Chapter 85: A Hero’s Burden and Unspoken Offers

“Professor. It’s Elysia.”

“Come in.”

After knocking lightly, I announced my name to the door.

Then, as if expecting me, a quick response came from within.

When I opened the door and entered, my homeroom professor, Ferrent, was sitting at his desk, busy doing something.

Even though he had called me in and responded as though he had been waiting, he didn’t spare even a glance in my direction.

There was no sign that he was planning to get up, so I walked closer to his desk and casually peeked at what he was working on. It seemed to be paperwork related to the busy approaching schedule for the Celestial Festival.

“Sorry for calling you in, but as you can see, I’m quite busy and don’t even have time to offer you tea. If you want some, the tea leaves are over there, so feel free to make it yourself.”

Without raising his face, still hunched over, Ferrent pointed with his finger to a corner of the room.

Even as a student, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, seeing him like that.

Out of sympathy, I decided to do my duty as a student, even though I wasn’t planning to drink any myself. I placed some tea leaves in the kettle and poured hot water to brew the tea.

To properly brew it, there were a lot of things to do, but I wasn’t that meticulous. This would do for now.

I poured two cups of tea, placing one in front of me and the other beside Ferrent, who was still diligently working on the paperwork.

Of course, I kept a little distance just in case my hand accidentally knocked the tea and spilled it over the papers.

As a student about to have a meeting with a professor, I wanted to get to the point quickly and leave the room, but I restrained myself and brought the cup to my lips.

Although I had hastily brewed the tea, it still had a good fragrance and taste, probably because the tea leaves were of good quality.

If I had known the tea leaves were this good, I would have put more effort into brewing it properly.

Although it was an unexpected solo tea time, it wasn’t a big deal since my friends knew I had been called by Ferrent, so there was no issue even if I was a little late.

Ferrent, however, seemed to have completely forgotten he had called me in and was busily scribbling away with his pen.

As I emptied my cup, the rhythmic sound of the pen scraping across the paper was like music in the silence of the room. By the time I finished the tea, Ferrent finally put down his pen, and after a long pause, he took the cup I had left beside him and downed the tea in one gulp.

I couldn’t tell if he was indifferent to the temperature or if the tea had already cooled down, but there was no sign of him reacting to the heat.

As I watched him drink the tea like it was alcohol, I almost wanted to scold him for not knowing proper tea etiquette. However, seeing the dark circles under his eyes, I felt nothing but sympathy.

“Well, this is something. I didn’t expect to be served tea by my own student in my own office. Anyway, thank you for the tea, Elysia.”

“You’re welcome. So, what did you call me for?”

My direct approach to getting to the point might have seemed rude to someone with a more traditional mindset, but considering that I had known Ferrent for a few months, it didn’t seem like a problem.

Even if Ferrent were upset, what could I do about it? If he didn’t want me to interrupt, he shouldn’t have called me in the first place.

Fortunately, Ferrent didn’t seem to care and replied with a relaxed expression.

“It wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t called you in, but as your homeroom professor, I don’t intend to neglect my duties.”

Ferrent, having finished his tea, reached for a candy from a basket on the desk, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth, crunching away.

The way he chewed reminded me of a true man.

Ferrent offered me a piece of candy as well, but I wasn’t interested in those bitter candies that older men often ate.

When I politely declined by showing both palms, Ferrent shrugged and put the candy back into his mouth. He continued chewing noisily and resumed speaking.

“You’ll probably get a call soon, too. It’s about the Saintess’s assault incident. We’ve already finished the investigation with Professor Selene and Celian, and the others involved are being questioned. I myself was called in a few days ago.”

The Saintess, who was on her way to the capital, and a few of her guards.

Among them were Celian, Selene, and Hilpin, as well as myself, a student.

Unfortunately, Hilpin died during the incident.

That event was the reason I was chosen by the goddess as a hero. Even now, I still don’t understand why.

“Is Celian okay?”

I remembered that a few days ago, Celian had left, saying she had some business to attend to.

It wasn’t unusual for her to be absent, but since we usually stuck together unless something major came up, her absence had definitely stood out.

“You really do care about your friends, don’t you? It’s nice to see that from a homeroom teacher’s perspective. But there’s no need to worry. She’s fine. Back then, you, Celian, and everyone else…”

“Everyone thought Celian would become the Hero. There’s no way someone destined to be the Hero would conspire with the demons, right?”

Whew.

Ferrent’s words reassured me that there was nothing to worry about.

But even though I felt relieved, I couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed that something this important hadn’t been told to me directly.

Celian probably didn’t want to worry me, which is why she hadn’t mentioned it. But hearing about it from someone else still didn’t sit well with me.

“Anyway, I got grilled by the investigators about that incident as well. I barely had enough time as it was, and now I have even less. I’ve been stuck living in my office for days now… Of course, they’re just doing their job, and given how serious the matter is, I understand why they’re working so hard. But still, it’s frustrating. Seriously, they have no flexibility at all…”

“Oh, I see. So, did you call me here just to give me a heads-up that I might be summoned for questioning soon?”

If I let him keep talking, I’d have to sit through an old man’s complaints, so I seized the opportunity to interrupt him.

Ferrent glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, probably realizing I had cut him off on purpose, but an older man sulking wasn’t exactly an intimidating sight.

Not that I had any choice in the matter, but if he felt wronged, he could always go get a TS spell like I did.

Now that I thought about it, the old wizard who cast the TS spell on me said it was common knowledge that the spell would turn you into a flawless, beautiful girl.

If that were true, even Ferrent, a middle-aged man, could become a pretty girl with a TS spell.

Of course, that wizard was dead now, and there wasn’t a single magician left who knew how to use TS magic.

“Ahem. Anyway, as the Hero, you’ll probably be called in last. Honestly, the questioning will likely be purely procedural. If you had any ties to the demons, you wouldn’t have been chosen by the goddess in the first place.”

By that logic, the fact that the Saintess made a fortune selling holy water and that I, a former assassin, became a Hero should have shattered any sense of credibility.

But that wasn’t something I needed to bring up with Ferrent. Instead, I just silently questioned the goddess’s judgment.

“That aside… I still can’t believe you’re the Hero instead of Celian. I should have gotten a clear answer on this much earlier.”

“…Huh?”

Had Ferrent ever talked to me about something like that?

I thought back carefully, but nothing came to mind.

“I’m talking about the recruitment offer from the Third Imperial Knights. Judging by the fact that you don’t even remember, I guess it must not have been a very attractive proposal. Well, considering how much you’ve grown since then, I can understand why.”

“Haha… yeah…”

Now that he mentioned it, I vaguely remembered Ferrent making that offer before.

Something about how, as the former commander of the Third Imperial Knights, he had been asked by his successor to recommend promising recruits.

“You don’t have to be so cautious. I spent ages explaining to my successor that you were exactly the kind of talent they were looking for, only for them to turn you down, using budget issues as an excuse. Normally, if you really want someone, you make an offer first and figure out how to get the budget approved later.”

Ferrent was basically saying that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission—a piece of wisdom that came with age.

Hmm. I was learning something useful today.

*It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.*

I should remember that. It was the kind of advice that could be useful in life.

“On that note, unlike my successor, I know how to get things done. What do you think, Elysia? Once this Hero business is over, how about joining me as my assistant? I’ll make sure you get the best treatment in the industry—”

“Thank you for the advice, Professor. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

I could tell he had finished what he called me for, so I quickly got up from my seat.

After giving him a polite bow, I headed for the door.

Even as I left, I could hear Ferrent saying something energetically behind me.

…But that must have been my imagination.

I didn’t hear anything at all.

Well then, enjoy your all-nighter, Professor!