Chapter 29

"Hey, take me somewhere."

"That's sudden... and abrupt..."

After successfully enrolling in the Adventurer Preparatory School, I spent my time attending classes and working part-time hunting, and first formed a pair with my male best friend, Elwin von Arnim.

He, like me, was the fifth son of a knight family, a position fraught with challenges.

So, it didn't take long for us to become close.

Of course, if you consider that all the noble children at the Adventurer Preparatory School are in similar situations, it's not surprising.

Next, on our way back from hunting, we saved two classmates from a pack of wolves.

One of them was Eina Zuzane Hirenbrandt, a cool and beautiful girl.

She was an expert with a spear, and the sharp gaze she occasionally showed was irresistible to those who liked it.

Some might find her intimidating, but I didn't feel that way.

This is a Western fantasy world, so she appears more mature than a Japanese person, but she's still just a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl.

Given that my mental age exceeds thirty, I might be eager to see her become more affectionate?

She's trying her best to act mature, which is quite endearing.

The other one is Louise Yolande Aurelia Ophelweck, a genuine lolita beauty.

She has a very long and hard-to-remember name, typical of a noble.

She is the kind of girl who, in my previous life, would immediately put her hands behind her back when I tried to touch her, a real-life cute type.

However, don't be deceived by her appearance.

She is a prodigy who passed the special student exam with a martial arts style adopted by the military.

If I tried to touch her chest, I would undoubtedly have my nose broken.

The lack of development in her chest was, for the next few years, one of her important goals.

"Take me somewhere... Louise is from the area and should know the geography of Breichburg better than I do..."

"Still, I think it's the man's role to escort a woman."

"It seems there's a theory for that."

"Since I'm a guy, I should escort you in a cool manner, right?"

"Unfortunately, I lack experience."

"Hmm..."

Despite some twists and turns, the four of us finally formed a party and had our first day off.

Today, El went to look at a new sword, and Eina went to look at a new spear.

Both El and Eina seem to be quite fond of weapons.

As adventurers, it's natural to entrust your life to your weapon.

"By the way, isn't Louise going to look at new gauntlets?"

"Umm, not yet."

According to Louise, the most important thing in martial arts is one's own body.

Fortunately, she received some old but high-quality gauntlets from her father, and the same goes for the training uniform she wears during combat, so she doesn't need to replace them for a while.

In the future, she will need to, but for now, she is focused on saving money.

"Right, right. Saving money is important."

Buying something necessary and saving up to reach a target amount.

In my previous life, I was quite serious about saving money until I was a middle school student.

"Right. So, treat me as a guide fee."

"You..."

I thought I had no interest in lolitas, even considering my previous life, but when Louise asks with a smile, I can't say anything.

Is this the result of not talking to many women, except for my mother and step-sister, for a long time?

No, in my previous life, I did have a girlfriend, so I'm not that socially awkward or afraid of women.

But, after not interacting with people for about six years, I might have developed some issues.

My mind is swirling with various thoughts.

"I'll take you to a magic item specialty store. Come on, it's a day off, let's go out."

"Okay, okay."

I was led by Louise, and we headed to an area of Breichburg I had never been to before.

"You didn't buy anything, did you?"

"The selection was too poor..."

About an hour later, after leaving the magic item specialty store that Louise had led us to, we were drinking tea and talking at a café on the main street.

"I don't really understand, but..."

"The magic items weren't that bad."

Magic item stores are quite mysterious.

Do they stock general-purpose items that even those with low magic power can use?

Or do they only stock specialized items that only mages can use?

Or do they stock weapons and armor that mages can equip?

Due to the small number of mages, stores that stock the third type of equipment are rare.

Or, if they do stock them, the selection is often limited.

Still, this is a specialty store in Breichburg, so it had a decent selection of items of varying quality.

However, the quality was lower compared to the inheritance from my master.

Naturally, there was no need to buy anything, and I had checked all the items before moving to this café.

"Magic items, huh. The prices are outrageous."

Especially for general-purpose items, even something as simple as a lighter can cost nearly a thousand cents.

The reason is that there are very few people who can make them.

"Specialized items aren't that expensive. By the way, isn't Louise going to buy anything?"

"Ah, you noticed?"

"Of course, mages know mages."

Actually, I had noticed from the moment I saw her at the enrollment ceremony.

Both Eina and Louise have more magic power than ordinary people.

Moreover, Louise has more magic power than Eina, who is at an intermediate level.

Furthermore, it seemed that Louise was intentionally hiding her magic power and not actively training to increase it.

"If you train, you'll surpass the intermediate level."

"There are reasons for that..."

Her family, the Ophelweck, has a tradition of teaching martial arts.

However, it's not always the case that people with a lot of magic power are born into the family.

So, over generations, they developed training methods to achieve overwhelming combat abilities with normal human levels of magic power, including techniques and efficient use of magic power.

"My father and brothers only had normal human levels of magic power. As you can see, I'm the same."

When Louise was old enough to understand, she immediately began learning martial arts from her father and brothers.

She didn't particularly realize she had more magic power, but as she had more, she gradually became stronger.

Eventually, she began to overwhelm her father and brothers in practical sparring.

"As a child, I thought, 'I have to hold back.' But, with my immature skills, it was obvious when I held back."

Being held back by a child.

Moreover, by a girl.

As a result, she gradually became isolated at the dojo.

At home, her father and brothers were kind, but at the dojo, she was treated differently.

Still, she wasn't told not to come to the dojo.

If she were forcibly excluded, the students might think, 'She was excluded because she was stronger than the instructor, a small girl.'

However, a girl stronger than the instructor is also difficult to handle.

Training became a chore, and it didn't take long for it to become a burden.

"But, I had Eina, who had the same problem, in the neighborhood."

As a result, she spent a lot of time with Eina outside of training.

She knew that her magic power could be increased with additional training.

However, if she increased her magic power and used it in martial arts, she would further outpace her father and brothers.

So, she decided to put off training her magic power.

That's the current situation.

"But, I regret it. When we were delayed by that pack of wolves."

If she had increased her magic power, she might not have been delayed by those wolves.

Thinking about this, she decided to train more actively.

"I'll work hard to master martial arts."

"Great, keep it up."

However, during the training process, an unexpected fact came to light.

While her combat ability in martial arts improved with increased magic power, she couldn't use any other magic, and Louise was disheartened.

Actually, such people exist.

Those who can only use magic to enhance physical abilities, attacks, and defenses, known as magic swordsmen or magic martial artists.

"Veeerrrrr!"

"What can I do? The only thing I can say is that there's a possibility if you increase your magic power more..."

Because she had only used magic for martial arts when her magic power was low, her body had convinced itself that it couldn't use other magic.

Some theories suggest that this is due to deep-seated psychological factors.

This was written in the books left by my master, but it also mentioned that some people are simply not suited to using other magic, making it difficult to distinguish.

My master was an excellent mage, but from the handwritten books and letters he left behind, it's clear that he had a rather light-hearted personality.

Even as I desperately sought answers in the books, I realized there were no clear answers.

"Being strong in martial arts is good enough. Actually, it's strange that the Lord of Breichlader hasn't invited you."

As a member of the Breichlader family, Louise's magic power is already second only to Blantark.

Even though she had just started training her magic power, she already had more magic power than the hired mages.

"It's because I'm a girl."

Because she's a girl, she can't be made a vassal and establish her own family.

This is true in this country and the neighboring Arkart Holy Empire.

Women have a low status, and it's impossible for them to become the head of a family or hold a title.

If Louise were a boy, the Lord of Breichlader would have recruited her.

Formally, she is still part of the Ophelweck family, so the condition would be after she comes of age.

However, because Louise is a girl, this is impossible.

No matter how talented she is, the idea of a girl surpassing the Ophelweck family, which has been teaching martial arts to the Breichlader family for generations, is unacceptable.

Even if the Lord of Breichlader were to force the issue, it could strain the relationship with his vassals.

Since it's not a time of war, the new order would be met with excessive resistance.

Even in a large organization like the Breichlader family, it's not easy to hire someone just because they have talent.

This is actually a common story in Japanese government offices and large corporations, so I don't find it strange.

"It's a complicated situation (It's a feudal society, after all...)"

"Being a court lady is troublesome, so it's fine with me."

Louise will become stronger and stronger.

When she does, her position as the head of the Ophelweck family will only be a hindrance to her brother.

Actually, I'm in the same situation.

To Kurt, the head of the Bauweister family and the land, is as precious as a gem, but to me, it's just a troublesome management task with little income.

People don't always want the same things.

"It would be nice if you could use magic."

"Increase your magic power and pray to the heavens."

"You're a pretty careless teacher, aren't you?"

I started to accompany Louise in her training to increase her magic power, and we gradually became closer.

However, this led to some strange rumors.

"Hey, Verr."

"What is it? El."

"Is it true that you're dating Louise?"

"No way!"

A rumor spread throughout the preparatory school that Louise and I were dating, and at the same time, rumors that I liked young girls and small chests started to circulate.