Quit The Hero Party

EP.97 It Looks Like I Got the Wrong Call (2)

“When it comes to learning something, nothing beats hands-on experience.”

This was a saying from the Sword Master, Uncle Kuntel.

I liked this one-liner a lot, but it wasn’t because I had any battlefield experience.

“When it comes to enlightenment, nothing beats hands-on experience.”

Indeed, it was a true statement. People should move their bodies every now and then. Since my days as the future Master of the Ashen Tower, I’ve been a firm believer in this saying.

Drawing circuits only feels complete when I actually use them.

When I develop spells to break and burn things, it needs to be smashed and yelled out in real life to feel satisfying.

“Thanks to that, I had to renovate and expand the spell research lab, but…”

That wasn’t really my concern. Isn’t that what budgets are for, to fix and reinforce things?

“Honestly, how else could I bear it?”

Anyway, hands-on experience and experimentation are the only things that carry significant weight in learning. So, my answer to Lac, who had come to me for advice, was the same.

“Experience the real thing.”

And, as far as I knew, the only place to experience the real thing quickly was the battlefield. Lac was somewhat getting the hang of things.

A faint clue.

Turning that into a coherent thread is not the realm of theory. It belongs to the realm of practice. When they clash bodies with the Demon Lord’s Army and move around a bit, they’ll naturally gain experience.

So, the remaining problem was one.

“How to let them experience the battlefield?”

Specifically, how to choose a battlefield that would be adequate enough for limbs to return intact.

“Hmm…”

I pondered for a moment.

If I were still in the position of the Wise One, a member of the hero party, this wouldn’t have been a big deal.

“I could just toss them into a distant battlefield and come back to pick them up in about three or four days.”

However, that was now impossible. There was no way a mere professor could get involved with a battlefield.

“Umm…”

I thought a little longer.

“Ah, right.”

And then I realized.

The answer was much closer than I expected. I clapped my hands and pulled out a piece of stationery from my pocket.

The First Princess, Lruiel.

Just a while back, I had received a piece of stationery as a reward for successfully completing a mission to escort her.

“She said to ask her for anything.”

Truth be told, I thought I wouldn’t have any use for it, or if I did, it would be much later down the line.

“Never would I have imagined I’d need it this quickly.”

I immediately began writing on the stationery.

All unnecessary sentences were cut out, and only the main point remained. The unfettered princess would probably prefer it like this.

“Cough, cough, hack.”

“…What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. Cough.”

Behind me, Lac coughed dryly, as if he had swallowed something wrong while drinking coffee, while I finished the letter. The stationery briefly glowed a blue hue.

That was the signal that the recipient had read the letter.

– “Please wait a moment.”

True to her character, the reply was brief.

I bit into the remaining crust of the bread and pondered how to kill time. Regardless of how she was, I thought it would take a little while for her to respond.

“Should I make small talk?”

Just as I was about to speak, looking at Lac, blue letters appeared over the stationery. It felt like no more than five minutes had passed.

– “I’m a bit late.”

– “I asked the captain of the guard in training, so the response got delayed a bit. It’s not easy to wake a fainted middle-aged man. Still, he answered promptly when asked politely.”

“Politely?”

While I was pondering the meaning of the word ‘politely’, the letters continued to pour out.

– “There’s training scheduled for the apprentice knights.”

– “Professor, that seems to be a location that fits the conditions you mentioned. The captain of the guard just ran off to write a recommendation. Please wait a moment.”

…Why on earth was the captain of the guard involved?

“Isn’t he unrelated to the battlefield?”

I wrote down my sudden question on the stationery, and the response that returned was truly succinct.

– “He agreed when asked politely.”

“…”

– “For a captain of the guard, there are many things that can be heard here and there. After washing my face with cold water, one of the stories I remembered popped up.”

“Hmm.”

– “Water always knows the answers, professor.”

It seems so.

“Then, that’s just how it is.”

I decided not to ask further for details.

“Lac, do you have any scheduled classes?”

“Um, as of now, there aren’t any classes in the Battle Magic Department. Other classes are still in preparation…”

“Right, it’ll be hard to hold normal classes until next week.”

I had quite a bit of time until next week.

“How about you come by the professor’s office later?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s fill out an application for off-campus experiential learning. I think three or four days will do.”

“Off-campus experiential learning means…”

“I seem to have found a suitable place for practical experience. You mentioned you hunted in the snowy mountains when you were in the North, right? It’s not much different from that.”

After all, it was about hunting the Demon Lord’s Army.

As I muttered that, Lac swallowed hard and closed his mouth. He looked somewhat reluctant.

“Huh?”

I tilted my head as I saw his reaction.

“Why, don’t you want to?”

It was a pure question.

Lac flinched at my question. After a brief silence, he opened his mouth with a determined expression.

“It’s not that… I’m grateful…”

“Good, I’m glad.”

I gulped down the remaining coffee in one go. Then I placed my coffee cup down with a bang.

“Did the consultation help?”

“…I think it was very helpful.”

It seemed to take him a bit of time to respond, but I decided not to worry about those small details.

“Alright, work hard.”

I beamed a smile and gently patted Lac’s shoulder. After all, receiving consultations from students was also something an educator should do. I thought I was quite a decent educator.

“I feel a bit proud.”

Is this the pride that a Master speaks of regarding being an educator? I’m not sure, but it felt as if I was taking a step closer to the ideal educator.

—

2.

Resti Elenoa.

The next Master of the Ashen Tower, she was sitting in her office. The mages of the tower expressed their surprise at this fact.

The future Master of the Tower sits in the office of the Tower Master.

It’s not something to be surprised about; it should be quite normal.

However, for the last few years, Resti had not occupied her seat. Due to the pressure from other mages, she had left the office abandoned.

Yet, Resti was now in that seat.

Several mages murmured among themselves. Resti paid no attention to the whispers. They were voices that held no need or value to hear.

Tap.

She tapped her fingers on the table.

A rectangular magical tool hung on her slender fingertips. The magical tool was neatly placed above sorted documents.

The former Future Master of the Tower.

Documents left behind by Raniel van Trias.

Through Professor Rania, she obtained this magical tool, which contained information that could shake the tower. Resti contemplated how to use this.

“I can’t just use it as it is.”

Resti had no factions. She had no power.

Even if she were to blow this up by herself, she couldn’t expect much effect.

“It could be used to silence the Elders, but…”

That’s about the extent of it.

Although the Elders might stay silent for now, they would surely tear Resti apart behind the scenes.

Resti recognized her own shortcomings.

She knew she had neither power nor supporters.

Knowing the problem isn’t particularly difficult to seek a solution. What’s lacking can be compensated for. What one does not have can often be found in others.

Resti closed her eyes.

“Until now, I had been turning a blind eye and ignoring it, but…”

The soft knock at the door opened her closed eyes. Her light purple eyes fluttered open.

“Come in.”

Resti spoke.

“It’s time to face things.”

She opened her mouth, pronouncing the guest’s name.

“Elder Gileon.”

Through the opened door, an elderly man entered.

A man who hadn’t lost his dignity even after a long time. The elderly man’s back was straight. A cane for the elderly is not for support but for showing his position as an Elder.

The oldest Elder in the Ashen Tower, Gileon, stopped his steps in front of Resti. He looked down at Resti, who was seated.

“What do you need me for? Future Master of the Tower.”

His voice was different from usual.

His gaze, too, was different. It was because he was summoned not as Resti but as the future Master of the Tower.

Cold voice, cold gaze.

Facing what she had always avoided, Resti opened her mouth. Her voice didn’t waver.

“Elder Gileon.”

She spoke.

“Have you never thought there are too many Elders?”

“…What do you mean?”

Resti touched the magical tool.

Documents that Resti organized based on the materials outputted above the magical tool. Gileon’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at them.

“…”

However, that was only temporary.

“…What is this?”

Gileon’s eyes widened.

The coldness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by confusion.

Resti didn’t miss that change.

“In my opinion, there are too many.”

With a thump, Resti tapped the table.

A platinum light flickered in her lilac eyes.

She thought there were many unnecessary things in the Ashen Tower.

In terms of circuits, there were too many unnecessary limitations binding the circuits. If there are limitations, there should be returns, but there was none of that here.

“Unnecessary constraints.”

That made the circuits chaotic.

She wanted to dismantle it all in one go, but that wouldn’t be easy. To carve out the intertwined constraints, she would have to uproot it from its roots.

How to uproot that?

The answer was right in front of her.

Resti’s gaze turned straight ahead.

“Do we really need as many as six?”

The first step she takes as the future Master of the Tower.

She could afford to take a strong first step. Resti pronounced each word clearly, giving weight to her words.

“I think about half of that would be sufficient.”

If you don’t want to be that half, cooperate with me.

I need the power you possess.

“What do you think, Elder Gileon?”

The eyes that extinguished the platinum light looked at the oldest Elder. Even in front of the elderly man who had endured the ravages of time, those eyes showed no sign of retreat.

It was a decisive move.

Resti had no intention of backing down any longer.

—

3.

The instructor in charge of the apprentice knights’ education.

The training instructor, Feig, was facing a dilemma of a lifetime. By nature, he was a simple man. He was a person devoted to the duties assigned to him.

“I must stay true to my role as an instructor.”

Opinions on that dedication varied, but at the very least, Feig believed firmly in upholding discipline among the apprentices, which made him an excellent instructor.

For that, he had bulked up.

He always maintained a stern expression to overpower the spirits of the apprentices.

However, he could not afford to think like that now.

“What on earth is going on?”

Feig’s eyes were shaken.

Even his ferocious expression, like a mask, was wavering.

“Why is he here?”

No wonder he was shaken.

If there were an instructor who wouldn’t waver upon seeing the face of the person mixed among the apprentice knights, who would that be? Even among the line-up of apprentices, that particular individual stood out.

Snow-white hair.

Blood-red eyes, resembling blood.

That symbolic appearance was recognized by Feig. The axe strapped to the waist of the boy added to his certainty.

“Lac von Grace.”

The son of Eryhal von Grace, Duke of the North.

“Why is the young master here?”

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Feig called Lac, who was mixed among the apprentice knights, to the barracks.

“Um, why is Young Master Lac here…?”

“I’m here for experiential learning.”

“…What?”

“I’m here for experiential learning.”

The response was the same.

He even addressed him formally. Feig had no idea how to handle this situation.

“What does that even mean…?”

Just then, while Feig blinked in confusion, Lac quickly pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. He held it out to Feig.

“I would appreciate it if you could sign this.”

A report for experiential learning.

It was a piece of paper with that written on it.

“What the heck is this?”

Feig found himself even more perplexed.

Five years into his role as a training instructor, he was facing his biggest dilemma yet.

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