Chapter 306: An Intruding Visitor

Before my eyes was Haumea, a beauty with blond hair and blue eyes. Behind her was Cole with the same old grim expression. According to my memories, his expression was normally like this, so he most likely wasn’t particularly displeased.

That reminds me, I had an inkling that my expression was quite like him in my previous life. I see, no wonder people wouldn’t approach me.

“Hello, it’s been four years, hasn’t it?”

“That sounds about right.”

I met them shortly after I enrolled in the Magic Academy. Our only interaction was during the hot spring trip when they helped me. But her calm aura left a deep impression on me. To the point that I ended up using her name as an alias.

“Could the two of you be here for training?”

“No need to be so polite. You’re an Adventurer like us, right? In that case, we have equal standing.”

“Well yes, but… We still have to make a distinction of seniority.”

From what I heard, she was around 500 years old. She was quite a veteran on the level of Maxwell. I wouldn’t say that wisdom of age decided everything, but I still wanted to use some level of respect towards the senior figures.

“I realized this before too, but you are quite… not childish at all. In a good way, of course.”

“Glad to hear.”

Of course, the one inside was an adult man who was accepted as such by himself and others. No, well, not exactly by others.

At any rate, their main operations focused between the elven village and Raum, so it was quite unusual to show up here to train.

“I’ve never seen you come to the training grounds.”

“Actually, I contracted an illness some time back. I recovered already but I felt that my skills have grown duller during that time.”

“Ah, that does happen.”

“Do you get ill often, Nicole? You were quite lethargic back then too.”

Back when we met, I was plopped on the ground after having run out of stamina. She probably assumed that due to the impression I gave back then, but it was different now.

“Too bad, I’ve trained since then so a trip to the village wouldn’t tire me out.”

“Oh, is that so. That’s admirable.”

“Stop lying. You still get tired every now and then.”

“Michelle, you traitor!”

I raised my fist and objected towards Michelle who backstabbed me with her little remark while standing behind me.

She started giggling and hid behind Letina. Seeing us like that, Haumea pressed a hand to her mouth and suppressed a laugh.

“Ugh, but it’s true that I gained more stamina, okay. And my previous lack of stamina was also partly due to illness.”

“It was?”

“Yes, it was an illness called Magic Buildup Disease, which accumulated magic power excessively.”

“Ah, that, huh. There are quite a few Elven kids that contract it.”

“Is that so? How do you heal it then?”

In my case, we had to go far to get the Queen Blossom nectar. I didn’t remember hearing Elves doing anything as laborious. Could it be that there was another way that Dr. Tricia didn’t know?

“It’s just something that happens during young age. We are Elves, so it’ll heal if we just leave it be.”

“Ah…”

“It would be quite a nuisance if a human were to contract it though. Well done curing it.”

“That was due to Dr. Tricia and Lord Maxwell.”

Elves were a race that held a particularly high affinity for magic. And bows. There were many who used these abilities to live as hunters in the forests.

Hearing Tricia and Maxwell’s names, Haumea was convinced.

“Good for you. You have to thank them.”

“Yeah. I am thankful to them both.”

If Dr. Tricia, in particular, wasn’t around, I could have ended up bedridden, without realizing my own illness. Thus I was thankful towards her from the bottom of my heart. The only problem was her disappointing personality that ruined her good points.

She was good at her work, she wasn’t bad-looking either, she was good at looking after people and was loved by the students, too, so it was a huge waste.

“Right, since you’re an Adventurer now, would you like to spar with me, Nicole?”

“With you, Haumea?”

“Yes. I have heard rumors of your abilities in the Guild. It’s not strange that I am a little interested, right?”

“Actually acting on those impulses is a little, you know…”

“Isn’t it fine? I’m always the one getting beat up here, so how about you have a taste of some hazing of your senior for a change.”

Cloud, who couldn’t read the room as always, made a needless remark there.

Still, I was also curious about how Elves fought. She wasn’t a Gift holder, but she was a long-distance specialist, boasting of high magic power and centered around mixing bow and spells.

I have been interested in that peculiar combat style since my previous life.

That said, Elves hardly left their settlements on their own, and moreover, their gentle personalities seldom got them involved in disputes.

Until now, there were no Elves that had antagonized me.

“Well… That… Might not be so bad.”

“Right? I am likewise interested in your skill, Nicole. The receptionist told me you’re skilled despite your weak body.”

“Hohoh…”

That receptionist turns out to be quite loose-lipped. Looks like I have to kindly explain to her afterwards. Physically, that is.

I took a suitable distance from Haumea and stood facing her while Cole heaved a sigh and walked away.

I had my gauntlets, dagger, and katana on hand. But I couldn’t use the first two due to many eyewitnesses. They were also my trump cards, so I wanted to avoid exposing them to the public too much.

In which case, I had to use my katana and interference magic to fight now.

“Okay—!”

“Here I go!”

We finished our preparations and were about to take a step, but someone suddenly cut between us.

“Please wait! Haumea, you have a guest.”

It was the aforementioned receptionist.

She had a stiffened expression and was breaking into a cold sweat. Even her knees were trembling a little. I tensed up, thinking something bad must have happened.

However, the words that left her mouth were something completely different.

“Now? Can’t it wait?”

“It can’t! It’s a diplomat from the Northern Alliance!”

“Huh!?”

Haumea’s expression was screaming “what the heck are you saying”. However, I immediately realized what this was about.

Sorry, Haumea. It was most likely the troublesome stuff related to me.