Chapter 95

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

Monster Hunting Request

When Hikaru visited Mikhail, the professor was busy packing things into a huge backpack – big enough to fit in three Hikarus .

「Hikaru?」

「What’s up? You’re going back to Jarazack? Escaping debt?」

「No, I’m not! I’m not Professor Mille, okay?! Oh, you only arrived this year so you probably don’t know . You see, they get loose in the summer…」

「What, the screws in your head?」

「No! Monsters!」

「Hmm?」

「After a long winter, monsters start breeding in uninhabited lands . They grow big and turn savage in the summer . By the end of the season, they are hunted down . 」

「So, like culling monsters? Why not kill them before they grow big?」

「There’d be too many of them . It’s easier to fight them once they’ve matured enough . 」

「That sounds like a job for the army . 」

「They’ve got their hands full with border security . Forestia is adjacent to Quinbland, an empire we had a rough history with in the past, and Ponsonia, a kingdom that we’re currently not on good terms with . Also hunting these monsters is quite a profitable job . It’s popular among adventurers . 」

「The Adventurers Guild is managing it?」

「Yes . I’m an adventurer too, you know . 」

Mikhail took out his guild card . His rank, C, was written on it . Although the job class field was left blank .

「Hahaha . You’re curious about my job class? Unfortunately I can’t let you see—」

「When are you leaving?」

「Let me finish! Sheesh . I’m leaving today . 」

「Do you really have to go?」

「Not really… But this is something I look forward to every year . Adventurers from Quinbland and surprisingly even from Ponsonia are going this year . It’s a chance to exchange information with them . Most of all, I can fight with my life on the line . Since you’re asking, I take it you want something from me? So you finally want to attend my classes—」

「Nope . There’s someone I’d like you to fight . 」

「You want a rematch?! You should’ve said so sooner . Man, I’ve been itching to—」

「Not me . A student from Kirihal . 」

「………」

「What?」

「If he’s from Kirihal, then he’s not one of my students . I’d rather spend my time heading to the border and fight some monsters . 」

「Man, all you think about is fighting . How long will it take for you to clean up those monsters?」

「By average, it takes about ten to twenty days . 」

「Then no . 」

「Why are you deciding how I spend my time?!」

Hikaru was sure the professor would say yes to a practice match . He just didn’t expect him to go out killing monsters . But he had a plan for this .

「In about ten days, said Kirihal student will travel to Jarazack to fight the king . 」

「What do you mean?」

「He plans to win, of course . I trained him, after all . 」

Strictly speaking, it was Ivan who trained him and all Hikaru did was tweak Claude’s Soul Board .

「You trained him personally?」

Mikhail looked interested .

「I’m training him so he can win against Alexei Jarazack . I need him to fight you as a warm-up and gain experience . 」

「Hmm… win against the boss… True, if he can win against me, he might have a chance to defeat the boss . 」

Folding his arms, Mikhail groaned, his face saying that it wasn’t possible .

「By the way, he fought Ivan yesterday and won ten out of ten . 」

「What?!」Mikhail’s eyes widened .

The professor knew Ivan was the strongest among his great sword students .

「You’re lying . There’s no student around who can completely dominate Ivan . 」

「I’m telling the truth . 」

After setting his job class to Technical Swordsman, Claude was able to skillfully dodge Ivan’s sword and won ten times in a row . It was as if he never had difficulty at all training in the first place . Later, the other Jarazack students wanted a shot, to which Claude obliged . While he lost some due to fatigue, he won against most of them .

Apparently it was much easier to fight without a shield, so right now he trained to see how far he could go with only his sword .

「Does he use a great sword?」

「Nope . A one-handed sword . He originally attended the short spear class, but he was clearly better with the sword, so we’re working on that instead . 」

「You could tell?」

「I’m not really good at teaching . It’s just a coincidence . What do you say? Would you like to postpone your monster hunting so you can fight him?」

「You said he had a little more than ten days before he fights the boss . Let me guess; you want him to think of me as the real Alexei for his training . 」

「You got me . 」

But Hikaru was prepared for this .

「Well, I’m a professor in the academy and training students is my job . I know . How about this?」

「What, you want to make a deal?」

「I’ll fight said student once and judge him . If I think he stands a chance against the boss in ten days, then I will train him personally . Otherwise, you will teach my class in my stead . 」

「What?」

「It won’t be forever . Only while I’m away hunting monsters . The students need to learn how to fight someone agile like you who keeps on dodging attacks . 」

If Claude was skilled enough, Mikhail would have fun training the guy . If he wasn’t, Hikaru would cover for the professor while he was away .

「I see . It’s a win-win situation for you . 」Hikaru said .

「That’s my condition . 」

Hikaru thought all the men from Jarazack had brawn for brains . Mikhail was surprisingly smart .

I suppose he couldn’t be a professor if he wasn’t smart .

「All right . 」

「Really? Sorry you have to look after my students!」

「Oh, you’re already giving up on Claude before you’ve even fought him?」

「No student can defeat the boss . Wait a sec . By a Kirihal student, did you mean Claude Zahard Kirihal?」

「The fight’s tomorrow . 」

「Wait! The Zahard family is a prestigious—」

「I’m counting on you . 」

「Why does he want to fight Alexei?! Hikaru! Hey!」

Someone watched from behind a pillar as Hikaru stepped out of Mikhail’s room . Hikaru left without turning back .