9-009-Encounter at Magic School

＜The Magic City, Emera City.

TOUCH!!!

As Satsuki jumped down from the carriage with a pounce, the bear repellent attached to her rucksack...not the bear repellent...but Satsuki's longest-standing fashionable bell rang with a chirp.

But after receiving some strange looks from the people around her, Satsuki hurriedly took off the bell and frilly ribbon and threw them into her bag and made a U-turn back into the carriage.

'You've embarrassed yourself that you don't have to!　Tell me if it's weird!

'No, he said something about having the life experience to be an adult lady, and if that was the case, I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn the importance of cooperation.

'I don't need that life experience!

And so the siblings made a lot of noise as soon as they arrived, while Elena, on the other hand, was slowly getting out of the carriage while scurrying around curiously.

She was a little surprised at the sound of her toes hitting the stone pavement with a knocking sound, but her eyes widened as she tried to take in the scenery that filled her vision.

Emera City is a beautiful city with white-walled buildings and well maintained roads that are easy for carriages to pass.

It is also known as the city of magic, and the majority of the residents are researchers and students of magic schools.

It's not surprising that Elena, who has only seen Hajime Village as a human settlement, is surprised to see that there is a lot of traffic and logistics to make life easier for them.

There are so many cities like this in the world. You might be even more surprised if you go to the Holy King's Capital, Platena, which is located south of here.

By the way, the Holy Royal Capital, Platena is said to be the 'closest place to God' in this world, and is home to the Central Church and the headquarters of the National Order.

The size of that city is incomparable to Emera City, and as expected of me, I was gobsmacked the first time I visited it.

Elena, who was surprised at Emera City, might be surprised by the sheer scale of the city and be turned upside down.

''I didn't know there were so many big cities...!　I'd love to see it!

Oh, I'm on it.

When I answered that, Elena smiled very happily.

........And then, a gnarled Satsuki grew out of the gap we were facing.

''Uhehee, you two. I'm sorry to be in a good mood, but that thing is bothering me!

What's wrong with your tone of voice? Okay, so what's your concern?

Whoa!　There's a big, white one over there!

What Satsuki was looking at from a distance was a large stone building located in the center of the city.

''Ah, that's the magic school.''

'What? Seriously!　A school in the city is that big!

Incidentally, I didn't know this until I toured the world as a member of a brave party, but in fact, most farming villages don't even have schools.

The village of Hajime, where I was born, was unusual in that it had a system called a school, but it was on a small scale, with knowledgeable people in the village gathering the children and teaching them the knowledge they needed to live.

But in the case of Satsuki and I, my mother, who used to be a priest, taught us how to read and write, so we were lucky in that regard.

It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for. It's like this city was built for a magic school in the first place.

I don't remember the details, but I think I heard that it was founded by a great wise man when he ruled the land or something like that.

Then, when you have secured a place to stay, we'll go there. If you ask, they may let you visit the school at least.

Oh! "Exciting

I took the two of them and secured a shared room at the inn, and headed straight to the Emera City School of Magic.

＜''Emera City School of Magic.''

As soon as we entered the school, we spoke to a teacher passing by and told her that we wanted to visit, and she readily agreed.

I thought it was amazing that the heroic Kanemitsu was walking around with his own face, but it seems that magic barriers are set up in advance to prevent outsiders from entering these places, and anyone else can visit freely.

''Mmm, I can sense a very strong magical power from the young lady in that hood over there. If you learn the knowledge correctly, I'm sure you'll become a great wizard.

"Oh, thank you!

Seeing Elena bowing with her hood deeply covered, the one who responded to her left with satisfaction.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of how much magic power a wizard has to offer. I'm sure you didn't understand the identity of Elena-san as expected.

If that's on a teacher's level, well, I wouldn't worry about causing a scene.

And that's when I muttered optimistically to myself.

What, why...?

As soon as a female student passing by looked here, her eyes widened in surprise.

And - when I saw her face, I gulped.

Her figure is petite like a young child, with wavy blonde hair and red eyes like flames.

The star-shaped emblem on her uniform's armband indicates that she is the most talented student on campus.

In other words, the identity of this female student is........

Why are there spirits in here?

!

I pulled away from Elena's hand and intervened between them to protect her, and then I confronted the female student who was staring at me with a questioning look on her face...Sharon.

It was completely unexpected that they would encounter each other so quickly at any rate, but anyway, we have to do something about it before the story gets complicated!

'I'm sorry to surprise you. But this kid just wants to see the world in a different light. So you have to believe that there's no trickery in it.

When I honestly told her of our purpose, Sharon let out a sigh with a dumbfounded face.

It's not that I don't care about your situation, and I have no intention of harming you. In the first place, it's obvious that the child is not harmed by the sight of a "sore".

That's it?

When I followed Sharon's gaze, I saw Elena, who was hugging my waist and was frightened with loud, teary eyes.

◇ ◇ ◇.

Hmmm, I always thought that spirits are the ones who are called by a summoner to rampage around, but I didn't know that was the case.

So for some reason, we had been brought by Sharon to the school cafeteria.

'Um, what's with the cafeteria?'

"Standing in the middle of an aisle like that in the middle of an aisle is just too conspicuous. There aren't many people here, and no one is going to come near me.......that's not important!

Sharon put her glass down on the marble table with a click and pointed to Elena sitting in front of her.

'So, Elena, what's the cost of working with this guy?'

The price?

Sharon was surprised to see Elena tilting her head with a kyotoned face.

'Hey!　It's common knowledge that when a summoner calls a spirit, he's asking for a magic stone or a sorcerer's soul, right?　

'Ummm, not really, not really... oh, yeah!　It's not a magic stone, but this necklace was a gift from Kanata-san~. Ehehe~(^-^)'

Sharon sipped her syrup and milk-filled café with a delicate look on her face as Elena happily stroked the jewelry on her necklace.

'I wonder why. I feel like I've been told a rather sweet lover's no-good story...'

I love it.

''Huh ... well, that's fine. It's quite a dream come true that if you save a spirit that has fallen short and is successfully taken care of, there's a chance he'll adore you without a price.

I feel like I've given you a grand misunderstanding, but I don't want you to pry into my business too deeply, so I'll keep quiet for now.

When I was secretly thinking this, Sharon looked down and opened her mouth.

It's not only that, but it's also that they're all boring people, and one day I'd like to find a spirit partner like you.

That profile looking out of the café while muttering a little sadly is somehow very fragile........

That was the true face that the "Sharon of the Brave Party" I knew would never show.