“You did it!”

“Thanks to your skillful luring, Lou.”

　The end of the Orcs was a tragic one.

　When Lou had reduced the number to six, Fran unleashed a number of Fire Blasts…

　Like the goblins before them, they were quickly carbonized and dispersed.

　Fran, herself, was surprised.

　She felt that it was far more powerful than the usual Fire Blast.

“Yeah, that’s because your magic power has advanced.”

　Lou smiled, but Fran was skeptical.

　The two continued to explore more places in the Hunting Forest.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ 

“It’s an interesting forest, but it’s probably not very useful in real combat.”

“Hmm, that’s harsh, Lou, but you’re right. This forest is for training only.”

　After training and inspecting the forest, Lou was now flying with Fran in his arms.

　He was not flying in the sky as usual.

　The altitude was much lower, and they were gliding about one meter above the ground.

　They were now heading for the main gate.　

　After the training, there was no other way out of the Hunting Forest except the main gate.

　On top of the main gate, there was a towering watchtower that could be seen from a distance.

　Therefore, those who entered the forest wouldn’t be able to mistake the direction to the main gate.　

　Lou and Fran encountered no problem exploring and dealing with this forest where demons appeared.

　However, if they were to run out of magical power or get injured, they would use the bracelets they wore when they entered to alert the management office of the danger.

　At the same time, for a certain period of time, a magical barrier that could also respond to physical attacks would be generated to protect them.

　There were also emergency shelters set up inside the hunting ground, which served as resting places.

　These shelters were also protected by magical barriers, and only those wearing the bracelets could enter.

　With such thorough safety measures in place…

　In the event of an accident or other incident, the administrator of the Hunting Forest wouldn’t be held basically responsible.

　Such an agreement had been established.

　Those who begged to disagree wouldn’t be allowed to enter the forest.

　In other cases, such as at the Magical Girls Academy, where mock classes were held for the students…

　A senior wizard teacher or a knight of middle rank or higher would always accompany the students to ensure their safety.

　Lou and Fran entered the path to the main gate, which was protected by the magical barrier that they had used to enter the forest…

　From there, they began to walk slowly.

　The sun was already setting in the west, and the sky was tinged with sunset.

“It’s beautiful….”

“Yeah.”

　Lou replied vaguely to Fran’s remark.

　However, he might like the scenery quite a bit because he was staring dazzlingly at the sunset.

　Fran thought it was a very romantic scene, despite the location.

　So, she wanted to walk a little longer with Lou.

　But reality was merciless.

　After a short walk, they arrived at the main gate.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ 

“Ho-ho, I’m glad you’re both okay. Well, I wasn’t worried about you at all.”

　Ibert’s usual stubborn expression was nowhere to be seen, and he looked like a good-natured old man.

“Excuse me! Let me take a look at your bracelets.”

　After casting a disarming spell on the bracelets…

　Ibert reached out to them.

　Lou and Fran looked at each other and laughed, then took off their bracelets and handed them to Ibert.

“Hmm, you’ve got 1 ogre, 10 Orcs, and 10 Goblins? That’s 10 points for an Ogre, 5 points for an Orc, and 1 point for a Goblin. That’s a total of 70 points. That’s pretty good!

　In Fran’s memory…

　When she trained before, she accumulated about 40P.

　So it was almost doubled at once.

　It might be unsatisfactory for Lou’s wishes, but she was gratified, feeling that it was just right.

　After checking Fran’s bracelet, Ibert checked Lou’s bracelet.

“Now, what about you, Lou? Ohh, 5 ogres, 15 orcs, and 20 goblins…with a total of 145P.”

　After checking the bracelet, Ibert looked at Lou with a ‘grin’.

　Lou’s performance wasn’t outstanding.

　His sneering grin sarcastically was as if to say, This guy’s still going easy on me.

　With such a gaze from Ibert…

　Lou merely smiled calmly as usual.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ 

　Ibert suggested that they take the last carriage of their regular service to the royal capital.

　After some thought, Lou and Fran decided to take him up on his offer.

　The return trip was smooth and trouble-free.

　They disembarked from the carriage at the main gate of the capital and returned safely to the Dumer’s residence.　

“Welcome home, your bath and dinner are ready.”

　At the entrance, Zeimon greeted them with a smile on his face.

　Fran replied cheerfully, “Thank you!”…

　Zeimon faltered for a moment.

　However, he immediately put on a big smile and bowed deeply.

　One hour later:..

　Lou and Fran each took a bath and entered the dining room…

　Adelaide was also waiting for them with a smile.

　I’ve sensed this since earlier.

　Fran thought inwardly.

　Her mother, Zeimon, and the servants were all smiling more brightly than before.

　The whole atmosphere of the mansion was much brighter.

　During the meal, Adelaide was quiet as expected.

　The topic of conversation wasn’t about magic, but rather kept to the usual topics of conversation that people usually have during meals.

　The reason for this was the presence of many servants in the dining room, including Zeimon.

　Fran chuckled.

　Adelaide’s feelings were palpable.

　Her mother, who was a magic geek, was probably dying to know about Transference Magic as soon as possible.

　On the contrary, Lou seemed to have sensed this, too.

　When Fran suggested that they end the meal earlier than usual, he pretended not to know and agreed.

　After the meal, Adelaide led the three of them to the laboratory of the mansion.

　The moment they were near the lab, she short of pushed Lou and Fran in the room!

　Adelaide’s clear, noble lady-like expression changed upside down. 

　Her face was like that of a child begging for a story.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ 

　30 minutes later …

“I see! You’ve been to the Spirit World, the home of the spirits of the earth!”

　”Lucky you! Lucky !” Adelaide exclaimed enviously, and Lou and Fran laughed.

　But Adelaide didn’t care about such wry laughter as she was immersed in her own world.

“Yeah, wonderful! Even after all this research, there’s still so much I don’t know…”

“……..”

“Only at a time like this do I envy Vice-Principal Eltvara, you know?”

　Adelaide laughed as she said this.

　If only she had as much time as the Arlvs, who had a lifespan of several thousand years…

　How close could she get to the ‘truth’ of this world?

　…I want to continue my research until I am satisfied!

　That was Adelaide’s heartfelt wish.

　Not as much as Adelaide …

　Fran, as her daughter, also took after her in terms of personality.

　Because of her innate curiosity, Fran was very curious about the otherworldly beings she saw today, and her mother Adelaide was a proficient listener.

　Before Fran knew it…

　She talked fervently about Transference Magic, and of course, she also included today’s training course, starting with the activation of her magic in the Hunting Forest and even about their coordinated ass

“Fran! Good for you! You’ve had a great day!”

　At the sound of her mother’s loud voice, Fran came to her senses.

　She had been talking too much.

　She never knew she was this talkative…

　She couldn’t believe she did just that.

　If she’d ever been…

　Honestly, she would never admit that she had so much fun!

　But not right now!

　It was completely different.

“Yes! Mother, I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Lou.”

　Fran said, turning to Lou and bowing deeply again.

“Thank you so much, Lou! Let’s work together on the weekend!”

　Fran expressed her deepest gratitude to Lou, and it was all heartfelt.