45
Chapter 45
"Instructor, what did you mean by that earlier?"
"By 'that earlier,' what exactly are you talking about?"
I had a rough idea, but I played dumb and asked back.
"About you quitting. Did you actually intend to leave?"
"Well, Trainee Rumi, your grades were so stagnant that I started wondering if I was just a terrible teacher."
In an instant, every student in the classroom burst out laughing.
"What? No, I still raised my score by five points on the final evaluation!"
"Is there really a difference between a 60 and a 65? Just work hard this semester so I don't have to quit again."
I calmed the erupting laughter and began the lesson.
Fortunately, my answer seemed to land well; no student seemed to take the idea of me quitting seriously.
I couldn't exactly tell them that I'd left because I was disappointed that they didn't trust me, like I told May.
While my main reason for returning to the academy was to help Princess Helena, the other students played a part too.
May, who had been worried since I told her in advance, seemed fine—actually, more than fine, she seemed thrilled.
The way she stared at me with a beaming smile was a bit overwhelming, like a puppy watching its owner return home.
Since it was the first day, I ended the class about ten minutes early.
"That's all for today. Oh, you all know there's field practice this semester, right?"
Starting in March, when the weather warms up, the Ranger Class is scheduled for their second-semester practicals.
"Yes."
"Has the date been decided yet?"
"Are you coming with us, Instructor?"
Why would I?
I knew Amelia, the practical instructor, was definitely going, but I'd heard that as the theory instructor, I didn't have to.
Apparently, it was the same for the other departments.
Active knights or wizards usually accompany the students during practice, and in our case, active rangers would be joining them.
"As the theory instructor, I will not be accompanying you."
"It would be great if you came along, Instructor."
"Please come with us!"
'Why don't you? You're the one who said you came back to the academy because you couldn't stop thinking about the students.'
Ark had been in a foul mood since I first mentioned returning, complaining about what would happen to the ruins exploration, and he was still acting grumpy.
'I don't want to.'
I didn't plan on slacking off like I did before, but I had no intention of volunteering for work I wasn't required to do.
I just needed to be diligent with my classes.
After chatting for a bit, I told them to leave once the bell rang so they wouldn't disturb other classrooms, and then I stepped out.
Not long after I left, the bell rang.
"Instructor Bio!"
I turned around to find May standing there.
"Ah, May. I was actually planning to call you over, so this is perfect."
"Yes?"
"Shall we have a little chat?"
I led the puzzled May to a quiet corner.
"I'm sorry I couldn't reply to your letter. I was away on a trip..."
"Oh, no, it's okay. More than that, I was just so surprised. I didn't think you'd actually come back..."
May's eyes were brimming with tears.
Wait, she was smiling just fine during class; why is she suddenly about to cry?
"While traveling, I realized I might have been thinking too much from my own perspective as an instructor. I should have considered that the trainees are still young and not yet mentally mature, so about what I said last time..."
"You want me to keep it a secret, right?"
The kid's intuition has actually improved.
"Yes. I'd appreciate that."
"Okay. I won't tell a soul."
Seeing May answer with a bright smile made my own mood lighten.
"Oh, right. There's one more thing I need your help with."
To May, who insisted she'd do anything, I pulled a small letter from my coat and handed it to her.
"Could you deliver this to Princess Helena? I'd prefer if you gave it to her at lunch, but if that's difficult, dinner or just sometime today is fine..."
"Ah, yes... I'll deliver it."
Suddenly, her expression stiffened.
Did I make a mistake?
"May, you look pale. Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing. Well, I should get going for my next class..."
I grabbed the wrist of the girl who was about to leave after a quick bow.
"Instructor?"
"May, there's still plenty of time before class starts."
"I have homework..."
"Homework on the first day of school?"
Does this kid think I'm an idiot?
"......."
"No matter how much I think about it, I don't believe I said anything wrong in our conversation. Explain why your expression suddenly soured."
May pondered for a moment and then spoke.
"Princess Helena's Guardian Knight once warned me."
"Shine did?"
"Do you know Sir Shine?"
I know her very well.
"I'm familiar with her. What did she say?"
"She told me not to get ahead of myself just because the Princess is fond of me, and that I shouldn't introduce just anyone to her."
"What?"
"She said that when the Princess first entered the academy, she hid her identity and had a close friend."
"And?"
"The friend wasn't a noble, but from a wealthy merchant family, so other nobles used that friend to pester the Princess... asking for introductions and all that..."
That's not a big deal.
She's revealed her identity now, so it shouldn't matter, but that hothead was overreacting.
"Still, I'll make sure to deliver your letter."
"Thanks."
Now that I knew the reason, I told her she could go, but this time May didn't budge.
"Is there something else you want to say?"
"Um, by any chance... are you interested in the Princess, Instructor?"
Interested?
How can I make sure the Princess wins the bet? Since I'm pondering that day and night, I suppose I am very interested?
"I wouldn't say I'm not."
May's expression stiffened even further.
"I thought so... the Princess is very beautiful, after all..."
What does being beautiful have to do... Wait... a second. She's completely misunderstood.
"I've made a slip of the tongue. I have absolutely no interest in her as a woman. In the first place, I'm under a curse where I'll die if I stay near high-ranking people for too long, so just thinking about it makes me—ugh..."
When I acted out my agony while clutching my chest, May's expression finally brightened.
"Oh, come on, what kind of curse is that?"
As expected, she must have mistaken my letter for a love letter and feared she'd be scolded by Shine.
Shine, that reckless woman. This won't do.
Next time I see her, I'll have to tell her to stop bullying our May.
"The part about the curse was a joke, but the part about finding high-ranking people burdensome is true. So, the same goes for the Princess; I'm not really into her type..."
"I see. Well, then I'll deliver the letter as quickly as possible."
She bowed and left with a bright smile, unlike before. The misunderstanding seemed completely resolved.
'Good grief, what an idiot.'
'Why so sudden?'
'Would you know if I told you?'
He's just being moody again.
'We can just go to the ruins during break. You already know all the locations, right?'
What was it? A computer?
Anyway, according to Ark, he found information related to the Seven Stars ruins from the device in Evankel's Laboratory.
'Who said this was because of the ruins exploration? I told you there are no exact coordinates, it's just Evankel's guess, and it might be hard to find since so much time has passed.'
'Still, it's better than blindly guessing.'
Even for locations from 5,200 years ago, there's a world of difference between having a predicted area and having nothing.
If you know the approximate location, you only have to search that vicinity.
Of course, I found the Krinis Desert by focusing on places where abnormal phenomena occurred, but there are no such phenomena in other candidates like the Frozen Earth or the Great Forests.
'Don't blame me later if we come up empty.'
Ark seems to be feeling a lot of pressure.
'Blame you? I always trust you.'
My trust in Ark has been at 1,000% ever since he fixed my arm.
****
I had an early lunch and headed to the training ground.
Even though Master Roy isn't at the academy, I can't neglect my training.
He always told me that steady effort is the only shortcut to improvement.
Usually, a few others practice during lunch, but since it's the first day, the hall is empty.
I sat down and closed my eyes to start with some light meditation when I felt Shine approaching.
"Princess, Trainee May is here. What would you like to do?"
"May is here?"
I'd heard May also practiced early after lunch, but this is the Magic Class training hall. Why is she here?
"Yes. She's waiting at the entrance. Should I send her away?"
"No. I'll see her."
Bio is the one teaching May.
We've been close since the rumor incident, but it was rare for May to seek me out first.
I wondered if she was on an errand, and sure enough, May handed me a small letter from Bio.
I worried she might have peeked inside, but luckily, it was sealed with red sealing wax.
Honestly, I was quite surprised during the opening ceremony.
Because Bio, whom I heard had quit, had returned.
He must have come back to help me; I'm truly touched.
I knew he wanted to help, but I didn't expect him to return to the academy, a place he hated.
After thanking May and sending her on her way, I broke the seal with anticipation.
[Please come to the warehouse behind the dormitory tonight at 7 PM. If possible, please come without being noticed.]
I briefly wondered if it was too short for a first contact, but I'm sure he'll explain everything in person.
But why the warehouse behind the dormitory?
If he intends to teach me personally, wouldn't renting a separate training hall be better?
"What does it say?"
"He wants me to come to the warehouse behind the dormitory by 7 PM."
"The warehouse? I believe few people go there, and there are no video recording crystal balls."
"Ah! That's why he chose that spot."
He's not a Magic Class instructor, so others might find it strange to see him teaching me.
There was no condition in the bet with my father that I couldn't tell anyone, but there's no benefit to it.
Some might judge me, saying a princess should fulfill her duties rather than avoid them.
If it weren't for Quasar, I would have just married whoever my father chose...
I cleared my mind, trained hard, and finished my afternoon classes.
Since Bio asked me not to draw attention, I deliberately skipped dinner.
While the other students rushed toward the dining hall, I headed to the back of the dormitory with Shine.
I checked my pocket watch; it was 6:10.
I wanted to avoid notice, yet I'd arrived fifty minutes early.
"Princess, I really don't think skipping meals is a good idea..."
"Missing one dinner isn't the end of the world. Are you hungry, Shine?"
"No. I'm fine too."
Gurgle—
Shine's face turned beet red.
"This is..."
"You should have told me."
Using subspace magic, I pulled out some bread and beef jerky I'd kept just in case.
"I stored these a while ago, but they should be fine since they were in subspace."
"It's really okay. You aren't eating, so how could I..."
"I told you I'm fine. I concentrate better on an empty stomach anyway."
"Then I'll eat them with gratitude."
Seeing how quickly she devoured the jerky and bread, she must have been starving.
"Is it not enough? I'd give you more, but I'm sorry, that was all I had."
"Oh, no. It's plenty."
She says that, but I know she eats a lot. I'll pack some extra food for her starting tomorrow.
As I chatted with Shine, it was suddenly 6:55.
Shine was right; no one else had come by.
I heard Bio only arrived at the academy last year, so it's impressive he knows about this place.
It was still a bit chilly since it was February, and as I considered getting my overcoat, a figure rose from the shadows.
"My apologies. I tried to hurry, but I didn't realize you'd be here so early. I'm sorry."
"Not at all. We just arrived ourselves."
Shine looked displeased.
I worried she might step in tactlessly and upset Bio again.
I tried to pinch the back of her arm to warn her without Bio noticing, but Bio was faster.
He stepped toward Shine with a smirk and whispered something, making her face turn even redder as she recoiled.
"What did you say to her?"
"I just gave her a brief explanation; it's nothing. Right, Sir Shine?"
"Y... yes. It's nothing."
"I'm sure you have many questions, but first, allow me to ask one."
"Sure. Ask me anything."
"I understand you have a private room in the dormitory. Do you still have roll call?"
"We have it, but the dormitory instructor doesn't check inside; usually, Shine just tells them I'm there..."
I felt a bit embarrassed admitting to such a privilege.
"Oh, I suspected as much since you have a single room. That's perfect. In that case, I think it's time for Sir Shine to head back."
Huh?
"You want me to leave?"
"You need to go and handle the roll call so it seems the Princess is in her room."
I was a bit surprised.
I thought he'd only teach me until roll call, but it seemed he planned to stay late.
"But leaving the Princess alone with you..."
"I'm fine. Bio is on our side."
"Understood."
I was surprised by how easily she agreed.
I expected her to keep protesting...
"By the way, how do you plan to get back? The dormitory is locked down after roll call."
Ah, Shine had a point.
Even if Shine covers the roll call, I still have to return.
Bio remained silent, perhaps because he hadn't considered that.
"Ahem... well..."
"You aren't suggesting you'll keep teaching the Princess without letting her sleep in this weather, are you?"
That would be too much for me too.
Not just for me, but for Bio as well...
"It's not that. I have a track record of getting inside, so there's no need to worry..."
...I remembered.
Bio had originally... my underwear...
Shine seemed to remember as well and looked concerned, but I reassured her and sent her back to the dormitory.
"Now then, Princess, I'm sure you have many questions... Since the wind is chilly, shall we step inside and talk?"
"Inside?"
He pointed to the warehouse. I thought he had a key, but he pulled out some white powder and opened the lock in the blink of an eye.
"Wow, that's amazing."
"This is basic for a Black Agent."
Inside, mattresses, blankets, and pillows were piled up, covered in dust from neglect.
"Please step aside for a moment."
Bio created a gust of wind with magic and tidied the place up.
I knew he was a 5th Class Wizard, and since I'd learned a lot of 5th Class magic from Master Roy, I thought there wouldn't be much left to learn. I was completely wrong.
I could create wind—even stronger wind—but precisely blowing away only the dust like that was impossible for me.
Master Roy always praised my magic power control, but the real genius was right here.
"This is better. Let's go in."
As we entered, Bio followed and closed the door.
Though no one was around, he even used soundproofing magic. He must have something important to say.
"You have class tomorrow, so it would be problematic if it gets too late, right?"
"It's fine."
"I also have classes, so I'll get straight to the point."
Proceed? What exactly is he doing?
"First, please take off your clothes."
For a moment, I doubted my ears, wondering if I'd heard him wrong.
Take... take them off?