...My Heart Flutters.
...My Heart Flutters.
"Students of Märchen Academy. Welcome."
By the time we stepped off the carriage, it was already evening. A single mage in a gray robe greeted us.
Soft green hair that embodied the natural world, and sharply pointed ears. Even her golden eyes held a certain purity. Anyone could see she was an elf.
"I have been entrusted with your midterm evaluation and your tour of Sapour. I am Serena."
She pointed a fingertip toward a single golden pin fastened to the breast of her robe. It likely indicated she was affiliated with Sapour.
"Everyone, go and come back safely. And absolutely do not cause any incidents."
Violet had gone out of her way to accompany us all the way here just for this send-off.
Thanks to that, after hearing Violet's worry-laced warnings about three more times, we followed Serena toward the enormous entrance.
"Whoa... it's this huge?"
Walking beside me, Becky let out an admiring murmur.
She had every reason to. Inspecting it with my own eyes, I could understand why some people referred to Sapour as a "district."
Art exhibitions, an expo, a hotel, a general store, a magic tool shop... all manner of things existed here, each occupying its own sizable zone.
From the outside, it genuinely was on the scale of a small town.
While I was looking around at this and that, we arrived at a wide plaza.
Serena distributed a nameplate to each student.
[ ]
The nameplates were blank. Painted white, and nothing more.
Yushia examined hers and then mine several times before tilting her head.
"Oh, Lord Plan! Our nameplates don't have anything written on them!"
But we weren't the only ones with blank nameplates. Every A-grade student had been issued a nameplate of the same kind.
And it was right then.
"Ah— aack!"
With a crackling spark, a female student toppled to the floor along with her chair. Everyone's gaze shot toward her.
"What's wrong with her? Hey, you!"
"What the—? She was just sitting there, and suddenly—?"
Two other female students immediately tried to help the collapsed girl up. The girl herself didn't so much as twitch.
But I had a pretty good idea why she had passed out. Without thinking, I clicked my tongue. Tch.
"That's what you get for touching things carelessly."
"...?"
Trixie, who was beside me, stared at me as if asking what I meant. At the same time, she opened her mouth.
"Whatever happened, this is serious... fainting like that."
"She's lucky. Normally, it wouldn't end with just fainting."
She touched something she shouldn't have touched, and so she collapsed unconscious. It was a simple, clear-cut reason.
"Everyone, please pay attention."
Serena began to speak. At the same moment, the fallen chair went flying through the air toward Serena.
"First, please attach your nameplates. If they were distributed without issue, you will all have received a white nameplate."
The chair hovered in midair and rotated. It stopped moving at an angle that put the seat right in our line of sight.
A red nameplate was affixed to the part where one's rear would make contact.
"You underwent physical examinations at the Magic Tower. Using the smallest mana level among you as a baseline, we have classified every object inside the exhibition."
As if this were a point that couldn't be emphasized enough, she tapped the chair with a serious expression.
"You must never make contact with any object that has a nameplate of a different color attached to it. Keep in mind that fainting is considered a lucky outcome. If your luck is poor..."
Serena's gaze shifted toward the female student who had fainted and collapsed.
At that, several of the surrounding students audibly gulped.
If this level of severity was "lucky," what would happen if your luck ran out? There probably wasn't a single student here who had trouble reaching that judgment.
Around then, Yushia whispered to me in a small voice.
"Lord Plan! As expected of Lord Plan! Did you know about all of this?"
Trixie was also staring at me with a subtle look in her eyes. I gave a rough nod.
"The area where you will all be staying is merely the 'First-time' Section... however, Sapour's anomalies are unavoidable. Please refer to the booklet for further details."
As she spoke, Serena distributed booklets to the students.
Aided by telekinesis, the booklets flew toward the students in a perfectly orderly stream.
◎ If a woman appears and asks questions about the artwork, you must never answer her. Sapour provides its own artwork descriptions at the bottom of each piece.
◎ Never touch any magic tool left lying on the floor. Sapour does not place objects on the floor.
◎ If you have touched a magic tool by mistake and need assistance, absolutely accept help only from the third person who appears.
◎ If you suddenly feel that the place where you are standing is not Sapour, close your eyes and cover your ears. Maintain this until someone taps you on the back four times.
◎ If your pair is not visible for more than 15 minutes and then appears, you must ignore them. That is not your partner.
◎ The hotel is an exception zone. No anomalies occur there.
The students began to stir restlessly.
"What the—? That's terrifying."
"Should we just stay in the hotel...?"
It was understandable that these rules felt so alien to them.
...To me, however, they were familiar clauses.
In a space where all sorts of magic tools intermix, "anomalies" like the ones described above occur as if they are only natural. It happens because the powerful magic within the objects clashes with itself.
Meanwhile, Serena conjured a transparent fishbowl in the air. Inside, it was filled with papers folded in half.
"As long as you follow the rules properly, there will be no issues."
Yet the students' expressions did not relax in the slightest. Serena continued.
"For everyone's safety, you will move around Sapour in pairs of two. From now on, I will draw lots for the pairings."
The drawing was conducted swiftly via telekinesis. It did not take very long to finish.
"Tomorrow will be a free viewing day. I would appreciate it if you would enjoy Sapour with your assigned partner. Then..."
Serena distributed the hotel keys using telekinesis. I was in Room 604.
I didn't even bother to check who my partner was. The moment I turned to head toward the hotel.
I suddenly sensed an unusual presence through my Qi Sense.
"Eek!"
At the same time, a high, slender shriek struck my ears.
Someone wrapped in a robe had collided with me, and what was more, she was gripping my shoulder tightly with a gloved hand.
I shook off her grip and examined her now-exposed face.
Silvery shining hair, pointed ears, pale pink eyes... She appeared to be an elf, too.
The aura I sensed from her was deeply unsettling.
"Ouch, ouch..."
She stared at me with narrowed eyes, then suddenly her eyes flew wide open.
"...Whoa, what on earth are you?"
What exactly was she asking about? One thing was certain: she was not interrogating me right now.
If anything, her reaction seemed pleased. There was a great deal of dissonance in that response, considering the fact that I had stepped on her foot.
No, wait. I was the one who was supposed to receive the apology here.
I had sensed her presence and had clearly twisted my body to avoid her, yet...
...she deliberately bumped into me. With clear intent.
Just as I was about to observe my counterpart a little more closely, Serena shouted and rushed over.
"Madam Society Head!"
At the word "Society Head," everyone's eyes rapidly converged on her.
Now that I knew she was the Society Head, the unsettling aura of her magic power finally made sense. The mana condensed within her at high density was quite remarkable.
The Society Head's eyes drew deep, alluring arcs.
"Oh dear, my grand entrance was a complete failure. Nice to meet you all~"
"Oh my goodness, are you alright?"
Serena hurriedly straightened the Society Head's attire.
As the Society Head walked past the students, Serena called out.
"Everyone! This is Madam Shushia, the Society Head in charge of Sapour's 'First-time' Section!"
One by one, the students began to bow their heads toward Shushia, who smiled at them warmly.
"I hope you all have a wonderful tour~ Tomorrow is a free day, yes? Enjoy it!"
I stared blankly at her, as she radiated spotless innocence, then turned away.
Shushia.
That is likely not her real name.
◈
I woke the next morning feeling refreshed.
Sapour's hotel facilities were reasonably usable.
Clean furniture, a soft bed, and an environment where I could use Trivia... it was, at minimum, sufficient for getting quality sleep.
[ *Teaching Auction ]
[ ▶ I arrived at Sapour! hehe ]
[ ▶ I'm gonna see lots of great stuff! ]
[ *Trixie von Fritz ]
[ ▶ We're partners. ]
[ ▶ Sleep in and see what happens. ]
[ ▶ I've said my piece. ]
"What is she doing, talking to herself..."
I suppose I shouldn't call Trixie an idiot. She simply doesn't know my true identity, that's all.
For the entirety of today, "free viewing" of Sapour was permitted. Accordingly, I intended to inspect every magic tool without discrimination.
But when I stepped out into the hotel corridor, the atmosphere was far from ordinary.
The students were milling about in a chaotic hum. The most easily discernible emotions on their faces were unease and worry.
"Ah, Lord Plan! Good morning."
Even so, Yushia alone was bright and cheerful. She approached me together with Louis.
"Um... hey, guys."
And the very next moment, Becky approached with a face full of worry.
Having carefully broached the issue, she pulled Trivia out from her pocket.