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[Arrested for Theft and Terrorism Charges as an Academy Student.]

When I unfolded the newspaper after waking up in the morning, that phrase caught my eye first. They had printed it so large that even if I didn’t want to see it, it was impossible to look away.

The content reported that a student from the Academy had been arrested at dawn by the Imperial Knights on charges of theft and terrorism, but there were zero details about who stole what or where the terrorism occurred.

Well, who would admit that they raided a secret auction house they had been keeping under wraps? If they did, they’d have to reveal its location, right?

“Sigh. What a chaotic world we live in. A student, and instead of studying, they’re off committing theft and terrorism.”

As I folded the newspaper and tossed it aside, Luna and Riche approached me.

“Isn’t this all your fault, Luke…?”

“Right?”

“Blaming others for everything is a bad habit you should break.”

Of course, I don’t deny that I had a hand in this. Why? Because that’s what I wanted! It’s about time they face a bit of hardship. I’ve cleaned up their mess so many times while they were off doing something strange during crucial moments. They could at least help clear up my mess, right? That’s what a protagonist is for!

“More importantly, I heard they’ve been summoned by the Empire. If things go badly, they might not come back.”

“What do you mean? The protagonist can’t take such a fall!”

Well, it’s certainly possible they would get imprisoned in the storyline. But if you ask me if that imprisonment is for life, I can undoubtedly say no.

“Tia will figure something out.”

I have no idea how, but with Tia and Stella having established a good rapport, I’m confident Tia’s noble father, being a complete doting dad, will gladly help her out if she asks for anything. Meanwhile, Stella, being a commoner, could only provide an alibi for the toilet, and that’s about it.

The Empire isn’t foolish either; if they investigate even a little, they’ll find the toilet isn’t the culprit. I wield a greatsword, while the toilet just uses a longsword. The very weapons we use differ, plus the artifact only changes appearances, so our builds are different too.

“They’ll be released soon enough.”

The reason the Empire forcibly detained the toilet was merely for show—to present that they were making efforts to find the real culprit at the auction.

“Being a protagonist means things always work out somehow…”

Riche seemed to mutter the word ‘protagonist’ as if it were a universal remedy.

“That’s exactly why I’m the protagonist!”

These days, the villains seem to have gotten pitiful, always popping back to life after being killed off, just to itch around again. Honestly, at some point, I’d reckon the cockroaches have a better claim to being the protagonist than most.

“Why in the world would the character I am in the story hang around with such lowlifes?”

“Even if the Arthur in the story is frustrating, he’s still better than the toilet.”

While the Arthur in the story is tagged with justice, sweet potatoes, and harem, the toilet now is likely to be tagged with misery, nighttime woes, and lack of awareness.

“Regardless, let’s get moving now.”

We got up from our seats. We needed breakfast, and starting today, we’d be active as adventurers again.

*

After finishing breakfast, our first destination wasn’t the Adventurer’s Guild but the Blacksmith. We needed to check what kind of minerals Luna brought back yesterday, and we had to make her a new weapon. We couldn’t be using iron swords forever; we need to take on A-Rank monsters from now on.

Ding-a-ling.

As soon as I opened the door, the familiar chime greeted me. Inside, the uncle was reading the newspaper while swatting flies, just like always. Even though I’m not gay, seeing the uncle again after a long time brings back a bit of fondness. I’ve spent quite a bit of time here, after all.

“What’s this? It’s you, kid?”

The uncle neatly folded the newspaper and set it aside as soon as he made eye contact with me.

“Oh, you were reading that too?”

“Ah, is that what this is about?”

“What do you think?”

“The academy’s standing has really dropped these days. Demons, theft, terrorism. Back in my day, the academy was something people like us wouldn’t even look at.”

The uncle’s “Latte Is Horse.” Yet seeing him hammering away at the forge makes that sound quite believable.

“More importantly, you’ve been absent for so long, I thought you were genuinely dead. Just where have you been?”

“I was working as a temporary professor at the academy. A so-called dispatch. Clearly too competent to be doing such things.”

“Is that really you?”

His hearty laugh suggested he couldn’t believe my words. Well, I don’t blame him; it would be pretty hard to understand why I went through the troublesome task. I pulled out something that clearly demonstrated my abilities. The uncle’s smile vanished immediately.

“W-What’s that?”

“You know what it is, right?”

What I showed was a silver-colored Adventurer’s Badge. It was an authenticated token proving I was a B-Rank adventurer. The uncle, having seen many adventurers, certainly wouldn’t be clueless about what it meant.

“No way… really you’re B-Rank? Already…?!”

“If it weren’t for the academy dispatch, I’d already be A-Rank.”

If I hadn’t been at the academy keeping a low profile, I would’ve climbed up to A-Rank ages ago. But now that I’m back as Adventurer Luke, A-Rank won’t take long.

“But you went to the academy and ended up with another girlfriend?”

The uncle asked while looking at Riche, who had been standing behind me looking dazed. Haha, if someone who didn’t know me heard that, they’d think I became an adventurer to pick up girlfriends.

“Hello, I’m Riche Winchester, Luke’s girlfriend.”

“Why are you my girlfriend?”

“Am I not?”

Thanks to Riche, someone now perceives me as the Golden Sun. Admittedly, I kind of deserved that title. Still, the implication in the uncle’s remark that I went to the academy to find a girlfriend requires a rebuttal.

“Hey, uncle. Have you heard the saying that beautiful flowers attract bees?”

I may be a manly man, but calling me beautiful is a stretch. However, handsome or rich men attract attention too. I didn’t charm anyone; they just came buzzing around. Honestly, even Luna, who followed me of her own volition, started trying to kill me, and Riche seemed intent on expelling me.

“Huh… Okay. Assuming what you say is true. But why have you come here today? I can’t imagine it’s just for a casual visit.”

Why did his response make it sound like he was reluctantly accepting my word?

“I’m not sure if it’s ordinary, but I brought something with me.”

I pulled out something resembling a green iron material from the inventory that I’d acquired from the auction yesterday. The uncle’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight.

“This is…?!”

“Do you recognize it?”

“No.”

What’s this? His reaction was as if I’d brought in something extraordinary, but now he claims to have no idea what it is. Has he lost his mind from not working for so long? Poor guy, I suppose I should get my money’s worth out of him.

“I need to make weapons out of this; can you do it?”

“Of course.”

“But you said you didn’t recognize it.”

“There are countless things in the world I don’t know about. If I said I couldn’t make it every time I encountered something unfamiliar, how would I keep my business running?”

That’s a fair point. If blacksmiths couldn’t forge unknown materials, then all the blacksmiths in the world would disappear. They need to study and create new items when they don’t recognize something.

“Then what do you need to make with it?”

“I need two daggers. How long do you reckon that’ll take?”

“Well… Since it’s my first time seeing this material, if it’s easy to forge, it should take about two days. If it’s tough, around three.”

“Can’t you whip them up in a day using rocket production techniques?”

“…That sort of thing doesn’t exist.”

Not very service-minded, is he? Back in my past life, there were express services that could get packages delivered in a day. I guess everyone here is quite laid back. But hey, that’s why they must need help from the likes of Arthur to avoid catastrophe.

“Tch. Got it. I’ll come back in two days.”

*

After assigning the request to the uncle, we emerged from the blacksmith and headed to our next destination: the Adventurer’s Guild.

“After seeing the academy building all the time, it feels odd to see the Adventurer’s Guild building now.”

“Get used to it. This is your workplace now.”

Riche, who was once a student at the academy, has hardly any reason to visit the Adventurer’s Guild. In the story, she’d only come by once in a while to follow Arthur around. Outside of that, it was only a handful of occasions. But now that she’s dropped out of the academy and is with me, she should be able to come and go here like it’s home.

I brought her to the reception desk immediately to report our return.

“Adela, we’re back!”

“Oh… was today your return day?”

It’s been a while since I last saw Adela, and she looked much better nowadays. Maybe the troublesome incidents have decreased significantly.

“Seems the troubles have lessened lately?”

“What?”

“I noticed your complexion’s gotten much better.”

At my words, Adela touched her cheeks as if she hadn’t realized it herself. But soon, her expression darkened.

“…The worst troublemaker hasn’t been around lately.”

If Adela is calling someone a nuisance, I wonder just how obnoxious that person must be. I’m curious to see what they look like.

“By the way, it looks like your party has increased by one since you went to the academy?”

“It just sort of happened.”

“Well… I’m not one to meddle, but men with a history of womanizing often meet a grim end, so I recommend you stop while you’re ahead.”

Both the uncle and Adela seem overly interested in my female companions. Why do they keep implying that I’m some sort of womanizer?

“More importantly, can I get the compensation for the academy dispatch? You mentioned you had it prepared.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

From below the reception desk, I heard the sound of clinking coins, and soon a fairly large pouch was in Adela’s hands. I don’t know how much it is, but I doubt the Dean filled it with silver coins. Just hearing the sound makes my mouth water.

“Hehe… Yui, let’s have a nice dinner tonight!”

“How much is it?!”

“Let’s go for the most expensive and delicious option!”

Yui, who probably doesn’t have a tail, seems to be wagging an imaginary one. Maybe she’s a beastman after all.

“Did you only come to receive your compensation today?”

“Nope. We need to find some tasks too. But how much do we have to do to reach A-Rank?”

“It depends on the commission, but undertaking a single significant quest should elevate you immediately.”

That’s reassuring. We’ll just have to take on the biggest quest available. After receiving the money pouch from Adela, we made our way to the quest board, but suddenly the atmosphere in the guild turned chaotic. And it felt unsettling. I’ve encountered situations like this before, and every time I got dragged into it.

“Ugh. If I get entangled in this again, I swear—”

Let’s ignore it for now. I redirected my focus to the board to see if there were any interesting tasks listed.

“Is there a Luke here?”

 

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