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 5 Chapter 18   Join the four

After being guided by Carter and getting an overview of the facilities and the rough plan, I headed to the hotel where the others, including Miyano, were staying, to join them.

It seemed to be dinner time as a small reception-like event was taking place in the hall, not exactly a standing party, but something along those lines.

As I spotted Miyano and the others in the hall, I walked towards them. It appeared that any lingering resentment had dissipated, as they were happily engaged in conversation.

Although I couldn’t fully grasp what was going on in their minds, observing Miyano and the others enjoying themselves somehow made my earlier frustration melt away.

“Oh, welcome back! Are you feeling better?”

Miyano noticed me approaching and walked over with a plate of food in hand.

“You seem to have relaxed quite a bit.”

“Yeah.”

I grabbed a piece of bread from the plate without hesitation and took a bite.

Miyano teased me about taking her food, saying I could have just taken my own, but I let it slide.

Though I intended to get my own meal as Miyano suggested, there was just something about this moment that made me want to do it this way.

“I miss Japanese food.”

My heart, still somewhat raw, hadn’t completely settled down. Or perhaps it was precisely because it was starting to settle down that I blurted out such a sentiment—I want to go back. I unintentionally let that thought slip.

“You’ve only just arrived, haven’t you?”

Miyano didn’t seem to notice my vulnerability and took it as a simple statement, offering a wry smile in response.

“We do have rice, and it seems they also considered our preferences by including sushi.”

Abe and Kitahara, who followed behind them, also didn’t seem to pick up on it. …That’s a relief.

“Hey, hey, where are you staying? Our room is a five-person dormitory, so…”

“Maybe Igami-san is in the same room…”

…I wonder what it is. Talking to them made me feel better, but somehow… I have a headache.

“Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m staying with you guys. Unfortunately, the instructors get their own private rooms.”

“Huh? Isn’t that unfair?”

“Well, you see, I work as a government employee in a department that can spend some money. Hail taxes.”

Even in the current situation, not just in Japan but worldwide, there’s a focus on training adventurers. So, there’s a fair amount of budget allocated to departments and staff related to adventurers. We, as instructors, also get to enjoy those benefits.

Seriously, even if it weren’t a private room, sharing a room with high school girls would be way too problematic.

Well, in the dungeon, there are times when we stay overnight and operate, so sleeping in the same room now might not be a big deal.

But anyway…

“In a trip like this, it’s fun because you get to be with someone in the same room. Being left out in a situation like this is no fun at all.”

“That’s true.”

Traveling in a group like this is enjoyable because everyone can have fun together. Solo trips can be fun in their own way, and having a private room is fine, but it’s definitely more enjoyable to be in the same room and make noise with friends.

So, to enjoy this trip, we should be happy that it’s not a private room, right?

“Come to think of it, aren’t there fewer people?”

After chatting a bit, I went to get my share of food, but it seems like there are fewer students than I had expected. Maybe they divided the dinner time or places separately?

“Really? Is that so?”

“Yeah, it’s because not all the students from the grade are here. They split each grade into several groups and sent them to different places, so only about a third of the grade is here at this location.”

“By the way, the other locations are Romania and Italy.”

“They seem to have kept it relatively close.”

“They considered factors like the climate, it seems.”

“And they also want to learn about the differences in each culture, it seems.”

Ah, I see. Even though this place and the other two countries are not that far apart, there seem to be quite a few differences between them, so they want to learn about those cultural differences during this trip.

“Nevertheless, Romania and Italy, huh… Well, I guess it’s for educational purposes.”

I understand there’s a reason for their choice, but I still find it hard to fully comprehend.

“For educational purposes? It’s true that it’s a ‘study’ trip, but…”

“What do you mean?”

My understanding doesn’t seem to be apparent to the others, as all four of them tilt their heads in confusion.

“Well, these two countries, along with the country we’re in, have quite a few historical anecdotes and are suitable places to learn about magic.”

Of course, every place has its own magical legends and such, but these three countries have a significant number of tales, and they have shown remarkable achievements since the appearance of the gates.

For example, it’s quite evident here. They even have a knight order, which speaks for itself.

…Knight order, huh. Let’s try not to think too much about them.

“Magic again? I can’t use magic, though.”

“In a broad sense, you are also a mage. You specialize in self-enhancement, the brawny type.”

Just like I trained her, even though she doesn’t use traditional magic, she can still be considered a mage. She’s just specialized in self-enhancement techniques.

“Well, when they say it’s for studying, it’s more about broadening your horizons and enjoying yourself rather than actually learning something profound in just three or four days.”

It took Asada a month to learn a new technique from what I taught her. I also taught some things to Miyano and the others, but it was merely new spells, not entirely new skills from scratch.

Of course, I understand that it’s quite a stretch to expect anyone to learn anything substantial in just a few days, and the school should be aware of that too.

So, since it’s a valuable trip, you guys should just relax and have fun.

“What are we doing tomorrow?”

Asada asked, but sorry. Tomorrow, I need to prepare for that damn plan we came up with.

“Oh, sorry, but I’ll be doing something else.”

“Aww! We came all this way!”

“If you have complaints, go tell that knight. I never wanted to come in the first place.”

“Can’t you spare any time at all?”

…Well, it’s not like I have absolutely no time available.

I’ve already checked out their base of operations, and the tools are all there. I just need to prepare a few magical devices that I adjusted for myself, including some backups, and that should be it.

But whether I can actually do that or not is uncertain.

I managed to come here today, but it’s right before the operation. They might tell me to stay at the base and be on standby.

“I’m not sure. It depends on the situation… Well, I’ll be free from tomorrow afternoon until the next day’s noon.”

“In that case, would you like to explore together?”

“A high school girl walking around town with an old man, is that really enjoyable?”

“It is!”

“It’s a special occasion, and I want to spend time together, you know?”

“So, it’s a promise then!”

“Well, I guess I can accompany you for a while.”

Thinking that I might be able to get permission for a short time, or rather, I’ll make sure to get permission, I promised with a wry smile to join Asada and the others in their activities.