Chapter 17 : Storm’s New Instructor (1)

The escort mission ended relatively successfully.

The Ritbel Company, along with the new instructors from the Swordsmanship Academy, arrived in Tristan without major issues, and considering that an intermediate-level monster appeared along the way, the damage wasn’t too severe.

I even received a greeting from the head of the Ritbel Company, who happened to be Kaela’s father.

As the company’s name suggests, his name was Ritbel.

“It is truly an honor to meet a member of the Marquis Mulick family.”

“Right now, I’m just an instructor. You don’t have to be so formal.”

“Even so, noble blood does not disappear. Besides, didn’t you protect our company with your outstanding skills? I can’t express enough gratitude for that.”

“…It’s a bit embarrassing.”

Ritbel was a merchant who made sure to repay any help he received.

As for me, I only participated in the escort mission because it seemed interesting, and when the intermediate monster appeared, I just stepped in because it was necessary… But to him, it must not have been such an obvious thing.

He paid a reward five times the usual commission fee.

As if that wasn’t enough, he also took out a sword that had been kept as part of the company’s goods and handed it to me.

“This is Galid, a treasured sword brought from the Kingdom of Venher across the sea.”

“…Are you sure you can just hand over such a precious sword to me?”

“I’m giving it to you because you deserve it, Sir Edgar. You’ve more than earned it.”

“It seems a bit expensive for an escort mission reward.”

“I also heard that you taught my daughter.”

“You’ve really heard everything.”

Well, considering how lively and passionate Kaela is, there’s no way she wouldn’t have talked about me to Ritbel.

Knowing her personality, she probably painted me as a great benefactor.

To her, I was the person who helped free her bound steps with just a piece of advice, and even made her blossom into the ‘Second Divergence.’ If you look at the results, it’s not wrong.

Anyway, we said our goodbyes to the Ritbel Company.

“See you when the semester starts, Kaela.”

“Yes, Instructor Edgar!!”

Kaela, with her usual bright face, greeted me and promised to meet again.

Since she was confirmed to be enrolling in the Swordsmanship Academy as a cadet this semester, we were bound to run into each other soon.

Anyway, Ray and I finally arrived in Tristan after some twists and turns, and immediately started heading towards the Hero Academy.

Oh.

There was one little incident before that.

“Ugh, you! You had such skills, and yet you stayed still? Were you just going to let us get hurt?”

“Argh… We’re done! We can’t be instructors anymore! It’s all over! Over, I tell you!”

It was Paul and Anna, <Cleric> heroes, whose broken ankles couldn’t be healed, even though the clerics had been attending to them immediately.

The two of them glared at me with faces full of resentment.

It seems they still don’t know that I’m a noble, or even that I’m from a high-ranking noble family.

Since they were just receiving treatment until now, they probably haven’t heard anything about me.

But I didn’t have time to explain anything to them.

Smack-.

A servant stepped in front of them and coldly declared,

“I would like to inform you. The person standing before you is Sir Edgar Mulick, second son of the Marquis family of Mulick, a prestigious mage family, and newly appointed instructor of Tristan’s Hero Academy. Should you carelessly run your mouths again, you may find yourselves dragged into court and severely punished for insulting a noble within the kingdom.”

It was Ray, with a much stiffer expression than usual.

The tone of his words wasn’t mild either.

Prestigious mage family, Marquis Mulick, insult to nobility, severe punishment…

None of these were light terms.

The important thing, though, is that it left a strong impression on the other side.

“……!!”

“W-What do you mean by…?”

Paul and Anna’s faces turned pale in an instant.

Whether they didn’t understand Ray’s words, or they were flustered because they did, they seemed overwhelmed by the sudden flood of information.

‘The noble insult law is actually meaningless, though…’

Of course, as the kingdom shifted towards meritocracy and heroism, the “noble insult law” had become a rather obsolete system.

To enforce that law, a complex process of proof is required, and even more rigorous trials are needed for punishment.

However, Ray’s purpose was solely to declare that I am a noble.

It was to establish a “legitimate cause.”

“You don’t need to go as far as the noble insult law. If you continue to use such aggressive language toward Sir Edgar, it will be regarded as a challenge and threat to our Mulick family. We will take active measures in response. If you are curious about how the Mulick family will respond, feel free to challenge us. I strongly advise you to realize your position and act accordingly.”

Ray’s warnings continued relentlessly.

Even though Paul and Anna had disregarded me, I felt some sympathy for them inside.

‘Poor things. They messed with the wrong person in Ray.’

In that state, even I couldn’t stop Ray.

No, I’d never even seen her like that before.

This was a new side of my servant that I had never witnessed before, thanks to these two unfortunate fools. In some ways, maybe I should be thankful to them.

“Sir Edgar, if you would follow me this way.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I should go.”

I stammered slightly, a bit unnerved by seeing this unfamiliar side of Ray.

Fortunately, when she addressed me, her voice returned to its usual tone.

Leaving behind the two instructors who had just received their harsh lesson from Ray, we started preparing for our life in Tristan in earnest.

“It seems we’ll be staying here, at the Royal Special Hotel, for the next few days.”

About an hour away from Tristan’s main gate, a grand and ornate building greeted us.

The Clephe Royal Special Hotel.

This would temporarily solve our accommodation issue while we stayed in Tristan.

“It’s a hotel designed primarily for the convenience of nobles, so there shouldn’t be any major inconveniences. If you need anything more, I’ll inform the manager in advance.”

Instructors and teaching assistants were provided accommodations within the academy grounds.

Most of the newly appointed instructors lived in these lodgings, combining their work and rest spaces.

But I, as the son of a prestigious noble family, couldn’t easily live in such accommodations.

To be exact, I could enter, but if I did, it would subtly tarnish our family’s honor within noble society.

It wasn’t about showing off; it was genuinely better to avoid it for the sake of the family’s reputation.

“It’s fine. I trust you handled it well. But how long does it usually take to purchase a house?”

That’s why Ray had arranged to purchase a small house in the capital.

And until the deal was finalized, we would stay at the Royal Special Hotel, which was frequently used by nobles.

The Royal Special Hotel could only be used by those specially approved by the royal family, and the conditions were so strict that staying there wouldn’t harm our honor.

In response to my question about the status of the house purchase, Ray nodded slowly.

“Yes. Since it involves a significant budget, we need formal approval from the head of the family to proceed.”

“Is Father in the capital now?”

“Yes. That’s why we’ve arranged to meet him in two days. I heard that Lady Jane and Lord Todd will also be joining.”

“…Do I have to go too?”

“If you don’t, the head of the family might feel offended.”

Ray knew not only my personality but also my father’s character inside out.

In many ways, she was the most suitable person to be the family’s steward.

‘Jane and Todd…?’

I silently repeated those names, which I hadn’t heard in a while.

Jane Mulick .

And Todd Mulick .

The eldest daughter and son of the Mulick family, known throughout the kingdom as magical prodigies and often referred to as the “hope of the kingdom.”

Although my relationship with them was extremely strained in the past, they are still siblings I miss, given how much has changed since my return.

If the three of us were to gather in one place, it would mean that, excluding my younger sister Yellin Mulick, who is currently studying abroad in the Kingdom of Kespa, all the siblings of the Mulick family would be together.

“This should be interesting.”

“Then, I’ll take it that you will attend.”

As soon as I spoke, Ray immediately started jotting something down.

I quietly watched her.

“Ray. All I said was that it sounded interesting.”

“When Sir Edgar says something is interesting, it’s usually a sign that you are favorable and positive towards it.”

“…Is that really something you need to analyze in such detail?”

“Yes. It’s a factor tied to work efficiency, so I make sure to remember it.”

…

At some point, it seems I became incapable of winning any arguments with Ray.

Anyway, after resolving the accommodation issue fairly quickly, we headed to the large grounds located at the very heart of Tristan.

The Tristan Hero Academy.

As one of the kingdom and capital’s most renowned landmarks, both its size and the number of people moving through it were enormous.

“The fifth-level instructors should go to the faculty office for official registration first…!!”

“You can come tomorrow! The faculty has granted a grace period due to the Warp Gate malfunction!”

Loud voices and announcements echoed everywhere.

Especially today, with the new Swordsmanship Academy instructors starting their posts and the malfunction of the Tristan Warp Gate, it seemed like even more heroes had gathered at the academy.

As I navigated through the noise, I whispered to Ray.

“Ray, do you know where my research office is?”

“Yes. Shall I guide you there?”

“Let’s go straight there. It’s too noisy here.”

A personal research office, granted only to instructors of the fourth level and above.

Now that I had properly arrived at the academy, that was the first place I wanted to see.