Chapter 37

Saint Lepheria Academy. This place was fundamentally the top academic institution, but that wasn’t all it was. Anyone who knew anything understood that, though they didn’t carry spears and swords, it was a battlefield where nations fiercely competed over pride and interests.

The key was talent. The academy was a cradle of talent, And among them, Lepheria Academy was where the most outstanding talents from the continent gathered. Some were already firmly affiliated with prestigious families, but there were also many talents yet unaffiliated.

A place overflowing with excellent talents available for scouting. It was perhaps natural for countries to compete over the position of such a place. The main players sharing the largest pie were the Church, the Hyas Empire, and the Parene Kingdom.

The Church had tradition and authority, while the two great powers, the Hyas Empire and the Parene Kingdom, had strength. The other countries merely fought over the remaining small pie amongst themselves.

“Hmm.”

Among them, this man, Vice-Chancellor Gerhart Lautman, could be said to symbolize the empire’s position. The position of chancellor had been held only by people from the Church for over a thousand years, according to tradition.

Therefore, the highest position in the academy that could realistically be held by other nations was the vice-chancellor. Historically, the vice-chancellorship had been fiercely contested between the empire and the Parene Kingdom, almost taking turns. And this time, the vice-chancellorship was the empire’s.

Knock knock.

“The sound of knocking was heard.”

“What is it?”

“Professor Karen has arrived.”

The voice of the secretary.

“Let her in.”

Gerhart adjusted his seat.

Creak.

Soon the door opened, and Professor Karen entered. She had her usual graceful face, but the corners of her mouth were slightly twisted, showing a faint sign of discomfort.

That was understandable, as Vice-Chancellor Gerhart was arguably the person she found most burdensome. He was stubborn and inflexible, completely opposite to her, which was not an exaggeration.

“You called for me.”

“That’s right.”

Gerhart was a man with a cold impression, as if not a single drop of blood would come out even if he were pricked. His slightly graying hair suggested he was older than he appeared.

He was well aware that she found him disagreeable. But he didn’t particularly care. That wasn’t his nature.

“Look at this.”

Gerhart spread out some papers on his desk. It wasn’t just one sheet; there were several. They were densely written with something.

“What is this?”

“Pretending not to know after reading it all.”

“No, it’s just that I’m getting old, and my eyes are slowing down.”

A moment of silence passed. Gerhart looked at her as if to say, ‘You haven’t changed, even with time,’ and eventually opened his mouth as if he had no choice.

“This is a formal complaint about your group evaluation. Not just from one person, but several.”

“No… A complaint? That seems unfair?”

“You said you would only give out what you’ve taught so far, but it was completely different.”

“A group evaluation that eliminates through survival? I’ve never heard or seen such a thing. It’s absolutely unfair from the perspective of opportunity.”

“The difficulty was not set for undergraduate level. I even felt malice in the difficulty setting.”

“Huh, malice? Who?”

“Quiet.”

“…Yes.”

Gerhart read through all the complaint letters to the end. And then, He looked at Professor Karen with a stern gaze.

“Is that all? Do you have anything to say?”

“I feel wronged.”

Professor Karen quickly responded. But, of course, it had no effect, not even as much as crocodile tears.

“All the objective facts are telling us that there is a clear mistake in your group evaluation.”

“Is that an objective fact?”

Professor Karen pointed at the letters, protesting as if she felt wronged. However,

“The investigation is already over.”

She had no choice but to become mute.

“This matter is…”

“Wait a minute. Where is the chancellor? I want to talk to the chancellor too.”

She interrupted herself, urgently looking for the chancellor. It couldn’t be helped. If Vice-Chancellor Gerhart was like iron, then the chancellor was an angel incarnate.

It wasn’t just a simple metaphor. In appearance, personality, atmosphere, and ability, everything about her was angelic. No wonder people called her the ‘Reincarnation of an Angel.’

“The chancellor is away on a business trip.”

Boom. The sky fell.

“When will she return?”

“At least a month.”

“Oh, that won’t do.”

“It will.”

Professor Karen’s head drooped.

“Let’s continue where we left off.”

“Please speak.”

Eventually, as if emptying her mind, she looked at Gerhart with a blank expression.

“This matter is clearly your mistake.”

“I feel wronged, but please continue.”

“Especially, there was a big mistake in setting the difficulty. It wasn’t a mistake, but I admit it was somewhat problematic.”

“But.”

“But?”

“I can’t see a clear fault that would invalidate the evaluation.”

Professor Karen’s eyes widened. It was an unexpected statement.

“This is not only my opinion but also the main opinion of the review committee.”

“Really?”

“So we’ve decided to conclude with no issues…”

“Wow, that’s good news.”

“Don’t interrupt me.”

Gerhart frowned.

“Yes.”

Professor Karen, who had been pleased, quickly managed her expression. He spoke again.

“While the official final conclusion will be as such, unofficially, there is unanimous agreement to convey a stern warning to you.”

“Ugh.”

An unofficial severe warning. And it was unanimous. In other words, she was completely marked by the higher-ups. This was not a light matter. It was the last ultimatum.

If she did something like this again, she would really be disciplined. And that discipline would be… Professor Karen imagined her professorship flying away.

“Sigh, I understand. I’ll take that warning to heart.”

Even she, the great professor, sighed deeply and accepted the words seriously this time. Gerhart spoke in a lecturing tone.

“I’ve guided many students, but you are certainly one of the most outstanding talents among them.”

“It’s an honor.”

“So don’t disappoint me. attempts are good, but there is a line that must be kept.”

“…Yes.”

And so, the commotion caused by Professor Karen’s group evaluation at the academy was resolved nicely.

“I’ve been too indulgent.”

Gerhart, left alone, muttered to himself. There were several reasons why the review committee made a lenient decision for her. Concerns about the academy’s and professor’s authority being undermined. Reluctance to let the issue grow bigger. Awareness of her noble family, the teenage Magus. Her outstanding abilities.

If the troublemaker had been an ordinary professor, a severe punishment would have been given. He disliked discrimination, but this was the unavoidable reality.

However, Gerhart’s reason for agreeing with the opinion was different. It was a more personal reason. Wasn’t it said that the child who causes trouble is the one who gets noticed?

So it was no coincidence that she, who had been a problem child with her own pace since her student days, caught his attention more. When she was at risk of being expelled due to insufficient attendance, despite her grades, he was the one who worked tirelessly with the chancellor to save her.

The feeling when he finally managed to get her to barely meet the minimum attendance and graduate. There were few moments in his life when he felt such a sense of achievement.

Such a special disciple, who even gave up the right to succeed a prestigious family, had indescribable feelings when applying for a professorship at their alma mater. They had restrained themselves from their beloved alcohol and were doing well in their professorial life, thinking they had finally become a decent person, yet the disciple was still unpredictable.

“Well, that’s just like her.”

Nevertheless, this would be the last time to indulge the old disciple’s whims. They had decided so. They had overcome a major event. It was a success beyond expectations.

————————————–

acquiring the ultra-rare item ‘Tears of Frost’ was significant. Even though only a few days had passed, he could distinctly feel his body becoming much lighter and refreshed. he immediately noticed a smoother flow of power when practicing swordsmanship and archery.

Then there was the relationship with Elaine, the representative heroine of the second year. He had managed to barely mend a broken relationship. That was also a significant achievement.

There was also the matter of piquing the interest of another heroine, Professor Karen, but that was something to be observed further.

“So far, the progress is reasonably good.”

It was still the early stages before the real hard difficulty unfolded. Even as an extra, this level of progress was as much as he could have done. Evaluating thus, he opened his notebook.

It was a notebook meticulously filled with events and quests he remembered, so he wouldn’t forget any.

“The academy should be fine for a while.”

For the time being, it was a smooth schedule without any special events. However, the place he needed to pay attention to was not just inside the academy. Outside the academy, he always had to be vigilant about events and quests happening externally.

Especially considering their importance…

“Hmm, could it be cleared now?”

his gaze fell on a quest marked with a special asterisk. It meant it was a most important quest.

The starting point of essential linked quests Duration: Possible until the end of the second semester Difficulty: Companions at the level of the protagonist in Chapter 2, at least two required Hidden present A quest with a name as grand as its importance, Simply put, it was a quest where the protagonist first discovers the existence of a vast underground space beneath the holy city.

The quest was important as a standalone, but its true value was related to future events. Only by clearing this quest and the protagonist learning about the underground space, would subsequent quests related to the underground space continue to open.

The phrase he had written, ‘the starting point of linked quests.’ That phrase was exactly right. However,

“The difficulty is there…”

It was considered more challenging than the hidden dungeon quest they had cleared before. Especially since there were quite a few variables, it was a quest perfect for a tragic death if one didn’t know the strategy.

Of course, he knew the strategy well enough to recall it with their eyes closed, ‘Now the protagonist’s party is two… The protagonist and Annette. Even if their current skills were not reliable, with their improved skills and strategy.

“It’s possible.”

he nodded as if he had made an estimate. Come to think of it, he had said he would go to check his situation anyway.

While clearing the essential quest, he could also check the protagonist’s condition. There’s nothing more certain than actual combat.

“Good. Let’s do that.”

He organized his plan one last time.

“You’re not late.”

He checked the time and adjusted his posture.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Camian said as if it was ridiculous. After all, even an unreliable protagonist wouldn’t be late for a time commitment.

“You arrived first, senior.”

Annette bowed her head in greeting. Still a polite one. he nodded slightly in response.

“I heard the rumor. You got a perfect score in a very difficult evaluation…”

Naturally, it was such a noisy affair that even the first years had heard the rumors.

“Well, yes.”

“Congratulations, though it’s late. I didn’t know at that time…”

It seemed they were talking about when they had treated Allen.

“Thank you.”

he graciously accepted the congratulations from the kind one. On the other hand, Camian still seemed awkward in dealing with him. Well, it’s not like they had seen each other much.

But it was disappointing, considering they had shared the joy of defeating a boss in the dungeon with the expression of true comrades.

“I’m curious why you called.”

Camian said.

“Why? Can’t I call just to see your face?”

“We’re not that close, are we?”

“That’s cold, second-place junior.”

he said with a smirk. An immediate reaction came.

“Ugh, I told you not to call me that…”

Camian flared up. He was second place at admission. Now 29th. That alone made it easy to understand why he was flaring up.

To him, second place was no longer a word of honor but a relic of the past and a complex in itself. But the fact that he was second place was true, and if he reacted like that, it made him want to call him that even more. It was fun.

“What’s the problem with calling you second place, second-place junior?”

“Ugh.”

Camian gritted his teeth. But perhaps because he was somewhat a lifesaver, he couldn’t quite turn the tables on them. That’s right, that’s how it should be. Even a cur knows gratitude, protagonist.

“Calm down, Camian . You know there’s no malice in calling you that.”

Annette hurriedly intervened. Yes, there was certainly no malice. It was just fun to tease him. he barely held back the laughter that was about to burst out.

“Hoo, hoo.”

Still, Camian seemed to calm his emotions at the words of his close childhood friend.

“So why did you call…”

“Let’s go.”

They interrupted and stood up.

“Let’s eat.”

Something might happen on the way.