The academy has a small number of professors. It’s almost as if there’s no need for more.

Since students are not strictly separated by grade, there is some overlap in the courses they take, and even that doesn’t necessarily need to be divided.

It’s an academy filled with the so-called big shots. Nobles mostly inherit their family’s martial arts, so they don’t need the skills, and commoners, if they want to make the cut for academy admission, are likely to have learned something.

Thus, academy students already have their own style and way of fighting somewhat established when they enter.

That’s why there’s no need for lectures like “Fun and Easy Triple Swordsmanship.”

So what do the professors teach? They teach experience. They engrave the knowledge of unseen perspectives into their bones. Academy lectures are mainly focused on practical application.

That’s why Professor Alexson, in charge of the “All About Close Combat” course, can teach all grades. One of his nicknames is Weapon Master, as he can wield any weapon in his hand with masterful skill.

Yesterday he fought with a spear, today with an axe, satisfying a variety of experiences all by himself.

“Silverthorn, who teaches ‘Elemental Basics,’ is no exception. Though a mage of the golden spire, his hands wield magic with masterful ease.

Yesterday’s flames and today’s waters, he alone could satisfy a variety of experiences.

And I, teaching ‘Illusion Magic Response,’ am the same. Illusion magic allowed me to provide a myriad of experiences. Like the Tentacle Labyrinth or the Rhino Great Escape…

On the flip side,

This means there’s no room for new professors because the three of us, the corrupt forces, tightly hold such a diverse and broad range of lectures.

We’ve gone further, contributing greatly to the resignation of existing professors. There was this one time.

A retired knight, famed for his greatsword skills, was a professor, but it turned out Alexson was better with the greatsword. Students flocked to Alexson’s lectures instead…

Enraged, the retired knight challenged Alexson to a duel, lost, and tearfully resigned.

I didn’t say it, but I think I’ve sent off one or two myself.

So… our reputation among the faculty isn’t too good. Once the fight for one’s bread begins, everyone becomes sensitive, doesn’t it?

The result is this so-called faculty dinner.

“Chomp, chomp. Alejandro, care for an arm wrestle?”

“Compare that muscle mass to my compact, aesthetic compressed muscles. My muscles are art pieces, valuable for display only, not for use. How about using brain cells instead? A new conundrum has been posted at the spire…”

“Men gathered here and you talk of using brains! Enough with the headache-inducing talk. I know you’ll boast for 30 minutes. Just thinking about it is bad luck.”

From noble mtl dot come

“I can understand being intimidated by my keen intellect. But sometimes, it’s good to receive wise teachings from someone smarter. Because, in the end, it leads to the elevation of wisdom…”

So, these utterly incompatible gentlemen gather to crack open a drink. Alexson, disgusted with Silverthorn’s self-aggrandizing rhetoric, gulped down his beer.

With Alexson showing no particular reaction, Silverthorn turned his target to me.

“Ah, you may not have achieved enlightenment as a mage, but… you’re still a mage. Care to solve the golden spire’s  puzzle?”

“Hand it over.”

“Right, hm-hm… If it’s too hard, I can give you a hint. Of course, you must learn to grow by yourself, so I’ll refuse twice. Only on the third request will I give you a perfect hint, without spoiling the intellectual thrill.”

I glanced at the magic-puzzle Silverthorn copied onto parchment, and out of courtesy, I waited 10 seconds. One must pretend to ponder, right?

“Not getting it? For your information, if you approach this magic circle from the left corner…”

“It’s a praying mantis. That’s the answer.”

“…Using witchcraft…!!”

Silverthorn couldn’t accept the reality of solving the conundrum in 10 seconds and flailed around a divine emblem he pulled out.

But when no trace of black magic was found, Silverthorn sulked and sipped his beer, muttering about how it took him a week and how unfair it was.

Alexson laughed heartily, his face bright with satisfaction.

“Marvelous. There’s always a higher sky. How could you be so arrogant! Hey, shall we toast?”

“You’ve had it tough, haven’t you?”

“What’s there to say? Every time we drink, he rambles about intellectual thrills or whatever, thought I’d go mad. Tried splitting his head with an axe to fix it, but even after a huge fight, it didn’t work.”

They must have had a big fight.

“Still, I’ve gotten used to it now! Should I say I’ve mastered how to handle it… Take a good look.”

Alexson said to Alejandro with a mischievous grin.

“You are the academy’s finest magician!”

“……!!”

“Not really.”

“……”

How can someone’s expression switch on and off like that? It’s almost miraculous how little resistance they have to compliments.

My prejudice that accomplished magicians are a screw loose has just been reinforced.

“You’ll probably hear about it soon, but they say he became like this because he couldn’t overcome the heartbreak of rejection. Poor guy.”

“Hmph, isn’t it more pitiful for someone who’s never been in love at all?”

“……”

“……”

A melancholic and sorrowful atmosphere lingers. The two professors tilted their beer glasses bitterly. Judging by the deep, aching wounds in their eyes, it seems both were far from the world of romance.

But usually, doesn’t a natural connection come with great social success? Both are strong enough to be appointed as academy professors…

“……In my youth, I lived for revenge! I had no time for love or family. But once I achieved everything, I felt a chill at my side…”

“Being a magician is a lonely job. A life of endless struggle with one’s research. Spring came for me too, but she left without a trace, nailing me to a beautiful season…”

“That’s not the sound of a widower, but of someone who’s been dumped. Pining over a first love and missing all other chances. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I understand. Love… it’s tough. I’m still without a connection myself.”

I nodded in agreement. I hadn’t experienced a real romance in this lifetime. At that, Silverdari and Alexson’s expressions turned subtle. Alexson asked,

“There’s talk of you hanging around with women. Like that pink-haired lady in a suit.”

“Oh, she and I are just friends. We sometimes share a blanket and sleep together, but we consider each other friends.”

“You, I’ve heard rumors about you cooing with a sweet-voiced lady in your lab. They say her voice drips with honey. What about that?”

“Oh, it’s a bit complicated with her. Sometimes it feels one way, but it’s more like, what should I say, closer to family…?”

Alexson asked, gently flexing his fist.

“Do you sleep with her too?”

“Yes, we sleep together every day. But that’s not romance, is it?”

I reflected on my past. About the girlfriend who led me down the path of TRPGs. I remember it being incredibly tough, starting a relationship because it seemed like she’d ruin my college reputation if I rejected her confession.

Having to rush out even at dawn, acting as a pack mule at the mall, and attending her friends’ gatherings to boast about being her boyfriend and elevate her social status…

It’s an exhausting affair. That’s what love is.

In that sense, spending time with Pingballez and Yuna is nothing but enjoyable. With them, ‘romance’ doesn’t seem so exhausting, but isn’t it better to avoid the risk and be content as is?

I quietly came to a conclusion.

“Perhaps it’s also fine not to pursue romance.”

“This damn guy.”

“Come follow me!”

I got hit a few times.

—

Once the alcohol kicked in, the atmosphere lightened up. I could feel my nerves relaxing as the alcohol circulated through my system.

The conversation topics spun around. We played a round of ‘what’s the most powerful weapon’ (Silvertari and I pushed Alexson with our belief in the omnipotence of magic), and debated who the prettiest professor at the academy was (I nominated myself).

Then, the topic of disciples came up. Alexson grumbled while crunching on a walnut.

“I’m getting older, and it’s about time to take on a direct disciple.”

“Isn’t it too early? Seems like something to ponder after you hit 60.”

“Magicians pass on their knowledge through eyes and mouth, sure. But us warriors, we have to engrave the skills into our muscles. I thought Bennett would succeed me…”

Yes, Bennett was Alexson’s disciple.

He approached me because Alexson had recommended him, saying ‘there’s a magician who handles the sword well.’ He then went through a TRPG, and as a result, became a paladin.

“Should I apologize?”

“No, no need. Thanks to you, it seems Bennett has found his own path… Rather, I should be thankful. The murderous intent in his sword is gone. It’s just, I feel a bit regretful.”

“Just bring in some big, empty-headed guy? Pick one from the poor, they seem like they’d attend classes with passion.”

“What’s the point of passing it on like that? Oh, right. Bennett often sends letters. He mentioned he’s caught up in some strange affair.”

A strange affair?

“Do you know about the hero?”

“That, a brave and righteous person, right?”

“It’s used that way, but it also means someone chosen by the gods. Usually appears when something terrible happens in the world. The most recent hero must have been centuries ago…”

It seems a hero is born when the gods pinpoint someone in an emergency. They only appear in significant crises, so in times of peace like now, they don’t show up.

So in seasons like now, when there’s no hero chosen by the gods, the Goddess Church selects their own hero.

“Bennett and Saintess Tara travel together, right? But there’s a rule in the Goddess Church that the saintess must join the hero’s party. So, there’s a chance she might be taken away.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“My point exactly. Fortunately, there’s no hero in the Goddess Church now, and they’re holding a hero selection contest around mid-year. If Bennett doesn’t want to lose Tara… he’ll have to win the contest and become the hero.”

“Huh.”

Bennett’s life sure is full of twists and turns.

But really, am I supposed to send such frequent updates to Alexson via letter? Of course not… It’s not like we’re close or anything. It’s just me harboring a one-sided inner intimacy.

Still, it feels a bit disappointing. After all the time we’ve spent together.

Or what, if it’s not dimensional magic but illusion magic, will Ho-won come with an axe to split my head open? No, since the Tower Master did it, it would be Bennett’s head that disappears.

Maybe I should send a message first to ask how he’s doing. I heard Bennett was heading to the eastern front, so maybe he met Elaine?

I’m curious about the stories unfolding in corners unknown to me.

And then, the Goddess Church…

There are quite a few dubious aspects about the Goddess Church. I’ve been ignoring it due to more pressing matters, but it feels like it could be a good session topic if I look into it.

“Hiccup.”

As I pondered with a bittersweet feeling, Silverdari, flushed red in the face, began to hiccup. If only the gender was the opposite, it would make for a great heroine character.

Then, Alexson hastily wrapped up and stood up.

“Uh! I should be going now.”

“Huh? There’s still beer in your glass.”

“I just remembered something urgent. I must go!”

Why would he do that?

I squinted at the retreating figure of Alexson, who was hurrying away. I’m a bit tipsy myself, and my head isn’t working well. What’s the reason?

“You see, this happened to Alejandro when he was a young man… Hiccup. There was a lady I was quite fond of. Her name was, well, Isa, Isabelle. I met her at the tower.”

“Oh.”

“You see, this happened to Alejandro when he was young…”

“?”

Ah.

Listening to Alejandro’s love story, which repeated like a broken record, I realized why Alexson had run away.

I was about to hastily wrap up and stand up too, but then the drunken Silverdari mage seemed about to burst into tears. I couldn’t bear the thought of witnessing a middle-aged mage’s loud wailing, so I sat back down.

After hearing the same story about three times, my head felt dizzy and my stomach was churning. I thought about putting him to sleep with illusion magic and leaving, but the truly vile part was this.

With each repetition, new stories emerged. A multi-episode drunken rant. Overwhelmed by the desire to piece together all the  puzzles and uncover the truth, I endured the tedious repetition.

Just as I was suspecting that Isabelle’s true identity might be the culprit behind a series of murders, and that the succubus who had infiltrated under disguise wasn’t involved, I succumbed to the alcohol and collapsed.

It was a mistake to gauge my tolerance based on my past life. This new body was weak to alcohol.

During my sleep, I felt as if someone had picked me up and moved me.

—

The smell of alcohol.

Yuri Lannister walked down the moonlit road, feeling the terrible stench of alcohol coming from behind her. On her back was a crazed mage, completely insensible.

When it seemed too late for his return, I scoured the academy’s taverns to find him. There, I found a mad wizard sprawled asleep, and Professor Alejandro, babbling about his 35th love affair.

Alejandro was put to sleep with a honey punch, and the mad wizard, I took with me.

Yuri Lannister sighed deeply and chided.

“Can’t you control your drinking?”

“I… I did. Not, not drunk.”

“What kind of conversation had you so engrossed that you drank this much? If it was interesting, do share it with me.”

“Love… love stories.”

Love, huh.

“Like, who you want to date? Is that what you were blabbering about?”

“Uh, roughly, yes.”

Mischief was afoot. If he was drunk enough to obediently spill the beans, I could craft many amusing dark histories right here. Yuri Lannister asked slyly.

“How about me, as a romantic prospect?”

“Romance is, not fond of…”

Thud.

Yuri Lannister paused mid-step, then resumed walking. It was an expected response. Not surprising at all.

We met through work, and have always been friends. Besides, Yuri Lannister had asked in jest. Not surprised. Really.

“Well, I understand. It makes sense. You’re a dreamer, after all. Flawed as a lover.”

“Romance… I’d rather skip straight to marriage…”

“Excuse me?”

Thud.

Yuri Lannister’s steps halted once more. His voice rose slightly, a discordant note echoing into the night.

“What do you mean by that…?!”

No answer came back.

—

“My head hurts so much.”

“Oh, you fool. Just wait, I’ll make you some honey water!”

“Okay.”

I lay down obediently, listening to Yuna’s words.