Please Do Not Abandon the Adopted Heroine

Chapter 5 – Please don’t take away the students’ experiences…

It all started with the principal’s speech.

“Ah, from now on, um…we will have regular “Snowfield” practice time. Um…as there are all sorts of monsters in the “Snowfield,” um…students, for your safety……omitted…….. um… um… do you all understand?”

“Yeesss……”

“The purpose of this practice is to enhance students’ real-life experiences… um… I believe that you all are exceptional students, so just saying this much should be enough. Um… alright, then now everyone, prepare your equipment and get ready.”

“Yeesss……”

The students’ lifeless voices rang softly.

I thought the long speech lasted for a full hour, but as if intending to insult us, the drawn-out voices continued sneakily.

“Anyway, seeing your passion like this… um, it reminds me of when I was a student, um… in my inexperienced days……”

…I’m going crazy.

I forced myself to swallow the honest emotions that I couldn’t bring myself to say.

I haven’t felt this drained of energy in a long time, as I watched the students who sighed and suppressed a sigh with a collapsed expression, and the students who bowed their heads as if already giving up. And even the students who were betting on how many times that professor said “um.”

Even I, who should have been watching over them, felt completely exhausted.

Snowfield.

A place where the vitality of life has been cut off.

Except for the imperial territory, all other territories have been destroyed by the gods, and on the contaminated land, cool and dry winds and white ash piles up.

The land that has turned white due to the ash is called the “Snowfield.”

In such an incredibly dangerous place where death always looms, the only reason to bring students out is the pretext of “real-life experience.”

No matter how much it is tailored to the students’ level, a “Snowfield” is still a “Snowfield.”

Under the name of practice, there are not only casualties but also many who are severely injured to the point of their lives being at stake, making it difficult to count.

Normally, the faculty and even the students would have been on high alert, guarding their surroundings.

But today, the atmosphere was distinctly different right from the get-go.

“There is the sixth hero of the Sacred Sword today, so nothing bad will happen.”

“Rebecca has also passed the fourth-grade state exam as a magician. We magicians should just enjoy the show.”

Students sent admiring glances at the front-line hero Kim Yoo-sung and Rebecca.

Such an atmosphere was contagious, transforming into a relaxed march where there was not a hint of tension.

The snowy field practice was just like a walk in the park.

Realising this, I yawned and abruptly noticed a familiar figure, my eyes lighting up.

“Oh, there’s Undine. I never thought she’d come to practice.”

Catching my gaze, Undine’s eyes turned towards me for a moment.

Glad, I waved lightly at her; she suddenly expanded her cheeks in a childlike show of anger, resulting in a playful, “Humph!”

Undine…you still haven’t forgiven me. You’re really holding a grudge this time.

Well, humph! I guess I have no choice but to get some payback.

I copied her, humming air from my nose before turning around. Two foxy ears, tinged with a faint pink hue.

“Cecilia, how are you feeling? Top shape? Not so great? Or in between?”

“…… I’m good.”

Does ‘good’ mean her condition is good, or that I shouldn’t bother her?

“Even though we are in a snowfield, we are circling around the safe zone near the school. Don’t worry too much.”

Cecilia turned her face away stubbornly; her complexion was very dark.

I wasn’t oblivious to how her expression, constantly directed towards the ground, had turned black.

Moreover, the ears and tail, the symbols of her fox tribe, were drooping.

There was not much difference from yesterday, but if one had to point out, the ears were tilted at a 35-degree angle, and the rigidity seen in them appeared strangely different.

The tail that used to sway about an average of seven times a second was now bent without any movement, and the fur that used to flutter was stiffly standing up, a detail that would surely be examined carefully.

It was ridiculous to think that she, as a member of the 6th Holy Sword Warrior party, would be frightened at the beginning of the tundra.

If it was simply because she wasn’t feeling well, it would have been nice if she had told me, but I also knew very well that even if that were the case, she wouldn’t tell me one by one.

The only thing I could do was to hope that Cecilia’s mood would ease even a little.

I didn’t miss Cecilia’s gaze following my weapon, the bat, as I swung it around in my hand.

“…………….”

Huh? Did she recognize my proud number one weapon, the bat? I did swing it on purpose though.

hehehehe.

Wow, my lips are involuntarily loosening.

What? Not interested? I didn’t want you to recognize it, but my mouth is itching to talk about it.

If Freya had seen it, she would definitely have had something to say, but unfortunately, Freya wasn’t here.

“hahahaha! Of course, because you’re my student! The expression on your face tells me you’re curious! If I were to talk about this bat, it’s made from the largest branch of a famous tree called ‘Hecate’s Eye’, which grows in the untamed northern ＜Tundra＞, where monsters whirlwind and flourish, and it has been specially processed using authentic techniques that have been handed down for 467 years by the hands of the most famous carpenter in the imperial capital, at the cost of three months’ worth of salary and research funds…”

Kukukukung….

“Everyone be careful! There are about ten monsters approaching from the front!”

“Fall back! Inform the rear of the type and number of monsters!” ……

Sudden vibrations and a trembling voice.

Even without looking back, I could tell that monsters had appeared.

“Get into formation! Our hero will protect us, so be brave! Pour out the magic you learned at school!”

Experienced students and teachers moved confidently, beginning their attack on the monsters.

I couldn’t just stand there and watch.

“Oh ho, is it finally time for my sword to do its job? Celia! I’ll be by your side to protect you, so go ahead and use some magic…”

But before I could finish speaking, a flash of light illuminated the scene and everything was resolved.

“Hmm, that’s settled.”

“hehehe, our hero. You could handle these dogs on your own.”

Warrior Kim Yuseong and a woman named Rebeckan, who was said to be his lover, returned casually.

The students, who had belatedly regained their senses in the quickly resolved situation, started to applaud like stunned individuals.

“Oh wow! Is that the power of the Holy Sword? Amazing!”

“Just one swing cuts through all the monsters! Is it possible to perform such a skill with the sword sheathed?”

Hold back… Endure… This is not my only chance.

There will be plenty of opportunities to help Celia with her training, or so I thought until now.

But even next time,

“Argh! The bridge that connects to the gorge broke! How dare those monsters…!”

“Look over there! The warrior is using magic to teleport us! That’s… levitation magic?!”

“Oh, this is just a normal magic. It uses the principle of pulleys.”

“That…! Lost magic, said to have vanished from this world?? That’s ridiculous!”

“To combine scientific principles with magic, truly you are the hero of this world!”

“Ugh~! We really are fundamentally different from each other! I could never catch up even if I worked hard my whole life.”

And then, after that,

“To dare lay a hand on the monsters’ leader…?”

“Nngh! Sir hero! I was scared!”

“Oh wow! A cool and merciless demeanor towards enemies! And endless kindness towards allies!”

“Wow, that’s the epitome of a heroic ideal!”

“OMG, what should I do, I think I’m falling for this hero! Rebecca, I’m so jealous…”

Ugh.

Damn.

Unable to withstand it any longer, I ended up retreating to the end of the procession with Cecilia.

Jabbing absentmindedly at the ground with my bat, I gritted my teeth.

“What? Lost Magic? Are you just arbitrarily going to erase a perfectly good spell that’s even in the textbooks? Ridiculous. And to think I told you to read the case studies meticulously!”

“Well well, seems that our Professor Nefirna doesn’t favor these new generation heroes!”

“Oh my, our student Undine seems to finally have cooled down!”

Before I knew it, Undine was walking by my side.

“…Do you want to mock my speech, join me in a duel, or fight in a battle of couple?!”

“Who was that person who said they wouldn’t talk to me again?”

“Mmm… let’s save the trivial stuff for later. I came here because I didn’t want to witness that ridiculous charade happening.”

“The swords chosen by the holy say, taking away all the practice opportunities from the students, what are humans even trying to do.”

“Because having the spotlight while showing off is a dream of everyone.”

“Hence it hurts me more because I’m watching that directly. I’ll bet my salary of this month on feeling cold in the bed after 5 years.”

“Heh…A bat is a weapon, just like anything else.”

“Don’t take light of my bat. It’s a more reputable weapon than a lame holy sword.”

No sooner than I proudly hoisted up my bat, the students nearby began whispering.

“That professor always carries a small stick like that.”

“That one he uses to point at the blackboard during lectures? Oh, he always carries something like that.”

…Well, well. Those cute little birds don’t know the charm of the bat.

As generous as I am, I could easily ignore this. However, the problem was that Undine’s vacant gaze seemed to hold a heavy loathe.

Her subsequent words lacked any emotion.

“Wow, quite a few students are expected to slip in the snow today. What a shame.”

“You started it first.”

“I don’t mind it, but I don’t like it when others talk ill of you. It seems that the wife can criticize her husband, but it annoys her when others do it.”

I didn’t want to label people who casually exchange rumors about their spouse as hypocrites, but I kept my mouth closed because the aftermath of speaking out was too troublesome.

“Anyway, don’t worry, teacher. I will take good care of those adorable friends of ours.”

“Do you want to be summoned by the Student Ethics Committee?”

“Oh my goodness, even Professor Nepher. Our Undine won’t leave any evidence. This is a snowy field. It’s not a big deal to ‘dip’ one or two people.”

As Undine covered her mouth and laughed eerily, Cecilia’s complexion noticeably worsened along with a rough breath from behind.

I asked Cecilia with a tilt of my head.

“Cecilia, are you feeling ill?”

“… No. You don’t need to worry about me.”

It didn’t seem like nothing.

“… Undine, your pointless joke scared her.”

“What? ‘Her…?’ ‘Her,’ really?! Using such a condescending… no, disgusting title for a full-grown woman is quite blatant, Professor!”

“Be quiet… Anyway, where is Ignis and what’s he doing, I haven’t seen him.”

“My brother? Of course, he is at school. He’s not the kind of person who would take on such hard work while there are more prominent people present… But why are you suddenly looking for my brother? Are you trying to avoid answering? Avoiding it?”

“Just wondering.”

Of course, it is to get rid of you.

As I responded deeply, Undine misunderstood and began to spread her shoulders proudly.

“So now you’re starting to see me, Professor Nepher! Hah! It seems you’re finally ready to accept me as your student!”

“No, that won’t work.”

“What, why!”

“… Hmm.”

I shrugged.

Undine, shocked by my nonchalant denial, trembled her shoulders and puffed up her cheeks.

“I really hate this! I’m not going to talk to you ever again, okay? No, no, no matter how much you cry and say sorry, I’m not going to forgive you!!”

***

The preparations went smoothly. Even contacted father. Surprisingly, permission was easily granted to Rebecca.

Did the family not really like Cecilia’s presence after all?

The hero did not seem to have an inkling. It was crucial that he remained oblivious.

Rebecca smiled faintly, thinking of the Fox tribe girl who would be scrambling to catch up from the end of the column.

“…Shall we get moving? Prepare yourself, beast.”