The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 54

Episode 54: Teach Us, Hearty Eater-sensei

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“Hatsumi, are you okay?”

“…Huh? Ah, yeah. I’m fine.”

Nozomi called out to Hatsumi, who seemed unusually dazed.

How many times has this scene repeated itself already?

Right now, they were in the middle of leveling up.

And yet, she was completely out of it, staring blankly ahead.

Seriously, did she even have the motivation for this?

“If you keep spacing out, a magic beast’s gonna take a bite out of you, Hatsumi.”

“Ah, yeah. I know.”

Even when I called her name, she responded absentmindedly.

Normally, she’d snap at me for calling her so casually.

“But damn, they’re really nowhere to be found. Those idiots who attacked me. Attacking a Hero—that’s about as big a crime as it gets.”

“Shut up.”

Unlike before, her gaze suddenly turned sharp.

Ah, so that’s what’s been weighing on her.

“The Walkers aren’t talking either, and finding the traitors is turning out to be a real pain… But what do you think’ll happen when we find them? Execution, maybe?”

“I said shut up!”

This time, she even drew her weapon.

That settles it.

She knows the one who attacked me.

Not that it really matters.

Even though I was attacked, the circumstances were what they were.

Bringing them to justice would be difficult at best.

It’s infuriating, but punishing them would apparently affect my reputation.

Even royalty can’t just do whatever they please… or so they say.

It’d be so much easier if I could just have them executed quietly.

“Hatsumi! Stop! And Yuu-kun, now’s not the time for this conversation!”

Nozomi stepped between us, trying to diffuse the situation.

I simply waved my hand lazily in response and looked away.

Someday, I’ll make them pay—those bastards who dared mess with me.

With that thought in mind, I turned my glare toward the monsters ahead.

We were inside a dungeon.

Since the nearest dungeon had already been cleared, we had to go a bit further out this time.

What a hassle.

Still, I couldn’t help but be curious about the ones who had cleared it.

If I’m being honest, I probably wouldn’t have had much trouble clearing it myself.

But there were just so many monsters, and the dungeon was vast.

If I could recruit adventurers strong enough to handle that, things would get a whole lot easier.

“Ahh, seriously. This world never gets boring.”

Muttering to myself, I swung my sword once again.

Ah, it’s finally begun.

That hellish assignment.

“Everyone in ‘Hearty Eater’! Looking forward to working with you!”

Iris was the only one greeting them so cheerfully.

Look around, will you?

See how everyone else’s faces are twitching?

That’s how normal people react.

Even so, I was the only one who responded.

Because no one else was willing to speak up.

“Ahh, well… We’re ‘Hearty Eater,’ a Walker clan. We’ve been hired to guard you for the next few days. Nice to meet you.”

I extended my hand, only for the female students—except for Iris—to recoil with an audible snap! as they stepped back.

Yeah, figures.

For this mission, it was just me, Nishida, Azuma, and Minami.

That’s it.

Everyone else was either too busy, dodging responsibility, or conveniently unavailable.

I’d like to believe they didn’t skip out just because they didn’t want to associate with nobles.

Shiro, for one, outright said, “No way, I hate arrogant types.”

But she was busy looking after her “precious ones,” so I’d like to think she only turned this down because of that.

Let’s go with that.

I’d hoped Nakajima would at least join, but unfortunately, he had another job.

Starting today, he was officially selling the trinkets the kids had made.

Man, he really came alive when it came to stuff like that.

Anyway, I turned my attention back to the female students before me.

Apparently, the outdoor class was supposed to be tackled in parties.

Aside from Iris, there were three other girls.

At first, I’d thought, “Oh, so they have school uniforms like high school girls here too.”

But now, all I saw were frightened little animals trembling before me.

Sorry, is my black armor scaring you?

I must really stand out.

My bad.

Just as I was about to lower my outstretched hand—

“Oh my, did the Fortia family really hire such lowlifes? I had no idea they had fallen so far that they had to resort to using slaves.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. I’m sure they have their reasons. Still, this is just… Haha.”

Some fancy-looking young lady and her equally snobbish companion had arrived.

I didn’t know their names, nor had I ever seen them before.

But their personalities?

Yeah, they seemed pretty rotten.

And they had a whole squad of guys in flashy armor behind them, trying way too hard to look cool.

Their eyes were sharp, but they didn’t seem particularly focused on guarding anyone.

Were they dragged here against their will, just like me?

“Allow me to introduce them! We hired the renowned knight order—”

“My, my. You’ve brought quite the careless bunch. Just standing around, not even keeping watch. If this were a battlefield, ‘Hearty Eater’ would have devoured them at least five times over.”

Iris just openly picked a fight.

Using our name.

Iris, please.

Stop making us stand out any more than we already do.

And could you not provoke the other guards? They’re glaring daggers at us.

“Oh my, you certainly seem confident in this ‘Hearty Eater’ of yours. Never heard of them. Really, where did you even find such country bumpkins?”

“Kitayama-sama, please, cut down her bodyguards for me.”

“Hey, that’s going too far.”

I’d wondered if they just hated each other, but judging by the expressions on the other girls’ faces, these two probably acted like this all the time.

And now we’d gotten caught up in their drama.

This is exactly why I didn’t want to deal with nobles.

“Well, the true strength of ‘that’ will be revealed in this lesson. I’m looking forward to it—I do hope you achieve something truly surprising. Though, I doubt that ‘Black Armor’ over there is capable of much.”

The rich boy throws out a cheap provocation.

Still, having a brat act all high and mighty is really getting on my nerves.

To make matters worse, the surrounding guards have taken the bait and are now glaring at us with open hostility.

Ah—how annoying.

I really hate this type.

Did they say they were part of a knight order?

Gil worked surrounded by these stiff-necked types?

I’m honestly impressed he didn’t go bald from the stress.

“Well, I’ll do my best within reason. We’re here as guards, after all. As long as the young ladies who hired us don’t do anything reckless, we’re just here to watch.”

“Oh my, is this so-called top-tier guard already sounding timid? Making excuses already?”

“Hah, hah, hah. Hey, Iris, can I smack this brat?”

“Permission granted.”

“Please do not grant permission, Iris-sama. Master, you are not allowed.”

And so, after this exchange, the young lady and young master left, laughing arrogantly.

The mood was, to say the least, awful.

We let them say whatever they wanted, while we swallowed our words.

“Anyway, it’s about to begin. If it’s come to this, then let’s hunt so many magic beasts that their achievements pale in comparison. I’m counting on you, ‘Hearty Eater’.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll drill survival skills and everything else into them.”

As I shook hands with Iris, the others around us were looking on with visibly anxious expressions.

I’ll say it again—our main objective this time is guarding.

Our job is to serve as insurance when the students face a magic beast, keep watch over the surroundings, and if they’re up against multiple enemies, reduce their numbers.

We’re also supposed to teach them basic combat and survival techniques in the forest.

I got this.

Or at least, that’s what I’d like to say, but apparently, this outdoor lesson is designed with the assumption that we’ll be returning to a group campsite at night.

“Wait, no way.”

“At least let me finish explaining first…”

Iris let out a sigh at my interruption before continuing her explanation.

Those who are confident or capable enough are allowed to camp out independently.

But since most of the participants are rich kids, the majority choose to return to the well-equipped, heavily guarded group campsite.

Are we supposed to do that too?

I let out a deep sigh and looked down at Iris.

“Rest assured, I have already explained everything to our party members. And these are the ones who are capable of camping out.”

She says that, but… the girls in question all look incredibly nervous.

Their composition?

Including Iris, two are magic users.

Two specialize in close combat.

Judging by the rapiers and thin longswords they’re carrying, they won’t be able to fight too recklessly.

If we have two magic users, we should’ve brought Annabelle as an instructor… but she’s busy with the orphanage.

Can’t teach them about enchantment magic without her, so oh well.

“For now, we’ll proceed at a reasonable pace. We’ll keep up this small-group camping, but if it becomes too much, say something. The first rule in this kind of environment is not to endure things in silence—say what’s on your mind. Understood?”

“”Yes!”

Good.

At least they’re responding now.

It would be exhausting if they were trembling in fear the whole time.

That said…

Couldn’t they have worn something more appropriate?

Why are they all still in their school uniforms for an outdoor lesson?

As I stared at them, wondering about this—

“Oh, are you wondering about our outfits? Don’t worry. Our school uniforms are enchanted. They provide much better protection than most armor.”

“Ah… well, alright. I’ll let it slide for now.”

Honestly, though, I’m still worried about how much exposed skin they have.

Plus, the way their skirts flutter around is distracting.

Just look at Minami.

She’s wearing tights under her shorts, and her upper body is completely covered except for her neck and head.

She’s also got leather armor on, along with sturdy boots and gloves.

Now that is proper camping attire, ladies. Take notes.

“Minami, teach them about proper gear tonight. You’ll be in charge of everything inside the tent.”

“Understood, Master.”

With that short exchange, we set off into the forest.

The difficulty here—the rank of the magic beasts in this forest—is much lower than the one we usually hunt in.

At most, there are some wolves.

Most of the creatures are much smaller.

At least, that’s the case within the areas people can return from in a single day.

The deeper we go, the bigger the prey.

“Alright! Today, we’ll head as deep as possible. The real hunting starts tomorrow and beyond, so for now, just focus on getting used to walking in the forest.”

The expedition was set for four days.

We’d do a little hunting today, then go all-in for the next two days.

And on the last day, if we just kept walking all day, we’d probably make it back.

With this rough plan in mind, we started moving forward—our hearts pounding with excitement at the sight of an unexplored forest.

………..

Finally… finally, I get to act alongside “Hearty Eater.”

Hiding the grin threatening to spread across my face, I followed in their footsteps.

Everywhere I looked, it was just forest, forest, forest.

The thick foliage blocked out so much sunlight that it was dim even in the middle of the day.

Whenever their black armor slipped into the shadows, I’d lose sight of them for a split second.

This was going to be an even tougher outdoor lesson than I thought.

But still—this long-awaited camping expedition with “Hearty Eater”…

I couldn’t help but feel thrilled.

I’ve only witnessed their feats a handful of times.

But the tales of their achievements that reached my ears were nothing short of exhilarating.

Surviving an attack from over a hundred Dash Birds in their own nest.

Standing on the frontlines during a stampede, coordinating the surrounding parties and minimizing casualties.

And just recently, they even conquered a dungeon as if it were nothing.

Chills ran down my spine.

It was like watching a hero from a fairy tale come to life.

And now, I stood beside them.

Father, Mother, thank you for bringing me into this world for this moment.

Because right now, I am more excited than I have ever been in my entire life.

“U-Um, Iris-san… are you sure this is okay? They’re moving pretty fast… and what about keeping watch?”

One of the members asked hesitantly.

A quick glance around showed that everyone wore similar expressions of concern.

It was understandable.

To someone who didn’t know “them,” this situation must have seemed unsettling.

The members I had gathered were nobles who lacked much influence in high society.

Those with power and wealth hired guards by throwing ridiculous sums of money around.

And they looked down on me for choosing to hire “Hearty Eater” instead.

But there was another reason I picked this group—they weren’t resistant to the idea of camping outdoors, even if they were inexperienced.

And above all, they could handle themselves.

If I had brought along some spoiled noble with high status, they would have undoubtedly treated our protectors like mere servants.

Such people would only get in the way.

This wasn’t a leisurely camping trip.

It was a lesson to help us grow stronger.

“Don’t worry. For today, just focus on keeping up with them. See? Even now—”

A soft pash! echoed.

A bolt flew from Minami-sama’s crossbow, and in the distance, something fell to the ground.

Before I knew it, Nishida-sama had vanished, only to reappear just as soundlessly, a freshly caught bird in hand.

This. This is exactly what I wanted to see.

This was beyond what ordinary people were capable of.

When it came to “hunting,” they were without a doubt professionals.

On top of that, they had survived life-and-death encounters beyond imagination.

And these people—these monsters—were the ones protecting us.

It was hard to imagine anything more reassuring.

“Fufu… I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

“Umm, yeah… I get that they’re amazing now.”

“By the way, that was the third time just now.”

“Wha—!?”

Their movements were so natural that if you weren’t paying attention, you’d miss them entirely.

If you were too focused on your tired feet, you wouldn’t even notice them taking down monsters—without any grand gestures, without making a sound.

A shiver ran through me again.

In the forest, they were both strikingly visible yet impossibly elusive.

Like mirages, there one moment and gone the next.

That was why the Fortia family had been following them for so long.

So that we never lost sight of them.

“Alright, time to get stronger.

That’s why we came here.”

I grinned, and my companions responded with firm nods.

Each of them had their own reasons for wanting strength.

Some wanted to prove themselves to those who looked down on them.

Some wanted to grow strong enough to support their families.

Our motives were different, but our goal was the same.

With every step we took, we struggled to close the overwhelming gap between us and the titans before us.