Re-Tale of a Hero - Chapter 10. Direction

With their break coming to an end, Kaito and his friends returned to the first conference room where the teachers were also gathering once more. After confirming that everyone was present, Principal Sakurada opened his mouth.

“Now, let’s resume the meeting. What shall we do about Mr. Weissritter’s request to station troops in school?”

When Principal Sakurada brought this up again, a teacher sighed, raised his hand, and spoke. He was the one who had vehemently opposed having Lucius and the others stationed in school earlier.

“Fortunately, the fences and the gates around the school are fine. How about having them stay nearby?”

After calming down and reassessing their current predicament, he had come to the realization that anything could happen to them, and though he wasn’t too keen on the idea, he knew in his mind that there was no other option for them.

“However, what if bandits or monsters cross over the fence under the cover of darkness?”

“Then how about having the soldiers perform patrols inside the school?”

It was the same for the other teachers. Though things got heated at times, their discussion was otherwise relatively calm. Principal Sakurada had made the right call by having them take a break to calm themselves.

“Then is everyone fine with having Mr. Weissritter and the others stationed within school grounds?” Principal Sakurada asked one last time.

Although there were a few teachers that seemed reluctant, they all nodded in the end.

The other party amounted to only a hundred people or so, and they had treated the teachers and students cordially while offering their help. From this, the teachers believed the troops would try their best not to appear intimidating before the students.

As for whether they were being deceived, they had come to the conclusion that if the information told to them were true, there was little benefit in deceiving them. What’s more, they were in a situation where they had no choice but to rely on the other party for assistance. Since that was the case, some teachers surmised that it would be better to appeal to Lucius and the others that they trusted them.

One of the teachers was tasked with conveying to Lucius their decision while the rest moved on to the next topic. Their next objective was to decide what the school should do moving forward.

The meeting had already been going on for quite a long time, but to reassure the students that everything was alright, they had to have a rough idea of what direction the school would be heading from now on.

“As for our plans moving forward, Tendou-kun, I recall you having an interesting conversation with Alphonse-san.”

He had apparently overheard Kaito and the others speaking with Al. Just like Sora, he had been watching the airships from near the entrance. Though he was old enough to have grandchildren, and though he actually did have grandchildren, he still retained a bit of his childish nature.

“Oh, we didn’t know you were there, Principal. Actually, we were having a discussion about what Lucius-san brought up, the matter of eventually finding a job. We happened to meet Alphonse-san, so we asked him for a little advice on this topic.”

“I see. Did he say anything that may be of help to us?”

Principal Sakurada addressed Sakura gently as if he was speaking to his granddaughter. As a matter of fact, he had known Sakura for a long time and treated her like his own grandchild.

“Well…at first, he brought up the idea of becoming farmers so that we can sustain ourselves.”

“Indeed, becoming self-sufficient is important,” the principal muttered while stroking his beard. The academy was currently receiving food and other supplies from the Duke, and improving their food situation was an urgent task that required a solution.

“However, he said that becoming farmers would mean losing the chance to return to Earth.”

“Naturally. Mr. Weissritter also said so in the previous meeting that we’d have to find a way back ourselves even with their assistance. Holing ourselves up would deprive us of that opportunity.”

The other teachers also nodded in understanding.

“We suggested having some people become researchers and study magic in various places, but we were told it would probably not yield any result.”

“And why would that be? Since there’s magic in this world, having a spell that can help travel between different worlds doesn’t seem too unfathomable.”

It seemed Principal Sakurada had also thought of this idea. He sounded disappointed after having this idea dashed by Sakura’s report.

“We were told that there might be a magic like that in ancient ruins, but countless dangers lurk in such places, so we would need to use up a fortune if we want to employ people to protect us.”

“So our hands are tied no matter what…”

Sakurada fell into deep thoughts. The teachers that had calmed down also started offering their ideas. That was when Sakura decided to suggest the notion of becoming adventurers, something Al had brought up.

“Alphonse-san had a suggestion.”

“And what would that be?”

Sakurada urged her to continue, and the teachers that were discussing stopped to listen to what Sakura had to say.

“He suggested that we become adventurers and investigate such ruins and magic ourselves.”

“Hmm, and what do these adventurers you speak of do?”

“From what we heard, it seems to be a profession where we perform various tasks that clients want completed.”

Teachers that played games seemed to understand the general idea of what being an adventurer meant, but Sakurada wasn’t one of them.

“So they’re people that do odd jobs…and why would people like them investigate ruins?” he asked with a frown.

“Apparently, some requests require the adventurers to have some degree of combat capability. Some tasks can only be handled by people like them, and exploring ruins seem to be one such task.”

“Umu, but wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

Sakura continued to explain since Sakurada still seemed uncertain.

“Yes, it would. Alphonse-san mentioned the possibility of death, as well as the possibility of being disgraced.”

As a woman, Sakura stuttered a little here, perhaps feeling uncomfortable with the idea of being defiled. However, she brought herself back together and continued.

“Nonetheless, not all requests are dangerous. There are requests that are safe as well.”

“Then it must be considered somewhat of a part-time job by many people.”

Sakura nodded. Sakurada now had a basic understanding of what adventurers were.

“Yes, that’s exactly what Alphonse-san said. Oh, and it seems we might be able to form connections with aristocrats and members of the royal family if we achieve great things as adventurers.”

“Meaning they might be willing to become our backer…that’s something we desperately need.”

Saying this, Sakurada once again fell silent whilst stroking his beard.

The other teachers also discussed this amongst themselves.

In addition to necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter, Tenou Academy needed a firm backer as well. At the moment, they did not have anyone to protect them officially, and if the Duke’s household withdrew their support, their destruction would be all but assured.

In order to prevent this from happening, they needed to find someone powerful to back them.

However, this came with its own problems, the biggest being that they might be drawn into political struggles that occur among the nobles. Their status as visitors from another world was already enough to attract people’s attention. Hence, there was no one that could confidently state that they should go along with this plan.

Sakurada, after thinking long and hard, arrived at the conclusion that they would not be able to reach an answer on their own and decided to call an end to the meeting. Everyone was mentally fatigued at that point, and continuing the discussion would be counter-productive, or so he thought.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll speak with Mr. Weisritter and the others about the matter of becoming adventurers tomorrow. The sun’s about to set for the day, and everyone must be tired because of everything that has happened today. If there’s nothing else to discuss, let us adjourn the meeting. Rest well, everyone.”

The teachers agreed to this and started leaving the room one after another with tired expressions on their faces.

When Kaito and the others were about to return to their assigned living spaces, their homeroom teacher, Amamiya, approached them.

“The four of you.”

“Miss Amamiya, is there something you wish to speak with us about?” Sakura answered on behalf of their group.

Amamiya began to speak, and it was a word of caution.

“I have something I wish to tell you all… You guys should really be careful when dealing with strangers. You shouldn’t have followed Alphonse-san around so carelessly. You were lucky this time as he to be a nice person, but if he wasn’t…you get what I’m saying? I know it was because we teachers were not in a condition to handle the situation ourselves, but still…”

This was said with a serious expression, and the students had nothing to say in return.

Kaito and Tina knew that they were in Enefia, and more so the duchy, but they were still too careless this time. There was a possibility that they were in a world very similar to but ultimately different from Enefia. They could’ve also been in a parallel world, though Kaito didn’t really believe in their existence.

“We’re sorry. We were disoriented at the time, not to mention Al helped us when we were attacked by the lesser dragon, so we…”

Kaito apologized, to which Amamiya softened her expression.

“I understand, you guys must have been confused. Just remember to be a little more careful next time. But well, I was out cold, so I’m not in much of a position to scold you.”

In reality, she was just dazed, but Amamiya joked about it to make the students more relaxed.

“You guys seem to be reflecting on it as well, so I’ll leave it at that for today. You must be tired. I’ll be going around the classes to see how the students are faring, so go get some rest.”

With that, Amamiya said her goodbyes and left.

“She’s thinking about the students’ wellbeing even in such a situation…she’s really a great teacher,” said Sakura.

However, Tina gave a more fitting explanation.

“She’s probably trying to take her mind off things by moving around. Anyway, as she said, we should get some rest. As expected, I’m really tired.”

“Yeah, I’m exhausted as well.”

And with that, everyone headed for their respective living spaces.

However, along the way, Kaito whispered some words to Tina, his face shining like that of a child who has come up with a prank.

“Tina, I’m thinking of fulfilling a promise I made with some friends of mine. Help me.”

It wasn’t a request, but an order.

“You’re planning to do something after all…Fine, let me in on your plans.”

Kaito had planned things out during their break. One thing was for sure, and it was that he was up to no good.

“Hear me out.”

Kaito laughed mysteriously and told her his plan. When Tina learned of it, she grinned.