From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone - Volume 4 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: An Old Country Bumpkin Nurtures Friendships

“Yo, Balder. I’m coming in.”

“Oh, Master. Welcome, welcome.”

It was the day after I’d gone to the magic institute with Ficelle. Following my morning training, I dropped by Balder’s Smithy to pick up my sword.

“Your sword’s all sharpened up. Gimme a sec.”

“Yeah, sure. No rush.”

Balder quickly figured out what I was there for and vanished behind the counter. While he went to get my sword, I looked at the fine weapons crammed onto the walls. I spied quite a few that I’d seen on my previous visits. They haven’t sold, huh? Balder’s Smithy isn’t exactly flourishing.

The shop itself was pretty small, and there wasn’t exactly an abundance of stock. In comparison, the smithy Allucia had brought me to upon coming to Baltrain—the purveyor to the Liberion Order—seemed to be far more customer-friendly. That shop was nice and big, had plenty of stock, and above all else, had an area where shoppers could test out weapons.

However, that didn’t necessarily mean Balder was starving for sales. He was both a blacksmith and a former swordsman, and though he wasn’t particularly skilled with a sword, a blacksmith who knew the ins and outs of using a sword was a very precious thing indeed.

Because of his unique perspective, Balder was highly valued by adventurers like Surena but not by organizations like the order and the garrison. Those organizations demanded uniformity among their equipment, whereas the adventurers favored weapons that matched their personal skills, techniques, and tastes.

Balder was my former pupil, so if he was having trouble putting food on the table, I wanted to do something to help. It seemed this was needless worrying on my part, though. And he was making a living doing what he loved, so that was probably enough.

Also, Balder showed no signs of taking on any apprentices or pupils—he did everything himself. As such, he wouldn’t be able to meet everyone’s needs if he got too many customers.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Master.”

“It’s fine. Just looking at the weapons here is fun.”

“That so? Wanna try forging one yourself?”

“Ha ha ha, that’s definitely pushing it.”

I accepted my red-sheathed sword from Balder. Then, I drew it and held it under the window’s light—the faint red glow of the blade was dazzling.

“Mm. Great work as always,” I said.

“Heh heh.”

It had the same shine as when I’d first picked it up. Having it sharpened had definitely been the right choice. It was now as good as new.

“Oh yeah,” Balder said. “Surena was asking how your sword is working out.”

“She was? If she drops by again, tell her I’m ecstatic with it.”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

This sword had been made from Zeno Grable’s materials, and it’d fallen into my hands through a strange series of connections I’d made in Baltrain. A part of me still thought it was more than I deserved, but having a nice sword felt great.

I renewed my determination to devote myself even further to my craft so that I wouldn’t be an embarrassment to my blade.

“On that note, has Surena been doing well?” I asked.

“Sure seems like it. As usual, she’s been traveling all over the place.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Allucia and Curuni were knights, whereas Ficelle was part of the magic corps. Surena, though, was an adventurer, and a black rank at that. Unlike the other three girls, I had very few opportunities to meet Surena in Baltrain, even though this city was the heart of Liberis.

Famous adventurers spent a lot of time away from the city for work. Their duties went beyond national borders—on paper, at least. A good twenty years had passed since we’d looked after Surena at the dojo, so she was a splendid adult now. I didn’t have to worry about her after all this time, but now that we’d reunited, I couldn’t help but wonder how she was doing.

“All right, I’ll see you later,” I told Balder.

“Sure. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to drop by.”

I handed over the replacement sword I’d been using, then left the shop. It really was relaxing to have my usual blade back at my waist. It was a little flashy for me, but my body had long since become familiar with its weight.

“Okay, then...”

My business for the day had concluded. The knights’ training had gone fine, and my sword had come back to me. All that was left was to go home and have dinner with Mewi. It was still a little too early for that, though.

“Maybe I should stock up on groceries...”

I changed directions and headed toward the western district. I went there once every few days with Mewi to buy food, but with a growing child and a fully grown adult living together, our food supply diminished faster than expected.

Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about from a financial perspective. I could provide Mewi with an above-average standard of living. I had my original savings, my wages as a special instructor, and the gift from Ibroy. And, in all likelihood, I could expect additional pay from the magic institute for serving as a temporary lecturer. That last one I was only going to consider as temporary extra income. I didn’t want to rely on it. Ibroy’s reward had also been a onetime thing. Still, with all the money I was making, it was simple to provide for one child and an adult. Since I’d also been relieved of having to pay for an inn, my plan was to take good care of Mewi until she could be independent.

“Ooh, that meat is pretty cheap.”

While thinking about my finances, I walked over to the western district’s marketplace. Having a surplus of money didn’t mean I could be wasteful. I was going to spend when I had to, but it was practical to not splurge on frivolous things.

“Welcome! Our recent delivery included a lot more meat than usual, so it’s on sale right now.”

“Hmm, just what I like to hear.”

I exchanged a few words with the butcher while scrutinizing the meat on display. Baltrain’s southern district was an enormous agricultural zone. Their primary focus was on dry field crops, but that didn’t mean the entire region was dedicated to that. Their animal farms were relatively prosperous too. In Beaden, we had village hunters to meet our demands. I wondered if Baltrain had dedicated hunters too. Maybe they managed entirely off livestock.

“I’ll take that cut over there.”

“Sure thing. Thanks for the business.”

Well, I didn’t really have to delve into that. Either way, Baltrain had an abundance of meat—supply certainly met demand—and I had nothing to complain about when I benefited from that. I didn’t make a living off hunting or anything, after all.

“Okay then.”

I’d ended up buying the meat on impulse, but I was sure we would finish it quickly. I had a full appetite, though I wasn’t exactly a glutton. Mewi was in a growth spurt, so she also ate a fair bit, and she was learning swordsmanship on top of everything. I needed her to eat properly and train properly.

Having quickly finished my shopping, I went straight to my home in the central district. The city was as lively as ever. Around this time back in Beaden, the only noises I could hear were lumberjacks cutting down trees and the cries of birds and animals. Here in Baltrain, the sound of humanity was far more prominent.

Despite spending so many years out in the sticks, I was now accustomed to city life. “Home is where you make it,” so they say. On the contrary, now that I knew about the convenience of the big city, I was starting to feel a little reluctant about confining myself to the countryside again. At the very least, I intended to continue my life in Baltrain until Mewi graduated from the magic institute and struck out on her own.

As for after that, I didn’t know yet. My role as a special instructor at the Liberion Order probably wasn’t going to continue forever, and I had the dojo back home to think of. My dad had probably sent me out here after considering these factors already.

This matter of heirs was difficult. I wasn’t particularly proactive on that front, but I also couldn’t force the responsibility of bearing a child on a woman just so I could have someone to take over the dojo. The ideal path would be to raise a kid with a foundation of mutual love.

I knew my pupils saw me in a favorable light...but that didn’t mean I could just settle down with one of them. This is pretty difficult. It’ll probably take a while to figure something out.

“I’m back.”

And with such thoughts in mind, I was home before I realized it. When I’d first moved here, I hadn’t known the streets at all, but now, I remembered the local geography. I was capable of getting to our home without any issues.

“Mm. Welcome back,” Mewi said, peeking out to greet me. “What’s with that?”

“Oh, this? It was cheap, so I bought it.”

“Hmm.”

Her eyes were fixed on the meat dangling from my hand.

“You really love meat, huh?” I asked, teasing her a little.

“Shut up.” She sounded somewhat peevish.

In my own mind, being able to poke fun at her favorite foods like this was part of offering her a decent lifestyle. Due to her upbringing, Mewi wasn’t the type to make selfish demands, so I had to be sure she didn’t grow anxious or dissatisfied without me knowing about it.

“How ’bout meat for tonight’s main dish?” I asked.

“Mm.”

I’d already bought the meat, so there was no point in excluding it from the dinner table. We were going to treat ourselves to a nice hearty meal tonight. That said, neither Mewi nor I were capable of cooking anything elaborate.

When I cooked, I pretty much just used the basics of bachelor cooking; when Mewi cooked, she stewed everything. Well, she’d recently improved her chopping skills at least, so there were a lot fewer uneven chunks of various sizes.

The world wasn’t so simple a place that you could live entirely using just your sword or magic. Allucia, Surena, and Ficelle were exceptions—asking the average person to reach such heights would be far too demanding. Cooking was yet another skill that was necessary for becoming independent. There wasn’t much I could teach Mewi in this regard, but I had to at least fulfill the minimum that was expected of me as her guardian.

“What to make today?” I mused. “Not that my repertoire is particularly big.”

“Hmm... Roasted meat is nice.”

“Okay, let’s go with that.”

The princess’s word was final. Today’s menu was decided. All right, time for this old man to put in some work. Well, I’m just gonna season the meat and roast it...

I quickly got dinner ready, took a seat at the table, gave thanks for the food, and started eating. Finding the complete silence somewhat awkward, I brought up something that’d been on my mind.

“Oh yeah,” I said.

Mewi glanced at me. “What...?”

“How’d it feel to swing a sword?”

“Hmm...”

Mewi groaned a little, then took a sip of her vegetable soup. Today’s menu was roasted meat, brown bread, and a chunky vegetable soup. For the meat, I’d only sliced it and roasted the whole thing over a fire. The bread had come ready-made, and the soup involved nothing more complicated than chopping up the ingredients and tossing them all in a pot together.

Making soup, stew, or pot-au-feu all took quite a bit of time, but not a lot of work. It was also easy to adjust the portions, so we could make more than enough for two whenever we wanted. Any leftovers, we could finish the day after, but to reiterate, Mewi had a fairly large appetite.

“Using a sword is hard...” Mewi mumbled. “I can really tell how amazing you and Ms. Ficelle are.”

“Ha ha ha, I’m glad to hear it.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her answer. The art of swordsmanship wasn’t as simple as it looked—it was more than just swinging a sword around. For each stance and swing, there were techniques that linked everything together—it was impossible to master them all in one day. Learning swordplay required extreme repetition and will, all for a fragment of mastery. Whether you were capable of this was dependent on your own effort and talent.

However, there was no telling how much talent lay dormant in a person or how much effort was required to awaken that talent. The only way to find out was to spend time swinging a sword in earnest. It wasn’t like magic, where being able to use it at all signified talent. The same also went for many skills beyond swordsmanship.

Fortunately, thanks to my dad’s genes and training, I’d been blessed with respectable talent and an environment in which to foster it. I wanted to at least take my techniques and experiences and pass them on—both to Allucia and the knights of the Liberion Order, and to the fledgling Mewi.

“You have relatively good control over your body,” I said. “If you try hard, you should be able to get pretty strong.”

“Hmph...”

Mewi huffed a little, then bit into some meat. From what I’d seen at the magic institute, Mewi wasn’t devoid of talent for swordsmanship. Because of her destitute past as a pickpocket, she wasn’t well-built, so that needed improvement. However, she was relatively agile—she knew when to put the right amount of strength into each body part to move in a precise way, and she likely did this mostly by instinct. Of the people I knew, Allucia and Surena were extraordinarily good at controlling their bodies. I wasn’t going to declare that Mewi was capable of reaching the same heights as them, but if she continued swinging a sword seriously, I figured she could get pretty far.

“How’s magic going?” I asked.

“Mm... I’m still on the basics. So far, I can only tell it’s kinda hard to learn.”

“I see.”

I was a master at swordsmanship but completely ignorant when it came to magic. Though I doubted the institute was lax when it came to its lessons, I could only trust them on that front. Much like with Mewi’s swordplay, I just had to sit back patiently and watch her grow. If magic was something that could be taught and mastered with the snap of a finger, they wouldn’t have needed the institute to begin with.

“But I guess...it’s kinda fun,” Mewi added, her lips curving a little.

“Mm. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Mewi had mellowed out a little since moving in with me and attending the magic institute. She’d stopped yelling about every little thing, and I could see that she was putting effort into rectifying her provocative attitude. Of course, a change in environment wasn’t enough to immediately correct the personality and manner of speech she’d built up over the years. Still, those who knew her could tell that she was changing little by little.

I’m sure that’s a good thing.

If possible, I wanted her to keep it up and make some school friends, rejoice in her school life, and grow in both body and mind. Cindy from the sword magic course seemed like she could be Mewi’s friend. Even though I’d ended up going to the institute due to a strange twist of fate, I had no intention of butting into Mewi’s personal relationships yet. As long as things didn’t get out of hand, my policy was to stand back and watch attentively. But if things took a turn for the worst...I was liable to come flying to her side.

“You’re coming again next week?” Mewi asked.

She’s asking if I’ll come back? That’s a rare inquiry from her.

“Mm-hmm... Probably. I need to work out the details with Allucia and Lucy first.”

“Hmm...”

It seemed she was concerned in her own little way. At least, I was hoping so. Now that I thought of it, I’d explained my relationship with Mewi to Kinera, but what about the sword magic students? Did they even need to know? If Mewi didn’t feel out of place, I felt like things were fine as they were. I wanted to avoid having her circumstances prodded at, and I didn’t want people to look at her weird because we were related.

Fortunately, Mewi didn’t seem to care about that stuff. Even if I was the type to play favorites, it was in her nature not to see that in a good light. So, because of these factors, we were capable of maintaining a public image—I was just another temporary lecturer, and she was just my student. Ficelle seemed to be avoiding that subject too, so as long as there were no weird circumstances, I planned to maintain the status quo.

“Why do you ask? Did something happen?” I asked.

“No... Um... Nothing.”

I tried digging into why she’d asked about my schedule, but she hesitated to answer. Figuring it was best not to force it out of her, I didn’t pursue the subject.

The sense of distance between Mewi and me was rather peculiar. We weren’t complete strangers, but we weren’t friends of greatly differing ages either. On paper, we were father and daughter, but it was difficult to quantify—was that how things truly were? We were in fact living together, and I was officially her guardian, but what was the right word to describe our relationship? Nothing immediately came to mind, and that didn’t really bother me. However, for the sake of Mewi’s future, it was best to draw a clear emotional line.

Well, either way, this wasn’t something for me to decide on my own. Her feelings on the matter were of utmost importance. And until she discovered what those feelings were, I would watch over her patiently and support her as best I could.

“How was it...?” Mewi mumbled as she tore little bites of her bread.

“Hm? How was what?”

“Um... Me and the others...”

“Aaah...”

She was probably referring to the students in the sword magic course. It seemed she wanted a broad idea of my perspective. “Just as I said before, you have good control over your body,” I started. “As for your sword handling...well, you’re just getting started. You’re on the right track.”

“Mm...” Mewi nodded shyly.

It seemed she wasn’t used to getting praised yet. My plan was to give her more and more whenever I had the chance.

“In terms of pure instincts, I guess Lumite is ahead of everyone,” I continued. “But that’s only how things stand right now, though.”

As the son of a viscount, Lumite had learned to use a sword at home. Having knowledge of the fundamentals made a pretty big difference. Everyone’s efforts would play a role in closing that gap, but at present, Lumite was the most accustomed to wielding a sword.

“As for Nesia, he’s got the best build of the bunch,” I said. “He’s got the most physical strength.”

“And Cindy...?”

“Oh? You curious?”

“Not really...”

“Ha ha ha.”

It was pretty rare for Mewi to refer to anyone by name, and from what I’d observed, Mewi was hardly ever curious enough about someone to bring them up herself.

“I can’t say much at this stage,” I told her. “Still, her honesty and stamina are both wonderful weapons.”

“I see...”

I doubted Cindy had been blessed with an environment to learn the fundamentals like Lumite, and she wasn’t as well-built as Nesia. She was a girl, so in terms of pure physical strength, it would be difficult for her to keep up with the guys. Regardless, her simple honesty and boundless energy were impressive, and she had enough endurance to keep up in a real battle. It was still unclear whether she had any talent lying dormant within her, but either way, it felt great to mentor such an obedient kid.

It still felt somewhat strange to teach fundamental sword skills at the magic institute, but that was just how sword magic worked. Nobody expected anything regarding magic from me, so I decided to just do as Lucy had told me—take it easy and teach some swordsmanship.

“Do you talk with Cindy often?” I asked.

“Not really... She just talks to me without asking first...”

“Heh heh. I see, I see.”

“What? What’s so funny?”

“Ha ha ha, it’s nothing—my bad.”

Mewi was sure to pout if I continued teasing her, so I backed down. It seemed her school life was relatively fulfilling. I had to do my best at my duties so I didn’t end up shackling her in any way.

◇

Some time passed. By now, I’d taught at the magic institute a few times. Today’s lesson involved having our five sword magic students run around the needlessly vast grounds of the institute.

“Yup. Two more laps,” I said.

Ficelle nodded. “You heard him. Run, run, run.”

“Yes! Hi-yaaaaah!” Cindy shouted a cheerful reply and sped up.

“Mm-hmm. It’s good to be energetic,” I remarked. She really did have a lot of stamina. She could probably give some of the pupils who’d gone to my dojo for a few years a run for their money.

Nesia and Lumite were stronger in terms of pure muscle, but Cindy deserved a special mention for her endurance. It was enough for me to wonder whether she was more suited to being a swordswoman than a wizard. I was a little curious about how things would turn out if her talent for magic didn’t blossom.

“Tch...! Like hell I’m gonna lose!”

“Neither am I!”

Witnessing Cindy speed up, Nesia and Lumite—the two boys—refused to back down. They picked up the pace. In all things, having someone to compete against was for the better. No matter how tremendous a talent you had lying dormant, there was a limit to what could be achieved on your own. By competing with others and going to someone for guidance, you fostered your own growth. I doubted I would still be wielding a sword to this day if not for my dad.

“Haah... Haah...”

“H-Haaah...! Gaaah...!”

Meanwhile, things seemed a little rough for Mewi and Fredra. In particular, I was a little...well, considerably worried about Fredra’s stamina. I didn’t know anything about her upbringing and character, but she didn’t have Cindy’s boundless energy. She was just managing to shuffle her legs and suck air into her lungs.

As for Mewi, she didn’t have much endurance...which was just as I’d expected. Her age and sex did limit how much strength she had at her disposal, but her body also didn’t yet have a firm foundation. There was no other way to build that foundation than to train her physique and make sure she had proper eating habits. Much like with swordsmanship and magic, the body couldn’t be built in a single day.

“This brings back memories,” Ficelle said as she watched the students go. “I ran a lot too.”

“Yeah. We did a lot of running at the dojo.”

At a glance, Ficelle looked somewhat dainty, but she actually had significant stamina. She’d put this on display during Bishop Reveos’s arrest. Though her top speed was only so-so, she was capable of maintaining that speed for a pretty long time.

We did teach swordsmanship techniques at the dojo, but we put an equal amount of effort—or maybe even more—into sculpting the body. That was why many of our pupils boasted tremendous stamina. My dad had first modeled this policy for me, and according to him, this was how things had been done at our dojo for generations. I’d spent a lot of time running in the past, as had my dad, and as had his father before him.

It was precisely because of such training that I was able to maintain a reasonable amount of stamina despite having forty-five years under my belt. And since I agreed with this policy, I had all my pupils run too. Well, it’s probably impossible for me to run as much as I used to. I have pretty good stamina for my age, but there’s no winning against the sands of time.

“When it comes to swinging a sword or anything else, the most important thing is stamina,” I said.

“I think so too,” Ficelle agreed.

You really couldn’t make light of stamina. Those who couldn’t understand its importance would find it hard to maintain focus after just a few swings. Muscle training was also important. The Liberion Order, on the other hand, actually put more emphasis on physical strength. That wasn’t necessarily wrong, of course. You needed an appropriate amount of muscle to swing a sword reliably. Willpower was also important, but that certainly wasn’t enough on its own. All of these factors were required at the same time if one wanted to truly master swordsmanship, and my dad and I sought to train every one of these areas.

So, what was the condition for being the strongest swordsman? Was it being able to swing a sword faster and harder than any other? That was one answer, at least. Against a near-equal opponent, the one who was stronger, faster, and had the longer sword won. I could take that even further—if, after an intense bout, one side saw that they couldn’t win but had the stamina to run away, they would be the one to survive in the end. In other words, those who were quick on their feet got away with their lives.

I wasn’t particularly fast, but I was confident in my ability to quickly judge my opponent’s abilities and know when to give up. There was no winning sometimes. In those cases, it was best to run away, devote yourself to training, and challenge your foe again later. I wasn’t sure whether our budding wizards would ever be confronted by such a scenario, but it was best to be ready for it.

Regardless, having stamina is essential to wielding a sword at a satisfactory level.

Such thoughts crossed my mind while I was chatting with Ficelle, and soon, Cindy came energetically running up to us.

“Yeaaaah! I’m done!” she shouted.

“Welcome back,” I said. “You sure have a lot of stamina, Cindy.”

“Yup! It’s my only saving grace!”

A little later, Nesia and Lumite arrived too. They weren’t completely worn out, but they were gasping for breath.

“Hgh...! Dammit, you’re way too fast...”

“Haaah...!”

And finally, as the three of them started to cool down, Mewi and Fredra arrived.

“Phew...”

“Gah...!”

These two had consumed a significant amount of stamina. Fredra was clearly spent, and while Mewi wasn’t letting it show, she seemed to have found this exercise pretty rough.

“Good work, everyone,” I told them after confirming they’d all settled down. “We’ll be checking your stamina like this during sword magic class every now and then. If you keep running as a daily habit, something nice might happen.”

I’d gotten Ficelle and Lucy’s approval, so for the moment, I threw aside all thoughts of wizards and magic. I was no more than a swordsman, so when I taught, it was best to approach things from that angle. I honestly didn’t know if this was necessary for these young wizards, but for swordsmen, building up the body was absolutely essential.

“Yes! Stamina is important for swinging a sword! That’s what you mean, right?!” Cindy shouted energetically. It’s hard to believe she was just running...

“To put it bluntly, yes, exactly that,” I confirmed.

She really was a serious girl. Her physical strength and instincts for swordsmanship were somewhat behind the others, but she pushed her way through on sheer stamina. It was very impressive. I was almost jealous. If possible, I wanted to help her talent blossom.

“M-Ms. Ficelle...did you also...used to...run...?” Fredra asked, still gasping for breath.

“Of course. A lot,” Ficelle answered.

“Hwah... I-Is that so...?”

Fredra had professed her admiration for Ficelle’s sword magic. The girl lacked endurance, and it also seemed like she hadn’t done much running before.

“Phew... I kinda get that we need to build our endurance, but still...” Nesia grumbled.

“That’s not the only point to this,” I said. “You need more than arm strength to swing a sword properly. Your lower body is important too.” This applied to wielding any kind of weapon.

“I see...”

“Just as I mentioned during your practice swings, those who don’t know anything swing using only their arms,” I elaborated. “However, by properly using the strength in your legs, waist, and arms, swordplay will be a lot easier on you while being far more efficient.”

“I kind of understand,” Lumite said. “When I learned swordsmanship back at home, I was taught how to move my legs too.”

I didn’t claim to be the better teacher, but I was glad to hear that the instructor at Lumite’s home had also taught him the importance of the lower body. If arm strength was all it took to decide your skill with a sword, everyone could just do endless push-ups and nothing else. That didn’t work in reality, though.

“Okay, let’s call it a day here. Time’s just about up anyway.”

The moment I said that, the bell chimed to signal the end of class.

“Yes! Thank you very much!”

Cindy bowed cheerfully and maintained that energy as she ran off. It was a truly refreshing sight.

“Are you leaving too, Master?” Ficelle asked.

“No, I’m going to meet Lucy after this,” I answered. “She’s apparently waiting for me in the headmistress’s office, but...”

“I’ll show you the way,” Ficelle offered.

“Thanks, that helps a bunch.”

This apparently had something to do with finally getting the official contract and stuff worked out regarding my employment here. After seeing Ficelle’s class for the first time, I’d been spurred by an impulse to do something about it and had formally agreed to be a temporary lecturer. However, despite her usual rapid responses to things, it’d taken a surprising amount of time for Lucy to get the paperwork sorted out.

Ficelle guided me through the buildings. It was a little late to ask, but was it really all right for me to be so casual with the magic corps’s commander, who also happened to be the headmistress of the magic institute? We’d both kind of fallen into that habit on our first meeting, but there was a tremendous gap between us in terms of social status and authority.

Well, let’s just look on the bright side. I’ve built an easygoing relationship with her. She’s not complaining about it either. I doubt I’ll ever end up in a situation where I have to stand on ceremony around her.

After walking through the vast school building for a while, going up some staircases, and then down long corridors, we came to a stop.

“This is the headmistress’s office,” Ficelle said. “I’ll be off, then.”

“Mm, thanks for guiding me.”

Now that her role was over, Ficelle turned on her heels and left. It would probably have been fine for her to tag along, but I was the only one who’d been called here.

I took a deep breath. “Okay, then...”

I knocked on the profoundly thick door.

“It’s open!” came a casual reply.

“Excuse me.” I opened the door and entered the room.

“Ooh, Beryl. Good work today.”

Seated behind a desk by the window was the magic institute’s headmistress, Lucy. Once she saw it was me, she quickly moved over to what looked like a reception area.

When she saw that I remained frozen at the door, she asked, “What? Something wrong?”

“Well...”

I had imagined that the headmistress’s office would be far more cluttered, but it was unexpectedly tidy and sparsely furnished.

“I thought your office would be more of a mess,” I answered honestly.

“Who exactly do you take me for?” Lucy asked with a bitter smile.

“Ha ha ha, sorry.”

I mean, can you blame me? Publicly, you’re the commander of the magic corps and the headmistress of the magic institute, but whenever you get involved with me, you never leave a great impression.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but think that she had devastatingly poor household skills when it came to her private life. It would definitely be rude to say that to her face though, so I kept it to myself.

“Sorry for calling you in right after your lecture,” she said. “How about some tea?”

“Oh, thanks. I’ll take you up on that.”

I got seated in a nearby chair as Lucy offered me a drink. Somehow or other, seeing Lucy be considerate, like a normal person, was an unusual sight. Her typical insolence had left too strong an impression on me thus far. Well, according to her, she’s even older than I am. I suppose she was being courteous because she had her position to consider—as a headmistress, her being familiar with decorum wasn’t a stretch of the imagination.

“Here,” she said, placing a cup before me. “I’m pretty sure it should taste fine.”

“Thanks.”

The tea was a pale color just a shade darker than plain water, and it gave off a faint aroma. I was pretty ignorant about tea, but I could guess that this was something expensive.

“I have Haley to clean up at home,” Lucy said unprompted. “And this is my workplace, not my research lab.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I’m just answering your suspicions.”

At first, I wondered if she’d used magic to read my mind. I wanted to believe that something ridiculous like telepathy didn’t exist, but if it did, Lucy would definitely have tried to learn it. That was simply the kind of person she was. Maybe it actually did exist in the big wide world, though I couldn’t imagine the mechanisms behind it.

“Mm. This is good,” I said.

“I prepared it, so that’s only natural. I’m glad you like it.”

“Ha ha ha, you’ve got talent.”

Taking a sip of the tea, I was treated with a refreshing aroma and faint sweetness that soothed my throat. It wasn’t excessively sweet, which was just the right flavor for an old man. Lucy took a sip from her own cup. Her refined gestures reminded me that, by all rights, she was far too high up the social ladder for me to interact with. And yet here we were. It was almost touching.

“So? How’s it going?” Lucy asked, not really referring to anything in particular. Still, it was easy to guess what she was getting at.

“They’re all good kids,” I said, taking another sip of my tea. “It reminds me of the dojo back home.”

At first, I’d felt really out of place teaching swordsmanship at the magic institute, but after actually acting as their instructor, I’d found that it was going unexpectedly well. Honestly, what I was teaching here wasn’t that different from what I’d taught in Beaden. Just one thing lingered in the corner of my mind: I wasn’t actually teaching anything related to magic.

“Heh heh heh. Children do seem to take a shine to you,” Lucy said.

“And what about you?”

“I’m obviously popular everywhere I go. Haaah... It sure is rough being famous.”

“The mouth on you.”

Her tone and expression didn’t match what she was saying whatsoever. Setting aside her personality and going strictly by appearance, it did seem like children would get attached to her. After all, she looked like a ten-year-old girl.

“You’ll keep going, then?” she asked.

“Well, yeah. I’ll teach them what I can.”

“Very good. I’m glad you’re here to guide them.”

I’d already decided after seeing that first lesson. I couldn’t stick with these five students forever, but I honestly wanted to see their growth, and I wanted to see to Ficelle’s growth as a teacher.

“I still can’t guide them when it comes to magic, y’know,” I added.

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

Lucy’s reaction was the same as always. She actually had nothing but praise for sword magic. And for good reason—I’d seen Ficelle’s techniques for myself, and I knew how powerful they were. Still, I couldn’t completely rid myself of this sense of being out of place.

“Besides, you know plenty about swordplay, right?” Lucy said.

“More than average,” I agreed.

That was why I was giving instruction just as I had back in the dojo. I wasn’t positive that my methods were suitable for the magic institute, but I was grateful that Lucy was accepting what I had to offer.

“I have high hopes in you,” Lucy said. “I won’t be around for a while, you see.”

“Hm? Where are you going?”

Lucy had said that she devoted every day to her research, so it felt strange for her to be away. Though, I wasn’t sure how long she meant by “a while” or where she meant by “not around.”

“I will be embarking on a small business trip to the empire,” she explained. “It’ll probably take one or two months.”

“Hmmm... Sounds like a lot of work.”

On the Galean continent, she could only mean the Salura Zaruk Empire to the southwest of Liberis. The two nations had a history of war, but relations were relatively good right now. If Lucy was going on a business trip, it likely had to do with international matters.

“I’m actually quite famous, you know?” Lucy teased.

“Yeah, I know. Technically.”

“How cheeky.”

Regardless, it was hard for me to imagine someone going on a personal trip across the border for international matters without involving any royalty. Even Allucia rarely left Liberis unless it involved the royal family.

It probably had something to do with magic, but I had no idea what kind of standards they had across the border. I’d never left Liberis, and I didn’t have much interest in other countries. I hadn’t even imagined leaving Beaden until very recently.

After chatting a little and having some tea, Lucy slid some papers across the table. “Oh right, about why I called you here. I finally have things ready.”

“Let’s take a look,” I said, picking the papers up and skimming through them.

During times like these, I was glad I was literate—I had my dad to thank for providing me with a proper education beyond just swordsmanship. I had no idea what the literacy rate was in Liberis, but I was grateful that even out in the sticks of Beaden, it was possible to get a basic education.

On that note, Mewi’s studies were going relatively smoothly. As long as you had a talent for magic, the institute didn’t care about your background—the teachers here taught everyone, from the sons and daughters of wealthy merchants and nobles to those who were one step short of being street hooligans. With such a wide array of students, it was only natural for them to provide everyone with a fixed level of education. Liberis has fairly high education standards, huh? And as a result of those standards, Mewi was now walking down the path of both literary and military arts. Not that she’d been completely illiterate before this.

Anyway, the important thing right now wasn’t Mewi’s literacy. Nothing in the papers looked particularly complicated. It detailed my employment at the magic institute as a temporary lecturer but didn’t specify any fixed dates. Basically, it outlined how I would be paid a set amount based on the number of classes I taught. In other words, there was no predetermined end date, and I was free to come and go at my discretion. Even just skimming through it, it was clear they were being very mindful of me.

“Uhhh...”

“What? Dissatisfied?”

However...when I got to what was technically the most important part of this contract, I unintentionally raised my voice.

“I mean...isn’t this a bit high?” I asked.

The sum of money listed—what they would be paying me per class—was far beyond what I’d expected. After looking at it once, I checked again to make sure I hadn’t misread it. Then, I closed my eyes for a moment, opened them, and checked a third time.

“I do believe it’s proper compensation for your talents,” Lucy said.

Hmmm... Compensation for my talents? I’m already being compensated pretty well by the Liberion Order...or to be specific, by the kingdom itself.

I wasn’t going to impart my techniques and experiences for free, of course, but this seemed like a little much. It was an entire decimal off from what I’d expected.

“I’m pretty sure I’m getting paid too much for what I’m doing,” I said.

“Think of Mewi. You’re going to need money.”

“That’s true, but still...”

Attending the magic institute wasn’t free, and even after she graduated, I would need money until Mewi was capable of making a living for herself. I understood this. With her in the house, all of my living expenses were essentially doubled, and there was nothing better than having spare money. However, it was still relatively important that I received a sum that made sense to me.

“I actually put in a lot of work for this,” Lucy said. “This place is full of sticklers.”

“You didn’t really have to work that hard for this...”

Since my employer in this case was the magic institute, Lucy couldn’t just bulldoze her way through to hire me at her own discretion—she’d needed to get the institute’s seal of approval. I doubted they’d unanimously agreed on this sum of money, and Lucy couldn’t have written this contract on her own either. She might’ve drafted it, but the institute as a whole must’ve gone through its contents and approved it.

“Did anyone oppose it?” I asked.

Lucy nodded. “They sure did. That youngster Faustus was adamantly against it.”

Faustus... Isn’t that the old man I passed in the hallway? Vice Principal Faustus Brown? He’s a total grandpa, but she calls him a youngster? Hold old is Lucy, exactly?

“I’ve been wondering this for a while now...” I said.

“Hm? What is it?”

This wasn’t exactly the kind of question women enjoyed hearing. However, I couldn’t help but wonder, considering her usual behavior.

“Lucy, how old are you?”

“You should know how I’m going to answer that! It’s a maiden’s secret.”

“Whaaa...?”

It’d taken a fair amount of courage to ask that question, but she’d dodged it with casual ease. I wasn’t going to pester her about it or anything, though. Much of Lucy’s persona remained a total mystery to me. And yet, she’d brought a ton of trouble to my doorstep ever since our first meeting.

“Heh heh heh... Well, I suppose I’ll give you a hint,” Lucy added. “I’m probably older than you imagine.”

“Got it... I’ll leave it at that.”

“Please do. You shouldn’t be asking such a beautiful young girl that question.”

“You just said you’re older than me.”

My imagination had placed her at around fifty or sixty, but maybe she was actually even older than that? Could she be over a hundred? That sounded ridiculous, but it was curiously possible when it came to Lucy. Regardless, I could tell that she wasn’t going to indulge me, even if I pressed the matter. I wonder if Allucia knows... Or maybe Ficelle. I’d asked because I’d wanted to try and unravel the mystery, but it had only gotten more confusing.

“Back to the point,” Lucy said. “I told Faustus to wait and see for now. The students need time to grow. After all, this isn’t the kind of matter where we’ll see results right away.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’m pretty sure the same goes for magic.”

Hypothetically speaking, say that I was an outstanding teacher who had remarkably talented students. Even with such ideal conditions, skill took time to develop. Among my pupils, Allucia and Surena were abnormal. You couldn’t expect that kind of immediate growth from everyone. If the world worked by their standards, we wouldn’t need teachers.

“This is actually the sum after getting the institute’s opinion and shaving it down somewhat,” Lucy added. “It’ll be problematic for me if you don’t accept.”

“Whaaa...?”

Shaved down? From what? How much was she trying to spend to get me in her clutches? Well, unlike the case with Ibroy and the Church of Sphene, this was a right and proper request, and I didn’t have many responsibilities. If anything went wrong, it would be Lucy’s fault for endorsing me and Allucia’s for approving it. That was only if I did something nefarious, of course.

“Hmmm...”

I had no idea how long I was going to be working as a temporary lecturer for the magic institute. I also didn’t know how long I was going to be a special instructor at the Liberion Order. This matter with the institute was meant to be temporary from the very beginning, so I didn’t think it was going to drag on for years. Though, if it did, my presence might hinder the development of the next generation of teachers.

At any rate, if I considered the request to include teaching Ficelle on top of the five students in the sword magic course, then maybe the offered sum was appropriate. Nothing’s really making sense to me anymore.

“Your pay will drop if you’re found to be lacking,” Lucy said. “I doubt that’ll happen, though.”

“Mm, that’s only fair.”

Nobody wanted to pay an unnecessary amount for someone who didn’t get any results. It felt weird to be negotiating about a pay cut rather than a raise. Still, Lucy was offering, so it was only right to accept. I didn’t have anything to feel guilty about.

“Got it. I agree to these terms,” I said. “I’ll put in the effort to match that sum.”

“That really saves me the trouble,” Lucy said. “Here, sign this.”

So, after worrying about it a little, I ended up taking her up on the offer. Now that I think about it, I didn’t sign anything for my royal appointment as a special instructor for the Liberion Order. And the dojo was my home, so we didn’t need any formal contracts. It was a fresh experience for me to sign a document like this.

“Does this work?” I asked.

“Mm. All good.”

I handed the signed document to Lucy, and she checked it over. With this, I was officially working for both the Liberion Order and the magic institute. I could never have imagined this situation during my days in Beaden, and I wasn’t sure if I should thank Allucia for dragging me out of the countryside. It didn’t feel bad, but I still wasn’t used to being elevated to such high places after all these years. If anything, it was bad for my heart.

“Very well, then. I have high hopes for you, temporary lecturer Beryl Gardenant.”

“Ha ha ha... I’ll do my best.”

Lucy grinned. Now that I’d accepted, I was going to give it my all—without impeding my work at the Liberion Order.

Anyway, for today’s dinner, I decided to take Mewi out to get something nice to eat. Somehow, I was just suddenly in the mood.

◇

“All right then, thanks for your time.”

“Mm. See you later, Beryl.”

A while after signing the contract and savoring Lucy’s tea, I said my farewells and left the headmistress’s office. It was just around noon. Allucia had arranged things so that when I was teaching at the magic institute, my training sessions at the order were put on hold—she’d said it was okay not to show up at the order on these days. I could drop by the office now if I wanted to, but I was also free to laze around town or go home.

“Man, I’ve really climbed the social ladder...” I mumbled to myself after closing the office door.

I wasn’t under the exaggerated impression that the world was working explicitly in my favor, but recently, things had seemed to be going better than I deserved. Up until not too long ago, I’d had an easygoing life teaching my pupils at the dojo out in the sticks. But then, I’d been appointed as a special instructor for the Liberion Order, had reunited with pupils I hadn’t seen in a long time, had taken down a named monster with Surena, had obtained a masterwork sword, had somehow ended up with a child, and just now, I’d been granted the status of temporary lecturer at the magic institute.

I wasn’t going to rest on my laurels, of course. To be blunt, this flow of events had all been due to luck. Well, it was questionable whether being half abducted by Allucia because of her appointment letter from the king could be considered luck...but still.

At any rate, ever since starting my new life in Baltrain, I’d rarely ever thought that I would’ve been better off staying in Beaden. After all, I had such good people around me here. And in that sense, I really did have good luck.

Also, I was now able to take the techniques, experiences, and training I’d fostered as a backwater sword instructor and put them to use in a whole new way. It was very fulfilling. My life in Beaden hadn’t been bad, but I wouldn’t have been able to experience such strong emotions out there.

“Now, what to do today?”

I pondered over my plans as I walked down the magic institute’s long corridors. I’d scheduled to go out for dinner with Mewi tonight, but there was still a lot of time before that. Considering the hour, grabbing some lunch made the most sense. Now that the standards of my daily life were excellent—and now that I was in the city with so many more options available to me—I had to spend more time thinking about what to do each day.

When I was teaching swordsmanship in Beaden, I hadn’t needed to consider anything else. I’d come to grips with my own skills and position and had refrained from overreaching. But now I had a new title, and I even had a certain amount of status. For some reason—and I still believed this to be some kind of mistake—the royal family even knew my name and face.

These were things I could be proud of. I was a special instructor for what was reputed to be the strongest knight order in the kingdom. The royal family knew who I was. However, I couldn’t exactly say that this was what I’d wished for. I wasn’t dissatisfied with my current situation, but everything had happened far too suddenly. I was definitely bewildered by it all.

Anyway, enough of that. I had my duty as a special instructor, my duty to the students at the magic institute (even though there were only five of them), and above all else, my duty to Mewi. This would go on until she safely graduated from the institute and became independent, and that would take a few years. The problem was what came after that.

I didn’t have much ambition to begin with, so I never really thought about my own future. Ultimately, I wanted to return to Beaden and take over the dojo. However, my dad had stipulated that I needed to find a wife before returning home, so I had to accomplish that first.

“A wife... A lover... Hmmmm...” I muttered as I continued walking.

I wouldn’t say my life was bereft of encounters with women. Unlike when they’d attended the dojo, Allucia, Surena, and Ficelle were all splendid adults now, and I knew it was only proper for me to interact with them as women rather than as students. They were all beautiful, and they had terrific personalities. Nonetheless, I couldn’t bring myself to look at my pupils that way. That could change given a certain impetus, but as things stood right now, I simply couldn’t. Frankly, my personality, disposition, and mental attitude prevented me from doing so.

As I continued walking with such hazy thoughts in my mind, a sudden voice startled me.

“Oh, if it isn’t Mr. Beryl. Hello.”

“Whoa...?! Good day, Ms. Kinera.”

I made quite a pathetic sound. This was one of the magic institute’s teachers, Kinera Fine. She was dressed in a very wizardly robe.

“I heard something from the headmistress,” she said. “You’ve taken up a teaching job at the institute, right?”

“Yes, well... I’ll do my best not to be a bother.”

“You’re not a bother at all. I have high expectations of you,” Kinera said in a slightly teasing tone.

“Ha ha ha...”

When I first brought Mewi to the institute and met Kinera, I got the impression that she was a very composed woman. But despite her cool demeanor, she never appeared cold. She was the very image of a well-adjusted adult, and her wavy hairstyle only served to reinforce that impression.

I wondered how old she was. I assumed she was younger than me, but I couldn’t tell her exact age. If I had to make a guess, I would say that she was just a little older than Allucia...though I wouldn’t be bold enough to ask her outright. That would be rude, especially because she and I weren’t particularly close.

It was all rather curious. Hypothetically speaking, if I were to find a wife, I wanted a tolerant and kind woman like her. But...would anyone like that ever have such feelings for me? Would they be able to accept me as I am?

“Something on your mind?” Kinera asked.

“Hm? Aah, no... Well, yes. Something like that.”

I couldn’t possibly tell her I was thinking about my future wife and my preferences. Either way, it was true that I had something on my mind, so my answer ended up coming out rather stuttered.

According to Lucy, Kinera was a very talented wizard who specialized in defensive magic. I didn’t know what exactly that entailed—it was difficult to imagine. I wondered if she would show me if the opportunity presented itself.

“Oh, right. How is Mewi doing?” I asked, changing the topic before she could dig deeper into my thoughts.

It was the first thing that came to mind, but I was actually curious. Mewi didn’t talk about her schooling much at home. If anything serious happened, Lucy or Ficelle were sure to tell me, but I never really got the minute details of her daily life at the institute.

“She’s still not sure how to interact with others, but she’s a good, honest girl,” Kinera said. “She hasn’t come into conflict with any of the other students either.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear it.”

If I had to guess, she was like a cat in an unfamiliar environment. I wasn’t surprised to hear Kinera describe her as good and honest. Her personality was somewhat thorny due to the environment she’d been raised in, but she was a great person at heart. My one fear was that Mewi wouldn’t fit in well at the institute, but that was a problem only time could solve. Both Lucy and I had needed a while for her to relax around us too.

However, from the few conversations we’d had about school, and from how things were going during sword magic classes, it seemed I didn’t need to worry about Mewi. At the very least, she was blessed with friends at school.

“Hee hee.” Kinera smiled gently. “As her father, I suppose you must be curious.”

“Yes, well, something like that. It’s a little embarrassing...” I returned an ambiguous smile of my own.

As her guardian—her father—I was indeed curious about how things were going. However, I was also burdened with anxieties about whether I would be able to leave anything behind for her after I departed this world. That was one thing I couldn’t rely on my talented pupils for. Nobody in my immediate vicinity was working hard to raise a child—they were all single. Among my pupils, only Randrid came to mind. My dad was probably the most reliable when it came to this stuff, but it was hard to bring this topic up with him. It would be a huge pain to explain the whole situation to him anyway.

“I can see the effort she’s putting into improving herself,” Kinera added. “I do believe that is because of your support.”

“You do...? Thank you very much.”

I hadn’t told Kinera much about Mewi’s circumstances. About all she knew was that, for documentation purposes, I was Mewi’s guardian. It was possible Lucy had told her more, but either way, I was glad to have someone who could sympathize with Mewi and me like this. Once more, I realized how blessed I was when it came to personal connections.

“Are you already leaving for the day?” Kinera asked.

“Yes. The sword magic class ended before noon. I was thinking of relaxing and having some lunch.”

As I answered, I took a look around me. There were quite a few students and teachers walking about. Considering the time, it had to be their lunch break. I’d ended up walking all the way from the headmistress’s office to the institute’s entrance with Kinera without really thinking about it. That was when she threw out a certain question.

“I see. Oh yes, do you often come to this neighborhood?”

“No, I’m still clueless when it comes to the northern district,” I answered. “I’m pretty much only familiar with the institute and the palace.”

I usually just rode the public carriage here, and if I had spare time, I walked. Regardless, I only knew my way to the institute. If I needed to buy something, I could go to the western district, and the central district had all the restaurants I could ask for. There was no reason for me to come all the way to the northern district. Going sightseeing on my own didn’t sound too enticing either.

“Then how about accompanying me for lunch?” Kinera suggested. “I know a cheap restaurant that’s pretty good.”

“Huh?”

I froze for a moment at the unexpected question. I’d never imagined I would ever be invited out to lunch by a woman who wasn’t my pupil. Kinera obviously meant well, but this invitation had been so sudden that I was struck speechless.

“Am I being a bother...?” Kinera asked, her brow drooping a little at my reaction, which she had surely taken as a refusal.

“Ah! N-No! Not at all!” I was really thrown off by this. But it was lunchtime, and there was nothing strange about going to lunch with a coworker. “Sorry, I’m just not used to this kind of invitation... If you’re fine with me tagging along, then please allow me to join you.”

“Hee hee, there’s no need to be so tense.”

Despite my flustered behavior, Kinera’s smile remained unchanging. Man, I really do lack some major life experience. I was sure I was older than her, but I’d spent my entire life in a rural dojo. Out in the sticks, everyone was already acquainted, so it was difficult to foster new friendships. Ugh, now I’m just making excuses...

“We’re colleagues now, so I was hoping to get to know you better,” Kinera said.

“Right... I’ll take you up on that.”

I wasn’t going to turn down this chance, and I didn’t have a reason to refuse her invitation anyway. Still, even if we were fellow teachers on paper, it was a little awkward being with a VIP of the magic institute. She wasn’t looking at me with clear disdain like Vice Principal Brown had, but as someone who couldn’t use magic, I felt out of place.

Nonetheless, I was grateful she’d spoken to me. I’d already met her, and she was one of the few people here who knew anything about Mewi and me. Also, if we managed to get closer, it would be easier for me to find out if something happened to Mewi. I could only pray that nothing happened, though.

“Then shall we?” Kinera said. “It’s a short walk from the institute.”

“Sure. Allow me to accompany you.”

“Oh dear, there’s no need to be so formal.”

With that, we passed through the magic institute’s gates. I turned my eyes to the sunlight pouring down upon us. The palace’s spire was shining brightly under the clear blue sky.

“This is the place. The portions are good and the food is delicious.”

“Oooh...”

After leaving the magic institute, we’d walked for around ten minutes before arriving at a restaurant. The northern district was the home of Liberis’s palace and many of its nobles, so this restaurant had a clean, high-class air befitting its location, even if it was a little small. It had a similar atmosphere to the clothing store Allucia had once brought me to, so I did feel somewhat out of place. Is this really going to be okay?

Incidentally, on the way here, I’d gotten some weird looks. There wasn’t much I could do about that, so I gave up on worrying about it. I felt a little sorry for Kinera, though. Being around Allucia and Surena had kind of warped my sense of whether someone was “famous” or not, but even I knew that a teacher at the magic institute was definitely one of society’s elites. In that sense, Kinera was a celebrity in Baltrain, so seeing her walk around with an old man was sure to attract attention.

However, despite passersby staring at her, Kinera showed no bewilderment or fear. I couldn’t tell whether she was just bold or already accustomed to it. If I had to guess, it was the latter.

“As for seats...looks like there are some available,” Kinera said, taking a peek inside. “Shall we?”

“Y-Yes.”

I followed Kinera into the restaurant. This had been a rather common occurrence ever since I’d moved to Baltrain—women were constantly leading me places. I felt a little pathetic, but why should this old man put on a strong front after all these years?

A quiet, tinkling bell rang as we passed through the door. Even the doorbell was elegant compared to the one at my favorite tavern.

“Welcome. Table for two?” a waiter asked.

“Yes,” Kinera answered.

“Please follow me.”

This is going smoothly—she must be a regular. I did my best not to ogle the place as I followed along behind her, but I definitely felt a little lame.

We were guided to a terrace seat where we could enjoy the quiet townscape of the northern district while having our meal. It’s so chic to have lunch under the early afternoon sun like this.

“Hee hee, you’re acting nervous again,” Kinera said once we took our seats.

“Yes, well... I don’t come to this kind of restaurant often.”

I went out fairly frequently with Mewi, but most of the restaurants we visited were geared toward the common folk. We never went to high-class places where we had to worry about the atmosphere and our table manners. I also knew that Mewi would get even more nervous than me at a place like that.

“You can take it easy,” Kinera told me. “This restaurant isn’t that strict.”

“Ha ha, thank you...”

It turned out this place was high-class but not that formal. The meal I’d had with King Gladio at the palace had been far beyond anything I’d experienced when it came to formalities. I hope I’ll never have to go through that again. Today, I was just here to have a meal at a somewhat fancy restaurant with a colleague from the magic institute. When I thought about it like that and compared this meal to the events at the palace, I managed to loosen up a little.

Though I was a teacher, it was only a temporary thing. I went to the magic institute once a week when they had sword magic class, so I had pretty much no interactions with the other teachers. I could talk about Mewi with Kinera—more than with anyone else at least. My pool of acquaintances at the institute was small, and I only ever spoke to the sword magic students, Lucy, and Ficelle. I didn’t go to the staff room either, so I wasn’t making any new connections.

“What’ll you have?” Kinera asked. “The ravioli here is excellent.”

“Aah, then I’ll go with that.”

We exchanged a few words while looking over the menu and sipping some water. I knew I couldn’t go wrong with Kinera’s suggestion. Also, the quality at a restaurant in Baltrain’s northern district was pretty much guaranteed, so I doubted anything they made would be inedible. Choosing something delicious was all a matter of personal tastes and preferences.

Kinera called the waiter over. “Excuse me. Two ravioli.”

“Certainly,” he said. “We offer both a tomato and a cheese base.”

“Mr. Beryl, which will you have?” Kinera asked.

“Ummm... I’ll have the tomato,” I decided.

“Two of those, please,” Kinera told the waiter.

There was a certain elegance to her speech and gestures—she really did feel like part of the upper class. The way she presented herself was like a softer version of Allucia’s public image. That’s a pretty weird example, though.

“Have you gotten used to teaching at the institute?” Kinera asked while we waited for our food.

“Yes, well, they’re allowing me to teach however I want.”

In fact, they were letting me do things the same way I had at the dojo. I also had fewer students to look after, so I could spend time watching each one individually. The fact that I was their teacher’s teacher had made a bigger impact than I’d expected. All the students listened to everything I had to say.

I decided to bring up something I was curious about. “Oh yeah. Lucy—I mean, the headmistress—told me you’re a skilled practitioner of defensive magic.”

“Oh dear, it’s nothing worthy of such praise,” Kinera said, smiling gently. “Mr. Beryl, do you have an interest in magic?”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I’ve only ever devoted myself to the sword, so it’s all new to me.”

Magic was generally classified into five categories: offensive, defensive, healing, reinforcement, and livelihood. Ficelle’s sword magic and Lucy’s barrage of spells were pretty easy to classify. It was also easy to tell by sight what effect a spell had and how much power was behind it. I knew a little about reinforcement and healing magic. Those zealots from Sphenedyardvania had used them under the name of miracles. Livelihood magic had never come up in conversation, but I could guess that it didn’t have an aggressive nature. Maybe it was used to create magical tools or something.

As for defensive magic, even knowing what the word meant didn’t give me any idea of how it worked. I could tell it was meant for protection, but I had no idea how exactly magic could be used to accomplish that.

“I kind of understand other types of magic, but I can’t really picture defensive magic...” I said.

“Hee hee, I suppose you have a point,” Kinera said. “Even its appearance is difficult to describe compared to offensive magic.”

She apparently shared my opinion. I couldn’t even imagine what it could look like. I could picture stopping a fireball with another fireball or canceling it with a jet of water, but I felt like that would still be offensive magic.

“Well, do you want to try it out?” Kinera asked.

“Huh?”

I was at a loss for words. Try what out? Magic? In the middle of a restaurant? Is she actually the same kind of person as Lucy? If so, that’s a bit of a shock.

Ignoring my bewilderment, Kinera held out her right hand.

“Please try squeezing my hand,” she said. “Nice and tight now.”

“U-Uhhh...?”

She maintained her bright smile and kept holding out her hand. Hmmm, should I just shake it? I feel like I shouldn’t be touching a woman’s hand so casually.

“Go ahead. No need to hold back,” Kinera urged me on.

“U-Understood... Here I go.”

I hesitated for a moment, but she was insisting. After coming this far, I can’t back down. This wasn’t really something I needed to steel myself for, though. I was being given a rare opportunity to touch upon a facet of magic, so I decided to take her up on the offer.

“There... O-Ooooh...?”

I squeezed a little harder than when I shook someone’s hand but still kept it light enough that it wouldn’t be considered a violent act. When I did, I felt an inexplicable sensation in my palm.

“Hee hee, you can squeeze a little harder, you know?” Kinera said, completely composed.

Her words weren’t exactly provocative, but judging from her own grip I believed it wouldn’t be a problem to put more of my strength into it.

“Okay... Don’t mind if I do...!”

I squeezed tight. To be honest, I really went for it. It wouldn’t be strange for an average woman to scream in pain from this.

“Hnnngh...!” I grunted, pretty much squeezing as hard as I could. I was practically trying to crush her hand.

“So, this is defensive magic,” Kinera said. Her expression hadn’t even twitched.

“Phew... I understand now. That is pretty amazing.”

“Thank you very much.”

I loosened my grip and let go of her hand. I’d put all my strength behind it, so my palm was a little stiff. However, thanks to Kinera, I now had an idea of what defensive magic was.

“Fundamentally, defensive magic is used by creating a membrane of mana. It works just as you saw,” Kinera explained as she pulled back her hand. “The membrane’s strength and size are dependent on the caster’s technique and the current situation. In this case, using it only on a single hand, some people can make a rather powerful shield.”

The sensation I’d felt from her hand hadn’t been the skin of a woman’s soft palm—it had been something cold, flexible, and tough. A membrane of mana was definitely the only way of describing it. It would’ve been impossible to crush her hand, no matter how strong my grip was. Depending on the caster’s skill, it was entirely possible that defensive magic could deflect attacks from swords or arrows.

“A simple attack—something like what you just did—is relatively easy to defend against,” Kinera continued. “But against more powerful weapons or magic, the process changes somewhat.”

“I see...”

As someone who had no talent for magic whatsoever, I was a little jealous. Being able to fight in close combat with a defensive membrane deployed would make you an invincible swordsman—both your offense and defense would be exceptional. That was nothing more than my imagination, though. Just as Kinera had said, reality wasn’t so simple. Still, as a swordsman, I was charmed by the idea of defensive magic, just as I was by offensive magic.

“What a tremendous power,” I remarked. “I suddenly have a keen interest in it.”

“Hee hee. I’m glad to hear it.”

In all likelihood, Kinera hadn’t gone all out. She’d just protected her right hand from an old man’s grip strength. How would things go if I put all my strength behind a single sword slash? As one who participated in martial arts, I couldn’t help but wonder.

“The headmistress can do the same thing far faster and with far more strength,” Kinera added. “She’s extraordinary when it comes to any form of wizardry.”

“I’m pretty sure I already knew this, but she really is amazing, isn’t she...?”

“Yes. She absolutely is.”

From my first meeting with Lucy to the present day, I’d had a rather frank relationship with her, so there was a slight gap between my perception of her and her true abilities. I’d known she was an amazing wizard, even during our first meeting, but she’d somehow or other also ended up as an affable friend—one who often brought trouble to my doorstep.

I didn’t know whether this was a good or bad thing, but I wanted to believe we’d built a solid friendship. If our relationship deteriorated to the point of open hostilities, I doubted I could win against her. She would beat me to a pulp, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it since she far surpassed me in both strength and authority. Maybe it would be better to call her Mistress or Lady Lucy next time I saw her. Lucy’s magic—and magic in general—was simply so amazing that I couldn’t help but want to show them proper respect.

“Thank you for waiting. Here are your tomato ravioli.”

And just as I finished getting a glimpse of defensive magic, our food arrived. Ooh, this looks good. The slight char to the pasta really ignites my appetite.

“Shall we?” Kinera asked.

“Let’s,” I agreed. I put my hands together and gave thanks for the food.

I started by slicing open a piece of pasta with a knife. Steam rose gently into the air, tickling my nose with a refreshing, oil-scented aroma. Ooh, there’s ground meat and potato inside. It’s a simple combination, but that only amplifies my hopes for the taste.

“Hom... Mm, delicious.”

The meat juices, the scent of oil, and the acidic tang of tomato melded in my mouth. The flavor was exquisite. This place lived up to its reputation as a restaurant in the northern district. It was a little pricey, but having an elegant lunch like this wasn’t so bad every now and then. I don’t think I’d want to come here alone, though. Maybe I can bring Mewi as part of her education.

“I’m glad you like it,” Kinera said as I devoured my lunch.

“It really is great. Thank you.”

I couldn’t thank her enough. She’d worried about me and had brought me to this terrific restaurant. I felt my cheeks relax. Thanks to my connection to Ficelle, I made a new acquaintance. And speaking of my former pupil...

“Hey, wasn’t Ficelle really talented among the students of the magic institute?” I asked.

“Yes, she was very quiet and well-behaved,” Kinera said. “She poured through all sorts of grimoires during her academic studies. She was quite the bookworm.”

“That does sound like Ficelle...”

“What was she like when you taught her?”

“She spent the whooole time doing practice swings. I guess you can also call her a sword-worm.”

“Oh my. Hee hee.”

Ficelle really had done practice swings whenever she’d had the time. She was likely the type of person who found it easy to put her entire focus into one thing. Even after moving from the dojo to the magic institute, she’d been able to draw out this talent in equal measure.

“Although...that girl does get lost in whatever she’s doing,” Kinera said. “She’ll even stop listening to others.”

“I get you. Her concentration can be intense.”

Still, concentrating a little too much was the one flaw in Ficelle’s crystal. Focus was an important aspect of mastering any art, and it seemed that this was no different in the magic institute.

“Oh yes, in the institute she also...”

“Hmm, that’s quite...”

Kinera was a very considerate person—she was also quite sociable. So, while chattering idly and savoring the taste of our elegant meal of ravioli, I found my tongue loosening up.

And just like that, we had a truly enjoyable lunch.

◇

“Thank you for today. The ravioli was terrific.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

After I enjoyed a nice chat with Kinera over lunch, we left the store, and I thanked her once again. The food really was delicious. I mean, I still like my favorite tavern and Mewi’s home cooking, but this type of cuisine is refreshingly different.

I was starting to think that having a slightly luxurious meal every now and then wasn’t bad. It could serve to educate Mewi on the finer things in life, and fortunately, I had enough income and savings to indulge in some extravagance every once in a while.

But...before bringing Mewi to a restaurant like this, I need to make some corrections to her table manners. She always tears into her food, so she might end up getting a little too excited at a nice restaurant.

“Sorry for taking up so much of your time,” I said.

“Oh no, it was nothing.”

Kinera and I had ended up chatting a fair bit while pecking at our ravioli. She’d made a good impression on me during our first meeting, but after spending some time with her, I was even more impressed. She was a very good listener and conversationalist—overall, she was just a great person. Also, she hadn’t made a single disagreeable expression while keeping this old man company.

“I have great expectations for you, after all,” Kinera said.

“Expectations... What for?”

I had no idea what she was alluding to. Does she have her hopes pinned on me to guide the five students of the sword magic course in the right direction? If so, that honestly feels like a really heavy burden. I wasn’t going to slack off or anything, but there was only so much I could support on my shoulders.

“Are you aware of the current state of the sword magic course?” she asked.

“Yes, well... I’ve heard a little from Ficelle.”

“Sword magic is essentially a new academic field,” Kinera explained, her tone changing a little. “I would hate for it to get shut down before it has a chance to grow.”

“I understand how you feel... I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

“Please do. I expect much from you.”

“Ha ha ha...”

She was probably trying to tell me the same thing I’d heard from Ficelle. If so few students continued to take the sword magic course, it would get canceled. At any rate, their expectations definitely felt a little much for me—I was glad that they trusted me to help support the course, but taking this job had heaped a lot of pressure onto my plate. Also, Lucy was really slipshod about disclosing important information, and if she’d told me about how dire the situation was from the very beginning, I might’ve refused to teach at the institute.

“I’m of the belief that people should try new things at every available opportunity,” Kinera said. “Well, I say that, but I can only boast about knowing old-fashioned defensive magic.”

“That’s not really...”

Old-fashioned. That was a loaded term with negative connotations, but it also implied that defensive magic had a long history. The magic institute had a long history too. If I had to guess, many of the teachers stressed the importance of tradition.

“Hee hee, sorry for making things somewhat gloomy,” Kinera said. “If that’s all, I’ll be returning to the magic institute.”

“Yes. Good luck with your afternoon classes.”

Ah, so she’s going back to work. I was only responsible for the sword magic course, whereas she was a full-time teacher. Her schedule was definitely far busier than mine, and though I was grateful she’d spent her precious lunchtime with me, I also felt somewhat guilty about it. Still, she had gone out of her way to invite me, and it felt like a total waste to put an end to our association here. Kinera was also just a wonderful person, so I wanted to keep in touch.

“If the opportunity presents itself, let’s share another meal some time,” I said.

“Oh my.” Kinera grinned. “Then I assume you’ll be my escort? I’m looking forward to it.”

When she said that, my own smile became strained. “Ha ha ha... Please don’t be too hard on me.”

Hmm, I’m gonna have to look for a good restaurant. I could just walk around and look randomly, but maybe Lucy or Allucia can offer some advice.

“I’ll see you later, then,” Kinera said as she turned to leave.

“Yes, until next time.”

All right—what should I do with the rest of my day? I had some good food in my stomach, so now I wanted to burn a few calories. I’d arranged things with the order so that I would have a day off whenever I taught at the institute, so nobody would complain if I just went straight home. Still, I would feel restless if I just lazed around all day.

I haven’t explored much of the northern district... Maybe I can take a look around?

“Hm...?”

Suddenly, I heard the clang, clang of a bell resounding through the clear skies. It had a different ring to it than the institute’s chimes or a restaurant’s doorbell.

“Aah, that must be the church.”

I turned to the source of the sound and spotted the Church of Sphene sitting on a small hill in the distance. I hadn’t gone near it since the night raid involving Bishop Reveos, and I still didn’t know the full details of how that incident had been resolved. I’d heard from Gatoga that the bishop had indeed been punished, but what was the current status of the Church of Sphene in Baltrain?

The catalyst for the bishop’s arrest had been Lucy and Ibroy’s reckless request, and if not for Ficelle and Curuni’s assistance, the battle could’ve gone far worse. There was also the matter of that girl—the one I thought might’ve been Mewi’s sister.

That church isn’t good for my heart.

“But, hmmm... Guess I can at least drop by.”

I hadn’t met with Ibroy since that incident—mostly because our schedules had never lined up. Everything had also gotten quite chaotic due to the escort mission for Sphenedyardvania’s delegation. But I had the time to drop by now, and since it had been a while since the incident, the aftermath had surely been cleaned up. If Ibroy happens to be there too, maybe I can ask him about the present state of things.

And so, I decided to walk off my meal by going to the church. It wasn’t that far from the carriage stop in the northern district, and about the same distance away from the carriage stop to the magic institute. The church, institute, and palace were relatively close to each other, so traveling from one to the other was simple enough.

I strolled down the well-maintained stone pavement and let my eyes wander left and right. Unlike the central district, this place wasn’t crowded by multistory buildings, but that made tall buildings like the palace’s spire and the church stand out all the more. There was a moderate amount of pedestrian traffic compared to when I’d last come here at night, but the crowds weren’t on the level of the central or western districts. Still, it was bustling enough to live up to the reputation of Liberis’s capital.

On the way to the church, I greeted a member of the royal garrison who was on patrol.

“Good work today,” I said.

“Thank you. Going to worship? Take care.”

We were near the palace, so there were a lot of patrols. I regretted not going with a normal “hello” as a greeting—telling someone they were doing a good job when you first met them in the middle of the street sounded a little wrong. I’d just gotten in the habit of greeting members of the garrison this way because of the guards in front of the order’s office.

Fortunately, the man didn’t seem to think that my greeting was unnatural. He was a little older—definitely middle-aged—and he’d just taken it in stride and replied calmly. He was under the impression that my destination was the church, and though he had that right, I wasn’t going there for worship.

I’m actually an atheist.

I hadn’t always felt that way, of course. As a young child, I hadn’t possessed the kind of insight I had now. When was the last time I relied on God? It might’ve been that moment as a kid when I’d knocked over an entire plate of my mom’s cooking while trying to swipe some food. She’d scolded me really badly for it, but it had been less about the theft and more about all the food waste. That moment had lingered in my memories all this time, and I could recall it very, very vividly.

As a quick aside, this event from my past wasn’t the sole reason for my preferences about food, but it had definitely played a part. To this day, I remained pretty open-minded about food and strict about waste. I certainly attempted to eat anything I was served, and I tried to see the value in every meal.

Anyway, my prayers had gone unanswered—my mom had gotten insanely angry at me. So, instead of relying on God, I’d come to put my faith in my dad, mom, and the path of swordsmanship. This didn’t mean I denied religious faith and the gods that propped up people’s spirits. I just happened to have different beliefs.

“Oh, here we are.”

And as I reminisced over childhood memories, I arrived in front of the hill leading up to the church. During my last visit here, I hadn’t gone inside, and visibility had been poor due to it being nighttime. Now that I’d gotten a good look at the building, I could see that it was splendid.

The church was made of stone, and it looked like it’d been here for a long time. I pricked up my ears, but couldn’t hear anything beyond the thick doors. This wasn’t exactly the place to make a ruckus, so the silence wasn’t unnatural.

I took a quick glance around and saw that there were no corpses or bloodstains left. Everything had been cleaned up—civilians wouldn’t have been able to come here otherwise. I gave thanks to whoever had been responsible for cleaning the place up so well, then put a hand to the church’s door. It was far lighter than it looked. I pushed, and it opened easily, revealing the church’s interior.

“Oooh...”

Benches were systematically lined up in an expansive space where they held service. The statue in the back was probably a figure of Sphene. I glanced around and spotted a few of the faithful with their hands clasped in prayer and their heads bowed.

A man soon walked over to me. He looked to be about my age, and he had gentle features. He was wearing priest’s robes and holding a thick book—what I assumed to be his scriptures. He smiled at me gently.

“Good day to you. Have you come to pray?”

“Hello, pardon the intrusion,” I said. “Um...is Mr. Ibroy here?”

I felt a little guilty that I hadn’t come here to pray, but I nonetheless got right to business.

“Bishop Howlman?” the priest asked. “Excuse me, but may I ask your name?”

“Aah, yes. I believe he’ll understand if you tell him Beryl is here.”

Hm? Bishop? He said bishop, right? Ibroy isn’t a bishop, is he? Did he get promoted after all that fuss with Reveos? I was curious, but I wasn’t going to quip about it to the man in front of me.

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

The man bowed, then vanished into one of the side rooms. Since he’d asked me to wait, I figured that Ibroy must be here. I’d planned to give up and go on a stroll if he wasn’t, but it seemed I was going to get the chance to speak with him after all.

A while later, Ibroy appeared from farther inside the church.

“Hi there—sorry to keep you waiting,” he said. “Welcome to the church, Beryl.”

“Ah, hello.”

I was glad this had taken less time than expected—I’d been standing inside this worship hall on my own with nothing to do.

“I doubt you’re here to join our faith.” Ibroy chuckled. “Shall we talk further inside?”

As usual, his speech and conduct ran counter to my image of a devout believer. His frankness made him easier to interact with, but a part of me wondered whether his behavior was appropriate for a man of the cloth.

“I’m glad to see you in good health,” he said as he led the way.

“Thanks. You seem to be doing well too.”

I could sense people in the worship hall staring at us. It was hard to describe my relationship with Ibroy. I didn’t have to explain myself to strangers, but I could understand why our encounter looked weird. Here was an old man—not even one of the faithful—suddenly wanting to meet with the local bishop.

“Here, come on in.”

“Excuse me.”

He guided me to some kind of parlor. It was a snug little room farther back from the side rooms of the worship hall. As to be expected of a church, it wasn’t luxurious—it was simply furnished with only what was necessary, which was just the right atmosphere for two men having a chat.

“Well then, what brings you here today?” Ibroy asked as we took a seat. He then jokingly added, “Are you here to repent for your sins?”

“If only. I’d like to believe I’ve been leading a life of decent morals.”

Nothing came to mind that I needed to repent for. I’d spent the majority of my life holed up in the sticks living seriously—maybe even too seriously.

“Is that so? Oh yes, did my gift reach you safely?” Ibroy asked.

“It did. I’ve been putting them to good use.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

By gift, he was referring to the box that’d arrived containing money and some clothes for Mewi. Ah, so it had come from Ibroy. I’d put the money away in my personal savings, and as previously mentioned, the clothes were being put to good use. It would’ve been embarrassing to go buy clothes for a growing young girl.

“By the way,” I said, “I heard from the man earlier that you’re a bishop now.”

“It’s all thanks to you. I’m finally getting ahead in life.”

It turned out he really was a bishop. Was it something worth celebrating? I knew the backstory of his promotion, so I found it a little hard to celebrate.

“So? Did you have something you wanted to ask me?” Ibroy’s smile was as gentle and shady as when I’d first met him at Lucy’s house.

“I was just thinking that I have no idea what’s going on in Sphenedyardvania.”

Bishop Reveos’s arrest had been followed by the conflict between royalists and papists, and they’d used the royal sightseeing tour as a stage. I’d only been involved in a fraction of this power struggle, but having heard Lucy’s prediction, I had some interest in the outcome.

Lucy probably had information on this too, but she was part of Liberis’s magic corps. Ibroy was closer to Sphenedyardvania’s side of things. There was also Gatoga, though I figured it would be hard to get in touch with him—or rather, I had no idea how to. Going to Rose would be even more impossible. Things had to be hectic for her right now.

“Hmm. I’m a citizen of Liberis, you know?” Ibroy said with a chuckle.

As always, this old man looked very shrewd. I didn’t believe he was a villain or anything, but I would hesitate to say he was an indisputably good person either.

“But you know more than me, right?” I asked.

“I suppose I do.”

He wasn’t outright refuting me, but he seemed somewhat reluctant to speak on this topic. However, since I was involved, I believed I had a right to know, at least to a certain extent. I wanted to hear what he felt he could share with me.

“Well, let’s start with Bishop Reveos,” Ibroy said. “He was sent back to Sphenedyardvania to face trial. He avoided excommunication but was stripped of his rank as bishop. However...”

“However?”

Huh, so Bishop—or rather, former bishop—Reveos has been properly punished. That much I heard from Gatoga. I don’t know the minute details, but being stripped of a title is significant to anyone religious. It’s better than being excommunicated or executed, but it seems like there was more to the story.

Ibroy spoke again, pulling me out of my thoughts. “A while after the trial, he passed away in an accident. How pitiful.”

“That’s...”

I was speechless. An accident. That was likely putting it as mildly as possible. He’d been killed. The timing was simply too convenient.

“You’re awfully well-informed,” I said.

“It just happened to cross my ears.”

The fact that he’d gotten this information while remaining in Liberis had me curious about his authority and information network. He gave me an ambiguous smile. I wondered what Ibroy’s actual position was in Sphenedyardvania. He was pretty close to Lucy too.

“He broke the greatest taboo...” Ibroy said. “To the papists, and to the royalists.”

Now it made sense. Neither faction could allow his sacrilege to be made public. The royalists couldn’t overlook it, and while the papists had tacitly consented to it, that was only on the premise that it was kept an absolute secret. What was more, it would’ve been bad had Reveos declared he’d been under the papists’ protection. That was exactly why he’d been publicly stripped of his rank and why they’d eliminated him behind the scenes. It sounded nice to say that he’d sacrificed himself for his faith, but he’d been involved with human trafficking and violating the dead with magic.

“I believe it was the right choice to hire you,” Ibroy added. “The outcome might’ve been different if we had called the Holy Order.”

“That’s certainly true.”

Judging by what I’d heard from Gatoga and Rose, Reveos had been affiliated with the papists. If the Holy Order had been called to arrest him, the whole incident could’ve been hushed up, or in the worst case, Ibroy’s position in the church—or even his life—could’ve been in danger. Gatoga had called himself neutral, but there was no telling what each individual knight believed. Rose’s case had fully demonstrated that.

“By the way, Beryl,” Ibroy said after seeing my reaction. “How much do you know of Sphenedyardvania’s present situation?”

“Umm... I know there’s discord between the papists and royalists. That’s about it.”

“Hmm.”

I only knew that there was some kind of power struggle going on, and even that was borrowed knowledge from Lucy—I possessed no information of my own. I’d been on-site during the chaos, but I hadn’t been able to deduce any of the details or hidden facts.

“As far as I know, nothing has drastically changed since the incident,” Ibroy said. “Publicly, at least.”

That addendum probably meant that big moves were being made behind the scenes. A major incident had already occurred involving their neighboring nation’s royal family. If things weren’t getting even more serious now, then when would they?

“Meaning...things are already on the move?” I asked.

“Pretty much. It can’t really be made public, though.”

He had a point. However, even though our incident had involved Liberis’s princess, the uproar afterward had been minimal. As far as I knew, rumors had spread right after the commotion, but not to a great extent within Baltrain itself. Still, it hadn’t been forgotten, though maybe I was under that impression because I’d been directly involved—it’d been impactful enough that I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to.

“There should be major changes before long,” Ibroy said. “Especially considering what happened.”

“Given all of that, you seem awfully positive...”

“I’m a follower of the Church of Sphene, but not a citizen of Sphenedyardvania.”

“Right...”

It was hard to believe that this statement was coming from an adherent of Sphenedyardvania’s state religion. This old man was really something else. He made full use of the discrepancy between his status as a bishop of the Church of Sphene and his Liberion citizenship.

“At any rate, even a citizen of Sphenedyardvania’s who’d ascended to the seat of a bishop couldn’t avoid punishment,” Ibroy added. “That in itself is worth celebrating.”

That was the end of his information on Reveos. I’d seen Reveos’s evil deeds for myself, so none of this made me particularly uneasy. However, Rose seemed to have believed in Reveos and the pope, so there was definitely some kind of information control going on.

Still, Reveos hadn’t been able to avoid punishment. As a regular citizen, knowing that the justice system worked as intended was indeed worth celebrating.

Thinking back on it, there’d been no allusions to any of this during my meal with King Gladio at the palace. That dinner had been no more than a show of thanks, but from another perspective, they probably couldn’t talk about it in front of someone who had nothing to do with the world of politics. Or maybe it was simpler than that, and they hadn’t been at the point where they could say anything yet. I was pretty confident about my ability to keep a secret, but I wasn’t confident I could keep calm while listening to international matters of import.

Anyway, there was no point in me asking about this stuff. Knowing something I shouldn’t could pose a significant risk to my life. I felt it was best to leave it to Allucia and Henblitz.

“Also, if there are any movements among the Holy Order, I’d like to know,” I said.

“Hmm. Do you have an acquaintance there?”

“Well...yes, something like that.”

What I was currently most worried about was Rose’s fate. I couldn’t even rely on Allucia or Lucy to tell me what was happening with her—Rose’s circumstances were a secret between Gatoga and me. That made it sound like we were up to no good, but the truth was far crazier than most people would think. After all, she’d been the key figure behind the papists’ attempt to overthrow the royalists. The fact that she was the Holy Order’s lieutenant commander made it even worse.

However, it was hard to openly gather information on Rose, and it was anxiety-inducing to those who knew her situation. So, I’d had no choice but to ask Ibroy about it ambiguously. I didn’t have an issue with telling him I had an acquaintance there, but there was no telling how information could leak, so it was best to be careful.

“I don’t get much information on the Holy Order,” Ibroy said. “Oh, but I did get news that several in its upper echelon have changed.”

“Like the lieutenant commander, for example?”

“Hmm. You are well-informed.”

“I’m just guessing,” I said, dodging his inquiry.

“I see.”

I doubted he actually accepted my excuse, but he said no more and simply nodded. The fact that he didn’t deny it meant Rose had definitely stepped down from her position, and he’d even implied that there was a new lieutenant commander already. I can imagine the headache Gatoga must be enduring. He’d had three lieutenants in a short period: Hinnis, Rose, and whoever the new person was.

But nobody knew more than that. It wasn’t like I could prod Ibroy about Rose’s whereabouts. I gave it some careful thought—the prevailing story was probably that Rose had stepped down due to her injuries and had subsequently retired.

Where was she now, and what was she doing? I was worried, but she was a strong girl. This old man’s concerns would be nothing but a bother to her. If possible, though, I wanted her to be able to find a new purpose in life.

“Is there anything else?” Ibroy asked. “It’s about time for afternoon prayer.”

“No, that’s it. Sorry for taking up your time.”

“I don’t mind. After all, I intend to maintain close ties with you.”

“Ha ha ha...”

With that, Ibroy once more put on his gentle, shady smile. Hmm. He’s connected to Lucy, so I’m pretty sure he isn’t a bad person, but I’d rather not get more involved than this. I can go without being used in such a reckless way again.

“Oh yes, is Mewi doing well?” Ibroy asked.

“Yes. She’s currently studying at the magic institute.”

“Is that so? That’s wonderful news.”

It turned out Ibroy really did know about Mewi for some reason. I hadn’t told him, so Lucy must’ve shared some information. Well, he was familiar with Lucy’s home and acquainted with Haley, and since Mewi had lived there for a short spell, it wasn’t strange for him to know about her. Still, a selfish part of me didn’t want Mewi getting too close to him.

I was reluctant to fully trust this man. What made it worse was the fact that Ibroy seemed to be acting this way on purpose. I’d met a lot of new people since coming to Baltrain. Back in Beaden, I’d gotten by just knowing my pupils, but that wasn’t going to fly anymore. It would be one thing if I was alone, but I wanted to avoid dragging Mewi into unnecessary trouble. Not that I was saying Ibroy was up to no good or anything.

“I’ll see you to the door,” Ibroy said. “If anything happens, feel free to come to the church. And if there’s something you want to repent for, I’ll be glad to hear you out.”

“Ha ha, I’ll pray that never happens.”

We rose from our seats and walked to the church’s front doors. I didn’t feel remorse about anything right now. Just as I’d told him, I could only pray I would never need the confession booth.