episode_0018

After leaving Professor Horizon’s laboratory, Gilbert unbuttoned the top button of his cadet uniform, which was damp with cold sweat. Although the goal was achieved somehow, the aftereffects of the magical power were worse than expected.

In the game, I just received a message that I was suffering from a status abnormality, so I didn’t think it was a big deal, but when I was actually overcome by magical power, I couldn’t take it lightly. I felt nauseous, as if I had suffered an internal injury, and my legs felt weak and trembled when I didn’t consciously exert strength.

But the purpose was achieved. The sub-quest’s trigger still worked, so I was able to successfully accept the Lion King’s Mana Practice quest.

However, something different happened than Gilbert expected. Professor Horizon’s scolding, threatening to expel me from the academy if I failed the quest, rang in my ears. When I opened the mission window and checked, it clearly stated that the penalty for failure was expulsion from the academy.

Gilbert played Tactical Combat for a long time and thought about whether there was ever a failure penalty in the Lion King sub-quest. I’ve played all the options quarterly, but this has never happened even once in so many playthroughs.

I realized that this was definitely not a game. It was clear that his last words to provoke Professor Horizon would have led to this result.

I guess I should act a little more carefully.

Gilbert shook his head and went to see the homeroom professor of the first-grade class.

Professor Horizon said he would give us a week’s time, and in the mission window we checked a little while ago, we saw that the time limit was running out. Perhaps Gilbert took some action as soon as he left his laboratory.

It was a quest that had never failed, but now that a penalty had been introduced that did not exist, even he was not sure what direction the quest would take. It was decided that it would be better to save time when possible in responding to variables.

Arriving at his homeroom professor’s lab, he knocked lightly on the door. From inside, I heard permission to come in.

As I walked inside, I saw an neatly organized interior, unlike Professor Horizon’s lab. This place, filled with military-related books and all kinds of weapons, seemed to show what kind of personality the owner of the lab had.

＂Cadet Gilbert.＂

“hello? professor.”

Gilbert bowed his head to the professor in charge of the first-grade class, who was writing some paperwork at his desk.

“Is it because of the business I’m thinking of?”

“you’re right.”

“I think we need some time to talk.”

The professor put the documents he was writing aside and pointed to the reception table. Gilbert pulled out a chair and sat down where she pointed, and his professor sat across from him.

Gilbert looked at his professor, who had his legs crossed and his long hair pulled back.

In contrast to the flaming red hair, the cold blue eyes were shining sharply as if looking deep into the human being. Her long arms and legs seemed suited to swordsmanship, and her particularly strong lower body was one of the indicators of how much she trained on a daily basis.

Gilbert briefly thought about his professor.

Brianna Tefeo Malkirav.

She was the eldest daughter of the historic Marquis Malkirav, and her swordsmanship was known to be so sharp that it could be counted on one hand even on the continent. Even first-class knights found it difficult to even receive a single sword, and it was no exaggeration to call the swordsmanship performed while riding a giant god soldier an art. Therefore, she was one of the people who was never left out when discussing the best sword on the continent.

Meanwhile, Professor Brianna was a bit special to Gilbert. When he was a newbie who had just started Tactical Combat, he once challenged himself to become her immediate disciple. Since the number of challenges exceeded a thousand times, that experience served as a stepping stone for me to become the Gilbert I am today. In a way, he was like Gilbert’s teacher in the truest sense.

“I heard it from Professor Horizon. “You did something quite bold.”

Although there was little elevation in her voice, after a thousand tries, Gilbert was able to read the subtle changes in her emotions. His tone and actions seemed cold with little emotional change, but deep down he always had a warm heart for the cadets.

The fact that she entered the battlefield at a young age with outstanding skills was what made her seem so cold. In a place where hundreds and thousands of people were dying every day, the grief of losing comrades who had laughed and chatted just moments before was too much for Brianna, who was only a teenager, to endure.

“It was unintentional.”

Gilbert spoke without changing his facial expression. Although it was done with clear intent, it was something that could not be told the truth.

Brianna’s cold eyes flashed as if trying to read Gilbert’s thoughts, but she quickly looked away. Whether there was intention or not, that wasn’t the point. In Brianna’s opinion, what Professor Horizon had conveyed was close to nonsense and far-fetched.

How does it make sense to urge a student who has developed a hypothesis out of academic enthusiasm to prove it himself because he doesn’t like the fact that the student directly contradicted him? Moreover, Brianna could barely resist the urge to storm into Professor Horizon’s room right away, as she was told that if she couldn’t do it within a week, she would be expelled.

In fact, the message that Professor Horizon sent to Professor Brianna and Dean Lucas was not as extreme as Brianna thought, but it had that meaning. In addition, there was even an ‘order’ to allow Gilbert to go out to the academy for a week.

Although Brianna rarely wielded her position as a great sage at will, she could not help feeling that she looked down on her sometimes, whether she knew it or not, when she saw her actions towards the academy’s head, Marquis Lucas. No matter how old he was, it was impossible to estimate his age, and even though he was respected by the entire continent, it was something I didn’t like.

＂Cadet Gilbert.＂

“Yes, Professor.”

“Professor Horizon has never taken back what he said.”

“Is that so?”

“Have we not yet grasped the seriousness of the situation?”

Brianna’s eyes frowned slightly. It was an unconscious action that occurred when something was not to his liking, but Gilbert felt fortunate that Brianna’s thoughts about the cadets did not change even in real life.

“no. I am fully aware of this. In that case, I guess we have no choice but to prove it.”

“It’s inevitable. Because one cadet contradicted the great sage’s opinion.”

Gilbert chuckled inwardly at hearing her scolding for the first time in a long time. At best, the words and tone of voice seemed like a cadet scolding the great sage for being arrogant, but he knew Brianna’s personality well and knew that she was dissatisfied with Professor Horizon and worried about him. I was able to.

“I am fully reflecting.”

“It was done. Your leaving the academy has been handled, so you can leave.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“You must be misunderstanding something. Cadet Gilbert. Let’s go out quickly.”

Brianna glared at Gilbert for talking nonsense and then returned to her desk. Gilbert looked at her back, smiled slightly, bowed, and came out.

First of all, after obtaining the Lion King’s mana practice, it seemed like a good idea to target her previous student like she had done before. There were many advantages to becoming her disciple, but the best one was that the relationship with the princess knight Seraphina became more interesting.

Since Brianna was a well-known swordsman on the continent, she was the teacher of Seraphina, who was also very talented. In other words, if you become Brianna’s immediate disciple, you will have a sister-in-law and priestly relationship with Serafina. Seraphina, who is particularly greedy for talent, provides even more support to the protagonist who passed Brianna’s demanding eyes and became her student.

It was an attractive option for Gilbert, who currently holds the title of a bastard. At least a capable idiot was better than an incapable idiot. No matter how well he achieved excellent results in the entrance exam, there were still many things that were not good about him.

At least, if he was Brianna’s previous disciple, such attention could be averted, and the conditions set by his father, the Count of Lithuania, could be resolved without any problems.

I turned to Gilbert’s dorm room, where I had one more reason to quickly clear the side quest.

‘for a moment.’

Gilbert’s face hardened as a thought suddenly crossed his mind. With a serious expression, he looked at Professor Brianna’s laboratory door, which was tightly closed. Brianna, like the princess knight Serafina, was a character that was ruled unattackable. This too was officially announced by the manufacturer, and was also confirmed by users who had actually played the game.

But the reason was different from Seraphina.

It was true that Brianna did not have a dating route, but it was not because she did not exist like Seraphina.

The reason why Brianna was judged unattackable.

She dies heroically during the main story.

***

Gilbert had barely remembered that Brianna was going to die, but he still had some time to spare. At best, I had just finished the tutorial, and the main story had not progressed yet.

Plus, in order for him to prevent Brianna’s death or do anything, he had to avoid expulsion. The time given to him was exactly one week, and the place he had to travel to was about two days away from the academy, so there was no time to delay.

Although I wanted to use the teleportation magic circle, it was better for me to move myself for the sake of this quest later.

Gilbert hurriedly returned to his dorm room, grabbed his clothes and left the academy.

His first destination was the place where Theodamas, the Lion King, was said to have died.