Chapter 82
So, where did we head after successfully clearing the gate?
A building in Seoul.
Robert was stunned.
“W-what is this…!”
Its enormous size, and the pressure emanating from it.
Those were emotions one ordinarily felt upon coming to Seoul’s forest of skyscrapers.
Especially when it was a complex packed with buildings.
“And this is where we’ll be staying for about two days.”
“Are we really allowed to stay somewhere like this?”
“It’s… several times bigger than the dormitory building!?”
Our dormitory was fairly tall too.
But compared to modern buildings, it wasn’t even a drop in the bucket.
“Make yourselves at home!”
“It’s not your house…”
Sera said flatly.
As she said, this was White Tiger Guild lodging.
Last time, due to contract issues, we’d used Sera’s lodgings.
But this time, it seemed Sera had taken care of things.
“I’ve registered you as a temporary guild member. It doesn’t come with any major obligations, so don’t worry.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“I wish you’d put a little more feeling into it.”
I was quite grateful, despite appearances.
I should show my gratitude by giving her a gift or something.
I had brought quite a few swords this time too.
“For now, Robert, use that room.”
“Understood. Ibaek… I-iho? Is that how you read it? This isn’t going well.”
“Listen to that pronunciation.”
When I snorted, Robert replied indifferently.
“You’re the weird one, you and Aris.”
I kind of thought so too.
I had Language’s Blessing to thank, but Aris’s learning ability was plainly close to genius.
“See you later.”
Robert disappeared coolly.
One way or another, he had learned the numbers quickly.
Even with the Blessing of Language’s help, he had a remarkable knack for it.
No wonder he was near the top of his year.
“All right, let’s go in this way… Eek?”
The moment I opened the lodging door, I was startled.
“This is my lodging?”
…Isn’t this too luxurious?
Even a luxury hotel wouldn’t be this nice.
“I wish I could say it’s only natural, but we put some effort in on this side too. Once they heard you were my acquaintance, they arranged this place for us.”
Compared to Sera’s lodging, there wasn’t much difference except hers was a little more spacious.
…At this rate, maybe I should join the guild?
“Wow. I get to stay somewhere like this!”
I hopped around, looking over the lodging.
Linia and Aris followed me in too.
“Wow… Earth really is different every time I come.”
“I can’t feel any mana at all…? Are all of these magical tools like that air conditioner?”
Linia toddled around the room, examining the furniture.
Then she found a bed, turned on the air conditioner with familiar ease, and buried herself under the blankets.
“I wanna sleeeep.”
“…We still have plans for today.”
We were planning to head over to the White Tiger Guild building and do this and that.
We also wanted to show the kids around a little.
While we were at it, I wanted to buy a large supply of basic calculators and stationery sets.
We also needed to replenish the food and supplies we needed in Reinhart.
“Let’s do it tomorrow.”
“Sure, why not.”
Technically, it was only day one.
We had about three days.
We could finish everything during that time.
“Even so, there’s plenty of time before bedtime.”
Aris looked at me.
She looked like she wanted something.
“I want to go to a bookstore.”
“Ah.”
The bookstore was a problem.
The printed word in magic books is enough for me…!
“You’ll come with me, right?”
Though I made it abundantly clear I didn’t want to go.
“I need to think about that… Nghaa.”
I had no choice but to be dragged away by the nape of my neck by Aris.
* * *
The bookstore inside the department store was quite large.
Since it was the weekend, there were quite a lot of people.
Amid the crowd, Aris conversed with me in Korean without any trouble.
Apparently, her claim that she’d learned Korean wasn’t empty talk.
No, saying it wasn’t merely empty talk didn’t even cover it.
“Hmm. History of East Asia is here, and sociology over here…”
She was just a native speaker.
Even if you put a liberal arts college student in front of her, they probably wouldn’t be much different.
The speed at which she absorbed knowledge was abnormal.
I couldn’t understand it even when I looked at it.
“Ugh… Isn’t it difficult?”
“It is, but some of it is similar to the Empire’s knowledge…”
“Hmm.”
I had no idea.
“There are a lot of books on medicine too. I’ll buy a few of these as well…”
Since I was at the bookstore, I decided to stock up on notebooks and stationery.
While I was at it, should I buy some for Isabel and Karnarof too?
I owed those two.
A stylish fountain pen or two should do.
Should I buy a gift for Adrian too?
What would Adrian like?
I casually tossed souvenirs into the shopping cart.
Then I looked toward Aris and saw her trying to put some bright red book into the cart.
The title was revolutionary, to say the least.
“Politics too…”
“Hey, that’s far enough.”
“Yes?”
I stopped her for now.
But what was I supposed to do with this?
Yet I had a feeling I absolutely shouldn’t let Aris come into contact with that knowledge…
Screw it, all or nothing!
“That’s enough bookstore for now. Want to go look at clothes?”
I suggested it to Aris, who was quite interested in dressing up too.
“Yes, let’s!”
“Phew, crisis averted.”
I couldn’t imagine what variables might arise if a high-ranking noble like Aris read that.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
We put the mountain of books on the checkout counter.
While the clerk’s eyes bulged, we tied all the books together with twine and carried them out.
I put them all into my Inventory somewhere out of sight.
After buying a mountain of books, we went to a clothing store.
I bought tons of clothes for Aris, but just as many of my own clothes were added to the shopping cart.
“Ugh, these don’t suit me at all!”
Aris had a big-sister smile on her face.
She didn’t seem to listen to a word I said.
“Yumia, you’re so cute as always. Would you like to try this one on too?”
It looked like I was going to be made to try on all those flowy clothes I’d avoided wearing because they were troublesome.
…This was causing confusion in the identity I’d barely managed to hold on to.
The employees’ reactions came in for the finishing blow.
“Eek, customer! Your proportions are amazing~!”
“Wow, you should be an actress!”
This was why I rarely went to clothing stores.
I already drew quite a lot of attention outside.
Aris’s looks stood out too, so we got twice the attention.
“This is Management Pliere. If you two are interested in acting or becoming idols, please contact us…”
“Ugh. No, thanks.”
Something strange had latched onto us too.
“Don’t be like that—just once! Give it one try! I’m telling you, you’ll really make it big!”
“Yumia, what are idols?”
I should’ve just let her buy the books….
* * *
A luxury inn in School Market.
A room that compared favorably with a noble family’s reception room.
There were people who had rented the whole place.
They were professors from Reinhart Magic School and Lunaris Knight School.
Even while suppressing their mana, they were powerful enough to shake a city if they fought.
The room had long since become saturated with extremely high-density mana.
However.
The subject matter was hardly what one would call dignified.
“So, how well do you think you’ll hold your own this time, Professor Karnarof? Have the students improved much?”
Reinhart and Lunaris weren’t on particularly good terms.
Wizards and knights were fundamentally the sort who had trouble understanding one another.
The fact that a noble-faction professor who particularly disliked Karnarof was in charge also played a role.
A man with a twisted personality to match his curled mustache.
Robin Schwertz.
“Hmm. What do you think?”
“You’d better not get helplessly beaten like you did the year before last! Otherwise, how will the students save face?”
“A refined Lunaris professor discussing the future based solely on the past few years’ results? Even a dog passing by would laugh.”
“Do you select the members of your combat department so carefully because you’re so refined?”
“Students who lack the resolve and ability can’t enter the combat department.”
“Then we’ll win easily again this time. This year’s first-year top student is exceptionally strong.”
“Hmm.”
“He’s even aiming to take the Rank 3 knight exam before the year is out!”
Karnarof nodded quietly.
“Rank 3, huh.”
“That’s the difference in level between you and us. At least educationally speaking…”
“Who knows? What would happen if you and I faced off?”
In an instant, space itself became Karnarof’s.
Robin flinched, but soon snorted.
The archmage before him was terrifyingly skilled.
But weren’t all the rising young sprouts completely overwhelming him?
“That sort of talk is completely meaningless.”
“Then let’s talk about something meaningful. Something other than using children to compete over who’s superior.”
Karnarof continued the war of nerves.
As he did, he thought,
‘This is going to be a very tough fight.’
Of course, it wasn’t as though he didn’t want to beat Lunaris Knight School.
That was why he paid attention to the curriculum and invested considerably in the Combat Department.
But what couldn’t be done couldn’t be done.
He couldn’t exactly pull students more talented in Magic Engineering or Potion Studies into the Combat Department.
But this time, what concerned him had changed 180 degrees.
‘I thought the many talented first-years entering this time might be enough to change the balance…’
…But that kid was a different story.
She wasn’t even at first-year level, much less an ordinary mage.
‘The key will be how much I let that mad dog off the leash.’
If he turned his head even once, she might break the leash and cause some kind of accident.
“For now, we’ve finished everything we needed to discuss.”
Karnarof closed his notebook.
The exchange event was drawing quite near.
Robin shouted with a mocking laugh.
“Yes. I look forward to working with you again this time! Hahahaha!”
Karnarof put on a twisted smile and took a step forward.
Then the scenery itself changed in an instant into his office.
“How can someone with that level of skill… Tsk.”
It had been unpleasant to see the students disregarded.
But that didn’t mean he could turn all the Lunaris students into victims.
“Levan.”
“Yes.”
One of his errand runners.
He was also a research student, but rather than focusing on that status, he mainly handled tasks requiring discreet and swift action.
“Bring Yumia to me.”
A little later, Levan reported to him.
“She isn’t in her room.”
“Then the duke’s daughter will do. Just deliver the message.”
It was only a warning not to act rashly.
Fortunately, Yumia seemed to listen to what the duke’s daughter said…
“She isn’t there either.”
“What?”
Leaving aside Yumia, who was running around without knowing there was a curfew, Aris should have been there.
Karnarof used a spell to locate people.
A complex cross-application of spatial unique magic and barrier magic.
A formula normally considered grand magic unfolded simply from his fingertips.
And then.
“…No one?”