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HEL SCANS
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Chapter 218
It was around mid-October.
After the new practice, a long-awaited Rosenstark announcement was posted.
Dear Parents,
We would like to express our deep gratitude for your warm interest and support for your children’s education.
Therefore, Rosenstark has prepared a special event to spend valuable time with you.
This invitation event will introduce the academy’s educational curriculum and provide feedback on students’ academy life…
It’s finally here.
The reaction of the children facing the parents’ invitation event was generally like this.
…omission
Date: Year 297 of the New Empire, November 15th
Target audience: New student parents and guardians
Location: Main hall and classrooms/lab facilities
Materials: No separate materials are required. Please participate with a warm heart.
As the children read this far, they smirked.
“A, a warm heart?”
“Isn’t this kind of announcement usually written by the principal?”
“Has the person in charge changed…?”
…Of course, the children had no way of knowing the details.
Anyway, they continued to read the announcement.
A shuttle service will be provided to assist with moving to the event venue.
If you communicate with the Rosenstark administration, we will send the shuttle on time.
For those who cannot attend in person, we plan to provide telecommunication broadcasting of the event.
We sincerely look forward to your participation in this event, and please feel free to contact us with any questions or requests.
Thank you.
Principal of Rosenstark, Yussi Glendor
Freshman dormitory.
Even the extreme children were discussing the announcement.
Karen threw the connector onto the sofa and trembled.
“I’m worried about something….”
“What is it?”
“Meeting of the professor and our parents.”
It was a statement that made children imagine.
Parents and Hero.
The two-shot wasn’t a scenario that most children could imagine.
Karen sighed and continued.
“Being a huge fan, they might be all over the place. I already have a headache thinking about it.”
“…I’m worried about something else.”
In a defeated manner, Eileen, the bottom of the extreme, murmured.
“Because our parents are commoners… I feel like they might be intimidated, and what if other kids’ parents ignore them?”
Karen snickered.
“Do you think our professor would just stand by and watch that? Do you not know the story of the graduate student who lost all his teeth after harassing our TA at the beginning of the semester?”
It was a statement that made the children with aristocratic parents cringe.
“…That, that’s still a concern.”
“I have to warn them. Please don’t do that.”
…As the children harbored various concerns.
Evergreen and Luke were chatting in a corner of the lounge.
“Hey, did you see my parents last time?”
“Ah….”
At those words, Luke recalled memories from a few months ago.
During the vacation, while resting at the barracks after subduing demons.
He received a communication from Cuculli.
[Hey, Luke! What are you doing?]
“What else, I brought back some demon scalps. What’s up?”
“Take a guess who I’m with and where?”
[I’m not interested at all, can I hang up now?]
“Perhaps you’re curious, huh, hehe.”
Cuculli chuckled.
It was a moment of unease.
“Tada!”
Evergreen appeared through the communication bead, and then…
[And here are Evergreen’s parents! Lord and Lady Solintail!]
Evergreen’s parents appeared.
‘It was the worst….’
Although it was Cuculli’s joke, he greeted them with sweat and dirt, exhausted from the demons’ blood and dust.
He even grumbled harshly to Cuculli before that.
Perhaps he didn’t leave a good impression.
‘…This time it has to be different.’
Swallowing his saliva, Luke asked Evergreen.
“…They’re coming? Isn’t the distance a bit far for them to come?”
“Um, Dad said he’s busy with the estate work, so he can’t come… but Mom seems like she will.”
“Oh, your mom is coming?”
“Yeah. About a week before the event, there’s a charity event in the jurisdiction. She attends it every year. She might come here while she’s there.”
It was a charity event for the territories protecting the frontier.
Evergreen’s mother used to attend it without fail every year.
With pride filling Evergreen’s face, Luke, who was quietly watching her, clenched his fist and murmured.
“…I see. I have to greet them properly this time.”
…Greet them properly?
Evergreen blinked her eyes slowly, her face turning red.
“Why, why do you want to greet them properly?”
“Well…”
Luke, about to respond, realized the subtlety of wording and paused.
No matter what answer he gave, it would sound odd.
“Why do you want to greet them properly? Aren’t they your future in-laws, huh!”
Gerald chuckled from beside him.
Unfortunately, his father, ‘Roland Bryce,’ was stationed in the Eastern Front and guarding Sector 1, so he couldn’t attend.
His mother also said it would be difficult to attend, as it was just a few months ago (right before his father left for the Eastern Front) when she had a baby.
The children who heard the story couldn’t hide their amazement.
“How old will your sibling be, Gerald?”
“Wow, your stepmother seems really nice.”
Gerald shrugged his shoulders.
“It must be very hot. Thanks to that, I’ve had my own room since I was three years old.”
It was a moment when the children’s faces reddened with embarrassment at the thought of the Bryce family’s bedroom situation.
Gerald nudged Luke.
“Oh, by the way, what about you? Are your parents coming?”
“I don’t have parents.”
There was a moment of silence.
Luke added.
“No need to feel sorry. I don’t even remember them or know who they were.”
Since Gerald seemed like he might jump out of the window if left like this, Luke continued his explanation.
Luke.
Those who weren’t mercenaries might not know, but his last name, ‘Selsood,’ belonged to Ravias, and it was the surname he gave to the orphans he took in.
Luke was the same.
He was found as a baby in a refugee column, under the body of some woman.
The maid who served in the mercenary band led by the young Ravias took Luke in.
While doing odd jobs, Luke showed talent in martial arts, and Ravias began to teach him properly, so he entered the world of mercenaries and gold coins at the age of eleven.
With his head bowed, Gerald muttered.
“I, I didn’t know. I just thought your parents were in the countryside, and only you went to the city as a mercenary.”
“Well, that’s a typical route for becoming a mercenary.”
Of course, until the beginning of the semester, Luke didn’t think he would tell his friends such stories.
His peers were like delicate flowers in a greenhouse.
He thought he would only receive sympathy or uncomfortable glances if he told them.
‘I thought my story was different from those of the mercenaries who were a dime a dozen.’
But now that Luke knew his friends each had their own tragedies, he was surprisingly unfazed.
He didn’t just sympathize with his friends.
Rather, he admired many aspects of them.
So his friends would be the same.
Among them, trust had already taken root.
…The problem lay elsewhere.
‘…Father’s coming.’
Ravias’ Rosenstark journey was beyond imagination.
Maybe the words “he’ll be around soon” meant he was talking about this invitation event.
‘Perhaps it’s for connections.’
While in the public eye, Ravias was seen as a mercenary without pity or tears, stained with madness… but in fact, Ravias had a strong political side as well.
Luke knew well how socially active he could be if he felt ‘needed.’
He would probably put on a gentle mask and laugh and chat with the parents.
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He would pretend to have affection and interest in Luke.
As the boy imagined that scene, he felt his stomach churning rapidly.
‘…It’s unsettling.’
Rosenstark was full of Luke’s precious things.
Luke didn’t want to show them to his stepfather.
Under the pretext of having a ‘heart of iron,’ Ravias had been taking away Luke’s precious things one by one.
…And didn’t the maid who took care of him suddenly disappear from the mercenary band at some point?
Ravias’ desire and obsession to raise Luke ‘like himself’ were terrifying.
As he realized this, Luke glanced sidelong at Evergreen reflexively.
Seeing Luke’s complexion, Evergreen reached out with a worried expression.
“…Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
It was because she noticed the cold sweat flowing down the boy’s temples.
Luke forced a smile.
“It’s nothing.”
…It’s not nothing.
There’s still a month left, but some preparation would be necessary.
Having organized his thoughts like that, Luke changed the subject.
“By the way, is your father coming?”
“Yeah, he was supposed to come to Rosenstark and stay here.”
“How’s his condition?”
“Well…”
Ban’s expression was subtle.
Felson had suffered quite a serious injury while fighting Malekia at Sector 1 in the Eastern Front and it was determined that he couldn’t fight for a while, so he was being escorted back.
But it was also said that there was no harm to his life.
The boy’s innocent face was mixed with joy at the prospect of spending time with his father and worry about his injury.
Karen smirked.
“But why is he coming to the academy instead of Dieterich Mansion?”
For a moment, a hint of pride passed over Ban’s face.
“He’s going to teach the kids as an invited professor while he’s recovering.”
It was also welcome news for the children.
“Wow.”
“…He’s perfect as always. Admirable.”
“Indeed, he’s even more perfect. Admirable.”
“We get to attend professor Felson’s lecture again? That’s great.”
…Anyway.
Most of the children seemed excited about the invitation event.
After enduring tough training, it was natural for them to miss their families.
‘I also want to brag about it.’
It hadn’t even been a year since they enrolled, but they had grown so much that they could be considered different people.
There were no children who wouldn’t want to seize the opportunity to brag about how harsh the training had been, how much their skills had improved, and how proud they were of their families.
“Can’t my younger siblings come?”
“Can’t other family members also apply separately?”
“Oh, I miss them. I wish November would come quickly.”
As Ban looked at the excited children, he suddenly realized that he didn’t see any familiar faces.
“…Where’s Leciel?”
Gerald, who had started fidgeting at the mention, also grinned.
“And where’s Nyhill?”
* * *
The workshop in Noubelmag was noisy.
The sound of hammering.
Steam, fire, and the sound of metal.
It was quite a suitable place for having secretive conversations.
Before heading south, the Hero visited Noubelmag.
Surely, he would eventually come face to face with Ivar while tracking him.
Ivar was one of the best fighters in the Dawn Knights.
No matter how much he had grown, preparation was necessary.
“Huh…”
A hazy smoke emanated from Noubelmag, who was seated at a large workbench.
The wrinkles on the dwarf’s face were twisted with embarrassment.
“I never thought Ivar would be a traitor. Why…”
“Only he knows the reason.”
“…His hatred wasn’t false. It’s incomprehensible.”
Revenge.
As simple as it was, it was the strongest driving force.
Noubelmag remembered the barbaric Hero who had lost his tribe and burned with hatred for the demons.
Therefore, he found it difficult to accept this series of events.
Noubelmag was refilling his pipe with tobacco.
“…I’m sorry for Dorempa, but it’s a relief that it ended with this much damage.”
One of the core members of the Dawn Knights had betrayed them.
Originally, it would have caused even greater damage.
Noubelmag was saying so.
The Hero couldn’t agree or disagree.
Changing the subject was the best option.
“Anyway, you probably suspected it too…”
“Yeah, your demeanor hasn’t been the same since the Great Battle. I had a hunch since Lonkers. That’s why you asked for my help this time, isn’t it?”
Indeed, deceiving the eyes of an old comrade was difficult.
The Hero nodded.
“I think we’ll need our own preparations to deal with Ivar.”
“Of course. He’s not a pushover.”
Noubelmag’s eyes shifted to the blueprint on the workbench.
“…As the leader knows, Ivar has incorporated ‘wind’ into his martial arts. He attacks fiercely and diversely.”
It seemed like intense calculations were taking place in the craftsman’s mind.
“So confronting him head-on with a sword is very reckless. It’s like throwing yourself into a storm made of blades.”
The Hero agreed.
Of course, the ‘restoration’ of the Doppleganger could counter Ivar’s moves… but restoration itself wasn’t unlimited.
‘Above all, revealing the identity poses a great risk.’
They couldn’t give Ivar, a traitor, such a clue.
That’s why he had come to find Noubelmag.
Noubelmag’s wrinkled pupils alternated between the Hero’s body, the piled ores, and the blazing furnace.
His lips sprouted a spark, but it was extinguished in the next moment.
“Armor… You’ve also come with that in mind, right?”
The Hero nodded.
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