The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 183: Field Trip (2)

Field trip day.

The candidates first traveled to the Holy Kingdom via the warp gate, where they were divided into groups and boarded large magical vehicles under the direction of their respective instructors.

The candidates, thrilled by the unexpected field trip, sat in their seats with excited expressions.

“Ugh… I wanted to sit next to Dale….”

Iris pouted, glancing back at me from her seat across the aisle.

“I told you that’s not allowed.”

Camilla, sitting next to her with a stern expression, shook her head.

“This is the Holy Kingdom. You never know who might be watching, so you must be mindful of your behavior.”

“…Who’s going to spy on us inside a magical vehicle?”

“It’s the bodyguard’s job to prepare for even the slightest possibility.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Iris squinted at Camilla, staring at her intently.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Maybe it’s just because you didn’t want to sit next to anyone else? Besides me and Dale, you don’t really have anyone you’re close to, do you?”

Iris delivered a pointed remark directly to Camilla’s face: essentially, “You don’t have any friends, do you?”

Camilla’s face turned bright red.

“Wh-who says I don’t have anyone I’m close to?”

“Oh? Then name one.”

“Well….”

Gritting her teeth, Camilla bit her lip and turned her head away from Iris’s gaze.

It seemed there was some truth to the accusation that she had forced Iris to sit beside her because she didn’t have any other friends.

Iris smirked mischievously and started poking Camilla in the side.

“Seriously~ Camilla can be so cute sometimes!”

“S-stop it!”

They bickered in low voices, making sure no one else could overhear them.

‘Honestly, Iris is always the most playful when she’s with Camilla.’

The genuine friendship between them brought a small smile to my face.

Anyway.

Because of all that, Iris and I ended up sitting apart, separated by the aisle.

Instead, sitting next to me was…

“Um… D-Dale.”

A freckled face and a slim build—our Class C representative, Albert Hoover, who seemed to exude fragility.

“I-I brought some snacks. Want some?”

If Lanez were reincarnated as a male classmate, this would probably be the vibe.

Albert hesitantly pulled snacks out of his bag.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy them.”

“Y-yeah. I brought plenty, so help yourself.”

“……”

It was hard to imagine this timid guy, who looked like he wouldn’t hurt a fly, being the first to rally the candidates and head to the battlefield when war broke out.

‘Is this another part of the changed future?’

I’d hardly spoken to Albert in my past life, so I didn’t know if his change was because of me or if he had always been like this.

“A field trip… it sounds so exciting, doesn’t it?”

Still, having a new connection that didn’t exist in my previous life was something I welcomed.

“Yeah.”

“By the way, Dale, you seem really close to Iris. Is that okay?”

“Okay? What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean… you and Professor Elisha… have that kind of relationship, don’t you?”

“Oh.”

I had almost forgotten about that time Albert had caught me giving Professor Elisha a massage.

“That was a misunderstanding—”

“All right, everyone, pay attention!”

Before I could explain, Lucas’s booming voice filled the magical vehicle.

“In about two hours, we’ll arrive at our destination, the Termal region! Once we get there, we’ll assign accommodations first, and then we’ll enjoy a feast I’ve prepared!”

“Wooohooo!”

The candidates cheered enthusiastically.

“By the way, the feast is sponsored by the Holy Kingdom and will feature their traditional specialties.”

“Ah….”

“H-Holy Kingdom specialties?”

The excitement vanished instantly.

Lucas grinned, his shoulders shaking as he looked at the deflated candidates.

“Knowing this might happen, I made a special request for meat-heavy dishes this time. Don’t worry.”

“Yes!!”

“As expected, we can always count on Professor Lucas!”

Lucas shook his head at the suddenly energized candidates.

“Seriously, you guys act so differently from how you are in class.”

“Ahem.”

“Hehe. I get it, though.”

Lucas chuckled lightly and continued.

“As I said before, this field trip is a kind of reward for successfully repelling the demonic beasts’ attack.”

Holding a microphone, he addressed us with a serious tone.

“But remember this: no matter how much of a trip this is, don’t forget your essence. You are candidates who will become heroes and protect humanity by fighting the Demon God’s minions.”

His heavy voice resonated throughout the vehicle.

“If anyone causes trouble, I’ll personally dump them into the bottom of the hot spring. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Understood!”

“At least your responses are good.”

Lucas clicked his tongue at the candidates, who all responded energetically.

“Well… even if they’re hero candidates, they’re still kids at heart.”

Although we were all adults over 20 years old, being an adult doesn’t suddenly transform someone.

People don’t change that easily.

Besides, the word “trip” has a magical power to excite people, regardless of age.

A clear example of that was:

“And on that note!!! For the next two hours until we reach our destination, we’re holding a talent show where you can show off your hidden singing skills!”

Even Lucas, far older than us, was as excited as—no, even more excited than—the candidates.

“S-singing skills?”

“Singing? Really?”

“Isn’t the professor the most excited one here?”

The candidates seemed more embarrassed than excited.

“Alright, is there anyone who wants to sing a song first?”

Professor Lucas raised the microphone in his hand and looked around the magic bus.

“……”

“……”

The previously lively atmosphere had vanished, leaving the magic bus as silent as a room doused in cold water.

Even in their travel-fueled excitement, few were brave enough to sing in front of dozens of people.

“No one? Really?”

“……”

“……”

The silence continued.

Naturally, the candidates’ gazes converged on one person.

“...No, don’t tell me.”

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Albert, noticing the growing attention directed at him, shook his head frantically, his face turning pale.

“N-no! Absolutely not! I can’t sing! I’m terrible at it!”

“Aw, come on! You’re our Class C representative!”

“This is your chance to shine with a song!”

“Albert! Albert! Albert!”

Albert’s name echoed throughout the magic bus.

“Albert! You’re the only one we can count on!”

“Show us what our Class C is made of!”

“I said no…!”

Trembling as if he might cry any moment, Albert shook his head vehemently, clearly determined not to budge.

“Alright, enough.”

The commotion died down as Professor Lucas’s low voice cut through the air.

He clicked his tongue in disapproval as he looked at the candidates.

“Didn’t you hear Albert say no? Tsk, tsk. Honestly, you all always gang up on him for everything… What is this? Do you think Albert’s some kind of punching bag?”

“……”

“...What?”

The candidates turned to Professor Lucas with stunned expressions.

The look in their eyes practically screamed the question: Of all people, YOU’RE the one saying that?

“Well, if no one volunteers, I guess I’ll have to step up….”

Professor Lucas let out a deep sigh and grabbed the microphone firmly.

“I’ll sing, then.”

…What?

Did I just hear that right?

It wasn’t just me.

All the candidates’ eyes widened as they stared at Professor Lucas in disbelief.

With a grin, he brought the microphone to his lips.

And then.

“THE MEMORIES OF YOUUUU!!! THE LOVE THAT ONCE WAAASSS!!!”

If nightmares could be expressed as songs, it would sound exactly like this.

Explosive volume that rattled the magic bus windows, pitch as distorted as a broken machine, and rhythm that defied all logic—it was a horrifying trifecta.

Professor Lucas’s singing was an unholy melody that could easily double as a form of torture.

“PIERCES MY SOUL! LIKE THORNSSSSSS!!!”

“AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“St-stop it…!”

“Please, someone, make it STOP!!!”

As the harrowing requiem ripped through our very beings, the magic bus pressed onward toward its destination.

* * *

“Hah… hah….”

“We… survived.”

The candidates disembarked from the bus, their faces pale and haunted.

In front of them stood a massive hot spring inn, large enough to accommodate over a thousand people.

Gathered outside were candidates from other classes who had arrived earlier.

“Ah, Dale!”

Yuren approached us as soon as we stepped off the bus.

Seeing the ashen faces of our group, he tilted his head curiously.

“Why does everyone look so grim? Did something happen?”

“…No. Nothing happened.”

Unable to bring myself to recount the disaster(?) that had unfolded on the way here, I simply shook my head.

“Well, anyway, why is everyone gathered outside instead of going into the inn?”

“Oh, they’re assigning rooms first.”

Right, they did mention room assignments upon arrival.

“Alright, since everyone’s here, let’s begin the room assignments!”

Professor Lucas addressed the gathered candidates.

“Rooms will generally have six people each, assigned randomly. However… candidates who received commendations will be given a special privilege!”

“A special privilege?”

“What is it?”

The candidates exchanged curious glances.

“Commended candidates will each be assigned a suite in the annex. Moreover, they can invite one candidate of their choice to join them in their suite.”

“……!”

At the mention of suites in the annex, the candidates’ eyes lit up.

Their gazes quickly shifted to the commendation recipients.

Among them, the one who drew the most attention was, of course:

“Ah, Albert! We’re friends, right?”

“Albert, I’ve always had my eye on you.”

“You’re a guy, aren’t you?”

“I’m actually gay.”

“…What.”

The candidates swarmed Albert, the most approachable(?) of the commendation recipients.

Meanwhile, no one dared to approach Iris or Yuren, even to ask to share a room.

‘Well, that’s not surprising.’

The two of them had an almost untouchable aura, even within the school.

Most candidates probably found them too intimidating to approach.

“D-Dale! Why don’t we share a room?”

Iris, her eyes sparkling, approached me right after hearing about the suite invitations.

Her enthusiasm was endearing, but—

“Ah, just to be clear, invitations are limited to same-gender candidates only.”

“…Ugh.”

Iris’s expression fell at Professor Lucas’s follow-up remark.

“T-this is so unfair!”

“Well… it can’t be helped.”

Even though we’re all adults who know what’s what, it would be inappropriate for a school-sponsored trip to allow mixed-gender rooming.

As Iris pouted in disappointment, a calm voice spoke up.

“Well, then. That settles it.”

Yuren sauntered over to me with a relaxed stride.

“Dale, let’s share a room.”

“Yu—uh, Yuren! What are you saying?!”

“What do you mean, what am I saying? You heard it too, right? Only same-gender candidates can be invited.”

Throwing an arm around my shoulder, Yuren smirked.

“And since I’m the same ‘guy’ as Dale, there’s no problem, right?”

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