Chapter 254: I Will Have Them Leave…

I said I was going to the toilet and ran presence detection. Nothing caught, and I let out a breath of relief.

The academy should have Croana’s barrier laid thin over it in the first place. If anyone broke in she would know at once.

...But if I was going to stay alert, overthinking was safer.

I muttered that in my heart, and since I actually did need to go I went into the toilet.

There are toilets on every floor of the academy. You could even say the hygiene is high-level.

That was possible because Croana truly cares about the students, and because Filim Academy gathered faculty and instructors who agree with her.

Birds of a feather flock together. They said that well.

My lovers’ faces crossed my mind and I smiled wryly while washing my hands.

I wiped my hands with a cloth from my Magic Bag and started walking back to the principal’s office.

Maybe because the hero topic had come up, my head was running through the contents of the hero-related events.

Hero events were a real pain, especially when all three heroes were together.

Watching players lose their minds clearing them and laughing at it was a good memory.

But unlike players picking choices, I can speak freely.

I have actually seen the story movies and the past, and more than that I have the theory group’s work.

So I was assuming on my own that it would not get messy... Roy’s feelings I could not predict.

Two of the heroes are Roy’s parents. There would be nothing strange about his feelings being shaken.

The problem was the third. The third, a close friend of Roy’s parents, was the biggest problem child.

If that guy just were not there... no, leave it.

I smiled wryly alone and shook my head to throw the thought off.

No point going on about something finished, and if I talked like that I might never have met Roy.

Denying Roy’s existence was the last thing I, as his instructor, should do.

I decided I would not think it again and opened the principal’s office door.

I sat on the three-seat sofa in the principal’s office. Croana sat on the sofa across from me, staring into my blueprints.

Her long hair floated fluffy out to the sides of her body. Fia sat on her right, combing that floating hair with a gentle look.

Lea sat on Croana’s left, peeking at the blueprints with me, eyes round in surprise.

"That power section, if that is what to call it. Can you make a Magic Tool that just turns when you send mana through it? We will prepare the parts here... or rather, I already ordered them just now."

"...Raide, this is a serious matter, you know?"

Croana lifted her face from the blueprints, handed them to Fia, and spoke with a straight face, tilting her head a little.

Hmm... I thought it would be easy, but is it hard even for Croana?

"Ah~, so making it is difficult after all."

"What are you saying? I am not talking about the Magic Tool. If you finish this and sell it, the people’s lives will change."

"Hmm. First let us change our own lives. Still, being praised even by you feels good. Right, Erika?"

"Even knowing it is for us, this matter is the biggest surprise so far..."

Erika sat on my right, one hand to her forehead, letting out a small tired breath.

Seeing that, Croana lifted her cup, smiled with a troubled face, and took a sip.

Selling it was in the goals, but for me that was the last goal.

The first thing was making our own lives easier. When I said that, the four of them looked at my face and smiled in that troubled way.

Fia, eyes back on the blueprints, bent a finger of her right hand against her lower lip and spoke as if she had noticed.

"At this size it would fit in a Magic Bag and you could carry it, right? For an adventurer it would be light."

"You noticed, Fia. Right. If it is portable it will sell not only to people living in the capital, but to adventurers too."

Yusa yusa yusa. Erika looked into the distance. "I did not hear thaaat," she said, grabbed my right sleeve, and shook it.

A washing machine needs water and mana. Water can come from a Magic Tool.

If a dryer only needs mana, I think female adventurers would be happy to buy one.

I did not make it a portable size only for adventurers.

I explained that I had tried to make it a size that would not get in the way in a household bathhouse or even in a back alley.

I smiled and lightly stroked Erika’s head with my right hand to soothe her. Fia smiled like a mischievous child.

"Hmm~~~? And the real reason?"

"...There is also that I want to use it outside."

"Muuuu, muuuuuuuu!"

"Sorry... but Erika thought it too when we went to Santony, did she not?"

Yusa yusa pos, yusa yusa pos!

Erika nodded as if agreeing, but puffed her cheeks and skillfully shook me and kept patting.

Her busy, cute reactions were too much. I covered my mouth with my left hand, turned my face away, and held in a laugh. That only made the shaking and patting fiercer.

Stop, you are too cute. I really will hold you and stroke you all over, you know?

The three across from us watched our reactions with happy smiles.

But Croana suddenly put on a serious face and looked toward the door. Had something happened? I put on a serious face too.

Lea and Fia saw Croana’s look, stood from the sofa, and opened the window. Then Shuna flew in through the sky.

Shuna looked flustered and serious. Still holding the window frame she spoke to me.

"Raide-sama, Roy-san has run into the academy!"

"Roy...?"

"...Not only Roy. Anyone who is not a student or faculty, I will have them leave my academy."

Croana waved one hand as if brushing off dust. Shuna put a hand to one ear and looked startled.

She reported that several suspicious people had suddenly been thrown out in front of the main gate, and that Sharle and the others, along with Sateur and the others, had them captured now.

As expected of Erika. The moment she felt the air of an emergency she put on a calm face and watched.

"Croana, Lea and I will go meet Roy."

"Wait for us, all right?"

"I will go meet him too. Having someone he knows should put him more at ease."

"...Please."

The three of them smiled at my words, nodded firmly, and left the room. I folded my arms and let out a small breath.

I told you so. This is an event.

And a hero-related one...

If it followed the event, he should have run into the academy with his lovers to escape soldiers sent by the third hero.

It did not have to happen before we left for Santony with the students...

No, think of it the other way. If I treat it as one less worry, I can accept it.

I was making a hard face, arms folded, rubbing my chin with one hand, when Croana suddenly laughed under her breath. I looked at her.

"What is it?"

"Kukuku, no... kuku. I was thinking every day is stimulating when I am with you, Raide."

"Hard to say if I should be glad."

"It suits us, does it not? Kukuku."

Croana laughed happily. I smiled wryly and lightly rubbed the back of my neck with one hand.

It might suit us, true enough...

Well then, when Roy and the others reach the principal’s office, shall we have a "talk"?

A stimulating "talk," like Croana said. With my lovers?