[Kyaaaa… We’re on good terms…]
[K-Kaaaargh… Yes… We’ll get along…]
“Heh heh! This is great, great!”
With Dirt-Dirt and the Great Spirit of Water holding hands, they muttered soullessly, cold sweat dripping from their faces.
Julia clapped her hands enthusiastically and smiled in satisfaction.
For some reason, her smile felt terrifying. Maybe because I’d only ever seen her timid side before.
It turns out she becomes infinitely strict when dealing with spirits.
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ trembles in fear, hoping that our necromancer never scolds them.]
Why is Kali scared?
Rendered speechless by the absurdity of it, I couldn’t help but momentarily pause.
But somehow, imagining Julia reprimanding even Kali seemed entirely plausible.
“Dirt-Dirt made a friend!!!”
[Kyaaak! It’s not a new friend; I’ve known this guy for ages!]
“Whatever the case may be! Dirt-Dirt won’t be lonely anymore! You’ve even made peace with Water-Water, so now you can have fun together!”
[Kraaa! Water-Water? Is that what you’re calling me now?! You insolent brat…!]
[Kyaaa! Insolent brat or not, I’m the only spirit allowed to call you that! Accept the name Water-Water gracefully!]
[Krrr! Kraaagh! No! How can I accept such a pitiful-sounding name…?!]
The Great Spirit of Water—or rather, Water-Water—began thrashing about on the ground.
Charlotte, known for her catastrophic naming sense, had, strangely enough, managed to come up with a decent name for a spirit.
“Great Spirit of Water” was far too long and formal to be practical.
But “Water-Water”? That had a nice ring to it.
Of course, Water-Water had no say in the matter.
If they had a problem, they could come back stronger than Julia’s binding spell.
But considering Julia had already managed to dominate two Great Spirits, surpassing her seemed impossible.
“To think she’d completely tame two Great Spirits…”
[Kyaaa! Tamed? This is temporary benevolence!]
[Kraaargh! Yes, as if this body would ever submit to mere humans!]
“That’s amazing! What’s your name? I want to be your disciple!”
“Huh? Uh? W-What?!”
I’d been ignoring the situation since the spirits sprawled out on the floor.
But suddenly, a girl with a round bun hairstyle sprang to life, rushed over to Julia, and grabbed her hands.
Despite meeting her for the first time today and not even knowing her name, she dared to grab Julia’s soft, small hands without hesitation.
It annoyed me to no end, but Julia was finally forming connections with others. I couldn’t interfere.
“Disciple? I’m just an inexperienced Spirit Master. Taming spirits? I didn’t tame them; I just calmed them down with words. And anyway, Dirt-Dirt and Water-Water are the only ones I’ve ever managed to talk to…”
“Even if it’s just two, the fact that both are Great Spirits is incredible! A Spirit Master capable of controlling Great Spirits is something out of legend! Please take me in as your disciple, Master!”
“A-Ahh…”
Julia, who had just moments ago been stern and intimidating toward the spirits, completely froze up as the bun-haired girl closed the distance with enthusiasm.
Considering the girl was older, taller, and throwing herself at Julia, begging to be her disciple, it was no surprise Julia was flustered.
“Excuse me, Master. Which department are you enrolled in?”
“Oh, um… This is just a uniform I wore for the tour… I don’t attend the academy…”
“What?! Really?!”
“But I’m planning to take the academy’s entrance exam next year! If I pass, I’ll probably enter the Spirit Studies department…”
“Is that true, Master?! I’m in the Spirit Studies department! Next year, we can attend together, and I can learn from you directly!”
“Y-Yes, that’s right…”
The bun-haired girl was jumping for joy, chatting away with Julia for a long time.
Eventually, Julia returned to me, visibly drained and looking like all her energy had been sucked out.
She dragged herself over to me as if I were a magnet, then collapsed against my side, curling naturally around my waist as I opened an arm to let her in.
“I’m exhausted… Somehow, I made a friend today, but she’s so overbearing… Now I really have to get into the Imperial Magic Academy next year…”
“You did well. She’s more like a disciple than a friend, though.”
“Hmph… Now I have a friend too… Not just Charlotte and Yuri anymore…”
“…”
I gently stroked Julia’s hair as she leaned against me.
She’s always been timid and hesitant, taking forever to open up to even me.
For her to make a new friend—or disciple—on her own was a big step forward.
No amount of encouragement or praise would be too much for her bravery.
“So, what year is the bun-haired girl in?”
“You mean Lillia? She said she’s a fourth-year… Uh, wait…”
“…?”
That’s odd.
The Imperial Magic Academy’s Spirit Studies program is four years long.
If Julia enters next year, won’t Lillia have graduated by then?
The realization was so absurd, I could only let out a hollow laugh.
***
The sudden events at the academy caused quite a stir.
Thankfully, they were resolved without too much trouble, allowing us to return home peacefully.
Charlotte’s “flawless logic” unraveled the Great Mage Calista’s prophecy about the hero’s destiny, sparing us from that mess.
The commotion caused by Water-Water and Dirt-Dirt’s clash earned Julia recognition and a commendation from the academy’s dean.
Of course, the chaos was sparked because Dirt-Dirt had followed us to the academy without permission.
To avoid blame, we decided to keep Dirt-Dirt’s affiliation with the Vermont family a secret.
No need for anyone to know it was my responsibility.
“Haah! I’m so tired! Exhausted! I only came here for a light tour, but so much happened that it’s draining!”
“Already tired? I still wanted to look around more…”
“One of the reasons we can’t look around more is because you broke the orb, Charlotte…”
“Ehehehe!”
As the sun set in the distance, we climbed into the carriage heading back to the Vermont estate.
Julia looked as worn out as I was—no, probably even more so.
Meanwhile, Charlotte somehow still seemed full of energy.
This girl…
Wasn’t she just designated as the Hero, almost entrusted with the fate of the world?
How could she be so unfazed?
It was yet another moment where I fully realized Charlotte might truly be superhuman.
“So, what did you think of the tour? Did it make you want to attend the academy?”
“Yes! Yes, yes! It looks so fun! The uniforms are pretty, and Yuri is attending too, so I’d love to be there with her! I definitely want to go!”
“M-Me too… Studying Spirit Mastery alone with just books was so hard. I think it’d be better to learn with others. And now that I somehow have a disciple, I feel like I have to work hard… Yeah, I really want to go… to the academy.”
“Please send me to the Academy, Mister! I’ll study hard, earn lots of money later, and pay you back!”
“I’d be so happy if you could send me too…!”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ sheds tears, moved by the admirable hearts of our Necromancer and Dark Knight.]
With Charlotte and Julia each clutching one of my arms, they gazed up at me with earnest eyes.
I guess I’d succeeded in inspiring their enthusiasm for the academy.
As Kali mentioned, they were truly praiseworthy kids.
They weren’t just passionate about wanting to study—they even said they’d repay the tuition someday.
How could such angelic children exist?
Just the thought that I was raising such pure and kind-hearted girls to be worthy brides in the future made me feel overwhelmingly blessed.
“Fine. I’ll cover your tuition. But passing the entrance exam will be entirely up to your abilities.”
“Yay! I love you, Mister!”
“W-What?! Charlotte! How can you say something like that so casually?!”
“Huh? What’s wrong with saying I love you?”
“It’s an embarrassing thing to say out loud, especially in public!”
“Julia, are you embarrassed by Mister?”
“That’s not what I meant!!!”
Charlotte and Julia started bickering again, as they usually did.
Not long after, the exhaustion from the day caught up with them, and both soon fell asleep against my shoulders.
Finally, the carriage grew quiet.
Even though they’re angels when they’re awake, they look even more angelic when they’re sleeping.
Relieved to have some peace and quiet, I closed my eyes to rest as well.
“My Lord.”
“Hm? Oh, Sylvia, you were there.”
“What do you mean ‘I was there’? I haven’t been using any stealth techniques; I’ve been here the whole time.”
“Right. So, what is it?”
Sylvia, who had been sitting quietly in the corner of the carriage, slowly rose to her feet.
She’d been so silent that I’d momentarily forgotten she was even there.
I tilted my head, curious about her purpose for speaking up.
“It’s nothing urgent. I just thought now might be one of the few chances in the day…”
“What…?”
Swoosh.
In an instant, her form shrank, transforming into that of a child.
Wait, what? This girl?!