Chapter 136: The Setup
Currently, rumors have been spreading around the academy for the past two weeks about a blue-haired female student who has been talking to various students.
It is said that she carries an unusual amount of paper—normally considered a luxury item—and hands out a single sheet to specific individuals. The recipients, in turn, write something on the paper and place it inside a box at the entrance of the Magic Tool Research Tower.
Then, one week later, the blue-haired girl, seeing the now-heavy box filled with papers, smiled in satisfaction, picked it up, and ran into the tower.
“Dolly, it’s full!!”
“Hm? Oh, it’s already morning. Let’s see… Heh, looks like everyone’s got their youthful moments going on. Take a look, Bagot—you’re going to be launching this, you know?”
“Huh? …You’re kidding me.”
Bagot picked up one of the papers from the box, groaned, and scratched his head. “You’re kidding me,” huh? I did explain everything to you. I even helped out with this project all this time! I’ve made so many of these damn rounds that I lost count. I even pulled an all-nighter again.
That said, this first sheet is a bit dangerous. It’s from Professor Baradox, a seeker of the path of femininity despite being a man. The issue is that his request is a plea for male students, which could cause problems. Sorry, Professor Baradox, but if I launched this, you’d definitely be in trouble as a faculty member…
“Alright, Rina. The magic has already been infused, so now it’s up to you to apply the finishing touches according to each request, okay? I’m gonna get some sleep.”
“Yeah, I’m out too~”
“Got it! Leave the rest to me!”
As Arena responded cheerfully, Bagot collapsed onto the floor, and Idle dozed off on the desk. After draping blankets over the two of them, Arena began gathering the scattered rounds, activating Fairy Magic on them one by one while checking the papers.
“Hmm~ hmmm~ ♪”
Completely immersed in her task, Arena worked tirelessly until the other two woke up.
Yaaawn… Morning, everyone. Idle here. Man, this tower allows overnight stays, so I haven’t slept in the dorms for the past two weeks. My whole body feels stiff. Arena? I let her do her thing, but she often ended up sleeping back-to-back with me at night. During the day, she helped out with the manufacturing.
“Good morning~ You slept well, huh?”
“Good morning, Dolly.”
“Mm, morning… huh?”
I looked over to see Felnora placing food on the table. Was this a care package? Nice, that’s some high-tier friend points right there.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm~ nothing~♪ Rina, how’s the progress?”
Still a bit groggy, I scanned the workbench.
“We’re at about 30%? I thought it would take longer, but once I got the hang of it, I started speeding up.”
“That’s great. But the real problem is over here…”
We still didn’t have enough rounds. If we wanted to pull this off, I’d have to get serious. Up until now, I had minimized the use of Fairy Magic in front of Bagot, but… manual work was fun and all, but we’re nowhere near the needed quantity. Time to go all in. Rina’s part was already taken care of, so she’d be fine.
“Oh yeah, Felnora, did you manage to invite Oikawa properly?”
“…He invited me.”
“Oh, nice! Rina, high five!”
“High five~♪”
We exchanged a high five, celebrating our friend’s success. Moments like these make us happy too. We should definitely have a pre-celebration today.
“Bagot, let’s go all out tonight. Felnora’s future husband is practically decided.”
“Oh? Then we have to, don’t we?”
“Should we decorate? I’ll make it super festive for you, Felnora!”
“Do you have to go overboard every single time!?”
It’s all about the vibe. Once we get started, there’s no stopping us!
Now that I think about it, Bagot seemed to know Felnora. How did you two meet?
“Oh… It all started when that woman first came to this tower. At first, I tried to avoid getting involved with her, but she just kept complaining about everything.”
“My! That was because you kept taking all the materials I needed!”
“I’m in the Magic Tool Department! Of course, I get priority!”
Apparently, their daily routine until the end of their second year consisted of arguments like this. They often had debates about magic tools, but overall, they had a good friendship. However, once they entered their third year, Felnora stopped coming around, and their relationship naturally faded away.
Bagot knew the reason, but he didn’t say anything. He was already struggling with his own problems and had no time to be concerned about hers. You two are complete opposites, huh?
“I knew Bagot was struggling with money, so I tried to give him financial support, but this man rejected it! So, I punched him.”
“That’s because you tried to hand it to me in my class! Imagine taking money from a beautiful girl in front of a room full of guys! I’d get murdered!”
“Felnora, guilty.”
“Dolly!?”
Well, Bagot’s class is full of craftsmen types, right? I heard they don’t really have much of a social life and just focus on their work. If a stunning girl suddenly walked in and handed money to someone, well… you can imagine the reaction.
After that, their relationship became even more strained, but looking at them now, it doesn’t seem that bad anymore.
“By the way, why were you trying to give him financial support in the first place?”
“Obviously, I intended to recruit him for my country. My father told me to bring in talented individuals. I acknowledged his skills in that regard. He’s an academic fool, but if I handled the finances, he’d be useful.”
And you immediately took action? Damn, that’s some serious initiative, ma’am.
“Idle has more than that.”
“Arena, we don’t say that out loud.”
Well, in my case, about 80% of my actions are just based on whatever feels right at the moment.
“I just didn’t want to be a burden to the country that took me in. At the very least, I wanted my research to be recognized before I relied on anyone… I was wrong to refuse.”
“…It’s fine.”
And just like that, Bagot’s future was decided. He’d be working as a personal magic tool craftsman for Galuania. Not bad. The news hasn’t spread yet, but once Radaria becomes known worldwide, I’d love to invite him to a factory there.
“So, you’ve come.”
“What do you want? Didn’t you tell us not to come here anymore?”
“We haven’t done anything lately.”
“You say that after setting off alarms every single day?”
The principal had summoned the academy’s troublemakers to a specific location. Aizawa and Morita sat with their usual cocky expressions, but the next thing the principal said made them freeze in shock.
“If you agree to one condition, I’ll let you graduate.”
“…The hell did you just say!?”
He pointed at something and, without giving them a chance to react, immediately started explaining. He grinned like a child showing off a new toy.
The two listened. Then, they laughed.
Because whatever it was, it looked fun.
They were desperate for anything to break the boredom.
“This is how it works. It’s a prototype, so handle it with care. However, as long as you don’t damage it, I’ll allow a bit of rough handling. So? Will you take the job?”
Hmm? I turned to look at the two of them. Aizawa, unable to hide his grin, confirmed,
“…And in exchange, we graduate?”
“As a school, we have no reason to keep students who hate studying and have been repeating years endlessly. There’s also the matter with Harlia, but it’s been several years now. Isn’t it time you finally left?”
The way he said it was irritating, but they had no motivation to begin with, so it made sense. Rather than staying here, living freely in Harlia sounded much better to Aizawa and Morita. So, they took the deal.
“Heh, sounds good to me, Morita. Let’s do it.”
“…Yeah. We’ll take the job, Principal. Who’s our opponent?”
The principal smirked at their eager response. The name he gave was one they knew well.
“Kanata Oikawa. The Hero of ‘Erasure.'”
“Honestly, the king works us to the bone…”
Count Magenta Niles, commander of the Royal Knights of Galuania, muttered bitterly as she rode in a carriage toward Terbelle. It all started with a message from Idle and the others, which the king had decided to assign to her. That was enough to give her a headache.
She was, after all, the head of the knights. She had her own duties. If she left the country for two weeks, her desk would surely be buried under a mountain of paperwork upon her return.
And on top of that, there was an invitation to the “Academy Festival.” It wasn’t surprising—this happened every year. Usually, she would just send some random noble in her place.
But this time, the matter involved Radaria. She had to work alongside Idle and the others to reclaim the “Divine Relic.” That meant someone who knew them personally had to attend.
When considering combat capabilities, it was inevitable that Magenta would be the one to go. That much, she could accept.
If only the person accompanying her was normal.
“Big Sister! The weather is wonderful today! A perfect day for hunting monsters, don’t you think!?”
“Twirel, keep your eyes on the reins. Stop looking over here.”
“Understood!!”
The overly enthusiastic knight beside her was none other than Twirel Aldas—the same knight who had once crossed swords with Idle in the tournament.
All the other knights were busy, and the only one who had time was her. Twirel was undoubtedly one of the strongest among them, but when it came to Magenta, her personality completely shifted.
How exactly?
Let’s just say she could drive a carriage with perfect precision while staring at Magenta with unwavering admiration 24/7.
Normally, she was strict and serious, but the moment Magenta was mentioned, she would transform into a fanatic, endlessly praising her until the day was over. That was precisely why Magenta did not want to travel with her.
“Look, Big Sister! There’s an orc sleeping over there! May I wake it up and slice it into pieces!?”
“We’re in a hurry, so no. If you stop the carriage, I’ll leave you behind, Twirel.”
“Understood!! …Hehehe, she called my name twice~♪”
“……”
Magenta felt utterly miserable.
For the next month, she would be stuck traveling with this woman. She would have to keep an eye on her even at night.
…Even her chastity was at risk.
“Commander!! May I sleep beside you tonight!!!”
“We’re taking turns keeping watch, obviously.”
“……”
“……Twirel.”
“Understood!!!”
“……Sigh.”
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