Stupid Heroes ~We Draft Candidates~ (WN): Chapter 17

 

Chapter 17: Impact of the Attack

 Ren returned to the academy three days later than the other hero candidates. He says that it took him that much extra time to return to the capital because his injuries drained his strength.

 No one doubts that. All of the A and C class candidate students know that Ren was injured. Because of this, they had to leave Ren in the forest and move on.

"It looks like you had a hard time."

 Mike was the first to speak to Ren when he appeared in the classroom.

"Yeah, I thought I was going to die."

"You look fine for that."

"Thanks to the excellent Holy Knight-sama."

"Holy Knight?"

"Takamiya-san from Class A. Healing magic closed the wound in no time."

“Are you going to give a man a -san?”

"Huh? You know it well."

"...I know the names of the Four Heavenly Kings."

"Is that so?"

 Class A's Yuya and the other three are celebrities at the academy. Students who do not know them are rare.

"Three?"

 Mike changed the topic. It's about the dead students.

"Yes"

“Thanks to that, the entire school is gloomy.”

"Because people died. And a student the same age as me."

"You look fine"

 Ren's way of speaking is someone else's problem. Mike felt that he was different from the other hero candidates.

"If it's a person's death... to be precise, I've seen countless people after death. I'm not saying I don't mourn the death, but it's not something that drags me down."

"I see……"

"But if other students hear me talking like this."

 He would never get a good impression. He will almost certainly be blamed.

“Ren-kun!”

 One of the other students suddenly called his name. The girl who wiped Ren's blood in the forest.

"...Um?"

"Wait? No way, about me."

"No. I know your name. Harumoto Kazuki-san."

"Yes. Then what was that reaction?"

"I was wondering what you wanted."

 He knows the name. However, other than the forest, it was the first time Kazuki and Ren had a conversation. He doesn't remember her talking to him in the classroom at all.

"Is your body okay?"

"I'm fine"

"Then I have a favor to ask you."

"……What?"

 A favor. The word brought nothing but bad feelings to Ren.

"Will you teach us to use swords?"

"Yes?"

“Because we weren’t in the combat class, we didn’t learn how to use the sword properly.”

"Haa"

"But after what happened, I realized that's not enough. At the very least, we need to be able to defend ourselves."

"Well, that's."

"So teach us."

"...We have a practical class"

 It was a rare reaction for Ren to not simply reject it. Kazuki's momentum has pushed him a little.

“Because the practical skill class is based on the premise of a combat class. It's not at a level we can keep up with anymore."

"That's because you don't learn seriously from the beginning."

"That's... I'm reflecting on it. We're reflecting on it, so we're thinking of starting over."

“…By the way, who's we?”

"All the non-combatants."

"Three people?"

"Yeah, and the mages too."

"Yes?"

 For the first time, Ren learned of a student with a suitable job as a magician who wanted to learn swordsmanship.

"The mages were shocked that they couldn't defend against the magical beasts. Mages are weak when it comes to close combat. They wanted to eliminate that weakness as much as possible."

“…That way of thinking is correct. But if you're going to be taught, you better be taught by the right people."

 Ren was a little impressed with Kazuki's explanation. That doesn't mean he's going to teach them, though.

"Right person?"

“Such as the excellent people of Class A.”

"Oh, that's impossible."

 Kazuki immediately denied Ren's words.

"Have you tried asking?"

"No, it's not that, it's just that everyone says they don't want to be taught."

"...There are some parts that are a bit arrogant, but be patient there."

 This is what Ren thinks of the Class A students. And this is not Ren's prejudice.

"It is not like that"

 Only for a different reason.

"...You don't like asking your classmates for advice, right?"

"That's different, too. It's not pride or anything."

"Then what?"

 Beyond this, Ren can't think of any reason why they didn't want to be taught by a student in Class A even before asking.

"Things in the Forest"

"...What do you mean?"

“People condescendingly say that they helped us. But we don’t think so. They just wanted to fight the magical beasts. That's what everyone thinks. Even I think that, to be honest."

"……I see"

 In the end, it was an emotional thing. Ren agrees. However, this ill feeling did not come from mere likes and dislikes.

"If they'd come straight to us, the three wouldn't have died. That's what we think."

 This is the reason why Class C students rebel against Class A students.

"Yes, but I don't think it's right to put that responsibility on them."

"Yes, but it doesn't seem easy to break the ice."

"……Are you the same?"

 Similar. This word is used when talking about people.

"Me? I think it's because we're weak."

"So the sword, huh?"

"Yes. Hey, is that okay? Tell me."

"...We'll talk about that later. It seems that someone has come for business."

"Ah……"

 When Kazuki turned around, he saw Jin standing still with an indescribable expression. One of those students that everyone in Class C doesn't think well of. Moreover, he is one of the four heavenly kings who can be said to represent them.

 As expected, it was awkward and Kazuki left the place.

"You wanted to see me?"

"……Yeah."

"What is it?"

"...I'm sorry."

 He had heard what Katsuki said.

"I don't owe you an apology."

"It's just as she said. I was so distracted by the magical beast in front of me that I forgot to help my comrades."

"You have no obligation to help them."

 Jin is talking to the wrong person about this matter. Ren doesn't think the Class A students are responsible. If they were to blame, he doesn't care.

"It's nothing like that. I had the power to help."

"...I see. Even you have that kind of conceit."

"Conceit? Me?"

"Because you are. You have the power to help? How can you be so sure?"

"That's……"

"Besides, you and the three who died are all candidates. You are on the same side. And since you are on the same side, you are not obligated to help them. And that you don't think so?"

“I look down on my classmates, huh?”

"You do."

"I'm sorry."

 Again, words of apology come out of Jin's mouth. This is an apology for looking down on them. And he also said it to the wrong person.

"That's why I don't remember owing you an apology. I'm not a hero candidate. So you can help me as much as you want."

“…Is your body okay?”

"No problem at all"

"Good. It was my first time actually using healing magic."

"……Yes?"

“No, I was training properly.

 They cannot prepare seriously wounded people for practice. Recovery magic is difficult to practice in this respect. You have to experience it in the field.

"Is that so? Then it was a good experiment."

"I have no intention of using my classmates as tools for experiments."

"I didn't mean it in a sarcastic way. What do you want?"

“Oh, nothing much. I heard you were out, so I just came by to see how you were doing.

"Thank you for that."

"I thought Shizuru could join me."

"That's too much"

"...I didn't think she was that kind of woman."

 Shizuru, who was invited, is not here. There is a reason for that.

"Perhaps she said she was disillusioned with me crying out for help?"

“…………”

“Bingo. Then, she won't come near me anymore."

 Ren smiles happily. A faint suspicion appeared in Jin's heart when he saw it.

"No way, did you do that on purpose?"

"Huh? With that injury. I don't have time to think about that kind of thing."

"...That's true."

 It's as Ren says. That's true, but something remains in Jin's mind that he can't understand.

"Don't worry, I'm fine"

"I see... I can teach them how to use a sword, if they want."

"If that's what they want, go ahead."

"What they want, huh..."

 He was shocked to hear the reason just a few minutes ago.

"I don't know about that. I haven't told them anything. But can you afford to?"

"Afford?"

"No matter how much time you have for training, it shouldn't be enough. Can you care about other people?"

"That's true, but......"

 Words that sound like what Yuya and Mei would say. Jin was a little puzzled by the fact that it came out of Ren's mouth.

“A hero candidate must be the best. You can't settle for anything less than second best."

"...That's suggestive again. What do you know?"

"Nothing. Competition is like that, right?"

"Yes"

 This was the end of their conversation. In fact, Jin had no particular business with him, and he had nothing to talk about. And Ren was not interested in talking either.

 While showing some hesitation, Jin returned to his classroom.

"...You went that far?"

 Mike opened his mouth when Jin was gone.

"What are you talking about?"

"How do you deliberately injure yourself in order to separate a woman you don't like?"

"I didn't do that"

"I don't know about that."

"Because I wouldn't."

"What's the truth?"

"Hmm?"

 A voice cut in without warning. Looking in the direction of the voice, Lang was standing there with a smile on her face.

"……Nothing."

"I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"Thank you."

"Well, I've been busy these past few days."

"Haa"

"I heard. It seems that an adventurer who looks a lot like Ren-dono appeared there."

 Busy? Lang's words told him why

"Similar to me? Come on, I don't know about that."

"You don't know?"

"I mean, I haven't seen him."

"...Is that so? Ren-dono, are you with the Class C students?"

"Yes"

"Then you may not have been able to see it. It seems that he was blocking the magical beasts on the front lines."

"I didn't know there was such a person. But you know him well, don't you?"

"I asked the Class A hero candidates. Most of them are watching."

"I see"

"Didn't you see it on your way home?"

"I was the only one on the way home."

 Wasn't there. This is something that Ren, who stayed behind injured, should not have known.

"Yeah, you were injured."

"Yes"

"I see. I heard, by the way, that the cardinal of the church has passed away."

 Thinking that it would be impossible to elicit any more reactions from Ren, Lang changed the subject. She also meant to catch him off guard.

"Heh. I haven't heard."

"I see……"

 Ren didn't seem upset at all. A surprise attack is a failure.

"What are you talking about?"

"No, it's nothing. Nothing important. I see......"

"Weirdo."

"...Then, I'll come again."

"Haa"

 All that came out of Lang's mouth was what he was listening to and didn't know what she wanted to talk about. That can't possibly be a conversation. In fact, Ren knows what Lang wants to hear and is just fawning over it.

 Either way, Lang walked out of the classroom feeling disappointed that she hadn't elicited a response.

"What, is that?"

"What is it?"

"You know what I'm talking about. I think she wanted to find out what it was."

"I don't know?"

"...An adventurer who looks just like you."

 He's not an adventurer, but Mike knows someone who is.

"I don't know?"

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen her lately. Your sister with the same color hair and eyes as you."

"Because there's a guy with weird eyes, you know. I told her not to come to the academy."

"...I didn't do that"

"I didn't say who"

"......Would you go that far?"

"What are you talking about?"

◇◇◇

 The fact of the death of a hero candidate did not only bring sadness. For students sent from different countries, there are many things to think about in response.

 The reason why Lang was busy for a few days after the return of the hero candidates was because she was busy gathering information about what happened.

"Could you let me know what you found out?"

"Yes. Regarding the situation at that time, we were divided into three groups by class and were advancing through the forest. The Class C group, which suffered three casualties, had an adventurer acting as an escort. One person"

"There was only one?"

“In terms of ability, he is a B-rank adventurer, but even so, I can’t understand the arrangement. The Class A group had three adventurers.”

"......You mean?"

"I think they intentionally left the weakest group short-handed."

"Are you saying this is a plan?"

"It's possible."

"...Any other reason?"

 She understands that there is something suspicious about the placement of the escorts. But that alone is not enough to conclude that it is a plan.

"It's Class C, but it didn't seem to be a problem for a while after parting from the other groups. However, this is just that the hero candidates didn't notice anything unusual."

"What do you mean?"

“After showing an example once, the adventurer who accompanied them had the hero candidates, who were probably a swordsman type, experience actual combat. They defeated three war wolves."

 Lang's report is detailed. She collects information down to the smallest detail.

“One of the students complained several times to the adventurer afterward. He said the smell of blood was too strong and he wanted to move on."

"It's such a pity to become a hero candidate who has fallen behind."

"The one who said that was Ren-dono."

"……I see."

 If Ren said that, it means something. Princess Milianea appreciates Ren enough to think this way.

“So I got curious and asked the adventurers in the guild. The answer was as expected, they all said that there was no way they could have stayed in one place with the bodies intact after defeating the magical beasts."

"Is that true?"

"If they stay long enough, they'll either burn the monster's corpse or bury it. This is to eliminate the smell of blood."

"What would happen if you didn't do that?"

"The smell of blood attracts magical beasts. And the magical beasts actually gathered."

"...An adventurer tried to kill a hero candidate? What was his motive?"

 Even if the adventurer did it on purpose, she doesn't know the motive. If it is indeed a scheme, there is a reason for doing it. And if you don't know the reason, you can't declare it a scheme.

"I don't know. But I have another question."

 Lang hasn't quite gotten there either. However, Lang did not give up.

"What is it?"

"The body of three or so magical beasts should not be enough to attract that many magical beasts. That's the opinion of many adventurers."

"I don't understand."

“I don’t know how he did it. But I think he must have gathered the monsters beforehand."

"Is that so? If so."

"I don't think it's something a single adventurer can do."

"There's something behind it... so the rumors were true."

 There is an organization that regards the hero as an existence that disturbs the world and sees it as an enemy. Princess Milianea knows about this rumor.

"Personally, I think it is not true."

 Lang denied it.

"Eh? Why?"

"The target was a Class C candidate, and a Class C hero candidate would not affect many people. One of them, I don't know, though."

"You think they were targeting him?"

"No, that's not possible. Because until just before that, Ren-dono said he wouldn't participate."

"Is there another reason for that?"

 Gather magical beasts in advance. If they were targeting Ren, they wouldn't have been able to do that.

“I thought about the meaning of targeting Class C students who are said to be dropouts other than Ren-dono.”

"What could it be?"

“Although there is little basis for it, I think that they tried to cut off the dropouts.”

"What do you mean, cut them off?"

“For the church, I think the Class C hero candidates are useless.”

 The information she gathered and her guesses led Lang to the truth.

"...They're going that far?"

"There is no definite proof. However, this plan is being carried out by the church. The request to the guild is also the same. That's strange in the first place. Why do you need to have the guild's adventurers dispatched?"

"They just need to send out a church knight."

“That's right. However, if they did that, the church Knights will be responsible for the hero candidate's death. That's why they asked the guild, didn't they?"

 This is also true. Princess Mirianea has an excellent entourage. Whether she realizes it or not.

"If it's true, it's a pretty good plan."

"No, I think they made a big mistake."

"Is that so?"

"I believe that the guild was made aware of the existence of the plan because of the request they made to them. As a result, the plan failed."

"Failure? When three people died?"

"Only three people. Considering the scale of the plan, I think they were trying to wipe them out."

 Gathering magical beasts is not an easy task. The reward paid to the guild shouldn't be too small. Considering that, it's not worth it.

"Did the guild get in the way?"

"Perhaps. We will know exactly how they did it when we hear the report from Spencer-dono."

"Yes. Then Hyde."

"No, my report doesn't contain anything like that."

 Hyde was puzzled by this sudden turn of events. Hyde had not investigated the incident in the forest.

"Isn't it just that you haven't noticed?"

"...Then I will report. In this case, the strength of the hero candidates has been clearly demonstrated. Yuya-dono, Mei-dono, Jin-dono. The strength of these three people is outstanding."

"We are missing one, aren't we?"

“In a sense, Shizuru-dono is as expected. There is no place for her to play an active role on the battlefield.”

"I see."

 There was a tragedy, but this case was really effective in terms of measuring the strength of the hero candidates.

"Mei-dono's advanced fire attribute magic is so frightening that it seems to have burned everything it touched. And Yuya-dono's sword cut off Murder Bear's hard fur with a single stroke. This is the same for Jin-dono."

"What about the rest?"

“It seems that the other Hero Candidates are also quite capable. There are more than fifty magical beasts that have appeared, but no one in the Class A has been injured.”

"I see... what about the guild?"

 Hyde's reports so far have not even mentioned the guild.

"So there is no such thing in your report."

"Lang?"

"Because we suddenly got into the main topic. In the first place, why did the hero candidates of Class A know that the Class C was being attacked by a pack of magical beasts?"

"Oh, that's right. A black-clad adventurer appeared and told them that."

 It was the adventurer who told Class A of the monster's attack. This is one of the guild activities Lang mentioned.

"Yes. And that adventurer shouldn't have accompanied you on the way."

"...He's a different person from the student named Ren."

"It doesn't matter now. And then?"

 The guild is biting. All they need now is this fact.

“When we got there, that adventurer and another adventurer were fighting a herd of magical beasts. Class A candidates joined the fray, and that pretty much settled it."

"Were there any adventurers on the way back?"

"I don't think so."

“In other words, the adventurer had been sent to the forest he never entered, regardless of the church's request. He may have been working on another request by chance, but don't you think that's too convenient?"

"Certainly so."

 The guild knew about the attack and was working behind the scenes to prevent it. Lang's story shows this, but Hyde refuses to accept it.

 It seems that Lang is implicitly trying to let Princess Milianea know about Ren's activities.

"Thanks to that adventurer, Class C didn't have to suffer casualties."

"Three died"

 Hyde denied Lang's words. However, he soon finds himself counterattacked.

"Do you know? It seems that those three died after the Class A hero candidates appeared."

"...What?"

"Not all of them, but if even a few of them had gone to defend Class C, there might not have been any casualties."

"No one?"

"Yes. A female student from Class C was talking. Far from being grateful, the hero candidate from Class C seems to have a bit of a grudge."

“…………”

 Forgetting to protect their comrades, they devoted themselves to fighting magical beasts. Hyde doesn't think that's how a hero should respond.

"It doesn't matter if there are problems with their personalities, right?"

"But there are also knights who fight under them."

 If you fight without thinking about those who fight with you, it will only bring misfortune to your allies.

“As a relief, Jin-dono was terribly depressed after hearing that. He also apologized.”

"What about Yuya-dono?"

 Hyde's evaluation is more on Yuya than Jin.

"You don't know. In the first place, you still don't know that fact, do you?"

"Yes"

“Now then, there is one thing you should be careful about.”

"What?"

“There is a possibility that there will be a feud between the hero candidates, especially between Class A and Class C.

"Why is that?"

"Because the Class C candidates have a grudge against the Class A candidates because of this incident."

"How can that be?"

 Even if they didn't protect them, the fact that the hero candidates of Class A defeated the magical beast has helped the students of Class C as a result.

“There seems to be a problem with Class A's attitude. You should be grateful because I saved you. They seem to be overtly displaying that kind of attitude."

"……I see."

 Hyde knows that the Class A students are saying things like Lang says. If you're in the classroom, it's so frequent that you can hear it even if you don't like it.

"It sounds familiar, doesn't it? It probably gets even worse, the hero candidates in Class C will no longer be recognized as hero candidates because of this incident. And if that happens, the general student body might give them the cold shoulder."

"It's possible."

"The disparity will widen more and more, Class A will become conceited, while Class C will have a narrow view of themselves. It's going to be a bloody academy."

"You sound happy."

"Personally, I'm looking forward to it."

"What?"

"He doesn't care what happens to others, but what if it comes down to him? What would he do if he was on the receiving end?"

 Lang believes that Ren will always wipe away the sparks that fall on him. She's looking forward to seeing how Ren will act when Class A hero candidates become the spark.

"It's a misunderstanding about him. It turns out that the rumors about him as an adventurer belonged to someone else. Speaking of his own abilities, he almost became one of the victims."

"Yes, but..."

"What?"

"The Class C hero candidates asked him to teach swordsmanship. Why is that?"

"I don't know."

"I guess"

 Only those who have been close to Ren the whole time, or those who know he was, know.

"Enough about him. We should spend our time looking for other information."

"About what?"

"There will be a lot of things like who other countries are trying to nominate."

“…Is there any other option in our country other than Jin-dono?”

 They cannot win the bid for Yuya and Mei. No one but Jin is worth bidding on. The candidate for the Izrim Magic Kingdom have already been decided.

"If Luine and Lemberg nominate the same candidate, there will be other options."

"Isn't Spencer-dono's duty to investigate it?"

"The Lemberg Empire can be explored, but the Luine Kingdom cannot be explored."

"I don't think the Luine Kingdom will make contact until the last minute. The only information the Luine Kingdom needs is who the Lemberg Empire will appoint."

"That's his opinion, too."

"Do you think it's wrong?"

 Whoever's opinion is right, they should follow it. And Lang thinks Ren's opinion is correct.

"...Not so much."

"In that case, there is not much to investigate. We'll just direct that amount of time elsewhere."

"But we must stick to him."

"I want to be particular about it. However, as a job, he is not the only one."

"Then what?"

"I've been wondering if it's right to evaluate one hero candidate. Yuya-dono is strong. But what if Jin-dono fights him with multiple hero candidates?"

“It depends on how strong those multiple hero candidates are.”

"Yes. Don't you think we should look into that?"

"However, as an unnominated hero candidate"

"We won't know that until we look into it. That's why I'm trying to find out."

"......Is that your own idea?"

"No, I heard it from Ren-dono."

 Lange speaks honestly about what she heard from Ren. She did not have to hide it.

"I think that's selling himself short?"

"That's right, Ren-dono has confidence that he won't become a hero for some reason."

"Because he doesn't know anything."

"On the contrary, perhaps he knows everything."

 With a slight smile, Lang said this.

"……Impossible."

 For Hyde, it was impossible. Slightly flustered by Lang's attitude, he spoke in denial.

“This is not relevant right now, is it? Now, do you understand what we've been talking about?"

"Understand?"

 Unfortunately, he did not.

"...Then I'll explain. There are hero candidates who are not nominated, but probably everyone in Class C will be like that."

"That's probably right"

 The evaluation of the hero candidates in Class C has completely fallen to the ground.  Their position as a hero candidate is also questionable.

"However, there is a feud between Class C and Class A, and it is about to deepen. In such a relationship, would you accept the invitation of a hero candidate from Class A?"

"I see."

"I hope that the heroes of other countries will be like that, but it would be a problem if the heroes of our country were to be like that."

 Jin, a candidate for bidding, is also a Class A candidate. And Jin cannot win against Yuya alone. It is a position that requires the incorporation of the hero candidates who have been rejected from the bidding process. This is only for the convenience of the Izrim Magic Kingdom.

"……But"

"It hasn't been decided yet, right? There are still two years, but I think it's better not to be relieved."

"Why is it so?"

“Is two years really necessary for a hero candidate? They don't have the desire to learn anything at the academy. Their time at the academy is becoming a waste of time."

"That is true."

"And it is the same for each country. Rather than wasting their time, wouldn't it be better for them to decide on their own heroes and give them the necessary education themselves?"

"Lang."

 Princess Milianea, who was listening to their conversation, calls Lang's name.

"Yes"

"Are you asking me to approach the Church?"

“No, I personally need time. But there are others who think like that now, aren't there?"

"That's true."

“It may be a futile concern. However, if that were to happen, the movement of countries would intensify at once. I think we should be careful."

"Yes, I understand."

 Just as Lang predicted, things are moving at an accelerated pace. It is the hero candidate students who are at the mercy of that accelerated flow. Their tragedy is yet to come.