Chapter 251
Chapter 251
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 251
Chapter Title: I Am Your Future (1)
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A few weeks after hearing the news of Gallahal's retirement, I received a single letter that had flown in from the front lines. The contents were brief.
Gallahal's visit to Aphria.
The news of Gallahal's retirement hadn't yet spread publicly, and the letter contained only the bare minimum of information. The main purpose of the visit was to meet Chloe, the next Hero candidate.
'Just as Kalt said.'
I muttered absentmindedly as I read the letter.
Last time, Kalt had told me that Knight Commander Heinkel would send Gallahal to Aphria. Once Heinkel made up his mind, he pushed things forward quickly... so Gallahal's visit had been half-decided from that moment on.
Since I'd already expected it, I wasn't particularly surprised.
And his visit didn't worry me, either.
'If anything, it's a good thing.'
Gallahal was a Hero who'd fought on the front lines for years.
For Chloe, or for the students who'd head to the battlefield in the future, just meeting him would be a huge inspiration.
'That spineless bastard Destel—if he showed up, I'd beat some sense into him and send him packing...'
Unlike Destel, who spewed nonsense and tried to brainwash people with useless ideologies, Gallahal's visit was something to welcome.
But that was that.
"I suspect the visit will be sometime next month. This is still confidential, so please be careful not to let it leak."
I looked up from the letter.
'The kid's here again.'
When I shifted my gaze forward, there sat a familiar face I'd been seeing more often lately.
"Doesn't all that back-and-forth between the capital and the front lines wear you out?"
"Riding in a carriage for long stretches does make my body ache, but it's nothing compared to marching."
The knight responded coolly, shrugging his shoulders. Turbulent Rox—that was his moniker. I nodded without thinking.
"Marching is tough. After a long haul, your toes throb so bad you can't even sleep at night..."
"...Pardon? Have you marched before?"
"...I misspoke. I've just heard it's tough."
Thinking back to my own battlefield experiences always made words slip out effortlessly. I let out an awkward laugh and changed the subject.
"So, you came all this way just to deliver this letter? Surely you didn't have to bring it yourself."
"Truth be told, I stopped by for a preliminary survey as well."
"Preliminary survey?"
I tilted my head.
Rox scratched the back of his neck and continued.
"Before Gallahal arrives, things like securing lodging, preparing temporary passes here at Aphria... little details like that. I came ahead to handle them."
"By yourself, a knight like you?"
"It's my mission from the Knight Commander to assist Gallahal. And personally, he's someone I respect. Besides..."
Rox gave a wry smile.
"Aphria is my alma mater, after all."
I wondered if I'd hear that again someday.
He muttered, then looked at me.
"Would it be too much to ask you to show me around?"
"No problem at all."
But did Aphria really need a guide?
As I reached for the robe I'd hung up, thinking that...
"Well, if it isn't Rox."
My master returned from a brief errand.
Seeing Rox sitting across from me, he expressed his delight.
'Right, he was one of Master's students.'
Rox must be happy to see his old teacher too.
I glanced at Rox with that thought... but his reaction was quite different from what I'd expected.
"Uh, u-um... Pr-Professor Rosel."
Rox's eyes twitched nervously.
"Word of your exploits on the battlefield has even reached the capital. Turbulent Rox—it's a fitting moniker for the student who specialized in shockwave magic."
Unlike Master, who seemed genuinely pleased to see his former student, Rox could barely meet his eyes.
'What's wrong with this guy?'
It reminded me of how students had reacted to me at the start of the semester. Feeling an odd sense of familiarity, I heard Master speak up.
"So, Lania. Heading out somewhere?"
"Ah, this guy asked me to show him around Aphria..."
"Perfect."
Master smiled.
"Come along, Rox. I was planning to stop by Aphria anyway, so I'll guide you."
"N-No, it's fine! Professor Rosel. I can look around on my own just fine..."
"A lot's changed since you graduated. Let me show you—don't refuse."
Rox whipped his head around.
He shot me a desperately pleading look, but I had no idea what it meant.
"Have a good time."
I waved him off.
Rox's face drained of color.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
Rox, the knight and Aphria alumnus.
He had two main tasks for his visit to Aphria.
'First, the preliminary survey ahead of Gallahal's visit.'
And second...
'Assess the skill levels of currently enrolled students.'
It was a necessary check.
The front lines currently needed fresh troops, and Aphria graduates were high-caliber talent.
Not everyone headed to the battlefield, of course.
But many from the Battle Magic department, especially commoner students, chose to become battlefield knights. Rox's task this time was to evaluate those students.
A general assessment of their levels.
And compile a list of standout individuals.
It was work he could do alone, but Rox had hoped to get a guide from Lania for personal reasons. Just walking with her seemed like it would soothe his battle-worn body and soul.
And was this punishment for those selfish thoughts?
'Of all people, Professor Rosel...'
Walking beside him now wasn't a bright young female professor, but his stern old mentor. Rox felt like he might cry.
Rosel van Trias, Aphria's Nightmare.
Rosel had been Rox's advisor, and thanks to Aphria's Nightmare, he'd endured a hellish school life. His days were stained with assignments and personal research.
He'd never even had a taste of romance like everyone else.
His blooming youth was buried in the lab.
When he thought back to his school days, Aphria's beautiful scenery didn't come to mind—no cherry blossoms or anything. All that surfaced was the cold, chilly spell research lab.
'But it did put me on the elite track.'
From commoner to knighted.
Now he served as the Knight Commander's aide.
An honorable position, one others envied.
So why...?
"They say this garden was newly landscaped. Aaron, that fellow, invested a lot in this area. It wasn't here when you were a student, was it?"
"Y-Yes... I see."
As he gazed at Aphria's beautiful garden, why did his side ache so much...?
"......"
Rox stared at the garden with deadened eyes. Students laughed and chatted as they strolled through.
The most eye-catching among them...
"Why are you eating it like that, letting crumbs fall everywhere? So sloppy."
"What can I do? It's how the honey bread is made. And it's okay to drop a little..."
"Wipe your mouth first. Your mouth."
Two students sat on a bench, tearing into honey bread.
A girl with striking white hair, and a boy who looked like he'd tasted every bitterness life had to offer. The boy dabbed at the girl's mouth with a handkerchief.
It was like a scene from a youthful drama.
A romance novel unfolding in the academy garden—Rox's eyes widened.
'These kids are already...!'
No matter how picturesque the scene, if the viewer's own life was barren... it was pure torture.
"...The current students don't seem up to much."
"What brought that on, Rox?"
"They have time to leisurely date, and even Professor Rosel has mellowed quite a bit."
"Me?"
Rox glared at Rosel with hollow eyes.
"You're Aphria's Nightmare, aren't you?"
"You students jokingly called me that."
"We meant it pretty seriously..."
"But that nickname isn't mine anymore."
Rosel shrugged.
"I've handed over the title of Aphria's Nightmare, so in a way, you're right—I've mellowed."
"If it's not yours...?"
"These days, my disciple has taken it up. They call her Aphria's Nightmare."
Aphria's Nightmare: Lania van Trias.
Rosel calmly relayed the rumors circulating among the students.
Rox blinked, then burst out laughing and waved his hand dismissively.
"Professor Rosel, good one."
"A joke?"
"No way."
Just standing at the podium and smiling a little would have students swooning—Nightmare? Impossible.
'With that face and voice? No chance.'
It was no easy feat. Really.
"I'm jealous. So jealous."
Rox grumbled as he walked on.
"Something I never could have imagined back then."
His steps halted right in front of the two students on the bench. They looked up at him.
"Hello."
Rox spoke.
"You're Belnoa, right?"
He hadn't recognized her at first glance... but up close, Rox could identify them.
One was the next Hero candidate, Chloe.
The other was Belnoa, the Black Mage Tower Lord's prized disciple.
Rox narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the pair enjoying their romance. He turned to Rosel.
"Professor Rosel."
"What is it, Rox?"
"Mind if I test these juniors' skills?"
Time to give these cheeky underclassmen a taste of bitterness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 3.
A day without classes.
A legal holiday, spent leisurely enjoying dessert.
Lania hummed as she headed to Aphria, indulging in one of her rare hobbies. Her steps were light and bouncy toward the cafe inside Aphria, where she'd become a regular.
Rumor had it the owner, Allen, had developed a new dessert. From snippets she'd overheard among students, it sounded extraordinarily tasty.
'Usually, class times overlap with the limited stock, so I miss out...'
But today was different.
She'd timed her arrival for opening, so she could savor it fresh from the oven. Lania licked her lips unconsciously as she passed through Aphria's main gate.
"...Huh?"
Something was off about the atmosphere at Aphria.
It felt different from usual... and there were no students waiting in front of the cafe like normal.
Instead, they were lining up, heading somewhere. Lania perked up her ears to their conversation.
『Did you hear?』
『An Aphria alum—a knight active on the front lines—is visiting...』
『And offering guidance...』
It seemed to be about Rox.
"Oh..."
Was he checking on his juniors as a senior?
Lania thought it was a fine idea.
As she moved to enter the cafe without a second thought, another snippet stopped her in her tracks.
『Who’s he guiding?』
『Belnoa and Rak!』
『Both at the same time?』
Lania halted and turned only her head toward where the students were heading. At the end of the line was the arena—looking quite official.
"Hm."
Belnoa and Rak.
Turbulent Rox.
"Hmm..."
After a brief moment of thought, Lania smoothly joined the stream of students.
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