Sue and I regrouped with Shiro and the others as they returned from the stage.
“Shun-oniichan, Ao was super cool!”
“All those spells—so amazing!”
“She totally nailed it!”
“Okay, okay, I get it. Calm down, you three.”
The kids were bursting with excitement after watching Ao win up close.
But… something was off. The star of the moment—Ao herself—was nowhere to be seen.
Just as I looked around, Sylvia-san approached us, holding Ao gently in her arms.
“Um… excuse me. Ao insisted on healing me with recovery magic.”
“That’s no problem at all. She treated her opponents yesterday too.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m completely fine now.”
Ao had held back the power of her Air Bullets, but even so, Sylvia-san must have taken a few scrapes. But now, every one of those wounds seemed completely healed.
“Sylvia-san, did you learn magic on your own?”
“No. One of the elders of our village could use magic. He taught me the basics. But he always said that magic is all about grit…”
“Ah, I know the type. I’ve met adventurers who said they got through it with sheer willpower.”
“That’s exactly what it felt like.”
Sylvia-san said with a distant look in her eyes. She must have gone through a real struggle to learn magic. And to think she can already use wind spells at that level—she’s honestly remarkable.
“Sylvia-san, are you specialized in wind magic?”
“No. I can also use earth magic. I just haven’t tried any other types yet.”
“Even so, being able to use multiple kinds of magic is impressive.”
Sue explained to Sylvia-san that magicians capable of more than one type of magic were rare. Earth magic, in particular, could be applied in many ways and would surely make her a valuable ally.
Then Sylvia-san turned to me,
“Um… you’re the manager of the food stall that’s been so busy, right? I have a favor to ask.”
“I’m not exactly the manager, but I’ll listen.”
“Well… on my way to the venue this morning, I was robbed. They took all the money I had.”
“Eh? Are you okay? Was anything else stolen?”
“I have my adventurer card with me because I kept it close, so that’s safe. Oh, I already told a guard just in case.”
That was quite the misfortune… and yet, she still went into the match in that state of mind.
In a way, it was deeply admirable. Just that alone was reason enough for the Margrave household to want to keep Sylvia-san close.
“So… you want to work at a food stall to earn some money, right?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Hm… understood. Then, just in case, I’ll call the manager who’s sitting there enjoying some ice cream.”
“Sitting…?”
Sylvia-san blinked, unsure who I meant.
Sue, however, immediately understood and let out a small, wry laugh.
I walked over to where the Margrave had just finished his ice cream and explained the situation. Since it was a stall run by the Margrave’s household, the manager was, in fact, the Margrave himself.
And then, not only did the Margrave come along, but Fina-san accompanied him as well.
“So you were robbed of your travel money. I’ll have the guards step up their search for the culprit. There may be other victims as well.”
“Right. It’s really awful that such people exist.”
“Y-Yes.”
Slyvia-san could only agree. Suddenly, the Margrave appeared right in front of her, and she froze completely.
“Helping out at the stall would be more than welcome. It’s so busy I can hardly keep up.”
“Mm. And if you’re short on money, I can lend you some.”
Fina-san added kindly.
“O-oh… thank you.”
Sylvia-san answered, still a bit flustered.
Well, no matter how it came about, we’d secured an extra hand.
Perfect timing, too—while she helped at the stall, we could also learn more about her.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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