She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman (LN) - Volume 12 - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!”

“Thank you!”

Sara and Layla voiced their gratitude in unison. Their friends behind them also thanked Mira.

Mira simply responded that she’d only done what was right as a fellow summoner, then offered some tips to hone Layla’s operation and development of her dark knights.

Layla was happy to have finally succeeded, but Mira’s lecture now began in earnest. “Listen, the true value of a dark knight lies in its versatility and growth…”

She touched on many points. Weapon spirits had the capacity to learn, so one could teach them swordplay. Showing them how to maneuver and fight let them act on their own judgment as well. Most importantly, as long as the summoner had mana, they could produce as many weapon spirits as they wanted.

Mira couldn’t stop herself from talking about magic, especially when it came to her favorite field. Layla might’ve felt good about herself after her successful summoning, but the endless teachings left her a bit confused. Still, she could tell from Mira’s earnest tone that this was important. Before long, she took out a pen and paper to take notes.

***

“Now, the trick of simultaneous summoning is to treat multiple summoning points as one. Don’t divide your concentration, but also, don’t fixate on one point. It’s like you’re forming a single whole…”

Perhaps because she’d found prey—er, a worthy student—for the first time in so long, Mira’s lecture had only picked up steam. She reached her favorite topic, simultaneous summoning, in no time. She summoned two, then three, then ten evocations at once, showing off the technique she’d cultivated.

Angling to imitate Mira, Layla tried to produce a couple of the dark knights she’d now learned to summon, but they appeared far from simultaneously.

That wasn’t her fault, of course. Simultaneous summoning was difficult to master; those who did were welcome in the Linked Silver Towers. It wasn’t a technique someone would learn overnight, even taught by the greatest summoner of their era. And naturally, a beginner who’d just learned to summon dark knights could never conjure two simultaneously. 

Layla’s mana pool soon dried up. “Aaah… I’m starting to feel dizzy…”

“Layla, are you all right?” Sara gently caught the girl before she fell.

“Yeah. I just used a little too much mana…” Layla tried to stand straight on her unsteady legs, but her low mana made it hard for her to even keep her eyes focused.

Oh ho. I’ve heard of this before… But now I see this is what happens when you run low on mana.

Vitality—measured in HP—affected bodily functions when it ran low. Likewise, mana—measured in MP—affected the senses. That had been a major change in the game’s shift to real life.

Mira had such abundant mana reserves that she had never used enough to exhaust them. She’d spent a lot of mana during the fight against the Machina Guardian, but she’d never felt dizzy. Mana usage had a fair amount more wiggle room than vitality, which began impeding bodily function when reduced by 30 percent.

I wonder whether I ought to test my own limits sometime, Mira thought as she watched Layla.

Then Sara spoke up. “Thanks again for all you’ve done. I think she’s exhausted, so we’d better be going. I hope we can repay you someday.” 

Having expressed her heartfelt gratitude, Sara headed back to the city, Layla in her arms.

***

“Ah, wonderful. A good deed, done so early in the day.”

After seeing the party off, satisfied that she’d saved one lost summoner, Mira dismissed the dark knights she’d popped out as examples. Then, she finally prepared to enter Haxthausen.

“That’s an A-rank for you,” someone called to her. “And your knowledge is incredible. You’re reliable indeed.” 

Once Mira had confirmed that she wasn’t working for Fuzzy Dice and finished demonstrating the power of water spirits, almost all the gathered adventurers had cleared out. When she looked backward, though, she saw that a few guards remained. They’d been listening to her summoning lecture the entire time.

“Oh. Still here, I see.” She’d spent so long engrossed in her lecture that she’d forgotten them. She was surprised they’d hung around.

Realizing that Mira had just remembered him, the captain chuckled. “Yep. You see, my friend here wanted to talk to you about Fuzzy Dice.” 

He presented a young man who apparently knew a lot about the phantom thief. The young man had gray hair and wore a black trench coat. He looked wise for his years, kind of like a scholar. 

“Pleasure. My name’s Julius.” The young man introduced himself and bowed, then immediately observed Mira with evident fascination. His gaze wasn’t malicious or lascivious; it held intellectual curiosity. “By the way, your summoning skills were very impressive. Things might’ve been different decades ago, but these days, summoners like you are extremely rare. The only famous summoner I’ve heard of lately is the one who’s become the talk of the guilds.”

Julius’s words seemed to remind the captain of something. “Hm? A summoner…with silver hair…” he muttered, gazing at Mira. 

Heedless of that, Julius focused sharply on Mira’s most distinctive features. As the captain mumbled to himself, Julius described those features one at a time. “Long silver hair, blue eyes, a trendy magical-girl-style outfit, and outstanding summoning skills.” Finally, with a grin that said he was certain, he slowly opened his mouth to continue, “You must be the one who was just active in the west—”

Before Julius finished his sentence, the captain yelled, “You’re the Spirit Queen?!” 

Although the captain had cut him off, Julius’s triumphant smirk remained on his face.

“Well, I suppose that’s what people call me these days,” Mira acknowledged.

“Spirit Queen” was a title she’d received after the fight against Chimera Clausen, so she told the honest truth—partly because she thought getting intel on Fuzzy Dice would be easier if she used her fame a little.

“Really?! Wow. I didn’t truly put two and two together until Julius here said something. You see, the rumors state… I mean, wow! Having someone like you on our side might really clinch a victory after all!”

Gossip about Mira’s beauty had seemingly spread even here. Unfortunately, rumors also tended to be exaggerated. The captain knew that well. He was going to say that she was much younger than the rumors indicated, but he was too excited by such a powerful ally’s arrival to care.

The other guards were reeling too. Could Mira really be the Spirit Queen, the topic of the hottest gossip in the nation? Some seemed disappointed; no doubt they’d expected a voluptuous beauty.

Still, several of those quickly changed their minds. Mira wasn’t what the rumors claimed, but she was still overwhelmingly beautiful. Some even seemed to prefer the real version.

As the guards behind him got louder, Julius seemed a little annoyed. “Honored to meet you, Your Majesty.”

Though it was her first time seeing Julius, Mira quickly guessed why his face had clouded. The young man’s flexible brain had managed to discern fact from fiction amid the rumors, but his long-winded phrasing had backfired on him. The captain had cruelly taken away his chance to show off his insight.

“Uh… Look, er… You figured that out first, right?” She did her best to reassure him, then urged him back on topic. “More importantly, can you tell me about Fuzzy Dice? Please?”

“Right. That’s a good idea,” he replied, forcing a smile. “Um, well… Nice to meet you. As I said, my name’s Julius. I work as an assistant at the Wolf Detective Agency.”

After introducing himself fully and again bowing, Julius held out a small piece of paper. It was a business card, and it indeed read Wolf Detective Agency: Assistant Julius. Mira graciously accepted the card, though she was surprised to come across one again in this fantasy world.

The back of the business card listed the agency’s address and displayed Grimdart’s seal of approval. Trust was important in detective work, and forging the seal of approval was an extremely severe crime, so detective agencies often displayed it proudly to win trust.

A detective agency. I see. No wonder he belabored the point. After all, detectives and the like always talked in an elaborate, long-winded manner. Such was Mira’s flawed understanding, at least. 

She deposited the card in her cute card case. Inside was another business card; that was the first one she’d received in this world, alongside the discount coupon she used so appreciatively, from Cedric Dinoire.

“Hrmm. Wolf Detective Agency…” she said. “And what does this assistant want to tell me about Fuzzy Dice?” A detective agency, a phantom thief—the tension in that combination was virtually palpable to Mira, who watched Julius expectantly.

“Well, first, I want to thank you for your help with this matter.” 

After that, Julius gave what sounded awfully like an elevator pitch. According to him, nobody knew as much about Fuzzy Dice as Chief Detective Wolf. Back when the thief first sent someone his calling card, the victim had consulted that detective. As a former adventurer, Chief Detective Wolf was both strong and mentally sharp. He was also well trusted. Everyone was excited to see him take on the elusive phantom thief.

Fuzzy Dice was undefeated, and public opinion now hailed him as a hero, but the chief didn’t give up. Despite his losing streak, he’d pursued Fuzzy Dice to this very day. This time, he had a special plan. It required help, so he was searching for collaborators.

“I’m sure your abilities will impress the chief. Even if you can’t help the agency, we’ll tell you everything we can about Fuzzy Dice. Having another ally will never hurt us. What do you say?” Julius gazed directly at Mira. His eyes betrayed no ulterior motive, yet the glint in them made him seem certain that she’d accept.

“Hrmm. Very well. Tell me what you want from me, and I’ll decide after that. But you should introduce me to the good detective first.” Frankly, Mira had no intention of refusing. She’d just arrived in town, and info on Fuzzy Dice was what she wanted most.

Even in a direct confrontation, knowing your enemy could swing a battle. In the game, Mira had charged headlong into combat without knowing a thing. She’d learned from experience and struggled to seize victories. In reality, though, that’d be risking her life for nothing. Know thy enemy, and so on.

“Thank you. I can take you to him right now.” After a moment’s relief, Julius bowed again and began walking toward the gate.

Jumping into the driver’s seat of her wagon, Mira summoned Guardian Ash. The gray bear was excellent at pulling the wagon on land, after all. It stood excitedly in front of the vehicle and attached the harness of its own volition. The guards watched in silence.

“Apologies for the commotion,” Mira said to them, then followed Julius in her wagon.

“See you later!” someone called out from behind her. “We’ll try to look after things!”

She just waved without turning back to face them.

Ah, I’ve matured.

Like Solomon, she’d gather information before a fight. Remembering how impulsive she used to be, Mira praised herself for her own growth.