I Became a Retired War Hero the Heroines Are Obsessed With – Chapter 2

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“What business do you have here?”

Minerva Academy, the Empire’s most prestigious educational institution.

Its scale rivaled that of a small city, and as a gathering place for all sorts of talented individuals, the level of its guards was exceptionally high.

I’d have to see for myself to be sure, but they were probably on par with most non-commissioned officers.

“I’m Colonel Allen, appointed as a special professor at the Academy starting today.”

“Salute! May I see your appointment letter?”

The guard saluted respectfully at my words.

I casually returned the salute and handed over the letter.

Only after seeing the document bearing the mark of the Imperial Minister of Education did the guard allow me to pass.

It was refreshing to see such disciplined behavior, something I hadn’t witnessed in a long time.

“If you need guidance, I can assign a soldier to you.”

“It’s alright. I’m not in a hurry, so I’ll take a leisurely stroll.”

“Yes, sir! It was an honor to meet the hero of the Empire!”

“Hero, my foot… You’ve all worked hard.”

Waving my hand dismissively, I stepped into the Academy.

“So this is the Academy’s commercial district.”

I had mentioned earlier that Minerva Academy was comparable in size to a small city.

This was just a city.

Judging by the commercial district alone, it was impossible to tell whether this was an academy or the capital.

“Where are you wandering off to again?”

I reflexively turned my head at the sharp voice nearby.

The owner of the voice was a girl with flowing, jet-black hair.

A beautiful appearance with sparkling violet eyes and a sharp jawline.

I blinked at the appearance of such a rare beauty.

“I thought you were eating chicken skewers just a moment ago.”

A clear, yet somehow charismatic voice.

There wasn’t just one beautiful girl.

Right next to her was another girl with uncommon red hair.

At the red-haired girl’s words, the jet-black haired girl sighed.

“Sigh… Where did she go?”

“Don’t worry about it. She’s not a child; she’ll find her way back. Let’s go before we’re late.”

“Just wait until I see her. I’m going to kick her ass.”

The two girls, who had been searching for someone, seemed to give up and headed off somewhere.

Watching them, I offered a short observation.

“They seem like middle schoolers… Though they look like high schoolers.”

I had imagined the Academy to be like a university campus, but it was surprisingly filled with the air of adolescents.

Figuring they were probably lowerclassmen, I continued on my way.

Casually observing my surroundings, I stopped at a particular sign.

“A magic tool shop, huh?”

I saw students wearing robes with the Minerva symbol, an owl, entering and exiting.

It was probably like a stationery store for students learning magic.

Out of curiosity, I stepped inside.

“Spirit nutrient, please.”

“Where are the salamander tails?”

“Is this really made of oak?”

Ignoring the barrage of questions from the students, I surveyed the interior of the shop.

Knowing nothing about magic, I couldn’t even guess the purpose of the items displayed on the shelves.

Still, it was interesting enough just to look around.

Occasionally finding something I recognized was also a source of amusement.

“Isn’t that Poopweed? Is this even useful?”

A herb that, when consumed, allowed one to examine the waste products of their internal organs the next day.

I used to give it to those suffering from severe constipation.

Or use it for torture.

“That’s Dunkencho. It has those side effects if eaten raw.”

Looking down, I saw a petite female student fiddling with the herb.

A white pearl headband atop her dark brown hair.

Large, round glasses framing her sparkling blue eyes.

A checkered cardigan under her owl robe.

A girl with a somewhat naive-looking face.

Overall, she had a gentle aura.

Living on the battlefield had sharpened my useless observation skills…

“Do you need some?”

“Huh? No, I was just looking.”

“That’s a relief. I need it for the upcoming exam. The harvest was poor this year, so if I don’t buy it now, I won’t be able to until after the exam.”

The girl carefully placed the herbs into an eco-bag-like pouch.

Then, looking up at me, she bowed her head.

“Thank you for letting me have it. My name is Sena Eos. If there’s anything I can help you with later, I will.”

“Hmm… Do you know who I am?”

“Outsiders can only enter the Academy during the entrance ceremony, vacation ceremony, opening ceremony, and graduation ceremony. I haven’t heard of any events inviting outside guests, so you must be at least an Academy official or a resident who has moved here.”

I blinked, watching Sena chatter.

Before I could even open my mouth, Sena rattled off another stream of words.

“Anyway, we’ll probably run into each other at least once before the semester ends. Let’s definitely greet each other when we do, okay? I have to go now; my class is about to start. It was nice meeting you today. Thank you again for letting me have the Dunkencho.”

With that, she quickly paid and left the shop.

I stared blankly after her and then chuckled.

“With someone like her around, it won’t be boring.”

Her rapid-fire speech and quickly retreating figure somehow reminded me of that ‘girl’ from the past, bringing a wave of longing.

Perhaps I could meet her here.

The magic I witnessed back then was quite remarkable, so she would have become a mage unless something unforeseen happened.

Since Minerva Academy was where the Empire’s talented individuals gathered, maybe…

Even though I didn’t know the girl’s age or name, I held a faint hope.

To reunite with the angel-like girl.

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After looking around the shop a bit more, I stepped outside.

Slowly walking down the street, I thought about my current mission.

“Do you know who was busting their ass while we were slaving away outside the Empire?”

“Well… the Capital Defense Force?”

“Those guys were having it easy as always… and soon, they’ll be sucking blood, not honey. Blood made from their own sweat. They’ll be guzzling it down. They might even die from it.”

Was that something a newly appointed Commander of the Capital Defense Force should be saying?

It was a rather chilling statement for his first day on the job.

I silently offered my condolences to the Capital Defense Force.

“Why can’t they just have it easy?”

“Cut the crap.”

Seeing the old man’s firm tone, I frowned slightly.

It meant he was about to get down to business.

“Tsk… Well, I heard they did something in the Holy Kingdom.”

“Right. The Paladin Order, to be specific. Shall we delve a little deeper?”

A sense of foreboding washed over me as I looked at the old man’s grim expression.

“The Inquisitors.”

“Then, don’t tell me…”

“Yes. It seems those chased out of the south have crawled into the capital.”

The cause of the Southern War.

The scum who polluted the World Tree and corrupted the elves.

Humans who served the Demon King, they called themselves ‘Apostates,’ and the world called them ‘Heretics.’

Among them, the ‘Archbishops’ posed a danger of a different caliber.

In game terms, they were S-rank bosses or higher.

“I definitely caught two of them. Shouldn’t they be struggling right now?”

“There are still five left. They’re more resilient than cockroaches. There’s a high chance the ones you caught have been replaced.”

“Fucking…”

There were seven Demon Kings in this world.

That meant there were seven Archbishops.

I had caught two, but… it seemed like it didn’t even matter.

With a sense of foreboding, I couldn’t help but ask,

“Don’t tell me the ones I caught were the weakest?”

“You know well. That’s why you, who wasn’t even a Master back then, could catch them.”

“Ha-”

I went through hell to catch the weakest ones?

It was a truth I really didn’t want to know.

“The Heretics are probably keeping an eye on you too. Even if they were the lowest ranked, it’s the first time in history that an Archbishop has been defeated by someone who isn’t even a Master.”

“I don’t want that kind of attention.”

Knowing it was water under the bridge, I sighed and asked,

“So? How is the Academy involved? Are they planning to attack it or something?”

The old man said nothing and just stared intently at me.

With a sinking feeling, I glared at him, and he slowly nodded.

“Fucking…! You want me to catch them all by myself? Why not just tell me to go out and die?”

“Hear me out. When did I say you were going alone? You should learn to control your temper now that you’re a Colonel.”

“Hoo- Then what is it?”

“Your mission is to become a special professor at Minerva Academy and protect the students from any potential danger. The Heretics will be tracked down by the Paladin Order and the Capital Defense Force working together, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

It sounded like a decent mission.

The “potential danger,” the “unexpected situation,” bothered me like a thorn in my throat… but at least the higher-ups weren’t so unreasonable as to dump it all on one person.

“But why me? What can I even teach?”

What could someone like me teach at the Empire’s most prestigious educational institution? I really couldn’t understand.

“There are several reasons, but first, you’re the only Master-level combatant available right now. It’s not like Masters are common. Considering the value of the students, we need to send someone strong, and you happened to be available.”

The Zodiac Knights were all Masters, so the old man wasn’t wrong, but… should I be happy or sad that my skills were recognized?

I sighed.

“Ha…”

“And why wouldn’t you have anything to teach? If a Master offers to teach swordsmanship, every swordsman in the country would flock here.”

“You know I’m self-taught. My swordsmanship only works against barbarians. I don’t think it’ll work against elites…”

I hadn’t learned swordsmanship conventionally.

I just rolled around on the battlefield with the swordsmanship taught in the army, and somehow, I became a Master.

I still couldn’t believe I was a Master, believing it required some kind of enlightenment.

I didn’t even know how I became one, so how could I teach it?

The old man put a thick cigar in his mouth, lit it, and exhaled a smoke-filled sigh.

“Ha, frustrating, so frustrating. Some guy, barely an Expert, is already strutting around like a Master, while the actual Master lacks any spirit…”

Clutching his chest in frustration, the old man threw a file at me. I caught it reflexively.

“Just do as you’re told! Figure out what to teach yourself. That file contains the students you need to pay special attention to, so memorize it and burn it.”

Having received the VIP list, there was no way to avoid it.

I sighed and stood up.

“Who do I report to, old man?”

“You don’t need to report to anyone. You’re in charge, so handle it yourself.”

“What?”

“Listen carefully. From now on, you’re the first Commander of the Imperial Special Forces, also known as the Special Operations Unit, directly under the Imperial family.”

“C, Commander? Directly under the Imperial family? And the first?”

“That’s right, you rascal.”

“…Wait, what about subordinates? If I’m the first Commander, I must have subordinates, right?”

I cautiously inquired about this unit I had never heard of.

The old man answered with an uncharacteristically bright smile.

“Not yet… you don’t!”

Fucking hell, he said it wasn’t an Imperial order… What kind of Commander was I without any subordinates?

My vision went dark.

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I might have been put in charge of a hollow unit!

I might be a Commander in name only, without a single subordinate!

But still, my first impression of the Academy was quite good.

“Your coffee, sir.”

Thankfully, iced Americano existed in this world too.

I enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation in a quiet cafe, reviewing the documents.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t read the VIP list because I was too shocked that day.

The daughters of the two Duke families, known as the twin pillars of the Empire, were listed at the very top.

Amy Helios… was she Aile’s younger sister?

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t even said goodbye to him.

He was the subordinate I had known the longest; I should send him a letter later.

Turning to the next page, I saw a name I had just heard.

“…A Saintess?”

That lark-like girl? I almost spat out my coffee in surprise.

She didn’t seem that holy.

Her chattering voice still seemed to echo in my ears.

Apparently, being a Saintess didn’t mean having a special aura.

Carefully reviewing the documents, I found a special name on the very last page.

“So this is why they created a strange unit like the Special Operations Unit and sent me here.”

The Empire’s most precious jewel was attending Minerva Academy.

The appearance of not a VIP, but a VVVIP, made me frown.

“Tsk… It’s not some power struggle, is it…?”

As far as I knew, the Empire’s successor had already been decided, so I had heard there wouldn’t be any power struggles between the Imperial family members. Indeed, there was nothing about it in the report.

Anyway, the Imperial Intelligence Agency’s information-gathering abilities were as impressive as I had heard.

The documents contained not only the likes and dislikes, usual personalities, and talents of the listed individuals, but also their personal information, without omission. …

I didn’t know why their three sizes were included, but I memorized them anyway.

“It would have been nice if they had provided this kind of information during the war.”

I muttered bitterly as I pulverized the documents using aura.

I knew the reason, more or less.

It was because the Intelligence Agency’s influence was limited to within the Empire.

Well, if they had known everything, the war wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

It was just a shame.

Quickly finishing my coffee, I left the cafe to head to the main Academy building.

As soon as I stepped out the door, a man bowed his head to me.

“It’s an honor to meet the hero of the Empire.”

“…And you are?”

“Alba, Basic Alchemy professor at Minerva Academy. I’ve come to escort you, Colonel.”

A middle-aged man in a blue robe.

The ‘energy’ emanating from his polite demeanor made me uncomfortable.

I barely suppressed my nausea and tilted my head crookedly.

“I said I didn’t need an escort. Wasn’t that communicated properly?”

“…My apologies. Our meeting was later than expected.”

After a moment of consideration, I nodded.

“Lead the way.”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

So I obediently followed behind Alba. During our walk, silence fell, and the air grew heavy.

“Hmm… You’re quite different from what I’ve heard.”

Unable to bear the awkward silence, Alba spoke first. I maintained my composure and casually asked,

“Really? What have you heard?”

“I heard you were a brave hero who stood at the forefront despite being a commander. And that you were respected by both soldiers and officers for your consistent demeanor…”

“You know quite a lot.”

“You’re a famous person.”

Alba shrugged.

“However… it seems I’m not included in that ‘everyone.’”

Ah, was he offended that I spoke informally from the start? Then he shouldn’t have been radiating such malevolent energy.

“I’m not so naive as to be polite to the enemy.”

“Enemy… what do you mean?”

He should have realized by now… His efforts to keep up the act were admirable.

“Don’t play dumb. You’re not going to the Academy either, are you?”

Despite all the walking, the main Academy building remained at the same distance as before. In other words, we had been going in circles with the main building right in front of us. Or we were going in a completely different direction.

“I’ll never get used to this illusion magic, no matter how many times I experience it. I’ve played along enough, haven’t I?”

“…When did you realize?”

“Since you were your daddy’s sperm.”

“What does that…”

“You’d have to be an idiot not to notice a woman pretending to be a man. I didn’t even need to use aura perception.”

It was a bit harsh, but I couldn’t help it. I had been stressed out trying to suppress this disgusting malevolent energy. At my words, Alba’s eyes gleamed.

“The information that you became a… Master was true. To see through His Grace’s blessing…”

“Yes. Thanks to that, I can do this too.”

Activating my Authority, I quietly recited the technique.

“Sky Piercing Pillar.”

I thrust my fist into the air.

Crack-

The main Academy building in the distance, and the beautifully landscaped commercial district, shattered like glass.

As the illusion magic dissipated, what appeared before me was a forest where countless trees boasted their vibrant green hues.

And within it, figures clad in black robes that clashed with the scenery.

“There are a lot of them. What the hell is the old man doing?”

Black robes with a snake emblem.

Proof that these were the Heretics who followed ‘Pride.’

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