“Alright, that’s the end of today’s magic class. You can all head home now.”
With Collete announcing the end of class, dozens of boys and girls instantly broke up in a noisy bustle.
“Ah, right, Hulum, please stay for a moment!”
In the crowd, a young girl stopped in her tracks.
“Yes, Teacher Collete.”
Hulum moved against the flow of people, following Collete toward the staff lounge.
Neither of them noticed that not far behind, a figure was staring at them with gritted teeth—more precisely, staring at Hulum.
“Damn it, it’s Hulum again! Is Hulum really that amazing?! My magic isn’t that bad either!”
Fran Banton was extremely angry.
“Damn it, I don’t believe it. I’ve started studying magic long ago, and Hulum shouldn’t even have a private family tutor. How is she—her magic in all three branches isn’t behind mine at all!”
“There must be something fishy here!”
After Hulum followed Collete into the lounge, Collete’s aura immediately became more relaxed.
“So, Hulum, have you gotten used to the magic wand?”
“Mm, I’ve completely mastered it by now.”
“I see, that’s good. Although it’s not convenient for you to bring your wand to school right now, make sure you keep practicing when you get home. Magic is something you only improve at with constant effort!”
“I understand, Teacher Collete. I won’t slack off.”
“Ahaha, Hulum, you’re so diligent. I don’t even know how to teach you anymore.”
Collete teased her.
Hulum: “…”
“Anyway, while practicing magic is important, you mustn’t neglect the fundamental knowledge from magic class. Otherwise, if you become someone who only knows how to use magic but doesn’t actually understand it, you’ll end up a magical illiterate, and that would be terrible.”
What Collete referred to was the theoretical knowledge in the magic course; of course, the classes weren’t just about teaching students how to use magic.
Understanding magic, recognizing magic, and learning to analyze it are also very important parts. After all, the concept of magic is extremely broad. Just the practical branches include things like alchemy, magic engineering, potion studies, array studies, and so on.
These things are closely connected to people’s daily lives. In fact, many everyday objects incorporate such knowledge. For example, the common glowing stone lamps found in homes involve both magic engineering and array studies.
That’s precisely why spreading basic knowledge of magic is an important mission for preparatory school magic classes.
“I understand, Teacher Collete. I’ll study diligently.”
Hulum answered with a serious expression.
“Eh… Well, Hulum, I was just saying that off the cuff, you don’t have to take it so seriously! After all, you already study hard enough.”
“…”
Is that so?
Hulum didn’t quite get it. She felt the intensity of schoolwork was nothing compared to Semilis’s training.
Speaking of training, what was up with Semilis lately…
Collete only called Hulum over to check in about her wand adjustment, so after a bit of small talk, Hulum excused herself and left.
Leaving the school gates, Hulum walked along the southern road.
Not long after she left, a sneaky figure popped up and quietly followed behind her.
“Hmph, today I, Fran, am definitely going to find out what your secret is!”
Fran, with her golden, twin-drilled hair, snorted coldly and continued to follow.
Perhaps because this was a safe town, Hulum wasn’t on her guard—or maybe the crowds around masked anything odd—so she didn’t notice anyone tailing her.
“Hm, that’s strange? Isn’t Hulum’s house to the southeast? Why is she still heading south? Shouldn’t she be turning by now?”
When Fran followed Hulum to a crossroad, Hulum didn’t turn east—the direction she should take to go home—but continued down the southern street.
“I knew there was something up! Hmph, Hulum, today I’m definitely going to expose your secret!”
Certain that she was about to discover Hulum’s weakness, Fran eagerly followed.
Just as Fran guessed, Hulum really was headed somewhere special: the forest in the southern mines of Ment Town.
Ever since she began studying with Semilis, Hulum would stop by the forest for training after school before going home.
At first, her family was indeed curious about why she got back so late, but over time they grew used to it, assuming their youngest daughter was just out playing with friends.
To save time, Hulum chose the shortest route through town.
And this path happened to pass through an old district…
“…What kind of place is this?! Why would Hulum come somewhere like this?”
Fran looked at the messy street with a face full of distaste. There weren’t many people in sight, and those who passed by hurried along nervously. In some corners, shady characters clustered in threes and fours.
Fran hesitated, feeling a strong resistance to entering this area.
But watching Hulum’s figure getting farther and farther away, Fran finally made up her mind.
“Hmph! I’ve followed her this far, how can I give up? And for Hulum to come to a place like this—she’s definitely up to something. If I miss this chance, who knows when I’ll get another opportunity to catch her secret!”
With a determined face, Fran stepped into the rundown district.
Though she told herself all this, deep inside, she still thought: since Hulum can walk in here so easily, surely she could too. Such naïve thoughts.
…
Splash!
“Ugh, what is this!?”
Not long after entering the district, Fran accidentally stepped in a puddle of filthy water. Her once clean little leather shoes were instantly stained, and some of the grime even splashed onto the white socks covering her calves.
Sniffing closer, she could smell the stench wafting from the dirty water.
Fran was disgusted. She scrubbed her shoes hard against the dry ground, trying to wipe off the stains. As for the marks on her socks, there was nothing she could do—she could only grit her teeth and bear the discomfort.
“Ah, not good!”
When her shoes were almost clean, Fran suddenly remembered she was in the middle of following someone.
She looked up in a hurry and just caught sight of Hulum’s back turning down another street and vanishing around the corner.
Fran panicked, forgetting her disgust, and jogged after her.
“Hah, hah, hah…”
Panting, Fran ran all the way to the corner where Hulum disappeared and, without looking, turned down the street.
Then—
Bang!
She crashed headlong into someone.
“Ah, ow!”
Fran bounced off from the force and landed hard on the ground.
“Ah—?”
“Who the hell dares sneak attack me?!”
A rough, menacing voice came from ahead.
Fran’s heart skipped a beat. Forgetting her sore bottom, she looked up and saw two burly thugs glaring at her—one with a crew cut, one bald.
“Hey! Boss, she’s a high-class catch!”
After seeing Fran’s face, the crew-cut thug shouted in excitement.
“Got it! Keep it down, you idiot!”
Bang!
The bald thug punched the crew-cut one, then turned to leer at Fran.
“Heh~ Missy, don’t you know you should apologize after running into someone~?”
Fran was scared, but she forced herself to stand up and dust off her skirt.
“I get it. I apologize. Now can you move? I have urgent business.”
“Hehe~ Boss, this girl’s a noble, right?”
“Yeah, no doubt about it. She’s dressed like a noble~!”
“Haha, boss, our luck couldn’t be better! Just arrived in this town and we run into such a prize—a noble lady. She’ll fetch a great price!”
The two men completely ignored Fran, discussing her like she wasn’t even there. Even if she were slow, she could tell from their conversation that something was very wrong.
These two seemed to be up to no good, the type who engaged in illegal dealings…