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 praised her as one of the prettiest women in the 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 hard and swallowed down the confusion churning inside her. 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 bombshell left an awkward silence between them. With their precious ten minutes in danger of slipping away, Madam tried to smooth things over.
"May I tell Karon about today's conversation?"
"If you want to fight me, just say so."
"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 what Flora meant. She had known the two of them far too long not to.
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.
Flora shot her a sulky glare when Madam tried to wrap things up despite her lingering regret.
"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.
"One last thing. As an elf who’s lived longer than you, let me give you some advice about Levels..."
When Flora hesitated, Madam lightly tapped the notebook with her fingertip. Then she left behind some advice out of genuine concern.
"Keep this up and it’ll hold you back when it matters most. Wouldn’t it be better to stand beside him instead of staying tucked under his wing?"
"...I suppose so."
Though Flora agreed, her expression carried a certain bittersweetness.
* * *
"How was Student Flora?"
"Fairly well."
Whatever she and Madam had talked about, Flora didn't look very happy. She also seemed to avoid my eyes 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 to Ayla with a gloomy expression. Wondering what had happened, Ayla did her best to comfort her.
"Are you all right?"
"Mmh. Ayla, you're nice and soft."
Ayla giggled and asked what she meant.
Unlike before, when she would confide in me whenever something bothered her, Flora now had Ayla to turn to. Getting help from a friend was a good solution too.
It was good to see Flora enjoying a peaceful life. Keeping it that way meant I had to keep working hard.
I had a feeling I might end up sharing more drinks with Madam.
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 sorted out my schedule, Madam promptly called the next person.
"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."
With only ten minutes allotted to each student, Gilbert and Camilla were done in no time.
Gilbert went first, following Madam with a strange mix of anticipation and worry on his face while trying to psych himself up.
The tuning was successful. He channeled mana into the Resistance Stone without any trouble.
—Whoa, this is possible?
Gilbert’s exclamation of amazement carried outside and made us laugh. Even Madam called him an amusing kid, which said it all.
Camilla, on the other hand, went in calmly. For a moment I thought she controlled her emotions as well as Flora, but once she felt the effect of the tuning, her excitement was obvious.
'Now that's a normal reaction.'
And so, after roughly an hour of Field Training...
Once the Field Training ended, we gathered together. Everyone was clearly excited at the prospect of putting their Resistance Stones through their paces. We decided to do the wrap-up back at the academy.
"We'll return and take some time to review."
"Understood!"
Satisfied with their energetic response, I bowed to Madam in thanks.
Madam seemed to have enjoyed herself too. She gently swirled her glass and spoke.
"Forget the thanks. 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 drained the little whiskey left in her glass and smiled brightly.
"You've become a proper professor~"
"I'm not a professor."
"If you teach someone at an academy, that makes you a professor."
"..."
Why did Flora and Madam both insist on calling 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 buzzing with excitement.
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 name the one downside...
The Chancellor was obviously going to nag me about where I'd taken the students. I'd prove the value of it when they passed 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 you found it interesting. Let’s review it before that feeling fades."
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 is why we went on Field Training."
For most mages, apart from physical stamina, there were two ways to fall into a state of exhaustion.
Either their mana ran dry, or they overworked their Mana Circuits until overload left them completely spent.
In short, it was what happened when you overused them recklessly. There was no need to explain further.
So, setting the basic theory aside, I added what I had learned from experience.
In the past, I had deliberately pushed myself into overload to test my limits and discovered that my circuits grew tougher as they recovered.
I also learned that overload stimulated unused circuits, driving fatigue to the point of exhaustion.
A paper on this alone would have the Magic Tower courting me, but who'd welcome a Mastermind?
So I kept experimenting on my own. By deliberately inducing overload and recovering from it, I developed a training method that strengthened the Mana Circuits.
"You can’t stop after overloading once. You need to keep doing it consistently."
As expected, the word “overload” made them uneasy. Deliberately overloading a Mana Circuit was dangerous, so their reaction was only natural.
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.
"Gilbert, Camilla—do either of you normally do any physical training?"
"No. Our studies keep us so busy there's not enough time."
They said they didn't have time because of their studies. The Running Crew did 3.5 kilometers every dawn, so 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.
Taking their circumstances into account as much as possible, I promptly added Gilbert and Camilla to the Running Crew.
"Both of you, come to the academy’s main gate every day at dawn."
"What do we do at dawn?"
"You'll run."
"What?"
Unable to discern my intent at all, Camilla turned her head and looked at Ayla. Already a participant, Ayla beamed and welcomed them.
Ayla looked almost eager to see them writhing with muscle pain, her eyes sparkling as if she could hardly wait.
"In any case, I’ll be helping you, so 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 meant to go through the past three years one piece at a time and gradually work up to the harder topics...
Madam was impatient today.
"Which do you want to hear about—your cherished subordinate, or the promising student?"
"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 got a goal now."
"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?"