Chapter 223: Waiting for the Start of Classes (1)

“Isn’t it already too late? You said it only stays for about 10 minutes.”

“That’s why I told you we had to wake up quickly. I was also so busy taking care of you that I forgot. I realized because even at night, the tourists didn’t decrease.”

“Ah… please.”

It is said that the water dragon Kaios travels along three oceans that cross the equator over a period of 10 years.

On Galliant Island, it stays for about 10 minutes, and the number of tourists who come just to see the dragon reaches no less than 2,000 people.

When they arrived at the port, it was so crowded that there was not even space to push through. It seemed impossible to reach the dock on foot.

Someone shouted that there were 10 minutes left.

Canis, who was measuring the proportion of darkness in the surrounding space, took Arin’s hand.

“Then, we’ll take our leave.”

The two disappeared smoothly into the shadows. If they cast Dark Port, they could reach their destination without being detected.

Shirone’s group was left stunned. Especially Amy, who trembled with rage while insulting Canis’s appearance. From the names of animals and parts she mentioned, she seemed quite furious.

“What do we do? Isn’t there any way to get in?”

“I’ll talk to the port staff. Wait here.”

Amy stopped Jis when he tried to run toward the control office.

“Even so, it’s already late. Will we have to watch it from here?”

Someone shouted that there were 5 minutes left.

At that moment, flashes appeared from the edge of the crowd and began to light up the night sky. They were mages from the continent who had come to see Kaios.

Shirone and Amy looked at each other and smiled.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Shirone’s group flew using teleportation and naturally blended in among the flashes. In a situation like this, who would distinguish who was a student and who was a mage?

Contrary to expectations that the breakwater would be more crowded, most people gathered outside, taking the dock as a boundary.

Kaios had never harmed anyone on Galliant Island, but even so, the dragon was still terrifying.

Instead, mages and swordsmen accustomed to fighting to the death gathered inside the dock.

The density of trained people, like that seen only in the mercenary market of the capital, made it clear how popular the dragon was.

“Hey, I already saved a spot.”

Canis, who had arrived earlier, greeted his friends without changing his expression. Amy rolled up her sleeves and approached him.

“Traitor! Did you run off to save yourself?”

“Was it necessary to turn it into life or death? We’re already here, so just watch.”

At that moment, cheers erupted from the crowd.

Without needing to see what was happening, Shirone’s group understood and immediately ran to the edge of the dock.

From the open sea, a massive wall of water was advancing. Given its size and speed, it was more than enough to flood the port.

“Huh? Eh?”

Shirone’s group stood horrified. When the wave came within about 200 meters, their breath caught.

Just when they thought they would be swept away without being able to do anything, a gigantic object rose vertically from the water.

The shape of the water collapsed, and a mass of thousands of tons of water rose, dragged by Kaios.

“Aaah! Aaah!”

Shirone’s group screamed as if electrocuted. The dragon had lifted the entire sea. It was a magical power impossible to measure.

The upward current dispersed at 300 meters height like a fountain, forming dozens of arcs.

Kaios, enclosing itself within an arc of more than 1 kilometer in radius, displayed an overwhelming figure.

Kiiiiiiiiiiii!

A beautiful and melancholic song filled the sea.

At that moment, a light burst behind Shirone. People were pointing cylindrical devices at the water dragon and shooting light.

“What are they doing? Are they attacking it?”

At Shirone’s innocent question, Jis smiled.

“No, that’s an optical camera. They say it’s a device that can capture light exactly as it is, and it’s very expensive. Even so, on days like today they sell like hotcakes. There are even professional photographers who travel the world just to photograph Kaios.”

When Kaios performed an elegant flight as if swimming, fireworks prepared by the autonomous government of Galliant filled the sky.

According to Jis, they spared no expense because the tourism revenue was enormous.

Seeing how the sparks of the fireworks infiltrated the arcs of water and the dragon swimming among them was the greatest delight one could experience with the eyes.

Amy looked at Jis with shining eyes.

“Jis, thank you. Just this alone made coming to the island worth it.”

“Hehe, I promised. That I would give you a real tour.”

Tess felt stirred when she saw Canis and Arin holding hands so closely. Thinking she could not miss this opportunity, she discreetly hugged Rian’s arm.

“W-what? What are you doing all of a sudden?”

Rian reacted as if an insect had stuck to him, and Tess’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Hey, aren’t you going too far? No matter how unpleasant it is, am I worse than your arm?”

“No, no, that’s not it. It’s just that you really surprised me.”

Under normal circumstances, she would have felt disappointed, but the spectacle over the sea was so dazzling and beautiful that it even made her forget those emotions.

The water dragon turned toward the spectators as if saying goodbye. The arc quickly extended toward the open sea, and twelve fireworks exploded in the silver moon.

Tess began to sob.

“Sniff… I don’t know…”

Her friends turned in surprise. Especially Rian, who felt somewhat guilty, could not hide his confusion.

“W-what’s wrong? It’s not that I dislike it. It was just too sudden…”

“Shut up, idiot. It’s just that I got attached. So what am I supposed to do now?”

Her friends’ feelings were no different from Tess’s.

“Tomorrow we have to go back. I don’t want to separate. What if I become a mage? Then I could always see you at the academy.”

“What are you talking about? Tess must become a swordsman. After we graduate, we can see each other whenever we want.”

At Shirone’s reassurance, Tess nodded repeatedly. Then she called Amy and Arin and took their hands.

“We have to write letters to each other. Okay? Let’s always stay in contact.”

Arin pointed to herself.

“M-me too?”

“Of course! We are members of the sky group! Where is there a stronger friendship than this?”

Amy remembered the day she met Tess.

There were awkward moments, but now she loved doing things with her. There was no one in the world who could not like Tess, with her fair and warm heart.

“Yes. We have to meet again. Next time, just us girls.”

“Alright! With this, the sky group is formed!”

Shirone’s group headed back home.

Since it was a special day, the shops were open 24 hours, but they wanted to spend the last day of vacation quietly among friends.

When they arrived home, Jis found a letter in the mailbox.

“Huh? Is this a letter from the boss? Is it for you?”

“From Marsha?”

The day they arrived from the sky, they were not in a condition to say goodbye properly.

When they woke up from their deep sleep, the Parrot mercenary band had already left the island.

Shirone unfolded the letter and read it for quite a while.

“Haha! Just as expected of Sister Marsha!”

Amy narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“What is it? What does it say that makes it so funny?”

“Huh? Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Hey! Aren’t you going to show it to me? What is it, a love letter?”

Amy lunged to snatch it, but Shirone handed her the letter without resistance.

That left Amy confused.

“W-what? Why are you actually giving it to me? If it’s important, I don’t have to read it…”

“No. It’s fine. Probably.”

If it’s fine, it’s fine, what does “probably” mean? Muttering, Amy read the letter and tilted her head.

There was nothing written on the paper.

“What is this? Is it blank?”

“Yes. But she left a letter.”

Tess smiled as if she understood.

“I see. She left a letter.”

Shirone looked toward the distant sky. On the blank paper were contained all the words she wanted to convey.

That was Marsha. Someday they would meet again.

‘When I return, I’ll write her a letter.’

He wished her luck on her journey.

***

After returning home, Shirone spent happy moments with his parents, and when he had free time, he wrote letters to his friends.

Marsha conveyed her feelings with a blank sheet, but he could not match her ingenuity. That was why he filled the letter with even more dedication.

“Done. Now I just need to send it.”

He planned to go to the city the next day to send it. By the time the letter reached his friends, the vacation would be coming to an end.

Since returning from the sky, he had come to understand the value of everyday life. He wanted to return to the academy as soon as possible to see his friends.

“Shirone, come downstairs to eat.”

“Yes, I’m coming.”

Hearing his mother’s voice from the first floor, Shirone blew out the candle and left his room.

***

Capital Bashka.

The Mercodain residence located in the administrative district of the royal castle.

On a modest table that did not match a first-class noble, there were garnishes of unnamed herbs that only an ascetic would eat.

Eruki’s mother disliked it, but the Mercodain father and son enjoyed a simple meal. They did not like how the fullness after eating meat dulled the mind.

Eruki ate rice with a fork and occasionally chewed vegetables.

In front of him, a man who was identical to Eruki, only with a few added wrinkles, was eating.

Albino Mercodain, Eruki’s father and current leader of Dragon Thunder. He was not a Servant, but he was someone of whom it was said that there was no knowledge in the world he did not know, so well-versed was he in everything.

Albino asked at a strange moment.

“How is the entropy problem going?”

“I think I’ve more or less solved it.”

Eruki answered without even raising his head. Their relationship was not bad, but he thought that to hear a question and answer it, ears and a mouth were enough.

Albino, who had finished eating, set down his utensils and asked.

“Eruki, how much is 1 plus 1?”

“2.”

“No. It is 3.”

Eruki raised his head for the first time. This was a moment that did require eyes.

“No, it is 2.”

“Then make it 3.”

“Why?”

Albino shrugged.

“What does it matter?”

“Really?”

“Prove it and bring it. If you can do that, you will get closer to the answer you are looking for. It is the last task of this vacation.”

“I think it will take me at least 6 days.”

Albino’s eyes shone.

“Oh, do you already have an idea?”

“No. It’s just that in 5 days you are going on a trip, father.”

Eruki went back to eating rice. Grain by grain. As long as he had the minimum energy to keep his brain functioning, fullness was an enemy.

After making his mind work nonstop throughout the vacation, even the brain of a Servant seemed overloaded.

Albino spoke belatedly.

“I won’t check. I will leave believing that you accomplished it.”

“I didn’t know you trusted me, father.”

Albino smiled. Even if he did not solve the Akashic Records in 6 days, it did not matter.

He was only proud that his son had calculated the duration of his trip first.

“No knowledge can surpass wisdom. Let’s consider that you won.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

Eruki bowed his head and gathered the utensils. While Albino drank tea and read the newspaper, he finished washing the dishes and was about to leave when the butler entered.

“Young master, a letter has arrived. It is from someone named Shirone Arian.”

“Huh? Shirone?”

Eruki’s face lit up and he ran, while Albino pretended to read the newspaper and discreetly observed his son.

Shirone Arian. It was the word that had come out of his son’s mouth the most since he finished the semester and returned, a total of 3,742 times.

In his opinion, Eruki was a great talent. He had the ability of a genius and also abundant human emotions.

When he was young, that nature had caused him difficulties, but the son who returned after finishing this semester was different.

He no longer feared his own talent, and in that, the young man named Shirone had surely played an important role.