The next day.
Sion arrived at the classroom with Patrick.
It was a day for Professor Bariyes’s morning class.
“The atmosphere feels strange?”
Today, the mixed voices of concern and worry from the surrounding students could be frequently heard.
“What are we gonna do about our team report?”
“I don’t know. This should be enough.”
“Oh, please… I hope there are no problems.”
“It’s just a regular assignment, what could go wrong?”
“I’m worried about the report.”
Murmurs—
The reason the students were worried was because of the assignment.
It was due to Professor Bariyes, who assigned three tasks including a report all in one week.
The faces of the students were filled with anxiety.
Sion wasn’t the only one who heard the students’ voices.
With a surprised expression, Patrick spoke to Sion…
“Hey, Sion, don’t we have to write our report too?”
“Why are you asking so early? I did it by myself, so treat me to a meal later.”
“Huh!? When?”
“I just did it because none of you were doing it.”
“Sion…!”
Patrick was touched.
Sion chuckled at his expression.
Having written papers for years, a first-year level report was like eating rice cake while lying down.
Using his past experience, Sion whipped up the report in just about an hour.
“Of course I’ll treat you! What do you want to eat?”
“Well, I heard there’s a nice fine dining restaurant at the academy mall…”
“Let’s save that for later…”
While chatting casually with Patrick while waiting for the professor, Sion glanced back from the front row.
Under normal circumstances, they would have already arrived by now, but one person was missing.
“Estroja Perrawell… where did she go?”
Estroja Perrawell, who had ended up being in the same group as Sion in this class.
Her figure was nowhere to be seen.
Class was about to start soon….
“Sion, why do you keep looking back? Are you looking for someone?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”
“If you say it’s nothing, it’s more suspicious…. Are you perhaps looking for Estroja?”
“….”
“Got it? Is that it? Some grudging affection?”
“It’s not like that, so be quiet.”
“It’s not?”
After silencing Patrick, who was trying to tease him at every chance, five minutes passed.
Eventually, Estroja did not come, and the professor entered the room.
It was Professor Bariyes, a dwarf with muscles like a statue, who was an S-rank adventurer.
“Bahahat! Nice to see you, everyone. I’ll call the roll and start the class.”
As soon as he entered, Bariyes started calling attendance.
“Sion!”
“Yes.”
“Estroja!… Estroja Perrawell?”
Naturally, Estroja couldn’t be called for attendance.
After all, she hadn’t shown up at all.
Did she just arrive late or skip?
“Oh, she said she was sick.”
Bariyes muttered to himself as he wrote something in the attendance book.
“Sick? Suddenly…?”
Just yesterday during the afternoon class, she was attending without any issues.
But suddenly claiming to be sick and skipping class?
Given Estroja’s personality, it must have been something secretive or, without a doubt, an act.
“…Or maybe she really is sick.”
If she’s the type to not express herself properly, there was a chance she wouldn’t show it even if she was sick.
…Why do thoughts about her keep creeping into my mind?
“All right! Attendance is done. I’ve read all the assignments submitted on the class bulletin board.”
Once attendance was called and the class began, Sion was finally able to clear his mind.
“There are no groups that didn’t do the assignment, but the quality varied greatly! Well, I think that’s expected. You guys are still just fledglings!”
“…….”
“So, as a chance to see how assignments should be done, I’ll have the student with the best report present!”
“……?!”
Sion’s eyes widened.
‘He never mentioned anything about a presentation…? A surprise presentation?’
The tasks Professor Bariyes assigned for this week included three things.
Registering as an adventurer, accepting a request from an E-rank dungeon, and writing a report on the accepted dungeon.
If there’s going to be a presentation, it’s obviously for the report.
Certainly, nobody would have thought they would need to present the reports, so it was natural they wouldn’t be prepared.
‘I have never experienced such surprise presentations even in my previous university….’
Just getting students to prepare for presentations puts pressure on them.
But to suddenly have an impromptu presentation without any preparation…
That was an act where even if the evaluations of the lecture plummeted, no words could be said.
“The group that wrote the best report will present for the other students and show them how it’s done. It’s more rational like that, bahahat!”
Sion listened to Bariyes’ words and chuckled to himself.
‘Looks like I just scraped by.’
In group four, the one who wrote the report was Sion.
Unlike other groups, he had written the report alone, and he had even managed to create it convincingly in just one hour.
There was no way he would be called—
“Group four! The group that has written the most outstanding report. Please send the group leader or the person who wrote the report up here!”
As soon as Bariyes’s words fell, Patrick and Geivolg’s gazes were fixed on Sion.
Eyes asking what on earth was happening.
“…I will do it.”
“Oh! Good! Come on up, wobbly boy!”
Squeaking.
Sion pulled his chair and stood up.
Since he had written the report from start to finish, he couldn’t let someone else present it.
Moving without enthusiasm like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse, Sion stood on the stage.
Beside the stage was something like a beam projector.
The report Sion had written was displayed on the screen.
– Research on the E-rank ‘Skeleton’ dungeon: focusing on the ecology of skeletons and preceding studies.
“Then I’ll start the presentation.”
With the title prominently displayed on the cover page, Sion’s presentation was about to begin.
“Sion, you’re okay, right…?”
Patrick Hans, son of Baron Hans’s family, looked at Sion with worried eyes.
Sion had done everything for the report, and now he suddenly had to present.
There hadn’t been any mention of a presentation at all, so it was understandable to be flustered.
To do an impromptu presentation with dozens of people sitting in attendance.
No matter how much he had written the report himself, this was impossible—
“Then I’ll start the presentation.”
‘…Huh?’
Sion’s eyes changed.
As if he were not nervous at all, he continued his presentation in an adequately loud voice.
“Our group accepted a request from the E-rank skeleton dungeon. As the professor has said countless times, the important thing in a dungeon is information. Therefore, our group collected information about skeletons and that dungeon through the academy’s library.”
Students’ gazes were entirely focused on Sion as he delivered a smooth presentation that was easy to understand.
Familiar with the attention, Sion, referencing the abstract, guided the direction of the report.
Next, he revealed the purpose of the research in the introduction and established the research methods, defining various terms that appeared.
‘…Is this a report? This is at a thesis level, isn’t it?’
Reports and theses are different.
A report is a short document that ends in one page or a few pages at most.
But Sion’s report… had the quality fit for a senior thesis.
Patrick recalled the conversation he had with Sion.
– Sion, so how should we do the report? It might be good to gather together…
– Huh? No. I’ll just do it haphazardly and put it up.
– You’ll just do it haphazardly?
– If I work on it for just about an hour, it’ll turn out decent. So don’t worry too much. I do this well.
Sion had said that with a smile.
Honestly, he was a bit worried.
The likelihood of something prepared by one person being of lower quality is higher than when several people prepare it together.
But Patrick trusted Sion and waited.
The reason was….
‘It’s the first time he said he was good at something.’
Sion always underestimated his abilities.
When he got the results for Spirit Affinity, when he won against Professor Ronda Magret in a battle of nerves, when he defeated Estroja, when he became Professor Heruj’s apprentice.
He had never once claimed he was ‘good at something’ and had instead belittled himself as a novice.
So if he said he was ‘good at something’?
There must have been a good reason for it, which perceptive Patrick caught onto.
Of course, what he couldn’t realize was the skill Sion had confidently claimed to have in writing reports.
‘…I didn’t expect it to be this good.’
Patrick looked at Sion’s face.
Sion was already presenting a good portion of the main points.
His eyes were shining brightly.
‘Perhaps Sion is… suited for graduate school.’
Patrick thought.
A talent loved by professors.
The ability to write and present reports well.
And… alongside the various magical talents he possessed.
Perhaps he was a genius born for graduate school?
Thinking that, Patrick began to focus again on Sion’s presentation.
“Then let’s move on to the next point.”
Sion’s presentation had a strange charm that drew the audience’s attention.
“…That concludes my presentation.”
After about ten minutes passed.
Sion bowed and was able to return to his seat.
He thought it wasn’t bad for an impromptu presentation.
“Bahahat! To think there’s such coping ability in an impromptu presentation! Everyone, please give Sion a round of applause!!”
Clap clap clap clap clap!
Bariyes clapped wholeheartedly.
He seemed satisfied with the presentation as he grinned widely, showing his gums.
Other students joined in the applause.
It wasn’t a mere formal applause but one given sincerely because they felt he was great.
‘It’s been a while since I presented, so I was a bit anxious. Still….’
Sion’s mouth curved slightly upward.
Receiving applause after a presentation is sweet indeed.
As he sat down, Patrick patted his shoulder.
“Of course it’s you, Sion. I believed in you!”
“…Treat me to a meal.”
“Of course!”
Thumbs up!
With a hearty gesture, Patrick’s eyes looked at Sion like a solid ally, and Sion chuckled again.
“It was a flawless report and presentation. I didn’t expect this level of quality, but Sion! There’s something I want to ask of you.”
“…A request?”
“Could you take a look at this?”
“What’s this…?”
Bariyes took a step forward.
What he handed over was a circular object bigger than two fists combined.
The front was black, and the back was white. It looked like….
“This is what is known as a video recording device.”
“…A video recording device?”
“Right. I usually record students’ presentations! However, I want to use your report and presentation as excellent teaching material.”
Hearing that made a chill run down Sion’s spine.
Recording the video? And using it as teaching material?
Don’t tell me…
“C-could you explain where you plan to use it?”
“Hm? I could use it to educate juniors when I hold the same class again… But first, I have to show it to the professors. You need other professors’ permission to use it as teaching material, you know.”
“…What?”
“Oh! A resounding reply. I’ll take that as consent. I’ll provide more details after the review is complete.”
“Ah…?”
With quick strides!
Professor Bariyes tucked the video recording device under his arm and returned to the podium.
No… I was asking a question, not giving an answer…?
“Now, let’s continue with the class! Today’s lesson is about tackling dungeons! If you miss today’s class, you might struggle with your assignment next week! So concentrate!”
With Bariyes’s class restarted.
Sion couldn’t concentrate at all.
His mind was racing furiously.
‘They are going to show my report and presentation video to the professors?’
The report that was put together in about an hour.
But even that was recognized as the highest level in this classroom and made it to the presentation.
Even if he thought the presentation itself wasn’t bad for being impromptu…
What kind of reaction would the other professors have if they saw that report and presentation video?
‘…Nothing will happen, right? Hmm!’
There’s no way anything could go wrong just because of a report, right?
Nothing will happen. No, it shouldn’t happen.
…Thus, Sion tried to reassure himself, but a sense of unease lingered in the corner of his heart.
