Current time: 4:25 PM.
In just 5 minutes, a week's worth of classes would be over.
Because of that, most students were excited.
They chatted about their plans during break times.
Of course, these conversations had nothing to do with me.
"...So, gaining the trust of your aides as a hero is extremely important. The hero is the head, while the aides are the arms and legs.
You need to have an organic relationship to that extent. In a tense situation where everyone's strength must be combined, if the head and limbs act separately, it would be disastrous."
The final lecture of the week was Mari's Introduction to Hero Studies.
As expected, I knew all of the content.
Anxiously waiting for the lecture to end, I stared intently at the clock.
Once it's over, I'll head to the first hidden piece located in the eastern forest of the academy.
I've prepared food and tools like flashlights in my bag.
There's a circular carriage to the entrance of the eastern forest at 5 PM.
However, the hidden piece is deep in the forest where the carriage cannot reach, so it takes a whole day to travel back and forth.
I must hurry if I want to eat at the academy tomorrow evening.
As I was reviewing my plans in my head,
"Before we finish the lecture, let's test if you've been paying attention. Hmm... Theo, why don't you answer?"
Mari called on me.
I expected it.
I would be upset if she didn't ask me.
But why did she pretend to think before calling on me?
"Yes."
Lately, all professors call on me during their lectures to ask questions.
Mari is most likely the cause.
She must want to catch me off guard.
However, there's no way that will happen.
So far, I've answered every question.
Thanks to that, my classmates' gazes have softened somewhat.
"Then, um─"
But Mari asked a rather difficult question.
A question that couldn't be answered with just memorization, requiring insight and analysis.
The students stared at me.
Their eyes seemed to say, 'This time, even Theo won't know.'
Although the gazes have softened, my previous reputation was just too terrible.
There are still many negative glances.
Regardless,
"...I believe a mission that would typically take about a month could be reduced to roughly a week. In the end, by doing so, there's no need to confront the monster wave head-on."
I confidently presented my answer.
It's undoubtedly correct.
That's because the answer to the question was a strategy I personally devised, one that the original developer acknowledged as a solution they had never considered.
Since it's a long story, I summarized it as much as possible.
"..."
After my response, the classroom fell silent for a moment.
The students' eyes looked bored.
Soon, Mari nodded and said,
"...Wow, I didn't know you could approach it that way. I've never even thought of it from the direction Theo mentioned."
Mari nodded her head several times, seemingly genuinely impressed by my answer while murmuring, "Hmm, hmm."
Wasn't he chosen to mock me?
Mari's eyes sparkled as if she had discovered a high-grade artifact in an unexpected dungeon.
"Theo, I'd like to hear more about this in detail if you have time. Would you be available after class?"
"Sorry, my schedule is packed, so it might be difficult."
I tactfully declined.
Mari is a skilled hero and the youngest professor in the hero department. Building a connection with her could be helpful someday.
However, it's clear that the conversation won't be short. She's a young professor who's thirsty for success.
"Then, please visit my office whenever you have free time. I'm always in my office when I don't have class."
But Mari didn't give up. Before I took over Theo's body, he had several conflicts with her.
He would've hated even talking to her. She must have swallowed her pride quite a bit.
Once again, the students' gazes were focused on me. Some seemed to be having impure thoughts, blushing.
"If I have time, I'll visit you."
I'm fine with that. But I'll never tell her about it face-to-face.
Hearing my response, Mari smiled broadly.
"Alright, Theo. Please make sure to visit. That's it for today's class, everyone. Have a great weekend!"
Drrrrrr—
Mari left the classroom.
Finally, a week's worth of classes was over.
Following Mari, the students in groups hurriedly left the classroom. Some of them exchanged sticky glances as if they were close friends.
"See you next week, Theo!"
Noctar, who had been sitting beside me, told me he would take a break from training today due to some personal matters. He left the classroom with his orc friends.
Noctar is the leader of the orc group. Other orcs also waved their thick muscular hands at me and said their farewells.
"Take care, everyone."
I immediately gathered my belongings.
Just then.
"Theo."
A female student approached me.
She had recently been giving me strange glances. She had silver hair and red eyes like me.
It was Aisha. Her full name is Aisha Waldeurk. As the family name suggests, she's a distant cousin of Theo's and a girl of the same age.
Though she had an innocent face that seemed unaware of the ways of the world, she's a named character with dozens of snakes lurking inside.
Aisha smiled and said,
"Would you like to have dinner together? I've made a reservation at a nice restaurant."
Today, Aisha had declined her classmates' invitations to hang out. She wanted to keep an eye on her distant cousin, Theo Lyn Waldeurk.
The Waldeurk family has a great reputation not only in the empire but also across the entire continent. Unlike Aisha, who hails from a side branch family, Theo was the heir to the main family.
But unlike his noble lineage, Theo had been a lazy and incompetent disgrace to his family.
...Until now.
Lately, it seemed as if he had become a completely different person.
He answered questions even she, the top student in their grade, did not know in theory class.
Just a while ago, his response to the professor had made her feel inferior.
Furthermore, he had never eaten in the student cafeteria before, claiming that the food was only suitable for commoners. However, these days, he ate both lunch and dinner there.
And with an orc, no less.
'Something definitely happened.'
Aisha had been watching Theo since they were young.
At every gathering where both direct and indirect family members were present, he had never failed to prove his incompetence.
The children of indirect branch families would not show it on their faces, but behind his back, they would call him a cripple.
And now he suddenly changed? There were more than a few suspicious things.
'He couldn't have possibly awakened...'
Even among active heroes, those who awaken are extremely rare. And Theo was still only 16, just like her.
Ryuk, hailed as the continent's greatest genius and the first headmaster of Elinia Academy, had only awakened at 18.
'It's clear that he acquired a new trait.'
It was the only explanation for Theo's transformation into a model student overnight. Although rare, there were cases where people gained traits late.
However, her vast knowledge couldn't identify the trait he had acquired. Maybe his soul had been swapped out.
'I have to find out as soon as possible.'
Aisha's goal was to become the next head of the Waldeurk family. That's why she had been secretly interacting with other indirect branch families for a long time.
Graduating from the Elinia Academy's Hero Department was a minimum requirement to become the head of the Waldeurk family.
If everything went according to her plan, Theo would be expelled within two years at most. The children of other indirect branch families couldn't even enter the Hero Department.
Then, naturally, she would claim the position of the next family head.
It was the perfect opportunity, with the stage set so well, there couldn't be a better scenario.
...If Theo hadn't suddenly changed.
So she approached him to investigate.
"Theo, would you like to join me for dinner? I have a reservation at a nice restaurant."
It was an offer he couldn't refuse.
Considering his personality, it was clear that he had deliberately rejected the professor's proposal earlier. Engaging in mind games with a commoner-born professor was a common event for him.
So, he should have time. Moreover, he was ostracized by the entire academy.
Although he never said it, he desperately wanted to build relationships with others. He was so starved for affection that he even mingled with orcs these days.
Aisha had implicitly become the representative of the indirect branch families. Naturally, he would happily accept her dinner invitation.
"No, I have a prior engagement."
But Aisha's prediction was off.
"Can you tell me what your plans are?"
Though bewildered, Aisha managed her facial expression.
"It's a family matter."
Theo turned his back on her, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He turned his head slightly and continued speaking.
"I apologize for being the one to suggest it first. I'm quite busy, so I must go now."
With those words,
Step, step─
He disappeared, his elegant footsteps fading away.
Aisha stood there, watching his retreating figure.
"······Sigh."
Aisha's face flushed with embarrassment. It wasn't just the shame of having her meal invitation rejected.
'Family matters.'
The perceptive Aisha quickly understood the true meaning behind those words.
It was a warning.
You, a mere distant relative, have no need to know.
'Could it be······.'
Did he figure something out?
How much does he know?
Does he know she's working behind the scenes with another branch family?
Cold sweat ran down her face.
For a long while, Aisha stared at the back door through which Theo had left, deep in thought.
This sucks.
***
I hurried to the bus stop.
The lecture hall and the bus stop were a 20-minute walk apart. It was 4:42 PM.
If I wasn't careful, I could miss the 5 o'clock loop bus. It sometimes arrives 2-3 minutes early.
My trait would activate, but I had no choice.
I started running.
***
"Huff······."
Thankfully, I was able to catch the 5 o'clock loop bus.
Screech, screech─
With its distinctive exhaust sound, the loop bus took off.
As for Aisha's meal invitation, it was a good sign.
Just like with Mari, there was nothing wrong with being close to Aisha. I would have liked to have the meal together.
However, I had to come up with an excuse since I had a competition against students next week. I needed to secure a hideout as soon as possible.
'Next week, we should have a meal together. This time, I should be the one to suggest it, right?'
In various routes of the original work, Theo is killed by Aisha. She cunningly kills him without dirtying her own hands.
Irene also kills him in some routes, but Aisha is different.
Irene is his fiancée.
But my life has an expiration date.
Getting close to her is frightening.
I couldn't be close to someone whose life was in question in three and a half years. She probably wouldn't even want to be close to me.
Anyway, in the original work, Aisha consistently supports protagonist Neike when she becomes the head of the Waldeurk family.
Not only does she provide unique items, but she also lends the authority of the prestigious Waldeurk family. Of course, Aisha receives help from Neike as well.
If I were to graduate safely, would I become the family head? Not that I would want to. That position has too many burdens compared to the benefits.
As I entertained these hopeful thoughts, the loop bus arrived at the eastern forest.
***
Enjoy the chappy!
