A Slight Sense of Guilt
A bit of guilt. The Academy was certainly vast, but interesting news always spread like wildfire. The word that Paern, one of the members of the Great Pioneers, had come to visit the Academy reached every single student in the class in less than a few hours. Some of them insisted they wouldn’t believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes and tried every trick to get out of class early, but unfortunately their homeroom teacher wasn’t the type to let them off so easily. So everyone waited impatiently for lunchtime, and the moment classes ended, the classroom emptied out in an instant.
“Today as well… Do you have time…?”
“…Yes, well…”
“Then how about we eat at that restaurant we went to before?”
“No. Today I’ll guide you.”
Everyone except me and Hestia, that is. In the now-empty classroom, she quietly approached me, and we decided to have lunch together. Outside the classroom, it was unusually quiet. The students who normally laughed and chattered freely during breaks had all headed toward the headmaster’s building, so hardly anyone passed through this area.
Was this the influence of the Great Pioneer, Paern…? His popularity was truly terrifying.
“By the way, Hero… No, Lady Hestia. Aren’t you going to go see him?”
“Are you referring to the person named Paern?”
“Yes. Isn’t he a famous figure that everyone wants to meet at least once? One of the Great Pioneers and all.”
“Hmm… I am a little curious, but…”
Hestia seemed to ponder for a moment before cautiously asking me,
“Do you… perhaps want to go?”
“No, I don’t have any particular plans to. If you want to go see him, Lady Hestia, don’t mind me and go ahead.”
Since Paern would apparently be staying at the Academy for a while, there would be plenty of chances to see him even if we didn’t go today. But the current Hestia didn’t know that yet, so she might think this was her only opportunity to meet one of the Great Pioneers. If I sent her off under the pretense of being considerate, I might finally get to enjoy a quiet lunch alone for the first time in a while.
Hestia stared at me intently for a moment. When I tilted my head with a puzzled expression, she spoke.
“……Would you like to go together?”
“Ah, I was just planning to eat separately and…”
“Then I won’t go either.”
Huh?
“Why? You clearly said you wanted to go earlier.”
“I changed my mind. Let’s go eat first.”
With that, Hestia turned her head sharply and walked off at a brisk pace. I stared blankly at her retreating figure before letting out a small chuckle.
“The cafeteria is the other way.”
“…….”
The Academy is huge. If you combined several cities together, you’d probably get something close to its size… Most people who have never been here don’t really understand even when you explain it like that. So when talking about how vast the Academy is, it’s better to explain why it’s so big.
There’s a common misconception. While the Academy is affiliated with the Empire, strictly speaking, it isn’t part of the Empire’s territory. It’s easier to think of the Academy itself as an independent, miniature nation. Of course, since it borders the Empire and holds considerable influence, the Empire could replace the headmaster if it wanted to. But shutting down the Academy entirely is nearly impossible.
The reason is that the Academy is a one-of-a-kind institution. For a very long time, it has been the only one of its kind across the entire continent. You could find smaller educational facilities elsewhere, but there is no other educational institution like the Academy. Talented individuals from every nation become professors here, and countless students who wish to receive an education gather in this place. Despite the ever-growing numbers, the Academy continued to accept people from all across the continent. To do so, it needed to purchase land and expand its surroundings. Thanks to the Empire’s help during that time, the Academy as we know it today was completed.
A massive educational institution comparable to a small country. That is the Academy.
Because it possesses such a vast tract of land, not all of the Academy’s classes take place inside classrooms. There are many forests and training grounds outdoors, and classes are sometimes held there as well. And today was exactly that kind of day.
After lunch ended and afternoon classes resumed, I had a different class from Hestia. I gave a light greeting to her, who was wearing a (blank) expression full of dissatisfaction, and we parted ways.
One of the elective courses I was taking was ‘Comprehensive Combat.’ Unlike Hestia’s ‘Close-Quarters Combat’ or the Saintess’s ‘Divine Studies,’ this class taught various different combat styles. There was something a bit special about this particular class…
It was that I took it together with a regressor.
“Hey there?”
The moment I heard that sweet voice from right behind me, I reflexively moved my arms to wrap around my upper body.
“……What are you doing?”
“Please do not touch my body without permission.”
“…….”
I slipped away into a corner to avoid the regressor, whose eyes looked somewhat dangerous. Even if I did this, there was no way that stalker wouldn’t find me, but it was still better than standing still. As I crouched in the corner killing time, the professor in charge of ‘Comprehensive Combat’ soon entered.
“As announced, today is the day for group combat practice. Form teams of four or five people as you like.”
“Ah, fuck.”
“Who said that just now?”
At the words ‘as you like,’ the students quickly gathered with their friends to form teams. As for me… no one would even notice whether I was participating in this class or not. If I stayed quiet like this, I might naturally get to skip the practice. Unfortunately, from the very first round, I had never once managed to avoid today’s practical.
“Hey.”
“…….”
“If you don’t have anyone to team up with, want to join ours?”
“…Sure, why not.”
The person who approached me, whom no one else ever spoke to, was of course… another regressor. What’s more, this woman had dragged the solitary me into her team from the very first round, when she didn’t even know about regression. She must have felt sorry for me, standing alone without any friends.
With the two additional members the regressor had gathered separately, our party of four was complete.
“Huh? How did the numbers work out perfectly? I thought one or two people would be left over.”
That bastard had definitely been planning to mess with the friendless students.
“Anyway, now that the teams are formed, open the booklets I handed out earlier.”
The teammate standing next to me took out a booklet from their pocket. It was something the professor had distributed when announcing the practical date. For the record, I hadn’t received one. The teaching assistant handing them out had missed me and walked right past. With no other choice, I leaned in close to the teammate beside me so we could look at it together.
“……What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry. I lost my booklet. Would it be alright if we looked at it together?”
“Yeah, sure… go ahead.”
After saying that, her expression suddenly went blank. She turned her head away as if she had never spoken to me before and stared only at the booklet. It contained information about various plants and monsters.
“The monsters and plants listed in the booklet are those that inhabit the North Forest. All you need to do is catch one monster from the ones listed in the booklet. Any type is fine.”
Demonic creatures, magical beasts, monsters. These three are similar but slightly different. Demonic creatures refer to artificially created monsters or beings that have mutated due to some demonic influence and gained aggression. Classic examples include the corpses controlled by dark mages or chimeras formed by combining multiple living beings. Magical beasts are similar to monsters but refer to slightly stronger individuals. Most beast-like monsters found in the Tomb are usually called magical beasts. Finally, monsters is a general term for any lifeform hostile to humans. Both demonic creatures and magical beasts fall under the monster category.
And today’s practical was simply to catch any one monster. Whether it was a magical beast, a demonic creature, or a small monster, it didn’t matter. Of course, it wasn’t about capturing them alive; bringing proof of having killed one was enough for success.
“The bonus points differ depending on the danger level, but since this is the first practical and the difference in bonus points isn’t huge, don’t overdo it and be careful. If you all understand, then get going!”
The moment the professor finished speaking, everyone quickly began running into the forest. The girl who had been looking at the booklet with me was also fidgeting, clearly wondering if she should hurry into the woods. At that moment, someone grabbed my hand tightly as I quietly watched her.
“Let’s go now too!”
Pulled along by the regressor’s bright smile and firm grip, I was half-dragged toward the forest with her.
“W-wait…!”
“We have to go together!”
“……Tsk.”
Hey… Even if we’re on the same team, isn’t that reaction a bit much?
At the voice calling from behind, the regressor stopped walking. Only then did she release my hand, which she had been holding tightly. Soon the other two teammates arrived, panting, and stood in front of us.
“Haa, haa. What the hell, running off ahead like that?!”
“You were lying in a hospital bed just a few days ago, yet you’re ridiculously energetic. Whew…”
Yeah, it’s not like anyone was chasing her. What was she in such a hurry for…? Wait, hospital bed? Had something happened at this point in time that would have left the regressor seriously injured?
Since the regressor was always busy running around everywhere, even I couldn’t keep track of her every movement. Still, at this point in time, while she might come back with minor injuries, I had never seen her suffer anything serious. ‘Then why… Could it be because of me?’
Back when I had stolen the Crucifix Necklace from the Saintess, the regressor had briefly fought me. There was a chance that my attack had landed cleanly and caused some lasting issue.
‘She looked perfectly fine when she snuck into my room, though.’
She had even stayed until just before sunrise. Until the moment she disappeared from my room, she hadn’t shown any sign of pain. So had she just been enduring it? Or was there something I didn’t know about…?
“When did your wounds heal?”
“Not long ago. Good thing the scar on my stomach from that hit didn’t stay.”
“Ugh, you really almost died picking a fight with the guy who broke through the barrier and broke in. You know that, right?”
“I know. I was a bit… emotionally unstable at the time.”
Uh, um…
…No wonder the Hero had been alone. The regressor must have been lying in bed from her injuries and couldn’t pay attention to her. And since the regressor wasn’t approaching her, the Hero had come to me instead…
……Right. Who else would keep Hestia company if not me?
I felt a little sorry for the regressor, but there was no helping the fact that I had attacked her hard back then. I nodded to myself, deciding to accept that reasoning.
‘Still… maybe I should have hit her a bit more lightly.’