Quit The Hero Party

EP.102 A Nightmare on a Summer Night (3)

What is a group project?

I was perched on the sofa in the professor’s office, mulling over the term “group project.” Since the curriculum set by my master included it, I went ahead and announced it, but…

“Honestly, I have no clue.”

Of course, there are some things that come to mind when I think of group projects.

I mean, the biggest thing I have been tirelessly working on for the past five years is precisely group projects.

On a grand scale, it’s hunting the Demon Lord.

On a smaller scale, it’s hunting the Four Calamities.

Humans cooperate and conspire with others to achieve tasks they cannot accomplish alone. Collaborating towards a single goal—that is the essence of group projects.

“Sounds nice in theory, but…”

I knew the harsh realities all too well.

Anywhere people gather, there’s always trash. Even in a place full of elites, the trash will always flaunt their existence.

Knights who leak confidential information and desert.

Betrayers who have sold their souls to demons.

And…

“The hero whose brain is dominated by his lower half.”

Thinking about it makes me laugh.

Even in an elite hero party made up of the finest, there was trash.

A staggering three out of four were trash.

That’s a 75% ratio. As someone who fell into that remaining 25%, just hearing “group project” made my teeth clench. I took a deep breath and leaned my head back.

“Master.”

“What is it, Rania?”

“Is this group project really necessary?”

I seriously questioned it.

“Isn’t it possible to just do well on my own? What’s the reason for a group project?”

“There’s always a reason.”

“Really?”

My master organized the corners of the documents with a snap before replying.

“Isn’t the reason something you, more than anyone else, should know well?”

“Me?”

“Yes. What you’ve been doing for the past five years is, in fact, group projects. Haven’t you realized anything from those five years of experience?”

What I learned from five years of experience.

After a moment of contemplation, I opened my mouth.

“…That I can only rely on myself?”

“…That’s also a realization, but isn’t there anything else?”

“When people gather, there’s bound to be trash.”

*“…”

“Oh, and trash doesn’t have to be just one. If one becomes trash, there’s a high probability the others will become trash as well.”

I realized this while witnessing in real time how a hero turned into trash. The terrifying thing about trash is that laziness is contagious.

“It’s infuriating to watch them loaf about. Why should I bother breaking a sweat?”

Once that thought crosses your mind, it’s game over.

I have seen countless parties fall apart like that. It wasn’t just our party’s issue. Most hero parties disintegrate like this.

“The only difference is that they died on the battlefield before falling apart.”

Kyle may have been competent even if he fell apart.

However, most heroes were not like that. By the time their breakdown became apparent, they had already lost their lives.

“Well, anyhow…”

I summed up my hard-earned wisdom into one sentence.

“So, if trash emerges, they need to be dealt with immediately. They need to act like people. Even if it means beating them to a pulp.”

“…I understand you’ve been through a tough time, Rania.”

My master sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Still, there is significance in assigning group projects to students. Do you know what that significance is?”

“Um… I’m not sure?”

“Regardless, you must have many interactions with others as you live your life.”

As I blinked in confusion, my master continued with a calm explanation.

“A group project is an experience in itself. People learn from experiences. That realization might be extreme, like yours, Rania…”

My master set aside the documents and continued.

“There’s certainly a positive realization to be had.”

“A positive realization?”

“…The situation itself, where cooperation with others is forced, becomes a kind of experience. It’s good to go through at least once during the semester.”

…Is that so?

I tilted my head. Isn’t it more likely to be a frustrating experience rather than a good one?

“Hmmm…”

As I wore a puzzled expression, my master sighed and pointed a finger at me.

“Rania, haven’t you developed an astonishing amount of patience thanks to your five years of experience?”

“Well… that’s true.”

“It may be a trying experience, but there is surely something to gain from forced cooperation. Isn’t that reason enough to conduct a group project?”

“Oh…”

It was starting to sound plausible.

“Then how should I assign the group project?”

“There’s no need to overthink it. If you think about the reason you need to do it, the answer will come quickly.”

The moment my master spoke those words…

Knock, knock, someone rapped on the door of the professor’s office.

“Professor Rosel, are you in there?”

At that call, my master rose from his seat.

“I’ll be right back.”

As my master left the office, I lay back on the ceiling, reflecting on what he had just said.

“Think about the reason for conducting a group project?”

It wasn’t hard to recall that.

“A goal that is tough to achieve alone.”

Collaboration due to necessity to reach that goal.

That was the essence of group projects. The moment I recalled that fact, something suddenly sparked in my mind.

“Ah.”

I focused on that precondition itself.

What’s the reason cooperation is enforced?

“Because it’s something that cannot be done alone.”

That was the condition for a group project.

Rustle…

I pulled out some paper. I envisioned the outline of an assignment I should give. I transferred it onto the paper as it was.

Thud, I placed my quill down and nodded.

“Yeah, this should be enough.”

Wasn’t that what it meant to gain insights from forced collaboration?

In that sense, this was an assignment that was true to its purpose.

“An assignment that cannot be completed without cooperation.”

I looked at the completed paper and smiled.

It was a sufficiently high-quality assignment that I looked forward to showing to the students.

2.

“Did you say you want to buy Resistance Stones?”

“Yes, about twenty or so?”

The Master of the Black Tower, Yetual, blinked.

His gaze was fixed on the girl in front of him. Only a select few get to have a private audience with Yetual.

And that girl was one of those “few.”

“Rania van Trias.”

A girl with ashen hair and blue eyes.

The elegant-looking girl tilted her head, as if questioning whether there was anything wrong with what she said.

“…Is she serious?”

Yetual measured the girl’s intentions.

“Is she really going to buy twenty Resistance Stones?”

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t wrap his head around it.

What are Resistance Stones, anyway? A rare mineral with an innate property of rejecting mana. Given its use in creating barrier stones, it sells for quite a bit.

“Even the smallest fist-sized Resistance Stone is worth enough to fill a bookshelf of magic books…”

The girl requested mid-grade Resistance Stones.

When it comes to mid-grade Resistance Stones, the places that handle them are limited.

“Could it be… she’s asking for powder?”

If that were the case, it would make a bit more sense.

Yetual cautiously asked the girl.

“What size are you thinking?”

“Hmm, something like this should do.”

The girl raised her fist.

It was a small, white hand. Though small, it was at least far from the size of powder.

“Twenty mid-grade Resistance Stones of that size.”

Yetual mentally assessed the cost.

“That, that’s going to be quite a price.”

“How much?”

“Well, about this much…”

The girl checked the amount written on the paper.

She nodded straight away, showing that this amount was easily affordable for her.

“When can you deliver?”

“Well, I could provide it right away, but…”

“Then I’ll buy them now.”

She pulled out a card and began to print gold coins. It looked like she was aiming to purchase them right away.

“…What the hell?”

Yetual stared blankly at the girl pouring gold coins all over the table. The amount was staggering.

“…Um, Professor Rania?”

“Yes?”

“What in the world are you planning to use such Resistance Stones for?”

Ultimately, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked.

The girl’s answer was simple.

“To use for a project.”

“…A project?”

“Yes.”

You’re going to use mid-grade Resistance Stones just for a school project?

“Hasn’t it seemed odd since the circuit record sheets? What’s going on…”

Yetual shot an incredulous glance at the girl before him.

She was suspiciously wealthy.

Somehow, the more they met, the more questions about her identity grew.

“…I understand. I’ll have it delivered to Apuria soon.”

“Yes, thank you.”

3.

With the chaos in Apuria finally settling down, the afternoon of a summer day marks the start of classes. Tired students muster up the energy to head to their next class.

“The next class…”

A shadow passed over the students’ faces as they checked the subject of the next class. Trying to suppress the sighs bubbling up, they rummaged through their lockers.

『Mana Trading Studies, Basic Assignment』

『Instructor: Rania van Trias.』

The thickness of the file containing the assignments was daunting.

Like the weight of the stack of paper inside this thick binder, their steps slowed down.

It wasn’t that they didn’t have expectations for the class.

When we evaluate the class itself, the basic mana trading studies is an excellent one. Students learn something new every time. They gain proper insights.

“The problem is…”

It’s the amount of assignments that will be thrown at them after class. Just thinking of what the merciless professor has prepared this time sends shivers down their spines.

Thud.

Students arrived one after another at the front of the classroom.

One of the students opened the classroom door and walked in. There was already a guest present.

“Ah, you’ve arrived!”

Ashen hair swayed.

Bright blue eyes locked with those of the entering student. Leaning against the podium, she smiled.

“Please take a seat.”

It was a smile that was quite beautiful, matching her refined and charming appearance, but… knowing the nightmare hidden behind that smile, the students sighed and took their seats.

As they sat down one by one… a strange discomfort lingered.

“Huh?”

A few students tilted their heads.

The arrangement of the classroom had oddly changed. An empty space had been created around the podium.

And in that empty space lay a single box.

That wasn’t the only oddity.

“And why is the professor already here?”

Normally, Professor Rania would enter right when the bell rang. Yet she had arrived well before class today.

As the students pondered this mystery, Rania clapped her hands.

At her cue, the box in the center of the classroom opened. Inside lay shining jade-like stones. The stones began to float one by one.

Those luminous stones.

Leaving behind the shiny stones, she began to write something on the board. As more students arrived and sat down, they glanced at the board.

『Mana Trading Studies, Basic』

『Enhancing efficiency of spells that include transactional concepts.』

So far, this was a subject covered in Professor Rosel’s class.

After a brief pause, she added a new term below that.

『Topic: The Extremes of Basic Spells.』

The extremes of basic spells.

That was the last writing Rania completed before glancing around at the students.

“It seems everyone has arrived.”

Ding, ding, the bell announcing the start of class rang out. Amidst the ringing, she said.

“Now, let’s begin the class.”

Her voice sounded exuberant.

In that tone, the students felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Author’s Note (A/N)

The subtitle has been changed from “A Summer” to “A Nightmare on a Summer Night.”