Chapter 186
After finishing breakfast, I entered the classroom for lessons.
To my left sat Luna, and to my right sat Rezé.
Why am I in the middle, you ask?
"Hmm... Wouldn't it be good for you two to get closer too? I'm close with both of you. Take this chance to become friends."
It's because of Luna's order to become close friends.
Of course, there was also the chilling threat that I'd die if I lay eyes on Rezé.
The moment I sat between Luna and Rezé like that.
"Did the number of girls... increase?"
"Kraken's tentacles have ensnared another innocent girl..."
"I feel bad for Ms. Luna. Look at her kind self even giving up her seat."
Girls' talk that began here and there!
But this time, I was really unjustly accused.
We're just friends, and this situation occurred because of Luna's order.
While feeling the tingling sensation on the back of my head, Caron appeared.
"I'll be away from school for a while. During that time, Teacher Doran will take over my classes, so keep that in mind."
Caron's shocking announcement as soon as he stepped on the platform. The kids immediately began to whisper.
"Isn't Sir Elester also taking a leave of absence?"
"He has been since last week. I heard he's not well."
Health management and schedule management are also skills.
A teacher at Annwood Academy wouldn't make such a mistake.
Archmage Elester is old, so it's possible.
But classes, health, time, counseling, and even managing students' conditions.
Caron, who is often suspected of being a magic machine, declared a leave of absence?
"Both Sir Elester and Teacher Caron are taking a leave of absence? Is it a coincidence? Or..."
It was only natural for suspicion to sprout.
"How long is the leave of absence?"
"I don't know."
"The midterm exams are coming up soon. Is the exam writer Teacher Caron or Teacher Doran?"
"I don't know."
The kids furrowed their brows. The answer was strange.
It was Caron's teaching method to make students think for themselves and come up with the answer, but the current answer was a bit odd.
Should I say it's an ambiguous answer for Caron's personality?
Yuridia raised her hand.
"Are you perhaps going on a mission?"
"...That's right."
"M-Mission?"
The classroom became noisy.
It's a well-known fact that Caron was active as the empire's rat.
Although he's said to have retired from the front lines due to age, that doesn't mean he can't carry out missions.
Even though he's old, he's a man once called the empire's rat.
But Caron has been devoted to his duties as a teacher since coming to the academy.
'Well, that's how it seems. Come to think of it, he's really a monster.'
Caron perfectly performs his original duties as the empire's rat and his main duties as a teacher at Annwood Academy.
He casually carries out what's impossible even if you stay awake 24 hours a day.
Anyway, not only is Caron suddenly assigned a mission even though he retired from the front lines, but he also has to leave the academy.
It was only natural for the kids to be flustered from their perspective.
"Is there a shortage of manpower?"
"That can't be. There are loads of people being forcibly retired."
There was also pressure to retire to achieve a successful generational shift, but it was because the empire currently had a lot of talented people.
There was so much talent that it was okay to say talent was kicking around.
In this situation, Caron is drafted for some reason and deployed on a mission...
"Is it because of the kids from the Holy Kingdom?"
"It could be. But knowing Teacher Caron's personality, he would have refused. That kind of thing can't even be considered a mission."
The kids coming to Annwood Academy from the Holy Kingdom.
The kids from noble families could easily access that information, and rumors were starting to spread.
"Lord Teron?"
"...I haven't particularly heard anything either."
Teron, currently one of the people boasting the best information power at Annwood Academy.
Even Teron hasn't heard any information?
What this means is simple.
The empire is intentionally controlling information. And in such cases, usually...
"War...?"
A word that popped out of a child's mouth.
But it was enough to fill the classroom with fear.
Tremble tremble tremble-!
My body also started trembling. Not because I was overcome with fear.
It's because Rezé, who was sitting next to me, started trembling nonstop.
"Hey, our Rezé is anxious. Calm her down a bit."
Calming. One of my specialties.
"Keke, don't worry, Ms. Rezé. There won't be a war."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. Fighting demons will come before war."
"......"
Tremble tremble tremble tremble-!!
The vibration that started from Rezé's body began to shake the entire classroom.
Oh, a rabbit that can cause an earthquake? Then it's quite an amazing ability...
Smack!
"I said calm her down, who told you to make her more scared? Do you really want to die?"
It's unfair. I only spoke the truth.
There won't be a war. 'This year', that is.
Murmur murmur-.
A conversation that was like a skit.
The problem is that it's not just us in this situation.
It was the same if not worse than us.
"Is war the problem?"
In that situation, Caron opened his mouth.
The noisy classroom fell silent, and everyone's gaze turned to him.
"War. It's certainly a scary thing. But if you're an Annwood Academy student, at least don't fall into fear because of something that hasn't happened."
"......"
"You don't have enough time to discuss countermeasures, yet you fall into fear. What kind of disgrace is this for the ones who will lead the empire in the future?"
Caron clicked his tongue.
Only then did the kids come to their senses. Rezé's trembling also stopped.
Rather than overcoming fear, it seems they chose to freeze up, realizing that the being in front of them is scarier.
"There won't be a war. I'm going for a different matter."
"R-Really?"
"In the first place, isn't it stranger for me to truthfully say that I'm going on a 'mission'? Who do you think you are for me to share such a thing?"
It was as Caron said. Caron is a being that students cannot dare to approach and the empire's rat.
There's no way he would share information with us.
In other words, this is Caron's teasing and part of the lesson. It made sense to see it that way.
"Well, since we're on the topic, let's talk a bit. Do you know the easiest way to prevent war?"
"Isn't it to build strength?"
"That's right. Then what should you do to build strength?"
How to increase national power.
An ordinary person would say military power, but anyone with a little education would know.
National power is.
'The sum of comprehensive factors such as geography, resources, population, economy, politics, military, information, etc.'
Then why is national power called the easiest way to prevent war?
The stronger the national power, the harder it becomes for other countries to declare war.
A 'war deterrent' is naturally created.
And the easiest way to increase that national power is.
"To fulfill one's duties in one's respective position."
Nobles do the work of nobles, knights do the work of knights, merchants do the work of merchants, and teachers do the work of teachers.
Diligently working in one's own position. This is the foundation and core of national power.
"You are students. Then fulfill the duties of a student."
The duties of a student.
Study hard, train, and accumulate knowledge.
Don't neglect your studies even when I'm not here.
That's what Caron was saying.
"That's the only thing you need to do while I'm gone. Surely there are no fools here who can't even do that?"
A childish provocation was included.
"I don't know where you're going, but have a safe trip!"
"We will be increasing national power!"
Well, since they're only fifteen years old, their eyes were burning with enthusiasm.
'He's really a monster.'
I clicked my tongue, watching Caron skillfully handle the kids.
"Now, shall we start the lesson?"
"Excuse me?"
The day right after the pop quiz, an indefinite leave of absence, and even a moving speech.
Usually on such days, classes are canceled or various things are discussed.
But Caron silently proceeded with the lesson.
It was even a review session of the pop quiz taken yesterday.
In other words, he started tearing the kids apart one by one.
'He's really a monster.'
And so the morning class began.
*
"Rezé, how was today's class?"
"It w-was fun. A b-bit hard though."
"Ah, because of Teacher Caron? Well, his teaching method is unique."
"Th-There's that too. But the g-gazes felt p-piercingly hot..."
Rezé's bangs hung like a curtain. The pupils behind it glanced sideways.
Rezé's pupils returned to their original position in 0.1 seconds. Why?
Whoosh whoosh whoosh-!
The gazes of the girls were piercingly hot.
'The gazes being hot isn't an illusion, it's real.'
Not only the Yuridia faction, but also the Teron faction, the kids belonging to neutrality, and even the gazes felt from outside the advanced class, from the general class kids.
I couldn't help but sigh.
'It was like this usually, but today is particularly more so. Is it because of Rezé?'
Maybe they think someone has appeared to interfere with Luna's love.
"Ms. Luna, just a moment..."
"Huh? Why? Do you have something to say?"
"Keke, I have a wiretap on my ear."
"Then just cut off your ear."
Luna tilted her head and answered.
Hmm, brilliant. Except for the fact that it will hurt me a lot.
It seems our Luna is a T. Like an emotionless being!
"Hmm. What a nice sight."
"As expected, the main wife is Ms. Luna."
Perhaps whispering in Luna's ear was seen as a whisper of love.
Only then did the gazes of the girls soften.
Yuridia giving a thumbs up while having a nosebleed was a bonus.
Of course, our Luna was completely oblivious to these gazes.
The combination of Luna, who is insensitive to gazes, and Rezé, who is sensitive...
I had a strong feeling. A feeling that various incidents, and difficult ones at that, will continue to occur in the future.
"You said the gazes are hot, right? Could it be because you're a new face?"
"O-Or maybe... Th-They think I'm a m-misfit. B-Because I don't f-fit in this class..."
Rezé's words that she doesn't fit in the advanced class.
Luna moved in front of Rezé. As the representative of T, she seems to want to say a word.
"You have skills on par with those kids. That's why you're here."
"M-Me?"
"Yes. Above all, we are Lucia's disciples, right? Lucia must have seen your strengths too."
"D-Do I have s-something like that?"
"Of course. I can see a lot of it too. Lucia must have seen even more. Let's go. We need to go eat lunch!"
Watching the two walking out of the classroom hand in hand, getting along well, I thought.
It seems our Luna is.
Only a T to me. (TL Note: Reminder. T (Think) vs F (Feel). Basically T = Cold, while F = Warm)
--TL Notes--
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