But the magic they taught in these classes was boring to me.
For example:
‘First of all… let’s memorize the “Ice Ball” spell chant.’
and so on.
Since chanting magic is the standard in this world, I cannot help but feel that this class is inefficient.
Everyone was staring frantically at the blackboard and eagerly taking notes.
“I feel sleepy.”
I was seated at the very back of the class by the window, so my eyelids were heavy with the warmth of the sunlight shining on me.
Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
◆ ◆
And so, in the last class before noon.
The <First> class was gathered on the school grounds for the ‘practical skill’ lesson.
“Ohh..! Finally, an interesting class!”
“Kurt, you seem very enthusiastic.”
said Lara.
Of course. That was a given
I do not dislike studying magic, but I still prefer to move my body and defeat monsters and such.
“What kind of class is this?”
asked Marise with a little hint of excitement.
A few moments later ── an unexpected person appeared, and everyone was surprised.
“Hahaha! Are you guys doing any muscle training?”
‘‘‘D-Desmond-san!?’’’
All the students shouted in surprise.
The person who appeared on the school grounds was the old man I had fought in the entrance examination ── the former S-rank adventurer, Desmond.
“Why are you here?”
Marise stepped forward and asked Desmond.
“I’ve been assigned to this school as a teacher this year. I’ll be mainly in charge of practical classes. Don’t worry! I’m going to be gentle.”
Desmond put his hands on his waist and laughed heartily.
I see…
If I remember correctly, at the entrance exam, the examiner said something like, “You’re only here to observe, right?”.
I did not realize this was what he meant.
“D-Desmond-san’s class… I never thought I’d be taught by a legendary adventurer!”
“Idiot! He was also called Desmond the Demon, you know? I wonder what kind of tough lessons await us…”
“But… Desmond-san can’t use magic, right?”
I heard words of anticipation and anxiety from those around me.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
In the midst of all this, I still muttered it honestly.
“That’s right. I can’t use magic.”
said Desmond, sharpening his eyes.
“But a mage can’t just use only magic, don’t you think so? You need physical strength, too. So I’m going to teach… mainly basic physical strength training and martial arts!”
Hmm.
That’s true.
No matter how good you are at magic, you will also need basic footwork on the battlefield.
Even with enough magic power, when you get too physically tired, it will all be over.
“Alright! Let’s work on endurance first. Do fifty laps around the school grounds!”
“F-Fifty laps!? That’s absurd!”
Cries were let loose from the surroundings.
“Don’t complain before you do it! By the way, there will be a penalty game for those who fail to run fifty laps within the one hour during this class. Everyone, get a grip!”
“Penalty game…?”
“Lunch break. It’s a fun penalty game where you just run until the next class.”
“D-Demon!”
Fifty laps, huh?
Sounds good for warming up.
“Well then… start!”
Let us just talk about the results.
There was only one person who could complete the fifty laps within the class time.
It goes without saying ── that was me.
“T-This is tough…”
“Why is Kurt the only one who looks… haa… haa… okay?”
Lara and Marise were sitting on the ground, gasping for air.
“If you’re tired just from this, you won’t be able to conquer a labyrinth in a day.”
“That’s just… your common sense… haa… haa…”
Marise remarked as her shoulders moved up and down in pain.
That being said… I was not using any body strengthening in this marathon.
If I did that, I could have completed fifty laps in an instant, but that would defeat the main purpose of training physical endurance.
“You were… as I recall, the monstrous boy I fought in the entrance exam, weren’t you?”
“You remembered me?”
“Of course.”
Desmond looked surprised.
“To be honest… I didn’t think anyone could complete the fifty laps. You… are also a monster in terms of physical strength?”
Even before coming to the magic academy, I had adopted marathons as part of my daily workout routine.
Even that still did not allow me to reach my peak from a thousand years ago.
“Can I ask you one question?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Now that I have done my warm-up, what should I do now?”
KAN ── KAN ──.
Just as I asked the question, I heard the bell ring, signaling the end of class.
“That’s too bad. The class is over.”
“…I shudder to think that you would say it’s just a warm-up after all this…”
Perhaps out of panic, Marise hugged me from the front.
── !?
“Ugh… I’m so embarrassed… I’m about to go crazy here.”
Marise’s whispers reached my ears.
With Lara hugging me from behind, Marise hugging me from the front, and my body being wrapped in incredible softness.
I cannot see Marise’s face, but the image of her naked body has burned into my mind and made me stiffer.
── What the hell is this situation!?
Being sandwiched by two girls was something I could never have imagined in my previous life.
“Kurt…”
“W-What is it?”
said Lara with a lonely voice.
“You seem to be preoccupied with Marise for a while now.”
It cannot be helped.
After all, this was the first time I had ever seen a girl naked.
“Kurt.”
Lara pulled herself away from me and instead grabbed my hand to turn me around.
“Kurt, look at me too. It pains me that Kurt keeps looking at Marise-chan.”
Lara’s naked body was right in front of me.
The two ‘mounds’ on her breasts. A slightly thicc body. However, the waist and ankles were thin and looked like a work of art.
“My breasts… are bigger.”
“What ── !”
Lara pressed my hand against her left breast.
My hand sank into her breast.
It was many times softer than what I had just felt on my back.
“I had read in books that boys like girls with big breasts better.”
“H-Hey… Lara. I understand, so let go of my hand…”
“I don’t want to. T-The truth is, this is very embarrassing, you know? But I thought that it would be nice if it were Kurt… So I’ll put up with it for Kurt, even if I’m feeling embarrassed.”
*Grope, Grope*
Lara further pressed my hand against her breast.
I tried to remove my hand immediately but could not move my body. It was as if I was under a powerful restraining spell.
“Kurt. L-Look at me too!”
This time, Marise takes my other hand.
And like Lara, she slowly pressed my hand against her right breast.
“W-What are you doing, Marise?”
“I-I don’t know either. But when… Lara and Kurt were like that, I felt kind of lonely… Like Lara said, does Kurt prefer girls with big breasts?”
“T-That’s not ──”
True ──, but I could not make out the words.
Marise’s small breasts still have a certain feminine softness to them.
“A-Anyway, that’s it! I’m getting out of the bathroom!”
Perhaps it was because I tried to shake them off with all my might.
“Hyaa!”
“Kyaa!”
I heard them both yell.
I had used the wrong amount of force, and my hands had ── groped their breasts.
“Kurt, you’re so bold. I can’t believe you fondled them so hard…”
“I wasn’t planning on doing that…”
“I’m feeling embarrassed too. But it’s okay if it’s Kurt. Because I don’t want Lara to hog Kurt all to herself.”
I could not let go of my hands altogether, as if they had been drawn to the two of them.
Each time I moved my hands, their breasts freely changed their form.
It was a strange sensation.
It was as if I was being manipulated, my fingers started to latch on the protruding ‘mounds’ of their breasts.
“Mmph!”
Lara’s seductive voice.
“K-Kurt! I-It kind of tickles there. But somehow, it also feels good…”
Lara’s eyes seem to show that she’s being bewitched by this.
Her hair was disheveled, and she looked different from her usual cheerful and energetic self.
Since it has come to this.
*Chomp Chomp*
“Nnnn, aahh ahhhh! Kurt, Kurt! Fondle it more!”
As I played with Lara’s breasts, her chin gradually rose.
“Kurt! Please do the same for me! As what you did for Lara!”
Marise’s tone was almost pleading.
“Y-Yeahh.”
Since she has insisted that much, let’s do it for her.
While fondling their breasts, I sometimes caressed the protruding ‘mounds’ of their breasts.
“Aaahhhh!”
“Mmph ── there ── Aaah!”
I felt that their grip on my arms was getting stronger.
The two of them let out seductive breaths, and the breaths gradually became faster.
── Are they okay?
Their heavy breathing had me worried for a moment, but they did not look like they were in pain.
On the contrary, they seemed to enjoy themselves to their heart’s content.
“Kurt, more! I’m almost there!”
“Haa, haa. Kurt, me too. I’m also feeling something is coming!”
Every time I moved my hand, their bodies twitched.
Both of them seemed to be enduring the approaching climatic pleasure.
Lara stares blankly at the ceiling, while Marise is bending slightly forward with her mouth agape.
“Should we stop now?”
Seeing the two of them looking so adorable, I could not help but tease them.
As I asked them that,
“No! Don’t stop! T-Touch me more. I won’t lose to Marise-chan.”
“I won’t lose to Lara either! I’ll do my best until the end, so please touch me harder! ── Aaaahhhhhh!”
Since they have insisted, and I’m a man too. Let’s take responsibility until the very end.
As if it were the last spurt, I resumed my fondling of their breasts.
I felt their breasts getting softer, perhaps because I had fondled them too hard.
“Aaaahhhhh! Mmphh ──”
“Aah, just a little more ── aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!”
Intermittent seductive voices emanated from them.
Their voices and movements gradually became more intense. And their figure was so glamorous that it was hard to imagine them from their usual appearance.
“Aah!”
“Nnnn!”
Short voices.
Lara straightened her back, and Marise, who had been looking down the entire time, raised her chin, and that was when ──
““Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ── !!””
The two shrieked.
And at the same time, their body spasms.
“H-Hey, you two…”
I called out to them.
They did not answer me, but separated themselves from me and laid their backs slowly against the bathroom wall. And they sat slumped next to each other on the floor.
“Are you okay? Your face is all red…”
“Haa, haa… I’m tired.”
“Me too. I didn’t realize that washing another person’s body was such hard work… haa, haa.”
Are they not going to cover their body at this point?
They seem to be struggling to catch their breaths and savoring the lingering sensations in their bodies.
“Kurt, how was it?”
“Are you feeling better?”
“Y-Yea. T-Thank you. It worked.”
I nodded in response to their questions.
In fact, I felt like many parts of my body had loosened up and relaxed.
It feels good to be washed by others, but… I’m still not used to being touched by girls.
After that ── I couldn’t get out of the bathroom until the two of them returned to normal.
“As expected. Well, I’ve heard that it’s a prestigious academy… Oh? The bathroom is spacious as well.”
I like taking a bath.
A millennium ago, I often set out for unexplored secluded hot springs as a hobby.
I remember the first thing I was relieved about was that the bathing culture still existed after my reincarnation.
“All right… Let’s get some hot water going.”
I muttered and used magic to fill the bathtub with water and then heated it with fire magic.
In no time, the bathroom was filled with steam. When I dipped my hand into the water, the temperature was just right.
Feeling my heart was pounding, I took off my clothes and got into the bath.
“Haa… I feel alive again.”
Soaking myself in the bathtub of hot water, I watched the steam gather at the ceiling.
…Hm?
Someone seems to have entered this room.
“Wait…! I didn’t know he’s taking a bath ── I’ll come back later ──”
“Just in time. Let’s give him ── a massage ──”
“It’s shameless ── casually borrowing towels ──”
I can hear their intermittent voices.
Then ──
“Kurt, we’re coming in!”
“P-Please wait, Lara. I’m still not mentally prepared yet…”
While saying that, Lara entered the bathroom while pulling Marise’s hand.
“H-Hey there… What are you guys doing here?”
Lara and Marise have their towels wrapped around them, but they would be naked if they took them off.
I could see a glimpse of their cleavage, and that made me feel a tad excited.
“I was just talking to Marise-chan about how much Kurt has helped us. We want to do something for Kurt, too.”
“Kurt looks tired. So I was thinking of giving you a massage, but… I didn’t expect you to be taking a bath… We are a nuisance, right? We’ll leave right away!”
“N-No, you’re not a nuisance…”
I never thought they would come in with their clothes off.
Lara’s huge bosom looked as if it was about to burst out of the towel. Whenever she made the slightest movement, the two bulges would shake.
Marise also has her hair tied up and her cheeks blushing slightly in embarrassment. She looked so fascinatingly elegant that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“Don’t be so shy, Marise-chan! I’m embarrassed, too…”
“Ugh…”
Marise blushed and cast her gaze downwards.
Lara, on the other hand, peered at my face.
“Why don’t you look at us, Kurt?”
She asked curiously.
Oh, Lara, please do not move your face so close to me.
A large bulge of breasts appeared right in front of me, and it was increasingly difficult to look at her.
“Kurt, let us wash your back! It’s going to feel good. I’m sure it’ll take the edge off Kurt’s fatigue.”
“I-Is that so. T-Then thank you.”
I was a little bewildered because I did not have a towel wrapped around me, but… they were offering to wash my back. It would be tactless to refuse.
I slowly got out of the bathtub and sat down on a stool in the bathroom.
“I’ll wash your back then. Marise, too! Stop being shy!”
Lara’s breath hits my back.
The thought of a naked girl right behind me made my heart pound.
“Ugh… I got it. I just don’t like the thought of owing a debt to someone. I also don’t like the one-sided… relationship of having Kurt teach me magic, after all!”
Lara grabbed the soap that was in the bathroom.
“Wah, Kurt’s back is solid!”
Lara lather up the soap and brushes my back with both hands.
“That’s because I’ve been training.”
“It’s amazing. It’s really solid. I can feel the muscles tightening up inside.”
“I-Is that so… More than that, you can brush it a little harder if you want, Lara. It’s a bit too soft till it kind of tickles a little.”
It was as if I was being brushed through my downy hairs. An indescribable feeling ran through my skin.
It’s not a bad feeling, though.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Hurry up, Marise-chan!”
“I’m… ready!”
Marise also took the soap and lathered it up with both hands.
She then washed my chest with her shaky hands without looking forward.
It is not just my back anymore, but… if they are willing to wash my entire body, I will just leave it to them.
“Eek… T-This is Kurt’s body. It’s solid… But when I touch it, it feels gentle.”
“I’m sure this will get rid of the stiff muscles! Let’s keep it up!”
…At any rate, Marise is also being too soft to the point that it makes me shiver. I almost moaned.
“Hmm, but I still don’t feel relaxed.”
So Lara said:
“How can we get you to relax? I don’t think I can satisfy Kurt.”
“Not really. I’m not tired anymore.”
“If Kurt says so… But you still look tired… Ah, that’s right!”
Lara clapped her hands as if something had struck her mind.
Right after, I heard what sounded like a towel falling to the floor.
…A towel falling?
“What the hell are you doing, Lara?”
Marise thrashed her hands around as she looked away.
“I-I’m embarrassed, too.”
I could tell from her voice that Lara was blushing.
“B-But… I want Kurt to feel satisfied… And I’m sure scrubbing Kurt with something soft will soften up his body.”
*Rub*
A soft feeling on my back.
This is… Lara is pressing her body against me!?
This caused a continuous feeling of her soft breasts to travel down my back.
“How is it, Kurt? Does it feel good?”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Great. I’ll try harder then!”
Lara continued to move her body up and down, trying to wash my body with her entire body.
The feeling of slimy foam and the softness of Lara.
It was rubbed against me, and an indescribable feeling of pleasure reverberated in my brain.
“Wha-? But I think it’s getting stiffer. Why?”
Of course.
I had never experienced anything like this, even in my previous life. So I was mentally strained. It was to the point that my body became stiff.
“Lara! You’re being shameless! That’s shameless! Kurt is troubled. So stop it right now ──”
It was at that moment that Marise immediately stood up and reached out to stop Lara’s conduct.
“── !”
I was speechless.
It was probably because she moved in a hurry.
With that momentum, the towel that was wrapped around Marise’s body came off.
“Kyaa!”
Marise quickly covered her body with her arms.
But in that split second, I saw it.
Marise’s beautiful naked body.
Her skin is white and vivacious, and her arms were not enough to cover it all.
“W-W-Where is the towel!?”
She looked around for the towel, but she could not seem to find it right away due to the steam.
“Where! Where is it!?”
The towel is right beneath her, but it seems like she is having a hard time noticing it.
While she is looking for the towel, her breasts and buttocks keep coming into my view.
“W-W-What do you mean!? Why do you need to improve it!?”
Vera asked, leaning forward.
“It would be useless if I were to use it in this state…. No, I thought I could make it a better sword”
“You bought it, so you’re free to do what you want with it, but are you sure about that?”
“Yeah”
I nodded, and Vera crossed her arms with a smile on her face.
“You’re an interesting boy. Good. I’ll lend you my smithy. You can use it to your heart’s content!”
“It’s all right. I’m done”
“Huh?”
Vera almost fell.
“W-When did you do that!?”
“While we were talking.”
Vera was so absorbed in talking that she didn’t seem to notice, so I had taken the magic stone obtained in the <<Treasure Labyrinth>> and inlaid it into the sword.
By doing so, it was enchanted with magic.
It took me less than a second to do this. So it’s no wonder that she didn’t notice.
“What’s changed?”
“It doesn’t look any different…”
Lara and Marise put their faces close to the sword.
Are they… doubting my skills?
I’ve indeed been relatively bad at such production magic since my previous life.
Although I was not good at it, there was only one blacksmith in the world who was maybe a little better than me.
In the first place, Gold Magic is not really suited for production jobs.
“Right, let’s see… store owner. Do you have anything that I can use to try out the sword?”
I asked.
“There’s a Mud Doll in the back of the store. It’s a very tough doll. No matter how many times you slash at it, it’ll be fine!”
If I remember correctly, it’s one of those fragile dolls used in the entrance examination.
Well, that’s okay.
It’s good enough for trying out the sword.
We immediately went to the back of the store where the Mud Doll was kept.
When we looked at the Mud Doll, we saw that it was covered with countless cuts.
As the store owner had said, it seemed to be used as a doll for trying out swords.
“Don’t put too much strength on it, okay? Some people broke their bones because the Mud Doll was too tough”
Vera warned.
“I understand. I’ll try not to put too much strength on it”
I held my sword in one hand and gazed at the Mud Doll.
“Hmph”
As it is, I sloppily slashed the Mud Doll horizontally half-heartedly.
Then ── the Mud Doll was slashed into two.
“…Huh?”
The store owner kept her mouth partially opened.
“Hmm… that’s about right”
All I used was a single magic stone, after all. So something like this is to be expected.
While I was deep in thought, I returned the sword to its sheath.
“Thank you very much. Well then, I shall take my leave”
“W-Wait a minute!”
I was held back.
“W-Why did the sharpness become so much better!?”
“Right. After inlaying the magic stone, I enchanted it with magic such as [Sharpness +500%], [Physical Strength Support +500%], [Light-weight], and so on”
There are more than that, but if I tell her that, I think Vera might collapse. So let’s stop here.
“Enchant magic in an instant? Besides, I’ve never heard of someone being able to enchant two or three magic! And no matter how much you try… a light swing like that can’t split a Mud Doll in half!”
“Right, I’m sorry. If I remember correctly, Mud Dolls are expensive. I’ll fix it right away”
“Eh!?”
Vera’s eyes popped out in surprise when I restored the Mud Doll to its original state with Restoration Magic.
“T-That’s…! It should have taken ten years of training to be able to enchant magic! And yet… why… why…”
Perhaps out of surprise, Vera repeated the word “Why”.
Hmm. In that case, I think I can make money as a blacksmith. Well, I don’t intend to become one right now, though.
“Well, it’s Kurt, after all…. As I thought, he did the same thing when he worked on my ring”
“Of course. I can’t be surprised every time. It’s Kurt, after all”
The two of them didn’t seem too surprised, but their dumbfounded stares were a mystery.
Now.
I’ve bought a sword, fixed the Mud Doll, and I’m done.
As I was about to leave the weapon store again.
“Wait, wait!”
Vera hugged me from behind and restrained me.
“F-Five of my best…. No! Just one! Just one sword, can you do what you just did? I’ll pay you whatever you want!”
Oh boy.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not possible. Besides, I don’t have any magic stones left, so I can’t do what I did just now”
“That’s fine! So… please! For the wish of my lifetime!”
“But…”
“…Can’t you do it?”
Vera grabbed her collar with both hands and showed her chest.
It was a flat chest.
However, the pink-colored buds at the top of the two summits do give off certain femininity.
“Y-You can do whatever you want to me if you like. So…”
“H-Hold on! Don’t teach Kurt anything weird!”
Lara intervened from the side and pressed her chest against my right arm.
Big.
Vera is not bad, but as I thought, I feel more comfortable with the tender Lara.
That being said.
“Haa, fine. Just one sword, okay? But I can’t guarantee the quality”
Vera wasn’t going to back down at this point, so I let out a sigh and replied.
“T-Thank you!”
“But I don’t need the money. Let’s see… if you have any good materials or swords, or if you have any information, please let me know first, okay?”
“Are you fine with just that!?”
“I can do it in one second, so I don’t need to get paid that much”
“O-One second!?”
Getting information should be a higher priority than money right now.
After that, I enchanted the store owner’s prized sword with [Slashing Speed +500%] and left the store for real this time.
◆ ◆
“It’s quite a splendid building”
I had already finished my business, so I dined out with the two of them and then returned to the front of the dormitory.
Rosanlila Magic Academy is a boarding school.
The dormitory, located right next to the school building, is a gorgeous building.
“Such a stylish building, isn’t it? It’s beautiful!”
“The dormitory of Rosanlila Magic Academy has won several famous Architecture Awards. There are even people who want to join the Magic Academy just to live here”
Lara’s eyes lit up while Marise crossed her arms and said calmly.
Hmm….
It’s a splendid building. I really do mean that.
But it seems that there are no barriers?
I’m worried about that, so let’s set one up…. No-no, it’s a bad habit of mine to meddle like this. I’ll stop now.
“Ah, it’s Eri-chan!”
In front of the dormitory, Eri-chan… our class homeroom teacher, Erika-sensei, was standing there.
She looked a little grumpy.
“You’re the last of the new students to come back”
She said with a stern look.
“Eh!? When did it get so late!?”
“We’ve been to the labyrinth, the guild, choosing weapons… and so on, after all”
Time flies when you’re doing something, doesn’t it?
“So… why is Sensei here?”
“I’m your homeroom teacher and the dormitory chief executive. I’m here to give you a list of the dorm’s rules and your assigned room number”
said Erika, handing us a thin booklet and a piece of paper with our room number written on it.
It seems that my room is located on the eighth floor of Building A.
“I’m on the third floor of Building A!”
“Me too…. Is it the same building for men and women?”
“Yeah. It’s a mixed dormitory. We don’t have the budget to build two separate dormitories. But don’t get any weird ideas, okay? Illicit sexual relationships are forbidden, after all”
What a surprise.
I hadn’t read through the academy’s rules yet, but I didn’t know there was such a thing.
“…Did we have an academy rule like that?”
Marise asked Sensei.
But Sensei was firm.
“Even if there were no such academy rule, it would be unacceptable for you to engage in illicit sexual relationships while training in magic! What’s more, you guys are first-year students! If you have time for that, you should be learning some magic!”
said Sensei.
“Well then, I’ve got some work to do, so I’m going back to the academy. A-And don’t you dare do anything indecent, understand?”
With that, Sensei left us.
She is quite a strict teacher.
But I agree with her that illicit sexual relationships are a hindrance to magic training.
In my previous life, I continued to train my magic without paying attention to women.
…It’s not because I didn’t dare to talk to the girls.
“…Sensei was kind of angry. Is it because we didn’t come back early?”
“No… probably not”
Lara and Marise were talking in hushed tones so that the departing teacher could not hear them.
At any rate, I think I’ll go to bed now.
I still have enough stamina, but as I thought, I’m tired from all the events that occurred today.
I’ve never been good with crowded places, even in my previous life.
“Now then…. I’ve finally gotten some money. With this, hopefully, I can get a good sword”
I murmured after leaving the guild.
“Three hundred gold coins is just…some money!? Kurt, just how rich are you!? You must have lost your sense for money”
No sense for money, huh?
Three hundred gold coins is a lot of money.
It seems that the monetary value hasn’t changed much since my previous life, so I can understand that much.
However, if I really want to buy a good sword, then three hundred gold coins just isn’t enough.
For example, a thousand years ago, the ‘Magic Sword, Riadojiku’ had a value of two hundred million gold coins.
It is said that a single swing with that magic sword can destroy a country, though that’s only limited to places that do not have a decent barrier.
…Well, I did make that magic sword myself.
“Kurt. It’s a silly question, but didn’t you think of making one yourself?”
asked Marise.
“Marise-chan! There’s no way a sword can be made that easily!”
“That’s true…but somehow I feel like Kurt can do it”
“That’s just impossible! After all, Kurt is a mage, remember? He is not a blacksmith ──”
“I can make one”
“Ehh!?”
Lara widened her eyes.
Hmm. Lara’s reactions are so amusing that I never get tired of watching it.
“I’ve had swords before, but they never felt right. So I learned that it’s faster to make one myself”
Of course, this is a story from my previous life.
“It’s faster to make one yourself…. I don’t think that’s normal”
“It is said that one will require more than twenty years of rigorous training to become a full-fledged blacksmith”
Marise replied with her arms folded.
“I can also make it now. But there isn’t enough material. To create a sword that can satisfy me, I might need to at least dive through one hundred layers of the <<Treasure Labyrinth>>”
But then again, it’s a small labyrinth, so it is a question of whether there are materials that I need even if I go up to a hundred layers.
Buying a sword now is just a means to an end.
“So…do any of you know of a good weapon store in the royal capital?”
When I asked, Lara and Marise almost simultaneously replied.
“I know! It’s No.1 in the royal capital…no, the weapon store is said to be the best in the world!”
“That weapon store is famous. That’s why people from all over the world came looking for their weapons there”
Oh?
That sounds promising.
“Then, let’s get going, shall we? I’m counting on you two to guide me there”
We arrived at the weapon store they had mentioned, but I was shocked when I walked into the store.
“This is the best weapon store in the world…?”
From my point of view, none of them look like much.
“As expected of the work of the famous craftsman, Vera-san”
“These are all magnificent items”
Lara held a sword, and Marise held a bow. Their eyes were sparkling.
Do they really think that the weapons are good?
…Neither of those two weapons has been enchanted with magic, you know?
“Doesn’t this armor look amazing?”
As we walked around the store, Lara spotted a piece of armor.
“Even if a Behemoth were to trample it, it wouldn’t budge”
Marise is also admiring the armor.
Indeed, the iron armor is so sturdy in appearance that it seems capable of withstanding attacks from all sides, too.
However.
“That armor is nothing much, you two. This one over here is much more impressive…than that”
I picked up the armor on the opposite side of the iron armor.
“Huh? That’s…”
“I-It’s just a swimsuit, isn’t it!? You can’t defend against an attack with that…. Kurt is ecchi!”
“What are you talking about?”
This is the protective gear known as ‘bikini armor’.
“Don’t be fooled by its appearance. It seems that this bikini armor has been enchanted with magic resistance. This armor will protect you from attacks better than that merely heavy and hard to move armor over there”
However, the magic that it has been enchanted with has many defects and far from useful to me…but still, it is somewhat more useful than the armor that Lara and Marise focused on.
“Really? You are not just distracted by ecchi thoughts, are you…?”
“In that case, you should try it on. Because then Marise might understand, too”
“Eh…? W-Well, easier said than done now, isn’t it…?”
I’ve heard that it takes girls a long time to get dressed. So let’s use magic to get her changed in an instant.
Without waiting for a reply from Marise, I snap my fingers.
Then, Marise was enveloped by light in an instant, and there she was, wearing the bikini armor.
“Whoa, Marise-chan! It looks good on you!”
Lara got excited.
“What just happened!? Ugh…it feels drafty here, I’m feeling a little restless”
For some reason, Marise, with tears in her eyes, tries to cover herself with both of her arms.
As Lara said, the bikini armor looked good on her with her good figure.
She has slender white limbs and small but well-shaped twin hills. Her buttocks are firm and supple.
Hmm. Not only magic, but I can see that she also trains her body. She really does have a good body.
“So, what do you think?”
“…It’s amazing. Somehow, I can feel the magic power all over my body. It’s like I’m getting warm…aah, the feeling is kind of addicting”
“I see. If you like it, shall I buy it for you?”
“B-But it’s still embarrassing after all! Besides, I don’t want to rely on Kurt all the time. If I want to buy one, I’ll save up and buy it myself!”
“That’s the spirit”
With another snap of my fingers, I returned Marise to her original dress.
Now, I’m not here to buy protective gear this time. I came here to buy a weapon.
I look away from Marise, who is blushing with embarrassment, and walk around the store again.
It was hard to find anything good, though.
“Do you have any weapons that…oh?”
Still looking for a weapon, I found it in an inconspicuous corner.
“Oh…? This seems to be serviceable”
I held the sword and was about to use my analysis magic, Analyse, to find out more when ──
“Mm, the boy over there. You’ve noticed that sword?”
I turn around.
Before I knew it, there was a girl with a striking pair of big, round eyes standing in front of me.
“Oh, just now, you must have thought I was a child, didn’t you!? That’s not true. I’m the owner of this store, you know?”
The girl puffed with pride.
However ── perhaps because I’d just met Angelica ── I couldn’t believe that the petite body, flat-chested girl was telling the truth.
“It’s Vera-san!”
“Hm, Lara. Is this child the one you called the famous craftsman?”
“She’ll get angry if you talk like that. She has been out in public a lot, so I know her face”
Hmm, it seems that this girl ── Vera, is telling the truth.
“Do you believe me now?”
“Yeah”
“Then that’s good! Well, let me tell you something…. That’s the best weapon in the store. I’ve been keeping it out of sight for a while now…, but how did you notice it?”
The store owner looked at me suspiciously.
“First of all, processing the material Orichalcum is good, and that must have taken a lot of time. It’s been done with such care that it’s still eighty-seven percent pure, and it’s clear just by looking at it that every micrometer of it has been taken care of”
“Boy, you know your stuff! I’ve heard your earlier exchange about the bikini armor, too. Most people only look at the armor on the other side. However…, you’ve found a really good piece of protective gear out of all of them. I thought it was just a coincidence when you noticed the bikini armor, but it looks like that wasn’t the case”
Vera was all smiles.
“I like you! I didn’t expect you to see through it so much at a mere glance. If it’s you, I’ll sell you that sword!”
As she clenched my hands tightly.
This sword is definitely the most decent thing I have seen so far after I have reincarnated.
This gave me a sense of Vera’s ability as a blacksmith.
And so I asked her.
“Yes. Then I’ll buy this one. What’s the price for it?”
“Don’t be surprised when you hear it. It’ll cost…a hundred gold coins! Not a cent less!”
“Here’s one hundred gold coins. Please check to confirm”
“Fufufu, was a hundred gold coins a little too much for you? But do continue to work harder to buy this sword, boy! As for you who have seen my excellent sword, you should be able to buy it if you work hard as an adventurer for three years…no, one year…wait, eh!?”
Vera, who was talking pleasantly, suddenly looked surprised when she saw the pile of gold coins in the bag.
“A-Are you a child of nobility…? In that case, that makes sense. You have received special education ever since you were a little boy. So that probably explains why you were able to see right through the weapons I’ve made. Haha, hahaha!”
Vera gave a nervous laugh and stepped back.
I’m not a noble, though. She seems to be mistaken.
“Well then, from now on, that sword belongs to you! Take good care of it”
“Thank you very much”
I bowed.
I gripped the sword again and held the blade up to the light.
“Kurt, good for you! It really suits you!”
“Yes, it sure is cool…, rather than that, Lara! You don’t need a cool weapon! Functionality is more important!”
“Ehh…, isn’t it better to be cool or cute?”
While Lara and Marise were fussing about something, I had finished analyzing it.
“All right, let’s go work on this sword at once”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll improve it”
When I said that, Vera’s eyes couldn’t have been more widely opened.
“Well then…I’m thinking of exchanging the Behemoth for money, do any of you know where the guild is?”
In my previous life, it was customary to exchange monster materials for money at the Adventurer Guild.
“Exchanging monsters for money in a guild feels like that makes us adventurers! But I’m sorry. I don’t know where the guild is…”
“In that case, allow me to guide you there. When I arrived in the royal capital, I checked for the location of the guild after checking out the magic academy. The royal capital’s Adventurer Guild is quite famous after all”
“That helps us out a lot”
Marise then led us to the Adventurer Guild.
“Is this the place?”
“Yeah. Let’s go in immediately”
Marise didn’t hesitate at all and walked into the guild.
Oh…?
She has a lot of guts.
In my previous life, the Adventurer Guild was an assembly of ruffians.
If children like us entered the guild, we would be immediately spotted and at best our possessions would be stripped off, or at worst we would be burned with magic.
Now…I wonder how interesting the adventurers in this era are.
With excitement, I followed after Marise.
“…Hmm?”
“What’s the matter, Kurt?”
Marise tilted her head.
“Is this place really the Adventurer Guild?”
“Yeah. Are you doubting me by any chance? I’m sure this is the place”
said Marise, with her cheeks puffed out.
But that wasn’t the case.
From my point of view, the guild is too quiet.
Certainly, I can hear the sounds of people that look like adventures talking.
But when they see us, they just say, “Oh? It’s unusual to see children here, isn’t it?”. There wasn’t a guy who would suddenly attack either.
“It’s kind of…peaceful”
“As expected of Kurt, so brave. I’ve been so nervous ever since I got here!”
“Me too”
In my eyes, both of them should be more cautious.
“…Well anyway, let’s head towards the reception”
While feeling uncomfortable, the three of us headed for the reception desk.
“Is this your first time in the guild?”
“Yes”
“In that case, we will start with creating an adventurer license…”
“No, we have the Rosanlila Magic Academy’s student ID card. We can use it as a substitution here, right?”
Marise appeared from the side and took out her student ID card.
The receptionist smiled as soon as she saw it.
“Yes. It’s definitely the magic academy’s student ID card. Even so…if you are first-year students, then isn’t it still your first day of school? What can I do for you? Would you like a guild tour?”
“No, we have exterminated some monsters, so we came here to exchange them for money”
After I said that, the receptionist replied, “Exchange monsters for money…?”, with blinking eyes.
“W-Well, it’s still your first day of school and you’ve already defeated some monsters? That’s amazing! Come to think of it, I heard that there are three geniuses in the magic academy this year. Could it be that it’s you guys?”
The receptionist said in an excited tone.
So talks like that have been going around already, huh.
Due to the receptionist being so loud, it caught the attention of other adventurers in the guild.
“However…I don’t see anything that looks like a monster material?”
“Well, I can get it out right now…but I don’t think it will fit on this table, so let’s take it out outside”
“? Understood”
The receptionist followed and we went outside.
Some of the adventurers who were there at the guild also followed us outside, perhaps they, too, were curious.
“I’ll take it out then…”
I took the Behemoth’s corpse out of the storage magic.
To the receptionist and the other adventurers, it probably looked as if a Behemoth had suddenly appeared out of thin air and landed on the empty ground.
“Whoa! Why is there a Behemoth here!?”
“A <<Disaster-Class>> monster is in the city…?”
“Wait just a minute here. This Behemoth…seems to be dead already!”
Soon, there was an uproar right in front of the guild.
The guild staff were also flustered and seemed to have trouble dealing with the situation.
“Please be at ease, everyone”
I raised my voice a little to allow the confused people to hear me and continued.
“This is the monster I defeated in the <<Treasure Labyrinth>>. It’s already dead so there’s nothing to worry about”
“You defeated it in the <<Treasure Labyrinth>>…?”
Everyone then started to fearfully tap the Behemoth’s body.
“It’s true…it’s certainly dead. Looks like it’s safe”
Apparently, after confirming that it is dead, the adventurers and the guild staff were relieved.
“Yes…it certainly looks like a Behemoth. But where did it come from?”
“From my storage magic”
“Storage magic…? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it”
Aah, that’s right. Storage magic isn’t common.
But any more fuss will be too much hassle.
I just want to (relatively) live in peace.
Fortunately, the receptionist does not seem to know much about magic.
So instead I said.
“It’s just ordinary magic. Even children can use it. It might be convenient for housewives, too”
““It’s not ordinary!””
Lara and Marise voiced in unison and denied.
Come on, you two.
While I’m trying my best here to deceive them, don’t say anything unnecessary from the sidelines!
Since it is a Behemoth of the <<Disaster-Class>>, it will take some time to exchange it for money.
So I figured I’d have some time to spare, but….
“Kurt-san. The guild master wants to meet you. Would you mind meeting her?”
“The guild master?”
What does the guild master want?
“G-Guild master!? That’s Angelica-san, right?”
“I’ve heard that she rarely appears in public and that only a few people have seen her…”
Apparently, the guild master is a famous person.
Well, I will probably depend on the guild a lot in the future, so it wouldn’t hurt to meet her.
We were guided by the receptionist to a room deeper inside the guild.
“Are you the one? The outrageous person who brought the Behemoth’s corpse here”
When we got there, there was a beautiful woman sitting on the sofa, exuding a mature aura.
She was wearing a long, captivating purple skirt, and an off-shoulder dress top.
She looked as if she was about to go to a party.
“Wah! It’s the real Angelica-san…!”
“I had hoped to see you at least once, but I never thought that I would see you so soon”
Lara and Marise were nervous.
“So…what do you want from us?”
“The Behemoth that was brought here using storage magic…moreover, I also heard that it was a child who brought it, so how could I not want to meet him, don’t you agree?”
As if astounded, the guild master ── Angelica, I believe ── sighed.
“I’ve heard that an outrageous genius was enrolled in the magic academy this year…but I never thought it would be this much”
“The information is coming in fast, huh?”
“There are many people who become adventurers after graduating from the magic academy after all. Information comes in whether you like it or not. Moreover, it seems like you’ve defeated that combat maniac, Desmond, during the entrance exam”
Desmond?
Oh, that former S-rank adventurer.
He was the man with the most backbone so far, so I remembered him.
“Desmond may have retired, but he’s still the man who was famed as the strongest adventurer in the royal capital’s history, you know? To have won against him…it’s kind of hard to believe that”
Desmond was certainly strong.
However, if Desmond is the strongest ever in the royal capital’s history…let’s say, 1000 years ago, then what would I be?
I feel bad for Desmond, but if it’s me from 1000 years ago, I’m confident that I can win even if I fought with only one hand and one leg, and with no magic, too.
Come to think of it, I wonder in what way do they pass down my stories from my previous life in this era?
When I was in the village, I did some quick research, but I couldn’t find any of those stories.
“Angelica-san”
“What is it?”
“Do you know of such a person?”
I decided to ask Angelica about it by telling her my name from my previous life.
I thought that the guild master might know something about it.
However….
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know of such a person. Is that someone an acquaintance of yours?”
“No, it’s not like that. It’s okay if you don’t know”
Well, since the magic revolution that should have happened 1000 years ago seemingly disappeared, so I was vaguely aware that I would be getting this kind of answer.
“Now. Let’s cut to the chase”
said Angelica, joining her hands together on her lap and continued with a bewitching smile on her face.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Do you intend to leave the magic academy right now and become an adventurer?”
As I thought, this is what she was going to talk about.
In this era, even that Behemoth has become a <<Disaster-class>>.
And I defeated it in 3 seconds.
It’s only natural that I would be recruited by the guild master.
However.
“I refuse. I’m still a student”
“Well, that’s too bad. I somewhat expected that”
Angelica drops her shoulders.
But she doesn’t look too discouraged.
It seems that she has somewhat already expected this.
Or rather, why would she recruit a student who has just enrolled in an academy?
Besides, I can always become an adventurer at any time.
That’s why I want to enjoy the interesting academy life that I didn’t experience in my previous life.
“I wonder, is there anything for Kurt to learn at the academy?”
“F-For someone like me, I’ll learn a lot from studying with Kurt, so that offer was…foolish!”
“Me too! I’m not giving the guild, Kurt!”
Lara and Marise, both grabbed my arms from the sides.
That’s great and all…but I can feel the softness of their breast on my arms and I just can’t calm down.
For me, this is a lot more stressful than meeting the guild master.
“But, Kurt. I’m sure you are aware of this as well, a student ID card from the magic academy can be used as a substitute for an adventurer license, too. You can accept requests in accordance with your ability, so you should definitely take advantage of that”
“Yes, of course”
“Besides…if things get out of hand in the guild, I might ask Kurt to do me a favor…would you be willing to lend me a hand?”
“Well, as long as it’s reasonable”
I don’t want to make a huge fuss out of it, but if there’s a chance that I can meet someone who is stronger than Desmond ── or even stronger than me, then I’ll go anywhere.
“I’m glad to hear that. Let’s shake hands as a token of acceptance”
There was no reason to refuse after all.
When Angelica and I shook our hands, she suddenly put her face close to my ear and whispered.
“…You’re a pretty good man. I can’t believe you’re 15 years old. Feel free to come to this room anytime. And of course, alone next time”
As her breath flowed over my ear, I felt a thrilling sensation.
“H-Hey! What are you doing!?”
“That’s right! Kurt is ours after all. We’re not giving him to you!”
Lara and Marise forcefully pulled my arms towards themselves.
When Angelica saw this, she wore a relaxed smile and said, “Oh, you have two lovely girlfriends”.
She is quite an interesting woman.
If I’m not careful, I’ll be eaten in many ways. I must be vigilant.
“Thank you for waiting! The money exchange is done!”
While we were talking, the receptionist from earlier came into the room winded.
“How long has it been?”
I do not know what is the position of a <<Disaster-Class>> in this world.
But I’ve defeated a monster that seems to be recognized as being quite strong.
The way I see it…the reward is going to be one gold coin!
A single gold coin is about half a month’s worth of living expenses. I’ll be able to buy a sword, too.
“Y-Yes! Here it is!”
The receptionist placed a bag on the table in front of the sofa with a thud.
It looks heavy.
Could it be that it’s all copper coins?
“Phew…”
“C-Could it be that you are feeling dissatisfied?”
I seem to have freaked out the receptionist by unconsciously letting out a sigh.
“No, it’s not like that”
After making a follow-up, I looked inside the bag without much expectation.
Hmm, this doesn’t look like a copper coin. Or rather, it’s a gold coin.
1 gold coin, 10 gold coins…hmm? It looks like there are more than a hundred of them.
“300 gold coins! This is the price of a Behemoth!”
Is this for real?
It was 300 times more than what I had originally expected.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this much money!”
“This amount is reasonable. That’s what it means to defeat a <<Disaster-Class>> monster after all”
Lara’s eyes widened in surprise, but Marise looked calm.
Mmm.
There is one thing I learned from this incident.
If I can get this much just for defeating a Behemoth, it looks like I won’t have to worry about money in the future.
When we descended to the third layer, Lara looked around restlessly with her eyes wide open.
It is understandable.
The first layer has ruins, and the second layer was like a forest.
It is understandable to be suddenly perplexed by such a big space.
“The area up to this point will be used for the exhibition game, isn’t it?”
Marise asked.
She’s right, the exhibition game will be held from the first layer to the third layer.
As for me, I’m fine with diving deeper, too…but it seems to be for the safety of the students that they are narrowing it down to the first few layers.
“Oh, here comes the monsters”
“Wahhh, there’s a lot of bird-like monsters coming!”
When I strained my eyes, I could see a great multitude of monsters coming towards us from afar.
Are those Evil Birds?
Lara and Marise assumed a fighting stance.
“Alright, let’s make this the final test. Defeat the group of Evil Birds that are about to arrive with the chantless magic I taught you earlier”
“EH!? Isn’t that too sudden to try it on monsters?”
“That’s crazy!”
They panicked.
“What’s the matter? Since you’ll be forming a party with me, you’ll need to be able to do this much at least, else it would be troubling. That’s right…whoever defeats the most monsters can pass unconditionally, too”
“── !”
Hearing those words, Marise’s eye color changed.
“Don’t forget what you just said”
“Yeah. Besides, I’m saying this because I know you two can handle it. If by any chance that it gets dangerous, I’ll lend you a hand”
The Evil Birds are getting closer and closer, finally coming close enough to be clearly within striking range.
Lara and Marise shot Fire Spears at the flying Evil Birds.
They had difficulty hitting the Evil Birds with their magic at first, and seemed to have a hard time.
At this point, both of them are evenly matched in power. It won’t be surprising since either of them could win.
However.
“Haaa, haaa…”
Marise is breathing heavily.
She must be exhausted and reaching the end of her strength.
I wonder if that’s because ──
“Marise-chan!”
Lara shouted suddenly.
An Evil Bird attacked from behind Marise.
“Eh…?”
Marise couldn’t react in time to the attack from behind and is about to get hit at this rate.
However, Lara rolled over to grab Marise and sidestep the attack from the Evil Bird.
“Are you okay!? Marise-chan!”
There was some dirt on Lara’s cheeks, but she was more worried about Marise.
“W-Why did you save me? Didn’t you hear? This is the final test, and whoever defeats the most monsters will pass…”
“A-haha, you’re right…my body just moved on its own. But I’m going to be friends with…no, I can’t abandon my friend Marise-chan”
“Friend…?”
Lara and Marise stood up and stared at the Evil Birds.
A closer look reveals scratches on Lara’s right knee.
“I want Kurt to teach me magic. But I also want to get to know you better, Marise-chan”
“What merit is there by being friends with me…?”
“I don’t need any merits to become friends with you! Besides ── we’ll talk later! Now we have to work together to defeat the monsters”
“Y-You’re right”
The two changed their minds and mustered up the last of their strength to take down the few remaining Evil Birds.
Then…a short time later.
The sight of Evil Birds that had been there for so long, had finally disappeared.
“W-We did it…”
“Yeah, thanks to you, Marise-chan. I couldn’t have done it alone myself…”
They both sounded like they were exhausted.
“Oh, right! Kurt…which one of us passed?”
“We were so desperate that we didn’t even count how many we defeated”
The two suddenly approach me.
Hmm…although they are practically evenly matched, Marise was slightly ahead in defeating the Evil Birds.
However.
“You girls don’t have to worry about who defeated the most Evil Birds. Because both of you passed”
“Eh…? Then does that mean…!?”
“Yeah, I’ll teach both of you the essence of magic. But be prepared, okay? I’m not used to teaching, so it can get a little tough”
Hearing that, Lara jumped up and down in excitement, and Marise clenched her fists in joy.
…I was going to teach them magic even before I gave them this test in the first place.
Judging from the entrance exam, both of them have a talent for magic. I can’t wait to see how far they will grow as I teach them.
But on the other hand, even if we are to form a party together, if we can’t trust each other, then we won’t be able to show our full potential. It’s not a very pleasant thing to watch if they are on bad terms with each other.
But surprisingly…
I did wonder what would happen at one point but looks like there was nothing to worry about after all.
Lara’s willingness to sacrifice herself to help her friends was enough to reassure me.
“Lara…”
Marise gently holds out her hand to a happy Lara.
“Eh…?”
“Um, it’s a handshake! D-Don’t get me wrong. I just need to be strong on my own after all…but, if we are going to form a party, it’s better to get along with each other…and…it seems like there are various benefits to that!”
“Geez, you’re not being honest with yourself! But…again, I’m looking forward to working with you, Marise-chan! And Kurt, too!”
Hmm, a handshake, huh?
Lara is trying to get along with me. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I can’t refuse her here.
She took Marise’s and my hand alternately.
“Since this is a good chance…why don’t you shake hands with Marise, too?”
“Eh? T…T-T-That’s right. Kurt is our friend too, right? I-I look forward to working with you”
I shook hands with Marise, too.
Lara continued to smile the whole time, but Marise shyly had her head down and averted her gaze.
“Now…this kind of thing is nice, but don’t let your guard down yet, you two”
“Eh?”
“A Behemoth is coming this way. Let’s engage it here”
Hearing my words, Marise let go of her hand and said in a panic.
“T-That’s absurd! When you think of a Behemoth, isn’t it a <<Disaster-Class>> monster!”
Behemoth is a <<Disaster-Class>> monster…?
Wasn’t it the kind of monster that children who just started learning magic used to hunt when they were practicing in my previous life?
Without a doubt, it’s stronger than a Lizardman or an Evil Bird.
But to me, they were more akin to small animals than monsters.
They aren’t even a threat.
“Hmm, what’s the matter? Perhaps both of you are excited that a Behemoth is coming?”
““I’m scared!””
cried the two.
In the meantime, the Behemoth came up before us.
“H-Huge!”
Lara looked up at the Behemoth.
Behemoth is a giant four-legged monster.
“GUOOOOO!”
Behemoth raised its front legs to intimidate us.
“Both of you stand back, I’ll settle this in 3 seconds”
“Even if it’s Kurt, 3 seconds is just impossible!”
What are you talking about?
For me, it’ll be as easy as yawning for 3 seconds.
Behemoth came at us with a roar.
I unsheath my sword and jumped after covering myself with Body Strengthening Magic.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve to come at me”
I got over the Behemoth’s head in no time at all.
The Behemoth doesn’t seem to be able to keep up with my movements.
I enchanted the sword itself with |Sharpness| magic.
I immediately went to the front of the Behemoth, and then severed its head and torso.
“If it’s a Behemoth, then that is all there is to it, I suppose”
The Behemoth’s body slowly fell to the ground.
“W-What happened!”
“I don’t know. It was too fast for me to see”
Lara and Marise came running up to me.
“It’s called Enchantment Magic. Instantly strengthening the sword…hmm?”
I looked at the sword I had brought with me.
*Crack*
“Whoa! The sword cracked!?”
Lara’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw it.
The sword then shattered into pieces. It made a sound like glass shattering.
“Hmm…as I thought, the sword provided by the academy couldn’t keep up with my Enchantment Magic”
I stroked my chin as I looked at the sword with only the handle left intact.
The sword couldn’t withstand my magic power and disintegrated from the inside.
If it was a cheap sword, I wouldn’t be surprised that it happened.
Or rather, I’m amazed that it had endured this long.
“I’ll have to buy a new sword that’s a little sturdier when we leave the Labyrinth”
I muttered.
“Now…it’s about time we return to the Royal Capital. That’s all for today. It would be great if I could get to the 100th layer, but…”
“Please don’t say something so outrageous such as going to the 100th layer!”
“Strangely enough, if it’s Kurt, I can’t help but think that he might just be able to do it”
But I need money to buy a new sword.
I want to use the magic stone to process weapons and stuff like that….
In that case.
“Should I bring back the Behemoth with us?”
I shifted my gaze to the fallen Behemoth.
“How are you going to bring it back though?”
“Lara, it has to be dismantled first to bring it back. Even so, it’s not possible for the three of us to dismantle it completely…”
“What a waste”
“It can’t be helped”
What are they talking about?
“Let’s bring back all of it”
““Eh?””
“Yosh”
When I held my hand up to the Behemoth, a pale light appeared.
By the time, the light disappeared.
“T-The Behemoth is gone?”
“Where did it go!”
Lara placed a hand over her mouth, and Marise leaned forward in surprise.
“I used Storage Magic. This way, we can bring all of it back with us without the need to do troublesome jobs such as dismantling, right?”
That being said, I personally don’t really like Storage Magic. While using Storage Magic to carry things around, I would have to constantly consume my magic power all the time.
Although this isn’t enough to cause me to run out of magic power, it does make me feel somewhat uncomfortable.
“Storage Magic! Wasn’t that a lost magic!?”
“I’ve only seen it in books…”
It seems like Storage Magic isn’t common in this world either.
Just which one is the common one and which one isn’t common….
Well, let’s look into that slowly.
“With this, I don’t have any regrets left. Let’s get out of the Labyrinth”
As we start descending to the second layer, a lush green forest could be seen.
“Eh, why?”
“Kurt already told us, remember? The Labyrinth is like an alternate dimension”
“That’s how it is”
It is not unusual for the surrounding landscape to change completely as the layers change.
“This is just the second layer after all. The one I have conquered ── no, from what I’ve heard, there are some Labyrinths where the entire fields are just magma”
“That’s…we can’t even walk on that in the first place!”
“It’s true. So you’re saying that no human can conquer it?”
I conquered it easily in my previous life.
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
To withstand the high temperatures, you only need to modify the magic for body protection.
Rather than that, in the Labyrinth where you could be thrown into the gap of the dimension if you let your guard down for a bit was much more troublesome.
The enemies I encountered were weak, so it was easy to get carried away and let my guard down.
It was difficult to return to the original space by interfering with the time axis every time I was thrown from one space to another in the dimension.
“All right, let’s continue on to the second layer”
“The deeper the layer, the harder it is to conquer the Labyrinth, right?”
“That’s right”
I nodded at Lara’s question.
“Will it be fine? Even on the first layer, I already had to give it my all…”
“Don’t worry. The way I see it, even if it’s just the two of us, we should be able to conquer the second layer”
From my point of view, the first layer and the second layer are too low level, and the two layers aren’t that much different from one another.
We made our way through the forest, taking in the scenery around us.
“Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Be a spear, pierce the enemy and burn them!”
A crab-shaped monster, Crab, appeared and Marise unleashed her magic.
By the way…I basically left it to Lara and Marise to exterminate the monsters.
At first, they were stiff, but gradually they got used to fighting against monsters.
As I thought, they are talented.
However….
“What’s the matter, you two? You look tired”
“Haaa, haaa…I-I’m still okay. But I’ve never used so much magic before”
“I can still go on!”
Even so, both of them are panting heavily.
In addition to all of that walking, they are also consuming their magic power.
It can’t be helped.
“Let’s take a break here”
“I-Inside the Labyrinth?”
said Marise, with her eyes wide in shock.
“Is that weird?”
“Weird or not, I can’t stay calm when I think that monsters could attack us at any time…”
“It’s not unusual to take a break inside a Labyrinth. Sometimes it takes days to conquer a Labyrinth. Besides ── you don’t have to worry about the monsters”
I went to a slightly open area and cast a Barrier Magic, Holy Circle.
“I’ve now set up a barrier here to ward off evil things. The monsters shouldn’t even be able to find us”
“You just used difficult magic as easily as that, don’t you?”
“I’ve heard that Barrier Magic is quite difficult though?”
Lara and Marise were surprised, but after all this time, I no longer care as I already know that this world has low magic skills.
We sat down on the ground.
“Phew, I’m alive again”
Lara and Marise also sat in a circle.
A brief respite.
“Hmm…what’s that?”
Just then, suddenly, a glowing, palm-sized object appeared in front of the barrier and Marise noticed it.
“Isn’t that a spirit?”
“Spirit? Why is it here?”
“Perhaps it was drawn to my magic power”
Even so, this is unusual.
The spherical light came straight into the barrier and landed on the palm of Marise.
Holy Circle is a barrier that wards off evil things.
A spirit with no hostility can pass through like this.
“It’s cute. I had only seen spirits when I was little…”
Marise was gently stroking the spirit with her other hand.
“Spirits are born where there is plenty of magic power and magic elements. However, since there aren’t many magic elements in this Labyrinth, I guess only small spirits are born”
“As I recall, in places with more magic power, there are humanoid spirits as well?”
I nodded in response to Marise’s question.
It seems that the existence of spirits hasn’t changed since my previous life.
Just like Marise said, there are also adult-sized spirits.
To distinguish them from the small spirits, we call them the Great Spirits.
However, it is also hard to find them when they reach that stage.
Some people are afraid of the Great Spirits who look like them.
“Marise-chan, it’s not magic power”
“Eh?”
Suddenly, Lara interrupted.
“It’s not magic power, but Mana. To us, it’s magic power, but the spirits call it Mana”
“I-Is that so? Lara, you know it well”
Marise looked surprised, but Lara looked somewhat uncomfortable.
Hmm…she knows it very well.
As I recall, the issue of such a designation was that it is not well known.
“Even so…with our magic power, we are having a hard time defeating even one monster”
With the spirit on her palm, Marise let out a gloomy tone in her voice.
“That’s true. But Kurt defeated so many Lizardmen in an instant”
“Why is there such a difference between us and Kurt’s magic?”
They seemed to have doubts.
“If it’s a Lizardman of that caliber, both of you will be able to hunt it in no time, too. There’s no need to rush”
“The level I’m at now, it’s frustrating but I can’t be thinking that now. How do I unleash magic like you, Kurt?”
Marise got closer to me on her knees.
Good grief, I haven’t said I’d teach them magic yet.
But a little bit would be fine, probably. Besides, I’m also concerned about qualities like how quickly they can cope with what I’ve taught.
I replied as I pictured the scene where both of them were casting their magic in my mind.
“Hmmm, that’s right…why don’t you try to stop using the embarrassing chanting?”
“Stop chanting…? Are you telling us to unleash magic without chanting?”
“Yeah. When you get used to it, it’s easier”
“As I said during the entrance exam…only Kurt can do that!”
Marise reacted with a strong tone.
I looked at Lara, too, and she nodded her head in agreement, “Yes, yes”.
Why is that?
“It’s not that difficult to do it without chanting. Besides, if it’s chanting magic, the magic power will be fixed and inevitably not as powerful as it could be”
Chanting magic is a method that was prevalent before the magic revolution, where chanting would automatically construct the magic formula.
However, since the magic formula is automatically constructed, it is not effective for practical use.
Moreover, because you have to chant the incantations one-by-one, the deployment speed will be slowed down, too…it’s also difficult to make improvements to the magic formula in the first place, so the limits are quickly reached.
No matter how talented Lara and Marise are, if they keep this up, they’ll probably reach their limits soon.
“What have you two heard about chantless magic?”
“I heard that if you don’t chant, the magic formula will be constructed imperfectly and become useless”
“I also heard that you can only pour a tenth of the usual amount of magic power without chanting”
“What the hell?”
Seriously….
Why is it that the magic revolution didn’t happen at all?
Such a classic way of using magic.
If it was 1000 years ago, this would probably be a laughing stock.
“But how do we use chantless magic?”
“That’s right. You should be aware that your common sense is not the same as our common sense”
“Is that so? If it’s the current Lara and Marise, you’ll be able to use the chantless magic in no time. That’s right ── first, Lara”
“Eh?”
I got Lara to her feet and took her hands from behind.
“Ku, K-K-Kurt! What are you trying to do all of a sudden?”
“You’re shameless!”
“…What on earth are you two mistaking me for? Listen, I’m going to assist you now, so gather magic power in your hands”
“Um, like this?”
I felt the magic power gathering in Lara’s hands.
“That’s right. How do you feel now?”
“I feel…I feel like my hands are getting warm. And my heart is pounding. Ah ──”
A sound emanated from Lara’s mouth.
“What’s the matter?”
“Um, nothing…this is somewhat a strange feeling. I feel like I could suffocate when my chest tightens”
“No problem. That’s probably because your heart rate is going up”
“Maybe, but I think it’s because Kurt is holding my hands…”
I could see Lara’s ears gradually turn red.
Because Lara is leaning on me as if she were entrusting her body to me, I can feel the touch of the girl’s soft body.
Hmm…that’s right, this magic power is….
I see. I didn’t realize it when I first came to the Royal Capital and analyzed Lara’s magic power, but thanks to the small spirit, I remembered it.
But it’s unlikely that Lara will speak to me about it. Let’s not question her.
I continued, manipulating Lara’s magic power.
“Keep going and try forming the magic formula of Fire Spear in your mind”
“Hmm. Is this okay?”
“That’s enough. Keep your eyes open, all right?”
“Whoa!”
Lara was surprised.
That’s because a Fire Spear was shot out of her hand and landed on the ground.
“J-Just now! Even though I didn’t chant, a Fire Spear flew out!”
“That’s right. This is chantless magic. How was it?”
“The magic power gathered with a bang and also flew out of my hand with a bang!”
It’s a fairly abstract expression, but if she does it a few more times, she’ll get the sense of chantless magic.
That way, the rest will be quick.
“Kurt! Me too!”
“Mmm”
With the small spirit on her shoulder, I hold Marise’s hands from behind.
The smell of soap tickled the bridge of my nose.
It was the same for Lara, too, but girls really do smell good.
“Ugh…it’s my first time holding hands with a man…”
said Marise, blushing from the neck up to her face, but why’s that, I wonder?
── About an hour later.
I taught them chantless magic.
“Yaaa!”
“Haaa!”
The two shouted at the same time.
Of course, they didn’t utter the useless chanting.
A small Fire Spear was fired from Lara’s and Marise’s hands.
“We did it! We’ve succeeded for the first time without Kurt’s help!”
“But…as expected, this is all we could do, isn’t the chanting magic stronger in this case?”
Certainly, the Fire Spear that was released from both of them from before was more powerful and accurate, but to me, it looked weak.
However.
“That’s because you’re not used to it yet. If you practice a few times, you’ll soon get stronger with chantless magic”
“How soon will that be?”
When Lara asked, I crossed my arms and thought for a moment.
“About three days”
“Three days!? That fast!?”
“Yeah. It’s a longer estimation though?”
After hearing my words, their eyes sparkled.
Hmm.
At any rate, even if it’s just the two of them, I’m glad that they noticed the inefficiency of chanting.
“Well then, it’s about time, let’s get going. The second layer doesn’t seem particularly unusual, so let’s move on to the third layer”
If I carve up a weak monster and bring it back, I could probably make some money from it, too, but there’s no point in just making a small sum of money.
“Yeah!”
“Goodbye, Spirit-san. I’ll come here again”
When the barrier was lifted, the spirit that had been attached to Marise flew away.
Just as I declared, I headed to the <<Treasure Labyrinth>> with Lara and Marise.
“A-A-A-A-Are you really sure it’s okay!?”
“There are monsters in the Labyrinth, you know!? Coming here all of a sudden…i-is an act of suicide!”
“Don’t worry”
It seems that if you meet certain conditions, you can challenge the <<Treasure Labyrinth>> right away.
When I asked Sensei, she replied, “If Kurt is there, I have no complaints”, and so I was able to get her permission.
When I stepped into the <<Treasure Labyrinth>>, I could smell the peculiar scent of magic elements.
Mmm, I miss this scent.
This burnt scent reminds me of the time when I explored more than 100 Labyrinths in my previous life.
“It’s gloomy…but there’s nothing I can’t see. Why is it like this even though it’s all pitch black in here?”
“And it looks spacious. It’s amazing that something like this span across the underground of the Royal Capital…”
“Ah. About the Labyrinth, it’s like an alternate dimension, so there’s nothing strange about it”
““?””
They both tilted their heads at the same time.
“Listen. The Labyrinth has magic elements that can distort dimensions”
“Dimensions…?”
“Yeah…well, you can think of it as another world that has been stretched outwards”
For example ── let’s say it looks like it’s only about the size of a house from the outside.
But once you get inside, the dimensions are distorted and you’re transported to a location where it looks like another world.
As such it’s more spacious than it looks…some of them have layers inside the Labyrinth that are bigger than the Royal Capital itself.
Furthermore, due to the different magic elements getting mixed, the treasures within the <<Treasure Labyrinth>> can be replenished after a certain period of time, even if they are taken away.
That’s one of the reasons why the Labyrinth is also called a ‘Resource’ and is useful in some cities.
“Thus, magic elements are essential to the Labyrinths and Dungeons. I don’t know all the details, but I do know more about the Labyrinth than the two of you”
“Kurt…who on earth are you?”
“How do you know so much about it even though we are the same age?”
“If you think about it, there’s also the crucial details that I do not know of”
“Yeah, that’s right”
They curiously asked me.
“…Would you two believe me if I told you that I’ve reincarnated from a thousand years ago?”
“What are you saying, Kurt?”
“That’s right. Isn’t something like that impossible?”
Both of them have a stupefied expression on their face.
As I thought, they wouldn’t believe me, huh?
Well, that’s fine. It’s not like it would be a problem even if they don’t believe me right away.
With that in mind, we proceeded towards the first layer of the Labyrinth.
And as soon as we step foot in the first layer.
“Wah! It’s a monster!”
A small Lizardman suddenly appeared from the front.
“It’s a monster that lives in the <<Treasure Labyrinth>>. That being said, if it’s just a mere Lizardman, I think both of you can handle it. Let this be the first test. I’ll show you a demonstration first, then you can try to defeat it in the same way”
I draw my sword.
Those who challenge the <<Treasure Labyrinth>> are provided with a weapon. And right now, I’m using that weapon.
Quick Move and Rise Power were activated simultaneously. I then launched an attack on the Lizardman.
The Lizardman’s head was severed in one fell swoop.
“What do you think? Easy, right?”
“It’s not easy!”
“It was too fast to see…”
Both of them retorted.
“Truth be told, Lizardman isn’t that big of a deal as a monster. Both of you need to be brave…. Look, the Lizardmen are here again”
“Now there’s even two of them!”
“You’re right. This is my first time fighting against monsters…but I’ll definitely defeat them!”
Marise was the first one to hold up her hand.
“Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Be a spear, pierce the enemy and burn them!”
She unleashed an attack.
The Fire Spear that was released was a direct hit. It hits the Lizardman, toppling it.
“Let’s finish them in one go!”
“I-I can’t lose either. Gather yourselves together in these hands ──”
It was a pleasant sight to see them successfully defeat the two Lizardmen.
“I did it! Thank you, Marise-chan!”
“W-We did it! Likewise, thank you very much!”
Even though they had only defeated a Lizardman, they were holding hands and jumping with joy.
But as soon as Marise noticed that, she let go of her hands.
“O-Of course! I’m going to graduate from the Magic Academy as the top student after all! So I have to be able to do at least this much!”
She said that while trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Now…it seems that there’s no stronger monster than the Lizardman on the first layer ── hmm?”
“What’s the matter, Kurt?”
From the moment I entered the Labyrinth, the Detection Magic was kept activated.
And right now, a certain reaction is being caught.
“Oh? This is interesting”
“Kurt?”
“Could you two come over here for a moment?”
I lead them to a dead-end.
“It’s a dead-end, you know? What are you planning to do?”
“Has no one noticed it up until now?”
“Eh?”
“There’s a path ahead”
Instead of answering the dubious looks on their faces, I cast Fire Spear onto the wall of the dead-end.
*Ker-bonk*
The wall crumbled with a loud bang.
“The wall!”
“What is the meaning of this! A Labyrinth wall can never be destroyed. That’s why we have no choice but to conquer it slowly…at least that’s what I’ve read from some books”
“That common sense is wrong. As you can see”
It also depends on the strength of the wall, but there’s absolutely no such thing as a wall that can’t be destroyed.
“Does the path continue?”
With a common sense as wrong as that, we will not be able to discover the path beyond the wall.
“Whoa! There are so many Lizardmen!”
“They are coming at us!”
A horde of Lizardmen at the other side of the path can be seen coming right at us.
There are about 20 of them in total.
Because of the reaction coming from these Lizardmen, I knew that if I destroy the wall, there would be a path here.
This is a bit too much for the two of them, I guess.
“This is just the right time for a warm-up”
With my back facing the frightened Lara and Marise, I took a step towards the horde of Lizardmen.
And then sprinted.
I went into the middle of the horde and deployed lightning magic.
“Thunderstorm”
Lightning appeared from my hands and was promptly aimed towards the Lizardmen.
When the Lizardmen saw the danger and tried to escape, it was already too late for them as my lightning magic chased them down.
Eventually.
“All right. It’s over”
In the blink of an eye, the Lizardmen were all electrocuted to death.
I looked at the Lizardmen lying on the ground and patted some dust off my hands.
“Kurt, that was amazing!”
“As I thought, you really are a ridiculous person. To have defeated so many monsters in an instant…”
They seem to be in high spirits, but I wish they wouldn’t praise me for this level of magic.
We continued walking on the path for a while, but this time we were at a real dead-end.
“This is a…magic stone?”
A magic stone had fallen there, so I picked it up.
“It’s a small magic stone, but it could be used to process something. Let’s keep it”
I felt disappointed.
I thought there would be better treasures.
“I’ve heard that a magic stone is so expensive that even one of it is enough to build a house, you know?”
“It’s Kurt, after all. Somehow I can understand it even without changing the color of my eyes to look at the magic stone”
For some reason, they seemed to be dumbfounded seeing my slumped down shoulders.
Well…my self-introduction took a little longer than expected, but the following ones went on without any issue.
“I’m Lara! Everyone, please let us all be friends!”
“I’m Marise. Nice to meet you all”
Among all the self-introductions, Lara and Marise were the ones who attracted the most attention.
Guess it can’t be helped.
In the exam, Lara and Marise’s magic was clearly head and shoulders above the rest.
That’s probably why they’re getting so much attention.
“Well then. Now that all 30 of you have finished introducing yourselves, there’s something that I need to tell everyone here. Let’s talk about that for today then call it a day”
Putting her hands on the lectern, Erika-sensei continued in a more serious tone.
“I suppose all of you are also aware that there’s a dungeon called 《Treasure Labyrinth》 on the grounds of this school”
A Labyrinth, huh…that sounds nostalgic.
“The 《Treasure Labyrinth》 is an underground dungeon. There are different types of monsters living there and many treasures that no one has touched yet. Even though you’re first-year students, if you have met certain conditions, then you can challenge the 《Treasure Labyrinth》 and train your skills there. This is one of the main selling points of Rosanlila Magic Academy”
said Erika-sensei proudly.
These dungeons called Labyrinths existed a thousand years ago, too.
I often went into these dungeons to collect materials for making magic tools and to kill some time.
For example, in my previous life, the 《Sorlahese Great Labyrinth》 that I’ve traversed and spent three days in there, has 1000 layers underground.
It was just a Labyrinth, but it was quite enjoyable at the time.
“It’s said that the 《Treasure Labyrinth》, which is classified as a ‘Great Labyrinth’, has up to 100 layers. Moreover, no one has ever set foot in the lowest layer. It’s a Labyrinth that’s still shrouded in mystery”
For me, a Labyrinth with just 100 layers is a rather small Labyrinth, but…well, let’s just keep my mouth shut here, and not make a scene again.
“In two month’s time, within that same 《Treasure Labyrinth》, an exhibition game will be held with the Disaria Magic Academy from the Empire’s imperial capital. Do any of you know about that?”
When Sensei asked, about half of the students in the class raised their hands.
Among them was Marise.
“Then allow me to elaborate a little on the exhibition game. To put it simply, it’s a friendly competition game with the Disaria Magic Academy. Each magic academy will have three representatives and dive into the Labyrinth as a team. Those teams will then compete with each other to see who can obtain the most materials and treasures within a time limit”
Oh? There’s an event like that?
“Basically, it’s held for the purpose of having a good competitive spirit and strengthening the relationship between us…but for the past few years, we, the Rosanlila Magic Academy, have been losing to Disaria Magic Academy from the Imperial Capital. If we lose this year as well, it will be the first time in our history to have a 10-time losing streak”
So, they keep losing, huh?
Anyway…the Empire’s imperial capital was destroyed by the demon, Vonbax, 1000 years ago.
But seems like, over the years, they managed to succeed in their restoration efforts.
There were many nobles that I disliked in the Empire, so even just remembering them made me feel sick.
“We want to win at all costs this year! Let’s put an end to this disgraceful losing streak! That’s why we need everyone here to help out too!”
With fervor, Sensei slammed her hands down on the lectern.
But—a question started to arise in my mind.
“Isn’t it a little strange to have so many consecutive losses? Is the standard between the Rosanlila Magic Academy and the Empire’s Disaria Magic Academy really that far off?”, I asked.
Hearing that, Sensei clenched her teeth and replied,
“No…I don’t think there’s that big of a difference in the skills itself…it’s just that, we couldn’t win due to unfortunate circumstances”
Unfortunate circumstances?
Somehow, this is kind of fishy.
It’s the cowardly Empire after all. There’s the possibility that they did something.
…No, my conventional wisdom about the Empire being cowardly is from 1000 years ago.
They may be different in this era. Besides, it’s not good to be prejudiced.
“But, I think we can win this year. After all, this year’s batch of first-year students is excellent. Everyone…let us win the upcoming exhibition game!!”
“Are the first-year students going to be selected as the representatives?”
“Most of them are in their third-year…but if there are any outstanding first-year students, they’ll be selected. And for this year, I think one of them is definitely going to be selected”
While Sensei was talking, I noticed she took a glance at me.
Oh well, I guess that’s fine.
To become a representative, I’ll have to accumulate achievements first.
And I have no intention of losing.
She said it’s for the sake of having a good relationship with the other magic academy, but a competition is still a competition.
Only a complete victory will be considered a win.
After Sensei’s talk was over, I was about to leave the classroom but then, Lara came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder.
“Kurt! May I have a moment?”
“What is it?”
“I have a favor to ask of you. Please…teach me some magic!”
said Lara as she has her clenched fist in front of her chest while giving me an intense gaze.
“What made you suddenly say that?”
“After listening to what Sensei said just now…I’m motivated now like a fire has been lit! And besides, it was all thanks to Kurt for helping me with the exam. I don’t think I’m strong enough yet…”
“I don’t think that’s true”
“It’s true! That’s why…I want to learn from Kurt to hone my skills in magic. So—please, Kurt! No matter how hard the training is, I’ll endure it!
Hmm.
She’s a good child of great ambition.
I don’t hate children like her.
“Include me as well, please”
Just as I was thinking about my reply, Marise also came over and asked something similar to Lara’s.
“Marise, too?”
“Yes. I’ve yet to give up on my goal to graduate from this school as a valedictorian. So I thought it would be best to learn from you”
“So, you’re trying to imply that…you want to steal my knowledge on magic from me?”
“You can think of it that way, too”
There seems to be a fire in Marise’s eyes as well.
“Hmm”
Great, I’m in trouble.
A thousand years ago, no one would dare tell me that.
Even if they did, they were only pretending so that they could cut off my head when I slept.
That’s why—when someone makes requests like these two, I get confused and uncertain on how to respond.
Because of that,
“I don’t think I can do it?”, I replied.
Was I too quiet?
Lara looked up at me with an uneasy look on her face and her head tilted to one side.
“But…”
“Will it be better if we display our abilities?”
Marise who was standing at the side intervened.
“Whether we deserve to have you teach us magic or not…. We fought against each other in the entrance exam, but if you can’t tell by that alone, I’ll show you my full capability. With that, I’m sure I can convince you”
“Me too, me too! I’m not confident…but I’ll do my best!”
Apparently, this has become a misunderstanding as they thought I’m thinking it’s not worth teaching them magic.
“Kukuku…”
“Why are you laughing!?”
Isn’t this interesting?
“All right, I understand. Let’s have a little test. And if the two of you pass, I’ll teach both of you magic”
“Yay!! I’ll do my best”
“What’s the matter with you, Lara? He hasn’t decided to teach us yet”
“Ehehe, you’re right”
Marise calmly interjected, but Lara’s cheeks were already forming at the end of a broad smile.
“So…what’s the test?”
“I’m thinking of going to the 《Treasure Labyrinth》 that Sensei was talking about earlier. So I’ll take a look at your aptitudes there”
At those words, Lara and Marise’s expressions tensed up.
“Eh…in the…《Treasure Labyrinth》…? Isn’t it dangerous for us to suddenly go in there as first-year students?”
“As long as I’m around, you’re safe. And didn’t you hear? Three representatives will be selected for the exhibition game. Therefore…no, from now on, I want Lara and Marise to join me as a party for subjugating the Labyrinth”
““EH?””
They both exclaimed in unison.
It’s more efficient to train Lara and Marise this way, so let’s add them to the party anyway. I prefer this over being in a situation where I don’t know who I’ll be partnered with.
Besides, I’ve gotten tired of subjugating Labyrinths all by myself 1000 years ago
In that case—it might be interesting to try subjugating a Labyrinth with a party in this era.
“It kind of surprises me”
“What does that supposed to mean?”
“You don’t seem to like company, parties, or anything of the sort. I thought you’d prefer getting everything done by yourself”
What is she talking about?
It’s not like I like being alone.
I also wanted to make friends in my previous life, but that failed.
Fearing my power, the people around me all left.
“I’ve yet to decide if I’m going to party with you two…but for the time being, we’ll be working together. And therefore, nice to meet you”
“Yeah! Likewise, nice to meet you, Marise-chan!”
said Lara, offering her hand out to Marise, but—
“I-I don’t need friends! But…if I could form a party with Kurt, I could see his magic up close. I also don’t want to form a party with a liability from here on out…just for clarification, we are not friends, I’m just joining you guys because of the benefits. Please don’t misunderstand here”
said Marise coldly, turning her back on Lara.
“I-I see…I guess we won’t just suddenly get along. At any rate, let’s make lots of fun memories from now on as we get along with each other!”
Hmm. Marise is a very ambitious child as well, huh?
With that being said, Lara is also mentally strong. It’s a valuable trait to have her maintain such a cheery tone, even when Marise acted like that to her.
“Anyway…the forming of the party will have to wait until the test is over. So come on, let’s get going!”
