“Alright, next… Tell me about the Stornith Empire. After that, I want to know about this mountainous region.” [Ryner]

“Why do I have to teach you all of this…?” [Kelly]

Kelly spoke dejectedly as she looked at the pile of books on the wooden table next to her while playing with the tip of her brown hair that was tied up and resting on her left shoulder. Ryner and Kelly were sitting face-to-face at a rectangular table inside the library. It was a huge room with countless bookshelves filled with books of all kinds. The floor was covered with a soft, red carpet, the windows were showing the blue sky outside and the chandeliers on the high ceiling were giving off a gentle light.

The two of them were the only ones inside since it was rarely used and the old man in charge of its management was gone. The teacher had offered to handle his duties for him whenever she used the place and was now known as the unofficial manager. People also stayed away because they knew that she visited the place every day.

She had spent the past few months reading as many books as she could. One of the good things about being a hero from another world was that she could speak and read their foreign language. Right now, she was forced to teach all that she had learned so far to the man sitting in front of her. It was already past lunchtime and the two had quickly eaten a sandwich for their meal before getting back to their books.

“Don’t complain so much. Isn’t it your job as a teacher to teach people? So teach me. Come on, teacher. Otherwise your life will be at risk.” [Ryner]

“Are you actually threatening me?!” [Kelly]

Kelly was shocked when she heard him say something so scary in such a casual manner and opened her blue eyes wide as she leaned back. She had heard about what happened at the ruin and knew that this man possessed powerful Artifacts. Then again, if he wanted to, he could probably snap her neck in an instant.

“No, I’m saying that your very existence will be put into question. Your name’s Teacher, but if you don’t teach, then who are you? Should I call you Blank?” [Ryner]

“It’s Kelly! Kelly Skye!” [Kelly]

Her caution disappeared and she leaned forward while glaring at him from behind her glasses. Ryner tilted his head and looked at her with sleepy eyes.

“Kelly? Who’s that? Your sister? You had a sister? Is she prettier than you? She’s prettier, right? She’s nicer too, isn’t she? Can you introduce me to your prettier and nicer sis-?” [Ryner]

“It’s my name! Kelly! K-E-L-L-Y! KELLY!!!” [Kelly]

She got up from her chair and used her hands to support herself as she leaned over the table. Fuming mad, she stared at him menacingly and completely forgot that he could kill her easily. Even though they were in the library, she was screaming at him. This man seemed to like to make her angry.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. We have more important stuff to do. Now, show me the next lesson.” [Ryner]

Ryner pointed at the book in his hand to get her back on track all while ignoring that he was the one that derailed them. Kelly could only sigh to expel her anger as she sat down and her shoulders dropped powerlessly.

“You know, I should be by my students’ side, helping them get back on their feet.” [Kelly]

Kelly thought about her students that had locked themselves in their rooms with a sad look on her face. Some of them were hiding under the blanket and others had cried themselves to sleep. No matter how much power they wielded in this world, they were still ordinary high school students that came from a peaceful era. Even if they learned to swing a sword or to shoot fireballs, that terrifying situation was still too much for them. Death was still too much for them.

“You can’t spoil them too much. Let them get back up on their own and then you can spoil them. Besides, if they stay down, then you won’t need to worry about them every time they go monster hunting.” [Ryner]

Ryner said as he flipped the page. Kelly looked at her own book and considered his words. She thought something like this might happen. At the start, she had warned her students many times and had asked them to stop fighting.

She wanted them to go back to their world before a dangerous situation like this happened. But, after months went by with nothing bad happening, she thought that maybe they could handle it. She thought that this world had given them enough power to protect themselves, but she should’ve known when they lost to the S rank monsters in the ruin. This world had monsters that could kill them.

“*Sigh* You’re right. I don’t want them to fight. But, I can’t just leave them like that. I’m their teacher after all.” [Kelly]

“Naah, they’ll be fine. Just leave them alone for a while. This is like shock therapy. Being down in the mud is good for them.” [Ryner]

“Shock therapy, huh…” [Kelly]

Kelly muttered as she looked at the page while passing her index finger over the words without reading them.

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t thanked you yet.” [Kelly]

“If it’s for saving their lives, then you’re thanking me right now by teaching me all you’ve learned about this world. Or at least, you should be.” [Ryner]

“I will! *Cough* But, that’s not what I meant. I was talking about that scolding you gave them. That was something I should have done.” [Kelly]

Ryner stopped reading and looked at her. Kelly bowed her head and spoke her words clearly.

“Thank you for saving them and thank you for lecturing them in my place.” [Kelly]

She should have said these words sooner, but with how he always infuriated her, thanking him slipped out of her mind.

“They’re all good children. I’m happy that we can all still return safely.” [Kelly]

She raised her head and held her hands together on top of the table.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to thank me. You guys still aren’t home yet after all.” [Ryner]

“That’s true.” [Kelly]

Ryner shrugged his shoulders and Kelly answered softly while looking at her hands.

“And bringing over thirty people back alive is a hard job. Something like what happened at the ruin might happen again.” [Ryner]

“That’s true.” [Kelly]

“So, not everyone may be able to go home.” [Ryner]

“That’s true… But…” [Kelly]

The teacher looked at Ryner who was casually warning her that her wish might not come true and showed him a gentle smile.

“I want to believe that we will be able to go back home safely.” [Kelly]

“I want to believe that we will be able to go back home safely. So, believe in me like I believe in you, Ryner.” [???]

Seeing her face full of hope and hearing her words that were just like what someone else once told him, the sleepy-looking man couldn’t help but freeze up for a second. Memories of the past were dragged up and various images flashed in his mind.

“(Really now… Talking with others can be annoying sometimes.)” [Ryner]

“Is that so? Well, good luck with that. If you want me to scold them again, just say the word. I don’t mind yelling at them every now and then.” [Ryner]

Ryner lifted his book and went back to reading to hide his facial expression. Right now, he was frowning and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. While he tried to get it back to normal, Kelly sighed once more and bitterly smiled at him without knowing that she had shaken him up.

“Then at least accept my apology. I was wrong about you, Ryner. Everyone may be complaining right now and saying that your scolding was awful… And you’re also lazy and often infuriating… But, you’re a good person.” [Kelly]

“Oi, are you apologizing or insulting me?” [Ryner]

“Apologizing of course~.” [Kelly]

Seeing Ryner show her an unhappy look from his book, Kelly couldn’t help but smile playfully. This may be the first time she got back at the man that always messed with her. Unfortunately for her, Ryner was the type to not let grudges go so easily.

“Mu, just teach me already, kid.” [Ryner]

“I’m not a kid! I’m twenty-six years old!” [Kelly]

With just one sentence, he easily got back the advantage and threw her off her game. Being perceptive, he noticed that her young looks, which was something that middle-aged women everywhere would envy, was her sore spot the first time they spoke. He then proceeded to crush her by using data he gathered based on how the students, mostly the males, looked at her.

“Well now, despite being an adult, what are you doing playing around with your students? You’ll get fired if the school finds out about it.” [Ryner]

“Wha…! I’m not playing around with my students!! Don’t make up weird things about me!” [Kelly]

The unexpected attack made Kelly go red in the face as Ryner spoke with an evil smile on his face.

“Now, now. We’re not in your world, but this world. There’s no school here, so it’s fine for you to speak honestly, you know~. Which one are you gunning for?” [Ryner]

“I’m not!!! It’s just that for some reason, my students keep asking me out! Even though I tell them to focus on their studies, they still come after class to ask me if I’m free and if I can go shopping with them! But, I always turn them down, so don’t get the wrong idea!” [Kelly]

“Ohhh~ really? You sure are popular. You’re so popular it makes me jealous.” [Ryner]

“I’m not popular!” [Kelly]

She yelled loudly as she stood up and leaned over the table while blushing. Ryner raised both index fingers and started waving them left and right as he acted like a child.

“Popular lady~! Popular lady~! You’re a pop lady!” [Ryner]

He suddenly exclaimed and pointed at her which only served to infuriate her. She stood up straight, glared at him and put her hands on her hips.

“Stop that right now or I won’t teach you anymore!” [Kelly]

Hearing her angry warning, Ryner went quiet and properly sat on his chair with his back straight, but…

“… Pop lady-ouch!” [Ryner]

His final attack that came out on its own resulted in him getting hit on the head.

“Did you just hit me with a wooden ruler?! Where did you get that anyway?!” [Ryner]

“Be quiet! Your teacher is talking right now!” [Kelly]

“Who’s my teacher?! Don’t treat me like a brat, you brat!” [Ryner]

“Don’t call me that! Sit down and be quiet! It’s time for a lecture!!!” [Kelly]

In the end, they derailed even further.

After causing a lot of noise in the otherwise silent library, the teacher and the lazy idiot finally got back on track. Ryner steadily learned as much as he could about this world that used his fortress as a core. He decided to investigate it tomorrow and chose to spend the rest of the day studying about this world.

“On to the next topic, of the many races, the one that you need to be wary of as a man would be the amazons.” [Kelly]

“Amazons? We have those here?” [Ryner]

Kelly spoke while waving her ruler around in one hand and holding a book in the other. Ryner, who now had several bumps on his head, asked with mild surprise.

“Yes, but even if the name is the same, they’re not exactly like what we heard from our world. It’s a small, nomadic tribe composed of only women. All of them possess greater strength than humans and they are skilled in combat. They all look like ordinary people, so you can’t differentiate between an amazon and a human so easily. The two distinctive differences they have are that they all have golden eyes with black marks on the corners like tattoos.” [Kelly]

Kelly said as she used the ruler to point at the side of her right eye to which Ryner nodded.

“I see. And? Will they kill me while shouting ‘Men aren’t allowed in here!’ if I stumble onto their homes?” [Ryner]

“Not exactly. Although they stay away from other races, they still need them to survive. All of the kids they give birth to are female not to mention that they have low birthrates. So, similar to the amazons from Greek mythology, to reproduce and keep their tribe alive, they need to get men from other races.” [Kelly]

Kelly put the ruler down on the table and begun to flip through the book in her hand. Hearing her explanation, Ryner understood her warning and scratched his head lazily.

“So, it’s that. If they find me, I’ll be captured and forced to help them make kids.” [Ryner]

“(Then again, there’s no danger of that ever happening.)” [Ryner]

“Correct. But, as a warrior tribe, the amazons value strength and want to give birth to strong children. That’s why, if they find a man, they will first try to kill him to test his abilities. If he doesn’t die in combat, then he will be deemed suitable.” [Kelly]

She stopped at a page and put the book on the table for Ryner to see. He took a peek inside and saw the drawing of a beautiful woman with long hair and black marks near her eyes. They were undulating lines that had a circle in the middle and a triangle at the top on each side of her eyes and went near her eyebrows.

She wasn’t wearing any clothes and only her hourglass-shaped figure was drawn. There was a drawing of her from the front and from the side to show the reader what amazons looked like. Since it was in black and white, there was an arrow pointing at her eyes with a note saying that they were golden.

“Beautiful, but deadly, huh? As expected of amazons, I guess. Still, if they’re as pretty as this drawing, then wouldn’t there be a bunch of idiots that willingly go to their deaths?” [Ryner]

Ryner poked the face of the woman with his left index and used his right hand to support his chin. Hearing his question, Kelly sighed and nodded her head with an exasperated expression.

“It’s like you said. According to this book, all of the amazons are beautiful. So, there are people who train themselves and seek them out of their own will, hoping to be deemed ‘worthy’ and get captured. Seriously, what is wrong with you men? The amazons are like the orcs that use other races to reproduce.” [Kelly]

“Orcs?” [Ryner]

Kelly proceeded to pick a book from the pile next to her and flipped through it. Stopping at a page, she placed the book in front of Ryner without saying a word. There was a drawing of a creature that had a stout body with thick arms, a round belly and the head of a boar.

Ryner silently looked at the orc, then at the amazon with a sleepy expression. He looked at the repulsive creature that used women as a seedbed and then looked at the beautiful amazon that preferred strong men.

“… Inequality between sexes sure is harsh.” [Ryner]

“I… I know…” [Kelly]

It seemed that Kelly understood his small mutter as she rested her forehead on the cool table with her shoulders trembling. However, she quickly picked herself up and sternly stared at Ryner while raising her index finger in front of her.

“No matter what the amazons look like, they are still very dangerous. If they think you have strong genes, they’ll imprison you forever and use you to give birth to as many children as they can. That’s why, if you ever meet one, don’t fight her! Escape, especially if she’s the Matriarch!” [Kelly]

“Matriarch? What’s that? Their leader?” [Ryner]

“Yes. She’s the leader of the tribe and the strongest of their warriors. Even if a man is deemed worthy, if he can’t beat her, then she won’t pick him as her partner. As the strongest amazon, she will only take the strongest male.” [Kelly]

“Wow, she sure sounds stuck up.” [Ryner]

“Please don’t joke. This is serious. If you beat an amazon and run away, she’ll chase you down, but give up if you escape too far. However, it’s different if you defeat the Matriarch. The whole tribe will keep looking for you no matter how many years go by.” [Kelly]

Kelly got up from her chair, put both hands on the table and leaned over it so that she could be close to Ryner’s face. Then, she spoke in a low tone to try and scare him so that he would take what she would say next to heart.

“You’ll be hunted down for the rest of your life. That’s why, don’t ever fight a Matriarch. Otherwise, you will either be killed in battle or be forced to impregnate her along with the entire tribe.” [Kelly]

However, her warning went in one ear and out of the other. As evidence, Ryner yawned and rubbed his eyes before lazily answering an irritated teacher.

“Don’t worry so much. I’m quite confident in my escaping abilities. There’s no way they’re ever going to catch me.” [Ryner]

“Can’t you take anything seriously?! If you get caught, you’ll be turned into a stud horse!” [Kelly]

She yelled angrily as she stood straight and put her hands on her hips. This man wasn’t taking her warning to heart at all.

“Hey, it’s still a better fate than getting turned into a baby-making factory by orcs.” [Ryner]

“Ugh, don’t remind me! This world is scary…” [Kelly]

Her imposing attitude was easily shattered by his casual remark and she wearily sat back down while shivering from disgust. Ryner, who was supporting his chin with his hand, crossed his arms on the table and looked at Kelly with a bit of seriousness in his eyes.

“For an S rank, orcs wouldn’t be a problem. It’s got to be tough, having so much mana, yet being unable to control it.” [Ryner]

“Well… Yes…” [Kelly]

The sudden topic surprised Kelly and she looked away with an uncomfortable expression.

“I heard about it from Cain. That old man said that you can’t use any magic because of your poor ability. Apparently, there are other people like you too with no skill in magic… So with that said, how bad is it?” [Ryner]

His question was vague, but the teacher felt like she knew what he meant. No, he told her what he meant when he mentioned that there were other talentless people like her.

“*Sigh*… It’s just at the level of maids talking behind my back. There’s no problem so far.” [Kelly]

She gave up on trying to hide it and decided to tell him the truth. Besides, although it bothered her, it wasn’t at the level that it depressed her.

“Even my students never noticed. You’re quite sharp despite how you look.” [Kelly]

“They never noticed because you’re their teacher and it would be bad if the heroes’ teacher was being badmouthed inside the castle. I never heard any gossiping either. I just made this guess based on similar situations I saw before.” [Ryner]

Kelly looked at the man sitting in front of her and his sleepy-looking expression brought a wry smile to her face, despite the fact that they were talking about something unpleasant to her.

“And? What did you see?” [Kelly]

“Prodigies that became useless idiots and did nothing but freeload off of others.” [Ryner]

“Is that how I look to you?” [Kelly]

The useless hero said with displeasure clearly written on her face to which Ryner warded it off with a wave of his hand.

“The situation is similar enough, isn’t it?” [Ryner]

“*Sigh*… Well, you are right. Although everyone in the castle is treating me nicely, but they must see me as nothing more than a freeloader. After all, unlike my students, I’m completely useless.” [Kelly]

She shook her head after sighing and spoke in a depreciative tone of voice. Even if she was a summoned hero, the people wouldn’t respect her if she didn’t have any abilities. She was considered useless and she knew it, but she didn’t have anything to refute it. That’s why she locked herself in the library to try and learn as much as she could about this world, to try and find a way to get everyone back home.

“That’s to be expected though. When they summoned you, they probably expected someone that could turn a soldier into a bloody pile of meat.” [Ryner]

“I… I’m bad with gore…” [Kelly]

Kelly uttered in a feeble voice when she imagined the scene that Ryner described. For an intern like her that wanted to be a full-fledged teacher, it was nothing but bad luck when she was summoned to this fantasy world and asked to fight the demon race as one of the heroes.

“Well, forget what others say about you. Right now, you should just do what you can.” [Ryner]

She gazed at the sleepy man with a puzzled look before looking away again and playing with the tip of her hair on her left shoulder.

“(Is he trying to cheer me up?)” [Kelly]

She thought in her mind while feeling a bit embarrassed from suddenly receiving his concern, but her feelings quickly changed the next moment.

“And that is to protect your existence as a teacher by teaching me. So, teach me already. We’ve got a lot more books to cover. Come on Miss… Teacher, what’s the next subject?” [Ryner]

“My name is Kelly! When will you get it through that thick skull of yours?!” [Kelly]

The angry teacher yelled as she picked up her ruler and brandished it above her head. That was how the study session continued between these two individuals. However, a few hours later, someone entered the library. After the doors closed, soft footsteps were heard approaching them. It was a maid. Ryner and Kelly turned their attention to the new arrival with a curious gaze.

“Pardon my intrusion.” [Maid]

The maid with dark brown hair that reached her shoulders stopped a few meters in front of Ryner and elegantly bowed to him.

“The king has summoned you. Please follow me to the audience room.” [Maid]