the document from his head and started looking at it.

"In recognition of Colonel Isaac's valiant fighting and outstanding performance in fulfilling the missions assigned by the nation on the continent of Tersis, it has been decided to award him the rank of Brigadier General?!!"

Roy couldn't believe his eyes. He looked closely at the document and saw that it also had the president's signature and seal.

"You're already a brigadier general?" Roy looked at Isaac with a bewildered expression.

The other people in the office were also quite surprised that their former superior had risen so high.

Chapter 122: Officer Training School

Isaac patted Roy, whose face was gradually turning gray, with a wicked smile: "Your boss will always be your boss. When I become president, I won't forget you and Hughes, hahahaha."

After saying that, he ignored Roy, who was already slumped forward in despair, and walked to his desk and plopped down.

No one paid any attention to Roy and continued with their work.

"By the way, Lieutenant Hawkeye, when does the NCO school start?" Isaac asked Hawkeye, who was organizing documents.

"Probably in the next few days."

"Really? I'll leave for a bit. You deal with this mess first." He pointed to Roy lying on the ground.

"Yes."

After giving his instructions, Isaac left the office with Violet.

--------

The Amestris Military Academy is state-run and is a school specifically for training the nation's military personnel.

Boys and girls live and train separately at school, but attend classes together.

Upon enrollment, students are granted military ranks; their future career path depends entirely on their academic performance.

Inside the sergeant school.

Isaac sat in the office with an elderly man with white hair. Despite his age, the man had always been the principal of this military academy. He was also a colonel from Amestris.

"Isn't this Brigadier General Isaac? What brings you here in person?" the principal of the military academy asked with a smile.

He didn't understand what the young brigadier general had that required him to come to him in person.

"Here's the thing, I have someone here who wants to enroll. Do you think you could arrange it?" Isaac said.

"I see, these are all minor matters."

“I want her to get into this school,” Isaac said, pointing to Violet.

The principal looked in the direction Isaac was pointing and saw a little girl standing there.

"Um... Your Excellency Brigadier General... how old is this child this year?" the principal asked cautiously.

This child doesn't seem to be very old.

"Twelve years old."

"Brigadier General, the sergeant school only requires applicants to be no older than twenty-three, but... well, this child is still a bit too young," the principal said, embarrassed.

The implication was that he felt Violet would not adapt well to school life.

After all, the primary purpose of a non-commissioned officer school is to train soldiers, and life there is quite tough. Most students here are sixteen or eighteen years old, so this situation is extremely rare.

“It’s alright, just arrange it for me,” Isaac said.

“Since Your Excellency has made your decision, I will not try to persuade you any further.” The principal said, taking out a form and starting to fill it out.

He then glanced at Violet and asked, "Little girl, are you sure you want to come to the officer training school? The courses here are very demanding."

Violet didn't speak, but simply nodded, her eyes filled with determination.

"Alright." The principal handed the completed form to Violet. "Just take this form to the registration office, and the teachers there will arrange your class and accommodation."

Violet took the documents and walked towards the door.

After Violet left, the principal asked Isaac, "Brigadier General, is it really a good idea to bring this child to the officer academy so early?"

Isaac simply took a calm sip of tea.

"She's one of my subordinates, don't underestimate her."

Seeing Isaac's response, the principal didn't continue the conversation.

"By the way, Brigadier General, you must not have attended a military academy, right?" the principal asked.

"Yes, when I was in Brix, I started as a handyman and worked my way up step by step."

"I see." The principal suddenly asked with a smile, "Then why don't you come and study at the sergeant academy too?"

"...Are you kidding me?"

"Of course not. The admission standard for the military academy is under twenty-three years old, and your age is perfectly within that range."

“I have a job, I don’t have time to go to school,” Isaac refused outright.

"That's a real pity. That child might be very lonely at school by himself," the principal said with a smile.

The principal said something that Isaac had also been worried about.

"I've already told her to make more friends at school, so it shouldn't be a problem even if I'm not there."

After chatting for a few minutes, Isaac left the principal's office.

When I got to the registration area, I saw Violet standing there, having received her military uniform.

Violet noticed Isaac approaching and quickly jogged over.

"How's it going? Have you received your uniform yet?"

Violet nodded and said, "Yes, the teachers here have already told me the location of the dormitory and classroom. I'll be moving in today."

"Is that so? Then Violet, study hard here, and don't forget to make friends." After a pause, Isaac continued, "Take care of yourself."

After saying this, Isaac prepared to leave.

Suddenly, he felt his clothes tighten, and when he turned around, he saw that Violet had grabbed his clothes.

“Brigadier General Isaac…” Violet lowered her head, not letting anyone see her expression.

Isaac chuckled and squatted down, placing his hand on Violet's head.

“I remember what I said, that I would come to see you every week.”

"Ah."

After spending a little longer with Violet, Isaac left the officer training school amidst her slightly reluctant expression.

Back at Eastern Command, Isaac began to familiarize himself with his old job.

I've been away for almost a year, and the job that used to be familiar has become unfamiliar.

"The Brigadier General is back. Where's Violet? Why didn't she come back with you?"

The one asking the questions was a blond young man with a cigarette dangling from his lips, John Harbock. He was one of Isaac's old subordinates.

"She was sent to a non-commissioned officer school."

“You really have a lot of confidence.” Roy Mustang walked over and handed the documents in his hand to Isaac.

He has recovered from the setback.

“There’s nothing to worry about. My men are better than anyone else’s.” Isaac picked up the documents Roy handed him and began to read them.

Most of them are minor, trivial matters, and a few of them can be handled by subordinates.