'Also, Your Majesty, there have been reports of water shortages at Blue Dragon, our country's water source.'
'Hmm… You are well-informed, Crow. It is indeed a troubling issue that has been concerning me.'
'That place is Iris's hometown. I heard about it from someone she knows.'
'Indeed.'
'Actually, at Iris's suggestion, I was thinking of investigating the cause of the water shortage as early as tomorrow. Could I ask for permisshion to leave the capital?'
'Oh? Crow, are you willing to take on such a task? I have always been impressed with you, but now I appreciate you even more.'
'…No, Your Majesty, your words are too generous.'
This is bad."I've ended up creating a job that I can't handle.
'Don't worry about permisshion. I'd be more than grateful if you could investigate the cause of the water shortage.'
'Yes, Your Majesty!'
I bowed to King Darius while sweating profusely, realizing I had been put in charge of a situation far beyond my expectations.
I had no idea that the water shortage in Iris's hometown was such a significant issue for the king.
Having spoken so grandly, I couldn't return without achieving something.
On my way out of the audience chamber, I turned back once.
'By the way, Your Majesty, what's the name of the top graduate from the Officer Academy?'
'Ah, yes… His name is…'
'Platanus?'
After leaving the audience chamber, I visited Instructor Cattleya's private room and mentioned the name King Darius had given me.
Since he was a graduate of the Royal Officer Academy, naturally, Instructor Cattleya should know him.
After all, she has been an instructor at the academy for many years.
She should know about this top graduate named Platanus.
However, Instructor Cattleya, who was preparing tea and cakes at the table, frowned.
Even though she looks young and cute even when she's grimacing.
After preparing the tea, she sat heavily across from me at the table, crossed her arms, and looked up at the ceiling.
'Platanus, Platanus…'
'Don’t you remember? He graduated five years before us, with the highest marks ever.'
'Ah, that guy… He always got perfect scores in every written exam.'
'…'
Why is she so vague about a student with such exceptional grades?
'He was so boring. He completed every task and training perfectly.'
'But isn’t that the definition of a model student?'
'That's the problem. He did everything so perfectly that there was nothing for me to teach. He never caused trouble, got along with other students, and was just an extraordinarily excellent guy.'
'You should just praise him… Was he that remarkable?'
'Yeah, well, he was excellent. Now that I think about it, he was the complete opposite of you.'
'Maybe so.'
'So, it's true that the worse a student is, the more endearing they become. I rather liked you and often ate with you, but I hardly remember anything about him.'
'…That doesn’t make me feel any better…'
'So what about this Platanus guy?'
'I was thinking of having him as a tutor for Shion. I consulted the king, and he recommended Platanus.'
'Him as a tutor? Would he even take that job?'
'Well, he was Prince Heath's tutor. I thought he'd be up for teaching the hero, considering he tutored the prince.'
'…He was Heath's tutor?'
Instructor Cattleya's expresshion suddenly darkened."Instructor?"
"…I had forgotten until just now. Platanus was truly the opposite of you. He was outstanding in his grades, perfect in everything he did, but he was obsessively studious. He was pathologically stoic."
"Huh. That's indeed the opposite of me."
"I once told him not to push himself too hard. But he went on about how he had no time to rest if he wanted to achieve his dream, about not wanting to have regrets in his one and only life, and how time is finite and shouldn't be wasted. It was a tiresome spiel."
"Wow… I can't understand that mindset at all. If life happens only once, all the more reason to slack off and live easily."
"…That's questionable in its own way…"
"What was Platanus's dream that he worked so hard for? World domination?"
"Why does a stoic person's dream have to be world domination? What kind of thinking is that?"
"Well, I wouldn’t bother studying or training hard unless I could conquer the world. I stopped attending classes once I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't conquer the world."
"…You're kind of a dangerous guy…"
"Not really. I just gave up honestly. Anyway, do you have any idea what Platanus's dream was?"
"Yeah, he wasn't chosen for the Holy Sword, ignored by the Thunder Sword and the Ice Sword. Coming from a middle-class background, he knew he couldn't advance without being the best, as he was neither a saintly sword user nor a noble. He believed his only path to success was to outshine everyone through effort."
"…"
He truly seems like the opposite of me.
I can't understand his way of thinking even after hearing about his dreams.
I'm neither of high status nor academically gifted, so a career path was never an option for me.
I never desired to be in charge of many people.
Status, after all, is just a system where a few who set the laws make the majority follow them.
It's not a system that guarantees the greatest happiness for all.
If those at the top are decent, there's peace. If they're the worst, it leads to war and political strife, and the country suffers."So, I'm just one of the many. I act as if I live by my own will, but in reality, I'm just surviving on the strength of others."
"And that's the same for most people. Almost everyone's survival in this world depends on the whims of those in power."
"That's why I don't want to strive to achieve dreams or goals. Whatever I accomplish in this world, frankly, it doesn't really matter."
"…Instructor, why is this world so fleeting?"
"You… I feel like only those who put in effort should say such things."
"Eh? Haven't I been making a decent effort lately?"
"Well, a 'decent' effort…"
"But now I think Platanus would be perfect for the role of tutor. I was worried about the pressure of teaching the hero, but if he can teach the prince, it should be a breeze."
"…Hmm. A guy who passhionately claimed he'd work harder than anyone to be the best, now teaching the prince… Something smells fishy. What is he thinking now?"
"World domination, maybe?"
"Why would you think that?"
3／Chapter 3: Dungeon Explorers
With the king's permisshion to leave and Shion no longer being as whimsical as before, the journey to Blue Dragon with Iris was straightforward.
After all, my current mode of transport is the Pegasus Sword Sleipnir.
I can reach any place in the country in an instant.
No more worries about travel or food expenses.
Packing only the bare essentials in the carriage, we set off immediately.
Sitting on the coachman's seat of the carriage pulled by Sleipnir, I was flanked by,
"…How can you be so calm in this situation? Aren't you scared?"
"What's there to be scared of? This is fun."
Iris and Saffron said such things."From an outsider's perspective, it might seem like I'm surrounded by beauty on both sides. Honestly, these two scare me a bit, so it's not particularly enjoyable for me. But then again, there are no women in this world who aren't a bit frightening."
"In their case, it's their lethal capabilities towards others that are extraordinarily high. And both, for different reasons, have fought me before. Both battles occurred while Holly was possessing me, but just recalling them sends shivers down my spine."
"Hey, Crow. It's impossible for a carriage to be stable like this when pulled by a flying horse, unless it's being suspended from above."
"Yeah, normally the carriage would flip over unless it's flying really fast."
"So, how come…"
"Sleipnir controls gravity, that’s why this carriage is in a state of zero gravity."
"But then we and our luggage would be floating."
"…I don’t know. Maybe gravity only affects our bodies."
"That's way too convenient…"
"Shut up! Isn’t it enough that we're being pulled by a mysterious flying horse? Don’t make me explain the logic!"
"Huh!? You're entrusting your life to a horse whose principles you don't even understand?"