“Count. Recently, Yuri and her team’s performance has been rising sharply.”
“···.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is proudly claiming her as our healer.]
Thud.
Sylvia placed the latest report on Vermont Security’s developments along with the morning newspaper in front of me.
As soon as I opened the first page, the first thing that caught my eye was the performance section.
Yuri’s team’s performance had been rising sharply—no, ‘sharply’ wasn’t enough to describe it.
It had skyrocketed to the point where their previous results looked insignificant.
Yuri’s team had already been the undisputed top performer in Vermont Security, and now, they had completely solidified their place as the standout team.
“How exactly did this happen?”
“I believe it’s thanks to your advice, my Lord.”
“I told them to lighten their load a little, not to overwork themselves like this.”
“This is the result without overworking. Look here. Unlike before, Yuri’s break time has significantly increased.”
“…You’re right.”
As Sylvia said, despite their soaring performance, Yuri’s break time had increased.
Before, she was practically working without any rest.
Now, she finished her assignments quickly and used the remaining time to either rest or leave early without overtime.
And yet, their performance had improved.
The reason for that was written on the next page.
‘Efficient role distribution and successful teamwork.’
Previously, Yuri had handled everything on her own.
Now, the entire team had taken on specific roles.
Yuri’s sole responsibility was attack—nothing else.
Before, she handled reconnaissance, client protection, and target elimination all by herself.
By narrowing her focus, her efficiency had improved dramatically.
‘Even Irene’s report mentions Yuri…’
Because of this, Yuri had become infamous as a maniac who would charge headfirst into enemy territory and wreak havoc.
Rumors had spread even in the underworld—people were terrified of her.
Well, she was already highly skilled, but if she managed to withstand an ambush and heal from wounds as if nothing had happened, it was only natural for her enemies to be horrified.
“This is… a good thing, right…?”
“Yes. The entire team, including herself, is much more satisfied now. She’s learned to trust her comrades, just as you wished. So naturally, this is a good thing.”
“…I suppose.”
She had always tried to handle everything alone, taking on burdens by herself.
Now, she had changed for the better. That much was certain.
Yet… why did I feel so uneasy?
Something felt off, as if something was wrong.
But I decided to let it go. If things were good, then that was enough.
‘That aside… Are the children preparing well for their entrance exams?’
The new year had arrived, and winter break was halfway over.
In March, the Imperial Magic Academy would begin a new semester and welcome its first-year students.
Charlotte and Julia were both preparing to take the entrance exam this year.
Originally, the headmaster had firmly refused, declaring that he would never accept those two troublemakers into the academy again.
However, when I reminded him who was responsible for the additional funding the school received for Black Magic research, he quickly backed down.
So, there would be no unfair disadvantages against Charlotte and Julia during the exams.
‘The more talented students enter the school, the better. Why is he so against it?’
I really couldn’t understand him.
Shouldn’t he be pleased if bright and talented students joined and brought prestige to the academy’s alumni?
Sure, there had been some minor incidents in the past, like.
The test orbs getting smashed during the entrance exam, triggering a prophecy from the Grand Mage’s Hero Selection Scroll.
A cult-like gang forming within the student body to follow a certain freshman.
A student entering a professor’s lab to help with research, only to emerge as the first author of a published academic paper.
But those were just trivial occurrences. Nothing I needed to concern myself with.
“Charlotte. How’s your entrance exam preparation going?”
“Mister! I was just practicing something for the exam! It’s a new technique! Do you want to see? Do you?!”
“Alright, let’s see it.”
I had come to check on the commotion in the back garden.
Sure enough, Charlotte was wildly swinging her Super Super Strong Sword.
Now that I thought about it, she had mentioned applying for the Combat Magic Department.
That made sense. Charlotte could never sit still long enough for serious studying, so there wasn’t really another option.
Excited to demonstrate her new technique, Charlotte waved her arms eagerly.
Seeing that I was paying attention, she raised her Super Super Strong Sword high above her head.
Then, she assumed a stance that looked… strangely familiar.
Wait—wasn’t that…?
“RUMBLE…!”
“Charlotte!?”
FLASH!
A massive surge of purple Aura shot into the sky.
The once-blue midday sky darkened instantly, turning an eerie violet.
The Aura—several times, no, dozens of times stronger than when she had first split a mountain—
It wasn’t just capable of cutting a mountain anymore; this could carve out an entire canyon.
Panicking, I rushed forward to stop her as the Aura began plummeting toward the ground.
“SWOOSH!”
“…!?”
Just before it struck the earth, Charlotte made a strange noise, and the entire Aura was instantly sucked back into the Super Super Strong Sword.
As if nothing had happened, the sky returned to normal.
Cold sweat dripped down my forehead.
“How was it? It’s called Rumble-Swoosh! It’s an illusion spell that makes it look like Rumbling-Thunder!”
“What? That was an illusion spell just now?”
“Yep! It’s the Imperial Magic Academy, after all. It’d be boring if I just spent my time swinging my sword all day. Besides, no matter what I learn there, I’ll probably be the top student anyway. So instead of applying for the swordsmanship department, I decided to go for a magic-related field! I’ve been practicing really hard!”
“Ah… I see.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ sheds tears of pride at our Dark Knight’s academic ambition.]
So that was an illusion spell.
For a moment, I was completely fooled.
The light effect from the soaring Aura, the bone-rattling tremors that made it feel like the world itself was shaking—
The quality was perfect, convincing enough to deceive even me.
And now, instead of a swordsmanship course, she wanted to study magic.
Well, given that Charlotte was already at a level comparable to a Sword Master, there wasn’t much she could gain from undergraduate-level swordsmanship courses.
If she wanted to learn something, it’d have to be at a graduate level at least.
In that sense, choosing magic instead of swordsmanship was an incredibly productive decision.
What a remarkable girl.
“That’s an excellent choice. Having a variety of skills will surely be useful. Though I always thought you lacked talent in magic, it seems you had a hidden side to you.”
“Hehe. Other types of magic are still difficult for me, but illusion magic isn’t so bad! I’m starting with illusions and practicing different spells so I can get into the academy!”
“The spell itself was well-structured, but it lacked some finer details. The key to illusion magic is ensuring that no one notices the spell being cast. If you can’t conceal the mana waves during casting, then it’s meaningless. And unless you mimic the Aura’s mana waves precisely, no one will be fooled. I’ll teach you how to refine it.”
“Wait, really!? You’re the best, Knight Sister!!!”
Seeing Charlotte struggling with some aspects of her spell, Sylvia stepped forward and started giving her various tips.
First, she was in charge of training Charlotte in swordsmanship, and now she was about to teach her magic as well?
Whether in the original story or here, Sylvia seemed to be destined for the role of a mentor.
Charlotte clung to Sylvia, showering her with praise, calling her “the best”.
For a brief moment, I felt a tiny pang of jealousy.
But I was not a petty man, so I decided to let it go.
Whew. Once again, I had successfully maintained my dignity as a broad-minded and respectable adult.
‘I wonder if Julia is preparing well, too?’
As I was heading to check on Julia, I suddenly realized—
I had absolutely no reason to worry about her.
Julia’s talent as a Spirit Master was already at the level of a guaranteed valedictorian.
Even if she decided to apply for a completely different department, she’d still pass with ease.
She was incredibly intelligent—though she was a bit shy, when it came to studying, she was second to none.
Still, I was curious about how she was preparing, so I decided to visit the library.
“Julia. Do you happen to have—”
“Hyak!?”
“…?”
As soon as I opened the door, Julia practically jumped into the air from inside the library.
In the blink of an eye, she hid something behind her back.
“U-Uh? I-I’m right here! What’s up…?”
“Aren’t you overreacting a little?”
“O-O-Overreacting? Not at all? Not even a bit? I’m totally calm right now…?”
“…”
Her trembling voice, her ridiculously unnatural way of speaking—
It was so absurd that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Still, I decided to play along.
“Ah, I must’ve been mistaken, then.”
“Y-Yep! Of course! Oh! By the way, Aslan! I just remembered something! Really, I just thought of it! It’s totally not something I’ve been planning for a long time or anything! Uh, so, about a birthday party… Can we have one next Thursday?”
“Next Thursday? Alright, got it. But why that day specifically?”
“Uh, n-no reason? Just because? No particular reason at all?”
“…”
A birthday party, huh.
I had almost forgotten.
Charlotte and Julia didn’t know their actual birthdates, so we had decided to set a date for them to celebrate.
It had been nearly a year since they were supposed to pick a day, and now, after much deliberation, they had finally chosen one.
But wait a moment…
Next Thursday…?
‘Could it be the day Irene brought Charlotte and Julia to the estate?’
A year ago—
The day we first met.
That exact day.
