After school, Shulim did not go straight home. Instead, she took a detour and walked toward the mine outside of town.
Some time later, deep within the forest.
“Roar!”
A large black boar with blood-red eyes charged, snapping a tree in half.
Behind it, Shulim leapt down from another tree.
“【ᛒᚷᛈᛜᛖᛗᛞᚪᛡᛖᛞᛃᚺיᛤᛜᛣᚢᛜᛣᛃᛈיᛄᚠᛗᛜᛓᚠᛁוטᛗᛓᛖᛡᛓᚠᛏוᛒ】”
“Pitfall!”
Boom!
The ground collapsed, and the steel-tusked magic boar, which was already somewhat disoriented, fell straight in.
“Roar!”
At the bottom of the narrow pit, the steel-tusked magic boar's massive body was wedged tight. Unable to budge, it could only roar in rage.
Looking at the helpless monster, Shulim took a deep breath, and then—
“【ᚷᚲᚠᛏᛗᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃᛜᛃᛏᚠᛞᚲᛜᚹᛚᛖᛗᛜᛖᛗᛃᛞᛋ】”
“Fireball!”
“【ᚷᚲᚠᛏᛗᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃᛜᛃᛏᚠᛞᚲᛜᚹᛚᛖᛗᛜᛖᛗᛃᛞᛋ】”
“Fireball!”
“【ᚷᚲᚠᛏᛗᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃ... ...】”
“Fireball...”
Fireballs rained down one after another.
A few minutes later, the thick-skinned steel-tusked magic boar was thoroughly roasted.
“Oh~ using a method like this to deal with a steel-tusked magic boar? You're getting more and more adept at dealing with monsters, Shulim!”
Semilis descended from the sky. Shulim glanced at her, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.
Semilis did not notice Shulim's gaze. Instead, she stared at the roasted steel-tusked magic boar in the pit and said, “Even though it's a D+-Class monster, once it falls into a pit like this, it can only wait to die~! As expected of any era, by targeting weaknesses and using counters, even an E-Class weakling can defeat a C-Class powerhouse...”
“Hey, Semilis...”
Just as Semilis was continuing to lecture on Shulim's battle, Shulim finally spoke up.
“What is it?”
Semilis turned her head to look at Shulim.
“When you're in the forest, it might be better if you don't fly around in the sky,” Shulim said.
“Eh? Why?”
Semilis had a puzzled look on her face.
“...It seems some adventurers spotted you flying in the air and mistook you for a monster. In the worst-case scenario, adventurers might come to search this area of the forest.”
Shulim told Semilis the rumors she had heard this morning.
However, Semilis looked deeply hurt.
“What?! Mistaking me for a monster?! Those idiot adventurers... I'll definitely teach them a lesson! Who are they?”
“Better not... In the end, even if you showed up right in front of them, they might not recognize you as the Fairy Queen anyway. Besides, your presence has already become a rumor in town. If this keeps up, it'll be hard for you to stay here.”
“Ugh...”
Semilis fell into deep thought.
“That is indeed a problem. I don't want to be stared at like some spectacle... Sigh, I suppose I'll have to conceal my form from now on.”
Semilis gave a helpless sigh, and then the wings on her back lit up with a glow.
Then, something that surprised Shulim happened: Semilis's figure began to gradually fade away, eventually vanishing entirely from right in front of her.
“Se... Semilis?”
Shulim asked toward the empty air before her, feeling slightly unsure.
Could it be Conceal magic? No, I don't feel any shift in the dark elements. Just what kind of spell is this?
“Ah, almost forgot.”
Just as the familiar voice rang out in front of her, Shulim suddenly felt a finger press against her forehead.
Then, the glow of a magic circle shone upon her forehead and quickly faded away.
And Semilis, who had vanished just a moment ago, reappeared before her eyes.
“You're back!”
Shulim looked at Semilis in surprise, then touched her own forehead, but felt nothing.
“Semilis, did you just do something?”
“Oh, this? It's a spell that allows you to see me,” Semilis answered, spinning in midair before continuing. “I've cast a spell on myself that keeps my form hidden at all times, so even if other people appear right in front of me, they won't be able to detect me.”
“Incredible!”
Shulim gasped in admiration.
“Magic really can do anything!”
“Of course~! It's fine to admire me a little more, you know! I can even teach you some other interesting spells!”
Semilis lifted her chin with a smug expression.
However, Shulim was already used to her tendency to get carried away, so she simply ignored the comment.
“Speaking of which... school is starting magic lessons tomorrow too,” Shulim mentioned in passing.
“Eh! Really?!”
Surprisingly, Semilis's interest was instantly piqued.
“What is magic instruction like at school? Tell me, hurry up and tell me!”
Perhaps because they were both teaching Shulim magic, Semilis felt a strange sense of kinship and instinctively wanted to know how others did it.
“Don't get so excited. Didn't I say it only starts tomorrow? I'll tell you about it later.”
“Oh, right!”
Semilis's enthusiasm cooled down slightly, but she also felt a bit of anticipation. Usually, she was the one telling Shulim anecdotes about things unknown to the world. Now, she might get to hear some new stories from Shulim.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she hastily reminded her:
“Ah, that's right. When you undergo magic training at school, Shulim, remember not to expose your true Magic Aptitude.”
Reminded by Semilis, Shulim also realized. Being an all-element mage was indeed shocking. If she were to expose this in public, who knew what kind of trouble it would bring.
Semilis worried that Shulim wouldn't understand the reason, so she continued to explain.
“Listen, you must keep this in mind. It's one thing if people you can trust find out, but if word gets out, those who love to see the world burn will definitely come after you! They are truly bad news. If you ran into them now, you'd definitely kick the bucket in a really ugly way! So, you must be absolutely careful!”
...
Hearing Semilis's rare, solemn warning, Shulim felt a bit apprehensive. Are there really such dangerous people in this world? Come to think of it, Semilis does mention quite often that the world is dangerous and that I must be careful.
With this in mind, Shulim resolved never to expose her secret in the future, playing it as safe as possible. If someone accidentally found out, her only choice would be to...
Semilis kept lecturing Shulim about the various dangers she might face, entirely unaware that the young girl before her was already brewing some dangerous thoughts of her own.
And so, carrying a trace of anxiety about the future, Shulim welcomed the next day.
...
On the playground of the preparatory school, dozens of boys and girls, including Shulim, stood waiting for the arrival of their magic teacher.
Magic lessons required plenty of practical application, so most classes were held on the playground.
“Hi~! Hi~! Students, sorry for the wait~!”
A woman wearing a black mage robe, with short red hair and clutching a staff, walked over.
“Are you our magic teacher?”
A boy in the front row asked directly.
“That's right~! My name is Collette, and I'm your new magic teacher~! Ah, by the way, I'm only twenty-two~! And I'm still single~! Hear that? Sin~gle~!”
Collette winked while striking a pose she clearly thought was cute as she introduced herself.
...
The students met her with absolute silence.
They were all mentally grumbling: Nobody asked for your age, and what's the point of emphasizing that you're single to a group of kids who aren't even ten? Are you hoping we'll introduce you to our single older brothers?
“Hehehe~! Are you all charmed by me? Oh stop, you're all so shy~!”
Collette said, lost in her own shameless self-satisfaction.
Charmed your foot...
The students grumbled internally once again.
The new magic teacher seemed rather unreliable, leaving the young boys and girls present quite worried about whether their upcoming magic education would go smoothly.
As a side note, humans in Shimulir reach adulthood at the age of fifteen.
Rate on N.U.
