I Became a Retired War Hero the Heroines Are Obsessed With – Chapter 36

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“…Morning already?”

Sunlight, piercing through the curtains, chased away the remnants of sleep.

They said abundant sunlight made for a good home, but I found it rather irritating.

I needed to get some blackout curtains.

Thud.

As I rose from the bed, I felt something nestled beneath the covers.

Pulling them back, I found Black Wolf curled up, fast asleep.

“When did you get here…?”

I had distinctly checked that she was sleeping in the other room.

Just when had she crept in beside me?

Truly, the stealth of a Master assassin was on a different level.

Or perhaps, my senses had simply grown dull, lulled by the peace.

Adapting to a peaceful daily life was better than suffering from PTSD.

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

“Ugh…”

A searing pain shot through my body, nerves ablaze.

Quickly suppressing the agony with dark magic, I still couldn’t stop my hand from trembling.

It was an occasional side effect of absorbing Lux’s curse.

I had boasted to Aerius about being accustomed to pain, but…

Who could truly be accustomed to such agony?

One merely became accustomed to enduring it, to bearing it a little longer than others.

“Haa~”

The need to find a solution intensified.

It would be problematic if the curse flared up during a fight with the Heretics.

Should I search the library?

Rumor had it that Minerva’s library held even more volumes than the Imperial Library.

I couldn’t just hunt down every Archbishop right now, so I had to grasp at any straw.

“At least I didn’t wake her. But is it okay for an assassin to sleep so deeply?”

I peered closer, wondering if she was feigning sleep, but she seemed genuinely out.

Well, there was no reason for her to pretend.

“…Snore.”

Long eyelashes.

Lightly tanned skin.

Silky smooth fur… was that a weird way to describe it?

The usually stoic, wolf-like assassin looked like an ordinary girl in her sleep.

Why did she insist on hiding such a pretty face?

It wasn’t as if discrimination against beastkin was rampant anymore.

In fact, numerous beastkin lived and thrived in the capital.

Gazing at Black Wolf’s sleeping face, I recalled last night’s events.

She had vehemently refused to wash up, yet in the bathroom, she had been surprisingly docile.

A toned physique with defined abs, yet surprisingly soft skin…

…Why did I suddenly feel like a pervert?

It was hardly the time to feel any stirrings of desire.

We had seen each other at our worst during our time in the snowy mountains.

Covered in blood.

Fleeing from rampaging Snow Orcs.

Nearly buried alive in an avalanche…

The list went on.

Remembering those days made me want to cook.

My own special brand of battlefield cuisine.

Black Wolf had enjoyed it back then.

Would she eat it now? If not, I’d force her to.

With a cheerful grin, I left the room.

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“……”

After Allen left the room, Black Wolf cautiously opened her eyes.

Thankfully, she hadn’t been discovered.

Her Master-level stealth could deceive even Allen.

“…What was that?”

She had intended to surprise him.

Allen, who constantly fussed over her ears, would surely touch them if she pretended to sleep.

However, contrary to her expectations, he hadn’t.

He had merely trembled, his hand shaking as if in pain.

Allen, who had casually poured a potion over his wound after being slashed by the Snow Orc King’s axe, had just now let out a groan of pain.

That meant…

“What happened while I was gone, Allen?”

Black Wolf couldn’t bring herself to ask.

He would only evade the question.

So, it was her turn to protect him.

A life debt was repaid with life, wasn’t it?

“Heretics… was it?”

Black Wolf had sought out Allen after hearing about the incident on the Isle of Wisdom.

(More accurately, she had overheard her superior, William, muttering about it.)

Those Heretic scum wouldn’t lay a finger on Allen.

She would be by his side from now on.

With a silent vow, Black Wolf left the room, following the enticing aroma.

She knew it was for her.

She loved his cooking.

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Time passed, and the hour for class approached.

Standing before the students, I saw that yesterday’s intimidation tactics had been successful.

Only half the students from yesterday remained.

Looking at a bright, blond male student, I said:

“Didn’t you go a bit overboard, Reinhardt?”

Half of them were gone. You’re practically Thanos.

“……”

He lowered his head, a sullen expression on his face.

He was probably cursing me inwardly.

He had suffered far worse.

And his ordeal had involved invisible attacks.

What the new students had experienced was a beginner-level tutorial.

Thinking about it, should I consider this a success, with half of them giving up, or a failure, with half still remaining?

“Anyway, congratulations. You’ll have the opportunity to become stronger than the half who aren’t here.”

Even I thought it sounded like something an old geezer would say.

The new students seemed to agree, judging by their dubious expressions.

Now that I had set the mood, it was time for introductions.

“This is the assistant professor who will be helping me from today. Introduce yourself.”

“Yeah, sure.”

With a casual nod, Aile stepped forward and introduced himself.

“I’m Aile Helios. Pleased to meet you, Minerva students. As you might have guessed from my name, I’ll be teaching magic. I’ll be gentler than Professor Allen, so don’t worry too much.”

A small commotion erupted at the mention of “Helios” and his smug expression.

Mostly cheers from the female students.

Already using his charm, huh? That’s why handsome guys…

“Don’t flirt with the students, you brat.”

“Haha, I wouldn’t want to hear that from you, Captain.”

What did I do? I resisted the urge to flick his forehead in front of the students.

I’d do it later, after class.

“Now, Black Wolf.”

Black Wolf, cloaked in the Minerva owl robe, stepped forward.

Incidentally, the robe had been placed in front of my door.

Just when had it gotten there?

“……”

“…Black Wolf?”

She stood silently, as if something was wrong.

Was she shy? Just as I was about to approach her, she spoke.

“My name is Black Wolf.”

She removed her robe.

“As you can see, I’m a beastkin.”

Her pointed ears, now visible, elicited a different reaction than Aile’s introduction.

Thankfully, it wasn’t negative.

“…Beastkin?”

“I’ve never seen a beastkin before…”

“Cute…”

It was more like the reaction one would give to a passing pet.

Curiosity, adoration, and other positive reactions.

Black Wolf glanced at me, her expression still neutral, but her amber eyes held a hint of surprise and bewilderment.

I smiled and mouthed.

‘See? I told you it would be fine.’

Last night, in the bathroom, she had expressed her concern about being ostracized by the students.

I had firmly reassured her.

This was Minerva Academy, a gathering of the Empire’s brightest minds and talents.

Petty prejudices wouldn’t be tolerated here.

Black Wolf turned back to the students and said:

“I’ll be teaching you how to deal with assassins. I’ll also cover close combat and sensing presences. Follow me, and you might survive.”

She probably shouldn’t have said that last part.

The students’ expressions immediately darkened.

But what could they do? They had chosen this class. Suffer through it.

“Now that introductions are over, let’s begin. New students, you’ll be facing the Wood Golem again. Black Wolf will be offering advice, so absorb everything you can.”

I handed control of the Wood Golem to Black Wolf and added.

“Feel free to ask questions after class. I apologize for rushing off yesterday.”

“Let’s just finish quickly.”

“Wouldn’t destroying the Wood Golem end the class?”

“Let’s get a hit in before it even moves!”

It was just a casual remark, but the students seemed fired up.

…Were they that curious?

“Will we be joining in today?”

Reinhardt raised his hand. His enthusiasm was truly admirable.

Even after witnessing the graduating class being pummeled yesterday, he wasn’t afraid, but eager to participate.

He clutched his sword as if ready to charge.

I fought back tears of gratitude and replied.

“Yes. But unlike yesterday, it’ll be one-on-one today.”

Five swordsmanship majors, five magic majors.

The ten students who had been with me from the beginning.

It was perfect.

Thanks to Aile, I could now focus on each student individually.

I smiled and beckoned Reinhardt.

“I’ll give you a proper workout. You’re happy, aren’t you, Reinhardt? You’re first.”

“…Yes.”

He drew his sword, a grim expression on his face. He seemed disappointed.

…Surely, he hadn’t been looking forward to ganging up on me again?

No way.

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