Chapter 248 Sudden Change and Confusion
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The visit from the two Pordhails turned what should have been a normal day into a hectic one.
It seemed that a duel between the Pordhails had suddenly happened, and I only found out about it after it was over.
I felt mixed emotions about the duel. I was annoyed by the problems it caused, but I also wished I could have seen the event. While I was feeling uneasy, teacher came back to the mansion with a guest.
To my surprise, the guest was Estesia-san, and it seemed that after the duel, they had hit it off. She asked for a room to be prepared for her.
Preparing a room wasn’t a problem, but honestly, I felt uneasy around Estesia-san.
After being grilled by her before, it was understandable, but I couldn’t just send away a guest my teacher brought, so I quickly arranged a room for Estesia-san.
I was worried about being questioned again, but with my teacher present, Estesia-san was surprisingly calm and didn’t seem to want to interrogate me. However, I felt her watching me a lot, which made me uncomfortable, especially since my teacher I admired was right next to me.
It seemed like she was trying to hide her troublesome otaku side in front of my teacher, so she was probably wary of me spilling anything to my teacher.
I thought she would come to talk to me soon, and that moment came sooner than I expected.
After finishing everything I had to do for the day, I flopped down on my bed and relaxed.
It’s still early to sleep, and the usual group at the dining hall might still be there after closing time, so I could join them. However, after dealing with the Pordhail incident all afternoon, I just didn’t have the energy to change and go to the dining hall.
I was thinking about just falling asleep like this when there was a knock on my room door.
”Ah, come in!”
Wait, no, I responded without thinking because I was too relaxed. Who could it be?
If it were Diana or Lewya, they would have called out after knocking, and besides, they weren’t supposed to come to my room tonight.
As I looked at the door that was knocked on but not opening, I got up from my bed, and the doorknob slowly turned, revealing the visitor through the gap in the door.
”Estesia-san?”
”Um, is it okay if I come in?”
To be honest, she was the last person I wanted to see in this mentally exhausted state, but since I had already said “come in,” I couldn’t say no.
I let Estesia-san into the room. She came in wearing a wide-brimmed hat, so I couldn’t see her face at all, but I could tell from her posture that she seemed a bit uncomfortable.
”Um, what brings you here?”
”…What? Am I not allowed to come if I don’t have a reason?”
What kind of reaction is that? Why is she acting so girly?
I mean, when we met at lunch, she seemed like she didn’t want to see my face unless she had a reason.
Could it be that she knows I’m aware of her crush on my teacher?
”Don’t worry, I have no intention of telling teacher that you have a crush on her.”
”…? Oh, that’s good to hear.”
Huh? It seems like that wasn’t the issue after all.
But I guess, even if that were the case, it’s not like I should just stay away if I don’t have any business here. That’s a pretty childish way to sulk.
So what’s with this reaction? I really don’t get it.
”Um, is something wrong?”
”Ugh… it’s nothing important.”
That’s a lie; something definitely happened.
I asked my teacher why there was a duel at dinner, but she dodged the question. I’m not that clueless, though.
Given the sudden change in my teacher’s personality and Estesia-san’s attitude, it’s probably something related to me.
Teacher is cold to others, but very kind to those they consider close.
Many magicians do not like me and often gossip about me, even though I was recognized as Amelia Pordhail’s apprentice and a magician, despite lacking achievements. Whenever I hear this gossip, my teacher speaks to the person who spread it. This duel is probably connected to those discussions.
The problem is, after those discussions, people usually run away when they see me, but Estesia-san did the opposite and approached me.
I couldn’t shake off that difference when Estesia-san smoothly came closer to me.
”It feels weird to just stand here, can I sit next to you?”
”Uh? Next to me…”
I hesitated, thinking about whether it was okay since it was on the bed, but before I could respond, Estesia-san sat right next to me.
We were so close that our shoulders touched, and after all the insults she threw at me during the day, I couldn’t understand why she came to my room and got on the bed.
”E-Estesia-san?”
”You don’t need to use honorifics, just call me Sia.”
She casually asked me to drop the honorifics and use her first name. What is up with this person?
”W-well, I have something I want to ask ‘Sia’, is that okay?”
”Sure, what do you want to know?”
”How was the duel with my teacher?”
”…If it’s about that, you probably don’t need to ask me, right? You’ve already heard about the duel.”
”If it’s about what’s spreading in the frontier settlement, then yes, but what I want to know is not about the duel with the ‘Pordhail’, but the duel with ‘my teacher’.”
”Oh, I see. That’s something only I would know, but…”
She seems to be having a hard time saying it. I thought she would happily tell me how amazing my teacher was without worrying about the outcome.
”You look like you want to say something.”
”No, it’s just surprising that you seem hesitant. I thought you would gladly talk about the duel with my teacher.”
”In a duel where both sides are fully committed, it would be different. However, I couldn’t give my best, and Amelia Pordhail easily outperformed me without much effort. It was an honor to fight against her, and I felt great during the duel. But now, I regret how it turned out.”
Seeing her talk like that surprised me.
Honestly, I initially believed she would always support my teacher because of her excitement throughout the day. However, when she expressed her regrets about the duel, it became clear to me that, before being a devoted fan, she is a strong magician who stands with Pordhail.
”About the duel with Amelia Pordhail, to put it simply, it was a complete defeat. I tried to shift the flow in my favor once, but just when I thought I had it, the flow was taken away, and I lost.”
”Well, that’s my teacher specialty. I’ve been defeated by that many times.”
Teacher doesn’t force her own flow.
If the opponent tries to create their own flow, she deliberately go along with it and then make it her own.
”I felt a part of the legend of Amelia Pordhail. Well, I didn’t really get to see Amelia Pordhail’s magic, though.”
”Is that so?”
”Yes, instead, I was easily handled by the magic you thought of.”
”Huh?”
Is the magic I thought of the one I came up with when my teacher was teaching me magic?
Back then, I was very inexperienced as a magician and didn’t even understand how difficult it was to realize my own ideas.
My teacher enjoyed recalling the magic I created and sharing it with me. However, this was something only my teacher could do. Most of the magic ideas I had back then, and even now, I struggle to create. Among the few I can create, only a few are useful in real combat.
”I have something I want to ask too. How did you come up with the idea of using magic as a medium?”
”Oh, that?”
That’s about the time I was trying to recreate the weapons I often saw in robot anime.
”It’s because I was ignorant, or rather, I just didn’t think it was an unusual idea.”
”I don’t think you can reach that idea just from ignorance… So what about that magic that exploded but didn’t have any recoil?”
”Exploded but didn’t have any recoil…? Oh!”
Is that about the magic I thought of to recreate the reactive armor?
”Sure, I came up with that, but what my teacher uses is a modified version that turns it into an attack magic, so it’s hard to say it’s just mine.”
”What do you mean?”
”I thought of that magic as a defensive magic.”
Since this is a ‘reproduction’ of a reactive magic, it’s natural for it to be a defensive spell, but this magic turned out to be a failure as a defense.
Controlling an explosion requires strong magical skills, and I can only do it partially.
Even if I could do it perfectly, it would need more than double the magic power of other defensive spells. This is because it requires two layers of barriers and extra magic to fill the space between them. Additionally, it can only be used effectively once. Therefore, I believe it’s better to use a simple and strong defensive spell that can withstand multiple hits.
Although this magic ended up being a failure as a defensive spell, teacher suggested using it as an attack spell by wrapping it around a sword or staff.
Compared to a defensive spell that creates a wall, an attack spell is easier to use. This is because the attack spell only needs to be made nearby, which saves magic power. If the attack hits the target, it can cause a lot of damage. Even if it is blocked, the explosion can throw off the opponent’s balance, making it easier to attack again.
However, I struggle to manage the force of the explosion, which often results in me injuring my wrist.
”I can’t use magic like teacher. So that spell is hers.”
”…I didn’t notice it when we talked during the day, but your words sound so self-deprecating, yet your face doesn’t show it at all.”
”I’m just stating facts; I’m not saying it in a self-deprecating way. I might have felt differently a little while ago.”
”A little while ago?”
”Yes, I’m not the talented person that people say I am. I know my abilities are lacking, but I still stick my nose into things that aren’t my area, and that just makes me feel hopelessly self-deprecating. I hated that about myself and wanted to change.”
”So now you don’t feel the need to change anymore?”
”It’s not that I don’t need it anymore. Rather, I still need my abilities, and I want to grow even more. However, I learned that I don’t have to push myself to change. I showed a vulnerable side to others, and it was surprising that they didn’t give up on me. The people around me believed in me. Now, if I doubt myself, I also doubt their trust in me. I have accepted who I am today.”
As soon as I said that, I turned to look at Estesia-san sitting next to me, and she suddenly buried her face in the bed, raising her arms and slamming them down on the bed while shouting.
”Ughhhhhh!!”
”W-What!?”
”What is that? It’s just like the hero of a foolish story! Plus, after being betrayed by a best friend and falling into despair, they rise again thanks to the voices around them, accept their foolish self, and take the first step as a foolish hero! To think you would finish that without me here!!”
Uh… what’s wrong with her all of a sudden? Her emotions are all over the place.
She’s shouting something really fast, but I can barely hear it because her face is buried in the bed.
”Um, are you okay──.”
Just as I was about to ask if she was okay, Estesia-san suddenly shot up, staring at me with bloodshot eyes.
”I’ve made up my mind.”
”M-Made up your mind about what…?”
”I’m going to stay here for a while.”
”Huh?”
”If I miss out on any more good moments, I’ll regret it forever! So, I’m counting on you!”
”Why!?”
And so, Estesia-san ended up staying at the frontier settlement, or rather, the mansion… but seriously, why?
You might have guessed, but Amelia became softer with her relatives because of meeting Neil, and she wasn’t like that before.
Originally, Amelia didn’t even care about others enough to think of them as family.
However, Neil has no idea that he changed Amelia, so he mistakenly believes she has always had that kind of personality.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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