Invincible
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#105
🕑 Added 2024-09-01 15:59:07 +0000 UTCHetherson Aola (1)
Athera’s eye twitched as she watched the first-year students devour the feast laid out before them with wide smiles.
All 136 students.
Every single one of them had returned alive. While that in itself was remarkable, what was even more shocking was something else entirely.
"Hmm, Frost Heart must be struggling financially."
"Right? I thought it would be nicer, considering it’s where nobles go, but look at this place. The furniture is all old and worn out."
"That fortress over there looks decent, but…"
Mixed among the first-year students were unfamiliar small children, munching away like hamsters.
'Did they raid an orphanage or something?'
Athera approached Hersel. Though it hadn’t been confirmed that he was the ringleader of this situation, the chances were high that it was him.
"Hersel? Care to explain what’s going on here?"
"Ah, these are the young Roaming Band members. We took them as prisoners."
It seemed the other second and third-year students were also listening in on the conversation, as startled voices emerged from various spots.
"P-prisoners?"
"Wait, did you say young Roaming Band members?"
Athera was momentarily stunned. She didn’t understand how it was possible, but the results were laid out right in front of her. However, this was bound to cause a huge problem. It wasn’t like the second and third-year students would be happy about the presence of these children.
"Many of our peers died at the hands of the Roaming Band, and you decided this on your own?"
"Did they kill them? If you want revenge, wait until you graduate. By then, the ones who killed your friends will have probably moved up in the Roaming Band."
"W-well, that’s true, but…"
As Athera trailed off, Hersel raised his voice to address everyone.
"I know these kids don’t sit well with you. But they didn’t wrong you. They wronged us. And it was horrific."
Some of the upperclassmen made confused sounds, but Hersel continued, his expression hardening as he pulled Melin’s cheek.
"Not only did these damn kids make everything difficult for us, but they also burned our food supply to try and starve us to death. So remember, only the first-years have the right to take revenge on them."
"A-agh... S-sorry..."
"Of course, this has been agreed upon with the professors. If you have any complaints, feel free to take them up with Professor Rockefeller—though I doubt you have the guts to do that."
No one could argue anymore. When you think about it, these kids weren’t really at fault; they were just raised by those twisted bastards. And challenging the professors, whose word was law, could lead to serious repercussions. But as a representative, Athera had to address one crucial point.
"Ahem, I understand that part."
Athera scanned the lobby, roughly counting the number of children.
…There’s definitely a lot of them.
There seemed to be at least 150 of them.
"Don’t tell me you’re planning to dump all these kids on our dorm?"
"Of course not. The fortress is full of classified materials. There’s no way they’d let outsiders in there."
So that’s why Schlaphe Hall got stuck with them. After all, there was only this one building outside the fortress, so there wasn’t much choice for space.
"But how are you going to manage all these kids? What about food? Do you even know how to take care of them?"
As Athera fired off her questions, Hersel pulled out a sack that clinked with a metallic sound.
"Don’t worry about that part."
"W-what is that…?"
"This is the donation we got from the guys at Adelle Hall and Buerger Hall. We asked them to chip in since we’re the ones taking care of the kids."
As Hersel revealed what must have been at least 10,000 coins, Athera thought to herself.
'...So he extorted them.'
But so what? This hefty sum had just entered the dorm’s coffers. Athera swallowed her saliva and reached out to snatch the sack, but Hersel quickly turned his back and shouted to the entire lobby.
"The kids will be leaving in five days. Until then, I’ll pay 50 coins to anyone who feeds and shelters them."
The monthly allowance for students at Schlaphe Hall was only 30 coins. The students’ eyes lit up, and they began glancing at each other before turning their gaze toward the kids who were still focused on eating. Their expressions gradually changed, resembling those of hungry hyenas.
While they were still sizing up the situation, Athera was the first to move. She slowly approached Melin, who was closest to her, and hugged her tightly to prevent her from running away.
"From now on, you’re my daughter."
"Ack!"
When a nearby third-year student tried to approach Melin, Athera glared at them with a murderous look.
"She’s mine. Go find someone else!"
Her words were the starting signal. The students rushed in, surrounding the children and began claiming them one by one, with loud arguments erupting all over.
"Hand them over! This one’s mine."
"Don’t be ridiculous. Hey, I’ll treat you better. Come here, okay?"
"I have cute dolls in my room! Oh, and this big sister has candy. Want some?"
Frightened by the greed on their faces, the children tried to run away. But the students surrounded them, capturing them one by one.
"Hehe, you can’t escape."
"W-why are you doing this to us…?"
Hersel approached Limberton, who was sweating and trembling.
"How’s that? Solved it easily, right? Pretty clever, huh?"
"C-clever? The kids are running away crying! How are we any different from the Roaming Band…?"
Hersel nodded in partial agreement. The current scene wasn’t much different from a child kidnapping operation.
***
After taking a warm shower for the first time in a while, I was reminded of what it felt like to be civilized.
"Ah, hot water really is the best."
As I walked into the room, drying my hair with a towel, I noticed a fish bone placed in front of the door. Smoke started seeping in through the crack, soon taking the form of a black cat, which then began devouring the fish.
Flop!
I flopped onto the bed, going over everything that had happened. Just like in the lobby, handling the kids was easier than I expected. The points we earned during the field training quickly turned into cash. With the substantial sum I extorted from the other dorms, I was able to cover the living expenses for the prisoners. And all without spending a single coin of my own.
I also sent a letter to the mistress. I made sure to include a note that if she refused, I’d spread rumors about her being a cold-hearted woman who discriminated against and abandoned children. It would be amusing if she rejected it.
Next on the list is the matter of the exam results. As expected, I scored perfect marks in both the written and practical exams. If all goes well, I’ll be promoted to Buerger Hall as soon as the first semester ends. It wouldn’t be strange if I ended up in Adelle Hall, but given that guy Rockefeller, I shouldn’t expect too much.
Lastly, about the reward. Professor Gomon personally came to tell me that it was something worth looking forward to. In addition to the medal from Pathfinder, the royal family would also be sending a plaque of gratitude—but to me, those are just cumbersome decorations.
What I want is money and a weapon. At least, they’ll put some thought into choosing the weapon.
That wraps up everything that happened today.
"Now, I can finally get some proper rest."
I relaxed my muscles and let myself go limp. In the meantime, the cat climbed onto my stomach and curled up. Donatan remarked in surprise.
- It seems all its wariness has finally disappeared.
'So it seems.'
I stroked the cat’s head with my hand. It didn’t shy away and seemed to enjoy the touch. I wasn’t entirely pleased about it, though. Growing this close to the cat meant that the grand finale at Frost Heart was drawing near.
"Well, I won’t have any classes for a while, so I guess I can live with an empty head for a bit."
Not that I’ll have nothing to do, though. The academy is planning a banquet for the students who finished the field training, where they’ll serve alcohol and present awards. But that’s still a few days away, so I don’t need to worry about it right now.
Donatan then brought up something important.
- Ahem, wouldn’t it be proper to express your gratitude to that man, Hetherson? Without his teachings, you might not have made it back alive.
"Ah, Hetherson? I was planning to visit him anyway."
The Liquid gold and techniques he provided had become incredibly effective offensive tools.
"I guess I’ll bring him plenty of food tomorrow. Yawn, but for now, let’s just get some sleep."
With the cat still on my stomach, I closed my eyes.
***
Hetherson walked down the corridor, gazing out the window. Normally, leaving the school grounds without permission wasn’t allowed, but he had made the request just in case, and the old professor had granted him the exception. This was a sign that his time was running out.
"Old man, today was supposed to be the day he returned. So why hasn’t he shown up yet?"
"They’ve just returned from the field training. He’s probably sore all over and went straight to sleep."
Hetherson clicked his tongue in disappointment.
But if that was the reason, there was nothing he could do about it. As he continued to stare outside, he noticed a droplet of water trickling down the glass. It seemed the icicles hanging from the railing above had begun to melt.
"So even here, the snow starts to melt when spring arrives."
The old professor responded sympathetically.
"Yes, it does melt, though the snow-capped mountains remain, you’ll start to see some greenery."
"Really? Do you think it will all be gone in two days?"
The old professor didn’t say anything.
Hetherson grinned.
"Come on, don’t be so serious. Lighten up."
Hetherson looked around for something else to distract him, eventually pointing outside at the children making snowmen with the students.
"…Am I seeing things, or are there tiny little kids playing out there?"
The old professor finally laughed heartily.
"Well, it’s a funny story."
He recounted everything Gomon had told him. How the young Roaming Band had attacked again, but this time the students had captured them instead of killing them. Hersel had been at the center of it all and had even defeated all the instructors, as unbelievable as it sounded.
"They say he did all that. Who would’ve thought he’d go to the demonic realm and even find a relic? He’s truly rewriting history in unprecedented ways. I doubt we’ll ever see another student like him."
Hetherson, not being a member of Pathfinder, didn’t know the details, but the stories sounded amusing enough to make him shrug.
"Well, that’s to be expected from my disciple."
Then Hetherson suddenly realized something. He wasn’t even involved, yet he felt a sense of pride in Hersel’s accomplishments. His eyes widened.
Of course, there were many things he admired about him, but Hersel was a noble. Even when interacting, Hetherson had always kept a clear line between them.
'So why...'
Hetherson tried to suppress a chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand. The old professor looked at him curiously, but Hetherson eventually burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha!"
He hated to admit it, but he had grown fond of him.
A man who despised nobles had developed an attachment to one.
"H-Hetherson? What’s got you laughing like a madman?"
"It’s just… those kids Hersel saved. Heh. They’re all little beggars you’d expect to find in the slums. He saved something with no value at all! And he’s a noble! How is that not funny?"
Wars had always been frequent because of the nobles. The consequences of their actions were often borne by innocent commoners. Losing parents, sending children to the battlefield, and dying under the weight of heavy taxes—such was the life of a commoner. There were reasons for the rise of the shadowy Watchmen.
But this guy was different.
Perhaps that’s why, without even realizing it, Hetherson had let his guard down. Unlike the smooth-talking con artists, Hersel’s actions had a genuine sincerity to them.
"Haa."
Hetherson took a deep breath and finally calmed himself. Then he turned to the old professor.
"Tell him to come see me first thing tomorrow morning."
"That won’t be difficult, but in the morning?"
"I should at least say goodbye, shouldn’t I? There are many things I want to talk about."
Hetherson glanced at Schlaphe Hall, deep in thought.
Considering the hundreds of gold coins he had given away, it wouldn’t matter if he gave him the great discovery the others were trying to take—the Inventory.
It wouldn’t be easy, of course.
'I’ll give you one last test. If you’re the man I believe you to be, you should be able to solve it.'
