Chapter 117
HEL SCANS
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A few hours ago.
The hero was packing for the expedition to the Jedo Path.
‘Leaving tomorrow morning, huh.’
There were quite a few things to take care of before departure.
First and foremost, the urgent matter was the supplementary class.
‘…Still, I’m glad.’
Unlike during the Lonkers, this time there wasn’t much worry about leaving the position vacant for too long.
Also, the assignments for the kids.
There were excellent supplementary instructors available for that.
The hero’s eyes turned towards the desk.
Due to numerous revisions, a notebook with smeared handwriting caught his eye.
It was something Felson handed over when he met the class.
At the same time, it was the assignment for the kids this time.
“I would like to share the enlightenment I gained through repeated search.”
Monma.
Felson, who had been chasing these elusive beings almost without leaving any traces for a long time, handed over what he had learned in the past few days, which had become somewhat useful.
Due to that elusive insight that seemed to be caught and not caught in the meticulous tracking process, he had leaped to a higher dimension with his ‘sensing.’
Felson organized that insight, left it as a new training method, and proudly presented it to the juniors.
“Of course, it might be useless to you.”
…No, it’s useful.
It’s even overflowing.
Since my understanding is not perfect, the ‘Original’ abilities I can replicate are only a small part.
Naturally, sensing is also in an undeveloped state.
If I delve into this training method, I might be able to supplement that part.
“Rather than leaving it as a family vision, it’s better to hand it over to the hands of the next generation. You should be able to tailor it more appropriately for these kids.”
Through this, I will become stronger, and the kids will become stronger too.
‘Forge’ and ‘firewood.’
Both progress bars can be expected to rise considerably.
‘After going through Noubelmag’s reinforcement, they should all have grown quite a bit.’
There were not only training method booklets on the desk.
Noubelmag’s reinforcement plan.
Considering how vehemently he resisted taking charge of the reinforcement, the contents were surprisingly rich.
The artisan spirit was showing itself even in times like this.
Among them, the most noticeable item was…
‘Distribution of auxiliary equipment.’
And.
‘Understanding and operation of ritual equipment.’
When he was about to examine the detailed contents, Pia hurriedly entered the office.
“Sir, Wellington Duke has just arrived at the guesthouse.”
“Tell him to wait.”
“That… He wants to go to the special ward first and says he wants to meet Lucas. What should we do?”
The hero, who was contemplating for a moment, let out a brief sigh.
Anyway, he was going to the ward.
There was no need to be too inflexible.
“Tell him to go ahead.”
“Yes. Oh, and the lecture supplies and the midterm exam ranking list for today are here.”
Pia left the items and left.
The hero immersed himself in his thoughts again.
‘…I have to finish the schedule by today somehow.’
After subduing Enoch.
In the Iris of Laplace, there were no other markers except for the ‘memories of the First Era.’
But there were clues.
Enoch’s memories.
And the disgusting and dirty clues learned through the interrogation of Eitrobin.
If I follow those traces,the Iris of Laplace will surely start a new guidance.
‘First, I have to finish the reinforcement and Lucas’s case today and head straight to the library.’
Having organized his thoughts, the hero headed towards the ward.
* * *
The moment the midterm exam scores were announced.
The kids fell silent.
In fact, until just before the announcement, most of them had such thoughts.
‘I should be above average at least, right?’
That arrogance had a valid reason.
Even thinking for themselves, the improvement in skills was tremendous.
If it had been at the beginning of the semester, they might have been in a desperate situation, but they cleverly coped, gathered beads, and skillfully used the strategies learned in class to skillfully catch monsters.
Naturally, expectations could only be high.
“Oh no….”
“I’m a low achiever, I’ve become the destroyer of grades.”
…15th place.
Gerald, who received a rank far from his expectations, sat dejectedly on his bed and mumbled.
“Why did heaven give birth to me, Gerald, while creating Ban, Leciel, Luke, and Cuculli, and others?”
“Hehehe, just drop out, Gerald!”
“Ugh, cursed dragon!”
“Hah, you’re the one who’s cursed!”
Cuculli spat out harsh words.
On the other hand, in 11th place, Karen was in a similar situation.
Of course, she didn’t expect to be in the top ranks.
That was roughly predetermined.
1st place Ban.
2nd place Leciel.
3rd place Cuculli.
4th place Luke.
5th place returning student Deindart… and so on.
As expected, it was similar to the predictions.
But Karen was sure that she would definitely take the next spot.
The Forest of Martial Arts was similar to her hometown, Dasurim, in terrain.
And during the exam, she had definitely utilized that advantage.
She didn’t even think she would fall behind Evergreen (10th place).
It was even more disheartening since they were in the same department.
‘…She trained with Luke all the time, but is it effective?’
I should ask her to join next time.
With such thoughts, Karen shook her head in frustration.
It was at that moment that Gerald’s eyes sparkled, as if he had caught an opportunity.
With a sly voice…
“Karen, don’t worry. There are still many practical sessions left, and the final exams too. You’ll do well.”
“I can’t hear you well when you say 15th place?”
“Ugh.”
On the other hand, Cuculli had no interest in her own grades.
She was only interested in the incident where Ban pushed Leciel out of 2nd place, proclaiming himself as the top of the class.
Cuculli mimicked Ban, who stuck to her, with a mischievous smile.
“Hello, Leciel in second place. I’m the top of the class.”
“….”
“Hehehe.”
Of course, Leciel had a significant share in the fact that Ban was in 1st place.
She had generously given many beads and helped in hunting monsters.
But because it was petty to explain that, Leciel kept her mouth shut and silently wished for this annoying fool to disappear quickly.
“Huhuhu, how can I become the top of the class… Keuk!”
Although she eventually kicked her out in frustration, imitating herself.
Cuculli, who collapsed on the floor, laughed heartily and got up again.
Everyone turned their gaze to her with her bright blue eyes wandering as she looked for the next person to tease her.
“…Attention.”
It was then that the hero opened his mouth.
The kids, who had been sulking, raised their heads.
“Some of you may be satisfied with the current results, while others may not.”
“….”
“One, it’s only about halfway through the semester. Don’t undermine your own potential already. Regardless of the ranking, your performance in this exam was more than expected.”
More than expected.
For the kids, this was the first time the hero had given such a generous compliment.
The eyes of the kids who had been anxiously worried that the hero might be disappointed started to sparkle again.
…Minerva, the healer who had been standing watch from a distance, secretly admired the hero’s skill in handling the kids.
“I’ve written individual feedback in documents, so read them later…”
Feedback!
The kids’ attention was now focused on the document bag the hero brought.
“Wow.”
“I didn’t expect feedback to be so welcomed…”
It was a newfound enthusiasm.
‘They’ve grown up a bit,’ the hero chuckled softly.
“First, I’ll give overall feedback.”
“Yes!”
“Gerald Bryce.”
“Yes, yes?!”
At the unexpected call, Gerald snapped his head up.
If it’s overall feedback, why me?
His expression seemed to ask.
“What do you think was the most threatening element to you in the forest that day?”
…Think, Gerald!
‘What was the most threatening thing during the midterm exam?’
Gerald exerted all his mental strength, pounding his head.
.
.
.
‘Ah.’
People can’t be stupid forever.
Gerald confidently opened his mouth.
“Demonic energy! That day, demonic energy was the most threatening to us.”
Throughout the exam, combating the intensifying demonic energy consumed a tremendous amount of mana.
It was frustrating because even when defeating monsters, they had to conserve mana little by little.
Searching for demonic energy stones was also troublesome.
The same went for the shelter.
Enoch’s overwhelming demonic energy had suppressed them at once, and afterward, they faced life-threatening situations in a defenseless state, exposed to it.
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“Good answer.”
“Great!”
But that wasn’t all.
“Now, what is needed to counter demonic energy? Why were most of you exhausted and fell victim to Enoch’s demonic energy, despite trying to resist? What do you think is the difference between the minority who resisted and the majority who couldn’t?”
Questions poured in.
“…Um, well.”
That was Gerald’s limit.
The hero’s gaze moved.
“Ban, you’ve faced Enoch, explain.”
Oooh-
Cheers followed, and the class scratched their heads awkwardly.
“Mana control and usage abilities were somewhat lacking. If we could control and use mana efficiently, even with a small amount, we could delay the intrusion of demonic energy into our bodies as much as possible and expel the incoming demonic energy.”
“Good answer.”
Yay-
The cheers grew a little louder.
It was a clear and concise answer, and the reason why Ban could endure the longest among the kids in demonic energy.
“An efficient way to enhance both abilities is to train in ‘detection.'”
Eyes widened in understanding among the kids.
“And we all know the cost of ‘detection’ is quite significant.”
With those words, the hero put his hand into his chest.
Quick-witted kids sensed an anticipation like breath-holding among them.
“For your training, I’ve prepared something.”
‘Oh?’
Among curious glances, a small booklet appeared.
‘Does he mean?’
A few kids felt a breath-stopping anticipation.
“It’s a new cultivation method created by Felson Dietrich.”
…No way.
Now, other kids were also leaning forward.
The hero calmly finished speaking.
“He contributed it for your training, so work hard.”
Yayyyyy!
A powerful cheer echoed through the ward.
.
.
.
The hero conveyed a few more instructions.
“I won’t be starting the cultivation method immediately.”
Felson’s cultivation method had a notable drawback—difficulty.
It wasn’t easy enough to start just by reading the cultivation book.
Someone had to teach and guide them.
However, at the moment, he had to leave.
Therefore, the hero judged that it would be better for the kids to prepare for the cultivation rather than rushing into it before the classes resumed.
Thump.
The kids’ attention shifted to whatever the hero pulled out.
Pia and he jointly created a ‘test kit.’
“So, your task is to pass this test until I return.”
For a moment, the kids were tense, not knowing the purpose of these items.
They noticed something strange in his words.
“Until you return?”
“…Huh? Where are you going?”
“I have something to attend to.”
Ah, again?!
Leciel stood up abruptly.
.
.
.
Why did Leciel stand up at the end?
With that thought, he quickly arrived at the isolation ward.
Strict security compared to regular wards.
The person who seemed to be in charge of security saluted formally.
Thump-
In the silent space, only the rustling of clothes was disruptive.
“Thank you for your hard work, Professor.”
“You’ve worked hard. How is Duke Wellington?”
“Well, that…”
There was no need to find out.
Just as the conversation was ending, the sound of a door opening resounded directly in front.
Duke Wellington was walking out of Lucas’s ward.
I quickly scanned his condition.
‘Is that blood on his fist?’
Deep wrinkles.
Reserved and aristocratic complexion.
The meticulously groomed silver-white hair and beard were the most noticeable.
Although his posture was dignified, his shoulders sagged as if they were about to touch the ground.
Having quickly examined his condition, the first thing I noticed was the bloodstains on his fist.
‘He really does resemble Lucas.’
Memories of the past, when he attended formal events instead of the ‘Original’ him.
Meeting his gaze, I greeted him first.
“Duke Wellington, it’s been a while.”
“…Indeed.”
I stared at the duke.
“Why so formal?”
“Isn’t the situation different from before?”
His intentions were quickly discerned.
Now, we were not a duke and a hero but a student and a teacher.
Duke Wellington did not say anything and just exhaled, seemingly relieved at my choice of address.
“Very well, Duke Wellington.”
The duke seemed to relax at my familiarity, sprawled on the chair.
Without saying a word, he took deep breaths.
I took a close look at him.
‘Is he getting older?’
Despite being close in age to Felson, he looked much older.
The duke’s breathing became rapid.
“I won’t let that kid draw attention again.”
Before I could respond.
Thud.
The duke’s knees hit the ground.
“Please allow Lucas to return with me.”
“Uh, ugh!?”
The observing guard was more surprised.
Panicking, he turned his head as if trying to forget the scene that just unfolded.
The duke remained on his knees, gasping for air.
“I will ensure that he won’t attract attention again.”
Before I could reply, the duke spoke again.
“I am fully aware of the weight of my son’s mistakes. He put his colleagues’ lives at risk, and it could have led to an irreversible tragedy for the entire Rosenstark.”
“Enough, please rise.”
“No.”
His tension eased.
He had prepared for the possibility of objections and had even planned countermeasures.
Yet, seeing him in this posture was unexpected.
However, I have seen this attitude before.
‘…It’s not something I can’t understand.’
The hero’s hatred for collaborators was famous.
If I persistently pry into issues regarding Lucas, it will put me in a difficult situation.
‘He’s already made an unfavorable deal with Euphemia regarding the compensation case.’
…In fact, excluding Eitrobin (whose asset recovery was in progress), the responsibility for this incident was not clear.
If each person takes at least some responsibility, it becomes a situation where the one with the loudest voice directs the flow.
The aristocratic-like Duke Wellington immediately understood who that person was.
‘Nevertheless, to endure this level of disgrace…’
I gazed at the room beyond the bowed duke.
Behind the slightly ajar door, the reason for the disgrace was present.
“……”
I didn’t feel at ease.
The measures to be taken were already sorted out when I arrived at the ward.
“Please get up.”
“……”
Duke Wellington remained motionless with his pale head lowered.
So, I simply passed by him and stood at the entrance of the ward.
Thud-
The receding footsteps inside the ward.
The faint trembling sigh in the background.
The two overlapped.
I slowly spoke.
“A carriage has arrived. Is the patient ready to leave?”
The duke seemed to be unable to understand my words for a while, remaining frozen in place.
Then, he touched his knees, stood up, and spoke confidently.
“…I will definitely repay this favor.”
…Fair enough.
He meant to repay it as a duke.
I turned my head and grasped the doorknob of the ward.
Separate from the duke.
I had to talk to Lucas.
After all, he was my student.
[Note: Raws have errors in them, more chaps will come when the errors have been fixed by the author. Thank you.]
HEL SCANS
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