The first time I faced Caeran was relatively recent, but that guy was acting far more dimensional than I had expected.
No matter how much love the author poured into him,
“He’s crossed the line.”
He acts as if he’s the protagonist of a reincarnated hero, trying to monopolize opportunities and take charge.
Moreover, perhaps influenced by the inflation in the [Reincarnated Hero] original game, the pace of chapter progression and the flow of events are speeding up.
This must be all because…
——————————————————
[Mission Object]
1 – Graduate from Claris Academy without being held back or expelled.
2 – Stop the Caeran ending.
——————————————————
The Caeran ending is one of the mission objects, after all.
So, this time, I plan to be cautious.
There might be settings behind the scenes that I don’t know about.
I need to take some time and use a sure-fire method to suppress his growth.
If it were up to me, I’d want to dunk him into demonification, but because of the conditions of the copy, I also need to use demonification, so I could get caught.
Or if he can’t handle the demonification and ends up disintegrating on the spot,
As his duel opponent, I certainly won’t be able to… attend the academy normally.
In the worst-case scenario, if he learns to handle demonification, the empire, which doesn’t tolerate demons, will urgently arrest him,
But from that point on, it would be completely out of my hands, which makes me feel uneasy.
Anyway, considering this, the best I can do right now is,
Unlike in fanfics, make sure Caeran can’t get involved with the alchemy circle at all.
I don’t know how much he has caught on, but for now, the fact that he approached Hazel is just to blackmail her by grabbing on to the connection between the black market and the alchemy circle, just like in the fanfic.
The incident involving parasitic demon creatures is a major story in chapter 3, so if the author has a conscience, Caeran shouldn’t know about this at this point.
So, I need to secure funds for the alchemy circle without relying on the black market,
And before the parasitic creatures find a host, I need to take care of them and obtain the ‘Parasitic’ skill.
But, there’s a shortage of money.
“This feels like it’s not enough…?”
“What?”
The reward I received from the demon incident,
The scholarship I got for clearing the chamber,
And everything else I’ve saved up until now, I confidently told Hazel I would double it.
However, alchemy is a far more costly endeavor than expected.
What she demands is about three times the amount of the gems I have.
With what I have now, I guess I can cover things for a while…
But once the money runs out, the alchemy circle members might stab me in the back at any time.
In the end, to solve this funding shortage…
I found myself in Professor Diana’s office.
“I was surprised to hear. There’s been another appearance of demon creatures… right?”
“Yes, that’s what happened.”
“Is there something on your mind?”
Diana, handing me tea, wore a flustered expression.
“Am I making you uncomfortable…?”
“No, not at all… The reason I came to see you today is, as your teaching assistant, I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
She sighed subtly, as if she couldn’t grasp what I was up to.
“Yes. First, I want to do some external activities; can you grant me permission?”
“Isn’t Rev a freshman? It seems too early for such activities… but, I understand.”
External activities at Claris Academy are pretty simple.
Being a student means you can’t join guilds or work as mercenaries, but with the title of external activity, that’s partially permitted.
In other words, it’s a chance to get out there and grow.
The reason I’m asking for this favor is something different.
“Secondly… Professor Diana, you’re a war hero, aren’t you?”
“Well, yes…”
“I know there will soon be a grade battle inspection, and I hear heroes will be here at the academy…”
“That! That’s still not revealed to the general students…”
“They’re people I deeply respect; would you allow me to meet them?”
*
War heroes.
They were the ones who stopped the last offensive of the demon creatures over a decade ago and secured the empire’s territory during that long war.
The heroes who shone at the end of this war included Diana, the famous marksman, and another ten individuals.
Of course, at the time, Diana was a promising archer at a young age.
She filled in as a reserve member when the renowned marksman, Adrian, passed away.
When she joined, the war was nearing its conclusion, and with the final mission of subduing Leragie, the war ended.
So, officially there are 11 surviving war heroes, but only 10 are recognized in the world, excluding Diana,
And they each possess distinct skills.
Because of that, the seniors were not merely lightweights to Diana.
Their numerous experiences are invaluable, as those busy celebrities wouldn’t just take a professorship like her…
Yet, wanting to meet such war heroes…
“Well, merely meeting them shouldn’t be difficult.”
After all, most of the heroes still saw Diana as a cute little girl.
Still, I become curious about why that is.
“Can I ask why?”
“Huh? Like I said, talking with legends is an honor.”
“Hmm… that’s true.”
Diana pondered.
Three heroes would be coming.
The Paladin Dustin, the Magician Scarlet, and the Shaman Umberto…
In any case, Diana was already planning to ask them if they felt anything strange from Rev.
As I kept the conversation going,
Rev stood up from his seat.
“You haven’t called me lately, and I feel like quitting being your student…”
“Wait a moment!”
Normally, only senior student representatives can meet war heroes…
But I had decided to accept him as a senior teaching assistant anyway.
“Okay. It should be possible for just a moment.”
*
In the Royal Class Circle Room in the academy’s main building.
With the transparent glass garden, Melissa spoke in a low voice.
“Aria, she refused.”
To that, the red-headed Caeran coldly replied.
“I don’t like jealous girls much.”
“Jealous? What do you mean by that?”
“By the way, you wore the hairpin I gave you, didn’t you?”
“Uh…? That’s fine! Jealous? You think I’m jealous of Aria right now…?”
Caeran leaned back in his chair as if he had expected that.
After getting into it with Rev Denec in the chamber,
I had done some background investigation.
Aspiring to be a magician, then switching to marksman,
He defeated demon creatures in the selection test,
Won a duel against the upperclassman Gaelon Sharptie,
And showed the same when investigating dungeons…
Due to demerit points, he resides in Sellafi Black House,
And the person closest to him is…
Grade A, Aria Bluebell…
It seems she has hidden skills, but isn’t overly ambitious, so she doesn’t make a big impression on professors.
I thought I could learn something about Rev Denec, but…
“So this relationship isn’t worth it, huh?”
“Caeran, apologize. Aria and I are not like that…”
“Forget it, just go.”
“What?”
When Melissa asked with a look of disbelief, Caeran shot her a cold glance.
“I want to be alone.”
“I can’t believe I misjudged someone.”
Leaving only those words, Melissa disappeared.
*
Leaving Caeran alone, he bit his lips.
“What a hassle…”
He had already moved on, but thinking of Rev Denec makes it hard to keep his mind straight.
Certainly, it seems I need to get rid of that guy without him noticing.
After all… the outcome wouldn’t change.
The information I gathered about him was really all there was.
The reason he’s so confident is probably because of that nonsensical archery, and…
After hearing from Gaelon Sharptie about their duel, it seemed he could only use that grabbing technique after brief training with Selena.
In contrast, Caeran has been receiving personal training from skilled people in the empire.
Rev, that kind of guy is starting from a different starting line.
“Such a letdown.”
With only five days until the duel, what are the chances he awakens in that time…?
“Heh.”
I laughed.
Why did I even fall for such low-grade provocations back then?
Caeran brushed aside those thoughts with a wry smile.
*
The academy was a complete uproar all evening.
As news spread fast about the war heroes, who are practically celebrities to the students, visiting the academy.
They’ll officially hold an event and speech in the auditorium tomorrow,
But the reason they don’t publicly promote the war heroes’ visit is due to the empire’s influence.
After all, the emperor should always be the most special and grand, right…?
Anyway, currently in the academy’s special hall, the selected students were meeting the heroes.
I was in line, hoping to talk with them as well.
“I, I admire you! You’re my idol!”
“Thank you. Never neglect your training.”
“Ms. Scarlet! When’s the next purification of the sanctuary?”
“I don’t know.”
What kind of fan service is this…?
Everyone was trying hard to get recognized by the war heroes, unaware of the backstories.
Perhaps they want to join the expeditions during the break or at least build some connections.
The status of a war hero is beyond that; they seem not to care too much about these frivolous gestures.
“You’re surprisingly young…”
Although the war ended 10 years ago, they both had faces that looked like they’d be in their mid-30s.
They fought against Great Demons around the age I originally was… something like that.
“Always approach with humility.”
A charming blonde young man in simple leather under armor, Dustin.
“Okay, next.”
A beautiful sorceress, Scarlet, with dark brown hair, dressed in revealing clothing, responded with annoyance.
The shaman Umberto was absent.
Finally, it was my turn.
“Ah, murmur.”
All the upperclassmen in line recognized me, and suddenly my presence caught their attention.
“Um, student, what’s your name?”
“Rev Denec.”
“Rev Denec… you look very handsome.”
As the war heroes whispered my name, I immediately blurted out my request.
“Take me on the next expedition.”
At that, the other students gasped with ‘Who’s that?’ ‘What did he just say?’ remarks, which sounded so loud.
Dustin burst out laughing at my frankness.
“Haha, what a straightforward kid! But I’m sorry, what can we do? The members have already been selected.”
“Brat, I saw your name tag; you’re just a freshman. Shouldn’t you go prepare for the grade battle?”
“Scarlet, be a little courteous…! Your age…”
“Don’t talk about age!”
It was just as written in the novel. Their banter was classic, and Scarlet’s annoying attitude, too.
Of course, she becomes a bit nicer towards Edwin, who’s much younger than them… but still…
I spoke quietly so that only they could hear.
“You’ll regret it.”
“Hey, kids like you are a dime a dozen around here. Go train some more or…”
“I know its location. The Armored Abyss Dragon.”
Just those four words froze their actions.
Scarlet’s expression sharpened.
*“Hey, kid. Are you saying that…?”
“You can take responsibility…?”
!!
In an instant, her magic aura filled the entire space.
So war heroes are indeed war heroes?
The density of the mana she controlled felt incredibly solid.
At least around the 7-circle level.
Anyway… she despises the Armored Abyss Dragon.
After all, it was the being that took the life of her friend, the former war hero legendary marksman Adrian.
If they learn my information is true, they would likely rush off to kill it immediately.
“Calm down, Scarlet.”
Dustin interjected, and the tension in the air began to settle.
Even the robust Dustin’s expression turned serious.
“Junior, you need to read the room when joking. We’ve been hunting that thing down for years. It’s not something to joke about.”
“I didn’t intend to joke either.”
Scarlet looked at me incredulously.
“…Haa… kid, what are you going to do if it’s a joke?”
“If it is, how about a wager?”
“What?”
Here, I’m going to sell information on the ‘Armored Abyss Dragon’ and make a decent profit.
“I’m confident about it.”
And then… to face off against Caeran, I need to level up significantly.
Regular training methods won’t suffice for the time I have left.
So, the method I chose is…
“I’m going to get a power boost~.”
I’ll be getting a boost from them, just like in a game.
And that from the ‘war heroes’.
