episode_0026

The next day. Just like yesterday, after classes ended, we gathered and strolled through the academy’s garden, sharing stories.

“Oh right, today was Regina’s first class, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right…!”

“Regina was in the School of Magic, right? So, how was her first class in the School of Magic?”

“Well, it wasn’t as interesting as I thought… I knew everything already…”

Regina had chosen the subject of Magical Studies.

Within the [Arcana Academy], Regina was a student of the Swordsmanship Department like us, but having escaped her ‘fate,’ she wanted to try out some new classes.

Still, maybe it couldn’t be helped that it was boring.

Regina was a master of both magic and swordsmanship. Her honed magical skills, refined through 999 regressions, were at least on par with a Grand Magus or higher.

“Nevertheless, Regina claimed the top spot in the School of Magic…!”

“Yes. With Regina’s magical prowess, it shouldn’t have been too difficult.”

I cautiously patted Regina on the head, as if seeking praise. Then, I turned to Yerena.

“Oh right, Yerena. Regina.”

“Yes?”

“I think I need to leave a bit early today. I have somewhere to go.”

Since it was still the first day of classes, there were no assignments or materials to memorize. We hadn’t progressed much either.

Therefore, if I didn’t go today, I wouldn’t have time to visit the Adventurer’s Guild.

Of course, financially, things would work out if I asked Yerena and Regina for help, but I didn’t want to do that. Extending a hand even to friends… brought back unpleasant memories from my past life.

“Oh, really…?”

“Yes. Something personal came up. But don’t worry. It shouldn’t take too long.”

“If there’s something I can help with, I will. Since we have spare time, shall I assist?”

“Huh?!”

Yerena approached me and whispered softly. Her lips almost touching my ear as she spoke. Her breath tickling my ear every time she talked made me inadvertently let out an embarrassed whimper.

“Sian?”

“Uh, y-yes, just a moment…!”

Even in this situation, her beautiful voice echoed in my ear. Feeling momentarily overwhelmed, I grabbed Yerena’s arm to steady myself, as my legs suddenly felt weak. Unable to stand, I leaned on Yerena.

For some reason, it seemed like all eyes were on me. My face flushed involuntarily. No, was it just a feeling?

“Ah…”

Being surrounded by the top students of the Swordsmanship and Magical Studies Departments, all three of us being quite attractive, it was no wonder the attention was on us.

Feeling overwhelmed with embarrassment, I covered my face with both hands and whispered so only Yerena and Regina could hear.

“M-my…ears are a bit sensitive, so please be careful when you touch them…”

I wished I could disappear into a hole, but unfortunately, we were in the middle of the academy garden.

So, half-hiding in Yerena’s embrace, who was taller than me, I continued speaking.

“Understood…?”

“Yes, got it…!”

“…Yes. Remember that, I’ll be around.”

It was so embarrassing to directly tell my friends about my weakness. Without even realizing tears welling up in my eyes, I cautiously looked up at Yerena.

Then, her long and delicate thumb gently brushed my cheek. Yerena lightly wiped away the tears with her finger, her usual emotionless and cool voice adding, “Tears have formed.”

“Huh?”

The cool yet warm touch of Yerena’s hand, wrapped around his cheek, was comforting. Lost in that sensation, Cyan failed to notice Regina’s intense gaze from behind. He didn’t even see Yerena swallow her saliva, causing her Adam’s apple to move slightly.

Cyan, who had been absentmindedly recalling the touch that had covered his cheek, abruptly stood up as if fleeing.

“Uh, well… I’ll go first for now…!”

“Yeah. See you later at dinner.”

“Take care on your way back, Cyan…!”

…

“Ugh…!”

Descending the hill towards the autonomous zone, I found myself contorting my body, remembering the embarrassment I had shown in front of Yerena a while ago.

Even though it was in front of a friend, it felt like I had let loose too much.

“But, my ears… are quite sensitive.”

That being said, it wasn’t like I had no excuses. It’s not like I wanted to be like this…!

To survive as an adventurer at a young age, I gathered Hidden Pieces that were sensitive to various stimuli.

Among them, the best one was the passive skill received as a reward from the elves: “Sound of the Wind.” It was a morale-boosting ability that made my hearing as sharp as that of the elves.

The issue was that “Sound of the Wind” didn’t just make my hearing sensitive.

Elves were generally sensitive all over their ears. So, despite being different in appearance… their ears were quite sensitive.

“…And so am I.”

And I, who had received “Sound of the Wind,” was no different. It seemed like I reacted extremely sensitively to stimuli, albeit looking different from an elf.

“Well, I’ll be more careful next time.”

Brushing off the emerging concerns, I slowly opened the door to the Adventurer Guild in the autonomous zone.

The Adventurer Guild in the autonomous zone exuded a clean and sophisticated atmosphere compared to guilds elsewhere.

It was a sight I had seen countless times in the game, but having been active as an adventurer for five years, it felt awkward to me.

Initially, the Adventurer Guild in the Academy Autonomous Zone was slightly different from those outside. Just as the academy attracted all sorts of talents, the guild also presented itself in the best possible light.

“Welcome, are you here to register as an adventurer?”

“No, I just want to pick up some quests.”

Mistaking me for an aspiring adventurer due to my first-year uniform, the receptionist was taken aback when she saw the grade badge I presented.

Typically, gold-badge adventurers were in their late thirties at the earliest. Thinking it was somewhat surprising, I cautiously let magic flow into the badge. As a result, the part with my name shone brightly.

“Is this enough for authentication?”

“Yes. Um, yes, adventurer. The quests are posted over there. But since it’s early in the semester… there might not be quests suitable for a gold-badge rank.”

“That’s okay. I wasn’t here to find difficult quests in the first place.”

The developers of Arcana Academy liked hiding high-difficulty hidden quests or dungeons in early areas.

They did this to make users revisit the maps they created or something similar.

“Hmm…”

As I pondered the hidden achievements that could be achieved at the Adventurer Guild and their rewards, I slowly scanned through the quests.

It seemed like a branch created to encourage students to join the Adventurer Guild. There were no gold-rank requests on the board, let alone silver-rank ones.

Quietly browsing through the requests that anyone could easily handle, stuck between bronze and iron ranks, I carefully pulled out a dusty piece of paper that seemed to have been attached for quite some time.

“This should do.”

[Quest: Subterranean Sewer Monster Extermination][Rank: Superior and above eligible]

The request was adorned with the words in small print.

If it were a guild in a remote village, it might not have been so rare. However, in the Arcana Academy’s autonomous zone guild where only children of the elite gathered, it was a quest that would never be accepted.

Children of nobles or wealthy families rarely plunged into the sewers themselves. After all, even commoner adventurers hesitated to venture into the sewers.

“Um, will you really accept this quest, adventurer?”

“Yes.”

“If you abandon an accepted quest, you must refund 50% of the quest reward. Are you sure you want to take on this quest?”

“Yes. I’ve taken on quests like this many times before, so there’s no need to worry. Besides, this is currently the only practical quest available.”

The [Subterranean Sewer Monster Extermination] quest has quite a decent reward for the following quests.

Moreover, in the next quest directly connected to the sewer, you can meet one of the unbeatable heroines, the Holy Maiden.

The Holy Maiden was also a popular character. Perhaps that’s why. In the original work, she doesn’t appear until the second semester of her first year, but I wonder how she’ll be here, where she has become a reality.

“Understood.”

Fortunately, perhaps because I had already revealed my Gold-tier adventurer status, the receptionist didn’t say anything special.

After all, the criteria for advancing to Gold-tier adventurers include quest completion rate and the adventurer’s credibility. They probably chose to believe in that.

“Now, if you could sign here.”

I quickly signed the paper handed to me by the receptionist, glanced at the clock one last time, and swiftly made my way out.

To enter before the curfew at ten o’clock, it seemed like today was going to be a bit hectic.