... ...
... ...
“Alright, that’s all for today’s magic class. You may head home now, everyone.”
As Collette announced the end of class, the dozens of boys and girls instantly dispersed in a noisy bustle.
“Ah, that’s right. Miss Shulim, please stay behind for a moment!”
Among the crowd, a young girl stopped in her tracks.
“Of course, Teacher Collette.”
Shulim squeezed through the departing crowd, following Collette toward the staff lounge.
Neither of them noticed that not far behind them, a figure was staring at them—or rather, staring at Shulim—with gritted teeth.
“Damn it, Shulim again! Is Shulim really that amazing?! My magic clearly isn't bad either!”
Fran Bandun was extremely angry.
“Unbelievable! I started learning magic ages ago, and Shulim shouldn't even have a home magic tutor! Yet... her progress in three whole elemental categories is actually not inferior to mine at all!”
“There's definitely something fishy going on here!”
After Shulim followed Collette into the lounge.
Collette’s posture immediately grew a bit lazier.
“So, Shulim, have you gotten used to using your wand?”
“Yes, I’ve gotten completely used to it by now.”
“I see, that's good. Although it’s not convenient for you to bring your wand to school right now, don't slack off on your practice when you go home. Magic is something that only improves through constant, hard effort!”
“I understand, Teacher Collette. I won’t neglect it.”
“Ahaha, you're so diligent, Shulim. I'm starting to wonder if there's even anything left for me to teach you.”
Collette teased.
Shulim: “...”
“That being said, while practicing magic is important, you mustn't neglect the basic theoretical knowledge in our curriculum. Otherwise, it would be terrible if you ended up as a magic-illiterate person who only knows how to cast spells but doesn't actually understand magic.”
Collette was referring to the theoretical knowledge of magic class. Naturally, the curriculum did not merely teach students how to cast spells.
Understanding magic, identifying magic, and learning how to analyze magic was also an extremely crucial component. After all, the concept of magic was incredibly broad. Just its practical branches alone included alchemy, magical engineering, potions, formation theory, and more.
These subjects were closely tied to everyday life, to the point that a significant portion of common household items contained elements of this knowledge. For example, the common lamps in people's homes made from glowstones involved both magical engineering and formation theory.
For this reason, popularizing various basic magical concepts to the general public was another important mission of the magic classes at the preparatory school.
“I understand, Teacher Collette. I will study diligently.”
Shulim replied with a serious look.
“Eh... well, Miss Shulim, I was just speaking generally. You don't have to take it so strictly to heart, you know? After all, you already study hard enough as it is.”
“...”
Was that so?
Shulim was a bit puzzled. She felt that the intensity of classroom study was far behind Semilis’s training.
Speaking of training, what had been up with Semilis lately...?
Collette had only asked Shulim to stay to check on her adjustment to the wand. After a few casual words, Shulim took her leave and left.
Walking out of the school gates, Shulim headed down the street to the south.
Not long after she left, a sneaky figure popped up and stealthily tailed her from behind.
“Hmph, I am absolutely going to find out what secret you are hiding today!”
Fran, with her blonde curly twin-tails, let out a cold hmph and continued to follow her.
Perhaps because she was in a safe town, Shulim was not overly vigilant, or perhaps because the surrounding crowd masked any anomaly. In any case, Shulim did not notice someone following her.
“Huh? That’s strange. Isn't Shulim's house to the southeast? Why is she still heading south? Shouldn't she have turned by now?”
When Fran followed Shulim to an intersection, Shulim did not walk down the eastern street that led toward her home, but instead continued further down the southern street.
“There really is something going on! Hehe, Shulim, I will definitely expose your secret today!”
Believing she was about to uncover Shulim's secret, Fran immediately surged forward with excitement.
Just as Fran suspected, Shulim was indeed heading to a specific, unusual place—the Mine Forest on the southern side of Mente Town.
Ever since she began studying under Semilis, Shulim would go into the forest for training every day after school before returning home.
Initially, her family was indeed curious about why she took so long to return after school, but over time they grew accustomed to it, assuming their youngest daughter was simply playing somewhere with her friends.
To save time, Shulim had chosen the shortest path through town.
And this path happened to pass through a certain old quarter of the town...
“...What on earth is this place?! What is Shulim doing here?”
Fran looked at the cluttered, messy street ahead with sheer disgust. There were barely any people on the street, and those who did pass by walked in a great hurry. Aside from them, groups of twos and threes who clearly looked up to no good had gathered in the corners of the streets.
Fran hesitated, her heart highly resistant to stepping onto this street.
But watching Shulim's figure grow more and more distant, Fran ultimately made up her mind.
“Hmph! I’ve already followed her all the way here, how can I give up now?! Besides, Shulim actually ran off to a place like this. There’s definitely a huge secret. If I miss this chance, who knows when I'll get another shot at exposing her!”
Fran with a resolute expression stepped into the old, dilapidated quarter.
Although she had convinced herself with those words, deep down she harbored the naive assumption that if Shulim could walk freely into such a place, then there naturally wouldn't be any danger for her either.
... ...
Splosh!
“Ugh, what on earth is this?!”
Not long after entering the quarter, Fran accidentally stepped into a puddle of dirty water. Her clean leather shoes were instantly stained, and a few dark drops even splashed onto the white socks covering her calves.
Sniffing closely, she could even smell the foul stench wafting from the wastewater.
Looking thoroughly disgusted, Fran vigorously rubbed her shoes against the dry pavement to wipe off the stains. As for the spots on her white socks, there was nothing she could do about them but force herself to endure the nausea.
“Ah, oh no!”
Only after her shoes were reasonably wiped did Fran suddenly realize she was in the middle of shadowing someone.
She quickly looked up, only to see Shulim's back turning onto another street and subsequently vanishing around the corner.
Panicking instantly, Fran disregarded her disgust and jogged after her.
“Haah... haah... haah...”
Panting heavily, Fran ran all the way to the corner where Shulim had disappeared. Without even pausing to check, she turned directly into that street.
And then—
Bam!
She crashed headlong into someone.
“Ow, that hurts!”
The recoil sent Fran tumbling onto her backside on the ground.
“Huh—?”
“Which blind bastard dares to sneak-attack yours truly?!”
An extremely gruff and frightening voice came from ahead.
Fran's heart trembled. Ignoring her aching backside, she looked up and saw two burly, thug-like characters—one with a buzzcut and one bald—staring down at her with vicious glares.
“Yo! Boss, this one's top-tier merchandise!”
Upon seeing Fran's face clearly, the buzzcut thug beside him shouted in excitement.
“I know that! Shut your mouth, you idiot!”
Smack!
The bald thug who had been crashed into struck the buzzcut guy with a fist, then stared down at Fran with a sinister grin.
“Well, well~, young lady, don't you know that you should apologize after running into someone~?”
Though terrified inside, Fran forced herself to remain calm as she stood up, brushing the dust off her backside.
“I understand. I apologize to you. Can you move out of the way now? I am in a hurry.”
“Hehehe~! Boss, this girl is a noble, right?”
“Yeah, you're right. With an outfit like that, she's ninety percent a noble for sure~!”
“Haha, Boss, we're way too lucky! Just arrived in this town and we stumble upon such top-tier merchandise. A noble lady is sure to fetch a handsome price, right?”
The two men before her showed absolutely no regard for Fran, discussing their thoughts with complete abandon. No matter how naive Fran was, she still caught the sinister implication from their exchange.
It seemed these two men were outlaws who engaged in illicit activities...
Rate on N.U.
