Published at 11th of November 2020 05:02:45 PM
Chapter 41
Teedro and Illia’s Decision
Lynn spent the remaining five days of the expedition into the forest in much the same way each day . In the morning everyone would partner up with someone else, and then break camp, venturing off in pairs of two .
Unlike Teedro, however, no one else wanted to go into the yellow zone .
“Hmm . I don’t really feel comfortable going into the yellow zone with you . Sorry, but do you mind if we keep to the blue zone?”
“Oh, sure . That’s no problem” .
He followed the orders of the older students he was paired with sincerely, and at times even used a bit of wit and caught them off guard with unusual conversations . Most of his partners enjoyed being paired up with him .
A couple times he was paired with someone who he didn’t get along with so well, but the rest of the time he was able to be himself .
Thanks to that fact, soon most of the guild had at least heard of his name, and he even found himself able to cross into their circles .
As the expedition went on, he also found that he no longer had to spend all of his time after the day’s hunt with Elios and co’ . Instead, if he wanted, he was able to socialize with some of the Magulheim members .
As he had a different partner each day, he soon realized that even within the famed Magulheim guild, Teedro and Illia were a cut above anyone else . They were extraordinary .
From the way they moved through the forest, to their ability to track down magical beasts, . No matter what part of their repertoire you looked at, there was nobody else in the guild who could match them .
Just making acquaintances with those two has already made coming here worth it .
Whenever he passed either of them, he would greet them and sometimes engage in small talk .
They too would return a smile, and treat him kindly .
Sometimes he felt that Illia even enjoyed his company .
This experience will surely make it easier to get my credit in the Magical Beasts class, when I become able to take intermediate classes . I’m going to take part in other Magulheim activities too, if I can, and learn from everyone .
He was really pleased with how the expedition had gone . Academy credits were the only thing he was thinking about .
On the final day of the expedition, the Magulheim members held a modest festival in celebration . They rejoiced over the loot they were able to get, and swore pledges to their continued efforts within the guild .
And lost within that jovial atmosphere, Lynn enjoyed the attention he received from the older members, whom he was on good terms with .
Teedro and Hazel conversed while they watched the celebrations from afar .
“How’s the loot haul?”
“It’s excellent . At this rate, we’ll be able to secure enough funding for the guild for the rest of the year” .
“I see” .
Despite the good news, Teedro’s expression remained solemn . The whole time he was looking over at the festivities, and more specifically, at Lynn .
Both Teedro and Hazel had been closely observing Lynn throughout the expedition . They kept tabs on how he did each day .
Hazel sensed his mind wandering, and so she decided to change the subject to Lynn . Teedro likely wanted to talk about him anyway .
“So what’re you thinking about him then? About Lynn . Do you think he can be an asset to us?”
Teedro was silent at first, and looked away .
This was a habit of his . It would happen every time he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the right words .
Sponsored Content
At a loss for what to do, Hazel went on talking .
“He’s an amiable kid . He’s only been around the other guild members for a number of days, but already he’s made a generally favourable impression on everybody . You could say he’s opened his heart to us, really” .
In actual fact, she herself was half impressed, and half shocked at how he had slotted in .
“Hazel” .
“Yes?”
“Lynn’s a good kid” .
“I know” .
“But that’s all . He doesn’t have any great talent as a wizard” .
“So then…”
“He isn’t a good fit for Magulheim . From now on, don’t call on him for any of our future ventures” .
She paused before responding .
“I understand” .
Lynnl, when I saw you manifest the Vesper Sword in that Ring Magic class, I thought you had talent . When I learned that you were born a slave, my interest in you only grew stronger . Despite your background I thought that you were giving it your all . But it seems that was my misjudgment . In actual fact, the truth is that you’re precocious . You’ve developed your magical abilities a little faster than the other kids your age, but that’s all . Ability isn’t something you’re born with . For the most part it’s something that you develop through your own actions and hard work, but still don’t understand this simple truth . To put it bluntly, at this point you wouldn’t make a competent member of Magulheim . You just aren’t assertive enough .
From a distance, he watched him for a while with regret, before tearing his gaze away . Later that night, thoughts of Lynn had completely left his mind . He was now completely focused on the wizard contest that would take place in a few months .
Sponsored Content
On the night of the last day of the expedition, Illia was talking to a couple of her friends . As they talked, occasionally she would find herself sneaking glances over at Lynn . She saw he was enjoying mingling with the other members .
Illia too had been keeping a close eye on Lynn these last few days .
He really is an intriguing kid .
Each year, on the final day of Magulheim’s summer expedition, there was often a strained atmosphere . Guild members would often worry over their individual quotas . While that wasn’t the case this year, it seemed that the unusual movement of some of the magical beasts within the forest had put a few people on edge, which tainted the otherwise buoyant atmosphere .
There was one young boy in particular who, at that very moment, had a small gathering around him . The group chatted idly, and time for them flowed smoothly . They shared a harmonious atmosphere together .
Her repeated glances betrayed her interest, and her friends’ imaginations fired away imaginatively at her unusual behaviour .
“Illia san, what are you looking at?”
“For a while now you’ve been stealing glances over at that group over there . By any chance, is there perhaps someone over there who you like?”
“I was just looking over at Lynn” .
“Is that the new boy? I heard that this will be the last time he’s called on” .
Illia was shocked .
“What? Is that true?”
“Apparently Teedro’s already made up his mind” .
Sponsored Content
“Well, I guess his forte was only ring magic”, the other friend said, chiming in .
At that their table stopped talking about the new boy, Lynn, and the conversation moved swiftly on .
Illia felt herself drop into a low mood .
It’s such a shame . We had such a nice time walking through the forest together .
She herself had a favourable impression of the boy . She thought that he had many good qualities, from his occasional bashfulness whenever he was embarrassed, to the way he strove to be seen as an adult and the expressions he came out with, and to the kind consideration he showed towards other people, as well as the way he interacted with them .
If she had a younger brother, he would probably be like Lynn, she thought .
Above all, though, she enjoyed herself when she was with him .
And so, having learned that this would be the last time he would participate in Magulheim, she felt a great sadness come over her .
Sure, it may be true that his abilities are mediocre . But surely that can also be said of many of the other members!
In actual fact, from her point of view, it was unclear what exactly separated Lynn from the others . For a while now, she felt that she wasn’t so driven when it came to Magulheim activities, but Lynn had certainly been a bright splash of colour in an otherwise increasingly bothersome part of her life .
I thought I had finally found some joy within this guild… What should I do now? Maybe it really is time to leave .
She let out a deep sigh as her mind turned over her melancholic thoughts .
Suddenly an idea came to her .
Why of course, that’s it! He was talking about how he wanted to go to an elite tea party . I have one coming up, that I myself am sponsoring . I should invite him . That way I can see him again .
Next time… Chapter 42, ‘Elios’s Graduation’ .