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Before leaving Ferrent’s office, I thought I heard something strange, but it must have been my imagination. Or maybe it was just one of Ferrent’s jokes. Yeah, a joke. I only thought he was an uptight former knight commander, but he has a good sense of humor too.

“Oh~ is that our Elysia? On your way back from counseling, huh?”

No. I just felt a bit unwell and must have been hearing things. I can still hear nonsense right now.

Staying up late to read novels I couldn’t during midterms has done a number on my condition. I still have a long list of novels recommended by Selian, but I think I’ll skip reading today and go to bed early.

“How about it? Are you still not considering moving to Class 2?”

My efforts to pretend I didn’t hear her must have gone unnoticed, as Professor Selene stuck around and started talking to me.

“Well, Professor, I don’t think I’ll ever end up in your class.”

“Hmm. Seems like I’ve really made quite the impression. Well, let’s save that talk for later. How about we go to my office for a cup of tea?”

Even though I coldly declined, Selene persistently invited me to her office. Despite my low opinion of her from the last incident, Selene seemed to be treating me kindly.

“See you in class next time.”

“Don’t dodge like that. I just want to hear a bit about Yuli.”

“…Yuli?”

Since she was Yuli’s former homeroom teacher, I couldn’t just brush off her inquiry, so I ended up following Selene to her office.

What a situation, being called to a professor’s office twice in one day. To the unknowing observer, it makes for a perfect picture of a problem kid.

The inside of Selene’s office was quite simple. The only noticeable decoration was an adventurer’s badge. Selene was one of only nine platinum adventurers on the continent, and she had originally planned to retire and return home, but for some reason, she changed her mind and accepted a teaching position at Griffin Academy.

As I sat at the table, which was more for show, Selene began serving me tea with her usual expertise.

I had already drunk tea when consulting with Ferrent, but I had to accept it so as not to seem rude.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Since I’m from a mercenary background, I only have this cheap tea to offer.”

As I picked up the teacup, the warmth of the tea seeped through. I worried it might be too hot, so I cautiously touched my tongue to it, finding it merely warm enough, and took a sip.

A bitter taste filled my mouth. After overcoming the bitterness, a distinct aroma followed.

“It’s Depl tea.”

It’s a tea made from leaves so common across the continent that they’re practically weeds.

It’s completely the opposite of the tea I drank at Ferrent’s office earlier.

Drinking it would just leave a bitter aftertaste, and since it’s essentially just weeds, it doesn’t fill you up. That’s why no one eats it, but you can at least brew it into tea. Yet hardly anyone drinks it just to enjoy the slight aroma that comes after the bitterness.

“Oh, you know Depl tea? Our class kids take a sip, spit it out, or make faces that say they won’t touch it again.”

I brushed off Selene’s chuckle and took another sip. It’s a flavor and aroma that gives me quite the nostalgia.

As previously mentioned, Depl tea is just a tasteless brew made from random grass leaves in warm water. Nobody drinks it, but conversely, anyone can.

Back in my days with the Assassin Guild, where food was limited and luxury was non-existent, I would often pick Depl leaves every time I went out and brewed tea. Whenever I got bored, I would just pop some in my mouth and chew on them slowly.

Of course, once I arrived at the Academy, I had plenty of other food options, so I stopped bothering with it, but now that I’m reunited with it, I feel quite nostalgic.

Selene poured herself some water and took a sip of the Depl tea as she sat at the head of the table.

“Honestly, I can afford to drink expensive tea now, but this one fits my taste due to nostalgia.”

Even after enjoying delicious foods for a while, the longing for this makes her story somewhat relatable.

In fact, I like this tea more than the one I just had at Ferrent’s office. However, even if I found common ground, it doesn’t mean I’m warming up to Selene.

“Could you please get to the point? I may not look it, but I’m busy…”

Because I don’t particularly like Selene due to past events, a somewhat rude tone slipped out. In reality, I don’t have much going on right now.

But I didn’t care much. For some reason, Selene seemed to have a fondness for me. I figured she would let this slide, and if not, I could likely handle just one subject’s score at worst.

Of course, she might be trying to mess with me, but surely a platinum adventurer wouldn’t stoop so low?

“It’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask how Yuli has been lately.”

Considering what Selene has done regarding Yuli, this should be a disingenuous statement, yet I found no trace of insincerity in her tone.

“Why do you care about Yuli? She isn’t even your student anymore…”

Selene set down her teacup and shrugged her shoulders as she answered.

“Actually, it’s more comfortable to ask now that I’m not her teacher. She’s the daughter of my close friends.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve known Yuli’s parents for a long time in many ways. A friend’s daughter is worth caring about, don’t you think?”

From the look on Selene’s face, she didn’t come off as someone lying.

“If you want to care so much, why didn’t you help Yuli last time?”

“I told you the reason back then, didn’t I? My educational policy hasn’t changed. Even if she’s the daughter of a close friend, there are no exceptions. And it was Craig who asked me not to make any exceptions in the first place, remember?”

“Craig… Yuli’s father?”

“Exactly. He actually wishes Yuli wouldn’t take up the sword. He’s quite fond of her. But while he’s always been a man of few words, he’s become even quieter since Linis passed away… So Yuli, unaware of this, has just been chasing after her dad and swinging a sword.”

This was news I hadn’t heard about Yuli.

“Then why not tell Yuli directly instead of asking me…?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be awkward for me to call Yuli and discuss this? So I’m asking you to handle it. I’m not asking you to convince her to give up the sword like Craig wants. Just to make sure she’s doing well.”

I raised the teacup to my lips, but it was already empty.

“But that would mean you’d be ignoring Lord Craig’s request concerning Yuli…”

However, Selene merely smirked at my comment, downing the last of her tea before speaking.

“I actually preferred Linis more than Craig.”

*

“I’m late, aren’t I?”

As I opened the classroom door, I spotted Yuli, who greeted me.

From my previous conversations with her, it was clear Yuli had no idea what her father’s thoughts were. She thought he treated her strictly, and her family’s members showed no interest in her.

But according to Selene, it seemed a bit different. Craig simply lacked a way to express himself, and the family members actually feared Yuli and kept their distance.

“I stopped by somewhere else on the way.”

But I didn’t share what I heard from Selene with Yuli. There’s no guarantee that everything Selene said was true, and as an outsider, I didn’t want to intervene in such a sensitive topic.

I could talk about it later when the opportunity arises.

“Is that so? What did they ask you about? I guess they’re going to scold you about your low midterm scores, huh?”

“I guess so? Ugh… I’ll definitely get high marks on the written exam next time…”

Yuli’s assumption was met with a groan from Anne, who was sitting next to her. As much as I hate to say it to Anne, I can confidently assure that her determination would evaporate completely within three days. I’d wager on it!

In fact, during the midterm study period, whenever Yuli studied for a few days, she ended up wanting to quit again. It was Yuli who managed to drag Anne along to study.

Anne should be thankful to Yuli. Without her, Anne’s written scores would have been even more horrendous.

“How about I help you study starting today? Like during the midterms?”

Even now, as Anne proposed with determination, Yuli’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the idea of being taught, but

“Huh? Ah, no. I think I’m alright for now!”

Look at that. Just seconds after gearing up, Yuli promptly rejected the idea of studying help.

That’s always Anne.