Field Training (4)
Field Training (4)
"What do you even see in that guy…"
"Madam, quiet."
Flora cut off Madam's words outright, then fixed her gaze on the floor.
"Nngh…"
If she'd had a pillow, she would have buried her face in it, but she didn't even have a gap to breathe through.
She kept wriggling her fingers, completely at a loss.
What had caused this?
In all the long time she had spent with him, she had never once experienced this.
A sudden hot surge had risen up and flustered her.
Even after rummaging through her jumbled heart and head for a long while, she couldn't find the cause.
The day he'd appeared after three years of imprisonment?
Or the day he had praised her as pretty enough to count on one's fingers in the whole Empire?
It was hard to grasp what this vaguely ticklish feeling was.
After all, this was something that couldn't be formulated with magic or equations.
She had assumed all along that it was simply the happiness of being with Boss.
Flora murmured in a very small voice.
"I endured for just one reason: to assist Boss and keep the organization intact. That is why I exist."
She had swung a blade hundreds of times to maintain the organization.
She had eliminated troublemakers while concealing her presence as much as possible.
Then Karon struck a deal with the Empire, and for the first time in her life, she enjoyed an ordinary daily existence.
It had felt awkward at first, but a world free of bloodshed was not so bad.
She didn't know how long it would last, but she wanted to cherish this time spent with Karon.
Afterward, she had entered the academy for Karon's sake and grown close to the Magic Tower Master's apprentice.
Before she knew it, the Magic Tower Master's apprentice had become a friend.
As time passed, she realized that the stifling tightness in her chest might be a feeling called affection.
But of course, emotion by its very nature can deceive even the one feeling it.
At the thought that this might be a fleeting dream, Flora slowly lifted her head and met Madam's eyes.
"Do I… really like Boss?"
"Who knows. That's something only you know."
"Hoo, it's difficult."
She bit her lip tight and then roughly swallowed her confused heart down her throat.
Noticing this, Madam gently stroked her cheek.
"I meant to tease and play around a little today, but it seems I've stirred a tender girl's heart."
"My head's a mess because of you, Madam."
"Sorry. I honestly didn't expect it either."
Madam's weighty blow left them stealing glances at each other in an awkward atmosphere.
Realizing that precious minutes—ten in total—would go to waste like this, Madam made an effort to patch things up.
"May I tell Karon about today's conversation?"
"Tell him if you want to fight me."
"Oh my, I wonder if a Level 5 can defeat a mid-Level 7 Elf."
Thanks to Madam's teasing, their usual grumbly atmosphere came back.
After that, they traded light jokes back and forth until Flora spoke up.
"I'll follow Boss when this is over."
"No. You still can't drink, remember?"
"I've always been waiting in the back, haven't I?"
Flora tilted her head as though she genuinely couldn't understand.
She had always accompanied Karon whenever he met Madam.
If an unexpected situation arose, she was the first to step forward.
In fact, there had been an incident where she'd cleaned up a rowdy bunch who'd started trouble without knowing their place.
She had proven herself and was now being rejected, which bewildered her.
Of course, Madam understood Flora's reasoning. She hadn't known them for only a day or two.
But she simply didn't want this long-awaited meeting interrupted.
She wanted to fill the three-year gap while sharing a drink alone.
"It's about time to wrap up."
Madam checked the remaining time.
There were only about three minutes left, even though they hadn't really done much.
As she tried to set aside the lingering regret and bring things to a close, Flora shot her a sullen look and glared at her.
"Madam."
"No."
Flora didn't give up and staged a protest demanding to be included in the conversation.
In response, Madam didn't back down either.
She moved to suppress it by pressing Flora's puffed cheeks.
"Young lady, alcohol is still far off for you. Once you break through to Level 6, I'll consider it."
"That's not it."
"Then shall I really say it? It would be entertaining to see both of you flustered together."
"I'm not going. I won't go."
Flora couldn't accept someone else revealing feelings she herself didn't understand yet.
She hurriedly fled the seat before Madam could add another jab.
No matter how she looked at it, Madam's skill at manipulating people's hearts was detestable.
Just as she was about to step outside, Madam's low, unteasing voice caught her step.
"Lastly, let me say this from what I've observed as an Elf who has lived longer than you, regarding levels…"
When Flora hesitated, Madam lightly tapped the notebook with her fingertip.
Then she left behind some advice out of genuine concern.
"If you keep at it like that, it'll end up tripping you up at a crucial moment. Wouldn't it be better to walk side by side, rather than staying in his pocket?"
"…I suppose so."
Though Flora agreed, her expression carried a certain bittersweetness.
* * *
"How was Student Flora?"
"Fairly well."
Whatever conversation she'd had with Madam, Flora's mood didn't look terribly good.
It also seemed like she was avoiding my gaze from time to time.
Perhaps for that reason, she trudged right past me and toward Ayla.
"Ayla, I'm exhausted…"
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"I'm a little tired today."
Flora clung tightly to Ayla with a downcast expression.
Wondering what the matter was, Ayla diligently soothed her.
"Are you all right?"
"Mmh. Ayla, you're nice and soft."
Ayla giggled at that, asking what she meant.
Unlike the way she used to open up to me when troubled, Flora now had the alternative of Ayla.
Getting help from a friend was a good solution too.
It was nice to see Flora seemingly enjoying a peaceful daily life.
In order to maintain it, I would have to run myself ragged.
I had the thought that the glasses I'd share with Madam might end up multiplying.
Demons, the Empire, the Magic Tower…
This would likely be the last respite I could afford for a while.
'I'd better finish my backlog before it gets any later.'
While I was organizing the schedule, Madam without hesitation called the next name.
"Next will be you. Your name?"
"I'm Gilbert!"
"Good. I won't have to tell you who's after Gilbert, right?"
"Yes. I'll be waiting."
Since the class time allotted ten minutes per person, Gilbert and Camilla also finished in the blink of an eye.
First, Gilbert followed after Madam with an expression that seemed to mix anticipation and worry in an odd way, brimming with energy.
The tuning result was a success.
He poured his Mana into the Resistance Stone without obstruction.
—Whoa, this is possible?
In the process, Gilbert's admiring voice leaked outside, drawing laughter.
The fact that Madam even mentioned he was an amusing kid said it all.
On the other hand, Camilla undertook it in a composed state.
For a moment, I thought she handled her emotions well like Flora, but after experiencing the power of tuning, her excited demeanor was obvious.
'Now that's a normal reaction.'
And so, after roughly an hour of Field Training had ended.
We finished the field training and gathered in one place.
Everyone was clearly thrilled at the prospect of putting the Resistance Stones through their paces.
We decided to hold the wrap-up back at the academy.
"We’ll return and take some time to review."
"Understood!"
Satisfied with everyone’s energetic response, I bowed to Madam in thanks.
Madam, who also seemed to have enjoyed herself quite a bit, gently swirled her glass and spoke.
"Putting thanks aside, want another drink?"
"…We still have to finish the work, don't we."
"Compared to back then, you really have changed."
"What do you mean?"
Madam emptied the little whiskey left in her glass and then showed a fresh smile.
"You've become a proper professor~"
"I'm not a professor."
"If you teach someone at an academy, that makes you a professor."
"…"
Why on earth do Flora and Madam both call me a professor…
Whatever Madam said under the influence of alcohol was bound to be far removed from the education the Chancellor emphasized.
I fled before she could say any more strange things in front of the budding sprouts.
Afterward, I conducted a brief personnel check, and we returned safely to the academy.
I succeeded in making it back to the lecture hall without running into the Chancellor.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"It was really fun, thanks to you, Instructor."
The lecture hall was still steaming with hot enthusiasm.
The first Field Training hadn't been bad.
Madam was doing well, and her skills were as sharp as ever.
I had also precisely achieved the goal I'd wanted.
If I had to pick the one remaining regret.
The Chancellor was plainly going to nag me, asking where I'd been taking the students.
I would prove it with the result of passing the Magic Tower exam.
It happened to be the perfect time to advance to the next stage, so I meant to take advantage of their desire to reach greater heights.
After sweeping my gaze across the room, I picked up a piece of chalk.
"I'm glad if you found it interesting. I'll summarize before that feeling cools."
I quickly summarized the training method known only to me and wrote it on the blackboard.
[Mana Circuit Overload Training Method]
1. Identify the Mana Circuit's critical point.
2. Create microscopic cracks in the circuit.
3. Allow the circuit to heal and grow stronger.
"This was the reason we went on the field study."
For most mages, apart from physical stamina, there were two ways to fall into a state of exhaustion.
Either running out of their own Mana reserves, or suffering overload by operating the Mana Circuits excessively until they became spent husks.
In short, it was what happened when you overused them recklessly.
There was no need to explain further.
So, putting the simple theory aside and adding actual experience to it.
In the past, wanting a taste of my limits, I had intentionally attempted overload and discovered that my circuits became more durable in the recovery process.
I also found out that because overload stimulated unused circuits, exhaustion occurred as fatigue reached its extreme limit.
This alone would get me courted by the Magic Tower if I wrote a paper on it, but who would accept a mastermind?
Thus, I repeated the process of learning it alone.
I deliberately induced overload, then went through recovery, and created a training method for strengthening the Mana Circuits.
"All of you must not stop at a momentary overload; you must do it consistently."
The moment the word overload came up, they were flustered, just as I'd expected.
Overloading Mana Circuits was dangerous in itself, so it was only natural for them to react that way to doing it deliberately.
To prevent everyone from getting frightened, I calmly continued the explanation.
"This method will strengthen your current circuits while awakening dormant ones. That, of course, will make it a more complex process."
"Then isn't it impossible to do alone?"
"Precisely. That's why I'll assist you."
I nodded at Ayla's sharp question, then pointed out the most important Magic Tower candidates.
"On that note, Students Gilbert and Camilla, do you normally manage your physical stamina?"
"No. Our studies keep us so busy there's not enough time."
Citing time constraints, an answer came back that they didn't.
Considering the Running Crew was already running 3.5 kilometers every dawn, that was nothing but an excuse.
To get their level up within the fixed deadline, their circuits had to be tempered.
They would push their stamina to the limit and trigger overload.
So, accommodating Gilbert and Camilla's opinions as much as possible, I put them straight into the Running Crew.
"The two students will come to the academy's main gate every day at dawn."
"What do we do at dawn?"
"You'll run."
"I'm sorry?"
Unable to discern my intent at all, Camilla turned her head and looked at Ayla.
Already a participant, Ayla beamed and welcomed them.
It was a look as if she was looking forward to seeing them writhe with muscle pain.
Her eyes sparkled as though she couldn't wait to see it right then and there.
"In any case, since I'll be assisting you, you should be able to fill at least 30 percent by next week. If you fail…"
I stroked my chin and set a suggestive condition, implying they should each imagine it for themselves.
"Let's spend some private time together."
A cold silence settled over the lecture hall.
As if realizing they absolutely had to succeed, everyone just nodded their heads like bobblehead dolls.
If it had served as powerful motivation, that was enough.
"The practice session will be at dawn tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work."
After finishing the lecture with that schedule announcement, I headed off to keep my appointment with Madam.
* * *
I had intended to unravel the events of the past three years one by one and gradually raise the intensity…
Madam was impatient today.
"Which are you curious about: your treasured subordinate, or the students you've placed future hopes on?"
"Haa."
To think she'd come on this strong from the very first glass.
Having seized the initiative in one breath, Madam quietly extended her hand and demanded an answer.
I downed the whiskey in one go and replied in a low voice.
"I'll do both."
Clink.
As I set down the empty glass, a clear sound reverberated.
Humming to herself, Madam refilled it with the amber liquid once more.
"Mmm~ Greedier than I thought."
"I've acquired a goal of sorts."
"Then let's start with your treasured subordinate."
A glass for Madam.
And, a glass for me.
Gazing at the sloshing whiskey, I recalled the waves that would soon come crashing.
The first wave had just passed with that glass, so the second wave was bound to hit.
It might be a topic that would be unpleasant or uncomfortable for me, but for a better future, I had no intention of avoiding it.
Madam, who had been reading my expression, propped her chin in her hand and asked in a hushed voice.
"How much do you really know about that child?"