Quit The Hero Party

“But a professor?”

“I have an academy where I’m a professor, you know?”

I nodded.

I had been curious because he had been out often these days. I distinctly remembered it being called Apuria Academy.

“The principal there asked me if I knew of any good teachers nearby. So I thought I might recommend you.”

“Me?”

“You weren’t planning to go back to the Tower anytime soon, were you? From what I see, you’ve rejected all the recent offers.”

“That’s true.”

Letters had come in from several Towers over the past few days. They wanted to meet me, offering me high-ranking positions, and so on…

“I turned them all down.”

I had rejected all those offers.

There were two main reasons for that. The first was due to the nature of those Towers. Unlike the Ashen Tower, high-ranking positions in other Towers were like drinking poison.

“If I sit in that position, I’d end up taking on every responsibility imaginable.”

I hated that idea.

And the second reason was, of course, because of this body.

With rumors about me growing every day, the moment I was revealed to have turned into this…

“Ugh.”

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

It was better to remain a bit mysterious like now.

“And, didn’t you say it yourself? It’s your second life in this body.”

“I did… yes.”

I spoke, trickling with cold sweat.

– What were you thinking, coming back in that body?
– Yeah, Raniel. You always had a plan.
– Do you have a convincing excuse this time? If so, try to persuade me.

At that moment, I had made up various excuses to avoid being grilled. I was going to build up achievements with this body and then re-enter the Ashen Tower…

I must have spun a story like that.

Though it was a hasty excuse, it wasn’t entirely false.

I couldn’t live as Raniel.

To be more precise, as long as I was Raniel, I couldn’t return to the Ashen Tower.

I had already left the Ashen Tower under my own will. I had stepped down from the position of Master of the Tower.

Even if it was for the grand purpose of ‘Demon Lord Subjugation,’ from the Tower’s perspective, that was simply betrayal.

The Elders who had trusted and supported me.
The current Master of the Tower who willingly handed the next position to me.

That would be betrayal of their expectations.

Moreover, to return to the Tower without the achievement of subduing the Demon Lord and demand the next Master’s position?

“That’s just garbage. That’s like Kyle.”

It seemed the next Master had already been selected too.

At this point, expressing my intention to return to the Ashen Tower as ‘Raniel’ would be… burdensome in many ways.

“Even if I return to the Ashen Tower, it would be under a new identity. Someone who had built up achievements from the very beginning.”

I had no intention of living my second life as Raniel. Once was enough to suffer through bothersome responsibilities and forced obligations.

Not as the member of the Hero Party, Raniel.

But simply as a Mage.

For that, I was even willing to let go of my name. Would having a name really matter when walking the path of magic?

“So definitely not a recommendation letter from the Tower, but from the Academy… Huh?”

As that thought settled in, a sudden question arose.

“By the way, you said you’re a professor, right?”

“Indeed.”

“Does that Academy have the size to accommodate someone of your caliber?”

The Elder of the Ashen Tower.
A Mage recognized as a Sage by the ancient Mage.

My Master was such a person.

Thinking about it, it didn’t seem fitting for someone of his stature to be merely a professor. Perhaps a principal wouldn’t be so surprising.

In response to my question, my Master chuckled incredulously.

“Well, if it was five years ago, that might have made sense.”

“Huh?”

“Answer me if you recognize any names among these.”

With that, my Master spread his fingers wide and began folding them down one by one as he continued.

“Zeekbelt of the Flame Spear.”

“Oh, I know that guy. He was famous on the second front.”

“Lucifel of Enchantment.”

“Oh, the Sorcerer? Thanks to that guy, we were able to take down the Black Knights quite easily. I see you know him too.”

“…Roks of the Turbulence.”

“Oh, the guy who caused an avalanche.”

All of these names were familiar.

At least I had encountered them in battle once, and they had been of great help, which is why I remembered them.

“You seem very knowledgeable about the battlefield, Master, considering you recognized all their names.”

“…They’re all graduates of Apuria. They’ve all passed through my hands once.”

“Oooh…”

Indeed.

“Phew…”

My Master sighed, shaking his head.

“Sometimes it seems like I understand the world better than you do. Raniel, if you don’t want to be called an old fogey, it’s right to keep up with the news.”

“Me? An old fogey? What are you saying? Back in my day, the Academy…”

“That’s exactly what makes you an old fogey, Raniel.”

Now that’s harsh.

“Anyway, those graduates have made achievements on the battlefield, and with the rising power of Mages, various factors are combining to elevate the prestige of Apuria Academy to a level that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. Wouldn’t it speak volumes that even the Royal Family seeks out Apuria Academy? The Fourth Princess has expressed her intention to enroll at Apuria Academy.”

The Fourth Princess…

Wait a minute.

“Is that Stella…?”

“Indeed, she was born with mana favored by the Stars.”

I widened my eyes.

If even that Princess is applying…

“Hmm.”

Somehow, I felt out of touch with the times.

Had I really become an old geezer in just five years?

As I stared blankly into space, my Master cleared his throat and continued.

“Well, this academic year there will be many talented individuals enrolling, not just the Princess. It seems there will be children of nobility as well as kids with remarkable talents.”

“Hmm.”

“By teaching them, your own reputation will surely rise, won’t it? You could naturally build connections that would help you in the future.”

That was a valid point. Indeed, Apuria seemed like a suitable stage for a fresh start.

“Would you like to do it?”

“Yes, it sounds good to me.”

I nodded.

“Then let’s get it sorted quickly.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

My Master smiled.

“We need to give you a new identity.”

2.

“Huh? What did you say?”

The Fourth Princess, Ayla blinked.

“Professor Rosel has adopted a daughter?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Out of the blue?”

Ayla tilted her head.

Of course, it wasn’t uncommon for Mages to adopt. Due to the critical importance of talent in the study of magic, adopting a talented child for nurturing was quite a common practice.

The problem was, the individual who adopted was ‘Rosel van Trias.’

Elder of the Ashen Tower.
The esteemed Ashen Mage Raniel’s Master.

It wasn’t something to be taken lightly that such a person had adopted a child.

“What’s the name?”

“Although it isn’t widely known yet, the name listed on the documents is ‘Rania van Trias.’”

“Hmmm…”

Something seemed suspicious.

“What about her appearance?”

“They say the individual hasn’t appeared yet.”

“Usually, they wouldn’t do it so quietly.”

Ayla remembered the adoption ceremonies of Mage families as being overly extravagant. Such events held a different significance than regular adoptions.

This child’s reveal was not only about announcing her as a successor but also served as a warning to other Mage families.

“But they held it so modestly without spreading the news…?”

Her fingertips tingled.

Ayla gently bit her index finger. It was a bad habit she had been warned about many times, but it was something she couldn’t help.

This was a signal being sent to her by the Stars.

“Rania van Trias.”

She repeated that name in her mind.

The Stars whispered to her.

To remember that name.

“Mmm.”

Ayla’s lips curled into a gentle smile.

Her tingling fingertip felt burning hot. It had been so long since she received such a strong ‘signal.’

“This is interesting.”

Ayla squinted her eyes.

Professor Rosel’s adopted daughter, Rania van Trias.

She had a strange instinct that she was going to entangle deeply with her.

3.

-Rosel has adopted a daughter, they say.
-…Is that really true?
-That person who wasn’t even interested when Resty was around?
-…This could be a big deal…
-Have we not yet identified Raniel’s true identity? Perhaps…

It was noisy.

-Then what happens to Resty?
-Don’t call her by name. She’s still the next Master of the Tower for now.
-…Isn’t she still quite young?
-That girl… for now … as it is.

It was noisy.

-She’ll be at Apuria Academy for a while, so there’s nothing to worry about, right? She wanted this after all.
-Plus, if simply looking at talent counts…

-I’m looking forward to the daughter adopted by Rosel.
-What kind of…

The next Master of the Ashen Tower.
Resti, the girl already chosen for that position, covered her ears.

-…Nothing much.
-If we’re just talking talent.
-You’re better than Raniel.
-Still…

Even with her ears covered, the noise seeped through. Even as she walked, no one looked at Resti.

Were they purposely ignoring her?
Or were they really not seeing her?

After such a long routine, Resti had given up distinguishing the two.

‘Annoying.’

Resti frowned.

‘Maybe I should’ve just stayed away. I wish he’d just die over there.’

Swallowing words that could get her executed in silence, Resti walked through the Tower.

‘Why did you come back? Why now?’

Everywhere she went, traces of that man lingered.

Not a single corner of the Tower was untouched by that Ashen Mage’s presence.

Resti lowered her head a little more.

She couldn’t escape the shadow of that man.

No matter what she did, she was compared to him. No matter what level she reached, she was belittled in comparison to him.

-At thirteen years old…
-Raniel reached that level much earlier than you did.
-Five years have passed since he left, and you’re still…

Voices echoed in her ears like a hallucination.

Resti bit her lip.

“…”

Would it be a little better upon entering Apuria Academy?

Resti hated this suffocating Tower.

Having walked for a while, Resti suddenly stopped.

‘Rania van Trias.’

The name she overheard the Mages mention earlier.

The girl who had been adopted by Rosel, who hadn’t even bothered to show interest in her.

‘Poor thing.’

Resti mulled over her name with a bitter smile.

‘She’s going to get compared to him. She’ll be belittled.’

Just like how she had been compared to the next Master.

She would be compared to that man, the first disciple of Rosel.

As she walked in a place overshadowed by that illustrious Ashen Mage, she would be endlessly belittled.

Resti felt a strange kinship for the girl she had never even seen. A thought surface for just a moment about wanting to see her face.