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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Time passed surprisingly quickly when I was just inside the dorm.
Perhaps because so many people were crammed into this small space, but just chatting with each person individually made the time fly by.
I never thought the conversational skills I had honed while traveling would come in handy here.
Thanks to them, I became acquainted with quite a few people.
As a result, I learned that there were factions within the dorm, and that there were many highly skilled individuals, even among the Silver rank students.
The factions were mainly divided into two groups, but I didn’t really care, so I ignored it.
Oh, Tolman wasn’t interested in such things and preferred to be alone.
Anyway, as I gathered information and chatted with Tolman, time flew by, and the day of my first classes arrived.
Today’s classes were Alchemy and Introduction to Hero Studies.
Alchemy was one of the few things I could actually do, and Introduction to Hero Studies was a required course, so I had signed up for them.
I arrived at the alchemy classroom and opened the door.
Despite my rather conspicuous appearance, the freshmen, excited to be in a new environment and taking new classes, didn’t stop their chatter.
Unfortunately, Tolman hadn’t chosen any subjects that required brainpower, so I was on my own for this class.
Observing the groups that had formed, it seemed like they were divided based on rank.
I didn’t particularly want to join any of them, and I didn’t feel like sharing my war stories with these fresh-faced youngsters.
So I found an empty seat and sat down.
“Ah, that seat…”
“Oh, was this seat taken? I’m sorry.”
“—Hold on a moment.”
A girl stopped me as I was about to get up.
Her long hair, reaching her waist, looked familiar.
“You haven’t removed the bandages yet?”
“…Prieresil, was it?”
“Yes. So why are you still wearing that unsightly thing?”
“Well, it’s my choice whether I wear them or not, isn’t it?”
Since I had already spoken informally to her during the freshman pledge, I decided to stick with it.
To be honest, it felt a bit awkward using formal language.
“You should dress appropriately for the academy.”
I heard a few voices agreeing with her from nearby.
It seemed the top student was already leading a group.
Personally, I didn’t think it was wise to surround yourself with people who simply agreed with everything you said without offering their own opinions.
But I had no intention of interfering, so I kept my mouth shut.
“I apologize for taking your seat without asking. So let’s not bother each other, okay? Class is about to start.”
“…How rude.”
“I’ve heard that a lot.”
Well, I found this casual attitude made it easier to get closer to people.
As long as you could overlook the annoying bits.
Anyway, when I got up to find another seat, Prieresil, perhaps giving up, sat down and took out her textbook.
‘Wait, a textbook? Seriously?’
The sliding door opened with a rattle, and the instructor entered.
“Hello everyone~ I’m the instructor for this course~”
He spoke in a languid tone.
‘No way… Are we really going to have that cliché situation where the instructor says, “Those who don’t have a textbook, share it with your neighbor.” on the first day?’
My slight apprehension vanished completely at the instructor’s next words.
It seemed this instructor, who introduced himself as Merlin, liked to take things easy.
He declared that it was standard practice not to hold classes on the first day and proceeded to simply introduce himself and explain the course objectives before ending the lecture.
It was over in less than an hour.
‘What is this joy?’
It was a different kind of joy from the one I felt during my gourmet travels, dungeon raids, or drinking parties with adventurers.
‘Was it because I had never received a proper education? Or because things weren’t unfolding as I had expected? Or had I already adapted to student life and was simply happy that class ended early?’
A tingling sensation, a feeling of newfound joy, washed over me.
‘Alright. Time to focus. The next class was… Introduction to Hero Studies, right? And the instructor was…’
Rain Garden.
It was the class taught by someone I knew very well.
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Since I had some time to kill, I grabbed a quick meal at the canteen.
I also bought the textbook in advance to avoid a repeat of the earlier situation.
I had plenty of money saved up, and I had already exchanged some for the academy currency, so there was no problem… but I wondered how those who couldn’t afford the textbook managed.
A trivial question popped into my head, but it wasn’t something I needed to worry about, so I let it go.
My priority was to see how my former companion, once the strongest human and a hero, would conduct her class.
Humming a cheerful tune, I arrived at the classroom and found a seat.
I had intended to sit in the front row, but perhaps because of their enthusiasm or their anticipation of seeing the First Hero, the other students had already filled the front, pushing me to a seat in the back.
About 10 minutes before the scheduled time, Rain entered the classroom.
Ignoring the applause and cheers that erupted upon her arrival, she scanned the students as if searching for something, and then…
“Ah” she uttered softly, waving her hand.
The sight of Rain Garden, a beautiful woman, smiling and waving, elicited a passionate response from both male and female students.
‘Haha, I’m used to that sight.’
Impressed by the fact that everyone was present even 10 minutes early, Rain began speaking.
“You’re all very punctual. While arriving 10 minutes early shows respect, it’s perfectly fine to arrive right on time for class. In fact, in my class, I’ll overlook tardiness up to 5 minutes.”
“Professor!”
“Yes? Do you have a question already?”
“Yes! Um… do you have a boyfriend?”
‘Someone actually asked that!?’
As I marveled at the male student’s audacity, a question straight out of those romance novels I used to borrow in the desert city, Rain chuckled and responded with a question of her own.
“What would you do if I don’t?”
“Uh… uh… if you don’t… then I…”
“Sorry.” Rain said, cutting him off.
Her straightforward rejection brought laughter to the classroom.
As jokes and banter were exchanged, time flew by.
Rain checked the time and started the class.
“Okay, let’s begin. Self-introductions first, right? I’m Rain Garden, and I’m the headmaster of this academy.
I used to focus more on the administrative side of things, but starting this semester, I’ll be directly involved in teaching.
You could say that you’re my first official students.”
Her captivating voice drew my attention effortlessly.
She always used this compelling tone, whether it was during strategy meetings while camping or leading the charge on the battlefield.
As memories flooded back, I gazed at her.
Rain, lecturing on the podium, might have been in a different position and had a different status, but she seemed just as formidable as back then.
I, on the other hand, felt a bit insignificant as a student listening to her lecture.
“Ugh.”
A sudden surge of self-loathing washed over me.
I forced my hand down, which had instinctively risen.
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to suppress the feeling of inferiority.
‘We were different from the start. What was I thinking, imagining that we were equals now?’
‘I saw how hard she worked, how incredibly talented she was.’
‘I was the one who ran away. And now I’m back here on my own accord.’
‘And yet, why am I drowning in this sense of inferiority again?’
The students were completely focused on Rain.
I was practically invisible in the back row.
The brightly lit podium and the shadowy seats of the students.
It was like witnessing the contrast between light and darkness.
It reminded me once again why I had left them without a word.
The Shadow of the First Hero.
The others called me that, but it was a title I didn’t deserve.
Look.
The hero was thriving even without her shadow.
That’s why this place was perfect for me.
This inconspicuous corner, hidden in the shadows.
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My self-loathing subsided.
I had been overwhelmed by the atmosphere, momentarily succumbing to my old feelings of inferiority, but I was different now!
I wasn’t on equal footing with her anymore.
I needed to get used to that before I did anything else.
All I had to do was focus on my current role, and right now, that was being a student.
As Rain finished her lecture, the students got up, bowed to her, and started filing out of the classroom.
I tried to blend in with the crowd and leave, but a voice stopped me.
“There you are again. The rude one.”
“Oh, hey… Pri… Pri… Prisoner, was it?”
“It’s Prion Colson! You memory-deficient ape!”
“Ah, right. That was it. So what do you want?”
“Just checking if you’ve finally removed those bandages. And your nails are still the same. Hopeless…”
“Prion?”
“Ah… Ah… Yes! Hero!”
“Heehee, I’m not a hero anymore. And please refrain from picking fights with your fellow students.”
“Ah, yes! Yes! I’ll try my best!”
‘Is this… charisma? Is this the power of the First Hero?’
Rain, who had rendered Prion speechless in an instant, left the classroom.
Prion stared after her for a moment, then turned back to me, clicked his tongue, and walked out.
Rain’s magic power seemed a bit erratic, but I didn’t pay it much attention.
It was probably just an unconscious disruption in her flow of magic due to the many eyes on her.
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