Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 2  Chapter 41   Resignation – Why?

“Are you really going to quit?”

“Yeah. I’ve made up my mind. I already have another job lined up.”

On that day, we couldn’t just call it quits after the attack. Well, that was to be expected.

And of course, as expected, the school remained closed for a while after that.

While buildings can be rebuilt with magic in no time, human lives are not so easily restored. That’s also something that goes without saying.

In a way, it was somewhat fortunate that there were hardly any classes left before the school closure. I don’t intend to call it “fortunate” to say such a thing, given the circumstances.

We went through interrogations, dealt with the aftermath of the casualties and the damaged school buildings, and before we knew it, the academic year came to an end.

In other words, it was the day we had promised to leave.

“Why is it already decided? It’s too soon, isn’t it?”

“Even if you complain about it… It was originally a three-month promise. Just extending it until the end of the school year is already late, in my opinion.”

Originally, it was a promise for only three months. So extending it six months ahead, leaving the team is more than enough delay.

“Well, um… What about doing things together from now on?”

“There’s no need for that. Our schedules won’t overlap anymore. Besides, I’m quitting being an adventurer altogether. In the first place, I won’t be able to go on adventures together anymore.”

“…”

It’s not like I don’t have any attachment to the current team.

But even so, I’m quitting.

Maybe after quitting, I might reconsider and become an adventurer again… Or maybe I’ll want to join their team.

But even if that’s the case, I want to take a step back and think after quitting.

“What about your next job?”

“Thanks to Hiro’s introduction, I’ll be able to join a new department being established. Since the government is involved, it won’t collapse, and well, it’s a stable position. Most importantly, there won’t be any risk of dying.”

While the other three fell silent, only Abe asked with her usual expression.

… Well, maybe she looks a bit more serious than usual.

“Hey, are you really going to quit?”

“That’s what I said.”

“No! It’s not okay! Don’t quit, please! Because… because I…”

But those words were never fully spoken. Asada bit her lip, looking sad, and ran away.

And so, I left the team.

──◆◇◆◇──

“Why did it end up like this?”

A little time has passed since then, and now it’s April.

I came to school today.

And now, I found myself surrounded by four high school girls behind the deserted school building.

…Why did I end up in a situation like this?

“I’m curious about that too… You quit being an adventurer, right?”

“That’s what was supposed to happen, but even I don’t fully understand it.”

It was Miyano, the leader of the team I parted ways with, who asked me. But I myself don’t really understand why I had to come to school. I mean, I understand the general sequence of events, but I’m puzzled about how things came to this point.

“Well… You came here as an instructor, right?”

“Probably.”

“Probably?”

The three girls, excluding Asada, who refuses to make eye contact with me, tilt their heads as they look at me.

“I was recommended by Hiro. They said there’s a new department opening in the union, and asked if I wanted to work there. Originally, I was thinking of taking an administrative role, but I didn’t have a job lined up, and being a former adventurer would give me preferential treatment. Plus, since it’s a new department, the hierarchy hasn’t been fully established yet, so I thought it would be an easy transition.”

That’s right. Hiro, whom I consulted with during our previous fight, recommended me for the new department. I was supposed to join that department, but somehow I ended up coming to school.

“Didn’t you ask about the job details?”

“I did. At that time, they told me that there was a need to teach new recruits in the union about what it means to be an adventurer, and since adventurers are supposed to be taught in school, I thought I would be teaching the staff based on the flow of the conversation.”

However, in reality, I ended up teaching students at school as a “Tactical Instructor.”

A “Tactical Instructor” is a new… profession, you could say.

Until now, the instructors were chosen by the students themselves to recruit adventurers as their companions. However, due to the variability in skill levels and the recent attack incident, it became necessary to have a qualification system where only those with the minimum teaching ability could become instructors.

You might think that teaching should be done by regular teachers, but teachers don’t accompany each individual team into dungeons.

So the role of a tactical instructor is more like individual guidance. It became a licensed position.

So, I thought it was an examination for the new department, and I took the instructor exam, passed it, and ended up coming to school.

And I became responsible for Miyano and the others’ team. Or rather, I was assigned to them.

Well, it wasn’t a mistake to take the exam for the new department within the union, right?

There’s actually a department within the union that manages and dispatches tactical instructors, and that was the exam for it.

“I’ve been set up…”

You might think I was too careless or reckless, or that I should have double-checked more thoroughly, but please let me make my excuses.

When I asked for more details, they told me that since it was a new department, things hadn’t been finalized yet.

But Hiro recommended it, and it didn’t seem like a bad deal, so that’s why I accepted it.

Or rather, did I think I would be trapped like this when I consulted with Hiro? No, definitely not.

I mean, there’s a chance that even Hiro didn’t fully know what would happen, but looking back, it feels like he knew and kept silent. He definitely kept silent.

In the first place, it’s strange that he suddenly told me to do my best on the exam the day before. He apologized, saying he had forgotten to inform me, but most likely… no, he definitely lied.

He intentionally restricted the information he gave me so that I wouldn’t dig into unnecessary details.

“But, does that mean we can go on adventures together again?”

“Well, about that… Hold on. Are you sure I can’t go?”

“Hehe, of course not. Igami-san is our team’s instructor.”

“Um, please take care of us again.”

“Count on us.”

Miyano, Abe, and Kitahara are in a welcoming mood, but I want them to wait for a moment from my perspective.

“No… No way. Wait. This has to be a lie, right? I mean, I quit being an adventurer.”

Sure, after quitting, I might have thought about doing it again.

But come on, this is just not right. It feels… different, you know?

“Oh! That’s right! Miyano, can you submit a request for me? I’m not suitable to be an instructor. They should fire me.”

There’s still time to fix this. I shouldn’t have been lured by the promise of an easy new department. It’s not uncommon for people to quit after just one month of joining a company. I should be able to quit now without it being strange. It’s like, we’re not a good fit.

Right now, I’m in a hired position, like a mercenary. I can’t leave on my own, but if I’m kicked out by the dispatching agency, it’s a different story. Well, it depends on the reasons, but there shouldn’t be any penalties as long as I didn’t cause any injuries or damage.

“Are you serious about this?”

“Yeah. Look, even Asada is avoiding eye contact with me. It’s clear I’m not suitable, so please.”

As I spoke, Asada flinched in response, but that was it. She still didn’t look at me, as usual.

“For Kana, it’s for a different reason, and it’s sad to be told you’re disliked so much, but I guess it can’t be helped… Alright, I understand.”

“Exactly… Oh, yes.”

Somehow, I feel like quitting might go more smoothly than I expected.

As I was thinking that, Miyano smiled and said, “Well, well.”

“I decline.”

“…Hold on. The preceding and following sentences don’t connect. Why did you come to that conclusion!?”

It really seemed like they were going to let me quit!

“I am an honest person. I could never lie and say that you are unfit to be an instructor.”

“Rather, there’s no one better than you, Igami-san.”

“That’s right. Even if someone else comes in, we don’t know if we can get along, and besides, would they possess the necessary teaching skills?”

Abe and Kitahara, one after the other, affirm Miyano’s words and show no intention of letting me quit.