I’m Not Becoming a Graduate Student! – Chapter 40

“Ugh… I can’t take it anymore…”

“You can do it! If it’s Sion, you can do it!”

“Please… ugh…”

Thud.

Sion collapsed on the training hall floor.

Sion, drenched in sweat.

Heruj perked up and checked Sion’s condition.

“Has only 30 minutes passed?”

“I’m not used to exercising much…”

“What a waste of talent! You should swing the sword a bit more!”

“……”

Sion looked up at Heruj with her cheek pressed against the ground.

Heruj was bouncing around like a child, thrilled.

She swallowed a soundless sigh.

‘If only I hadn’t shown off my skills, I wouldn’t be in this situation…’

Heruj, who proudly won first place at the World Swordsmanship Tournament, and her Yulseo Sword Technique.

Many had flocked to her to learn the sword technique over time.

But because the moves could only be performed by the ‘Yulseo’ clan, there had been no proper apprentices yet.

And today, hearing about her situation, Sion took the chance to show Heruj a technique using the “Combat Compendium” since she was sad about not having someone to teach…

As a result, Sion was treated like a dog.

To summarize, it was ‘self-inflicted.’

“Is it really that hard?”

“…Yes.”

Heruj squatted down, tilting her head.

The expression seemed to ask why Sion was struggling when they had only trained for 30 minutes.

For an indoor type like Sion, 30 minutes of hard exercise was way too much.

“Then it’s lunchtime, so let’s go eat breakfast… No, lunch!”

“Now that you mention it, it is already lunch time.”

“I’ll treat you today to celebrate you becoming my apprentice! You can be happy, ahem!”

“…Ugh!”

With a flash!

Heruj picked Sion up on her back.

“I know a great restaurant. We’ll go there and I’ll treat you!”

“That’s great, but I can just walk—”

“I can’t make my struggling apprentice do more work! Plus, it’s faster if I carry you, like this!”

“Uaaaaah!”

Whooooosh!!

Her hair fluttered in the wind.

Heruj dashed out of the training hall like a squirrel.

…Sion wrapped his arms around her neck to avoid falling off.

Unbothered, Heruj continued to run while laughing.

“You’re too fast, Professor!”

“Ha ha ha!! Now I have a student! Sion is my student!!”

“……”

Shouting loudly as they ran through the academy, Heruj seemed genuinely happy, completely disregarding the attention from others.

Sion, too, couldn’t help but resonate with her joy, but—

‘Why is the embarrassment all mine…?’

Sion buried his face in the back of Heruj’s neck to hide.

“Ha ha ha! That tickles!”

“Then run a bit quieter, okay?”

“Why shouldn’t a master boast about their pupil?”

“That’s true, but…”

“And we’re almost there! Leap!”

“…Huh?”

Sion looked around and realized they really were at the academy square.

He thought it was quite far from the Professor Research Building.

Did they really run this fast with a man taller than himself on her back…?

Once again, Sion was amazed by Heruj’s athletic ability.

“Alright, stop dawdling and come in!”

“…Excuse me.”

Creak.

The place they entered was a little off in the academy square.

‘It feels a bit like Daehangno.’

While the main street in Daehangno was bustling with pubs and restaurants, just a few hundred meters away, residential areas emerged.

This restaurant was located in such a neighborhood and brought a nostalgic vibe.

“Long time no see!”

“Our Professor is here! The usual for you?”

“Please. Oh, and this is my apprentice. A commoner named Sion!”

“…Hello.”

Nervous, Sion bowed his head to greet.

He couldn’t help but feel tense given the appearance of the restaurant’s owner.

A tiger beastman…?

With ears sticking out above her head, hair mixed with yellow and black, and a tail to boot.

The restaurant owner was a tiger beastman.

No, not just her.

“Auntie, can I have some more greens here?”

“Oh my, it must be because you’re an elephant that you eat so much.”

“That’s prejudice against beastmen!”

“The auntie is also a beastman, you little rascal. Here you go.”

“Thank you~.”

Elephants, leopards, seals, cheetahs, and so forth.

Various beastmen were eating dishes suited to their own tastes.

Naturally, there hadn’t been such places in his previous life, so it was fascinating.

“Stop staring and sit down already!”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Heruj nudged Sion with her elbow.

He had to be careful not to stare too much; otherwise, he might get the wrong idea.

Sion quickly set the forks and spoons in front of Heruj.

“Huh? I don’t need them, it’s fine.”

“…What? You don’t need a spoon or chopsticks?”

“You’ll see.”

“Here’s the menu~.”

Thud.

What appeared on the table looked less like a menu and more like an encyclopedia.

As Sion froze, Heruj flipped through the pages with a swish.

On the very last page, there was one marked ‘Human Race.’

“It’s rare for humans to come here. But you don’t have to worry! Here at ‘Totemism’, we can make just about any dish!”

“…Then I’ll have the tenderloin steak….”

“I got it! I’ll order it now!”

Heruj finished placing the order with the tiger beastman.

She then gulped down the glass of water Sion had poured for her.

As her head bobbed up and down, her front bangs swayed slightly.

“…Professor.”

“Huh? Do you want to ask something?”

“It may be a rude question, but… why are you covering one of your eyes?”

“Oh… is that what you mean?”

She flipped her hair back, revealing her right eye.

There was a black eyepatch covering it, but she even removed the eyepatch to show inside.

Sion was left speechless upon seeing Heruj’s right eye.

It had a jagged scar that made it look like someone had scratched it diagonally, and it was completely unfocused.

Seeing Sion’s expression, Heruj quickly adjusted her eyepatch.

“…Sorry. I showed you something hideous before dinner.”

“N-no, I’m the one who’s sorry for asking something unnecessary…”

“No worries. I figured I’d tell you about this sooner or later. About why this eye is like this.”

Heruj stared off into the distance, reminiscing about the past.

She slowly began to tell Sion her story.

“I thought I handled the sword remarkably well. After creating the Yulseo Sword Technique, I never lost a match.”

Proudly, Heruj had created her own technique, the Yulseo Sword Technique.

Indeed, it seemed that no one could defeat her with that powerful sword style.

Having grasped such a formidable technique on her own certainly required immense talent.

However, the real issue was simple.

The world is vast, and there are many talented individuals.

“I got into a small scuffle at a bar. Drunk and angry, I drew my sword, and the opponent said we should take it outside.”

“Wait, Professor Heruj, you started a fight when you were drunk?”

“That’s not me now! …I did have my moments back then…”

She averted her gaze while answering.

Could it be that the cheerful Heruj had not always been this way?

What a surprising side to her.

“In any case, I thought I would win for sure, and blinded by alcohol, I challenged them to a fight.”

“Did they draw their sword as well?”

“That’s right. …And I was utterly defeated.”

Her expression turned to one of nostalgia as she recalled that battle.

“They were an incredible master. Every single move felt like facing an insurmountable wall… I was faster and more agile, but it felt like every attack was blocked.”

“…And did that person end up cutting your eye?”

“Exactly. I remember their last words vividly.”

– Don’t be arrogant and keep honing your skills. When you become the world’s best, come find me again.

With that, the opponent vanished like a mirage.

It might sound like a fantastical story, like a dream from a summer night, but one couldn’t simply dismiss the fact that one of her eyes was gone.

“Ever since then, I’ve diligently practiced my swordsmanship. Although I lost some depth perception due to my blinded eye… I trained to adapt.”

“…So your winning first place in the World Swordsmanship Tournament happened after you lost your eye?”

“Ah! Where did you hear that? Embarrassing, but… yes.”

“I’m glad to have such an excellent teacher.”

“Ha ha ha! Thank you for saying that.”

Even a great person like her, competing without one eye, and still winning first place…

His respect for his teacher grew tremendously.

“Here, your ordered food has arrived.”

“Perfect timing! Let’s eat and continue our conversation!”

“Thank you.”

A delicious steak was placed in front of Sion.

And in front of Heruj…

“What’s that?”

“Oh? This is a giant almond from the Great Forest!”

“…A giant almond?”

What was served was an almond bigger than Heruj’s face.

She chomped into it with her front teeth, puffing her cheeks out.

…She really does look like a squirrel beastman.

‘But… the atmosphere of this restaurant is nice.’

This place was far better than that lovey-dovey restaurant he went to with Serenne.

Perhaps it had the feeling of a Korean restaurant abroad for beastmen?

The steak was tasty, the people were friendly, and Heruj’s cheeks were puffing up even more.

It was a delightful meal.

“Professor, let me pay!”

“What do you mean? Of course, it’s right for your teacher to treat you.”

“But still…”

“It’s fine! I’ll just accept your sense of gratitude. I’ll take care of the bill here~.”

Heruj pulled out a jingling pouch of coins from her pocket to pay.

It felt strange to be treated by a professor.

…In his previous life, he had a professor who rarely treated him to meals.

‘With a graduate student like this… it might not be too bad?’

Heruj didn’t seem poor at all.

After all, how could a person who won first place in the World Swordsmanship Tournament be broke?

Besides, she was generous with meals, and she seemed cute when looked upon closely… There probably wouldn’t be any annoying administrative tasks to handle in the Combat Department either.

At that moment, he thought that becoming her apprentice might not turn out to be so bad after all.

Heruj smiled brightly as she stretched.

“Alright, let’s get going!”

“…Huh? Where to?”

“Since we ate, we have to digest, so let’s train again!”

“……”

All of Sion’s previous thoughts were wiped clean from his mind.

What? Isn’t being a graduate student supposed to be easy?

Instead of dealing with administrative work, he had to move his body?

“Thank you for the meal. I think I’ll just—”

“AAAHH! Where do you think you’re going?!”

Tadadadad!

Sion immediately spun around and sprinted away with all his might.

That was his only way to survive.

“Ah ha! Is it sprinting training right after a meal? That sounds great, I’ll join you!”

“That’s not what I meant! …Aaaah!”

Dum dum dum dum—!!!

Heruj chased after him at a crazy speed.

Sion tried to flee as far as possible, but in the end, he was caught before even reaching 100 meters…

And he ended up squeezed into another training session by Heruj.