The Accidental Hero
Since I'm feeling generous, I'll at least hear your last words.
There were ten professors from the academy's combat faculty standing in front of me—basically everyone who could be called a powerhouse. And right at the center was none other than President Jania Pieris herself.
The other professors were bustling around, checking the perimeter for safety, leaving only Jania to approach me.
Her face was a mix of shock, surprise, and anger.
I'm screwed. This vibe screamed "you're the culprit." Who knew I'd get caught red-handed at the scene... How the hell do I talk my way out of this?
I scanned the surroundings, desperately hoping for an escape route. But the white orb that should have been there was gone. Bianca had vanished at some point.
You little traitor. You ditched me and ran? I'll deal with you later.
Jania drew closer, step by step.
Hahaha... What do I do? If I'd known it'd turn out like this, I wouldn't have ditched it right away.
Regret always comes too late, no matter how quick. In the end, I couldn't come up with an escape plan before she reached me.
I closed my eyes in resignation.
"That was reckless. No matter how many academy students were ambushed one after another, trying to handle it alone was wrong."
Huh? Handle it alone? What are you talking about?
Unable to make sense of it, I cracked my eyes open just a sliver.
"Haa... Even if you are an academy professor, you're still just a child."
I had no clue what was going on, but I listened intently. This might be my way out.
"Some of the students in your class were injured, but it was minor."
News to me. I'd avoided chatting about anything but class matters to steer clear of trouble, so no surprise there.
"Thankfully, with the Third Prince and Miss Perdita there, no one suffered serious harm. But that doesn't mean you should have stepped in alone."
Ooh! As expected of Perdita!
If this was tied to the End of Salvation cult, the enemies must've been tough... But from what Jania was saying, no major injuries. That's genius for you. Awesome~
"The forest was immediately sealed off, and we selected the strongest professors for the investigation... Haa. What a mess."
At least it didn't seem like I was under suspicion. If anything, I looked like the hot-blooded hero who charged in because she couldn't stand seeing students attacked. Time to roll with that!
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Jania's eyes narrowed instantly.
"It's not just about the results—the process matters too! And what is that mess you're in? Especially for a girl to look like that!"
Huh? Is that really the point? Honestly, even though I'm a girl now, it doesn't faze me. I'd lived 30 years as a guy, and I've been holed up in deep mountains with no people around since coming here.
Jania lightly swung her staff, and a bluish mana barrier sprang up around me.
"If you'd gotten hurt, how could I face Master with any dignity?"
Aha? So that's the issue. Darn, I thought she was worried about me. Still, better than being pegged as the bad guy.
"Anyway, good work. We were able to track them down thanks to the mana bolt you fired. Leave the rest to us adults..."
Mana bolt? Oh, the one I shot to clear the wooden vines? Guess they were closer than I thought. Makes sense why they got here so fast.
No need to spill the truth, so I stayed quiet.
Then Jania took off her cloak and draped it over me.
"Please... don't ever charge in alone like this again."
With the situation calming down, I glanced at myself. Covered in dirt, vomit mixed with dust in patches—total disaster.
Yeah, definitely a mess. I just wanted to wash up and crash.
That's when Professor Calden came over, carrying something.
It was the magic stone I'd told them to ditch.
Oh right! I was gonna hide that...
I averted my eyes to avoid suspicion.
"President Jania, this magic stone's the same as the others, right?"
"We'll need to appraise it properly, but yeah, I think so. That must've been their scheme."
Thankfully, they chatted without suspecting me.
Did I come all this way for nothing?
Haa—talk about the thief shooting his own foot.
In the distance, Professor Jed had Hans trussed up.
"Got one alive. It's Hans."
"This guy's Hans? Isn't he like a mid-level exec or something?"
A new voice echoed from the shadows.
Which professor was that? Mid-level, huh? Yeah, makes sense—not many are stronger than Professor Layered.
"Hans is one of the few known faces, so it's definite."
The End of Salvation was a shrouded group. No one knew their goals, but they stirred up incidents at the academy. They wore robes that hid their faces, so most members were unknowns. Their numbers were small, though, so they pulled off terror-like acts: polluting an area or messing with ancient ruins to unleash automata. The protagonists teamed up with professors to resolve them. Their final boss was a death dragon created by the cult.
In the game, the named End of Salvation members were Jade and Canillian.
Since Canillian always called Jade "boss," Jade was probably the leader.
So under Jade: Canillian, Erica, and Hans? Though Hans seemed below Erica...
Whatever—President Jania would handle it!
The search professors returned.
"President. Looks like the rest got away."
The one who'd brought my discarded stone spoke up too.
"Found a few more here!"
Jania heard all the reports.
"No more gains to be had here. Let's pull out!"
At her command, the professors sprang into action. And me...
"Eh?"
"Professor Miriel, I'll carry you on my back. Get some rest in the meantime."
Jania hoisted me up so naturally.
Hahaha... Th-this is fine, right? Yeah, totally fine!
Riding on her back, I figured sleep was impossible.
But...
* * * * *
"President."
A light-brown-haired young man approached Jania, but she pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shh! She's sleeping."
Doze... doze...
Miriel's steady breathing tickled Jania's back from where she was piggybacked.
"She must be exhausted. Even someone as strong as her, taking them on alone."
Jania's voice was unusually soft and hushed—a consideration so Miriel wouldn't wake.
"What an unpredictable kid, huh? She shows up out of nowhere, stronger than anyone, but hates stepping up... yet rushes in to protect students when they're hurt."
The other professors fell silent at her words, lost in thought. But one sentiment was shared.
'I'm not even as good as this child.'
No one had dared go alone; they'd only moved after Jania gathered them. The silence lingered all the way back to the academy.
"I'll take Professor Miriel to her room."
Jania headed straight for Miriel's quarters.
* * * * *
The president's office held over a dozen professors, mostly from the operation.
"Professor Terrier. Why didn't you join this op?"
Calden snapped at Terrier, who just snorted.
"Hmph! Mages gotta earn their keep, right? Word is, some pint-sized professor solved it—not you lot. Maybe I should be asking what you did."
The magic professors scowled in unison, but couldn't retort—his point hit home.
Then the door opened, and Jania entered. The heavy tension eased instantly. She took her seat at the center.
"President, you're back?"
Jania nodded lightly at Terrier's greeting, then handed the recovered magic stones to Jed.
"Yes. Professor Jed, is it definitely an Arcane Stone?"
Jed touched his staff to a stone. A milky light flickered briefly, then faded. He nodded.
"Definitely. All infused with the energy of the Disease Tetramma."
"Hmm..."
The office buzzed at the words of Jed, the alchemist and alchemy professor.
"Quiet! Then, Professor Proteus—what would have happened if we hadn't found these?"
Proteus stepped forward at Jania's prompt.
"It was near the south gate, close to Lao Medea. If we'd missed it, the Disease would spread through Amalthea Forest. Mana beasts would flee into the city to escape—around six months from now. During the academy festival."
Shock rippled through the room.
"Ah..."
"So that's what they were after."
It would've been a terror attack timed for peak visitor season.
"At least it's averted, President."
"Yeah, nipped in the bud."
The professors relaxed now that it was resolved. But Terrier piped up.
"You didn't solve it yourselves, though. Handing it off to a kid young enough to be your daughter... what kind of—"
"Enough! If you've got time to bicker, patrol the academy again!"
Terrier shut up at Jania's command.
"Dismissed for today."
* * * * *
Class canceled.
No advance notice—I just submitted the cancellation after sleeping through the whole day.
No idea if anyone tried waking me, but I missed class entirely. The late notice got no complaints, surprisingly.
Even the admin office approved it on the spot.
Why? Maybe because some injured students hadn't returned yet. Whatever—didn't matter.
Time to enjoy this rare day off! I plopped onto the bed, and Bianca floated over.
"Aha? Bianca? Got any last words?"
Yeah, you who ditched me and ran? Anything to say before the end? I'm kind, so I'll listen to your dying wish.
Sensing danger, Bianca bolted. But she's still in my palm. I gathered mana in my staff and wove a simple mana net to snag her.
But Bianca flew at me instead.
Oh ho? Playing smart?
I switched the net to the opposite side.
Now—double-sided trap! How you gonna dodge this, Bianca!!
Faced with nets from both directions, Bianca suddenly dropped low.
Think that'll work? Wha—hey?!
"Yah!!"
I frantically canceled the net.
Dang it! Don't use Pengu as a hostage!!!
With Pengu in the middle, round two between me and Bianca was just getting started.