CH 54

The next day, morning.

Nowadays, I wake up on my own, even before Amy comes to get me.

'Ah, I don't want to go to school today since there are no classes.'

However, at this point, only I know that there won't be any classes this week.

If I don't attend, other students will think it's strange.

I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb.

Although it's impossible to hide that I've changed.

···I quickly headed to the Hero Department.

"···There are no classes this week. You don't have to come to school from tomorrow. Rest well this week and see you next week."

As soon as Rok's words ended, I left the classroom.

Hmm······.

'Siena hasn't come to school.'

At this point, it doesn't seem like she's faking it.

I should check on her later to make sure everything's okay.

With that thought, I boarded the carriage.

Clatter, clatter─

'Let's head to the Knight Department first.'

I should be able to observe the second-period classes.

I've seen the skills of most Knight Department students, but I want to test something.

Sitting in the back seat on the right diagonal side of the carriage, I recalled last night.

[Amplification Orb]

The high-ranking artifact I obtained from Francis.

In the original story, it was only used to amplify Francis's debuff magic, but as expected from a high-ranking artifact, it had other uses too.

'This item can amplify not only magic but also traits.’

It can only be applied to one trait, but that alone is incredible.

It can turn an expert-level trait into a master-level trait.

···Of course, I don't have any expert-level traits yet.

The traits I currently possess are [Descendant of the Hero], [Twisted Noble's Dignity], [Magic Nullification], [Observer's Eye], and [Sword Beginner], totaling five.

It's a significant improvement to have a beginner-level trait amplified to a user-level trait in one go.

I initially planned to use it on the treasure I'd obtain during next week's relic exploration.

However, last night, while practicing swordsmanship in my room with the Amplification Orb on me...

[Please select the trait you wish to strengthen.]

A sudden message appeared.

[Descendant of the Hero] is a bloodline trait and cannot be strengthened, but the other four traits could be.

So currently, I've amplified [Sword Beginner] to [Sword User].

Moreover, I can switch to another trait whenever necessary.

···In all routes of the original story, Neike, like a fool, handed over such a precious item to the academy without ever experimenting with it.

I couldn't help but smile.

'What happens if I apply it to master-level traits like Sword Master or Weapon Master?'

Though it's doubtful I'll ever obtain them in my lifetime, but who knows...

Immersed in pleasant thoughts, I headed towards the Knight Department classroom.

It was break time, and the lively chatter of students could be heard outside the classroom.

Creak─

"······."

The students' gazes focused on me.

Ignoring those now-familiar stares, I stood by the back door and surveyed the area.

Where is she?

Ah, there she is.

I walked straight over to Irene, who was sitting in the middle row of the classroom.

Irene's eyes widened.

"You!"

"Nice to see you, Irene. May I sit beside you?"

"Uh, um... Sure."

I sat down next to Irene.

Mina, who was also sitting beside Irene, looked at me.

"What happened yesterday? I heard there was no class for the Hero Department."

"I had some matters to take care of yesterday."

"I see. Well, I'm glad you made it today. Irene was upset all day yesterday, but I shouldn't say anything—Ah, ah!"

Irene's face turned red as she covered Mina's mouth with her white hand.

"Stop it, Mina!"

"Okay, okay~. I shouldn't have said that on such a good day."

Mina smiled mischievously.

Why is she like that?

People's moods can change a hundred times a day.

Irene doesn't have a trait like my [Twisted Noble's Dignity], so her feelings are all over her face.

Irene looked at me again.

"Anyway, are you alone today?"

Her expression was somewhat ambiguous.

"Yeah. Should I have brought someone?"

"No, no, no! You did well. From now on, try to come alone whenever possible, okay?"

"..."

It's not like I can control that.

I never had anyone to come with in the first place.

It was Siena who decided to tag along.

While thinking about that, Irene gave me a sharp look.

"Why aren't you answering?"

"I'll try my best."

We continued talking until the lecture began.

The front door opened, and a professor entered.

Ah, it's a professor from the Knight Department I've seen before.

But, someone else followed them in.

"..."

It was Mari.

Why is she here?

She usually dresses casually in the Hero Department, but today she's fully dressed up.

"Today, we have a guest lecture from the Hero Department's Professor Mari Jane. Let's welcome her with a round of applause."

—Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The sound of students clapping.

I joined in the applause.

Mari greeted everyone with a smile.

"Hello, Knight Department students~. I'm Mari Jane, and I teach classes like [Introduction to Hero Studies] in the Hero Department. I look forward to working with you all today."

Mari stood at the podium and slowly scanned the students.

Then her eyes met mine.

Mari smiled subtly.

"Seeing a familiar face, I think I can do this without getting nervous. Now, let's start the special lecture~."

***

Raei  Translations

***

There wasn't much to the 'guest lecture'.

It was just the usual stories about how the Hero Department operates and how hard its students work.

"···So, insight and judgment are even more important for heroes than raw power. In emergency situations, the lives of many depend on the choices made by the leading hero. Theo, who's attending the lecture today, excels in that aspect."

Mari looked at me as she spoke, and all the students' gazes fixed on me.

'Ah, damn it.'

Luckily, I had grown accustomed to those stares, and there was no need to panic thanks to [Twisted Noble's Dignity].

"Theo once said during a Hero Department lecture, 'If there's a trusted leader, team members don't need to worry about anything else. They simply need to believe in the leader's judgment and act accordingly.' I felt that this is what a modern-day hero should be like after hearing that answer."

Mari continued to speak, whether I liked it or not.

Ah, please stop...

"···Theo, did you really say that?"

Irene whispered in a soft voice.

"······."

I wanted to crawl into a hole.

Instead of answering, I bowed my head.

***

Lunchtime arrived.

I headed to the student cafeteria with Irene and Mina.

'Hmm, the menu is certainly different from the Hero Department's.'

When I had come here before, I couldn't focus because of Siena clinging to me.

Now, I could see everything clearly.

I glanced at the menu and asked Irene:

"Irene, which menu item is delicious?"

"Well, what do you usually like?"

"Meat, of course."

"Hmm, I see. When you were younger, you didn't seem to like meat that much. Anyway, the popular dishes these days are 'Pork Cutlet Set' and 'Dongpo Pork.' They're commonly eaten in the Eastern Empire."

"...I see."

This game pays attention to such unnecessary details.

In the original game, the Eastern Empire was a nation that incorporated elements of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese cultures.

Thinking about it made me crave Korean soup, but I couldn't find it on the menu. I checked twice, even three times.

Damn, this is a Korean game.

...Well, It can't be helped.

"I'll have the Pork Cutlet Set."

"Huh? Theo, have you eaten Eastern Empire food before? Why not just get the regular meat set?"

"...A sense of challenge is an essential virtue for a hero."

I'm sorry for lying, Irene.

The truth is, I ate a lot of it before possessing this body.

We moved to a table with our food, and I sliced a piece of pork cutlet.

"..."

Surprisingly, it was quite good, despite its appearance.

It had a taste reminiscent of the homeland.

While eating the pork cutlet, I looked at Irene and Mina's food.

Irene had meatball pasta and bread, while Mina had carbonara pasta and bread.

The noodles were dry and lacked the usual sheen.

As expected of cafeteria food.

"Yum."

Irene took a bite of a meatball.

But would that be enough for her?

In the original game, she had a large appetite despite her size.

Feeling my gaze, Irene asked me with a puzzled expression:

"...Do you want some?"

"No, I'm good."

The memory of Siena force-feeding me surfaced.

Ugh...

"Alright then."

Irene pouted and resumed eating.