The Extra Works Hard

“Haa, that’s annoying. It would be convenient to use a warp…”

A soft mumble tickled Nathan’s ears. That was true. An Archmage like Professor Michael didn’t have to walk because he could use the warp to jump through space.

“Then why can’t you use it?”

Nathan said cautiously with curiosity. Professor Michael stared at Nathan incredulously. Then a sigh escaped his mouth.

“…Let’s think a little bit about who this is all for. Do you think we are doing this for me?”

“Ah”

The two of them left the academy through the back gate. Aurora Academy was on the top of a mountain, and the two of them walked down a straight path to one side.

“From now on, you will go to Rupelham as often as he does at home. The Swordsmanship Department goes to Rufenri, the village next to Rupelham. Isn’t this Nathan’s first time going to Rupelham?”

“Yes. It’s my first time.”

“Warping is easy and convenient. Taking you with me is as simple as drinking a glass of water. But if that’s the case, will you be able to visit there by yourself next time? So it’s important to try to memorize all the paths you’ll be using from now on. The route for swordsmen and the route for wizards are very different.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

“That’s good. A person who knows how to be grateful for the little things is a good person.”

“……”

A white hand patted the top of Nathan’s head a couple of times. Nathan didn’t know what to do, so he kept his mouth shut. As they walked down to the bottom of the mountain, the road divided into five branches on the open field. A sign was placed in the middle of the road. Before Nathan could even read the sign, Professor Michael entered the third path. Nathan hurried to follow him in his footsteps.

After walking for about 20 minutes, this time a beautiful lake appeared. On the shores of the lake, there were boats that could fit two or three people each, and Professor Michael boarded and waited for Nathan. Nathan stumbled at first but after getting back his balance, carefully climbed into the boat.

Professor Michael, who waited for Nathan to get onto the boat and take a seat, tapped the boat with his wand. Nathan’s gaze descended upon his wand. Then he saw a magic circle drawn on the ship. Professor Michael opened his mouth.

“[Wind, guide this ship to its intended destination!]”

The voice that spoke those words was somehow mysterious. It must have been Professor Michael’s voice he had heard a while ago, but it was just strange. It sparkled in gold as if a magic circle responded to the voice. Then the wind began to blow on the shore of the lake where there was no wind.

Creeeak.

The boat moved by itself. Nathan’s eyes widened at the sight. The wind kept blowing from behind them and the boat headed forward even when no one was rowing. This was magic, Nathan inwardly admired. It just was a little magic, but it was enough to give him a new shock.

“Rupelham is located on an artificial island above the lake. Of course, it won’t be visible now. For security reasons, they put recognition magic on it.”

“I see.”

“The next time you go to Rupelham, you can go like this. All boats lying on the shores of the lake are engraved with magic formulas. When you recite a spell, the wind carries the boat to your destination.”

“Yes, yes. That’s awesome!”

“Oh my, are you already so excited?”

There was a smile in Professor Michael’s voice as he said that.

“Come on, we’ve arrived.”

With those words, Professor Michael’s figure, who was sitting on the bow, gradually faded. Nathan jumped up from his seat in surprise. The boat shook briefly and water splashed. Looking at it now, not only Professor Michael but also the boat was rapidly becoming cloudy. Nathan closed his eyes tightly as he saw his feet blurred. It was because he was afraid for a moment that everything would disappear. Soon after, Nathan’s body also faded.

“Ahaha…!”

It was the sound of Professor Michael’s laughter that opened his tightly closed eyes. Carefully looking ahead, he saw Professor Michael turned his body, grabbed the wand, and held back his laughter. Seeing this, Nathan called for him in a slightly hesitant voice.

“…Professor.”

“Ahem, it’s been a while since I’ve laughed like this…”

The professor laughed a couple more times and then straightened his reclining body. By then though, Nathan was no longer looking at him.

“So this is Rupelham…”

Of course, he had heard from Professor Michael a while ago that there was an island on the lake, but Nathan was surprised because he didn’t expect it to appear so suddenly. The island looked normal at first glance, but it also didn’t look like that. It was beyond his common sense to see the golden trees soaring high through the buildings and those who flew through the skies on thin broomsticks.

“Yes, this is Rupelham. Those who cannot use magic can’t come to this place.”

Rattle.

The boat settled on the wharf. Professor Michael got down first and reached his hand for Nathan.

“There is a risk of falling, so hold my hand and get off.”

“Thank you.”

Nathan took the hand as he got off—the boat really wobbled and he almost fell. But his tightly held hands supported him, so he didn’t fall into the lake. Nathan’s face turned a little red with embarrassment.

The people standing at the entrance of the village wore stylish robes and held a wand like the professor in their hands. They saw the two of them and tried to block them, but this was resolved when Professor Michael tilted his robe slightly to reveal his face. They immediately bowed their heads to greet him and returned to their seats.

“First, I will deal with your business. The road is complicated, so make sure you follow me so you don’t miss me.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Nathan followed Professor Michael and looked around to watch the streets. Nathan, who was born in Korea and had never left there, found this street to be amazing.

‘Occasionally, among the foreign photos I saw on the internet, there was a place similar to this one among countries with beautiful scenery… Which one was it again? Was it Colmar? I think it’s similar to that.’

Rupelham was a pretty village that looked like something out of a fairytale. Nathan asked while looking around the streets.

“Are all the people here wizards?”

“Not necessarily. Some people come in because their companion is a wizard, just like you Nathan.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Come to think of it, Nathan was not yet a wizard. Nathan swept his hair out of the way, which was left loose after he left in a hurry that morning. Then, a question suddenly arose, and Nathan mustered up the courage to ask the professor a question.

“By the way… what is my business?”

“Oh, I forgot I didn’t tell you. You have become a student of our Magic Department as of today. So what do you think you need? If it was the Swordsmanship Department, you’d need your own practice sword and protective gear and… what else was there? Anyway, you should prepare what you need before school starts. Most of the students would have already finished their preparations, but you did not get to prepare anything due to the sudden transfer, am I right?” 

“That’s true.”

“So, we’re going shopping today to buy what you need for the Magic Department in the future.”

“I see!”

Nathan’s heart began to flutter at those words. What were they going to buy? As expected, a wand? Were they going to buy a staff? Would he ever have a wand as wonderful as Professor Michael did? The excitement made Nathan’s steps even lighter. Professor Michael glanced at Nathan and put a smile on his lips.

“Hmm, since a dressmaker is near us, we’ll have to stop by there.”

“A dressmaker?”

“Robes are the life of a student in the Magic Department.”

“Robes? You mean the one Professor is wearing?”

“Yes.”

“Does the robe mean something?”

“No, it’s just to show off.”

At those words, Nathan tripped over his own feet. Professor Michael clicked his tongue when he saw Nathan’s face tinge with bewilderment.

“It wouldn’t have mattered that much in the sweaty Swordsmanship Department.”

Whether or not this was true was not known to Nathan.

“Clothes are the first indicator to recognize the person wearing them. Even if a person wearing shabby clothes is a powerful wizard, people will doubt his or her ability. However, the way someone dresses raises some expectations, no matter how poor the person’s ability may be. From the start, you’ll be judged differently.”

That was plausible. If Nathan was an archmage and Professor Michael was an ordinary wizard, people would not believe Nathan and doubt whether he was really an archmage. On the other hand, looking at Michael dressed in a nice robe, even a small amount of magic would look great.

“…I guess so.”

“And I hate seeing my students being looked down on by others.”

When he said that, Professor Michael stopped at a place. The door to the dressmaker opened by itself without Professor Michael opening it. The bell hanging on the door made a clear sound, announcing that guests had arrived.

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