Foreign Students from the Empire
After finishing the lecture, Tigaro was thinking about whether or not to go and say hello to his acquaintances in the royal capital.
"Hmm?"
What Tigaro saw was a man wearing the robes of the Wind Holy Knights, followed by three people wearing unusual clothing.
"Is that... military uniform of the Asurora Empire?"
Tigaro also remembers a little bit of the clothes that the three of them are wearing and are not used to seeing at the school.
Located northwest of the Kingdom of Shirsodi, located in the south of the continent―― it was the military uniform of the Asurora Empire, which rules the north and west of the continent.
The man walking in front of the three in military uniform has dark green hair and is wearing the robe of the Wind Holy Knights, so he is probably a member of the Fonedao family, which controls most of the Wind Holy Knights.
Since he was leading the group, Tigaro could guess that they had received some kind of permission to be at this school.
――It doesn't seem like they are suspicious intruders.
However, it was rare for people from the empire to be in this royal capital, even inside the school.
If they were a member of the Empire, there is a possibility that the students at the school would be in danger.
In other words, it's also dangerous for Aifie, who attends the school.
It was just a possibility with little relevance, but Tigaro wanted to eliminate even that possibility.
He's also interested in the purpose of the Empire, which are rare in the kingdom.
Tigaro decided to follow the group without being noticed, with the intention of keeping an eye on them.
---
Led by a member of the Fonedao family, they entered a large, circular building within the school―― commonly known as the Magic Arena.
It is a large venue that is usually used as a training ground and lecture hall for the school's students, and is also used as the royal capital's arena during festivals.
On the way up to this point, the Fonedao member who was leading the way actively talked to the people wearing imperial military uniforms while pointing out buildings, and the people with imperial military uniforms also nodded and showed interest.
From his appearance, it can be seen that he is giving a tour of the school.
Judging from the calm demeanor of the people in military uniforms, it was unlikely that they were intruders, as Tigaro had guessed.
Tigaro followed them inside and went up the stairs to the second floor of the magic arena.
This magic arena has a three-layer structure.
The bottom floor is the waiting room for the fighters and the arena, the second floor is the general audience seating, and the third floor is the aristocratic viewing seats that only the aristocrats can enter.
Looking down on the first floor from the audience seats on the second floor, as Tigaro had expected, the group from earlier was in the arena on the first floor, observing the students' practical magic lecture.
"――――"
He can see the member of the Fonedao family explaining things to the people with Imperial military uniforms, but he can't hear what they're saying from the second floor where Tigaro is.
That was when Tigaro thought he had no choice but to move a little closer.
When Tigaro turned to the aisle to move, he spotted a familiar female student walking down the aisle.
Although she didn't notice him, the faint image of her face still remained in Tigaro's memory.
It was the female student who had been slumped over when she saw Tigaro before.
At that time, Tigaro wasn't particularly interested, and although he felt bad for her, looking back on it, it was a good reaction.
A little suspicion arose, and he appeared on the path of the female student.
"Hey, I see you again."
"...? Hiii!!?"
Although he is a nobleman recognized by the kingdom, Tigaro is a member of the Noros family whose behavior can be called the embodiment of evil.
Lately, dark rumors have been circulating, such as that they enjoy punishing their own beastkin maids, or that they are threatening the Asur family and manipulating the kingdom behind the scenes.
The female student recognized Tigaro, the person in question, and expressed fear and upset at the sudden reunion.
"T-Tigaro-kent, sama...!? Nice meeting, you..."
The girl he met earlier seemed to be remembering what she had done that time, and her face turned pale.
Tigaro asked with a smile on his face, even though he was filled with pity at the girl student's behavior.
"There's something I'd like to ask you."
"W-what do you need from me?"
While Tigaro enjoys watching the twitchy and frightened female student, he tries to restrain himself from doing too much.
Then, he turned his attention to the group wearing Imperial military uniforms in the arena behind him, making it easy for the female student to understand.
"Do you know anything about the people over there wearing imperial style clothes? I don't seem to know much about the school."
"Y-yes. There are some people from the empire studying abroad in the kingdom, and I think they are probably them..."
"Heh, studying abroad?"
He took a closer look at the three people wearing Imperial military uniforms.
Of the three, one cannot confirm his age because his face is covered with a beard, but the other two certainly look like Tigaro's age.
"Y-yeah. I-I'm sorry. I don't know much about the details either..."
"Hahaha. I see, thank you very much."
Tigaro takes another look at the people with Imperial military uniforms in the arena.
One was a red-haired woman whose chest was pushed up in military uniform so much so that it could be seen from a distance.
The other person was a timid-looking man who was standing behind the woman and looking around.
The third person next to him is short and has a lot of beard, which makes it clear that he is a dwarven man.
Behind Tigaro, the female student senses that the Tigaro in front of her has lost interest in her and pats her chest in relief.
This was when the female student tried to sneak away from the place, trying to escape from the clutches of the devil.
"By the way, about what happened earlier."
"――!?"
At Tigaro's surprise question, the female student managed to suppress a scream deep in her throat.
Speaking of what happened earlier, it was nothing but the fact that the female student misbehaved in front of Tigaro.
She stares at Tigaro with anxious eyes, trembling as she waits for his next words.
"Hahaha, don't get so tense. Were you okay after that?"
"I'm sorry, too. I behaved so rudely in front of Tigarokent-sama..."
"――Wait a minute!!"
A figure interrupts the female student's words and steps between Tigaro and the female student.
The figure stepped forward as if to protect the female student, shaking her blue hair, putting her hands on her hips, and puffing out her chest.
The large twin hills wrapped in school uniforms shook.
As soon as she appeared, Tigaro felt as though his vision had become brighter.
Aifie appeared and stood in front of Tigaro, protecting the female student.
"You!! I told you I wouldn't let it go if you bullied her next time!!"
Tigaro didn't show any signs of being surprised by Aifie's sudden appearance, and was smiling brightly.
"Aifietouka-jou, I was just asking a question. And look at her. There's no need to worry."
Aifie, prompted by Tigaro, turns around.
Her thighs peeking out from under the swaying skirt of her uniform appeared in Tigaro's field of vision for just a moment.
"Uuu, Aifietouka-samaa…!"
Behind Aifie, there was a female student with teary eyes trying to cling to her.
"She's about to cry!! Mou!!"
"Hahaha, that’s pretty harsh."
While scolding Tigaro, Aifie snuggles up to the female student and tries to hide her from Tigaro's sight with her body.
Tigaro, who was watching Aifie's kind actions with a cheerful smile, pointed towards the arena behind him while accepting Aifie's sullen expression.
"I heard that some international students from the Empire came. If you'd like, should we say hello?"
---
"Hmm. As expected, the level of magic technology in the kingdom is high. As expected, this is the level of technology that is called the best magic kingdom on the continent."
"Hahaha, isn't that so? Especially in recent years, there has been a wonderful person named Aifietouka-sama..."
Inside the arena on the first floor, a red-haired woman wearing military uniform was groaning as she watched the magic that the students were practicing.
The guide of the Fonedao family was in a good mood and spoke with pride.
"Did you call me?"
Hearing the clear voice, the people with imperial military uniforms and the Fonedao family member guide turned their attention to it.
The first thing that came into their sight was a beautiful woman with blue hair.
The one who wears the school uniform elegantly and has a dignified appearance is the mage of the kingdom's proud Asur family―― Aifietouka Asur.
Behind Aifietouka, there was a man with a soft, yet somehow eerie smile on his face.
The Fonedao family member welcomed the appearance of the promising young lady of the Asur family with a smile that seemed like it would be met with applause.
"Oh, Aifietouka-sama!!"
Aifie is a member of the Asur family, but her mother is of Fonedao blood.
They are not branch families, but members of the main family.
For this reason, Aifie is often close not only to those within the Asur family, but also to those within the Fonedao family.
Moreover, perhaps because she was a mage with a promising future and a flawless beauty, the Fonedao family treated her as well or even better than their own princesses, even though she belonged to another family.
"Eul-jou, the person here is Aifietouka Asur-sama, who is currently attracting the most attention as the future magic knight who will protect the kingdom."
Aifie, who was introduced by the Fonedao family guide, bowed to Eul with a calm gesture.
"Good day. Welcome to the kingdom, Eul-san. I am Aifietouka Asur."
Seeming to be impressed by Aifie's careful manners and beauty, Eul also returned the imperial courtesy.
"Nice to meet you, Aifietouka-dono. I've heard rumors for a long time. I am Eul Shtimung, who has come to study abroad from the Empire. Please take care of me."
When Eul approached Aifie and shook hands with her, she felt someone looking at her from behind Aifie, as if observing her.
When she looked behind Aifie, he saw a man wearing a school uniform smiling softly at Eul.
"How about――"
"I'm Tigarokent Noros, the third son of the Noros family. Nice to meet you, Eul-jou."
Tigaro holds out his hand with a smile on his face in order to shake hands like Aifie.
Eul also seemed to be about to return the greeting, but stopped when she heard Tigaro's name.
"Noros family…?"
Eul seemed to remember something when he said that, and she lowered her outstretched hand.
"I see, you're that one... take care of me while I'm in the kingdom."
Eul also returns the greeting with a smile, but does not shake hands with Tigaro.
It was clear that she was on guard.
Apparently, the Noros family's notoriety is known even in the Empire.
Aifie, unable to see the atmosphere between the two as they were still smiling at each other, gently pushed Tigaro away and took over the conversation with Eul.
"Eul-san, did you came to the kingdom to learn magic?"
"Yeahh. It's frustrating, but our Asurora Empire doesn't have the same level of magic technology as the kingdom. I thought I could learn higher quality magic technology in the Shirsodi Kingdom."
Eul looked behind her and showed the two people in Imperial military uniforms behind her.
"The others who followed me also came to the kingdom for similar reasons."
The first person to bow to Eul's words was a bearded dwarf man.
"I'm Brelin. I am not a foreign student, but I have been entrusted with the task of helping Eul Ojousama live in the kingdom while learning magic."
Aifie observed the muscular body of a short man with long hair, trying not to be rude.
Although the dwarf's height was smaller than Aifie, his whole body was covered with muscles, and the word Meat Daruma seemed to suit him.
"Brelin-san is a dwarf, right? I've never left the kingdom, so this is the first time I've met a dwarf."
"The Empire is a multi-species nation, but from my point of view, it's refreshing to see a kingdom made up of only humans."
"A multi-species nation... I'm sure the [Four Generals] who rule each territory of the Asurora Empire are also of different races."
"Yeah. Speaking of the [Four Generals], Machen over there is very knowledgeable―― well, I haven't introduced him yet."
The next person Eul introduced was a timid-looking slender young man with a gloomy expression.
Perhaps because all the attention was suddenly on him, he was startled and his shoulders shrank.
"This is Machen, who came to the kingdom as an exchange student like me."
"H-hello..."
While smiling bitterly at Machen's modest self-introduction, Eul introduced him.
"He is also a foreign student, but he is also a historical researcher, and he knows a lot about the Empire's [Four Generals] ――the [Six Generals] from ten years ago. If you are interested in the history of the Empire, you should ask him. ...Ah, in addition to that, he also has a deep knowledge of magic that is as good as anyone in the kingdom. I also listened to him and learned a lot from him before I came to the kingdom."
After hearing that he had deep knowledge of magic, Aifie, one of the best mages in the kingdom, was intrigued by that part.
"I heard that people from the Empire can use fire magic, earth magic, and other rare magics, but can you use them as well, Machen-san?"
"Y-yeah. I only have a little bit of earth magic. But, I'm not good at fire and other magic..."
Wind and water magic are common in the kingdom, and other magic is rarely used.
There is also an ethnic reason for this, as there are many blood relatives, such as the Asur family, who are good at water magic, and the Fonedao family, who are good at wind magic.
Even though their magic technology is high, wind and water magic are outstandingly well-developed, so there are few opportunities to see other magic within the kingdom.
It was at this time that Aifie was secretly curious about whether it was necessary to know not only water and wind attribute magic, but also a wide variety of magic, even if they were advanced, in order to study later.
"Yes, Aifietouka-dono."
Eul's voice suddenly brought Aifie back from her thoughts and raised her gaze to look at her.
"The stories of your elegant and wonderful magic have even reached the empire. I would like you to teach me your magic techniques at least once during my studies abroad."
"Since you are here to learn, Eul-sama, why don't you try your hand at it? It seems that Aifietouka-sama is also interested in the empire's magic."
The person next to Eul who gave advice was the dwarf Brelin, who was stroking his beard.
Eul nodded at his words, turned to Aifie, and gave a soft smile.
"That's a great idea. If you're okay with it, Aifietouka-dono, I look forward to it."
"Y-yeah. I don't mind, but..."
Seeing the magic of the Empire was something she had never hoped for, but Aifie was surprised by the sudden arrangement that was offered.
"Hahaha. Then I'll make arrangements right away."
The guide from the Fonedao family who was guiding the Empire's foreign students saw Aifie's state, smiled, happily accepted the job, and ran towards the entrance to the arena.
As Aifie was wondering why the Fonedao family's guide looked at her and smiled, she turned around and suddenly met Tigaro's eyes.
"……What"
"No, no. When you heard that the rumors about you had spread all the way to the Empire, you just felt proud as a noble of the kingdom. I never thought that your interest in magic was easy to understand. Hahaha."
"I did not think that!!"
Aifie expressed her dissatisfaction with Tigaro's words, which seemed to be enjoying while ridiculing her.
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