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nMonster Hunting Request

nWhen Hikaru visited Mikhail, the professor was busy packing things into a huge backpack – big enough to fit in three Hikarus.

n「Hikaru?」

n「What’s up? You’re going back to Jarazack? Escaping debt?」

n「No, I’m not! I’m not Professor Mille, okay?! Oh, you only arrived this year so you probably don’t know. You see, they get loose in the summer…」

n「What, the screws in your head?」

n「No! Monsters!」

n「Hmm?」

n「After a long winter, monsters start breeding in uninhabited lands. They grow big and turn savage in the summer. By the end of the season, they are hunted down.」

n「So, like culling monsters? Why not kill them before they grow big?」

n「There’d be too many of them. It’s easier to fight them once they’ve matured enough.」

n「That sounds like a job for the army.」

n「They’ve got their hands full with border security. Forestia is adjacent to Quinbland, an empire we had a rough history with in the past, and Ponsonia, a kingdom that we’re currently not on good terms with. Also hunting these monsters is quite a profitable job. It’s popular among adventurers.」

n「The Adventurers Guild is managing it?」

n「Yes. I’m an adventurer too, you know.」

nMikhail took out his guild card. His rank, C, was written on it. Although the job class field was left blank.

n「Hahaha. You’re curious about my job class? Unfortunately I can’t let you see—」

n「When are you leaving?」

n「Let me finish! Sheesh. I’m leaving today.」

n「Do you really have to go?」

n「Not really… But this is something I look forward to every year. Adventurers from Quinbland and surprisingly even from Ponsonia are going this year. It’s a chance to exchange information with them. Most of all, I can fight with my life on the line. Since you’re asking, I take it you want something from me? So you finally want to attend my classes—」

n「Nope. There’s someone I’d like you to fight.」

n「You want a rematch?! You should’ve said so sooner. Man, I’ve been itching to—」

n「Not me. A student from Kirihal.」

n「………」

n「What?」

n「If he’s from Kirihal, then he’s not one of my students. I’d rather spend my time heading to the border and fight some monsters.」

n「Man, all you think about is fighting. How long will it take for you to clean up those monsters?」

n「By average, it takes about ten to twenty days.」

n「Then no.」

n「Why are you deciding how I spend my time?!」

nHikaru was sure the professor would say yes to a practice match. He just didn’t expect him to go out killing monsters. But he had a plan for this.

n「In about ten days, said Kirihal student will travel to Jarazack to fight the king.」

n「What do you mean?」

n「He plans to win, of course. I trained him, after all.」

nStrictly speaking, it was Ivan who trained him and all Hikaru did was tweak Claude’s Soul Board.

n「You trained him personally?」

nMikhail looked interested.

n「I’m training him so he can win against Alexei Jarazack. I need him to fight you as a warm-up and gain experience.」

n「Hmm… win against the boss… True, if he can win against me, he might have a chance to defeat the boss.」

nFolding his arms, Mikhail groaned, his face saying that it wasn’t possible.

n「By the way, he fought Ivan yesterday and won ten out of ten.」

n「What?!」Mikhail’s eyes widened.

nThe professor knew Ivan was the strongest among his great sword students.

n「You’re lying. There’s no student around who can completely dominate Ivan.」

n「I’m telling the truth.」

nAfter setting his job class to Technical Swordsman, Claude was able to skillfully dodge Ivan’s sword and won ten times in a row. It was as if he never had difficulty at all training in the first place. Later, the other Jarazack students wanted a shot, to which Claude obliged. While he lost some due to fatigue, he won against most of them.

nApparently it was much easier to fight without a shield, so right now he trained to see how far he could go with only his sword.

n「Does he use a great sword?」

n「Nope. A one-handed sword. He originally attended the short spear class, but he was clearly better with the sword, so we’re working on that instead.」

n「You could tell?」

n「I’m not really good at teaching. It’s just a coincidence. What do you say? Would you like to postpone your monster hunting so you can fight him?」

n「You said he had a little more than ten days before he fights the boss. Let me guess; you want him to think of me as the real Alexei for his training.」

n「You got me.」

nBut Hikaru was prepared for this.

n「Well, I’m a professor in the academy and training students is my job. I know. How about this?」

n「What, you want to make a deal?」

n「I’ll fight said student once and judge him. If I think he stands a chance against the boss in ten days, then I will train him personally. Otherwise, you will teach my class in my stead.」

n「What?」

n「It won’t be forever. Only while I’m away hunting monsters. The students need to learn how to fight someone agile like you who keeps on dodging attacks.」

nIf Claude was skilled enough, Mikhail would have fun training the guy. If he wasn’t, Hikaru would cover for the professor while he was away.

n「I see. It’s a win-win situation for you.」Hikaru said.

n「That’s my condition.」

nHikaru thought all the men from Jarazack had brawn for brains. Mikhail was surprisingly smart.

nI suppose he couldn’t be a professor if he wasn’t smart.

n「All right.」

n「Really? Sorry you have to look after my students!」

n「Oh, you’re already giving up on Claude before you’ve even fought him?」

n「No student can defeat the boss. Wait a sec. By a Kirihal student, did you mean Claude Zahard Kirihal?」

n「The fight’s tomorrow.」

n「Wait! The Zahard family is a prestigious—」

n「I’m counting on you.」

n「Why does he want to fight Alexei?! Hikaru! Hey!」

nSomeone watched from behind a pillar as Hikaru stepped out of Mikhail’s room. Hikaru left without turning back.

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