EP.226 The nightmare is back (5)
“Don’t worry about me, just enjoy yourself. “Until I went up to the podium, I came here as a guest.”
It was only after Princess Leruelle’s words that the students began to touch the food, paying attention to her. With such tension in the air, the farewell party began.
Although the scale is grand, in fact, a farewell party is not much different from any other event.
All I could do was enjoy the food on the table, drink the drinks prepared for the students to enjoy, and ask personal questions that I couldn’t ask at the academy. However, that may be why it has meaning.
“Professor Rutia, then…”
“You look very young, but what is your actual age?”
“I wonder if there is a wizard you are familiar with.”
The students gathered around asked questions with sparkling eyes.
Although some questions are sensitive or difficult to answer, Kelhalm has decades of experience as an educator. He knows how to deflect questions appropriately.
“It’s been quite a while since I learned magic. There was a teacher who recommended the path of magic to me. He was the head of a big city library…”
There are students who listen to the story.
“That’s why.”
There are students who flock to professors other than Kelhalm.
“Professor Rania.”
Rania van Trias.
The number of students flocking to her side was quite large. When the farewell party had just started, she kept her distance from the two princesses sitting next to her to keep an eye on them…
“Is there any alcohol? hmm. Too bad. “I wanted to enjoy a drink at least in a place like this.”
“I heard you are going straight to official duties, sister. Please be patient. “You don’t even enjoy drinking that much.”
“Isla, you seem to be mistaken, but the reason I don’t enjoy drinking is because I have no one to drink with. Just by looking at his face, he is full of scum that makes you lose the taste of alcohol.”
「······.」
“professor? Don’t twitch the corner of your mouth, but try saying something. “She is the original woman to you.”
Rather, it feels like the distance has been reduced thanks to the two princesses.
Rania, caught between Ayla and Lruel, looked restless. Students feel humanity in that sight.
‘That Professor Rania!’
Professor Grania, who always showed a perfect appearance, is now showing himself defenseless. Seeing her different appearance than usual gave her students the courage to approach her.
Just like that, students began to gather around her one by one… and Rania didn’t seem to dislike that situation too much.
“I want to ask you something.”
“huh? Ask as many questions as you like. What?”
Even the way he speaks has changed.
Some students who met her outside of the academy know her natural speaking style, but not all of them are like that.
‘Something new.’
Students find the informal language she speaks refreshing. In a relaxed atmosphere, a student asked Rania a question.
“Professor Rania, what do you think of your brother?”
“Cough!”
Rania, who was sipping lemonade, coughed as if she had been shocked. He then looked at the student who asked the question with trembling eyes, and his reaction was as if he did not know why such a question was suddenly asked.
“Gab, why is that happening all of a sudden?”
“No, Professor Rania’s older brother is the famous gray wizard, right?”
This is a well-known fact.
Of course, they are not blood-related siblings, but since they belong to the same Trias family, the students were confident that there would be a connection in some way.
“You made a lot of comments that seemed like you respected your brother a lot. “Starting with the ‘great’ gray mage, about the battle mage…”
Rania’s pupils shake violently.
Ayla, who was sitting next to her, had her head down and was struggling to hold back laughter… and Belnoa, who was sitting a few seats away, was showing a similar reaction.
“huh? Belnoa. “Why are you doing this?”
“Big, big…”
“Was there anything worth laughing about? “I don’t know…”
While Rachman tilted his head, unable to understand the situation, the students continued to ask questions.
“I think you respect me a lot. By any chance, did you learn magic from the Gray Wizard?”
Naturally, most students don’t know Rania’s identity. Therefore, that question is truly a question born out of pure curiosity.
The Gray Wizard, Raniel Van Trias.
He is a legendary figure who not only achieved great achievements as a scholar, but also accomplished great feats alongside warriors on the battlefield.
However, not much is known about the gray wizard’s private parts, so the students ask Rania, a person who knows about it.
“What did Raniel look like in private? From what you say, it seems like you had a very good relationship with him, but when you look at it objectively, what kind of person is your brother?”
How was your brother in private?
It seems like we have a good relationship, but please explain the story.
Rania understood the intention of the question. I understand, but answering it is a different matter. She felt sick to her stomach.
‘No, even if you ask me how it was…’
I do not know.
How many people can see themselves from an objective perspective? Rania pressed the corners of her eyes.
‘Why don’t you just lay down the iron plate and tell me?’
Normally I would have done that.
However, even if I put an iron plate on my face right now… it was clear that ‘some’ students sitting right next to me would cause penetrating damage.
“······.”
Rania glanced at Belnoa and Ayla.
The two hurriedly avoided Rania’s gaze, but the corners of their mouths were still trembling. No matter how I looked, it looked like he was holding back laughter.
‘What the f*ck…’
This is a difficult question to answer. Very much.
Kelhalm would have skillfully ignored the question, but Rania, who was just starting to attract attention from students, could not possibly say such strange things.
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I ended up thinking that I had to answer somehow.
“Um, um…”
It was around this time that Rania was licking her lips.
As if he noticed that she was having a hard time answering, Lruel, who was sitting next to her, opened his mouth.
“Even if you ask this person, there is no way you can get an objective answer. “Can’t you see those eyes?”
“Yes, yes?”
“It has eyes that are thinking about how to embellish and say it. “It seems difficult to expect an honest answer.”
The students are taken aback by the sight of Lruel suddenly opening his mouth.
Ignoring their reactions, Lruelle continued speaking.
“It would be clearer to ask Ayla. “Because he had an ashen wizard as his teacher when he was young.”
The gaze that had been focused on Rania suddenly turned to Ayla. Ayla lifted her slightly flushed face, trying to hold back her laughter, and nodded her head slightly.
“As long as it’s okay with Professor Rania…”
“···it’s okay.”
Permission was granted.
Ayla quenched her thirst with the drink in her glass and slowly opened her mouth.
“He is a very great man.”
Ayla began, emphasizing certain words.
“In public, he is so cool-headed and shows no humanity at all, but in private, surprisingly, he is not like that.”
“otherwise···?”
“well? “It’s going to be a lot different than what you imagine, right?”
The students’ eyes shine.
Ayla glanced next to me, enjoying the gathering gaze. Rania, who was sitting next to her, had her head slightly tilted downward.
“He was lighter than expected and honest without embellishment. His eyes revealed a lot of what he wanted to say. Even when he was teaching me, I asked, ‘Why can’t I do this?’ “I kept looking at you with those same eyes…”
Chuckling, Ayla burst out laughing.
“In some ways, you are similar to Professor Rania.”
The students listened to Ayla’s every word. It’s a story about the ‘Ashen Wizard’ that you haven’t heard anywhere else. While the students’ eyes were sparkling, Rania was just looking at the floor, unable to raise her head.
‘Your ears are red.’
Ayla smiled faintly.
Rania’s earlobes, exposed through her flowing hair, were dyed bright red.
‘I guess this is the end of teasing.’
“Still, he was a very great person even in private settings. “When it comes to his mindset as a wizard and what magic is… he was more serious than anyone else when it came to the study of magic.”
With a sigh, Ayla stabbed Rania in the side.
“Isn’t that right? Professor Rania.”
“······.”
Rania, who was silent for a moment, raised her head.
She decided to lay the iron plate and spoke in an unwavering voice while maintaining a blank expression.
“you’re right. “He was a very wonderful person.”
Hehehe, Belnoa stopped by Sareh.
Even as Chloe, who did not understand the situation, patted Belnoir on the back asking if she was okay… Rania maintained a blank expression.
Of course, the ears were still bright red.
2.
The end of the farewell party.
“Oh, I thought you were looking around out of embarrassment…”
Coming out of the hall, I wiped my face in the fresh air. My face still felt hot and burning.
“More than my karma, it’s my karma…”
It is difficult to blame anyone.
Since the words I had spoken were returned to me exactly as they were, there was no way I could say anything to refute them. Ayla’s playful laughter still seemed to linger in my ears.
…Still, I didn’t feel too bad.
Breathing in the cold wind, I recalled a memory from a while ago.
When the atmosphere of the farewell party was moderately heightened, Princess L’Ruel, who went up to the podium, recited a congratulatory speech.
“I send my sincere praise to you who protected Aplia.”
The only thing officially known is my balls.
The students do not know that Professor Rutia’s true identity is the madman Kelhalm. Therefore, although the congratulatory address was directed only to me… the words that Princess Lruel conveyed were ambiguous.
“Not everyone can fathom the hardships you went through in places that are not revealed. However, I will remember your hard work as much as I do. “I will not forget the spirit of sacrifice you showed.”
Even if it is not known, I remember.
I will never forget you.
“I will never forget.”
A sentence of only a few lines.
However, the sincere words alone were compensation. Princess Leruel came down from the podium with applause from the students, and for a while I had to monopolize the students’ attention.
‘I didn’t do this hoping for compensation.’
I did it because I had to.
I did it because I wanted to do it.
However, as I listened to the students’ gratitude… there was something that made my heart swell. When I think about it, the proudest moment on the battlefield was not victory, but the moment when I felt a sense of accomplishment from ‘protecting’.
“Thank you, Sir Raniel.”
“I was able to protect it because of you. Today, humanity has not backed down. “We were able to protect this place that should never be taken away.”
The knights bowed their heads towards me.
As they ran over tattered armor, mud, and the corpses of their compatriots, not even the dirt and blood could cover their laughter.
The laughter of the knights who protected it.
Gratitude from students.
In a different but similar situation, I ended up smiling without realizing it. As I was enjoying the cold air, someone walked behind me.
“Did you have a good chat?”
I asked without turning around.
Because I was able to figure out who was standing behind me just by the presence of mana.
“Kelhalm.”
There was no one listening, and as Kelhalm approached me, he opened a barrier, so I uttered his name. Kel Halm stopped next to me and nodded his head.
“okay. “He was a great person.”
“yes?”
“Did you say she was the first princess? He was very different from the rumors. “It was an apology for calling me out of the blue.”
Kelhalm laughed bitterly.
“I was sorry for the misunderstanding and that everyone was able to be safe thanks to your sacrifice. We talked about various things.”
“Because he is that kind of person.”
“Yes, I guess there are people like that.”
Kelhalm and I had spent quite a long time on the battlefield, so the presence of a person like the First Princess felt a little special.
“so.”
I let out a short breath.
“Can I go back now?”
“I guess so. “Because I got enough rest.”
Kelhalm had already completed his return.
Instead of wearing the clothes of a professor, he was wearing an old robe that he had worn on the battlefield.
“How was your month?”
“I felt like I was back in my hometown after a long time. “Because my main job was as an educator.”
“It has a pretty good reputation.”
“I’m glad you did.”
Kelhalm shrugged his shoulders.
“There are a lot of talented kids. “They were children who were worth teaching.”
“The talent is outstanding. So, how did the lecture I asked for go?”
I glanced at Kelhalm. Before leaving, I asked him for one thing.
“…Are you referring to the special lecture given to Lesti Eleanor?”
“Yeah, that one.”
Kelhalm has experience teaching the spiritist who was said to be the strongest of all time. When it comes to the Summoner class, he is more knowledgeable than anyone I know.
So, I asked.
Ask Resty to give a lecture about the summoner class. There are many things that only Kelhalm can tell you.
“You look like Celestia.”
“···Your best disciple?”
“Yeah, he really looks like that kid. Even the speed of learning was similar. No, I actually learned it faster than that kid.”
Kelhalm’s eyes looked into the distance.
The eyes seemed to reminisce about the past.
“I only taught for a month, but I taught everything I could. “What remains is for that child to figure out.”
Apparently, the special lecture was a success. I smiled contentedly and stretched out my hand toward Kelhalm.
“thanks. In many ways, in many ways.”
I offered to shake his hand, and Kelhalm accepted it. After shaking hands lightly, we looked at each other. It was Kelhalm who spoke first.
“I’m looking forward to it and waiting.”
Early on, he said, he would buy time.
I promised to meet those expectations. For the last time, we reminded ourselves of that promise once again.
“okay.”
I smiled.
“You can look forward to it.”
In three years, a lot will change.
A lot of things, really.
3.
The farewell party came to an end.
After returning from vacation, the tasks that needed to be done urgently were sorted out. Now there was only one thing left to do.
“Are you ready?”
A forest a little far from Aplia.
From there, I looked at Kalt standing in front of me.
“yes. “I’m ready.”
This is not your usual light outfit.
Kalt, wearing the same attire he had seen on the battlefield, nodded with a determined expression.
“Let’s take a look.”
I took the Holy Grail out of my pocket.
The platinum-colored liquid flutters and draws a circle.
The Holy Grail, the Holy Grail.
The first person to be tested was Kalt.
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