Quit The Hero Party

EP.98 I Guess I’m in the Wrong Place (3)

An old man who has lived for many years and a girl who has only just turned twenty gaze at each other.

“······.”

The weight of time is reflected in the old man’s eyes. He gazes with a heavy intensity, trying to read the other’s intentions.

In contrast, what about the girl’s eyes?

They are light. There’s nothing in them, making them feel weightless.

Her expression seems to say, What meaning could there possibly be behind those words? Even when trying to read that meaning through her eyes, the luminous halo of platinum hair obstructs it.

“Huh…”

Eventually, it is the old man who looks away first.

Gileon lets out a sigh and lightly taps his cane on the ground. Rattle, the chair slides on its own, moving in front of Gileon.

“Alright.”

Gileon sits down and crosses his arms.

“Let’s hear your story in detail.”

He internally reassesses Resti.

The timid, shrinking girl is no more. The girl sitting before him is the next Master of the Tower.

‘The one who will lead the Ashen Tower, the master of the Ashen.’

Whether the girl is qualified or not remains uncertain.

However, if that child chooses to sit in that seat and bear its weight…

‘It’s right to confirm it.’

Gileon vaguely glimpses the cards she holds. It is definitely an effective hand. If used well, it could uproot the Ashen Tower.

And Gileon is not free from the chaos that would ensue from that hand. That’s why he must confirm it even more.

‘How will it be used?’

Will it simply bring chaos?

Or will it usher in a wind of reform?

“I will listen closely.”

Once he hears, he will understand.

“…It’s the words of the next Master of the Tower.”

Resti Elenoa.

What thoughts does the girl before him harbor?

—

-So, it’s good to hear it’s been helpful.

-If there’s anything you need, feel free to contact me anytime.

I checked the letter from Princess Lruiel. The recommendation had already been handed to Lac, and this was just casual talk.

-Also, Professor.

-Ayla’s letters have been scarce lately. It would be nice if you could hint that she should send letters frequently… or at least periodically.

Seeing the reply, I couldn’t help but smile. Thinking back, Princess Lruiel often asked about Ayla even while in the Royal Castle.

How is that girl doing?

Is there any male student getting close to Ayla?

Whenever she felt bored, she would ask about Ayla’s well-being. I chuckled internally.

‘How caring.’

Still, it seems she greatly treasures Ayla.

‘But she adamantly denies it, huh.’

Why, are you worried about her?

Sending a playful letter like this, it didn’t take long for a lengthy reply to come back.

-······You certainly have a sarcastic tone, Professor.

-Worrying about Ayla is natural. It’s necessary. I could even say it’s an extension of my duties, you should know…

Looking at the letter filled with words, I couldn’t help but laugh. In the end, it summed up to strong denial and an excuse.

“Well, that’s how it is.”

I lightly tapped the letter and turned my head to the side. There was someone sitting beside me. She possessed hair as platinum as the princess I had just received the letter from and eyes of gold.

“Ugh, ugh…”

The Fourth Princess, Ayla.

She was covering her face with both palms. Upon closer inspection, her ears were dyed a bright red.

“She asks that you send letters more often.”

“…I-I’m sorry.”

“What is there to apologize for? You have a wonderful sister.”

Her ears turned slightly redder.

Eventually, unable to hold her patience any longer, Ayla whirled around to look at me.

“P-Professor! My sister really, that…”

It seemed she couldn’t bring herself to say it, so she pointed at the letter lying in front of me. More accurately, the unnecessarily detailed lines written on the stationery.

-I need to hear about that girl’s academic life in detail. Do you think it’s overprotective? Not at all. This is strictly a necessity, a request purely from a bureaucratic standpoint…

Though perhaps Princess Lruiel wrote it with a certain sense of determination, from a third-party perspective… or in the viewpoint of the subject of those lines, it was just embarrassing.

“…Like that.”

Ayla laboriously asked.

“Did she really go that far?”

“Yes.”

“…Is that true?”

I lightly nodded.

“It was probably more, not less than that.”

“How strange, she used to be such a wonderful sister…”

Ayla sighed, clearly unable to understand. It seems her image of Princess Lruiel was quite different in her mind.

“Well, there must be some circumstances.”

I murmured as I folded the letter.

From the start, I never intended to show the letter to Ayla. It just happened that Ayla came to me to ask about what happened in the Royal Capital, and…

‘At that time, it must have been coincidental for Princess Lruiel to send me a letter.’

As I pocketed the letter, it glowed, prompting Ayla to ask, “What’s that, Professor?” Since she asked, I simply showed her the answer.

I showed it because you asked, what’s the problem with that?

Sitting in the guest seat, Ayla sighed heavily while munching on snacks.

“…Still, I’m glad to hear nothing significant happened.”

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

I nodded appropriately.

In truth, I hadn’t recounted everything that happened in the Royal Quarters to Ayla. I mixed in suitable lies.

‘No need to tell everything.’

Princess Lruiel wouldn’t want that either…

She wanted Ayla to come back to the Royal Castle after graduating from Apuria in a ‘normal’ manner.

I did not intend to disregard her efforts to navigate the Royal Castle, working to protect Ayla’s daily life.

‘But still…’

My gaze turned toward Ayla.

Her complexion was bright. It was different from when we met in the Royal Castle.

A bright, carefree face.

The face Princess Lruiel cherished so much.

As I looked at that face, a smile naturally formed on my lips, realizing her efforts weren’t in vain.

‘So maybe, I should do this much.’

I waved the letter at Ayla.

“Above all, it might be a good idea to send letters often to the First Princess.”

“…I guess I should.”

It seemed like she had just sent one a couple of days ago.

Leaving Ayla murmuring that, I took out a file envelope from the shelf.

“What’s that, Professor?”

“It’s a reason statement for experiential learning.”

“Are we going for experiential learning?”

I shook my head.

“I recently sent a student for field learning. The Dean, Aaron, asked for this statement to be written.”

It was a kind of document inquiring why they approved the experiential learning or the reasons for designing such learning.

‘Initially, the idea had them rolling their eyes.’

At least Lac was a student from the Battle Magic Department, which was more about ‘Apprentice Knight Training Center’ style than a battlefield, so permission was granted.

‘Though it was granted with some difficulty, still.’

As I picked up my quill to write the statement, Ayla, who had been glancing at me, spoke up.

“Is the student who went for experiential learning Lac?”

The quill froze in mid-air.

The statement was still blank. Slowly, I turned my head to look at Ayla.

“If it is Prince Lac.”

Her golden eyes sparkled.

Stars embedded within her golden hue twinkled.

“When he returns, the top of the Battle Magic Department might change.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know? Just a feeling.”

She tilted her head with a smile.

In that moment, she seemed less like a mere student and more like a prophet reciting the prophecy of the stars.

—

Apprentice Knight Training Center.

Lac spent a night there and was now facing the morning of his second day. Although he slept in a stiff barracks, his back didn’t hurt.

“Ugh.”

He stretched and stepped out of the barracks.

It was still early dawn, with the sun not yet risen, so the camp was peaceful. The patrolling instructors didn’t pay much attention to Lac, who woke up early.

In fact, most instructors didn’t give any instruction to Lac. They seemed to perceive Lac’s presence in the Apprentice Knight Training Center as some sort of escapade.

‘He won’t take this seriously.’

‘After all, he’ll be leaving in a few days.’

Engaging unnecessarily would yield no benefits.

The instructors neither imposed discipline nor forced training.

They simply allowed Lac to do what he wanted. Of course, Lac did not slack off. He trained along with the apprentices. He ran alongside them when they had to do drills.

“Hmm.”

Though nobody forced it, Lac lived with the apprentice knights. He believed that is how he could gain something.

‘Living as a group isn’t bad.’

Lac exhaled briefly and adjusted his grip on the axe. He went to the training area early in the morning to swing his axe.

‘The instructors said they would take us to the field tomorrow morning.’

Tomorrow morning, he would face the Demon Lord’s Army.

Of course, he would be facing them under strict supervision from the instructors, but still, a battlefield is a battlefield.

‘I’m feeling a bit tense.’

Lac swung the axe in silence.

As the sun began to rise and the instructors started waking the knights, Lac halted his training.

The second day has begun.

Lac, with the axe tied to his waist, headed toward the drill field where the apprentice knights gathered.

—

The training of apprentice knights was systematic.

This is the final place where knights heading straight to the battlefield are taught. The instructors only taught skills directly related to actual combat.

“Do what I say. To stop a charge, fix the spear shaft to the ground. Remember this movement.”

Useful skills for the battlefield.

The instructors repeatedly provided essential techniques. They made several cautions in preparation for the practical training the next day.

They jogged the drill field, checked weapon handling, and emphasized the mindset of knights multiple times.

The apprentice knights diligently broke their day into segments. They wouldn’t waste a single moment. Since the time until they stood on the battlefield was dwindling, they had to learn as much as they could from this place.

So by the time the second day began to wane…

“Is it to your liking, Your Highness?”

“Hmm, it reminds me of when I chewed on orc meat in the snowy mountains as a child. The meat is quite tough…”

“Haha, you’re really joking.”

“It’s not a joke…”

“Still, having meat is a good thing. Probably because you’ll need to fill up before entering the field tomorrow.”

An apprentice knight was chatting with Lac as they shared dinner. As they talked, one of the apprentice knights asked a question.

“By the way, why is Prince Lac putting in so much effort?”

“Effort?”

“Well, you’re incredibly strong, Prince Lac, aren’t you? I’ve heard you’re as strong as most of the instructors.”

The apprentice knight introduced as Dmak continued talking.

“With that much strength, and being a student of the renowned Apuria, did you really need to come all the way to a training camp?”

“Hmm.”

Lac chewed on his meat before answering.

“My professor recommended this place. He told me to experience the field.”

“What a crazy professor.”

“He is indeed a bit unique.”

“No, what kind of professor throws a student into a training camp without warning? If I were Prince Lac, I probably would have cursed him right away.”

Looking at Dmak, who was banging his chest, Lac smiled bitterly.

“That would probably get your neck snapped.”

“What?”

“Because it’s a terrifying professor.”

“Oh, really…?”

Dmak and Lac picked up their plates and stood up. They were on guard duty that night. Although it was originally assigned to Dmak, Lac volunteered to join him.

After finishing their meal, they started heading toward where they would set their posts. Their previous conversation had somehow returned to its beginning.

Lac opened his mouth.

“Actually, there’s a reason I came to this training camp, aside from what the professor said.”

“You wanted to come?”

“Because it was necessary.”

They reached their designated position.

The darkening forest was quiet. In the stillness of the woods, Lac’s voice quietly resonated.

“There’s someone I want to win against. But I just can’t seem to beat them. So I thought being here might bring about some change…”

“Hmm, your personality might change in a rather nasty way.”

“I meant bodily change.”

“Well, I don’t know too well.”

Dmak smiled.

It was quite an open and refreshing smile.

“I hope you get what you want…?!”

That sentence never reached completion.

Lac suddenly grabbed Dmak by the scruff of his neck as he was walking in front of him. Dmak fell backward with a thud.

“Ugh! Why did you do that all of a sudden…”

Dmak stopped mid-sentence and shut his mouth.

An arrow was lodged right where he had been standing. The arrow had flown silently from the dark.

“Dmak.”

Lac reached for his waist.

“Call the instructors.”

Lac smoothly drew the axe hanging from his waist. He extended the axe blade out.

“An ambush.”

The direction the axe pointed to was deep within the forest. In the darkness, a pair of red eyes glinted.

---