This is Our School District

The students had departed, leaving only disarray in the academy. Half-used crystal lenses, pure ice, a mana-fueled brazier, a mana xylophone – all scattered haphazardly across the floor.

A sight that would make anyone sigh at the thought of cleaning it all. Well, anyone but me, perhaps.

I gestured with my chin, summoning the housekeeper.

“Hey. Clean this up.”

“Uhn… Huh? Did, did you call me?”

“Where does this one wander off to at night that she’s dozing during the day? Just clean it up.”

I answered with irritation, and the housekeeper wiped a string of drool from her mouth before muttering under her breath in a disgruntled tone.

“Phee. You didn’t have to say it like that…”

Despite her grumbling, her cleaning speed was remarkable. A few swift motions, and the mess was practically gone. The housekeeper stared at a large box filled with magical artifacts before speaking.

“Wow. A whole box of incomprehensible objects. Did you prepare all of this for the children?”

“What are you talking about? These are my experimental tools.”

“It’s thanks to these magic tools that the children were able to sense mana, though. I’ve never seen so many magic tools used to teach children in the Magic Federation.”

“I simply had a reason to experiment.”

I was in the midst of finding a way to awaken magic in the Crystal Tower, and I needed subjects for my experiments. They were fortunate enough to receive a boon from my visit.

“Your arrival is a stroke of luck for the children…”

“That’s correct. I am their stroke of luck, their miracle, their blessing. If I hadn’t taken an interest in the magical awakening of the common folk, if I hadn’t followed the old woman who caught my eye, they would be wasting their lives gambling on a pipedream at this backwater academy.”

Upon hearing my words, the housekeeper lowered her gaze and mumbled.

“Teacher, you say things like that, but. You’re actually a good person, aren’t you?”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You speak coldly and act arrogantly, but you’re working for the children in this frontier. A truly outstanding person wouldn’t bother coming all the way to such a place to help others. Unless they were a missionary.”

I shrugged my shoulders in response.

“In the end, I suppose that’s how it seems. But I’m simply acting as I please, and I won’t necessarily do as you expect.”

“…Perhaps, are you embarrassed?”

“I’d like to feel it, if I could. Since I don’t know what that emotion is.”

My answer didn’t seem to satisfy her curiosity. The housekeeper tilted her head as she continued cleaning.

“Should I tell them to prepare a meal? Or would you like to bathe?”

“Let’s eat first, then bathe.”

“Yes. I’ll tell the old woman to prepare the meal!”

As it neared dinnertime, the housekeeper hurried out. Look at her rushing, just because her own meal is coming. Everyone’s only truly sincere when it comes to their own affairs.

Just then, the resonance crystal in my pocket vibrated. I took it out and saw Avantgarde’s face dimly flickering on the surface. I twisted the resonance crystal to align it and spoke.

“I’ve received it, Senior Avantgarde.”

As if waiting for my call, Avantgarde’s voice rang out.

[Hughes. How are you? How’s the Lower Realm?]

“I’m being taken care of in a good place, so it’s comfortable here. The rules are also quite interesting.”

[Ah, that’s right! I forgot to explain the rules of the Celsius Territory! Oh, what should I do? Should I bring you an information booklet?]

“That’s part of the fun of learning, you know. And I’ve gotten somewhat used to it. Thanks to the abnormal freezing and boiling points, it’s easy to manipulate crystal magic here.”

[That’s right! The crystal structure of snow and ice is strengthened in the Celsius Territory, causing abnormal freezing and boiling points! Just knowing that is enough!]

Avantgarde chattered excitedly. Even if I couldn’t read his thoughts from this distance, I could at least listen to his story. After exchanging some trivial stories and greetings, Avantgarde spoke after a long ramble.

[The Crystal Tower is busy since it’s a ladder connecting to this Advent Zone. It looks like I’ll have some free time around next week, so I’ll come down once! Until then, you have to take care!]

“Of course. You’ll be quite surprised when you see me. I’m waiting for the day I can show you my changed self.”

[I too… want, want, to see!]

Avant-garde cut off the connection after saying only that. The light faded from the resonance crystal. Having finished one task, I noticed a gaze and retorted:

“What is it, housekeeper?”

“…A person burdened with sin.”

“Have you switched careers from housekeeper to judge? That aside, why are you staring while I make a call? How rude.”

“Then go do it in your room!”

What’s with her? Why is she so prickly? The housekeeper said icily,

“I told the madam while you were dawdling, sir. The food will be here soon. But….”

“But what?”

“…There’s someone outside, looking for you, sir.”

Someone looking for me? I hoped it wasn’t Avant-garde, or Rankarte. Shea, maybe? Strange. If it was Shea, she would have just come in.

“Just let them in. Is there a problem?”

“Yes. There is. The madam dragged them out here.”

“Huh?”

Puzzled, I went straight outside.

The Celsius estate resists the thaw. Most of the estate is covered in snow and ice, and you’ll find buildings made of ice instead of rock without much trouble.

The roads are ice, and most of the vehicles are in the form of sleds. Occasionally, you’ll see someone skating. Mostly, they raise huskies, and dog sleds are a practical means of transportation.

It’s warm enough that the snow feels cozy, but moving around is difficult, so people tend not to wander around outside without a special reason.

But today, there was an unusual amount of activity near the academy. The madam, who had brought a group of people, shouted with fire in her eyes,

“This is our school district! You didn’t even glance our way when we were begging for help, now you’re trying to get your spoon in the pot?!”

Her opponent was an old man with a long, drooping beard. Although his mastery was shallow, the retired mage said with a relaxed expression:

“Now, now, Madam. A spoon in the pot? Anyone would think you were the one who laid the table.”

“I laid the table! I invited him, and I treated him!”

Unlike the madam, who was screaming and yelling, the old man retorted brazenly.

“Invited him? It’s not like you called him from the floating city, Madam. And treated him? It wouldn’t catch a mage’s eye, would it? The mage just went to the nearest academy. So, there’s no rule that says that academy isn’t our academy.”

“There’s no reason it should be *your* academy!”

“Isn’t there? Our academy is bigger, has more students, is more outstanding…and can offer more rewards?”

An academy run by a retired mage, who even teaches himself. Compared to a madam who’s just gotten lucky with her child, his position is entirely different.

Even so, the madam, who couldn’t possibly hand over this windfall, was puffing herself up, ready to argue.

“And Madam. I kept quiet watching your madam’s son, but…”

The madam couldn’t speak anymore. Simply because icicles had formed in her mouth.

The madam trembled, suddenly gripped by a cold sensation. She felt terror not only from the cold, but from the magic that had been performed without her noticing.

The old man stroked his beard and said, finishing the magic:

“The mage will leave with the floating city, but we will remain here, living on. Shouldn’t we resolve this without embarrassing each other? If you don’t want to be struck by incomprehensible magic, that is.”

It was a statement bordering on a threat, and a harsh reality for the madam.

Magic is the power to summon natural phenomena with one’s will. If you have perception, you can feel it, and if you have control, you can resist it. Unless it’s a pre-prepared grand magic, magic against a mage is almost useless.

But what about ordinary people who have neither perception nor control? They wouldn’t even notice if you used magic, and they wouldn’t be able to resist even if they were attacked. Even if they were attacked, they would have no way of knowing who did it or how.

Even if they reported it, they couldn’t be arrested, and even if they accused, they couldn’t prove it. To the commoners, magic is an invisible hand. How can you prove what you can’t see?

Commoners are commoners.

As a ward requires a guardian, so too do the common folk need a mage to protect them, lest they be exploited.

The reason the woman hadn’t suffered a worse fate was because her son was a mage. The elder, remembering this, spoke with deference.

“Did we ask for anything grand? Merely to meet the esteemed mage. To reject even that, to spew forth such vitriol, is unjust.”

“…!”

“Very well. We shall take our leave to the academy, then.”

The woman’s companions dared not obstruct the path of a mage. The elder, about to depart for the academy with a smug smirk, happened to meet my gaze.

“A bustling crowd. Gathered here with nothing better to do, are we?”

My blatant annoyance was not lost on the elder, who instantly recognized me as a mage.

“Oh. Greetings. Are you the one who arrived from the Floating City…?”

“Your business?”

‘Insolent! Though perhaps to be expected from one of the Floating City’s elite.’

Even when I answered rudely with a terse reply, he understood. What sort of existence is a mage, truly?

The elder related his purpose in as few words as possible.

“Ahem. It’s nothing much. We simply wish to invite a noble such as yourself, blessed with formidable magic, to grace our academy, rather than languish in this backwater.”

“How did you know? I’ve only been here three days.”

“The Celsius territory is small. Land where people rub shoulders is smaller still. When a mage with power such as yours appears, it is impossible for all to remain unaware….”

The elder, waxing lyrical, sensed my mana and grew slightly disconcerted.

‘Hmm? Strange. I heard he was an outstanding mage from the Floating City. His mana is so faint?’

Tch, I’m a mage, after all.

Mages can sense mana. Which meant my mana was detectable.

Of course, mages who reached a certain level could conceal their mana. But there was no need to bother. There was no harm in displaying that you were stronger than the rest.

‘Why is his mana so weak? Could it be a decoy that hussy set up? Let’s see.’

The elder stroked his beard, his gaze subtly shifting downwards. Towards my feet, the point where eyes met shoes, mana was beginning to swirl.

That beard, it’s a fake. Woven into the beard’s inner layers is a coil of threads. He’s casting magic using that as a medium?

Even if I am weak, surely this is enough.

I subtly reach behind me and grab a card. The card I pull out is a three of clubs, new cards made in the Floating City by Ranquart to replace the clubs card I used up. I drop it behind my leg, out of the elder’s sight, then subtly step on the card.

“Fahrenheit.”

No sooner had the mana within the card ignited than it collided with the elder’s magic. The icicles that had been about to engulf my feet evaporated in the heat, and pure white vapor billowed like a cloud.

The elder’s eyes widened.

‘Casting magic with only an incantation, without a medium?! I couldn’t even follow the flow of mana. A high-ranking mage!’

There was a medium, it simply remained beyond the elder’s sight. It was hard enough to see my card with the naked eye, let alone with failing eyesight.

The elder hurriedly removed his hand from his beard, saying,

“Ahem. My apologies. I assumed you were someone else, since you were concealing your mana.”

“Do I have to accept your apology?”

“…Hah! Of course not! I am truly sorry!”

Elder? Respect for elders? What era’s outdated nonsense was that? In the Magic Federation, magical skill was everything. After staring at the elder, who had hastily bowed his head, for a long while, I finally spoke.

“So, about your business.”

“We were only inquiring about your intentions, so please, do not be displeased!”

“Suit yourselves.”

“We could accommodate you comfortably, so if you were to consider… eh?”

“Bring them along, then. I won’t take them as disciples, but I suppose I can look after them during my spare time.”

My answer was more welcoming than expected, which seemed to startle the old man. He asked again,

“Truly? But, you mean…bring them?”

“Too tiresome to pack my things. I’ve already settled myself here, you see.”

“Our academy is far larger and its facilities are superior…”

“Then have them taught in your fine facilities.”

“No, no, no! We must follow your wishes! The thirsty dig their own well, as they say. I shall instruct them thus!”

The old man bowed to me several times before leading his people away. Considering how poorly it started, the result was quite satisfying.

It also saved some face for the matron. She might be disappointed I’m not exclusively hers, but it isn’t bad for this backwater district to be at the heart of an event. After all, as the old man said, once I leave, they’ll only have each other.

Except.

‘He’s not one to laze about, but even less inclined to volunteer. Why increase his workload when he’s no missionary? What result is he hoping to achieve this time?’

Only the housekeeper was eyeing me with equal measures of curiosity and suspicion.