The Dean's Answer
As Logan's response was delayed, her eyes grew even bolder. "Dean..." she whispered, rising to her feet and climbing onto the table. With a soft rustle, her dress skirt slid up slightly, revealing smooth thighs, and her weight pressed lightly against the tabletop. She knelt between his legs, gazing up at him from below. Her pristine white dress wrinkled, making the curves of her breasts even more pronounced.
Damn, a white dress is totally my type...
Her lips parted slightly, and her warm breath brushed against his groin first. Hoo— The heat seeped through the fabric of his pants, causing Logan's legs to tense involuntarily. Without hesitation, she extended her tongue and began slowly licking over his trousers. From bottom to top, tracing along the inner groin.
"Mmm... Dean, you're already getting so big today," her voice came out mixed with a moist, moan-like tone.
Shit, I got hard thinking about Layman earlier...
Her licking soon found a rhythm. Slurp, slurp—suck— repeating up and down, persistently stimulating the most sensitive parts of his groin. The front of his pants grew soaked with her saliva.
"Ugh..." A small groan escaped him. Hearing that sound, she seemed even more aroused, never slowing her pace as she continued. When Logan's legs trembled, she met his eyes. Her gaze was filled with lewd desperation.
"Dean... could you... give Layman some private guidance?" When there was no answer, her hand moved toward his belt. Much faster than last time, the belt came undone, the zipper slid down with a whisper, and his pants slipped away. As his underwear was revealed, she stared intently at the already bulging erection.
She began tracing her fingers along the edge of his underwear. "Please, Dean..." Her fingers pressed lightly against the fabric, stimulating the scorching heat beneath.
"Ugh... Fine, I'll... give him private lessons." Logan's answer burst out. His voice was shaking, his control already lost.
At those words, the corners of her mouth lifted. "Thank you... Dean."
Her hand tugged at the edge of his underwear. She immediately parted her lips, extending her tongue to lick up from the tip. The soft, pliant tongue wrapped around his cock, and Logan's hand gripped his own knee.
Fuck, that feels good...
She pushed her head forward, swallowing his length into her mouth. Shlurp— The warm pressure inside her mouth pierced through him. Slurp... slurp... Her head began moving back and forth, her saliva soaking and dripping down his shaft. Logan's breathing grew increasingly rough.
"Ugh... Layman's mother, just a moment..." His hand instinctively grabbed a fistful of her hair.
"I'll do it harder for you." Her pace quickened. Suck, suck... slurp, slurp... gluck, gluck... The pressure inside her mouth reached its peak. As his cock twitched, her tongue relentlessly licked the tip. When she looked up at him with those lewd, coquettish eyes, Logan's hips jerked back.
Fuck... I can't hold it.
Logan's body convulsed. "Mmph!! Mmph!!" Something hot exploded inside her mouth. His hand gripped her head tightly as his body shuddered.
Damn...
She pulled her mouth away, still holding it all inside, and smiled. "Dean... please take good care of Layman. I'll be trusting you."
Her voice trembled sweetly. Logan nodded, savoring the afterglow.
The air at the evening training grounds was rather chilly. The training field was already completely empty. The sun had fully set beyond the mountains, leaving the sky a dull gray and the wind blowing cold. Only three lanterns dimly illuminated the sandy floor.
Logan stood at the edge of the field and casually tossed a wooden sword. It sliced through the air and embedded itself at Layman's feet.
"Pick it up."
Layman bent at the waist and grasped the sword. Strength filled his hands, but his shoulders were slightly stiff. Logan stood with his arms crossed, observing for a long time. His stance was a mess, but his eyes weren't bad.
Logan spoke. "Your mother came by earlier. She earnestly begged me to give you private lessons while talking about you."
Layman's hand trembled faintly. With his head lowered, he squeezed out his voice. "...I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. I'm just asking out of curiosity. What kind of story made her go that far?"
A brief silence. Layman set the sword down and slowly began to speak.
"My father... died on the front lines. I was five years old at the time."
Logan listened in silence.
"After that, my mother raised me alone. She did laundry at the market, sewed late into the night... Whenever the word 'front lines' came up, her face would turn white. She told me every day, 'I don't want to send you there, of all people.'"
Layman took a deep breath.
"But mandatory military service can't be avoided. I thought it would be better to learn properly before going. That way... I might actually come back alive."
He lifted his head. His eyes were red, but they didn't waver.
"I heard that no one who graduates from Lumen Academy dies on the front lines. So... I came here. So I won't die even when I go to the front lines."
Logan met those eyes for a moment.
So that's why he's doing this.
No more words were needed. Logan took a step closer and clapped Layman on the shoulder.
"Alright. The conclusion is simple."
Layman looked up.
"You can't avoid enlisting anyway, so I'll have to train you so you can survive and return from the front lines."
The moment those words ended, Logan swung his sword. Clang— Layman hurriedly blocked, but his arm bent backward and he tumbled across the sandy floor.
Looking down at him, Logan said, "From now on, it's up to you. If you're going to give up, do it now. Learning what the academy teaches should be enough."
Layman gritted his teeth and stood up. Blood dripped from his hand, but he didn't let go of the sword.
Logan raised his sword again. "Good, your stance is decent. Today, let's see how many times you can get slammed into the ground and still get back up."
Beneath the lanterns, in the training ground where only the two of them remained, the sound of swords clashing echoed through the air.
It had been exactly two weeks since he started teaching Layman. The boy was learning better than expected and followed instructions well. The other sixth-year students had also adapted to the academy to some degree, and training was proceeding smoothly without major issues.
Normally, things would have continued like this.
If only that one person hadn't shown up.
As training was nearing its end, a familiar presence appeared at the entrance of the training grounds. It was Ethan. Standing beside him was a young woman who looked about eighteen or nineteen.
"Logan, it's been a while."
Ethan had visited frequently during the first and second years of Lumen Academy. He would drop by the training grounds, the dean's office—using every excuse imaginable. But after the Demon King reappeared, he had been living a busy life befitting the title of Hero, traveling between the front lines and the rear.
"What brings you here?" Logan asked as he approached.
Ethan gestured to the woman beside him. "This is the new Hero. Her name is Seris."
The woman gave a light bow. Her expression was a mix of tension and anticipation.
Ethan continued. "An upper-rank monster was discovered. We're on our way to subjugate it... so be our teaching material."
"Teaching material?"
"Yeah. Assistant combatant and practical instructor." Ethan shrugged with a smile. "I'll be teaching her while we deal with the demon, but since we're nearby, I figured we could hunt it together and educate her at the same time."
Ethan glanced at the woman beside him once more. "She needs to learn how to coordinate with party members. I want to show her firsthand how someone who clears the path moves."
Instead of answering, Logan looked at Ethan for a moment before shifting his gaze to Seris beside him. When their eyes met, she quickly lowered her head.
She seems timid.
Ethan added, "I considered others, but you're still the best."
Logan twisted the corner of his mouth. He knew exactly what Ethan meant by "best." While the Hero rampaged in front, Logan was the one who took down the archers in the back, ate the spells meant for others, cleared paths, and killed anything that interfered with the Hero—the so-called "shit-catcher" role. Logan had been the best at it. That's why Ethan was grinning so shamelessly even now.
"Sounds annoying," Logan muttered. "I'm busy raising the sixth-years right now."
"I know. But you're one of the only two people qualified to teach a Hero."
Logan let out a grumbling sigh. "You're really bothering me, you know."
Even as he said that, he couldn't easily tear his eyes away from the woman standing beside him.
"When do we leave?"
Ethan answered immediately. "Tomorrow at dawn."
"Preparations?"
"All done. There's even a carriage waiting for you to ride in." Ethan grinned. "I'll introduce you to some good instructors."
Logan let out a deep sigh. "Let's go."
Ethan gave a thumbs-up. As Logan returned to the dean's office, he clicked his tongue. Another annoying task had come up. But his steps were already preparing for dawn tomorrow.
The carriage stopped three kilometers before the entrance to the swamp. The air felt oppressively heavy. Not a single frog or bird made a sound.
Ethan got down from behind and said, "The horses can't go any further from here. We'll walk."
Logan tied the reins to a tree and nodded at Seris. "Take the lead."
Seris brushed her silver hair back and drew her spear. The tip glowed faintly with blue mana. Perhaps because she had experience cutting down a few lower-rank monsters, her hands didn't tremble.
Ethan explained, "Its name is 'Grul.' It's an upper-rank swamp monster with a total of eight tentacles. Special note: even if I sever them with the Holy Sword, they regenerate in about ten seconds."
Seris swallowed hard.
Logan uncrossed his arms and added, "Don't worry too much about the tentacles."
Seris nodded.
"Ethan and I will mark the tentacles. Seris, you handle the remaining two while locating the main body. Try to land the final blow as well."
Logan smirked. "Ethan, you just watch Seris from the back. I'll handle six tentacles."
"You sure?"
Logan drew the sword from his waist. "Seris, take the lead and locate the demon."
Seris gripped her spear tightly and replied, "...Understood."
The swamp fog swallowed the three of them. It didn't take long to reach the demon's location, and they could sense something massive writhing within the mist.
Logan drew his sword and spoke in a low voice. "Let's begin."
The fog tore apart. Boom. The entire swamp trembled as eight black tentacles shot up simultaneously. They were thick enough to blot out the sky, and the venom dripping from their tips melted the ground.
Seris instinctively thrust her spear forward.
Slice.
Logan's sword left six afterimages in the air. In an instant, six tentacles froze mid-air. Black blood sprayed from the severed cross-sections, but in less than ten seconds, they began writhing and reattaching.
Ethan drew the Holy Sword and took a step back. "Your skills are still the same."
Without replying, Logan signaled with his left hand. He held up exactly two fingers toward Seris.
Just handle two.
Seris gritted her teeth and charged forward. The remaining two tentacles came crashing down toward her. At the same time, Logan swung at the six again. The tentacles tried to bypass him to target Seris, but not a single one got past.
Seris swung her spear. Once, twice. She knocked away the two tentacles in succession and peered through the gap at the swamp's surface.
"Below... about three meters, right in the center! The main body is there!"
Logan chuckled lowly. "Good."
Black mana erupted from the tip of his sword, slamming all six tentacles into the ground at once. The six tentacles stiffened simultaneously.
"Now!"
Seris launched herself into the air. Her silver hair fluttered in the wind. The blue mana gathered at the tip of her spear shone like the sun as she drove it downward.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!
A white light exploded at the center of the swamp, and all eight tentacles went limp at once. The black swamp slowly turned red.
Seris pulled out her spear, breathing heavily. Logan sheathed his sword and looked back.
"A Hero is a Hero indeed."
Seris looked at Logan. "...Was that okay?"
"It was fine. Next time, find it a little faster."
Seris smiled weakly and nodded. From afar, Ethan gave a thumbs-up.
Logan glanced down at the swamp one more time. "Let's go. This place feels gross—I want to wash up quickly."
As the fog lifted, sunlight seeped onto the ground. The black swamp remained dark, but a heavy certainty settled in his heart that in two years, this place would return to being a forest.