The Approaching Day(2)

About two more weeks passed, and the day the Sky Island quest begins has suddenly come very close.

Until now, there hadn’t been anything particularly special, but it seemed that the demon executives had definitely recognized me.

The evidence was the awkward behavior of Arin and Kana, who had demon parasites implanted. Other students and professors might not have noticed, but I, knowing that the two had demon parasites implanted, could tell.

Hosts implanted with demon parasites basically become the eyes and ears of the parasite’s owner, but if the other side intervenes, it’s also possible to control the host by touching their subconscious.

And using that, they controlled the two just enough not to be detected while exploring inside the academy, and at the same time moved while being conscious of us, so there’s no denying it even if they tried to.

For now, I just left them alone since nothing would particularly change whether they investigated the academy or me.

Anyway, after about a month had passed like that, I was now waiting at the academy for the Sky Island quest that would begin in the near future.

…Why am I still at the academy, you ask?

Well, I don’t know exactly when the quest starts either. From the beginning, even in the game it said “about a month later,” so I don’t know the exact date.

I’m just roughly guessing that since about a month has passed, the quest will start soon.

That’s why I’m currently in the headmaster’s office. Called by Mira, I was now sitting at the table in the headmaster’s office, holding a cup of tea.

Clink──

The sound of the teacup hitting the saucer echoes through the headmaster’s office.

Mira carefully poured brewed black tea into what looked like expensive teacups placed in front of us.

Black tea whose quality you could tell just by smelling its aroma. Meiyel and I enjoyed that scent for a moment before taking a small sip.

Yes, not just me alone, but me and Meiyel.

The one drinking tea with me in the headmaster’s office was Mu, transformed into Meiyel’s appearance.

Originally, Mu was in charge of monitoring the Sky Island, but saying she could monitor from anywhere, she followed me, asking to come along.

“I’ve had tea with Aria-san a few times, but this is my first time meeting Meiyel-san. How do you like the tea?”

“Mm… Grateful for the consideration…”

“Oh my, how cute.”

Perhaps finding Mu’s cat-like appearance of drinking tea with half-closed eyes cute, Mira smiled slightly while looking at Mu answering with elongated words.

Well, Meiyel’s appearance is indeed cute. I often pat her too when Mu transforms into Meiyel.

Well, since there weren’t any particular results to speak of right now, I was enjoying the healing by indulging in the tea time Mira had invited us to.

“This is… delicious…”

“There’s plenty, so please have as much as you like.”

Mu munching on a checkered cookie from the table with a crunch.

Mira grinned at that squirrel-like appearance, and I too couldn’t stop my hand from reaching for Mu’s head.

Indeed, lying alone on the bed or training is fine, but sometimes it might be good to rest like this.

There’s a world of difference mentally between resting alone and resting while seeing things like this.

“Ah, come to think of it.”

“Hm?”

While I was patting Mu’s head, Mira suddenly opened her mouth as if she had thought of a topic.

Turning to look at her at the sound of her starting a conversation, Mira pushed the cookie plate placed in the center of the table towards Mu and asked us.

“These days, the classes of you two… or more precisely, Aria-san and her siblings, are quite a hot topic. In a not-so-good way for the students, but in quite a good way among the professors.”

“I do think we’re pushing them a bit too hard. Is there perhaps a problem?”

Could it be that someone complained it was too difficult? Come to think of it, I did think it was a class that didn’t consider the extra NPCs, but was it that hard?

If so, I thought I should apologize to Mira and lower the intensity of the classes a bit, but what interrupted my words was Mu, who was drinking tea beside me.

Putting down the teacup she was drinking from and the cookie she was about to eat, Mu hardened her expression.

Mu frowned her already half-closed eyes as if angry and said:

“No… Everything our sisters do is right. The reason students dislike it is… all because the students are weak… There’s no problem with our sisters.”

“Hoho, your feelings for your sisters are impressive. But don’t worry. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the classes.”

It was a biased statement from Mu that could have been quite rude since she was my homunculus, but fortunately, it seems Mira didn’t bring up this topic to blame us from the start.

Mira uncrossed her legs and looked alternately at me and Mu before voicing the question she had been holding.

“It’s just that since your classes are so amazing, I’m curious about how much fruit they’ve borne.”

“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Mm… The growth rate is certain… as much as we’re pushing them hard…”

How much fruit have they borne? This was something I could answer most confidently without hesitation.

That they’ve borne incomparably large fruit, that is. After all, we’ve trained them over the past month to the point where they could protect their own lives even if they were alone in this quest.

At this immediate answer from me and Mu, Mira looked at us with eyes full of interest.

“Which students stand out in particular?”

“Well, they all have talent, but in swordsmanship, it would be Arin and Kana. They’ve already moved past stones and rocks in the tasks I’ve given, and are now challenging cliff cutting.”

“In magic, it’s Shati, Pina, and Fran… Pina and Fran are a bit behind Shati, but… all three of them know how to create what they imagine… The power of attack magic is enough to destroy a meteor… The power of defense magic is enough to block a meteor…”

The representative students Mira asked about.

If I were to pick such students from my classes, it would undoubtedly be the representative character children.

They’re in a different league from the other students, after all. Both in innate talent and effort so far.

In the swordsmanship class, Arin and Kana have easily cleared not just stones but the next level, rocks, and recently they’ve been challenging cutting cliffs.

Of course, from here on the difficulty becomes completely different so they’re struggling a lot, but considering there are still children who haven’t even cleared stone blocks, it’s undoubtedly exceptionally outstanding.

And in the magic class, there’s Shati, Pina, and Fran. The three have gone beyond casting magic without incantations as I said, and are generally able to implement everything they imagine.

The power is as Mu just said, enough to destroy and block meteors.

It can be said to be a dazzling growth over just one month.

At these words of ours, Mira’s eyes widened in genuine surprise and blinked. Well, it’s not unreasonable since what we said is unrealistic to that extent.

“That’s certainly impressive. Yes, very much so.”

“Well, it looks like they’ll grow even more soon.”

They will probably grow quickly soon. Inevitably.

I wanted to answer like that seeing Mira’s surprise, but I barely held back and only uttered the first part.

It was still a future that no one knew about, so I shouldn’t carelessly talk excitedly. So I reached for my teacup to moisten my slightly dry mouth.

And then.

“…This is.”

“They’ve come…”

The teacup trembling and shaking so minutely that it’s really imperceptible.

I jumped up from my seat at that vibration transmitted through my fingertips, and Mu also stood up and approached the window of the headmaster’s office.

“Aria-san? Meiyel-san?”

Mira stood up reflexively, seeing us both suddenly rise from our seats. However, now was not the time to answer her one by one.

Clank──!

Mu, who had rushed to the window, immediately threw it open, and I walked to Mu’s side and looked out the opened window. And Mira, who followed me, also cast her gaze outside the window.

What was there was a blue sky. No, more precisely, a distorting blue sky.

“Is that…?”

“It seems to be something that was hidden.”

“Complete concealment using sorcery and magic. A collaborative work of sorcerers and magicians who have crossed a certain realm.”

Is this what it means to be a headmaster, I wonder. Mira, who immediately detected the abnormality in the sky, asked, and I gave a simple answer to that, while Mu added a perfect explanation.

And as soon as Mu’s words ended, a huge island gradually revealed itself behind the distorting space, like oil spreading on water.

That huge island covered half the size of the Puhara Kingdom, blocking the sun and casting a shadow.

A size that covers half of this huge kingdom of Puhara. Mira softly murmured the identity of the hidden island, which could be known just by its size alone.

“Sky… Island?”

“…It’s finally started, huh.”

I muttered, moving only my lips so that Mira, who was blankly murmuring the name “Sky Island,” couldn’t hear.

I didn’t expect it to start today, at this moment, but it doesn’t matter. Whether it started today, yesterday, or tomorrow, the result would have been the same anyway.

And just as my muttering ended, a small magic circle began to glow, drawn under the feet of me, Mu, and Mira.

No, it must have been drawn under the feet of everyone here at the academy, not just us.

This magic circle that forcibly transfers to the Sky Island. If it was Mu in Meiyel’s form, she could easily deflect the magic circle, but following the orders I had given in advance, Mu maintained her immobile posture.

“This is a magic circle?! Forced transfer?!”

Amidst me and Mu maintaining our composure, only Mira shouted in surprise.

Without even being able to tell her not to panic, we were enveloped by the light that burst from the magic circle the next moment.

A purple flash that completely covers our vision for an instant. Imagining the scenery of the Sky Island that would appear shortly after closing and opening our eyes, I closed my eyes and at the same time, grasped the sword I had been sharpening all this time and muttered in my heart.

That I would beat them to within an inch of their lives with these weapons made by grinding you all down.