It’s only been a week, but for some reason, I feel a sense of nostalgia for the city (Zargadriz).
“Hey, Cain… how did the exam go?”
Paulo, who was waiting in front of the city, asked me as soon as he saw me.
“Of course, I passed. I was the top scorer.”
“O-oh… that’s amazing. I wanted to go too, but I’m 17 this year. If it had been last year, I might have gone since I’d be a year behind…”
“Then you should have gone with Enema-san.”
“………I wasn’t studying, and around this time last year, I was on a long-distance request…”
“Then it can’t be helped. Give up.”
Even so, if Paulo continues to be an adventurer here, he’ll become estranged from Enema-san, who is aiming to become a teacher in the Royal Capital… I kind of want to do something about it…
“Haaah… that’s right. It’s impossible to enter next year…”
Technically, anyone over 15 years old is eligible to take the Eldina Academy entrance exam. However, most are between 15 and 16 years old. There are rare cases of 17-year-olds, but you never hear of 18-year-olds. People who can’t get in by that age have already given up.
“Then why don’t you become a teacher? At Eldina Academy. Enema-san said she wants to be a teacher in the future. You could become colleagues?”
“Really!… No, wait, if I think about it, it’s impossible since I didn’t enter the academy.”
“Huh? But come to think of it, you don’t necessarily have to graduate from Eldina Academy to become a teacher there, right?”
“Eh, really!”
“Yeah… I think they said that if you’re an adventurer of B rank or higher, have a teaching license, and pass the teacher employment exam, you can become a teacher. Most of the teachers at Eldina Academy are from Eldina Academy simply because it’s their alma mater.”
“I’m already B rank… So, if I get a teaching license, I can become one! I’ll go get it right away!”
With that, he ran off to the Guild. …Even though he also has to take the teacher employment exam…
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That night, Saga, Paulo, and I drank the night away. Though, I can’t drink alcohol, so I had orange juice. After drinking, making noise, and getting yelled at by the shop owner for being “too loud!”, we headed to Ganjis’s grave.
“…Ganjis. I’m going to the academy…”
“Cain’s amazing, you know. He passed as the top scorer.”
“I’m going to the Royal Capital to study for my teaching license.”
Hearing that, Saga said sadly.
“I see… so, it’ll just be me and Ganjis left here…”
Hiding his face with his long bangs as he looked down, Saga began to speak.
“…Ganjis, do you remember? When you and I first met… your sister was kidnapped, and you were a mess. But you hated injustice… you lived seriously… you met Cain and the others and became cheerful… and then…”
It was dark, and I couldn’t see Saga’s face. But he looked like he was crying.
“We’re back to just the two of us again. But I’m sure… everyone will come back… let’s meet again here someday.”
We placed flowers and clasped our hands in prayer. As we were about to leave,
“Yeah, it’s a promise, okay?”
…I thought I heard that, but it must have been the wind…
Thanks to everyone, the total points have exceeded 1,000. Thank you to everyone who always supports me!