This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 82
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Chapter 82
…Meanwhile, at Rosenstark.
The extreme students were in the classroom, welcoming the second supplementary professor.
The first supplementary class with Professor Labin, which they experienced last time, had its informative aspects, but it was too strict, rigid, and boring…
Anyway, it was a class that made them miss the hero.
That’s why the kids didn’t have high expectations for the second supplementary class.
Click-!
A classroom with a sunken atmosphere.
The sharp sound of heels echoed.
Smooth and short blue hair swayed to the beat.
Her eyes, as cold as the color that pierced the body’s core, followed the rhythm.
The students looked at her somewhat tensely, wearing a perfectly fitted sleek blue suit.
Some of those interested in clothes and accessories noticed that her outfit probably cost several hundred gold.
…Yussi Glendor.
A retired dawn knight and one of the richest people on the continent.
Moreover, she is also the Principal of the academy they attend.
In other words, she was a person who could be extremely challenging for new students.
Furthermore, given the scolding they received from the senior professor last week, they worried about how severe the Principal would be.
The children sat up straight in their chairs, looking at her as if needles were attached to the backrests.
“Huhu….”
On the other hand, Yussi seemed a bit lethargic.
She had been too busy with various things recently and couldn’t even get two hours of sleep a day.
‘…In the midst of all this, I have to stand at the podium.’
But that didn’t mean she could teach carelessly.
It was the hero’s request, after all.
The quality and satisfaction of this class would immediately reach his ears.
Yussi, who had just taken a sip of coffee with five spoons of Awakening Essence, spoke.
“Alright. Can anyone guess what I will teach you today?”
“….”
The kids stiffened at the too difficult question.
Yussi’s eyes swept over the front row.
“Gerald Bryce, why don’t you try answering?”
“Yes, me?”
Gerald’s eyes widened at the unexpected call.
No way! How could the headmistress address him, a mere freshman, by name?
But there was nothing surprising.
With her extraordinary intellect, she could recall the entire content of the application form she glanced at a few months ago.
Gerald immediately responded.
“I, I don’t know.”
“Well, of course, you wouldn’t know. I just decided.”
“…What?”
“Professor Redymer told me to teach whatever I wanted. So, after careful consideration, I’ve decided on today’s lesson.”
Yussi turned around while saying so.
Though her actions seemed eccentric at first glance, the students were too tense to entertain such thoughts.
“So, after careful consideration, I’ve decided on today’s lesson.”
Yussi wrote on the chalkboard.
Even though it seemed hastily written, the writing flowed smoothly without a hint of distortion.
Living in a crazy world, dealing with damn demons and monsters.
“You’ll learn about it in Feynman’s ‘Introduction to Demonology’, but I thought I could explain it more vividly.”
After a big, lazy yawn, she continued speaking.
The atmosphere shifted, and the students’ tension eased for a moment.
“As you all know, I was actively operating five years ago until I lost my arms and legs. Today, I’ll focus on explaining the characteristics and tactics of those bastards, especially the ones that were a pain in the ass.”
With another yawn, she pulled out another Awakening Essence candle from her pocket, releasing smoke rings as she spoke.
“You also know that I’m from a merchant family. Now, let’s talk about the special features and tactics of those demons, focusing on the ones I found particularly annoying.”
… And so, the class began, turning out to be much more interesting than expected.
Yussi eloquently shared her experiences, recounting her adventures in the demonic realm with her fellow heroes and knights.
Behind-the-scenes stories that had not been revealed in any other media took the spotlight, leaving the students naturally captivated.
‘Fun!’
‘The second supplementary class is amazing….’
With the addition of her unique storytelling skill, inherent to merchant families, everyone found themselves drawn into her tales.
Eventually, the lesson reached its climax with the explanation of the last demon.
“I’ll explain the last monster, the Monmada.”
In an instant, Lucas’s gaze turned to Ban.
…Simultaneously, Ban’s shoulders also trembled.
Of course, no one noticed the subtle gestures of the two boys.
“Monma, Monma…”
Yussi, with a faintly distorted face, began to speak.
“They are definitely more troublesome than the monsters I introduced earlier.”
Monma.
Demons interfering with human dreams, destroying their reality.
By providing excessively sweet dreams, they made people deny and hate reality. They could plunge individuals into terrifying nightmares, making them fear sleep instead.
But the reason they were considered the most difficult and loathsome tribe was one.
“Because they can peer into the depths of the human subconscious through dreams.”
Through the unconscious, they could expose desires, wounds, and hidden secrets, laying everything bare.
Once Monma learned the weaknesses of their target, they could easily navigate through the mental defenses and torment them through dreams.
After a few cycles of such a vicious circle, the target would transform into something akin to a puppet under the complete control of Monma, with their mental defenses completely neutralized.
“Like a parasite manipulating its host to the point of drowning itself, or a bug that goes into a flame without realizing it.”
This led to numerous betrayals.
“While the associates of Malekia I described earlier extract magic through physical pain, Monmas subtly collapse the mind. Then, they extract magic from the negative emotions emanating from the collapsed mind.”
Yussi recalled the sacrifices she had witnessed due to Monma, sprinkling Awakening Essence on the lectern.
“By cultivating a strong mental fortitude, you can strengthen your mental defenses. Apart from that, there’s no reliable method to counter them.”
“Oh…”
“Fortunately, high-ranking Monmas that can exert a powerful influence on humans are scarce, and most of them have been eradicated. However, if you ever encounter a bizarre entity in your dreams, don’t hesitate to let others know immediately.”
Gerald, who had been listening attentively, raised his hand enthusiastically.
“Just a simple dream has such a significant impact?”
“It’s not just a simple dream… You must have experienced a daydream not long ago.”
The response was met with excitement.
“High-ranking Monma’s dreams are much more realistic and intense. Moreover, there are no limits to the production of dreams. We subtly gather the deepest desires, secrets, and wounds, and who can remain unscathed by such skillful methods. It’s like a highly addictive opiate. Once you taste it, knowing the destination is destruction, you still crave for it. Even though you know it shouldn’t be like this, you find yourself hoping for Monma to come. But don’t worry too much; Monmas can’t just effortlessly invade people’s minds without any limitations on mental defenses.”
“R-Really?”
“Unless they come into contact with a weakened individual, it usually ends with a short nightmare. So don’t worry unnecessarily.”
“Phew…”
“The vessels used by infamous Monmas throughout history are well documented in the Monster Compendium, so make sure to familiarize yourselves with them.”
The children, who had been holding their breath and concentrating, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well then…”
Yussi glanced at her wristwatch.
Today was the day for preparations to obtain the protection of Zero Requiem, with a meeting scheduled for the trade.
However, there was still some time left.
‘Even if I go back now, it will be just the tasks assigned by incompetent professors.’
“Feel free to ask any questions, even if they’re not related to the class content.”
As the children hesitated and looked at each other, a hand slowly rose.
Yussi’s eyes met a girl with neat red hair in a proper posture.
“Leciel Hiyashin. What’s your question?”
After a moment of hesitation, Leciel opened her mouth.
“…I heard that you were close with Professor Redymer when you were a student.”
“Is that so?”
“What kind of person was Professor Redymer when you were around our age?”
“…Why are you curious about that?”
You said just asking any question.
Leciel felt a bit embarrassed.
‘Why are you curious?’
In fact, she didn’t know either.
It was just an unexpected question that popped up.
However, that question was something everyone in the classroom was curious about.
The children’s pupils suddenly brightened.
“Um…”
Yussi’s mouth twitched slightly at those gazes.
The memories of her school days spent with a hero were like precious treasures to her.
Originally, treasures are meant to be something you want to boast about to someone.
With so much interest, there was almost nothing she couldn’t talk about.
“Professor Redymer…”
Yussi opened her mouth.
…A hero from a dozen years ago.
It was actually a topic she quite liked.
Due to recalling it so many times, it was a question she could answer very accurately.
“At that time, he was a senior. The senior was very famous.”
Leciel nodded.
It was natural.
Considering his skills, it wouldn’t be strange for him to gain fame from the moment he entered.
“By his appearance.”
Leciel coughed.
A slight cough due to surprise, and the face of the hero who looked at her from the ‘dreamy’ sunset beach flashed by for a moment.
“Hmm.”
…He was definitely famous.
Yussi continued with a faint smile.
“On Valentine’s Day, the front of the dormitory was so crowded with various gifts and chocolates that the door was completely blocked. There were even things handmade by some crazy female professors.”
…Most male students who didn’t have such an experience and wouldn’t in the future briefly imagined that scene.
Gerald muttered quietly.
“Hmm… Is it that much?”
“That’s right, Gerald Bryce.”
Taking advantage of the moment the boy closed his mouth, Cuculli asked with a mischievous expression.
“Was the president also one of them?”
“No. I never had any interest in senior until then.”
It was true.
While her peers were busy squealing, Yussi didn’t have the luxury to spare a glance at guys.
At that time, her standing within Glendor wasn’t so secure.
Survival itself was challenging, so she escaped to the academy.
However, her wolf-like brothers used their various connections and money to harass her.
In order to bring her back to the Chamber of Commerce within their reach.
“Well, I was somewhat grateful when he pulled me out of the warehouse where I was locked up like a bug wriggling in a trap.”
“…?”
Question marks appeared in the children’s eyes.
Whether or not she would explain, Yussi continued speaking.
“Anyway, I became friends with the hero later.”
“How did that happen?”
Look at this kid.
In response to Leciel’s immediate question, Yussi chuckled.
“Didn’t you hear about when Rosenstark was invaded by demons in the old days?”
Some had vaguely heard of it, while others were hearing about it for the first time.
It was that era.
Although Rosenstark is now located in the far west, receiving relatively favorable reviews for safety from magic, back then, it had almost no advantage in terms of location.
The influence of demons spread like a tumor across the entire continent.
Rosenstark was a tempting prey for the demons in the western regions.
It was a joint invasion, even involving a legion commander.
“The defense systems collapsed, the outer walls crumbled, and the faculty all went out to fight. They told the students to evacuate, but…it was every man for himself.”
…Yussi, who spoke calmly, was stared at by the children in disbelief.
The fact that such a horrific incident had occurred here, where they were currently taking classes, was hard to believe.
“Anyway, everyone got mixed up, fought and fled in confusion, and eventually ended up in one of the training grounds.”
A sealed space.
Demons and monsters rushed through the entrance.
It was a situation where they were too tired and terrified to even think about resisting.
It was like a wolf entering a flock of sheep.
It was then that someone stepped forward.
“The senior fought. Did you see it during the orientation? Probably around thirty of those scars were from that time. I thought the senior died standing there.”
Yussi once again reminisced about the past.
…Ted Redymer in his teens.
Unrivalled in skill, tall, fit, and handsome.
A man who would have countless good options waiting for him in the future.
If it were her, she couldn’t have done something reckless, not because her life was precious, but because that brilliant future was too valuable.
However, he had the skills to escape alone, yet he fought at the forefront and protected everyone.
For Yussi, who had been educated to live her life calculating everything in terms of money and exchanging it, it was a fresh shock.
It was also the first time in her life that she thought about a purpose beyond numbers.
“Justice, salvation, and fairness… There was someone living in such unrealistic fantasies. I was curious, somehow annoyed, and jealous. So, I’ve been chasing him since then. Until now.”
…So, it’s a very long-standing relationship.
Yussi looked at Leciel playfully and finished speaking.
The children were all gaping, caught up in their own thoughts.
Yussi had never thought of students of that age as cute, but now she felt a bit proud.
‘…They are a blessed generation.’
Most of the early Dawn Knights were seniors, juniors, and peers who were studying at Rosenstark at that time.
Everyone fell for the hero, ventured into that dangerous path, and most of them died.
Thinking briefly about their faces, Yussi turned her head towards the window.
The direction the hero departed was to the west.
‘…I wonder when he will come.’
Beep-!
The short beep from her wristwatch indicated that it was time for her to go for the deal.
“Well then, let’s wrap it up here today!”
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