Adria's Blushing Confession
The clash with the lamia during the exam between student and professor had become a hot topic within the academy for quite some time. In particular, the lamia race and their raid sparked endless conversations among students and faculty alike. Fortunately, for an incident that was on everyone's lips, the casualties were far fewer than expected, which brought some relief.
There were several key factors that allowed this event to pass without greater chaos than anticipated. The first was the nature of the academy exam at the time—students were isolated from communication, acting independently. Scattered while completing their individual tasks, they couldn't receive news in the forest exam grounds, and some remained completely unaware of the incident.
The second reason was the lamia's movement pattern. Rather than spreading sporadically across the entire forest, they concentrated at the assembly point. While efficient for them, this ironically minimized the threat to students. Only those at the assembly point or returning after finishing their tasks directly witnessed the clash. The rest were still deep in the woods, focused on their assignments, oblivious to the event. Some escaped the forest without encountering lamia at all, while a unlucky few dismissed them as mere monsters, defeating or fleeing successfully.
With such varied experiences and situations intertwined, few grasped the full story. Of course, there were no zero casualties. Some students heading back to the assembly point were badly injured in encounters, and others even captured. But once I subdued Kara and brought her down, the lamia forces lost their will to fight and scattered into the forest in retreat. In the process, all captured students were rescued. Though terrified and exhausted, their safe return was the greatest comfort.
After the incident, the academy launched investigations into the lamia and a systematic review of the exam. Some faculty took responsibility for failing to detect their presence and territory beforehand, promising improvements to future exam protocols.
"...And that's the situation so far."
"I see."
Under the clear blue sky that felt unusually peaceful, Adria and I sat side by side on a bench in a quiet spot somewhere on academy grounds, catching up on the latest.
"By the way, how do you think the academy will wrap this up?"
I tossed out the question that suddenly crossed my mind—less out of pure curiosity and more to confirm.
"They'll issue an official apology first. Then offer compensation as they gauge the situation."
She gazed up at the empty sky as if it were obvious.
"And as you know, this evaluation was completely voided due to the lamia raid, so they're advancing the final assessment period."
"Since they're condensing what was meant to be two separate ability tests into one, students will need to prepare even more thoroughly."
It seemed to be proceeding as per the game's storyline. I'd worried my involvement might create variables, but apparently not.
"I've said it countless times, but I'm truly grateful to you. If you hadn't shown up, I might never have felt this warm sunlight again."
She continued in her usual dignified tone, though without the sharpness that could feel heavy.
"No need to thank me."
"No, I've indebted myself to you beyond mere bows. I nearly died unmarried in my late twenties, you know?"
Professor Adria chuckled self-deprecatingly, but a thread of seriousness wove through the jest.
"Speaking of, Professor, do you have any plans to get married?"
"O-Of course!!"
Her face flushed red in an instant. It might have looked like anger, but warmth filled her eyes, revealing bashful embarrassment instead.
"I-It’s human nature, after all... that sort of thing? Ugh, what am I even saying to a student...?"
She muttered like a sigh, dry-washing her face with her right hand. Her voice grew softer, a whisper at my ear, and her reddened cheeks showed no sign of fading. A faint tremble reached her fingertips, her whole body shrinking in shyness—less the fierce professor, more a bashful young girl.
"I see. So, what kind of man do you like, Professor?"
"Th-That's...!"
Her lips quivered, words failing. For a moment, I worried if my question was rude, but before I could apologize, she averted her gaze and murmured shortly.
"Someone... strong, I suppose...?"
"Finding someone stronger than you won't be easy, Professor."
I replied playfully, and she narrowed her eyes slightly, glancing at me. A flicker of hesitation lingered in her look before she turned away and said quietly.
"Not necessarily... Honestly, there is someone among the people I know."
"Who?"
She didn't answer my question. In the prolonged silence, a faint sigh escaped her lips.
"I-It’s... well...!"
She placed her subtly trembling hands on her knees, as if suppressing her feelings, unable to speak. Her eyes held volumes, but her lips permitted not a single word.
"For now, just know... he's closer than you think."
She turned her head as if avoiding my gaze, yet hesitated and looked back at me. That look seemed to offer a hint, but I couldn't decipher the hidden answer. One thing was clear: she had someone she liked. And somehow, that felt reassuring.
"Good luck. I'll cheer you on."
I encouraged her with a gentle smile. Class was starting soon, so I slowly rose.
"I'll head back to the lecture hall first."
"Eh? W-Wait...! N-No, never mind... just... don't worry about it..."
She reached out as if to stop me, then gave up and lowered her head. The subtle tremor at the end of her voice lingered in my mind, but sensing she wouldn't say more, I quietly departed. Her small, faint sigh from behind echoed in my ears for a long time.
……
"Ugh..."
Is this feeling wrong? Yeah, probably. Arnold is my student, and I'm his teacher. There's a significant age gap, and above all, our mentor-student bond firmly divides us. Harboring these emotions in such a situation makes me the foolish one.
"..."
But strangely, this heart keeps betraying me whenever I try to face reality. It started that day at the tavern when I ran into him by chance. Drunk and making a fool of myself, the pounding I felt each time I faced him—I first dismissed it as mere embarrassment or shame. But this incident made me realize: those feelings weren't just shame.
'Are you okay?'
In that chaotic moment, as overwhelming pain made me ready to give up everything, Arnold appeared like a hero and saved us all. The sight of him swinging his sword and unleashing immense magic to repel the threat looked like a myth to my eyes. In that instant, I felt bone-deep how reliable and attractive he was.
"Ha... Attracted to a student? What am I even thinking?!"
My face burned. My heart thumped wildly, his image refusing to leave my mind. I felt ashamed and pathetic for these emotions. Yet a corner of my heart couldn't ignore them.
"..."
Arnold seemed oblivious to my feelings. Well, that was natural. I'd never expressed them, and he wouldn't see his mentor as a romantic prospect anyway.
"I'm the weird one..."
I scolded myself, but my heart wouldn't settle. No, it cried out even more fiercely. Don't give up, this isn't wrong.
"Arnold..."
I murmured his name inwardly and let out a small sigh. Right, revealing this as a teacher wouldn't do. Should I let it go without regret? ...No. I didn't want to abandon it completely. I wanted to cherish this subtle thrill a bit longer.
"Who knows... maybe Arnold likes older women..."
It might be vain hope. But as the saying goes, everyone lives leaning on hope. I'd hold onto it a little more, even as a tiny spark in my chest.
"...Time for me to get up too?"
Sorting my thoughts, I rose. A refreshed lightness filled my body. A faint smile lingered on my lips for a while. It might just be self-rationalization for motivation, but that sliver of 'what if' lightened my steps.