Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Thus, the Slaves
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Gloria produced a letter of recommendation from the head of the Adventurer's Guild in Dungeon City Argon.
In fact, upon hearing about Yuha, the guild master had immediately anticipated that Gloria would head straight for the Academy, so he had prepared the recommendation letter for her in advance.
It was less for Gloria's sake and more as a safety measure, since he couldn't predict what kind of trouble she might cause for her master if there were no other options.
The guild master had slipped his recommendation letter in among the items Gloria had left with him, and she discovered it along with a single letter while sorting through her belongings during a camp stop on her way to the Academy.
"This is a recommendation letter with my signature on it. I have a good rapport with the dean of academic affairs there, so it'll carry some weight on its own—use it wisely. And no causing trouble." A question arose in her mind—how could she possibly cause trouble with her master there?—but since it was a gesture of goodwill, Gloria decided to make use of it.
"Hm... A recommendation from that friend of mine, the guild master."
The guild master, once a close comrade who had conquered dungeons alongside her, was someone whose judgment she could trust.
Especially his eye for people and his grasp of the bigger picture, which had earned him the heavy responsibility of guild master in Dungeon City.
Moreover, according to the letter, the woman before him had solo-cleared up to the 50th floor of the dungeon.
The dean of academic affairs had never heard of anyone else recently soloing the 50th floor besides someone called the Sword Saint, so he couldn't help but ask the woman in front of him.
"Could you be that Sword Saint, by any chance?"
"No."
Gloria answered immediately.
Having just heard the dean utter words that seemed tinged with disdain toward her and Mimi, Gloria lied without a shred of conscience.
The fame attached to the name Sword Saint meant nothing to her anyway.
To enter the Academy where her master was, she had to eliminate any potential obstacles, no matter how small.
"Well, I suppose not. Word is she always wears a helmet that covers her face, and her hair color... it's different too."
Besides, the dean thought, someone who had fought battles of that caliber wouldn't look this pristine. He eyed Gloria skeptically.
Her face wasn't covered, and instead of the ashen hair he'd heard the Sword Saint had, she sported bright platinum locks.
Of course, dye jobs and such were possible, but would someone renowned as the Sword Saint go to such lengths with a disguise?
Still, it was suspicious.
As far as he knew, no one in the current era had a solo 50th-floor clear record except the Sword Saint, yet here was this strikingly noticeable woman who had achieved it, and he hadn't heard a thing.
But the recommendation letter was undeniably genuine.
The magically sealed stamp was unmistakably the guild master's.
Noticing the dean's scrutinizing gaze, Gloria decided she had no choice but to offer some flimsy excuse.
"I don't like drawing attention, so with the guild master's consideration, I've always avoided people while tackling the dungeon."
It is a face that naturally draws eyes, he thought.
Still suspicious, but with the guild master's recommendation in hand, the dean couldn't justify turning her away outright. He scratched his head lightly and said to Gloria,
"I see. This might take a while to discuss. Standing here talking isn't ideal—shall we go inside?"
"Yes, understood."
"...By the way, is that friend next to you part of your group?"
He said this while glancing at Mimi, who was clutching Gloria's sleeve with a tense expression, watching their conversation intently.
"Sh-she's a companion!"
Mimi, who had no recommendation letter like Gloria and was flat broke, feared she might be rejected, so she jumped in preemptively.
She was prepared to force her way through if needed.
"That's right."
Gloria agreed with Mimi's claim.
"Let's head inside for now."
With primary identity verification complete, the dean judged that a conversation posed no issue and escorted Gloria and Mimi into the Academy.
Though now retired, he had once been an adventurer himself.
The dean could vaguely sense that Mimi was no less capable than Gloria.
What kind of people did he send here?
"Now, let's continue from where we left off."
"Would you consider letting me teach that class? My purpose in coming to the Academy was to become a professor and instruct the cadets from the start."
It was a lie.
If it didn't concern her master, Gloria couldn't care less whether the cadets dug dirt with their swords, hunted monsters, or slit their own throats—she knew she couldn't say that, though.
"Hm. With skills like yours..."
Practical combat classes fell into two main categories.
Fights between people.
Fights against monsters.
The latter was one thing, but the former could escalate unpredictably, leading to accidents, so unless you were a veteran like Professor Carlton, hardly anyone took them on.
Professor Carlton wasn't just skilled; his exceptional ability to read the flow of battle allowed him to intervene cleanly before casualties occurred—he was highly competent.
But even cadets weren't always easy for professors to control.
Especially among the famous prodigies who entered with renown, there were usually one or two who could overwhelm even instructors.
Moreover, cadets from second year onward were often out on external activities, pulling away key Academy personnel and combat assets, so first-year practical combat classes had always been handled solely by Professor Carlton.
Of course, the chairman had suddenly pulled him away.
Were there really no other options besides Carlton? Not exactly.
But with a solo 50th-floor clearer volunteering to teach, it felt wasteful to ignore her outright.
"Your strength is one thing, but since it's a class, teaching ability matters too. Do you have any relevant experience?"
"...A few years ago, I did sincerely teach someone."
Of course, it wasn't swordsmanship.
Gloria had never formally learned swordsmanship herself, so neither knew structured techniques anyway.
However, Gloria had often sparred with her master outside the dungeon on his orders, so this time she answered truthfully.
Trusting in her regeneration and his own abilities back then, Yuha had fought her wildly without fear of injury and grown considerably.
"Hmm..."
The dean tapped the table rhythmically with his index finger, mentally weighing the pros and cons.
If such talent had appeared during hiring season, he would have welcomed her with open arms.
But accepting her out of the blue now, after the semester had started, without verification, felt too reckless—even with the trustworthy guild master's recommendation.
Still, maybe testing her out a bit wouldn't hurt, but he decided to ask a few more questions first.
"Mind if I ask a few questions?"
"What kind?"
"I'm curious why you're so set on becoming a professor here. With your skills, wouldn't the dungeon suit you better?"
"...An acquaintance enrolled in the Academy."
Not yet knowing her master's intentions, Gloria couldn't openly declare herself a slave. Her expression remained impassive, hiding her reluctance as she answered.
Unable to proudly proclaim her master as such—it pained Gloria deeply.
Mimi's eyes widened briefly in surprise at Gloria's words, but she figured there must be a reason and stayed quiet.
"If that's the reason..."
It made some sense.
A skilled adventurer coming to the Academy as a professor to look after a friend in worry.
The dean, who had seen such cases a few times before, nodded.
"May I ask your acquaintance's name?"
"...His name is Yuha."
She couldn't drop the formal speech entirely and elevated it slightly, but Gloria's stiff tone made it unremarkable.
"Ah! That guy."
"! You know him?"
Gloria, who had maintained a consistent expression, widened her eyes in reaction, and only then did the dean fully understand why she had come here.
Quite close acquaintances, it seems.
"I just heard he put on quite a show during the entrance exam."
A show it was.
When he'd received the report about some lunatic jamming his shoulder into an opponent's sword to seal it and win, he'd wondered what kind of maniac that was.
But he couldn't say that in front of a friend, so the dean glossed over it.
"We'll talk about that when you meet him later. Here's what I'm thinking—how about this?"
"..."
"I get why you're here, and I acknowledge your skills, but we don't have any trust built between us yet—that's a fact. Still, I'd hate to let someone of your caliber slip away."
The dean took a sip of the simple hospitality tea and continued.
"As I mentioned earlier, one of Professor Carlton's classes is suddenly up in the air. We have candidates, but no one quite like him to handle it properly."
He extended his index and middle fingers on his right hand.
"I'll give you two weeks. Run the class during that time, and if it doesn't work out, no professorship. ...I need time to select replacements anyway, so conditional employment as a professor for two weeks feels right. What do you think?"
"Sounds good."
She didn't actually want to be a professor; securing a position at the Academy to stay near her master was the goal, so it wasn't a bad offer.
The dean normally wouldn't make such a proposal, but deciding to trust his old friend's judgment—just this once, since the guild master rarely issued recommendations—he went ahead with it.
Of course, he had no intention of letting her handle a full class alone.
He planned to assign an assistant professor for those two weeks at least.
"Then we're more or less settled."
As he said this, about to inquire about the compensation and other details,
"M-me too! I can do it too!"
The dean clamped his mouth shut at Mimi, who for some reason was trembling in her pupils and shooting her hand up high.