Quit The Hero Party

EP.22 A Different Way of Thinking (1)

The results of the class assignment exam were announced.

The first place went to Resti from the Western Block.

From the start to the end of the exam, she kept her hands on the mana stone. She was the only one from the Western Block to pass.

Second place went to Ayla from the Southern Block.

She had contact with the mana stone for a little over half the time. For the remaining half, she conceded.

‘Feel free to take the rest.’

Then, she spent her remaining time watching the mages fight. Thus, the third and fourth places in the Southern Block were determined.

The Eastern Block also produced passers.

Their contact times with the mana stone were similar, making it hard to determine the ranks… but since there were five students in the advanced class, the student who spent the most time was elected fifth.

And in the Northern Block…

Not a single pass was found.

“What are we going to do about this?”

A disturbing atmosphere was hanging over the meeting room where the instructors had gathered. Cesar, leading the meeting, raised his voice.

“Professor Rania, I asked what happened here.”

His glare was directed toward Rania.

“Wait, what do you mean by disqualifying both of them? I told you to intervene if the fights got heated; who said anything about disqualification?”

Plans went awry. There was no escaping responsibility. Every instructor present sensed this truth.

The top disciples of the Black and White Towers.

It didn’t matter if one of the two failed. Black and White were in competition; if one fell, the other would justify the integrity of the exam.

However, if both faced disqualification…

Things would get a bit complicated.

‘How it was prevented… well, it doesn’t even make sense that it was prevented…’

Did they grow tired while fighting?

That might have been more likely. However, what was important to Cesar now was not that.

‘If it comes to this, I’m the one accountable, as the overall supervisor of this exam.’

He was anxious that he might lose his position here. That was making Cesar nervous.

“How will you take responsibility for this?”

Cesar was biting at Rania, trying to push the blame onto her. But Rania only blinked, showing no significant reaction.

“What?”

Then, she tilted her head.

“They’re not disqualified, you know?”

Her casual remark caused a silence to fall over the meeting room.

Not disqualified?

What does that even mean? The exam results had already been reported, and the class assignments were nearing completion. Cesar frowned.

‘So, she decided to go all out, huh?’

Cesar sneered with disbelief.

“That’s not something you can decide, Professor Rania! The results are already out, and who can just—”

“I decided it myself.”

A chilling voice.

“Is there a problem, Professor Cesar?”

At her words, the attention of the instructors shifted toward the door of the meeting room. When the door had opened was unclear. What mattered was the figure leaning against that door.

Rosel van Trias.

He spoke, looking at Cesar.

“Isn’t the reason for classifying students quite simple? It’s for discernible teaching. I’ve decided to teach those students in the advanced class.”

He inquired.

“Do you have a problem with this?”

“…Uh, well…”

“Of course, after conducting the exam, concerns about its fairness might arise. I understand your worries. Hence, I heard that Professor Rania submitted a report on the situation directly.”

…She submitted a report?

The instructors’ gazes shifted toward Cesar. He gulped, swallowing hard and scanning his desk.

A pile of reports.

However, it was a pile he hadn’t read through yet.

When they had found that the two weren’t accounted for in the rankings, he had been busy calling this meeting in haste.

“It seems finding it is difficult. Let me help.”

Professor Rosel waved his finger.

Before long, reports fluttered through the air. One sheet slipped out and landed in the center of Cesar’s desk.

– Northern Block Supervisor: Rania van Trias.

– Article 2: Due to an overheated competition, one side was deemed to sustain major injuries. After a temporary halt to the exam, at the request of the students, the exam was resumed.

– The rules requested by the students are as follows.

– First, maintain the principle of mutual…

There it was.

The report, indeed, existed.

“Uh, umm…”

Cesar raised his creaking head. Professor Rosel’s cold gaze was fixated on him. Despite the renowned Professor Rosel not making a sound, Cesar felt as if he could hear a faint tch echoing in his mind, as if he had actually heard it.

“…I understand your desire to quickly hold a meeting to sort things out since the exam has ended, but.”

Professor Rosel pointed to the pile of reports on Cesar’s desk.

“It’s always prudent for a mage to refrain from jumping to conclusions based on only partial information.”

Professor Rosel shot this out.

“Isn’t that right, Professor Cesar?”

Cesar’s face turned pale.

2.

After the meeting.

Rosel was walking around the academy with Raniel.

“What brings you to the meeting room, Master?”

“…I dropped by on my way.”

“Oh…”

Rosel let out a sigh inwardly.

To be frank, he came because he had a feeling things would turn out this way. He remembered how Raniel had led meetings back when she was at the Ashen Tower.

‘But I sent everything, you know?’

‘…What?’

‘I sent all the documents. Did you not check them?’

‘Yes, yes? No, the documents… that…’

‘Strange, didn’t you confirm all of them? Don’t you have anything to say? I have quite a few questions, really.’

Preparing an amount of documents so extensive one would hardly want to read them.

And between those documents, she would slip in evidence piece by piece, proclaiming ‘I said it, didn’t I?’ with each meeting.

Then, until the mages there were nearly in tears upon seeing the actual reports, she would push them.

The more shocking point was that there was no malice in her actions. Remarkably, none at all. So why she hadn’t read through carefully became the key issue. Their way of thinking was entirely different.

‘Thank goodness I stepped in…’

If it weren’t for him, that Cesar or whoever might have been wiping tears while quitting the academy. Rosel had no intention of wasting the few resources he had.

“Phew…”

“Why the sudden sigh?”

“…It’s nothing. So, what did you think of those kids?”

Raniel stroked her chin thoughtfully.

The pause wasn’t long. Raniel spoke up soon after.

“To be honest, if properly nurtured, they could form a hero party.”

“…That much, huh?”

“That boy, Belnoa, used an Offering spell.”

“…That’s surprising. Is the cost manageable?”

“I pushed him into the Mana Spring, and he only lost a fingertip. He seems naturally talented in sorcery. With some adjustments, he might even be able to use Balance.”

Rosel listened intently, intrigued by what Raniel was saying. Raniel had been notorious for her critical evaluations back during her time at the Ashen Tower.

‘If she’s saying this much about this kid…’

That talent surely could be acknowledged.

“Especially, that boy Lac seems like he could hold his own even if tossed directly onto the battlefield.”

“Lac, you mean the duke’s son from the North?”

“Yeah. Quick situational judgment stemming from instincts and his determination. I’d like to teach him.”

Saying this, Raniel added.

“Somehow, working magic with him feels similar to my own.”

“…Well, their class is Battle Mage, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but why does that matter?”

“Hmm?”

“Pardon?”

Rosel tilted his head quizzically.

Raniel mirrored the tilt.

“Did… Did you not read any books on Battle Mages?”

“Me? Ah, yes. They seemed uninteresting. I mean, a mage should use magic, right? Why resort to hand-to-hand combat? The body should only support, but magic should always be the main focus.”

Upon hearing that response, Rosel couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.

“Hmm… I don’t think that’s something you should say.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that? Anyway, that Battle Mage thing, I just don’t like it. What? Magic to survive on the battlefield? Ugh, if that were the case, I wouldn’t have gone through such hardships…”

What a bummer.

Rosel swallowed those words inwardly.

3.

“Walk faster, old man. Ageing has hunched you over, can’t walk without a staff, can you?”

Shirley, the master of the White Tower, is a warm-hearted individual.

Assuming that is unrelated to the Black.

“Shut it. You keep babbling while relying on your elixir, Whitehead, just to maintain appearances.”

Yeteual, the master of the Black Tower, is a calculating individual.

Assuming that is unrelated to the White.

“Ha! Maintain appearances, you say! The elixir I use only slows down ageing since I’m already young…”

“Ugh, you are such nonsense, Whitehead. Just walk faster.”

In the Apuria Academy.

All eyes were on the two as they walked side by side through the academy. Masters of the colored towers. Countless mages looked at them with admiration.

Normally.

No matter how much they were tower masters, they couldn’t enter Apuria as outsiders. They could only enter because they asked for a meeting not as ‘tower masters’ but as ‘guardians.’

“By the way, that kid Belnoa from that slum must have used some sneaky trick or something, right? Lac shouldn’t have gotten by so easily…”

“Oh, thanks for the compliment. Isn’t it fine if the trick, whatever it was, led to a win?”

“He didn’t win, you know? They tied, you know? Could you please watch your words?”

In the infirmary where their disciples were passed out.

They were heading toward the infirmary.

“There it is.”

Soon enough, they reached the infirmary.

Upon opening the door, only two of the vacant beds were occupied. And in the middle sat a woman.

The breeze blowing in with the opening door made her hair sway. Ashen, that symbolic hair revealed who she was.

Rania van Trias.

Her presence elicited different reactions from the tower masters.

“Hmph.”

The White smiled in intrigue.

“Cough, cough.”

The Black turned his gaze, clearing his throat.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was the supervisor for the Northern Block.”

“That’s what I’m asking. What gives you the right to be here, sitting like that while you couldn’t even manage the kids during the exam?”

With a sharp tone, yet ending with a somewhat respectful form of address.

Twist.

At her tone, Rania’s eyebrow twitched.

‘Why the hell does this remind me of that wench, Sara?’

A spell formed unconsciously in her moving fingers. Shirley couldn’t read that. Only Yeteual, who deciphered the spell, coughed, choking.