Chapter 255: If You Lay a Hand on My Student…

This hero-related event starts with Roy pulling his lovers by the hand and running into the academy.

It was supposed to be Roy taking them and fleeing while they were shrinking back... but.

"Roy-kun, there is no point fighting like that, right?"

"I am glad you feel that way, but beating soldiers to a pulp is... you know?"

"You are usually calm. Why do you get stubborn the moment we are involved...?"

"Un, I am happy, all right? But the situation, you know? You do not get it, right?"

"...Yes."

The moment he came into the principal’s office Roy was sat on the sofa, and his lovers stood in front of him and started a light scolding.

Lucy, Sheelin, Runen, then Konru. Each time one of them spoke, Roy shrank and apologized like he was sorry.

...Well, originally it was the other way around.

Just now, the third hero’s royal guards had apparently visited Roy’s mansion.

They told him he had a fiancée now so come along. Roy refused, saying he already had lovers.

That far was fine, but the guards insulted Roy’s lovers, and Roy marked them as enemies.

He beat one guard with his bare hands. When he turned that calm look on the other ten or so soldiers who had come, Lucy and the others dragged him away and ran.

Insulting them was not all right, and even if they were royal guards, the strength to drive them back and the resolve to protect his own in an instant deserve credit.

More than that, he did not turn it into a killing by not using a weapon. I think that is splendid... but.

Roy looking up at Lucy and the others from below with an apologetic face made me rub the back of my neck with one hand and smile wryly.

This situation looked familiar. This was... this was me getting scolded by my lovers for doing something reckless.

Erika on my right must have noticed I thought that. She folded her arms, the breasts on them swaying, and turned flat, fed-up eyes on me.

"You did not have to take after Master’s bad parts too. Do you not think so?"

"...Can I remain silent?"

"Do you think I will let you?"

"Kus. He really is starting to take after Raide."

"N haha, n hahahaha! Two Handfuls!"

"It is a glad thing when academy students grow sturdy... but if they take after Raide, well?"

Ah, eeh...? Um... sorry, Roy.

Fia, Lea, then Croana said that while smiling in that troubled way. Erika kept her flat eyes and closed in.

Her chest was hitting my right arm. Your chest is hitting me, Erika...

I smiled wryly, put my right arm around the closing-in Erika’s waist, and pulled her in hard. "I, I understand. Honestly," she said, cheeks red, and fidgeted.

In front of Roy and Lucy and the others she was probably embarrassed to be seen. But I wanted her to settle, so the result was fine.

She was actually fidgeting, but she had settled.

Croana and the others’ gazes felt warm, though... I excused myself to Erika, eased away, sat on the sofa across from Roy, and started talking with a serious face.

"Roy, in solving this you may see unpleasant parts of your parents... are you all right?"

"...Are Father and Mother in the capital too?"

"This is only my guess. Even if they are a close friend’s royal guards, they would not get into your mansion that easily, right? Either word was passed ahead of time, or they had papers saying they could enter."

Roy’s face turned meek. He dropped his eyes to the table as if thinking.

In truth I knew Roy’s parents had been talked around by the third and given permission to enter the mansion.

Haa... in the game you can lump it as "what a pain..." but living it, you see how blind Roy’s father Ryudo is.

Mother Maar too. This is why people call them a blind couple, or a hero couple with no talent, you know?

I glanced at Shuna sitting on the window frame. She nodded as if affirming my words.

"I am not covering for Roy’s parents, but even if you see unpleasant parts, I want you not to turn to disgust. It is true they have saved countless people. ...Do you remember I told you before at the castle to look at various nobles and learn?"

"Yes, of course."

"Looking at your own parents and learning is one way too. Even heroes cannot lead people with only good deeds, and there are bad parts they cannot show people no matter what. This time those bad parts just happened to come out."

"...Have you met my parents, Instructor?"

"No. Only books and hearsay."

I said it with a smile. Roy smiled wryly and scratched one cheek lightly with his index finger.

Lea sniffed, snn snn, and grinned like a mischievous child. Fia had her arms folded, one eye closed, smiling with a troubled face.

Lea and Fia had caught the lie, but it should not be a problem... so Erika, Croana, would you not sigh and whisper while glancing this way?

I just do not think well of the three heroes. That has nothing to do with Roy and the others.

If they see with their own eyes, hear with their own ears, and pull away themselves, I will say nothing. Pulling them with my way of thinking would be wrong.

I will give advice properly as an instructor. But I want Roy, and not only Roy, the students to judge for themselves.

I turned my face to Shuna on the window frame, grinned, and spoke.

"It may get a little rough... will you help?"

"Of course. ’We’ belong to you, Raide-sama."

"Please move as you like, Raide-sama."

"Sharle, those wings..."

At my words Shuna clasped both hands in front of her chest and nodded hard, funs funs.

Then Sharle flew in beside her, put her hands on the window frame, and peeked her face in... but the wings on her back had become two layers, overlapping. My eyes went wide.

I had thought I could not see her since I held her, and then her wings had become double. Of course I was surprised.

I have only ever seen fairy folk with a single pair, so Sharle’s look now truly startled me.

I tried to ask about the wings, but Sharle smiled happily, put an index finger in front of her lips, and shook her head a little.

...She will tell me later. That reading is probably right.

I smiled in that troubled way, nodded to Sharle and Shuna, turned to Roy, and laid out what we would do now.

Roy listened without surprise, thought a little with a serious face, then nodded firmly.

Lucy and the other three, and Erika, would stay behind at the academy.

We did not know what might happen, and I figured if anything did happen the academy was safe with Croana there.

But when I heard Croana would come with us to the castle, I looked at her, startled.

Seeing my face, Croana laughed happily, turned to Fia and Lea, and spoke.

"Sisters, I think I will go teach that young man what happens if he lays a hand on my student."

"...If anything happens, signal at once, all right?"

"Make him learn it well, Croana!"

"Croana-san, fortune in battle."

Croana sat beside me, turned to Roy, said, "I have to do something principal-like now and then," laughed at him happily, then glanced at my face.

She seemed more angry than I had thought... I will say it first. Condolences, three heroes.

From there I also told Sharle and the others how we would move after entering the castle, and the requests that might or might not go through. Then Raide, Roy, and Croana left the principal’s office.

When we left the room Erika, Fia, and Lea gave me a "fortune in battle" too, a scold and a cheer together. Thanks to that I had plenty of drive.

Roy had gotten the same from his lovers, so he was probably the same. His face was different.

And Croana was beside us. That was reassuring.

I also wanted to ask about Sharle’s wings, and I wanted to see Nimi and the others’ faces when we got back. I will have you finish this plan quickly, heroes.

Hiero

I had come to the annex with Pafa to check on Nimi and the others and was talking when mana settled into the letter Nimi had left with me. I tilted my head.

According to Nimi, when this activated it was the signal to start Cador Bell.

I took the letter from my pocket. Nimi and the others must have guessed, because they stopped talking and quietly watched me.

Did the Handful do something again~?

I smiled with a troubled face, opened the letter, read it, then put both hands on the bed and let out a big sigh.

"Heroes this time? What even has to happen for it to go that way!"

"...Uwaa~, it really is."

Pafa picked up the letter I had set on the bed, checked the contents, and said it with a wry smile.

She handed it to Nimi. Nimi checked it and smiled wryly the same way.

Nimi passed the letter to Elysia, Lucian, Eima, then Rinelle, and Pafa took it back from Rinelle.

I know what. One of the heroes went after Roy, right!?

What I want to know is how that turned into storming the castle!

What is going on, what is going on with Raide’s liiiiife!!?

My hands were shaking when I heard laughter and looked up. Nimi and the others were laughing happily.

I took the letter from Pafa. Nimi tilted her head in that cute way.

"You will not get bored, will you?"

"Not bored, it is so stimulating I am shocked!?"

"That is Raide-san."

Kuu~~~! All of you smiling like you are happy, and in unison too!

Fine! I decided I would protect him! I will do it!

I told Nimi and the others to stay quiet and rest, spoke to Melaine and asked her as well, then headed for the tavern with Pafa.

The content was to request the clan guard the lovers, and at full strength...

Of course. They are a hero’s private soldiers so they will have skill. Erika’s order for full strength was not wrong.

In every era people called heroes have their faults... a pain, but!

We went through the living space and out of the inn. I stopped without meaning to.

"Hiero...?"

"Pafa, go in and put in an urgent request with Sagua? I seem to have a little errand."

"...Nn. Got it."

Pafa glanced at the bakery’s shadow, then went into the tavern at a short run.

So Pafa noticed too. As expected of a hero’s private soldier? Fast on the move.

I lifted the corner of my mouth in a happy smile and turned toward where Pafa had glanced.

"You have been seen, so come out. Or do you want to vanish right there!?"

"That person notices us, and if you notice us too I will lose confidence as dark side..."

"...Eeh, what are you doing?"

I looked at the person who came out from the bakery’s shadow and my eyes went wide.

She was the dark side who had been guarding Mirishu from the shadows, right? The girl Raide saved directly?

...Eh, wait? Don’t tell meeeeee!?

I was shaking for I did not know how many times when she smiled in that troubled way, still in her hood.

"It is true of adventurers, and it is true of dark side. A debt received is never forgotten for life. Right, Hiero-sama?"

"That is true, but. If I am already shared, is Mirishu the one moving you?"

"No. We asked for this..."

Hahahahaha! You Handful! When you get back I am going to hear this out slow and thorough, you hear me!?

I explained the situation to her, and she told me how the dark side was moving.

I used a little of my power and confirmed she was not lying... and that she has feelings too, while I was at it!

Move however you like! We will protect him no matter what, Handful!!