episode_0103

A month has passed since then.

A lot has happened in the meantime. As the Crown Prince said, the Spring Festival was canceled, and students returned to their daily routine of studying and preparing for exams.

Of course, one month was too short a time for the aftermath of the incident to subside, so the atmosphere could not return to the same as before.

The fact that the female victims were walking around looking like corpses, and that the two victims and perpetrators who turned into real corpses were also students at the academy, made the students feel quite intimidated, which was one of the reasons why the atmosphere at the academy was so chaotic.

The biggest reason is that it was revealed that this murder and rape incident was caused by a curse, and the academy completely abolished the curse department, which was the main cause of the controversy, in order to protect the safe image it had built up over decades. Because it happened.

[It’s a riot! What about students majoring in lower-level sciences?]

[What does the abolition of the academy’s curse department have to do with this incident?]

[The abolition of a department, which is unusual and has never happened since the founding of the Academy. What were they thinking when implementing it?]

Of course, it was natural for such a reaction to occur.

The subjects they chose for success, to satisfy their curiosity, and for many other reasons disappeared overnight.

That’s why they posted these posters on the walls and bulletin boards of the academy, expressing their injustice and shouting for this absurd thing to be corrected.

[Is there a problem with the abolition of the department? This is not true.]

――The cursed department has already had many problems maintaining its status as a minority department over 10 years ago, and socially… …

But the Academy completely ignored their voices.

Although the department itself was a minority, more than half of the victims of this incident were nobles, pressure from the church, which had argued that the curse could be abused, and even the notice of other nobles.

All justification was on the Academy side, and as a result, their voices were completely silenced.

And above all, there was a real reason why the department had no choice but to be abolished.

[Professor Draco disappeared. Where did she go?]

“Charles, Professor Draco. Didn’t you feel responsible for this incident?”

“Maybe so. Because it wasn’t an ordinary incident.”

This is because the professor who was supposed to give the lecture went missing.

The story goes that after entering the lab, she did not come out of the lab for several days, so when her assistant professor went to her lab, he found no one there.

No one knows why she left the academy because the person who acted normally without any word or sign of leaving suddenly disappeared one day without leaving a single letter.

Well, whatever the reason, no one will bother me about the curse anymore.

It’s a little unsettling not knowing where or what to do, but that’s a risk I can take, so there’s no problem.

Now, the only things left to worry about are Priscilla and the Gryphon incident that Ceria mentioned… … .

“What do you think Charles?”

Hermel, who was looking at the poster with his arms crossed, suddenly turned to me and said.

“Well… … . There must have been a reason why I couldn’t say it in words.”

I vaguely knew the reason why she left the academy, so I just smiled slightly and answered.

Anyway, there is no reason to tell this story to Hermel. Because there is no benefit in finding out.

“By the way, are you preparing for the swordsmanship test this time?”

“Huh? no. It was a swordsmanship test, so I didn’t really prepare for it. Anyway, it’s about forming a group and sparring with someone.”

She said and shrugged her shoulders.

“What are you talking about? The content of this swordsmanship test has changed. It will be taken in parallel with written and practical exams. And the practical skills changed from sparring to defeating monsters.”

“… … ?”

Hermel uncrossed his arms and blinked. I shrugged my shoulders as he looked at me as if asking if it was real.

“Didn’t you know? You said this in class two weeks ago.”

“… … Really?”

“Then would I lie to you?”

Hermel, who had been mumbling, looked up at me with a tearful expression on his face.

“You can’t tell me I’m lying… … ?”

“… … It’s a lie.”

Looking at Hermel with a small smile, I sighed and shook my head, thinking that if I let him act like a fool, he wouldn’t really study.

“It’s also a lie to say it’s a lie. You have to prepare for the exam.”

“Ugh… … !”

Hermel lowered his head with a despairing look on his face.

No matter what I say now, it won’t be of much help.

And above all, all I can say right now is to study hard.

I’m sorry, but neither curses nor magic grant knowledge to the other person.

“… … .”

no. If you want to do it, you can do it.

Instead, you will randomly choose one of two outcomes: either you go crazy because you cannot filter out the information, or you become an idiot because your brain is overwhelmed by the vast amount of information.

Squeeze――

As I was looking at the poster with my arms crossed and organizing my future, I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked to the side.

“What’s wrong?”

“Please help me study for the test… … !”

“Hermel… … . There’s only one week left until the exam… … .”

“I’ll work really hard… … !!”

Hermel spoke as if pleading, and I couldn’t bear to block Hermel from talking like that.

“Ha… … . All we have to do is help them avoid failing grades, right?”

okay. If you work hard for a week, you can probably do something.

I nodded, thinking so.

* * *

A week after that. I almost made Hermel study.

Things about the crown prince, Priscilla’s favorability, Seria’s work, things about Mel, the letter Sera sent, etc… … .

There were a lot of things to worry about, but I put them all aside and focused on studying Hermel.

Of course, just because I devoted myself to it, Hermel didn’t become extremely smart from the beginning. rather… … . The more I opened and looked at the contents, the more my head hurt.

‘Opponent method when the opponent is holding a kite shield.’

‘hmm… … . ‘Push it down with force?’

‘ha… … .’

There were a lot of things that needed to be fixed, but I didn’t give up because I decided to put aside all other things and help.

For the simple parts, he made a vocabulary list to memorize, and for the parts he didn’t understand, he explained them by showing them sparring matches of other ordinary students, and even let them experience it by directly clashing swords.

So, over the course of a week, I gathered information about the swordsmanship test and pounded it into Hermel’s head.

‘Memorize it.’

‘many!’

‘I can’t help it. If you get a failing grade, you cannot advance into that department. Or would you like to apply for a department other than swordsmanship? No, there are departments you can apply to other than swordsmanship in the first place… … ?’

‘Ugh… … . The truth hurts so much… … .’

Now that I look back, I wonder why I worked so hard to teach. I put off everything I had to do and worked hard.

I definitely said that I would go back to my old self from that day on, but it seems like only a month has passed.

No, I guess it’s okay because I didn’t say I love you. As I thought about that, I touched my forehead and sighed.

“Phew… … .”

No matter how hard your heart is, it will still be shaken, even if just a little, by Hermel. The result is this.

I know very well that this is how I become dull, and that I shouldn’t be like this, but it doesn’t work out the way I want.

Well, what can I do? I’m a fool for giving my heart, even if only a little. In the end, these are all things that need to be scraped off, but just a little more, a little more, and a month has already passed like this.

‘It’s stupid, really. It’s foolish. ‘I’ve only tasted bitter things my whole life, so I can’t come to my senses when I taste sweet.’

With one hour left until the written swordsmanship exam, I sighed deeply and graded Hermel’s mock exam one last time.

“I think Charles would be a good fit as a professor at the academy.”

“What?”

By the time I become a professor at the Academy, there will be no more Academy left.

As I stopped grading and blinked at the unexpected comment, Hermel smiled and pointed at my test paper.

The exam paper, which was clearly rainy until four days ago, was sunny today.

“Look at this, he teaches extremely well.”

“Me?”

As I was blinking with that thought in mind, Hermel looked around and whispered softly.

“Honestly, Charles teaches much better than Sir Germat. I’m serious about this.”

“I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear it.”

I answered with a shrug and Hermel giggled and nodded.

After finishing checking the last question, I nodded slowly after confirming that I had answered 27 out of 40 questions correctly.

Yeah, at least it’s not a failing grade.

“Next time you ask me something like this again, I won’t listen.”

“Hehe. Yes!”

Although I didn’t understand it at all, I just smiled and moved on.

Of course, I won’t really help you next time.