The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

After finishing the meal and tidying up, night had deepened. The rain still hadn’t stopped. In fact, it was pouring down even harder than before.

But well, there’s a certain charm to it.

There’s nothing quite as delightful as listening to the sound of rain inside a cozy cave.

“…But rain should come in moderation; if it pours like this, it’s just noise.”

It seems Silina doesn’t feel the same. She’s sulking with a face all scrunched up.

The reason for her grumpiness? The bathroom, of course.

While we were eating and cleaning up, she must have reached her limit, shivering and whispering for me to save her. I silently handed her some wet wipes.

She asked if I could give her a cleansing scroll instead, but I firmly refused.

The other group didn’t even have toilet paper and had to make do with rough leaves, while we had soft, fluffy wipes.

Just having this much is a blessing in itself. If she were to experience having nothing at all, she’d realize how gracious the existence of toilet paper is.

Tsk, tsk. This is why the younger generation is losing their minds. In my day, it was just leaves, no toilet paper at all!

Just grab a water jug filled with muddy water and… huh?

Ugh.

“When do you think it will stop raining?”

“Who knows. It needs to at least let up a bit so we can go out and explore.”

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind going out right now. If I thinly cover myself with mana, I won’t get wet in the rain. Yurasia is the same; while she doesn’t have quite the control over mana that I do, she could manage a thin cover for about a week.

But the others aren’t so lucky. They wouldn’t last a day, let alone a week.

That said, I can’t just leave them behind.

I have many enemies. Just yesterday, there were Frunt’s students who were itching to get at me. Their gazes were filled with hostility, as if they were plotting something against me.

I’ve never incurred any grudges, so why?

It’s obvious. Shivria Eustetia. That air-headed girl from the side branch must have sent them.

I don’t know the details, but… If they beat me up, I’d get some cash. And if any problems arose afterward, she’d take care of them, or something like that?

Anyway, there are those keeping an eye on me. So I can’t just leave them here alone.

“If it doesn’t stop by lunch tomorrow, let’s take a quick look around or something. Today has been a lot to take in, and adapting takes time.”

Night was already deep. Just glancing down, I can see Pina, peacefully asleep, using my thigh as a pillow with her gentle snore-snore.

And behind me…

Gailan, who spent the whole day using magic to dry the kids’ clothes, maintain the campfire, and keep a breeze blowing to waft the smoke away, looked pale and exhausted.

“I can’t do anything else, so I’ll at least do this,” he thought, leaving Pina to take it all on himself.

If he doesn’t use magic tomorrow, isn’t that just making his effort pointless? I was about to say so, but Yurasia covered my mouth as if reading my mind.

They said saying such a thing would be a big deal or something.
I couldn’t understand it.

“Sleep time, about 4 hours and 30 minutes… wait, no, 6 hours? 7 hours? How many hours do you guys need?”

Back in the Demon Realm, I could get by with 4 hours and 30 minutes of sleep. The sentry needed even less.

That was a necessity. Staying in one place for too long was like asking for death.

But here, it isn’t that dangerous.

Moreover, these kids haven’t experienced anything like that.

Yurasia might have gone on a few expedition hunts here and there, but the other kids haven’t had that experience at all, have they?

So how long do they need to sleep?

“I’m fine either way.”

“If we consider the sentry… it seems like 7 hours would be a minimum,” Yurasia said without concern, and after a moment’s heavy contemplation, Silina cautiously added.

“Alright. Then let’s go with 7 or 8 hours as you see fit. I’ll take the middle shift on halved duty, and the rest is up to you guys. No need for all five of us to do it. Let’s cycle in groups of three.”

“No, no! I’ll take the middle shift. Young lady, you just rest comfortably.”

“Forget it, I find the middle shift more comfortable.”

After all, the middle shift is the most tiring. The first and last shifts can sleep straight through, but the middle shift needs to wake up in between.

If they fully wake up, they’d end up restless even after their shift’s done.

Of course, I don’t mind. I’ve made it a habit to take small naps whenever necessary. This isn’t something more uncertain like starting a fire. I’ve verified it multiple times even at the family estate.

“First shift, decide among yourselves. If anything happens, shout out or do whatever to let us know. Although I’ll probably wake up regardless.”

I waved my hand and flopped down on the ground.

“Hhmm…”

“Just lie back down.”

Seeing Pina waking up drowsily as if her head was spinning, I laid her back down beside me and propped my arm under her head.

In less than three seconds, she was back to that snore-snore sound.

“…I’ll take the first shift.”

Watching that scene, Yurasia swallowed hard and stepped outside the passageway.

“Eliaernes.”

“What is it?”

“Is Yurasia okay? She seems a bit… suspicious.”

“What part?”

“Her gaze… it looks a little strange.”

“What? A strange gaze? Our Yurasia isn’t that kind of person.”

How could someone with clear and pretty eyes like Yurasia appear suspicious?

There’s no malice quite like that.

*

A faint presence.

The moment I sensed it, I opened my eyes.

“!Hyaah…! Have you woken up already?”

Yurasia, tiptoeing cautiously, was startled.

“Yeah. Great job.”

I whispered softly to Yurasia and carefully got up without waking Pina.

My mind was completely clear. My vision was sharp and not hazy. My voice was a bit husky, but… that’s just because this small body is frail.

Anyway, I was fully awake.

“Was everything alright?”

“There were other students nearby, but it seems they’re staying down there for now.”

“Those kids who were tailing us earlier?”

“…Yeah. Should I go take care of them now?”

“No need for that right now.”

We can take them down when they’ve piled up enough points. We’ll take both their points and their prey.

There’s no need to move just yet when points will naturally come rolling in.

“Anyway, good job. Now get some sleep.”

“…Y-Yes.”

I left Yurasia with a somewhat disappointed expression and stepped out of the cave.

The rain was still falling. However, the intensity of the rainfall seemed to have weakened compared to before. It looked like it might stop by morning? At least by lunchtime.

Taking in the damp, sticky air and exhaling deeply, I relished the refreshing scent of the forest.

“Brings back memories.”

The Gulaka of Gluttony.

The scent of the place where I first encountered the essence of a Legion Commander. A place filled with memories…

Or should I not even call it memories?

“It’s not memories; it’s experiences.”

Experiences that I would never want to go through again.

Back then, we were weak and inexperienced.

But we were also under the delusion that we were strong and capable.

Paulo, chosen by the Sacred Sword, and Luna, selected by the Holy Mark. Everyone showed no signs of it, but we had a sense of pride as a Hero party.

Even against high-ranking demons, we didn’t falter. We had the Sacred Sword and Holy Mark on our side. Three unarmed fighters at the 7th Rank and one mage at the 8th Circle, plus the Saint.

It was a party comprised of the strongest humans of the time. That’s why, feeling no fear, we aimed to eliminate all the demons along the path to the Demon Realm, starting from Anketin.

Then, when we had killed about 80% of the demons occupying Anketin…

Gulaka descended.

Three hundred and eighty-seven knights burst into pieces. No corpses were left behind, only blood splattered into the air.

We… vomited blood. Our minds twisted in confusion. We were overwhelmed by the impulse to pluck our eyes out and tear our hearts apart.

Breathing became impossible. Pure magic billowed thicker than oxygen. The scenery warped before our eyes. I felt like I was losing my identity.

It felt as if maggots were crawling beneath my skin.

My skull ached like needles were poking and scratching my brain. I heard the voice of the already deceased headmaster of the orphanage in my ears, and my body felt the chill of winter, while in my mind, Diana’s smile at her death twisted like a devil’s grimace.

Amid that terror…

Paulo dropped his sword. Luna doubted her faith, and Kaloso rejected magic.

I stood up. How could I do that? I was weak. Without the Sacred Sword, without the Holy Mark, without the love of mana. So I didn’t realize the gap between us properly, making it so I could feel relatively less fear.

And Arisa.

Arisa felt no fear.

She stepped forward, meeting Gulaka head-on.

At that time, I thought she was as weak as me, just like I was. But… looking back now, it seems that wasn’t entirely the case.

Well… anyway, the hunt for Gulaka obviously failed.

It was a natural outcome. How could we defeat something that denied all common sense and couldn’t even be expressed in terms of disaster, that we couldn’t even look at with our own eyes?

But we survived. The five of us stayed alive, realizing our shortfalls, filled with regrets and burning with resentment.

Guilt, incompetence, shame, frustration, self-loathing, doubt.

All those negative emotions were bottled up inside us.

The moment we felt and recognized them, we knew we would collapse, and we didn’t have the time to examine them one by one.

We understood that if we stood still, more people would die than today.

Yet we didn’t show it outwardly.

We considered one another.

We drank and got drunk as usual.

We laughed and chatted, twisted Luna’s wrist as she tried to cheat, stabbbed Paulo’s hand with a dagger as he stole cards, knocked Kaloso out when he tried to use alcohol-dispelling magic, and got an inexplicable slap from a drunken Arisa.

I still don’t understand it.
Why did I get hit back then?

…Well.

Morning came, and we awoke from the alcohol.

With completely changed hearts, we headed towards the Demon Realm.

“If memories are to be… they are memories.”

I chuckled softly as I plopped down on a rock before me. Judging by the warmth left behind, it must have been where Yurasia sat.

Leaning against the stone, I propped my chin on my hand.

In a past life, diving into the past… immersed in memories… I had avoided places connected to my previous experiences out of fear of this happening.

It’s not good to get too caught up in the past.

Given the state of my body, it seems that’s harder to shake off than it should be. If I let my guard down, I’m prone to getting emotional.

Taking a deep breath once more, I turned my head.

[Ronaan!]

I caught sight of Flora fluttering down.

“Is it okay for you to come out?”

[There’s only magic; there aren’t any demons!]

“But there are monsters.”

[But they’re illusions created by magic, right? So they shouldn’t be scary. You’re here too, Ronan.]

Pop pop!

Two soft little feet poked at the corners of my mouth.

[Thinking back to the past, huh?]

“I wasn’t.”

[Liar.]

With a little giggle, Flora climbed down my body and rummaged through my pocket.

“So, what did you come out to tell me?”

I handed her an almond and placed her back on my shoulder.
Crunch crunch – munching the almond as she whispered.

[I wanted to tell you why the artifact broke.]

“Do you know? You?”

[Yeah. You bought a slightly… uh, how should I say this? A unique artifact, right? The power source was a magic stone?]

“…That’s right. Why? Is it… not good or something?”

According to the store owner, it was the best quality that represented the latest technology or something… Did that little brat sell me a defective item?

[It’s not necessarily bad, I guess. I’m not too sure, but the magic stone that broke isn’t the issue.]

“Then what is?”

[Uh… it might be that the magic stone was overloaded?]

“Overloaded?”

Flora nodded vigorously while crunching on the almond.

[It had some weird, unnecessary barriers that forced those dormant magics in the area awake. I think that’s what broke it.]

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