Chapter 35

"......."

"......."

"......."

The classroom atmosphere was heavy.

Having witnessed Professor Bena's condition the previous day, the three couldn't bring themselves to speak carelessly. They had seen the dark underbelly of demonology with their own eyes-something they'd initially approached with a light heart.

It was far darker and more dangerous than they had imagined.

-Slide.

The classroom door opened and Henrik entered.

His expression was as impassive as always, but his face looked tired somehow.

It was probably the result of staying up all night looking after Professor Bena.

"Let's begin the lecture."

At his words, the students glanced at Henrik awkwardly.

"Professor......."

As Amecitia's lips trembled, Henrik stepped closer to stand before the three.

"The situation isn't good. You all know that, don't you?"

"Yes......."

"I'll handle this case personally, so don't worry. The lectures won't stop either. I'm going to train you so you don't get beaten up by magic beasts commanded by demons, just in case."

"......."

The three stared blankly at Henrik.

Even after such an incident, he remained the same as always.

Whether to call this professional or just Henrik being Henrik-

It was hard to put into words, but the students' mood shifted as if trying to focus on the class.

"Amecitia. Do you want to help Professor Bena?"

"Yes!"

At Henrik's words, Amecitia shot to her feet.

"Give it up. There's nothing you can do right now."

"......."

At his cold words, Amecitia hung her head low.

"If you want to help, get stronger. What you did against Shadow yesterday at dawn is praiseworthy. It means your coordination was excellent. But don't be satisfied with just that much."

"Professor......."

-Thud.

A heavy weight dropped onto Amecitia's desk.

Henrik looked at Amecitia with sharp eyes and said,

"It's a new weight. I've increased the load, so use it in your training."

"Pro......fessor."

"And don't speak about this incident to outsiders. Since we're dealing with a high-rank demon, information control is crucial. If word reaches them that we've started responding, there's a chance they'll flee."

At Henrik's words, Grimory tilted her head.

"High-rank demons run away too?"

"Of course. No matter how strong they are, demons who dislike fighting are often specialized in fleeing instead. The subordinates of the Lord of Lust, Asmodeus, are a prime example."

"I see. Then, Professor."

"What is it."

"May I request a new field guide?"

"......Fine."

Henrik glanced at Carmine.

Since Grimory and Amecitia had each received something, he wondered if Carmine might want something too.

"......."

But Carmine didn't seem to want anything. If anything, he was avoiding Henrik's gaze.

'I'll ask him next time.'

Henrik stepped up to the podium and began the lecture.

Time passed-

-Dong, dong, dong.

As the bell announcing 3 o'clock rang throughout the academy, Henrik snapped his book shut.

"That concludes the lecture. Any more questions?"

"......."

"Guess not. Good work, everyone."

Just as Henrik was about to leave the classroom, a familiar man stood at the door.

"What brings you here, Professor Oliver?"

Unusually, Oliver had come to find Henrik.

At Henrik's words, Oliver smiled and said,

"Have you been well, Professor Henrik?"

"Same as always. Professor Oliver, have you...... been well?"

"Yes, well......."

Oliver trailed off.

Henrik tilted his head at his suspicious behavior.

'Could he want to discuss the sparring match from before?'

"Didn't you come here with something to say?"

"Ah, that's right! Julia."

As Oliver stepped aside from the doorway, an elegant woman slowly entered.

-Click-clack.

The woman who entered with the sound of her shoes looked at Henrik and bowed politely.

"Hello, Professor Henrik. My name is Julia Angelius."

"......Hello."

Henrik answered impassively to the woman he was meeting for the first time.

It wasn't a name he'd heard before. But through the clothes she wore, he could guess her identity.

Similar to a school uniform, but slightly different.

A uniform embroidered with black thread.

This outfit was issued to teaching assistants, allowing him to deduce that Julia was a teaching assistant in the Knighthood department.

'Julia.......'

A scene suddenly flashed through a corner of Henrik's memory.

The faculty meeting held right after resolving the succubus incident.

There, Oliver had desperately searched for a student named Julia.

'Not a student-a teaching assistant.'

Henrik's eyes gleamed sharply as he looked her over.

A small ring was fitted on Julia's left ring finger. And it was the same ring as Oliver's.

"Your wife?"

When Henrik asked Oliver, Oliver gave an awkward smile and said, "Not yet. We're engaged."

"......I see."

Henrik nodded quietly. He understood the situation-Oliver's fiancée had been attacked by a succubus and couldn't wake up. That was roughly what had happened.

It made sense now why Oliver, despite being a knight, had shown him such excessive goodwill.

"I heard you were the one who resolved the succubus incident."

When Julia spoke with a gentle smile, the students also turned to look at her one by one.

"I wanted to thank you in person for resolving the case together with the students."

"It's nothing. I was merely doing my duty as a Hunter."

"If you have time, would it be all right if I treated you to a meal?"

"......."

As Henrik hesitated, Oliver interjected, "Of course, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my own selfish desire to speak with you, Professor. We'd like to host all the students at our mansion."

"Oh...... ooh!"

Suddenly Amecitia's eyes lit up. She leaped over the desk and ran over in a single bound. Obviously, she'd been hooked by the prospect of free food again.

"Professor Oliver! I, I caught a demon! Grimory and I worked together and did it!"

"Amecitia! It's been a while."

"Yes, it's been a while for me too, Professor Oliver! Sister Julia, it's been a while too!"

"Hello, Amecitia."

Julia and Amecitia seemed to know each other.

Henrik let out a deep sigh.

With the urgency of lifting Bena's curse, there was no time to sit around going "ha ha, ho ho" while being treated to a meal.

Just as Henrik was about to decline Oliver's offer, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

This case would be difficult to solve with Henrik's strength alone. He would definitely need someone else's cooperation. But he couldn't drag the students into it.

What about a professor, then?

What about Oliver? What about Oliver's father, Carlo?

If he could get their cooperation, things might go more smoothly.

"All right. I'll accept your kind offer, Professor Oliver."

When Henrik nodded, Amecitia jumped up and down with joy.

Carmine and Grimory shook their heads as they watched her.

* * *

At a long table sat Oliver and Henrik, Julia and Amecitia, and Grimory. Carmine had politely declined Oliver's invitation on the grounds that she wasn't involved in the case and had gone home.

As they sat and waited, maids and butlers came in carrying tableware and set the table. Spoons, forks, small knives, and plates were placed in front of Henrik.

At the same time, various dishes were laid out on the table.

From roasted large birds to fish, steak, salad, stew, and more. It was a feast.

"Please, help yourselves."

"......."

When Oliver casually offered the food to Henrik, Henrik brought a small fish to his plate and examined it carefully, picking at it.

It was a kind of small habit. Checking if there was poison in the food. Whether it was an edible type of food. Being cautious was part of Henrik's daily routine.

It was one of the blue-backed fish frequently caught in the waters right off the port city of Lemarnus. It had no poison, but seemed to have many small bones.

Henrik glanced at the students.

Amecitia was drooling as she stared at the food. Grimory, on the other hand, tried to maintain composure but seemed restless, eager to eat.

Eating such luxurious food was a first for them, even including their previous lives.

For Henrik, who had always made do with simple combat rations or convenience food, this was an unfamiliar experience.

He picked up his utensils and put a piece of deboned fish in his mouth.

The savory, rich flesh of the fish and the fresh scent of lemon mingled and lingered in his mouth.

As soon as Henrik took a bite, Grimory and Amecitia, as if they'd been waiting, took small portions of the food they wanted and put it in their mouths.

"......!"

Delicious.

To put it simply, these dishes were incredibly delicious.

Amecitia could tell. It was several times more delicious than the food made by Carmine's butler, William.

She'd never experienced chicken melting in her mouth like this before. The food was of such high quality.

Even she, skilled as she was in cooking, couldn't easily replicate this level of mastery.

"A peak-level chef, no-this is the skill of a transcendent chef......."

Gulp.

As Amecitia swallowed and spoke, Grimory nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's amazing. I've never had food like this before."

As the two ate the food frantically, Julia smiled brightly.

"I'm glad it suits your taste."

Oliver also seemed proud, his nose rising high.

"It was made by a famous chef. We hired a chef who worked at the Imperial Palace. Professor Henrik, does the food not suit your taste?"

When Oliver asked Henrik, who showed a calm reaction despite eating food that should have melted his tongue, Henrik shook his head and spoke.

"No, it's delicious."

"Ah...... yes, well then......."

Oliver broke into a cold sweat.

Because of Henrik's calm expression and demeanor, he sometimes couldn't tell what Henrik was thinking.

Even during their sparring match, he couldn't forget the sight of Henrik making meticulous calculations behind that calm expression.

Then Henrik looked around and said, "Is Department Head Carlo not here?"

"My father? Ah......."

Oliver gave a bitter smile and looked out the window.

"He's probably at Mother's grave right now. Today is Mother's death anniversary."

"I see......."

Henrik nodded lightly.

It was a bit disappointing that Carlo wasn't present. He thought that the reason Carlo hadn't made a name for himself in his previous life was likely closely connected to the Bena incident.

"Is the Department Head losing his arm connected to his mother?"

"You're perceptive. Yes, she lost her life in a war that took place before the Empire was unified. I heard it was about twenty years ago."

"......."

"Speaking of arms, that reminds me. Grimory, you said you were knowledgeable about magic, right? I heard you're attending Professor Bena's magic lectures."

"Yes, do you have a question about magic?"

"I was planning to ask Professor Bena, but the situation isn't great right now. Is it possible to create an arm using magic?"

"An arm using magic? No, that's probably impossible."

Grimory shook her head.

"Using a prosthetic is far more efficient than creating an arm with magic, so there's no reason to make one."

"Ah, I see. Thank you. That clears up my curiosity."

Oliver answered with a smile.

"Professor Bena......."

He trailed off with a worried expression.

Julia stroked Oliver's back and spoke up.

"She said she'll return to teaching soon, so she'll be fine."

"I hope so, but she's a childhood friend, so I'm worried."

Henrik flinched at their words.

"Are you very close with Professor Bena?"

"Ah, yes...... We were very close. We lost touch after becoming adults, but it was nice to meet her again recently as a fellow professor at the Academy. It's unfortunate to hear she's so ill."

"......."

Henrik glanced at Oliver with sharp eyes.

Oliver had been friends with Bena since childhood. That meant he might be able to obtain new clues through him.

"It must have been nice to see her after so long. I've never heard of Professor Bena associating with anyone, so this is surprising."

When Henrik spoke, Oliver nodded.

"That's right. She was such an introverted child from a young age that she didn't have many people she could call friends. The only person she kept in touch with was probably my father."

"Your father? You mean Department Head Carlo?"

"Yes, Father is the only person Bena truly followed. Even though Father was a knight, he had deep knowledge of magic, so Bena seemed to respect him greatly. She even said she gained many magical insights through conversations with him."

"......."

Bena's rapid progress was connected to Carlo?

Something felt strange.

If Carlo and Bena had many points of contact, there was a strong possibility that Carlo was also involved in this incident.

"I see."

Through his conversation with Oliver, Henrik felt even more certain.

It seemed Carlo held a new clue to Bena's case.