Chapter 6: Hero Department (2)  

Mari left the classroom with her mouth slightly agape.

The first period had ended.

Thus, a 15-minute break had arrived.

Normally, the students would engage in lively conversations, but today, they were all silent.

They just stole glances at Theo.

The second period subject was Understanding Magic Battles.

The class took place in the same lecture hall as the first period.

In the still quiet lecture hall,

Creak-

Before the class started, I stood up to move to a seat in the back.

I could feel the gazes of other students.

They were all stealing glances at me.

It felt burdensome.

It's as if I had done something wrong.

But contrary to my feelings,

[Twisted Noble's Dignity]

Due to this trait, my body was screaming in joy.

Confidence emanated from my entire body.

Controlling my expression, I walked like a model.

At the same time, I slowly turned my head to look around.

I locked eyes with other students.

Their gazes were no different from this morning.

Most of them looked at me as if they were displeased.

However, a few of them were looking at me with ambiguous expressions.

Named characters like Piel, Aisha, and Neike.

Neike's head was filled with flowers so let's assume that's why, but Piel and Aisha were unexpected.

Since these girls usually didn't take interest in others, they must have been bored.

It's probably nothing.

Anyway, it would be nice if my image changed like this.

Not the lazy and incompetent Theo in both literature and martial arts, but the diligent and outstanding Theo in atleast literature.

I don't expect to receive the same level of praise as Neike from most people; I simply aspire to be average.

Due to the countless misdeeds committed by this body before I took over, this is just a hope.

Anyway, I need to make plans while sitting in the back and listening to the class.

The back seats were reserved for orcs and lizardmen, who were bad at theoretical studies.

If I were between those shoulder-brothers, the professor would understand even if my attitude toward the class was lacking.

By the time I realized it, I had moved to the back of the lecture hall and sat between them.

They glanced at me briefly with their arms crossed before quickly averting their gazes.

However...

Orcs and lizardmen have a strong body odor, which quickly penetrated my nose.

At the same time, a sharp pain arose.

Naturally, this body would hate being near uncivilized and stupid races like orcs and lizardmen.

And this body is the type to be sensitive to smells, using more than ten kinds of perfume.

There's no way I wouldn't be in pain.

It would be painful even for my modern body.

Sigh, it's really stressful.

But I can't live under the control of this body for the long remaining three and a half years.

And traits can change depending on the holder's preferences and behavior.

For now, I'll endure it.

It's less painful than when I bowed my head to Neike.

Biting my lip, I opened the textbook.

***

"I don't expect you to prepare before class. However, I do hope that you review the material. Practical skills are important, but theory is just as important. That concludes today's lecture."

-Yes!

The lively response from the students.

The stern-looking professor left the classroom.

:30 PM, all classes for the day had ended.

The moment the professor left, the classroom erupted with noisy chatter from the students.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Um~ I'm going to read a book in my room. My favorite author just released a new work! I managed to buy it by standing in line outside over the weekend, hehe. How about you?"

"I'm going to eat dessert. I heard there's a new menu at 'Naru's Garden'!"

"Oh, I've heard it's delicious there... Please take me with you."

In small groups, the students chattered away as they left the classroom.

Their youthful energy was reminded me of modern middle and high school students.

Despite the fact that they would eventually become powerful figures known throughout the continent, most of the students were in their mid-teens - still at a young age untouched by the harsh realities of society.

It was the perfect age to create adorable and embarrassing memories with friends.

What a great time...

I envy them.

Especially since a certain someone is attending school, again. My eyes remained on the textbook as I indulged in my thoughts.

That said, the other lectures were easy.

Just like the Introduction to Hero Studies in the first period, it was all content I already knew.

So, I spent the entire lecture time making and finalizing plans.

The top priority was securing hidden pieces.

However, the only hidden pieces I could secure with my pathetic specs were in the academy's eastern forest.

It would take a full day to go there and back.

I couldn't afford to be absent either.

Attendance was mandatory in the Hero Department.

Absences would result in penalties.

Excuses like feeling unwell wouldn't work either.

Rather, not only professors but also fellow students would criticize a future hero for neglecting their physical well-being.

Thus, leaving on Friday night is the best option.

Until then, the focus should be solely on training.

I want to clear hidden quests, but there are hardly any suitable ones for the current situation.

Hidden quests came in various forms, but those that could be completed with my current abilities were not worth the effort and time.

It's more efficient to clear them later, after I had built myself up with other pieces.

Therefore, training was the best course of action.

Since my stats were low, I could raise them quickly through training.

As I was about to head to the training ground,

"Hey, Theo. Is this how you solve this problem?"

The orc sitting next to me, Noctar, spoke up.

I turned my head towards him.

Wearing round glasses, which was uncharacteristic for an orc, Noctar stared intently at the textbook.

After the first class ended, Noctar was one of those who had been giving me ambiguous looks.

He is a peculiar orc.

In most routes, he's an extra character who dies prematurely, getting involved in an incident at the end of the first year.

In the Spearman route, just like Theo, only a brief description of his death appears at some point.

With this level of presence, he should be a named character at the very least.

I recalled the developers of the original work saying, "We didn't create even a single extra character lightly!"

While pondering, Noctar asked loudly,

"You can't solve this problem either?"

His voice was loud.

Embarrassed, I looked around.

No one else was there.

Only Noctar and I remained in the classroom.

The orcs and lizardmen sitting in the back had left the classroom long ago.

"...It's not that difficult of a problem."

I lowered my head.

It's an easy problem.

Orcs have lower intelligence than humans.

This also applies to the elite orcs attending Elinia Academy's Hero Department.

They hardly understand the content of the Hero Department's lectures.

It's rarer to see an orc studying diligently than a unicorn.

They aren't smart enough to devise intricate tactics, strategies, or information gathering methods.

They even lack the ability to command intelligent human aides.

Orcs just charge in.

It's an unavoidable racial characteristic.

Heroes should be able to think to some extent.

Otherwise, they need the ability to command people.

Orcs have neither.

Since the academy's founding, not a single orc has graduated from the Hero Department.

All of them were expelled for lacking qualifications.

Although they can take the entrance exam, as the founding principal Ryuk intended.

The orcs who sat behind me today will disappear before they reach the third year.

Anyway, asking me for help...

Didn't he have anyone else to ask?

"...Which part do you not understand?"

"Uh, the eighth line here. When facing a 6th-circle mage who mainly uses fire magic head-on, what should I do? I really don't know."

I considered his intelligence level and explained as simply as possible.

However,

"Hmm... I don't quite understand. Can't I just stab them in the head with an axe before they raise their staff? I'm confident I can split steel with my axe."

Noctar seemed to have difficulty understanding, and it would likely take some time to make things clear to him....

But since I decided to teach him, I should invest some time.

However, ugh... I felt a tingling sensation in my body.

The limit of my patience had arrived.

But if I were to say in typical Theo fashion, "You're just a big, dumb orc who can't understand such a simple thing. Don't disgrace the title of Hero and just drop out," an angry Noctar would kill me.

Orcs may be a bit dim-witted, but they excel in brute strength.

I endured the pain and explained in detail, as if teaching a younger elementary school cousin the strategy of a game.

I used various analogies and explained even more simply.

After about an hour, "Oh! That's how it's done. Why didn't I think of that?"

I succeeded in making Noctar understand.

He was so happy that the corners of his mouth lifted.

His angular jaw and large tusks trembled.

Orcs usually smile when they engage in destructive and violent acts.

Was he that happy just to understand one problem?

"Noctar, why do you study? I'm not criticizing, so don't misunderstand."

"Obviously, it's to graduate from the academy and become the first orc Hero. You can't become a Hero if you're not smart, right? Besides, we're here at Elinia Academy, the best on the continent. To become the best, I have to overcome the small mountain called studying."

"I see."

I nodded with an indifferent expression.

It was remarkable ambition for an orc who usually leaves tomorrow's worries for tomorrow.

Of course, orcs, like humans, want to become Heroes.

The privileges that come with being a Hero are powerful.

However, it's rare for an orc to consistently study in order to achieve that desire.

They quickly realize their limits, become desperate, and give up.

Can a cat defeat a tiger, no matter how hard it tries?

Even if a tiger is lazy and stupid, will it lose to a cat?

There's that much of a difference between human and orc intelligence.

Noctar, who was looking at me, spoke.

"Theo, I know why you asked that question. I must look foolish. But I swore to myself and the great war god that I will become a Hero. And on my shoulders rests the hope of many tribesmen. I will become a Hero. Even if I fall along the way, I'll keep getting back up."

"Is that so?"

I nodded my head vigorously.

Noctar's words resonated with me.

Although I don't carry the hopes of countless tribesmen, in a way, his words apply to me too.

As Otlranka said, innate talent is inherently unfair.

However, that is no excuse for not trying.

Even if you fall into despair, you must quickly pick yourself up and keep going.

Do your best for as long as you can.

"You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you, Noctar."

"Well, I'm the one who should be grateful."

Noctar laughed heartily.

***

Inside Theo's room, Amy stood rigidly.

She stared at the magic lamp in her hand with a puzzled expression.

'What on earth?'

To fulfill Theo's request, Amy had attempted to repair the magic lamp.

It was a simple task.

The reason most magic lamps went out was because the magic stone's mana had been depleted.

All she needed to do was replenish the mana.

However, the magic lamp wasn't broken. The magic formula inside had completely vanished.

As if it had always been that way.

"..."

No matter how much she pondered, a clear answer didn't emerge.

She clasped her neck with a pale hand as her head began to throb.

Theo couldn't have used magic. No, he simply didn't possess any mana at all.

Although he could learn magic, he couldn't even "use" a 1st circle spell.

If there was another way he could use magic, she, who had served him since he was ten, wouldn't have been unaware.

Despite being born into the great Waldeurk family, he had no talent in anything.

He was a lazy person who made no effort whatsoever.

If he had been born into a lowly family, he would have likely resorted to dubious means to make ends meet.

During the academy's start-of-term assessment a week ago, he was found to have no mana at all.

He had left the assessment center with a furious face and tossed the assessment report at her.

Of course, she read it. There was no mana. No special abilities either.

'Could it be...?'

Had he awakened?

Awakening was a phenomenon that occurred only to a minority of experienced, active heroes.

It was absurd, but considering the current situation, it was a plausible guess.

For the past six years, he had almost daily insulted and humiliated her.

She had considered defying the organization's orders and killing him hundreds of times.

But last night, and even this morning...

His tone had become softer, and he seemed more considerate.

What kind of change in heart had happened? Or was he wearing a mask, trying to deceive her?

'Sigh, I can't make heads or tails of it.'

Amy looked at the magic lamp again.

It was done too cleanly.

To her knowledge, there were only two methods like this.

The first was an 8th circle spell, Mana Burn.

There were fewer than ten people on the continent who could use this spell.

The second was the ability of the veiled leader of the assassination group, Equilibrium, to which she belonged.

Of course, there were quite a few people across the continent who had also that ability.

However, those who could properly use it were extremely rare.

'I need to figure it out as soon as possible.'

With the magic lamp in hand, Amy returned to her room.

She immediately began writing a letter.