Field Trip (1)
The day of the field trip had finally arrived.
“Everyone, please line up in two columns.”
A large crowd of students had gathered on an empty lot at the academy, waiting together. Soon, something massive began to descend slowly from the sky toward the ground.
““Whoa…””
It was an airship.
A vessel that soared through the heavens using an enormous magic stone as its core power source. It was the pinnacle of modern magical engineering, a masterpiece that incorporated every cutting-edge technology this world had to offer.
“Kael, aren’t you excited?”
“Seeing it like this… I guess I am, a little.”
Even in the modern world, it was rare to witness something so grand and enormous flying through the sky. I had seen massive airplanes take off and airships that floated like balloons, but a cruise ship flying through the air? That was still impossible back on Earth.
A flying cruise ship… Yeah, I really wanted to ride one at least once.
Anyway, it was soon our turn—mine and Elia’s—to board the airship. The two of us stepped inside together.
The interior of the airship was incredibly spacious. The moment we entered, a vast hall greeted us, with corridors branching off to both sides.
“It’s huge…”
“Let’s hurry.”
“Students. Here are your room keys.”
After receiving the keys from the professor of another department who was supervising the students, we stepped aside so the next group could board.
Once aboard an airship, the first thing to do was check your room.
“We’re across from each other.”
“Yeah… I thought they’d separate the boys’ and girls’ floors, but I guess not?”
“Is there any particular reason they should?”
“Well, think about it. If boys and girls our age can meet too easily on the same floor, wouldn’t that lead to people sneaking into the opposite sex’s rooms or just deciding to share one?”
“Would that be a problem?”
“Ah, right… This is a female-oriented romance fantasy world…”
I sometimes forgot that this was a female-oriented romance fantasy setting. The world-building was so well-crafted that I had become completely immersed in it. But every now and then, moments like this—where common sense clashed with the setting—jerked me back to reality.
What were the defining traits of a female-oriented romance fantasy world? The men were all perfect gentlemen. Basic manners were standard equipment. Plus, since they were all children of noble families, they would naturally be cautious with their behavior.
Above all, romance between men and women was treated as the most natural thing in the world. So there was no need to separate the boys’ and girls’ floors.
“Kael, do you perhaps want to share a room with me?”
“No. That sounds exhausting.”
“But during our first meeting, you called me a beauty you wanted to take right then and there.”
“Didn’t I also say I was different from other people?”
She kept twisting her body in an attempt to look seductive, striking strange poses. If it weren’t for those ridiculous poses, I might have actually felt a flutter of excitement—but they completely ruined the mood.
Still, it was so absurd that a chuckle slipped out of me.
“If you want to seduce me, come back when you’ve grown a bit more, kid.”
I said that and gave her shoulder a light pat before opening the door to my room.
As I stepped inside, I glanced back and saw her pressing her palms against her chest.
“Is my size the problem…?”
“What are you doing?”
“Perverted scoundrel.”
She spun around and disappeared into her room.
What the hell was that…?
I had finally become able to use the second spell introduced in Shadow Magic: Cognitive Impairment Magic.
Since this spell affected other people’s minds, the casting method was more complex. It required layering multiple magic circles on top of one another. In simple terms, it was a spell that required dual casting as a basic prerequisite.
No matter how monstrous Kael’s talent was, it still took me about a week to master it.
Anyway, to explain the effect of Cognitive Impairment Magic…
“Ugh, it’s that scoundrel.”
“This way. Don’t make eye contact.”
Normally, whenever I walked around, I could feel people blatantly avoiding me.
But when I used this spell…
“Wow… it’s really high up.”
“This is my first time riding such a large airship as well. Ohohoh…”
“Is this the greatness of human civilization…? Ooh…”
No one paid me any attention at all.
There were no longer any gazes or actions avoiding me. It wasn’t just reduced—it had completely vanished.
I was being utterly ignored by everyone. Strangely enough, that indifference felt refreshingly novel.
This might actually be pretty useful depending on how I use it…
“Kael, what are you doing here?”
“You scared me!”
There was one downside: because people didn’t pay me any attention, the moment someone showed even the slightest interest, it startled me.
I jumped at Elia’s call, and at the same time, the effect of Cognitive Impairment Magic instantly dissipated.
“How… did you find me?”
“You were hard to see, so I went around comparing each person’s face one by one.”
“That’s actually kind of creepy…”
Cognitive Impairment Magic influenced people’s subconscious. If someone consciously tried to find me, it would be difficult—but not impossible. That was why, unlike invisibility magic, this spell wasn’t perfect.
“Don’t you have any friends? Why do you keep following me around?”
“That’s hurtful…”
She put on an exaggerated pout. Of course, she didn’t look sad at all.
“Do you dislike me, Kael?”
“No… it’s not that…”
More importantly, while teasing Hestia was fun because she reacted so cutely, teasing Elia felt dangerous. She was the daughter of a ducal family, after all. It wouldn’t make sense for her to have no friends…
“Then does that mean it’s okay?”
“What kind of answer are you even looking for?”
“Oh, right, Kael. They say the view from the airship’s deck is absolutely stunning. Would you like to go up together?”
“No. I’m tired.”
“A rejection is still a rejection, you know.”
“What?”
Suddenly, Elia hooked her arm around mine.
It happened in an instant. Without giving me time to panic, she used her strength to drag me toward the stairs leading to the deck. Of course, her strength was weak, so I was mostly just letting her pull me along…
“You really must come here.”
When we reached the deck, several other people were already there.
Most of them were couples. Pairs of boys and girls walked along the deck, enjoying the breeze.
“It’s wide…”
“It really is.”
As expected from a romance fantasy world, there were couples everywhere.
“Being up here together like this… doesn’t it feel more like we’re a couple rather than just engaged?”
Elia asked carefully, lowering her head.
I let out a small laugh.
“To other people, it might look that way. They don’t know about the contract between us.”
“I think… we could change the terms of that contract a little.”
“Change the contract terms? Are you saying we should break the engagement right now?”
“That’s not what I mean… I mean making it a bit more friendly. If I absolutely have to get married, I don’t think it necessarily has to be anyone other than you, Kael.”
“Aren’t you getting tired of this? You’ll meet a guy you actually like soon enough…”
“No. I’ve already met—”
“Oh! There you are, genius! Did you come out for some fresh air too?”
While Elia and I were engaged in a somewhat philosophical debate and walking along the deck, someone called out to us.
It was Professor Lapel Straucht.
For a brief moment, Elia’s expression crumpled openly.
So she could make a face like that…
And at the same time, from the opposite side—
“Ah, Mister Kael!”
“Hestia.”
Hestia Claudi, my first partner in the kingdom spy subjugation project, spotted me and waved. It seemed both of them had been enjoying the deck.
She waved, then suddenly seemed embarrassed, quickly lowered her hand, and scurried over.
“Kael. I knew it, but you really do have a lot of girls around you, don’t you?”
“You’re telling me.”
Now that I thought about it, the people I spent the most time with—Hestia, Elia, and even Professor Lapel, who occasionally acted as my magic advisor—were all women. Of course, that was because all the men around Kael were complete weirdos. There was no way I could hang out with Haidel, Avon, or Lucas.
“U-um… Hello, I’m…”
“Hmm…? I’m currently on a date with Kael. I believe it would be quite rude for another woman to interrupt.”
Elia said this while tightening her grip on my arm even more.
Hestia’s face grew anxious at the sight, and then—
“I-I want to do it too!”
““Huh?””
This time, Hestia came to my other side and timidly grabbed my opposite arm.
“What are you two doing?”
“I have no idea where this thieving cat came from.”
“B-but…”
“Hey, Elia. Don’t be so harsh. She doesn’t have any friends, that’s all.”
I explained on Hestia’s behalf. Hestia sometimes clung to me like this because she genuinely didn’t have any friends. Seeing Elia constantly sticking to me might have triggered some sense of crisis in her.
“Auu…”
“Oh my… So that was the case.”
Elia’s expression softened considerably. In fact, it became one of pity.
Professor Lapel, who had been watching the entire scene, giggled.
“So young… How youthful…”
“What are you saying, you little brat?”
“Then I suppose I should join in on the fun too.”
This time, Professor Lapel came up behind me and clung to my back. I had noticed it before, but she seemed strangely fixated on my back.
What the hell were these people doing?
When I glanced around, I realized other people’s gazes were starting to bother me. Most hadn’t noticed our ridiculous display yet, but a few were sneaking glances in our direction.
This is going to cause a weird misunderstanding, isn’t it?
While still in that state, I cast the Cognitive Impairment Magic I had learned recently.
One of this spell’s features was that it could be cast over a wide area. It was the only part where it outperformed invisibility magic.
To think my first real combat use of Cognitive Impairment Magic would be in a situation like this… It was a bit annoying, but I had no choice. Still, its performance was undeniable.