Chapter 10: Mentor (2)
There’s no reason needed to save a person.
Especially when someone is on the verge of death right before your eyes, not just me, but anyone would have moved their body before their mind could catch up.
It’s only natural.
Because we’re human.
As a human, there are certain duties one must uphold, and I simply fulfilled mine.
Still, I couldn’t help but think about the consequences.
A character who was supposed to die had survived.
Moreover, if that character was from the same 890th class as the protagonist, Ivan, I had already anticipated that the future would change.
Naturally, I had prepared countermeasures for that.
Yes. That’s what I thought.
I had definitely come up with several predictions and contingency plans…
But this situation? It wasn’t in any of them.
This was a completely unforeseen variable.
A mentor?
She chose me as her mentor?
Why on earth?
Once again, I stole a glance at Yuria’s profile with incredulous eyes.
We had slipped away from our peers and were now walking along a pathway.
Her face was still impassive, as always.
Come to think of it, she always had this expression.
This dry demeanor made me feel, the first time I saw her, that she was like an emotionless doll.
I’d only seen her smile once.
When she saved that child and mother from the swamp orc.
Anyway. Because of that, I couldn’t read her expression at all.
I had no idea what she was thinking or what kind of mindset led her to choose me as her mentor.
In times like this, asking directly is the fastest way.
I stopped at a suitable spot and asked her.
“Hey.”
As if she’d been waiting, her dark pupils fixed on me.
“Yes.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way.”
“Yes.”
“Did you, by any chance, get hit in the head during that fight with the swamp orc?”
For a moment, a look of disbelief flickered in her eyes.
“No.”
“Then, do you usually take some kind of medication, and you ran out of it?”
“I don’t take anything like that.”
“Ah! I got it. You’re bored with life, feeling it’s dull, and you want to live recklessly, right? That’s it, isn’t it?”
By then, Yuria’s expression had hardened into something icily cold.
“Not that either?”
“I’m not that kind of crazy person.”
“Hmm. That’s weird. Then, could it be that you don’t know who I am?”
She shook her head.
“That’s not it either.”
“Right? I mean, how could you not know…”
“Your name is Gerard. You’re taking third-year courses, but due to unprecedented absences and truancy, your graduation is uncertain. You’re the academy’s worst troublemaker. A failure of a cadet who has to retake both first- and second-year courses, the disgrace of the 888th class. Your nicknames include slacker, recluse, ghost, loser…”
I stared blankly at Yuria as she rapid-fired my shortcomings like she’d been waiting for the chance.
What the hell.
Is she challenging me to a duel?
“…and food scraps left behind by a beast. Hmm. Shall I list more?”
“Uh. There’s more?”
“Of course. If you’re curious…”
“No, no. That’s enough. I’m full.”
Thanks to her, I understood perfectly.
My nicknames were far more numerous than I’d realized and she hadn’t chosen me as her mentor on a whim, despite knowing exactly who I was.
“I thought you had it written on your palm or something.”
Yuria spread both her palms for me to see.
Naturally, there was nothing written on them.
“You’re just that infamous. In a bad way, of course.”
“You don’t have to emphasize it so much. Anyway, so you knew all this about me and still chose me as your mentor? On purpose?”
“Actually, that’s exactly why I chose you.”
Because of that?
“I was curious. Whether those rumors and nicknames were true or not.”
“…?”
“From what I saw, they didn’t seem true at all.”
Her response left me momentarily speechless.
* * *
Thinking about it, I suppose it makes sense.
The version of me she saw was completely different from the rumors.
And this outcome was something I had intended.
Volunteering for the safety team, which I didn’t have to do, was all for the sake of improving my image, wasn’t it?
Normally, I should be pleased that my intended result was unfolding right before my eyes.
But my insides were the opposite of pleased.
It felt like I’d swallowed a pile of sweet potatoes, heavy and stifling.
Of course, the situation wasn’t that simple.
It’s not just anything.
I cannot become a mentor.
Why? Because a mentor and mentee are supposed to spend most of their day together.
Except for lectures, sleep, and meals, almost all their time is spent with their mentees.
Sure, it’s not mandatory.
But the problem is, it’s the expected norm.
If every other mentor does it, and I’m the only one who doesn’t?
People will obviously find it strange, won’t they? Especially after I drew all that attention with the recent commotion.
If I act oddly now, that attention will surely turn into suspicion directed at me.
Oh, I can hear it.
The sound of my future getting tangled up.
…Damn it.
On top of that, I’m a thief.
Starting with meeting Luis, I need to conduct thorough investigations and make flawless plans until I’m certain about a job.
Executing the job itself takes considerable mental and physical effort.
But if I become a mentor, I’ll inevitably be restricted in all of this.
Just imagining it for a moment is already giving me a splitting headache.
I absolutely want to avoid that situation.
“Where are we going right now?”
“The main building, student affairs office.”
“Why there?”
“Why else? To reject your mentorship, obviously.”
I could feel her staring at me from the side.
It’s uncomfortable.
But what can I do? That’s my situation.
No matter how much her eyes demand an explanation, I can’t say anything.
Still, I can at least offer some comfort.
“Sorry, but this is all for your sake.”
“….”
“You know how important the first semester of your first year is for a new cadet, right? Throwing away this critical period because of a momentary curiosity would be a huge loss for you. You’ll definitely regret it later. Think about it. I’m a really pathetic guy. Trash… what did you call me earlier? Gum chewed up and spat out by a beast?”
“Food scraps.”
“Right, right. Honestly, I’m worse than that. Ruining one person’s life or holding them back? That’s nothing to me. Do you want to mess up your grades right from the start?”
Yuria shook her head.
“See? This is all for your…”
“Is this really for my sake?”
I froze mid-sentence, my breath catching.
Yuria had suddenly leaned in close to my face.
The scent at the tip of my nose made every hair on my head stand on end.
“…The senior I saw wasn’t pathetic at all.”
“N-No, you saw wrong. I’m really the trash the rumors say…”
“You said it clearly back then. Before believing in things that can’t be seen, believe in what you can see.”
My mouth clamped shut.
The sharp remark I’d made that day came flying back at me, and for a moment, my mind went blank.
Actually, my mind has been blank for a while now.
That’s when it happened.
Suddenly, Yuria stepped in front of me.
She placed her left hand on the hilt of her sword and gently rested her tightly clenched right fist over her chest.
Then she bowed her head to me.
It was unmistakably the traditional etiquette of an royal knight.
A bit clumsy, but her expression was more serious than ever.
“Hey. What are you doing, blocking my way?”
She straightened up and looked straight at me.
“A thank you.”
“Thanks? For what?”
“For correcting my mistake and for saving my life.”
“No, I told you back then. To me, it was just the natural thing to…”
I hurriedly shut my mouth.
Yuria was smiling at me.
The same bright smile I’d seen when she comforted that child.
“That’s exactly it. Proof that you’re different from the rumors.”
“….”
“This conversation just confirmed it. You’ll be an absolutely perfect mentor for me.”
She spoke with a tone firmer than ever.
Whoosh!
At that moment, I saw it.
A golden aura rising around her.
What was that?
Magic?
Or an illusion?
The aura vanished immediately, but I stood rooted to the spot, caught in the lingering aftereffect.
“Senior! Senior? Are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“You suddenly went quiet. Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
I quickly shook my head to snap back to reality.
It must have been my imagination.
Yeah, I’d never seen or heard of such a phenomenon while playing Heroes of Frey.
“Ahem. Anyway, no matter what, my mind’s made up.”
As I pushed past her to move forward, Yuria surprisingly stepped aside without resistance.
Instead, she leaned in and muttered.
“I heard mentorship rejections require a special reason…”
Oh, look at her. She knows that too?
But it doesn’t matter.
I do have a special reason.
“I have one.”
“What is it?”
“Slacker, recluse, ghost, loser, gum chewed by a beast…”
“Food scraps.”
“Right. Food scraps, the disgrace of the 888th class…”
“So what are you trying to say?”
“I’m listing the reasons.”
“Huh?”
“My very existence is the special reason.”
Yuria’s lips sealed shut, as if she hadn’t thought that far.
Exactly. My existence itself is the reason for rejection.
Everyone knows I’m not cut out to be a mentor.
Just like the intense reactions from the student affairs staff and that bespectacled employee, if I request a rejection, it’ll be approved instantly, special reason or not.
Even if it’s not accepted, it doesn’t really matter.
The head of student affairs is none other than Professor Baron Tesda.
Thanks to the entrance festival incident, he has a favorable impression of me, so if I make up some excuse and ask, he’ll probably grant it.
That’s why you’ve got to build good karma.
“Then you’re just going to go through life alone forever?”
Yuria, who had been following me, stopped in her tracks.
“Are you going to do everything by yourself forever? Don’t you want to change? That’s why you joined the festival safety team and helped people, right? Or am I wrong?”
A bolt of lightning struck my mind.
It felt like I’d been reminded of something important I’d forgotten.
At the same time, the countless endings of Heroes of Frey flashed through my head.
Looking back, I hadn’t been able to see all those endings on my own.
To reach those endings, to stand against a formidable enemy like the Beltus Cult, I desperately needed the strength of allies and a faction.
Right now, my affiliation is Shadow.
And…
‘Shadow’s current situation is the worst.’
My faction, my team.
Trustworthy comrades and allies—a faction—were absolutely necessary for me.
Of course, I know Yuria didn’t mean it in that sense.
But I found myself looking at her with fresh eyes.
‘What if it’s her?’
She wants to help me and needs my help in return.
Her skills?
I’d need to investigate further, but recalling how she overwhelmed the swamp orc, her potential doesn’t seem bad.
“This time, I’ll help you, senior. So you can graduate smoothly like everyone else. In return, please help me too.”
A comrade to stay with until the end.
Isn’t a trustworthy person like this harder to find than any item or artifact?
And when you think about it, this situation ultimately stems from image improvement.
In other words, it’s a manifestation of survival.
If that’s the case, this is the answer.
This is the right change, the correct path for me.
Of course, I’ll have less time to focus on my operations afterward.
But I’ll accept it.
In the long run, the benefits I’ll gain are incomparable.
As Yuria said, considering my reputation within the academy and my future prospects, it’s not all downsides—there are advantages too.
Sure, struggling to improve my image alone is less effective than working with someone.
If I train Yuria properly and boost her grades significantly, my reputation will rise along with it.
Since I’ve already drawn a ton of attention from the start, the stage is practically set.
I mentally ran the calculations, and somehow, the pros outweighed the cons.
The conclusion was clear.
Alright.
Let’s train her properly.
As my right-hand person.
I’ll just have to sleep a little less, that’s all.
Having made my decision, I asked about the most important thing for understanding a character: their purpose.
“What’s your dream?”
It was a bit of an abrupt question, but Yuria answered immediately.
“I don’t have one.”
“No dream?”
“Nope.”
For a moment, my thoughts froze.
Every character in Heroes of Frey has their own purpose.
Whether they’re a supporting character or a one-off, they never deviate from this rule.
But she says she doesn’t have one.
She said it so confidently I thought I misheard.
“Then why did you enroll in the academy?”
“They said they’d provide a place to stay.”
“….”
She’s got a knack for leaving me speechless.
So, she heard that all admitted students get dorms, took the entrance exam, and somehow passed?
“What about food?”
“I’ve got some money saved up, so I’m fine. It’s not much, though.”
“…Alright.”
She’s got no plan.
But in a way, this might be better.
If she’s a blank slate with no purpose, it’ll be easier to mold her.
If she had some lofty goal like achieving justice or saving the world, that’d be a hassle in its own way.
Satisfied, I turned around.
“This isn’t the way to the main building.”
“We’re not going there. We’re going somewhere quiet.”
“Huh? Then…”
Yuria’s expression brightened.
I think I’m starting to read her a little now.
“You’re going to be my mentor?”
“Well, for now.”
“For now?”
“Yeah. First, let’s see what you’ve got.”
At an empty clearing, I unfastened the scabbard from my waist.
***
A short while later.
Yuria, panting heavily, collapsed onto the grass.
She clutched her shoulder with a pained expression.
“Huff. Hah. That’s unfair.”
I wagged my index finger in front of her face.
“No, no. Targeting your opponent’s weakness is the basics of combat.”
Yuria’s ears and neck flushed red.
Dirt and pebbles slipped through her fingers.
She was absolutely furious.
I stared at her for a moment before quickly turning away.
If I teased her any more, I’d probably get a face full of dirt.
“Don’t go. I’m not done yet.”
“Nah, I’ve seen enough to gauge your level.”
“I’ve still got more to show.”
“Deal with that busted shoulder wound first.”
Her blue shirt was now stained red with sweat and blood seeping from her shoulder wound.
The injury she’d sustained from the swamp orc’s attack had reopened due to intense movement and the relentless strikes from my scabbard.
“I’m really fine…”
“That’s enough.”
I leaned against a nearby tree stump and sat down.
“Hmm.”
Honestly, this was a surprise. I didn’t expect this.
Her swordsmanship.
Contrary to my expectations, there were quite a few areas that needed work.
Her overall skill was clean.
Her swordsmanship seemed to consist of commoner-accessible traditional techniques and the first half of royal swordsmanship, the foundation of all sword arts.
Her understanding was excellent.
Especially her flexible movements, which made great use of a woman’s physical traits, were impressive.
But that was it.
The skill that had overwhelmed the swamp orc.
The strength and speed she’d displayed back then, which no ordinary new cadet could have, were completely absent this time.
And that’s not the only strange thing.
With the skill she showed that day, she should have passed the entrance exam with top marks, earning everyone’s expectations from the entrance ceremony onward.
But I heard her entrance ranking was 32nd out of 50.
That’s not top-tier—it’s mid-to-low.
The skill she just showed was about that level too.
What’s going on here?
I fell into deep thought, watching her stretch and loosen up in the distance.
There are two possibilities to consider.
The first is that she possesses an artifact with conditional special abilities.
And the second is…
“…She’s hiding her strength for some reason.”
Just like the Gerard I possessed before.