Izaru was tired after going through all that chaos. The monsters, the guild, and the mini-boss fight. He had finally found an inn suggested by Mark's party.
The inn smelled faintly of stew and wood polish. Izaru tossed his gear on the floor, boots thudding softly. He had a private room — walls thin enough to hear the occasional drunken adventurer snore, but thick enough for relative peace.
"Finally," Izaru muttered. "No more guild chaos. No more Bork-tier mini-bosses. Just me, a bed, and some peace. Finally."
But peace was so rare, even Izaru's devilish luck couldn't summon it easily.
He lay on the bed, trying to sleep. And then it appeared. The window.
Izaru shot up and sat straight, facing it. The window shimmered and—he could see them. His students.
Aika broke the silence. "S-sensei!" she cried. "We missed you!"
"Hey, now come on. It's not even been a day since we got separated."
"But still!" Aika pouted while crying. The others peeked over, faces covered in snot and tears.
"Sensei," said Iida, still sniffling. "The Demon King wants to sacrifice us to gain eternal life!"
Izaru's eyes narrowed. He stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"If that bastard even touches your hair, I'm throwing him straight to hell. He better not test me."
That was enough. Enough to stop their crying. Enough to kill their fear.
"R-really?" asked Aika.
"Yup. So hang on tight. If he wants to sacrifice you all, he needs you alive for the time being. How much time do we have?"
"T-two months!" Aika replied, smiling, reassured.
"Alright then. Go be your usual chaotic self. As your teacher, it's kinda unusual to see you not causing trouble."
"Sensei! We can be good as well!" said Natsuki Mori.
"Oh yeah? You say that, but do you remember what you made me go through in the first term?"
That shut them all up. Their teacher was annoying, yes. But they loved him like family. They did nothing but pout… all together.
"Stop pouting or you're not passing the next exams."
"Isn't there three months to our next exams?"
"Yup. So?"
"Nothing," they said together, totally annoyed at their teacher. But deep down, they were happy they could still have this ridiculous conversation.
Izaru lay back on the bed, letting out a long sigh as the window started to close. "Peace… at last. Until the next monster, the next mini-boss, or one of my students decides to cry in 3D again."
He glanced at the window one last time. "Seriously, they better not be plotting homework revenge."
And just like that, the window closed.
"Alright. Can't wait to punch a Demon King in the face."
Then he laid down fully. "But sleep comes first. Monsters can wait… as can Bork-tier idiots, apparently."