Chapter 71: Graduation and Return
Time flew by swiftly, bringing us to late December.
That meant only one week remained until the graduation of the hero candidates.
If this were Earth, it would be time for some massive event. Sure enough, a grand ceremony was planned here too. Though the Hero Academy's graduation was limited to a select few attendees, its significance was immense when you considered that the heroes and their parties would scatter across the entire continent afterward.
Out of the 96th batch including me, 33 candidates were set to graduate. Add in 29 from previous batches, and a total of 62 hero parties were about to be born.
With a week still to go, awakenings at this stage were rare. The academy was putting minimal effort into last-minute recruits while pouring everything into the ceremony.
"Time sure flies, huh."
I murmured while gazing at the clear sky.
I was lounging in a rocking chair tucked away in a corner of the garden.
This world's four seasons weren't all that different from Earth's.
Thanks to the equator sitting at the continent's southern tip, even the academy—relatively close to it—saw winter arrive a bit late, along with the chill. But for someone like me who'd awakened mana, it was downright refreshing.
"Han Siu-nim."
"Hildear, you're back."
"I've finished assisting the two heroes."
"Yeah, good work."
The two heroes she meant were Baek Hye-yeon and Ash.
A week before graduation, nations across the continent perked up for another reason: naturalization became possible starting then.
In other words, Hildear had helped them with the naturalization process. No servant from their home countries would eagerly assist a hero defecting abroad, so it usually fell to someone from the destination nation.
"So now both the top male and female spots belong to the Palania Kingdom... that'll save some face."
"Yes. It's all... thanks to you, Han Siu-nim."
"Haha. Won't deny that."
Three graduates from one kingdom wasn't a bad haul.
With 17 nations dividing 60-odd graduates, the average was about 3-4 per country. Pure numbers alone made it a solid performance.
But Palania was a weak third-rate kingdom, assigned only three candidates per batch. Factoring in that two of them snagged first place overall? That was well above average.
Ash had been such a non-starter—no one even remembered her as a candidate—that her kingdom gave up easily. Baek Hye-yeon, though? She'd been the undisputed female top dog, beloved by every instructor. That made things trickier.
Bet they hate my guts now... but what can they do about it?
You couldn't cozy up to every nation anyway.
Influence the key ones, and the rest would fall in line.
"The other one's from your batch's seniors, right?"
"Yes."
Hildear, ever-prepared with info on the senior, handed me the documents.
Her skills as my assistant were sharpening daily; she was less bodyguard now and more secretary. She'd given up on pure knighthood and was honing those talents instead.
"Senjo... Maki? Huh. Japanese?"
"From a place called Japan, apparently. Not sure if he's from Earth like you, Han Siu-nim."
"Hmm."
Just as there were multiple fantasy worlds, modern ones came in multiples too.
Most hailed from Earths with near-identical histories.
Parallel dimensions, basically.
"Interesting. Japanese usually naturalize to Futashima—feels like their old history."
Futashima (??).
A Japanese-flavored island nation at the continent's eastern edge, blending ancient and medieval vibes.
Uniquely, when the chief god kidnapped that world's deities, it snatched the island wholesale—creatures and all. The original name was longer; Futashima was shorthand. Despite "Futa" implying two, it was one main island plus islets.
"The kingdom was a bit worried about that... but Lady Maki cited the indebtedness of being fed and cared for. Said it's a matter of righteousness..."
"Righteousness? Ah."
The word sparked a memory, and I nodded.
Come to think of it, there'd been a female hero active in Palania with that vibe. No close ties, barely interacted, couldn't recall her name—but her quirky personality and constant talk of loyalty stuck.
Was she graduating this time too?
"We're focusing support on you and Hye-yeon-nim, but she's getting plenty of attention too."
"Smart move."
Her odd personality made her useful.
Shower her with favors, slot her into the clan, and she'd be solid mid-tier muscle.
More heroes, the better. Unless they were trash—better off without.
Oh yeah, two years from now? That Futashima incident. Gotta prep for that early.
For a regressor, my future intel was spotty.
The higher up society you climbed, the better the info flowed—but I'd spent over a decade as a nobody. Early days stuck in the academy, then grinding training post-grad.
Only massive events everyone knew or gossip from a chatty party member. Still a huge edge, but as my role shifted, the timeline would warp.
Already has in spots.
"Han Siu-nim?"
"Ah, yeah."
"Time for lunch. Shall I escort you?"
"Already that late? Up we go. Let's head out."
I rose from the chair and followed Hildear to the dining hall.
"Speaking of, how's Elaine been? Still swamped?"
"Seems so. A saintess joining a foreign hero's party is unprecedented..."
"Huh? ...Oh. Right."
The realization hit me, eyes widening.
No ties to the saintesses or Holy Bishura Empire till now, so I'd overlooked it. But yeah—she was the first.
In my knowledge, saintesses always joined Holy Empire heroes.
"That'll complicate the paperwork."
The Holy Bishura Empire was one massive religious bloc.
Its roots: when kidnapped gods' creations popped up on the continent, humans rallied around the existing chief god faith. Even after learning the chief god caused it, the empire gained untouchable authority.
"Palania worships the chief god and isn't from another dimension, so it shouldn't be too bad. Elaine's temperament is well-known, practically pre-approved... but zealots are everywhere."
"Haha."
Zealots insisting saintesses live and die for the Holy Empire and its god.
Hildear calling them that showed the disdain here too. Fanatics were a nuisance everywhere.
We chatted animatedly about Elaine for a while.
As it wound down, Hildear flushed shyly.
"Um... Han Siu-nim."
"Yeah?"
"I... reached advanced Expert yesterday."
"You did? Whoa! Congrats!"
I congratulated her sincerely. She blushed at my enthusiasm, embarrassed yet thrilled.
Her relentless training in spare moments, plus advice from So-young and other swordsmen on past visits, had paid off.
Hitting advanced Expert in her early twenties took more than talent—blood, sweat, tears. In my first timeline, it'd taken her two more years.
"Th-thank you. Now I can... keep our promise."
About six months back.
Two days post-summoning, mana awakened in me. She'd sworn then: get stronger, offer her virginity properly. Hold off on first time.
If she could've claimed my innocence, maybe—but I'd had experience, stolen by the queen here too.
So, she'd aim higher to help me more, setting her deadline at graduation. Six months.
"Half a year already... Finally get to taste my Hildear, huh?"
"Eek...! Y-yes! I'll... work hard to be delicious!"
Her tense knightly shout cracked me up.
The more time we spent together, the cuter she got. Low self-confidence left her mopey often, but to me, few women matched her charm.
"But Hildear."
"Yes! Han Siu-nim!"
"You can answer normally. Anyway, like I asked before... your first time in front of everyone. Really okay?"
"Of course. You might not know yet, Han Siu-nim, but graduating your virginity at the Hero Academy ceremony... it's the dream of so many women."
"R-really..."
A dream, huh.
A bit thrown, but I nodded along. Six months in, I'd adapted a ton—most quirks just got a nod now.
(Side note: Public sex didn't faze me much. Kinda exciting, even. Unbeknownst to me, my inhibitions were pretty lax.)
'Even calling a woman old enough to be my aunt "Mommy" while banging her... public stuff's no biggie.'
"Graduation... looking forward to it."
"Truly. Hehe. But we won't have much to do—you'll be swamped, top graduate turning A-rank right after."
"Swamped?"
"You'll greet dignitaries from every nation, plus representative duties galore."
"Ugh... sounds like a pain."
My face soured.
And like her words flipped a switch, the next week was nonstop chaos. Met the academy director—barely seen before—and a parade of visiting VIPs.