Top Instructor of a Third-Rate Academy

Chapter 3

I was suddenly summoned by the chairman in the morning and headed to his office.

Among the students, the chairman's nickname was 'Psycho'.

But that was just a childish nickname given by students who didn't have much contact with him and therefore didn't know him well.

Those who knew the chairman well referred to him in a slightly different way, with a measure of respect.

A 'Mad', 'Fucking', 'Ultra Psycho'.

“Let me introduce you. This is Lady Rozalin Vürhelm, who has been employed as a guard starting today.”

“A strong and steadfast, good morning!”

And this morning, the chairman proved once again why he had earned such a nickname.

“……Does this make any sense?”

“What's not to make sense? We happened to be in need of a guard for the academy, and Lady Vürhelm was duly employed through the job posting.”

“In need, you say? Don't we have enough guards at our school? In the first place, why would a rural fief like this need so many guards?”

“To be precise, we needed a guard captain.”

“Isn't that a position that didn't exist until now?”

“We had guards, but no guard captain, did we? It's nothing short of a tragedy that even I wasn't aware of that until this Lady Vürhelm pointed it out! So I approved it with my authority as chairman.”

The chairman smiled, looking back and forth between Rozalin and me as if he were deeply moved.

“Where in the world is there a chairman and academy that allows a student's hooliganism?”

“Tsk, tsk. Students are originally hooligans. You have too many illusions about students. We are people meant to educate students. Shouldn't we also teach young students how to break through hardships and adversities?”

“And that education is achieved by quitting if the school sucks and getting a job as a guard captain?”

“That's how education is. You give them an example, and they apply it creatively.”

The reason the chairman was a psycho.

It was because he often did absurd things under the conviction of 'education'.

Like when the prince of a fallen kingdom applied for educational asylum, he accepted it without a second thought.

Or when the daughter of a huge underworld boss enrolled, he approved it, calling it the ultimate education.

But this was an unconventional move beyond common sense, even compared to his past misdeeds.

“The House of Marquis Vürhelm will not stand for this. Using the young lady of their family as a mere academy guard.”

“Traditionally, the position of academy guard captain is an honorable one held by knights from influential families. It will be fine.”

“That's the standard in the imperial capital.”

“We are no different from them. We are officially registered as an academy with the imperial family.”

With a fed-up expression, I looked at Lady Rozalin, who was nodding beside him.

Rozalin's attire was different from yesterday.

She wore the neat academy uniform sloppily, with the buttons undone at will, and on her right hand, which she mainly used for her sword, she wore a black glove with the fingers cut out.

The most striking thing was the hat she was wearing; she had on a black-brimmed hat, the kind mainly worn by the guards of this academy, and her back hair was tied up neatly.

Anyone would see her as a new recruit with very good military discipline.

“What on earth……”

“I spent 9 years in the army, going from a private to a general! I can handle this level of behavior just fine!”

“Ho ho ho, you will foster a good sense of spirit in the academy's students!”

“No, Chairman, just from that line, can't you feel that the young lady's mental state is a little sick?”

“Ho ho ho, what does it matter if she's sick? It's normal to live with such dreams and aspirations when you're young. Besides, isn't she even volunteering for the school?”

“Volunteering… you say?”

“Lady Rozalin has agreed to receive only the minimum living wage for her guard captain's salary! If we provide room and board, it's practically for free.”

“Crazy……”

I couldn't get through to the chairman.

Of course, that didn't mean I could get through to Rozalin either.

“Isn't this great? A student like me, uh, sticking right by your side to protect your life? Wow, if my old subordinates heard this, they'd die of envy. No, they'd probably ask me if I was crazy first?”

I clutched my throbbing head and asked.

“Yesterday, you definitely said it was before the 1st Demonic Invasion. Just how many times are we invaded until 10 years later?”

“Uh, it got annoying to count later on, so I don't know, but roughly the 73rd……?”

“That's really just a rough guess, isn't it.”

Can I really trust this student with my life?

I sighed inwardly.

Without me needing to say anything, the House of Marquis Vürhelm would send someone in a few days to resolve this situation.

According to the academy's rules, when a student drops out, the family must be contacted to ensure the student's safe return home.

As I was thinking that, something strange occurred to me.

“By the way, Chairman. Why on earth did you call for me? Surely you didn't call me in this situation to try and talk the student out of dropping out.”

“Ho ho ho ho, the contract included a condition that you would be in charge of Guard Captain Rozalin's swordsmanship instruction.”

“This son of a……”

“Hmm?”

“A slip of the tongue. I've never heard of a contract like this, and without even seeking the consent of me, the party to the contract?”

“Ho ho ho ho, isn't it an instructor's duty to guide a student?”

“You just said that person isn't a student.”

“We can't discriminate against members of the academy, can we? Isn't that right, Guard Captain?”

“The chairman's insight in treating a mere employee with the same status as a student is truly remarkable!”

“Hahahaha!”

Lady Rozalin and the chairman began to let out hearty laughs together, hahahaha.

My head ached.

* * *

“You said you were going to drop out, and this was your move?”

“It's the most intuitive, isn't it? Save the instructor. Protect the academy. Hmph. This is what I used to do when I was a great general anyway. Protect humanity!”

“The accommodations and situation must be terrible.”

“During the war, I slept rough in ruins for over a month. And I told you, right? The instructor dies in a year. So in that one year, there's a lot to gain by roaming around freely. Since I've regressed, I've got to suck up the good stuff.”

The guard's quarters I was led to were an absolute mess.

The guard who had protected the school until now was a retired mercenary in his 50s who had lost a leg to a monster.

He had lived with a bottle in his hand his whole life to forget the phantom pain, and thanks to that, unthrown liquor bottles were scattered all over the quarters.

The wallpaper was stained, and since he hadn't saved much money, there was no furniture.

No matter where you looked, it wasn't a space fit for a 16-year-old marquis's daughter.

No, this wasn't even a space fit for a 36-year-old mercenary.

Didn't she say she was going to suck up the good stuff?

This looked more like a workaholic who was thrown into extreme guerrilla training as soon as she regressed.

“Hmph, the smell of alcohol. I miss it. When the war starts, you can't even get alcohol like this.”

“……Student?”

But Rozalin entered the quarters without hesitation.

Upon closer inspection, she had already brought her belongings to one side of the room.

Which meant, the current state of this room was after Rozalin had already cleaned it once to make it a livable space for herself.

I had wondered where she changed her clothes.

My head ached so much I felt dizzy.

“Rozalin. Why on earth are you doing this? Just come back as a student. I'll give you an A+ even if you don't attend class. This is……”

Just a moment ago, I had been hoping someone from the House of Marquis Vürhelm would come and stop this young lady.

But if people from the marquis's house came in this state, that would be a problem in its own right.

If people saw this mess and raised an issue with the school, it could escalate to a diplomatic problem.

But Rozalin just smiled brightly and shook her head.

“That's only for your class, Instructor. I don't like troublesome things. I don't like rolling around with kids at this age either.”

“You're sixteen.”

“My mental age is twenty-six, you know? Ah, come to think of it, how old was the instructor at this time? Was he younger than me?”

I was twenty-seven.

No, that's not it.

Rozalin took out her guard's badge, roughly stuffed it into her pocket, and stood up.

“I almost left this behind. There. Let's go, Instructor.”

“Why did you put something like that in a place like this?”

“It's not an official appointment yet, so it'd be weird to wear this around. On the battlefield, these kinds of detailed regulations are surprisingly important.”

Battlefield, where?

I sighed and started walking.

There were many things I wanted to argue about, but it was almost class time.

Normally, I would have gone to the classroom first and led the students to the training ground.

But because of the chairman's summons, my schedule was completely messed up, so I had to go straight to the training ground.

“Where are you going?”

“First-year swordsmanship class.”

“Oh! Then I definitely have to go. Can't miss it.”

Rozalin smiled sweetly.

It was the brightest smile she had shown since her mind went a little crazy.

“Can't miss it?”

“He's there. The Sword Saint. Pan.”

Right, Pan had appeared like the main character in the story Rozalin told yesterday.

……That Pan?

I had my doubts, but I didn't bother to point out Rozalin's delusion as her eyes sparkled like a girl lost in a dream.

She would find out anyway when she met Pan.

As we walked, Rozalin looked around with light steps.

At first, I wondered if she would strike up a conversation, but surprisingly, Rozalin was preoccupied with admiring the surrounding scenery.

“Right, right, the dormitory was there. Kyaa, I miss it.”

“Come to think of it, that bratty punk enrolled here. Is there still a year left?”

“Speaking of which, that idiot graduates this year, right? ……He wasn't the type to die so pointlessly. I'd like to say hello if I see his face.”

“Is that hooligan bastard still here? No matter how I think about it, the chairman is a total psycho. To accept a traitor bastard as a student.”

I glanced at her and continued walking.

Bratty punk, idiot, psycho traitor bastard…….

There were more people I didn't know than people I thought I knew.

It's at times like these that I realize Rozalin is an existence that just dropped from the future, as she claimed.

‘The existence of demons was confirmed 215 years ago from now.’

In the future, will the demons really cross that time and suddenly invade?

And a large-scale invasion of over 70 times…….

Why on earth? What do they gain from it?

My head was a mess, but I didn't think Rozalin would be able to give me a proper answer either.

After walking for a while.

I suddenly realized it had become quiet behind me.

When I looked back, Rozalin's gaze was fixed on the huge tree in the center of the academy.

A huge tree, 20m in size.

Each and every branch is full of wide, beautiful white leaves, shining in the sunlight.

A spirit tree that maintains a fresh white light all year round because it holds mana itself, the Akarind Tree.

It was a tree commonly seen in the kingdom, and if well cared for, it could live for 150 years.

The Akarind tree at our academy was 121 years old.

I heard it from an elf, so it couldn't be wrong.

‘Our kingdom was only founded 65 years ago…….’

That tree had been protecting this land even before the royal family of this territory came into being.

They say a spirit dwells in a tree that is over 100 years old.

That's why the first dean established the academy here, hoping that a great person would emerge from receiving the energy of this place.

That is why the academy's name is also Akarind.

Rozalin looked at the tree for a long time, then.

“It's nice.”

She turned her gaze away after leaving that short comment.

At that moment, her eyes met mine.

‘Deep.’

I could feel a fond nostalgia and affection in her eyes.

It was that kind of gaze that made me have no choice but to believe her words.

That's why I couldn't understand.

“Rozalin.”

“Yes?”

“But why Pan of all people as the subject of that story? If it were another character, it would have been more plausible.”

“What do you mean, of all people? Pan is an amazing swordsman! Don't you know Sword Master? Swish, swish, hyah, hyah, and the monster bastards are cut in two, you know?”

Sword Master, putting aside that title I don't know the meaning of.

I pointed my finger to the alley near the training ground.

“Look.”

“Huh?”

In the alley between two walls, three or four students were gathered.

Three big students were bullying one student, and the small-statured student was unilaterally taking a beating from the others.

“Oof, kids these days are brutal.”

Rozalin frowned and looked over there as if she couldn't believe it.

And I kindly taught her.

“That's Pan.”

“Oh, Pan in the past had a great personality. Right, you need that kind of guts to go head-to-head on the front lines when fighting demons……”

“Not him.”

Rozalin's gaze was on the one doing the hitting, specifically the tallest and biggest one.

I kindly lowered my finger to correct her.

“The one below.”

Rozalin's gaze shifted from the standing children to the child cowering with a small body, enduring the bullying.

A small and petite fifteen-year-old first-year.

“……Eeeh?”

Pan, the main character in her story.

He was the most talentless, hopeless.

But a kind kid.

That kind of underachiever among underachievers at this Akarind Academy.