I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Ladyblue

THE DAY after we finished the sparring quest, we left the Trade Fleet and headed northeast in a straight line. It was the fastest route to the Magic Academy.

I didn’t think we would just happen to run into the Trade Fleet like that.

“Hm. That was neat.”

“Woof!”

I’ve never seen so many ships docked in one place.

Looking at Lake Vivian as we left really drove home just how big it was. It might even be been bigger than Lake Biwa…not that I’d know for sure, considering I never saw Lake Biwa in person. The most I’d seen of it was as the backdrop for Japan’s Birdman Rallies…

In any case, Lake Vivian was definitely big enough that we couldn’t see the other side.

“Woof, woof!”

“Run through the waters, Jet!”

“Bark, bark!”

Jet deliberately took a route over the waters, splashing through the lake as he ran. Fran and I got totally soaked in the process, but she seemed to enjoy it. She asked him to do it again.

“A rainbow!”

“Awoo!”

After splashing about, we took to the skies and headed north. Belioth was mountain country. Seeing all the variety of height and depth made for a breathtaking trip.

“…?” 

In the middle of our sky joyride, Fran noticed something in the distant clouds.

What’s up?

“What’s that?”

Huh? Oh, it’s finally here! That’s a sky isle.

Fran had spotted a gigantic mass of clouds hovering higher than all the others. Within it was the shadow of an island.

“A sky isle…”

That’s right.

We had explored one such sky isle once with the necromancer, Jean. This isle lacked a dungeon, however. I’d checked that out all the way back in Alessa.

“Does that mean there aren’t any strong monsters?”

Quite the contrary. That is where the S-Rank haunt called the Sky Dragon’s Bed is located. It’s one of the most dangerous spots in the world, home to A-Threat monsters.

If anything, it was more dangerous than some dungeons. No one knew how it came to be, but there was a great waterfall which rushed down from the island. According to the island’s explorers, the river it originated from was about a hundred meters in width, but the water that spilled from the island never reached the ground, dissipating before it got the chance. There were similar waterfalls on Earth which lacked a basin, like Angel Falls. I could only assume that a similar phenomenon was happening here.

The water from the waterfall probably became the clouds surrounding the sky isle. Within those clouds lay a powerful dragon called the Sky Dragon.

“Sky Dragon?”

Correct. It is speculated that only ten are in existence.

But the sky dragons didn’t do much harm to the kingdom. Apparently, they couldn’t live on land and so had to stay in their giant clouds. Still, combat data gathered by adventurers infiltrating the Sky Dragon’s Bed showed that their breath attack had enough reach to destroy highways on land.

There aren’t many accounts of people slaying them, so we don’t know how strong they really are.

It was only an A-Threat because all the other dragon types were A-Threats. Pretty much a placeholder. And so only A-Ranks and above were allowed to explore the Sky Dragon’s Bed. Though honestly, most of them got knocked out of the sky by the monsters living in the sea of clouds before they even got to the sky isle.

Even if they managed to get there, adventurers didn’t bother challenging the sky dragon. No—their objective was its den. Adventurers gathered scales, whiskers, beards, and whatever they could get their hands on before escaping.

There was a possibility they’d be attacked by several sky dragons, and they wouldn’t have an escape route if that happened. The haunt was unfavorable to say the least, and actually picking a fight with a sky dragon might as well be suicide.

If you’re lucky, you might be able to catch a sky dragon flying through the clouds.

“Really?”

Yeah.

“What’s it look like?”

Apparently, it has a slender, serpentine body that’s a hundred meters long.

The sky dragon wasn’t a western-style dragon, but eastern. Unlike their warrior-like draconic counterparts, these serpentine dragons possessed more powerful magic and Skills. They were similar in all other respects, but this one difference was huge.

On a clear day, you can see them shine in the distance because of their golden scales.

“Hm…I can’t see a thing.”

“Arf…”

They’re still super rare, after all. But we should be able to see that huge cloud from anywhere in Eastern Belioth. Maybe we’ll see a sky dragon next time.

Fran and Jet carried on, looking up at the Sky Dragon’s Bed. They were so fixated on it that they stumbled, slowed down, and even screwed up the altitude to the point where Fran almost fell off Jet. And not once did they see a sky dragon.

But at least they were having fun. Even their mistakes felt fresh and new. Fran had a lot of leftover energy from the training she’d undergone, making her battle junkie tendencies even worse. These relaxing episodes were important as a counterbalance.

I can see a town ahead.

“Is that the Magic Academy? It’s huge.”

No, no. The Magic Academy is the tower at the center of it…though, yeah, it is pretty huge. Anyway, surrounding it is an ordinary city.

It looked as if the town had developed around the Magic Academy. Kind of like a university town.

That’s Ladyblue, the city containing the Magic Academy.

“Blue? Doesn’t look blue to me.”

The town is named after Winalene, who is renowned as the most powerful ocean mage in the world.

“I see.”

You had to be really famous to have a town named after you. I just hoped that Fran wouldn’t be rude to its namesake!

Fran and Jet increased their speed as we got closer to the city. Seen from above, Ladyblue was a messy sprawl, its roads enmeshed with all the complexity of a spider’s web and a total disregard for city planning. I’d originally intended to memorize the roads from above, but I quickly gave up. There was no way I was going to commit this maze to memory.

We got inside and found that it was even more complex at ground level. We should have been able to reach the important buildings by sticking to the main street, but…

Why do I feel like we just made this exact mistake?

“Hm?”

Remember back in Granzell’s capital when we didn’t stay on the main road? We got lost.

“Something smelled good.” Fran answered my question with a tasty waffle in her hand.

“Worf!” Jet was chewing on three waffles at once.

We had been planning to stick to the main street…but Fran followed her nose and took a sudden turn down another road. Fortunately, we still managed to find her food stall in the end.

The capital of Granzell was filled with a regular labyrinth of roads, and Ladyblue was no slouch in this respect. But the buildings here were different enough to give the city its own unique character. Granzell’s capital had a Mediterranean look to it. Ladyblue, on the other hand, looked like an old English town—not that I’d ever been to England. But it definitely looked the part. 

I once saw a documentary about The Beatles featuring downtown Liverpool and the surrounding countryside. This town looked a lot like that. Buildings made of red brick, countryside with forests and streams left intact…it all invoked a feeling of nostalgia. Granted, now wasn’t the time for getting sappy about a Beatles doc.

We’re completely lost.

“Hm.”

You asked the old lady at the store for directions, right?

“I did.”

Why didn’t you follow them?

“It’s more interesting this way.”

I see.

“Hm!”

The road Fran took had crawl spaces, cramped steps which would wear out the elderly, and green tunnels made of overhanging trees—enough to light the adventurous fire in a child’s heart. Fran and Jet enjoyed themselves as they explored the city. You could even say that they got lost on purpose.

Well, it’s not like we’re in a rush. I wanted to stop by the Adventurers’ Guild first, but it’s not like we have to check in.

Besides, I was beginning to enjoy our little adventure myself. The apartment buildings faded and gave way to houses, and I enjoyed seeing how each one decorated its lawn differently. Each house had its own English garden.

We continued our trek through town when Fran suddenly came to a stop and pointed.

“Teacher, check it out.”

What is it, Fran?

“That building’s crazy.”

Fran was pointing at a unique building a short distance away from us. It really was crazy.

The three-story house had a tree growing out of it. And it wasn’t like they just decided to have a rooftop garden, either. No, there was a hole in the roof from which the giant tree stuck out. Looking at it closely, there were branches growing out of the second- and third-floor windows. Had the tree just grown into the house?

That wasn’t the only thing that surprised us. There was actually laundry being dried there. Someone was really living in the house.

We got closer to it and found yet another surprise: a sign in front of the building that called it The Old Evergreen. Apparently, this was an inn. Was it actually still in business? Who would pay to stay in a place like this?

“Let’s go, Jet!”

“Woof!”

Fran, wait!

Fran charged the inn with shining eyes. We didn’t even know what this place was yet!

“Wow.”

“Woof.”

Fran and Jet, now medium sized, looked at the giant tree from the lawn. The tree looked like a camphor, with branches spread so wide over the inn that it made for a second roof.

Satisfied with the sight, Fran moved to open the door to the inn. The wooden door was old, but well-cared-for. “Wow.”

At this point, I’d lost count of all the shocks we’d gotten.

“The tree’s in here, too.”

Of course. I understand your surprise, though.

The tree’s trunk was much thicker than I’d thought. The inn was quite sizable, but most of its space was dominated by the tree itself, which stood dead center as if enshrined there. The floor was a wood deck, uneven and bumpy to accommodate the growth of the roots. Clearly, the tree’s needs came first.

“Oh, are you a guest?”

“Who are you?” asked Fran.

“I asked you first.”

“Fran. Adventurer.”

“Ah, I see.” 

As Fran was pinned at the entrance, a small old elf lady came to talk to her. When did she get here? Had she always been here and we just hadn’t noticed? 

“I’m the owner of this inn. Will you be staying with us?”

“Hm! One night!”

Wait, you wanna stay here?

Hm!

We hadn’t even found the Adventurers’ Guild yet, but Fran had fallen in love with the place.

I think this was my first time seeing an old elf. Elves spent most of their lifetime in a youthful state, but they aged similarly to humans in the last hundred years of their life. Most elves retreated into themselves at this time and fell into a long, deep sleep to prolong their life, which meant an elderly elf working in town was quite the rare sight.

“That’ll be five hundred gold. Breakfast and dinner included.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and I must warn you. Misfortune will befall you if you harm the great tree. I hope we’re clear on that.”

The great tree, huh? I wondered if it was a rare species or something. Fran asked and was told that the tree was home to a spirit the old lady had formed a contract with.

“They are very kind, as long as you don’t cause mischief,” she said.

“Do you think I’ll get to see them?”

“I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. You’ll have a better chance if you’re a good girl.”

“Then I’ll be a good girl.”

The old elf laughed. “I’m happy to hear it.”

She led us to our room, which was surprisingly ordinary. Clean bed, simple interior. My fear that the room would be overtaken by branches was unfounded. It seemed the old elf didn’t just commune with the spirit in the tree—the spirit actually mapped its growth to the dimensions of the inn. This kept the guest rooms clear of greenery…but the gigantic root was just a given.

“It’s a good room.”

“Woof!”

You seem to really like this place.

“Hm! It smells good, like we’re in the forest.”

For a girl who grew up with nature like Fran, an inn with the atmosphere of a forest made her feel right at home in the big city. She sat on the bed and took a deep breath.

Before long, we left The Old Evergreen and resumed our journey to the Magic Academy.

So this is the Magic Academy, is it? It’s big, all right. Tall.

“Pointy.”

“Woof.”

We’d thought about dropping by the Adventurers’ Guild beforehand, but we were much closer to the Academy than I thought. We looked for a vantage point to get a better view. Climbing a narrow staircase five hundred steps long, we found a spot which overlooked all of Ladyblue. The Academy was very close.

We somehow managed to get lost on our way there, so things took longer than expected, even though the inn was only about three to four hundred meters away. Going by air would’ve trimmed that journey down to five minutes, admittedly, but I didn’t want to rob Fran and Jet of their fun.

Waffles were the local delicacy in Ladyblue, and we found a lot of good shops. Not only were there savory fillings like ham and cheese, but some of the waffles were made with some truly savory batter. Ladyblue looked like it had some interesting cuisine. Maybe I’d try to whip up some food myself if we had the downtime.

As for the freshwater fish curry Fran wanted to eat, I had actually come up with a few straightforward recipes for her. Given the great variety of fish in the lake, we’d left with a ton of ingredients.

First, there was eel curry. Peppers were pretty cheap in Belioth, so I used quite a few on some kabayaki grilled eel. Imagine hitsumabushi, but with curry. I thought I had gone too far this time, but Fran lapped it up no problem. Curry really was the greatest dish ever made.

Next, I made carp curry, which turned out to be regular fish curry. It was nothing new, and I think I overdid it with the spice to cover up the muddy taste of the fish…but it turned out to be a big hit with Jet all the same. Refining this recipe might be worth it.

Let’s look for the entrance.

“Hm.”

We now stood before the outer walls of the Magic Academy. Even from here, the spires within were visible. There were over ten of them, each as slender as an office building. There might even be more once we got inside.

Castles, fortresses, and military installations aside, buildings weren’t usually built this high. At first, I thought they did it in order to save space—but that didn’t seem to be true. We still couldn’t find the entrance, despite walking for some time. Now that I thought about it, the Academy did look like it occupied a quarter of the city when viewed from the outside. Ladyblue itself was big enough to be considered a city, so the Academy was probably bigger than an average town.

I thought of Kierlazen and imagined the Magic Academy dwarfing the town.

“Should we…go up? Someone might come get us.”

“Woof.”

Was Fran trying to break in so security would come fetch us? Jeez, that was pretty extreme! She really did have a lot of pent-up energy. What if I let her do it? She was starting to look bored, and there were no signs of a break in the walls…

No, still a bad idea. We were going to be here for a while, so we’d best not cause trouble.

N-no!

“No?”

No!

“Okay.”

So why was she grinning? It was faint, but I could see it. Anyway, no means no! It’d be hard for us to move around if Fran got a reputation as a troublemaker from day one.

Besides, this was no ordinary wall. There was an aura of mana around it, so it was probably enchanted with security magic. Fran knew this, of course. She wanted to take advantage of it by tripping the barrier and summoning security.

However, now that I had Mana Command SP, I felt a second mana signature. The wall’s security magic concealed another enchantment. I couldn’t tell what it was, but springing it could only cause trouble. We weren’t going to be spell-test dummies, thank you very much. Best stick to the road.

And that is that, Fran.

“Hm. All right.”

We kept following the wall until we found a part that wasn’t a wall…though it wasn’t a gate, either.

“Is that the one?”

It looks like an entrance. But why is it so small?

We’d finally made it to an entrance of the Magic Academy, but it was tiny compared to the wall. It was probably something akin to a service door.

Looks like we found the back door. A staff entrance, maybe.

“What now?”

We could keep looking for the main gates, but let’s check this place out first. And have Aristea’s letter ready.

“Okay.”

Jet…I guess you’re fine the way you are.

“Woof.”

Better to have him out in the open than hidden in the shadows. Cut down on introduction time.

“Hey.”

That’s “excuse me”!

“Excuse me.”

Back door this might be, but it was still manned. Fran called out to the man inside.

“Yes? How may I help you?”

He was a gentle-looking middle-aged man. Could someone like that really work security? But the Academy was very stringent with their hiring process.

“I’m here for a quest.”

“Oh, are you an adventurer? Strange that we would outsource…”

“Hm?”

“Oh, excuse me. May I know the nature of your quest?”

It looked like we were on the right track. Fran gave the guard Aristea’s letter of introduction.

“Dueling classes. Details are in the letter.”

“If you’ll excuse me, let’s see here… Huh?” 

The guard looked startled as he read the letter. I couldn’t blame him. Its contents were probably something like “I’m writing this letter to inform you that the person carrying it is the instructor the headmistress is looking for.”

And Fran didn’t look anything like a dueling instructor.

Still, Aristea’s name should have been on it, and she was a known instructor in the Academy. What’s more, the letter rested in an envelope carefully produced by the Academy.

“Do you have your adventurer’s card?”

“Yeah. Here.”

“Let me just verify this.”

After examining it, the guard turned to a small window by his side and started talking to somebody on the other side. He then turned back to Fran.

“May I borrow this letter for a bit?”

“Hm. Sure.”

“Thank you.”

The guard handed the somebody the letter and returned Fran her card. “Someone else will come to see you. I ask for your patience.” His attitude completely changed. He’d treated Fran like a child earlier, but now she was honored like a guest.

Fran got the letter back and waited in front of the gate. I wondered who would come get us. We waited for about five minutes until we saw a man appear behind the gate.

“This is the one, Professor,” said the guard.

“Hello, there,” the Professor said. “Sorry for the wait. Are you the adventurer Aristea mentioned?”

“Hm.”

“Mind if I see her letter?”

“Sure.”

“Uh-huh…” 

The new arrival was a young, shallow-looking half-elf with a flirtatious air to him. He looked like he was in his late teens, but his elvish blood meant he was probably older than he looked. He read Aristea’s letter of introduction, though his frivolous appearance made it look like he was only skimming.

“Hmm…well, whatever. Right this way.”

He sounded dismissive as ever, even after reading the letter. But judging by the security guard’s treatment of him, he was well respected. Best do as we were told.

We went through a door and down a passageway with low ceilings. The outer walls were thick enough that the path into the Academy was like a tunnel. 

I watched as the man led Fran inside. He had a lot of mana, but his footwork was amateur, leading me to believe he was some kind of specialized researcher. I didn’t know his rank, but the security guard had called him “Professor,” which at least made him a lecturer.

“I am Coltandilou,” he said. “Just call me Colt.”

“Adventurer Fran. This is Jet.”

“Wolves are great, aren’t they? They’re obedient. They make for fabulous fighters and lookouts. You can even snuggle against them for warmth at night.”

“Jet’s the best.”

“Woof, woof!”

He laughed. “I can see you’re great friends.”

We followed Colt out of the tunnel and were greeted with a sight far stranger and more majestic than I could have imagined. Not only were there grasslands and ponds on the campus, but forests and high mountains as well. Those must’ve come in handy for classes.

Looking further, I also saw a snow-capped mountain that was a mere ten meters tall. I felt mana emanating from it, so it was either made of or maintained with magic. In front of the forest was a pond with a canal leading inside. Given the size of the forest, there might be an even bigger pond inside.

The Magic Academy sure lived up to its name.

At the center of all this unnatural nature stood a gigantic construct. The towers visible from the outside, and the interlocking pathways and buildings, all seemed to connect to this one superstructure.

“Whoa.”

Colt nodded. “Pretty neat, huh? It’s still under construction, so it’s only going to get bigger as the years go by. And it all started with that little tower over there.”

He pointed to an old, shabby-looking tower in the middle of the other towers. It was about fifteen meters tall, with walls so blackened that their original color was lost and vines creeping all over. The windows were too small to see what was going on inside.

The old tower stood alone, unconnected to the rest of the superstructure. I couldn’t believe that the Magic Academy had sprouted from something so tiny.

“Huh. When was that built?”

“It’s been there for over two thousand years, they say,” said Colt. “It was originally the headmistress’ laboratory.”

A high elf laboratory—not a book you should judge by its cover. There was an enchantment on it that preserved its current state. Who could say what wonders hid within such ancient stone?

“Anyway, that place is off-limits to everyone save the headmistress and a select few others. We’re headed this way.”

“Hm.”

Colt led us down another tunnel to a small building right by where said tunnel ended. Well, I say small, but it was still three stories high. It was just small in comparison to the rest of the Academy.

“This is the guardhouse. They have equipment which can verify your identity. We just need to authenticate your adventurer card. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Hm. No problem.”

“Sorry about this. I’m not much of a fighter, but I can sense your magic. I know there’s more to you than meets the eye, but that’s exactly why we need to make sure you are who you say you are.”

Meaning he wouldn’t have needed to bother if Fran had been a weakling.

Colt touched the now-familiar crystal to Fran’s adventurer card. This magical piece of equipment was pretty much this world’s equivalent of a card reader.

“Thank you, that’ll be all.”

“Hm? That’s it?”

“Yep. You’re good.”

“You’re not verifying the letter?”

That kind of bugged me, too. If the recommendation turned out to be fake, then it didn’t matter whether Fran was a real adventurer. They should at least have needed to verify the handwriting or seal, right?

But Colt had merely skimmed the letter. He clearly hadn’t taken the time to read the whole thing at the entrance. Had he identified the handwriting and scanned the letter for fingerprints in that short amount of time?

But Colt only laughed as he returned the letter to Fran. “Sorry, sorry. We finished verifying the letter, too. It’s written on special paper, see. All it needs is a special fluid to check its authenticity.”

The Academy had specially provided Aristea with the stationery she needed to write her letter.

“The letter is real and you’re a high-rank adventurer,” he continued. “I don’t see any problems here, do you? Although, there is still an interview…”

O-oh? An interview? No…of course there would be an interview. Even if Fran was filling a temporary position, this was still a mammoth institute. Could she handle this? Interviews sounded like something Fran would be awful at. I guess she did have Royal Etiquette. 

All she needed, then, was for me to guide her through the process. I didn’t get a job during an employment ice age for nothing. Granted, that was a lifetime ago, and I didn’t remember half of The Keys to a Successful Interview, but I was still more experienced than Fran. This would be easy. Probably.

Just as I was getting all enthused, we were told the interview would be conducted at a later date.

“Really sorry. The headmistress is supposed to interview you personally, but she’s away from the Academy at the moment. I think she’ll be back tomorrow or the day after.”

“The headmistress? You mean the high elf?”

“That’s the one. She’s not here right now.”

The headmistress herself would be interviewing us?! Considering the size of the Academy, she must have taken time out of her busy schedule. No wonder she didn’t know when she would be coming back, considering how much was on her plate.

“Okay. So what do I do now?”

“Do you have a place to stay? We can provide accommodations if you don’t.”

“I do.”

“Oh, where are you staying?”

“The Old Evergreen.”

Fran’s answer startled Colt. “R-really? There?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. But the owner is known for being difficult. She won’t let you stay there if she doesn’t like you. I’m impressed.”

“She was just a regular old lady.”

“Woof.”

The owner was a kindhearted old elf lady, as far as Fran and Jet were concerned. Were we really talking about the same person?

“I-I see. Well, okay. I’ll send someone for you once the headmistress returns.”

“Okay.”

Once Fran cleared the interview, she would officially be a lecturer for a respectable academy—not that we had any ambitions of becoming a lecturer for a living. But it was still a challenge, and Fran and I were enthused to tackle it.

The Adventurers’ Guild is next.

“Hm. Say, where’s the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Right, I suppose you would need to check in. It’s hard to explain—let me draw you a map.”

“Thanks.”

A map was very much appreciated. It would take a while before we got used to this town. 

As one might expect of a teacher, the map Colt drew us was quite detailed, showing both main roads and backstreets along with clearly designated landmarks. The Adventurers’ Guild could be easily reached by sticking to the main road, but Fran and Jet, preferring a challenge, went down the first alley they came across to continue their exploration. Jeez, just because we had a map didn’t mean they had to try to get lost!

Still…Ladyblue was beautiful, so I understood getting a little sidetracked. Killifish were swimming in the waterways and potted plants decorated the walls by the road. Flowers bloomed on overgrown gates, attracting pretty little butterflies. Everywhere you looked, there was beauty.

And, maybe due to our proximity to the Academy, there were no signs of the city’s underbelly. Presumably, any suspicious characters were dealt with by the Academy.

As we snacked from stall to stall along the way, we eventually took an exit back to a main street. The Adventurers’ Guild should’ve been nearby. According to the map, it was a mere hundred meters away…but we saw no building that fit the bill.

The guild was supposed to be big enough to be visible from afar. Choosing to trust the map, we kept walking until eventually we found it. It had a sign on the outside and everything.

But Fran tilted her head when she saw it. “It looks kinda plain.”

“Woof.”

She’d been expecting the guild to match the grandiosity of the city. The Adventurers’ Guild, however, was an ordinary red-brick building. It was big, but not gigantic, and it didn’t stand out compared to the rest of the architecture.

Let’s go inside.

“Hm.”

“Woof.”

She opened the door and found the interior to be as ordinary as the facade. Everything was standard-issue Adventurers’ Guild stuff, from floor to ceiling to reception area. It could’ve been a guild at any other town. There were your usual adventurers thinking about what quests to take, your average adventurers wasting their time negotiating with the receptionist for better material prices, all the usual suspects.

But there was one group which stood out from all the rest.

“Kids?”

I think they’re a little older than you. Probably Academy students.

They wore leather cloaks of good make, adorned on the shoulder with emblems depicting raging waves. The design looked familiar… Right, I’d definitely seen it on the Academy banners and emblazoned on the back door.

And in addition to the students at the counters, there were others at the quest board. The ones not wearing Academy cloaks were probably rookie adventurers. Apparently, students were allowed to be adventurers here. Was that even allowed? Guess it must’ve been, considering how flagrantly they were wearing their school emblems inside the guild.

Doesn’t explain why they’re doing it, though.

Experience grinding? Gold farming? Good old-fashioned fieldwork? All these questions would be answered once Fran became their instructor.

There are a lot of weird requests.

There are a lot of requests period. A lot of mundane stuff, too.

That one says exorcism.

Is that a ghost extermination? Sounds like something else…

This was a big city with a lot of errands and chores on its quest board. There were combat quests too, and requests for people to exterminate both rats and crows. A condemned building hosted an exorcism job, another job required killing a blood-sucking monster… It was all so outlandish that it made me wonder if the targets even existed, especially because the listed rewards were super low.

And one about…finding a missing acquaintance?

Probably kidnapped by a mysterious stranger…

Funny you should say that. This one says “Catch the mysterious stranger.”

And look at this one. “Catch mysterious stranger wandering at night”?

Was Ladyblue facing an epidemic of mysterious strangers? There were other mysterious stranger quests, too, though the only description that carried through every one of them was that the stranger was dressed in black. Judging by the low rewards, it was all too apparent that the guild didn’t take them seriously.

Anyway, let’s check in.

If Fran passed her interview, we’d be staying in this town for a while, which meant she’d have to register at the local guild to let them know of her stay. While not required, registering was highly recommended. Knowing the locations of all the high-rank adventurers in the area came in handy in an emergency.

“Hey.”

“Hello and welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. What brings you here today?”

“Hm. I’m just checking in since I might be staying here for a while. Here’s my card.”

“Oh, I see. Let me just verify that for you.” The receptionist took Fran’s card and was immediately startled. But her professional smile soon returned to her lips. “I-I’ll go get my superior. Please wait a moment.”

“Okay.”

She had probably thought Fran was a rookie posing as a high-rank. Still, I appreciated the receptionist’s unwavering smile. Their ability to keep up a smile was basically how you judged the level of any given receptionist. This one was intermediate.

Fran waited in front of the desk and soon enough we felt someone come up behind us. I thought they wanted to speak to the receptionist, but they stopped right behind Fran.

“Excuse me,” the someone said.

“What?”

A blonde beauty, slightly older than Fran, had called out to her. She wore an Academy cloak. A powerful enchanted sword hung at her waist. But the girl had one feature in particular which left me captivated.

W-wow! Blonde drills! She has blonde drills!

The girl wore her blonde hair in straight rolls. I had never seen one up close before. She had the air of a rich and cultured girl, too.

Blonde drills and exposed forehead! Is she gonna do that “Oho ho ho!” noblewoman laugh too? Please! C’mon, pleaaaase!

I couldn’t hold back my excitement.

Teacher, what is it?

I, uh… It’s the hair, you know…

Her hair? It’s blonde.

D-don’t mind me. I just don’t get to see this kind of hair too often.

Uh-huh.

Made sense that Fran wasn’t interested, but this was the most excited I’d been since learning about the existence of maids and butlers in this world.

I Identified her. Carona River, sixteen years old and an actual noble. You’d be punished for having this kind of hair if you were a commoner. She was an E-Rank who could use fire and water magicks, but both only at level 3. Her melee skills weren’t anything to write home about, but she had Everyday Magic and Presence Sense, quintessential Skills for fieldwork. The rest of the students had these basic survival Skills too, so maybe it was taught at the Academy.

E-Rank she might be, but she was obviously an E-Rank on the rise. There was always a demand for magic users.

“What?”

Fran put her guard up and looked at the blonde. She could tell that Carona wasn’t hostile towards her, but there was a hint of frustration and annoyance in the noblewoman’s voice.

“No, not ‘what’.” Blonde Drills sighed. “Students of the Academy are required to wear their cloaks while embarking on quests. Your attire is breaking school protocol.”

She had mistaken Fran for a student of the Academy and was warning her of her breach of school policy.

“Where is your cloak?” she asked.

“Don’t have one.” Fran could’ve been a little more articulate. She made it sound as if she didn’t have one with her at the moment.

“Then I cannot let you go on like this. Return to the Academy at once.”

Still misunderstanding, Blonde Drills grabbed Fran’s arm to drag her out of the guild. Fran clearly didn’t know whether to push her away or not; the student’s heart was obviously in the right place, but…

Instead, Fran braced herself and held her ground. “Hrmp.”

“What’s this? You’re quite strong! But please, stop resisting and come quietly. You might get a scolding later. You don’t want that, do you?” Blonde Drills looked at Fran the way you would look at a stubborn child, but she hadn’t raised her voice so far—maybe she was nicer than she looked.

“…Mrgh.”

“…Hrngh.”

As Fran and Drills continued their quiet test of strength, a man emerged from further within the guild. He was a handsome guy, maybe in his late twenties…or maybe not, because he was an elf. Still, he definitely had the air of a seasoned veteran, with combat proficiency as a fighter and more mana than the average mage. He was also great at concealing his presence, making him a true all-rounder.

The man quickly walked to the receptionist and they talked in hushed whispers. “The alarm went off. What’s the emergency?”

Apparently, reception could buzz the Guildmaster if there was an emergency. Very useful in case of robberies. Not that anyone would be stupid enough to rob an Adventurers’ Guild.

“A high-rank adventurer says she’ll be staying in town for a while.”

“Yeah? What rank?”

“B, sir.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s that girl over there.”

The receptionist pointed at Fran, whom Drills was currently trying to convince to return to the Academy. The Guildmaster took one look at the situation and figured out what was going on.

“Sorry, do you have a sec?”

“And you are?” asked Drills. “I’m sorry, but we’re in the middle of something.”

“I’ve got some business with that girl.”

“Oh? What kind of business? I am the girl’s guardian.” Drills stepped in front of Fran to cover for her, an upperclassman protecting her underclassman. 

The Guildmaster looked quite young, after all—young enough to be mistaken for a thug who might pick on a child adventurer. Drills was low-rank, so she didn’t recognize who he was.

“Her guardian? Really?” he repeated.

“…No?” Fran broke in.

Drills blinked. “Huh?”

Fran hesitated, not wanting to embarrass Drills. Things had spiraled out of control because of her lack of communication skills to the point that the Guildmaster was involved. Drills—I mean, Carona—looked so startled when Fran pulled away from her that I just felt bad for the girl.

“Figures. The name’s Kinavarro. I’m the Guildmaster here.”

“Huh?” Carona looked from the Guildmaster to Fran and back.

“Hm. Adventurer Fran.”

“What?”

“Didn’t think we’d get a nickname bearer in these parts. Glad to have you on board.”

“Whaaaaaaat?!” Blonde Drills was so shocked that Fran bowed her head to her.

“Sorry.”

Sorry about the awkwardness, Blonde Drills. She stayed pinned to the floor as Fran climbed the stairs. There she remained as Fran entered the office and left her behind.

“Have a seat.”

“Hm.”

“And don’t worry about that nice young lady. I’ll talk to her later. Make her feel better.”

He’d read Fran pretty well for a first meeting. No wonder he’d made Guildmaster—the guy was observant. Maybe even observant enough to notice my existence.

“You’re not mad at her?” asked Fran.

“Ha ha ha! If anything, I’m impressed. Not every day someone would stand up for her underclassman to protect her from a creep. And besides, the whole thing was a silly misunderstanding. That being said—” The Guildmaster took a long look at Fran. “To the untrained eye, you do look like a helpless little beastgirl in need of protection. Hard to gauge how strong you are from your gear, too.”

Fran’s gear did look like it wasn’t much more than a frilly set of armor.

“Your sword stands out…” he continued, “but it could be another piece of junk someone bamboozled you into buying. Rookies like buying flashy gear. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.”

Carona had thought of Fran as either an underclassman or a rookie adventurer trying to fake her way through with fancy gear. What an unflattering first impression!

“Anyway, what’s the famous Black Lightning Princess doing here? I hear you’re planning to stay with us for a while, too.”

His rough, casual speech only added to his charm. It just made him look like a bad boy elf. Elves really had all the luck.

“I’m working as an instructor at the Magic Academy.”

“For real?”

“Maybe,” added Fran.

“Maybe? You don’t know if you’re getting the job?”

“Hm.”

“You lost me, Fran.”

Fran gave him a rundown of the situation. An acquaintance had ties to the Magic Academy, said acquaintance was looking for a dueling instructor for the Academy, and Fran turned out to be a suitable candidate. So she came to Ladyblue, introduction letter in hand.

“I see. So that’s what happened.”

“I went to the Academy today, but they said the interview will have to wait.”

The Guildmaster groaned. “The interview’s no easy thing.”

“Really?”

“Yep. There are only about thirty Academy-appointed adventurers in Ladyblue.”

“Academy-appointed?”

“That’s right. They’re adventurers the Academy entrusts with their students.”

A portion of Magic Academy students were allowed to operate as adventurers. Of course, they needed to fulfill certain criteria before they could register. There were also very strict rules regarding what quests they could take. They weren’t allowed to take E-Rank quests alone, and an Academy-appointed adventurer accompanied them to keep students from dying in the field. Said appointees earned a sizable yearly salary in exchange for their services, making the position highly sought after in Ladyblue.

“Student adventurers have already passed the Academy’s stringent tests. You rarely get troublemakers.”

That’s why the job wasn’t considered so much as babysitting a bunch of brats as it was coaching newbie adventurers. These were valuable newbies, too—ones who could use magic and actually wanted to learn. Combine that with the hefty salary and the regular quest rewards, and it was easy to see why the position was so popular.

But not everyone could get Academy-appointed. The Academy ran thorough background checks on all candidates under whose protection they’d be placing their students, starting with their personality and abilities, then moving on to family and personal history. Finally, only adventurers who passed the headmistress’ interview could become Academy-appointed.

This interview was notorious for being incredibly difficult.

“She’ll kick you out in a heartbeat if she figures you’re of no use to her, introduction letter or no. Happened to one of the nobles, once. Created quite the fuss. Stuff…happened. Said noble’s house no longer exists.”

No longer exists?! What kind of “stuff” happened, exactly?

“I’ll say this: she’s terrifying.”

“You know the headmistress?”

“I’m an elf and the local Adventurers’ Guild Guildmaster, whaddya think?”

They were both very strong and of the same race. Of course they would be in touch with each other.

Fran asked the Guildmaster what kind of person the headmistress was. He folded his arms and scrunched his face. “She’s nice, for the most part. But piss her off and you’ll be sorry. Seriously, do not make her angry.”

“All right.”

The Guildmaster was quite fearful of the headmistress—Winalene the high elf. He was practically begging Fran not to cause any trouble.

“Is she strong?”

“Of course. She’s a high elf.”

“I heard she’s an ocean mage.”

“The world’s greatest. This one time, she destroyed an intermediate dungeon during a stampede all by herself.”

Apparently, Winalene had done so by just staying at the dungeon entrance. For three days straight, she used her incredible magic to create water, flooding the dungeon and drowning all the monsters inside. Powerful indeed.

“What else?” asked Fran. “She’s an elf, can she use Spirit Magic?”

“Who knows?”

“Hm? You don’t know?”

“When you get to her level, you can pretty much batter any problem with Ocean Magic. I’ve never seen her in melee combat, never seen her use spirit spells. Identify doesn’t work on her, either.”

“She has Identity Protection?”

“No, she’s just so damn strong that it doesn’t work.”

The same thing happened when I tried to Identify a Godsword. A millennia-old being with strength that far surpassed an S-Rank adventurer would be difficult to Identify.

“As a headmistress, she loves her kids,” added the Guildmaster. “I don’t think you’ll have a problem with her.”

We spent a little time talking about local delicacies and then left the Guildmaster’s office.

The Guildmaster took one final look at Fran before she left. “Do not upset the headmistress. Hear me?”

“Hm. Got it.”

“I mean it.” He looked worried. What kind of rumors had he been hearing? “Also, since you’ll be working at the Academy, does that mean you’re not taking any guild quests?”

“Hmm? I don’t know yet.”

“Fair enough. There are just a lot of quests that only an adventurer your level can get done.”

“I saw some weird ones earlier.”

“Weird? Oh, you mean the exorcisms and monster exterminations? Don’t worry about those. The Academy has its own Seven Mysteries. The kids go crazy over it from time to time. They’re just jumping at shadows, mostly.”

“Mostly? So some of that stuff’s real?”

“We’re talking about a Magic Academy, remember? They have labs where they do all sorts of crazy experiments. Sometimes, one of the test subjects escapes and causes trouble. Weird trouble.”

The Academy usually handled these cases by themselves, eliminating the need for high-rank adventurers like Fran.

“If anything happens, anything at all,” he said, “let me know. Seriously.”

We returned to the first floor under the Guildmaster’s pleading eyes.

Someone was waiting for Fran downstairs. “Excuse me…”

“Hm?”

Blonde Drills—Carona—called out to her, wearing a pained expression. “I sincerely apologize for what happened earlier. I didn’t know you were a high-rank adventurer. I was terribly rude to you.”

The receptionist had told Carona about Fran’s identity and now she was very embarrassed. Despite looking like an arrogant rich girl, she didn’t hesitate to bow her head deeply right then and there. She was quite well-mannered.

“I’m not mad.”

“R-really?”

“Hm.”

Carona heaved a sigh of relief. High-rank adventurers must seem intimidating to their juniors, and even though Fran looked young—or perhaps because she looked young—she must’ve seemed like a genuine monster to Carona.

“The Guildmaster said you did good,” said Fran.

“Huh? Me?”

“Hm. He said he was impressed by how you stood up for an underclassman to protect her from a creep.”

“I, uh…” Carona looked away, not knowing what to think. Not only had she mistaken Fran for a low rank, but the Guildmaster was also teasing her for thinking he was some random creep. Nevertheless, she appreciated the compliment. No wonder she was speechless.

Fran, I think you should change the subject.

“Um…did I look like an Academy student?” asked Fran.

“I’m sorry. I thought you were a fundamentals-course student who was unaware of the school’s policies.”

“Fundamentals course?”

“Y-yes. There are many courses in the Magic Academy, but everyone starts with the fundamentals course to learn magic.”

The first order of business in the Magic Academy was learning how to use magic. Students could use any means possible to achieve this goal, and every six months, those who succeeded could transfer to a course of their choosing. Students unable to graduate the fundamentals course in three years would be expelled. Harsh, maybe, but not unreasonable—this was the Magic Academy, after all.

“As long as you remain enrolled in the fundamentals course, you are not allowed to register at the Adventurers’ Guild,” she said.

A necessary measure, considering they’d just be magicless child adventurers. Still, every year saw basic students rush to the Adventurers’ Guild because they heard other Academy students were there, without bothering to learn the details.

“There are also students who make trouble for the guild because of their selfishness.”

And one troublemaking student could reflect poorly on the entire Academy. Carona, who took great pride in being a student there, wasn’t going to let that happen. I’d thought she might be a member of the disciplinary committee or the student council president, but I guess she was just nosy. 

Carona went on to tell Fran several stories about students who broke school rules. And what did you know? Fran actually listened intently! What a huge step for her!

“Carona, we have to get going.”

“Of course. Again, I deeply apologize for all the trouble I’ve caused. I will take my leave.”

“Hm.”

“I don’t know if I may be of any assistance, but should you require it, do not hesitate to ask. I come to the guild once a week.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“If you’ll excuse me.” Drills bowed, joined her friends, and left the guild.

Teacher? said Fran, watching her go.

Yeah?

Now I get why you were interested in her hair.

Huh?

It kept bouncing every time she moved.

And here I thought you were listening attentively. You were staring at her hair?!

It was funny.

I supposed it was fine. Carona hadn’t noticed—and she’d actually managed to make a good impression on Fran, to boot.

What now?

We’ve visited the Academy and the guild. That’s pretty much it for today.

Then it’s time to eat! Let’s look for good food!

Woof!

They’d been eating ever since they arrived in town…and it still wasn’t enough.

Should we walk around again?

Heh heh. I have a plan.

A plan, you say?

Hm. I’m not the Fran you know.

All right.

Fran looked confident. Smug, even. She was using her brain for something other than fighting: searching for good eats. What was her plan? To use Jet’s nose to sniff out locations?

As I pondered, Fran made her way to reception. “Hey.”

“Y-yes? How may I help you?”

“Tell me where I can get good food.”

“What?”

Considering Fran’s grave expression, the receptionist had probably thought she was going to file a complaint. She paused, wondering if she had really just been asked for restaurant recommendations, but soon regained her footing and marked several locations on the map we got from Colt.

This is the plan, Fran?

Yeah. If you don’t know, ask someone who does.

And boy, did she look smug! But considering how bad Fran was at communicating, this was amazing progress.

Th-that was amazing, Fran.

“Heh.”

“I-is something wrong?” asked the receptionist.

“Hm? No.”

“I see. I’ve noted down the stores for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Woof!”

Fran thanked the receptionist and left the guild, ready to explore Ladyblue with her detailed map.

“There’s a place with good stew ahead!”

“Woof!”

This map is really detailed. We’d be lost without it.

The receptionist was born and raised in Ladyblue and knew of all the hole-in-the-wall shops and famous tourist traps. She’d also marked out detailed routes we could use to best get around town, plus vantage points with beautiful scenery we could stop by on our way to the restaurants and food stalls.

Could we really have this for free? This information was as good as a guided tour, if not better.

We explored the town to our heart’s content, absorbing how it was different from all the other ones we had visited.

“It’s pretty here, too.”

“Woof.”

No guards here, either.

There weren’t any guards in the twisting back alleys, outskirts, or slums. While there was still a visible difference in the income of the districts, none of them looked like slums. There weren’t any suspicious mafia types around, either. No thugs shaking you down for money. No robbers mugging you at knife point.

I figured only the school district would be so calm, but apparently the whole city was like this. Seeing this kind of safety in a city this large was rare, to say the least. And because there were no gangs around, the city required fewer guards and soldiers to keep it safe. Ladyblue had less than half the guard force of your average town.

It’s a really safe town, I guess.

“Hm. You can see a lot of kids, too.”

Now that you mention it, yeah.

Children didn’t play outside if the streets weren’t safe. Their parents would expect the worst and keep them inside. Here, kids were free to go wherever they pleased. They ran around the backstreets, enjoying the safety of Ladyblue.

We bought some baked sweets for the receptionist at the guild to thank her, and she explained to us why the city was so safe. Simply put, Winalene rooted out criminals and their organizations whenever they showed up. Eventually, the crime lords just left Ladyblue alone.

Winalene’s methods were quite intense, to say the least. For example, she wouldn’t just eliminate a drug dealer. No, she’d also take out the organization they belonged to, and even their whole supply chain…nobles and foreign entities notwithstanding.

After Winalene caused a few international incidents, Belioth began to protect the autonomous region. They needed to increase their defense budget, but it was better than Winalene going berserk every now and again. Maybe she’d had this goal in mind the whole time.

Regardless, it made Ladyblue the safest town we’d ever been to by far.

Likes kids, intense, elven…

Sounds like Amanda.

They do sound alike.

Now that I think about it, Amanda hadn’t said a thing when Aristea brought up the Magic Academy. It wouldn’t be strange for Amanda and Winalene to know each other. Still, she surely would’ve mentioned something if they were acquaintances.

I wonder what she’s like.

One thing was for sure: she wasn’t someone to anger.

As I considered just how cautious we might have to be around Winalene, Fran and Jet thought about other things. They scanned the area, but there weren’t any objects of interest around.

“No strangers.”

“Woof.”

That’s what you were looking for?!

Not that I could blame them, given how odd the mysterious stranger had sounded. According to the sightings, they were anywhere from five meters tall to one meter short. They hopped across rooftops and stuck to walls like a lizard. They sucked people’s blood and also feasted on animal flesh. They had red eyes, horns, long fangs…and these were the less outlandish physical descriptions. The stranger was a boogeyman, an amalgamation of the imagination of children. But always—always—the stranger’s body was described as pitch black.

And Fran and Jet were hoping to see them.

If we haven’t found them by now, I reckon it’s not going to happen.

“Hm…”

The stranger was probably just a rumor that had grown legs. Still, it did pique my attention. As we walked around town, I sometimes detected traces of undead mana—so faint that I only noticed them by complete chance. The strength of the mana, or lack thereof, led me to believe that it was left by a weaker undead.

It might have belonged to the ghost mentioned in one of the quests. The sewers of a city this size would be a real breeding ground for undead. Alessa’s hidden undead came to mind, but the residual mana was far too weak. We couldn’t track it down with Mana Sense or Jet’s nose. Must’ve been a lesser ghost…not that we could report it. We lacked concrete evidence, after all.

Let’s head home for now. You must be starving.

“Hm!”

“Woof!”

With all this information in hand, we returned to the inn to rest. Aside from physical tiredness, there was also the mental fatigue from being in a new town.

The sun had completely set by the time Fran reached the inn—it hadn’t been marked on the map, so we’d gotten lost for a while. The look on Fran and Jet’s faces when they confidently went down a road only to find they were dead wrong… It was rough.

When we finally made it, though, they gobbled down the dinner the old woman had prepared for them.

“Nom, nom!”

“Scarf, scarf!”

Is it good?

“Hm!”

Fran still had room for dinner after everything she’d eaten that day. The two of them still had their healthy appetite. The old lady had made dinner for Jet too, and at no extra cost. She hadn’t tailored the menu to him—he got the exact same thing as Fran. Either she didn’t worry about animal diets (kinda like old-fashioned Japanese moms) or she knew that Jet was a strong enough monster to take it.

Dinner was cheesy gnocchi made of wheat and potatoes, and tomato soup with ground meat. We also had some bread, scotch eggs, and salad. Jet’s portion was served in a deep bowl with all the different foods mixed together. It didn’t look too appetizing like that, but Jet happily scarfed it down. Everything in the dish complemented each other, after all.

“Hrm…”

Jeez, and now Fran was mixing her food too?! Talk about bad manners! And she really didn’t have to be so jealous of Jet. Then again…maybe it didn’t look so bad after all?

“How do you like it?” asked the old lady.

“It’s great!”

“Bark!”

“That’s good to hear. Let me know if you want more. There’s lots to go around.”

Fran proceeded to have seconds and thirds, but the old lady didn’t even flinch. If anything, she happily loaded up her plate.

Were we going to have to pay extra? Fran and Jet were eating enough food for ten people, but the old woman didn’t seem bothered by their wild appetites one bit. She smiled the way a grandmother would when serving dinner to her grandchild.

“You’ve got a mighty appetite.”

“It was good.”

“I see. Would you like some herbal tea to wash it down?”

“Sure.”

“Coming right up.”

The tea was a medicinal green, but Fran slurped it down. Contrary to its appearance, it had a refreshing aroma. Fran stared up at the old tree as she drank, looking all the way up to where it met the ceiling.

“Is there really a spirit in this tree?” she asked eventually.

“Indeed there is. The spirit of the evergreen.”

“Why was the inn built around it?”

“It’s a long story—”

And it really was. I had to prop Fran up with a telekinetic chair because she got bored halfway through. With the help of some sweets, she managed to get through the entire thing.

Simply put, there was once a tree in which resided a spirit. This tree was three thousand years old and was famous throughout the city for being the spirit’s home. Of course, fifteen hundred years ago, no one was aware of the spirit—just that the tree was strange and enchanted. But the tree slowly got weaker after alchemists and pharmacists harvested its sap, branches, and bark.

The ones who saved the tree were the inn’s original owner and Winalene, who’d been a high elf even back then. What they did was simple enough. They bought the land and sealed it off from those who would try to harvest the tree. The inn was built later, because the tree spirit enjoyed watching over people.

And so the inn grew to be a strange place whose only guests were people whom the tree approved of.

“So the spirit approves of me?” asked Fran.

“That they do. You wouldn’t have been able to enter this place, otherwise.”

We didn’t even feel the spirit’s presence, so we couldn’t tell. Spirits really were strange beings…and fearsome ones, too. Given our inability to detect them, a powerful spirit could get a sneak attack in on us at any time. Sure, we’d notice them then, but if they chose to remain hidden instead, they would be nigh impossible to find.

Fran thanked the innkeeper for the food and returned to her room. She looked around again, scanning her surroundings. I understood how she felt.

Looking for the spirit?

“Hm!”

“Woof!”

They checked the branches that extended to the third floor and examined every knot and hole, though they avoided touching the tree itself so they wouldn’t accidentally harm it. But try as they might, they couldn’t find the spirit. Eventually, they just gave up.

Anything on your end, P.A.?

I am unable to detect the presence of spirits.

No luck from P.A., either. I’d thought she could give us a lead given all her talents.

“A spirit…”

“Ruff…”

Fran and Jet lay on the floor, dejected. They had taken to sleeping in the same bed recently. It wasn’t a problem since Jet could shrink himself.

“Night, Teacher.”

Good night.

“Zzz…”

She fell asleep as fast as always, gone less than ten seconds after closing her eyes. But would Jet be okay in this position? Fran had both her arms and her legs wrapped tight around him. He was practically a body pillow at this point. It looked painful, but Jet was blissfully asleep.

Suddenly, Fran’s eyes darted open. Was I watching them too intently?

But Fran’s eye fluttered, not to me, but the bedroom door.

Wh-what is it, Fran?

“Arf?” Jet rolled off the bed after she woke up and looked at her, perplexed.

“I…felt someone’s gaze.”

A gaze? Did you feel it, Jet?

“Woof…”

“Or…I think so…?”

“Woof?”

Fran herself wasn’t sure. Had she just had a strange dream? Jet and I hadn’t felt anything. We used all our detection Skills to scan the inn but the only people inside were us and the old woman.

There were small bugs, sure, but they wouldn’t have been able to wake Fran up like that. Even if there was an ability that let you spy through a bug’s eyes, we’d be able to detect its residual mana. No such spell was used here.

Maybe it’s the spirit. The owner did say they enjoyed watching over people.

“I see.”

Try as we might, we couldn’t detect a thing. Finally, Fran went back to bed.

“Good night…”

Good night.

“Spirit…”

It was going to take a while before she fell asleep.

It was the day after she sensed what we thought was the spirit.

You look like you didn’t get much sleep. You okay?

“I’m fine.” She’d spent the night trying to sense the spirit. Still, she came up dry.

Even though she was rubbing her eyes, it didn’t slow her down during breakfast. This was one of those moments where she really did remind me of a cat.

Breakfast was toast and vegetable soup with meat. There was also assorted fruit and a hefty serving of meatballs. A heavy, hearty breakfast, but Fran gladly ate all of it.

“Trouble sleeping?” asked the innkeeper.

“Hm…”

“You okay? I can fix up the bed if you find it uncomfortable.”

“I felt someone watching over me.”

“Is that so?”

Fran told the old woman about the gaze she’d felt the previous night.

The old woman laughed. “Looks like the spirit likes you.”

“Really?”

“Really. They wouldn’t have watched you to the point of being noticed, otherwise.”

Guests needed the spirit’s approval to stay at the inn, but that didn’t necessarily mean the spirit liked them. Even among the tenants, the spirit only took a liking to a select few people. Were they some kind of spiritual tsundere?! I’ll let you stay at the inn, but it’s not like I like you or anything! Apparently, the spirit sometimes fully revealed themselves, but that was even rarer.

“What should I do to get the spirit to like me?”

“Who knows? Just keep being a good girl, I suppose.”

Well, that was ambiguous. I guessed Fran could be a good girl by not harming the tree and getting along with the old woman.

Just as we finished breakfast, the door to the inn opened and an elven man stepped inside. He wasn’t very handsome, for an elf. He reminded me of Furion, an absolutely average adventurer we’d explored the Spider’s Nest dungeon with. I guess plain-looking elves were more common than I thought.

“Excuse me, I heard an adventurer named Fran is staying here.”

“Hm?”

I thought the inn had a new guest, but he only had business with Fran. He approached her and smiled. “You must be her.”

“Who are you?”

“My apologies. I’m from the Magic Academy.”

Meaning…what, exactly?

“The headmistress returned early this morning,” he continued. “I’ve come to ask you when you would like to conduct the interview.”

“You’re asking me?”

“Yes. The headmistress said she can conduct it today or tomorrow.”

Winalene was back in town. I’d thought she would assign us a date, but she was letting us pick. Of course, we’d probably fail if we made her wait too long…and I wanted to get this done that day if possible.

Teacher, can we do it today?

Not a problem for us, of course.

Sure, why not?

Even if we waited till the following day, we would only spend the rest of this day sightseeing. Best to get it over with.

“I’ll do it today,” said Fran.

“Understood. What time will you be arriving?”

“I get to choose?”

“Yes.”

“Then…after lunch.”

“Very well. I shall inform the headmistress.”

As Fran watched the elf go, she muttered to herself. “Was that guy approved by the spirit, too?”

The elf had seemingly walked through the door without a problem.

“Elves can use Spirit Magic. That’s why they can come into the inn,” said the innkeeper.

“Elves are amazing.”

“You might be able to learn it, too, young lady. One day.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Monsters which used Spirit Magic were rare. Fran might have better luck learning it by herself.

Excited, Fran finished her breakfast faster than usual and hurried out of the inn.

No snacking today. We can’t afford to be late.

“Hm. I know. I have it covered. I’ve got a plan so we won’t get lost.”

Really?

Fran knew she couldn’t take any detours today—and she’d apparently hatched a plan to keep us on track to our destination.

I’m impressed! Suffice to say, I had high expectations.

“Hup.”

“Bark, bark!”

Be careful, now!

Fran’s plan boiled down to “If you get lost on the streets, don’t use the streets!” She flew over the rooftops and made a beeline for the Magic Academy. Any guards who saw her would definitely find her behavior suspicious. If we got brought in for questioning, we definitely wouldn’t make the interview.

But either we got lucky or Fran’s stealth Skills worked well, because no one stopped us. We made it to the Academy without a hitch. The guards were startled when she descended from the sky. Who wouldn’t be?

It was quite the thrilling trip!

We entered through the back door again. I thought about using the front door, but it would be faster if the guard recognized Fran. Of course, we were prepared to use the front door if he told us to, but he called Colt right away when he saw Fran. Outsiders wouldn’t bother with the back door to begin with, after all.

“Hey. It’s been a day.”

“Hm.”

“The headmistress told me to lead you to her office.”

We went through the same tunnel again and Colt gave Fran some advice. “The headmistress is usually gentle, but she has no mercy for enemies of the Academy. Take care that you don’t anger her.”

“Okay.”

Everyone was telling her not to upset the headmistress. Did she have a short temper?

You have to be careful with her, Fran.

Hm. Fran nodded. Winalene was a high elf. We had no intention of making an enemy of her…but you never know what the future holds.

We passed through the tunnel and went past the guardhouse. Colt took us into the school grounds, setting his eyes on one of the high towers.

Students were everywhere in the courtyard. They’d been absent yesterday, probably because we’d come at a bad time. It might be recess right now. 

Most of them wore cloaks like Carona, and mage-like robes. As we watched them from a distance, we could feel their eyes watching us right back. Fran wasn’t wearing a cloak and she was being escorted by faculty, so she stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Who’s that?”

“A new student? But what’s she wearing?”

“Must be an adventurer. They’re allowed to enroll, too.”

“Yeah, but…”

As Fran watched the students watching her, she suddenly stopped.

“Is something the matter?” Colt turned around, startled.

“…” 

Fran couldn’t hear him. Her attention was fixed on someone who had just left one of the buildings. “Why…is he here?”

I was shocked, too. What was he doing here? I tried to stop Fran from doing something rash, but—

“Awaken…! Flashing Thunderclap!”

Fran, wait!

I was too late. Fran had already entered combat mode.

Crackling with black lightning, Fran ran straight into the schoolyard.

Her initial excitement at seeing the Academy was gone, replaced by hatred and anger. She audibly gnashed her teeth and called the name of her nemesis.

“Theraclede…!” Murder was in her voice, but she kept her full rage contained. Her mana was overflowing from Awakening and Flashing Thunderclap. But she kept her intent to kill hidden from her quarry to get the drop on him.

Even as she was overwhelmed with anger, Fran remained calm.

She was going to calmly kill Theraclede.

“Sword God Form!”

Urgh…!

This was bad. Fran was angrier than I’d thought. I didn’t think she would use Sword God Form without asking me! This wasn’t like her at all!

There was no stopping her. Her eyes were set on ending the life of the scarred-up man in front of her.

His Malice was faint, but still traceable. That, paired with his physical appearance, confirmed the man as Theraclede.

After finally noticing Fran’s hate-filled gaze, he turned to her at last.

Things appeared slow to us, since we were in hyper speed, but it had only been a few blinks of an eye since Fran Awakened.

We were halfway to our target now.

Fran increased the density of black lightning surrounding her. Aware that she had been spotted, she knew speed was going to be more important than stealth.

She increased her speed and turned into a bolt of black lightning.

“Black Lightning Strike.” 

When Fran reappeared, she was right behind Theraclede. 

“Die!!!”

Fran’s pent-up murderous intent overflowed. Even I had never seen this much bloodlust in her before.

She unleashed a furious slash, but her attack was calm and beautiful in spite of her rage. The perfect cut of Sword God Form sliced through the air and into Theraclede’s neck.

There was no way of avoiding it. It was over. I could feel Fran’s confidence in Sword God Form.

Theraclede reacted, sensing Fran’s intent. He turned around and barely pulled his head away, but that wasn’t going to cut it.

Whatever happened, there was zero chance of Theraclede defending himself against the attack. Too late for Skills and magic to come to his rescue.

My blade embedded itself in his neck, was about to cut through it, and just as the sensation began to sink in—

Kaboom!

“Gah!”

Argh!

A shockwave assaulted me and Fran from the side. It wasn’t that powerful, but it was enough to throw off the trajectory of her attack. Only something so precisely timed could break Fran’s balance.

Fran tumbled through the air, spun, and landed safely.

Who attacked us just now? Try as we might, we didn’t detect our attacker until they had struck…but now we knew there was something behind Theraclede.

But what? All I could tell from the mana, the aura, the surrounding atmosphere…all I could be certain of was that there was something…

Fran noticed it, too. She kept a watchful eye on the space behind Theraclede. Did she actually see what it was? Either way, her eyes went back to Theraclede.

Fran?

“I’m going in.”

What?

Without a moment’s hesitation, Fran launched another attack. She ignored the mysterious being that had attacked us and doubled down on killing Theraclede.

Still, she put up a barrier as a precaution. Had she figured out what we were dealing with?

“You little brat!”

“Aaaah!” Fran rushed in, not bothering to hide her murderous intent, and attacked Theraclede in Sword God Form.

“Haaa!”

“Agh!”

She took off his left arm, but the texture felt odd, harder than flesh should be. Now that I thought about it, Kiara had cut off his left arm when they’d last fought. It still hadn’t regenerated—he was probably wearing a prosthetic.

The divine element was fatal to Fiends. Being in Sword God Form, I was currently charged with divine mana. We were primed to take him out.

If the attack landed, it might spell the end for Theraclede.

But our attack didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.

Another shockwave came, but I could actually feel it this time. Two layers of a water membrane fell between Fran and Theraclede, so dense that it twisted my mana flow. It was as good as a mana barrier.

But Fran paid no heed and attacked anyway. She was going to cut through the membranes.

And then they exploded.

“Blurgh…!”

Fran!

The membranes had been forcefully compressed with magic.

All of the pressure released at once in a violent explosion. It was as if a bomb had gone off underwater. I teleported Fran out of the flood, saving her from drowning. But deep down I knew she didn’t care about drowning, so long as she could kill Theraclede.

She hadn’t given up, but I was at my limit. Any longer and I would break.

I’m sorry, Fran. I can’t…!

Eighteen seconds before Teacher’s durability is exhausted.

“Huh?!”

Our voices finally snapped Fran back to her senses and she realized that she had been using Sword God Form. She quickly turned it off.

“Teacher… I…”

Never mind me!

Fran looked like she was about to cry, but we had bigger problems at hand.

An overwhelming pressure fell upon us. But it didn’t come from Theraclede. For some reason, he wasn’t generating much of it at all. It was like he didn’t want to fight.

This pressure was coming from the building behind him…and it was so great that it raised the hairs on Fran’s body.

“Who dares cause trouble in my beloved academy?”

The source of it was a beautiful blonde elf. Her eyebrows were knitted together in anger. Although she looked like any other frowning elf girl, the menacing aura rolling off of her was more akin to a dragon.

“Uh…”

The water membranes bore this woman’s mana signature. It had eaten through my durability in Sword God Form and disrupted Fran’s attack. She was the one who’d cast it.

I didn’t need to Identify her to figure out who she was. Immense mana. My beloved academy. Powerful Ocean Magic.

Fran whispered her name. “Winalene…?”

“Yes, I am Winalene. It looks like we have an adorable guest. I take it you are Fran?”

“Hm.”

“If only we could’ve met under better circumstances. I have many questions for you…but first, your punishment.”

“Wha—!”

Winalene stared at Fran with menacing violence.

What she was emitting was only a fraction of her mana. She probably didn’t even mean to intimidate us with it. But when Winalene shifted gears, we felt a physical change in the air. It felt like gravity itself had multiplied.

Fran braced herself, a bead of sweat trickling down her chin.

“I’m sorry. But I can’t stop the punishment of hostile entities even if I wanted to. Don’t worry, it won’t kill you.” Winalene shook her head and then started muttering to herself. “I, Custodian Winalene, will proceed to take measures against the outsider—no, that’s too much. Special job candidate? Not good enough. I will proceed to take measures against a special job candidate and prospective short-term transfer student, for violence against temporary staff and a guardian of a student under special protection. It’s going to be a bit harsher than regular punishment…but you did try to kill that thing, after all.”

The change in atmosphere was palpable.

Mana gathered around us. Although it wasn’t hostile or malicious, there was a ton of it. It flowed into Winalene, powering her up.

However, Winalene seemed uninterested. Contrary to the pressure building around her, she seemed to lack motivation, as if she didn’t even want to fight.

“I’m going to restrain you. I permit you to fight back, but only against me. This is for your benefit. But I must warn you, I am the strongest in the Academy.”

“…” 

Fran continued to glare.

Winalene sighed. “And you’re so motivated. This is going to be a pain. Divine Water Creation—Aquarius.”

Winalene summoned a powerful ball of water faintly imbued with divine element. As its name suggested, Divine Water Creation created water imbued with the divine element, all controlled by the ocean spell Aquarius.

I’d read about Aquarius back in the Adventurers’ Guild archives. It was a low-level ocean spell which allowed its user to manipulate bodies of water around them, but it could transform into a thousand different forms in the hands of a master.

Winalene could use it to its full potential and beyond, and she wasted no time doing just that. I could no longer sense the mana and divine element of the water ball. Still, Danger Sense kept blaring at maximum alarm.

It didn’t really lose its element, of course. Aquarius just hid it. The water looked like an ordinary water spell when in fact it was one of the most powerful such spells available, loaded with divine element. It would kill anyone who wasn’t prepared.

Now I knew why the water membrane had eaten through my durability. It had been made of divine water. We’d fallen right into Winalene’s trap.

“Here goes.” The next moment, the water ball burst into a rain of bullets. Fran managed to avoid them, but Winalene created more to cover her exit.

“Tch!” Fran tried to cut the water ball down. “Huh?!”

What?!

She let loose a quick strike powerful enough to split a mid-level monster in half…and it bounced right off the ball. Violently, too.

Using Air Hop, she regained her footing and dodged it. She took an offensive posture and got ready for a Pressurized Quickdraw as the ball came back to attack her. “Haa!”

“Oh?” Now it was Winalene’s turn to be surprised. She widened her eyes as Fran’s attack cut the water ball in two. She was expecting me to shatter and Fran to be blown away.

“Such power…it’s brilliant. Oh, why did we have to fight like this?”

Winalene really didn’t want to fight. It felt like some kind of force was compelling her to do so, no matter what she herself wanted…

Fran, the only thing I get from Identifying her is her name! We don’t know what she’s capable of!

“Then we’ll just have to beat her fast. My turn!”

“Light Magic? You’re multi-talented!”

Fran used Solar Ray. Its powerful beam was supposed to swallow up Winalene, but the water membrane got in the way, disrupting and dispersing it. We’d foreseen this, counting on Winalene to defend against the blinding flash.

“Black Lightning Strike—Skycutter.” While maintaining the light spell, Fran moved behind Winalene. She put her whole weight into her next attack.

Fran’s intention had been to get close enough for a Skycutter.

A regular opponent wouldn’t have been able to keep up with her speed. They’d only notice her when it was too late.

But Winalene reacted with ease. “You’re fast!”

The water membranes came down to shield her just like they had with Theraclede. The explosion washed Fran back, preventing her from making a second attack.

But Fran had seen this trick before, and had come up with a strategy to deal with it.

Teacher!

On it!

Honestly, I didn’t know whether fighting Winalene here was a good idea. Unlike Theraclede, Fran didn’t want to kill her even if she did have some frustrations. Honestly, we were in the wrong for initiating a fight in an area filled with non-combatants.

Winalene didn’t want to kill us either, and it was probably better for everyone involved if we turned ourselves in.

But Fran was on fire and Winalene had allowed her to resist. She wouldn’t be satisfied if we gave up quietly. Better to let her vent to her heart’s content.

Besides, it wasn’t like I didn’t have frustrations about being steamrolled myself. As Fran’s sword, my job was to grant her victory.

I used Dimension Shift at Fran’s cue. The water was probably set to automatically explode on impact.

We used the spell to phase through the water and we phased back in once we hit Winalene.

Fran’s body made contact with the water membrane and it exploded, washing her away. But she still had a smile on her face.

Her attack had landed.

“And Timespace Magic…!” Red liquid flowed down Winalene’s side. Fran’s Skycutter had swung true. “You’re much stronger than I thought. How many centuries has it been since I last struggled in a fight?” Winalene groaned. “I’m sorry that I said you could fight back. I underestimated you too much. I’m going to have to keep damaging you to satisfy the spirits…and I’m afraid this is going to hurt,” she whispered.

“Hm?!”

As soon as Fran heard her whisper, she appeared in front of us. I’d thought she would get away to heal herself!

The high elf was using some kind of body-enhancing Skill. It increased her blood pressure, causing blood to gush out of her side…but that had been her intention all along. Her blood turned to vines which entangled Fran.

Winalene could control her blood, either because it was liquid or because it was part of her. Her magically charged blood was far stronger than regular water. Barriers weren’t enough to peel it away. The vines squeezed, twisting Fran’s arm. They crept up towards her shoulder, growing branches to fortify themselves.

They were going to take out Fran’s sword arm.

She tried to use Mana Thruster to blow the vines away but it was too late. Winalene’s water ball had closed in and rammed her right in the solar plexus.

“Gaarh!” With her arm locked by the blood vines, Fran couldn’t escape. She was knocked in the air, dislocating her right shoulder.

But she wasn’t down for the count. She raised her left leg and kicked Winalene in her right side.

“So persistent!” The water armor protecting her skin took most of the damage, but she could still feel the blow. She winced and coughed up blood, her body bending forward in pain.

That wasn’t the only thing Fran had in store for her, either. “Take…this!”

The black lightning covering Fran’s body traveled through her leg and into Winalene— the same black lightning which had gravely injured Gaudartha.

But Winalene’s expression remained unchanged. Her water armor had diverted the black lightning’s current into the ground. The perfect countermeasure. It was as if she’d seen black lightning before. Had she actually put up the armor for black lightning instead of general protection?

“And now, it’s over.”

“Wha—?”

For some strange reason, Winalene let go of Fran’s arm. She scrambled to put some distance between them, but her feet couldn’t move.

“You look like you’re just about done,” she said. “I think we’ll end up using too much strength if we keep fighting. Personally, I would like you to submit. How about it?”

Winalene had asked Fran to surrender. If we did, we would be able to end the fight without grave injury.

But Fran couldn’t bring herself to give up. “I’ll fight.”

Fran roared and generated a ball of light behind her. This wasn’t an offensive spell. The only thing it did was create light. The light cast Fran’s shadow over Winalene, lengthening enough to engulf her. And that was what Fran wanted. From the shadows, a gigantic mouth opened and swallowed Winalene’s feet.

Jet began his ambush at his full size.

“Grrr!”

“That’s where you were hiding, eh?!” 

Winalene quickly jumped away, so Jet only got her below the knees. The Aquarius counter kept him from clamping down too hard, and the water kept his mouth open, too.

“Blargh…!” As Jet spluttered up water, he retreated back to the shadows. But he’d done his part.

He couldn’t tear both of Winalene’s legs off, but they were heavily damaged. Blood gushed from the bitemarks and I was sure that some of her bones were broken.

That was the work of Dimension Fang, a Skill he got after evolving. It ignored defenses, cutting through Aquarius’ protective layer. If the water hadn’t gotten in the way, he definitely would’ve taken her legs off…but this was still a great opportunity.

Fran and I launched our final attack.

“Haaaa! Kanna Kamuy!”

Double!

Honestly, I was down to the very last dregs of my durability. Sword God Form had drained me, as had the divine water explosion. Knowing this, Fran elected to use magic. She wasn’t good at it, but she had gotten better with training.

She couldn’t cast it instantly, but it didn’t take her too long, either. It took her as much time as Jet bought for her to get ready. Now we were ready to cast our ultimate spell.

Winalene’s legs looked completely healed by now, but she was still in no position to avoid the attack.

However, she had other ways of dealing with it. “Divine Water Creation! Yamata no Orochi!”

Winalene was a master of magic. She’d sensed Fran’s spell and launched a spell to counter the pillar of lightning. 

An eight-headed serpent slithered towards the sky. The snake clashed with Kanna Kamuy, discharging its electricity.

BZZZZZZT!

The lightning dissipated and faded before it could hit the ground.

Neither spell won, in the end. Though the water serpent had succeeded in dispersing the lightning, it had been vaporized by the lightning serpent.

I think that was what Winalene wanted. She’d cast her spell in such a way that it would cancel out Kanna Kamuy without damaging our surroundings.

We’d managed to put up a decent fight at close range, but when it came to magic, we weren’t even close. Winalene had proved to us that she had the upper hand. The chasm between us was staggering.

“Your combat senses are well honed. Kanna Kamuy, Skycutter…you’re a bit too strong for your age, I reckon. I will ask you again: will you please submit?”

I had a feeling that Fran’s consent was necessary. Winalene was currently compelled to fight by a powerful force. The only way she could stop was either by incapacitating her opponent or by their own submission.

“I would damage everything around us if I were to go all out against you,” Winalene continued. “I’ll restrain myself, but I’ll let you go immediately. I promise.”

Teacher?

I think we should listen to what she says. I don’t think she’s lying…

Essence of Falsehood didn’t register her words as a lie. But considering Winalene was too strong to be Identified, the same could be said for the lie detector.

Still, Fran seemed to believe her. That fight had worked a lot of rage out of her system.

“Or do you plan on beating me so you can kill that thing?” she asked.

“…”

Winalene and Fran both looked at Theraclede. His whole body was drenched with the blood from his neck wound. He’d lost a lot of blood—he wasn’t looking good. Still, he just knelt there quietly and didn’t make a fuss.

“I know of your ties with it, but I can’t let it die yet,” said Winalene. “If you kill it, then I really won’t be able to hold back. I beg of you, submit.”

Although Winalene seemed to have the upper hand, she genuinely wanted to avoid any further conflict. Fran could feel it, too. I couldn’t see a future where we won if we kept fighting. On the surface, it might’ve looked like we were putting up a good fight, but Winalene wasn’t even using her full strength.

“All right…I submit.” Fran nodded, her face a study in frustration.

“Thank you.” Winalene exhaled a sigh of relief. “Huh. The Bertotti are still chattering…” Her eyebrows were knotted again. “What? The wolf? Oh, fine.”

Who was she talking to? Winalene turned from her invisible conversation partner to summon the water ball again. “Apparently, the wolf hasn’t been punished enough yet. This is going to be a bit rough. I’m sorry.”

Winalene shot the ball at Fran’s feet as if to restrain Fran.

But the water ball spread over the ground like a sheet. At a glance, it just looked like Fran was standing in the middle of it. What was it doing? Fran and I watched until bubbles eventually rose to the surface. Suddenly, something jumped out of the water.

“Blurf!”

“Jet?”

Jet was vomiting water, his legs flailing like he was drowning. Actually, he really was drowning. The water had somehow infiltrated his hiding place in the shadows. Unable to teleport, Jet had no way of escaping. As he jumped out of the water, another water ball came at his head, encasing it.

“Burgh…!”

The ball expanded, sealing Jet inside. He looked pitiful as he desperately tried to gasp for air. The first few gulps were all he was going to get.

Still, Jet wasn’t giving up. He made himself gigantic, intending to outgrow his water prison.

But Winalene was one step ahead. “That won’t work.”

The water ball expanded to keep up with his rapid growth. He was still stuck, and in a worse position than before. Large amounts of water were being forced down his mouth.

“Oorf…”

Just as Jet was beginning to truly drown, Winalene snapped her fingers. The ball changed shape, exposing his face and nothing else.

“Give up.”

“Ruff…”

The water ball was draining Jet’s mana. Getting out of his water cage would be difficult no matter how hard he struggled.

“That settles it, wolf. Punished and restrained. You’re next. Stay put, now.”

“Hm.”

Winalene waved her fingers and the water beneath Fran’s feet rose up to engulf her. It looked like she was encased in blue slime.

The water receded from her head, leaving her face exposed like Jet. The pressure was tuned so that it was strong enough to restrict her but not enough to harm her.

They both looked silly with their faces sticking out of the water. They hung their heads in frustration.

But Winalene was still frowning. “They’re not fighting back, they’ve been punished and restrained, so why are the Bertotti still alarmed? What? The sword? The sword is hostile?”

She was talking to invisible people again. They weren’t using mana like telepathy…but wait, what was that about a sword?! I felt a chill run down my spine as Winalene turned her attention to me.

The water holding Fran stirred as she struggled.

“Uhh, Mr. Sword?” said Winalene softly, making sure that no one watching could see her doing it. “Assuming you are a mister, I suppose. Do you intend to resist?”

She knew. There was no point hiding myself now.

“Then again, even if you were sapient, it’s not like you could—”

I won’t resist.

“Huh? Was that…?”

The sword. We’ll talk using telepathy, please.

A talking sword? What a wild bunch. Three legends walking around my Academy together. Well, we’ll have time to talk later. Will you come quietly?

Yes.

“Hostile entities neutralized. Ending defense protocol.”

The mana surrounding us dispersed. The offensive mana coming from her softened, too. The pressure vanished and the noise of the Academy returned. When had that sound disappeared, anyway? It had all happened so fast that I hadn’t noticed.

“All right,” said Winalene. “Fran, you have some history with that thing, correct?”

Fran’s body was still trapped in water. “Hm…”

Winalene sighed. “I’ve had my hands so full with that thing that I haven’t had the chance to read your dossier. If I’d known, I would’ve taken precautions.”

“Dossier?”

“Yes. Our investigation department compiles dossiers on all our candidates before their interviews. You’re pretty famous, so we began collecting rumors about you early on.”

Before the interview? The Academy must have a dedicated department keeping tabs on notables just in case Winalene needed information about them.

“I’ve been looking for that thing since the day before yesterday,” she said. “I finally caught it this morning and spent the whole day sealing it. We were about to take it into isolation…”

Because it—Theraclede—had preoccupied her, Winalene didn’t have time to learn of Fran’s history. Theraclede was in the middle of being quarantined when Fran caught sight of him.

“It told me that it had crossed over from the Beastman Nation. I’m assuming that has something to do with your grudge?”

“Hm.” Fran nodded and stared at Theraclede with dark eyes. Kiara had told Fran not to avenge her, but she couldn’t just ignore Theraclede. Not when he was right there.

Fran let her murderous intent subside. But Theraclede still stood there behind Winalene, not even attempting to escape. What had she done to him after she captured him?

“Like I said earlier, I can’t have you killing it yet. It’s treated as a temporary staff member at the moment. It’s under my protection—that’s just how it works. I understand if you disagree and I’m not asking you to understand everything all at once.”

“Hmph…”

“But even if you wanted to take vengeance, I wish you would’ve picked a better spot.”

“Huh?”

“Look around you.”

All around us were students who’d fallen back on their butts, watching the carnage from afar.

“Fortunately, I set up the barrier quick enough to minimize the damage…” said Winalene. “But your murderous aura…they could feel it.”

She’d had set up a barrier to prevent the battle’s sheer force of intensity from reaching the students, but they were still terrified by what had happened before the barrier went up. Fran’s mana and murderous intent were definitely to blame.

Before Winalene had arrived on the scene, Fran must have seemed like a dragon to these students. A mysterious being who showed up out of nowhere, wielding vast amounts of mana, dripping with murderous intent… Most of the students had simply fallen down, too overwhelmed to run. Fear and horror were plain on their faces as they stared at her.

“Ah…” Fran swallowed.

“Good thing most of our students are used to this kind of thing. You would’ve caused a widespread panic if this happened in the city.”

“I’m sorry.” Realizing how blind she had been to her surroundings, Fran remorsefully lowered her head. It had dawned on her how terrifying she must have been to non-combatants.

“Oh? You’re apologizing already?”

“Huh? I mean, I did something bad…”

“You’re such an honest girl. Anyway, what shall we do with that?” Winalene turned away from Fran and approached Theraclede.

Even if it was partially blocked, my blade had still cut into Theraclede’s neck. Sword God Form had imbued me with divine element when I hit him, too. The wound wouldn’t heal. The best he could do to stem the bleeding was apply pressure with his hand. Red blood seeped between his fingers.

“Don’t move. Divine Water Creation. Aqua Heal.” Winalene created another ball of water and waved her hand. The small sphere covered Theraclede’s wound and gave off a faint glow. Within seconds, the cut began to close and heal rapidly.

Divine element was supposed to be super effective against Fiends. Maybe the healing worked because Winalene had also used divine water. Divine healing for divine wounds. Made sense.

Once he was fully healed, Winalene spoke. “Get up.”

“Yeah.”

Winalene glared at him icily. Theraclede quietly nodded, as if he didn’t even mind. He then looked at Fran. Quietly, without fear or anger.

It seemed impossible. Was this really Theraclede? He was so different that I doubted my eyes. Theraclede had been as violent and vicious as hellfire. This man was as calm as a quiet sea.

Earlier, I could’ve sworn that this man was Theraclede, but now I wasn’t so sure. Maybe it was just someone who looked a lot like him.

He behaved nothing like the Theraclede we knew.

Fran didn’t share my doubts. She glared at him as soon as he looked at her. This was bad. I could feel her anger rising again. Fortunately, Winalene noticed it, too.

“We won’t be able to talk with this thing around. Colt, take it to Tower Three. They already know you’re coming.”

I had completely forgotten about Colt, as if he’d evaporated when Winalene arrived on the scene.

“Are you sure I can escort it alone?” he asked.

“I’ve sealed it and it’s already under contract. The Bertotti are keeping watch, too. You’ll be fine. Besides, it won’t do anything stupid with the boy still under treatment. Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah.” Theraclede simply nodded.

“I’m going to have a chat with Fran.”

“Understood.”

I didn’t know the details, but Theraclede was being held back with some kind of magic. Even Colt would be enough to escort him to isolation.

“And get the other staff to tend to the wounded. No one is heavily injured, but consider classes canceled for today.”

Fran hung her head as she listened to their conversation. Her hatred of Theraclede had hurt the students and she was truly regretful of her actions.

“On your way,” said Winalene.

“Of course,” said Colt. “Come along, Theraclede.”

“All right.” Theraclede obeyed and followed Colt. He really had changed; perhaps even metamorphosed. Was it purely because of Winalene’s magic or—

“Fran, we have much to discuss.” Winalene stepped into Fran’s line of view, blocking her from glaring at Theraclede as Colt took him out of sight. “I’m going to set you free now, but please don’t try to escape. I’m sure you have questions for me, too.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t run.”

“Woof.”

“Thank you. I’m releasing you now.” Winalene snapped her fingers and the water restraining them disappeared. “Follow me.”

Back on their feet (and paws) again, they followed Winalene to a place where they could speak in private. Fran came to pull me out of the ground and jogged to keep up.

Winalene didn’t keep a close eye on her, probably because she knew Fran wouldn’t run. Three minutes later, we arrived at her office.

She motioned Fran to sit on the couch. “Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Winalene, headmistress of the Magic Academy.”

“B-Rank adventurer Fran. This is Jet.”

I’m Teacher, an Intelligent Weapon.

“Teacher. Is that your name?”

Yeah.

Winalene’s reaction was much more subdued than most. She wasn’t as shocked as others were when they learned of my existence.

She soon told us why. “I think it’s been a thousand years since I last had a proper conversation with an Intelligent Weapon.”

Y-you know others like me?

“Naturally. I’ve been around for quite some time, you see. As for how many I’ve met, I suppose I could count them on both hands.”

As expected of a high elf! It made sense that she’d met other Intelligent Weapons, now that I thought about it.

“But you’re only the second I’ve ever actually talked to,” she continued. “Most Intelligent Weapons end up losing their minds. You’re rather human for one of them, too.”

“Losing their minds?”

“Imagine being able to speak but not communicate. A mind would come apart inside a sword.”

I see…

It was like Fanatix said. A mind wasn’t meant to live inside a sword. The likelihood of insanity was high, as Winalene had just confirmed. Would I be okay? Would I go insane…? 

I felt a chill run down my steel.

In any case, though this wasn’t Winalene’s first experience with an Intelligent Weapon, Jet was a different story. She kept staring at him as he sat next to Fran in his miniature form. Her gaze made him plenty nervous.

“What’s wrong with Jet?” asked Fran.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. I’ve just never seen this species of wolf before. But never mind that. Questions?”

“Will Colt be all right with Theraclede?”

“Yes. I’ve sealed his Malice with my magic and his actions are restricted. The spirits are watching him as well.”

Theraclede’s reduced Malice was a result of Winalene’s tampering. On top of being watched by fairies, he was also restrained by something like a slave contract.

“His words aren’t restricted,” she continued, “but he’s being quite polite for the sake of good behavior. His real self resurfaced when you attacked, but he didn’t fight back, did he? That’s because he can’t fight as long as he’s on school grounds.”

The only thing Theraclede did when we attacked him was to try and defend himself. He’d had plenty of opportunities to fight back after our initial attack had failed.

What’s he even doing here?

“It all began two days ago.”

Winalene had received word of a dangerous criminal entering the autonomous region. While he wasn’t notorious here, there was quite the price on his head in other countries. A group of adventurers had attempted to capture him near the border, but they were beaten back. Even though no one died, the difference in strength was staggering.

It was then decided that Winalene should be called for assistance. I’d thought she would handle everything given her legendary status, but she was rarely called in for incidents not involving the school.

“We couldn’t train the next generation if I was running off all the time to settle every squabble.”

In other words, the matter had to be grave indeed for them to call her.

Winalene had used her magic to track down Theraclede and captured him after a brief fight. But then she’d learned of Theraclede’s companion.

“A child named Romeo?”

“That’s right. Romeo Magnolia. He is currently in my custody.”

Romeo was still with Theraclede. Being a lover of children, it was easy to see why Winalene would take him into custody; Amanda would’ve done the same thing.

But Fran tilted her head at that. “So why did you tell me not to kill him?”

Because killing Romeo’s guardian would traumatize him, right? But the circumstances weren’t so simple.

“That’s the problem. You see, Romeo and that thing are bound by something like a master-servant contract. If one of them gets hurt, so does the other. A dangerous bond.”

“Did Theraclede do it?”

“The opposite. I think Romeo unconsciously formed the contract with him. It might be because of the Magnolian blood running in him…”

Is that even possible? He’s still a young child. And what’s this about Magnolian blood? I knew he was a noble, but was there something special about his house?

“I’m sure you’ve heard of Goldicia.”

“A continent destroyed by Trismegistus’ monsters, currently sealed by a barrier,” said Fran.

“Well, there are certain families in Goldicia who protect fragments of the Evil One. Magnolia, Wisteria, Camellia—these three houses possess a special bloodline which allows them to commune with the fragments to use their powers. They used that power to seal the Evil One…but they were annihilated by the drakes and the fragment was taken away.”

Trismegistus the great sinner. The legendary alchemist created an army of monsters from a fragment of the Evil One. That must have been what the three families were protecting.

And Magnolia?

“Romeo is part of House Magnolia. His blood surges with the power of that line.”

Was Romeo’s blood the reason why Murelia and Theraclede were strangely attached to him? Being able to unconsciously control high-level Fiends was a powerful ability, and Romeo might eventually become stronger than anyone could imagine.

“Anyway, as long as the contract exists, Theraclede cannot be killed without doing harm to Romeo. And that’s not all.”

Romeo’s body was beginning to be polluted by Malice after being with Theraclede for so long. Exposure to powerful Malice could cause Malice Intoxication, and this was a particularly nasty case. Not curing him of the disease would have long-term effects, but the contract made it too dangerous to separate the two. In the end, it was decided that Theraclede should be brought to the Academy as Romeo underwent treatment.

“I sealed Theraclede’s power so he could stay at the Academy until Romeo was cured. He’s currently a temporary staff member. Let me explain why.”

“Hm.”

“First, this school is protected by powerful guardian spirits and their thralls. There are several hundred of them guarding and watching over the school.”

So the shockwave that deflected Fran’s initial attack…

“Was a great spirit tasked with protecting Theraclede. They weren’t protecting him, per se. They were just trying to prevent violence from being committed in the Academy by an outsider.”

That was why I couldn’t see it! A great spirit must be pretty powerful, too. If something with that kind of stealth capability attacked us, we wouldn’t be able to see it coming.

But Fran had vaguely seen them, it seemed, or maybe just felt them. Considering what had happened at the inn, maybe she could see spirits.

Did you see them, Fran?

“I saw…something weird.”

“Oh? You might have what it takes to be a shaman, Fran.”

I knew it!

“You think so?”

“There’s a possibility. How about this?” Winalene pointed her finger at the ceiling. I felt a faint movement of mana, but I didn’t know what was going on.

Fran, on the other hand, saw something. “It’s fuzzy?”

“I guess you can’t quite see their form. You can certainly feel their presence, though.”

Fran might have some shaman potential in her. I decided I would love to get our hands on the Skill, if possible.

“What do I do to learn it?”

“Let me think…I guess the most you can do is be aware of spirits and engage with them. Some people say you should be pure-hearted, but that’s only because some spirits like those who are pure of heart. Most of them, though, do not care one whit for human morality.”

“They don’t?”

“No. Think about it. Do you think spirits would waste their time interpreting human laws and values? The same is true for the Academy’s guardian spirits. They don’t think about good or evil when protecting someone. The thing that matters most is the safety of their contractors—those related to the Academy. Next in line is the safety of high-value personnel. They will not allow violence, no matter the reason.”

The web of spirits wasn’t the only thing the defense system was made of, though.

“I, too, am part of the Academy’s defenses.”

“Huh?” Fran and Jet tilted their heads.

“Put simply, if the guardian spirits deem an entity as hostile,” Winalene explained, “I must take action against them. That is why I attacked you earlier.”

If an outsider attacked the Academy, Winalene was forced to battle them because of the contract. And she couldn’t stop battling until the spirits deemed the punishment to be sufficient.

“The spirits cannot be deceived. There have been times when I have been forced to kill someone against my will.”

The spirits saw all, and those of them with psychic abilities could tell whether someone was truly sorry for their actions. Basically, faking an apology to postpone your payback wasn’t going to cut it. If anything, that sort of behavior increased the severity of the punishment.

This punishment was determined in accordance with the offender’s status and their degree of hostility. If a hostile organization harmed a student, it would be eliminated entirely. Winalene would not stop until every last member was dead. This had happened once before, starting with a crime syndicate and adventuring party, and eventually moving up to nobility and a trade association. Not one soul had survived the onslaught.

But not all punishments ended with torrents of blood. An academy graduate raising his fist in the heat of an argument, for instance, would merely need to formally apologize.

Still, the Academy itself could be in the wrong and the spirits would carry out the punishment all the same. All that mattered was to uphold the contract. Be it saint or sinner or entire kingdoms—all were subject to the contract.

“Letting a Fiend into the Academy was impossible without giving them a job title. The spirits weren’t satisfied with it just being Romeo’s guardian, so I had to sign it up as temporary staff.”

“He can work here?”

“You mean considering all his crimes?”

“Hm.”

“Like I said earlier, the spirits don’t care about human designations—and they call the shots. Besides, if we’re strictly talking body count, I’ve killed hundreds of times more people than it has.” Winalene shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve traveled the world a very long time and seen a lot of battlefields. I’ve stood alone against entire nations. There are still places that want my head for my actions.”

Winalene had, after all, killed an entire noble’s house worth of people for messing with the Academy. That must’ve been a small army, at least.

“Yet here I am. Headmistress of the Academy. The title doesn’t mean much. The guardian spirits don’t care about what you did in the past.”

And because Fran attacked Theraclede, currently a member of the Academy, she’d activated the punishment.

“Now, there is something I myself must apologize for.”

“What is it?”

“In order to lighten your punishment, I had to trick the Bertotti by putting you into the Academy system. You are currently a ‘special job candidate and prospective short-term transfer student.’ You weren’t an outsider trying to kill a member of the Academy, but a fringe member of the Academy who had a feud with another fringe member.”

Ah, so she’d used that loophole to get us out of trouble. Because of Aristea’s letter, Winalene recognized us as being related to the Academy, and the effects of that recognition were immediate. Aristea’s letter had proven to be vital. It turned attempted murder into assault, which only required Fran to be restrained, to be sorry, and to apologize.

I wondered why Aristea hadn’t told us about the Academy’s quirky defense system. Maybe she just hadn’t felt the need—it wasn’t like she’d expect Fran to deliberately cause trouble or be hostile to Winalene. Didn’t it go without saying to be polite to your potential employer? If you were going to an interview at a large corporation, “Don’t punch the receptionist” and “Don’t spit at the boss,” were not helpful pieces of advice, true as they might be.

Winalene probably would’ve filled Fran in had she passed the interview, or maybe it wasn’t important enough to even bring up. Either way, Aristea probably knew that her letter of introduction would prevent a multitude of mischief.

But there was still one more thing.

We attacked you earlier. It actually hurt you, right?

Winalene’s side was cut by Skycutter and her legs were gnawed by Jet. Wouldn’t the spirits add to our punishment for that? She did say something about having to damage Fran. I was beginning to understand what she meant.

“Remember how I permitted you to fight back? That gave you formal permission.”

So it had turned into something like a sparring match? She must have said it as a precaution because she knew Fran wasn’t going down without a fight.

“But I really thought I made a mistake after that. You were far stronger than I had expected, though I hadn’t taken Teacher into account. Though I gave you permission to hurt me, the spirits deemed that you were resisting more than I had permitted. For that, I am sorry.” Winalene bowed her head.

Attacking Theraclede had warranted being restrained, attacking Winalene had warranted being attacked by her in turn, and terrorizing the students had warranted an apology. Which left one outstanding issue.

You said Fran was a special job candidate and prospective short-term transfer student. Does that mean she has to go through with it?

Winalene sighed. “And therein lies the problem. I had no intention of buttering Fran up to work at the Academy. ‘I’ll make you a faculty member of my prestigious Academy, and you’re going to like it’—those are not words I had planned to utter. But now, the Bertotti are only letting Fran off because of her job title.”

What if she refuses?

“Then you won’t be dealing with just me, but with all the spirits of the Academy.”

Talk about an offer you can’t refuse!

“Don’t worry. You won’t be able to quit immediately, but temporary staff may work here for merely two weeks. That’s why I added ‘short-term’ in your position.”

Winalene did what she had to do, but I still felt a bit ambivalent about it. Probably because the position was forced upon Fran. Plus, she was going to be an instructor and transfer student? She would need to live the student life, then. Would she be all right?

But Fran quickly nodded. “Okay. I’ll be a special…?”

“Special job candidate and short-term transfer student.”

“Yeah, that.”

Are you sure about this, Fran?

“Hm? I was going to work here anyway. It’s the same as if I’d passed the interview.”

Fran accepted Winalene’s offer. She didn’t seem to hold anything against the headmistress, either.

“I can keep an eye on Theraclede while I’m here, too,” she added.

True.

Whether or not she could actually carry out her vengeance was a separate matter. Still, she wasn’t going to let him out of her sight.

“Also, there are lots of spirits here?” asked Fran.

“That’s right. There’s no place in the world that has the Academy’s spirit population density.”

“Great. I can learn Spirit Magic here.”

“Phew…I’m glad to hear it. Thank you. Ari shouldn’t get mad at me now. I’ll throw in a bonus to your pay as an apology. Is there anything else you want?”

“I want…to fight you.”

“What? With me? I mean, I don’t mind…”

Winalene had been Fran’s sole reason for coming to the Academy. She wanted to see the world’s strongest high elf in action. She’d already had a taste, but it wasn’t enough. Winalene hadn’t been at full strength when she restrained Fran and Jet. Fran wanted more.

Clearly not quite so battle-crazed, Winalene gave her a wry smile. “So cute and yet so greedy.”

“Hmm?”

“In time. For now, I look forward to working with you.”

“Hm. Glad to be on board.”