Chapter 182
Finally, the vacation has arrived.
Students began to leave the campus with excited faces.
Some were returning home, others were off to enjoy their holidays.
I, too, felt a sense of newness.
‘The first semester has somehow passed safely. The first semester of the first year is supposed to be a tutorial, but why was it so full of twists and turns.’
For reference, the scenario titles for each grade level were as follows:
First Year, Hero Academy.
Second Year, The Approaching Calamity.
Third Year, The Resurgence of the Dreamfall.
Fourth Year, The End.
As the titles suggest, as the grades progress, increasingly terrible disasters occur.
The first year is more about crises occurring within the Academy than major calamities or events.
Especially, the ‘real’ crisis hits the Academy starting from the second semester.
‘All four prestigious families face the crisis of extinction.’
Just as there is the shadowy boss, Chancellor Karak, in Ruby, the other four prestigious families are in a similar situation.
Each faces a different danger.
Of course, being a professor at Ruby, I should, in principle, leave matters of the other academies to them.
‘Ah, forget it. It’s vacation time, vacation!’
I also had the right to enjoy… not really.
As mentioned earlier, even during vacation, there was a mountain of work to be done.
‘Still, I wish to have a bit of fun. Perhaps a party to celebrate the end of the term, at the very least.’
Thinking this, I walked down the hallway and encountered two figures.
Kansir, Balas.
“To have to see you even on the day of vacation.”
“Prepare yourself for next semester.”
They growled as soon as they saw me.
But I knew what they were really thinking.
‘Adorable guys. Actually liking me while pretending not to. Perhaps tsunderes?’
The memory of them rushing to me upon hearing the news of my dismissal came to mind.
Cough. I cleared my throat.
The thought occurred to me that having a party with these guys wouldn’t be too bad.
After all, we were colleagues.
For the record, given the recent atmosphere, the probability of these guys staying on as tenured professors has increased.
“Are you guys busy?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well… um, that is…”
“??”
Let’s have a beer.
That’s what I meant to say, but the words just wouldn’t come out.
It was embarrassing!
Eventually, I had to resort to invoking the Black Flame Dragon.
“I’ll offer you an opportunity.”
“What opportunity?”
“That is, the glorious opportunity to commemorate the end of the semester with this great Van the Legend.”
Both of them had an expression that said, ‘What the hell?’
“There’s no need to pretend you’re not pleased. I know how you feel about me…”
“We had our own party yesterday.”
“…….”
“Did you want to join us? Oh, sorry. We didn’t think of you at all.”
“…Okay. I shall go. Just remembered I have something to do.”
“Oh, okay. Good luck. You’re not upset, are you?”
I’m not upset, okay? Not upset at all.
I don’t need you guys.
‘Jerks.’
Fine.
A party is supposed to be done alone, right?
I thought of Hans and Lindon but shook my head.
I didn’t want to be that annoying professor who clings to graduate students and makes a nuisance of himself, especially not on the last day of class.
‘Hans is going to be a professor now, so maybe it’s safe? No, even so, I don’t want to drink just with Hans.’
Then, another candidate came to mind.
It was Amanda.
She’s been missing for a while now, so I’ve heard Kansir and Balas worrying about her occasionally.
‘She must have gone after Alpha Zero. Alpha Zero wouldn’t kill Amanda, but I hope she’s not too badly hurt.’
It was an internal matter of the Sun and Moon Clan, so all I could do was wait for now.
As I was shaking my head and about to go for some real solo drinking, I encountered a familiar face.
“Catherine?”
But Catherine’s expression was odd.
She glared at me, hands on her hips.
As if full of complaints.
‘Did I do something wrong to her?’
“What’s wrong?”
“Professor, are you forgetting something?”
“??”
“Ugh, really! Follow me!”
She turned and walked away.
It felt like she was saying, ‘Let’s have it out in a quiet place.’
Actually, Catherine is known for her temper and often resolves disputes with her fists.
‘Ah, no way. But I’m a professor, she’d talk if there was an issue, wouldn’t she?’
But as we entered a darker alleyway, my unease grew.
“Catherine, where are we going?”
“You still don’t get it?”
“If you are upset with me, then let’s have a talk…”
“Upset? Ha. It seems I am not the only one upset. Just follow me quietly!”
I had no clue what it was, but it seemed I had done something wrong.
Reluctantly, I followed, and Catherine stopped somewhere.
It was a dreary building where back alley villains might secretly commit murder.
“Let’s go in.”
“First, let’s talk…”
“Oh, just come in!”
Catherine grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.
Whether the windows were covered or not, the inside was pitch black without any light.
Just as the rustling sound in the dark view made me involuntarily start to cast a protective spell,
Pop! Bang! Bang!
The lights turned on, and a loud noise erupted.
“Surprise!!”
“You’ve worked hard during the semester, Professor!!”
I stood there with a stunned expression.
Libel, Yulia, Wilhelm, Mikhail, Lindon, Hans were clapping their hands towards me, holding fireworks.
“What is this?”
“We’ve finished the semester, so we have to have a party. Why did you follow me so tensely?”
“Didn’t you say you were upset with me?”
“It’s because we won’t see you for a while, so I said I was upset. Ah, but not too upset. Just a tiny bit, like a speck of dust.”
“I, for one… am very upset! Ugh!”
Yulia also snorted,
“Hmm, I’m upset too. It seems you’re not, Professor?”
“Thank you for the past semester. Really. Sincerely.”
I was momentarily speechless, looking at them.
Each with their strong personalities, their expressions were varied, but they had one thing in common.
They were sending me looks of gratitude.
A clumsily hung banner on the ceiling caught my eye, “Thank you for your grace as vast as the sea, Professor.” Judging by the handwriting, it seemed Libel had written it.
My heart felt a little heavy.
“Ha ha ha! Everyone’s worked hard, now let’s eat! To celebrate the greatness of Professor Van the Legend and the appointment of Hans as a tenured professor! Lindon, what are you doing? Play the music!”
“Ah, grumble grumble. Anyway, I was thankful too.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
It was a crappy semester, but it felt rewarding.
‘It will undoubtedly get tougher from here, but with these kids by my side, it might just be okay.’
I made a toast too.
“May the glory of I, Van the Legend continue with all of you in the future.”
“Woooah!! Van legend!!”
“Milk-colored Le! Gen! D!!” (t/n idk what’s the milk colored thing)
“Cutie-legend!!”
…That cheering. They’re mocking me, aren’t they? Surely, that’s just my imagination?
* * *
The party went on for a long time.
As I’ve explained several times, the academy admission age of 17 is recognized as like a junior adult in the empire.
Depending on their birthdays, by the end of the first semester, quite a few students had reached full adult age.
Which means drinking was completely legal for them.
As is common with kids that age, they drank excessively. The atmosphere was lively.
That’s why it happened.
A light fight broke out among the drunk kids.
Crash!
“Libel, you damn 8th grade syndrome brat. Why do you keep being so stubborn?”
Catherine, flushed red from drinking, was scolding Libel.
Libel kept his mouth firmly shut.
Um, so here’s what happened.
“I wanted to go to the Ran Republic with Professor Van, right? Then why suddenly change your mind?”
“No, no. That never happened.”
“Ha. Such a frustrating kid.”
It all started when I was gathering a group to go to the Ran Republic with me.
It was an opportunity for the students to broaden their horizons.
In truth, that was just an excuse, and the offer was made considering Catherine, Libel, Mikhail.
Unlike Yulia and Wilhelm, who had ‘homes’ to return to, the main characters Catherine, Libel, Mikhail didn’t have a place to go back to during the vacation.
Unexpectedly, they all declined.
“I’ll be embarking on a knight’s quest during the vacation.”
“Alone? That’s dangerous.”
“I’m not a child, you know? Always worrying.”
“I plan to return to the royal palace.”
“Your Highness? Are you sure that’s wise?”
“Avoiding things blindly isn’t the answer, is it? I have things to think about, so don’t worry.”
Mikhail responded with a firmness that wasn’t there before.
The problem was with Libel.
“I’ll stay in the dormitory.”
“Libel, you’re not coming?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to go.”
Everyone looked puzzled.
They didn’t understand.
“Weren’t you the one who always wanted to go? Didn’t you wish upon a shooting star a few days ago to go with Professor Van?”
“No, no. I wished for something else.”
“Be honest. You want to go.”
“I-I said I don’t want to go!”
“Why are you yelling? What’s with this guy?”
That was the beginning of the fight.
‘Hmm. It doesn’t seem like something worth fighting over. But I am curious why Libel is acting like this.’
Leaving Libel alone during the vacation doesn’t seem right.
Though he’s become much brighter recently, Libel’s inner thoughts are still dark.
Being alone will surely lead him to dig himself into a hole, which could negatively affect the ‘trials’ Libel will face in the future.
Then, as Yulia elegantly sipped her cheap wine and looked disdainfully at Catherine and Libel, she said,
“Are you going to keep fighting like this in front of the professor? Catherine, go stand over there and reflect, and Libel, come with me.”
Yulia winked at me as if to say she would handle it and took Libel outside.
Curious, I stealthily followed them.
In the alleyway, Yulia was pressing Libel.
“Why don’t you want to come? If you stay in the dormitory, you’ll just spend all day looking at the VanTLLC Board, won’t you?”
“…….”
“If you don’t speak honestly, I’ll tell the professor about how you secretly sabotaged those students who were bad-mouthing him.”
“No, that can’t happen. It’s a complete secret.”
Classic villain, Yulia.
She was skilled at blackmailing.
Libel’s complexion turned pale, and he spoke softly.
“Professor Van is very precious to me.”
“I’m fully aware you see him as a savior, you know? Honestly, it’s a bit too much, don’t you think? Kind of creepy?”
“It’s not too much! Because… from the first time we met, the professor was kind to me without any reason. No one other than my parents has ever been like that to me.”
I kept silent.
It seemed Libel might be seeing a parental figure in me.
Yulia crossed her arms.
“So, what’s the issue this time?”
“It’s not an issue. It’s just…”
“Just, what?”
“I’m scared that if I stick around too much, the professor might start to dislike me.”
“…….”
Libel’s voice grew even quieter, defeated.
“My parents even came to despise me. If I keep sticking around, I’m sure the professor will start to dislike me too.”
I sighed internally.
But there was nothing I could do; that was Libel’s wound.
At the same time, I realized something.
Libel’s character scenario, <Monster>, had already begun.
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