Quit The Hero Party

EP.68 Aftermath (4)

The streets of the Royal Capital are noisy.

Everyone is busy chattering about the unprecedented incident that recently occurred.

And something indeed happened that warrants such commotion.

A black barrier covered Harmain Forest.

Apuria students under the influence of magic.

Once again, a beast terror struck Apuria.

Each of these is a newsworthy event.

All of this happened consecutively.

And it took place at Apuria Academy located in the Royal Capital.

Since this incident involved the children of several noble families gathering at Apuria, the repercussions are immense.

The royal family likely wanted to settle the matter as quietly as possible… but things are not going according to plan. There are simply too many witnesses to conceal the truth.

More precisely, there are many who witnessed the barrier.

The black barrier that unfolded that day symbolizes a certain mage.

‘A barrier resembling a black wave.’

At first, it surged in like a wave, unrecognizable… but with a calm thought, the answer comes quickly.

The barrier, whose dismantling method was only recently revealed.

The barrier of Skebal the Ancient Lich.

In other words, this implies that Skebal is behind this incident. A calamity known as a disaster has appeared in the Royal Capital. Newspapers are pouring in, and rumors spread like wildfire.

Around this time, one question arises.

‘Who on earth…’

It is strange when you think about it.

Despite the appearance of such a monumental entity in the Royal Capital, there were no casualties.

Then, it follows.

‘Who exactly faced Skebal?’

Who resolved this incident?

To this question, the faculty of Apuria speaks in unison.

They say a hero appeared.

That the hero stood against the barrier.

This is how the public reports it. It was said that the hero, along with the Knights Order and the special unit known as Hound, defeated Skebal.

However, the reality is different.

Only a select few of the Hound know what really happened.

That the Ashen Mage was present there.

*

Immediately after the incident, the Hound, cloaked in mana-blocking robes, thoroughly searched Harmain Forest.

Normally, it would be a task that could be completed in a day, but… the saturated mana of Harmain cannot be properly blocked even with mana-blocking robes.

As a result, the work is slow.

While searching the forest slowly, the hunting dogs finally discover something deep within the woods.

“Senpai, this is…”

“…Yeah. I see.”

The place they speculate to be the battlefield against Skebal.

A small group of Hound is gathered there. Their representative approaches the site.

“…”

Hound Kalt gazes at the scene and thinks.

‘What a mess you’ve made…’

Kalt sighs inwardly.

Before him lies a sight reminiscent of ruins.

Trees are uprooted in every direction.

The ground is cracked and filled with traces of something being slammed down and dragged around.

And those traces are not mere sword marks.

They are the remnants of spells colliding.

Signs left by offensive spells.

And then.

‘Ashen powder.’

Kalt smiles wryly.

The scene of the incident contains more information than one could expect. Those who received training to extract such information are precisely the Hound.

“Senpai, this is…”

Those who found the answers at the scene gather.

Finding the answer was not a difficult problem. There is only one person who leaves such unique traces.

“Right.”

Kalt speaks calmly.

“It’s the mark of the Ashen Mage, Raniel.”

There is no hesitation in revealing the truth of the incident.

It is something previously discussed.

-After all, it will be hard to hide that I was involved.

-If it were someone typical… with Skebal, hiding and fighting would be difficult.

Kalt strides into the middle of the crime scene.

The other Hound follow behind him.

-So, what? I left some correspondence.

-I left it under the most intact-looking tree, so just take that and report back.

He reaches out for a piece of letter placed beneath the tree.

The seal on it belongs to the Ashen Mage, Raniel. Kalt breaks the seal and checks the contents.

“Hmm.”

Kalt slightly nods and looks back at the Hound. Their gazes are fixed on the letter Kalt holds.

Receiving their gaze, Kalt opens his mouth.

“Raniel’s involvement is confirmed. I will take care of delivering this letter to the royal family.”

“…Senpai Kalt?”

Several Hound ask questions.

“What did the letter say?”

A strange anticipation is evident in their eyes. Kalt hesitates for a moment and answers as written on the letter.

“…It says that he had to leave urgently for an important matter and wants the aftermath to be handled by someone else.”

“An important matter?”

“That’s what it states. I don’t know the details myself.”

Of course, it’s a lie.

Kalt remembers seeing Raniel, saying he had to grade exams, moving with purpose.

‘…I can’t say it as it is.’

Kalt sighs as he looks at the Hound, who begins speculating various stories.

“Just get started on the work. We need to finish by today.”

2.

The Fourth Princess, Ayla.

Her eyes widen as she looks back.

The source of her gaze is her guard knight, Habel, standing in front of the door.

“Habel? What did you just say?”

“…It seems that Raniel was involved in this incident, unlike what is known to the public.”

With that, Habel places documents on the table.

Ayla quickly flips through the papers Habel handed her, checking the contents rapidly.

“So, the subjugation of Skebal wasn’t solely done by the hero…”

Ayla raises her head.

“Rather, it was mostly Raniel?”

“Yes, the Hound concluded that way. Signs of the Holy Sword being wielded were hard to find.”

The traces left by the Holy Sword are distinct.

Light braids remain after striking. Those light traces do not dissipate easily and repel magic.

‘The fact that such traces are absent means…’

It indicates that the Holy Sword wasn’t used at all.

Ayla frowns.

“…Why hasn’t the public announced this fact? Most believe it was done by the hero.”

She gives Habel a dissatisfied glance.

‘This completely steals the achievement, doesn’t it?’

She doesn’t dislike the hero.

However, from Ayla’s perspective, who admires Raniel more, this is a very displeasing matter.

“…That’s because Raniel insisted on not disclosing his involvement.”

“Pardon?”

At that answer, Ayla tilts her head in confusion.

Habel seems to misunderstand the meaning and adds.

“The royal family has reportedly paid the subjugation rewards and compensation to Lord Rosel.”

“No, wait a minute. What do you mean, not to disclose? What does that even mean?”

“Ah, apparently, Raniel left a letter at the scene. That’s what the letter contained.”

He suggests she will find out when she checks the report.

Turning her gaze away from Habel, Ayla looks back at the documents again.

After flipping through a few pages, she comes across a page transcribing the letter found at the scene. She quickly scans it and finds a plain letter with concise sentences.

Summarizing, the contents are as follows.

Do not reveal my involvement.

Decline all job offers that come to me.

I have no intention of returning to the Knights or any equivalent group for the time being.

It communicates only what needs to be relayed plainly.

As she continues reading, she eventually reaches the last sentence, which differs from the previously written content.

This letter is intended for the ones who will see it first.

The Hound.

-I am leaving for an important matter.

-I will leave the aftermath to you.

Ayla narrows her eyes.

‘…An important matter?’

What could that matter be?

Ayla summarizes the current situation.

The Ashen Mage, who had remained unidentifiable for several months after retirement, suddenly appears. And there is a fitting reason for that appearance.

‘The raid of the Ancient Lich, Skebal.’

The raid was prevented in advance, but if the response had been delayed even slightly… the damage would have been uncontrollable.

It’s truly an incident worthy of the Ashen Mage’s appearance.

What is regrettable is the follow-up story.

‘After such an incident…’

The Ashen Mage disappeared without revealing his identity, leaving behind only a letter stating he has an important matter.

“Hmm…”

Ayla rests her chin in thought, blinking.

‘What on earth is he doing?’

It is an unknown matter.

He has always been a somewhat mysterious figure; there must be some reason for it. Ayla murmurs, recalling the Ashen Mage in her memory.

“…What a pity.”

The girl loved by the star, Stella.

Is this talent not all-purpose after all? Ayla feels disappointed about missing the long-awaited meeting.

“I truly wanted to meet him.”

There was something she wanted to convey.

Ayla opens the drawer. Inside are dozens of sealed letters.

Letters she wrote since childhood, saying she would convey them to the Ashen Mage, Raniel. Each time she contemplated whether to send them, she ended up leaving them unmailed.

Ayla takes out the most recent one among them. Though she finally made up her mind to send it, it is now a letter that cannot be sent.

Because the Ashen Mage has retired.

There is no way to deliver the letter to him. Though there is a way to do so through his master…

‘Lord Rosel also said he couldn’t ascertain Raniel’s identity.’

Even that is uncertain.

Gently stroking the surface of the letter, Ayla feels a late regret.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have sent at least one letter before he retired.’

Ayla lets out a deep sigh.

“There’s something I really need to tell you.”

3.

Three days since the incident occurred.

The restoration work on the buildings and the removal of the magic residue remaining within the Apuria Academy are nearing their end.

Dean Aaron is pleased with this fact.

Ordinarily, removing magic is quite tedious and time-consuming. It is critical not to leave even a small residue behind.

For that reason, he had planned to institute another long-term holiday, but…

Fortunately, the Saint, who came along with the hero, cleared away Dean Aaron’s worries completely.

Clap.

With a single clap from the Saint, the magic dissipates just by fluttering the sleeves of her priestly robe. The tiny darkness disappears without a trace in the brilliant light.

“It was like a miracle.”

Aaron sincerely praises and nods his head.

“Thanks to that, a short break should be more than enough. A truly fortunate occurrence. The worst has been prevented.”

“…”

“Moreover, the students who were under the influence of magic have all recovered thanks to the Saint. Truly a gracious event.”

Aaron smiles as he takes a sip from his teacup.

“Isn’t that right, Rosel?”

“…Well, I suppose so.”

“Why the expression? You look as if you’ve bitten into a bug.”

Aaron casts a glance at his friend sitting across from him.

‘…Was there something annoying that happened?’

His sharp gaze seems even sharper today.

“It’s nothing. Just a bit tired.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“That exists, you know.”

Rosel places his coffee cup down with a thud.

“So, why did you call me?”

“It’s nothing serious, but how is Rania doing? I heard she was under the influence of magic…”

Aaron trails off.

He only heard about this a day after the incident.

Rania had vanished from sight, and he later learned that she had succumbed to magic and was recuperating at home. Hadn’t she been near the barrier?

‘Well, it would be difficult for that fragile body to endure the magic emanating from the barrier.’

Especially since she was the one who physically took down the Betrayer.

She has more magical knowledge than appears, but still… she is a delicate girl who has never seen a battlefield.

‘…Although calling her delicate might be a bit deceptive.’

Still, thinking about that girl suffering from magic does not sit well with Aaron.

‘Furthermore, I heard she even went to work today?’

With that sick body.

While he appreciates her enthusiasm, he can’t help but wish she would take care of herself first.

‘Now that I think about it, is the Saint still on site?’

In that case, wouldn’t it be better to ask her for help?

“That’s right.”

Aaron claps his hands in realization.

“Rosel.”

“What is it, Aaron?”

“Wouldn’t it be possible for you to ask the Saint to help your disciple?”

“Absolutely not.”

“…Huh?”

Rosel’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why such a strong reaction? Wouldn’t it be a good thing for Rania?”

Whether it was a favorable occurrence or not, Rosel heard that the Saint was staying at the Academy and planned to confine his disciple to his mansion.

No, he was about to lock her up.

‘That fellow wouldn’t obediently stay confined…’

Despite Rosel’s objections, his student ended up coming to Apuria.

“Ugh…”

Imagining how Raniel would be cooped up in the professor’s office today, Rosel rubbed his forehead. He had to exhaustively ensure that Raniel and the Saint would not encounter one another today.

The Saint is wandering around Apuria.

If he left Raniel unchecked, they would surely meet.

‘Especially the café. I must absolutely keep them away from there.’

How many times has he nearly grabbed Raniel by the neck to keep him seated when he said he was going for coffee? Keeping his nerves sharp throughout the day left Rosel feeling mentally drained.

There’s a reason for Rosel’s frantic efforts.

The Saint and Raniel.

He cannot even imagine what would happen if they met. One thing is certain: it would not end well.

-Ah, that crazy girl?

-What would happen if they met?

-Hmm…

What did his disciple say in response to that question?

-Not sure. I don’t think she’d do anything.

-At least, wouldn’t she rip that outfit to shreds? I feel like she might at least pull out some of that hair.

-What? No violence against people?

His disciple replied with a grin.

-But, Master…

-That girl isn’t human, you know?

The cheerful voice of the disciple lingered in his ears.

The bright smile and the image of his disciple bending her fingers flashes before his eyes.

‘If those two meet…’

Rosel’s intuition kicks in.

‘One of them will die.’

And, with high probability, it will be the Saint who meets her end. Rosel didn’t have the confidence to take responsibility for that.

‘Please, please just stay in the professor’s office…’

*

Knock, knock.

“Please come in.”

I peeked my head through the door.

Standing in the doorway is one of the students.

“Resti?”

“Hello, Professor Rania.”

She bows her head slightly.

“What brings you here?”

“I thought I needed to return this. Also, I have a few questions to ask…”

I glanced at the clock for a moment. I was just about to go get a cup of coffee.

“Please wait a moment.”

I draped the cape that was across the chair over my shoulders and stood up.

“Do you like coffee?”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go have coffee while we talk.”

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