There is only one room available.
Given the temporal characteristics of this fantasy world, it’s not particularly unusual for men or women over the age of 15 to travel long distances and stay overnight at an inn.
‘Sharing a room between a man and a woman who just met is quite troublesome.’
If a man and a woman were to share a room instead of getting separate ones, it would be problematic for both us and the innkeeper.
“Uh, um.”
Yunia is flustered.
I hadn’t anticipated this situation either.
‘How could there be only one room in an inn in such a remote town?’
I can’t understand it.
However, the innkeeper didn’t seem to be making excuses, and the guest register hanging behind him was packed with names for each room.
‘Ah.’
I understood.
‘It’s either other new students from the Academy or their families.’
If they catch the early morning train, they can reach the Academy. If they miss it, they’ll be late for the Academy entrance exam and will have to wait until next year. They must be setting their alarms somehow to wake up early now.
The possibility that the first train might not arrive is high.
Here, one has to take the magic bus, which, although slow, departs reliably.
Trains and buses.
It’s obvious which will reach the Academy first, but—
‘Why should I worry about them?’
They don’t need to worry.
The ones who really need to be concerned are us.
“Yunia. About that.”
I was unsure how to handle Yunia, but—
“Let’s go with that. Is it alright, Brother?”
“…Uh.”
Yunia quickly grabbed the key from the innkeeper, and I answered gruffly while following her.
The innkeeper looked somewhat doubtful.
“Hey. That’s…”
“I’m from a rural village. My name is Red Sol Phoenix. Should I write my name here?”
“…Alright.”
However, he seemed to be indifferent.
“Say, young man.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not going to, you know, suddenly pounce on her or anything, right?”
“Don’t worry. She’s much stronger than I am.”
“So, you’re not going to, you know, fall for her or anything like that?”
“?”
The innkeeper even had no prejudices.
“In today’s world, with a girl…”
He looked at me with a somewhat worried expression, probably concerned about any untoward incidents.
“I hope you don’t end up losing your mana or anything. Oh, how bold.”
Yunia suddenly started acting strangely.
“We’re going to the Academy early tomorrow morning.”
“Ah, I see. A new face. You’re going for the entrance exam? I thought so.”
“Yes.”
“Somehow. Oh, me again. Be careful. I could tell right away that the girl was big. If she had been flat, she wouldn’t have been accepted even if there was a room.”
“Of course.”
After writing my name in the register, I took out the prepared money.
“Young man.”
“Yes.”
“Your sister could use some financial education. Even if you’re from a rural area, you shouldn’t just go up recklessly before paying.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for today.”
“Mm.”
The innkeeper nodded lightly at my thanks and pointed to the stairs.
“Ah, and be careful. With men around…”
On the way up the stairs.
“Miss Yunia. Are you acting?”
“Hey, Brother. If you say that…”
Maybe she didn’t hear the conversation, but Yunia was still acting.
“Want to see something?”
Before Yunia went up the stairs, I pointed to a sign hanging on the wall.
“What do you think this mark is?”
“…Silverstar?”
“Correct. It’s Silverstar.”
A silver-plated insignia was framed and hanging there.
Those from the East call it the ‘Silverstar’.
“It’s proof that this inn belongs to the Silverstar Accommodation Union. It’s also managed by the Silverstar Trading Company.”
“Ah…”
“It’s better to act honestly rather than pretend. I noticed your act. Payment is already done. If this happens again, just leave it to me.”
“…That.”
Yunia’s face turned red.
“Back home….”
“I don’t know what it’s like in Miss Yunia’s hometown, but I think you’d know better the closer we get to the Academy. Should we go to the room first?”
“…Yes.”
Yunia followed me with her head bowed, and I went up the stairs to find the room number on the key.
Room 205.
Crrrr.
The door creaks open.
As with many inns in fantasy worlds, with beds on both sides—
“Hah.”
As soon as Yunia stepped inside, she was dismayed.
“Uh…”
“There’s only one bed.”
Trouble.
Only one bed.
‘Did they really misunderstand us as siblings?’
We do have the same blond hair, and Yunia did call me ‘Brother’, but it seems the innkeeper truly has no prejudices.
‘Or maybe we didn’t seem awkward enough to make them think we’re just meeting each other for the first time, or perhaps a bit of awkwardness didn’t make us look like a couple or married couple.’
Or maybe the innkeeper felt sorry for us being here for the Academy entrance exam and decided to accommodate us.
Either way, the innkeeper didn’t know our true identities but still showed consideration just because we mentioned the Academy entrance exam.
I can’t let this consideration turn into a troublesome situation.
“Miss Yunia, you rest in the room. I’ll stay outside…”
“What are you saying?”
Just as I was about to leave, Yunia pushed me back inside and shut the door.
“Are you planning to do something strange?”
“Something strange?”
“Th-that…!”
Yunia turned red and raised both hands towards me.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you do anything weird, I won’t let it go…!”
“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘weird’, but are you saying you’ll sleep in the same room with a man?”
“It can’t be helped. Uh, once we get into the Academy, we might have to share rooms during training sessions, so…”
Yunia scratched her cheek, then pushed me further towards the bed.
“You must be tired, so let’s sleep together. Oh, I mean, not share the bed. I’ll lower the blanket and sleep on the floor…”
“Miss Yunia, you sleep on the bed. Why would I have a woman sleep on the floor and get scolded for that?”
“Who would scold you?”
“That’s…”
I moved my luggage to the wall, then spread out the blanket from the bed onto the floor like a mattress.
“I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit and then we’ll depart at dawn, alright?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Then, should I wash up first? It might be more convenient for Miss Yunia too if I go first.”
“Well…”
“Miss Yunia.”
I extended my hand towards the gap between the bed and the blanket on the floor, drawing a line with my fingers.
“If you cross this line, Miss Yunia, I’ll report you.”
“…Pfft!”
Yunia covered her mouth with her hand at my exaggerated gesture, and I put down my luggage and headed for the bathroom.
“…”
It’s not a one-night stand with a heroine.
The other person was 17.
‘If I touch her before graduation, I’ll get the death penalty, death penalty.’
I’m not an adult, but I’m not the kind of p*rvert who would think or act like that toward a minor.
‘Doing something like that would bring about the end of the world.’
I don’t want this world to end.
Therefore.
Splash.
I entered the shower booth in the bathroom, turned on the water, undressed, and let the water cleanse me.
Though the body is made of mana, clothes are definitely real.
Oh.
Where did I get the clothes?
There was a luggage compartment on the train, and I made a brief detour.
‘They’ll understand.’
The world won’t end because of me, so a set of clothes should be a small price to pay.
* * *
Thud.
Yunia threw herself onto the bed and lay down.
She was tired from walking a long distance, but there had been so much going on today.
Until morning, there had been no major issues.
A normal village girl from a completely ordinary—
Although not entirely ordinary, it was at least outwardly an ordinary village maiden who turned 17 and boarded a train to enter the Academy.
A magic engineering bow used for training in her hometown.
Some money and clothes for use at the Academy.
That was all.
Yunia came with the ‘mission’ left by her grandmother and didn’t have much.
And she realized she didn’t know as much as she thought she did.
She had hoped that once the magic train reached Esdinas, she could handle the rest as she had learned, but everything turned chaotic after that strange man appeared.
Red Sol Phoenix.
A strange person who claimed he would create his own family name even though he didn’t have one.
Or perhaps, someone who already has the family name ‘Sol Phoenix’ but pretends to be a commoner publicly?
What could it be?
No matter how much Yunia thought about it, Phoenix in the shower was highly suspicious.
Even if he used fire to cast illusion magic.
He didn’t seem to have multiple lives, yet he stepped up to address issues with Vinyudan and the Mana-sucking Ants, risking his life.
Acting as if he knew something, taking initiative in conversations with Yunia, but never fully getting involved—yet still trying to help her whenever he could.
“What is this…?”
Yunia covered her forehead with her hand.
Fatigue was setting in, but because of this Phoenix character, she couldn’t make clear judgments.
The incident at the inn’s entrance was just one example.
“…”
Thump Thump Thump.
Yunia pounded her fists on the bed, then covered her face again.
“Ugh…!”
Her head began to heat up quickly.
—No matter how rural the inn might be, how could they allow minors to stay together?
In Yunia’s hometown, it was illegal for minors to enter an inn together.
“Esdinas Academy, they said…”
Esdinas Academy.
A place where rumors suggested certain… interactions among students were encouraged.
Of course, the official policy was strict when it came to managing ‘minors under the age of 20’.
Particularly, if a boy and girl under 20 engaged in inappropriate or suspicious behavior, the Academy may expel them.
In fact, there was a case where a female student got pregnant in her third year, and she was expelled before she could graduate.
Esdinas Academy is known for strict oversight up until just before graduation.
However, it’s also heard that the Academy encourages healthy and safe relationships between male and female students, right up until graduation.
Perhaps this situation was part of that.
A 17-year-old boy and girl sharing a room at an inn might just be ‘city norms’.
Maybe spending the night together in a room was normal in the city, and she was just overreacting.
“…This is really scary.”
Yunia let out a long sigh.
“Will I be able to handle this?”
Yunia had a mission.
To meet a destined figure and help them prevent the world’s destruction.
The thought made her a bit dizzy—
Clatter.
A dull sound came from the bathroom.
“!!”
Yunia instinctively sprang up from the bed and headed towards the bathroom.
“Are you okay?!”
What if he had collapsed in there?
Her mind raced as she hurried over, nervously knocking on the bathroom door.
Knock Knock.
“Huh?”
The door shifted under her hand.
It wasn’t locked—
“Oh, no.”
Inside the shower.
Through the slightly open door.
“I forgot to lock it.”
The man, with a towel wrapped around his head, was drying his hair and giving a wry smile.
“…”
Yunia’s gaze naturally drifted downward.
“Ah.”
And Yunia saw it.
A massive…
“Dragon.”
Something.
Something she’d never seen before in her life.
It was incomparable to anything she’d ever read about in books, far more magnificent.
