Chapter 14

“What else are we going to do?” Ayisa asked, her pen in her right hand.

The two girls sat in a restaurant for lunch. Ayisa had finished her meal and was playing around with her pen.

She had gotten accustomed to holding it. Despite its material, it was smooth to the touch and comfortable to hold. Using it wasn’t as easy as using a regular fountain pen, though. The weight threw her off, but that wasn’t its main purpose.

Layis took a sip of her milk tea. “I thought about getting you some experience outside.”

“Experience?”

“Hunting monsters and the like.”

Ayisa hadn’t had a proper battle since she left the forest. Granted, it wasn’t too long ago, but this might be a good chance for her to get used to wielding a weapon.

“Just to be clear, you cannot use that pen to stab things.”

Ayisa stared at her pen.

“You seem to be the kind of person who can’t figure it out.”

“... So, you also use magic wands to stab monsters?”

“...” Layis brought her hands to her face. “This is what I meant.”

Ayisa tilted her head, unsure if she understood what the girl was hinting at.

“Look, Ayisa, different weapons had different functions,” she explained.

Different kinds of metal also had different effectiveness in magic amplification. Silver is more effective than iron, for example, and gold is more effective than silver.

For weapons that function only to amplify magic, like a magic wand, they have much more valuable metal inside the weapon itself, hidden beneath a coat of metal on the outside. This hides the weapon's strength and value from potential thieves.

For weapons that also function as a physical weapon, like swords, rapiers, and spears, they tend to have more regular metals like iron. This pushed the cost down, as their size meant they required more material.

Ayisa’s pen served more like a magic wand, just with some ink inside. She stared at her pen in disbelief. Just how expensive was this thing?

“S- S- S- S-”

“Sssss? What the heck are you trying to say?”

“So, there’s more go-”

Layis jumped and covered her mouth. By sheer luck, she managed to shut Ayisa up before any of the nearby patrons heard what she wanted to say, although they did garner a bit of unwanted attention.

Layis sighed and let go.

“There’s even more inside?” Ayisa asked, now in a whisper.

“Yeah, of course there is. The outer ring is just for decoration.”

Ayisa gasped. Something as expensive as gold being used as decoration. The pen was already beautiful on its own. It did not need such lavish improvements.

“I really don’t deserve this.”

“Shut up. I give what I want to give to people whom I want to receive it.”

“...”

Unable to say anything else, Ayisa glanced at the empty plate. Layis had also paid for her lunch. She needed to find work. Maybe she could make some money to treat her that way.

“Anyway, as I was saying, there are some quests in the adventurers’ guild in town. They’re easy to do and quick. We should be able to complete them before curfew. That said… they pay terribly, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Well, of course you don’t.”

They finished their drinks and headed out.

•••

Ayisa expected the adventurers’ guild to be less crowded, filled with old people with scars all over their bodies, years of experience under their belts. What she didn’t expect was the sheer number of students there.

Groups ranged from four to eight. Many of them browsed the bulletin board, looking for a quick quest they could complete before the end of the day.

“Why are there so many people here?”

“Don’t you remember one of the requirements for the Magic Study Club?”

“...”

She tried to recall one of the tests she had yesterday. She had so many tests it took a while to find it.

“... It’s the one where they don’t try me?”

“Correct. The Magic Study Club requires a minimum magic rank before you’re allowed to apply.”

The club required a C Rank for a chance in the trials. Only those ranked A or above could join without trial. Ayisa never went through a proper exam, so she had no certificate or rank to speak of. She was naturally sent away without a second glance.

“There are two ways to get your magic rank. The first is by applying for a test at the Ministry of Magic. The second is through the adventurers’ guild.”

She had learned something about the Ministry in one of her studies. The Ministry of Magic oversees all advanced magic schools and colleges in the country. It also headed the nation’s Laboratory for Magic Research and Advancement. She wasn’t sure what they did, but they sounded important.

Among its responsibilities were conducting tests for magic proficiency and ranking them.

“If you go straight to the ministry, all you need to do is prove your mastery of magic with a series of tests. They’ll then give you a rank.”

“... Is there a reason we’re not going to them?”

“One, you’re required to take their tests in their headquarters in the capital. Two, you’ll have to send in your application, go through a screening in your local branch, and only after passing that you can take the test in the capital. The entire process took about a year.”

That seemed way too long, especially for students who had only one day each week when they could leave school.

“Although, the test is only open to those who are predicted to gain at least a C Rank. Do well enough, and you can jump straight to S.”

“So I can get into the club?”

“Don’t you ever research anything beforehand? You may get into the trial, but I doubt you’ll pass it.”

“It’s difficult… huh?”

“Yeah.”

Layis pointed at the receptionist area.

“The guild, on the other hand, does start you at a much lower level, and the guild rank is not directly transferable to magic rank. Sometimes, your guild rank will be A, but your magic is only B. It is much quicker, though. You’ll only need about half a year to reach C, assuming you take jobs every week.”

The jobs also offered a decent amount of money, in Ayisa’s eyes at least. Compared to sitting around doing nothing, the experience and the funds are certainly valuable.

“Good day.”

They heard someone calling out to them from behind. It was the boy from the other day, the one who dragged Marnas away. He had tidy white hair and seemed much more proper compared to Marnas.

“I hope you are having a delightful day, new student and Sir Marnas’ pretend girlfriend.”

“Marnas’ ‘real’ girlfriend.” Layis folded her arms and glared. “I know I told you that you can act casually with me, but can you stop doing that?”

“Yet Sir Marnas’ insisted that you’re his pretend girlfriend.”

“Shut up. What do you want from us? Wait, where is Marnas in the first place?”

“He had quite an important business to tend to. Unfortunately, I am alone at this time.”

“What do you want?”

“My original plan involved grabbing a quest myself. That said, I have heard some things about our new transfer student from Marnas. If you are willing, I am more than happy to lend assistance."

Layis pondered the issue for quite a while, or was she thinking of what she should have for dinner? The boy didn’t seem too bad. Like the other students, he wore his school uniform, with a strange thing hanging on his belt. It was a black tube, but the tube didn’t seem like metal.

“Did Marnas send you here?”

“No. If anything, he seemed quite unconcerned about the matter. As he said, and I quote, ‘Those two will be fine. I honestly feel bad for whatever monster has to deal with her’.”

“That boy…”

“I am offering help of my own accord. Of course, you are free to decline.”

“... Fine, you can come with us.”

“Splendid. I will make sure that I am useful.”