Volume 1: Enrollment at Magias Academy of Magical Arts

Chapter 23: We Won, So We Have to Toss Our Teacher in the Air!

“Oh my, boys. It’s good to see you again.”

And so, we had come to the restaurant run by the old woman we’d helped during our field lesson.

Naturally, we hadn’t received permission to leave the hospital. All we’d left behind in our room was a short note. We were so hungry that we’d gotten carried away by the strange burst of energy it gave us and come here on pure momentum.

Apparently, the old woman’s restaurant was famous even in the royal capital, because it was already quite crowded despite it only being dusk. The sign out front read REINHARDT DINER.

Was that the old woman’s name?

“Grandma, give us something to eat.”

The old woman smiled and nodded at Gary’s request.

“Of course. I’ll have enough for three ready in no time.”

Three?

Gary and I turned around to find Luluk standing behind us.

“…Luluk, how long have you been there…?”

When I asked, Luluk answered with her usual smile.

“I spotted the two of you over there, so I followed along in the hope of speaking to you! I see you’ve already been discharged!”

“Y-Yeah…”

“By the way, are the two of you here for a meal?”

“Y-Yeah…” Gary replied, his eyes darting away in an extremely obvious fashion.

I hadn’t expected a classmate to catch us in the act of escaping from our hospital room. Still, this was Luluk. She would probably understand if we explained.

“Things have finally settled down, so I thought I’d get some food with Gary. Want to join us, Luluk?”

“My, may I!?”

I guided the delighted, bright-eyed Luluk to a seat.

We needed to feed her and make her an accomplice as quickly as possible.

“There were very few people my age in the forest where I was born and raised, so I’ve always dreamed of doing something like this!”

Luluk came from a special region known as the Great Hakua Forest.

Many clans known as witches had settled within the forest region, developing traditions and a culture unique within Griefia.

Much of their magic had also evolved in isolation, and flying on broomsticks was one example.

“Come to think of it, was that steam-like thing you used another traditional witch spell?”

“No. That was my own invention. I’m a witch of the new age, after all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gary asked.

Oh, right. He hadn’t seen Luluk beating the living daylights out of the magical beasts.

“That thing… White smoke was coming off you while you fought, Luluk. How does it work?”

“I use steam pressure to expand and contract the muscle fibers and magical tissues surrounding my joints, then convert the resulting pressure differential into assisted movement.”

“Huh?”

Gary tilted his head in confusion.

Uh, so what did that mean?

Why had she suddenly become so incredibly smart?

“So you repeatedly evaporate and condense water inside your body, then use the resulting difference in volume to move?”

“Yes. Exactly as you say, Lord Bren.”

Was her body really all right when she was doing something like turning herself into a human steam engine?

No, more importantly, had Luluk come up with that concept from scratch in this world? That was… What was the word? Wasn’t that far too incredible?

“Sorry, Luluk. Explain it one more time.”

“Of course, Lord Gary. As I’m sure you’re aware, water changes between several states. My magic uses those changes to—”

While Luluk gave him a brief lecture, a young waitress brought food to our table.

“Thank you for waiting!”

The first dish she placed in the center was a heaping mountain of bone-in meat wreathed in steam. It was quite a primitive sight, somehow.

It was followed in rapid succession by a basket overflowing with black bread, butter mixed with chopped herbs, bean-and-sausage soup, a platter of thinly sliced smoked meat and cheese, fried small fish, and baked apples drizzled with honey.

Our table was packed in no time.

“It’s all on the owner. Please eat as much as you like today.”

The beautiful waitress finished with a sharp wink, told us to enjoy ourselves, and moved on to another table.

She was gorgeous…

I’d glimpsed one of the reasons this place was so popular before taking even a single bite.

“That’s an incredible amount of food… Can the three of us finish it?”

“What are you talking about, Bren? Any man could handle this much. Forget that and eat.”

Gary immediately picked up a piece of bone-in meat and tore into it with gusto.

His reaction screamed Delicious! and drew my own hand toward the meat.

The surface was covered in the vivid char marks you would get from searing it all at once over extremely high heat. A single bite confirmed that it tasted every bit as good as it looked. Perhaps magic was used during the cooking process, because it had a very distinctive texture.

“Hee-hee. You two must have been terribly hungry.”

“Aren’t you going to eat, Luluk?”

“No. Everyone else should be arriving soon.”

Gary frowned at her breezy reply.

“Everyone… what?”

“Since this is a victory party, I contacted everyone in the Emperor Faculty just now… Oh, Lady Amae! Lady Filiestra! Over here!”

I turned in the direction Luluk was waving.

The two girls whose names she’d called were standing there side by side.

Had Luluk summoned them with telepathy?

“Good evening, Lulu.”

“Good evening, Lady Amae. Please, have a seat.”

At Luluk’s invitation, Amae took a small seat across from us. Her usually sleepy, drooping eyes looked just a little sharper tonight.

A lecture was coming.

This was awkward.

I hadn’t expected to be cornered this quickly.

Then again, perhaps she had simply come here for a normal meal.

I stole a glance at Amae.

She gave a small sigh and muttered,

“…Well, I’m glad you can get out of bed again, Bren. You too, Gary.”

M-Maybe we could bulldoze right through this on momentum alone.

Luluk had been enthusiastic from the start, so it was time to use my authority as faculty representative and turn this into a victory party in one fell swoop.

“A-All right! Since you came all this way, why don’t we have a toast? Right, Gary!?”

“Y-Yeah…! Exactly!”

“Then let’s order drinks for everyone! Excuse—”

“Walker.”

Filiestra had taken the seat beside me before I noticed.

“Is it good, Walker?”

“…Yes.”

“Did you read my letter?”

“……Yes.”

“I see.”

“………”

“………”

Silence fell.

While it continued, Amae ordered drinks for everyone.

Damn it… I’d underestimated the situation.

Was there any way I could pin all the blame on Gary at this point…?

“…………Just for tonight, all right?”

Wow, she was so kind!

Thank you, Filiestra!

I’d eat lots and grow big and strong!

“All right, everyone! Filiestra gave us permission, so let’s have a toast!”

“…Walker?”

“W-We will now humbly proceed with the toast!”

“Oh, honestly…” Filiestra narrowed her eyes at me, and Amae soothed her with a “There, there.”

Perhaps I had no right to say this after sneaking out of the hospital to eat, but this was a good opportunity for the Emperor Faculty to grow closer.

Once I confirmed that everyone had received a mug, I stood.

Filiestra had apparently resigned herself to the situation and was holding hers as well.

“Wait, Walker.”

Just as I was about to lead the toast, Gerald appeared where we could all see him.

“What is the meaning of beginning the celebration without me?”

“Why, Lord Gerald!”

Luluk jumped for joy, and Gerald gave a quiet, satisfied snort at the sight.

“Witch. If you intend to hold a feast, inform me sooner.”

Gerald pointed this out with a disgruntled look.

Luluk could only have sent her telepathic message moments ago, so it was practically a miracle that nearly everyone had gathered within half an hour.

“I’m honored you came, Lord Gerald! Please, take this seat!”

“Very well.”

Luluk guided Gerald to the place of honor still open at the far end of the table. He was surprisingly enthusiastic about this too.

“That only leaves Mercedes…”

I murmured the words.

Luluk must have heard me, because she immediately responded.

“…I regret to say that she still isn’t feeling well. She said she would join us another time.”

“I see…”

“Then it can’t be helped,” Amae murmured after my brief reply. I thought a shadow passed over Filiestra’s face beside her. This would have been a good chance for them to talk directly, and having Mercedes alone absent felt uncomfortable, but there was nothing we could do about it now.

“Then, for now…”

I raised my mug again and looked around at everyone.

Gerald gave a small, silent nod.

“A lot happened, but here’s to all of us making it back safely. Cheers.”

The toast was awkward even by my standards, but no one seemed to mind.

“Cheers!”

We knocked our mugs together.

Even though one sound was missing, for now, I thought that was all right.

◇

“Now then, everyone, shall we each perform a party trick?”

“That’s way too soon.”

Gary recoiled slightly at Luluk’s abrupt proposal.

“Oh? I was told that everyone performs a party trick at gatherings such as this.”

“Sometimes, but doing it immediately after the toast is wild.”

Even Amae looked alarmed.

It wasn’t merely that she was rushing things. I hadn’t expected Luluk to suggest something with the energy of a senior member of a school baseball team hazing the juniors.

“…I’m sorry. This is my first time in a place like this, so I don’t really understand what one does…”

“H-Hey, Lulu… Don’t get genuinely depressed… F-Fine, I’ll do something for you later… Right, Gary?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“My, truly!?”

As the table abruptly began to grow lively, Filiestra quietly whispered in my ear.

“…I hope all seven of us can come next time.”

“Yeah,” I replied.

I never wanted another attack to occur, but Mercedes’s absence from the table still left me feeling lonely.

That aside…

This was also the first time I’d spoken to Filiestra since that battle.

With everything that had happened, the matter had been left unresolved. This was a good opportunity to apologize.

“…I’m sorry I dragged you into the situation with Mercedes.”

“No. I don’t think you dragged me into anything. Besides, you’ve helped me a great deal too.”

“You did a lot for me this time, so if there’s anything I can do for you—including with your research—just ask.”

“Anything?”

Filiestra twitched and leaned a little closer.

“…Then would you be willing to let me draw some blood?”

“…Sure. That much is no problem.”

“Really? I’ve been wanting to analyze the blood of someone with a high magical coefficient. You displayed tremendous power then, Walker.”

Then…?

Oh… She’d seen me send Wilhelm flying.

“What are you two talking about?” Amae suddenly interrupted.

“Oh, nothing. I was just saying Walker is strong.”

“Ah… Apparently, Bren was the one who cracked the entire academy grounds apart.”

Amae’s observation hurt.

Wilhelm had thrashed around an absurd amount for someone half-dead, so I hadn’t exactly been making calm decisions at the time.

“I was unconscious and didn’t see it, but you’re the one who beat that shitty four-eyes, right, Bren?”

“That’s right.”

“How did you break Four-Eyes’s barrier?”

How…?

Before I could answer, Gerald cut into the conversation.

“His maximum instantaneous magical coefficient is 6,500. A barrier of that caliber would present no difficulty.”

Everyone fell silent.

…Hm? What was wrong?

How did Gerald know that number?

Granted, I’d thought it was probably somewhere around that level…

“Six thousand…? No… Surely that can’t… That’s as high as the professors.”

“But he’d need at least that much to break Four-Eyes’s barrier,” Gary replied to Amae’s strained smile.

Even Filiestra looked slightly taken aback.

During the examination, I’d desperately wanted that information revealed so I could satisfy my craving for recognition. Now that it had happened, though, I felt strangely embarrassed.

Ha ha… Did I do something amazing again?

“But Lord Bren performs his intake with extraordinary care whenever he uses magic, so it isn’t surprising that he can produce such an output.”

“Intake? What’s that?”

Gerald casually answered Gary’s question first.

“There is a limit to the scale of power an individual can handle. Depending on the circumstances, one absorbs magic from external sources and uses it to increase one’s output.”

“There’s a technique like that?”

“It isn’t widely known, but you’ll likely learn it in class before long.”

Gerald was unexpectedly kind.

I’d thought he would say, You don’t even know that?

“I didn’t realize you were so strong, Bren. How unexpected.”

“Only if we’re limiting the discussion to the strength of my output.”

“Even the way you downplay it makes you sound like an incredible veteran.”

I was happy to receive Amae’s praise, but everyone else had demonstrated that power was not everything. From my point of view, the fact that they could produce performances like that with their level of output was far more astonishing.

My strategy of swinging one heavy blow after another had only worked because of Four-Eyes’s personality and the particular tendencies of his abilities.

“Hmm. Still, I see. You really do feel like our representative now.”

“Bren was strong from our very first field lesson,” Gary added.

At my classmates’ praise, I found myself lowering my head.

Filiestra noticed before anyone else and peered curiously at my face.

“…What’s wrong, Walker? Are you still not feeling well?”

“…No.”

I shook my head.

“…I don’t have much experience being praised, so all this self-esteem has rendered me immobile.”

“I-I see…”

Filiestra drew back slightly from my emotion.

Looking at myself from a distance like this made me realize that I had barely possessed any connection to society until now. Even if it meant pushing myself a little too hard, coming to the city had definitely been the right decision.

“Oh, that reminds me. I have something to give you, Walker.”

“Hm?”

As I waited, Filiestra held out a long, slender object wrapped in white cloth.

“I never got the chance to return it afterward.”

“Filiestra Number Five.”

“Yes… That name is… Well, never mind.”

Filiestra smiled awkwardly.

The object inside the white cloth was unquestionably the magic sword I had made.

Ordinarily, I should have taken it back.

But I couldn’t bring myself to separate a magic sword that had synchronized nearly to the critical point from its wielder.

“If you don’t mind, would you use it, Filiestra?”

“What?” Filiestra’s eyes widened in surprise.

“…Are you sure? I think this is extremely valuable.”

“You’re effectively the only one who can use it anyway. I’ll take it back if it would be a nuisance.”

“Of course it wouldn’t. Then… may I use it for self-defense and research?”

“Sure.”

I nodded.

Filiestra answered with an elegant smile.

“Thank you. I’ll take good care of your magic sword, Walker.”

There was something so direct about the way she said it that this time, I was the one who wanted to look away.

I had already collected the sword’s data, and I doubted she would ever misuse it.

“Bren, Gary says he’s going to perform a party trick.”

Gary?

That sounded entertaining.

I definitely needed to see it.

I turned toward the voice and found Professor Blanchard standing there with an utterly expressionless face.

“Ah.”

Amae’s shoulders jumped.

Beside her stood Gary, naked from the waist up and holding a piece of bone-in meat in each hand.

What… What was wrong with him!?

Why had he suddenly taken off his shirt!?

“Gary. Why are you undressed?”

Gary lowered his head as he answered Professor Blanchard.

“Walker told me to do it…”

What the hell are you saying? I’ll set your nipples on fire, you bastard.

“Is that true, Bren?”

“Ah, no…”

“More importantly, sneaking out of your hospital room without telling anyone wasn’t good, was it?”

I couldn’t argue with that.

Everyone else had also gone as docile as cats in a strange house. As their representative, I had to present them with a way to turn this situation around.

Was there something…? Anything?

At this rate, our hard-won victory party would come to an end.

“I know. Let’s toss her in the air.”

“What?”

“Everyone, let’s toss our teacher in the air!”

“What are you talking about, Bren?”

The professor still looked displeased, but now she was slightly unnerved as well.

I had no choice but to push through.

I had managed to drag Filiestra and Amae into this.

At this point, we might as well pull Professor Blanchard in too.

“We won the tournament, so we have to toss our teacher in the air!”

At my proposal, Luluk was the first to gasp and cover her mouth.

“Y-You’re right. We did win… We should have celebrated Professor Blanchard first.”

“Luluk…?”

“That’s right. Let’s express our gratitude for everything she does.”

“Amae…?”

With Luluk and Amae joining in, Professor Blanchard looked thoroughly bewildered.

“What’s all this, lad? Did something good happen?”

A middle-aged man seated nearby called to us with interest.

“Yes! We won!”

“Now that’s worth celebrating! Then we’d better join in!”

“Gary! Let’s toss the professor!”

“Raaaaaaah!”

Riding the momentum, I picked up Professor Blanchard. Gary joined me first, then Luluk and Amae, followed by a bewildered Filiestra and the surprisingly game Gerald. Eventually, everyone in the restaurant joined in, and our victory parade began.

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

“H-Hey! Put me down, all of you!”

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

“Come on! That’s enough!”

“Ahahahahahaha!”

Afterward, my aunt arrived and punched me.