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“…You’re quitting?”

“Yes.”

Heinkel Headmaster lifted his trembling hand to adjust his glasses.

This was the first time I had seen him wear glasses. But that didn’t change the contents of the leave of absence documents he was holding.

Hmm, this situation feels oddly familiar.

“Are you really sure about this, Instructor Ion?”

“It’s already been decided.”

Heinkel Headmaster swallowed hard as he spoke.

“Was it the salary that was the issue? Or was it the working environment? Is there a troublesome student bothering you, or is another instructor being a nuisance? If there’s anything wrong at work, I’ll do my best to help—”

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then can you tell me what the problem is?”

Heinkel Headmaster is one of the few people who knows that I’m the Faceless Hero, but the issue regarding Ella is purely personal.

However, he is also my boss. And considering that I got this position through the recommendation of Kalstein Marquis, leaving without any explanation would be a nuisance to both of us.

I omitted the detailed reasons involving the Undying Legion Commander or the ritual using the bloodline of the Ionia royalty and briefly explained only the necessary parts.

After listening for a while, Heinkel Headmaster nodded slightly and replied.

“I see. You have something to find in the now-defunct Ionia Kingdom… If Instructor Ion says it’s that important, it must be something significant.”

To be precise, it isn’t an object, but a person. Yet I saw no need to correct Heinkel Headmaster’s misunderstanding.

Seeing his serious expression, he likely figured it was important enough to consider my status and wouldn’t pry too deeply.

“Is it very dangerous?”

“Not really.”

It’s true that the land of the Ionia Kingdom is currently a den of undead. Even if the outskirts are teeming with lower undead like zombies and skeletons, I’ve heard that the heart of the kingdom is still swarming with higher undead.

But that’s a concern for regular people, and it doesn’t apply to me, who fought alone there even when the Undying Legion Commander was alive.

Unless the Undying Legion Commander were to resurrect like the Beast Commander did, there’s nothing dangerous about facing a mere horde of undead. It might be a bit of a nuisance, but still manageable.

“…Haha, that’s true. Unless the surviving commanders or the Demon King himself cross over to this continent, what creature could harm Instructor Ion? I guess I’m worrying for nothing.”

Actually, it’s a bit ambiguous to say the Demon King is still alive.

Of course, I had no intention of bringing that up here.

“Yes. But it will take some time.”

“How long do you expect it to take?”

“I don’t know. I plan to scout the Ionia Royal Palace first, and if I can’t find anything there, I’ll search the entire Capital of Karia. If that still doesn’t yield results, I’ll have to wander around the whole kingdom.”

I was already prepared for this to take a long time. Even if I had to return my leave of absence and actually resign, I was ready to sign calmly.

However, Heinkel Headmaster seemed to be lost in thought for quite a while, muttering to himself at times.

“Hmmm, if I take a carriage from the Capital City to the Ionia border, it’ll take about a month on foot… even on the fastest horse, it would take around two weeks… Considering the time for a round trip… Hmm, maybe we should change the schedule….”

“…Headmaster?”

“Oh dear, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts for too long.”

“It’s fine. So can you approve the leave of absence I submitted?”

“Huh, about that….”

At that, Heinkel Headmaster made a troubled expression. But it seemed a bit forced, like it was put on for effect.

“I’d love to approve it since Instructor Ion has an important matter. However, there are procedures in the Academy. I have to find someone to fill your position immediately, so it’s quite a complicated situation for me.”

“That’s….”

“It’s already been a month since the semester started. I wonder how many would apply at this ambiguous time if we recruit an additional instructor, and I’m not sure there will be anyone who meets my criteria. And what about the students? They’ve just started to adapt to Academy life, and how surprised would they be if their homeroom instructor suddenly changed?”

“Um….”

I had no words of rebuttal.

No matter how much I may have my reasons, they are merely my personal circumstances. It’s true that it would be complicated for the Headmaster if I just up and quit without warning.

If a single instructor suddenly disappears, he’d have to be concerned about how to manage the classes immediately, and above all, the biggest issue would be the students of the Opal Black Class.

Heinkel Headmaster continued.

“They’re already quite unique students. I worry whether a new instructor could manage well without any handover, and if things don’t go well, the class itself might disappear.”

“…The class would disappear?”

“That’s because it’s a newly established class. If the homeroom instructor were to vanish, there would probably be discussions about transferring the students to existing classes rather than finding a new instructor. Such discussions have been circulating for quite some time in Diamond White.”

I remember that. The Instructor Acheron had raised a minor issue about this at the beginning of the semester, saying that if Opal Black Class hadn’t existed, prominent students like the princess or the prime minister’s son would have enrolled in Diamond White.

If the class were to be disbanded, the students of Opal Black would be scattered to classes they were originally meant to attend.

Titania and Osnia, who had been so close, would have to part ways, and Marian’s efforts to establish the Student Council would go to waste.

It’s uncertain if that would actually happen. Disbanding an already established class isn’t easy, and it’s questionable whether things would proceed that far just because one instructor is missing.

However, the possibility certainly exists, and just thinking about it fills my chest with a heavy feeling.

“…….”

I can’t miss this moment, which might be the last chance to save Ella.

But leaving the students like this weighs on my conscience.

Is there any way to manage this? Perhaps I could ask Instructor Rilya… No, I can’t impose further burdens on someone already responsible for a class.

Should I rather recommend a new instructor to take my place? What about Silvia…? But would she even want to be the instructor for students like the imperial princess or the prime minister’s son while she’s on the run? Of course, she’d probably refuse in horror, and looking for someone else isn’t easy given my lack of connections.

As I silently pondered, Heinkel Headmaster spoke softly.

“So, Instructor Ion. How about we put a temporary hold on this?”

“A hold… you say?”

“You know that starting this month, there’s a special field training scheduled, right?”

Special field training. Yes, I know about it.

The students of Philion are future pillars of the Empire, and the founding figure of the Academy, Philion Grand Emperor, hoped they would grow not just through education within the Academy but also through various experiences.

For that reason, Academy students are required to carry out various missions across the Empire twice a year to serve the nation and gain a variety of experiences. It’s also an opportunity to showcase the students’ abilities.

Heinkel Headmaster stroked his long beard.

“That’s quite fortunate. In fact, I was wondering where to set the training location, and this time it might be good to head to Schwarzheim.”

Schwarzheim is a border city of the Empire that adjoins the borders of Ionia.

After the fall of the kingdom, it became known as “the city of adventurers,” as many adventurers flocked there from various parts of the continent.

It wasn’t hard to grasp Heinkel Headmaster’s intentions.

“…Headmaster.”

“This is my proposal, Instructor Ion. Since you’re going to Ionia Kingdom anyway, you must pass through Schwarzheim. Your final destination was the Capital of Karia, right? If you set off from Schwarzheim, you should be able to arrive in a day, considering your speed.”

Heinkel Headmaster nodded and continued.

“If you manage to find what you seek in the Royal Palace, you can return with the students. If not… well, that can’t be helped. There’d be enough time to find a new instructor before the training ends. Let’s use this as a handover period for you, shall we? How does that sound?”

“…….”

If I find Ella in the Royal Palace, I won’t need to quit the instructor position.

Even if I don’t find her, it’s alright. Heinkel Headmaster will have found a new instructor to take my place by then.

This was a proposal I had no grounds or reasons to refuse.

 

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