Chapter 131
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: The Hero Stops the Demon King. (8)
I received a strange contact.
"(Teacher Kane, please come back.)"
Teacher Kane, of all things.
It had been an incredibly long time since I'd heard that title.
Since leaving the academy, I'd been called Instructor through and through.
So this contact was...
"(You did so well at the academy... No, didn't you! Teacher Kane!)"
It was from the academy faculty.
Sudden honorifics and the title of Teacher to boot.
Were these the same people who always ranted about filthy commoners this and that?
"(Teacher Kane, please come to the academy and take the principal position..! We're begging you..!)"
Even if Parus had been exposed as a devil worshiper and the academy was barreling toward ruin...
"Aren't you ashamed?"
This was just laughable—whether they had no pride or self-respect at all.
"(Haha, wh-what shame could there be between us..!)"
It was pretty amusing to see them bend over backward without a shred of pride or anything.
And the person who gave them my communication stone frequency to reach me...
Well, that was obvious.
There was only one possibility.
His Majesty the Emperor.
"I didn't expect you'd go asking His Majesty for my communication stone frequency just to contact me."
"(Gasp, how did you... A-as expected, Teacher Kane is amazing..!)"
A thoroughly flustered voice came through.
But honestly, anyone could figure it out with a little thought.
His Majesty, thankfully, thought quite highly of me.
That said, I'd left the academy ages ago.
Right now, I was an instructor affiliated with the Hasler branch of the Adventurer's Guild.
Which meant that no matter how much His Majesty favored me, I wasn't officially part of the Empire anymore.
"(His Majesty said it would be great if Teacher Kane took the principal position too.. haha..)"
So if I became the academy principal, I'd naturally become part of the Empire again.
And it would smooth over all those unkind eyes currently turned toward the academy. A two-birds-with-one-stone effect.
"Mm, no thanks."
Helping the Empire was fine.
I could do that anytime.
Marquis Harkur had been part of the Empire, after all.
And Sain Marquis was still there now.
Besides, the Empire was like a homeland to me too.
But that was separate from this.
I was plenty satisfied with my current life as an adventurer instructor in Hasler.
"(If you become principal, you'll earn way more money than you do now..!)"
Having failed with the appeal via His Majesty, now money came up.
"I'm good."
I didn't urgently need money.
I was satisfied enough with my current salary.
Greed for more would just mean more work.
I could honestly do without more work piling up.
"(I-Is it because... we ignored you when you were at the academy..? If so, we're sorry..!)"
I wasn't particularly interested in a token apology.
"(If Teacher Kane doesn't come as principal now... the academy might collapse..! Don't we need to carry on the academy's illustrious history and traditions?)"
"Yeah, you carry them on yourselves."
I couldn't understand why they'd tell me to carry them on.
It was a storied tradition that had nothing to do with me.
"(Teacher Kane, please...!)"
"I'm not interested, so look for someone else. That's it."
I cut off the communication, deciding there was no reason to listen to more nonsense.
"Who was that, Kane?"
Rin had come early in the morning, and we'd been having breakfast together.
Keeping someone waiting like this while on a long call was really...
I didn't want to get tangled up with those academy people.
"Ah, sorry about that, Miss Rin. It was a call from the academy."
"The academy? What nerve do those scoundrels have calling you..?"
She set down her toast, her face scrunching up.
"They asked me to take the principal position."
"Those people really have no shame. How'd they even get your frequency?"
"His Majesty must have given it to them."
"His Majesty the Emperor? Why would he give it to scum like that..?"
This was utterly incomprehensible to Rin, judging by her puzzled expression.
"They seem to want me back under the Empire's banner."
"Ah, right. You're with the Adventurer's Guild now, Kane."
"Yeah. His Majesty wouldn't have given it out with bad intentions, though."
His Majesty surely thought the academy principal position was the least I deserved.
And understandably so...
"(You! I heard you turned down the academy principal position..! Why on earth? You're the only one fit for it!)"
After breakfast, while Rin napped off her fatigue, His Majesty called and said as much himself.
"(Is it because of the academy faculty? If so, we can replace them all!)"
No, suddenly?
"(You can implement whatever education you want at the academy! I'll even recommend a solid new faculty that suits you. What do you say?)"
He really seemed determined to put me in the academy principal's seat.
"(Honestly, it's not so much about carrying on traditions... The Empire needs you. Won't you reconsider?)"
His Majesty's voice grew deadly serious.
"(I don't know what the future holds... but with someone like you, the Empire might become a slightly better place.)"
I always thought this, but...
I wasn't as great as His Majesty—and others—made me out to be.
I was just grateful for the high praise.
But even so...
"I'm sorry. I still don't want to go back to the academy."
I didn't want to return to the academy.
"And... I don't think I'm great enough to sit in a high position bossing people around."
The faculty said the academy would collapse without me.
But honestly, if doom was already looming, my presence wouldn't change a thing.
And those haughty Empire nobles...
They wouldn't just sit by and let a commoner become principal.
"To be frank, I'm done walking thorny paths."
I'm human too.
Just an ordinary person who wants the easy, comfortable road over the thorny one.
"(I see... I'm sorry. I must've come off as pushy. But if you change your mind... call anytime.)"
"Yes, I will."
Of course, that would never happen.
My relationship with His Majesty wasn't bad.
No need to act rude and say 'No way? Not doing it?' to the end.
Not like with the faculty.
"(Alright, get some good rest.)"
Once the call with His Majesty ended...
Even though it was just short bursts of communication, I felt utterly drained.
"Hoo..."
Today, I really should do nothing and just rest.
I flopped back onto the neatly made bed.
Mm, so cozy.
Perfect.
"That Rin girl..."
Jenny narrowed her eyes when she woke up late, around midday, and learned Rin had left first.
"Don't tell me Scarlett sis too?!"
Worried she'd been left behind sleeping in...
She dashed to Scarlett's room and flung open the door.
"Mm..."
Scarlett was still asleep, even though she'd gone to bed earlier than Jenny.
"Phew... not that."
At least she wasn't dead last. That was some comfort.
"Gotta head out quick..!"
She considered waking Scarlett to go together, but...
'Waiting for her to get up and ready would take forever.'
They weren't kids anymore.
She figured Scarlett would come on her own and, after a quick greeting to Sain alone, boarded the carriage.
"Take care."
Sain gave a greeting with no change in emotion, but Jenny knew better.
"Yeah, I'll be careful!"
The mere fact that he followed her to the door and lingered to see her off...
Proved he was deeply worried about her.
"Next time, I'll definitely bring Big Brother Kane too!"
"Mm."
A short reply, but it carried a wealth of Sain's emotions.
Excitement, anticipation, joy—all positive.
The carriage departed, and the marquess's estate grew distant.
But even then, Sain stood guard at the door until the carriage carrying Jenny vanished from sight.
"Seriously, why is my brother so spineless?"
Only his sister—who knew him inside out—could say that.
No one else in the world, except Jenny and Scarlett, would think Sain Marquis lacked guts.
"That Rin girl's pretty funny, though."
The short note left behind said she was off to monopolize Kane for herself.
But the real kicker was the address of where Kane was staying, written right below.
"Says she's claiming him solo. How cute."