Chapter 231: A way to drive men off?
Hiero still wanted to talk with Croana and the others, so I left her in the principal’s office. When I left I also remembered to make a request of Croana and got her agreement. I was heading to the instructor’s office to work, and today’s escort, Sharle, was clinging to my right arm. Inwardly I felt like Sharle’s days were many, but that felt like poking a bush that would bite, so I did not say it. Sharle seemed to read it from my face and smiled happily. “It’s the result of drawing lots.” I smiled in a troubled way and nodded.
I asked Hiero to wait a year for exploring the Guri Ruins. As long as the words could only be used by me I would have to go along on the trip, and thinking of the round trip and the exploration it would take thirty days. The academy’s second year had a long vacation of thirty days. When I proposed aiming for that period to go explore, Hiero agreed while smiling wryly. Emotionally I wanted to jump out of the royal capital right away and head out to explore, but I was too scared of events happening. The events that happen during the long vacation are limited, so if I drilled the countermeasures into Roy we could depart. The biggest salvation was that there were two events during the long vacation, and both were light. I could not teach the contents, but countermeasures were no problem, and I could see the students growing, so it should be fine.
After that, as soon as I got back to Nifa Inn I had to use the word “Tiburiera” on Pafa and restore her power like Hiero. Hiero said it had not decreased at all, but I thought over-worrying and dealing with it was just right. Two existences were on the line. If they vanished, regret would not be enough. When I explained that to Hiero she turned her face away and muttered, “I got it…” …Was I too overprotective? No. If I would regret it, overprotective was fine. Like I would let them vanish.
While I was thinking that my left cheek was stroked gently. I turned my face toward Sharle and she narrowed her eyes and smiled like I was precious.
“I know what you’re thinking, but please don’t work yourself too hard. Otherwise you’ll be called a handful again, you know?”
“Ah~. If I say I’m not overdoing it, will you believe me?”
“Fufu. I’ll believe you, but you’ll still be called a handful. Fufufu.”
She rubbed her cheek against my right shoulder and laughed happily. I rubbed the back of my neck with my left hand and smiled wryly. Come to think of it, before going to the instructor’s office I had to head to the main gate and make a request of Sateur and the others… While Erika was inside the academy, Sateur and the others were at the cafe or the general store in front of the academy, so I thought I would find them right away.
The time was fifteen hundred. The place was the training ground. Looking over the training ground I could see the other years gathered in their own spots too. That was the result of a meeting between faculty and instructors. They judged that in this hot season, the time when the sun was not high was appropriate for training. Apparently a survey had been done of the year I was in charge of, and they matched those answers with the other years’ answers. Filim Academy’s faculty and instructors were excellent. Not just the faculty and instructors. Croana’s skill in putting it on the agenda and carrying it out was also impressive. I looked over the students sitting on the ground, confirmed everyone was there, and raised my voice.
“I already told you all. In nine days we head to Santony. Before that there’s training we have to do or we’ll be in trouble. Does anyone know what it is?”
The students consulted with the people next to them and got noisy, but today’s state was a little different. Their eyes were on behind me, and they were smiling happily. Behind me were the female adventurers I had Sateur and the others call. I had said just the adventurers who were back at Filea Dormitory would be fine, but I could also confirm female adventurers belonging to the clan. The two popular female adventurers were there too. Not just those two. They were interacting happily until training started, which was heartwarming. For the record Roy was looking embarrassed beside me, and Hilbyid teased him when she saw that, so I laughed. I turned only my face back and smiled at the students’ requested older sisters.
“Do the older sisters know?”
“Instructor, what’s with ’older sisters’!”
“Geez, it’s embarrassing…”
“…A way to drive men off?”
“That’s not it~~. How to camp~~~~”
I got to see the older sisters’ precious embarrassed faces, and the correct answer came out, so I nodded and turned my face back to the students. How to camp was just pitching tents, but the time it took with training versus without was a different level. On top of that, outside the royal capital where thieves and monsters might attack, you could not spend extra stamina. And this year was mostly women, so their degree of caution would be higher than men’s, and there would be more parts they had to be careful about. I explained to the students, who were listening with serious faces, how hard last-minute preparation was, then said there was one more thing to prepare.
“That’s a guild card. You’ll wonder, but there’s no loss in having an ID you can present easily. When you enter a town you can get in smoothly and quickly, and if something happens the Adventurer Guild can grasp your location when they look into it. On top of that you can make your own account at the bank, and you don’t have to carry it around!”
“…Because you can withdraw in Santony too?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Meaning you don’t have to take the risk of putting money in a Magic Bag!”
I smiled and nodded at Erika, who spoke after thinking a little, then looked over the students with a serious face. Adventurers making accounts was not just for saving. They knew the danger of carrying money so they made accounts and withdrew only what they needed when they needed it. The students nodded as if convinced by my explanation. Relia, Tia, and Karinal sitting near Erika also looked a little surprised, like scales had fallen from their eyes. They had probably received education as princesses and a knight, but they had not been taught about adventurers in detail, so it could not be helped. If they learned in detail from this chance, their ways of dealing with things would increase too.
“From here we head to the Adventurer Guild and register. That’s why I called the older sisters. Listen to what the older sisters say, and if you notice something or find something strange, ask without hesitation! Got it!?”
“Yes!”
“This is bad. I’m more nervous than in combat…”
“Heeey~, someone stay with me. It’ll be scary if I get it wrong!”
“The instructor’s guidance is amazing. I’m learning.”
“Uwaa~~, the expectant eyes are intense~~~~~”
That was why today I had the students finish getting ready to go home and gather in uniform. At the end, when the students were standing, I said “I’ll buy what you need for the trip,” and a cheer went up. At my words not only Erika, the three songstresses, Porte, Rinelle, even Hilbyid looked at me with surprised faces. Relia and Tia were consulting with Karinal with serious faces. Roy was talking about something with Lucy. I knew it would be a considerable expense, but I was not doing it out of goodwill alone. While watching the students walk toward the main gate with the female adventurers, I beckoned Erika and explained the contents. When Erika finished listening she folded her arms, rested her chest on them so it swayed, and laughed with an exasperated face.
“That is certainly true.”
“Right? No matter what, when danger comes with it your eyes only go to practicality. Does it look all right to head to Marika-san and Diene-san’s places from here? If we can, sooner is better, right?”
“That is so. I will ask Sateur-san and the others to pass on a message.”
“…And I think you’ve noticed, but funds might increase again, you know?”
“Yes…?”
I smiled wryly at Erika looking like it had nothing to do with her and explained the contents in even more fine detail. Erika started getting a distant look. She muttered “Why?” and tilted her head adorably, but her expression was a half-smile and a little scary. They told me to consult so I told her first and asked what she thought, so why was she making that face… I gently took Erika’s hand and started walking toward Aurora and the others waiting a little ahead.
At the Adventurer Guild the students successfully made guild cards, then we headed to the shoe shop Bowers. Before going into Bowers I told the students how to choose travel shoes and to listen to the adventurers’ opinions. I continued that if they had something like “if there were a design like this, travel would be more fun,” they should tell Diene-san. They happily pulled the older sisters’ hands and went into Bowers. Erika stood on my right with a slightly distant look, watching the students go into Bowers happily. I think it was unconscious, but she pinched my clothes with a finger.
“If the design is too flashy or there’s worry about function, the adventurers and Diene-san will advise them.”
“If I do not invest, can Raide-san not just invest?”
“No, no. The scale is too big. It would be bad if the funds ran short, right? There’s no one I can ask besides Erika. I’m asking.”
“Always~. My assets always increase like this~”
“Aryarya~. Erika-chan looks like she’s going to break again.”
“Master, Erika’s going to break.”
“What the instructor does is really sudden.”
Minty peeked at Erika’s face and smiled wryly. Sateur and Roll also smiled in a troubled way. Adventurer gear was said to need function, and there was almost no cute. It was true that if it was too flashy it would catch thieves’ and monsters’ eyes, but those design ideas should be usable. I planned to have Erika invest so the design ideas could be reflected. I glanced into Bowers and Diene-san was already surrounded by students. …I felt like she was looking this way with a distant look, but I wanted to think that was my imagination. I let out a small breath, wrapped my right arm around Erika’s waist and pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. She dyed her cheeks faintly red and turned her face toward me.
“This is a public street, you know?”
“It looks like I caused you trouble.”
“Geez… I do not think of it as trouble.”
I kissed the cheek of Erika, who had turned her face away adorably with a huff, and got lightly poked while she said “This is a public street.” I apologized, pulled Erika closer a bit stronger to make her settle, and Sateur and the others smiled at me grinning. After that we headed to Flower Garden with the students, and needless to say Marika-san gave me a distant look too.