The capital of the Brander Kingdom, which boasts two academies, Ardley Academy and Exland Academy.
On a certain afternoon during a break, three girls were walking in one corner of the city.
"I wonder if that child is doing well..."
"It'll be fine. Lady Marcella said that even if she was stepped on by a dragon, she wouldn't break..."
"That's right! She's probably saying, 'I wonder if Marcella is doing well...' right now!"
"Do you think so... No, I'm sure she is!"
Eight months had passed since then. Marcella, Monica, and Oriana, who had advanced to their third year, were the three.
After graduation, Marcella would return to her family home to train as a bride, Monica would help with the family business while looking for a husband, and Oriana would have to take a public office in exchange for having her scholarship forgiven. They could live leisurely for only one more year.
A slightly narrower street, a bit away from the center of town.
However, it was not a desolate back alley with no passersby. On this road, two men blocked the path of Marcella and her friends. Marcella quickly checked behind her and saw two more men.
...They were surrounded.
"Do you have any business with us?"
Without showing any sign of fear, Marcella asked. Monica and Oriana, however, clung together in fear.
"Just thought we'd have a little chat."
"If you wish to court us, please formally ask my father through an introducer."
"Wha...?"
Of course, she wasn't serious. Thugs or ex-hunters wouldn't formally ask a nobleman's daughter for a date. Marcella was not Ader, not Ader!
"Y-You're joking... Come on, come here! Someone wants to see you!"
As he said this, the man reached out to grab Marcella.
"Light!"
"Ouch!"
Oriana, using one of her weak but practical daily life magic spells, set the man's exposed arm on fire.
"Y-You brat! We were told to bring at least a noble's daughter, and that it's fine to kill commoners! You'll regret this in hell!"
Saying this, the man pulled back his hand and drew his sword.
"Die!"
As the sword was swung down and Oriana braced for death, Marcella stepped in front of her.
"What!"
Surprised that the noble's daughter, who was ordered to be brought unharmed, had stepped in front of the sword, the man tried to stop his sword but it was too late. There was a nasty feeling.
However, the sword had not pierced the noble's daughter. Instead, it had sunk into a block of ice that had appeared in front of her.
"What..."
"...Light"
Before the man could react, Oriana, with a blank expression, muttered. The man's hair burst into flames.
"AAAAAAH!"
Oriana, who was watching the man roll around trying to extinguish the fire on his head, was angry. Very angry.
"Water Ball!"
Monica's water ball, summoned with a shortened incantation, hit the face of the other man blocking their path and stopped.
"Choke, choke, choke, choke, choke!"
The man, who had suddenly inhaled water into his windpipe, frantically tried to shake the water ball off but the water covering his head wouldn't budge. No matter how he tried to scratch it off with his hands or run around to shake it off, the water ball wouldn't leave his head, and his movements gradually became sluggish.
Meanwhile, Marcella, as soon as Oriana's attack drove the man away, turned around and cast the next spell. Like Oriana and Monica, she used a shortened incantation. She could cast without an incantation, but when she had the time, it was more powerful to just say the spell name.
"Fire Shot!"
Two fire bullets were fired, hitting the right shoulders of the two men blocking their path. The two men dropped their swords and fell, spinning. Marcella had plenty of time to aim carefully.
Marcella, Monica, and Oriana had not been idle for the two years since they first received magic lessons from Ader. One year and two months with Ader, and the following eight months on their own. They had continued to work hard and research for the future.
The three, who were intelligent, had continued to hone their skills based on the knowledge of the roots of magic they had learned from Ader, and the amount of magic they originally had was not a problem. Although they were initially in danger when the thieves, who seemed to be kidnappers, suddenly drew their swords, if they didn't let their guard down, it wouldn't be difficult to capture such thieves with restraint.
"Well, who hired you, I wonder..."
As the thieves, who were now complaining that they hadn't heard about the girls using magic and that they were just supposed to bring a noble's daughter, were being trampled, hunters who seemed to be nearby rushed to the scene. It seemed that the interrogation would be left to the experts.
On the way to the guild to explain the situation.
Oriana, who was unusually sullen, confronted Marcella.
"Marcella, what were you thinking!"
"What do you mean?"
"When the thief attacked me! Why did you do something so dangerous... Aren't you afraid of dying? Your life is much more valuable than mine..."
"Oriana..."
Marcella interrupted Oriana.
"I am afraid of dying. But compared to the fear of being unable to do anything and losing you right before my eyes and living the rest of my life regretting it, it's not a big deal."
Oriana, who had been smiling, became enraged.
"Don't joke around! Then, what about me, who has to watch you die to protect myself! Isn't that an even greater fear! Are you going to burden me with that!"
"Ah..."
Marcella, who had never considered this, was left speechless.
"I'm sorry..."
"Then, will you promise never to do that again!"
Marcella shook her head.
"I can't promise that."
"Why not!"
Marcella, looking puzzled, answered.
"Because you are my dear friend, and I am me, Marcella."
"..."
No matter how much she said, it was useless.
Oriana understood that much.
But it couldn't be helped. That was Marcella, the wonderful noble girl she admired and respected...
"...That's the story."
In the guild master's room on the second floor of the Hunter's Guild, Marcella and her friends were explaining the situation.
The guild master was sitting at a table set up in front of his desk, along with Marcella and her friends. The guild master was sitting facing the desk, and Marcella and her friends were sitting in a row in front of him. A receptionist, acting as a secretary, was standing diagonally behind the guild master.
"Hmm, what did they want to do with Marcella, the third princess's favorite? Or was it to take her hostage? Well, the experts will investigate that.
However, to challenge three D-rank hunter mages with that level of force, even if they are D-rank, is quite something. They must have had no prior knowledge..."
"Ha ha ha..."
That's right, they were D-rank hunters.
The action prediction of Ader, calculated by the 'Super Ader Simulator' to which Marcella's 'Ader Simulator' and Monica and Oriana's 'Link System' were connected, was as follows:
Where is she?
Domestic presence probability: 6%
Foreign escape probability: 94%
What is she doing?
Hiding alone in the forest: 5%
Infiltrating a noble's house: 4%
Living-in maid: 7%
Working in a shop in a town: 9%
Hunter: 69%
Other: 6%
And so, they registered as hunters "just in case."
Their goal was to reach C-rank by graduation, at the very least D-rank. Ader would definitely be C-rank by the time they graduated, and would not be B-rank or higher, even if there was an opportunity. They were confident of this.
Fortunately, thanks to the knowledge they learned from Ader, Marcella, who had become a normal mage in terms of magic power, Monica, who had become the lowest level of mage, and Oriana, who had become about half of that, could cast spells at an astonishing speed using Ader's method of 'imagining the phenomenon directly without any incantation.' Of course, to avoid being noticed by others, they deliberately took a little time, pretending that they had become able to perform quick mental incantations through blood-spitting training...
In addition, they could produce power that exceeded their magic power due to their efficient use of magic, and their actual magic power exceeded that of an average mage. Therefore, they were able to start at D-rank through the guild's skip system. Of course, this was a secret from their families.
They did not intend to become regular hunters, but they thought it would be useful to have more options if they ever met Ader again. Besides, a C-rank hunter qualification would not be a hindrance when they got married. Having a C-rank hunter qualification as a mage would be the best proof of their magical talent.
Although they did not intend to become regular hunters, they thought it would be good to learn some basic skills, so they did some herb gathering, horn rabbit hunting, and goblin hunting with other parties. The F to D-rank boy parties to which Marcella and her friends proposed a joint effort did not refuse, not even once.
After that, Marcella and her friends did not take on any hunting or gathering requests, but they received many requests as D-rank hunters.
They were escort requests.
Not for caravans. If it were, they would usually specify C-rank or higher, and as students, Marcella and her friends could not take them. The requests they received were for one-day escorts for girls.
Noble daughters or daughters of wealthy merchants who had to go to places where safety was a concern, and Marcella and her friends would act as sisters, friends, or servants to provide close protection. They could accompany the girls to the bathroom or bath, and could repel or buy time against a few attackers, looking nothing like hunters at 11-12 years old.
There were also regular guards nearby, so it was enough to buy a little time, and they were very useful. They received requests not only on break days but also on weekdays, and if it was absolutely necessary, they would accept through the school and be counted as present, and the influential people who could get their way with the school were happy to accept the conditions.
They were almost never attacked, and Marcella and her friends steadily built up a record of A-rated mission completions.