I Became a Retired War Hero the Heroines Are Obsessed With – Chapter 37

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Another rotation passed, and it was Reinhardt’s turn again.

Covered in dirt and sweat, his stance remained unwavering.

He maintained the solid, lower-body-centered posture I had drilled into him.

“Impressive. You haven’t slacked off on your training.”

“Thank… you…” he replied, catching his breath.

I leveled my wooden sword at him.

His skill was undeniable.

Even without using aura, his defense was impeccable.

He blocked my attacks without flinching, maintaining his posture with remarkable stamina and mental fortitude.

He was a different kind of genius than Ariana.

He was good enough to recommend for officer training.

“What do you want to be in the future?”

I asked.

“What? What do you mean?”

“Well, if you don’t have anything in mind, how about joining the military? I can write you a recommendation. I could even get you into the Capital Defense Force. I’m close with the Corps Commander.”

I never thought I’d be saying these words, but the Capital Defense Force was a good career path.

Good pay, relatively safe, and decent social standing.

I wouldn’t have suggested it to a noble, but Reinhardt was a commoner.

He blinked, seeming to grasp my intentions, then shook his head.

“I appreciate the offer, but… I’m alright. I have something I need to do.”

Judging by the resolute look in his eyes, it must be something important.

“Alright. Let me know if you change your mind. And if you ever need my help, whatever it is, don’t hesitate to ask. You’re my student.”

“Yes… thank yo…”

“Opening!”

I swung my wooden sword at him as he bowed his head.

I couldn’t find an opening in his defense without using aura.

“Ack!”

“Class isn’t over yet. I told you not to let your guard down.”

“That’s… unfair!”

He protested, sprawled on the ground, but I retorted,

“If you don’t like it, you teach the class!”

“…If you weren’t the professor…!”

I heard him grind his teeth.

I understood.

I had cursed Master Robert under my breath when he’d done the same to me.

At least Reinhardt wasn’t resorting to profanity.

He was a good student.

Now, for a short break on this side… and let’s see how Aile is doing.

I turned to see him instructing Amy.

Despite being siblings, Aile wore a serious expression, devoid of any personal bias.

“More delicately. As if you’re folding paper with your mana.”

“How am I supposed to do that?!”

“Why can’t you?”

Aile opened his palm.

Mana, flickering like a flame, flattened and solidified into a sheet of paper.

The control was so precise, it looked like real paper.

Amy’s eyes widened.

Among the various types of magic, fire magic was notoriously difficult to control.

It was typically used in its raw form, like a bonfire.

To see such delicate manipulation… even I was impressed.

How must it look to the students?

“See? It’s easy.”

As if it were nothing, Aile folded the mana-paper into a crane.

Amy gaped at him, speechless.

Why wasn’t he a Grand Mage already?

“H-how did you do that? Teach me!”

“Please teach me.”

“…What?”

“You should use honorifics. You’re the student, and I’m the professor.”

“You’re just an assistant professor…!”

“So? Can’t you call me ‘Professor’? Should I only teach the other students…?”

“Grrr…! P-please teach me.”

He was going to crack his teeth at this rate.

Wasn’t he worried about the consequences?

Oblivious to the murderous intent radiating from Amy, Aile beamed.

“Of course! I’ll gladly teach such a lovely student. First, focus your mana…”

I could see the killing intent swirling around Amy.

I knew my subordinate’s fate.

I bowed my head solemnly.

Now, let’s check on Black Wolf.

Was she teaching properly?

Or was she being as brutal as she was in the Blackwater?

“Here. This is a weak point. Focus only on the enemy in front of you, and you’ll die.”

“Yes!”

“Relax your wrist. You’ll get hurt if you clash with someone stronger than you.”

“Yes!”

Contrary to my worries, Black Wolf was an excellent instructor.

She stood back, pointing out the students’ weaknesses as they fought the Wood Golem, correcting their posture.

She was the ideal instructor.

The students’ reactions were positive as well.

“Have you decided what to ask her after class?”

“I wonder if I can ask to touch her tail.”

“I hope she says yes.”

…Weren’t they focusing on the wrong things?

She was a Blackwater assassin! Should she be treated like a pet?

Knowing her true nature, I found their reactions baffling.

Looks were everything.

At least I didn’t have to worry about her fitting in.

She was sharp enough to handle herself.

It was good to have such a skilled individual on board.

It made my job easier.

I clapped my hands cheerfully.

Clap, clap.

“Alright, we don’t have much time left. Let’s wrap things up. Come at me, all of you. If any of you land a single hit, I’ll end class early.”

“Charge!”

Reinhardt charged at me before I even finished speaking.

The faint energy clinging to his sword… was that Sword Ki?

The precursor to aura, Sword Ki signified that he had taken his first step towards the Expert level.

“Impressive. But charging head-on against someone specializing in defense isn’t very smart.”

I easily dodged his attack and poked him in the side.

“Ugh…! Now’s our chance!”

He flew back with a triumphant grin.

What was he planning?

I turned to see Ariana swinging her sword, imbued with a chilling Sword Ki.

“When…!”

The others weren’t just standing around either.

They had positioned themselves strategically, blocking my escape routes.

So Reinhardt’s charge had been a diversion!

My body moved reflexively before my mind could fully process the situation.

Swish!

“Ack!”

My kick sent Ariana stumbling.

I grabbed her and threw her at another student.

“Oof!”

“Damn it, even this doesn’t work?!”

The male student who caught Ariana, probably Jonathan, clenched his fists in frustration.

He was more competitive than he looked.

“Haha…! I did it! I finally landed a hit!”

Ariana exclaimed triumphantly.

“What?”

“How?”

Jonathan and Edmund, standing beside him, looked bewildered.

Ariana pointed at me.

“Look at his sword.”

“Huh?!”

“…!”

“The Professor’s sword…?!”

I smiled wryly at their shocked expressions.

As Ariana had pointed out, all I held was the hilt of my wooden sword.

The result of clashing a normal sword against one imbued with Sword Ki was inevitable.

“We did it!”

“Finally!”

“We’ve defeated evil!!!”

I understood their excitement, but did they really need to cheer that loudly?

They were acting as if they had slain the Demon King.

I could feel the stares of the other students.

Couldn’t they see their teacher was embarrassed?

“See? I told you we could do it!”

“Damn it…! Ariana! I love you!”

“You’re the best!”

“Ariana! Ariana! Ariana!”

They even started tossing Ariana in the air.

I had nothing to say to such enthusiastic students.

I’d let it slide this time.

“What’s going on?”

Black Wolf approached me as I smiled indulgently.

“They landed a hit.”

I showed her the broken hilt, and she blinked.

She examined the cleanly severed edge, then looked at Ariana, still airborne, and said,

“Sword Ki. Not bad.”

“Right? She’s incredibly talented. She might even awaken her aura soon.”

Black Wolf shook her head, looking at me.

“Rusty.”

“…What?!”

“A Master defeated by an Expert. Pathetic.”

“Hey…!”

I had been careless, I knew that.

And I knew a Master shouldn’t be defeated by a student, even if careless… but still!

Everything I said sounded like an excuse.

I’d repay this humiliation in the next class!

“…I guess I’ll have to protect you.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing. Is class over?”

I wanted to push them a little further, but a promise was a promise.

“Class dismissed!”

Usually, the students scattered the moment class ended.

But today was different.

“Professor Aile! I have a question about what we just learned!”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Are you a soldier, Professor?”

“Alright, alright, I only have one mouth. Ask your questions one at a time.”

Some students bombarded Aile with questions, while others…

“What’s your favorite food?”

“How do you do that stealth technique?”

“What do you do in your free time?”

“Can I… touch your tail…?”

…asked Black Wolf some rather… concerning questions.

Why didn’t anyone ask me anything?

I felt a pang of disappointment.

Then, familiar faces approached.

“How was my Sword Ki?”

Ariana asked proudly.

Seeing her beaming face, I didn’t mind being ignored.

I had such excellent students.

“It was a perfect plan. I never saw it coming.”

“Hee hee, I hid the fact that I’d become an Expert for this very moment.”

“Good, good. With this, the inter-academy competition should be no problem.”

I patted Ariana’s head, and Sena blinked.

“Huh? The Professor’s sword! Did Ariana do that?”

She finally noticed.

“Yes. Isn’t she amazing?”

“Wow~ How did you do that?”

“Well, you see…”

While Ariana recounted her heroic tale, Amy and Lux approached.

I smiled at the two, who had undoubtedly learned a lot today.

“Aile’s pretty good, isn’t he?”

“I hate to admit it, but… he’s impressive.”

“His mana control is better than any other professor I’ve seen.”

“Though, it’s annoying how smug he is.”

I glanced at Aile, who was indeed beaming.

I’d have to spar with him later.

Amy frowned.

“Do we have to keep learning from Aile?”

“Bear with it for now. He’s obsessed with the fundamentals. We’ll switch back to practical training with me before the competition. You need to learn enough to land a hit on me, just like Ariana.”

“Yes.”

“Fine…”

Lux nodded calmly, while Amy clicked her tongue.

Still, by the time the competition arrived, they would have evolved even further.

“Oh! That’s right!” Sena suddenly exclaimed.

I looked at her as she charged towards me.

“Professor!”

“W-what…?”

“What’s your relationship with… her?!”

She whispered, lowering her voice.

What kind of question was that…?

I answered anyway.

“We’re former comrades. I can’t go into details, but we served together on a mission.”

“Are you… lovers…?”

“…? Why would you ask that?”

“But you went into the dormitory together yesterday.”

“…!”

Just like Ariana, these girls had gotten too good at stealth!

We were just friends, but it certainly looked suspicious to others.

I was trying to figure out how to explain when Black Wolf dropped a bomb.

“Yes. I slept with Allen last night.”

“!!!”

“Hey…!”

I tried to stop her, but she calmly dropped another bomb.

“He washed my body too.”

“!!!!!”

“Gasp…!”

What was she saying with such a straight face?!

I quickly tried to clarify, but…

“It’s not like that. She refused to wash up, so I…”

“You… slept together…?!”

“Washed her body? That’s totally…”

They weren’t listening to my explanation.

I was about to yell at Black Wolf to explain herself, but she had vanished.

“Where did she go…!”

“Professor! Is it true?”

“Is that your… preference?”

“I never would have guessed…”

Seeing them circling me like hyenas, I felt dizzy.

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[LMAO black wolf just dropping that bomb and vanishing. pretty sneaky chapter if you ask me]