Suimei, having been instructed by the receptionist that he was to undergo an assessment, took a seat in the hallway connecting to the inner halls of the adventurer’s guild.
A lantern dimly lit the room, filling him with a deep sense of deja vu.
—The feeling of a hospital at night.
As Suimei was struck by this feeling so unrelated to this world, while sitting sternly on the chair with his back straight, a staff member emerged from within the hallway depths. It was a girl with fluffy, tawny hair, dressed in the same guild uniform the receptionist had worn.
Before long, the girl had reached his side, and inclining her head, asked, “—Um, Suimei Yakagi-san, right?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Suimei gave a frank nod. The girl’s expression brightened and a gentle smile touched her lips as she introduced herself.
“Sorry about that. My name is Dorothea, and I’m in charge of guiding new recruits. Pleased to meet you.”
“Ah. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
With this girl, both respectful and amiable, he maintained the polite tone he’d used with the receptionist earlier.
There was a world of difference between the way she treated him and the way he’d been treated outside. As Suimei reflected on the contrast, Dorothea smiled happily and spoke again.
“Oh, there’s no need for such formality. Please speak normally. We’re about the same age, so it’s fine.”
“…Is that okay? Wouldn’t that be rude?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine~ This is easier on me too, not to mention it’s my job to make it easier on nervous new recruits worried about the assessment. Although, I have to say, it doesn’t really look like that last part applies to you, Suimei-san.”
“Haha… Alright then. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too!” Dorothea responded with great enthusiasm, Suimei having agreed to her request.
“Let’s go for a walk,” she continued, leading the way down the hall with Suimei following closely.
She suddenly turned to face him, apparently struck by a sudden thought.
“Oh, the form from earlier – I looked over your registration form. Suimei-san, you’re a mage, and one with both fire and wind properties, right?”
“Oh, yeah. More or less.”
” ‘More or less’ is it? You sure are modest. Didn’t you cast magic without an incantation or even a keyword and send Roha-san flying? You must be a pretty amazing mage?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I was in a bit of crisis, so I did it unconsciously. It’s something that only happens on occasion,” Suimei answered, the smile on his face matching her own.
The aforementioned “Roha-san” was the claymore-wielding man from earlier, huh. He’d beaten him so quickly that he’d been unable to gauge his abilities; perhaps he was actually a person of some renown in the guild? Not wanting to draw too much attention, he’d attempted to hide behind a facade of modesty, but it seemed his actions had been misunderstood.
“Hmm… From what I know, though, magic isn’t something as temperamental as you make it sound…”
She frowned as she thought hard. What Suimei had said seemed off to her. Her words demonstrated that she knew quite a bit about magic.
In that case, what should he say to dispel her doubts? He didn’t want to leave a bad impression on her, so he decided a suitable explanation was warranted.
“…Incantations aside, it’s possible to activate magic in other ways. Moreover, the magic I used wasn’t anything amazing.”