End-of-semester evaluation (3)
“It’s nice to see you again after a long time.”
In the end, we ended up in Lucy’s room.
Wouldn’t it be difficult for Belle to stay in the Ofilis building for a long time even though she wasn’t a student there?
So, I quickly told them the business and tried to answer later… but the maids pushed me away, telling me to have a cup of tea and leave.
“Just now… I said something a little strange… If I were to explain the context in detail, that would be the case.”
In the end, while drinking the tea the maid brought me, I had to explain at length how I had brought up such a story to Lucy.
Actually, it’s not that complicated. In short, it’s over in an instant.
“Anyway, from my perspective, it is a journey that risks my life. Of course, I have to go to the Duchy of Rosstaylor and it will take a lot of time, so I don’t ask you to help me out of thin air.”
Lucy’s room, as expected from the Ofilis building, was magnificently large. Anyway, this is the room where the entire school’s senior students stay.
No matter how indifferent Lucy is to her treatment, the bachelor has no choice but to care as much as possible.
“Unless it’s bare mouth…?”
A table in one corner of the private room. The seat opposite to where I sat.
Lucy sat down on a luxuriously decorated wooden chair and asked in a dazed voice.
“It depends on what you want.”
It’s unclear what Lucy wants right now. However, there are some things I can express.
“As I explained, the reason my father brought me in was to reinstate me as a member of the Rosstaylor family and restore all the authority and power I had lost. The problem is that I don’t know if that is actually the goal or if there is another intention.”
Lucy glanced around the teacup and nodded after hearing my explanation.
They don’t seem to be very interested in my story, but if you look closely, they prick up their ears and listen carefully.
“If you come along and my father touches me and it becomes burdensome… there is a high possibility that I will eventually be able to regain the prestige of the Rosstaylor family as promised.”
If they don’t come up with an estimate to give me right away, they will try to put it in the palm of their hand for now, even if they postpone the plan to a later date. I won’t necessarily try to deepen my doubts.
If things can go that way, I will again take over as the eldest son of the Ross Taylor family, albeit only nominally. Although it is not clear whether he will return to the position of successor.
If you are the eldest son of the continent’s largest ducal family, the scope of what you can do is very wide, no matter how nominal your position may be.
“Invest in me.”
“invest?”
“If I were to return to the position of eldest son of the Rosstaylor family, I would do everything I could for you in that position. Of course… there wouldn’t be much I could do as the eldest son in name only.”
In any case, the position of successor with actual authority has passed to Tanya, and above all, if Crepin Rothtaylor decides to put me down, there is nothing he can do with the power of the nobility alone.
But my goal in the first place was not to become the eldest son of the Ross Taylor family.
“From here on out… I can tell this story because I truly believe in you, Lucy.”
“me?”
“Anyway, we’ve had some trouble.”
When Lucy sighed and nodded, I spoke directly.
“I intend to take Crepin Rosstaylor down from his place.”
It is immorality and treason.
It is also a statement that, if it reaches someone’s ears, it would not be surprising if they were dragged to the gallows immediately.
Lucy narrowed her eyebrows slightly, but I paid it no mind and continued the story.
“I don’t know whether the next person to become the head of the family will be me or Tanya, but at least I have no intention of putting my father in that position.”
“The reason is… revenge?”
Lucy’s short and bold question.
Am I trying to bring down Crepin as revenge for my father, who kicked me out of the family and even tried to kill me?
If what I hold is the blade of revenge, does Lucy have the heart to help?
After thinking carefully, I shook my head.
“I’m just trying to survive.”
“…”
“The root cause of the crisis I experience is almost always caused by my father.”
In order to perfectly deal with the evil god Mebula, he repeated all kinds of inhumane experiments and eventually attempted to sacrifice the entire school.
I know his true face, which is his attempt to mock the empire while putting on the mask of a benevolent and moral monarch, despite the fact that he sacrificed an enormous number of people in the process.
Perhaps the reason he tried to kill me was because it was necessary for that process.
“My father, Crepin Rosstaylor, is not as clean a person as he is known to the public. If we can find evidence that can reveal that fact to the world, it may be possible to bring him down and reorganize the power structure of the Rosstaylor family.”
“…”
“I don’t have a desire for power, but I am confident that during the reorganization process, I will rise to a higher position than just being the eldest son. I may end up with an authority that cannot be achieved simply through increased military power.”
The power of bloodline and family prestige is completely different in nature from simply strong military power.
In the end, the story goes back and forth to the beginning.
“Invest in me.”
I looked directly at Lucy and spoke.
Sounds like if you do something wrong, you could end up on the gallows and have your head cut off.
From Lucy’s perspective, she would be able to avoid having her head cut off because she has great power, but my perspective is completely different.
Lucy didn’t seem to know how much it meant to share these sounds.
“I don’t… invest or anything like that. It’s too complicated.”
Eventually, his small lips opened and he spoke in his usual blank voice.
“You know… I’m not really interested in power or anything like that.”
“It looks like it.”
These are the words I used to say that I had to get my money’s worth. I already knew that Lucy was not interested in such worldly power.
“Then… what on earth am I interested in?”
However, I did not expect what followed.
Lucy picked up the witch’s hat, put it on, walked to the window with a light, bouncy gait, and opened the window.
Unlike usual, her white hair was loose and flowing in the wind.
“You know. Is it true that I kept the promise I made to that old man?”
Lucy saved the bachelor from danger several times.
I always tried to do everything I could in my position.
However, as predicted by Archmage Glokt, there was no crisis for the bachelor that could not be prevented except by Lucy.
Archbishop Vertius goes on a rampage, and the apostles of Telos overrun the island. It was an ordeal that could only be solved by Lucy, and she was going to bear everything alone.
However, I was involved in the process, and most of the problems were resolved in my hands.
In the end, everything was resolved peacefully, with Lucy not going on a rampage as the final boss of Act 3.
So, is this ordeal what Archmage Glokt had predicted in the first place? If it was something that could be solved so easily, why did Glokt hold Lucy’s hand and ask for it so earnestly?
That glimmer of doubt would remain in Lucy’s heart and never go away.
Incomplete combustion.
Lucy, who never thought this would all end, still has the burden she received from Glockt dragging on one shoulder in a corner of her heart.
Maybe it was my last chance to shake off that burden. Although it is only from Lucy’s perspective.
“After keeping that promise in the first place, what should I think about?”
“You’re asking a difficult question.”
“Actually, I wasn’t expecting an answer.”
– Suddenly,
Lucy closed the window again and turned her head towards me.
Then he walked forward with great strides, passed the chair he was sitting on, and moved his body onto the table.
When he sat down at the table, facing me directly, we were at eye level.
“Like I said, I’m not interested in things like power. If I help you… I’ll just be helping because I want to help. There will be no other reason.”
Lucy speaks slowly with her gaze down.
“But… you can’t do it with your bare mouth.”
“What do you want?”
“It might not be that great, and it might actually be something really great.”
Lucy clenched her small hand and stretched out her little finger.
When I looked at her quizzically, Lucy lowered her head and spoke.
“The scariest thing for me… is the emptiness that will come after I keep all my promises to that old man… and shake off all my burdens.”
The wide Rameln Mountain Range.
This is the girl who stood straight on the coniferous tree at the top and measured the extent of the world without Glokt.
Now I have no family left, no relationships, no goals to achieve… nothing.
“Help me not to be consumed by that emptiness.”
“Specifically… how…?”
“Be my reason for living.”
The words themselves are not very specific.
There is much room for interpretation as to what meaning is implied.
Still, the weight of the words themselves was heavy and serious, so I can’t put my finger on it hastily.
Suddenly, I looked at Lucy’s expression and saw that she was neither crying nor smiling.
As always, he just looks at me with a blank expression and lightly sticks out his little finger.
What kind of expression would appear on his face if he didn’t put his finger on it?
Just imagining it made me feel out of breath.
Of course, it was just imagination.
My fingers were already hooked.
How much does this mean to Lucy? It may be bigger than you think, or it may not be as big as you think.
However, Lucy seems to be trying to hide her expression… She slowly crawls into my arms with her witch’s hat pressed down.
They were hugged tightly and no words were exchanged for a while.
So… I spent some time there.
*Assistant Professor Claire had no color at all on her face.
It was the last day of the written exam. I heard that he took charge of all written exam work by himself.
They said they completed the work in just three days, but I couldn’t believe that this was a physically manageable amount of work.
“…”
After finishing the written exam, I returned to Assistant Professor Claire’s lab and found a dead body lying on the desk.
Assistant Professor Claire always walks around with a corpse-like face during exam periods, so I thought that was the case, but this corpse is a sturdy man.
My name is Clevious Nortondale, an undergraduate scholar and student assistant in Assistant Professor Claire’s lab.
He is the kind of person who always walks around with a gloomy face and drains the energy of those around him, but at least as a student assistant, he is quick-tempered.
“Ugh… Why… Why did you get everything wrong, even in the basic swordsmanship textbook… Pathetic bastard… Inadequate bastard…”
It looks like he made a lot of mistakes in the written exam.
Minor mistakes can be corrected in a practical test, and Clevius may have that level of skill, but… as I once said, Clevius is a person with strangely low self-esteem.
“There’s a practical exam tomorrow, Clevius. How long are you going to be so depressed? Is it because you really want to give me the top spot?!”
There was a girl sitting next to Clevius and slapping him on the back. The orange hair and sharp eyes are impressive… and now we are quite familiar with him.
This is Elvira Anniston, who is currently the undisputed top student in the second-year pension department.
“Oh, Senior Ed is here.”
“What are you doing here, Elvira?”
“I want to review the manufacturing theory of the elemental resistance reagent I developed. Reagent manufacturing itself is the specialty of the professors in the Alchemy Department, but I think it would be more accurate to ask the elemental science professors in the Ministry of Magic about elemental resistance.”
Elvira had placed a lot of documents and flasks on the table in the center of the lab. “
But I think I got the timing wrong. “Assistant Professor Claire is currently sleeping with her eyes open.”
I put down my simple baggage on the table and looked at Assistant Professor Claire. As I looked at
Assistant Professor Claire, who was in a white-burnt state and barely breathing in and out, I realized that she looked more like a doll possessed by a ghost than a person. It’s like,
“I deserve to die…! What’s the point of living if you can’t properly memorize a sword fighting stance that you’ve repeated hundreds of times…! And I memorized the compatibility of each weapon and star over and over again, but when it came to the test, my hair turned white…! What am I…? Why on earth do I live…?”
Clevius, who was screaming, suddenly makes eye contact with me.
“What, Ed Rosstaylor! Are you dissatisfied?! Are you laughing at me too?! Ha
…
_ What is that look! You’re looking at me like a pathetic guy too…! Yes… I guess so…! Do you think it would be different for you…? You and I are both pathetic human beings…! “Why don’t you look at me so pitifully!”
– Boom!
Elvira pushed Clevius’s head and slammed him down on the desk.
Anis, who was looking for documents near the bookshelf, and Onyx, who was just leaving for work in the lab, both closed their eyes. It suddenly floated up.
I… wasn’t that embarrassed.
“Oh, Clevius. “What are you talking about to your senior?”
“Elvira. What do you care! And you look at me pathetically too…!” ”
Oh, pathetic Clevius.”
“Look at this!”
Elvira smiled and grabbed Clevius’s collar and spoke to me.
“I’m sorry, Senior Ed~. I think Clevious needs more training. I’ll take you with me for a while because I need to instill some etiquette and also get my mentality in preparation for the practical test. Anyway, it looks like Assistant Professor Claire is taking the day off today… so it’ll be okay, right?”
“What are you…?! Who are you to tell me to do this and that?…! Kaaaaaaak!”
“Be quiet, Clevius.”
The moment Clevius, who had his head stuck on the desk, started waving his arms to resist, Elvira took out a reagent from her pocket and poured it on his head. She
almost treated him like an animal, not a human. It was,
“Kaaaaaaaa! what is this! “My body… the strength in my body… is loosening…”
Elvira made a sound like that and forcibly led Clevius, who was losing strength in his body.
Onyx, who was standing in the line of movement, gently moved to the side and opened the door. I gave it to him.
Making a fuss, asking him to stop me because he was wrong… Clevius was dragged out of the lab like that.
“See you next time!”
The lively greeting gave me goosebumps.
“It looks like you did well on the written exam? “You look good?”
Anis asked.
After making a fuss, the lab became quiet again.
The members of Assistant Professor Claire’s lab. Anis, Clevious, and senior Onyx.
Compared to other professors’ labs, this is a place where only elite members are gathered. However, among them, Anise was known for being the quickest in getting things done.
True to her evaluation, Anise was still busy processing documents today.
“I did pretty well.”
The written exam score seemed to be at a satisfactory level. . Since I entered school, I have never once failed the written test.
Even when I was living in the wild, leaning against a wooden shelter, I never reduced the effort I put into memorizing subjects.
It is much better now that the environment has improved in many ways. It was natural to be able to score smoothly.
The problem is the practical test.
The goal of this test is to be at the top of the grade, no more, no less.
Since the goal is higher than usual, the importance placed on the practical test has also increased significantly.
” Speaking of which… is it possible for it to proceed properly…? “Isn’t it tomorrow?”
What I’m most worried about is the elemental science test.
Assistant Professor Claire, who is in charge of all the test processes, is half dead right now. The
elemental science class is a practical test and involves a sparring match with the professor in charge.
No matter how hard I try , Even as a new assistant professor, I didn’t think Assistant Professor Claire would be defeated in sparring with regular students… But right now, Assistant Professor Clare is obviously in no condition to be able to spar with anyone.
“Well, I guess another professor of elemental science will have to help… “I’m not sure if Assistant Professor Claire has told you in advance.”
– Bang!
At that moment, the door opened again.
Senior Onyx, who was a simple boy, was startled and looked towards the door to see a middle-aged man staggering in.
He has messy hair and an unshaven beard sticking out, and his body smells of tobacco and alcohol. He must have been
drinking so much that he can’t even stand in broad daylight, so he stumbles back and forth across the lab. He hits the desk. Even though Higo hit his head on the bookshelf, he moved his feet nimbly and arrived right in front of Assistant Professor Claire.
“Huh..! crane! Professor Kalide…! W… how did we get to this point…”
Should I say it’s the youngest professor’s practical sense?
It’s a bit sad to see him wake up as soon as he senses the other person’s presence.
“Yes, Assistant Professor Claire. Are you doing well?”
“Ah, yes… the written exam was successfully completed… and now all we have to do is practice sparring for the practical test…”
“No other than that, we are on our way to being destroyed by Dean McDowell. How can a report on everything from written exam information to important supervisory tasks be posted under the name of the youngest professor? What on earth do I do?…”
He said that with his own mouth.
All the student assistants were dumbfounded and just gaped.
“Of course… if you get paid, you have to work… back when I was busy with active duty.” “That guy, McDowell, who couldn’t even make eye contact with me… Now that he’s the dean, he’s being so mean to me, so I’m feeling very threatened…”
Then why not drink at least. Anise was holding back those words from coming out of her uvula. ” I see,
you’re really tired from administering the written exam…?”
“Oh, yes… that’s true…”
“That’s enough… leave the practical exam to me…”
Assistant Professor Claire The moment she was about to say something, he grabbed her head with his hand and quickly lowered her head.
“Go to sleep~”
Then, laughing as if he was drunk, he staggered back and came closer to the table where the teaching assistants were sitting.
Then, he said, He pulled out a chair and sat down across from me.
Anise, who was sitting next to me, and Onyx, who was next to the bookshelf, broke into a cold sweat.
“Oh my, I’m a hangover.”
He stumbled like that for a while and made a groaning sound. He shook his head and said,
“So, you are Ed Ross-Taylor.”
I couldn’t ask him how he knew me. After all, he was Assistant Professor Claire’s advisor. If he had wanted to know my identity, he would have been able to find out.
But he didn’t bother to ask me . I couldn’t even figure out why he was talking so clearly.
Even though Professor Kalide stumbled… he spoke with a fairly clear pronunciation.
“There’s a practical test tomorrow.”
“Yes, that’s right…”
“Then… Shall we have a game?”
“…Yes?”
*There was a time when the Cloel Empire was in the midst of a war with the demi-humans. It is
a story from the past, no, it is a story that has now become a story in history books.
Now, it has reached the very edge of the northern region. Although the demihumans were pushed out and their power was weakened, they were powerful enough to threaten the lifeline of the empire at the time.
In the end, the demihumans’ army was rushing right in front of the emperor Cloeron. Despite
the despair of the war, they ended up fighting at the forefront of Emperor Cloel’s army. There was a hero who led the way.
He is Obel Forcius, the guardian of the ecliptic.
And the three young wizards who helped him.
Mutter, Zelan Seeker, Glast, Outlaw, Kaleid.
Now, there are those who have grown older and have disappeared into the background as old people, there are those who remain on active duty and are training the next generation, and there are also academics who have tragically ended their lives.
There was a time when everyone was working hard in their respective fields, but now they are all fading into the background.
Was it fate that Kalide, who had wandered the world outside of the times, returned to teaching?
I didn’t think I would ever pursue a teaching career, but why did I nod my head as if fascinated by the request to fill Glast’s vacancy?
There is no point in giving a reason now. At least that’s what Kalide thought.
Ed Rosstaylor, on the other hand, was dumbfounded.
[ After a while, the sparring practice for the elemental science practical exam will begin. Ed Rosstaylor Please come up to the student sparring room. ]
Kaleid, an outlaw who has been wandering the lawless area of Kohelton for several years and disappeared.
The first thing he did after returning to his position as a professor was a practical sparring session in front of students.
Standing on the sparring hall, Ed was still dumbfounded.
Students from the Combat Department and the Pension Department, who had nothing to do with the exam, came flocking to see Kaleid’s skills.
Even students from other grades came after hearing the rumor. When Tanya Rosstaylor, the student council president, appeared among the crowd, there was complete silence in the room.
Obel Hall’s combat training center.
I saw Professor Kalide standing with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his white professor’s coat, rubbing his deep dark circles.
