Chapter10 - Interview and recruitment

“Hmmm. I told Fran about it, but maybe we should start talking from the beginning.”

Lou scratched his head and laughed wryly.

“You have to tell me from the beginning, just like you told Fran.”

However, at Countess Adelaide Dumer’s behest, Lou nodded and began to talk in small chunks.

Ten years ago, he believed he was 9 or 10 years old…

He found himself wandering in the woods further north of the Kingdom of Lodonia, which was located north of the Kingdom of Valentine.

And there he was picked up and raised by an old man known as Sowell of Arlv.

He was told he had a talent for magic and was thoroughly trained for 10 years.

This year, his foster parent, Arlv, who raised him, passed away, and he appointed him as his successor before he died.

However, due to racial differences and other factors, he decided that he was incapable of succeeding him and left the village without any destination in mind.

A month after he left the village, he rescued Fran from the attack and was now in this house.

“Speaking of my circumstances, this is how I was raised…”

Adelaide couldn’t help but feel pity for Lou, who smiled so carefree and quite indifferent.

Adelaide curiously asked, “Why?”

“Because I was so lucky…”

Lou said he was grateful that he met Arlv, who picked him up and gave him a happy life.

He brought out his talent as a wizard, taught him how to live, and gave him the warmth of a family.

Lou talked with the same smiling expression.

Adelaide couldn’t believe what he was saying, so she asked Lou one more time.

“Lucky? I mean, don’t you care about your biological parents at all?”

“Oh…It’s not that I don’t care.”

Lou muttered, and once he shut his mouth, he scrutinized Adelaide’s reaction.

And again, he slowly opened his mouth.

“I’ve lost my memory, so there’s nothing to hold me back. If I can meet my parents, I’ll see them someday.”

Lou was a man of vision when it came to the past and its fetters.

He dared to hope…

But he thought that as long as his own relatives were living happily somewhere, that was all that matters.

“More than that, I just wanted to see more of this world.”

Lou said that he was thrilled by the travel stories his foster parent, Sowell of Arlv, told him.

Sowell had spent most of his life, several thousand years of his life, touring around this world.

Sowell had told Lou tales of encounters with beings, races, and beasts beyond humanity’s reach and beyond the confines of the Arlvs. He also happily talked about how he had been thinking about going on adventures himself someday.

“I’m a human, so I don’t have as much time as the long-lived Arlvs, do I? So I decided to start traveling right away. At any rate, if I become an adventurer, I’ll be able to see the world while earning money.”

With that in mind, Lou left the Village of Arlv and headed for the Kingdom of Valentine, the land of adventurers on this continent.

Adelaide was overwhelmed when she learned about Lou’s upbringing and the life he has led so far.

“Uhm…Lou, I’m most surprised that the one who raised you was…Sowell, the same one who united all the Arlvs of this world.”

“Hmm, is he really that great? In my opinion, he was just a normal, dour old man.”

Lou said matter-of-factly.

Adelaide was dumbfounded and speechless.

Lou learned magic directly from Sowell, the head of the Arlvs.

This young man has no idea how great that was.

Adelaide couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

If possible! If possible, I wish you could teach me, too!

Oh, I’d love to learn!

Adelaide couldn’t help but feel a flutter of excitement at the thought, but decided to listen to Lou more for now.

“Point taken, I understand your circumstances. Now, can you teach me some magic?”

“Sure, my grandpa taught me the basics of the Spirit Magic that he claimed the Arlvs use.”

“I knew it, that was Spirit Magic! I’ve heard that the Arlvs use Spirit Magic, but communicating with spirits should be quite difficult.”

What was the magic technique that humans mainly use?

A small portion of the magic that was once used by the Gods of creation, their apostles, and the spirits was formulated over a long period of time by the ancestors who studied magic. The magic system was an accumulation of these.

In contrast, Spirit Magic, which was mainly used by Arlvs and their friends, was said to be orders of magnitude more effective than magic that used magic techniques because the practitioner invoked the spirits themselves and directly borrowed their power to wield it.

“I’ve heard that from my grandfather, too. Not all Arlvs can use this magic like you, and those who can’t use it use their own magic techniques to perform magic, just like humans.”

Yeah, Lou said it right…

Adelaide nodded in agreement.

The difficulty was so high that not all of them could use Spirit Magic, no matter how close to fairies the Arlv tribe was.

“But I was blessed by all four of the great spirits, so I’m fine with it.”

Say what?!

What did you just say? Did you say all four great spirits?

That’s ridiculous!

Adelaide couldn’t believe her ears.

Regardless of race, human beings all have a certain aptitude for magic from the time they were born.

For example, Adelaide possessed a magical aptitude for the fire attribute and semi- aptitude for wind magic.

Other attribute magic could be cast if using a magic technique, but the effect was usually significantly reduced if it was cast by someone who has no aptitude for the attribute.

“That can’t be…Impossible!”

Lou shook his head at Adelaide, who muttered repeatedly in awe.

“Adelaide-san, I’ve heard that a lot of them existed before. There were quite a few of them in the demon tribe and also in the Arlv during the gods era or so. But in the seven thousand years since my grandfather’s birth, there have been at least three in existence, including my grandfather himself.”

What?! Three people in seven thousand years!

“Isn’t that, like, awesome?”

Lou stared in bewilderment against Adelaide’s cry of astonishment.

When Adelaide registered Lou’s reaction, she began to understand him in a way.

This child…He has a great talent for magic and the knowledge that comes with it, but he lived in the village of Arlv and knew very little about the general knowledge of the human world.

Adelaide smiled a little when she thought about it.

However, Lou popped another shocking statement.

“My grandpa said I’m the fourth all-attribute magic user, an all-rounder.”

“O, an all-attribute magic user, an all-rounder?”

Upon hearing that terrifying fact, Adelaide surveyed the young man in front of her, but really couldn’t detect anything at all.

Nonetheless, his voice brought her back to reality.

“By the way, what should I do now?”

“What should you do?”

What the heck is this kid trying to say?

“I was going to be an adventurer here in valentine, but…”

Adelaide had no idea what Lou was going to say next.

And so…

“Fran said I can’t.”

“…”

“I can’t just leave Fran like this. I even promised her.”

Promise?

Fran…What promise did my daughter get out of this kid?

She asked him about it, and Lou answered clearly after a moment of hesitation. 

“Fran asked me to become a teacher at your academy.”

His answer took Adelaide by surprise for a moment there, but she soon broke into a smile.

“Really…Thank you, Lou. You really do care about my daughter, Fran.”

Adelaide was honestly happy about Lou’s feelings.

Fran had lost her fiancé because of an incident that happened once…

She was renowned as a shadowy figure in public, but even as a mother herself, she was a fragile being with a tender-hearted character.

I can’t believe she’s acting so animated and positive…

Lou’s rescue of her is certainly a huge deal, but that isn’t the only reason.

Adelaide mulled over it and finally understood why Fran had wanted to bring him into the school.

“But you know, my grandpa always told me that I’m still far from being a wizard…So, I don’t know if I can be a teacher.”

Adelaide lost it when Lou uttered something so contrary. 

“Hahahaha, you’re so funny, you know that? If you say that, most wizards in the world will beat you up.”

“………”

Lou failed to understand Adelaide’s words and tilted his head in wonder.

For him, Sowell’s words were his measuring stick.

“Fufufu, let it be so. I’m on spring break right now. You’ll undergo some training in the meantime, and we’re down with the recommendation of Assistant Principal Francesca and the Chairman’s approval, mine, granted right now.”

Adelaide laughed mischievously and then announced the conclusion of the employment contract between Lou and the academy as a teacher.

“…You will be on a one-year probation, but for the time being, you will be employed as a temporary teacher at the Valentine Magical Girls Academy. Leave the terms, such as treatment and others to me. I know it sounds rough, but I won’t treat you poorly…I’m counting you…in many ways, Lou.”

“Me…”

Hearing Adelaide’s remarks, Lou unconsciously hesitated.

After all, he was torn between his decision to become an adventurer and this.

But Adelaide, who was thinking of Fran, pressed on at the critical moment.

“My, my…What’s wrong? Why don’t you say something like you did before?”

Adelaide smiled and said, “Come on, say it!” She extended her right hand.

With her urging, Lou no longer hesitated.

“All right! Then, leave it to me!”

Lou grasped Adelaide’s right hand firmly and shook it, replying loudly.