I Wanna Learn More~ *Whine* Hehe
I Wanna Learn More~ *Whine* Hehe
I took in the scene, my gaze tinged with bewilderment.
A crisp cotton scent tickled my nose.
An angelic figure, practically. A girl, radiant and fair, brightening everything around her—and she was wrapped in my arms.
I immediately pushed her away. If anyone saw, they might mistake it for the reunion of long-lost lovers.
She was exceedingly interested in me. Her eyes went wide as she studied my uniform.
"Lord Plan. Are you also in the Magic Department?"
I gave a brief nod. Her small mouth fell open.
"Uh... Ah, that! Uhm, uh...!"
But her mouth just kept opening and closing without successfully forming any words. Afraid she might bite her own tongue, I added a comment.
"Calm down."
"Ah, yes! Th-thank you!"
Haah, hoo. The girl took deep breaths, clenched her fists tightly, and opened her mouth again.
"Lord Plan! Is what you just said true? Why is that? Have you put aside the sword?"
Three questions flew at me in an instant.
She seemed to have known the body's original owner. But she was the first person to approach me with this much open goodwill.
The academy uniform she wore was from the Magic Department. Her nametag simply bore three letters: Yushia.
'A commoner, then.'
The girl had a flawless, noble appearance, but the lack of a family name made it safe to assume she was a commoner.
Yushia grabbed my hand and shook it wildly.
"Ahh, you don't have to explain your reasons! I was just so happy to see you~ I'm a Magic Department student now too!"
"A Magic Department student?"
"Yes. I transferred in, so for now, that's what I am!"
I recalled Professor Violet dragging Professor Leonard away, saying she had something to discuss regarding a transfer student.
That transfer student appeared to be the girl before me.
"Lord Plan! Ah, shall we find somewhere private to talk? I feel terrible just making you stand here!"
"I'm busy."
"Ah~ Then I'll just give you a brief greeting for today. By the way, do you remember what happened back then?"
Yushia's golden eyes still sparkled with light. I was curious about the reason behind her pure goodwill toward me.
But I couldn't exactly explain what had happened to this body and the circumstances surrounding it, so I gave a vague answer.
"My memory isn't very clear."
"......Ah, oh!"
Yushia's head snapped up with a start.
Her eyes met mine. Those golden, shining pupils reflected my image like a mirror.
I'd expected resentment that I'd forgotten something important, or perhaps disappointment. I thought she might grow disheartened.
"Lord Plan!"
Instead, she abruptly threw her arms around me once more.
"I'm sorry! You were so gravely injured because of me... It's all my fault! I'll spare no effort in helping you recover your memories!"
She was looking at me with her eyes sparkling even brighter than before.
So the original owner of this body had done her an enormous favor in the past? I asked calmly.
"......Help me?"
"Yes! I will assist you!"
Yushia thumped her chest with her fist as if to emphasize her confidence. Her ample chest gave a soft thump, thump each time her fist struck it.
"As it happens, rumors were circulating about a family in the Magic Department that had contracted with a demon beast, so that's why I transferred! From now on, I'll protect you, Lord Plan!"
"Quiet."
"Mmfp?!"
The moment I heard those words, my index finger involuntarily pressed down on Yushia's lips. At the same time, I scanned our surroundings.
Even with my limited context, I knew this was not a conversation to be had where others could overhear.
Fortunately, the area was quiet. I asked her again with a somewhat serious expression.
"Demon beast?"
"Yes. The demon beasts that rampaged ten years ago. There is supposedly a family that has formed a contract with them using their souls as a medium...."
In that moment, I realized Yushia was not a commoner. This was not the sort of matter a mere commoner would trouble themselves over.
She must have hidden her status during the transfer process. A noble at the bare minimum, or something higher.
I subtly guided the question toward an answer.
"That doesn't seem like a topic to speak of lightly. You should consider your own position."
But Yushia only squeezed her arms around me tighter, her jewel-like eyes sparkling.
"Ah~ It's fine! I have no interest in the Imperial Household's succession struggle. I've been bedridden for ten years anyway, and I trust my older sisters will handle it."
The more I heard her story, the more thoughts swirled in my head.
The Imperial Household's succession struggle? Wasn't she practically saying she was an imperial princess herself? Yushia continued in the same bright tone.
"Besides, this is a conversation I'm having with you, Lord Plan, and no one else, so it's fine! I can do anything for you, Lord Plan!"
"Later. Just the two of us. We'll talk in detail."
"Wonderful~ Just the two of us! Wonderful!"
That was when it happened.
Thud. I heard something fall. It was right beside Yushia and me.
"Uh... ah."
What had fallen to the ground was Becky's Trivia.
The red-haired girl looked deeply flustered. Her trembling hands were proof enough.
I pushed Yushia away, then glanced over Becky's Trivia where it lay open on the floor.
The memo pages were filled to the brim with Magic Missile formulas, each with a different circuit. I understood immediately why Becky had been looking for me.
The non-attribute magic I had used during the practical assessment. She must have wanted to discuss that.
Yushia broke the awkward silence.
"Who is this? Ah, are you a friend of Lord Plan?"
"Lord Plan...?"
Becky repeated the title, looking my way. Truth be told, I didn't have an answer I could give her either.
"If you're a friend of Lord Plan's, then I'm pleased to meet you as well! Please take good care of me!"
"Uh... no, no. Ah, well, that's...."
Becky fumbled like a broken machine, then swiftly scooped up her fallen Trivia.
"I-I-I'm sorry for interrupting."
Bowing a full ninety degrees, Becky fled the scene in a flurry after that single brief sentence.
Her back as she hurried away looked somehow wretched. Looking especially small, she even seemed a little forlorn.
Watching her figure retreat, I quietly thought to myself.
You're not supposed to draw the formula like that.
◈
On paper, it was called a "dungeon." But Märchen Academy would not recklessly drive students into dungeons where all manner of unknown dangers lurked.
For more efficient training, Märchen Academy possessed countless facilities, and among them was one that ingeniously replicated a dungeon.
The 'Magic Labyrinth.' That was the name of the academy facility where we would carry out our exploration assessment today.
Our current assembly point was the entrance to the Magic Labyrinth. A single large, black door was set flat against the ground.
So we were going underground. The aura it gave off was so ominous it was hard to believe it was artificially constructed.
"What do we do... Now that we're actually going in, it's scary."
"All the demon beasts are artificially created, right? Don't be scared."
"You've got all your scrolls, right?"
The students around us were considerably unsettled too. Fear probably outweighed excitement.
However, there was a topic of conversation so hot it even eclipsed that fear.
"Right. Did you see the Agora Board?"
"Of course I saw it. There isn't anyone who hasn't."
"I almost thought Trixie might lose this time... But in the end, she solved it."
"I'm jealous of Trixie's group. It'd be so reassuring to have her as a teammate."
Last night, the final day of the deadline Trixie had proposed for our wager, she had finally solved the problem.
[ ▶ I solved it thanks to you! ]
[ ▶ I wanna learn more, pleeease hehe ]
Because of that, I'd been bombarded with Trivia messages since last night. It also confirmed that Trixie was the client.
I idly turned my head to glance at Trixie once.
Eyes colder than anything, utterly expressionless. She was like a solitary wolf prowling across frozen earth.
Seeing that made the tone she used on Trivia even harder to process. Which one was the real her?
[ ▶ I'll be sure to send you the book you asked for! ]
As payment for the teaching, I had requested the magic tome How Healing Magic Became the Center of Controversy.
Since she'd agreed, I was set to get my hands on a magic text I'd wanted for a while. A corner of my heart was already satisfied.
"I trust there are no absentees."
At some point, Violet appeared.
The moment she began surveying the students with a yawn, all the muttering ceased instantly.
"As scheduled, we'll be conducting the exploration assessment today. There are fifteen groups in total, but only ten checkpoints. You all know that, yes?"
Mid-explanation, Violet pressed her fingers hard against her eyelids. She looked deeply fatigued.
"As mentioned, you may only carry scrolls up to Intermediate grade. First, gather with your group members."
Since I didn't move, Trixie and Martin had no choice but to come this way.
"I saw you solved the Agora Board problem. Amazing as expected~ My friends and I did nothing but talk about you all day."
Martin chattered away relentlessly, but Trixie's gaze was fixed on me. Her stare carried a subtly different weight than usual.
"Now, prepare to enter in order."
Violet used telekinesis to open the door, revealing a staircase leading underground.
With torches lining the walls on both sides, the appearance closely resembled the dungeons of my previous world. The dangerous aura, if I had to pick a similarity.
As we descended, a full fifteen branching paths appeared.
Each group dispersed toward the branch matching their group number, and our group headed down the one marked '11'.
As I started down the stairs without the slightest hesitation, Trixie and Martin fell in behind me.
To be precise, it was more like Martin trailing behind Trixie, who was trailing behind me.
"You solving the Agora Board this time is a huge topic of conversation. Rumors are already flying that several guilds want to recruit you?"
"No."
"Right. Do you have plans for a meal? The exploration assessment involves a lot of activity. You'll be hungry when it's over, so let's eat together."
"No."
"Is eating just the two of you a bit awkward? Then how about I bring a few of my friends so we can all eat together? They're all very sociable."
Ha. Trixie let out an irritable sigh and turned around. I, stuck hauling these two along, had no choice but to stop as well.
"You."
A gaze as sharp and cold as a frost blade. Martin was visibly flustered by that chill.
"Huh? What?"
With a low whoosh, a blue flame flickered to life above Trixie's palm.
Despite containing tremendous heat, the flame still looked strangely cool, much like its owner.
"Just... get lost."
"......."
In Martin's mind, the ace of Group 11 was undoubtedly Trixie von Fritz.
Perhaps he truly lacked confidence that he could handle Trixie's blue flame, because Martin's mouth clamped shut after only a moment.
With Martin silent, all that remained was stillness. We finally walked in quiet.
The passage was far longer than expected when Trixie suddenly sidled closer to me.
The Fritz family crest was jasmine, wasn't it? True enough—as she drew near, a jasmine fragrance tickled my nose.
"Ahem."
Trixie, now walking alongside me, cleared her throat.
Then she spoke in a voice so low only I could hear it.
"You."
A profound sense of dissonance came from that cool tone. The reason was not difficult to find.
Her form of address had switched from the informal 'hey, you' to the more respectful 'you.'
What could have caused such a change of heart? Before I could even guess, Trixie added more.
"......You're the Scouter, aren't you."
Scouter.
I repeated the word 'Scouter' in my head about three times.
I let out a deep sigh without realizing it. A Scouter was a guild operative who worked undercover disguised as a student, wasn't it?
"No."
"I know everything."
No, you know absolutely nothing.