Chapter 16: Grim March’s Invitation

「Why is someone of your caliber here in a place like this!? Right now, you should immediately enroll to the Magecraft Academy!!」 「Hyaa!?」

Because he suddenly drew near me and grabbed my hand, I ended up reflexively tripping him up and hurling him away. And since it’s obviously impossible to hurl an adult with this body’s physical strength, I also applied “Levitation” Magic.

「Ah… Crap…」

I ended up reflexively hurling him, but I came to my senses and look at him. Ahh~ he got knocked out, but it seems like that’s all. Although there’s a bump on his head, it’s a relief that he didn’t get any severe injuries. It’s probably because “Levitation” was active until he fell on the ground.

「…Yup, no problem at all!」 「You don’t call this “no problem”, you know!?」 「Why’d you suddenly hurl the examiner!?」

Saying so, Arisa and Grimhart press me for answers. Well, even if you tell me that, I can’t help it, you know?

「It’s not my fault, it’s because he came up to me like that…」 「Yeah, even if he’s a Purple Peer, that doesn’t matter. It’s his fault for suddenly grabbing a girl’s hand.」 「There may not be any problem for Arisa, but Lily and Lysha are delicate, you know? This time, it’s Philip’s fault.」

Saying so, Grey and Lysha supported me in coordination(?). I’m a bit dissatisfied with how they put it, but it’s my fault for ending up screaming cutely just because a man grabbed my hand, so I really have no excuse for myself. For some reason, ever since I got this body, there are some moments when I suddenly realize that I’m a woman now. Is it my mind being influenced by my body, or is it just how I really am? Well, it’s pointless to think about it anyway so let’s leave it at that. But really, what do I do with this….

「Ahaha, it doesn’t seem like there’s any serious damage so just leave him laying down as is. As expected, what happened right now is no good even from the guild’s standpoint.」 「Is that so? Then let me just…」

Saying so, I fix only the bump on the back of his head with “Heal”. While I’m at it, since there’s a coin-sized bald spot I try applying “Heal” on it and hair starts growing from it. It looks a bit gross, but with “Heal” there’s no need to fear baldness huh…. Thinking about it, I do remember hearing that it’s caused by the hair roots being damaged. So if you heal the damage then it’ll naturally grow back huh.

「Well then, please wait here. Your Guild Card will be issued shortly .」

Saying so, Petra guided us to a separate room. There’s a fluffy couch and even sweets and tea-cakes on the table. Yup, that’s really considerate of them. I immediately reach out to one and examine it closely. What is this? It looks like some kind of cookie but there’s a sauce along with it.

First, I try a bite. Hmm, there’s not much flavor, huh. I reflexively frowned. Next, I try dipping it with the sauce it came with and timidly put it in my mouth. Ohh, delicious! Is this a strawberry jam? So it’s not a cookie but a scone, huh.

「……What?」 「It’s nothing~」 「Nothing in particular.」

Suddenly sensing a gaze I look towards it, not only Arisa and Grimhart but also Lysha, Grey, and even Jarvis is looking at me. What, if you want to eat too, then why don’t you just go ahead and eat as you like? Thinking so, I once again start munching on the scone.

(Pfft… She’s like a hamster.) (Don’t say that…… Still, she’s really expressive, don’t you think?) (Just suddenly frowning, suddenly smiling, then suddenly getting angry. I’m no Arisa, but she’s so cute~.) (Yeah, if I have a child with Lysha then a daughter like her would be……) (Lily!Lily!Lily!Lilyyyyyyyccccccccccccuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~~)

They’re really weird…. If you want to say something, then just say it. While I watch over them with a confused look, I quietly wait for the Guild Card to be finished.

「Here. Well then, this will be Lily’s Guild Card. Since Lily’s Magic Power is registered on the card, other people are unable to use it without permission. Also, reissuing a card will cost you three large gold coins, so please be careful. Lily is now a D-Rank. Just in case, we can also register you as a member of the C-Rank Grim March, is that alright?」 「Eh? Grim March? What’s that?」 「Eh? Ehhhh!?」

What’s she surprised about? I look at Grimhart behind me and he has an awkward look on his face.

「Eh? Ah, is she talking about….」 「Yeah, my bad. I didn’t tell you. It’s our Party Name.」

It seems like that’s the reason. Grimhart’s pretty tough to add a part of his own name to their party name, huh. Ten years later, he’ll probably start writhing in embarrassment.

「Haha, well, Leader is a bit embarrassed about it. Still, all of us were invited by Grim to become adventurers, you know? So everyone decided that we should have Grim’s name in our party name.」 「Everyone but Grim, you see!」

Well, Arisa. Even saying that with a large grin and wink, I think there’s still a problem with that, you know?

「Ah, geez! Quiet! So how about it, Lily? Will you join our party, Grim March?」

For me, it’s a really tempting offer. Living in this world, they’ll surely be reliable. And being with them’s really fun too. But still……

「I’m sorry. I’m really thankful for the offer, but I’d like to decline for now.」 「…I see. Just in case, can I ask why?」 「There’s a lot that I don’t know. I want to learn all about them, but somewhere along the line, there’s a chance that I might quit being an adventurer. And when that happens, I’m sure that it’ll cause you trouble. That’s why for now, I don’t intend to join in any existing party.」 「I see, that’s regrettable. I really thought that we’d finally have a decent Mage with us for once!」 「Ehh~! So you’re saying that I’m not decent!?」

Having the mood slowly turning gloomy, Grimhart and Arisa washed it away with a joke. I really can’t thank them enough. What I said right now is really what I think, but that’s not all. Right now, I’m in a sealed state. What will happen if the seal comes loose, even I don’t know for sure. When that happens and if I’m forced to part with them, I’m sure that it’ll be too painful for me to do……

In any case, I’ve reached the city and secured my social status as an adventurer. The next thing to do would be to interact with the locals. I am a bit curious about the Magecraft Academy, so after going through this city to some extent, having a look there seems like a good idea.