Side Story: A Day in the Holy City
With some time to spare, I was strolling through the beautiful white city in a touristy mood with Strauss, Eliza, Shenley, and the others.
“Teacher Aoi, that clothing store looks cute,” said Aile.
“You’re right. It seems not all clothes are white here,” I replied with a nod.
Aile, forming glasses with her hands, looked around curiously.
“It seems fashionable to add one color to your outfit with a jacket or shoes! That pale green is beautiful!”
“Oh, the light blue is cute too,”
“You’re right, it’s so cute!”
When Aile, Liz, and Belle get together, it can get quite noisy. As they rushed into the store with excited squeals, Court followed them with a wry smile. Watching this from the side, I turned to Shenley.
“Why don’t you go too, Shenley?”
When I asked, Shenley made an uncertain face. Strauss and Eliza tilted their heads at her reaction.
“Is something wrong?” t
hey asked simultaneously.
Shenley looked at the store with an anxious expression.
“Well, I… I’m actually from a rural part of Maple Leaf…”
I tilted my head and asked,
“Is that a problem?”
Shenley looked down with a troubled expression.
“…I’m not confident about the Holy City’s unique fashion, like choosing just one color…”
It seemed Shenley was afraid of being exposed as a country bumpkin. Realizing this, I smiled and pointed to myself.
“Don’t worry. No one’s from a more rural place than me. Have confidence.”
As I said this, all eyes turned to me.
“Rural?”
“Come to think of it, where are you from?”
“Teacher Aoi’s hometown…?”
The three of them asked with curious expressions, so I put a finger to my chin and thought.
“…Apart from my master, I’d meet other people about once a month when traveling merchants came nearby.”
Hearing this, the three looked dumbfounded.
“…That’s beyond rural…”
“Such a remote place!?”
“That’s amazing…”
I nodded at their words.
“Well, I was mostly focused on studying magic, but I think I had a fairly enjoyable time.”
Hearing this, Strauss furrowed his brow and spoke.
“…Living in such a remote place already makes you an undoubtedly skilled magician, but it’s surprising that just two people could live there.”
Eliza agreed with Strauss’s words.
“That’s right. As you move away from towns and roads, magical beasts increase. Especially in places where people rarely come, the types of magical beasts change too.”
“Types of magical beasts… So, what kind of magical beasts were there where you lived, Teacher Aoi?”
Shenley asked, intrigued by Eliza’s words. The mention of magical beasts brought back a few memories.
“…There were large wolves with red eyes, pitch-black horses with horns, one-eyed giants, huge blue crocodiles. Oh, and dragons occasionally.”
Hearing this, Shenley nodded innocently.
“A-amazing. Anyone but you, Teacher Aoi, would die immediately.”
As Shenley’s eyes widened in surprise, Eliza let out a dry laugh and held up a finger.
“Ah, the large wolves with red eyes, are they Evil Wolves? And Black Parsha and Cyclops? Surely the dragons were only medium-sized, right?”
I nodded in response to her questions.
“Yes, mostly medium-sized. About the size of a two-story house, I’d say. I saw large ones occasionally, but not very often.”
“That’s plenty large! What size does Aoi consider large!?”
Eliza exclaimed in a voice close to a scream. I sighed softly and pondered her question.
“…The largest dragon I saw was about the size of a small mountain? There were different types, and the most troublesome was a dragon wrapped in wind that breathed fire from the sky. Its back and wings were so spiky and hard that they could deflect swords.”
As I recalled this, Strauss let out a deep sigh.
“…It has the same characteristics as the Ancient Dragons that appear in the history and old tales of some countries… No, Aoi wouldn’t lie. So, the Ancient Dragons that once destroyed entire countries have already been defeated by Aoi…”
Strauss muttered with a complex expression, seemingly unsure whether to be surprised or saddened. Beside him, Shenley blinked her large eyes and stared at me intently.
“…As expected, Teacher Aoi is amazing. To defeat such terrifying dragons…”
Shenley voiced her admiration. Sensing there might be some misunderstandings, I decided to add some clarification.
“No, it wasn’t just me. I can handle the others alone, but for that dragon, I defeated it together with my master.”
“T-that person is also extraordinary… But, when we heard the name before, it wasn’t familiar, was it?”
Eliza tilted her head.
Strauss nodded, crossing his arms. “If I remember correctly, it was Owen-Millers. For such a great magician to be unknown…”
Seeing their puzzled expressions, I couldn’t help but smile as I answered.
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“Yes, well. He had been secluded from civilization for over a hundred years, immersed in magical research, so it’s natural that no one knows him.”
As I said this, all three responded in unison.
“A hundred years?”
“Over a hundred years, you say?”
“…Wouldn’t that be lonely?”
I chuckled at Shenley’s question and looked at Strauss and the others.
“According to him, he’s a pure-blooded elf. He used to brag about how rare that is.”
“…Indeed, that is rare.”
“Is it that rare? I heard that the headmaster is also a half-elf,”
I asked, curious.
Strauss shook his head. “Elves are long-lived and have high magical aptitude. Perhaps because of this, elves have difficulty having children and their population was small. Over the long years, pure-blooded elves gradually decreased, and most became half or quarter elves with humans.”
“I hear that only the royal family in the Elven country remains,”
Strauss says, and Eliza nods in agreement. After listening to their explanation, Shenley speaks up before I do.
“The royal family… Does that mean Lord Owen is also one of the Elven royalty?”
As Shenley mumbles this, I can’t help but burst out laughing.
“Haha, Owen as royalty? That’s quite amusing. He doesn’t look like royalty at all, and he’s a dedicated shut-in.”
I laugh out loud at the word so far removed from his actual personality. Strauss and Eliza exchange glances. Shenley, caught up in the laughter, continues to ask questions about Owen.
“So he’s not very royal-like? I guess he’s more of a great magician, like a researcher?”
“A researcher… Yes, I suppose. He’s more like a mad scientist, or maybe a neurotic engineer…”
“M-Mad…?”
“What’s an engineer?”
Strauss and Eliza tilt their heads in confusion at my analysis. It seems my description didn’t quite get through. It would be easiest if they could see him in person.
As we’re talking, Aile and the others return from the store. It looks like they bought clothes and changed immediately, as everyone is now wearing matching outfits. They’re all in white clothing with only small differences in the color of their capes.
Aile’s cape is light green. Liz’s is bright yellow, and Belle’s is pale blue. Court has also changed, with his cape matching Aile’s green.
“Did you change too, Mr. Court?” Shenley asks, looking at Court.
He smiles sheepishly and answers,
“Well, Aile forced me to buy it…”
Aile laughs cheerfully as Court looks embarrassed.
“It suits you, so it’s fine! Oh, Shenley, let’s go too! Everyone should come!”
Aile, now in high spirits, grabs Shenley’s hand and invites us to go shopping. Shenley shakes her head with a troubled expression.
“I-I don’t really understand fashion… Besides, Teacher Aoi and the others probably won’t change…”
Shenley, unable to make up her mind, looks to us for help. Seeing her gaze, I can’t help but smile.
Watching the students laughing loudly and showing off the clothes they bought on their trip brings back memories from the past. I was once in charge of chaperoning a school trip, but as a teacher, I was so busy that I only had a moment to enjoy the town with the students. Checking headcounts, confirming schedules, reviewing the day with other teachers at night, and planning for the next day to avoid mistakes.
Most of my memories from the school trip are of rushing around, but I genuinely enjoyed when the students called me over to help choose clothes. The female students gathered around, noisily selecting clothes for me, and somehow I even ended up trying them on. When I came out to show them, even some of the male students had gathered, making it even more lively.
These were nostalgic memories from my time as a teacher in Japan.
For a moment, I gaze into the distance, but seeing the faces of the students looking at me, I smile and speak up.
“…Why don’t I buy something and change too?”
As I say this, not just Shenley but Aile turns around as well.
“Really?!”
Aile exclaims in surprise, and I tilt my head.
“Is it that unexpected?”
Both Aile and Shenley nod in unison.
“Most of the clothes at Maple Leaf are white…”
“Teacher Aoi always wears black, so I never thought you’d actually wear white.”
As the two honestly explain their reasons, I chuckle softly.
“Sometimes white clothes can be nice too. Strauss, Eliza, are you okay with this?”
When I ask, Eliza immediately nods and pats Shenley’s head.
“That sounds good. If we all wear it, Shenley won’t feel embarrassed! Oh, if you don’t want to choose a color, we can all choose for you!”
“Then choose for me too.”
“You too, Mr. Strauss?”
“Come on, Strauss is an adult. He should choose for himself.”
“…It’s troublesome, so black is fine.”
Just like Aile and the others earlier, the teaching staff creates a tourist-like atmosphere. It seems both Eliza and Strauss understood my intention. Shenley looks puzzled at our behavior.
“Since Teacher Aoi is saying this, let’s all go to the store! Come on, come on!”
“Ah, wait a moment…”
Seizing the opportunity, Aile grabs Shenley’s hand and starts walking. Although Shenley panics, Aile and Eliza are smiling.
“Since we’re here, let’s enjoy sightseeing in the Holy City too.”
Saying this, we all head towards the store.
Walking at the back of the group, I watch everyone chatting excitedly and smile contentedly.
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