But still, this person…
I marveled at how quickly Regres blended in with the students, behaving like an older brother. It reminded me of a charismatic teacher who used to be the advisor for the kendo club.
It made me realize the difference in human nature and reflect on my own mediocrity.
Initially, even Nishina, who seemed envious without realizing it, bit his tongue as he watched Regres enjoy conversations with Sakuragi. Now, he eagerly received advice on basic combat techniques and sensing presence, completely trusting him.
“Sensei, I heard about someone who used plant magic, and in the past, they fought by embedding seeds into weapons or clothing.”
“Oh… I actually asked Chiron-san and Panon-san to put handles on the spear I found earlier. If it’s possible, I might ask for such modifications as well.”
“Eh? Chiron-san and Panon-san?”
“Yeah, they seem to be skilled blacksmiths.”
“I see… they really do seem dwarfish. Hehehe.”
Kimishima, too, had grown fond of Regres without realizing it. Currently, she could only control plants she touched, but with strong aptitude, she hoped to eventually control distant objects as well.
His depth of knowledge was truly impressive.
“By the way, Sensei, don’t you need to climb the Ladder?”
Before I knew it, even Regres started calling me “Sensei”. Having been a teacher for ten years, I was used to being called that, but perhaps this way of maintaining distance was also part of Regres’s charm.
“No… I’m thinking of climbing as an advanced monster.”
“Oh. With the dedication you’ve shown, that makes sense.”
“I-is that so…”
“Well, if you’re going advanced, count me in to accompany you.”
“Hahaha. Thank you.”
I refrained from telling Regres about the flaws in my Iaido technique, but he quickly sensed the hesitant atmosphere and smoothly changed the subject. His sense for such things was exquisite.
Who is he really?
Soon, Sakuragi began complaining of feeling unwell. It seemed even Sakuragi had climbed the Ladder. While I had previously carried Kimishima, this time, Nishina carried Sakuragi back to where the cart was parked.
On the way back, I glanced at Regres lying on the back of the hippod, inside the swaying cart. He caught my gaze and smirked.
“Are you wondering who I am?”
“Eh? N-no…”
“Hehehe. It’s okay. It’s natural to be curious about which leaf is falling when jungle leaves flutter down. Isn’t that right?”
“W-well… I had heard there might be ambitious adventurers targeting me.”
“Yeah, they’re swarming, those who want to become Celestials and officers. There are plenty of them in this world.”
“Hahaha…”
“Well, the main reason I came here this time is probably because of you, Sensei?”
“Reg-san, too… to fight me?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Just curious… I went to Galal Blue about twenty years ago. It was in a terrible state…”
Galal Blue? And twenty years ago??? He looks about the same age as me… Maybe he’s older than he looks.
Someone must have been listening. Stroman, who was holding the reins of the Sebek up front, turned around involuntarily.
“Galal Blue… huh? You?”
“Yeah, well, I was interested in how it was faring. That’s where I found Jenuin back then. She was still a cute little kid back then. You’ve seen a Hippod there, right, Sensei?”
“Eh? Yes.”
“If you’re chased by wild HippoD there… you’d naturally panic and try to attack them when you see them.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“If you travel with monsters, such things happen.”
“Hmm…”
He might be a true traveler at heart. Perhaps like a backpacker on Earth, going wherever curiosity takes him. He’d even venture into remote areas populated only by advanced monsters. He must have considerable strength as well.
“Fifty years ago, tens of thousands of people lived there. Now it’s just a ruin. When people stop living somewhere, cities deteriorate surprisingly quickly.”
“Yes…”
“When I went, it had been about thirty years since people stopped living there… It was beautiful.”
“Eh?”
“An abandoned metropolis. Ivy spread haphazardly among the inert stone pillars… just a desolate ruin… Oh. But I’m not from Lutena, you know? That surreal scenery, so out of place in this world, that’s just there, right?”
“Lutena?”
“Huh? Oh, you might not know yet. Shall I say it’s another religion in this world? Here in the world of monsters, we humans are allowed a small living area and live as tenants. Those are the people with such ideas.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of it.”
“I kill plenty of monsters too. Eat them too. But like Jenuin, sometimes I make friends and they help me out. Well, it’s all about balance in relationships in the end.”
I hesitated to respond to Regres’s casual talk.
As we reached the town, I left the care of Sakuragi to Kimishima. Sakuragi’s sleep time was even longer compared to Kimishima and Nishina. She probably wouldn’t wake up until tomorrow morning, so we carried her to her booth in the dormitory and let her sleep there.
In the meantime, we packed monster materials and hearts into the warehouse.
Although Regres-san didn’t hunt monsters himself this time, we learned various useful things, so he took some meat he wanted. Even Jenuin seemed to devour large monsters easily.
Nishina and Kimishima suggested that Regres stay overnight in the dormitory, but he politely declined. He said he would go bathe in the river near the town with Jenuin.
“I don’t think he’s a bad person.”
As Nishina said, I also thought so. But Regres was just too mysterious. He seemed to possess considerable strength, but Stroman also didn’t remember a name like his among the Celestials. I glanced at Regres’s arms, but there was no sign of a Divine Citizen card.
However, regarding those cards, people wear them on various parts of their bodies, so not finding it didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t registered. Stroman kept shaking his head.
Once we finished reporting at the assembly point, we had dinner with Kimishima and then visited the communal bathhouse, bringing an end to today’s activities.
