We arrived at the capital. With that, the practice training was now finished.
Today, I would finally be able to return to Crimonia after a long time and sleep in my house, all thanks to the Bear Transfer Gate, of course.
A few carriages were already parked there.
I only saw our carriage when we departed, so this meant that those were all from the other students who already came back, right?
「My job is now finished, right?」
I got out of the carriage and stretched.
「We still have to check in with the teachers.」
Oh right, Eleanora told me something like that.
So troublesome.
「Jigurd, you are also going, right?」
「Yeah, we are, but please wait a minute.」
After we had joined up with Jigurd's party on the road, we came back to the capital together.
Also, it was less dangerous to travel in bigger groups.
If bandits were planning on attacking us, they would probably reconsider, just seeing the size of our group.
Well, there weren't any dangers like that around the capital anyway.
We entered the academy and went to check in with the professors.
When we got to the staff room, we were met by someone who shouldn't have been there.
「Mother!」
Shia said with a surprised voice when she saw Eleanora-san next to her professor.
「Why are you here?」
「I told the guard at the gate to report to me immediately when you returned, of course.」
Wasn’t that abuse of authority?
「I told him it was of a S rank priority, so he reported really quickly.」
This person was the worst. You shouldn't use your authority for something this trivial.
I felt sorry for the guard who had to run to the castle all the way from the gate.
「Your practice training is now finished. We will deal with the luggage you brought back, so you are free to leave and rest.」
The professor told the students.
「Also, you will have to make a report on the practice training a bit later. Don't think you can lie, though. We will talk to the adventurers about what really happened, after all.」
The students started leaving the staff room.
「Yuna-san, thank you for being our escort.」
Shia thanked me.
「It was a pain, but also fun.」
「Yuna-san, please say goodbye to Swaying Bear-san and Hugging Bear-san for me!」
Cattleya seemed sad.
They weren't something I could have just lent out simply, and I didn't want to do it, either.
「Yuna-san, I will train a lot more and become a knight like you, who can protect people he wants.」
I wasn't a knight, you know…
「I learned something really important on this trip. Thank you.」
Timor said and bowed.
They all thanked me on their way out.
「Ara, they were all so polite.」
「What the hell is going on?」
The professor was tilting his head.
I didn't know what they were like in school, but I somewhat understood his feelings.
「Well then, Professor, I will hear the report from Yuna-san, so please hear the report from the other two adventurers.」
The professor nodded.
I couldn't go back yet, huh.
「Please take care of this Bear Missy, then.」
Eleanora-san and I moved away from the professor a bit.
It seemed like the professor would hear the reports from Jade-san and Meru-san.
「Yuna-chan, thank you for doing this for me. So, how did it go?」
「It was exhausting. I never thought that traveling with a carriage would be this exhausting.」
This journey made me appreciate Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear all over again.
I went ahead and reported all that happened during the practice training to Eleanora-san.
「A Black Tiger, you say?」
「Don't be too hard on the students, okay? I'm the one who was responsible for that encounter, after all.」
I didn't notice the Black Tiger even though I was using detection magic.
「But, they undertook a goblin subjugation, huh.」
「Will they lose points for doing it?」
「Considering their position in society, they should, but I believe that their decision was better than that of people who would just abandon the villagers. These children are responsible for the country's future, after all. So, I don't want them to easily choose to abandon people. If there is a life that can be saved, save it. But, you also have to give up if it's impossible. I think this will be a good lesson for them.」
Raising talented people was difficult in every world, huh.
Also, in this world, a lot of children succeeded their parents' work. I honestly didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.
I looked at Eleanora-san who was standing before me.
「Yuna-chan, thank you for protecting those children.」
「No need to thank me. It was my job, after all. I will refuse next time, though.」
「That's a pity.」
She didn't really seem disappointed.
I finished my report, so I decided to go back to Crimonia.
「Yuna-chan, wait a minute.」
Eleanora-san stopped me.
「Here, take this.」
Eleanora-san took a book out of her item bag and gave it to me.
It really became a book.
「Huh?」
I noticed something that bugged me.
It was correct, but why did they use Bear?
While I was still staring at the author's name,
「It's better than using your real name, right?」
That was true, but it still felt weird.
「Or would you prefer that we use your real name in the copies from now on?」
「No. Bear is fine.」
It was better than having my name spread around.
「You asked for ten copies if I remember correctly?」
One by one, she put ten books of each volume on the table out of her item bag.
「This picture book is quite popular, you know. It would be great if we could sell them to the whole country…」
「I absolutely have no intention of letting you do that right now, so…」
It would be a pain if they asked me to write the next volume after it became widely known throughout the whole country.
「Please tell me if you ever want to sell it. I will make sure it sells on a large scale.」
「I'll have to politely refuse.」
「Really? That's too bad… I will be waiting for the next volume, though. How about naming it 『Bear-san and Eleanora』or something like that?」
「Why should it have your name in it?」
「I mean, you're the Bear-san, right? Then, isn't it okay for me to be in it, too?」
「If I had to add a new character, it would be Noa. If I ever added you, it would be as a villain, who deceives the Bear-san.」
「You're horrible, saying that I deceived you! I would love to read a picture book with my daughter in it, though.」
「I won't be writing anymore for a while, you know.」
「That means you will eventually write it. When the time comes, please draw Noa and me in cutely.」
I ignored Eleanora-san and put the books into the Bear Box.
My report was finished, and Eleanora-san didn't seem to have anything else for me, so I left the academy the same time as some students came back. Didn't I have a really bad timing?
「It's the bear from before!」「So, this is the rumored bear.」「Cute!」「The bear is walking on two feet.」「I wonder where these clothes are sold?」「What sort of a relationship does she have with Eleanora-sama…」「I want to hug her…」
Just like the last time, the students made an uproar about my appearance.
I could come here whenever I wanted.
It had been a while since I was last at my house. To relax after a ten days long journey, I took a bath and changed into the White Bear. White Bear, I missed you. I ate a meal and dove into my bed. I knew it, sleeping on a bed was the best.
I petted them, hugged them, and played with them.
I soon ended up in dreamland, with Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear at my sides.
Author's note:
Will the next story be the arrival of Anzu? (The plot in my mind is changing every day. w)
(TN: 'w' stands for 'warau', which means laugh in japanese. Its english equivalent would be either 'lol' or 'haha'.)