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On the third floor was a relatively small room called Seminar Room F, in which I usually hold practice sessions with my apprentices.
Two of my apprentices were already waiting for me inside after the heavy door was opened.
“Ah, Teacher. Helloー”
“Hello, Teacher.”
“Hey, you two.”
Greeting me with a beaming expression were Arti and Eto. They were the only two students with whom I had a mentor-apprentice relationship until now. For other teachers, having two apprentices would be regarded as a small number, but for a mediocre new teacher, it would be about standard. Plus, both of them possessed excellent features and had faith in me. Having a special relationship with these two students imposed an additional strain on me, but it was not a load I was averse to.
“Teacher, you said Fina would be here today, but ‘Kaguya’ is officially on leave following yesterday’s incident, right? Is Fina not showing up after all?”
“That’s possible, but… she’ll probably come.”
Truth be told, her attendance wasn’t ideal for me.
Right along with answering Arti’s question, the door behind me opened softly.
Arti and Eto’s faces lit up with awe, looking at the sight behind me. Indeed, my prediction seemed to have come true.
“I apologize for the delay.”
Turning my attention to the figure that entered respectfully with that remark, as expected, there stood Fina donning the uniform of the Selbeth School of Magic as if it were a natural thing to do.
“You did well to attend the practice session… is what I would like to say, but all the students of ‘Kaguya’ are supposed to be on official leave today, right?”
“Yes. As such, all of my classes today have been canceled. But this promise I made with Teacher Kanaki is a personal one, and is irrelevant with absences that are purely professional, I suppose.”
“Well, I figured your response would be that.”
With a smile that carried a hint of bitterness, I shrugged my shoulders.
“I apologize for being so abrupt, but I have a favor to ask of you, Teacher.”
“Abrupt huh? What is it?”
“Please instruct me on the way to protect Lady Karen.”
Each word that was delivered without a pause was emphatic, and her own ferocious will was evident.
This too was a rather predictable turn of events―
But my support for Fina was not a possibility at this time. After all, “Hunter” wasn’t the only one who would attack her today; even Matthias and the others were involved.
With “Hunter”, Fina might barely be up to the challenge, but against someone of Xenia and Matthias’ superiority, the odds would be impossible. Facing them would surely spell death. Fina’s disposition would not allow her to leave Karen’s side for even a moment tonight, so that must be thwarted as well.
All of this was to keep her alive at least―
For the time being, I presented the answer I had prepared. If this would persuade her, that would be all the better.
“Such a method doesn’t exist. If I had the ability to consolidate you by merely offering brief guidance, this room would be swarming with people by now, and you yourself are well aware of the unlikelihood of such an outcome.”
“No. Yesterday, in front of me, you brought down an invisible arrow shot by ‘Hunter’. With all due respect, I am certain that I am more advanced in detecting magical power than you are, and that you did not spot that arrow at all. Despite this, you successfully repelled the onslaught. There must have existed a thread of attack that I couldn’t see.”
“You also found out that yesterday’s foe was ‘Hunter’ huh…”
I barely managed to restrain myself from clicking my tongue.
While it was inevitable, the fact that I had knocked down the arrow before Fina at that time had worked against me in this situation. Indeed, with ability as impressive as Fina’s, she would be capable of dealing with that arrow once I impart a little guidance, but that was not my intention.
“…It is true that there are ways to handle that arrow. But, Fina, you know what? It is not something that can be learned overnight, and to begin with, Aldar should be the one to protect Karen. He will unquestionably possess the competence to protect her.”
“I am Lady Karen’s knight! Other than right now, when her life is in peril, when will I ever be of any value to Lady Karen!”
“I have already informed you of that before. Power is not the only means by which you can be of service to her. When I said that to you―”
“Unless I can protect Lady Karen now, there’s no other way!”
“B-Both of you settle down!”
Arti intervened after noticing how heated things were becoming.
I was naturally speaking too fast as well. Even when students have criticized me unilaterally, I have never quarreled with them, so this was something I was not accustomed to.
At times like this, emotional outbursts were not useful. From an objective standpoint, I would have to focus on reconciling my own assertions with those of the other party.
Relaxing my shoulders, I sought a compromise from a slightly different angle than before.
“…You are certainly an official knight of Karen’s, Fina. Even if you are a student, there is no change in that, and I am at fault for disrespecting your feelings. I am truly sorry about that.”
“N-No. I lost my composure too… excuse me.”
“Thank you. So, in light of that, let me ask you again, Fina, since you are also a member of ‘Kaguya’, you are part of Karen’s escort tonight, right? Have there been any specifics about where your duty rotation is going to be today?”
“No. That has not been determined yet. Of course, I am planning to protect Lady Karen in the closest place…”
“I see… I understand your feelings. Then, how about you take the initiative to stay away from her in order to protect her?”
“…? What do you mean?”
Not only Fina, but even Arti and Eto, who were observing uneasily from close by, were perplexed by what my remarks signified.
But I was unfazed by that. Because I had just found a way for Fina to be protected and have a high chance of survival.
Even this plan involved risks, of course. Fina might end up dying. Nevertheless, the probability of survival undoubtedly outweighed clashing with Matthias and Xenia, and because of her nature, I was convinced that Fina would accept this proposal.
“Fina. You can first watch over Karen while remaining by her side. But do you dare leave Karen’s side when ‘Hunter’ attacks—or, more concretely, when he fires that invisible arrow—for her sake?”
“Huh… What does that mean?”
“As I previously stated, the attack of the invisible arrow of ‘Hunter’ may or may not be thwarted with your learning potential in this brief period. The question I have for you is this: after you have knocked down the invisible arrow, are you prepared to track down ‘Hunter’ in the vicinity of where the arrow came from, approach him, and kill him?”
“―It goes without saying.”
Stressing the last part of the word, I questioned Fina about her resolve, to which an immediate and dependable reply was given.
“No matter who they are, Lady Karen’s adversaries will succumb to me. I will act without hesitation, even if it means taking their lives. Ever since I was appointed Lady Karen’s knight, I have been preparing for such a scenario.”
“I see. Then there is one more thing. While you are off to eliminate ‘Hunter’, it is obvious that you will not be able to be with Karen. In the meantime, can you entrust her to your companions?”
“Yes.”
This time, the response flew back to me more swiftly than before.
“Even though I haven’t been in ‘Kaguya’ for a month, all of them are incredibly strong individuals. Lady Karen is clearly not far behind, but Luis and Andrei are also dependable companions… It pains me to admit it, but Senior Aldar is an even greater magician than I am. With them, I can trust that they will protect Lady Karen while I am away.”
“…I see.”
The words that Fina just uttered would have been the very essence of her future.
I can trust that they will protect Karen, huh?
The word “trust” may sound alluring, but harboring unwarranted hopes can occasionally lead to betrayal.
I wondered how the trust that Fina had just expressed would play out…
A soft smile formed on my face as Fina’s demeanor grew more grave.
“Yeah, your tenacity has won me over. I won’t stop you now. I will also put all my effort into helping you to protect Karen.―In return, you must show up at school tomorrow with a cheerful face. That’s my condition. Is that clear?”
“―Yes! I am counting on you!”
A wave of relief surged through the room from the girls, and the scent of that gardenia stimulated my nostrils.