Career Counseling
## Chapter Text
As soon as I returned to the Orphanage, I applied for Career Counseling.
The Orphanage Director brought me a warm cup of tea. Just by its aroma, I could tell it was expensive. She seemed to be in a good mood.
Were you waiting? Have a sip. It's peppermint tea.
I took a mouthful and slowly nodded.
It's good tea.
Oh, you can tell?
Yes. I haven't had much tea, but the scent is really nice.
Hahaha! You know a thing or two. This tea was cultivated in the Northern Great Plains...
The Orphanage Director smiled broadly and explained about the tea.
I smiled outwardly, but inwardly, I organized my thoughts.
The Orphanage Director knew I was a Mage.
I had been worried she might insert her personal opinion into my Career Counseling, but when I saw her like this, it seemed I didn't need to worry.
Ah, look at me, getting carried away. I've been rambling on with our Orphanage's top genius right in front of me.
...Top genius?
You've been an honor student for five years straight, so of course you're the top genius. Jereun, I'm sure you could become a Secretary-General. Are you here today to aspire to be a secretary?
No. I'd like to try different Vocational Training.
I presented the award certificate given only to honor students.
One might wonder what an orphan needs with an award certificate, but it had meaning.
The certificate, given periodically to the most exemplary student, included the right to experience a desired profession for several months.
In other words, it was a Vocational Training Voucher.
Of course, it didn't pay any money; it was literally just an *experiential* job, like an unpaid internship, so its actual usage rate wasn't high.
Initially, the number of available professions for Vocational Training was very limited. The only one useful for a career was perhaps a secretary.
The Orphanage Director tilted her head and asked again.
If not a secretary, what profession are you thinking of?
A Janitor.
...Huh?
A Janitor.
You mean that, uh, a janitor who cleans...?
Yes. I think it's the perfect job for me. I have a talent for cleaning and polishing, you see.
No, that's...
The Orphanage Director stammered, unable to continue.
She probably wanted to say that being a Janitor was beneath me.
I seized the opportunity to add an important detail.
Please, as a Janitor for the Academy grounds.
...!
At my words, the Orphanage Director gasped and stared intently at me.
Well, I hadn't expected to keep it a secret. I met her gaze without flinching.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the Orphanage Director spoke first.
Jereun.
Yes.
Is it, uh, for the reason I'm thinking of?
Yes.
There was no point in deceiving her. It would only complicate things.
But it doesn't always work. The Orphanage Director shook her head.
No. It's too dangerous.
No. It's not dangerous right now.
Right now?
Yes. I'm only 10 years old. If I get caught, I'll just cry and beg for my life.
No, what on earth...
Waaah...
I started to cry.
The flustered Orphanage Director pulled out a handkerchief, wiped my eyes, and sighed.
Alright, well, they won't hit you or anything, will they? If something like that happens, I'll protest no matter what it takes.
That's reassuring.
But that's not what I'm worried about. It's, well, you have a... unique talent, don't you?
What the Orphanage Director was worried about was being exposed as a Mage, I, a Commoner.
Have you ever seen Magic, Director?
Hmm? Yes. I know a noble who has some knowledge of it.
I think I'm a bit strangely unique, even among unique people.
What... do you mean?
I picked up a book from the desk and floated it in the air.
At that, the Orphanage Director's eyes widened threefold.
F-Floating Magic?
No. I just made it float.
Isn't that the same thing??
It's different. I floated it in the sea, not in the air.
??
Director, I can't explain in detail, but I'm currently in danger of being crushed to death.
What?
Yes. My Magic is so unique. I'm at a crossroads: learn Magic or die. Even if I learn it, the chances of dying are much higher.
Hmph...
The Orphanage Director sat down heavily in her chair, looking dumbfounded.
It's hard to believe.
It really is.
I still can't believe I'm a Mage.
Had my persuasion failed? As I bitterly planned my next move, the Orphanage Director pulled an Experiential Learning certificate from her drawer and began to fill it out.
...Director?
Erm, it's a bit late to say this, but... Jereun. You are special.
Yes, I suppose so, since I'm a Mage.
That's not what I mean.
The Orphanage Director slowly shook her head.
Do you remember when Linmel fell from a tree while playing in the back mountains and broke her arms and legs?
...Ah, yes. I performed first aid, didn't I?
Yes. You laid her down in a perfectly correct position, applied splints—and then set the tree on fire.
Do you know how surprised we were when we rushed over, seeing the fire? You were trying to set another tree on fire, and Linmel was bundled up, crying her eyes out... We were terrified, thinking you'd become a gang member and an arsonist.
No, I ran to call an adult, and on my way back, Linmel looked like she was about to stop breathing...
Yes. The doctor said the same thing. If it hadn't been for your quick thinking, Jereun, Linmel would have died or been crippled for life. I'm not scolding you. You did very well.
The Orphanage Director stroked my head and handed me the certificate.
But I believe what made you special wasn't just your quick judgment and ingenious ideas, but the warmth with which you held Linmel's hands tightly so she wouldn't faint.
...Thank you.
I trust you. I still don't quite understand what's going on, but... I know you, Jereun, will manage. If you need anything, just tell me anytime.
The Orphanage Director saw me off with the same warm smile she had at the beginning.
I clutched the certificate tightly in both hands and left the Director's Office. Perhaps it was because of the warm tea, but I felt a warmth spreading through my body.
***
*The next morning.*
I put on clothes that could get dirty and headed to the Capital Plaza, our meeting point.
To put it bluntly, it was all for nothing.
Seriously, they sent a little runt like this?
I'm 15.
What? You are?
Yes. I didn't eat much, and the Orphanage Director abused me terribly, so my body didn't grow normally.
The Janitor, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, blinked his eyes and handed me a bundle of clothes.
...Alright, go change in that alley over there.
"Understood."
I changed into the clothes roughly and immediately found a problem.
These weren't my size.
I rolled up the pant legs as much as I could, but I couldn't stop them from dragging.
What could I do? I came out, dragging them.
The Senior Janitor sighed when he saw me.
...Hey, wanna just go back? I'll tell your Orphanage you cleaned.
No. I like cleaning. Please let me do it. If I go back, the Orphanage Director will starve me.
Ugh... What am I supposed to do with this kid... Are there still Orphanages like that these days?
The Janitor, looking helpless, led me away.
As I followed behind him, curiosity naturally began to stir.
Naturally, I had never seen a place called the Academy.
However, if it had been a facility that all Nobles entered, they would have poured a considerable amount of money into it, and it would naturally be in the Capital City...
It was strange that I had never seen any related buildings.
*Is it underground?* As I thought this, we arrived at City Hall, following the Janitor.
Is this the Academy?
Huh? Oh, right, it's your first time. We go from here.
...?
The Janitor stood on a carpet in City Hall and presented my certificate and his own license to an approaching Public Official.
Academy.
The kid next to you...
Experiential Learning.
Confirmed.
Looking around, I saw other workers standing on nearby carpets for similar reasons, disappearing into thin air.
We followed them. My vision went dark for a moment, and when I opened my eyes—
*Thud.*
I was in the middle of an unknown city.
"Whoa."
Surprised, aren't you? Everyone is surprised the first time.
I dusted myself off and stood up, looking at the giant castle before me.
A city at least as large as the Capital City.
This entire place—
Is this the Academy?
Yeah. Surprised? But you get used to this teleportation after a while.
...Yes, I'm surprised.
I was certainly surprised. But for a different reason.
This wasn't an Academy established in another region via Teleportation.
As a Mage, I could tell from the start that different laws applied.
...This is Another World.
As one looked beyond the city walls, endless plains stretched out, perhaps truly endless.
Heavenly Realm...
What did you say?
...Nothing.
This was a new world created by a Great Mage who had reached the Heavenly Realm.
In other words, they had established the Academy within their own world.
...Honestly, I thought creating a world was just a figure of speech...
To think it was literally true.
I felt a thrill as I followed the Senior.
The laws of this world were astonishingly identical to the laws of the other world, that is, the Original World.
It seemed the Great Mage who created this place had intended it that way.
Feeling a little relieved, I walked along the main road, and scenery entirely different from the Capital City caught my eye.
What are all those spires?
They're all Magic Towers.
...The Capital City only had one.
They say it's safest to build Magic Towers in the Academy; land is cheap, and it's good in many ways. Wait, am I your guide?
Senior, what are those clothes everyone around us is wearing?
S-Senior? Hmm, those are Student uniforms. Everyone who stays long-term at the Academy is a Student. Over 70% of the population here is Students, 20% are Professors and Magic Tower personnel, and the remaining few are Odd-job Workers like us. You can think of it as a city inhabited only by Students and Professors.
I see.
As the Senior, now in a better mood, explained, I looked around.
Could be seen shops selling Magic tools, very expensive dessert shops, a few restaurants, and students with tired eyes walking the streets, conversing.
It certainly felt like a world where Mages lived.
The Senior warned me not to do anything strange.
All Students are Nobles, so if you make a mistake, immediately prostrate yourself and beg for your life. We are truly nothing.
For someone who says that, you don't seem very tense.
Kid, I've worked here for three years. They don't care about us because we're nothing. We're just like trees on the roadside. Just don't cause trouble.
Ah, I see. Well, since they're all Mages, they must be Nobles.
No? Professional Mages are actually quite rare. This is just Magic Tower Avenue. Most of them are Knights or Bureaucrats.
As we talked, we arrived at an old-fashioned building in the center of the city.
We work here.
Where is this?
Huh? It's the Knight Students' Training Hall. Don't go anywhere, just sweep around here.
I'm screwed.
Yes.
You can handle a broom, right? Sweep the entire main road, then clean these stairs. I'll be mopping the railings in the next section, so call me if you have any questions.
"Understood."
Once the Senior disappeared, I looked at the area I had to clean.
There wasn't much trash, but dust and fine sand were scattered here and there, and it was so vast that it seemed quite challenging.
But sand? There's no sea nearby.
I listened closely for a moment, and shouts could be heard from inside the building.
*It seems the Knights are sparring in a sand pit.*
I looked around, and as soon as I confirmed no one was there, I waved my hand.
"Will it work?"
Imagining a receding tide, I drew the distant seawater to sweep the floor.
*Swoosh...* The result wasn't bad. Trash and dust were swept away in large quantities, turning a task that would have taken all day into something finished with a few sweeps of the broom.
[? ...?]
No. It was a little bad.
It was my first time using Magic on such a large scale. Above, the Deep Sea creatures sensed something was amiss and began to look around.
I stood frozen and still. Then, they quickly lost interest and disappeared.
This is Another World...
*Why are those guys still here?*
Grumbling, I finished the remaining cleaning.
It was just a continuous process of disposing of what I had already gathered. A few minutes later, the main road was spotless.
Let's see...
Since there was nothing to gain here anyway, I prepared an excuse.
*Being new here, I got lost looking for the restroom.*
Good.
I threw down the broom and walked out onto the main road.
...Though I picked it up again to maintain the Janitor facade.