Fate
Rubenheit released Elaine's hand and asked in the most ordinary tone,
"So, how did you meet that monster?"
"Pardon?"
"Anything strong enough to protect you from evil spirits must be quite the powerful beast."
"……"
The rather direct question made Elaine pause. If Pecia's true nature as a monster ever came to light, she would not escape unscathed. Even if the advice she had received was precious, Elaine hesitated over whether she had any right to freely spill such information.
But I can't exactly stay silent either.
She had already given away far too many hints. If her mother started digging, the list of candidates would narrow quickly enough.
Watching his granddaughter's expression, Rubenheit suddenly burst out laughing.
"Our Elaine has become a proper noblewoman. You've even learned how to carefully omit things."
"……!"
"Relax. I have no intention of telling your parents. Or do you not even trust this old man?"
"N-No, of course not."
As long as he kept her from the one situation she feared most, there was no reason she could not speak. Elaine lowered her gaze for a moment, took a small breath, then lifted her head.
"She's just a shameless kid."
Rubenheit's eyebrows shot up.
"A shameless kid?"
Elaine gave a tiny smile and nodded.
"She was sitting there bold as brass at the Academy entrance ceremony. She looked so much like a pretty doll that I went over to talk to her—and wouldn't you know it, her manufacturing ability was absurdly good. That's how we properly became friends."
"Hoh. A boss-class monster, then."
"How did you know?"
Rubenheit answered,
"Manufacturing techniques are never easy to begin with. And if it was enough to impress you, that means she's at least on the level of a proper expert."
"Exactly. She makes these toy-like things, but their combat power and coordination are incredible. She even gifted me a few."
In that instant Rubenheit's eyes went wide.
"Gifted you? Monsters?"
Elaine nodded.
"A few teddy bears. Would you like to see them?"
Rubenheit blinked.
"Yes, all right. Show me."
"Just wait here a moment. I'll bring them right over."
They really are teddy bears.
For the first time Rubenheit felt a strange unease. On the table, brown teddy bears fidgeted and danced. At a glance they looked like ordinary golems, yet according to Elaine's testimony they were unmistakably combat monsters.
"And those things fought the ghost-types on Bukhan Mountain?"
Elaine clapped a rhythm with her hands as she answered,
"Yes, that's right."
"Strange. For that, their mana is far too weak."
"I don't really understand it either, but on Bukhan Mountain they were much more ferocious than this."
"……"
Could they be concealing their mana?
A chill ran down his spine. Even a simple thought made the problem enormous. Powerful monsters capable of facing evil spirits, walking freely through everyday human life while hiding their mana—
There would be no way to prepare in advance. You could not even distinguish them from ordinary golems, and the main consumers of such toys were children. In the worst case, entire groups of them could be dragged into large-scale sacrificial rites or taken as hostages.
If they ever seized the children of high-ranking politicians or hunters and used them for blackmail…
Rubenheit forced a smile to stay on his face as he asked,
"Were the toys only these?"
"No."
"Then?"
"There were three toy soldiers that were stronger than the evil spirits. And there was a pirate doll that single-handedly subdued the Specter King."
"……"
He had encountered a Specter King once inside an S-class Gate. Even though it was not the final boss, it had been strong enough that several of them had needed to form a party just to bring it down.
Rubenheit's brow furrowed.
"You're certain it was the doll that subdued it, not the monster herself?"
"Well… that's a bit ambiguous. The pirate doll was fighting with a clear advantage when my friend stepped in and finished it."
…This is rather surprising.
At first he had simply thought an unusual monster had appeared. He had never imagined she would be powerful enough to command an S-class monster as a subordinate.
My granddaughter has made herself quite the remarkable friend.
Rubenheit realized he had given advice far too hastily. But to reverse himself now would only earn him a scolding from his son and daughter-in-law. He simply kept a carefully neutral smile.
"Speaking of which, Grandfather. What do you think about me becoming a professional hunter?"
"Hm? Where did that come from all of a sudden?"
Elaine tickled the teddy bear's belly as she spoke.
"If it hadn't been for that friend this time, we would have been slaughtered. And the Academy would have shut its doors. As the heir of a magic family, sitting in the back doing magical research just… doesn't seem like a good situation anymore."
Rubenheit stroked his chin slowly, as if he understood.
"I suppose that's true. The Joell family will have plenty to say about it."
The unspoken rule between the great houses had always been simple: hunter families held the front lines against monsters, while magic families supported them through research and development. That agreement had been broken this time—because the magic families had failed to fulfill their role.
"Of course, everything about that friend is being kept strictly secret, so I don't know how much the other side actually knows. But either way, we shouldn't lie to our own consciences, right?"
"…Ah, I see. So they don't know. If it hasn't even reached my ears, the Director must have moved."
"Wouldn't you think so? Considering Hunter Kim Seojun showed up."
"Whatever it is, our Elaine has gotten herself thoroughly entangled."
"Hehe. It seems that way."
Rubenheit gazed down at the teddy bear on the table, and a sudden smile spread across his lips.
"Elaine. Would it be possible for me to meet that friend of yours once?"
"You, Grandfather?"
He nodded.
"Honestly, I'm worried. Her abilities are far beyond what I expected. If I could at least see her face, I might feel a little more at ease."
"Uh…"
"I don't know if you realize it, but that level is at minimum a top-tier A-class Gate. If there are three or more of those pirate dolls, it would be classified as S-class."
"Well, that much is true, but…"
Elaine's expression crumpled slightly.
"Why?"
"Just a moment. Let me try calling her. On speaker."
Seeing his granddaughter unable to firmly promise she would bring the girl, Rubenheit opened his ears with a puzzled look. After several rings, a young girl's voice came through the speaker.
"…Yeah. Elaine."
"Pecia? Were you sleeping?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Ah—let's meet sometime when you're free! Before school."
"Sure. You come."
"No, you have to come here. My grandfather wants to meet you."
"Grandfather? Your grandpa?"
"Yeah!"
Click.
The call ended without another word. Elaine burst out laughing and redialed with practiced ease, but Pecia stubbornly refused to pick up. Going outside was already a hassle—now she had to learn a new face as well? For the koala girl, it was simply too difficult a mission.
Elaine marveled at her phone.
"She really has zero thoughts in that head. She got caught by me and she can still sleep?"
Rubenheit blinked.
"She knows she was found out by you?"
"Yes. She even opened a Gate right out in the open."
"……"
Rubenheit tilted his head.
"And she just left you alone? Why?"
"Well… I don't know. If she was going to kill me, she wouldn't have saved me in the first place, right?"
"She should at least have sworn you to secrecy, or gotten your stories straight."
Elaine gave a hollow laugh.
"Far from it—she found even saying hello too much of a bother."
"……"
Rubenheit stared at his granddaughter for a long moment.
"Why is it a bother?"
"I don't know either. She says she was just born that way. Everything is a bother."
"Hoh…"
Even with her own life on the line, she remained completely unconcerned. Was such a thing possible? Rubenheit regarded laziness as the greatest of sins, yet at this point admiration rose regardless of like or dislike.
"She truly is no ordinary creature."
Elaine tucked her phone away with a sigh.
"I'm sorry. I'll bring her somehow. Anyway—so will you teach me magic?"
"Magic?"
"Attack magic. If I'm going to be a hunter, I need to learn it properly."
"……"
The smile vanished from Rubenheit's lips. He looked his granddaughter up and down, then answered,
"I cannot teach you."
Elaine blinked.
"Why not?"
"Your mana is explosive; you pick up high-level magic far too easily. People like that often volunteer to buy time inside Gates and end their lives in self-destruction. I have no intention of driving my own granddaughter to her death with my own hands."
"But I wouldn't sacrifice myself that far—"
Rubenheit rose from his seat.
"I'm sorry I cannot be of help, Elaine. But for a matter like this, consult your parents instead of me. There is nothing I can do."
"My parents will oppose it…"
"Then there is nothing to be done. I have work to finish, so let us rise."
Elaine left the estate wearing the expression of someone who had just been jilted. She had managed to sort out her thoughts about Pecia, yet she had failed to achieve her true goal.
Where am I supposed to learn it?
Research magic and combat magic belonged to entirely different realms. Within the current Ispellen Estate, the one with the most field experience was the previous family head—her grandfather. Others existed, of course, but the gap in level was night and day.
Just then, she locked eyes with a woman leaning against the estate wall with her arms crossed.
"Looks like you've got a lot on your mind, young lady."
"……?"
Elaine asked in surprise,
"Who are you?"
"Me?"
Even by noble standards her beauty was outstanding. And floating above her head was a broom of strangely unsettling presence. Though her mana was faint, Elaine sensed something far from ordinary.
The woman answered with a meaningful smile.
"I have a bit of a connection with your grandfather, but that's not important. Want me to teach you magic?"
"Pardon?"
The woman pressed a finger to her lips and winked.
"I'll teach you in secret, specially. How about it?"
"……"
Elaine looked troubled.
"Well, I… I've already learned most things."
The face was pretty, but the mana was unmistakably low. No matter how hard she tried, someone of that level could never have mastered high-tier magic.
Yet Eldrija burst into peals of laughter right there, then snapped her fingers once.
Shaaaa—!
Vines suddenly coiled around Elaine's entire body and lifted her lightly into the air.
"……!"
"I'm not going to kill her, so everyone calm down."
Bang—!
Eldrija mounted Elaine on the broom and shot skyward. For some reason she laughed madly the entire flight, until at last she set down near a rocky mountain.
Shrrrk—
The vines that had bound Elaine vanished.
"Shoot."
Elaine, still half-crouched as she recovered her stance, answered in shock,
"Pardon? Shoot what?"
Eldrija shrugged.
"Anything. Your strongest spell."
"……"
"If you don't come, I'm coming to you!"
Shrrrrrk—!
Three or four thorny vines burst from behind Eldrija and raced toward Elaine. This was no mere threat—they truly meant to kill.
Terrified, Elaine reflexively drew her staff and swung it down.
"Wh-What on earth are you—!"
A golden bolt of lightning, raised with every ounce of her strength. A thick stream of thunder poured down onto Eldrija's head.
KRAKAKAKAK!!
Golden Thunder Strike was far more refined than it had been on Bukhan Mountain. Yet Elaine's lightning could not pierce the transparent hemisphere surrounding Eldrija. It merely skated along the surface of the dome, scorching the innocent ground.
Eldrija yawned luxuriously.
"How…"
When the spell ended, only a blackened circular scorch mark remained like a boundary line. Elaine sank to the ground and murmured blankly. Eldrija stuck out her lower lip and muttered,
"Well, it's not like you have no talent. At least when it comes to magic."
"When it comes to magic…?"
Eldrija approached and crouched in front of Elaine.
"It means you have no combat sense. No matter how hard you learn magic, you can't do anything alone."
Elaine bit her lip. It was a truth she herself had vaguely realized. But Eldrija simply stroked her hair.
"It's fine. That doesn't mean you're useless. The world has supporting roles as well as leads, right?"
"…Supporting roles?"
"Yeah. I can turn you into an excellent supporting role. How about it? Want to learn from me?"
Elaine looked Eldrija straight in the eye.
"That's all well and good, but who exactly are you, unnie?"
"You still don't trust me?"
"No. I mean, why are you helping me? Casually blocking my magic like that—even in my family, people who can do that are rare."
"So you don't like it?"
"I'm a little conflicted."
"This is awkward… Actually, Pecia sent me."
Color instantly returned to Elaine's face. Come to think of it, concealing mana was Pecia's unique trait!
"I'll be in your care from now on! Monster unnie."
Eldrija's pupils dilated.
"Monster unnie?"
"Yes! You're a monster too, aren't you?"
"Well, I am, but…"
"That stingy Pecia! Instead of this she should have just called me again."
"W-Wait!!"