I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

“Um… How about I go alone? I’m a thief, so I’m good at avoiding traps. Plus, if things go south, I can always escape,” Squall volunteered with a raised hand. But I couldn’t allow it. From my experience, most of the upper ranks of the Black Round Table were as skilled as Werner’s companions. Especially Gawain—if he had fought seriously, I might have died. And Lancelot… I wasn’t even sure if all the heroes, including Werner, could defeat him.

If Squall—whose combat prowess was weaker than Werner’s—were to face them, her chances of victory would be zero. Werner, who regarded Squall as an older sister, couldn’t accept that. It might seem soft-hearted, but his emotions, shaped by a bond of sharing the same surname, were understandable to some extent.

“Don’t spout nonsense. I’ll go alone.”

With the Spirit King of Steel following me, I could pair with Armadura, and Squall could team up with the Celestial Mage Elder. That way, we’d split into two groups of two. A perfect combination, wouldn’t you say? Armadura would supplement my lack of physical strength, and I’d provide the rationality he lacked. Meanwhile, the Celestial Mage Elder could bolster Squall’s limited combat strength, and Squall could compensate for his deficiencies in utility and intelligence. Together, we’d form an ideal quartet.

“You two have never fought against the Black Round Table, right? Those guys aren’t ordinary. They’re not just strong—they each have unique traits.”

Some spew fire from their bodies, some are unpleasant nymphs, some absorb magic… What was Lancelot’s quirk? Swordsmanship fusion? Annoyingly rapid regeneration?

The Celestial Mage Elder suddenly smacked my head.

“Che! For a young man to be so arrogant… Thinking only you can fight those men is rooted in deep conceit.”

“Wait, why hit me on the head?”

“Consider it a loving blow to make you smarter. Be grateful.”

If anything, smacking my head would kill brain cells, not make me smarter.

“No, I’m serious. Those guys are ridiculously strong. There are some I doubt we could defeat even if we all fought together.”

The Elder’s eyes grew sharp. Was it because I questioned his strength? This man always became a different person when it came to discussions about ultimate power or rankings. I knew he was obsessed with combat, but still…

“Oh? So even if I join in, you doubt we’d win? Interesting. Go on, tell me more.”

Hm… Maybe I shouldn’t mention that guy is Camellia’s father. She seemed to want me to keep that a secret.

“Well, there’s not much to say. He’s a guy with long black hair that reaches his waist. As for his race…”

“Ha, let’s end this pointless talk. What matters isn’t the description of that freak you encountered, but who’s going to go alone. And as you’ve seen, the longer we delay, the worse the situation gets. The enemies might escape.”

Squall sighed and cut me off. She was right. What mattered now wasn’t discussing Lancelot’s personal details but dealing with these despicable enemies.

“Then let’s decide quickly who’s going alone.”

“Objectively, the person who could handle themselves alone is…”

“You’re thinking the same thing as me, aren’t you…?”

Squall and I both turned to look at the Celestial Mage Elder. He was undoubtedly the strongest among us.

“Since you both agree, it makes sense for me to go alone. I’ll take the left path.”

“Why the left, though…?”

“I mentioned earlier the traces of sorcery and acupuncture, didn’t I? Ever since, I’ve felt it—the familiar, unpleasant aura. It’s irritatingly distinct.”

I didn’t sense anything unusual. At most, the left path smelled faintly of hydrangeas. That was hardly reason enough to feel familiar and disgusted.

“It seems some old foes I defeated have crept back in. I wondered where they had vanished to. Breaking such persistent ties is also part of a man’s duty, so I’ll go see for myself.”

“Be careful, Elder.”

“Hahaha, do I look like someone who’d die so easily? Worry about yourself instead. You’re still scrawny as a twig. Anyone seeing you might mistake you for a noble family’s young lady.”

The Elder jabbed at my stomach. True, no matter how much I ate, I never gained weight—not that I was excessively thin.

“Well, seeing you, one might think you’re an old servant gifted as a bonus for being too aged.”

At that, Squall burst out laughing.

“Haha… Honestly, even as a bonus, I wouldn’t take him. Too old for me.”

“Cheeky brat. You’re no spring chicken yourself. Don’t act like you’re young. Among us here, the only young one is this lad. And one more thing…”

The Elder’s swift punch struck both Squall and me square on the head, delivering a sharp and stinging shock that snapped us to attention.

“How many times have I told you not to mock your elders? It seems you’ve learned nothing yet.”

“The grumpy old man…”

Squall was muttering to herself as she led the way, her lips sticking out so far they looked like they could catch someone.

“He could just talk. Why does he always have to hit people on the head? Not like he’s going to take responsibility if he makes my already bad brain worse… Not that I’d want him to even if he offered.”

“Haha, don’t be too hard on the Elder. He’s always been like that. Besides, you and I aren’t exactly the most normal people either.”

“Sure, but compared to that old man, you and I are saints.”

If I were to describe the Celestial Mage Elder’s personality, it would be something like a slightly traditionalist, aggressive tsundere villain. He once broke the arm of a noble who mocked Squall for being a succubus descendant and smashed the legs of a knight who opposed Werner joining the ranks of heroes due to his background.

He generally hated noisy, talkative people but would smile warmly when he saw children running around in a restaurant. I found it absolutely baffling, not to mention unpleasant.

“People should be flexible, though. He’s just so rigid…”

“I don’t know about anything else, but I’m sure our Elder would never collaborate with the Black Round Table.”

He’d sooner crush them along with us than engage in any sort of sneaky collusion. He wasn’t the type.

“Are you sure about that?”

Squall still looked suspicious. I couldn’t really blame her, considering Werner’s companions had suffered greatly because of suspected betrayal. Our perspectives were bound to differ.

“Come on. Even if the Black Round Table threatened him—or put a sword to his throat—he’d just tell them to shove it.”

Squall seemed to be deep in thought. Well, she had known the Elder since before she joined the heroes’ party, so she probably understood what I was saying even better than I did.

“Yeah… He’s that kind of stubborn idiot.”

“Right?”

Trust among comrades was important. Even if there were a traitor, losing trust would only play into the hands of the Black Round Table scum. I felt a bit proud to have somewhat restored the trust between those two.

“By the way, rookie, make sure you step exactly where I step, okay? If you accidentally trigger a trap, it’ll be a big problem. Watch carefully and follow me.”

There was no way this research facility would have ancient traps activated by stepping on specific tiles. Still, to avoid Squall nagging at me, I obediently followed in her footsteps.

“Yeah, I’m keeping up. Don’t worry.”

As if this place would actually have such outdated traps—

Thunk.

“What the hell?”

The balance between my left and right foot was off. That was because the tile I’d just stepped on with my right foot sank downward.

So, there were traps like this in here. I thought I was following Squall’s steps exactly, so how did this idiotic situation happen?

“Squall, watch ou—!”

Before I could finish, the floor gave way, and I fell. If I hit the ground directly, I’d probably land on my butt and injure my tailbone.

“Wind, embrace me!”

I quickly cast a wind-based magic to cushion my fall. Thanks to that, I only ended up with a slightly strained back.

“Someone fell again!”

What the…?

The voice belonged to a young boy who looked about nine years old. If there was a child in this facility, he had to be an experiment subject. He stared at me with wide, curious eyes, seemingly amazed by the magic I had just used.

“Mister, you’re a wizard, right? You are, aren’t you?”

“Uh, yeah, I am.”

The boy’s eyes lit up even more brightly, as if they could serve as flashlights in the dark.

“Kid, how did you end up here?”

After hesitating for a moment, the boy answered.

“Some bad people brought me here. But all my friends who were with me turned into strange, monster-like things, so I ran away. I stepped on a weird tile and fell down here.”

“So, you’ve been stuck here since you fell recently?”

The boy shook his head.

“No, I fell down here three years ago. The uncles who live on this floor take care of kids like me who fall here while trying to escape.”