Ch.118118. Delving In (5)

“For you to ask to see me first.”

The streets are filled with the scent of spring flowers. On this weekend, having some free time for once, I was walking along a relatively quiet outskirts of the royal capital with the guest I had invited.

“This is unusual, Ilroy.”

Isis’s voice suggested she didn’t mind. As she turned her head toward me with her hands behind her back, her blue eyes sparkled like a lake in the spring sunlight. She wore a white dress suitable for a young lady on a spring day. It was an outfit that suited her quite well.

“Aren’t you busy? I wonder if I called you out for nothing.”

She might be as busy as I am now. When I asked with concern, Isis smiled brightly and shook her head vigorously.

“Fortunately, the post-war cleanup is progressing smoothly. There’s no interference from anyone, support is coming in well, and above all, my skills have improved, making work much easier. I’m comfortable enough to indulge in coming here when you call for me.”

Isis showed me the holy power in her hand. I could feel the flow of magic, much purer than when she first awakened. She must not be neglecting her training.

“Well, even if I hadn’t been free, I would have come somehow.”

Isis added without showing any sign of embarrassment. I smiled wryly and matched my pace with hers as she began walking more slowly. A small humming sound could be heard as I approached her side.

“So, why did you call me? Do you have injured people who need treatment?”

“Yes. Though not right away.”

When my casual remark hit the mark, Isis turned her head toward me in surprise.

“Really? Wait, what do you mean ‘not right away’? If it’s a patient who needs my help, it must involve demon worshippers or someone in very serious condition.”

I burst into laughter seeing Isis getting flustered, saying “Take me there right now.” Displeased with my laughter, Isis frowned and puffed her cheeks.

“Stop laughing and explain properly. I know you wouldn’t call me all the way here for nothing.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s true that you’ll have a patient to take care of soon.”

I stopped on the path and looked at Isis. She stared directly into my eyes, not understanding what I meant, then her eyes began to tremble.

“Wait. I think I know what you’re about to say. Ilroy, don’t tell me you’re…”

“Soon, news of my death will spread.”

As if saying “I knew it,” Isis sighed deeply and dropped her head. Her well-groomed golden hair flowed down her neck.

“So what’s really happening? Why are you suddenly pretending to be dead? Weren’t you doing fine as a professor at the academy?”

“I plan to live like a real corpse. Until the things I’ve been waiting for happen.”

“What things are you waiting for?”

“I’m waiting for those guys to make their move. When rumors of my death spread, they won’t be able to stay still.”

“…What a method that would actually work.”

Isis let out a hollow laugh, but she probably thinks it’s half a joke and can’t guess my true intentions. I really, literally plan to live like a corpse.

==

“This is dragging on.”

The voice from the shadows clearly carried a tone of reproach. Despite the criticism, Natalie stood expressionless, listening to the voice. The eyes in the shadow stared at Natalie intently, then clicked their tongue as if resigned.

“No news from either your side or from our other planted agents. I wasn’t expecting rapid progress, but waiting for weeks without any change isn’t good either.”

The voice in the shadows was growing impatient.

“Well, even so, we can’t deny that the time is approaching. The comet is nearing, and we need to act before movement begins. We must capture the key figures and prevent them from opposing the calamity. Well, it’s not like they could do anything about the calamity even if they knew about it… I wonder what He thinks.”

A crunching sound could be heard, like someone biting their nails or grinding their teeth.

“It’s been a month since the higher-ups said they would issue direct orders. We can’t just sit around doing nothing. We don’t even know what’s happening. The higher-ups might be testing us again. We need to cause internal confusion as soon as possible.”

The voice was now muttering to itself rather than speaking to Natalie.

“Blending in is good, but don’t tell me you’ve assimilated with them. They’re all going to die eventually anyway. Only go as far as necessary to avoid suspicion.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Remember. You must kill the hero. Only you can do this.”

The presence in the shadows disappeared from Natalie’s room. Natalie stared at where the shadow had been for a while, then sat on the bed. The dormitory bed was soft. Although she was designed to barely need sleep, slumber had become something like a hobby for her.

“…”

Natalie gently stroked the bedspread, then flopped down on it. Drowsiness didn’t come, but she could fall asleep whenever she wanted to. Natalie stared at the ceiling, recalling the hero’s teachings. Then, pondering how to get her fingertips to his neck, she soon fell asleep.

==

“The midterm exam next week won’t take your level into consideration.”

At Ilroy’s words, the freshmen stirred. Ilroy quietly waited for their commotion to subside. Recently, it seemed like the lecture venue had completely changed to the training ground. Even the hero, who used to appear quite neatly dressed, had long since changed to more comfortable attire.

“One test. I’ll put you all in it and watch. I’ll check how much you’ve grown and how well you’ve absorbed my teachings.”

The hero poked the ground with the practice sword he always carried. The training ground transformed. The floor became covered with grass and trees grew. The hero looked around and sighed.

“Monsters won’t consider your strength in real combat. And as you know if you’ve been attending my classes, I’m not a very flexible person. I think the difficulty will be much higher than the placement test.”

The freshmen showed anxious faces. The hero smiled reassuringly and thrust his practice sword into the ground.

“It’s okay. You’ve definitely become stronger. You just haven’t realized it yet. So, there’s no need to be too anxious.”

There was a strange resonance in the hero’s words. A resonance that made you trust whatever he said, no matter how absurd. The freshmen now focused their attention on the hero, their agitation subsided.

“Well, that’s enough about the exam. Let’s proceed with today’s lesson. Today we’ll learn about the basics of pursuit and evasion. How monster pursuits work, and conversely, how we should track and chase monsters. Now, the monster we’ll use as an example is the ‘Crawler’…”

The class proceeded amid the disorder. The freshmen struggled to cram the hero’s lesson content into their heads already full of thoughts about the exam. The hero conducted the class slowly, considering the distracted students.

“…We’ll skip today’s practical session. I think proceeding with practice now would be worse than not doing it at all. You can use the remaining time as you wish, whether to rest or study for other subjects. However, the special class will start quite early.”

The hero said, looking at his watch. The students looked at him with eyes of salvation. And those taking the special class had sharply divided reactions—half joy, half despair.

“Well, students not in the special class may leave the classroom. Let’s use today’s special class for theoretical lessons.”

The hero said as he deactivated the barrier. Students not in the special class rushed out of the training ground, while those in the special class looked at the hero with tense expressions. The forest that reappeared was covered in snow.

“Natalie, I’d like to see you separately for a moment.”

Natalie’s eyebrows twitched in surprise at the hero’s sudden call. She passed by Eugene, who patted her shoulder, and Cora, who gazed at her enviously, and stood next to the hero at the starting point of the forest. Glancing sideways, she saw the hero gazing at the forest with nostalgic eyes.

“This is quite an old memory. When I defeated the Fourth Calamity, I was still very weak. I would have struggled to complete the assignment I’ve given you all today.”

Natalie couldn’t believe those words. As she frowned at the hero, he returned a smile.

“That’s hard to believe.”

“Everyone grows. Of course, one shouldn’t just become a strong child with only physical power, but an adult who knows how to use that power.”

A snowflake landed on the bridge of Natalie’s nose.

“What I’m trying to teach is how you should use that power.”

“How…?”

“How to protect those who don’t have the power you possess. How to work together with those who, though weaker than you, will lend you their strength.”

Natalie frowned at the hero’s words. Her purpose wasn’t to protect someone, but to kill someone. This very man she was talking to right now.

“I don’t need such people.”

Unless it was someone who would help her kill the hero. Eugene or Cora didn’t seem like they would play such a role. They were just people she was temporarily with for the sake of her disguise.

“I believe you will understand someday.”

Natalie looked at the hero with confused eyes. She had felt that the hero was similar to her kind. She felt incomprehension at his extreme difference and humanity. Even for a girl who hadn’t learned curiosity or emotions, the aversion arising from incomprehension was close to instinct, so Natalie unconsciously asked a question.

“How can you say such things, Professor?”

“By learning. One by one.”

“Who taught you such things?”

“The many people around me. And from the people I should have saved, and those I couldn’t save.”

Natalie slowly shook her head.

“I still don’t think I can understand you, Hero.”

“…Is that so.”

“It’s good that I don’t understand you.”

A warm liquid touched Natalie’s fingertips. The bright red blood of the hero, no different from that of other people.

“Because you need to die now, Hero.”

And then, an explosion sound was heard from far away.