Chapter 29: Busy Dealing With The Professors (1)

On Monday’s Practical Combat Training lecture, Professor Kane entered the classroom and threw an unexpected question at the cadets. “What do you think a hero is?”

Caught off guard, the cadets blinked in confusion.

“Sorry?”

“A hero, sir?”

“Isn’t a hero someone who receives the blessing of the Seven Gods and can wield a soul stigmata?”

“If it’s just about using a soul stigmata, even a demon can do that,” Professor Kane replied.

“Well, that’s…”

“What I’m asking is why, in the first place, we started calling humans with soul stigmatas heroes,” Professor Kane elaborated on the question. He then turned to the chalkboard and scrawled the word “Hero” in big, bold letters, waiting for someone to answer.

An awkward silence settled over the classroom, and the ticking of the clock rang out like thunder in the stillness.

“No answers? Is it such a hard question?” he said.

Despite the professor’s prompt, not a single cadet volunteered. Everyone taking this class was already a third-year, an upperclassman by the academy’s standards. By now, they had learned through experience that catching the attention of the Bloodthirsty Hound never led to anything good.

“Well, no helping it then.” Professor Kane scanned the room with a hawk’s eye, then pointed at a cadet. “Albert.”

Albert shot to his feet like he had just been electrocuted, flailing in protest. “Why is it always me? Seriously, why is it always me?”

This time, he seemed determined to resist. “I don’t know the answer!”

“You don’t?” Professor Kane looked at him.

“Nope! And even if I did, I absolutely wouldn’t answer!”

With a look of feigned interest, Professor Kane nodded and slowly pulled a large juice bottle from his coat. “Oh? Is that so?”

It was that juice, his infamous special “health juice,” once showcased during the Mental Training class.

The professor said, “Did you know, Albert? This health juice is also said to help clear the mind and sharpen—”

Before he could finish, Albert answered, “The reason humans with soul stigmatas are called ‘heroes’ dates back five hundred years, to the Great Five Heroes who sealed away the Demon God. To honor their sacrifice and the protection they offered humanity, people started calling those who bear the same soul stigmatas ‘heroes’ as well.”

Professor Kane smiled, firmly clapping Albert on the shoulder. “Exactly. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Albert, however, kept nervously glancing at the juice bottle resting ominously on the podium.

“But that kind of boring historical background isn’t what I’m asking about,” Professor Kane said.

“Sir?”

Returning to the front, the professor cast a level gaze across the cadets, his tone now more serious. “Once you graduate from here and get your licenses, people will start calling you heroes. Just because people call you a hero doesn’t mean you actually are one.”

They were called heroes only because anyone with a soul stigmata had been called that for the past five hundred years. But just being called a hero didn’t automatically make one a hero in the truest sense.

Professor Kane looked at the class once more. “So, let me ask you again: What do you think a hero really is?”

Again, no one answered.

“No takers this time either?”

Just then, a cadet rose from his seat. He stood tall, his voice clear and confident. “A hero is someone who protects the weak, those without soul stigmatas, and stands against demons and demonic monsters to defend humanity.”

Professor Kane gave a crooked smile. “Someone who protects the weak and defends humanity, huh? You really believe that?”

“Sir?”

“Would you, in the face of a hateful remnant of the Demon God, willingly lay down your life to protect the world and its people?”

The cadet nodded, his face proud and full of conviction. “Of course!”

Professor Kane disappeared from view for a split second, then, in the blink of an eye, reappeared in front of the cadet, fist flying. The blow came with such force that it could have shattered steel.

With a scream, the cadet stumbled backward and crashed to the floor. Professor Kane looked down at him and clicked his tongue. “You panic and collapse from just that? And you claim you’d give your life for humanity?”

“I-I was just startled!” the cadet replied.

“No need to make excuses. The rest of you would’ve reacted the same.” With a long sigh, he walked back to the podium. “Anyone can say they’d sacrifice themselves to protect the world. That kind of talk is cheap. I don’t expect you to protect humanity. I don’t expect you to defend the world. And not just you, none of the so-called ‘heroes’ out there running around right now either.”

In truth, very few could actually sacrifice themselves to save the world. Out of the countless people hailed as heroes, the number who truly lived up to the name could barely fill a handful.

For the first time, Professor Kane’s expression turned entirely serious. “But if you want to be called a hero, you must remember one thing. Even if you can’t protect everyone, at the very least, protect those at your side. Don’t draw your sword for strangers, draw it for yourself. Not for them, draw it for you.”

Whether it was family, a lover, or a friend, it didn’t matter. The point wasn’t who to protect. This wasn’t about sacrificing oneself for people one didn’t know. It wasn’t about laying down one’s life for some vague ideal like “the world.”

“You may not be able to save everyone, but surely you can protect those who matter to you. That is what a true hero is,” Professor Kane explained.

When he finished, a heavy silence settled over the classroom. He cleared his throat awkwardly. This happened every year, but somehow, he never quite got used to the silence that followed these speeches.

To liven the mood, he said, “Well, enough rambling. Today’s an outdoor class! There won’t be a class next week because of the Sealing Festival, so today, I’ll work you so hard you’ll be foaming at the mouth!”

With groans and sighs rising from all corners of the room, Professor Kane strolled out of the classroom.

***

After an unusually grueling Practical Combat Training class came to an end, I teased Professor Kane. “That was quite the speech today, Professor.”

“And what are you doing here?” he asked.

“I went to the cafeteria to get dinner, but it was way too crowded. So I came here instead.” I shrugged as I placed a sandwich and a coffee from the campus store down on the table.

Normally, I had a Monday lunch appointment with Iris, but today’s class had pushed her to the brink of collapse, so we had postponed it to the next day.

“I picked up something for you, too. Care to join me?” I asked him.

“You? Haah. Never mind.” Professor Kane let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “What kind of sandwich is it?”

“Ham and egg.”

The professor grinned and sat down across from me, picking up the sandwich I had placed on the table. “Now, this is a sandwich with some dignity.”

It was a standard-sized sandwich, but in his massive hands, it looked more like a child’s toy.

“You’ve improved a lot lately. I can barely recognize your old self,” he said to me.

“Didn’t you already tell me that last time we sparred?” I replied.

“No, this is different. You’ve grown even more since then.” Professor Kane took a huge bite of the sandwich, then continued, “Before, your technique wasn’t bad, but your basic stamina and mana reserves were laughable. But today, it felt like you’ve come a long way in such a short time. Especially your mana.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Professor.”

He scoffed and shook his head dismissively. “Don’t give me that. I spent two years breaking my back trying to whip you into shape, and you were still hopeless.”

He wasn’t wrong. During my first and second years, when even other professors had written me off, he was the one who kept pushing me, saying, “I can’t accept that a cadet under my care is this much of a damn idiot.”

He was harsh, but he really did want to pull me up. Maybe he knew that if even he gave up on me, no one else in this academy would have my back.

Raise your sword for yourself, not someone else, huh, I recalled his words and chuckled. In that sense, Professor Kane was more than qualified to be called a hero.

“No, really. It is thanks to you,” I said to him.

“You little…” Professor Kane looked like he was about to say something, then sighed and shook his head again. “So, why are you here?”

“I told you already, didn’t I? The cafeteria was—”

He clicked his tongue and shot me a sharp glare. “Don’t give me that crap. All classes are done for the day, and yet you march into my office. What do you want?”

Since he didn’t give up on me in my past life, I thought I should try to give something back in this one. So, I said, “Well, it’s nothing urgent, really… You know the Sealing Festival is next week, right?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“I heard from a friend in the Mage Division that Professor Bianca won’t be able to attend it. She’s caught up with other duties.”

Professor Kane’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?”

It was natural that he didn’t know. Bianca had to pull out because of a serious accident caused by a student during a research project. She didn’t want the incident to reflect poorly on the student, so she was cleaning up the mess alone and quietly.

Professor Kane slumped in his chair with a visibly disappointed expression. “I see. Well, not like it has anything to do with me.”

Yeah, right. Like it has nothing to do with you, old man, I thought.

Chances were, he had been planning to ask her out during the festival. So, I said, “Well then, why not step up and keep Professor Bianca company, so she doesn’t have to spend the whole festival alone?”

“You want me to do that?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“But I don’t know the first thing about magic.”

“Who said anything about helping with her work? Just go talk to her. I doubt she wants to be stuck in her lab all day during a festival.”

“Well…” Professor Kane trailed off, avoiding eye contact. “She’s probably busy. Wouldn’t it be rude of me to just show up—”

I cut him off. “You look like someone who could devour a man alive, and now you’re worried about being shy?”

“What did you just say, you little punk?” he replied.

I handed him a paper bag I had prepared in advance. “Here. Take this with you. She won’t turn you away at the door if you bring it.”

“What’s this?”

“A bottle of wine. Her favorite.” I had picked it up over the weekend when I went to Valhalla City with Iris. “Probably not the best idea to bring it during work hours, so maybe go in the evening, casually.”

“You…”

I continued, “Oh, and I heard she likes her salad with salmon from the Empire. You can manage that much, can’t you?”

“Y-you brat!” Professor Kane shot up from his chair and grasped my hand tightly, his eyes shining with emotion. He even looked like he was about to cry.

Well, I guess this is enough to call it even, I thought.

Satisfied, I stood up from my seat. “Well then, I’ll be heading back now.”

“Alright. Thanks.”

As Professor Kane saw me off, I made my way back toward the dorms.

* * *

After Dale left, the now-empty office was quiet. Lucas clutched the bottle of wine like it was a precious treasure, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. He chuckled to himself, thinking of Dale. “You little rascal!”

For the past two years, this cadet had given him the most grief, but lately, he had become so dependable it was hard to even remember those days. “Don’t know where he learned it, but his swordsmanship is impressive. His hand-to-hand combat skills are solid too.”

The only weak point had been Dale’s mana capacity, but even that was starting to grow steadily.

“Still a cocky little bastard, but when he does stuff like this, he’s clearly got a good heart.” Lucas smirked and pulled out Dale’s cadet profile. “Let’s see… Orphanage kid, sponsored by the Republic… no personal patrons.”

As he reviewed the file, the Bloodthirsty Hound’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Maybe I should recommend this brat as my assistant.”

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