"So it's more like this, then?"

I strain my wrist and my focus, trying to reproduce the hand sign Shaya is showing me… and failing too, from the look on her face.

I'm not sure why, but she decided at some point that I needed to learn 'the cant' as mother calls it – the hand sign whatever language the forest elves use instead of talking most of the time.

Not that I'm a particularly able student. I'll be the first to admit that despite maybe a little bit of natural talent for academics, I'm just… no good at actual learning. In short, I'm slow at new things.

The eldra girl is patient though, which is probably a good thing.

There wasn't really much of a reason to turn her down, at least not that I could think of, so a fair amount of the time I'm not sleeping or dungeoneering with the others or wasting time at the lake I'm here.

It feels strange to be tutored like this after so much time not being in school.

Well, whatever. If I do end up being enrolled at that fancy academy mom was talking about then it'd be really bad to get rusty.

"This," Shaya says, taking my hands in hers and repositioning my fingers into a shape that apparently means 'flowing water'.

Or 'water of flowing', I guess. The grammar is all weird, but I guess that's going to happen considering just how old the colony is.

Our entire party has been getting stronger little by little, though I still haven't caught up to them in levels. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised considering how much of a head start they all had over me. As I understand it, they've been delving dungeons for years now. And then there's me, not even forming a contract until this year.

Of course I'd be weaker. It'd be strange if I wasn't.

Mom's been watching my progress, but she probably doesn't care too much considering she never tries to contribute, instead watching me struggle under Shaya's care. The most she's done is smile weirdly at her and make her blush for some reason, maybe even doing the opposite of helping.

I sigh. "Would you please stop, mom? I'm actually trying to learn for once!"

"Oho," she chortles, holding her hands up defensively. "Is this old woman in the way? I'll just leave you kids to it then. I'll see you later, sweetie."

After rising to her feet and dusting off her knees, she fires off a handful of signs to Shaya who blushes even deeper before offering a small wave and leaving the yurt.

***

Surrounded by walls of shelves of books, I sit silently in a padded chair and wait for my host to speak.

He… hasn't actually said anything at all, instead offering a small nod and gesturing toward my current seat from behind his ostentatious desk, only partially covered in stacks of paperwork.

…

…

The old man – headmaster of this academy, apparently – continues to regard me as he rubs his chin through his thick gray beard.

…

Gaagh, I can't take it any longer!

"So, um. Mister headmaster, sir? I know I'm… not a great student. Or even a good one, probably… but I try hard! I mean, I will try hard! And work hard! Uhhh and um… I'm probably not hero material, maybe, but I can work hard at that too! My mom is pretty strong, so I can probably be strong too, I think, and I can probably help someone else who's an actual hero, maybe… and well, Nyx keeps doing things for me, but I'm not really sure why. A-anyway, do you think I have a shot? I mean, can I take a shot? I mean, uhhh… I don't really know what I mean, aaagh! S-sorry, I'm no good at this kind of pressure, mister headmaster… u-uh, I mean Sir!"

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

…

The silence stretches uncomfortably as I internally wince harder and harder at my own verbal stumbling. I… probably just made everything so much worse…

And then he finally speaks.

"Alright. Alright, I'll offer you two quarters - that's one half of a year. As this is not a traditional educational institution you will begin as a first year, regardless of your existing academic standing. I fully expect you to demonstrate that commitment without causing trouble, of any kind. Am I understood, Miss Vossen?"

I gasp. It worked?

"O-of course, mister headmaster, sir!"

"Headmaster Owyn will do, probationary student."

"Yes, Headmaster Owyn!" I chirp.

He nods. "Very well then. It's not every day that I receive a legacy student with two sponsors, both of whom failed to finish their education here. I do hope your ambitions are higher in this regard. Report to the dormitories this coming weekend; you will be provided with a compact housing unit, and a roommate of our choosing. Good luck."

Without another word the old man returns his attention to the paperwork on his desk, and I offer him a quick but polite bow before making a hasty retreat.

Although as the door closes behind me something registers.

"Wait, did he say two sponsors!?"

***

It doesn't take long to gather my belongings from my temporary home at the colony, since I never really had much to begin with. I didn't even have a bedroll until I moved here, since I'd had a normal single bed back at home.

My former home.

…

I wonder how Judy is doing?

I guess it doesn't matter. I'll probably never see her or any of my old classmates again, not as long as I set off the monster detectors.

It's too bad my dimensional storage is still so small, as it is I've had to depend on mom for any of our larger stuff… not that it'll fit in my soon-to-be dorm, at least according to her. They're apparently just big enough for a set of bunk beds and two desks, with a set of shared washrooms at the end of the hall.

Small.

Very small.

Which I guess shouldn't surprise me, considering what the academy is and the kinds of environments it's preparing us for.

The New Iden Charter Hero Academy. Which means I supposedly have aspirations of being in a hero's party, if not a hero myself.

Weird. Never thought I'd be in this situation, but here we are.

…

I really don't think I'm cut out for it, but mom worked hard to get me this opportunity. So I'm not going to waste it.

The last of my meager belongings fill my small rucksack to the brim. It's hard to believe my entire life is in this thing… and even then it's just my alarm clock and a handful of notebooks, including one I've been using to take notes on what Shaya's been teaching me.

I know better than to think I'll just retain it without something like that. There's no point in denying that I'm not exactly bright. Bright enough, maybe, but even so.

A number of people have gathered to offer me a sendoff, mostly just Tristan and my old temporary party.

I wonder if they'll need to rework their tactics now that their frontliner will be missing. It's only been a handful of months, but even so…

Nah, I doubt it. They were fine before I was there. Besides, it's not like anyone actually can die in the beginner dungeons they frequent. They'll be fine again.

Of course, nobody has much to say. At least not verbally. I still don't understand enough of forest elf cant to have a real conversation with any of them, and they don't seem particularly motivated to say much out loud, so it's actually a relatively mute affair.

Literally.

Still, I take the time to thank my temporary host, as well as Gattas, Nebora, and Shaya for letting me join their party for any length of time. My cousin nods when I suggest I could probably come back for breaks if they were open to it, so I suppose that's one more opportunity. Or at least something to do with my time off, I guess.

Something tells me I'm going to need the distraction after inevitably studying myself to death. I wonder if the academy has resurrection pads for that?

And for some reason, my would-be instructor seems to have more vocabulary for me. Which is fine, I don't actually have to leave this minute anyway…

First, Shaya offers a simple gesture, and then points at her u-comm. Ah, I see.

I repeat the gesture…

「U-comm.」

Then she motions as if shouting something, cupping with her hands. And another gesture, which I repeat…

「Call.」

Shaya nods with a small smile, and then offers me a series that takes me a moment to parse…

「U-comm call future.」

Ah. So um… that means… yeah, that one is definitely a gesture she taught me before…

…

I see!

She's going to call me… or she wants us to call? On u-comms, in the future.

Okay, that's fine. She's nice anyway, I'd like to stay friends if I can. It's not like I have many of them now. So I sign her my acceptance.

「Acceptance.」

She offers me a slightly bigger smile, and since she doesn't tend to emote a lot it probably means she's really happy about that for some reason.

Oh well, it probably isn't important. I'm happy to have a friend too, after all.

After a few more moments I finally turn to leave, offering them a wave before heading toward the path to the transport station. I can't help but glance back one more time to see Tristan continuing to wave.

…And Shaya and Nebora, frantically signing at each other…

And it looks an awful lot like the mage is angry about something. Or upset at least… I'm not sure.

…

I wonder if I should be concerned…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.