* * *
I was terrified.
Utterly terrified.
‘I can’t let them measure my mana!’
Because Teacher Yuris had suddenly shown up after the meal and said all the new children had to undergo a mana examination.
‘I can’t let anyone find out I’m a mage here.’
For now, I holed myself up in the bathroom with the excuse of a stomachache.
And sitting on the toilet lid, I recalled the words Teacher Yuris had muttered under her breath.
“They say they’re looking for a female mage……. I wonder if they really need to go this far just because she crossed the border.”
Thankfully, it seemed a precise description hadn’t been passed along. Besides, I was in a position where I was unintentionally mistaken for a boy.
‘I’m so grateful. To that Leviathan who abandoned me.’
Tsk. I hated to admit it, but thanks to that heartless mister, I had all sorts of excuses to spin.
‘More importantly, have they already found out I’m alive in the kingdom?’
I had thought I’d be discovered someday, but I hadn’t expected it to be this soon.
‘No……. Judging by how half-hearted the pursuit is, they must not be certain.’
The “mana examination” Teacher Yuris mentioned was likely using a “mana-detecting magical artifact.”
‘If they were really trying to catch me, they would’ve sent a tracking mage instead of a simple artifact.’
In other words, it was most likely just a shot in the dark.
Uncertain whether I was alive or dead, my location, or anything else, they had simply cast the net first.
Which meant, if I could just get through this crisis, I’d be safe for the time being.
“Let’s run.”
My conclusion was clean-cut. Without hesitation, I left the bathroom and headed for the backyard. And…….
“Huh?”
I witnessed some burglar-looking guy leaping out of a large window.
“What the, Mister?”
“Out of the way!”
Thud! I fell from a ruthless shove. But I sprang back up like a roly-poly toy.
The thief had a heavy pouch in his arms.
“So you really were a thief?”
It looked exactly like the donation money…….
No matter how rough life is, there’s a line.
“Stealing from a kids’ orphanage? That’s pretty low, don’t you think?”
As expected, the easy targets are always the weak.
I carefully looked around.
What should I do.
“Hmm.”
Maybe I should adjust my plans a bit.
‘If attention focuses on the thief, it’ll be easier to escape, right?’
I recalled the side alley I had spotted earlier.
Right, let’s go find Mister.
If I cling to his pant legs, he can’t just kick me away, at least!
“Alright.”
I pressed my palm to the ground and channeled a faint thread of mana into it.
The earth churned and shifted.
“Uwoah!”
The staggering thief tripped spectacularly over a stone stub that suddenly shot up.
The gold coins in the pouch pouring out like a waterfall was a given.
Crash, bang! The boxes stacked nearby toppling over on top of him was a bonus.
“What? What’s that noise?”
“A thief! A thief!”
I shouted quickly and hurried to run away.
“A thief? Knights!”
“Call the guards!”
The commotion of the orphanage faded behind me. I pushed through the bushes and slowly crawled through a dog hole I had scouted beforehand.
Outside, a steady drizzle had already begun to fall.
Fearing I might be caught, I moved as fast as I could.
Did Mister Leviathan go to the palace? Or would he be at the Order of Knights?
“Huff. Huff.”
I couldn’t get far before stopping in a dark alley. I was out of breath.
‘This mana-starved kingdom…… is it supposed to be this hard?’
Honestly, I was bewildered.
I had only used a tiny amount of mana, not even as much as an ant’s tear…….
‘This land really has terrible compatibility with mages.’
Not only did my available power drop to less than a quarter, but there was no mana in the air I could use.
Or maybe I had used too much strength to go meet Mister Leviathan?
“Eugh…….”
My head spun and my strength drained rapidly.
Boom, crash!
On top of that, getting hit by the cold downpour made my eyes burn.
‘First, the Order of Knights…….’
I moved forward, leaning against the wall.
But what if I get rejected again?
“…….”
It felt like black storm clouds were constantly following me.
“Damn it.”
I quickly shook my head. When the body weakens, so does the mind!
“To the Order of Knights!”
I clenched my fist determinedly.
I focused quietly and sorted out my tangled mana channels.
“If they kick me out again, I’ll curse them.”
A mage who’s had a moment to compose herself is more fearsome than any dark magical beast.
And there, at the end of that dark alley…….
“Mister?”
He was there! Unbelievable!
“You……!”
Mister, with a ghastly pale face, widened his eyes greatly upon seeing me.
Why does he look like a ghost after just one day?
Taking another step closer in bewilderment.
“What are you doing here…… Uwah!”
In an instant, I was pulled into a large embrace. Warm heat enveloped me.
Huh? I was the one planning to cling to him.
Surprised by the sudden situation, I could only blink my eyes.
Haze-like steam rose from Mister’s firm body. Now that I noticed, his breathing was also extremely rough. Thump, thump, thump, the sound of his heart beating like crazy.
‘Don’t tell me he was looking for me?’
Ah, no way.
“Rubian.”
I stiffened with a start. It felt strange to hear the name I hadn’t told him—because he hadn’t asked—coming from his mouth.
“Ruby.”
As if worried about my chilled body temperature, Mister rubbed my back.
Because that rough touch was so gentle.
Forgetting my vow to cling to him, I let go of my strength in Mister’s embrace. My body, which had been holding on through sheer willpower, collapsed in an instant.
“……Yeah.”
My gem. My treasure.
Someone’s voice overlapping like a hallucination.
“……Wait. What’s wrong with you?”
Through my fading vision, I suddenly realized.
“Ruby, Ruby? Come to your senses!”
The only thing I was unable to hide from him…… was this name.
And then, darkness.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling was faintly visible.
Ah, where is this?
‘For a barracks, the interior is quite nice…….’
Then my mind snapped back to attention.
“Mister!”
My vision blurred and I nearly crumpled again. More importantly, more importantly!
“Clothes, clothes!”
Regardless of my gender being female, I couldn’t show my bare body to someone else.
‘I have a mage’s mark!’
It was stamped on the lower right side of my waist. It meant I was a mage of Arcadia, loyal to the Wizard King.
‘If that gets discovered, everything is over!’
I hurriedly looked down. My body was tightly wrapped in a large, fluffy towel.
Did he see? Did he find out? The mage’s mark! The fact that I’m a girl!
“Yeah, you need to change clothes.”
Then, a gruff voice was heard from somewhere.
It was Mister Leviathan.
I gulped.
Feeling my body curled up round and round like a silkworm cocoon…… I was still damp!
Thank goodness. It seemed not much time had passed since I fainted.
“You were shaking so much I wrapped you up for now……. Tsk, why is there not a single piece of children’s clothing in the Order of Knights?”
Wouldn’t it be stranger if there were?
“This won’t do. Wash up with warm water and wrap yourself in a towel again.”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it myself.”
I hurriedly took a dry towel. A small tub with steam rising from it was placed nearby.
“What can you do?”
Mister, who had been rolling up his sleeves with crisp movements, stopped dead. A softened voice followed.
“Come here. You’ll be in real trouble.”
I slowly shrank back, lying on the large sofa.
“I know you’re angry. But please, not now.”
Angry? Why would I be?
Now that I looked, Mister’s condition didn’t seem good either. He still looked like a drowned rat.
“Rubian.”
“I have a big injury on my body…….”
I answered evasively. Maybe my throat was swollen tight; it stung every time I spoke.
“I don’t like being touched by others…….”
I spoke with my eyes squeezed shut. If Mister approached any closer, I was prepared to use mana.
Should I cast a memory spell? Or an illusion spell? But…… I don’t want to use that kind of magic on him.
Mister, who had been staring down at me intently, ruffled his own hair roughly.
“I’m going crazy.”
“…….”
“……Can you do it alone?”
I answered quickly.
“I’ve always done it alone! I’m fine!”
For a moment, an indescribable emotion seemed to flicker in those purple eyes, but I had no room to care about that.
“Alright. Then I’ll turn around.”
I hurriedly changed clothes. My hands trembled, but I didn’t care.
I need to finish quickly and rest. I’m seeing three of him now…….
“All done!”
Changing into dry clothes made me feel much better.
“That temper of yours, honestly.”
My body floated up. Perhaps conscious that I was wet, Mister carefully picked me up and laid me down on the bed.
It was a warm, soft bed. As if on cue, drowsiness washed over me.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and gazed at Mister. Then I suddenly recalled the sensation of him urgently pulling me into his arms in the rain.
“But why were you in front of that alley?”
My head throbbed, but I felt I had to ask now.
“Don’t tell me you were looking for me?”