Anomaly (2)
"Combination Master Rainerus. What brings you here?"
"It's Iris. I came because I want to join the guild."
Rainerus stared fixedly at the girl who had introduced herself as Iris. The mana aura leaking out ominously. It was so intense that adventurers were shrinking back in fear and glancing over warily.
"...No matter how I look at it, you don't seem like someone here to join."
"......?"
Even when he hinted subtly, she tilted her head as if she had no idea what he meant. With a sigh, Rainerus opened his mouth.
"Are you completely unaware of the aura you're emitting right now? Take a look around—why do you think all the adventurers in the first-floor lobby have clamped their mouths shut and are gripping their weapon hilts while staring at you two?"
At Rainerus's pointing out, Iris finally swept her indifferent gaze over the surroundings. Indeed, ever since she had opened the door and entered, the once boisterous lobby had fallen silent as if doused with cold water.
"...The aura I'm emitting?"
"The mana you're letting leak out of your body."
"Am I leaking mana?"
"Are you joking?"
Rainerus furrowed his brow. This wasn't some novice who had just started learning magic—how could she scatter mana of this density and pretend not to notice? But she genuinely seemed puzzled, inspecting her own body this way and that, before letting out a short "Ah" with her gaze dropping to the bandages on her left arm.
"Dusty, was that you? Wanna die?"
Watching Iris mutter to herself toward her arm, Rainerus became even more convinced. This woman is trouble.
After she smacked her left arm a few times and mumbled to herself for a while, the mana aura spreading through the area vanished.
"But is it bad to let it leak out? It's just mana."
"Just mana?"
Rainerus let out a hollow chuckle in disbelief.
"To a mage, mana is like a swordsman's blade. Walking around scattering it everywhere without any restraint is no different from swinging a drawn sword as you stroll."
"Ah."
Only then did Iris nod as if she understood.
"I didn't know. I've only lived in the forest, so I never learned those manners."
"No, even if you didn't learn them, normal people don't just swing it around like that."
"Sorry. But it wasn't me—it was Dusty."
Rainerus was well aware that mages were a breed trapped in their own worldviews. Having dealt with all sorts of eccentrics firsthand over the years, he casually turned his gaze to the other girl standing beside her.
"And you?"
"Hi! I'm Evel!"
A bright, cheerful voice. It was a stark contrast. Black hair and expressionlessness. Silver hair and liveliness. This one won't be easy either. As if she hadn't heard Rainerus's explanation at all, she was still leaking mana.
"Evel."
"Yeah?"
"Put your mana away. People are uncomfortable."
"Oh, right."
Evel inhaled sharply with a startled look, and peace returned to the lobby. Iris then steered the conversation back to the point in her dry voice.
"I came because I want to join the guild."
"You..."
"Not 'you'—it's Iris."
She puffed out her chest proudly, as if especially pleased with her own name for some reason.
"...Right, Iris. May I ask why you want to join the guild?"
"To enter the labyrinth."
"You can enter the labyrinth without joining the guild."
"It sounds like you wouldn't welcome us."
"Frankly, yes."
The adventurer guild existed to help adventurers find parties and conquer the labyrinth efficiently. Teamwork was its greatest virtue, cooperation essential. He couldn't imagine those who had just scattered that aura in the lobby forming harmonious parties with others.
Iris pondered for a moment, then spoke as if pulling out her trump card.
"We can even use Heart Image magic."
Rainerus's eyes widened slightly. No wonder she seems like a lunatic. Of course, reaching the third stage of Heart Image at such a young age was impressive. She must have grown up hearing "genius" endlessly. But there was a problem. Sane mages who reached Heart Image were rare. Their personal worldview directly tied to their magic's power, so they were often stubborn eccentrics who knew no compromise. Outside, their Destiny might shine like a blessing, but in the enclosed labyrinth where you had to sync with others, it often became a curse. Like a madman suddenly blasting fire magic in a confined space yelling "Art is an explosion!" Or someone with OCD who had to clap every hundred steps. Or a lunatic who had to self-inflict wounds to heal if there were no injuries. Rainerus's conviction solidified. Letting these girls into the guild would only stir up trouble. He phrased it diplomatically to reject them gently, but Iris spoke up.
"Don't worry. We have no intention of joining a party."
Then just go into the labyrinth by yourselves. Why bother joining? Rainerus felt a throbbing in his temples. They were talking, but it felt like a one-way street.
"I heard that joining here gets you basic expedition supplies. We don't have money. So we want the free stuff, and to take on commissions too. Especially artifact-related ones."
"...Joining and taking commissions isn't something you do on a whim. Especially for unknown mages like you—we have to screen─"
"Screening? Then do it. Let's go right now. And it's not 'you two'—it's Iris and Evel."
Damn. He'd meant to use it as an excuse to shoo them away, but he'd recited the manual out of habit. He couldn't take back words already spoken—not as guild master. Flipping like a pancake would ruin his dignity.
"...Fine. Follow me."
In the end, Rainerus let out a deep sigh and stepped out from behind the counter.
He led them to the outdoor training ground behind the adventurer guild building. Surrounded by thick walls on all sides, it was a spacious area mainly used by adventurers to test weapons or gauge magic power.
"Cast your magic here."
"That'll do it? And it's not─"
"Yes. That'll be enough."
"………."
Heart Image magic was the inner landscape of the caster itself. In Rainerus's view, beautiful people produced beautiful magic, ugly ones ugly magic. And by that logic, these girls—especially Iris—could never produce beautiful magic. He was certain.
"Evel, you first."
"Okay."
Evel stepped forward first and quietly began her incantation.
"Hanbing."
⟨ Extreme Cold ⟩
Whoosh─!
Blue mana extended from Evel's feet, instantly blanketing the training ground.
Crack, craaaack!
The entire dirt floor froze white in an instant. Rainerus maintained his composure outwardly but couldn't hide his inner surprise.
This is... the real deal.
Flawlessly clear and transparent ice. A pure manifestation of Heart Image that simply froze and halted everything before her eyes. Rainerus nodded. The silver-haired girl might lack maturity, but her inner nature held no twisted corners. He felt a twinge of regret for lumping her with the black-haired one.
Silently apologizing in his mind, he turned to the next.
The real show starts now.
"My turn."
Iris walked indifferently to the center of the frozen training ground. Arms crossed, Rainerus watched her every move intently. Evel was a misjudgment, but this girl was different. A textbook lunatic.
Show me that twisted Heart Image!
And then he'd reject her outright! Rainerus glared.
"………."
Iris quietly raised her right hand toward the frigid air of the frozen training ground.
And then.
"Seonhwa."
⟨ Purification ⟩
A faint trail of light traced over the back of her right hand. A pristine geometric equation of perfect proportions, without excess. Hum─. With a low, gentle resonance, warm white mana flowed from her fingertips, enveloping the training ground. The moment the light touched the ground.
Shhh─.
"Wh-what...?"
Rainerus doubted his own eyes. Like spring sun melting winter's frozen earth, the sharp ice crystals softened and crumbled, returning to calm dirt. No trace of the arrogance or stubbornness typical of mages. Only the embracing power of gentle persuasion filled the space, smoothing every rough edge.
"Impossible......"
Rainerus's mouth fell open. Could the sticky, suffocating aura from the lobby really belong to the same person as this warm mana?
"How was it?"
Iris lowered her right hand, the light fading, and asked flatly after dispelling the magic.
"Does this pass?"
"………."
Rainerus stared at the training ground in a daze. Not only restored to its original dirt, but even the dust and grime embedded everywhere had been cleanly washed away.
"Sigh...."
By the standards, it easily surpassed passing. But he couldn't help tilting his head. Something felt off. Suspiciously so.
"Pass?"
Look at that. How could that be the face of someone who just cast such warm magic? Faint irritation lurked in the indifferent depths of her pupils.
...No matter how I look at it, no.
"If you keep staring at me like that, even mild-mannered me might get angry."
With that, she pulled parchment from her bosom and began writing something. Strangely, without a sound.
"...What are you doing?"
"Writing a reflection."
"......Why?"
"Because insulting a stranger is extremely rude."
"………."
At this point, he wondered if he was the crazy one. But as guild master, he couldn't deny the evidence before him.
"...Fine. You both pass."
"Thank you."
In the end, Rainerus had no choice but to say it.