I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 769 - Side Story 42: Former Students (3)

What kind of person was Rudger to Aidan?

He was an outstanding educator and a very remarkable person as a mage. Other students probably thought similarly, but the remarkability Aidan perceived was fundamentally different.

The Rudger the students knew was only Rudger as a teacher at Theon. However, Aidan had experienced the holy war and had clearly seen with his own two eyes what kind of fights Rudger engaged in there.

The Rudger known to the world was a great elite, but in the holy war, he was a powerhouse of a different dimension.

The magic he used made one's flesh tremble just from watching, and it was the kind that could evoke awe as a mage.

However, that didn't mean Rudger was frightening. He was still cold and rational on the outside, but on the inside, he possessed warm emotions that worried about everyone.

However, what surprised Aidan wasn't that Rudger's appearance had changed significantly. He was still the kind of person who, even if he seemed to treat others coldly on the outside, properly looked after people.

Then what surprised Aidan?

"You've become quite honest, haven't you?"

It was precisely the part where Rudger didn't particularly hide his inner feelings and properly revealed them.

It wasn't that Rudger always did the sneaky thing of hiding his inner feelings. He too sometimes gave sincere words.

However, the problem was that such cases were extremely rare, and normally he wouldn't give sincere words unless it was a truly important moment.

Then was this an important moment? Aidan tilted his head and soon shook it.

Not at all.

"What do you mean I've become honest?" 

"About me saying I'll become an adventurer. I thought you'd normally stop me from doing something like that. If it were you, teacher, I thought you'd especially give realistic advice." 

"Realistic advice. Just what kind of person am I in your head?" 

"Hmm. With a heavy and serious face, saying something like 'You're going to become a mere adventurer? Will that even put food on the table?' and pressing me like that?"

When imitating Rudger's tone, Aidan even made his expression strictly mimic Rudger.

"Ahaha! Of course, this is just an exaggerated joke." 

"...I see. Now I understand well how you think of me."

Rudger wasn't particularly hurt. It was because there was the image he had shown Aidan, and he knew that was somewhat of a joke.

However, at the same time, knowing that there was also some sincerity in Aidan's words, he couldn't help but feel strangely disappointed.

"Well, if you had come to me before graduation, I might have said something similar." 

"Oh, really?" 

"Yes. But it's already a path you've chosen, isn't it? Looking at how you're wandering around like this now, it seems you pushed forward with what you wanted despite being dissuaded by those around you." 

"That's true, isn't it?" 

"It's already done. As for me, I have no choice but to give you words of encouragement to do well from now on. And if you're going to do it anyway, it would be good to succeed so greatly that everyone has no choice but to acknowledge it."

Even if he told him to quit now, with Aidan's personality, he wouldn't quit. Already by his side, Tracy Priad, who would have been scolding him more than anyone asking if he was crazy, must have been there.

Considering her fiery hot temper, she would have grabbed Aidan by the collar and shaken him roughly. But even with his collar grabbed and his head shaking back and forth, Aidan would have brushed it off with a good-natured laugh.

Because he could clearly see that scene without even looking, Rudger didn't particularly say anything.

"Then that's fortunate! Oh, look at me. First, I should do something about these beastmen here."

Aidan said while looking at the beastmen who had only their heads sticking out like radishes grown in a field.

"What are you planning to do?" 

"They disobeyed the Great Chief's orders and tried to plunder humans, so they'll probably receive appropriate punishment for that."

Aidan added that not killing all of them and subduing them instead was a very good thing.

"Right now, the relationship between the beastmen tribe and us humans is becoming friendly. Iona and Leo are really working hard for that. But still, it's not an easy task." 

"I suppose so."

Racial rifts weren't easily bridged, especially if they had experienced a great war in the past.

The beastmen tribe, in their own way, would hate humans, despise them, kill them, and plunder them.

Humans, in their own way, would regard the beastmen tribe as barbaric and try to drive them from this land.

Of course, Iona and Leo's efforts weren't in vain, so those efforts bore fruit and compared to the past, the relationship between the two races changed quite favorably.

The problem was those who refused that intention and acted as they pleased, like the beastmen currently subdued.

"Having the beastmen tribe punish their own gives legitimacy to both camps." 

"I suppose so. This side also needs to show they want to form a friendly relationship."

If punishment was handed down in the Great Chief's name to beastmen who plundered humans, humans wouldn't be able to say anything.

Of course, if they handed down a half-hearted light punishment, there would be complaints. But really, would the beastmen tribe, who thoroughly maintain discipline in this regard, take such light measures?

As if that thought was correct, several beastmen who heard about the Great Chief's punishment twisted their heads back and forth and let out screams.

Most of what they said was to kill them honorably here instead.

"But how do you plan to drag all these guys away?" 

"Ah. You don't need to worry about that."

Aidan took out a whistle from his pocket. It wasn't an ordinary whistle but appeared to be made by shaving some beast's horn.

When Aidan blew it, a high-pitched sound difficult for human ears to hear rang out long.

Kiiiiiiik!

Rudger looked up at the sky. Beyond the blue sky with few clouds, a giant eagle responding to the whistle let out a cry.

And before long, beyond the shimmering heat haze of the burning wilderness, a group could be seen approaching this way.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

What appeared with the sound of hoofbeats shaking the earth was beastmen wearing leather clothing convenient for activity.

Those who had been running eagerly stopped nearby when they spotted Aidan and Rudger.

"Aidan!"

The beastwoman who had been at the front spread both arms wide to welcome him when she saw Aidan.

Aidan also hugged her and touched foreheads with her. It seemed to be a traditional beastmen greeting.

"Luina. I didn't know you'd come." 

"I happened to be passing through while patrolling nearby. More than that, who's that person behind you?"

The beastwoman called Luina stared at Rudger. 

Rudger also looked at Luina.

With the hood covering her mouth lowered, she was a beauty by worldly standards. However, she wasn't the delicate type but a healthy beauty with attractive brown skin tanned by the sun. Her blonde hair flowing down to her waist like waves sparkled under the sun.

Naturally, the beastwoman named Luina was, as beastwomen typically are, tall with a solid physique.

She was close to 180cm, which would be tall even for a beastwoman. Still, the fact that she was shorter than Aidan made one newly realize how much Aidan had grown.

"He's my teacher. Someone who taught me before." 

"Aidan's teacher? Ah, I heard about him. That person?"

Luina looked at Rudger with a somewhat suspicious gaze. Rudger wasn't particularly displeased by this. Judging from her mention of patrolling, he could infer Luina's position, and from her standpoint, she had no choice but to be wary of someone she was meeting for the first time.

Compared to the guys here who rode motorcycles and tortured people to death, she should be considered very favorable since she didn't take any physical action.

Luina, while looking at Rudger, soon widened her eyes at the captured plunderers behind him.

Her gaze turned to Aidan. Aidan shook his head with a smiling face.

"Don't tell me, you did this?"

At Luina's question, Rudger nodded.

"They suddenly attacked, so I subdued them myself." 

"Even if they're plunderer bastards, it wouldn't have been easy. No, I said something unnecessary. Since you're a great expert, that would be possible."

The wariness in Luina's voice lightened considerably. The other beastmen behind her were the same. A somewhat favorable expression appeared in their gazes.

Beastmen prefer the strong. They looked more favorably upon him because they realized Rudger was strong.

"These guys, they were from the Volkara tribe. To think we'd capture the biggest troublemakers in the area like this."

Listening to Luina's words, this group of plunderers seemed to have built up quite a notorious reputation. For Rudger, it was rather more fortunate. The higher their notoriety, the better Rudger's standing would be for capturing them alive.

Luina soon saw several corpses and her face hardened. Her gaze asked Rudger. Did you do this?

"I held back, but it was an intense battle so it couldn't be helped." 

"I'm not trying to blame you. These dead guys, even looking like this, were very skilled warriors. Even if you tried to kill them on purpose, it wouldn't be easy, so I was surprised."

She didn't seem to particularly take issue with the killing because Luina had more important matters remaining.

"More than that, taking these guys out one by one and moving them won't be easy." 

"Ah. I'll help with that."

Rudger waved his hand lightly. Then the ground moved with a rumble and the buried beastmen suddenly emerged. Of course, it wasn't that Rudger had released them. Though they came up onto the ground, the plunderers' bodies were still surrounded by solid sand.

It was a sand prison made like rock by compressing it.

"Like this, it won't be difficult to capture and take them, right?" 

"I see."

Luina nodded with a satisfied smile. When she whistled, the beastmen moved busily and tied up the plunderers with rope.

"What will you do? We don't have spare horses." 

"You don't need to worry about that. I have my own means of transportation."

When Rudger said that, Luina didn't seem suspicious. Just from seeing how he extracted the plunderers buried in the ground, she had sensed that Rudger's abilities were extraordinary.

"Aidan. You can specially ride behind me." 

"Huh? Is that okay?" 

"Of course. You're our friend."

Luina's expression as she said that was somehow meaningful. Rudger looked back and forth between Luina and Aidan.

'Aidan, this guy.'

Aidan seemed to innocently mistake that Luina was showing favor as a friend. Right. Come to think of it, this frustrating guy didn't notice at all even when Tracy gave him such obvious signs from beside him.

'Thinking about it, Aidan was quite popular within Theon.'

Whether it was learning special magic or having a personality with no rough edges, he was perfect for being popular with women.

Rudger tried to say something to Aidan but decided against it. This kind of thing, even if you intervened and gave advice, only you would end up bleeding.

"Let's move!"

With Luina's command, the horses began to run. Naturally, the plunderers tied to ropes connected to the horses were also dragged along the ground.

They said the horses that run through the southern wilderness were an excellent breed, strong and didn't tire even when running for a long time, and that was exactly right.

Rudger flew up into the air through flight magic and quickly followed Luina's group.

"Good heavens."

Several beastmen seemed quite surprised to see Rudger flying through the sky following them.

Luina seemed pleased that Rudger was following well, grinning and increasing speed.

"Come on! Let's hurry back! We need to arrive before sunset!"

The south was indeed vast. It was an endlessly stretching plain with no mountains, and as they kept running, the wilderness disappeared and grass began to appear sparsely.

Soon after the sand disappeared, complete grassland spread out, and when ridges and small flowing streams began to appear.

To Rudger's eyes flying through the sky, some form began to be visible in the distance.

"We've arrived!"

Aidan, seeming to see the same thing, shouted to Rudger.

'Indeed. Is that the village where the beastmen stay?'

The beastmen tribe's village where the tribes led by the Great Chief gathered. It was a place that even Rudger, who had wandered the continent, had never visited.