Ch.130130. A New Beginning

Robern Academy was fundamentally an academy with many practical exercises. I wasn’t sure if this was forced from a gaming perspective or because students were learning swords and magic despite being students.

The beginning of countless future practical exercises.

First-year students preparing to depart for their first practical exercise in the classroom.

I understood that they weren’t being thrown into extreme situations yet, but rather going camping for two nights and three days in a nearby forest where monsters appeared.

I naturally wouldn’t be participating, but I was present to help Erika with her request to assist students in forming teams.

[I think I know why she called you here.]

The Dark Spiritmaster next to me snickered, placing one hand over her mouth and tilting her head in an irritatingly peculiar way.

[You’re a totem. In rural villages of other kingdoms, they hang up frightening totems to drive away strangers and evil spirits.]

“……”

[Look at the students—they’re too intimidated by you to even chat freely, just doing what they’re told.]

“I’m not actively threatening the students.”

I replied with folded arms, and the Dark Spiritmaster laughed again with a soft “heh.”

[Just you standing there silently is what scares them, you know?]

I didn’t find teaching particularly difficult, but perhaps students felt pressured because I was both a Black Mage and a high-ranking government official in the kingdom.

It wasn’t particularly important, but I wondered if merely standing there as a professor was putting too much pressure on the students.

[You can’t fix that. Can’t fix it. How could you fix standing there looking so scary?]

While ignoring the Dark Spiritmaster’s persistent jabs, a group of students suddenly approached me.

They appeared to be children who had formed a team for this practical exercise.

“Pro-Professor Deus? May I give the answer?”

A small-eyed girl who appeared to be a commoner raised her hand eagerly.

I naturally welcomed her.

“Yes, go ahead.”

The female student took a deep breath, briefly met my eyes, then quickly looked away like a frightened hamster.

The Dark Spiritmaster made a snarky comment after seeing this, but I waited for her answer.

“It’s a man, right? A large one!”

“…Incorrect.”

[Oh, are they trying to guess?]

The Dark Spiritmaster finally realized what the female student was attempting.

As the female student accepted her elimination without disappointment, another male student from behind immediately jumped in.

“I’d like to try too! It’s a woman, right? With a modest figure!”

[Say no if you don’t want to die.]

“……”

The Dark Spiritmaster immediately folded her arms, pushing forward her chest with mountain-like curves. I shook my head with a sigh.

“No.”

The next question followed immediately.

“It’s a woman! With a voluptuous figure!”

[That sounds like they’re calling me fat, but I’ll let it slide for now.]

I hadn’t intended to get this kind of verification from her.

“Continue.”

Hearing my response, the male student smiled brightly and continued.

“She has black hair. She’s very beautiful!”

“Incorrect.”

[Hey!]

The Dark Spiritmaster immediately rushed over to complain to me. It was quite difficult to ignore her and listen to the next students’ answers.

[I am beautiful!]

“How would I know that?”

How could I tell if she was beautiful when she always covered below her nose with a translucent cloth?

[Can’t you even see the silhouette?]

“Appearance is subjective, so it’s not valid criteria for judgment. That student was on the wrong track.”

[…Tch.]

Though the Dark Spiritmaster grumbled, she showed no intention of removing her veil. I had no desire to force her to do so either.

[Are you really going to count those kinds of guesses as correct?]

The students who had gone back were more like playing Twenty Questions to deduce the Dark Spiritmaster’s appearance rather than actually guessing it.

They probably sold their opportunity to a wealthy noble student who had commissioned them.

Not bad.

If it’s almost certain you can’t get something, selling the opportunity for profit is reasonable.

“Well, that’s up to the students’ discretion.”

I don’t know which noble student was piecing together the Dark Spiritmaster’s appearance like a puzzle, but I hope they bring a perfect puzzle.

So all this effort and work won’t be in vain.

“So, has everyone formed their teams?”

Erika’s voice echoed through the spacious classroom. For now, students would form groups with those they wanted to work with, and the remaining students would be placed in separate groups.

Since this practical exercise wasn’t particularly difficult, it was left to the students’ discretion.

Unfortunately for shy students, forming teams and integrating harmoniously was also part of the evaluation.

That’s when I noticed a girl at the far end.

Unlike before, she had her black hair tied in a tight ponytail, wore her uniform neatly, and the cloudiness in her eyes had completely disappeared.

Aria Rius.

She was fidgeting with both hands, glancing repeatedly at one particular group.

It was a group formed by her former four companions.

“Sigh.”

Though I didn’t want to interfere with team formation, I wasn’t far away, so I walked along the wall in large strides to avoid the students’ notice and stood behind her.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh my goodness!”

Aria reacted with exaggerated surprise. She turned to look at me with a slightly tearful expression, then hesitantly clenched her fists.

“N-no, I was just… scouting! To see which group would be most efficient to join!”

“I believe it’s already been announced that this practical exercise isn’t particularly difficult.”

It’s essentially like a picnic.

Rather than fighting monsters, it focuses on teamwork and how students establish meals, rest, and bases during the two-night, three-day camp.

“……”

At my words, Aria puffed her cheeks and lowered her head.

Was she keeping her mouth shut because she had nothing to say?

“It’s nothing. If you just act like yourself, I’m sure they’ll accept you.”

“B-but, I said something wrong last time…”

“You’re quite a handful.”

Thump.

I pushed Aria’s back. Surprised, she stumbled forward until she was right in front of her former companions’ group.

I could almost hear Aria’s resentful cry of “Professoooor!” but I folded my arms and decided to watch how she would handle the situation.

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

The assassin, Jin, asked gruffly. She was probably still upset about Aria’s previous manner of speaking.

“Ah, well, you see.”

After hesitating briefly, Aria seemed to make up her mind, took a deep breath, and bowed her head abruptly.

“I’m really sorry about before!”

The four were taken aback by the sudden apology.

But soon, the archer Happy approached Aria and asked:

“Are you good at cooking? None of us knows how to cook.”

“Huh? Yeah, for camping food, I can somewhat…”

She must have acquired that basic knowledge during her years of traveling.

Happy smiled and linked arms with Aria.

“Then let’s add Aria to our group! This is perfect! None of us could cook!”

“We might have died eating poisonous mushrooms.”

Forensia approached from the opposite side. Watching the determined female students who wanted to include Aria as a team member, Jin sighed as if he had a headache, but…

“You guys… so carelessly.”

“I’m fine with it too.”

The blue-haired Leolus nodded with a bright smile.

Finally, 3 to 1.

Aria’s recruitment was decided, and Leolus slowly extended his hand to her.

“Let’s get along.”

Aria looked down at that hand for a moment, and seemed to feel a surge of emotion as her shoulders trembled briefly.

“Yeah!”

She took Leolus’s hand with a bright smile.

“Be careful, he seems to have been eyeing you since before.”

“Did you know Leolus has been glancing at Aria?”

Looking at the two people immediately gossiping about Leolus on either side, Aria smiled with a hint of nostalgia.

Her life at Robern Academy as a hero was already over.

Now, her academy life as the student Aria Rius had taken its first step.

“I’ll be in your care.”

Aria’s bright smile was more genuine than ever before.

[It’s a nice scene.]

The Dark Spiritmaster, watching beside me, murmured contentedly.

“A beautiful smile.”

I too.

Watching that scene, a gentle smile formed on my face.

“It’s much better seeing it in person than on a screen.”

[Pardon?]

“It’s nothing.”

I left the place, blessing Aria Rius’s remaining academy life.

* * *

“Hey, Aria. Are you and Professor Deus… involved somehow?”

Happy whispers, glancing at the spot where Deus had already departed.

Aria tilted her head with a puzzled expression and followed Happy’s gaze to where he had been.

The man who had pushed her forward and then disappeared.

“Why do you ask suddenly?”

Now that conversation had started flowing, talking with the four wasn’t particularly difficult, and Happy asking such a question probably meant they were becoming friends.

“No, it’s just that you seem to be… hmm, how should I put it?”

“Obsessed with him, right?”

Forensia slipped in from the side. Her gentle formal speech still managed to strike right at the core, which still hurt.

Aria thought about the question briefly before smiling and shaking her head.

“We’re just student and professor. What’s so special about that?”

Was her answer unexpected?

The two responded with “I see” but still asked again somewhat suspiciously.

“No, it’s just that there were some rumors. Like you following Professor Deus around because you liked him, that sort of thing.”

“Haha.”

Aria nodded awkwardly with a laugh.

“Yes, I can see how that might be misunderstood.”

Aria’s behavior until now had certainly been enough to give that impression.

“I mistook him for someone else.”

Aria answered vaguely with a faint smile, and the two nodded in understanding.

Her gaze naturally drifted toward the podium, following Deus’s back as he conversed with Erika.

“So I don’t like him or anything like that.”

Looking at him, Aria whispered softly.

“Not yet.”

But.

Surely.

Someday.

Swallowing the rest of her words, Aria resumed chatting with her friends.