A Favor (2)
After we stepped into the forest, nothing else happened beyond that brief shimmer from moments before.
Must’ve been my imagination.
I walked side by side with Valrod, trading nothing more than idle chatter.
“So, where are you headed after graduation?”
“Not sure yet. Heard the northern territories have been hiring mages in bulk lately. Thinking of heading that way.”
“Not going back to your domain?”
“Not right away, probably. Plenty of people besides me who can run the place.”
Valrod spoke with his usual calm detachment.
Back when we’d first met, these guys had been aimless. Now, one by one, they were finding their places in the world.
It felt strange—and a little bittersweet.
“Everyone’s heading off on their own paths.”
“Yeah. Time really flies.”
We still had plenty of time left, but once graduation came, we’d scatter across the continent.
Some back to the hometowns they’d left behind, others to entirely new lands.
Even knowing the farewell was inevitable, the thought of it still left a dull ache. Couldn’t be helped—we’d grown attached to each other, after all.
Valrod suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke up.
“You know Ross is secretly soft-hearted? He hates when people bring up stuff like that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Last time, when you weren’t around, someone started talking about it and he got dead serious all of a sudden. Said, ‘I’m definitely writing letters.’”
Ugh. Just imagining Ross wearing that earnest expression while scribbling letters made me want to gag. Goosebumps.
“I told him to shut up and just treat us to meals at the cafeteria while we’re still here. His face snapped back to normal pretty quick.”
We kept up the pointless conversation as we patrolled deeper into the woods.
“This forest really is huge.”
Thirty minutes of walking, and still no end in sight. Even Valrod couldn’t help marveling at the sheer scale.
Just as he’d said, the trees farther in towered far larger and more majestic than the ones near the entrance, packed densely together.
“What the hell was this place used for that they included the entire forest in the Academy grounds?”
His pure curiosity made me tilt my head as well.
The Academy was vast and ancient; there were buildings and structures from eras we modern students knew nothing about.
“Not sure of the details, but I heard that way back when they first founded the Academy, they ran experiments here—alchemy and the like.”
I’d vaguely recalled hearing that before magic was properly systematized, the whole forest had served as a laboratory. Nothing confirmed, though.
Rustle—
A presence stirred in the quiet woods. We both stopped.
“Did you hear something clinking?”
Valrod nodded silently at my words.
We focused on the sound for a while, then carefully moved toward it.
Clink—
The noise came again. We turned our heads.
Men in light chainmail stood waiting, talking among themselves.
“Academy Guards.”
Security, or Guards as they were called.
“Want to go over?”
At my suggestion, Valrod looked at me.
“Do we have to?”
“We almost never run into them. Once won’t hurt.”
He shrugged and fell in behind me.
The Guards chatting while on standby instinctively gripped their swords at the approaching footsteps.
We flinched on instinct, but the man at the front scanned us, then raised a clenched fist.
“Stand down. They’re students.”
The Guards relaxed their weapons at once. The lead man walked over and removed his helmet.
“On patrol, are you?”
“Yes, sir.”
His eyes swept over us, then he nodded.
“Sorry for the sudden alert. Name’s Rotwell. Currently commander of the Academy Guard’s 3rd Division.”
He clasped his hands together in greeting.
“I’m Lutes. This is Valrod.”
Rotwell nodded at the brief introductions and looked us over again.
“Both third-years?”
“That’s right.”
He glanced back; the Guards all nodded in unison.
Something going on?
Rotwell cleared his throat and faced us.
“Would you two mind giving us a hand?”
The sudden request made Valrod and me exchange glances.
“…Could you tell us what it’s about?”
Valrod asked carefully. Rotwell nodded.
“As you know, we’re all former knights. Magic’s not exactly our strong suit. We found an artifact over that way, and I’d like to get a rough idea of what it is.”
An artifact.
“…An artifact?”
“Yeah. We already know it’s nothing ordinary, so we’re keeping a strict perimeter and distance. We’ve already put in the call. Just thought it’d be useful to have a general idea before the Academy people arrive.”
They’d discovered an unknown artifact and taken the proper measures—that was the gist.
“What do you think?”
Valrod asked for my opinion.
They were on full alert, and help was already on the way from the Academy. Didn’t seem particularly dangerous.
“Let’s go.”
My agreement drew a satisfied smile from Rotwell.
“Appreciate you making the time.”
He turned and started walking; we followed.
First time I’ve ever actually talked with the Guards.
The Academy Guards were stationed along the outer perimeter to protect the grounds. Unless there was special reason, they stayed outside, so face-to-face meetings with students were rare. Even then, it was usually just a distant glimpse.
Actually speaking with them like this was an uncommon experience.
Up close, their movements were disciplined—exactly what you’d expect from professionally trained soldiers.
But they don’t know much about magic?
Probably meant they weren’t specialists.
Lost in idle thoughts, I followed Rotwell for several more minutes.
We arrived at a clear lakeside.
“…Whoa.”
Maybe it was just the contrast after walking through dense forest, but the open view of the lake felt like it cleared the stuffiness right out of my chest.
…Eline would love this place.
The thought came unbidden.
“This way.”
We followed where Rotwell led.
At the water’s edge, five Guards held a circular defensive formation.
And right in the center sat an artifact that practically screamed highly suspicious.
Roughly the size of a crate big enough for a person to fit inside.
As Rotwell approached, the Guards silently made way. We stepped closer to examine it.
A fairly large artifact.
Why it was here was only the second question on my mind.
“Was it already here when you first found it?”
Valrod asked. Rotwell nodded.
“The moment we spotted it, I had the men surround it. Haven’t touched it.”
He’d followed protocol to the letter, and his voice carried that confidence.
Seeing the artifact up close suddenly brought back the moment just before we’d entered the forest.
“Valrod.”
“Yeah?”
“Right before we came in, I saw the whole forest shimmer for a second.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. It was so brief I ignored it.”
Valrod nodded as if that confirmed something.
It had been only an instant, but now I was certain.
That had been the movement of mana—more precisely, a wave of mana.
“The forest shimmered?”
Rotwell asked, curious.
“More accurately, our vision shimmered. Mana can be sensitive like that sometimes.”
“Huh… Is that so. We can’t see mana, so how would we know?”
“It’s rare even for us. We only catch it by chance every now and then.”
“When does that happen?”
“All sorts of reasons. Natural phenomena, a powerful spell being released, or…”
“Or?”
“When a high-output artifact is activated.”
My calm statement hung in the air as a cool breeze swept across the lakeside.
“…What?”
Rotwell’s voice went blank. I continued.
“Even when you see a shimmer like that, it’s usually coincidence, so we let it go. But looking at this artifact… I don’t think we can rule out the possibility. Someone may have already activated it once—or more.”
“Hah… Hahh… What in the world…”
“And… judging by the size and shape of this thing…”
Artifacts are made for specific purposes. After handling enough of them, you start to get a sense of what they’re for.
As second-years who’d tinkered with countless artifacts, a few possibilities had already formed in our minds.
“High probability it’s for teleportation.”
Teleportation.
Rotwell swallowed hard.
“Teleportation…?”
“Yes. Pure speculation, of course. We can’t reactivate it here, so the Academy experts will have to confirm later… but that’s how it looks to us.”
“Wait, wait—didn’t you just say it might have already been used?”
Valrod nodded.
“Again, only a possibility. Shimmers can come from plenty of things besides artifacts.”
“And if it was used? How? What’s the purpose? Outgoing? Incoming?”
Rotwell’s voice turned urgent, almost interrogative.
If this artifact had been used—and if it brought someone in—
Then an unidentified person was already inside.
For the Guards, that was deeply unsettling news.
“We don’t know either. It might not even be teleportation. Like I said, the only way to be sure is to activate it. But right now we’re just students, and neither of us specializes in artifact handling…”
“…R-right.”
Rotwell reined in his excitement and nodded.
While he and Valrod talked, a thought struck me.
Outside, the Guards kept a tight watch, and even unmanned security was rigorous.
…To place an artifact like this…
It would come out later, but one thing seemed certain: someone inside the Academy had deliberately planted it.
Who?
Who would leave something like this here?
If we started digging, the threads would tangle endlessly.
“…Understood. Then as you say, all we can do for now is wait.”
Rotwell nodded, then looked between the two of us again.
“And… can you keep this quiet for the time being?”
No point stirring up unnecessary trouble, and the Academy didn’t need internal chaos either.
His judgment was sound.
“Yes.”
“Of course.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Hearing our answers, Rotwell offered his thanks once more.
With even that short investigation finished, it was truly time to head back. We retraced our path at a quicker pace.
By the time we reached the Academy, the sun hung at its highest point, marking noon.
“What do you think?”
Valrod answered my question flatly.
“…Well, we can’t completely rule out an intruder.”
An intruder.
Just thinking about it made my head hurt.
What could anyone possibly gain by breaking into a facility that trains talent?
“It’s not our problem to solve, so I’m not going to worry about it too much.”
He added that and looked at me.
“So, what’s this favor of yours?”
“Oh, right.”
Patrol was over. Time to make my request.
“…It’s nothing big.”
“Yeah?”
I looked at Valrod and said,
“I’m entering the Holy Fire Festival. Come with me.”
“…The Holy Fire Festival?”
“Yeah.”
His expression shifted slightly, as if the request was unexpected. Then he crossed his arms and regarded me with interest.
“Out of nowhere? You never cared about it before.”
“I do now. A whole lot.”
Unintentionally, an enormous amount of interest had appeared.
He studied me in silence, as if weighing something.
“Lutes.”
“Yeah.”
“I told you last time why I don’t enter competitions, right?”
“Because you might end up fighting with your teammates?”
The reason Valrod had little interest in tournaments was simple: he didn’t want to get heated and clash with people in a team event.
“Exactly. You know me—when it comes to competition, I go all out.”
“I know that well.”
At my words, Valrod slowly uncrossed his arms and rolled his shoulders.
“I might end up fighting you, too.”
“…”
“I’m serious. The mindset for a tournament is winning, period.”
He probably just didn’t want to get angry even at me.
“I’m ready for that.”
I was prepared.
Valrod held my gaze for a long moment, then a faint smile touched his lips.
“Your magic’s improved a lot, hasn’t it?”
“More than last time, yeah.”
Compared to the past two years, I felt I’d grown by leaps and bounds… or so I thought.
“Let’s see it, then.”
“See what?”
Valrod tilted his chin.
He was pointing toward the distant dome-shaped sparring arena.
“Your skill.”
In other words, he was calling me out for a match.