Chapter 17. No One Is Born a Hero (2)
At that moment, Cain suddenly asked with curiosity.
“But why the holy mage? That hooded guy in your group didn’t look so well.”
“Oh, right.”
“Is it uncomfortable working with him? Want to switch and join our group instead?”
“He’s frail, isn’t he? If Edith wants to switch groups, she should come to ours—we’re short on members.”
“You’re so greedy, sis.”
“Look who’s talking.”
Cain and Camilla began bickering again in that short time.
Lymos Therion… Is he really sickly? Or just pretending?
It was a bit awkward to answer, so I gave a vague reply.
“…Don’t fight, please. It’s not really that important. I was just a little curious… I’m not planning on switching groups.”
“Aw…”
“Oh, Princess Behemoth, do you know anything about Lymos Therion?”
“You didn’t seem interested earlier.”
“Seriously?”
“I don’t know.”
Really?
When I looked at Ethan, he silently unbuckled his sword and began tending to it.
Was he sulking?
Cain cleared his throat and added belatedly.
“Well, I’m just guessing… but Ruth has a sick younger brother. Maybe seeing that guy reminded her of him and she decided to help.”
If it’s a touching story like that, that’s nice. …Maybe?
It wasn’t impossible, assuming Lymos Therion didn’t use some kind of brainwashing magic. But still…
As I tilted my head with a puzzled look, Camilla laughed brightly and pulled me back into my seat.
“Ugh.”
“Come on, let’s stop talking about that. Isn’t it about time Yan comes back?”
“Should be soon,” Ethan nodded at Camilla’s question. Huh?
Now that I thought about it, Yan Gardwin, who usually stuck close to Ethan Behemoth, was nowhere to be seen.
And there was some murmuring outside the tent.
I honestly wasn’t curious at all, but out of politeness, I asked.
“By the way, where is Sir Gardwin?”
Cain pulled a chair next to me and sat down comfortably before answering.
“He went to prepare a barbecue.”
“Barbecue…?”
…Did I mishear?
My jaw dropped. Cain looked smug for no good reason.
“Yeah. Barbecue.”
“…Why?”
A barbecue right in front of a monster extermination zone? With a big fire? And meat?
If the idea was to lure monsters with the scent—well, that would at least make sense.
If that was the plan, I was getting out of this tent right now.
“It’s for dinner, obviously. Aren’t you hungry?”
Yeah, I’m definitely leaving now. This changes nothing.
As I failed to hide my horrified expression, Camilla giggled and leaned her arm on the table.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do I even need to explain? If you light such a big fire near the practice field, monsters will swarm in.”
“It’s fine.”
How is that fine? You’re going to die early. Is this also a variable caused by me switching groups?
Ethan Behemoth, say something at least.
Clinging to a shred of hope, I glanced at him. But he was still silently polishing his sword.
Camilla spoke casually.
“Even if something happens, the knights and professors will protect us.”
“Yeah, it’s actually super safe.”
“…Wait. Edith, you didn’t know?”
Camilla looked at me with wide eyes.
I was momentarily speechless.
…I had suspected that if we were the lead group, it would be harder not to notice the knights and professors shadowing us, even if they were keeping their distance.
“But you’re using that as an excuse?”
Ethan Behemoth must have thought the same. That’s why he sent away Yan Gardwin, who usually stayed by his side, to prepare the barbecue.
Still, I wasn’t going to join in.
“…I didn’t know that. But even so, I’ll pass.”
The knights and professors are going to die babysitting these reckless students. I clicked my tongue internally and finally stood up for real this time.
“At least eat first…”
Cain said behind me with disappointment. Camilla seemed like she wanted to stop me, her footsteps getting closer.
“Edith, still—”
“I’m—”
Both Camilla and I fell silent at the same time.
“Professor!!!”
As soon as the tent flap opened, something heavy and sticky hit me and fell into my arms with a thud.
Outside, the murmuring became a roar, pouring into the tent like a red hailstorm.
“Prince Behemoth! Sir Guinevere! The professor…!”
“Why is the professor here…?”
“What? What’s going on?”
Among the chaos, I also heard Yan Gardwin’s voice up close.
“Ethan! The professor…. …Edith Crowell?”
I rolled my eyes down toward the weight leaning on me.
The smell of blood was intense. On the other side, Yan Gardwin had awkwardly propped up the professor’s arm with a pained expression.
The professor had collapsed on the side Yan couldn’t support.
The professor.
“…Tch.”
I quickly rushed in and slid my arm between the professor’s limp ones to hold him up with strength.
I saw Yan blink in surprise, seemingly taken aback to see me helping a wounded person without hesitation—but there was no time to explain.
Carrying the professor on my back, I turned and shouted toward those farther away.
“The professor is injured!”
*
The students had all gathered around the campfire.
When lined up on horseback, they had looked like a large group, but now, huddled around the fire, there were fewer than a hundred.
Despite that, it was eerily quiet.
Only the sound of firewood crackling in the large bonfire could be heard.
Most students were sitting dazedly, their eyes blank.
Among these self-absorbed and arrogant students, no one raised their voice. All were overcome with fear and helplessness.
Half of them stared at the ground deep in thought; the other half anxiously gazed toward the tent of the lead group.
The reason? One professor, covered in blood, had stumbled into camp.
That’s what the title professor of the academy really meant.
To teach at the academy, being strong or competent wasn’t enough.
They had to be someone these proud noble students could genuinely respect and learn from.
At the very least, they weren’t supposed to be defeated so miserably by the monsters in the practice area.
And yet… the trusted professor was now lying there like that.
“Emergency treatment is complete, right?”
“Yes, more or less…”
“I-I’m sorry. With my abilities, I-I can’t bring him back to consciousness…”
“It’s okay. This is probably the best we can do for now.”
The largest tent belonging to the lead group had been hastily converted into a treatment room. Skilled students worked to tend the professor’s wounds.
The emergency team included a student who had learned healing magic, the spirit summoner Camilla, and the hurriedly summoned Lymos Therion.
The three of them huddled together, working until dusk to treat the unconscious professor.
Thanks to their efforts, he was no longer in danger, but still unconscious.
Meanwhile, Ethan Behemoth made sure students outside didn’t act recklessly, and Yan and I guarded the tent’s entrance.
That gave me a chance to observe Lymos Therion while he worked.
And from what I saw of him tending to the professor…
‘Was I just being paranoid?’
He was simply fulfilling his role as a holy mage.
He was so focused on healing that I could see his hair soaked with sweat under his hood.
I started to feel a little guilty for doubting him earlier.
‘Oh, right.’
I remembered the blood soaked into my uniform.
While I had helped support the professor, the blood had seeped into my clothes. It still hadn’t dried and felt heavy. It’d be even worse once it dried.
‘Almost done, maybe.’
I slipped into the group of students discussing how to finish stitching the wound and raised my hand.
“Um, if you’re almost done… can I step out and clean up a bit? I’ve got a lot of blood on me.”
“Oh, sure!”
Camilla nodded without hesitation. I turned around, and Yan pulled back the tent flap from the back, casually slinging an arm around my shoulders.
“Ah, I’ll come too. Let’s wring out these clothes together.”
We had a big height difference, so the gesture wasn’t very natural. He probably found it uncomfortable, and so did I, especially since he was heavy.
“Hey, you’re getting blood on me.”
“You’re soaked too anyway.”
…Fair.
As we stepped out through the opening he made, the cool evening wind hit us.
