Chapter 34. Aftermath

So the Young Lady, who was so reluctant to leave, had crawled into *my* house, but...

The next day, she obediently headed off to Magic School.

“I’ll be back soon!”

Thankfully, it seemed the advice I’d given her yesterday had calmed her nerves. She looked much more at ease.

“Yes, have a good day.”

“Yeah! I’m special, so school’s a piece of cake!”

Well, maybe she's a bit *too* confident now, but if you’re the Young Lady of the Void Family, that’s the attitude you should have.

“You’d better behave while I’m gone, got it?”

“Don’t worry.”

And so, the Young Lady finally left for Magic School.

After that…

Silence descended upon the mansion once more.

It’s certainly quiet without the Young Lady around.

Actually, *this* is how the mansion usually is. It just gets unusually noisy when she's here.

“Phew…”

Now that the Young Lady was gone, I returned to the doghouse.

I hadn’t slept a wink last night, dealing with the Young Lady’s incessant chatter, so I planned to catch up on some sleep.

As I stepped inside the doghouse…

Whitey was sprawled out on the cushion I usually slept on.

He'd had a rough time yesterday, too. I doubt he slept well, constantly on edge because of the Young Lady.

“Let's catch some Zs together.”

I carefully moved the sleeping Whitey to the side and drifted off to sleep beside him.

***

The day after the Young Lady left…

“It’s been a while.”

“Ah, yes, it has.”

I finally met with Eric, my tutor, again.

Our lessons had been temporarily suspended after I got injured in the sewers on a job. Eric had also been busy with other commitments during that time, but he’d recently returned, and we agreed to resume my training.

Eric’s lessons were actually pretty interesting and helpful, so I enjoyed them. It was good to have them back.

Besides, this world sometimes throws out the strangest 'common sense,' so it's best to learn as much as possible.

“You know about the Hero, right?”

Yeah, stuff like *this*.

“…There really *is* a Hero?”

“What? Ah, I see you thought it was a children’s story. They’re real. They appear periodically.”

Ah, so they even appear *periodically*.

I marveled at this basic isekai knowledge I was apparently missing out on.

“You seem quite intrigued by this.”

Seeing my reaction, Eric pulled over a chalkboard.

“I’ll give you a brief explanation.”

With that, Eric drew a bumpy shape on the board.

It was the shape of the continent where humans lived.

Then he drew a large circle on the continent, which I assumed represented the Empire.

“I’ve already explained the Empire to you before, right?”

“Ah, yes…”

I'd heard the explanation, and frequently heard about it from others too. This Kingdom was heavily influenced by the Empire, after all.

“It's the undisputed strongest power on the continent. Of course, there’s also the Demon Continent and the Eastern Continent, but *here*, it reigns supreme.”

The Demon Continent and the East.

I’d learned about both places from the maps during our lessons.

The East was similar to East Asia from my previous life, and the Demon Continent was where the “Ma” species lived.

I'd heard they were a completely different species from Devils. Apparently, there had been a great war between them a few decades ago.

That’s probably why the two continents are so hostile towards each other.

“The Empire’s growth is thanks to the Heroes. They appear periodically and become a great source of strength for the Empire.”

“How do Heroes appear?”

“Well, there are two types.”

Eric said, writing two words on the board:

[Divine Oracle, Summoning]

“The Divine Oracle is, as the name suggests, a Hero bestowed by the gods. They typically obtain a holy sword by chance and then reveal themselves to the world.”

“Summoning is…”

“If a Hero doesn't appear at the right time, the Empire expends vast resources to summon one.”

“Huh?”

“Well, the continent is always full of danger, and the summoned Heroes always accomplish remarkable feats.”

Eric tapped the chalkboard with his chalk.

“The teaching tools I’m using right now were invented by a Hero centuries ago.”

“Ah… Where are they summoned from?”

“Hmm, that’s a closely guarded secret of the Empire.”

I have a pretty good idea where they come from.

So, I wasn't the only one?

I don’t think it's that big of a deal.

If some bastard can be reborn in the slums, then another can be summoned to the Imperial Family.

Lucky bastard, I'm kinda jealous. He’s probably getting tons of support from the Empire for his training.

“Is there a Hero in the Empire right now?”

“The previous Hero has retired, and it’s almost time for a new Hero to appear.”

“Ah, so there’s an overlap?”

“Yes, because Heroes appear periodically, there have been times when three or four have overlapped.”

…What kind of haphazard system is this?

Still, it must be reassuring. Four Heroes? I almost pity the Ma species they’re at war with.

“How did the previous Hero appear?”

“He was summoned.”

“Oh… Did he invent anything?”

“No. Actually, according to records, the previous Hero preferred exploring the world rather than staying at a desk.”

Sounds like he was a good-for-nothing. Well, if I were born a silver-spoon Hero in a fantasy world, I'd be gallivanting around, causing trouble, and having multiple wives.

But if you’re born dirt-poor like me, you end up guarding a doghouse.

“Have you ever met a Hero?”

A Hero from another world…

I *am* curious.

If I get the chance, I want to meet him once.

“No. Most people can’t meet him. Even the current Hero only made his first public appearance during the war.”

So, it's not easy to meet him, huh? Well, how could I meet a Hero on this vast continent?

If a war breaks out, I might be able to meet him on the battlefield.

It's better that the times are peaceful like now, so I *don’t* meet the Hero.

Anyway.

“Since you seem very interested in the Hero, I will tell you about the past Heroes.”

After that, I listened to the stories about other Heroes and finished my first restarted lesson.

After the class.

“How was the lesson?”

“Ah, it was interesting.”

Eric asked me while I was gathering the writing utensils I had used during class.

“Haha, that's good. Actually, I was worried because it was my first lesson in a while.”

“You always teach well, so you don't have to worry too much.”

I didn't know Eric would worry about that.

Didn't he always teach with confidence?

Even from my perspective, he’s clearly a skilled tutor.

“Um, thank you for saying that.”

“I'm the one who benefits greatly, so *you* don't need to thank *me*.”

“...I wish all students were like Rain.”

Students?

He must have other students he teaches.

Well, with teaching skills like that, he'd be hired as a professional tutor all over the place.

“Well, I’ve rambled on a bit. I’ll be going now.”

After that.

Eric said that and left the reception room where we had the lesson.

Hmm, that elite teacher seems to have his own worries.

Still, it didn't seem like something I needed to worry about.

He’s a smart guy, he’ll figure it out.

So, today's lesson is over. I headed straight to the doghouse.

“Oh my, he’s walking properly now.”

“His teeth seem to be coming in too, right?”

Whitey was being pampered by the maids in the doghouse while I was away.

Looking at that, it really seems like *he’s* living the good life.

He’s having a blast.

“Oh? Rain, you're here?”

“Yes, but I have to go out right away.”

I want to relax like Whitey… but unfortunately, I have an outside appointment today.

So, I quickly got dressed.

“Oh, then we'll do your hair.”

“...You don’t have to.”

“Sit here!”

After that, I received a quick makeover from the maids, put on the buff coat the Mansion had repaired, and strapped my sword to my waist.

“Oh… You look just like a Knight.”

A Knight, huh? If I had accepted Lowell’s offer two years ago, I would have been one.

Well, if I had, I wouldn’t be able to freely go to the Mercenary Guild like this now.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

*Kenng…*

"Please take good care of him."

I left Whitey, who was clinging to me as I was about to leave again, with the maids and left the mansion.

Today is the day Jebeon-i is supposed to bring back the mission details.

I wonder if he managed to recruit the new member he was looking for.

And so, I passed through the upscale commercial district I walked through with the Young Lady the day before yesterday.

I arrived in front of the Mercenary Guild located in the general commercial district.

*Ding-*

The Mercenary Guild, which I entered by opening the door, was noisy as always.

“Hey, you bastard!!”

“You come here!”

*Crash!*

It's louder than usual, so it looks like someone's picking a fight.

A fight?

As I walked inside with a slight anticipation, I saw two burly groups facing each other.

One side was completely new, and the other was familiar.

It was none other than Jebeon and his men, whom I was supposed to meet today.

“A little shit who runs errands for a kid….”

“Huh, only say what you can handle.”

Jebeon was standing at the forefront, confronting a man who seemed to be the leader of the other side.

The atmosphere was tense, as if a group brawl would break out at any moment.

More importantly, there's someone I haven't seen before on Jebeon's side.

Is that the new member he recruited?

He's wearing a deep hood, but the weapons he's carrying are unusual.

He has a spear on his back, and two swords at his waist.

If anything, they seem awfully thin for hunting monsters.

“Excuse me.”

Anyway, watching them, I called out to the Guild waiter who was trembling nearby.

“...Yes?”

“Give me a drink and some snacks.”

“R-right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

Not at any other time, but *now* is when I need to drink and eat.

Fortunately, I came in quietly, so they didn't notice me.

With anticipation, I pulled a nearby chair and sat where I could get a good view of the fight.

Let's watch this.

Watching a fight is the most fun, after all.