I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 803 – Side Story 76: Hyperborea (2)

Rudger thought about the existence of gods.

Once upon a time, many gods existed in this world. Large and small, strong and weak. They each possessed their own characteristics, and harmoniously created the world and mingled with their creations.

However, such a world met its end due to Lumensis' betrayal.

Lumensis betrayed the other gods, stole their names and authorities, and exiled them beyond a distant dimension.

It was an extremely personal desire to monopolize this beautiful world all to himself.

Thus, Lumensis claimed to be the one and only god, created the Lumensis Order, and had ruled the continent for a long time.

'But not all gods were driven to another dimension.'

The Goddess of Dreams could be cited as a prime example. She was not exiled to a sub-dimension, but was sleeping an unbreakable sleep in the deepest depths of Dreamland.

That said, her divine power hadn't weakened. Just her stretching upon waking was enough to have a tremendous impact on reality from within the dream world.

Because the goddess herself didn't want that, she fell back asleep and the situation was calmed, but it was sufficient proof that a god's existence remained somewhere in this world.

'And then there's the continent of Hyperborea that suddenly appeared.'

A new continent said to exist beyond the Celestial Sea, past the Northern Continent. What had been dismissed as mere legend had actually been observed, so its existence should be considered confirmed.

'If it's an unknown continent where nothing has been revealed yet, there might be something else we don't know about. Perhaps mysteries we thought had disappeared might be overflowing there.'

In Earth terms, it would be around the Arctic. Compared to the Eastern Continent, its scale wouldn't be large, but the size of a continent doesn't represent the value of the mysteries it contains within.

'Precisely because it's been secretly hidden until now, there's a higher probability that something is there.'

Others had made similar judgments. That's why they were quickly forming expeditions to head to Hyperborea.

"You're telling me this because you want us to seize the relics before they fall into the hands of other dangerous parties, is that it?"

After all, it wasn't just anything—this involved Demon Lord followers and remnants of the Bretus Holy Kingdom. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if a relic fell into the hands of such people.

The moment they commit insane acts hoping for the return of the past, the continent would be dyed in chaos. As the Emperor of the Empire, Aileen had to prevent that at all costs.

"I know there are many other capable people besides me."

At those words, Aileen scoffed as if it were absurd.

"Well, it's true there are outstanding talents. There's Lord Luther Wardot, and his disciple Lord Alex as well. Besides them, the Empire has many Master-level knights and great mages. However, my judgment is that it's still insufficient." 

"And I'm acceptable?"

"Modesty to that degree is an illness. It's tiresome to quarrel with words about your abilities at this point. So I'll speak directly. Will you help me, confirm the existence of the relic, and bring it back?"

Aileen spoke to Rudger with the solemnity befitting an emperor. No matter how personal the meeting, it was essentially an imperial command, something difficult for a citizen of the Empire to refuse.

However, Rudger gave it serious thought. The Empire's laws? An imperial command? Such things had no effect on him whatsoever. He was an Archmage who stood above the rules.

Aileen knew too that if Rudger refused, there would be no suitable alternative.

"I've just returned to Theon and am in the process of adapting to life as a teacher. My personal wish is not to be disturbed by external matters unless absolutely necessary."

At Rudger's words, which contained a slight sense of reluctance, Aileen, Hans, and Elmara tensed up.

Because whether Rudger participated or not would make a dimensional difference in how smoothly the upcoming work would go.

"However, a new continent and the relic there—I must admit my curiosity is piqued."

Hyperborea, which existed only in legend. And if traces of an unknown god remained there, wouldn't just seeing that have considerable value?

Of course, it might not exist. But that didn't matter either. At the very least there would be a relic, and he could salvage the ancient civilization that was the source of that relic.

At the same time, Rudger could understand why Aileen had called for him.

'If the person who can move faster than anyone else to beyond the continent takes on the task, even I would feel reassured.'

Rudger inwardly chuckled and said to Aileen.

"I'm personally curious, and you've also shown me various courtesies. I'll accept the request." 

"Is that so? How fortunate indeed."

Aileen smiled broadly, as if she had expected this.

"If I'm going, I'll need to move during the weekend."

Rather, being in the position of special class homeroom teacher was fortunate. If it had been regular classes, it would have been difficult to make time.

"Hans has already prepared the materials, so you can receive a report from him." 

"You could have had him do everything, was there a need to come personally?" 

"This isn't just anything—it's an important matter on which the continent's safety depends. How could I just sit still and only give orders?"

It wasn't merely words to maintain appearances. Aileen von Exilion had once nearly experienced a coup, and had nearly lost her nation to the Liberation Army's terrorism and the Bretus Holy Kingdom's collaborative attacks.

She had overcome those countless crises and ascended to the emperor's throne. Though her usual personality was cold and her impression stern, her desire for peace was second to none.

Rudger knew this, which is why he listened to her story and accepted the proposal.

'Though the Bretus Holy Kingdom has ended, the continent's political situation is still chaotic. Rather, with Lumensis' oppression gone, things that had been suppressed are all rising to the surface at once.'

As bubbles that had been sleeping in the depths all surge up at once, inevitably they could only create collisions and chaos.

'I was hoping to live quietly and comfortably for once, but I suppose that's not easy after all.'

However, he wasn't particularly regretful about it. He too was someone who desired peace, so it was better if incidents causing chaos didn't occur.

There was that, but perhaps it was because of the way he'd walked until now. From the standpoint of someone who had traveled throughout the continent, the mention of a place he knew nothing about also stimulated his passion.

'If I hadn't become a teacher, I might have become an adventurer wandering the continent like that guy Aidan.'

Aileen asked.

"When will you start moving? Shouldn't you at least prepare?" 

"I won't have classes to teach anyway, so since it's come up, let's move right away." 

"As expected, you're quite fast when it comes to action. That's what I like even more. It's a shame though. We finally met personally like this but can't catch up properly." 

"Let's catch up on the rest when I return." 

"Let's do that. Since you're taking action, I can breathe easier. When you return, I'll hear your report directly from you."

Rudger chuckled and beckoned to Hans with his finger.

"Hans." 

"Y-yes? Me?" 

"Who else here is named Hans besides you? We're moving right now, so if there's anything you haven't prepared yet, pack it quickly. We'll need to move as quickly as possible." 

"N-no, wait a moment. Big brother. Don't tell me I'm going too?" 

"Well then, who am I supposed to receive the report from? And aren't you the one who knows the information about that place best?" 

"No, that's true but..."

Rudger looked at Hans's hesitant appearance and smiled slightly.

"Are you already henpecked?"

How should he put it—Hans' appearance looked like that of a married man firmly controlled by his wife, unable to even make plans for drinks.

"No, Seridan wouldn't stop me over something like that. That's more the problem, I should say. Rather, I'm worried she'll insist on coming along." 

"...Hmm. That could indeed be a problem."

Since Seridan's nature hadn't gone anywhere even with the passage of time, the possibility that she would try to blow up ancient ruins the moment she saw them couldn't be ruled out.

No, the probability was likely a hundred percent. Even now, living with Hans, she seemed to be manufacturing all sorts of novel explosives.

According to what he'd heard, sometimes even military supply companies came to seek her advice?

"So, you didn't prepare? That's not like you." 

"...Of course that's not the case."

He'd thought it might be so, and it was indeed so. Hans also knew Rudger's personality well, so he had anticipated that he would move immediately upon hearing the story.

What he was hesitating about was just leaving for an extended time without telling Seridan.

Hans looked at Rudger with eyes containing a bit of desperation. Eyes that said—he couldn't persuade Seridan himself, but surely big brother was different?

"Hans. I've never married, so there's nothing I can tell you." 

"Haa. I thought that even for big brother, that would be difficult." 

"However, I can certainly pass on advice from those who've gone before." 

"Wh-what is it? I'm all ears."

Hans' eyes sparkled as he perked up his ears. 

Aileen and Elmara also seemed quite expectant about what advice Rudger would give.

"Hans. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."

Bwaaaang!

At a port in a city at the edge of the Northern Continent, Rudger faced the cold wind blowing from afar.

"Ugh. I'm seriously freezing to death. No, I layered up as much as I could."

Beside him, Hans shivered and grumbled. Having stayed in the Empire where spring had arrived, then coming to the north where only bitter cold swept through, it couldn't be helped, especially on a coastline where strong winds blew ceaselessly.

Currently, Rudger and Hans were waiting for a ship to cross the sea.

"Big brother. In that case, wouldn't it be better to just whoosh over using that spatial movement ability of yours?"

If they used Rudger's ability to cross the continent, they wouldn't need to go through the trouble of waiting for a ship in such a cold place and could go straight to Hyperborea.

"That place is somewhere I've never been even once. I don't know the coordinates, so how could I move there directly? I'd be lucky if I didn't just fall into the middle of the Celestial Sea." 

"Ugh. That's true, but did we really need to come to the Seville Kingdom? The port here isn't that big, so it'll be hard to find a ship sturdy enough to cross the Celestial Sea."

It was natural for Hans to have such doubts.

"Don't worry. I came here because I had it all thought out. Ah, right on time, look over there."

In the distance, a single ship could be seen approaching where the two stood.

It was quite a luxurious and large ship. Compared to the super-large passenger ships others would take, it wasn't even half of half the size, but rather, being smaller gave the impression that it was faster and sturdier.

"No, more than that, the symbol engraved on that ship... If I'm not seeing wrong, could that be?" 

"That's right. It's the emblem of the Selmore family."

The prestigious magic family of the Seville Kingdom and the greatest family that had produced two Colour Mages.

A ship engraved with the Selmore family's symbol, which depicted water and ice in geometric form, soon docked at the port.

"Even I can't traverse the vast ocean without knowing the coordinates, so I had no choice but to receive help from experts on this matter."

Then, someone jumped down from the deck of the docked ship. Hans stepped back in surprise, going "Uh-oh."

The person who jumped down landed lightly in front of Rudger.

"It's been a while."

Pushing aside the salty, cold sea breeze, a fragrant scent of water tickled his nose. Rudger faced Casey Selmore who was greeting him and returned the greeting.

"Yes. Have you been well?" 

"Well, I've been so-so. More importantly, I heard the story. They say you're working as a teacher at Theon again?" 

"The rumor has spread all the way to a place like this, I see. Well, that's how it turned out." 

"My goodness. It seems fitting for you and yet somehow not fitting at all." 

"That's why I'm doing things like this as a side job, aren't I?"

At Rudger's playful words, Casey shrugged her shoulders and laughed, saying that was true too. Hans, who had been watching them, widened his eyes.

Were these two originally on such good terms? At least the Casey that Hans remembered was always baring her teeth at Rudger, wasn't she like something of a rival?

'No, more than that... rather, the way she's looking at big brother is...'

The old Hans had been oblivious to such things, but the moment he gained the label of married man, he became able to see things that couldn't be seen.

'Huh. So that's how it was.'

As Hans was nodding his head in understanding, Casey asked Rudger.

"So, what's the reason you summoned me like this?" 

"I didn't specifically summon you by name." 

"If you requested help from the family, that becomes my job. So what is it? Tell me. Ah, let me guess. It's that, right?"

Casey seemed to have already guessed what purpose Rudger had come here for.

"Hyperborea. The newly appeared unknown continent, right?"