Test (2)
"It's a nice view no matter how many times I see it. Especially the location of the mansion and courtyard… Huh?"
While admiring the landscaping of the well-maintained Roach mansion, Ortel noticed something.
Elodie directed her gaze there too.
"Isn't that Frondier over there?"
"Seems... so?"
The two tilted their heads in puzzlement, not expecting Frondier to be outside.
Frondier was in the middle of the mansion's empty lot.
His still-sleepy eyes held an unusual hint of tension.
Then—
"......!"
Elodie sensed it.
Frondier drew upon his mana.
His jet-black hair fluttered slightly.
It was a considerable amount of mana, though it was unclear what magic he was about to cast.
'Did Frondier have that much mana?'
Frondier seemed to possess more mana than Elodie had been aware of.
Though she couldn't say for sure since she hadn't paid much attention to it.
Mana capacity alone didn't matter though. What was important was the amount of mana one could use at a time.
One couldn't simply pour mana into a spell.
For basic spells like 'Flame Darts', recklessly adding more mana in an attempt to increase their power would only result in the excess dispersing, since there's a limit to how much mana it can hold.
In other words, using a lot of mana meant that the spell was high level.
'What kind of spell does Frondier know that requires that much mana…?'
With those thoughts, Elodie and Ortel observed Frondier with a mixture of tension and anticipation.
Finally, Frondier finished channeling his mana, and a radiant halo appeared at his fingertips.
Then.
Nothing happened.
"…Huh?"
She rubbed her eyes in case she was seeing things, but nothing had changed.
The empty lot looked exactly the same as before, regardless of what Frondier had or hadn't done.
In a word, nothing happened.
* * *
I don't know what kind of magic circle this is.
Menosorpo.
I came out to the mansion's empty lot to test this magic circle that I got as a reward for clearing a dungeon.
It takes a significant amount of mana just to manifest the magic circle, but nothing changed even after I inscribed it on the ground and activated it.
I had high hopes for it since it was much larger than it looked.
I scratched my head.
"Am I connected to things that can't be seen?"
"What are you talking about?"
A voice came from behind. I turned around and saw Elodie.
Elodie was there too, along with her father, Ortel.
I bowed my head.
"It's an honor to meet you, Lord Risha."
"Well, this is unusual. You're outside."
Ortel seemed a bit impressed.
Normally, the original Frondier would have stayed holed up in his room at the mansion, never thinking of coming out.
"I've found staying in my room to be suffocating lately."
I deflected with a vague response.
Elodie furrowed her brows and pressed me.
"What do you mean by that? You said you had a connection with the unseen."
Of all things, she had to hear that.
I quickly thought on my feet.
"Ah, you might not have heard. I saw a ghost when I went to the dungeon a few days ago."
Good, that was quick thinking.
Seeing the ghost named Slevb wasn't a lie.
"Is that really what happened?"
"That's right."
Elodie's lips pursed, her doubt not entirely dispelled as she scrutinized my expression.
But all she saw was my languid face.
"Hmm, well, okay. You went to the dungeon and worked hard. No worries about the joint mission then."
"Joint mission?"
"Yes. Teams are formed with one student from each grade, first, second, and third, to perform tasks in the field."
"Ah."
Now that she mentioned it, I remembered.
When facing magical beasts, it's basic to move as a team, so it's important to know the students' abilities and positions in advance.
However, teams composed only of first-year students are considered too risky, so trios are formed with the inclusion of second and third-year students.
First-year students learn from their seniors, and seniors teach their juniors, gaining indirect experience for when they become professionals.
...But when playing the game, joint missions weren't such a big event.
Because I was Aster Evans.
Among the first years, my skills were unparalleled, and with second and third years by my side, it was a smooth event.
But now, I am Frondier.
Anything could happen.
"You need to be in the top ten of your grade, right? The joint mission gives extra points too."
She heard that too.
Setting aside my rank in the top ten of my grade, the extra points Elodie mentioned were true.
The joint mission is an immediate precursor to the third years' professional experience. I'll have to train up until then.
At least, to avoid any embarrassment.
