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The headline of the newspaper presented by Headmaster Heinkel was as follows:

[The Legendary Return! ‘The Faceless Hero’ Claims to Defeat the Giant Monster and Eradicate the Unresting Organization Known as ‘The Future of the Empire!’]

Just looking at the dizzying title almost made me tear the newspaper apart without even realizing it.

However, such shocking headlines were not exclusive to the Sangria Daily.

[A Legend Returns After 5 Years. ‘The Faceless Hero’ Fights Monsters in District 20 to Save the Capital City.]

[Complete Annihilation of the Terror Organization ‘The Future of the Empire,’ Rescuing Captured Non-Humans! The Hero is ‘The Faceless Hero’?]

[Dramatic Return of the Missing War Hero ‘The Faceless Hero,’ Cleansing the Giant Skeleton Monster and Eliminating the Racial Discrimination Organization!]

The notable newspapers that reached the Headmaster’s office were at this level; I couldn’t even begin to imagine the titles of the more sensational rags typically read by commoners or the lower class.

Why? Why did such articles come out?

I wasn’t entirely unprepared for the aftermath of erasing ‘The Future of the Empire.’ I meant to reveal ‘The Faceless Hero’ if things got out of hand.

However, the incident took place in a sparsely populated port area during the dead of night, and it ultimately drew in the imperial family. So if the imperial family and the Royal Guard announced that they had resolved the incident, the media and public would likely accept that.

The reason I entrusted the aftermath to the imperial family, including Marquis Eainheyar, was simply to pass the credit while maintaining my anonymity.

Elizabeth probably knew this too, hence the imperial family had no reason to state, “It was ‘The Faceless Hero’ who solved the incident.”

That left only one person to suspect.

As soon as I exited the headmaster’s office, I made my way to Captain Hermann.

He happened to be leisurely resting at the front gate’s watchtower, wearing a satisfied smile while reading a newspaper that prominently displayed the name ‘The Faceless Hero.’

“Was it you?”

“Gah! W-wha-”

I shot him a light glare, and just as he was about to let the name ‘The Faceless Hero’ slip, Captain Hermann quickly covered his mouth with both hands.

Fortunately, there was no one around the watchtower, so no one heard what he was about to say.

Lowering his voice, Captain Hermann politely asked, “…Is this Instructor Ion? W-what brings you here…?”

“I found this morning’s newspaper headline quite interesting.”

“Oh, that—”

Right. It was this guy.

Seeing Captain Hermann’s expression as if he knew something, I nodded.

And slowly released a murderous intent.

Of course, I had no intention of killing him. But knowing how loose his lips could be, I figured if he faced a little consequence, he wouldn’t dare speak carelessly again.

As I got closer, Captain Hermann raised his hands in alarm.

“W-wait! This is all a misunderstanding!”

“What’s the misunderstanding?”

“It’s true that I was interviewed! But I absolutely did not mention your name! Besides, even if it wasn’t me, there’s no way to hide ‘The Faceless Hero’s’ name!”

In his flustered state, he ended up addressing me using honorifics.

The commotion that took place in District 20 the previous night was impossible to keep secret.

Being deep in the night, one could dismiss the Evil Spirits, but too many people witnessed the giant skull face that appeared in the sky over the Capital City.

Stories of the Royal Guard, the empire’s elite, headed toward District 20 added to the credibility of the incident.

Various media outlets quickly caught wind of the situation, and one outlet learned that non-humans were transferred to a temple in serious condition, immediately rushing to cover the story.

In other words, the first witnesses to testify about ‘The Faceless Hero’ were none other than the captured victims.

“At the time, it was too dark for anyone to see your face, but we all remember the figure wielding a red spear in black armor while battling that enormous skull.”

“You say you saw that? Everyone was probably fainting.”

“The fight was intense. Some people were waking up in between while I was moving them. In any case, if things had gone awry, there was a risk of your identity being exposed, and some malicious folks might have tried to forcefully approach those in critical condition, so I had no choice but to be interviewed.”

Ultimately, Captain Hermann did testify that ‘The Faceless Hero appeared and resolved the incident.’

That was undeniable, and the imperial family wouldn’t have been able to refute it, meaning today’s newspaper headlines reflected that outcome.

I let out a short sigh.

Even if the imperial family didn’t openly mention ‘The Faceless Hero,’ if there were witnesses, the fact would eventually come to light.

That was out of my control, so further contemplation was meaningless. I could only be thankful that the identity of ‘The Faceless Hero’ as an academy instructor remained undisclosed.

That meant Captain Hermann was being careful about mentioning the essential truth.

“I see I misunderstood. My apologies.”

“Gah! N-no, please feel free to ease your tone. Ah—no, how could I be so presumptuous as to receive honorifics from you, Instructor? Please take back your apology! Being a life-saver is all the gratitude I need.”

Captain Hermann’s desperate plea left me no choice but to continue speaking informally.

“…Then I’ll keep it that way. But you, don’t you dare.”

“Cough, understood, Instructor Ion.”

Even after dropping the honorifics, Captain Hermann showed satisfaction before suddenly lowering his voice and cautiously asking.

“By the way, Instructor, why are you hiding your identity? Just with the news of ‘The Faceless Hero’ appearing, people are so excited. If it came out that you’re the one, the students would be overjoyed.”

Captain Hermann scratched his chin, sounding disappointed.

“Of course, if that’s what you desire, I’ll take this secret to the grave, but still, it’s rather unfortunate—people don’t know about your greatness.”

I broke into a bitter smile after a brief silence.

“Fame doesn’t really bring much.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

People often deceive themselves. They look only at the achievements of a hero, claiming their path was filled only with glory and shining victories.

However, the path I walked was solely made up of blood, death, and the regrets of losses that could never be reclaimed.

For me, the name ‘The Faceless Hero’ served no purpose in my role as an instructor, merely chaining me to memories of the most dreadful moments.

Leaving Captain Hermann behind in his bewildered state, I merely wished that today’s incident wouldn’t lead to further issues.

*

Having wrapped up all my duties, I took a tram back to the dormitory.

However, I noticed someone curled up around the dormitory building.

With long, pale green hair glistening in the sunlight like shining leaves, it was none other than Titania.

She seemed to be concentrating hard on something, her fingers twitching for quite a while.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah! Instructor Ion!”

At the sound of my voice, Titania turned around, flashing a bright smile. It seemed she was engaged in some gardening, as she held a small shovel and a potted plant in both hands.

“I was making a flower bed.”

“A flower bed?”

“It’s a bit disappointing that there are only trees around the dormitory. I thought if I planted a variety of plants, it would look much prettier, don’t you think?”

As she said this, Titania held up the potted plant with a beaming smile.

Indeed, Titania had originally aimed to join the gardening club. Though she unintentionally ended up in the student council, she must have had a keen interest in nurturing and taking care of plants from the very beginning. After all, she lived in the forest.

However, considering that her cheeks were covered in soil and the flower bed had not made significant progress, it was clear that her endeavor was not going smoothly.

“It looks tough doing it alone.”

“Hmm, I was thinking of asking some strong friends for help. But it seems Gwen is still suffering from muscle pain, and I haven’t seen Batar since this morning.”

After pondering her troubled expression for a moment, I opened my mouth.

“If you want, I can help.”

“Really? That would be so appreciated!”

It was indeed tough, so Titania did not refuse my help. The work she struggled with was digging into the hard ground with a shovel.

A few days ago, the soil had hardened after rain, making it difficult for Titania to dig it out with her own strength.

Of course, it was no challenge for me.

With every swing of my arm, the small shovel sank into the ground like it was butter. Seeing that, Titania clapped her hands and smiled brightly.

“Wow, as expected, Instructor, you’re incredibly strong!”

“If you trained regularly, you could have done this much too.”

“…Ah, ahehe. Is that so?”

Titania was indeed on the weaker side physically. That wasn’t the issue of stamina; it was purely a matter of strength. During physical training classes, she often exhibited quick reflexes but would tire easily after just a little running.

Even so, understanding why she couldn’t handle this flower bed task on her own was a bit of a stretch.

“If you had a spirit, it would’ve been easier, right?”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Titania scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“If I had asked the earth spirit, it would have been finished in no time, but today, the purpose of made a flower bed was also to soothe the spirit.”

“Soothing the spirit?”

“Yes, today is the full moon, after all.”

What did the full moon have to do with spirits?

I furrowed my brow at her incomprehensible words, making Titania laugh as she clarified.

“The spirits are very fickle in nature. Especially during seasonal changes. While there are spirits welcoming new life as spring approaches, some become snappish as they mourn winter’s rest.”

“Hm…”

“During times like today, when the full moon brings about a surge of energy, spirits tend to become emotional and sensitive, so I wanted to plant flowers around to soothe them in advance. Spirits like places rich in nature.”

It certainly made no sense to use a spirit for the very purpose of soothing the spirit.

Being an elf, Titania seemed to possess a wealth of esoteric knowledge.

I knew nothing about magic or spirits; during the war, I was too busy tearing Ezetus apart to pay them any mind.

Thinking about it, I probably earned quite a bit of resentment from the spirits.

As I continued to dig into the hard earth with my small shovel, I asked, “So, what kinds of plants are you going to plant here?”

“I’m thinking of planting some medicinal herbs. Things like mugwort or basil would be nice.”

“Mugwort is delicious when boiled. It’d be good to plant potatoes too.”

“…Um, Instructor? This flower bed isn’t supposed to be a vegetable garden, you know?”

Titania wore a rare expression of fluster.

 

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