Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Going to the Academy (1)
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“Stand up straight.”
“Yes…”
In any case, after sorting out the title issue, we handed over the black mage leader, trussed up tight in Vine’s vines, to the knight order who arrived just in time.
“That… why are you here?”
“We were just out for a stroll and ended up coming this way.”
“…”
The knight order looked utterly baffled when we showed up out of nowhere after they thought we’d left, but since we’d ultimately done a good deed, they couldn’t exactly blame us.
And so, our hero party returned triumphantly alongside the knight order, turning the ducal castle completely upside down.
The servants stared at us like we were ghosts, which felt a bit burdensome.
“…”
The duke, who already seemed to have heard the news, greeted us with a somewhat awkward expression.
“Hmm… For now, let me convey my thanks for your hard work. I’m sincerely grateful that you caught such a dangerous troublemaker for the ducal house.”
Just words?
I believed that anyone who understood noble honor would offer proper rewards for such achievements.
As I gazed at him with a beaming smile, the duke let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“I’ll write you a certificate guaranteeing that you’re a legitimate hero party. No one but a hero party could wipe out a black mage hideout this quickly.”
Laura replied with a grin.
“That’s a given.”
“…”
Looking truly reluctant, he grimaced as he spoke.
“And Laura. I hereby permit you to join the hero party…”
“Hehe.”
Laura let out a goofy laugh, clearly satisfied at having received official approval to operate as a hero party member.
I leaned in and whispered into her ear.
“Go give him a hug.”
“Eh?”
This could’ve ended on a nice note with Laura getting approval for the hero party, but that would’ve left an awkwardness hanging over their father-daughter relationship.
From what I’d seen, even though the duke had exiled Laura to our territory, they seemed to get along pretty well.
I didn’t want to leave any strain in that relationship.
“…”
Seeming to understand my intent, Laura pondered for a moment before trotting over to the duke.
“Hm?”
The duke tilted his head, puzzled, as Laura—who’d looked ready to leave any second—approached him instead.
Soon enough, she threw herself into his arms.
“Daddy, I love you!”
To me, Laura had been a mischievous young lady, but to the duke, she was surely his precious baby daughter.
And fathers, by nature, were designed to be utterly defenseless against their youngest daughter’s charms.
The duke stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape, as Laura showered him with affection.
Having effortlessly knocked the duke off his feet, Laura scampered back over to us.
“Now let’s go!”
***
We finally left the ducal castle for real this time, munching on the heaps of snacks the duke had stuffed us with.
Now it was time to decide our next destination.
Wandering aimlessly had its romantic appeal and suited a hero party well enough, but I preferred practicality over romance.
Inside the plant carriage, I spread out the continental map we’d received from the ducal house and pondered our next move.
Rainy, watching me think, spoke up bluntly.
“Why not just head straight to the Church? What’s there to agonize over?”
It was true—with the duke’s letter in hand, rushing to the Church to get our hero party officially recognized wasn’t a bad option.
But what worried me was the fake hero party.
I hoped it was just a hunch, but I had a bad feeling that if we went to the Church now, we wouldn’t get certified easily because of those fakes.
And I was someone who trusted my instincts a great deal.
When I explained my feelings, Rainy gave me a blank look.
“Then where are we going?”
She seemed willing to respect my opinion, at least, since I was the party leader.
Feeling grateful, I pointed to one location.
The Imperial Academy.
That’s where I planned to settle things with the fake hero party.
The moment I shared my idea, opposition poured in from the party members.
Laura was the first to voice her dissent.
“I’ve been excommunicated from the Academy… I can’t go back.”
She argued the excommunication impossibility theory, saying it’d be hard for her to return.
“Eek, us adults going back to being students? That’s ridiculous.”
Rainy invoked the age theory, claiming it was unbecoming of our age.
“The Academy strictly prohibits outsiders from entering. One or two people might sneak in unnoticed, but infiltrating as a group is realistically impossible.”
Yumi raised the realism theory, pointing out the practical difficulties.
Faced with fierce opposition from the party…
There was still a faction gratefully supporting me.
“Hmm… If it’s Raden’s opinion, I’m all for it!”
Vine declared she’d back any idea I proposed.
“Hehe… I wanna see the Academy too… All that fresh youth… Sounds delightful.”
Nania voted yes, eager to experience some youthful vibes.
Come to think of it, she’d once mentioned spending her days in the demon realm buried in succubus queen studies.
No wonder the Academy piqued her interest.
Laura’s issue would be tricky to solve, but I could address Yumi and Rainy’s concerns.
“I’m not planning to sneak into the Academy, and we’re not going as students either.”
“Then how do we get in?”
“There are other types of people at the Academy besides students.”
“Huh?”
“We go in as professors.”
The Academy, the continent’s top educational institution, was always eager to recruit outstanding professors.
To that end, they kept two recruitment tracks open year-round.
The first was the experienced professional track.
As the name implied, it recruited veterans—and among our group, two had a free pass for it.
Vine, an elf boasting cheat-level skills in spirit arts and archery, would likely get hired on the spot just based on her race.
Rainy had been excommunicated, but she was a former saintess.
If she showed up, the Academy’s Holy Studies Department would welcome her with open arms.
Her reputation wasn’t great, but she’d wielded divine power so immense it was said she’d never appear on the continent again.
Yumi could probably get hired as an experienced pro too if she proved she’d been Mastain’s Shadow.
But she had a different mission.
“Yumi, can you sneak in Laura?”
“Yeah, one lady’s no problem.”
She’d infiltrate the Academy quietly with Laura.
The second track was the skills-based track.
No experience? No titles? Didn’t matter—they hired purely on demonstrated ability. Beat an Academy professor in a duel, and you’re in.
I planned to apply to the Swordsmanship Department.
Since Daisy was in Swordsmanship, it’d be convenient for me to monitor her directly there.
Back then, I wouldn’t have dreamed of challenging Academy professors, but after our long journey, I’d gained an objective sense of my skills.
Honestly, I was confident I could beat an Academy professor with ease.
After all, I’d taken down Karios, one of the Four Heavenly Kings!
“Th-then what about me?”
That left Nania as the last one.
“Hmm…”
Nania had disguised herself impressively as a human, but it wouldn’t fool Academy professors. Applying via skills track would get her dragged straight to the Church.
Which meant she’d have to sneak in too…
I glanced at Yumi.
With her skills, maybe three people wouldn’t be an issue.
“…”
But surprisingly, Yumi turned away, avoiding my gaze.
Even she lacked confidence handling Nania too.
No helping it, then…
I looked at Nania with a regretful expression.
Sensing something ominous, she frantically grabbed my collar and clung to me.
“H-Hero… you’re not gonna abandon me, right?”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
“I-I followed you so hard. I carried luggage, sniffed out demons…”
“Hmm… You’ve been a big help. Maybe it’s time you found your freedom?”
“Waaah… You trash… Sucking me dry and dumping the girl… Bad man…”
Nania wailed dramatically, as if the earth were collapsing, drawing sidelong glances from passersby.
They clicked their tongues at me, clearly misunderstanding the situation.
I hurriedly covered her mouth and soothed her.
“Joking. It’s a joke. Why would I abandon you?”
Nania looked up at me, fat teardrops like chicken droppings streaming from her eyes.
I gave her an awkward smile and said,
“I’ll take responsibility. Trust your big bro, okay? I’m the hero. Heroes don’t abandon their comrades.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah.”