At the back of the Magic Academy, there was an open courtyard which was normally used by the students for practicing ranged offensive magic. Target dummies were lined up at various distances from the established firing lanes.

A male student, who was in his late teens, stood on one of the firing lanes. He moved his hands in a sequence of patterns with his eyes focusing at the closest target dummy, which was just eight meters away from his position.

“Fire breath!” He shouted, extending his right arm forward.

Fwooosh!

A raging flame came out from the palm of his hand and engulfed the target dummy. Those who were near enough from him could feel the intense heat emanated by the flame, covering their face with the long sleeves of their robes. At the end of it, the target dummy remained pristine, protected by a dome-shaped energy barrier around it. The barrier emanated a bright red glow for a few seconds before vanishing from sight.

Sedhoust Grasmord, who had been standing nearby and watching with his arms folded, spoke to the student. “Not bad. Now try applying the function and shoot at that one.”

“Yes, Teach.” The student said, fixating his eyes on a different target dummy which was twenty meters away. He moved his hands in the same pattern sequence, but this time it took a bit more time since he added a new sequence afterwards. “Fire breath!”

Fwooosh!

Once again, the student extended his right arm forward and a raging flame came out from the palm. This time the flame was smaller and less impressive than before, but it was shot out in a way similar to a water jet, consequently enabling it to reach the designated target dummy. Like before, the dummy was shielded by a barrier, although this time the barrier’s glow was closer to the color of dusk sky rather than bright red.

“Whoah!” A few awed voices could be heard among the crowd of students watching.

Sedhoust subtly nodded with a small smile. “Good work. Now you have seen the added function in action. It does not make your spell stronger, the opposite in fact. But, it will provide you with more options to the vast variety of situations you may face in the future.”

Soon, all the present students went to their respective firing lanes and began practicing their own magic spells. Sedhoust walked around, observing how well all the students were doing. Some did better than others, while a few did a little bit worse. However, all of them clearly tried their earnest to improve themselves.

“Umm, Professor?” One female student called out, raising her hand and looking at Sedhoust, who approached her without saying a word. “Professor said that the function reduces power, right? I wonder why my spell seems to become stronger instead.”

Sedhoust cracked a smile. “Interesting. Show me.”

The female student went back to her firing lane facing forward, while several other students came closer to spectate. “This is without the function.” Her left hand moved in a sequence of patterns while her right hand was extended forward. “Icicle shot!”

As the spell name implied, an icicle formed in front of the student’s palm and launched itself towards the target dummy 20 meters away from the firing lane.

Smash!

The icicle struck the barrier protecting the dummy and shattered into pieces. The spot where the icicle hit glowed in blue for a few seconds before reverting to transparent.

“Now this time I will add the function.” The student said, repeating the spell. “Icicle shot!”

This time the icicle formed in front of the student’s hand was smaller and slimmer. However, its launch speed was greater.

Smash!

The icicle was shattered upon hitting the barrier of the target dummy. The blue glow resulting from the strike was smaller, but its hue was darker. Sedhoust’s smile went wider seeing what he had just seen.

“I see. Now, what is your own opinion on this phenomenon?” Sedhoust asked.

The female student was a bit startled, looking back and forth between Sedhoust and the target dummy. “Umm... maybe because the icicle was faster?”

“You are correct.” Sedhoust nodded. “The icicle became smaller, thus it was lighter and there was less air resistance. But that was not all.”

“There’s more?”

“Yes. Smaller icicle means the pointy end is also smaller, and therefore sharper. The affected area of the spell is less, but it will inflict greater damage to the spot it hits. This is one exception where the function amplifies something other than accuracy.”

“Oooh..!” Several awed voices could be heard among the group of students watching.

Sedhoust resumed speaking. “It will be up to each of you to find out whether there are more cases of exceptions to the function. Go try things out and see for yourselves.”

Ring! Ring! Ring!

“All right. Class is over. Feel free to continue using the shooting range, but remember to follow the rules.” Sedhoust said before casting a spell which granted him flight and flying away.

Sedhoust flew towards the sky, raising his altitude until he was almost level with the clouds. He then looked around while hovering, trying to find which direction he wanted to go.

It should be that way, right?

After a brief muse, Sedhoust flew towards the direction he had decided on. His flight speed was high enough to produce shockwaves which could break glass windows and injure people like what had happened that night. But this time he was very high in the sky and therefore there was no concern.

Covering the distance from Arxhige Capital City to Quatonne Forest would normally take three days walking with proper rests, two with faster pace and bare minimum rest. However, Sedhoust’s flight speed could cover that distance within less than ten minutes. To his knowledge, the number of magic casters other than himself who was able to achieve this kind of flight speed could be counted with one hand, and none of them resided in Arxhige Kingdom.

As Sedhoust had expected, less than ten minutes later Quatonne Forest was in sight. He immediately slowed down to manageable speed and descended down to the spot where the wreckage of the ship was located.

Sedhoust landed on his two feet at a stone’s throw distance from the ship wreckage. He stretched his body around for a brief moment before walking towards the wreckage. As he walked, he kept looking around his surroundings.

Nobody else is here, right? But still, I can't let my guard down.

Sedhoust came closer to the wreckage. Now that he was very close, the massive size of the ship became very apparent to him. It was far larger than any airship he had ever seen. Even the flagship of the Empire was not this huge. He then tried touching the ship with his right hand, and from the sensation he could quickly conclude that the ship was made from some kind of metal he couldn’t recognize.

Is there a door or something nearby to get in?

Sedhoust stepped back and then his eyes scanned over the ship. He failed to find anything that looked like an entrance for now, but he noticed a hole at the back part, which was large enough for a person to go through. He carefully approached the hole and peeked inside, and what he immediately saw was an object which resembled an engine to some extent.

Maybe this is actually the engine of this ship?

Sedhoust took a closer look at the engine, which even the uninitiated would recognize as having been badly damaged. An entire section of it looked as if it had been smashed in, and the same section was almost entirely charred black.

What could have happened here?

Sedhoust asked the question in his mind, not expecting to have an answer anytime soon. He then looked around once more and noticed a door nearby, therefore approaching it. The only source of illumination was the sunlight coming in through the hole, so it was not exactly easy to examine the door.

The handle looks weird, but... Hnngh!

Sedhoust tried pulling the handle of the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He also tried pushing, but the door still wouldn’t budge. After the failed attempts, he stepped back with his breath slightly panting.

Maybe I should destroy this door with magic. But on second thought, I will risk damaging things unnecessarily. I want to explore this ship further, but being all alone here gives me chills for some reason. Better go home for now.

Having made his decision, Sedhoust walked out from the hole. He gazed at the blue sky, enjoying the sunlight after having spent some time in a dark room. After a few seconds he lowered his head and looked straight, and then at the right corner of his vision he noticed something. There were a bunch of dirt mounds lined up, each with a round rock placed on top. Each of the rocks had some kind of carved writings on it.

Are these... graves...? Ah, I see... These are the graves of those who didn’t survive the crash.

After making the quick conclusion, Sedhoust slowly walked to the grave in the middle of the bunch and kneeled facing it. His face showed nothing but solemnity, saying no words at all for a full minute.

“...I don’t know any of you, and none of you know me. Honestly, I have no idea what kind of tragic event has befallen all of you. Hell, I don’t even know if talking like this means anything. Even if you somehow can hear me, you won’t understand what I’m saying anyway.” Sedhoust let out a sigh. “I just want to say that the ones who survived, your comrades or whatever you call them... they have arrived in the capital city and now they are starting their new life as adventurers. As of now they are all fine, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it stays that way. After all, she gave me her consent for studying this ship, and it is natural that I should return the favor. So... don’t worry.”

After a half minute of another silence, Sedhoust stood up, then his eyes scanned over the graves once more. He noticed that one grave strangely had no dirt mound, only the carved rock. He couldn’t read the writings, so he decided that there was nothing he could do other than asking Elana about it someday.

Having decided that he had done enough for now, Sedhoust flew back to the capital city. There was still another class to teach today, and he didn’t want to be late.

***​

In the main hall of the Adventurer’s Guild building, there was a pretty large crowd which drew the curiosity of other people. All of them wore clothes which anyone had never seen before, so the unusual sight inevitably had everyone else’s attention even for a brief moment.

Elana, the leader of the crowd, glanced around before speaking out.

“We are congesting the room as it is. Squad leaders and Billy, stay with me. The rest of you, go back to your rooms.”

As instructed, the crowd soon dispersed, leaving a total of seven people other than Elana staying. Conveniently, there was a rectangular table nearby with enough vacant seats around it for everyone, so Elana went there and sat down on one. The others soon followed suit, and within less than half a minute everyone was already seated around the table.

“Billy.” Elana said. “I believe you can already guess why I had you stay with us.”

“Yes, Captain. You want me to be the acting leader of the technicians group.” Billy replied with a straight face.

Elana smiled. “Correct. You may pick a vice leader if needed. I will be counting on you, but don’t hesitate to come to me if you have trouble.”

“Leave it to me, Captain.”

“All right.” Elana said before she looked at the others in the eyes one by one. “Now that we can start earning local currency for ourselves, we need to plan our general course of actions. At least for the first two weeks, I want you all to only take quests that don’t require going out of town. Prioritize getting yourselves familiar with the city, its people, and how things work.”

“U-Understood, Captain.” Theo said.

Elana looked at Theo briefly. “Don’t push yourself, Theo. Recon Squad is already having a hard time after losing Samuel. The last thing I want to see is you trying too hard to fill his shoes and ending up breaking yourself.”

Wilhelm Rush, the leader of Blitz Squad, then spoke. “Oh yeah. Recon Squad is the only one who lost the leade- Ouch!” He suddenly shouted in pain. Elana couldn’t see what happened but it was easy to guess that Lillie, who was next to him, stomped on his foot.

“No need to rub it on him, dummy!” Lillie said with raised eyebrows.

“I was just stating a fact!” Wilhelm said. “But alright. My bad.”

Elana resumed speaking. “Crisis squad is to remain on standby with Doctor Kai. We still don’t know if there are any local diseases or parasites which our body can’t handle.”

“Roger that.” Randy Christon, the leader of Crisis Squad, acknowledged.

Elana silently sighed knowing that Crisis Squad was the one hit the hardest by the crash, losing three of the five members. Back then, when Elana had witnessed the death of Victor Clarke, Randy was the medic trying to save him, although he ultimately had failed.

“Erwin, I expect you to keep it down for the time being.” Elana said with her eyes on Erwin Ford, the leader of Demolition Squad. The person in question was slouching, leaning heavily to his seat and putting both his feet on the table. “Also, sit correctly.”

“Yeah, yeah, Captain. Can’t have anyone see my glorious blasts... yet.” Erwin smirked mischievously, but he complied and fixed his way of sitting.

“Now, browsing over the quest board would be a good idea. Unfortunately, we still can’t read local writings.” Elana said. “I have this booklet of regulations, courtesy of the guild staff, but we still need someone to read it for us so our nanomachines could analyze the writings.”

Before the others gave a response, someone greeted Elana from behind. “Hi, there.”

Elana turned her head and immediately recognized the one greeting her. “Hello there, Kurt. Going solo today?” She greeted back while noticing that Leon and Anna were not with him.

“Ah, no. It’s our day off, and I’m here just to look around.”

Elana squinted her eyes. “In armor?”

“You never know, just in case.” Kurt replied. “By the way, I happened to hear about needing someone to read that booklet for you. Let me help you, then.”

“Would you? That will be greatly appreciated.”

“Hey, no prob!” Kurt said before taking a vacant seat near Elana. “So, I’m guessing you’re trying to learn our writings too, aren’t you? Do you need me to read slowly?”

“While it indeed will help, no need to go that far for us. Reading it word-for-word should be enough.”

“Alright then.”

Kurt then began reading the booklet out loud for Elana. Despite having been told to read normally, it was quite apparent that his reading pace was slower than it should. Elana felt pretty impressed by his goodwill, since he was supposed to be the leader of a Sapphire-ranked adventurer which was almost at the top of the ladder, yet right now he was spending his time helping strangers whom he had known for only a few days. Nevertheless, Elana had no intention to bring that up.

An hour and a half later, everything was done. Elana’s nanomachines had sufficiently analyzed the writings and broadcasted the data to everyone else, which meant now all the survivors should no longer be illiterate to this local writings. She also tested it out on the quest board, and it was confirmed that now she could read the posted quests. There were still a few unknown words here and there, but she believed those would be patched over time.

“Yes, I can read almost everything now. Thank you for the help, Kurt.” Elana said while her eyes were still on the quest board. “I think we can handle everything from here on.”

Kurt smiled in response. “Like I said, no prob! See you, then!”

Kurt then left the place after waving his hand once to Elana and the squad leaders. Wilhelm then approached the quest board and stood next to Elana, scanning over the posted quests with his eyes.

“Any specific orders, Captain?” Wilhelm asked.

“No. Just keep what I said in mind.”

Wilhelm folded his arms. “No going out of town, huh? I’ll take this, then.” He said as he took a Rock-ranked quest paper off the board. “A bakery needs a delivery man for three days starting tomorrow. Two silvers per day.”

“Delivery, huh? Suits you so well,” Erwin said with a smirk. “Oh, lookey here. Someone needs an old house demolished. How convenient.” He took a paper off the board.

“That suits you so well too, eh?” Wilhelm said with a similar smirk. The two of them then went to the quest counter to register their respective quest, leaving the others looking at them with a small chuckle.

“Those two are always like that.” Lillie said with her hands on her hip. A couple seconds later she went back to looking around the quest board, but before she and anyone nearby could decide on a quest...

Crash! Thud!

A loud noise was heard from the outside, along with the voice of people and horses screaming. Without wasting any more seconds, Elana and the squad leaders rushed to the front door.

What they immediately saw upon exiting was a pileup of carriages. The scene was, to put into one word, catastrophic. At least two carriages had flipped over, and their respective horses were frantically struggling, being still tethered to the carriages.

“H-HELP! MY LADY IS IN HERE!”

Everyone immediately looked at the man who had screamed just now. He was a rather old man, desperately trying to push one of the overturned carriages, which looked like an enclosed type belonging to a nobility. His black suit, presumably a butler’s suit, was stained red at several spots, and the same applied to his face and silver hair.

“Everyone spread out and help whoever you can!” Elana gave her command to the squad leaders. “Lillie, I leave that one to you. Now move!”

Without further words, everyone including Elana herself spread out around the crash site. As instructed, Lillie ran to the old man who was still pushing the carriage which had been overturned sideways. Two other guys had joined him, but it was still not enough. A third guy, seemingly an adventurer, had climbed the carriage and was now trying to open the carriage door from that side.

“No good! The door’s busted!” The adventurer shouted before jumping down. “Old man, you’re injured! Go get some rest!”

“N-No! I can’t!” The old man retorted. “I won’t rest until Lady Mirabelle is safe!”

Lillie quickly came close and spoke. “Let me help!”

“A girl? Ah whatever, we need all the help we can get. Get over here and push!”

“Hmm!” Lillie replied before taking her backpack off and pulling out a similarly-sized silver metal suitcase. She put the suitcase on the ground and stepped on it. In response, the suitcase unfolded and presented a pair of handles which she grabbed. She then quickly lifted the whole suitcase, rammed it to her own torso, and stretched her arms to the side while still grabbing the handles. The suitcase unfolded further, its parts automatically wrapping around Lillie’s arms, legs, and body, finishing up with a metal helmet covering her head and jaw.

The whole process of suiting up took just below ten seconds. After it was complete, Lillie immediately crouched next to the carriage and put her hands through the gap below.

“Hmmmph!”

Lillie lifted the carriage, returning it back to upright position. The male adventurer was awed at first, but he immediately snapped out of it and went to the tethered horses to keep them calm, preventing them from running away and dragging the carriage with them.

Snap!

The door on this side was also damaged, so Lillie pulled it apart with brute force and put it on the ground. Inside the carriage, there was an adult woman wearing a pretty fancy dress. Her eyes were closed and she was unresponsive.

“Oh, Milady!” The old man said before stepping into the carriage and trying to carry the woman out.

“Hey, man. Don’t add more injuries to yourself. Let us carry her for you.” One of the two first guys said.

The old man was startled briefly, looking around before replying. “Please be careful with Lady Mirabelle!” He stepped aside, and the two guys carefully carried the woman out of the carriage.

At a distance, right in front of the entrance to the guild building, Keith shouted while waving his hand. “Bring the injured inside! We’ve set up emergency beds!”

Lillie watched the two guys carrying the woman towards the guild building while the old man followed them at their side.

“Lillie! Come quick and help me with this!” Randy shouted from near a different overturned carriage. Unlike the one before, this one was more like a cargo-carrying wagon.

Lillie quickly approached Randy who hurriedly gestured her to look inside the wagon. What she immediately noticed was a young adult male who got buried by a pile of cargo, being visible only from the shoulders up.

“He miraculously only suffered a few bruises, but I can’t move all these stuffs away quickly enough. Lend me a hand.” Randy said.

“Got it!” Lillie said, immediately getting to work.

The rescue and damage control continued with the remainder of the survivors joining, and less than half an hour later everything had been mostly taken care of. The wagons and carriages involved in the pileup had been moved aside to allow traffic to resume, and all the people had been evacuated to the makeshift infirmary set up inside the guild building.

“Good work everyone.” Elana said at the side of the road where everyone was gathered. “We should be able to leave the rest to them now. Go back to your rooms and rest up.”

“Captain.” Randy suddenly spoke with one hand raised. “I’d like to help the infirmary, if you allow me.”

“I won’t stop you.” Elana replied. “But be mindful that we’re not at home.”

“Understood, Captain.” Randy said before walking away into the guild building.

“You want to help them too?” Elana asked while looking at Albert, the only other member of Crisis Squad who had survived the crash.

“Ah! Y-Yes, mo- ma’am! I think I should!”

“Go join Randy then. Remember to be mindful.”

Albert then left to join Randy in volunteering to help the infirmary. Afterwards, Elana looked at the man in her group who wore the typical white coat of a doctor. His name was Terumoto Kai, and he was the doctor assigned for all the crews in the exploration mission.

Doctor Kai folded his arms and averted his eyes from Elana. “I signed up to be the doctor for Martin Alphen crews and nobody else.”

“But you still came down here anyway. Thank you for that, Doctor Kai.” Elana said with a warm smile.

“Don’t get me wrong! It was just in case some of you hurt yourselves.” Doctor Kai retorted. “Speaking of that, those two fools might do just that any second now. I better keep an eye on them.”

Without saying any more words, Doctor Kai walked into the guild building. A good number of people in the group, Elana herself included, silently chuckled seeing that.

“Anyway, it is pretty close to lunch time.” Elana said, checking on her wristwatch. “We will resume operation after that, so rest up until then.”

The group dispersed, returning to their rooms as instructed. Meanwhile, Elana went to the makeshift infirmary to check on the situation. A portion of the main hall was partitioned off with veils, and a number of beds were lined up inside said area. Only about half the beds were occupied, and as far as Elana could see, none of the wounded had life-threatening injuries.

That didn’t mean nobody was badly injured, though.

“Aggh! Auugh!”

“It hurts...! Please... help...!”

On one bed a middle-aged man had a broken arm, while on another there was a young girl with burns on parts of her face. There were already several people taking care of them, Randy and Albert included. Doctor Kai was standing nearby, discussing something with a man who presumably was an adventurer, judging from his clothes.

“Excuse me! The lady over there!” A male voice called out. By reflex, Elana looked at the one calling. It was a bandaged old man wearing a butler suit, sitting on a chair next to a bed where a woman was resting in a sitting position. Her lower half was covered in a blanket, but it was easy to assume from the remaining half that she was a nobility.

Elana pointed her finger at her own chest without saying a word, and the butler spoke again. “Yes. My Lady wants to talk to you.”

Elana approached the bed, and then she did a curtsy as elegantly as she could. She had no idea whether they would understand her meaning of giving respect, but she believed this was better than standing upright in front of someone who was clearly a nobility.

“There is no need for that.” The woman said. “Treat me as your equal. Regardless, I am Mirabelle Lunavond. Tell me your name.”

“My name is Elana Mayer.” Elana replied as she stood upright.

“This man beside me is Thomas, my trusted butler. He said that the one who helped me was a girl wearing similar clothes to yours. Do you know her?” Mirabelle asked.

“She should be one of my subordinates. Is there anything more you remember about her?”

Thomas put his hand under his chin for a brief moment. “Ah, she had a metal box object which somehow became an armor within seconds.”

“I see. That would be Lillie Frastern.”

“I would like to express my gratitude personally. Would you have her come over?” Mirabelle asked.

“Please wait for a moment.” Elana said before leaving the spot and going to an empty corner where less people could see her. She then activated the short range communication feature of her wristwatch. “Lillie Frastern.”

“Yes, Captain?” A voice responded, coming out from the wristwatch.

“Can you come down to the infirmary? Someone wants to thank you personally.”

“Huh? I was only following your command, Captain!”

“Yes, but the fact remains that you saved her. Now, would you respect her request to thank you in person?”

“Alright, Captain. I’m coming down.”

“I will be waiting.”

The communication link ended, and Elana put her hand down before going near the door which connected the main hall with the inn. It only took two minutes until Lillie came through it.

“Oh, Captain.”

“Let’s go.”

Elana and Lillie then walked to where Mirabelle was resting. Upon arrival, Mirabelle visibly smiled before turning her head to Thomas. “Is she the one, Thomas?”

“Yes, Milady. There is no mistake.” Thomas nodded.

Mirabelle turned her head back to Lillie. “It is nice to see my savior. I am Mirabelle Lunavond, and on behalf of the Lunavond family I sincerely thank you for saving me, Lillie Frastern.”

Lillie’s eyes went wide before replying. “Huh? But I only lifted your carriage. There were other guys beside me, and It wasn’t even me who carried you here.”

“I know, and I have thanked them for their efforts as well. I merely wish to thank everyone who helped me. I will repay your deed in one way or another as soon as I can.”

“No, I was just- Ow!“ Lillie’s refusal was halted midway because Elana gave a light smack on her back.

“Refusing might be taken as rude here.” Elana whispered.

Mirabelle seemed to be laughing silently for a brief moment seeing the interaction between Lillie and Elana. However, before the conversation between them could go further, someone rushed into the infirmary. It was a woman wearing a fancy gown clearly befitting a royalty, and a crown decorated with shiny jewels was perched on her head.

Thanks to the vastly different look from back then, it took Elana a few seconds to recognize that the woman was Vierra, the one who had visited the crash site once, and also the reigning queen of this kingdom.

“Mira!” Vierra shouted the moment she saw Mirabelle, and then she rushed to Mirabelle’s side. “Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Please shed your worry, Your Majesty. I am fine.” Mirabelle replied.

Vierra shook her head. “No, right now I’m not ‘Your Majesty’. I’m your friend Vierra, and I have all the right to worry about you. Thank goodness you’re fine!”

“I was fortunate that some good people helped, including that girl there.” Mirabelle said, which prompted Vierra to turn her head towards Elana and Lillie. “The shorter one.”

“Ah, Elana!” Vierra said in delight as she came closer. “I must thank your girl for helping my friend!" She then looked at Lillie. "I think I haven’t learned your name yet.”

“Uhh... Lillie Frastern... Your Majesty.” Lily spoke with her head lowered and cheeks blushing red.

“Ah.” Vierra’s eyes looked over her own body. “I should have changed my clothes to a more casual one, but I got so worried over Mira that I rushed here just like that. Anyway, how did this terrible thing happened?”

A male voice then chimed in right after Vierra asked the question. “If you’d allow me, I have learned some information.”

“Was that the thing you discussed with the adventurer just now, Doctor Kai?” Elana asked.

“Yes. But first, introduction.” Doctor Kai said as he turned towards Mira and Vierra. “I’m Terumoto Kai, a doctor working under Captain Elana Mayer. Ah, wait. Maybe I should have said Kai Terumoto... Anyway, it seemed that the horses of one carriage suddenly got agitated and went out of control, leading to the pileup.”

“Do you know what could have agitated the horses?” Vierra asked.

Doctor Kai looked elsewhere. “It was that little girl with burns on her face.”

Everyone who heard Doctor Kai’s answer didn’t hide their surprise. With raised eyebrows, Vierra then immediately walked over to the bed where the unfortunate girl was.

“Doctor Kai! Why did you tell her now?” Lillie asked with clear worry pictured on her face. “She’s still upset over her friend getting hurt! The poor girl will be severely punished at this rate!”

“There were witnesses. She’s bound to find out soon regardless.” Doctor Kai replied. “I can only hope she’s merciful enough.”

Mirabelle chimed in with a warm smile on her face. “You will see for yourselves that there is nothing to worry about.” Hearing that, Elana, Lillie, and Doctor Kai were a bit confused but also relieved.

Vierra approached the bed where the burned girl was resting. She was already treated with ointments and bandages, but the groanings and tears flowing from her shut eyes signified the intense pain she was going through.

Vierra stood in front of the bed and spoke loud and clear. “Move aside.”

“Y-Your Majesty-!” One person exclaimed before moving away. Some other people nearby followed suit, and soon only the poor girl was in front of Vierra’s eyes.

Vierra began moving both her hands in a sequence of patterns. They gradually began glowing blue, and a couple seconds later she extended them forward. A gentle pillar of light came down on Vierra, and from her hands sparkling mist began flowing out, showering the girl with a gentle breeze.

“What... is that?” Elana asked, not averting her gaze from Vierra.

Mirabelle then gave the answer. “Healing magic, but in no way an ordinary one. It is a spell only those who are acknowledged by the kingdom’s sacred artifact can use. And as of now, Her Majesty is the only one.”

“Is it the crown?”

“No. Being on her person is not a requirement, so I believe it is still in safekeeping within the palace.”

“I see. Intriguing.”

The exchange between Elana and Mirabelle ended, and so did the magic spell Vierra was casting. The little girl opened her eyes without saying a word, and they were immediately set straight at the one in front, none other than Vierra.

“Are you alright now, dear?” Vierra asked with a warm smile.

The girl remained unresponsive for a couple seconds, but then her eyes went wide and she raised into a sitting position on the bed. “Y-Your... Majesty...?”

“Why, yes. But be at ease.”

Vierra seemed to be genuinely gentle. However, the girl instead began crying. Her cry could be heard throughout the infirmary, drawing the attention of more people.

“What is the matter, dear?”

“I... I... I’m sorry...! Please...!”

As this was happening, suddenly a man and a woman rushed into the infirmary. Both of them immediately set their eyes on the little girl and made haste to her side.

“Erna!” The woman said, hugging the little girl. Meanwhile, the man noticed Vierra’s presence and prostrated.

“Your Majesty! I humbly beg for mercy on behalf of our daughter!” He spoke in clear desperation. “If you must punish someone, please punish me instead for failing to keep her under watch!”

After the man’s pleading, there was a deafening silence which lasted for about five seconds before Vierra broke the silence.

“I can neither forgive nor punish without having a good idea of what actually happened. Before I decide on that, someone has to explain to me truthfully.”

Right after Vierra spoke, Keith came to her side and put his hand on Vierra’s shoulder. “Let me cover you on that.”

“Please do.” Vierra replied.

“I heard from a number of witnesses that this girl, Erna, was playing around with Fire Weave magic when she suddenly lost control. The flames went wild all around, burning her face and several other stuffs including a poor horse’s ass, and the rest is history.”

Vierra went silent hearing Keith’s explanation, lowering her face and covering the upper half with her hands while letting out a sigh. She then set her eyes straight at Erna and her parents, who didn’t even dare to look at her in the eyes.

“If that is the truth, then sadly the guardians of the child have to take responsibility for their neglect.” Vierra said. “Do you have enough to pay for damages?”

The father glanced around while still prostrating. He was sweating profusely even though the room temperature was quite chill. After a few seconds, he lowered his head and prostrated even lower than before.

“I don’t have enough money, but I will sell off everything I have so please wait just for a little while!”

“If you do that, how do you plan on living from then on? That shall not sit well with me.” Vierra said. “Alright, here is what I propose. The Adventurer’s Guild will cover the payment for now, and then you will pay the guild over time. Until then, you and your family are forbidden from leaving the city. Do you accept?”

The man stared with his mouth agape briefly before speaking. “T-That would be very helpful! Oh, thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you!”

Vierra smiled, then she looked at Keith. “Have you started assessing the damages?”

“Yes, I have some of my staffs doing it right now. I should have the numbers in half an hour at the latest.”

“Good work, Keith.” Vierra smiled before turning back to the man. “Now, there is one more thing. This is about your daughter’s magic which has caused the accident.”

Erna and her mother embraced each other tighter. Their fear and worry were written all over their faces. Regardless, Vierra resumed.

“Being able to cast a Fire Weave spell of that magnitude at such a young age is a feat nobody can ignore. Is she enrolled in the Magic Academy?”

“N-No. We have never planned her to become a mage. Even if we do, we don’t have enough money for that...”

“In that case, I would like to offer a scholarship for her. With proper education that suits her abilities, she will gain more control over her magic and also become capable of achieving greater things in the future. Of course, the scholarship will cover not only the tuition fee, but her living expenses as well.”

The family of three didn’t give any response other than freezing up with their mouths agape for a couple seconds and then staring at each other. Vierra noticed that and resumed speaking.

“What I said is not an order or a royal decree. It is an opportunity I present to your daughter because I acknowledge the potential she has. I am fully aware that this is not an easy decision, so take your time to discuss. Once you make your decision, speak to the guild and they will relay the message to the appropriate person in charge. Now, with that having been said, I shall take my leave.”

Vierra turned around and walked away after finishing her speech. The family of three hugged each other with tears of delight, having been saved from what could have been a severe consequence.

“Are you leaving?” Mirabelle asked the moment Vierra was in front of her bed.

“Yes. I left the palace without notice after all. I need to get back soon before Gilbert has a panic attack again.”

“He still does that?” Mirabelle asked, then she and Vierra both giggled. “Anyway, stay safe, Vierra.”

“You too, Mira. Get well soon.” Vierra said. “Also, Elana. I want to talk with you more but I sadly can’t. So I will only wish you good luck in your endeavors.”

“Hearing that from you is a great honor, Your Majesty.” Elana put one hand on her chest and bowed.

Vierra smiled. “When we meet again, I will make sure that we will talk as equals.”

Vierra then left the guild building, and the people in the infirmary then began resuming their activities. Curiously, a number of patients who had been resting from minor injuries were leaving one by one looking healthy. Even the middle-aged man with a broken arm, while still bedridden, was no longer showing pain on his face.

“Now you see that there was nothing to worry about.” Mirabelle said, rising from the bed and fixing the braids of her dark brown hair. “She doesn’t wish to show it, but Vierra is the most benevolent ruler this kingdom has ever had. Also, before you ask, her healing magic was focused on that little girl, but a portion of its effect still spread around regardless.”

“What are your orders, Milady?” Thomas asked, standing up from the chair he sat on.

“We will be late, but the plan remains unchanged. Fetch a new transport.”

“Right away, Milady.” Thomas bowed, and then he promptly left. Right afterward, Mirabelle looked at Lillie and smiled.

“Lillie Frastern. I shall remember to repay your deed. Be sure to check with the guild often.”

“Huh? Oh, alright. Thank you, Lady Mirabelle.” Lillie bowed as she spoke, and then Mirabelle left the place.

Lillie and Elana left the infirmary soon later, intending to take a quick rest in their room.

“Our first day as adventurers suddenly became so eventful, and it’s still not lunch time yet.” Elana remarked while walking.

“Yup, Captain.”

“Once again, good work, Lillie.” Elana said, giving Lillie a gentle pat on the back.

“Thanks, Captain!”

***​

“So that happened, huh?”

“Yes. Urrrrrr...”

Later in the night, Sedhoust and Vierra were once again sitting in front of the fireplace in the study of the palace. Vierra was already lying on Sedhoust’s lap while the latter caressed her head.

“You did the right thing.”

“I wanted to cover that myself but...”

“Yeah, you are their queen, not a charity. Good call regarding the girl too.”

“Urrr... do you think they will accept the scholarship I proposed?”

“I know nothing about the family, so no idea. The girl herself may choose to stay with her parents, even.”

“I hope they will accept. At least it should alleviate their financial burden a little if the girl stays in the academy quarters.”

“You’re right, but familial love triumphs over at times." Sedhoust said, followed by a brief moment of silence. "Anyway, from what you said I have good expectations of the girl if she comes to the academy. Maybe she will even surpass me when she gets older.”

“As if.” Vierra laughed. “You have said that a few times already, but none of the prospects managed to surpass you. At least they still became archmages, which is already an achievement in itself.”

“I can’t deny that.” Sedhoust said with a gentle smile while staring at the fireplace. “I’m proud of them, genuinely. But they still couldn’t give me what I wanted.”

“It was not their fault, you know. Your bar is set too high, and it just gets higher as time passes.”

“Yes, you’re right again.”

Sedhoust and Vierra continued having their calm and quiet moment in the study. The crackling flames within the fireplace continued providing warmth and illumination for the two retired heroes.

***