Chapter 76: Observation Class (2)

Time passed, and the long-awaited parent observation class finally arrived. From my dorm window, I watched the academy buzzing with activity since early morning. Then, with a quiet sigh, I flopped onto my bed. A lazy exhale slipped from between my lips. There was nothing for me to do on days like this.

As the name suggested, the parent observation class mostly involved cadets and their visiting parents. For those like me, the entire day tended to feel disconnected and aimless. Some cadets preferred it that way since, after all, it was essentially a free day off from lectures.

Nowadays, I felt nothing about not having anyone visit me on this day. But in my past life, I used to hate this day. The reality of being an orphan with no parents had always weighed on me. Carrying a deep inferiority complex, I would look at the happy families laughing together and secretly wish they would all end up miserable.

As all those memories came back, I cringed at my old self and shook my head. “

Ugh

, God. Thinking back on it is so damn embarrassing.”

Maybe I’ll go take a look around the class

, I thought.

In the past, I used to avoid that part of campus altogether on observation day. But now, there was no need to. The emptiness once left by my parents had long since been filled, with more than enough people, in fact. Moreover, lying in bed all day with nothing to do wasn’t going to change anything. It was better to go and check out the event I used to pretend didn’t exist.

“Alright.”

I got up, changed into my uniform, and headed out. The academy was already packed, and parents had begun arriving. They ranged from doting parents bickering affectionately to parents who didn’t waste a second before launching into lectures the moment they saw their child.

The voices of young cadets and their parents were everywhere.

“

Aww

, my baby! Have you been doing well? How’s the academy? Are the classes okay?”

“Mom, stop hugging me in front of everyone! I’m not a little kid anymore!”

“Would you listen to him? You were in diapers just yesterday.”

“I’m twenty! That was hardly yesterday!”

“To think this is what your midterm grades look like!

Huh

? Do you even want to become a hero?”

“I mean... It was my first live combat session. I got nervous.”

“

Hah

! Then what have you been learning for the past two years? You think I sent you here to play around?”

“Sorry!”

“

Ugh

. With grades like that, don’t expect me to write you a referral to your father’s guild.”

“No! I have to get in!”

Peaceful, aren’t they?

I thought.

The heroes of this era, before the Demon God’s army truly started its rampage, seemed so carefree that it was almost laughable. It made me wonder how much longer days like this would last. Even with a previous life behind me, I couldn’t say for sure. The future was already starting to shift in unpredictable ways.

I strolled through the crowded school plaza, glancing around and hoping that I would spot someone I knew. “Let’s see...”

However, no familiar faces stood out. From what I recalled, Iris had said she was from an orphanage too. I was not sure about Camilla, but with her role as the Saintess’s guard, it was unlikely her parents would attend either way.

Berald had said his parents wouldn’t be coming either. Being the infamous black sheep of the Ryu family, he had apparently made it very clear to his folks he didn’t want them here. It was probably for the best, as other members of the Ryu household were bound to be attending today.

That left only Yuren. I scanned the plaza in a slow circle but saw no sign of him. I wandered for quite some time, and thirst began to creep in. It was not even June, yet it was hot as hell.

Deciding to grab a drink from the vending machines around the back of the academy building, I made my way over, only to pause when a familiar voice drifted in from afar.

The familiar voice said, “I hope your trip here wasn’t too uncomfortable?”

“

Hm

?” I tilted my head and followed the sound.

There, in the shade behind the building, stood a blonde woman in a refined, old-fashioned dress, the kind that immediately brought the word noblewoman to mind. Standing behind her, like a shadow, was a sharp-eyed man scanning the area, likely a bodyguard.

That was probably Yuren’s mother. Yuren’s father had passed away when he was still young, so that man was probably just an escort.

If I recalled correctly, her name was Rosanna Helios. While I had never met her or spoken to her in my past life, I had heard her name a few times. She had been quite well-known in her time. People used to say she was the hero who kept the dying Helios family on life support.

As I sifted through those memories, I heard Rosanna say, “Yes. I arrived safely.”

“

Um,

what made you decide to come so suddenly?” Yuren asked nervously.

Her eyes, cold and piercing, locked onto Yuren’s. “Am I not allowed to visit my child?”

He quickly shook his head in alarm. “N-no! That’s not what I meant. It’s just... You’re always so busy with family affairs...”

“I came because there’s something I need to discuss with you,” she said.

Yuren’s expression tensed as he looked up at her. “Something to... discuss?”

“Before that,”—Rosanna turned her gaze, looking directly in my direction—“who might you be?”

While I hadn’t exactly been hiding my presence, being noticed so quickly was something unexpected. Shrugging, I strode confidently to stand beside Yuren. “Nice to meet you. I’m Dale Han, a friend of Yuren’s.”

Yuren’s eyes went wide in surprise, and he stammered, “D-Dale? What are you doing here?”

“Friend?” Rosanna’s sharp gaze pierced through me. Then, as if the absurdity of the situation finally hit her, she let out a dry, scoffing laugh. “You’ve been keeping company with a mongrel from the Republic, Yuren?”

“Mongrel from the Republic” was a derogatory term, used mostly by imperial nobles to belittle people from the Republic. It first appeared around three hundred years ago, when the Republic officially abandoned its old currency and name order system, embracing the broader culture of the continent. It was an insult with a long, unpleasant history.

I hadn’t heard that one in a while. Back when the Republic first opened its borders and changed the way names were spoken there—from surname first and the name last to the continental standard of the name first and surname last—this slur was quite common. After three centuries, though, it had become practically extinct, spoken only by a few crusty old nobles clinging to their pride.

Rosanna Helios was the perfect embodiment of the kind of rigid, outdated imperial noble that Yuren despised in my previous life. It made me realize why Yuren never talked about her.

Sure enough, even the timid, always-careful Yuren couldn’t stay quiet. His face twisted with anger as he stepped forward. “Mother! How could you say something so disgraceful to my friend?”

“What?” Rosanna blinked in disbelief, eyes narrowing as Yuren stood protectively in front of me. “What do you think you’re doing right now?”

“

Ugh!

” Yuren flinched at the iciness in her voice. Like a frog caught in a snake’s stare, he froze from head to toe. This was the man who had stood firm even before a Demon God in a different life, yet his knees trembled like brittle twigs. “I-I just...”

With a harsh sigh, Rosanna glared at her son. “

Haa!

This is exactly why I said we need to get rid of this boarding system. Where did you pick up such insolent manners? Did that Republic mongrel teach you?”

“

Ugh!

” Yuren, who had been trembling with fear, clenched his jaw and stared back at her. “In the Hero Academy, discriminatory speech against other nations is strictly prohibited! You know that, don’t you?”

“

Oh

? Are you lecturing me now?”

Despite the fear, Yuren held his ground and enunciated each word. “It’s not a lecture. I’m just informing you of the rules in this neutral zone! If you violate the rules, it’ll damage the honor of the Helios family!”

Rosanna’s expression twisted into a snarl. “Honor? Did you just say honor?”

Her soul stigmata glowed, golden magic energy swirling around her. “How dare you! How dare you speak of the Helios family’s honor in front of me?!”

Her arm swept through the air, ready to strike Yuren across the face. But I caught her arm in mid-swing. “You’ve got to be kidding me. This is just pathetic.”

I hadn’t intended to get involved in someone’s family matters, but this was too much. Yanking her arm, I stepped between her and Yuren. “Tone it down, lady.”

Rosanna gawked at me, lips parted and eyes wide. “What? L-lady? Did you just call me ‘lady’?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to call you? You’re not a ‘miss.’ That’s for sure.”

I mean, come on. You’ve got a twenty-year-old son. Hoping to be called miss at this point? Let’s be real

, I said in my mind.

“You insolent little!”

Apparently, that “lady” hit harder than expected. Flushed red with fury, Rosanna tried to yank her arm free from my grip, but she couldn’t. Or more accurately, she tried and failed. It shocked her. “What?”

Even with all her effort, her arm wouldn’t budge. Her face contorted in disbelief. Sure, she was retired now, but once, she was known as Rosanna of the Flash, a hero of remarkable strength.

She probably thought she still had it, but in reality, she was sloppy. Even if she were a famous hero in her prime, I was one of the Final Five Heroes in my last life. Moreover, in this life, I had far surpassed the strength I had back then. Compared to what I had achieved, she was nothing more than a firefly trying to compete with the sun.

Growling, Rosanna drew on more mana. In terms of raw power alone, she had way more mana than I did, unsurprising for Yuren’s mother. But strength wasn’t just about quantity. It was about how you used it.

I shifted my center of gravity subtly, perfectly balanced, and maintained my grip. Rosanna’s face grew more and more twisted with frustration. Then, she shouted, “Robert!”

The man standing like a shadow behind her reached for the sword at his hip. However, when the blade was halfway drawn, I smacked the hilt of his sword with my palm. The blade slammed back into its sheath, and Robert staggered backward, flustered.

I looked at him coldly. “Hey, don’t draw that.”

If you do, you’re dead,

I added inwardly.