Chapter 3: Everyone has a letter of resignation in their heart (3)

“Strange.”

Is the world… is the world… this beautiful?

The days at the Hero Academy felt so gray, but now my surroundings are vibrant.
Colors come alive, and an inexplicable shimmer fills the air around me.

A clear sky with a few drifting clouds.
The warm sun illuminating everything.
A cool breeze brushing against my cheeks.

The noisy chatter of people passing through the square.
The sound of the fountain’s water echoing from behind.
The calls of merchants hawking their wares.

Everything is in harmony.

“Was the world always this beautiful?”

Is this… resignation? Is this what a resignation letter feels like…?

For some reason, it feels like I’m visiting this place for the first time.

…Well, to be fair, this is the first time I’ve actually come out to the square and looked around properly.

The Hero Academy is located in Carmen, the capital of the Kar Empire.
It’s the largest and most developed city on the entire continent, bustling with crowds from all over, either to enroll in the Hero Academy or to catch a glimpse of its students.
The floating population here is enormous.

I’ve lived here for three whole years, but since I rarely left the academy, this is my first time exploring the capital like a normal person.

Why didn’t I come out more often?
Well… it’s not exactly that I didn’t come out.
I couldn’t come out.

Most of the academy’s teachers disliked me, so they piled chores on me even during holidays.
Naturally, I had no idea what a vacation or break even felt like.

I could’ve ignored them and refused, but I didn’t have anything else to do on my days off anyway.
Back then, teaching Jenny was my only focus, so I just worked through my breaks, reading professional books or whatever.

When I was in the Harkur Marquis’s territory, I only wandered around there.
So, coming to a city outside the Harkur territory and sightseeing like this is a pretty novel experience.

“It really lives up to being the world’s greatest city.”

There’s so much of everything.
No… not just “so much.” It’s more like everything is abundant.

People, buildings, guards, street vendors, you name it.
There was a ton of everything.

But I didn’t mind it.
It was so lively, and it felt like everyone was content with their lives.

Sizzle~

“…!”

At that moment, a delicious aroma wafted into my nose, accompanied by the sound of something grilling on a hot plate.
My mouth watered instinctively.

I turned my head, and there it was.

“Come on in! The best chicken skewer stall in Carmen’s North Square!!”

A man was confidently calling out to customers at a modest street stall, grilling chicken skewers.

Sizzle~

As he flipped the skewers cooking over the charcoal fire, the golden-brown, perfectly grilled meat came into view.
The moment a drop of juicy fat dripped onto the coals—

Chiik~!

It vaporized instantly, sending a cloud of fragrant, irresistible white smoke spreading in all directions.

“…Gulp.”

Before I knew it, my feet were already heading toward the stall.
…This place knows how to do business.

“Whoa, buddy, you’re practically drooling.”
“…Oh, sorry. Um, one… no, two skewers, please. One with sauce.”
“Got it! One sauced, one salted! That’ll be 40 Bretts!”

Entranced, I placed my order and pulled out my coin pouch.
I handed him four metal coins marked with the number ‘10.’

Taking them, he picked up a perfectly browned skewer in one hand and a brush dipped in a sauce container with the other.

A sticky, reddish sauce.
Chili-based, huh? Can’t resist that spicy-sweet combo.

He brushed the sauce generously over the skewer, coating it thoroughly, then handed it to me along with the plain salted one.

“Enjoy!”
“Thank you.”

I gave him a small bow and looked at the skewers.
I can’t wait any longer.
Gotta take a bite right here.

But which one first?

The plain one, of course.
With that thought, I bit into the salted skewer.

“Mmph…!”

The moment I chewed, the tender texture and juicy meat flooded my mouth.
The juices burst with every bite, and with just salt and pepper, the smoky charcoal flavor and rich chicken taste hit my nose directly…!

“Ha, your eyes are about to pop out, young man.”

As the chicken skewer shop owner said, it was an eye-opening flavor.
Now for the sauced one…!

“…!!”

Unbelievable.
Can a single layer of sauce make the flavor this vibrant?

The charcoal and chicken flavors were slightly muted, but in their place, the spicy-sweet chili sauce teased my tongue!

“…Wow.”

The Hero Academy, being the world’s top educational institution, serves extravagant meals.
But those are all high-class dishes tailored to noble tastes.

“This is the taste I’ve been missing.”

The commoner’s flavor I occasionally enjoyed at the markets in the Harkur Marquis’s territory!
This is it. This is the stuff.

“Thank you, goodbye.”

Standing here forever would be a nuisance.
He’s running a business, after all.

“Wait, young man!”

Just as I bowed and turned to leave, the chicken skewer shop owner stopped me.

“You look like a traveler. First time in the capital?”
“…”

I must look like a traveler with all the luggage I’m carrying.
Well, I don’t have any ties or business here anymore, so I guess I am practically a traveler.

“Yes, that’s right.”

First time in the capital… well, it’s a bit ambiguous to say that.
But whatever.

“If you haven’t found a place to stay, check out this inn. I learned to cook there. If you like, have dinner there too.”

He handed me a pamphlet.
It advertised an inn called ‘Morning Calm.’

“You seemed to really enjoy my skewers, so I figured I’d mention it. Take that pamphlet, and you can stay there for cheap!”
“Oh, thank you.”

Perfect timing.
I was planning to explore the capital for a day or two anyway.

No need to search for a place to stay, and it comes with a discount?
Plus, it’s run by the mentor who taught this guy how to cook?

“I’ll definitely stay there.”

I’d have canceled any other booking to go there.

Taking the pamphlet, I started wandering the capital again.
It’s a bit early to head to the inn, so I’ll explore some more.

Various shops.
Commoners’ homes.
Noble mansions.
The Adventurers’ Guild branch.
A church.

I saw countless buildings and people.
Before I knew it, I’d climbed a hill overlooking the entire capital.
The sun was beginning to set.

“Time passed already?”

I wasn’t working, just wandering aimlessly and having fun, yet time flew by so fast.
Probably because there was so much to see in a city with so much of everything.

“…”

Under the orange-tinted sunset, I looked down at people wrapping up their day, heading to their homes or lodgings.

“Everyone’s living so busily.”

And in that moment,
I snapped back from a dream to reality.

“…What am I going to do starting tomorrow?”

A deep sigh escaped from within.
In this bustling, crowded city, I had no home to return to, no workplace to go back to.

In this vast, packed place, the thought struck me that there was nowhere for me to belong.

My mood sank instantly.
Is this… resignation? Is this what a resignation letter feels like…?

“Ugh, enough of that.”

The sunset’s making me all sentimental.
Tch, I need to find a new job soon.
What a workaholic. A workaholic with no real skills.

For now, I decided to head to the ‘Morning Calm’ inn from the pamphlet the chicken skewer shop owner gave me, to eat dinner and sleep.
It even has a map, so it should be easy to find.

“You quit?!”

Aria Rost, a female teacher at the Hero Academy and a hero mage from the prestigious Rost family, jumped from her seat in shock upon hearing that Kane had quit.

“…Aren’t you overreacting, Aria?”

The colleague teacher who broke the news looked at her, flustered, but she ignored him and pressed on.

“Why… why did he quit…?”

At her question, the colleague teacher gave a scoffing laugh.

“Well, it’s only natural, isn’t it? The youngest daughter of Marquis Harkur graduated. The moment his connection was cut, he bolted. Honestly, a mere commoner at our great academy…”

The colleague kept talking, but Aria didn’t hear a word.

‘That can’t be. He’s not that weak…!’

With that thought, she stormed out of the staff room.

“Hey, so how about a coffee today— Aria?!”

Her colleague called after her frantically, but he couldn’t stop her.
Her destination was clear.

“Headmaster, is it true that Kane quit?”

The headmaster’s office.

“Hm?”

Parus, the headmaster, already in a foul mood over Kane, sharpened his tone and expression at her sudden intrusion.

“Yes, it’s true, Aria. What’s this about?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”

Overwhelmed by his demeanor, she quietly closed her mouth and left the office.

She knew.
Almost everyone at the academy, including Headmaster Parus, thought poorly of Kane.
But that’s exactly why she couldn’t accept it.

‘…Why does he have to leave?! Kane is the true educator of this era…!!’

She ground her teeth.
Of course, she hadn’t always respected Kane this much.

At first, she, too, couldn’t accept a lowly commoner without hero or great hero aptitude daring to step foot in the sacred Hero Academy.
Such a person couldn’t possibly teach properly.

But that opinion vanished completely about six months after Kane started.

‘His subject was “Basic Pharmacology Theory.” But not a single day passed without him visiting the library, studying hundreds, thousands of professional books, theoretical texts, and papers late into the night.’

She’d seen it by chance while passing the academy library.
Kane, surrounded by stacks of dozens of books, reading intently.

Three hours later, then five hours later—
he was still there, not moving, just reading.

It wasn’t even his subject, pharmacology.

Swordsmanship theory, various martial arts, hand-to-hand combat.
Magic theory, alchemy.
Medicine, law, ancient literature, history, and more.

He was reading and analyzing nearly every book in existence.

At first, Aria thought it was just for show.
He’d stop after a few days.

But a month, two months… over a year later,
her perception of ‘Kane’ completely changed.

From a repulsive commoner to an extraordinary person who spared no effort.

Heroes and great heroes aren’t the only impressive ones.
There could be ordinary people even greater than them.
At least the Kane she saw… was that kind of person.

‘And it wasn’t even for himself.’

What was even more astonishing was that his studies weren’t for his own knowledge or career.
He used all the knowledge and skills he accumulated solely to teach his students.

The knowledge, skills, and theories he knew—
he tailored them to each student’s abilities.

How he understood their aptitudes so well was a mystery, but the results were clear: students he taught improved rapidly.

The pinnacle of this was none other than the former student council president, Jenny Harkur.

Yet no one acknowledged his achievements.
They refused to believe a mere commoner could do such things, blinded by their prejudices.

‘No, maybe the teachers already know.’

The students might be young, caught up in their own pride, but the teachers were different.
They’d been through harsh battles, faced those stronger than themselves.
They had to know.

They just denied it.
They refused to believe such a capable person could be a commoner.

That’s probably why they wanted him gone.
Having him around would force them to confront what they didn’t want to think about.

‘…Whatever. This place wasn’t meant for him anyway.’

Kane would do fine wherever he went.
She’d meet him again somewhere, someday.

With that thought, she let go of her lingering attachment.