Claris Academy Faculty Building,
Diana Ashkar’s office.
With her crimson hair, smooth skin, and a fit physique, it was hard to guess her age; she exuded a youthful vibe.
Her voice was surprisingly young as well.
“Are you the freshman Lev Denec?”
She addressed me in an unusual manner, but I didn’t mind much.
The legendary title of “war hero” was just a fictional trope made up by authors.
Therefore, what I was really interested in were her stats.
—————————————————
[Diana Ashkar]
▶[Status Average]
: 6.8
▶[Specialization]
Bow Mastery (8), Dagger Mastery (6), Alchemy (5)
▶[Unique Traits]
Hero (Lv. None) (Detailed Info Unavailable)
Legendary Archer (Lv. 5) (Detailed Info Unavailable)
—————————————————
Indeed, these were the stats of an academy professor.
Her summoning me like this was a typical setup.
She must have taken an interest in my wind archery skills.
“First of all, congratulations on your victory in the duel.”
“Thank you.”
“Actually, I was watching too; a fight between marksmen is quite rare.”
This was a lie.
Diana Ashkar was the type to focus solely on her direct students and showed little interest in others.
She probably heard about it from Bella or Sylvester…
“To stand firm during a duel with an upperclassman is impressive. I couldn’t have done that at your age.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
Seeing her butter me up so much made me wonder if she was trying to ask something.
Maybe the author was getting on my nerves and I was growing suspicious of humans.
“Professor, I apologize, but I have personal training soon.”
“Oh, I see. Then, let’s get to the point. Can you demonstrate the archery you used in the duel?”
I never expected her to ask so directly.
Looking at her with a “What do you mean?” expression, she smiled and said, “Would you like to come this way?”
Following Diana, I found myself in Saro.
Having Saro prepared in her private office was impressive.
The treatment of heroes was certainly something else.
She casually handed me the crossbow ready on the weapon rack.
—————————————————
[Arbalest]
[Rarity: C]
[The body of the bow is made of steel. It has great power but is difficult to reload.]
[Equippable]
—————————————————
Even though the grade was low, having a unique name indicated it was quite a valuable weapon.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
“……”
When you get a script like this in a game, it usually means an opportunity to significantly gain experience points.
Even though it felt a bit awkward, I couldn’t hide my wind archery forever.
I took a breath, lifting the much heavier Arbalest.
In the continued silence, I unleashed [Wind Arrow – Rapid Fire].
Shh!
Thunk!
The steel bolt sliced through the awkward atmosphere between Diana and me, burying itself in the center of the target.
[Crossbow skill has increased!]
[Increased due to Luck Trait!]
It was a clean shot, free of fluff.
At a distance of about 20 meters, even my skill level could easily hit the mark.
“Impressive… Truly remarkable.”
“…”
“How did you learn to use wind archery?”
“Well, it’s a long story.”
Diana stared blankly at the target for a while before mumbling.
“Blue…”
I wasn’t a mind reader, but given her character in stories, she wasn’t one to hide her feelings.
She was not just surprised.
Her expression indicated she was perceiving something serious.
In that moment, several deductions pierced through my mind.
First, she had deliberately called me to her personal office instead of the shooting practice room.
Also, even though she didn’t use a crossbow, it was prepared for me, keeping in mind that the Arbalest is difficult to use without the wind archery skill, indicating she had it ready for me.
And I hadn’t performed an extraordinary technique; I had merely shot a simple rapid-fire shot.
But the look on her face suggested that she didn’t think it was just because I knew how to use wind archery.
It seemed like she suspected there was something wrong with my wind archery itself.
The moment I recognized this, a status window appeared.
Chime.
—————————————————
[Anonymous Feedback: Why are there no bad Elves?]
[Bored by the original world with only one type of Elf, the system classifies Elves that have fallen to Demonkind as Dark Elves and identifies allies and enemies by the color of wind archery.]
—————————————————
What a close call…
Originally, the wind archery of the [Reincarnated Hero] was supposed to be a light green.
But mine was blue.
In a world where that setting was added, it was no wonder it could be seen as suspicious.
At that moment, Diana cautiously asked me, “Lev, how about becoming my personal teaching assistant?”
Teaching assistant.
In Claris Academy, a teaching assistant is essentially a disciple nurtured by the professor.
Given that Diana was a recent war hero and directly tied to the royal family, aspiring marksmen would want to become her assistant to secure a brighter future.
Since I was subject to the game’s system, I could certainly grow faster than trying to go solo.
But the reason Diana wanted me as an assistant was not to nurture me as a disciple but rather to monitor me.
She likely suspected that I was connected to the Dark Elf.
“Don’t focus on the trees, but the forest…”
Who’s in the dominant position here?
With my thoughts organized, I said firmly, “I decline.”
*
Legendary Archer – Diana Ashkar.
She was a renowned sharpshooter who had been traversing the battlefields of the Demon War for years.
A marksman from the human race was rare; she had been rated a talent that came around once every 30 years and became part of the royal family.
Yet, even with all that, witnessing such a case was surprising.
A human, not even a half-elf, was using wind archery.
And it was an unusual blue color too.
The issue was that this could potentially be the legendary wind archery passed down from the Dark Elves.
According to legends, when it turned red, it meant complete corruption.
Of course, this was unproven and no one had seen it, but if, if that legend were true…?
[B Grade – Lev Denec]
[Accumulated Demerit Points: 49 points]
“What a proper delinquent…”
If this guy, belonging to Claris Academy aimed at the survival of the Empire, ended up going corrupt later, it would surely escalate into a serious matter.
The war hero, Diana Ashkar, would also suffer great dishonor.
There was no choice.
Reluctant as I was, I had to take him on as an assistant, observe his abilities until graduation, and decide on his fate.
However, contrary to the grounds for his demerit points, he turned out to be a surprisingly cautious person.
I thought he’d naturally accept given the perks, but his response was…
“I decline.”
“Wh-why? If you become my disciple, you could get many benefits from the Academy…!”
“Ah, yes.”
His expression was indifferent.
As if he could see through Diana’s plans.
The tide had changed.
Now Lev was the one making a counter-proposal.
“I heard you like betting. How about we decide it that way?”
“A bet…?”
He really was a troublemaker, right on target.
A freshman betting against a professor? Such audacity!
Of course, it was a well-known fact that Diana had a gambling streak.
“I propose a wager on whether or not I can pass Trial 2.”
“Trial 2…?”
The Evolution Chamber, Trial 2.
Unlike Trial 1, which had a few successful passers, among freshmen there had yet to be a single success.
In other words, it was “impossible.”
Trial 2 wasn’t divided into two sectors for no reason.
Even with wind archery, judging by the physical or mana levels I sensed from him, it would be a tough ask.
“The timeframe is until the rank battles. If I fail to pass in that time, I will become your disciple.”
Oh my! Most people would sing praises for being Diana’s disciple, but this was a punishment!
But Diana had little choice but to accept it.
If a specific guild noticed the peculiarity of his wind archery in the upcoming rank battles and managed to recruit him, she’d lose every chance to reins him in.
Moreover, with the keen instincts of Instructor Sylvester and Professor McClone, she needed to bow down for the time being.
“If you fail, let’s add one more condition. The contract will remain active even after graduation.”
Diana, ever unwilling to be a passive player, responded sharply amid it all.
And Lev smiled back.
“Sounds good. But if I win, can I have the Gray Ashen Bolt?”
“Th-that’s…!”
Gray Ashen Bolt.
It was the crossbow that Diana obtained after defeating the Great Demon – Leragie.
She didn’t use crossbows, and it felt suspicious since it was a demon’s item, so she had left it untouched.
It was essentially unusable without a display.
He wanted that burden…?
For a moment Diana hesitated but then realized she didn’t need to think about it.
After all, the likelihood that he could complete Trial 2 was slim.
Sinatis, one of Kroon’s accomplices, would definitely not be easy to handle.
In short, this bet should have been seen as his bluff.
“Agreed. But let’s set the deadline to before the dungeon exploration practice.”
Diana replied with a firm and dignified voice that was the sharpest I had ever heard from her.
*
Yegudi Green House, Aria Bluebell’s room.
Shuffle, shuffle, rattle, rattle, shake, shake…
“Did I really look that way?”
I did my best to chase him…
But it seems I came off as just this…
He must be annoyed by the person who followed him around for no reason, yet he treats me comfortably, not seeming bothered.
I felt a bit embarrassed.
Aria acted solely for her beliefs.
He could be a dangerous person.
But the day before yesterday, she found herself enjoying it without knowing.
Being led around by a subject of surveillance, possibly a demon or a demon creature…
“Did you say you didn’t eat? Come with me.”
“Um, okay?”
“I saw you at Evenbaugh. You couldn’t take your eyes off the chicken skewers.”
“Me?”
Lev Denec was smooth.
More than that, he knew Aria’s tastes way too well.
In fact, it was also true that Aria, who went out little, was weak against such things.
The world had so much delicious food, sights, and fun things.
I didn’t know there was a festival right next to the academy…
“Just sit for a moment. I’m not running away.”
“Here, catch!”
Though his words were nonchalant, there was a thoughtfulness behind them.
Right now, in Aria’s dorm room, there was a box of high-end chocolates he had bought for her.
‘Why is it so delicious…’
It was even more to her taste than the dessert Melissa had given her.
Hug!
Aria tightly hugged her pillow.
Since she had not received agape love for a long time, she felt a little anxious.
One-sided kindness could be frightening.
There might be something hidden.
Perhaps she was being deceived by the devil’s whisper of Lev!
“What if he’s… evil?”
What should I do?
At that moment, she felt a small thread of emotion that she had not recognized until now.
“……”
Since she had lost consciousness at Evenbaugh, she didn’t know what had happened, but…
She was sure that something unknown lay within him.
She must not let her guard down.
Thus she promised herself to stay true to her purpose.
