Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: I Want to Go With You
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[ You have defeated the Demon Hex! You have acquired the skill Charge Attack! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your······. ]
Hex disintegrated into dust from the head down.
On the floor, his limbs, which had fallen off earlier, belatedly turned to dust and vanished.
With that, my part was over.
All that was left was for Arthur's crew to kill Daio, who had forsaken his humanity.
I glanced over to where Arthur was to see how things were progressing. Daio was fighting hard, but with the disadvantage of a one-on-three fight against the protagonist's party, his defeat was all but guaranteed.
From the looks of it, he'd probably be dead in less than five minutes.
*Fwoosh— Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Behind me, three fireworks shot up into the sky.
The three fireworks that were supposed to signal the end of the practical training now signaled its suspension.
"Sir Luke. What should we do about Liche?"
"Hmm... Can't we just leave her? It's not like anything bad will happen."
Hex was dead, and Arthur's crew would kill Daio soon.
There were no more threats, were there?
Liche had just fainted from mana exhaustion, so there would be no problem leaving her behind.
Besides, looking after the heroine is the protagonist's job, not an extra's.
"But that red moon isn't disappearing..."
"Because that's how the setting works."
Even though Hex was dead, the red moon remained.
That red moon wasn't created to release Hex from his seal, nor was it a phenomenon intentionally created through magic.
It was a natural occurrence. The moon would disappear when it set and the sun rose.
"Haaa~ Well, that's one problem solved."
"Is it really solved though...? It's not over yet."
"You can't save everyone."
It's impossible to save them all.
Many students must have died from the moment the incident began, and there's a limit to what one person can do.
One must be realistic.
Even if you shout, 'I have to save all the students!', this world doesn't give a damn about the lives of extras.
"Alright. Let's go get some rest."
"...Yes."
"Okay~"
***
The deceased: 23 students, including Daio, who had turned into Demonic Humans.
It seems like a small number, but it's a lot.
The last time I saw Lucia's face the day before, there was a hint of distress at the cleanup she'd have to deal with.
But it was so faint you wouldn't notice unless you looked closely.
Lucia was likely overwhelmed with guilt for having killed the students she had cherished.
'Though I don't really get it.'
In any case, a large number of Demonic Humans had appeared, something that would cause an uproar even if only one or two showed up.
And they weren't from the outside; 23 had emerged from within the academy.
The parents who had sent their children to the academy, trusting it, were in tears. While there were some nobles like Daio, most of the Demonic Humans were commoners.
A letter informing them that their precious child had not only become a Demonic Human but was also dead would be all that was left in the bereaved families' mailboxes.
Of course, the academy keeps running amidst all this.
Classes weren't being held, but that didn't mean students stopped training.
Even on a day like today, Arthur would be training with gusto, as would any student with even a sliver of ambition.
"There are a lot fewer students than before."
"I see that."
"Does it normally get this empty?"
"Not usually."
After this incident, the number of dropouts surged.
Until now, the first-years had trusted Lucia and the other professors, but that would be difficult now.
And for good reason—a large number of students had died.
Even if graduating meant getting a stamp of approval as an elite, too many people felt it wasn't worth risking their lives for.
It's like a top-tier university where a terrorist attack happens once a week. Who would pay to attend a place like that?
"Kids these days have no perseverance."
"I think anyone's perseverance would vanish after an injury like that..."
"Men are supposed to get hurt while growing up."
Many men get injured as soon as they become adults and go to the military, yet these kids were making a fuss over encountering a few Demonic Humans.
If anything, it was a good experience, right? They should have been rushing in with fire in their eyes to kill them, but instead, they got scared and ran away.
"I wonder if the academy will even function properly after this."
"Lucia will figure it out."
In the first place, this academy wasn't established by the imperial family, but by Lucia herself, so the imperial family has no right to shut it down at will.
Even the academy grounds were part of a reward Lucia received from the emperor during her time as an adventurer.
"Still, the major events are over, so things should be quiet from now on."
Most of the major events in the novel happened in the middle of the semester, so the next six months should be peaceful.
All that's left are minor events that don't require professors, and mini-events like the one where people get cursed to turn into frogs.
"Even with all this chaos, there's a social gathering tonight, isn't there?"
This evening, a social gathering was scheduled to be held in the main auditorium.
It wasn't for nobles to conduct diplomacy, but for students—commoners and nobles alike—to socialize and build friendships.
"Their friends dropped out or turned into Demonic Humans, right? It's probably meant to encourage them to make new friends."
I could guarantee that it was probably difficult for the first-years to even talk to each other right now.
They had no idea the people right next to them were Demonic Humans, so how could they know if there were still others hiding among them?
The best analogy would be joking with your army buddies that one of you is a spy, only to find out he actually was.
A situation where someone you thought was a friend turned out to be a spy who then murdered dozens in a mass shooting.
What follows is distrust and fear.
Even if they don't show it, there's the subconscious thought that the person next to them might also be a Demonic Human, and the fear of the unknown—of when such an incident might happen again.
I know there are no more Demonic Humans in the academy, but they wouldn't believe me even if I told them, and I have no intention of explaining.
"The important thing is, we're quitting today."
Anyway, we weren't included in the social gathering.
As the phrase 'among students' implies, professors couldn't participate. Not that I wanted to in the first place. That evening, we headed to the Headmaster's office.
*Knock, knock.*
I knocked and entered the Headmaster's office.
What I saw was Lucia and a stack of documents piled higher than she was tall.
She looked up as we entered, her gaze shifting to us.
"Are you leaving now?"
A question that suggested she already knew why we were here.
"Yep."
"It seems the time has already come."
I was sick and tired of both the events and the academy.
It was time to return to being Luke the adventurer.
"Somehow, a lot has happened in a short time."
"Tell me about it. If nothing had happened, I would've taught you some magic."
"That's... a relief, then..."
She placed her quill in its stand and faced us.
"You've all worked very hard. I've left your payment with the Adventurer's Guild, so you can pick it up later."
"Okay."
No need for long goodbyes.
There was nothing more to say, and she was busy.
After our brief conversation, we immediately left her office, walked across the campus, and headed for the main gate.
We left empty-handed. We hadn't brought anything with us, after all.
"Freedom at last!"
"I didn't feel this way when we first arrived... but now, leaving the academy feels like a bit of a relief."
"Me too!"
As we were each sharing our thoughts and stepping out of the academy's main gate.
"Leaving?"
Someone popped out from beside the main gate's wall.
"Who are you?"
"...You know who I am."
The problem is that I know her all too well.
What is she doing here? Isn't she supposed to be at the social gathering?
Hex is dead. Why is the girl who should be all dressed up and having a blast here?
"What do you want? I'm not a professor anymore, you know."
"I want to go with you."
...Your heroine is something else, huh?
***
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... You're free to drop out, but as you are the top student, I'd like to at least know the reason."
The Headmaster's office.
Before Luke had visited, Liche had arrived one step ahead.
"It's nothing special. I just don't have a reason to be at the academy anymore."
She had been contemplating for a long time before coming to the Headmaster's office.
Her goal, Hex, was dead.
Although it was a pity she couldn't kill him with her own hands, it was better than being stubborn and causing more victims.
So, what should she do now...? That was her dilemma.
There was no one to welcome her back in her domain. She'd just be treated like a ticking time bomb again, just like before.
Should she train, then?
Her reason for training had disappeared, and training alone was meaningless.
No, in the first place, was there any meaning in staying at the academy at all?
"From what I can see, it's not just that, is it?"
"...Am I that obvious?"
"How many students do you think I've seen drop out over the years?"
So she could fool everyone else, but not Lucia.
In fact, Liche had spotted Luke earlier that morning when she was on her way to the professors' dormitory to thank him.
From a distance, he was with Luna and Yui, seemingly returning to the dorm after a meal.
As she was about to approach him to express her gratitude.
—The important thing is, we're quitting today.
She had overheard him say that.
She knew he was only a temporary professor and would leave someday.
But... the situation was different now than it was before, and hearing those words made her heart ache.
That was why Liche had immediately sought out the Headmaster's office.
"But I wasn't lying."
Because there was no point in staying at an academy without him.
Luke had said that she was originally fated to be with Arthur.
But what about now?
Arthur? He wasn't even on her mind. Quite the opposite, in fact.
From trivial matters to important ones, they had been entangled in so many ways.
He may not have intended it, but the one who had helped her the most was, in fact, Luke.
Not just this time, but for a long time now.
At some point, she started to feel at ease whenever she saw him. Whatever happened, she felt reassured, and for some reason, her heart would flutter.
But now, she thought she understood.
If she wanted to become stronger, she shouldn't stay at the academy; she should follow him.
If she wanted to be happy, she shouldn't be at the academy; she should be by his side.
When you fall for someone, the choice is yours to make.
Faced with her resolute gaze, Lucia sighed as if she had no choice.
"Haaa... I understand. I'll take care of the paperwork, so you may leave."
"Thank you."
Afterward, Liche left the Headmaster's office and headed for her dormitory.
There wasn't much to prepare, but she needed to pack her things.
*Knock, knock.*
As she was organizing her personal belongings, someone knocked on her door.
Was someone looking for her now? Puzzled, she opened the door to find Tia standing there.
"Hello, Liche."
"Oh... hi."
What could she want?
They didn't have any plans, as far as she could remember.
"The social gathering is soon, right?"
"Ah..."
"Stella and I decided to go together, and I came to ask if you'd like to join us..."
Tia's voice trailed off as she peeked past Liche.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Um..."
Should I tell her or not?
After a moment of hesitation, she decided to tell her.
Even though Tia was involved with Arthur, she was one of the few people Liche could call a friend.
"I've dropped out of the academy."
Blink, blink.
Contrary to Liche's expectation of an immediate reaction, Tia just stood there with her mouth agape, blinking her eyes repeatedly as if she couldn't comprehend.
Then, a moment later.
"What?!"
She reacted as if she had misheard.
"I was just packing to leave."
"Why, why? No, more importantly, how could you...?"
"I found something I want to do."
Was that the right way to put it?
It wasn't exactly accurate, but it wasn't completely wrong either, so she didn't correct herself.
"...Is it because of him?"
"Him?"
"Luke, I mean."
"How...?"
"Stella once told me that I sometimes make a girlish face. Looking at your expression now, I think I understand what she meant."
Did my expression give me away?
It was a little embarrassing.
"Why don't you reconsider? From my perspective, it feels like a waste for you."
"A waste for me?"
Heh, Liche laughed as if Tia's words were amusing. Tia tilted her eyebrows in confusion.
Who was the real waste here?
It seemed more like the other way around.
"Hah... I don't know what's so great about him that you'd follow him..."
In Liche's opinion, Arthur was far worse, but there was no need to stir up trouble at the very end, so she said nothing.
"Congratulations. I guess you're the top student now?"
"I wanted to become the top student by winning on my own merits."
"Well then, I should get going before it's too late. Have a good time with Arthur."
Liche hoped that Tia and Stella would keep Arthur tied down.
So that he wouldn't get involved with her.
Since Tia and Stella seemed to have feelings for him, unlike her, she decided to use that to her advantage.
Liche picked up a small bag. She was no longer in her student uniform but in simple, unadorned civilian clothes made of cloth.
"...Even if you leave the academy, I will become stronger. The next time we meet, I'll be sure to win."
"I'll look forward to it."
With that, Liche left Tia behind and walked out of the dormitory.