CHAPTER 2
NOSTALGIC SCHOOLHOUSE
Lefiya continued forward, undaunted.
She trained with Bete without fail, other than days when he had plans or his own training to do. Once, after constantly bowing and pleading, she even joined him in his exploration of the Dungeon, but the Amazon Lena had appeared out of nowhere
“A new rival appeared from the most unexpected angle?! An ambush here of all places?! Wait, new clothes and a new hairstyle, too?! You’re serious about bagging Bete Loga! I’m not gonna let you have my man!!!”
And she rambled on and on, taking Lefiya aback.
Lena was kicked away after that. She sounded almost happy as she groaned.
When Lefiya, after reflecting on the rashness of her own actions, apologized earnestly for interrupting their time together, Bete punched her pretty seriously, which hurt.
When she was not training with Bete, she immersed herself single-mindedly in her magic training.
She greedily requested lessons from her true master. Still, Riveria closed her eyes as if restraining a sigh every time, telling her, “You should rest now,” “You are overusing your Mind,” or “You can force some things with a Level Four status, but you must not overestimate your limits,” insisting she be more disciplined in her self-training.
She still taught what needed to be taught, of course, and the teachings born of her experience were assuredly wise. But given how strict she had been before, Lefiya could not help being flustered by Riveria’s decidedly unaggressive course. Lefiya desperately tried to explain that she was not forcing herself, even providing a journal to demonstrate that she was resting every day when she should be resting. That might well have been the first time she had ever shown any opposition to Riveria.
But Riveria responded with a warning:
“Lefiya. You are only yourself. Just as no one else can be you, you cannot be anyone else.”
Lefiya failed to grasp what Riveria meant.
She could not ignore the instructions of the woman who was both a high elf and her respected teacher. She gave in and increased her breaks, even as she increased the intensity of training. Riveria could only sigh.
The days passed.
Life was so busy that the events in Knossos started to feel distant as the season of the Labyrinth City’s two great festivals came.
Lefiya arranged a small expedition and hid away in the Dungeon, dodging Elegia. She had already said her farewells to the irreplaceable, beautiful, and monstrous girl who had been her friend. Though that was not the real reason, Lefiya could not bring herself to a somber, grieving mood. Or perhaps it was just subconsciously avoiding lingering in grief in order to keep from standing still.
She had planned to go alone, but Elfie, Alicia, and some of the other women of the familia joined her. She felt terrible about it, stealing from them the one time a year set aside for sorrow.
When she tried to apologize, though, Elfie had just smiled and said, “You can buy me a grape cream Jyaga Maru Kun when we get back!”
Alicia also told her, “If there is ever anything you cannot speak with Lady Riveria about, you can talk with me as much as you need.” Her offer to lend an ear as a supportive, older elf only made Lefiya feel even guiltier.
“Lefiya.”
“…Yes?”
“It does not matter how many mistakes you make.”
“…?”
“If you ever turn down a truly wrong path, we will correct you. That is what familia means.”
Alicia even told her that. Lefiya’s eyes widened, and Alicia sat beside her, quietly lending her a shoulder. Lefiya could not understand why she did that. The elf woman she looked up to, like an older sister, touched her shortened hair gently.
It was similar to the Goddess Festival.
She had at least taken one day off, but after that, she was back on an expedition into the Dungeon in the name of practical training.
By the time she noticed, Hestia Familia had gotten itself into another war game, with Freya Familia, of all people. To top it off, Bell Cranell and his gathered allies somehow managed to win, though Lefiya did not have any particular thoughts about it.
“Huh.”
Was the extent of her reaction.
No, that’s a lie.
“Hah?
“What do you mean?
“No, of course, I won’t lose, either.
“I’m not falling behind, but I should start going into the Dungeon a bit more…
“Level Five………………………”
It lit a competitive fire in her heart, and she increased both the quantity and the intensity of her training (and when Aiz and the others celebrated his victory, too, in that moment at least, she was jealous of him).
The red blaze of rivalry had turned into a quieter, hotter blue inferno—something like that.
Just as she promised herself, though, she never allowed herself to idle.
Day by day, she could feel herself approaching the goal that she had set. She could feel herself edging closer to her ideal version of herself through her training with Bete. And as she caught up to that ideal, she immediately set a new goal. Previously, she had focused only on defense and evasion during her Concurrent Casting, but now she has added offense and counterattacking. She could swing her sword with confidence, though Bete always countered it with ease and usually tacked on a sneering comment about getting ahead of herself.
But even so, she needed to experience casting while attacking, defending, moving, and evading as much as possible. She was shifting from a more magic-oriented magic swordswoman to a sword-oriented magic swordswoman. There was a vast gulf between her magic firepower and her skill in melee combat. Her body was that of a natural magic caster, so her foundational magic power would grow independently as long as she did not slack on her daily training. She kept telling herself that this was enough, that this was good. To become able to protect herself and save anyone.
Her weight fell a bit, so she became careful of what she ate. But it continued to fall. She began to consume meat more proactively, even though she, like most elves, did not particularly like it. Consequently, her chest became bigger. She didn’t understand why.
What she did understand was that Aiz and the others were worried about her. Compared to before, she was interacting with them less often. It was not out of cruelty, and she still took meals with them. Even so, she stopped relying on them quite so much. Or perhaps it would be better to say she had depended on them in the past.
Either way, Lefiya perceived this as the moment for her to leave the nest.
But they did not seem to feel that way.
“Lefiya…recently, you’ve been pushing yourself too hard…don’t you think…?”
Aiz made up her mind to say something, but…
“I do not think you are one to speak when it comes to that, Ms. Aiz.”
Lefiya had some choice words for her.
Aiz’s face froze as if feeling a heavy shock.
Are you not getting up early every morning and swinging your sword?
When Tione and Tiona nodded in agreement, Aiz got even more depressed.
Even though she thought that might have been a little too harsh, it was all so Lefiya could continue pushing herself.
And so two months passed since she had lost her friend.
The cool tendrils of winter began to be felt.
That was when Loki called her in.
“You would like me to serve as the School District recruiter?”
When she was called into the office of the manor, Lefiya’s eyes widened.
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth were there as well.
“That’s right!” Loki smiled right in front of her. “You’re a graduate! Who could be better for grabbin’ up all the top students from that cheeky place?! You’re the one who knows us and them best!”
“That is…true, I suppose, but…”
The School District, the roving institute of education, would return to Orario in three days.
And its return marked the start of the season when every familia would seek out students with future potential.
This period was Orario’s recruiting season.
With cooperation from the School District’s leadership, representatives of every familia would hold sessions explaining and promoting their factions.
For Orario, it was a way to gather talent, and for the School District, it was a way to provide its students with opportunities. Given the merits for everyone involved, this event had been sponsored since the school was founded—or rather, the original intention in founding the School District was to gather people from all over the world in the Labyrinth City.
And amid all that, the administration could request that a familia send a member for an extended period as a recruiter. They could build a deeper relationship with the students, teach them more about their familia, and advertise its activities. Generally, the reason for this from the School District’s perspective was because of a large number of students demonstrating an interest in joining a given familia, and as such, it was an accommodation for the largest familias.
As one of Orario’s strongest, Loki Familia was of great interest to many students.
“Royman and ’em have been hounding me. They wanna make sure Orario grabs lotsa top students and all.”
If they could capture the students’ interest, Orario’s strength would grow, even if they all ended up joining different familias.
The Guild was interested in enlisting the best of the best—potential future top-tier adventurers.
It is true that the students are brilliant, but wasn’t Loki Familia not aggressive about recruiting? I heard Loki had only grudgingly engaged with it last time.
Lefiya was confused.
She was the first student from the School District who Loki Familia had accepted.
It caused a big stir at the time, with people calling it the most extraordinary feat since the School District’s founding. As one of the top students at the time, she had won a recommendation and was the only student to be accepted out of eight hundred applicants.
“But if a representative of the familia is being sent, I believe Ms. Aki or Ms. Alicia would be better suited.”
“What do you know, we sent those two kids as recruiters last time. Wouldn’t want them grumbling about having to do the same thing all over again, though, and it’s rough around here without them.”
Put bluntly, Lefiya wanted to withdraw her name from consideration, but Loki wouldn’t let her get out of this so easily.
Even for the sake of strengthening the familia, Finn and the rest of the senior leadership could not leave for an extended time. The familia would stop running without them. As for the other core members…I’m sorry to say that they are just not suited to it.
Aiz was not especially articulate, Tiona and Tione would probably break something, and Bete was just out of the question. In that situation, the obvious targets would be the second-tier members, particularly the tactful Anakity and Alicia.
However, as Loki mentioned, they were the recruiters sent last time around when Lefiya was a student.
“Anyway, no training with Bete during that time. And no goin’ into the Dungeon, either.”
Lefiya’s eyes flared hearing that.
When she finally sussed out their true intent, her tone grew immediately prickly.
“Loki, I understand my condition better than anyone. I am not forcing myself, and I am taking breaks. Please do not push work onto me as an excuse to limit my freedom.”
“I ain’t sayin’ anything like that. I just want ya to focus on the recruiting. If we’re gonna poach some students, I want ya a hundred percent focused on it.”
She could not help glaring at her brazen patron goddess.
It was all the worse because it was a perfectly reasonable argument.
She could not be half-hearted if she was serving as a recruiter or an official representative of her familia. It would likely mean staying aboard the ship for the duration of its visit.
Loki surely had that planned from the start.
Lefiya recognized that every escape route was sealed no matter how she struggled.
“And most of all! Just think of those cute and innocent students looking up to you, the OG alum!! Just imagine their eyes glistening, calling you big sister! A lovely lily or two might just bloom, hee-hee-hee!”
They won’t call me that, and nothing of the sort will bloom.
Exasperated, she stared sharply at Loki, who did not bother to hide her ulterior motives.
Loki smiled quietly at her.
“You against it?”
Of course. I don’t have time for this. I want to get stronger. Just when I was starting to really feel the change happening.
She could see through Lefiya’s heart even if she kept a straight face and still smiled.
“But too bad. Goddess’s orders.”
“Gh…Loki.”
Lefiya leaned forward as her goddess played the ultimate trump card, but…
“It is a request from me as well, Lefiya. Our familia has sustained casualties, including the people we lost in the last battle. I would like to recruit graduates from the School District to make up for some lost strength. All the more so if there are promising students like you.”
“Captain…”
“Not that we think elves like you are poppin’ up all the time, though! If they are, they’re more’n a wee bit better at teachin’ people than we are! Ga-ha-ha!”
Gareth’s garrulous laughter eased the mood after Finn’s earnest request.
After receiving such a request, Lefiya found it impossible to refuse.
Fighting the urge to sigh, she gave in and straightened up.
“Very well…I accept the recruiter position.”
“Thank you, Lefiya. I appreciate it,” Finn said, thanking her
“Take this opportunity to reexamine yourself, Lefiya,” Riveria said. “Not just through your own eyes, but through the eyes of others as well.”
The iconic ship earned the title of the world’s largest many times over.
A diameter of 700 meders.
Its body was a cylinder that could hardly be called a hull. It was most correctly described as a floating ship. A grand manifestation of Orario’s magic-stone industrial development, an amalgamation of 500 large-scale magic-stone devices—a flotation device also used for the elevator in Babel—allowed it to slide across the surface of the sea and boldly travel all around the world.
The round structure that made up the ship was divided into three layers: the control layer, the residential layer, and the academic layer. The cylindrical layers were over twenty meders tall, providing a massive amount of living space despite being on a ship normally out at sea. More than ten thousand people lived on board, and its scale was on par with that of a large city.
The highest level, the academic layer, was bathed in sunlight beneath the blue sky. It was covered in schoolhouses, large-scale arenas, and various other facilities laid out in beautiful symmetry. In the center was the bridge, a tower that resembled Babel.
The bow resembled the head of a heron and could move a full 360 degrees, setting the ship’s course.
It, too, was a magic-stone product, a one-of-a-kind forcefield propulsion device.
A short stack of pancakes.
A clock with an extra-long hand.
A grand dragon’s back.
Described along those lines by those who saw it, it was an object of envy across the breadth of the mortal realm.
Both a ship that traveled the world and a world of knowledge and study unto itself.
Welcoming those who studied, illuminating those who were lost, a guiding light that spread its wings across the whole world.
Its official name was the Hringhorni. Its other name was the Maritime Academy for Scholarship Special Administrative District, aka the School District.
The enormous ship was visible through the window.
“It’s really back…”
Lefiya murmured as she looked out at the floating ship that was her alma mater.
The School District was docking in Meren.
Built on the edge of the elliptical, brackish Lolog Lake, Meren’s harbor, stretching from the eastern edge to the center, was split between a trading port and a fishing port. The western side was a shipyard and a massive berth to allow the largest ships to dock—a harbor solely for the School District.
“It’s the same as always, but it really is huge. Haaah, what a pain.”
“It travels the world, taking in students from everywhere, so its size is justified…or rather, could you please not disparage the place you are sending one of your followers?”
Loki looked like she might spit any moment as the carriage rumbled slightly.
Lefiya was taken aback by seeing her patron goddess take such an inimical stance toward the school—or rather, toward its principal, whom she utterly despised.
In all the world, there were not many ports capable of berthing a 700-meder-diameter ship. It would stop at sea whenever it visited other lands, and smaller boats facilitated movement between it and land. There was no way to fully accommodate it other than building a harbor specifically for it, and Meren was the only one in the world.
Orario had been heavily involved in establishing the School District, and it was the shipyards here in Meren that had built it. So the harbor here had the necessary scale to begin with—though with all of the School District’s improvements and additions over the years, even the harbor that had given birth to it was reaching its limit.
As with every year it returned to Meren. The ship that filled more than half of Meren harbor drew complaints from every other ship that docked there. The western harbor, which was usually open, would be completely occupied, drastically limiting the number of vessels that could enter the port.
“It seems to have had quite the adventure this time, too…”
With her Level 4 enhanced vision, Lefiya spotted countless marks of major and minor damage on the side of the massive ship.
As it traveled around the world, it would face adventure, get attacked by marine monsters, become involved in international disputes, and the like. When she was studying there, a much less experienced Lefiya had been both stunned by and roped into those adventures on many occasions—though it was also how she managed to level up even before joining Loki Familia.
The School District returned every three years primarily for its flotation device’s maintenance.
Though it was the product of Orario’s world-leading magic-stone industry, it still required regular inspections and maintenance. That was why the entire ship regularly underwent a complete overhaul, which included swapping out the spare flotation device.
The School District’s previous role was as a seaborne fortress, a foothold for slaying the Leviathan, one of the Three Great Quests.
Setting out to slay the giant dragon that dominated the sea, Zeus and Hera took down the ancient monster with this enormous platform and the help of Poseidon Familia.
Given that background, it was not something that would break easily—though, as most expected, it had been badly damaged in the great battle with Leviathan—so it was not so odd that the school would embark on some adventure. Incidentally, one of its external parts, the sublime winglike dimmers, were made from Leviathan’s azure fins.
A symbol of success in one of the Three Great Quests…I didn’t give it much thought as a student, but it’s only natural it’s called the grandest ship in the world.
That very same school had cut the power to its constantly used flotation device, and was currently resting on the water’s surface.
At last, the carriage reached the harbor where the massive ship was docking.
“By the way…why are we using a carriage like this? It would not have been a difficult walk for me. Isn’t this an unnecessary expenditure?”
“I’m here, too, ya know! Meren’s awkwardly far from Orario, and I’d get tired. And it’s been a long time since I’ve had you alone in private to harass as much as I want, gee-hee-hee! That was half the reason.”
“I see. Though I intercepted all of your attempts.”
Loki seemed oddly excited as she brazenly revealed her ulterior motive, even as she painfully waved her bright red hands.
That was a result of Lefiya mercilessly swatting them down.
“It’s so sad! You’ve gone as cold as Riveria and Aiz!”
Lefiya sighed as Loki whined with a fake sob.
“Also…”
Just when Lefiya reached for the door, tired of dealing with the goddess…
“A celebrity needs to have a fitting entrance.”
Loki smiled warmly.
As she stepped down from the elegant carriage, the faint scent of seawater greeted Lefiya…along with a big cheer.
“They’re here!!!”
“Loki Familia!”
“Is that really Thousand Elf?!”
“Show some respect for your senior, dummy!”
“Lefiyaaaa!”
The outer edge of the top academic layer was filled with countless students. Some were shouting. Some leaned out over the railing. Some blushed and waved at her.
Lefiya was stunned by the unexpected greeting as she set foot on the docks.
“They were just as wild when Alicia and Anakity came. Orario’s the center of the world, and we’re Loki Familia, after all.”
Loki’s words said it all.
Among all the familias that had come to recruit, Loki Familia was without a doubt the most popular. Their name rang out wherever it traveled, and countless students admired them. Whenever the list of their feats grew, students would cheer and wait impatiently for their return to Orario. Becoming an adventurer was a standard career path many of the School District’s students aspired to and one of the most sought-after jobs.
“…I’m not Ms. Aiz or any of the famous first-tier adventurers, though…”
She murmured as she endured the spasm starting in her cheek.
She was completely numb to it at this point, but the title of the strongest faction in Orario was not just for show. Seeing the students’ reactions made her recognize the position they were truly in.
She could not help thinking it was still too far overblown, but remembering how she had once been on the other side of it as a student herself, she laughed a bit to herself.
The old Lefiya had not even been aiming to become an adventurer, so she had not been quite so excited.
“Hah, I love those girly cheers! The schoolgirls here are top quality like always, mmmmmmmm!”
“Loki…”
Don’t look at me like that. You’re enjoyin’ it, too, ain’tcha?!”
“Please don’t tease me.”
Loki was throwing kisses left and right to the students overhead as Lefiya watched wearily.
She was surprised. But that was all.
To the current Lefiya, the students’ cheers were not particularly pleasant. If anything, she found them difficult to accept because she knew that she hadn’t done anything to deserve such ardent cheers.
“That’s not gonna cut it, Lefiya. Can’t have you keep lookin’ that gloomy forever. Kids with heavy eyes who never smile eventually lose the ability to smile from their heart.”
Loki’s tone suddenly changed. Her unserious attitude faded in an instant, and she looked at Lefiya with a goddess’s smile.
“Do you know why you’re here right now?”
“…To find and recruit new talent.”
“When you first met Aki and Alicia, how were they?”
“…Pretty, smiling, relaxed, and natural. They seemed like the epitome of adulthood.”
“Then what are you doing?”
This time, she tapped Lefiya on the shoulder like a mischievous older sister.
Looking into her arched vermilion eyes, Lefiya exhaled slightly and then looked up overhead. With a smile on her face, she waved to the students.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
The cheers exploded.
It felt like Meren itself was trembling as Lefiya and Loki walked toward the enormous ship.
The cheers were unceasing. The students welcomed Loki Familia, who was given pride of place among all the recruiters as the first to be allowed on board.
Lefiya was still just fifteen. There were surely still some students there who were older than her.
She could not help thinking there was no point for them to get so excited over a young elf girl, but she had been given a job as a member of Loki Familia. She decided to face it with an appropriate grace.
That was what Lefiya promised herself as the cheers rained down around her.
That was what she vowed, but…
Umm. I’m not saying I mind. Really, I don’t, but…why does it feel like there are so many more girls cheering?
“You’re so dashing, Lefiya!”
“She’s so much prettier than I imagined! Like that’s what it means to truly be an elf!”
“I want to call her big sister!!!”
“““Yeah!!!”””
…I didn’t hear anything. Not a word.
All they needed to board the ship was to speak briefly to the person serving as the gatekeeper on the harbor side.
Climbing the gangway, which extended like a drawbridge from the control layer at the bottom of the ship, they set foot onto the School District.
“Welcome, Goddess Loki and Ms. Lefiya Viridis. I am Alisa Ragast. I shall be your guide.”
—Alisa.
Lefiya was visibly surprised to see the human girl, an old friend, waiting for them. Her trademark glasses and dark hair were worn up at the back of her head. She undoubtedly noticed Lefiya’s gaze but maintained her professional smile.
“…I am grateful for the warm welcome. Please, lead the way.”
Seeing her performing the role of an official representative for the school so thoroughly, Lefiya also did her best to act as an official representative of Loki Familia.
But her patron goddess didn’t care about any of that.
“Ohhh! I remember you, Alisa! You’re the cute little glasses girl who was always with Lefiya! Do you remember me?!”
“Of course. It is perhaps inappropriate to say to a deity, but it is nice to see that you have not changed, Goddess Loki. This way, if you please. God Balder is waiting in the principal’s office.”
Alisa deftly dealt with the ever-indelicate Loki as she led them into the ship.
“That smooth student council president is the same as before! It’s always nice seein’ personalities we don’t have at home!”
Loki acted like she always did, and Lefiya, pinching the goddess’s hip to silence her, followed close behind.
Unlike the residential and academic layers, there were naked pipes and bare metal walls here, as well as the smell of lubricant and experimental drugs that seemed to give off the scent of lemons.
The core of the School District housed Hringhorni’s control centers and the compounding, alchemy, and mystery departments’ experimental laboratories. The utilitarian appearance of the control layer was familiar to every student, new or old, and Lefiya found it nostalgic.
The students who had cheered them from above did not come all the way down just to squeal some more, but the crew and mages who they passed in the hallways all watched with interest.
Lefiya had been a model student when she still attended school here, but she was never treated like this. It was strange, but returning to her alma mater reinforced how different her position was now.
With Alisa leading the way, they quickly passed through the control and residential layers and reached the academic layer.
Bathed in the warm sunlight and the attention of the students milling about outdoors, they finally reached the bridge—Breithablik.
“Hello, Lefiya. It’s been three years, hasn’t it?”
In the large sacred chambers at the top of the tower, she was greeted by her beautiful former patron god, who offered her a gentle smile.
“Hello, Lord Balder. It is an honor to meet again this way.”
“There’s no need to be so formal, Lefiya. There is no one here but us. Please, speak with me as you did before.”
When they’d first met, Lefiya believed Balder was the epitome of what a god should be. That was just how wise, tranquil, beautiful, and above all, divine the god before her was.
His eyelids were always closed, and he always seemed to have that gentle smile on his lips.
His long blond hair was even more golden than Aiz’s, and he was particularly slender even among gods. But he was also tall, closer to 180 celches than 170. He wore sacred vestments with long sleeves, his chest bare from his right shoulder to where the sleeve hung on his arm. His smooth, milky skin could inspire envy in even a goddess.
If she were to speak without worrying about possibly being misunderstood, Lefiya would say that she did not know anyone godlier than him. He was the living embodiment of what a god must have been to the people of the mortal realm in ancient times.
That was God Balder in a nutshell.
“Lefiya obviously thinks you’re gross. That’s why she’s keeping it formal, dumdum. Should’ve noticed sooner, greenhorn! She’s forgotten all about the past, and now we’re spending every day madly in love!”
“You are the same as ever, Loki.”
Because he was a god of light, he had the worst possible chemistry with Loki, a goddess who had mastered every form of mischief and was the very personification of recklessness and casting off all inhibitions.
Or more accurately, Loki decided to be hostile, rather one-sidedly.
They had known each other since their time back in the heavens, and Loki had apparently tried to kill him simply because “that smug smile of his always pissed me off.” As it so happened, with the help of some mistletoe in the heavens and his brother Hodur, he successfully foiled her plot, laughing all the while.
Lefiya had been stunned from her first meeting, seeing Loki so up in arms at the god she so loved and respected, and when she learned that it had been decided she would join Loki Familia, she had even been uneasy over it. But Loki’s words never angered Balder. If anything, he even seemed to accept her because she was one of the few deities who found fault in him.
Seeing their relationship, a thought had once crossed Lefiya’s mind.
Is this like wanting to torment the person you like?
Before entering Loki Familia, when she was converting from Balder Familia, she had asked Loki that question without thinking.
“Even if you are a beautiful little slip of an elf girl I’ve had my eye on, say another word of that, and I won’t forgive you.”
Loki responded with a quiet smile while emanating a divine presence that made Lefiya feel like she was next to a raging blue flame. That was probably the first and only time Lefiya had been terrified of Loki as a being who surpassed the ken of mortals.
“Now Lefiya’s just flirtin’ with me all the time! Let me tell you how often I’ve felt her growing breasts with these hands of mine! How about it, huh?”
“Please be quiet so we can move the discussion along.”
“Argh?!”
Now, as she had learned from Riveria and the others, Lefiya could properly respond to her antics.
Loki writhed in pain after getting cracked in the back of the head by Lefiya’s rod, even as Balder was still smiling as kindly as ever. The difference in personality was like night and day.
Lefiya could sense Alisa’s face tensing as she waited by the door.
“Loki is still Loki, but…you’ve changed, Lefiya.”
Paying no mind to Loki, Balder addressed her.
Sitting in front of the big ash desk, he quietly smiled.
“I didn’t recognize you.”
Lefiya felt as if the god whose eyes were closed had nonetheless been able to see right through her—including all that had happened in these three years, what she had felt, what she had lost.
“There is much I would like to ask, much I would like to hear, much to catch up on…but let us get down to business. Before Loki suffers any unpleasant thoughts.”
“Too late, bub. The annoyance got turned up to eleven the moment I saw your face. Let’s just get this over with already,” Loki said bitingly as she stood up.
Balder nodded before looking at Lefiya through his closed eyelids.
“Lefiya, I would like you to take on a party.”
Lefiya arched her brow dubiously.
“Not recruiting or a seminar?”
“Of course, we will hold a seminar for those who wish to sign up. But separate from that, there are students who I would like you to teach about what you have seen in Orario. What you have felt…in the Dungeon.”
Hearing that much, Lefiya could hazard a guess at what this request entailed.
He probably also wanted her to accompany the students in exploring the Dungeon. And train them both in body and spirit. That was what Balder was asking.
“They all have ambitions of becoming adventurers. It would be fair to say they are currently at the top of the class. Were any student to meet the standards of Loki Familia or Freya Familia—ah, yes, they are no longer an option. Nevertheless, if anyone were to meet your familia’s standards, it would have to be them, by our judgment.
“Assuming we’re only talking about students ready for combat today, that is,” Balder added with a glance at Loki. “There may, of course, be others who possess great skill and potential or who otherwise might meet Loki’s beauty standards.”
Loki snorted in annoyance at having her thoughts anticipated by an old not-even-friend.
“So a pseudo-internship, then?”
“Your quick understanding is appreciated. To supplement, though, it would perhaps be more correct to say we are entrusting them to you as an instructor rather than having the students accept an internship.”
“Me…an instructor…?”
Balder nodded.
“This year’s situation is a tad different from most. Many of the students are impatient. We decided that it would be concerning to hold the Dungeon practical in Orario.”
“…And this party is particularly striking?”
“Indeed. There are some other children we are concerned about in addition to them, but…with that boy’s help, we should be able to manage with them.”
“?”
Lefiya cocked her head, unsure of what he meant by that.
“It’s nothing,” Balder said with a smile. “I believe I understand how unforgiving the Dungeon can be. I would like you to teach them about that from your perspective.”
“…”
“It’s fine to admonish them if that’s what they need. If they need encouragement, that’s perfectly fine as well. I would like you to observe them and share your honest thoughts, whatever they may be. For your own sake as well.”
Balder wore a tranquil smile as he finished with that line.
Loki did not say anything.
Even though Balder was making requests, she just quietly watched Lefiya.
All eyes were on the young elf. The final decision was hers.
She slowly opened her mouth.
“…Very well. I was taught here myself. I have never forgotten that privilege. I don’t believe I’m qualified to teach students, but I shall do my best.”
“Thank you very much, Lefiya.”
Conscious of her position as an elf, she carefully chose her words and accepted the request, and Balder thanked her.
“Then we will be employing Lefiya temporarily. Will that be acceptable, Loki?”
“You don’t have to check with me for every little thing, dumbo. If it’s for her sake, then whatever’s fine.”
From this day until the agreed-upon date—about two weeks—Lefiya would leave Loki Familia and take up residence aboard the School District. As best she could remember, Anakity and Alicia, the recruiters when she was a student, had also stayed on board, though it was only for a short time. Lefiya had lived in the dorms here as a student and had no complaints about it.
Balder seemed almost happy at Loki’s unmistakably dismissive response. With a transparent smile, he turned his gaze back to Lefiya.
“I look forward to working with you again, Lefiya.”
“Yes, Lord Balder.”
“Leon is currently teaching, so he could not be here for this meeting, but he will provide you with a more detailed explanation later. If there are any issues regarding personal necessities…Alisa, could you please help her?”
“Please leave it to me.”
Alisa bowed, and then the meeting ended.
Loki left because she didn’t want to hang around a second longer than necessary, so Lefiya had no choice but to bow slightly to Balder and leave as well.
“That stupid smirk is the absolute worst! Who does he think he is, playin’ up that ‘I’m a good god’ angle all the damn time! Is he trying to put out my eyes with how dazzlin’ he is or somethin’?!”
“How can you hate Lord Balder so much…?”
“It can’t be explained with something as simple as logic! It’s not even a physical problem; I can’t stand his very existence!”
After ranting loud enough that Balder could surely hear through the door, Loki gave Lefiya and Alisa a thumbs-up and announced. “All right, then, I’m gonna go pick up some cute girls!”
“I will slap you down in Lady Riveria’s stead, if I must.”
“Agh. Kidding, just kidding! I meant I’ll be sniffing out talent! Just looking around for potential stars! You don’t need to look so scary, Lefiya! This is just a little scouting to see just how many hotties and cuties there are this time, gu-ha-ha!”
“Ah…Loki!”
Lefiya watched in exasperation as her goddess dashed away from them faster than she could react.
But at the same time, she realized this was Loki’s way of looking out for her.
“…This is her giving us some space and telling me to take my time with an old friend, right?”
“That’s what it seems like. She can be considerate in the oddest ways sometimes…”
Alisa’s tone changed from the formal and polite one earlier as they glanced at each other. Finally, they both laughed.
“It’s been a while, Lefiya! I’m so happy to see you again!”
“Me too, Alisa! You grew your hair out!”
“And you cut yours so short! I came since they said you’d be the one coming, and I still couldn’t recognize you at first.”
“Ah, rude!”
They smiled and laughed like ordinary teenage girls.
Now that they were alone, they could forget their positions for a moment and simply be themselves.
Alisa Ragast.
She was two years older and used to be in the same class as Lefiya. They had been roommates and became fast friends ever since Lefiya enrolled.
The School District, managed with support from the Guild in Orario, was a collective of several familias. As the principal and the school’s representative, Balder stood at the top, but no familia was considered higher or lower—though they each had quirks.
And within the School District, familias were normally referred to as classes. Iðunn Familia became Iðunn Class, Bragi Familia became Bragi Class, and so on.
The students received falna from their respective deities while going about their school life. It was a peculiar familia structure that was only found here.
Lefiya and Alisa had both belonged to Balder Class.
“But it’s a relief to see you here, Alisa. I imagine there are hardly any people left from our era. I was always getting into trouble with you and Bardain and the others.”
“Ha-ha! Rulebreaker Bardain! You’re so softhearted that you always got wrapped up in his shenanigans and got treated like a convenient cannon for blowing things up. He was always diving headfirst into nests of monsters and everything else.”
If Lefiya was a model student, Alisa was the student council president who always took charge. Her skill in alchemy was unbelievable, and while she paled in combat ability compared to Lefiya, the teachers always considered her uniquely suited for a career in industrial manufacturing.
“Look at you, a prefect now.”
“Yes, somehow. I was lucky.”
“You were the smartest of us all, Alisa. It was skill. I’m sure you can become a teacher here like you always wanted.”
“That’s not true at all. I have my hands full just trying to do everything I can!”
Walking down the hallway, Lefiya noticed the armband around Alisa’s left arm.
The ray of light and ship crest—the emblem of Balder Class—was proof she was a prefect, something none but the chosen few could become.
They were student representatives who served as the bridge between teachers and students in each class. They had the authority to discipline students as they deemed necessary. It would not be wrong to describe them as quasi-teachers.
In familia terms, the teachers were like the core leadership, and the prefects were candidates for future promotion to leadership. In Loki Familia’s case, they were in a similar position as Raul and the other second-string members.
Lefiya had left for Orario, aiming to be an adventurer while Alisa had remained in the School District to become a teacher.
Becoming a teacher there had the same low odds as joining one of the more powerful factions in Orario. Of course, it required the proper qualifications, but countless people dreamed of being like the wonderful instructors and deities who had guided them through their student life.
Becoming a prefect could be considered the most direct route to becoming a teacher.
“The LFC is still going strong, I imagine?”
“Of course! Managing an unofficial organization requires official influence! I’m the head of the Leon Fan Club! It’s not an abuse of authority, though! It’s a prefect’s job to hear the students’ voices and manage things so friction doesn’t build between them and the instructors!”
“Right…do try to keep it in moderation…”
Right around when she met Lefiya, Alisa was crushing on a certain instructor.
She originally set her sights on becoming an teacher because she wanted to get closer to him. But even if that yearning was the spark, her determination to become an instructor was genuine.
Watching her first love moved her deeply, and it wasn’t long before she became interested in working in the same field as him.
She was still striving earnestly to become a teacher here, to achieve her dream.
Lefiya was happy for her, almost like it was her own dream.
The Alchemy Department’s ace and a prefect.
Those were Alisa’s current titles.
“Did you hear, Lefiya?! Before Orario sent the request for a recruiter, Hestia Familia’s Bell Cranell snuck in without permission!”
“Huh?”
“The Record Holder was so well known in the countries and towns we’ve been to lately! To think he was so thoughtless! It was such a disappointment! Do you know him?”
“No, not at all. Not even a little. I don’t know anything about that lewd, peeping, terribly rude rabbit.”
“I—I see…”
While talking about recent events and just generally chatting, they stepped out onto a terrace halfway up Breithablik. There wasn’t a single cloud in the perfect blue sky. Down below, the schoolhouses Lefiya had attended for years were the same as ever, and she could see students walking around here and there.
And a suspicious-looking vermilion-haired goddess was constantly hitting on them.
“There is still so much I want to talk about. I don’t know what to do. I can’t even say it all. And it’s only been three years apart.”
There was a fond, openhearted glint behind Alisa’s glasses as she held down her hair, which the sea breeze seemed eager to carry away.
Right…it’s already been three years…
Only three years. Or already three years.
Different people would see it their own way. But Lefiya was in the latter camp.
All those turbulent days spent adventuring in Orario were filled with countless experiences that left her head spinning.
Joy, sadness, failure…and loss.
Remembering that beautiful, hideous girl, Lefiya averted her eyes.
“Lefiya…you’ve changed.”
“Eh?”
“Like I said before, I didn’t recognize you at first. You feel like a different person…or maybe it’s that you’ve grown up?”
Alisa carefully chose her words.
“No…you’ve become an adventurer,” she said with a lonely laugh. “You took the lead. It’s…frustrating. I’m sure you’re the person from our generation who has grown the most. Maybe you were right to choose Loki Familia.”
Alisa didn’t mean anything by those words. She was simply speaking her mind. But even though she knew that, Lefiya could only manage a fake smile.
“…It’s not something right or wrong.”
It was true.
If she had not become an adventurer, she would never have met Aiz and everyone else, and she would never have needed to experience such crushing loss.
But at the same time, even if she could have escaped that pain, she couldn’t say with conviction that would be the right choice.
It was no exaggeration to say that the city might have been destroyed had Lefiya not been there. And not just her. If any single person had been missing, things may have ended very differently.
So she had no idea what was correct or right.
If it seemed like she had changed, then it was because she regretted something so much that she couldn’t forgive herself. It was only after realizing something far too late that she found herself standing here in front of Alisa.
To Lefiya, that was not something worthy of praise. Not at all.
Lefiya didn’t notice the self-deprecation creeping into the smile on her face.
When Alisa saw that, she realized she had said something she shouldn’t have and clammed up.
“…But your fame is spreading all over the world. Really, in all sorts of places. Can you believe it? Hearing stories about my roommate from the Empire to the Kaios Desert!”
“That’s…I’m sure they’ve been embellished. I’m not that famous…”
“There was one about how Altena was targeting you out of jealousy!”
“Ah, that one is true…”
Feeling apologetic as Alisa cheerfully changed the topic, Lefiya smiled.
After smiling for a while, she looked out at the scenery of the school.
I accepted it and understood the responsibility, but I already regret coming here.
This was a place too filled with memories.
Everywhere she looked evoked scenes from the past, easily dredging up old memories.
Just talking with Alisa like this—looking out at the School District from this terrace—brought back too many.
It wasn’t Alisa’s fault. The cause was Lefiya’s sentimentality, her shame.
Here, she was forced to confront her old self, no matter how much she wanted to look away.
The naive student who knew nothing and saw only a brighter future, believing in a better tomorrow with anticipation in her eyes.
Confronting her naive self right now was unpleasant.
It was painful when she had just lost her.
What about me has changed?
As she asked a question she could not begin to answer, Lefiya’s mind slipped into memories.
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