NOVEL WEB Chapter 34
The reason these children are called the Golden Generation is due to several factors, and the new students who just enrolled this time are indeed the golden eggs laid by a goose.
What kind of talents do these children possess?
Unlike ordinary individuals, they might have overwhelming talent or could be geniuses with completely different ways of thinking. Since this class is said to be filled with candidates for the next generation hero party, perhaps it’s okay to have a little hope.
Considering that I unexpectedly became a professor, my impression wasn’t bad.
After all, these kids are diligent.
Candidates for the hero party might dislike the idea of being taught by a professor who is not even renowned like me, but they’re all kind kids.
It’s commendable.
Though it feels quite different, perhaps this is the heart of a parent watching over their children.
“…Hah, haah. Professor, I ran around the playground 30 times… Hah, haah.”
“Good job.”
“…Thank you….”
“Now, how about we try swinging a wooden sword a hundred times? Easy, right? Back in my day, a basic practice was to swing five hundred times on the first day.”
“Yes?”
“I’m letting you off easy because you’re new students. I’ve really softened up. Normally, even on the first day, swinging five hundred times is a basic requirement. This is fundamental.”
Even though I was possessing the specs of a game character from the start and didn’t need such trivial training, at least Charles initially followed my training without any complaints, glaring at me with a look that said he might die.
From the moment he picked up a sword, he was strong enough to defeat knights on the front lines in real combat.
What will happen when such a child starts seriously wielding a sword?
I was curious.
How far could this child grow? Could he become a knight who surpasses me?
With pure curiosity and the earnestness of a child, I made Charles my disciple. So, I might have been pushing him quite a bit… or teaching him, perhaps.
‘When it comes to sword talent, from the very beginning, Charles was a child that would surpass me.’
From the moment I first saw Charles in this body, I instinctively sensed it.
While different from Leticia, he exuded an overwhelming presence that did not lose to hers, along with a calm and delicate demeanor hiding a fierce energy. Charles’s energy was so stable and explosive that I even thought he might be stronger than Leticia.
I could tell just by looking. Charles had a martial prowess that was incomparable to my current self. If I were still Damian, we could have had an interesting duel.
But I didn’t feel regret.
Especially since Charles was looking at me with a doubtful gaze while disagreeing with Leticia’s words.
If he finds out that I am Damian soon, he would undoubtedly rush at me with fire in his eyes, looking for a duel? No way. Given Charles’s personality, I imagined he would propose some ridiculous bet where if either of us lost in a duel, we would grant each other a wish.
It would be better to enjoy being a quiet academy teacher rather than accepting a bet like that which I had no confidence in winning.
Just then, a female student with red hair approached me, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.
“Professor.”
“Yes?”
“I completed all the assignments you gave me, but what more can I do?”
“If you’ve finished, go rest.”
“…Huh? But I have the duty to grow stronger here…!”
“Duty? Who gave you that duty? How absurd. Your desire to become stronger is admirable, but you’re already excellent for a freshman, right? There’s no need to rush.”
She made a strong first impression.
Did she say her name was Chloe?
With her short red hair styled in a bob and eyes reminiscent of rubies among gemstones. She must be the next hero that Leticia and the Chancellor mentioned.
Was Leo also keeping an eye on the next hero?
As I looked up at the female student from below, I admired her.
Wow. She’s strong.
She was excellent at hiding her abilities. It seemed she was accustomed to concealing her strength such that ordinary opponents would think she was weak.
It would surely be easy to deceive lesser opponents. It is said that since she was chosen by the Goddess as the next hero, she had faced countless assassination threats and engaged in peace treaties while alone fending off staunch Mazoku who asserted that all humans should be exterminated.
Indeed, those tales might not be exaggerations.
Those eyes, shining intensely while radiating a sharpness, were the eyes of a warrior. Unfortunately, to rephrase, those warrior eyes implied someone who had been through the battlefield. It must be due to a life far removed from ordinary existence.
Even after the war ended, had this child’s own battles not finished? I frowned.
Sigh, useless goddess.
Isn’t this sort of thing happening now because you are choosing the next hero when a peace treaty has been established? It’s the same uselessness from the past to the present.
I understood why Leticia and the Chancellor appointed me as the swordsmanship professor in this class where candidates for the hero party are present.
I admit it.
This child resembled me in my earlier days, when I mindlessly embodied a game character, slaughtering countless Mazoku while rolling through battlefields.
Eyes filled with contradictory emotions, harboring hatred for the world yet wanting to save it. Empty eyes. Kindred spirits recognize each other. As the child’s gaze met mine, she flinched, shuddered, and slowly turned her head away.
Ha. A bitter laugh escaped me.
What does the temple expect from her now that the war has ended?
Even though Leo is alive despite being cursed with changing genders, what do they want from this child now that they have picked a new hero?
I really have no confidence when it comes to counseling children.
Yet, the sight of a student having such empty eyes weighed on my heart.
Should I have said I would be a homeroom teacher rather than a swordsmanship professor?
This is troublesome.
I had no idea what to say. After a few seconds of contemplation, I finally broke the silence I had been maintaining.
“Alright, Chloe. You were the fastest.”
“….”
“That’s impressive.”
“…What?”
“I said it’s impressive. Honestly, it’s surprisingly so. It’s definitely not me dismissing you. Compared to your age, you are nearly a ‘finished’ gemstone. You have probably long surpassed the level of a freshman.”
Momentarily taken aback, Chloe looked so flustered as if she thought her ears had deceived her. I tiptoed and gently patted her head, which was taller than mine.
She flinched. I noticed her eyes trembling, which didn’t match her stern expression, so I fell silent.
I felt hot stares from behind but ignored them.
Jealousy towards a student is unbecoming, Leticia.
Perhaps the sudden compliment made Chloe awkwardly freeze. I lightly patted her stiff shoulders and continued speaking.
“Since you’re a hero, it’s only natural you should possess this level of ability. If you are to be the successor of Leo Starfield as a hero, it is only expected for you to overcome the Mazoku at your age. As a hero, you must save people. As a hero, you must act boldly and take the lead. There’s no need for you to listen to all that.”
“…….”
“Though this may sound sudden, here you are a student, not a hero. Seeking guidance from a professor is also natural. You are an excellent student. So, there’s no need to be so harsh on yourself like before.”
What she really wanted to tell me wasn’t this, but it seemed this was a rare opportunity to say something.
Expressing certainty to a student before pushing them too hard is also part of a teacher’s duty.
Hmm. Indeed. Just now, I might have sounded like a real professor.
I nodded with a satisfied expression and conveyed words from a senior of the hero party to my junior.
“Ignore everything the old folks at the temple say. Those geezers have always been that way. They just give orders without doing anything. I often wanted to shut their mouths every time they said something to Leo, just like they do to you.”
“…Leo?”
“Yes?”
“I knew you were close with Professor Leticia, but I didn’t expect you to be close with the hero too. It seems you and the hero are on a first-name basis…”
Oh no. I always call Leo by his name, so it slipped out without me realizing.
Chloe, who widened her eyes in surprise, and seemed to be as aloof as a cat softening towards its owner, made me feel oddly satisfied.
I quickly denied Chloe’s words.
“No, I misspoke. I’m acquainted with the hero, but it’s not as close as you think.”
If Leo were here, he would have jumped up and down in shock asking how I could say that, but Leo is not here now. Perhaps the muffled laughter behind me would eventually make its way back to Leo, but that’s none of my concern.
If he gets upset over something like this, then that’s just being stingy.
I could almost see Leo seething in my head.
“That was sudden, but thank you, Professor.”
At those words, I raised my head. A slight smile appeared on Chloe’s previously stoic expression, resembling that of a student her age.
“You’re welcome.”
Following Chloe’s lead, I laughed. Even though she is the hero who will lead the next generation, she was still my student in this academy.
Perhaps I have some talent in counseling too.