〈 Episode 255 〉 Wow! Double Nightmares! (1)
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In Apuria, there are two doors.
One is the main entrance leading to the main street, while the other is the back door that leads to Harmain Forest.
The main entrance is crowded with people.
The back door, on the other hand, is as empty as can be.
I chose the latter, and Chloe, who was walking behind me, didn’t seem too pleased with that choice. When I glanced back, I saw her shoulders slumped.
“Haaa…”
Chloe let out a sigh as if the earth were crumbling beneath her.
Her face was filled with disappointment.
“Why do you look so miserable?”
“But Galahal is here!”
“And so?”
“What do you mean, ‘and so’…?”
Chloe looked at me with a resentful gaze.
“We’re heading towards the back door, which is the exact opposite of where Galahal is at the main entrance!”
“He’s not at the main entrance anymore, is he?”
“…Huh?”
I blinked in confusion.
Chloe blinked in response.
“I never said we were going to the main entrance from the start. The only thing that’s at the main entrance right now is Galahal’s baggage.”
Last time, Roks told me that the arrival of the carriage at the main entrance was Galahal’s signal. When the carriage arrived, we were supposed to head towards the back door.
“He said he wanted to talk to you first before the attention gets completely focused on him.”
“…Galahal?”
I nodded.
“He can’t discuss you being a hero candidate in front of the students. It would take some time to set up a separate place, so we decided to meet over here first.”
“Really…?”
“Would I lie after coming all this way?”
Chloe’s dimming eyes regained their sparkle.
Her slumped shoulders were soon brimming with energy. Watching Chloe change her attitude as quickly as flipping her palm made me chuckle.
“Did you think I’d call you out just to drag you into the forest for a training session or something?”
“Professor Rania would definitely do that… No!”
“Wow, you sure can say anything.”
I flicked her on the forehead.
‘Kids these days can say whatever they want.’
Every time Belnoa hears the word ‘great,’ he stifles his laughter, but it seems like Chloe thinks of me as some sort of nightmare.
“Quit whining and walk faster.”
“It really hurts…!”
Despite shedding a few tears, Chloe hurried along to follow me. I didn’t realize how much time had passed as we walked along the narrow path leading into the forest.
A refreshing breeze tickled my ear.
As I brushed my fluttering hair and looked ahead, we had arrived at an open clearing. The very place where I often talked with Kalt.
Crisp.
A dry twig snapped under my feet.
The sound that echoed wasn’t the only one. A similar sound came from the opposite side. Chloe and I turned to look in the direction of the sound.
“Oh.”
I stopped in awe.
“There he comes.”
The person we were supposed to meet here.
“The most heroic hero.”
“Overwhelmingly, that’s how I am called.”
That was Galahal, his sword at the ready, standing there. Just as he noticed us and was about to greet us…
“Gah, gahhhh!”
I heard a strangled sound beside me.
Both Galahal and I fell silent for a moment and looked towards the source of the noise. There stood Chloe, her eyes wide open, covering her mouth with her hand.
It was a dream meeting for Chloe, who gasped for breath as if it was hard to even breathe.
Cough, cough!
She must have swallowed too much air; she ended up coughing it all out.
2.
Heroes are given a special outfit.
It was a costume mainly in white, but each hero’s attire differed slightly. For Kyle, it looked like he added one piece of armor on his shoulder… Destel, on the other hand, didn’t even wear his hero’s outfit, saying he had no reason to flaunt it.
And then there was Galahal.
His attire was somewhat unique.
He had wrapped a scarf-like cloth around his neck, and I once asked him about it.
“What’s with that piece of cloth? It looks like it could flutter and be quite bothersome.”
“Um, don’t laugh at me for it, okay?”
“What is it? Is it a funny story?”
I asked Galahal while sipping on my drink, and he scratched the back of his head before answering.
“I mimicked the outfit of a hero from my favorite fairy tale.”
It wasn’t anything particularly funny. I nodded, lending him my ear.
“What’s that fairy tale?”
“The Chronicles of the Guardian, Ganyr.”
“Oh, the Ganyr who was a hero over a hundred years ago? He was definitely known as the Savior Ganyr or something like that.”
Ganyr the Savior.
The hero who saved the most people.
“Yes, this is a secret, but… my village is Ganyr’s birthplace. So it was easy to find fairy tales about him.”
“Oh, so you mimicked Ganyr’s attire?”
“Yes. That’s exactly it.”
After finishing his drink, Galahal waved the cloth like a scarf around his neck.
“Do you know what all heroes in fairy tales have in common, Raniel?”
“That they’re all exaggerated?”
“You’re hitting a sore spot. Besides that.”
“That they are cool?”
“Yes, that’s similar.”
Nodding, Galahal continued.
“While it’s not true in actual history, in exaggerated fairy tales, Ganyr is somewhat a symbol. It’s represented by that unique outfit.”
Galahal looked happy as he spoke.
“Ganyr steps forth, cape fluttering like two wings, standing before all. Some feel reassured by that back view, while others anticipate victory. Just by that silhouette, he gives hope to someone.”
“Oh…”
“What I’m saying is, Raniel.”
More than ever.
“It’s a truly wonderful thing, isn’t it?”
“Is it?”
“Yes, I thought it was truly wonderful. That’s why I tried to mimic it in my own way.”
After saying that, Galahal poured more drink into his cup, looking a bit shy.
“You may think of it as a boy’s silliness. In truth, it’s quite similar.”
“Would I be in a position to say that? I just came out wearing the same robe I had at the tower and now I’m parading around the Ashen Tower.”
“Haha. That’s surely effective.”
Recalling that time, I looked ahead.
Galahal’s attire was symbolic.
He’d often joke that he wouldn’t change his outfit, meaning he wouldn’t allow himself to fall apart.
‘…Thank goodness.’
Looking at Galahal in front of me, I smiled.
‘He hasn’t changed a bit.’
The fluttering fabric of the wind.
The Galahal I remembered was standing right before me. I felt a warm excitement seeing a battlefield comrade after so long.
“Nice to…”
“G-g-greetings! Galahal!”
As I was about to step forward, Chloe pushed past me, completely oblivious to my presence.
“It’s an honor to meet you…!”
Her voice was filled with tension.
Anyone could tell she was nervous.
Galahal looked briefly at Chloe and, with a gentle smile, nodded.
“Yes, I’m also glad to meet you, Chloe.”
“Y-you know my name…?”
“Of course. Aren’t we both heroes?”
Hero. The word made Chloe clasp her mouth shut. She looked like she might cry any minute.
Logically, he wouldn’t come to meet her without knowing her name, but Chloe didn’t seem to have the bandwidth to think that far.
“G-g-galahal!”
Chloe, trembling, extended a notebook tightly held between her hands towards Galahal.
‘Huh?’
With her head lowered, she didn’t seem to check the opened page…
“C-c-could you please sign…?”
“Chloe, I think you opened the wrong page.”
It looked like she had opened it incorrectly.
The page she opened wasn’t the one with Galahal’s article but rather mine. It seemed she had mistakenly grabbed the wrong page while we were chatting at the café.
“Ah…!”
However, Chloe’s notebook had already slipped into Galahal’s hand.
“Hmm, ‘The Ultimate Genius who even the Ancient Lich despises’… Raniel, my friend, quite the illustrious name you’ve got here.”
Galahal chuckled and quickly scribbled down his name with the quill pen he received from Chloe.
“Here you go, Chloe.”
Leaving a teary-eyed Chloe behind, Galahal shifted his gaze to me. His emerald eyes focused on me. After a brief silence, he spoke.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Roks. The Guide, Rania van Trias. News often comes to me even on the battlefield.”
“It’s a bit awkward, so you can just call me Rania.”
“It’s a bit strange to use formal language with a friend’s sister. Feel free to drop the formalities.”
That was a welcome remark.
“Should I?”
“You adapt quickly.”
“I guess I’m a quick learner.”
I didn’t intentionally tell Galahal to drop the formalities. I knew it wouldn’t matter.
‘Even when I yelled at him to drop the formalities on the battlefield, he kept using formal language until the end, so what’s the use?’
Nodding, I took off my gloves.
I extended my bare hand towards Galahal for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you, Galahal. I hope you have a good rest during your time in Apuria. Feel free to ask about Chloe’s education anytime.”
“Yes, I appreciate it.”
Galahal grabbed my extended hand.
Despite having a hero’s body that could recover quickly from injuries or scars, Galahal’s palm felt deeply calloused.
‘Kyle used to be like that too.’
Just as I was about to release his hand, I sensed something odd in how it felt.
‘This feeling…’
I narrowed my eyes.
Looking closely at Galahal, instead of letting go, I gripped his hand a little tighter.
“…Um, could you please let go now?”
I stared directly into Galahal’s eyes.
He smiled awkwardly, but beyond that smile, I saw something different. That was when I realized what the sensation in my palm was.
A crumbling sensation.
A feeling of something breaking down.
It was a feeling that was all too familiar to me.
A brief silence lingered. Neither Galahal nor I could easily open our mouths. We both sensed that something was off with each other.
“Uh, Professor Rania?”
Chloe broke the awkward silence.
I released his hand and stepped back. Galahal rubbed his palm, looking at me oddly, but I didn’t have the breathing room to respond.
My head felt somewhat complicated.
Putting those complex thoughts in the back of my mind for a while, I turned my head to Chloe.
“What is it, Chloe?”
“U-um, what did you just say…?”
“What do you mean?”
“The part about Chloe’s education, what was that about?”
“Oh, that?”
I tilted my head.
“Why do you think Galahal is here?”
“Huh?”
“To see the next hero candidate and offer advice as a senior hero. That’s one of the reasons for his visit. Didn’t you hear that from the Dark Tower Master?”
Chloe’s eyes widened in shock.
Her expression said she was hearing this for the first time.
“I thought the Dark Tower Master might have mentioned it.”
“I didn’t hear such a thing…!”
With trembling eyes, Chloe glanced at Galahal.
Galahal nodded slightly.
“As an educator, I may be lacking, but I ask for your guidance.”
Thud.
Chloe’s notebook fell from her grasp, clearly in shock.
3.
Thanks to Galahal’s visit, the faculty at Apuria had a tough time. When the students who’d been caught by the carriage at the main entrance finally gathered in the auditorium, Galahal was already standing on the podium.
And then followed light speeches and welcoming remarks.
It was a mere formality, but the students’ reactions upon seeing a hero up close were nothing short of explosive. I suppose that was to be expected.
To me, who had walked alongside heroes, they weren’t that rare, but for the students, it was different.
Being called the hope of humanity, a select few blessed by the stars. To the students who had only heard about the heroes’ triumphs from articles, the term ‘hero’ was a real existence but lacked a tangible feeling.
A being existing far away.
That being stood right in front of them.
Close enough to touch.
Even the genteel scions trying to act dignified threw aside their masks and began to mix with the students, shouting.
Seeing that with my own two eyes felt like…
To exaggerate a little, it was like witnessing a scene of collective madness.
“I hear you might be taking classes.”
“Oh, I got the message in advance.”
In the Mana Trading Studies Professor’s office, my master flipped through the official documents that had been sent among the professors.
“Aaron was thrilled about it. With Saint Sara, Hero Kyle, and now with Galahal visiting, he’s been carrying on about how this place is a blessed land.”
It wasn’t just heroes that visited.
Remembering the times when the Scullcap had knocked twice on Apuria’s main entrance, I couldn’t help but smile wryly at the term ‘blessed land.’
“Since it’s the Magic Academy, it’s true that there isn’t much Galahal can teach…”
It seems Aaron insisted that Galahal must be in charge of classes. He believed just attending would positively influence the students.
“So, the classes he’ll take over are the basic martial arts classes related to the Battle Magic Department. The professor who originally held that position, Mackhart, readily gave up his place.”
“Oh…”
Galahal teaching basic martial arts.
‘Should I sit in on the classes?’
I found myself personally interested.
While I was contemplating that, my master warned me in a low voice.
“Don’t even think about causing any trouble while you’re there.”
“Excuse me? Trouble?”
“Don’t barge in for your own curiosity and ruin the class in front of all the students.”
“Hey, what would I even ruin?”
I waved my hands dismissively.
Recently, it seemed people thought I was some sort of wreck who broke everything around me, but I was someone who considered things before acting.
‘Why would I interfere with Galahal’s class?’
Having a lot on my plate, there was no way I’d do anything unproductive. I said that, but my master didn’t lower his skeptical gaze.
“Given your track record, I can’t easily trust you, Rania.”
“…What is this?”
“A waiver.”
“………”
“Write your name. Hurry up.”
My master didn’t stop nagging until he had my signature. I let out a short sigh and stared at my palm.
The sensation I had felt from Galahal’s hand.
It was a sensation I had to endure daily before this body was formed. And as far as I knew, the appearance of such a sign indicated only one possibility.
So it raised further questions.
‘Could heroes also experience that?’
It wouldn’t be possible for a hero.
It was an opportunity permitted only to mere humans, not blessed by the stars.
“Ugh…”
My mind felt tangled.
I had the strong urge to rush up to Galahal and grab him by the collar right then and there, but right now, his attention was too focused elsewhere.
Students were following him everywhere.
The sheer number of them was overwhelming, and any sign of something odd would undoubtedly spread absurd rumors in an instant.
‘It was the same with Kelharlem…’
I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
As I checked the timetable while contemplating when to grab Galahal, someone knocked on the professor’s door.
My master motioned to me with his eyes. I stood up and walked towards the door.
Outside was chaotic.
The commotion seeping through the door made it easy to guess that a large crowd had gathered outside.
‘What could it be?’
Thoughtlessly, I opened the door.
“Ah.”
I locked eyes with Galahal standing in front of the door.
And behind him, a multitude of students.
The sound of the students buzzing echoed in my ears.
『Galahal the hero is here with Professor Rania.』
『Do they know each other?』
『Suddenly?』
In the ruckus, Galahal opened his mouth.
“Do you have a moment?”
『······!』
『Just now…!』
It was fine before, but now it might not be fine anymore.
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