READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 34
The Lady, who had crawled all the way to my house saying she didn’t want to go, eventually headed off to the magic school the next day without a fuss.
“I’ll be back soon!”
At least it was a relief that she seemed much more at ease, perhaps because the advice I gave her yesterday helped calm her mind.
“Yes, have a safe trip.”
“Of course, I’m special, so a school like this is nothing!”
Well, she seemed a bit overly confident now, but that’s just how a noble lady of the Void Family should be.
“You’ll behave while I’m gone, right?”
“Don’t worry.”
And so, the Lady finally left for the magic school.
After that, silence once again filled the mansion.
It’s definitely quieter without the Lady around.
Honestly, this is how the mansion usually is, but it gets unusually noisy when the Lady is here.
“Sigh…”
Now that the Lady is gone, I returned to the dog house.
I couldn’t sleep last night because I was busy dealing with the Lady’s constant chattering, so I thought I’d catch some more sleep.
As I entered the dog house, I saw White Pup lying on the cushion where I usually sleep.
Poor thing, it must have been tough for him too.
He was probably too scared of the Lady to sleep comfortably.
“Let’s take a nap together.”
I carefully picked up the sleeping White Pup and placed him beside me, then fell asleep together.
*
The day after the Lady left.
“Long time no see.”
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
I finally met my instructor, Eric, again.
After getting injured during a mission in the sewers, my lessons had been put on hold. Eric also had some business to attend to and couldn’t come, but he recently returned, so we decided to resume the lessons.
I always enjoyed Eric’s lessons because they were both fun and informative, so I’m glad they’re back.
Besides, this world often throws bizarre things at you under the guise of “common knowledge,” so it’s good to learn as much as possible.
“Do you know about the Heroes?”
Yeah, this is exactly what I’m talking about.
“…Are there really Heroes?”
“Huh? Oh, you thought it was just a fairy tale, didn’t you? They do exist. They appear periodically.”
Ah, so they appear periodically too.
Just as I was marveling at this otherworldly common knowledge that I didn’t know about.
“You seem quite interested in this.”
Seeing my reaction, Eric brought over a chalkboard.
“Let me give you a quick explanation.”
With that, Eric drew a rough shape on the chalkboard.
It was the shape of the continent where humans live.
Then he drew a large circle on the continent, which I assumed was the Empire.
“First, I explained the Empire to you last time, right?”
“Ah, yes…”
I had heard about it from him and others before.
This Kingdom is also heavily influenced by the Empire.
“It’s the strongest nation on the continent, no doubt. Of course, there are other continents like the Magic Continent and the Eastern Continent, but here, it’s the strongest.”
The Magic Continent and the Eastern Continent.
I had seen them on maps during previous lessons.
The Eastern Continent is similar to the East in my previous life, and the Magic Continent is where the demon tribes live.
I heard that the demon tribes are completely different from demons, and there was a great war a few decades ago.
That’s probably why the two continents are completely hostile to each other.
“The Empire grew this strong thanks to the Heroes. They periodically appear and provide great strength to the Empire.”
“How do the Heroes appear?”
“Well, there are two types.”
Eric wrote two words on the chalkboard.
[Oracle, Summoning]
“Oracle is exactly what it sounds like—a Hero chosen by the gods. They usually appear after accidentally obtaining a holy sword.”
“And Summoning…?”
“If a Hero doesn’t appear at the right time, the Empire uses vast resources to summon one.”
“Wait, what?”
“Well, the continent is always full of dangers, and the summoned Heroes always achieve remarkable feats.”
Eric tapped the chalkboard with his chalk.
“The teaching tools I’m using now were also invented by a Hero a few centuries ago.”
“Ah… Do you know where they are summoned from?”
“Hmm, that’s a closely guarded secret by the Empire.”
Well, I can roughly guess where they come from.
So I’m not the only one who came here.
I don’t think it’s a big deal.
Some are reborn in slums, while others are summoned to the royal palace.
Must be nice to be born with a silver spoon.
I bet they get full support from the Empire and train comfortably.
“Is there a Hero in the Empire now?”
“The previous Hero has retired, and it’s about time for a new Hero to appear.”
“Ah, so they can overlap?”
“Yes, since Heroes appear periodically, there have been times when up to three or four Heroes were active at the same time.”
…Why does this feel so haphazard?
Still, it must be reassuring.
With four Heroes, those demon tribes must be pitiful.
“How did the previous Hero appear?”
“Hmm, he was summoned.”
“Oh… Did he invent anything?”
“No. According to records, the previous Hero preferred wandering outside rather than sitting at a desk.”
So he was a troublemaker.
Well, if you’re born as a Hero with a silver spoon in a fantasy world, you’d probably go around causing trouble and collecting wives.
If you’re born with a wooden spoon, you’d end up like me, guarding a dog house.
“Have you ever met a Hero?”
More importantly, a Hero from another world.
I’m curious.
If I get the chance, I’d like to meet one.
“No. Most people never get to meet them. The current Hero only revealed himself during the war.”
So it’s not easy to meet them.
Well, how could you meet a Hero on such a vast continent?
Unless a war breaks out and you go to the battlefield, you might meet one.
But it’s better to have peace like now and not meet a Hero.
Anyway, after that.
“Since you seem interested in Heroes, let me tell you about the past Heroes.”
After that, I listened to stories about other Heroes and finished the first lesson after the break.
After the lesson.
“How was the lesson?”
“It was fun.”
While packing up the writing tools I used during the lesson, Eric asked me.
“Haha, that’s good. I was worried since it’s been a while.”
“You always teach well, so you don’t need to worry.”
I didn’t know Eric would worry like that.
He always teaches with such confidence.
Even I can tell he’s a skilled instructor.
“Well, that’s nice to hear.”
“I’m the one benefiting greatly, so no need to thank me.”
“…I wish all my students were like you, Rain.”
Students?
So he teaches other students too.
Well, with his teaching skills, he must be hired as a professional instructor in many places.
“I’ve been rambling. I’ll take my leave now.”
After that, Eric left the reception room where the lesson was held.
Hmm, even this elite teacher has his own worries.
But it’s probably not something I need to concern myself with.
He’s smart, so he’ll figure it out.
With today’s lesson over, I headed straight back to the dog house.
“Oh my, he’s walking so well now.”
“His teeth are starting to come in too, right?”
When I returned to the dog house, White Pup was being pampered by the maids.
He really seems to be living the good life.
Totally spoiled.
“Oh? Rain, you’re back?”
“Yes, but I have to leave again.”
I wish I could relax like White Pup, but unfortunately, I have an external schedule today.
So I quickly got dressed.
“Oh, let us fix your hair.”
“…You don’t have to.”
“Come sit here!”
After getting a quick touch-up from the maids, I put on the buff coat the mansion had repaired and strapped my sword to my waist.
“Wow… You look just like a knight.”
A knight, huh? If I had accepted Lowell’s offer two years ago, I might have become one.
But if I had, I wouldn’t be able to go to the Mercenary Guild as freely as I do now.
“Well, I’ll be off then.”
Sigh…
“Take good care of him, okay?”
Leaving the clingy White Pup with the maids, I left the mansion.
Today is the day Jeven is supposed to bring back a new mission.
I wonder if he managed to recruit a new member.
Passing through the high-end commercial district where I followed the Lady the other day, I arrived at the Mercenary Guild in the general commercial district.
Ding-
The Mercenary Guild was as noisy as ever when I entered.
“Hey, you punk!!”
“Come here!”
Crash!
It was even noisier than usual, probably because of some argument.
A fight?
With a bit of anticipation, I headed inside and saw two rough-looking groups facing off.
One side was completely unfamiliar, while the other was familiar.
It was Jeven and his subordinates, the ones I was supposed to meet today.
“You little brat, acting all tough…”
“Tch, watch your mouth.”
Jeven was at the front, facing off against what seemed to be the leader of the other group.
The atmosphere was tense, and it looked like a full-on brawl could break out any second.
Wait, there’s someone new on Jeven’s side.
Is that the new recruit?
He’s wearing a deep hood, but his weapons are unusual.
He has a spear on his back and two swords at his waist.
They look a bit too thin for hunting monsters.
“Excuse me.”
Anyway, seeing this, I called over a guild employee who was trembling nearby.
“…Yes?”
“Can I get a drink and some snacks?”
“R-right now?”
“Yes, right now.”
It’s not just any time—I need to eat and drink now.
Fortunately, I came in quietly, so they didn’t notice me.
I dragged over a chair from the side and sat down where I could get a good view of the fight.
Let’s see how this goes.
Watching a fight is always the most entertaining.