Chapter 180

Chapter 180. Interlude – Jailbreak (1)

After the sudden attack by the Monster Legion ended, the atmosphere inside Reynaldo Hero School was as lively as if a festival had broken out.

You might wonder how a large-scale attack could result in such a festive mood, but think about it.

In the midst of an attack by a massive Monster Legion numbering over thousands—no, tens of thousands—the professors and candidates joined forces and successfully repelled the assault without a single casualty.

Of course, there were minor injuries and some who suffered serious wounds and were hospitalized in the Treatment Center, but the fact that not a single person died while fending off the Monster Legion was an achievement worthy of celebration for the school.

Thus, a victory ceremony began.

Well, it wasn’t a grand affair. The school chancellor simply came out, awarded prizes to the candidates who had made remarkable contributions in the battle, and the main event of the victory ceremony was eating and drinking merrily for a day.

“Third-year Warrior Department candidate Yuren Helios. Fourth-year Warrior Department candidate Aaron Baek, third-year Support Department candidate Iris, fourth-year Magic Department candidate Sophia Evergreen, second-year Magic Department candidate Berald Liu. And finally….”

The gaze of Reynaldo Hero School’s chancellor, Raonel Liu, turned to one candidate.

“Third-year Warrior Department candidate Albert Hoover.”

“Yes, yes!!!”

Albert answered with a tense voice.

“The following candidates have bravely and wisely dealt with a sudden disaster, and thus, I hereby award them commendations.”

Following Chancellor Raonel’s words, the candidates stepped onto the podium.

“Wow! Albert, you’re amazing!”

“Sigh. Yuren-nim is just too handsome….”

“Really? I think that… Berald, was it? The second-year kid is more my type.”

“Oh my, you have that kind of taste?”

“Ugh… I’m jealous! I fought monsters too!”

“You just caught one and got injured, though.”

“Hehe… But Saintess-nim was really beautiful….”

With thunderous applause, the candidates stepped onto the podium, and gazes filled with awe poured onto them.

“Quiet.”

Chancellor Raonel raised his hand lightly to calm the candidates and then awarded commendations to each of the candidates on the podium.

“It’s too tight for everyone to give a speech… So, let’s have one representative give a speech.”

Chancellor Raonel, who had been looking around at the candidates on the podium, approached one candidate.

“Candidate Albert.”

“Huh? M-me?”

“Please give a speech on behalf of the awardees.”

“M-me as the representative?! Shouldn’t it be Aaron-senpai or Yuren….”

“Kekeke!”

Chancellor Raonel smiled contentedly as he looked at Albert, who was pale and desperately trying to decline.

“Just as Professor Lucas said.”

“Huh?”

“You have a great sense of impact… No, I mean, you’re a very upright and sincere young man.”

“What did you just say?”

“Now! As everyone knows, Candidate Albert, as the representative of Class C in this battle, bravely rallied the candidates and fought against the horde of monsters!”

Chancellor Raonel went behind Albert, grabbed his shoulders, and continued.

“Those who can muster courage in a crisis are the true ‘heroes’! Everyone, please listen carefully to Candidate Albert’s words!”

“Wooooow!”

“Albert! Albert! Albert!”

“…….”

Albert, with a pale face, looked down from the podium.

Hundreds of candidates were looking up at him.

“Uh… so… um… that is….”

Albert stammered with a tearful expression.

“E-even though everyone must have been scared… thank you for fighting together….”

“Oooh!”

“Your voice is too small!”

“Ugh.”

Albert clenched his eyes shut and shouted loudly.

“W-we have achieved a great victory today! Some say the title of ‘hero’ has faded over the past 500 years….”

He raised his clenched fist high.

“But starting today! We will make heroes great again!”

“Ooooh!”

“Albert! Albert! Albert!”

“Albert oppa! I’m your fan!!!”

With cheers that seemed to shake the podium, the victory ceremony began.

* * *

Victory Ceremony.

I gathered my comrades in the private room of the Main Building Restaurant, which I had used once before.

Yuren, Iris, Berald, and Sophia, who had been with me since my past life, as well as Camila and Professor Elisha, whom I had newly connected with after returning, and finally, Lanes.

The long table felt cramped with so many comrades, and a strange emotion welled up inside me.

‘I wanted to invite more people, but….’

Albert, being the main character of the victory ceremony, was too busy being called here and there to attend, and Juliet had been summoned back to the Republic due to the recent attack.

‘Professor Lucas is probably busy meeting with Professor Bianca.’

Professor Jade couldn’t come because he was busy cleaning up the lab that Berald had ransacked (?).

‘Well, in a way, this group is more comfortable to talk with.’

Unlike others, the comrades gathered here knew each other’s ‘secrets’ to some extent.

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard.”

Clink.

We clinked our glasses.

“We got hurt a lot… but it’s a relief that no one died.”

“Kuh! Isn’t this all thanks to Yuren-nim… no, Yurina-nuna’s efforts?”

“No. Berald worked harder.”

“Hehe. I didn’t do much except sweep up magical reagents from Professor Jade’s lab, right?”

“Hmm. For someone who didn’t do much, I saw hundreds of monsters die from your punches alone.”

Yurina and Berald chatted while sipping their drinks.

Watching them, Iris smiled mischievously and opened her mouth.

“By the way, do you know this, Mr. Berald?”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Yurina is actually a year younger than you in real age.”

“Gasp. Oh, now that you mention it….”

“Ah, Iris, you…! We promised not to talk about age!”

“Oh my~ How strange~ I don’t remember that?”

“Ugh….”

Yurina gulped down her drink in one go.

Watching her, Sophia and Lanes made complicated expressions.

“Sigh. I still can’t believe it. That Yuren Helios was actually a woman….”

“Y-yeah. Me too.”

The two, who had only recently learned about Yuren’s true identity, still seemed uncomfortable and awkward.

“Hehe. Senior Sophia’s magic was amazing too.”

“…Really?”

“Of course! Honestly, it looked even stronger than Professor Bianca’s magic!”

“Well… in terms of firepower alone, I’m not inferior to Professor Bianca.”

Sophia twirled her hair with her fingers and glanced away.

Seeing her legs fidgeting under the table, it seemed Berald’s compliment had pleased her.

Just as a warm atmosphere was forming between the two.

“Haha! Other things might differ a lot, but in terms of firepower, you’re not inferior… The world of magic is truly profound!”

“…What?”

No. Berald, you crazy bastard.

What are you saying?

“Huh… Other things differ a lot? Specifically, what?”

“Huh? Well… you know, senior?”

“No, I have no idea~?”

Sophia stood up with a grin and approached Berald.

“Now, let’s go over there and explain in detail what exactly differs, okay?”

“Ah! Ouch!”

Sophia roughly grabbed Berald’s ear and dragged him out of the room.

“…….”

“…….”

An awkward silence fell in the room after Berald and Sophia left.

“This… Mr. Berald really has no tact.”

“Yeah. He’s like Dale.”

“No.”

Why am I getting dragged into this?

“Haha. Just kidding. Dale isn’t that tactless.”

“Actually, it’s the opposite that’s the problem.”

Yurina nodded and continued.

“You’re so perceptive that you flirt with everyone, don’t you?”

“N-no, I’ve never done that….”

“I take back what I said about you being perceptive.”

Yurina furrowed her brows and stomped on my foot under the table.

“You play with people’s hearts and then say you’ve never done that?”

“That’s right! You’re shameless to a fault!”

Thud!

Perhaps she had been holding back her emotions, or maybe it was the alcohol.

Iris slammed the table and exploded with frustration.

“Huh? You flirt first and then say you didn’t know?!”

“No.”

Wait.

Calm down, Saintess.

**“It’s your fault for being so lewd in the first place!!!”**

Her angry shout was followed by silence.

Camila silently chugged her drink while tearing at her hair, and the others averted their gazes from Iris.

“…….”

No matter how unpredictable the future may be.

I never thought I’d hear such words from the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom (my past life’s lover).

“Uh… um.”

Trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere, Yurina turned to me and asked.

“By the way, Dale, what were you doing during the battle?”

Perhaps there was an unspoken agreement to forget Iris’s outburst.

Everyone quickly changed the topic and focused on me.

“Right. I looked for you but couldn’t find you.”

“Y-yeah! I even turned on the tracking magic I put on Dale, but the signal got cut off halfway!”

“Huh?”

“…Tracking magic?”

“Gasp. N-no! That’s not…!”

Lanes, with a pale face, frantically shook her head.

“…….”

I’ll have to remove that tracking magic she put on me later.

“I was….”

“Candidate Dale was with me.”

Professor Elisha leisurely crossed her arms and continued.

“We were spending some quality time together.”

“Together….”

“…Spending quality time?”

The eyes of Yurina and Iris instantly turned dangerous.

But the bigger problem was….

“Ah, I see… So… why didn’t I realize? If three is possible… then four is possible too… Ah, haha.”

Lanes laughed like a broken machine, her legs trembling as she nervously bit her nails.

“I-in this case… before it gets worse… we’ll have to divide….”

“Huh?”

Divide?

‘…Divide what?’