Quit The Hero Party

EP.41 The Resemblance of Two People (2)

Torn shirt.

Cold sweat dripping from Professor Rania.

“······.”

Ayla slowly opened her mouth.

“…It’s torn, isn’t it?”

Ayla’s voice rang out lower than expected, startling even herself. A chilling tone. Upon hearing it, Rania flinched, her shoulders trembling.

Ayla tilted her head, following Rania’s shifting gaze. She locked eyes and asked.

“Why is it torn?”

Ayla’s eyes narrowed slightly. Rania desperately avoided her gaze, slowly beginning to speak.

“W-well, it happened during combat….”

Her voice trembled.

Ayla cut in sharply.

“Liar.”

“What?”

“My intuition tells me that you’re lying, Professor.”

Of course, it was a lie. Her excellent intuition only brushed the surface of foresight; she had no remarkable ability to read others’ thoughts.

So, she was just testing the waters…

Hiccup.

Judging by that reaction, it was definitely a lie.

“Hmm.”

Ayla chuckled with a twinkle in her eye.

Her eyes smiled, but her lips remained stiff.

Did you tear it up?

Hiccup.

Seeing Rania constantly hiccup, eventually starting to pat her chest, Ayla covered her mouth, snickering with amusement.

It’s fun teasing her.

Taking a breath, she spoke.

“It’s a lie. I may have good instincts, but I can’t tell if someone is lying or not.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, but given your reaction just now, it seems you’ve indeed told a lie.”

Ayla narrowed her eyes.

“Did my gift not suit you? Did you just tear it up like this?”

Rania flinched, her shoulders trembling.

“No, I made a mistake while washing it…”

“Really? It’s made from thread woven with mana, so it shouldn’t tear easily. Are you lying again?”

“······.”

Now she completely sealed her lips. Ayla stared at her for a long time before finally sighing.

“Well, that can happen. So, did you come to show me this?”

“Yes, it’s a gift from the royal family…”

Muttering, Rania huddled her shoulders. Was she worried about some kind of sacrilege?

That sight strangely pushed Ayla’s sadistic instincts to the surface. With a playful smile, she said.

“Hmm.”

Ayla ran her fingers over the shirt.

“I’ll send you a new one.”

“…Pardon?”

“Now that this has happened, I think custom making one wouldn’t be a bad idea?”

“Custom-made… you say?”

“Yes, it came out a bit too large, right? It’s not too bad, but shouldn’t you have at least one that fits perfectly?”

Clap.

Ayla clapped her hands. The door swung open, and maids lined up at the entrance. Pointing at them, Ayla said.

“Could you take her measurements when you leave?”

“…Do I have to?”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing….”

Rania bowed her head deeply. With her head down, she mumbled, a stark contrast to her usual self as a confident presence on stage, unfazed even in front of monsters.

How refreshing.

Ayla felt a sense of discovering a new side to her.

Her first impression was completely different.

The first time they met, in the Royal Library, her vibe was nothing like this.

When they first met, she had the air of a scholar. She resembled those mages who were cooped up in their labs all day.

However, how is it now?

Ayla recalled Rania’s image as she stood confidently on the platform as a professor, then the one who charged like a beast among the monsters.

She has quite the different charm.

While thinking that, Ayla snickered again.

“What would look good…?”

Ayla muttered as she scanned the woman before her.

“Hmm.”

Rania felt an inexplicable chill from Ayla’s gaze.

*

How much of an age gap was there between me and the princess?

Such thoughts crossed my mind momentarily.

Seven? Eight?

I couldn’t remember exactly, but it had to be around that. In any case, it wasn’t a trivial age gap.

Princess Ayla.

The moment I heard her name, what came to my mind was the young girl who was just over ten years old. The girl I occasionally taught magic.

Recalling the child who used to smile widely, I looked up slightly. Before me sat a girl shedding her youthful appearance.

“What’s wrong?”

She was still smiling.

Yet, that smile was vastly different from the one she had seven or eight years ago. How should I put it? It looked a bit more sinister.

Time is merciless.

It’s moments like these I realize I’m getting older…

No, at twenty-seven, isn’t that too old?

“Nothing. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

After saying that, I slowly stood up. I couldn’t refuse the princess’s goodwill; I had to get my measurements taken.

“······.”

Seeing the maids congregated at the door made me sigh. Holding back a sigh that was about to escape, I took a step toward them.

“Professor Rania.”

Suddenly, the princess called out to me.

I turned my head slightly to look at her.

“Um.”

She momentarily parted her lips, then lowered her head. Her platinum blond hair cascaded down.

“Thank you for your help.”

With a brief expression of gratitude, she lifted her head. I met her gaze.

Determination was evident in her golden eyes.

Those eyes felt oddly familiar.

Where have I seen them?

Recalling wasn’t difficult.

It was probably from the incident when the Court Mage stirred chaos in the royal capital.

-Raniel.

The young princess who came to me after the incident bowed deeply.

Her head, which should have been heavy, seemed light as she bowed. Being a member of the royal family, the way she showed respect was unusual.

Back then, the girl spoke like this.

-Thank you for helping me.

With the same determined gaze as now, she looked at me.

This one thing remains unchanged.

Even after seven years, some things stay the same.

A smile crept naturally onto my lips.

What did I reply back then?

I think I responded like this.

“I was just doing what I had to do.”

The princess widened her eyes at my reply.

Looking at her, I nodded slightly.

“Then I’ll see you in the next class. And please do your homework diligently.”

“Wait… what? What do you mean?”

I pointed my finger at the paper on the desk. It was the workbook I had distributed in the last lecture.

“Isn’t it all blank?”

“No, that’s…”

“It’s your homework. Fill it out, and I’ll see you in class.”

Before the princess could say anything else, I exited the room. I thought I heard her mumbling behind me.

2.

The betrayer Kelt, who committed terrorism in Apuria.

Interrogations regarding him continued for a while, but little information was gained. He stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

If that was his will, they would have forced him to speak. However, this wasn’t about Kelt’s will.

The contracted demon had intervened.

Kelt’s mind was already shattered.

No matter how much they interrogated him, Kelt merely babbled vague phrases like, “The prophet will punish you.”

Ultimately, that was the end of the interrogations.

After handing Kelt over to the church, the knights began investigating the prophet.

Who was the “prophet” Kelt mentioned?

There were a few hints regarding that.

One: he must be an individual connected to Apuria.

Because Kelt, who worked tirelessly in Apuria without a single day off, could not have come into contact with anyone else.

Two: he must be quite powerful.

Because in order to forge a contract with a demon that could provide that much magic, considerable skill would be necessary.

Based on such evidence, the knights narrowed down the suspects. The result pointed to one most likely candidate.

Someone frequently in contact with Kelt.

A highly skilled individual.

The professor of Battle Magic, who was Kelt’s superior.

Former Professor of Battle Magic, Mackhart.

The knights’ gaze turned toward him.

Even other professors looked at him with suspicion.

He was often regarded poorly. No professor came to his defense.

It was only natural that investigations into him began.

*

“So, how many times do I have to say that I’m not related to that guy! Do you really suspect me?” Mackhart raised his voice.

Veins were bulging on his neck.

“How can you treat me like this!”

“Lower your voice, Professor Mackhart.”

“Am I supposed to lower it? You know, I have fought on the battlefield as a knight in this country. Don’t you see this injury?”

He rolled up his sleeve and pointed to the long scar.

“Do you even know how many demons I’ve killed on the battlefield? While you all were back in the capital laughing and chatting, I was cutting down beasts on the front lines!”

“We understand, but please…”

“That’s what I should be saying!”

Mackhart held a high sense of pride as a knight.

Currently, he had left that life to work as a professor in Apuria, but in his heart remained the pride of a ‘battle-tested knight.’

So, you’re saying I sided with demons?

That was an absurd accusation.

Mackhart found it difficult to endure such an insult.

“I am highly displeased!”

“We haven’t confirmed you as a betrayer yet, Professor Mackhart. Please calm down and speak a little…”

I was the one who fought the beasts in the first place. And now you’re saying I’m a betrayer?

That was indeed the truth.

Mackhart had rejected the proposal from the knights to protect the students in the Spell Training Room and had gone along with them to root out the demons.

“Have you anything to say now?”

The knights exhausted themselves trying to convince the stubborn Mackhart. Before being a professor, he was a knight from a noble family.

This is terribly noisy.

Though thinking this inwardly, both sides knew it wouldn’t do any good to push too hard.

“I’ll take my leave!”

There was no concrete evidence at the moment. In the end, the knights had no choice but to let Mackhart go.

Ridiculous.

As Mackhart left the garrison, he gritted his teeth. He was far from pleased with the current situation.

I led the charge to eliminate beasts.

Yet there was no praise in return for his efforts. Instead, all he heard was about a ‘new professor’ who defeated a betrayer in the Spell Training Room.

Was it Rania van Trias?

That name was one he had heard.

The new professor who lectured in the great hall.

He had even witnessed that lecture.

Certainly, she was an excellent theoretical magician. Yet, having experienced the battlefield, Mackhart knew that theory alone wasn’t everything.

At the front lines, where the demon lord’s army battles.

There is no such thing as flawless theory. The only things one can trust are their instincts and quick thinking.

“Tsk.”

Mackhart clicked his tongue.

There was a world of difference between a wizard who had experienced the battlefield and one who hadn’t. At least, that’s how Mackhart viewed it.

And some little brat shows up claiming she took down a betrayer?

To Mackhart, Rania seemed like just a rookie who hadn’t even experienced a proper battlefield.

Look at those skinny limbs.

She would undoubtedly cry and scream if she encountered even a single troll on the battlefield.

What’s this rookie? Taking down a betrayer in just one hit?

Ridiculous.

Mackhart, who wasn’t present at the training room at that time, didn’t believe those rumors. After all, rumors are always filled with exaggerations.

She probably had the help of surrounding professors.

Thinking that as he walked through the hallway, Mackhart’s gaze abruptly landed on the academic bulletin board.

-Application for class observation.

Forms indicating that associate professors were applying to observe the lectures of full professors were posted.

“Hmm.”

As he skimmed through that, a name suddenly caught his eye.

-Rania van Trias.
-Wants to participate in the class.

Many professors had already scribbled their names in that section. Mackhart sneered and pulled out his pen.

-Battle Magic / Mackhart.

Then, writing his name boldly above the names of the other professors, he thought.

I must show this rookie who’s never faced a battlefield what a true battle mage is.

Mackhart let out a sinister smile.

3.

Early morning.

“·····.”

“·····.”

My master and I stared at the box placed on the table. It was a box engraved with the royal emblem.

“Master.”

“What is it, Raniel?”

I pointed at the box.

“…Doesn’t it seem a bit more flamboyant than last time?”

“Flamboyant towards the royal emblem. Be careful with your words, Raniel.”

Though she said that, my master also glanced at the box we received before. Then she returned her gaze to the one on the desk.

“······.”

She seemed to be thinking the same thing I was.

“Phew…”

My master sighed and murmured.

“It seems the princess is very fond of you.”

“True…”

I don’t know why, but Princess Ayla seems particularly interested in me.

“Then let’s open it.”

“Yes.”

I cautiously opened the box.

Inside lay neatly folded garments. I took them out one by one.

“This looks like a cape.”

A dark blue cloak. It looked undoubtedly luxurious.

“This seems to be a vest…?”

A vest with five golden buttons was similar in material to the cloak.

“And these trousers…”

Lifting the pants, I pulled out the last item resting at the bottom of the box.

A neatly folded white shirt.

As I unfolded the shirt, a small note fluttered down.

“Hmm.”

The note contained a single line.

-Please don’t tear it up this time.

It seemed to be a letter from the princess.

I chuckled lightly and placed the note on the table.

“It’s not a robe.”

“It looks closer to a suit.”

My master nodded slightly as she looked at the garments. She seemed somewhat pleased.

“I was thinking of getting a suit tailored to maintain my dignity as a professor, so this is timely.”

With a thud, my master tapped the table.

“This will be perfect for when I lecture.”

“I prefer robes though…”

“Of course, robes are more comfortable. However, when standing before students, a certain level of tension is necessary.”

I think she expressed similar sentiments before.

“Those little details add up to being a good professor. Take care of it this time.”

“Yes, I will.”

“If you tear this one up….”

My master narrowed her eyes. With a quick tap, blue sparks glimmered at her fingertips.

“I trust you understand without me saying.”

Gulp.

I swallowed hard, nodding.

“…I’ll be careful.”

Author’s Note (Postscript)

Previously, I commissioned a fan artist who drew Rania to create a concept design for me!

The outfit they drew as fan art!

It’s the outfit Ayla sent anew!

If you’re curious about the outfit Ayla sent, please check the announcement!