“Ahaha! By the way, mister! It’s been so long! How have you been?”
“Yes, it has been a while. How about you two?”
“Same as always~. It’s no small feat dealing with Master’s pressure~.”
Yuria waved with a smooth smile, while Canon maintained an indifferent expression, though she was clearly pleased to see him.
As the two approached Lee Hyun, Lena became flustered.
‘D-does Master know these two well?’
What happened to Lena after realizing that her master knows people outside her circle.
She just crumples up.
It’s hard enough to join conversations about things she knows, let alone topics she’s unfamiliar with. Lena quietly crouched in a corner near Lee Hyun and listened to their conversation.
“When I saw Bella in Greenhild, I did think of you two. Why are you here? Are you participating in the magic competition?”
“Yes! The Blue Hall is entering the competition, and we from the Red Hall can’t just sit idle~.”
“Mm. We can’t lose to the Blue Hall.”
The Red and Blue Halls of the Ivory Tower had long been famous for their rivalry.
It was so intense that they even argued about the name of the annual magic competition between the Red and Blue Hall.
The Red Chamber called it the Red-Blue Competition, while the Blue Chamber called it the Blue-Red Competition.
It was said that if you mentioned “Blue-Red Competition” in front of a Red Chamber mage, they would throw a fit and leave immediately.
“But what Lena said earlier… is it true?”
“Yes. Lena is my disciple.”
Yuria tilted her cute face and looked at Lena.
Watching Lena timidly nod from behind Lee Hyun, Yuria’s expression brightened even more.
“Wow! What a coincidence! This is great~. If she’s your disciple, her skills must be proven, right? We might really be able to aim for victory?”
“Actually, we’re already aiming for victory. We made a bet with Rise.”
Lee Hyun told them about the previous bet with Rise.
After listening intently, Yuria clenched her fist.
“We can’t let the Blue Hall take you away! Lena! Canon! Let’s go practice!!”
What a whirlwind of a girl.
She left the café without even ordering anything, and Canon sighed softly and waved before following her.
***
Only Lena remained in the café.
I gently patted her back as she stood there, not knowing what to do.
I had sent her to find party members, and she’d really found some good ones.
‘With Yuria and Canon, they can be trusted.’
Though not as much as Lena, they also possessed outstanding talent.
Plus, having learned under Bella, their basic skills would be solid.
“Aren’t you going?”
“Ah. Um. M-master.”
“Yes?”
“How do you… kn-know Yuria and Canon?”
How do I know them?
I nodded casually.
“I know them because they’re Bella’s disciples.”
“Is… is that all?”
“That’s all there is to it.”
“But th-they call you mister… and seem really close…”
“Well. We’ve done various things together.”
“Various things…?”
“I took them around some ruins a few times.”
Lee Hyun recalled the past. It was during the time he was actively using bugs.
When making a deal with Bella at the Ivory Tower for something he wanted, Bella made a request.
To take those two on ruin explorations.
It wasn’t particularly difficult, so I took Yuria and Canon around the ruins several times, and that’s how we became close.
When I explained this, Lena tilted her head.
“Ah, um. If they’ve explored r-ruins that much, why are they still… beginner mages?”
“They’re being carefully raised by Bella. They can also use multiple magic and non-verbal casting.”
“Hehhh…”
Interest flickered in Lena’s eyes, who had thought multi-magic and non-verbal casting were her unique specialties.
I lightly tapped her forehead, took her hand, and led her outside.
“But they’re not as good as you. They can only manage about ten spells at most.”
Moreover, Lena had discovered non-verbal casting and multi-casting, but they were different.
They learned through Bella’s intense education and calculated, thorough training.
That training meant their growth was slower relative to their talent.
That’s why they were only beginner mages despite being Bella’s disciples for several years.
“I always tell you, don’t I? You’re my pride.”
“Eh-hehehehe…”
“So I can expect great things, right?”
“Um. Ah… I-I’ll do my b-best.”
“Good.”
I patted Lena’s back as we went outside together.
***
“Then let’s start with a simple beginner magic duel!”
The magic competition was a 3v3 survival battle.
If the first person wins, the rest can continue fighting.
“We can’t ignore Rowin, the Blue Hall mage and Rise’s disciple. He participated in the subjugation of the Great Demon Diabolos and was chosen by the powerful artifact, the Book of Magic.”
Sometimes, artifacts with consciousness appear.
They choose their masters, and the Book of Magic was no exception.
It was equipment used by Baltron of Wisdom, a loyal subordinate of the Great Demon Diabolos.
When he was defeated, the Book of Magic chose Rise’s disciple, Rowin.
“Th-the Great Demon Diabolos…”
Glance. Lena’s gaze fixed on me.
Seeing this, Yuria nodded.
“Yes. The Great Demon subjugation that mister participated in. Rowin was there too.”
“Rather than participate, it would be more accurate to say I got caught up in it.”
Diabolos suddenly appeared, and there wasn’t time to get out.
That’s not the important part, so I brought the conversation back to the main topic.
“The Book of Magic gives its user an absurd amount of magical power. Though it consumes physical strength in return, it’s still an attractive ability even considering that.”
“Th-then how should we deal with it?”
“It’s not without weaknesses. Even though he has immense magical power from the Book of Magic, Rowin can only use beginner magic. So…”
“We just need to beat him with skill, right?”
When Canon chimed in, Lena let out a relieved sigh.
That seemed doable. Seeing her reaction, Canon raised a finger.
“But the power of each individual spell cannot be ignored. I hear Rowin’s Magic Arrow is as big as a pillar.”
“Hieeeek…”
The others who are on Rowin’s side seemed uninterested.
Yuria raised her hand lightly.
“Well! Shall we do a skill test? Since mister is here, let’s ask him to be the judge!”
At her gaze, I shrugged.
It’s not like I had anything else to do, and I could assess Lena’s level.
I was also curious to see how much these kids had grown.
In the empty lot next to the café, Canon and Lena stepped up first.
“I won’t go easy on you, so be prepared.”
“I-I’ll do my best!”
“Then begin.”
As soon as the words fell, Canon raised her staff.
A dozen Magic Arrows unfolded one after another, targeting Lena.
Now, what will you do?
I held expectations, and Lena didn’t disappoint.
– Woooong…!!
Dozens of Magic Arrows created in an instant neutralized Canon’s Magic Arrows.
No, it didn’t end with neutralization.
Having created more Magic Arrows than Canon, Lena immediately targeted her.
Oh. She can individually control each spell created through multi-magic.
Pretty impressive, isn’t she?
“Heehee~! Mister! Mister!”
While I was sitting on a box in the empty lot watching Lena and Canon’s battle, Yuria approached me amid their flying spells, maintaining her characteristic smile as she poked me.
Wondering what she wanted, I looked at her, and she suddenly jumped up and sat on my lap.
“Ah~. The view really is better from here~.”
“Hey, are you a child?”
“Yes! What about it?!”
Yuria was always affectionate, along with her personality.
Maybe that’s why? She lifted her head slightly, smiled like a cat, and leaned against my chest.
“Master doesn’t let me do this kind of thing.”
“Well, Bella is quite strict.”
She shows no mercy when teaching kids.
When I saw her teaching before, even I was taken aback.
“M-m-m-master?!”
That’s when it happened.
Lena, who had been fighting Canon, looked this way in shock and horror.
What’s wrong? Yuria tilted her head curiously, and at that moment, Lena was hit by a Magic Arrow and collapsed.
“Oh?! Are you okay?!”
“Ughh… I-I’m fine…”
“Then it’s my turn!! Canon! Come at me!”
“Hmph. I’ll take you on anytime.”
Yuria jumped off my lap and headed to the empty lot. While she was preparing, Lena came over to me, looking quite upset.
“What?”
“W-why…”
“What?”
“…you’re my master…”
Judging by her mumbling, she seems unhappy about Yuria sitting on my lap earlier.
Making a fuss over something like this.
No matter how talented she is, I guess a kid is still a kid.
I picked up the completely sulking Lena and sat her on my lap.
“There. Better now?”
Only then did Lena’s complaints subside.
Raising children really isn’t easy.
Getting jealous over something this trivial.