Academy Slave Instructor

12 – Specialty and a Spoonful of Love

Speciality and a Spoonful of Love

There are more shops in the academy than you might think. The site itself is so large that there are restaurants and cafes all over the place, and there are also alchemy and magic-related ingredient shops.

It’s not comparable to the big stores in the city, but it’s a private store that entered into a contract with the academy, and we try to provide quality and variety of products to suit the tastes of students.

There is one in each district, but shops are concentrated in area 1, which is close to the main entrance of the academy, so it is called the academy shopping street among academy students. Shops are connected to each other to form a circle around it, creating a landscape similar to a plaza. In the middle of the circle, where only the back doors of the shops are concentrated, is a space for bringing in ingredients or taking out trash, so a remote area without people was naturally formed.

There was an academy student heading there when he was doing something that naturally avoided public attention, and Aslan, who broke up with his friends, entered the narrow gap in the store.

Those piles of garbage piled up to be collected at once and the darkness are different from the bright atmosphere outside, so those who first enter feel repulsed.

Aslan confirms that no one is there as if he is used to it, then leans against the wall and lights a cigarette.

According to imperial law, if you are 15 years old or older, you are treated as an adult, so there is no problem. School rules do not prohibit smoking.

However, among the many academy students at the academy, the number of smokers is only a single digit.

If it’s natural, it’s natural. It was impossible for those who valued their bodies to smoke. I always try to stay in the best condition and improve my stamina even a little more, but cigarettes are no different from poison.

As a result, the gaze toward those who naturally smoked was not good, and Aslan often smoked in hiding. White smoke spewed out of his mouth and scattered through the dark alleys.

“Hey, do you smoke?”

“Cool, cool, what, no.. What, cool, cool.”

When Lai appeared, crouched down next to him and asked, Aslan coughed in embarrassment. Looking at him pitifully as he continues to cough, Lai takes a cigarette and lights it himself.

“What are you so flustered about? It looks tough and it’s pretty small.”

“Damn it, everyone freaks out when a strange human pops out from the side.”

Asran frowns and clears his throat, realizes belatedly that Rai is the instructor and hides the cigarette in his hand.

“I’ve seen everything, but what else are you hiding? And isn’t there an age limit for smoking in the Empire?”

“There is.”

“……Are you there? Anyway, you’re over 15 years old, so you’re an adult. Then it doesn’t matter, straight up, man.”

Looking at Rai who was giggling while blowing smoke from his mouth, Aslan asked.

“Didn’t I tell you not to smoke?”

“Why me?”

“You’re an instructor.”

“The guy who speaks flatly to the instructor is arguing with the instructor.”

Instructors can’t like the act of making themselves weak. Asran, who has already been caught several times, does not have his cigarettes confiscated because there is nothing specified in the school rules, but he remembers the instructors’ gazes with pitiful eyes.

Rai shrugs his shoulders and blows out a cigarette. The image of him squatting and smoking like a bully in the neighborhood made Asran curious if this was really an academy instructor.

“Does the instructor have to wipe the back of the academy students too? If you want to smoke, do it. It’s you who becomes a mess, not other guys.”

I can’t believe he’s talking while smoking a cigarette.

“You can make that noise when you’re smoking too.” “Me?

“The place… It makes a lot of noise.”

“If you don’t want to believe it, don’t believe it.”

“How strong is it?”

At Aslan’s question, Rai smokes a cigarette and thinks about it for a while. As she looked up at the sky and was lost in thought, Rai tilted her head and replied.

“Hmm… Five fingers if limited to humans? Oh, I guess not. I rested too much. There will be some new ones out there, so won’t it be roughly in the top 20?”

The number 20 may seem ambiguous, but to be in the top 20 among the countless combatants who survived the war years when all countries raised their armies was a formidable force.

It makes no sense for such a person to be an academy instructor at such a young age. Usually people on the field are old enough to come to the academy because of retirement or injury.

The only person who is currently boasting a brilliant career and is an academy instructor at a young age is Lai and his classmate Leila.

Although she is older than her, Athran thought that she was too bluffing to say she was in the top 20, although Rai, who became an instructor at a similarly young age, had something to do with it.

Even Layla won’t make it to the top 20, even if she is limited to the Empire, she will fall outside the top 100. Although, of course, she is more famous for her ability to command troops than for her brute strength.

Athran glances at Rai after smoking a cigarette without speaking to each other for a while.

“If there’s anything you want to say, say it, timid fellow.”

“I’m not timid. I’m a man.”

“Yes, yes. You look like a man.”

Athran frowns at the sarcastic remarks.

“Stupid lecturer.”

“Yes, you’re just being sarcastic because you’re timid and stabbed the right way right away, right?”

“Who made the first sarcasm?”

After arguing childishly with each other, silence flows once again. Aslan seemed to care about Rai, who was crouching next to him, but Rai didn’t seem to care even if Aslan was being sarcastic.

Although Aslan was offended by his attitude, unlike other instructors, he did not touch smoking, so he opened up a little without realizing it. It seems like Lai and the other instructors are saying that smoking is bad, but while the other instructors are coercive, Lai tells them to do whatever they want.

In a way, Rai’s words are more irritating, but they are not wrong. He knows very well that he doesn’t like smoking either. Aslan, who hesitated, quietly opened his mouth.

“What’s the difference between the instructor smoking and me smoking? 20Th place… Yes, even if you say that, if you become a strong person, your stamina will come out infinitely?”

“The way you and I fight is different. My physical condition is not good in the first place. My muscles don’t stick well, and my skeleton isn’t good either.”

After putting out the cigarette he had smoked, Lai continued with the juice that was placed next to him.

“Do you think that no matter how strong a Pure Magic user gets, they won’t be able to 1v1?”

At Rai’s question, Aslan thinks of pure wizards who are famous on the continent. Among them, there was a pure mage who fought head-on with another strong man and won. Regardless of whether they used swords, bows, or only magic, the famous strong men ignored what ordinary people say about superiority or compatibility.

Since he was thinking, he doesn’t say anything, but when he sees Aslan’s eyes, Rai thinks he already understands.

“I’m not a pure magic user, but I’m not the type to fight with my body either. My limbs are properly attached and my heart is beating. It’s enough. But you’re different.”

“……”

“Your family and others may have told you deafeningly, but your physical abilities are great. You’re not too big and sluggish, and you’re not weak because you’re small. Your arms and legs are long, well-spaced, and your bones are strong. A well-balanced blessing. It’s the body you received.”

As Rai said, many of the knights and instructors in the family have told Aslan that he is in good shape. It was a stereotypical sound I had heard too many times, and now it is an annoyance because I am tired of it.

“Then you’d be better if you had this blessed body. You’d eat a tower, not five fingers.”

You have a great body, so why can’t you do just that? Asran, who had been hearing the words, said the same thing as Rai said nervously.

“That can’t be the case. Are you easy on the strong?”

“……”

“Of course, I do things I don’t know because I haven’t tried it. If I had your body, I would have learned how to fight by using my body. But that doesn’t mean I’ll become stronger or weaker. I don’t want to. You have to manage it. It’s hard to manage as much as it has good fuel economy. I can’t do it because it’s annoying.”

Aslan shook his head and stared at Rai, who was making a disgusted face.

He doesn’t feel bad even though he’s been told he doesn’t like his body. Everyone I’ve met so far has been envious of Aslan’s body, and has been saying that if I had a body like that, I would have done this much if I had a body that was lower than I thought.

Ray’s words sounded fresh to Aslan, who had been living in the family saying that he had no talent other than his body.

“Instructor Rai!! Are you skipping again?!”

“No, I was clearing out the trash!”

Suddenly, the back door of the store opens and Soltain, the owner of the cafe, comes out and shouts at the academy students, and Rai reacts and gets up.

Soltain is bald, but his well-groomed beard suits him. Aslan, the first to see Soltain screaming loudly, sees it in a daze and greets him with a big smile.

“Asuran-kun? Did you come to see Instructor Rai? There’s no help for the instructor and the academy students to talk. Because that’s their day job.”

The reason why Saltine is so popular is that his drinks are delicious, but he also remembers the names of all the customers who visit him. At his words, Rai suddenly puts Asran on his shoulder and smiles.

“Yes, this friend was worried about something, so we were talking to him for a while. We didn’t secretly rest.”

“Um… I’m busy with customers right now, so please come in right away after talking.”

“Okay, I’ll go in quickly.”

“It’s nice to see the two of you being friendly.”

Athlan speaks as Soltane goes back inside.

“Are you working at a cafe?”

“Eh. I paid the other day, but I didn’t have any money.”

“……”

Athran looks at him pathetically after remembering that Rai passed out drinks to the academy students when he confronted Philia.

“I don’t have any money, so what did you do with the credit?”

“There was then. Until I didn’t get caught by the deputy principal.”

Responding despondently, Rai lowered his hand from his shoulder and trudged through the back door. As he opened the door and was about to enter, he looked back as if thinking of something and said:

“Continuing what I said earlier, I’m saying that you should eventually grow what you have. But no one knows if you’ll become a strong person. It’s more likely that you use what you have rather than whining about what you don’t have.”

After Rai finished talking and went inside the store, Aslan looked at the door he entered for a moment.

Over the shop, the hard-to-understand but lively sounds of the academy students come over and fill the desolate space. Asran, who was left alone in the dark and thinking, shakes his head and smiles before leaving the alleyway.

* * *

“Welcome. Soltain’s Magic Teacup.”

“A cup of specialty tea made by Mr. Lai, plus a spoonful of love.”

“Stop talking nonsense and go away.”

Rai frowns at the three-set who smiles and raises her thumb.

“Boss, this employee is unfriendly…”

“Yes, a cup of specialty tea. What about the person next to you?”

After stopping Sessett’s snitching, Rai looks at him, and Philia looks at him for a moment. Unable to bear his stare while maintaining a commercial smile, she gives her seasonal juice, grabs the nape of Sesset who is still teasing Rye, and returns to her seat.

“Why is that person doing that?”

“It is the end of the unfaithful gambler. Or is it just before the end?”

As Sesset smiled and said, Philia put her hands together and apologized as if she had just remembered.

“Right, come to think of it, three three bet on me. I’m really sorry.”

“Ah… That… It’s okay, it’s okay…”

“No, I’m really sorry. You trusted me, but I didn’t live up to your expectations. Did you lose a lot?”

“No… I didn’t walk much. It’s really good…”

“I’ll live today. Eat as much as you want.”

When Philia mistakenly thinks he lost money because of him, Cesset replies that it’s okay with a firm expression.

As soon as Seset heard the rumor that Rai bet money, he immediately ran and bet on Zeroa. He was happy because he had packed his share, but he was at a loss for what to do with his friend’s innocent apology.

“Yes, Ms. Philia’s seasonal juice is available. Ms. Sesset’s specialty tea, which you bet on Zeroa, can be left here, right?”

When Rai, who doesn’t miss the opportunity, appears and casually tells the truth with her drink, Philia stares at Sese.

“……”

“Did you bet on Zeroa?”

“…… A little bit. It’s sooooo-gold.”

“How much did you earn?”

“The payout is high, about 4 gold…”

“I walked a lot.”

I don’t know how much the dividend is, but I earned 4 gold. Usually, a worker’s monthly salary is set at around 1 gold, so 4 gold is a lot of money for an academy student, no matter how noble he is.

Thinking she would get angry, Sessett pushed back her chair so that she could escape at any time, but Philia seemed surprisingly unconcerned.

“So that person who said he lost money bet it on me?”

“No, that person was caught participating in student gambling, and everything was confiscated by the head of the academy.”

“Hmm… I really don’t have a single person on my side.”

“It can’t be! There are three sets here who are always on Philia’s side!”

“On the subject of betting on Zeroa.”

Philia glared at her, and Sesset shut her mouth, sweating profusely. Philia, who was glaring at her as hard as she could, bursts out laughing at her and corrects her posture.

“I’m kidding. Then three three live today.”

“Okay. Let’s rob Mr. Soltain’s shop today.”

The two of them use the crisis as an opportunity to pay attention to their bodies and order desserts that they have endured, and eat until their stomachs burst.

Philia, who has been in a happy time for a while, is troubled by remembering her upcoming march training.

“Are you preparing for march training?”

“Hmm- Abigail is uncooperative, but the roles are roughly divided. Zeroa is the scout, Abigail is the guard, and the goddess is the goddess.”

After thinking seriously for a while about whether there is a role as a goddess, Philia asks about the role of Sesset.

“And you?”

“I’m a pure mage, so I’m of no help. My role is to catch ankles.”

As Sesset weaves her hand in self-torture, Philia frowns and says.

“Nonsense. Even a pure mage has a way to help. Who says that? Is it Abigail?”

“I did it?”

At Sese-Seth’s nonchalant words, Filia blinks in confusion and scolds her, asking what she’s talking about.

There is a long conversation between Sessett, who said pure mages are not helpful because they cannot use mana, and Philia, who says that there is still a way, but when her opinion is not narrowed down, Sessett is closing time and Lai is cleaning her store. Is calling

“Guest, it’s almost closing time. Could you please turn off?”

“No, that’s enough. Let me ask you something.”

“No, that’s okay, I’d like you to leave. I’ll get off work too.”

Ray answered with a business smile, but Sesset ignored him and asked a question.

“What role should a pure mage who cannot use mana play during a march?”

“Um- emergency food?”

“……Don’t be scary. You mean there’s no role?”

“Even if you can’t use mana, there are roles that a pure mage can play. Utilizing extensive knowledge to provide guidance, or helping with plants and ecology knowledge.”

When her Philia interrupts her and asks her a question, Rai looks at her and says.

“Guidance is experience, not mere knowledge. Wouldn’t rangers and locals know better about plants and ecology? Even pure magic users’ knowledge would be rare plants and magical creatures. Besides, a guy with no stamina would be able to find the way. What are you doing ahead of time?”

“Ugh…”

As Rai refutes her point by point, Philia, who has nothing to say, shuts her mouth.

“In the end, it means that I have nothing to do. If I’m tired, I’ll ask Zeroa to carry me and bring me some honey.”

“Yes, a pure magic user without mana is a burden.”

“I can’t help it.”

“Yes, if you are a skilled pure magic user with accumulated experience and knowledge, this kind of guy is a lump of sh*t that needs to be thrown away right away. He has low stamina, no guts, and no brain.”

“……”

Sesset looks up, but Rai shows no signs of stopping.

“What is he going to do there? He’ll just eat food and comb his sh*t.”

“I think you can stop, Mr. Staff.”

“What can you do? You’re a lump of sh*t. The sh*t these guys make also smells awful.”

“Ah- ah- what are you talking about! It’s fragrant!”

Let’s move on to the dirty talk, Sesset, a woman of a noble family, blushed and rushed at Rai to stop her. After a fuss, the two leave the cafe, and as Rai finishes cleaning, Saltane speaks up.

“Instructor, thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes, you have worked hard. I will work hard until I pay off all my debts.”

“hahahahaha, that’s a funny person. The students will like it.”

“It’s hard because there are only annoying people.”

“For all that, you seem to be enjoying yourself. This is a gift for your hard work. It will go well with a strong tea.”

When Salteon gives a box of desserts, Rai is thrilled to receive it.

“You can’t come out the day after tomorrow because it’s marching training, right?”

“Yes, the instructors have to go out too.”

“The instructors work hard every time. Can I prepare some snacks for you to eat during training?”

“Really? I’ll eat anything you give me.”

Solteon laughs at Rai’s expression as he answers with a single smile. She felt it from the beginning, but unlike other instructors, she is honest. She usually expresses her feelings openly without pretending to say no even if she wanted to.

Solteon, which is bound by a contract with the academy, has academy students and staff among its guests, so it is no different from the lowest position in the academy, but Rai treats it without hesitation.

Solteon thought that the academy students met a good instructor.

“It would be nice if the training ended without a hitch.”

Anyway, it is based on actual combat, so whenever there is a big training, large and small injuries occur. When Soltean spoke worriedly, Rai replied with a smile.

“Yes, I have to do my best to prevent that from happening.”