Epilogue
The incident during the conditional exam was ultimately dismissed as the rampage of the ‘Guardian Dragons’ summoned by Rufus.
In a way, that was true.
The ‘Guardian Dragons’ Rufus had summoned had indeed lost control, and it was simply viewed as a case of a student failing to manage their magic. If anything, the incident re-established the threat of Serios’s ‘Guardian Dragons’ in the modern era, inadvertently bolstering the reputation of the Serios Federation.
Despite the chaos, Rufus Rylus’s success in fulfilling her contract with such powerful ‘Guardian Dragons,’ and the potential utility of summoning magic capable of controlling these beings, highlighted the strength of the Seven Islands of the Serios Federation. Though the outcome wasn’t what the involved parties might have expected, it was still a significant demonstration of Serios’s prestige.
Meanwhile, Alma was on the receiving end of a stern lecture from Elise, the headmistress.
The reason? Despite being a special rank mage, she had allowed Reid, a student, to take the lead when the ‘Guardian Dragons’ went berserk.
In her defense, Alma, unusually earnest and thorough, justified her decision: “Reid knew how to subdue the ‘Guardian Dragons,’ and I, as a special rank mage, also determined it was a viable approach. I prioritized Reid to go ahead and ensure the safety of both Elria and Rufus.”
Incidentally, Elria was scolded as well.
Her offense was invoking large-scale magic despite the restrictions in place.
To this, Elria responded in her usual matter-of-fact manner, “I anticipated the possibility of the ‘Guardian Dragons’ going berserk. I thought it necessary to act before there were any signs of trouble. Besides, what I used wasn’t magic—it was sorcery.” This, of course, led to a resounding, “Sorcery isn’t allowed either!” and a new restriction was added.
Reid didn’t escape without a scolding, either. No matter how confident he was in his abilities to handle the ‘Guardian Dragons’ or his skills, he was reminded to remember his position as a student.
In response, Reid retorted, “Is prioritizing my position over saving lives really the philosophy of a mage as taught by the academy?” Hearing that, Elise broke down crying.
She cried loudly, pounding the floor in frustration, “Why am I always the one getting scolded? Whenever something happens, everyone blames me! I’m trying my best too, you know! A little praise would be nice for a change!!”
Seeing her so genuinely upset, the trio who had just been scolded comforted her by patting her head and praising her excessively.
The morning of the holiday following the exam――
“――Wow… this has really turned into quite the scene,” Reid remarked as he entered the bedroom.
Elria lay curled up on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Surrounding her were eleven dogs. The bed was entirely covered in fluff.
These were the <<Mana-Eater Wolves>> that had been overworked during the battle with the ‘Guardian Dragons’. As an apology, Elria had suggested sleeping with Shehri’s family.
Upon hearing this, Shehri’s family ecstatically ran around Elria, jumping on her for hugs and licking her face and limbs, abandoning all their wolfish pride to bask in her affection.
Eventually, exhausted from playing, they had collapsed into a mound of fur on the bed.
“Mmmm…”
Buried beneath all that fluff, Elria let out a drowsy murmur. But there were errands to run today, and it was Reid’s job to wake her up.
Even so――
“If I wake her now, Shehri and the others will wake up, too…”
It wasn’t just about feeling guilty for waking them from their sleep.
They were all curled up so neatly, some lying flat on their sides, others with their backs stretched out, some with their bellies facing upward, others sprawled out limply――
Watching the fluff balls in their various adorable poses, Reid hesitated. After all, animals usually ran away from him, no matter how much he wished otherwise.
For Reid, such a scene might never come again.
“Well… there’s still some time left, right?” he muttered, making excuses to himself as he smiled softly while watching them.
Just then, Elria suddenly sat up.
“……It’s hot.”
Still groggy, Elria patted the <<Mana-Eater Wolves>>, and as if by magic, they turned into particles of light and vanished.
“My doggy heaven… has disappeared…!?”
“…What are you talking about so early in the morning, Reid?”
Yawning widely, Elria tilted her head in confusion.
Seeing her reaction, Reid mirrored her with a puzzled look of his own.
“…Aren’t you usually more lethargic?”
“Not today.”
Elria nodded firmly, her tone clear. Despite having used a lot of magic power, which usually left her in a dazed, lethargic state, today she seemed alert and steady right upon waking.
“I’ll get ready quickly.”
Impatient, Elria waved her hands hurriedly and――
“――Today, we’re going to visit Rufus,” she said, beaming with joy.
◆
After the ‘Guardian Dragons’ rampage, Rufus had been rushed to a hospital in the royal capital.
Although she regained consciousness, her magic power had been severely depleted, and she exhibited signs of rejection due to the temporary influx of foreign magic power. As a result, she was kept under observation.
“――Ah! Elria-chan!”
Lying in bed, Rufus sat up excitedly as Elria entered the hospital room.
“Rufus, how are you feeling?”
“Great! The doctor says I still need to rest, but after a huge breakfast, I feel much better!”
“That’s good. You look really energetic.”
Elria smiled softly as she watched Rufus beam happily.
“And look, look――see!”
Rufus gently pulled back the sheet at her knees――
There, a small black dragon lay curled up, fast asleep.
“……Rafika?”
“Yeah! Little Rafika!”
“She’s so small and cute.”
As Elria extended a finger towards the little dragon, Rafika opened her eyes and purred softly.
“When you told me Rafika was gone, I was so worried… but she came back!” Rufus said, her eyes misting up slightly.
Elria had informed Rufus of what had happened to her and Rafika as soon as she regained consciousness.
Upon hearing it, Rufus had repeatedly asked tearfully about Rafika’s condition, putting aside her own well-being. This was because Elria had initially said she ‘failed’.
《Rafika, how are you feeling?》 Elria asked in the magical beast language, and Rafika lifted her head slightly.
《I can’t move like I used to. It’s probably the same for my medium.》
《……I see.》
When Rufus had Wiesel check on Rafika with his magic equipment, they found that although her ‘soul’ hadn’t vanished, it had lost more than half of its essence due to their deep bond.
While Rafika’s magic power might recover in time, allowing her to grow large enough to carry Rufus again, her main body, located in Serios, would likely face hardships.
And the destination of such a lost ‘soul’ was――
“It’s okay! I’ll take care of Rafika for the rest of my life!”
Rufus declared confidently, placing a hand on her chest.
The spell that had generated purplish-black magic power had also affected her ‘soul’. As a result, the lifespan she had lost was compensated by the influx of Rafika’s ‘soul’.
“…Are there any changes in your body?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure yet. Maybe I’ll grow wings or a tail?”
Though there was no visible change, the merging of human and magical beast ‘souls’ meant that some sort of transformation wouldn’t be surprising.
“But… I’m happy.”
Stroking Rafika on her lap, Rufus smiled softly.
“It means that no matter what happens, Rafika will always be with me.”
Breaking their contract, where their ‘souls’ were intertwined, could have unpredictable effects on Rufus’s body. It might even lead to a premature death due to further loss of lifespan. And if Rufus were to die, it could negatively affect Rafika’s original form as well. The two were now bound by a fate of mutual dependency. However――
“At any rate――thank you, Elria-chan!”
With a broad smile, Rufus expressed her gratitude.
“And if I grow wings or a tail, I’ll match with Rafika!”
《…I do not wish to see such a Rufus.》
“Ah! Then I’ll put a ribbon on Rafika! I couldn’t before because she was too big, but now, with her small size, she can be fashionable like a little girl!”
《…………………》
As Rufus happily pranced around, Rafika curled up into a ball, seemingly exasperated.
While Elria smiled at the sight of them――
A cough interrupted from behind. “Ahem”.
There stood Reid and Alma, leaning against the wall.
“Now that we’ve checked on Rufus’s condition, we’d like to ask a few questions under the pretense of an inquiry. Would that be alright?”
Alma initiated the conversation, and Rufus, looking slightly tense, nodded.
“So, who taught you the magic formula?”
“Um… my teacher did.”
“That person wasn’t your regular instructor, correct?”
“Yes. I met the teacher in Serios. They were researching ‘Guardian Dragons’ and asked to speak with me. They taught me magic, told me about various magical beasts, and even accompanied me when I made the contract with the ‘Guardian Dragons’.”
As Rufus continued speaking, her words softened. She had trusted this teacher deeply, only to be betrayed. It was a pain that would not be easily forgiven.
“Could you tell us the name of this teacher?”.
“Um, yes, their name was――”
Rufus started to respond, but――
“……Huh?”
Her expression quickly turned puzzled.
“Huh… what?”
“…What’s the matter?”
“…I’m sure… I once had the teacher write down their name… but…”
As Rufus struggled to recall, looking down in confusion, Elria and the others exchanged glances.
It was clear that Rufus wasn’t lying; she genuinely couldn’t remember.
Reid then asked,
“Didn’t you ever call your teacher by name?”
“No… the teacher had an unusual name and was embarrassed about it, so they wrote it down and showed it to me secretly. I just called them ‘Teacher’…”
Despite the detailed description, the name itself remained elusive.
“But you remember what they looked like, right?”
“Yes! The teacher was an elf, so I remember that much!”
“…That’s helpful. Do you recall any other distinguishing features?”
“Hmm… about as tall as Reid-san, with silver hair like Elria-chan… and, well, they looked weak and unreliable!”
“…That’s blunt.”
Despite the sharp description, this was progress. They now had not only a physical description but also the vital clue that the teacher was an ‘Elf’. Yet, there were still lingering questions――like the cryptic words Rufus had spoken while under the influence of the purplish-black magic power.
“When you said the ‘Guardian Dragons’ were angry, what did they tell you?” Elria asked, and Rufus’s expression turned solemn.
“Um… that is…”
“It’s alright,” Elria reassured her. “I won’t be upset, no matter what you say. Your story could help us learn something important.”
Gathering her resolve, Rufus began recounting what she had heard from the ‘Guardian Dragons’.
“Um… it wasn’t exactly words, but something communicated through magic power… It felt like different entities had entered, and they were furious.”
“…Was their anger directed at me?”
“Yes… they kept calling your name, Elria-chan, over and over. They were shouting that they had to kill you.”
Rufus paused before continuing softly――
“That was the mission given to them by――the ‘Hero’.”
