“You’re quite confident, aren’t you?”
Well, that’s Sowol for you.
I reached out to pat her head but stopped my hand mid-air.
Sowol, who had been waiting with her eyes closed, tilted her head. I guess she thought I would pat her.
“I should hold back on stuff like this from now on.”
“Just because I like you, Master, doesn’t mean I stop being your proud disciple, right?”
“That’s not it.”
“Well then, I guess you know what you need to do next.”
What a sly little one.
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing as she closed her eyes again and brought her head closer.
With a beaming smile, she accepted my pat and lightly clenched her fist.
“Alright! Let’s do this!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
…
We caught all the Ruin sect members in the cave.
We didn’t need any evidence or prisoners.
They were already in the midst of a curse ritual using the kidnapped people as sacrifices.
“Such scum deserve immediate execution.”
“Hehe. It’s truly delightful to share the same thought as you, Master.”
With blood dripping from the Moonlight Sword, she casually swung it and sheathed it, then began to untie the prisoners.
As they expressed their gratitude for not becoming sacrifices, I scanned the surroundings.
“Hmm? What’s this…?”
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Just found something interesting.”
It was a small envelope.
Stamped with the seal of the Asura sect.
[The time of opportunity approaches. We must unite our strength in preparation for the descent of Asura. We need to grow strong before the wicked church and sorcerers prevent Asura’s arrival. Many have already pledged to our cause, so let’s have the Ruin sect join us for the coming spring.]
“The Asura sect is mobilizing.”
“What does ‘spring’ mean?”
“Probably referring to the time when the Asura sect moves in earnest.”
The Religious War Event kicks off when Chapter 2 concludes.
At that point, heretics will start to move in different regions, and the church will request a quest from the Academy.
Whether we accept that quest or not will determine the branching point for the ending and true ending.
“Hmm…”
Normally, various heretics would start to act.
But Sowol and Luna have significantly weakened their influence.
So what will happen now? Will the remaining heretics make a move? But even that won’t bring about the chaos the Asura sect desires.
Then…
“The Asura sect will step up.”
“What kind of power do they hold?”
“Well, I don’t know. But the Asura sect are the kind that draw souls and turn them into their own power. That means…”
“You’re saying they’ll use the power of the heretics we’ve captured to stir up chaos? It means the enemies will be even stronger.”
Sowol tightened her grip on the letter.
I gently patted her back while watching the stiff paper crumple slightly.
“Looks like it’s going to get busy.”
“Yeah, it seems so.”
I have no idea where the Asura sect will strike.
Since it was an event triggered at random locations in the game, I need to borrow power from other factions to keep an eye on things.
“Can you handle it?”
“Of course.”
I’ve been working with countless factions for this moment.
I need to utilize them.
Sowol, the church’s saint among those factions, turned to me with an overconfident smile.
“Who do you think I am?”
“My proud disciple.”
“It would be even better if you said you loved me instead of being proud, you know.”
“A disciple like a flower on a cliff.”
“With your skills, you could easily climb that cliff, right?”
“Oh come on, don’t expect that from an old guy like me.”
“…That’s cowardly.”
“Being an adult is all about being cowardly.”
I patted Sowol’s head.
Though she pouted her lips and mumbled, she accepted my touch like she always had.
“Let’s head back.”
Turning swiftly, she started walking ahead, and I followed her.
After returning to the resort, nothing happened.
Or rather, it was correct to say that nothing happened because I made sure of it.
I left the students in the care of Arisha, Sowol, and Lena while I focused on contacting the various factions I was familiar with.
A few days passed.
“I’m sad~.”
The enjoyable vacation would end tomorrow.
Arisha, lounging in front of me at the resort café, expressed her disappointment while sipping coffee.
“I wish we could stay a few more days~.”
“How about extending your stay a bit longer?”
“Are you taking a break too?”
“No.”
“Oh come on~. It won’t be fun without you, teacher~.”
Arisha, sprawled out like a rolling puppy in front of me, suddenly lifted her head.
Her green eyes were directed at me.
Avoiding her gaze, I checked the documents sent by the dwarves.
It was a report that there were heretics lurking in the mountains where the dwarves lived.
So they indeed exist everywhere and nowhere.
The end is nowhere in sight.
“Ah! Teacher! You’re going back to the Academy, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then, um~. Can I…”
With a bright smile, Arisha reached out towards my hand.
Playfully grabbing my hand, she started tickling between my fingers with her long fingers, and I tried to pull my hand away, only for her to entwine her fingers around mine.
“Wow. Teacher’s hands are big~.”
“They’re ugly hands, you know?”
“But I really like this hand! Uh, I mean, after we get back…”
“S-sensei.”
Lena approached.
I pulled my hand away from Arisha and smiled at Lena.
I wondered what she came to ask about? As always, she was fidgeting, glancing at Arisha, and then bowing her head.
“W-when we get back, I wanted to talk about the cabin…”
“Oh right. We were supposed to go there together. Are we going as soon as we return?”
“Y-Yes!”
She seemed pleased that I remembered. Beaming, Lena took my hand and shook it up and down before disappearing in a hurry.
“…Teacher, where are you going with Lena?”
“Yeah.”
“Where?”
“To the cabin where we lived before.”
“…Hmm. Why don’t you come and hang out with me instead?”
“I made prior plans.”
“That’s no fun.”
“Life can’t always be fun.”
I gently pinched Arisha’s cheek.
Her soft, squishy cheeks felt like sticky rice cakes stretching out.
“Ouch! That hurts!”
“That’s the point, you little punk.”
“Eek.”
Covering her slightly flushed cheeks with her hands, Arisha stood up.
She came over to my side and spoke in a small voice.
“You’re not going to end up in a relationship with Lena, right?”
“Don’t worry.”
“……”
“I won’t have that kind of relationship with anyone.”
“Hee~.”
With a mischievous grin, Arisha whispered in my ear.
“I wonder about that?”
After saying that, Arisha planted a quick kiss on my cheek.
This girl is really something.
“Hahaha! Your expression is so cute, teacher!”
Arisha playfully ruffled my hair and jumped backward excitedly.
With a light hand on her back, she bent over, displaying a crescent-like smile.
The next day, the students all expressed their sadness. It seemed they really enjoyed their time at the Emerald Resort.
“Let’s come back again next year!”
Our head of the beautification committee, Ludwig, said to the gloomy kids.
Receiving his strong resolve, the other students ignited their fighting spirit as well.
“S-sensei.”
“Hmm?”
“Were you… um, did you enjoy yourself?”
“Yeah.”
I hadn’t expected this. Or maybe I had, but it was true that I had a good time.
I lightly patted Lena’s shoulder as she approached me.
“I hope we can come again next year.”
Going to Emerald Beach is only during the summer break.
In other words, it would be after the main story ends.
And by that time…
I wouldn’t be in this world anymore.
“Yeah.”
But there was no need to say that.
I nodded towards Sowol, who was looking up at me with a gentle smile.
“Alright! Until next time, everyone!!”
The students began to move in order.
Arisha, who hugged me tightly once before joining the students heading to the Academy, and Sowol also returned to the church, leaving just Lena and me.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
We used Dimension Magic to travel to Greenhild with Lena.
It didn’t seem like much had changed since it had been a while since I visited Greenhild.
As Lena looked around, she naturally grabbed the hem of my clothing and began grinning.
“This place… doesn’t seem to have changed at all… That’s the shop we went to together…”
“Right. That’s where we bought your equipment, right?”
“Hehe.”
“Shall we head to the cabin first? I wonder if it’s still in good shape after all these years.”
It had been ten years; surely, it would have turned to ruins by now.
With little expectation, we made our way into the forest and arrived at the cabin, and I couldn’t help but be amazed.
The cabin looked as if it had been steadily maintained, showing little difference from before.
“Hehe…”
“Were you the one maintaining it?”
“Y-Yeah.”
Standing in front of the cabin, Lena slowly turned her body.
Then she looked directly at me.
“Everything here is a memory for me. Irreplaceable.”
“I see.”
“I-I like you, Master. I like you so much that I don’t know what to do.”
Trembling with fear, Lena still didn’t stop.
I felt guilty for bringing up old memories for her, but I could only shake my head.
“…I can’t accept anything other than being your teacher.”
“Then it can’t be helped.”
Lena, who had been gazing at me for a while, gripped the Shadow Robe tightly.
What could she possibly be so tense about?
After a long pause, Lena seemed to gather her determination and raised her head.
“B-but, Master…”
“Yeah.”
“…Isn’t this something that only a strong person should decide?”
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