Chapter 77

I am currently in a makeshift sports field called a training ground.

Today is the day of the meeting for my job at the school festival, which involves security.

Behind me stands Tütte, and Safina, who is my assistant, is also waiting. In front of me, the students of Solos are lined up like a military formation, maintaining a slight distance. And behind them, the people of Areyos are huddled together, trembling in fear.

Why are they trembling? It's because the people of Solos respond in unison with loud voices, and the intensity of it overwhelms them.

(This isn't a military base, really.)

By the way, a bit away from us, Senior Karlis and Mr. Ix, who is in charge of the security, are observing. Until now, it was Mr. Ix who led the proceedings, but this year he is just observing. He said he would intervene if any problems arise...

I sigh once, look at everyone lined up, and start speaking.

"First, let's introduce ourselves. I am Mary, the head of security for this year. Nice to meet you all."

"Nice to meet you!" they all respond in unison.

(Their voices are so loud... I'm glad they are enthusiastic, though.)

In response to my greeting, the people of Solos reply in unison. The volume of their voices causes the people of Areyos behind them to take a step back.

I look at Safina with a sigh, wondering if the people of Solos are always this energetic. She seems to be slightly backing away too, so it seems this is a special occasion.

"Regarding the security training, please follow the guidance of Senior Karlis, who is waiting over there. I believe this will be a good experience for the future, so please try your best."

"Understood!!" they all respond in unison.

I sigh again, looking at the students of Solos who are now standing at attention, making me think this is a military base. I then turn to the people of Areyos, who are completely taken aback, and wave them over.

"Please come closer, everyone from Areyos. We will form groups now."

The young magicians, looking pale, hesitantly gather and approach me. I look at them with pity.

"Um... Miss Mary, we can't do security training like those people."

I understand how you feel. If you were to do interpersonal training with such high-energy, muscle-bound people, you'd all be knocked out in one go.

"Yes, I understand. You will be responsible for other tasks while they handle the physical labor."

"Other tasks?"

"Yes, please form pairs. Safina, please divide the people of Solos into groups of three."

"Yes, Miss Mary."

I answer the Areyos students with a smile, trying to reassure them, and instruct Safina to form the groups. She looks at a list she prepared in advance and smoothly divides them.

Once the groups are formed, I combine one group from Areyos and one from Solos. Everyone looks curious, as this is something new. The resulting groups consist of three people from Solos and two from Areyos.

"Miss Mary, what is the intention behind this? I've never seen such a formation before. Is it okay to include the people of Areyos in the training?"

Senior Karlis, who has been observing, approaches with a curious look.

"No, the magicians will be responsible for communication, not participating in the security training."

"Communication?"

My response draws the attention of everyone, including Senior Karlis and the groups.

"Yes, the people of Areyos will be responsible for regular communication and reporting any issues to the headquarters for judgment. Even if they can't communicate in advance, they must ensure they can contact someone at some point."

"Does that mean running around as messengers?"

"No, we will use transmission magic."

I had just remembered a convenient spell and planned to apply it here.

"One of the two magicians in each group will accompany the group, while the other will stay at headquarters. This way, we can communicate quickly in case of any issues. It's like a walkie-talkie."

"Walkie-talkie?"

Everyone tilts their heads at my slip of the tongue. I clear my throat and pretend it didn't happen.

"Miss Mary! So, we are to follow the judgments of the headquarters based on the communication from the people of Areyos, rather than making our own decisions?"

"Yes, that's right."

I feel a bit like a superior officer and a soldier, but I answer with a smile. This strategy is to prevent the muscle-bound people of Solos from acting on their own, as I learned from Senior Karlis and Mr. Ix that in previous years, some security personnel acted on their own and caused more trouble.

(Yes, a great idea!)

"Um, we understand our role in using transmission magic, but the effect of the spell is very short, and it consumes a lot of magic power, so it can't be used multiple times. Also, one person can only speak while the other listens, making it unsuitable for continuous communication."

"That's true. So, you will train to communicate in short bursts."

I answer the hesitant question from an Areyos student with a smile. Everyone looks confused.

"In other words, you will shorten the messages you need to convey and practice communicating them. We can develop a specialized language as we train. Since we are only operating within the framework of security, I think it will be easy to create."

As I explain, everyone looks at me with sparkling eyes.

Those eyes are filled with admiration, a look I've seen many times when I've messed up. It's a bit sad to recognize it.

(Ah, isn't this normal? In Japan, people used to communicate with pagers using a set number of characters. Maybe they didn't have such a simplified method here.)

I start to regret speaking so casually. Thus, my first day as the head of security ends with everyone looking at me in admiration.

And later,

The communication method I thought of was quickly adopted by other operational teams, and it seems like I'm being treated as if I've started a revolution.

(No, that's not it. This was, um, the prince's idea. Please, God, let it be known that way!)

And so, even though the school festival preparations have just begun, I find myself praying to God.

[Promotion] We are currently working on the book version. The official website of the Net Novel Award also features illustrations of this work, so please check it out if you're interested. It seems that pre-orders are now available at bookstores and on Amazon. If many people pre-order, I'll be so happy that I'll run around the yard. Thank you very much.