by Funa
If the name of Veil, the boy who had beat the leader of the B-rank party, the Roaring Mithrils, became known by all, then the fame of the others would likely be second to his. Even if she’d overdone it a bit, when her exploits were compared to the breaking news that one of the students undertaking the graduation exam had vanquished Gren, the leader of the Roaring Mithrils, news of Mile would be inconsequential.
It was the perfect plan.
***
“Oi, Mile, come here a minute!”
Mile, still gloating at the success of her scheme, was startled when Gren called to her from the center of the battlefield.
If someone keeps calling for you, then eventually, you have no choice but to respond. Moreover, if that someone keeps calling you by name, everyone else is sure to remember that name—despite the fact that, at that moment, Mile was supposed to be nothing but a no-name graduate.
With those thoughts in mind, she stepped back out onto the field.
“Wh-what is it?”
“You’re going to join us!” Gren shouted to her. “Get your bags in order, and come back to our base!”
“Wh…?” Hearing Gren, the spectators began to stir.
A rookie hunter, fresh out of the Hunters’ Prep School, had just been scouted by the Roaring Mithrils. It was a dream of a lifetime.
There were but a few S-rank hunters in the whole world. Therefore, an S-rank party was virtually impossible, which meant that the highest existing parties stood at A-rank. And now, a rookie hunter had just been scouted by the Roaring Mithrils, who were just on the verge of that A-rank.
Certainly, pitting this girl against Gren, an A-rank hunter, had been by no means a fair matchup.
Yet Mile had exhibited such power and speed—and in such a small package, too. Not only that, but—despite calling herself the “Magic Swordsman”—she hadn’t used any magic in their fight. Yet, it wasn’t that she couldn’t use it. It was that she hadn’t—except for once, right in the middle of the fight. If she had used powerful magic, the fight would have been much easier. But perhaps she hadn’t used magic because she wished to battle Gren with her sword alone.
She had to be quite the big shot to be playing around with an A-rank hunter.
Beyond all that, she was still only twelve years old. The more she learned as she grew older, the more capable she would become. With further practice and experience, Gren could only imagine what kind of monster would she grow into…
An A-rank? As if she would stop at such a piddling rank as that.
An S-rank? Was there really no higher rank available?
The legendary Christopher, the God of Blades, had risen from a commoner to a noble, and then to a count—but perhaps she would go even higher.
Perhaps they had all just witnessed the genesis of a new heroic legend. He was surely not the only person imagining such a future for her.
What kind of heroic feats would this little girl show them in the years to come?
Would she exterminate the dragons? Conquer the demon king?
With eyes full of hope, the people watched, straining their ears for the little girl’s—no, the future hero’s—enthusiastic reply.
***
“I refuse.”
“…Huh?”
Surely, everyone’s ears were playing tricks on them.
Gren, the spectators, the king and finance officer, Count Christopher, Elbert, the foreign guild members—everyone.
“I have a prior engagement.”
At these words, Mile snapped her fingers, and three figures emerged from the waiting area: Reina, Mavis, and Pauline. They flocked around her.
“We were born at different times, in different places—”
“And though we may not share the same blood—”
“We are allies who walk the same road!”
“Even if our paths should part in the future—”
“As long as the blood flows red through our veins—”
“Our friendship is immortal!!!!”
“We are four joined down to our very souls! And our name is—”
“The Crimson Vow!!!!”
BOOOOOOM!!
As the four of them struck a pose, Mile conjured a magical explosion, a puff of four-colored smoke that burst behind them.
They had practiced lines and poses in preparation for a moment such as this, urged on by Mavis and her addiction to Mile’s stories—even though Mile herself had never thought that they would ever actually make such a debut.
“O… oh.”
Gren was left slack-jawed.
How else could he possibly react?
“I am afraid I must refuse,” Mile repeated. “However, if our paths should again cross someday, I hope we can still be allies at that time.”
With Mile’s words as their signal, the four girls returned to the waiting area. They pushed past the throngs of nobles and scouts to make their way out of the stadium. In the space they left behind, several students were setting up some tables and chairs in front of an enormous pile of packages.
Atop the hastily assembled tables, they pulled from their boxes an array of sample products, which they set on top, along with a banner:
Crimson Vow Figures: 1 for 3 Silver, 4-Piece Set for 1 Gold
Displayed before them, the spectators saw miniature figures of Mile and company, just shy of twenty centimeters tall, just like the action figures one might see on Earth. There were versions garbed in both hunters’ gear and casual clothes. There were 1,000 pieces in total.
“Come and get your Crimson Vow figures, just three silver each, with a half-gold discount if you buy the full set! How about one of these as a souvenir?!”
“Give me that one! I need Miss Mile!”
“Both versions of Miss Reina for me!”
“I’d like two each of Lady Mavis!”
“I want Pauline to abuse me!”
They sold out in no time.
***
Three days earlier, the evening after Elbert’s special request, Mile had been doing a bit of end-of-term tidying up when she took inventory of her belongings inside the storage space and the loot box. She was making sure she returned anything she had been lent by the school.
“Huh? This is…?”
As Mile looked over the things she had pulled from her loot box, the other three drew nearer.
“What is that?”
“It’s so cute!”
“Did you make that, Mile?”
It was the wooden figure that Mile had carved so long ago, killing time in the carriage on her way from her childhood home to Eckland Academy.
“I like the style. It looks like there should be a whole set.”
“It really is nice. I bet you could sell it—don’t you?”
“…”
As Mavis and Reina praised the figure, Pauline cut in.
“Can I borrow it, Mile?”
“Huhh???”
With Pauline in charge, things moved swiftly.
By the end of the night, she had spoken to all twenty of the students who weren’t undergoing the graduation exam and gathered some candidates. They started a mass production team, with Mile’s carved figure as a prototype.
Though the magic users were in charge of the figure production, they were assisted by those with artistic talent. Including those who handled the finishing touches and packaging, twelve students in total worked hard throughout the night. Because their plans would have no effect on the examination, they didn’t speak to the test takers about what they were working on, but news spread via the magic users, and several more decided to participate.
“Miss Pauline, is this really all right?”
“He told us to crush it, didn’t he? At the final assessment? So, it’s fine!
“We’re going to need all sorts of money after graduation. We need to buy equipment, and until work picks up, we’ll need savings to tide us over. And of course, we can set some aside in case any of us gets injured or sick…
“T
hose who graduate at a D-rank are going to be in even more dire straits than we are. I’m sure any bit of money would be a huge help for them… Who are we to let such a lucrative chance pass us by—for our sake and theirs?!”
“W-well, we put you in charge, so I guess I can’t complain. Just don’t work them too hard…”
***
In the end, they sold all 1,000 pieces. With the full-set discounts, they garnered 2,800 silver pieces in total. From that, they paid each of the 18 participants 100 silver each and kept the remaining 1,000 pieces for their party.
In terms of Japanese money, they had made about 1,000,000 yen. A very large sum.
Even for the other participants, to start out their new lives after graduation with 100 silver already in their pockets meant a great deal. Everyone thanked the girls, and those who had declined to help, not thinking that they would actually turn a profit, regretted it deeply. However, what was done was done.
It was not long before the term “magic models” came into use in their world.
***
“I wonder if we’ll be able to maintain the school’s current budget?”
After Mile and the others left, Elbert remained in the stadium’s special conference room with the king and officials.
Though he was usually full of confidence, before the king and other nobles, he lacked even a fraction of his usual presence, especially when it came to bringing up the topic of money.
“Hm? Maintain the current budget? What kind of nonsense is this?”
“W-well, I was just…” At the finance officer’s reply, Elbert prepared to make his case. However…
“We couldn’t possibly leave the budget as it is. We’ll need to increase it—exponentially! Wouldn’t you say, your Majesty?”
“Oh, yes! Most certainly. Furthermore, wasn’t there a proposal several months ago to transition the prep school from a trial to official status? Please re-file it so we may examine the matter again. And we might need to request an audience with the foreign hunters’ guilds sometime in the near future. I’d like to consult them on various topics and suggestions, as well.
“Count Christopher, could we rely on you for a few more matters?”
“Yes, certainly!”
Beside Count Christopher, whose eyes were shining with mirth, Elbert stood, mouth wide open.
“To think that such gems as those youngsters were hidden away in this very town. If we can uncover even more like them, then the school’s budget would be a small price to pay for such riches.”
At the king’s hopeful words, Elbert became a bit worried.
“U-um, well, those girls were a bit of a special case… To find students like them every term would be…”
“You don’t think I know that?! But if we can prevent even one genius from slipping through the cracks every decade, then that’s enough. Furthermore, even if they aren’t at that level, that hardly means that future graduates won’t flourish! Cultivating talent takes time. Don’t make such a fuss.”
“You are so wise!” Elbert said. “Forgive me!”
Truly, they had been blessed with a fine king.
“And also,” the king went on, “since the students attend tuition-free, don’t you think we should ask them to stay in this country for a few years at minimum? They could do their duty to improve our nation, while making all sorts of connections that will keep them from wanting to leave!”
Truly, they had been blessed with a shrewd king, as well.
***
In the stands, everyone had gone home—except for one man, sitting silently, and a woman, who was shaking him by the shoulders.
It was the master of a certain region’s guild hall, who had traveled eight days to get to the capital, along with his fellow traveler, the clerk Laura. They hadn’t come to watch the graduation exam specifically, but rather, delayed some ordinary business so that their stay in the capital would coincide with the matches.
“…”
“Master, we need to go now!”
“…”
“Master!”
It was some time before the guild master was able to move again.
***
Not long after the day of the exam, Veil was hesitating. Normally, he would have started out his career as a hunter at a low D-rank, but thanks to that girl, he was debuting at a C-rank, accompanied by a magnificent fanfare.
To be known as “the man who defeated Gren” meant quite a lot.
In reality, he had done little more than topple a giant who was already teetering, but as the rumors spread, Veil became known as something of a superhuman figure. A number of influential people within the country, as well as guild members in positions of power, had been present at the event. Though it was clear that to them the girl was far more impressive, for those who only had heard the rumors, it seemed that the girl had put up a good fight and lost—while the boy, who had defeated Gren in the blink of an eye, was the one who was truly amazing.
Because of this, though he was unable to join any party as a full-time member, Veil received a number of invitations to join various groups for short-term engagements. Situations often arose where party members were injured, or a party lacked combat strength and needed back-up. As a result, he received a fairly decent number of these requests. Due to the fact that he always completed his work reliably, his reputation began to grow.
With just a bit more experience, he would be able to achieve his goal of becoming a party leader himself, creating opportunities for the orphans to work as low-ranking hunters. The F-rank kids could work as porters, carrying the spoils and the E-rank kids could be trained into D-ranks—at which point, a whole new world of possibilities would open up…
And then there was that girl who had granted him the means to make those dreams for the future come true, who was bright and cheerful, who was honest and cute and strong—and who had been kind to Veil.
He wanted to see her. But if they met, what would he say? Would he thank her? Again? He had already done as much at their graduation. They both lived in the capital, so there was a chance that they would run into each other sooner or later, but just as much of a chance that they wouldn’t. That said, he did know the inn in which the girls had made their headquarters, which meant he could see her whenever he chose.
However…
It’s too soon for that, Veil thought.
It was true. It was too soon.
***
Turning back the clock slightly, to a particular room in a certain inn, several days after the graduation exam…
“Well, anyway, I think this inn should serve as a good base. We’ve got a nice, big four-person room, and meals aside, we can get it for a discounted rate of three gold a month. A humble place like this is the perfect starting point. This is where our legend begins!”
As Reina spoke, the three others nodded.
“If we eat only the minimum amount,” she went on, “that should cost us two gold a month. And even if we’re a little indulgent, it shouldn’t be more than three. That’s already more than half of the almost ten gold we got from the figures. We also need to factor in replacing Mavis’s half-broken sword, as well as emergency savings. We don’t know when one of us is going to end up injured or sick, after all. And though we do have Pauline’s healing magic, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“So, our budget’s at its limit. In other words, we’ll need to earn at least five gold pieces each month to cover the next month’s expenses. And of course, if we want to buy new clothing or shop for any other things, we’ll need a bit more.
“Speaking practically, we also need to save up to buy some new equipment—and on top of that, it would be nice to have a feast on our birthdays. Therefore, my goal is ten gold a month or more.
“If we earn anything significantly beyond that, we can relocate to an inn that has its own bath. For four girls, having only a wash basin to wipe off is less than ideal!”
Mavis and Pauline nodded again.
As f
or Mile, she said, “Wouldn’t it be more convenient to wash ourselves with warm water magic when we go out hunting and eliminate any day-to-day sweat and dirt from our bodies and clothes with cleaning magic?”
“A-ah…”
“Ah?”
“YOU JERK!! If you know that kind of magic, then why didn’t you teach it to us soooooooooner?! I did notice back at the dorm that you never seemed to take a bath… I guess you were just keeping your tricks to yourself!!!”
Thus began operations for the C-rank hunting party, the Crimson Vow—and Mile’s life as a normal C-rank hunter.
***
“Those students really were amazing… We ought to consider a system like that, where talented individuals can be promoted in a short time, for the benefit of our own country,” said the master of a certain country’s capital guildhall, as his carriage rambled back along the road to his land’s royal capital.
Inside his luggage, stowed away in the carriage, was a full four-piece set of figures that resembled a particular group of very talented girls.
Thusly laden, the carriage pressed on to the royal capital of a certain country, home to Eckland and Ardleigh Academies.
ADELE’S MAGNIFICENT ACADEMY LIFE
Story 1:
DIY Underwear
I
t had been several weeks since the start of term at Eckland Academy.
Adele was a fairly resilient girl, but there was one thing that she was finding that she simply could not bear.
It was her underclothes. Or, as they were called, her “drawers.”
As one might surmise, “drawers” were the only undergarments available for women in her world. Unfortunately, they were stiff and much too hot. And of course, when she donned trousers over them for physical fitness and martial arts training and then started moving around, they only got even sweatier. There had to be something she could do about this…
And so, she purchased a towel. It was a perfectly normal towel, just shy of thirty centimeters in width and eighty centimeters in length. Nonetheless, she was sure that she could make something of it.
