READ NOVEL ONLINE C9
C9: Regret is too late, so move on
The battle exercise was, of course, canceled.
The students were slightly injured while the severely injured knight Agertram was immediately transported to the castle for treatment. The students who had returned to the castle gathered in the large training hall, which they called “the classroom,” as they were told.
“Sensei has passed away.”
Silence flowed through the classroom. Then Nakatsugawa, who knew what was going on, slammed the desk as hard as he could.
“………my, my fault.”
“No, it’s not. It’s all your fault.”
Professor Ashcroft coldly replied to Nakatsugawa, who blamed himself. This time, Mikazuki began to sob.
“Hiccup……no, it’s my fault……sensei, help Shirosuke……”
“That’s not it either. I’ve said it many times, but it was a mistake made by sensei Aizawa. It’s not your fault at all, don’t lose heart.”
“Shut up! What’s his fault? What’s his mistake?”
Iwashiro stood up and yelled at Professor Ashcroft. But Professor Ashcroft looked at Iwashiro straight in the eye.
“Sensei, sensei tried to save Mikazuki’s cat. What he did was not wrong! He was trying to save the life in front of him and jumped out! Is that a lapse in judgment?”
“Yes. The result is the death of your sensei. Don’t you understand? Death is the end, isn’t it?”
“……!”
Iwashiro clenches his teeth so hard that they almost chip.
Professor Ashcroft says with an unchanging expression on his face.
“The ruins will be reexamined in two weeks. Let’s at least collect the corpses and mourn them together.”
“What, two weeks?”
Aoki shouted. He had no idea why it would take so long.
“The Minotaur has been sealed up in the ruins, so it will not come out of the innermost chamber. Besides, he will surely starve to death in two weeks. Avoiding useless battles is a basic tactic.”
“……That’s true, though.”
Aoki looked down helplessly. Maybe it was the face that was thinking about the possibility……of such a thing.
“Everyone, you seem to be tired today, so you can leave. Tomorrow’s training will be cancelled, so please take a good night’s rest.”
With that, Professor Ashcroft left the classroom. In spite of the dismissal, no one stood up and no one spoke.
“…………Everyone, listen up.”
Shosei Nakatsugawa stood up and everyone took notice of his behavior.
“I heard his last words…….He said to me, ‘Take care of the others’…….”
A clear drop fell from Nakatsugawa’s eyes, and some of the students also started shedding tears. Mikazuki hugged the cat, and Shinohara hugged Mikazuki. Aoki covered his face, and Iwashiro clenched his teeth.
“I was……weak. I thought I was getting stronger……but real battle was different. I was so scared that I almost…..chickened out, and I couldn’t move my body.”
Even if it’s shameful, the person named Shosei Nakatsugawa is so weak. I wanted everyone to know that, even though he was praised and admired, he was still a weak man who could not move when the time came.
“And here we are. Sensei is dead, he’s gone, and he’s not coming back. This is reality……….”
Someone close to me died. The students really learned about the horror of the other world.
This is not Japan. There were no monsters, and the students, who had never been in danger, felt the true fear of death at that moment.
“The last thing he taught us was that………we were going to die.”
They all took Aizawa-sensei’s last lesson to heart. And Shosei Nakatsugawa made a vow.
“I, we, will become stronger and stronger…….As “heroes” of this world, which sensei can be proud of!”
Thus, the death of Mr. Aizawa strengthened the unity of the students. Professor Ashcroft, outside the classroom, smiled faintly.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Then the students changed. The optimistic, playful atmosphere disappeared, and each and every one of them threw themselves into their training. Of course, there were a few who didn’t, but they became stronger and stronger.
Among them, the growth of Shosei Nakatsugawa was remarkable. He improved his cheat, his swordsmanship, and his knowledge. He absorbed every single thing he needed in this world and made it his own. There was an air of devil-may-care about him, and while he was dependable, he was also in a dangerous state of mind.
And there was one more person in a very bad state.
“————”
“Shion, we’re coming in.”
Akane Shinohara walked into Shion Mikazuki’s room. In her hand was a tray of food. Yes, Mikazuki hadn’t eaten a proper meal or participated in any training since the death of her teacher. She had been confined to her room for a long time, unable to eat, bathe or even use the toilet.
Shinohara was actively taking care of Mikazuki. She put the tray on the desk in the room and went beside Mikazuki, who was hiding in bed.
“Shion——”
“———-is my fault.”
“———”
“It’s my fault that I didn’t have Shirosuke with me. It’s my fault that he’s dead.”
“———“
Mikazuki had been blaming herself for a long time. Sensei Aizawa died in order to save her cat. It was natural for Mikazuki, the owner of the cat, to feel responsible for his death. Knowing this, the students didn’t try to force the reclusive Mikazuki out, and neither did Professor Ashcroft or Professor Anastasia say anything. The current Mikazuki doesn’t understand words.
“Tomorrow——”
“———“
“There will be a re-survey of the ruins tomorrow. The top five students selected by the class will go along.”
“———”
“Of course, I’ll be there.”
“———“
“If you want to go, I’ll talk to Professor Ashcroft. If you want to find him, see him off, and move on, I’ll be waiting at——“
“———“
After saying that, Shinohara left the room.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
The next day, the five members who had been chosen to be part of the team to reexamine the ruins were all gathered in front of the main gate of the castle.
The members are Shosei Nakatsugawa, Akane Shinohara, and Yota Iwashiro. The other members are Haruko Kenzaki, who has grown into the next best sword user after Nakatsugawa, and Kenjiro Kimishima, who belongs to the karate club. The three knights accompanying them were Professor Ashcroft, Knight Zayd, and Knight Gain.
Shinohara was a little uneasy.
“Um, I didn’t know there were only three knights in the investigation team——“
“Don’t worry, Akane.”
“Yeah, no problem.”
Knight Zayd and Knight Gain nodded while smiling, and then they said confidently.
Knight Commander Ashcroft is here. With him, there will be no problem even if a herd of minotaurs attack us.
“Yes, the most powerful knight in the kingdom is no mean feat.”
“——you guys.”
Professor Ashcroft smiled at Knight Zayd and Knight Gain, who spoke with a somewhat childlike twinkle in their eyes. It was easy to see that they adored him. Shinohara as well as the other students seemed to sink a little in the atmosphere.
Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, Professor Ashcroft said.
“We’re leaving now.”
“Hold on.”
Suddenly, a voice was heard. They turned around, and everyone except Shinohara was surprised.
“——I’m coming, too. Please let me go.”
“Shion, you’re here.”
“I’m sorry, Akane. I——won’t cry anymore.”
Mikazuki wore a uniform provided by the kingdom, and had two cats at her feet. And there was a strong will in her eyes.
There was only one thing for Shinohara to do.
“Please, Professor Ashcroft, give me permission to accompany Shion to the ruins.”
“——Hmm, but Shion hasn’t been trained well. There’s no guarantee that something unforeseen won’t happen.”
“I’ll protect her, I promise.”
“——“
Professor Ashcroft thought for a moment, and then nodded slowly.
“——I understand. But it’s not your job to protect her, it’s our job as knights.”
“——Thank you, Professor Ashcroft.”
“Thank you, Professor Ashcroft.”
Thus, the survey team departed for the ruins.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Thus, the group visited the ruins for the first time in two weeks, and was surprised. When they opened the sealed door, they didn’t find the dead body of the Minotaur, but not the body of sensei Aizawa either.
All that was left was the equipment of the ruins that had stopped functioning after sensei Aizawa’s disappearance, the pod where Brunnhilde had slept, and the transporter that had been infected by a virus and self destroyed. Of course, no one could tell what this meant, however, a possibility arose.
Sensei Aizawa was reported as missing, not dead.