Ch.108108. Spring Arrives (1)

Strangely enough, a warm breeze was blowing through the royal capital. Whether it was heaven’s whim or simply the natural changing of seasons was unclear, but people were welcoming the early arrival of spring. Some cast suspicious glances at the magic tower. Their opinion was that the mages must have used some trick for the upcoming entrance ceremony.

“Will the entrance ceremony proceed normally this time?”

“Last time, the whole country was in an uproar. They ended up scaling back everything, including the entrance ceremony.”

People nodded as they recalled those memories. For those who weren’t from Barktins, the memory of the third calamity that had arrived last spring was like a fleeting nightmare. The wounds and scars were all stories that had nothing to do with them.

“This time they’ll do it properly. We’ll have to watch those noble and rich young masters and misses strutting around the royal capital again. That’ll be a bit annoying in its own way.”

“Why? They’re at an age where they should be confident. They’re about to become adults, so can’t we just find that kind of behavior endearing?”

This year’s reopened entrance ceremony was being prepared amid such gossip from the capital’s residents. At the same time, promising youths from across the continent were gathering in the royal capital. Whether they were mages, knights, or administrators, the academy was a place for them to build connections and develop their skills.

“Good.”

“I’ll definitely graduate as number one and break their arrogance.”

Each promising youth muttered their own resolutions as they headed toward the royal capital. Among those who knew nothing, some harbored romantic dreams.

“Someday, I could be the one to defeat the next calamity.”

“If I just develop enough, I could easily join the hero’s party. My talent isn’t something to be overlooked.”

In the end, what gathered were the dreams and desires of young men and women. Watching these youths gather, Nella let out a long sigh. On the eighth floor of the magic tower, where the cafeteria was located, she clicked her tongue briefly as she looked at the figure sitting across from her.

“So, what do you think, Hero? There are so many who follow you.”

“They idolize me and have expectations. What they want is to be in my position.”

Nella narrowed her eyes as if finding it uninteresting. Ilroy was stabbing his pasta with a fork, twirling it around. The Ilroy she had met again and encountered repeatedly over the past month had become someone different from the one she knew. More composed, perhaps. He had eyes that she couldn’t fathom. The scale of his mana and his full power had now reached a level that Nella could no longer even estimate.

“You hate people despite being in the business of saving them.”

Ilroy raised his eyebrows as if to say “what are you talking about” while bringing the neatly rolled pasta to his mouth. Seeing his nonchalant expression, Nella let out an incredulous laugh.

“Well, you’re not thinking about guiding them, helping them reach a level where they could stand by your side… But I guess with your personality, you wouldn’t get conceited anyway.”

Nella’s voice grew quieter toward the end of her sentence. Ilroy’s gaze fixed on Nella as he chewed his pasta. Nella felt a twinge of discomfort whenever Ilroy looked at her like that. It was like the feeling of a child caught doing something wrong by their parents. Those eyes seemed to be trying to uncover faults that Nella didn’t even have.

“Stop looking at me like that. It’s really annoying.”

Nella snapped at Ilroy, trying to prop herself up against the overwhelming feeling. Ilroy continued to look at Nella indifferently before turning his eyes back to his plate.

“I don’t hate people. I just think those expectations and resolutions are futile. I appreciate their desire to fight against calamities and monsters, but they can’t save people by thinking that way.”

“What a great saint you are. Well, even I wouldn’t want to have such kids tagging along—they’d be a nuisance.”

Nella then waved her hand, cutting off the connection with her familiar. The chatter of new students below the tower could no longer be heard. Ilroy took another bite of pasta and looked down at the base of the tower. Nella observed Ilroy, who seemed lost in deep thought.

‘…Why am I sitting here having a friendly meal with that guy?’

Those blue-green eyes often changed color depending on the light and Ilroy’s mood. Sometimes they gave the impression of endless verdant foliage, and other times they reminded one of a deep forest during a downpour. A forest so deep that one would surely get lost if they entered.

“What’s been troubling you lately?”

She had asked that without any conscious intention on her part. At least, that’s what she thought. It was simply that the thought that came to mind when looking at those eyes had escaped her lips—

Oh no. I’m not even curious about his personal circumstances. Why did I say such a useless thing-!!

After asking the question, Nella’s expression clearly showed she had made a mistake. Not even trying to hide her error, Nella grabbed her glass and took a drink of water.

“That’s unusual. You asking such a question.”

“I-It’s not like I’m particularly curious. When you’re like that, I don’t know what you’re plotting. I’m wondering if you might be planning to cause trouble for the magic tower.”

Nella spewed out words that seemed like a rebuttal. Ilroy looked at her and smiled bitterly, which made Nella’s face contort slightly in frustration. That smile seemed to declare that he wouldn’t give her an answer. Well, of course. She hadn’t expected an answer anyway.

“It’s not so much that I’m troubled as I am anxious. I’ve never been this idle before.”

And then came the answer. Nella looked up. The bitter smile that had briefly appeared on Ilroy’s face had vanished like a mirage. He wore his usual flat, indifferent expression.

“What do you mean by being idle? You seem quite busy to me.”

“I haven’t been busy. And me not being busy is both a good sign and an ominous one.”

Once again, pasta was twirled around Ilroy’s fingertips and entered his mouth. Nella pursed her lips, seemingly dissatisfied with Ilroy’s vague response.

“Ah, I see. It could be ominous or not. How is that any different from saying I might die tomorrow or I might not? Does becoming stronger give you some disease where you have to speak in riddles? You’re like that, and sometimes the Tower Master too.”

Nella said this as she picked up a sandwich and took a bite. Ilroy heard Nella’s voice full of dissatisfaction and chuckled again.

“You’re right. But you roughly understand what I mean, don’t you?”

“It means that when you’re active, the calamities are active, and when you’re not, they’re plotting in unseen places. If both are bad, isn’t it better for your body to be comfortable?”

Nella answered Ilroy’s words with narrowed eyes. Ilroy paused as he was about to pick up his water glass, seemingly considering Nella’s words.

“I suppose so.”

“I don’t know. Think about it yourself.”

Nella wasn’t pleased about having such an everyday conversation with Ilroy. She deliberately cut the conversation short to prevent it from continuing and started devouring her sandwich.

“Just prepare well for your lectures. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of those noble young masters. The young ladies might find you cute, though. Well, they probably don’t have high expectations since you’re just an instructor.”

Ilroy frowned sharply. Nella slowed down her sandwich-eating pace, satisfied that she had managed to irritate him a little.

“Daphne must be quite helpful.”

This time it was Nella who frowned. There was no ill feeling between them. At least Nella didn’t have any now. She no longer had any lingering emotions or attachments to the hero’s party. She would have preferred not to see their faces at all.

“Yes. She’s very helpful. At least much more helpful than someone who just eats food without contributing.”

Though they exchanged barbs, there was no hostility. Nella sighed, unable to adapt to this strange situation. To think she could be this peaceful with someone who had driven her away.

No special conversation followed after that. The two pretended to focus on their meals while being lost in different thoughts.

“Nella.”

At Ilroy’s sudden call, Nella looked up. This time, the green hue was more prominent in those blue-green eyes.

“What?”

“Did you resent me?”

It was a question without context. Nella snorted at Ilroy’s question.

“My goodness. The person who defeated three calamities and saved the world that many times is still worried about that?”

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Ilroy shook his head and stood up. Despite eating enthusiastically, his plate was now clean. Nella was still chewing on her half-finished sandwich.

“I’ll go ahead. See you later at the observation.”

Ilroy wiped his mouth neatly and got up. It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable or bothersome that he was leaving first, but Nella deliberately didn’t acknowledge his farewell. She didn’t want to pretend to be any friendlier with him than this.

Nella watched Ilroy walk away. She wasn’t curious at all about where he was going.

==

“This doesn’t look easy.”

That was what Daphne said. In the research lab, she was stroking her chin while looking at a piece of paper.

“We need to establish countermeasures quickly, not just observe. If we assume the collision will happen around summer, we have less than half a year left, and I don’t understand why proper, concrete measures haven’t been established yet. Were they just hoping the Tower Master or Ilroy would take care of it?”

Daphne muttered as she stretched her body over the desk.

“Good work.”

I placed a cup of coffee next to Daphne and sat down. When I sat down beside her, Daphne briefly showed a relaxed expression, but it was only momentary; she quickly returned to her serious face and began writing something on the paper.

“I’m not sure what scale of magic we need to counter this. At the very least, the mages participating in stopping this should be 5th circle or higher. We probably need at least a hundred such people. I don’t even know if such a large-scale magic has ever been implemented before.”

Daphne held the coffee with both hands and sighed.

“I’ll discuss it further with the Tower Master. From a 7th circle perspective, there might be something else we’re missing.”

Daphne finished her report and took a sip of coffee. The dark circles forming under her eyes made her look exactly like a graduate student.

“How about your side, Ilroy? Have you found anything?”

“I’m just keeping an eye on that direction for now. It’s not time to move actively yet. Besides…”

I recalled the unexpected visitor who had summoned me the day before yesterday.

“…the truly dangerous ones are probably down there right now.”

==

“Would you like to check this?”

The eyes of Bishop Andre, whom I met again after a long time, had become much sharper. In the restaurant where he always dined, the bishop didn’t even glance at the salad in front of him. I received the paper he handed me and frowned deeply.

“…An academy admission notice? Why are you giving this to me, Bishop?”

“Evil god worshippers were carrying this.”

The bishop spoke in a firm voice.

“Coincidentally, it overlaps with when you, Hero, began observing the sixth calamity at the magic tower. Whether it’s a coincidence or whether the evil god worshippers’ intelligence is that good, I’m not sure.”

I rubbed the blood-soaked admission notice before placing it on the table.

“Are they trying to infiltrate spies into the academy?”

I shook my head at the bishop’s words.

“No. The evil god worshippers have already deeply infiltrated the magic tower. I don’t think they would want to extend their reach by deploying additional spies here.”

Once again, the evil god worshippers seemed to be up to something incomprehensible.

“…But we can’t rule out the possibility that their minions might be mixed in with the new students. Perhaps it would be better to narrow down the investigation from that angle first.”

In a way, it was fortunate that I had been assigned as an instructor. At least I had a legitimate reason to interact with the students. As I was deep in thought, Bishop Andre picked up his fork and hesitantly spoke.

“Be careful, Hero.”

Words the bishop wouldn’t normally say. I looked at his tense face.

“The evil god worshippers. This time, they might seriously be aiming for your life.”

“…I understand.”

==

I opened the list of new students. Just like before, I had circled anyone who seemed even slightly suspicious. I shook my head as I scanned the list. Working alone, I had ended up circling too many students.

…For now, it seemed the priority was to observe the placement exam.