Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"……Um."

Do you feel like you can never go back to your old daily life?

"...I don't know. But I just feel like things can't go on like this..."

What one sees and hears with one's own eyes and ears—not relying on any secondary information, but firsthand information truly obtained through "field investigation"—the more one understands the current situation of the lower realm, the stronger the sense of crisis and anxiety becomes.

I am not arrogant, thinking that I can save the world simply by stepping forward. But as a member of Orario, I can't just stand by and do nothing about the root cause of the Netherworld's impending doom—those dragons.

This idea gradually began to take root in my mind.

In the firelight, Professor Leon seemed to see right through me, staring at me with a scrutinizing gaze.

"It's a good thing that you're starting to pay attention to things you hadn't noticed before. It's also proof that your horizons are broadening. The students in the 'school district' who have witnessed the world's tragedies firsthand are just as eager as you are to do something about it."

"In that case..."

"However, being too hasty is also not advisable."

"Too hasty...?"

"That's right. Ever since our god and goddess suffered a crushing defeat fifteen years ago, we've had no way out."

"!"

I understood what Professor Leon was trying to say instantly.

"If the next 'Black Dragon' extermination also ends in failure, humanity will have no chance to rise again. The flame of hope that has been rekindled after fifteen years will be extinguished, completely swallowed by despair, ushering in the true end of the world. In order to prevent the end of the world, both adventurers and we must be fully prepared."

The long-cherished wish of the lower realm—the failure of the "Three Great Adventurers' Request".

Professor Leon recounted at length the immense backlash from that failure.

"The 'heroes' of fifteen years ago were far too powerful and far too great. But precisely because of this, the fall of those 'heroes'... became a devastating blow to the world."

Heavy enough to make the whole world tremble and come to a standstill.

We must never repeat the same mistakes.

Professor Leon continued, deeply moved.

It's as if they were "living witnesses" to that era.

Despite having a thousand questions in my mind, after much hesitation, I finally asked that question.

"Professor Leon, do you know those 'heroes'... you mean the relatives of male and female gods?"

The campfire crackled and popped.

Sparks flew everywhere.

The lion-gold eyes that had been fixed on me lowered their gaze and narrowed.

It's as if you're deep within the raging flames, searching for the glory of yesteryear.

"Can you answer which three adventurers' requests are available?"

"Eh? Let me think... the king of land (Behemoth), the overlord of the sea (Leviathan), and the subjugation of the black dragon, right?"

"I was fortunate enough to participate in the battle to defeat the sea tyrant."

"Huh!?"

The unexpected information made me gasp in surprise.

I quickly covered my mouth and looked at Nina, who was sleeping next to me.

Her slender body only moved slightly, but thankfully there was no sign of her waking up.

I breathed a sigh of relief, still covering my mouth, and turned my gaze back to the front, where I saw the teacher smiling and shrugging.

"It's not so much that I was the only one involved, but rather that the entire school district participated in the battle against the sea monster."

"W-What's going on...?"

"The school district... the predecessor of the super-giant ship was a 'sea fortress.' It was a 'foothold' built to conquer Leviathan."

My face was filled with surprise.

According to Professor Leon, a large foothold is essential to defeat the dragon that rules the ocean. At least, that's what the adventurers and Orario of that time believed.

No matter how many large ships are sent, the enemy can easily create a giant wave with a single turn, capsizing and swallowing them up.

The Sea Overlord is such a massive monster that adventurers in the labyrinth city must build a vast 'land' on the ocean if they want to show their skills.

Thus, centered around numerous dwarves and with the help of the Poseidon Familia, whose main battlefield was at sea, people developed a "super-giant circular foothold".

"So, the 'battlefield' used to fight against the sea's overlord has simply become a 'school district'...!? Could it be... that the reason the various levels of the 'school district' are circular...?"

"Those are remnants from the 'Foundation' era. Besides, you saw the 'Azure Wings' on the ship, didn't you...? That's the thing that contained the dropped item, 'Sea King's Azure Fin'."

"...!"

The various impressions and doubts that arose upon first seeing the "school district" instantly converged into a clear clue.

The reason why the school level, living level, and control level are circular in shape, which is incongruous with the ship, is because their design prototype is a 'foothold'.

Those dreamlike, shimmering "Azure Wings," which I mistook for a "dimmer," were actually the treasures (dropped items) of a colossal beast, resembling mysterious crystals. They played a crucial role in maintaining and controlling the massive ship—no, they were themselves the "sails" and "flags" symbolizing humanity's victory over one of the ultimate ends.

"A giant dessert (pancake) with three layers stacked on top of each other."

"The majestic spine of a dragon".

I finally understand where the nicknames for "school districts" come from.

Some have even described the "school district" as "the greatest ship in the world."

There is only one reason why it is called that: it symbolizes the feat of defeating the king of the sea!

"At that time, the faction alliance called 'School District' had not yet been established, but that great battle with the sea tyrant undoubtedly became the cornerstone of the academy today. Most of the helmsmen and engineers of 'Station' who participated in that battle are still working in the control layer, supporting the operation of 'School District'."

So that's what it meant: 'The entire school district participated in the war against the sea monster'!

Unable to contain my excitement, I couldn't help but lean forward.

"Professor Leon, that's when you met the 'heroes,' isn't it! Could it be that you, Professor Leon, fought alongside the heroes back then, working together to defeat the sea monster...!"

"No? I just sneaked onto the ship."

"ha?"

"To witness the heroes (those guys) making a fool of themselves."

"……………………………………ha?"

I had expected to hear about a heroic and earth-shattering feat, but my expectations were dashed in an instant.

"I originally just came to mock them lying dead in the street. Well, of course, I did think about personally chopping off the head of the sea tyrant to show those guys what I'm capable of."

"Eh?! What...what are you saying?!"

I couldn't help but let out a strange cry, which made Nina let out a soft moan in her sleep.

I quickly covered my mouth again, my eyes filled with confusion as I looked at Professor Leon.

Professor Leon gave a wry smile.

"Back then, I... no, I mean 'this guy,' was a complete scoundrel. I did countless embarrassing things that still make me blush when I think about them now."

Even if you put it that way... I still don't understand at all!!

The Leon teacher in front of me, who looks like an "adult," is completely unrelated to the Leon teacher who used to be a "rascal"!

After all, Teacher Leon is reliable, gentle, and handsome, which even made me want to become an adult like him...!

(Wait, but... that thing I just heard... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before...)

At that moment, it dawned on me.

The words Miss Ais said on the city wall a few days ago came to mind, and I repeated them without thinking.

"Miss Ais... the Loki Familia said that the former Leon teacher... was like a 'delinquent'."

"Haha! 'Delinquent,' you're absolutely right. Speaking of the Loki Familia, it's Finn, Riveria, or Grace, isn't it... In their eyes, that's probably what I am."

Mr. Leon smiled for once, and nodded deeply as if he were very familiar with Mr. Finn and the others.

Teacher Leon was a "delinquent"... This seems to be a settled matter.

But the feeling of confusion still overwhelmed everything. Although the topic had veered off course from "heroes," I couldn't help but ask Professor Leon a question.

"Um, Mr. Leon, why... uh, why were you a delinquent? I can't imagine you having any connection with so-called delinquents at all..."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, but it's still so embarrassing. But you're right, why was I such a troublemaker back then...?"

When asked my question, Professor Leon put his hand to his mouth, began to organize his thoughts, and started to think seriously.

Although it's a trivial matter, it's quite unexpected, extremely jarring, or perhaps, as the gods say, a misunderstanding..., to hear the word "rascal" come out of Teacher Leon's mouth.

"There are many reasons... but the main reason is probably that I am a 'dwarf who doesn't look like a dwarf'."

"Not like dwarves, dwarves...?"

"That's right. You talked to Nina during the trip, didn't you? You mentioned that my parents were half-dwarfs."

"Ah...you...you heard that...?"

"You can't hide it from your teacher, so remember that."

Seeing my embarrassed expression, Professor Leon teased me with a slightly mischievous tone.

"Despite being a dwarf, I am tall, with long arms and legs, and my beard and body hair are not thick... Because I inherited obvious human characteristics, I have always been ostracized by my fellow countrymen in my hometown village. I am envied, stoned, and even openly persecuted... To put it bluntly, I have been bullied."

"!!"

"At that time, all I could do was cry. However, when even my parents were implicated and persecuted, I finally broke down. I grabbed those compatriots... well, how should I put it, to be honest, I beat them half to death. After that, I was driven out of the village."

The statement, 'Professor Leon was bullied,' struck me with an indescribable force.

My brain was unable to process the information I received, and I was speechless for a moment.

It was extremely rare for Professor Leon to be so vague, yet I couldn't utter a single word.

"After that, I completely fell into depravity. It would have been better if I had only hated my fellow countrymen, but after going to other cities, I was treated like a rare and exotic creature by other races and was ridiculed... which caused a lot of trouble. I gradually began to resent my own body and took my anger out on my parents who had always been with me, speaking ill of them and even becoming violent towards them."

"..."

"I made them both cry."

The smile that appeared on Professor Leon's lips was a self-deprecating one I had never seen before.

The smile, though faint, was filled with loneliness and desolation.

"Then I started to hate myself for it, and eventually left my parents... and went to Orario alone. That city of heroes, I naively thought it was a place where 'as long as you're strong you can do whatever you want.' Because I hated this world, I thought that one day I would become strong enough to beat all the things I hated to a pulp..."

The life trajectory of Professor Leon, which I had never known before, slowly emerged in my mind.

I remember when I first arrived in Orario, I looked up at the towering walls and magnificent gates with shining eyes.

I wonder what kind of expression Professor Leon had on his face as he stood there.

"...No, that's not right. In the end, I guess I just want to be accepted by everyone. I want a place where I can be accepted by the world and by everyone, a place that belongs to me."

That should have been a painful past, but Professor Leon recounted it without the slightest hesitation, which made my heart ache.

It wasn't until then that I finally understood.

Mr. Leon, he must feel ashamed of his past misbehavior and resentful of his weakness, and he still feels resentful about it to this day.

However, he never shied away from his own weakness.

Without concealment or embellishment, one faces one's weaknesses squarely and speaks frankly about everything.

I couldn't help but think that only a truly powerful person could do that.

"What happened after that?"

After I managed to squeeze out a question from deep in my throat, Professor Leon closed his eyes.

The smile that still lingered on his lips was no longer self-deprecating.

"I met Lord Baldr. And this god who so unabashedly inscribed 'blessing' on me, I spat at his feet. After that, I started to venture into the dungeon."

"He spat at Lord Badr..."

"Since I fell into this vice, I've almost never lost a fight, so I really thought I was pretty good back then. I thought I could beat down all the guys I didn't like with my brute strength. But... I overestimated myself."

"Eh?"