After finishing her meal, Uff returned to the Northern Branch.
She passed through the grand gates and entered the facility. Another staff member had taken over the reception desk; Uff had different work for the afternoon: filing documents. She had to organize the papers regarding this year’s selection exam, sorting what went to storage and what went to her superiors. Even for a non-government building, few organizations managed information as strictly as this. It was a testament to the immense power held by the Continental Magic Association.
Uff walked down the hallway clutching a stack of papers. It was easy work compared to the busy reception desk. Perhaps because of that, her mind kept wandering back to her conversation with Genau.
She respected the First-Class Mages. Each of them possessed extraordinary strength and worked hard to keep the world at peace. Uff didn’t know what they felt while they fought. But now, she found herself wanting to know. Even if she was just a low-level employee, she wasn’t entirely unrelated to the Association.
But how should she bring it up? While she was lost in thought…
“Ah—”
She nearly collided with someone at the corner of the hallway.
A collision was avoided, but the documents slipped from her hands. Dozens of pages fluttered through the air. Yet, every single one was caught before hitting the ground—by long hair that moved as if it were a living creature.
“Apologies. I was deep in thought.”
A petite frame with long hair reaching down to her feet.
It was Sense, a First-Class Mage like Genau.
“I’m the one who should apologize. I was also a bit distracted.”
The collected documents were returned to Uff’s hands.
Uff looked at Sense again. She was also a transcendently talented mage, but she gave off a gentler, more approachable impression than Genau. Uff decided to try talking to her.
“The thing you were thinking about… was it perhaps about tomorrow’s exam?”
“No. A fragrance I bought the other day doesn’t sit well with my hair. I was debating whether to throw it away or just use it up quickly.”
It was a surprisingly mundane concern. Since Uff had asked with such serious intent, she felt a bit deflated.
“Would you mind smelling it?”
The long hair extended right up to Uff’s nose.
Feeling internally flustered, Uff took a sniff.
“It smells somewhat like medicinal herbs…”
“Supposedly it’s made from rare herbs harvested in the Southern Lands. But it seems this purchase was a mistake.”
Sense melancholically stroked her own bangs.
The troubles Sense held were quite ordinary. Talking to her like this, it was hard to imagine her as a heartless mage.
“And what was it you were thinking about?”
“Eh?”
“You said it just now. That you were distracted. I don’t mind listening, if you’d like.”
This was a golden opportunity. Though she had work left, the chance to sit down and talk with a First-Class Mage didn’t come often. Uff accepted Sense’s kindness.
Since they couldn’t just stand in the hall, they changed locations. At Sense’s suggestion, they entered a nearby empty reception room and sat on the sofa. Across the table, Uff explained the situation.
“I see. That sounds like something Genau would say. That stiff-necked man.”
Sense moved her hair to skillfully grip a cup and sip some tea. She had helped herself to the tea intended for guests.
“Do you have a different view, Sense-sama?”
“Yes. I do not enjoy conflict. Exams where people die should not be justified.”
However, Sense continued.
“I can understand Genau’s point to an extent. Mages are inevitably bound to the battlefield. Being heartless might spare one from being tormented by conflict and regret. But I don’t believe that is a requirement for being ‘excellent’.”
Sense picked up a cookie. This time with her own hand. Perhaps she used her hair for things that might get dirty and her hands for things that wouldn’t. That aside, those cookies were also for guests.
“Teamwork is also vital for a mage. You cannot trust your back to someone who lacks a human heart.”
They were having a serious conversation, but Sense had been eating non-stop for a while now. Because of that, the words weren’t quite sinking in.
Was she just hungry? Whatever the reason, as a staff member of the Association, Uff couldn’t ignore it.
“Um… excuse me, but those tea snacks are also part of the facility’s supplies…”
“Why don’t you have some too?”
“Please don’t try to make me an accomplice.”
“But I’m depressed because of my shopping failure.”
“Rules are rules.”
“……”
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Sense’s face, usually devoid of emotional peaks, seemed to pout ever so slightly. Then, she reluctantly closed the cookie tin. She was like a child. To think she could display unrivaled strength on a battlefield… mages were truly a mystery.
“But I’ve understood that you aren’t a heartless mage, Sense-sama.”
When Uff said that, Sense narrowed her eyes slightly. It was a change so small it could have been a trick of the light. Unable to read the emotion behind it, Uff felt a bit perplexed.
After a pause as if pondering something, Sense spoke quietly.
“Once… I saved a small village from monsters during a mission. The villagers treated me like a hero, and many children swarmed around me.”
“That sounds… like a wonderful thing.”
“It wasn’t at all. Those brats kept pulling my hair. They even started using my hair for jump-rope without asking. I considered wiping them out.”
“I-I see.”
“What I’m trying to say is, I may not be heartless, but I am not ‘kind’ either.”
Sense drained the rest of her tea.
Come to think of it, Uff remembered something. Sense had served as a proctor for the First-Class Mage Selection Exam four times in the past. Yet, in Sense’s exams, there had never been a single person who passed. Uff had heard complaints from examinees that her exams were far too strict.
But that likely wasn’t a matter of being kind or unkind. It was simply that Sense had a firm, uncompromising standard for what she required in a First-Class Mage.
What exactly was that standard?
What kind of mage would Sense be willing to trust with her back?
Her curiosity began to well up. Just as she was thinking of what to ask next, Sense stood up.
“Well, I should be going. You have work to do as well.”
“Ah, yes.”
Uff nodded reflexively.
She wanted to talk more if possible, but her companion was a First-Class Mage. Thinking it would be rude to hold her back any longer, Uff stood up as well.
“Do you have work as well, Sense-sama?”
“Yes. Apparently, bandits have been increasing around Äußerst recently. They’re likely highwaymen targeting the examinees, so I’m going to go give them a little scolding.”
Uff had heard the rumors about the bandits. The bandits in this area were well-equipped, and even mages with combat experience sometimes found themselves stripped of their belongings. Yet, Sense said it with the lightheartedness of someone going to scold a child. In reality, the difference in combat power between a common bandit and a First-Class Mage was likely as vast as heaven and earth. Once again, Uff was reminded of how incredible a First-Class Mage truly was.
As they cleaned up the cups and the cookie tin together, Uff spoke to Sense tentatively.
“Um, Sense-sama. If you have some free time, would it be okay if I talked with you again?”
“Hm? Oh, that’s fine.”
Uff didn’t show it on her face, but in her heart, she let out a cheer of “Yes!” She had secured a promise.
Now, I can talk to her again.
While her heart swelled with anticipation, Sense suddenly let out an “Ah.”
“Is something wrong?”
When Uff asked, Sense pulled several envelopes from her robe.
“I forgot to give these to Serie-sama… I have to deliver them now.”
“Shall I deliver them for you?”
“Is that okay? That would be a help.”
Uff took the envelopes from Sense.
She wanted to show her gratitude for the fascinating conversation. There was a huge gap in status between a mere receptionist like Uff and the founder of the Continental Magic Association, Serie, and they rarely had any contact. But surely there was no harm in acting as a messenger for some documents.
“I’ll make sure they’re delivered. Thank you for talking with me today.”
“It was nothing. …By the way.”
Sense continued, looking a bit awkward.
“You… what was your name again?”
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