“Are you okay, Puppy?!”
Right after bursting her magic with a Rush.
The young lady stopped sparring in shock and rushed over to me.
“You’re not hurt, right? Hmm?”
She lifted my arm, the one that had blocked the magic, to inspect it.
Then she cupped my face with both hands, checking there too.
Before long, she started feeling around my body, examining my condition…
“I’m perfectly fine.”
…There’s no way I’d be injured.
After all, haven’t I always countered the young lady’s magic during training?
Sure, this time the fireball was larger than usual, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.
“Well, aren’t you two close.”
Terra teased, seeing the young lady’s worried expression.
“We can’t have our Puppy getting hurt…”
“This much won’t hurt me.”
I have to be sturdy, after all.
Honestly, if I had just strengthened my Guard a bit more, I could’ve tanked it without any trouble.
“Uh… Are you really okay?”
Serena, who had been watching earlier, also approached with concern in her voice.
Her tone was a bit more cautious than usual.
…Unintentionally, I might have raised my stock in their eyes.
This troublesome talent of mine.
To manage Rush so perfectly under pressure after employing Fleet… what a show.
But more importantly—
Clench.
I opened and closed the hand that had released the magic, recalling the sensation from earlier.
…It was incredibly satisfying.
The feeling of bursting that energy-packed magic—it was leagues beyond popping a balloon or bubble wrap.
“You handled it even better than I expected.”
Terra returned, tilting her chin upward.
It irked me a little—acting all smug when she was the one who’d fired the spell.
But then—
Whisssh—
A faint, invisible energy flowed from my jaw and into Terra.
“Wasting mana unnecessarily, weren’t you?”
“…You put a shield on me?”
…When did she manage to do that?
It was so subtle that I hadn’t even noticed.
“Of course. Can you imagine the uproar if Aria lost her mind because her Puppy got hurt?”
“…Ah, yes.”
How sly of her.
No wonder she kept touching me—she must’ve been applying it little by little.
I guess she wanted to see how I would react.
“Well, how do you two feel after sparring?”
Changing the topic, Terra turned to the two who had been dueling.
“Hmm…”
“Honestly, it was fun.”
Now that I think about it, this was their first match, wasn’t it?
If it hadn’t been interrupted, it likely would’ve been a fierce fight.
From what I could see, their skills seemed evenly matched.
“Right? Sparring with someone of similar skill is not only fun but also the fastest way to improve.”
Ah, I understand that feeling all too well.
After all, I’ve sparred countless times with Kaiden and Darren.
Pushing yourself in intense matches is how you grow quickly.
“It’s a shame, though—both of you are my students, and your affinities are similar.”
“Aren’t there any mages with different affinities in the capital?”
“Not your age. The older ones with bigger heads won’t bother sparring with you.”
Satisfied that my body was unscathed, I sat nearby and eavesdropped on Terra’s conversation with her two students.
Hmm, so the Adel Kingdom doesn’t seem to have any other talented young mages around the young lady’s age.
And it seems magic is heavily influenced by affinities.
As someone who usually spends time with sweaty knights, it’s rare to overhear the musings of a perfumed mage.
“Well, dueling with knights isn’t a bad idea either… so that’s good, at least.”
“Do you think there are any knights who’d spar with us?”
“They’re not knights, but… right here.”
However,
Though I had intended to remain an unnoticed listener, at some point, I became the subject of their conversation.
“Oh, that’s true.”
“It’s rare to find an Aura user your age who’s this obedient.”
“…I am not obedient.”
Do they think I’m some kind of stray dog?
Excuse me? I may look like this, but I’m the loyal hound of the Boyd family.
Unless it’s the young lady or Lowell, I don’t follow orders.
“Puppy, are you going to spar with them?”
“…If the young lady asks, I will.”
…But if the young lady requests it, there’s no choice.
“Good. Puppy, sparring with a mage of similar skill will be a valuable experience for you, too.”
“Yes…”
Honestly.
If I’m being very honest.
Their skills are impressive for their age, but could they really stand a chance against me? Probably not.
I am, after all, a fully trained Aura user, well-versed in the Boyd family’s secret techniques.
Still…
“I’ll be counting on you.”
Terra and Serena, unaware of my true abilities, simply nodded, satisfied with my agreement.
“Alright, then. Next time we’ll have a match.”
“…We’re not doing it today?”
Her response surprised me.
I thought we’d start right away.
“Look at them. They’ve probably run out of mana by now.”
“Ah.”
“Unlike knights, mages burn through their reserves quickly, especially when they lack experience.”
…That makes sense.
Unlike Aura users, who mainly use Aura for physical reinforcement and reserve techniques for critical moments.
Mages consume a significant amount of mana with each spell.
It’s no wonder they can’t spar all day like knights.
“Well then, with sparring over, today’s lesson is done.”
“That was quick.”
“But you probably got more out of it than usual.”
With that, it was time for the visitors to leave.
“Take care, Serena.”
“I’ll see you again next time.”
It seemed the young lady and Serena had grown a bit closer during their time together.
Could the young lady finally be making a friend?
Come to think of it, she’s always been alone in the mansion, so she must have been lonely.
Given that they’re both mages with similar interests and close in age, I hope they become good friends.
“It must be a bit disappointing for you.”
“Hmm? Why?”
In the midst of this warm farewell.
Serena said something to the young lady with a hint of regret.
“You seem close to your puppy, but won’t you miss him when you go to the Royal Magic Academy?”
“Huh? Can’t I bring him with me?”
“What? Pets aren’t allowed there.”
Out of everyone, I was the most shocked by her statement.
…The Magic Academy?
Is it time for the young lady to go to school?
This was news to me.
**
The Royal Magic Academy.
Founded by the Astel family with support from the kingdom, it is the only magic academy in the Adel Kingdom.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all the kingdom’s central mages came from this academy.
And now, the young lady’s enrollment was imminent.
This news sounded like a stroke of luck for me.
Wouldn’t this be the perfect chance for uninterrupted training?
No, wait, not so fast.
If the young lady goes, won’t Kaiden and Darren follow as her escorts?
If that happens, I’d lose sparring partners, making training even harder.
As I was mulling over how to adjust my training in the young lady’s absence—
“No way!”
I heard the young lady’s voice from another room, where she was speaking with Lowell.
“I’m taking Puppy with me!”
“Young lady, pets are not allowed at the Royal Magic Academy.”
Since Serena’s departure, the young lady had been debating the matter with Lowell.
She seemed unable to accept the idea of leaving me behind.
“I’ll bring him as a servant!”
“You were calling him ‘Puppy’ just a moment ago, and now you want to make him a servant?”
“He can serve as a working dog!”
It seemed Lowell believed I should stay at the mansion.
The young lady, however, was adamant about taking me with her.
“Excuse me, but…”
Just as their debate was heating up—
“Aria should study abroad in the Empire. I’ve told you this many times.”
Terra, who had been listening to the argument, spoke up, casually dropping the word “Empire” into the conversation.
“The head of the family strongly opposes that.”
“I’ll persuade him. Aria’s talent exceeds what the Royal Magic Academy can provide.”
“They have excellent instructors…”
“Oh, please. If they’re so great, why is Serena learning from me instead of her own family’s academy?”
“…Fair point.”
There’s a school in the Empire… of course, there would be.
It’s the continent’s most powerful nation, so naturally, the quality of education there would be on another level.
“I’m not going abroad!”
Well, it seems the young lady doesn’t want to go anywhere, no matter the destination.
Still, I hope she’ll consider the Empire.
It’s home to the most advanced cities on the continent.
If she goes, she’ll broaden her horizons and gain invaluable experience.
“If I can’t take Puppy with me, I’m not going anywhere!”
However, the young lady, unaware of my well-meaning thoughts, stubbornly continued to throw a tantrum in front of Lowell and Terra.
“But—But Puppy would get lonely without me!”
Now she was dragging me into her argument.
“Isn’t that right?”
Clinging to my neck, she spoke pitifully, but…
To be honest, I don’t really care.
It’s not like she’d be gone forever; she’d come back eventually, wouldn’t she?
Besides, even if it’s the Royal Magic Academy, it’s in the capital—not far at all.
“…I follow the young lady’s wishes.”
Still, saying that out loud would surely upset her, so I played along, showing a bit of support.
My opinion doesn’t matter much here anyway, so I might as well choose the path that gets me in the least trouble.
“See? Puppy wants to come with me too!”
“Aria, look at his face. That dog will go wherever without much care.”
“…Huh? Puppy?”
Oh no.
That crazy mage.
The young lady turned to me with wide, questioning eyes.
…Unfortunately, I have no talent for feigning expressions.
“Even you?! Waaah!”
In the end.
The young lady, who hadn’t cried like this since her adolescence began, burst into tears and hugged me even tighter.
“I fed you! Gave you a place to sleep! Trained you! Did everything for you!”
“…Young lady, your tears are soaking my clothes.”
It had been so long since I’d seen her cry like this.
Ever since her early adolescence, she’d kept her emotions bottled up. Now, even as my clothes grew increasingly damp, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.
Is this what it feels like to raise a child?
A year ago, she used to cry like this more often. Lately, she’s been acting prickly, and honestly, I miss these moments a little.
“Waaah!”
…Wait, no. The young lady is in distress, and I’m here reflecting?
“Young lady, please don’t be so upset.”
“Why? Does that mean you’ll come with me?”
“There’s always the weekends—”
“Waaaah! I’m not going anywhere!”
That day, the young lady threw a fit for hours.
In the end.
“Ugh… Puppy….”
With her eyes swollen, she cried herself out in the doghouse, reluctantly coming to terms with the situation.
“I’ll visit often… don’t go anywhere….”
“…Understood.”
And so.
The young lady’s enrollment at the Royal Magic Academy was finalized.
…It’s funny, considering the academy is just a short 20-minute carriage ride from the Boyd family’s mansion in the capital. What a dramatic series of events.
