Huge Holy 87 (Patreon)

87 - Can you imagine having to say “Leave this to me and go” in real life?

RAW

It’s not a bolt out of the blue.
But I realized it all of the sudden.
No, I had a vague hunch about it as well, but since I didn't have any proof, I decided to not exert myself too much talking about it.
But... even if I was expecting it, this would be an abnormal and chaotic situation for most people.

Stampede.
Dungeon activation.
The signs, of all places, occurred in the E-rank dungeon where I was leading the fourth-year students.

Time goes back a little...

As usual, I guide the students, and as usual, the group this time won't listen.
They would whisper while pretending to listen, or would restlessly touch weapons that they would have had to beg their parents to provide.
I warned them in a strong tone, “Don't let your guard down inside the dungeon. Your life may be in danger.”

But they seem to miss the previous adventurer who was in charge of the adventure department.
I often hear negative comments such as, “The previous teacher was kinder,” “The current teacher is too strict,” and “I've never been given such difficult homework.”

...The questions and homework I give are about adventurers, and even if it’s not, they're all about the bare minimum of dungeon knowledge.
While my predecessor was serious, that guy seemed to be lenient as an adventurer.
I heard it many times, when the students who saw what I was teaching, they said, “I didn't learn about this in the previous teacher's class.”

I knew it already, but my reputation within the school was bad.
My students didn’t cover for me. Those are bastards who create harems and cause signs of engagement annulments, you know? You can't expect anything from those who overestimate their abilities and do stupid things.
The only person I can have a lively conversation with is Zekkiro.

And, well.
Every time I did dungeon training, it was in that worst mood.
...But, sure enough, even though it was an E-rank dungeon, the appearance rate of monsters was abnormal.
Their strength is just right for students to fight against, but they keep coming out one after another.

I could have immediately judged that it was in an activated state, but I purposely didn't give them an order for an immediate withdrawal.
Stupidity cannot be cured even in death.
Even if the students don't understand, even if they don't like it and say, “Something's wrong” or “This is different from usual,” if I order them to withdraw immediately, they'll become obstinate and hold their ground, saying, “What are you talking about?”
After all, the enemy isn't strong...

Finally, the students screamed, “Sensei! There are too many enemies!!”
In a moment, I wiped out the monsters with [Holy Tornado]. I [Heal] the students and said.

“The inside of the dungeon is in a state of activation. Please escape without breaking ranks and report to the guild. It'll be okay. Until you escape, I will support you with my [Wand Flower].”

“Eh, Sensei will...”

“You guys should escape safely and I will hold the monsters back until adventurers come from the guild for support.”

“No, but this number――”

“This level of monster appearance rate is definitely not as high as the C and A ranks. There is no problem... Now, quickly go!”

...So, if it’s just the activation of an E rank dungeon.
With long range shooting from me and Hercovara wand flowers, I could have easily kept at it for  several hours.
There's no way I'm going to die.
However... The problem is the other places.
The delay in dispatching adventurers to my location was apparently due to the simultaneous activation of multiple other dungeons.
And so, the response to the E-rank dungeon was delayed.

This is because of the recent state of affairs.

I guessed that it’s at least related to the chaotic political situation in I Confederacy.
It’s only... a guess, though.
If the [System] called ‘dungeon’ itself was manipulated by the gods of this world... even if it wasn't manipulation, if it was an established program, then everything would make sense.

At this rate, the school won't be able to hold field trips for a while.
Some of the students who witnessed the dungeon activation had disturbed expressions on their faces. If they look like that just by seeing an activated E-rank dungeon, they won't be able to make a living as an adventurer later.
As expected, I didn't say it that strongly, instead I encouraged the students by saying, “You did well today. It's a perfect score for being able to fight during an activation.”

In the midst of all that.
Rumors spread throughout the guild.

“E-ranks aside, for B-rank and A-rank dungeons to activate, what the hell happened?”

“If it's us. We can only deal with the E-ranks.”

“Aah, but it’ll be easy for S-rank parties isn’t it!”

“The mass media is saying a lot of things about them, but their ability is the real deal after all...”

I don't need to butt in. Those guys can do it on their own and get excited on their own.
The students and I get into the school's exclusive mobile car (which used a magic circle that surely Ekaterina applied into it) and leave the guild.
We leave the rest to the adventurers in the field, while we remain ignorant of it.
I guess I’ll just think of it as the first good exercise I’ve had in a while... to some extent.

When we returned, Ekaterina personally greeted us.
We just came across a dungeon activation, so naturally, she was worried. That's probably it.
However, Ekaterina ignored the students and called out to me.

“Josiah-sensei, thank you very much for not only evacuating the students, but also for dealing with the activation for several hours.”

...

I tried to ward it off with, “No, I just did what is to be expected of me.”
Ekaterina says, “You must be tired, please go to your room. I will take care of the rest.”
...Maybe it's normal?
However, this small consideration might be the start of everything that happens after this.

Ekaterina and I started secretly exchanging letters.

――――

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