Chapter 79

Her beautiful reddish-brown hair, close to the color of copper, caught the eye first.

A woman with flowing long hair was sitting in a chair at the back of the spacious room, looking at us. She must be in her mid-thirties. Her eyes were strong, giving the impression of a confident adult woman. Her attire was the same white outfit as the others, but she wore a small red cloak over it.

Cameron had a navy blue cloak, so it must have some significance in terms of rank or position.

The woman looked at each of our faces in turn, smiled faintly, and stood up.

"I am Balbrea Kraynurish. I am the headmistress of the Holy Capital Magic Academy."

She was a woman who exuded dignity and presence. Balbrea was precisely the type of woman such words suited.

Cameron stood slightly in front of us, gesturing towards us and speaking.

"Headmistress, this is Aoi-sama from Fidic Academy, a senior instructor. These are Strass-sama and Eliza-sama, who are regular instructors at Fidic Academy."

"Oh, weren't the students supposed to come too?"

"Due to the nature of our business, they are waiting in the lounge this time."

When Cameron answered, Balbrea nodded, placing her finger on her chin.

"I see. I only heard that you were coming to tour the academy. What is the nature of your business?"

With a look as if she had found something interesting, Balbrea turned her gaze to us. I met her gaze straight on and stated my request.

"I would like to request your instruction on the knowledge and techniques of magic, as well as the knowledge of the human body, that are available at this magic academy."

Upon hearing this, Balbrea blinked and burst out laughing.

"Haha, I see, that's why Cameron is troubled. You're the type like Crown Windsor, aren't you? Not bound by country or affiliation, you are devoted to the study of magic and new discoveries, right?"

Balbrea said this while looking into my eyes.

"That's not the case."

For now, I indicated that I was not as extreme as Crown. After all, he held an important position as a court magician in his country, so he should have more ties than I do.

However, Balbrea was not listening to my words and turned her gaze to Strass and Eliza.

"Are you two also willing to dedicate your lives to the study of magic?"

Balbrea asked them with a challenging look. In response, they shook their heads slightly.

The mention of such a heavy word as "life" implied that if they were to learn the secrets of healing magic, which is a state secret, they might be killed.

If that were the case, it wouldn't be worth risking their lives.

Thinking this, Strass and Eliza spoke with troubled expressions.

"Under normal circumstances... if another instructor had made the same request, I would have tried to stop them, even by force. However, the issue here is that the magician who wants to see the research results of another country's magic is Aoi Konomito. If Aoi were to study healing magic, even if it led to a major incident such as a leak of confidential information, it would likely bring significant benefits to the Mapleleaf Holy Empire."

Strass suddenly showed a fluency and seriousness that was quite different from his usual demeanor. Balbrea narrowed her eyes, looking interested.

"...Every magic academy in every country is inevitably compared to Fidic Academy. And because of its diversity, most people assume that Fidic Academy is superior."

Suddenly saying this, Balbrea took a step or two closer to us.

Not only Strass and Eliza, but Cameron also stiffened. After glancing at them, Balbrea looked at me directly.

"It's frustrating, isn't it? From our perspective, we are doing equivalent research. If there is any difference, it is only whether the major powers are collaborating to run the academy or whether it is run by a single country."

Coming right up to me, Balbrea said this. She was taller than I expected, and I had to look up at her.

"I see."

For now, I responded. I understood her spirit, so there was no need to deny it.

Thinking this, I met her gaze, and Balbrea smirked and laughed through her nose.

"You're interesting. Since you are a senior instructor at Fidic Academy, you probably have magic skills on par with or better than our Four Perno Roses. Are you overconfident because of that?"

After gauging me, Balbrea raised her arm to show me. The skin from her elbow up was exposed, and my eyes naturally went to it.

There, basic but ancient magic was inscribed as a magic array.

"...Is this a tattoo? Directly on the skin?"

Thinking it was a waste, I asked, but Balbrea suddenly looked annoyed.

"What? I thought you were someone who had made quite a bold request and was close to the depths of magic... If this looks like a mere tattoo to you, it's a different story. There's no point in discussing it."

Sighing deeply and lowering her arm, Balbrea turned away, seemingly losing interest.

I tilted my head at her attitude and words.

"I don't know what upset you, but were you looking for my opinion on the magic array? To be honest, I don't recommend this method of applying something to the skin that is difficult to change later..."

Upon hearing this, Balbrea, who was about to return to her desk, stopped in her tracks.