Quit The Hero Party

EP.54 Can I Solve This? (1)

At a brunch café in the Royal Capital.

Rosel poured syrup over his pancakes and opened his mouth.

“So, you rejected Elder Gileon’s proposal?”

“Yes, Master.”

The disciple’s voice in response to the question was as usual, as if nothing special had happened.

Hmm… I figured that would happen…

Never did Rosel think he’d be so blunt about it. He bitterly smiled and pushed the plate of pancakes toward Raniel.

“Go ahead and eat.”

The disciple gasped in excitement at the syrupy pancakes, blooming with joy as he stuffed one into his mouth.

“How’s the taste?”

“Yes! Would you like some, Master?”

“No thanks. I don’t enjoy sweets these days; they leave a weird taste in my mouth all day.”

At that, the disciple chuckled.

“You’ve gotten old, Master.”

“…I’m not exactly young anymore.”

Rosel himself felt the weight of age.

Recently, every time he heard news from acquaintances, he was painfully reminded of this fact.

‘I heard someone became a grandparent…’

Each time such letters arrived, he felt a strange mix of emotions.

Rosel devoted his whole life to the advancement of magic studies. He lived a life far from anything normal.

“Being single at almost sixty…”

Of course, he had no regrets about that life.

It was a life he chose for himself, not forced upon him by anyone.

But still…

Recently, he heard more and more about others’ children getting married and becoming grandparents. Sometimes, those stories involved people who were his peers.

“…Hmph.”

There was no escaping the strange feeling whenever he heard such news.

Children, children…

Rosel rested his chin on his hand, gazing across the table.

There was his disciple, happily stuffing pancakes into his mouth. Though not his biological child, he raised him like one.

What a strange feeling.

As he watched his disciple, he heard.

-Aren’t you being a bit too protective?

-What do you mean?

-Your disciple, Rania. Why are you protecting her so much? It won’t wear her out being put out there.

Suddenly, Aaron’s voice echoed in his ear.

Rosel chuckled softly.

Protective, my foot…

If he truly was being protective, he wouldn’t have allowed that snake-like old man to approach her at all.

Elder Gileon.

Thinking of that senile mage, Rosel spoke. He mentioned his disciple’s name.

“Rania.”

“Yes?”

“May I ask why you rejected the Elder’s proposal?”

Rosel continued.

“When you first came to the Royal Capital, you mentioned you’d build your achievements and return to the Ashen Tower.”

Indeed, Raniel had said that.

He would gather achievements with his new status and return to the tower. Rosel respected that thought.

“Morally right or wrong aside, wouldn’t this be a good offer if you intended to return as you said?”

After all, it was Elder Gileon’s recommendation.

Gileon led the largest faction in the tower. It was impossible to put a value on a recommendation from him.

…Though, I can’t say the choice is right.

If Raniel’s goal was still to return to the Ashen Tower, then…

…This would have been a good opportunity.

But the child had flatly said no, leaving Rosel with questions.

“Hmm…”

Raniel paused briefly before speaking.

“I just didn’t feel like it?”

…What?

Raniel picked up the fork.

He spun it between his fingers while continuing.

“Elder Gileon was better than the rest of them, but I’ve always disliked the Elders. Besides, he didn’t come to seek me out for my achievements, right?”

“…That is true. He listed all about the position of Ashen Mage and so on to you.”

“That didn’t sit well with me.”

Thud.

Raniel stabbed the fork into the pancake.

Syrup oozed out, drip drop.

“Seriously, a mage should just do magic well, right? Since when did we have to care about legitimacy and all that? It was ridiculous to listen to. For crying out loud, talking about legitimacy.”

“…Is that so?”

“And also, well. The current next Master of the Tower seems decent as well.”

“…..”

He must be talking about Resti.

“You saw it too, right? That look in her eyes.”

“I did.”

“I begged to trade with the Star countless times for that, and she didn’t give it to me.”

Raniel lightly poked the corners of his eyes.

“Having that means she’s probably more talented than I am, right?”

“She’s certainly a gifted child.”

“Are you not going to teach her? It seems like lessons from you at the tower would help her bloom faster.”

“That would be difficult.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

Rosel smiled bitterly.

“Rania, if your body were normal, would you have returned to the Ashen Tower?”

“Well… wouldn’t that be a bit problematic? I feel like my presence would only cause confusion. I’d probably want to visit occasionally, though…”

“The reason I don’t often drop by the Ashen Tower is the same. My presence would only be a hindrance to that child.”

The inauguration ceremony of the next Master of the Tower.

That day, in front of everyone, Rosel handed the insignia of the next Master to Resti, representing the Elders.

The Elder’s representative.

The reason Rosel, and not Elder Gileon with his powerful faction, stood in that spot was simple.

“Because this disciple of mine is too talented.”

During the ceremony, Rosel saw.

Those gazes directed at him.

The subtle expectations contained in those glances.

And.

He witnessed the malicious stares toward Resti as she received the credentials. The temperature difference between the looks directed at her and himself was palpable.

That day, Rosel sensed.

That it wasn’t right for him to remain in the tower longer.

He became suddenly aware of the potential consequences of staying in the tower.

“What does that mean?”

“Just something that’s there.”

Rosel said no more.

Raniel didn’t press further either, merely tilting her head in confusion.

Clatter clatter.

For a while, the sound of rattling dishes continued.

With his disciple busily eating bread, Rosel stared out the window. It was a warm spring day, with sunshine pouring in.

Now that he thought about it, May was just around the corner.

The hectic start of this semester was behind them, and now they were gradually entering the mid-semester point.

There were many things to do in May.

Midterm exams, practical classes for beast hunting, group projects… Professors and students alike would surely be busy.

So much has happened in the last month or two.

It had been an overly chaotic month. But thinking that those events were settling into place… was not a bad thought.

In any case, the incidents were concluded without major setbacks.

There was no room to reflect on past events. They would need to manage what’s ahead, after all.

I’ve notified about the midterm exam scope, and it wouldn’t hurt to summarize the content once in the next class.

As he organized the May curriculum in his mind, each item seemed important. Looking at the densely packed academic schedule in a short period, if there were any further setbacks, it would slowly become dangerous.

Aaron would have every reason to scream.

Thinking of his friend, whose hair was increasingly thinning, Rosel muttered unconsciously.

“…Surely nothing will happen again.”

Hiccup.

“…?”

Rosel turned his gaze from the window.

That gaze landed on the face of his disciple, who was nibbling at the pancakes.

“Hiccup.”

A sudden hiccup.

She looked like she had swallowed something wrong.

Swish.

The disciple pressed her chest down tightly and turned her head, as if trying to avoid being seen by anyone.

“…”

Narrowing his eyes, sweat beads glistened on her forehead.

“…What’s wrong?”

“Y-yes?”

“Do you have something to say?”

“N-no, not at all.”

She still couldn’t meet his eyes.

Her demeanor was highly suspicious.

2.

The not-so-short short break had ended.

A sudden holiday in the middle of the semester.

Thanks to enjoying that holiday to the fullest, even as May’s chaotic first days arrived, the students’ expressions were bright.

-That dessert shop in the sky…

-There, they give one extra tart exclusive to Apuria students, right? I went there too.

-…The milk tea at that café is delicious.

The cheerful chatter of students contrasted starkly with the struggling teachers. Bursting with energy, the students entered the lecture hall.

Their faces bore no signs of worry or concern.

Thus, the first class began.

“Let’s begin the lesson.”

The first class was Circuit Analysis by Professor Kurte. Though Circuit Analysis was a difficult and complicated subject, Professor Kurte’s classes were popular among the students.

He immediately mentioned the outline for today’s lesson.

And after addressing the specified material, he wrapped up the class before the bell rang. There were no assignments either.

Many students liked Kurte for that cleanliness and straightforwardness. Without assignments and wrapping up early, there was no reason to dislike it.

“Today’s material ends here.”

However.

“And from now on, the circuit diagram I’ll hand out is an assignment to be completed by the next class. Please take note.”

Something felt strange today.

“I checked the timetables of the students entering the room. Aside from those majoring in Battle Magic, they seemed to have free time afterward. And as I understand it, Professor Mackhart is also having a break today.”

Thus, Professor Kurte continued.

“Let’s extend today’s class by one hour.”

And thus began.

“The lesson will continue.”

A hellish extended session.

One hour passed.

The students’ eyes gradually became less focused.

Two hours passed.

Shadows began to loom over the students’ faces.

Three hours passed.

Though the promised time arrived, the class hadn’t finished yet.

Thirty minutes more slipped by.

The students’ eyes lost their focus.

And then.

Exactly three hours and thirty minutes later, the class finally ended. The students stared at the blackboard filled with circuits with dazed eyes.

Then, they looked at the assignment given to them, the circuit diagram.

A dizzying array of circuits filled the page.

They glanced at the clock.

Thinking of lunchtime or the upcoming lectures, they were pressed for time. Some hurried off. Some skipped meals entirely. There was no time for a leisurely stop at the café.

Classes continued.

As the lessons went on, the students felt a sense of discomfort.

Did this professor always act like this?

All the professors seemed odd.

Something was off compared to usual.

And there was one commonality among them.

They were all professors returning from their breaks.

What on earth happened during their time off…?

The students knew not what the professors experienced during the break.

But one thing was for sure.

The nature of the class had changed quite a bit compared to before. The students felt this difference keenly.

The difficulty level of the class felt like it had skipped several levels.

Students were overwhelmed by tasks similar to those from Professor Rosel, who had a reputation for being harsh.

As the day waned, the lifeless students mumbled in their fading voices.

-Professors have gone mad.

-I don’t know what’s going on.

-Why are they doing this?

-Something feels wrong.

The professors collectively seemed to have lost their minds.

Such rumors spread rapidly.

The change came as a result of one professor’s ‘observation.’

-Ugh…

-Ugh…

The faculty, transformed into zombies, crawled through the hall.

Behind them, the students followed suit, slowly turning into zombies as well.

And then.

“From here to here.”

A professor delivered a decisive blow.

“Ah, is this a bit too little? Let’s adjust it to here.”

The Ashen-Haired Man’s hair swayed.

His cold blue eyes gazed dispassionately at the students.

“Just complete it all.”

His voice was bland.

A very bland voice rendered the students’ fate.

“…”

In silence, the students gazed at the table.

The volume of the assigned learning materials was not ordinary. If they put all the scattered papers together, they could stack a tower of paper.

Shadows loomed over the students’ faces.

They could vividly envision the darkness moving beneath their eyes.

“I have a question.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

To stop that horrifying future.

One brave student raised their hand.

“Um, Professor Rania?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“The amount of the assignment… seems a bit excessive…”

Rania van Trias.

The renowned professor tilted her head slightly.

“Ah… I see…”

She responded with an expression that was remarkably sorrowful.

“Still, I hope that you all can learn something more from my class.”

“Um, um…”

“I’ve heard that the more assignments there are, the more it benefits you. It’d be great for you to solve them all. These are all problems that will strengthen you.”

And then she stated.

“If it’s too hard, you don’t have to solve them all.”

Hearing this, some of the students let out sighs of relief. However, that was brief.

“Oh.”

Just before Professor Rania left, she added one last sentence.

“Midterms will be based on the study materials provided now. I recommend you review it carefully.”

Despair washed over the students.

3.

Inside the office of the Mana Trading Studies professor.

The Master left to conduct a class, and I was staring intently at the paper placed on my desk.

-Mana Trading Studies, Midterm Exam.

-Professor in charge: Rania van Trias.

It was the midterm exam paper.

Though I had delayed it for quite some time as I was unsure what to make of it…

I should get started soon.

“Hmm…”

I rubbed my chin, recalling the content dealt with in class.

“Circuit constraints, basic concepts of balance… right?”

Since I mentioned that it will be based on the handout, I thought of modifying just a few of the circuits sketched there.

If it’s too hard, it won’t work, so I should keep the difficulty in check.

Truthfully, this was my biggest concern.

I only knew the precise level of one student: Resti. However, if I created questions aimed at her level…

I’d end up hearing it from the Master again.

I checked the notes attached to my desk.

1. Don’t think of the level of the tower’s mages.

2. Assign questions that are reasonably solvable.

3. One or two differential questions are sufficient.

Three points to keep in mind and…

Tip. Refer to other professors’ questions.

One piece of advice.

“So, I borrowed them.”

I turned my gaze slightly. Professors had gathered a pile of exam papers they had shared with me.

They probably marked them for me to refer to, right?

They were kind enough professors.

-This question! What do you think? I took advice from Professor Rania…

-I took a break just to create this question. This is one that can hold its ground even at the Magic Association level. Thanks to Professor Rania, your advice was inspiring.

-This is the work of my life. If you reference it, it would be a great help to me as well.

They were enthusiastic professors.

“Hmm.”

I quickly scanned through the questions they offered.

Then I tilted my head.

Is… this correct?

The questions soared far beyond the level I initially anticipated. While I had some doubts about it, they were professors who had spent much longer at Apuria.

They probably know the students’ level better than I do.

So using that level would likely be appropriate.

I admired a little.

“Truly Apuria.”

The students were sharp.

A word from the author (Author’s Note)

I’m taking midterms.

I dislike the professors!

*I’m sorry for not updating yesterday; this week, there will only be 4 updates…! I’ll reflect on it!