"Nice to meet you, Lord Rei. I am the Academy Director, Erinde Exilia."
The individual who offered a smile to Rei and Samaloon as they sat on the sofa had unmistakably pointed ears. One look at them was enough for Rei to realize he was facing an elf. The green hair, which reached down to just below the ears, only served to further emphasize their elven heritage.
However, there was one thing Rei still couldn't wrap his head around.
Man? Woman? ...Which is it?
He was trying to discern the gender of the elf smiling before him. To Rei's eyes, they were perfectly androgynous; he simply couldn't tell which way they leaned. If someone told him Erinde was a man, he could believe it, yet if he were told they were a woman, that would be equally convincing. They were that kind of person.
"Uh... I'm Rei. I'll be in your care for the short time until spring, Academy Director Erinde Exilia."
As he spoke, Rei took a closer look at the person in front of him. Erinde Exilia. The fact that they were a Surname Holder indicated that the elf was a noble. Rei had been so struck by Erinde's ambiguous appearance that he had only just noticed the significance of the name.
Understanding the bewilderment in Rei's gaze, Erinde spoke with a knowing smile. "Are you curious about my gender?"
"...Well, to put it simply, yes."
"Hehe. I'll tell you once we've become a bit better acquainted. Until then, feel free to speculate."
The way Erinde spoke with that smile was the very definition of androgynous.
I see, the mischievous type, Rei thought. Well, they sent that small bird familiar over to summon me, so their curiosity is clearly boundless. Even so, it’s usually not this hard to judge a person by their appearance.
Rei's gaze flicked momentarily toward Erinde's chest. If Erinde were a woman, there should have been some visible swell in that area. However, even to Rei's eyes, their chest appeared completely flat. Still, he couldn't rule out the possibility of them being male, as he had read before that many elves were lean and lacked much flesh.
On the other hand, dark elves are quite well-fleshed compared to normal elves, Rei mused.
The image of Marina, Gilm's Guild Master, crossed his mind—a woman who was essentially "allure" given human form. Marina the Dark Elf exuded a level of charm that would draw in any man. Rei felt it was probably unfair to compare a normal elf to her, though he didn't realize that Erinde was actually harboring a similar line of thought at that very moment.
With his hood down, he doesn't look like a man at all. Of course, in his case, his gender is already established, so there’s no need to worry about it.
Erinde maintained a pleasant, unreadable smile as they spoke.
"Now then, as for why I specifically asked you to come to the Academy Director's Office... it was partly because I wanted to see you for myself. ...My, I must say I'm surprised. Just how many Magic Items are you wearing? It has been a very long time since I’ve seen someone carrying so many obvious ones."
Muttering with admiration, Erinde scanned Rei's body, looking at his hands, feet, and torso—all the places where he wore his equipment.
"You mean he has more than just an Item Box?" Samaloon asked, seemingly having not noticed it himself. He turned his gaze toward Erinde and then looked back at Rei.
Samaloon didn't possess eyes that could see Magic Power, and since he wasn't an alchemist, he couldn't instinctively identify a Magic Item. To him, looking at Rei revealed nothing of the gear he wore. Had Samaloon seen Seto, he might have noticed the Magic Items on the creature's forelegs, but unfortunately, Rei had already parted with Seto by the time they met at the Staff Dormitory.
"Indeed," Erinde replied. "While I can't tell exactly what kind of Magic Item each one is, I can tell he's wearing several just by looking at him. ...It’s quite the collection. It must have been an ordeal to obtain them all?"
"I won't deny that," Rei said. "Actually, many were received as rewards for requests, and there were times I found bargains while walking around town."
"To think you gathered so many... Magic Items are expensive no matter where you go, after all."
Leaving aside everyday tools, the kind of Magic Items Rei collected for actual combat were prohibitively expensive. Thinking of how long it would take to gather such a hoard himself, Erinde couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
Samaloon felt the same. In fact, being even more devoted to magic, Samaloon was directing an even more fervent gaze at Rei than Erinde was.
I know he likes me because he loves magic, but in my case, I use magic instinctively rather than theoretically, Rei thought. If he tries to start a debate with me, I’m in trouble.
Feeling a slight premonition of dread from the gaze directed at him, Rei nevertheless spoke without showing any outward signs of being bothered.
"That's just how hobbies are, isn't it? Especially since many of these Magic Items were gifts from my Master."
Deciding that this was the perfect time to lean into his cover story, Rei explained about his Master as he had many times before.
Looking back, I really came up with a great setting. Thank you, my Imaginary Master. Keep up the good work for my sake.
Unaware of Rei's internal monologue, Erinde and Samaloon both nodded, deeply moved by his words.
"I see... a Master giving so much to their disciple. That is a rare level of generosity."
"Yes," Samaloon agreed. "Normally, people would try to keep such Magic Items for themselves... or rather, it would be more accurate to say that most would."
"Quite true," Erinde said. "To give such gifts to celebrate a disciple's independence... honestly, I don't know if I could do the same. Lord Rei's Master must be a truly extraordinary mage."
"Eh? Ah... yeah. Exactly. I'm very grateful to my Master."
Rei's cheek twitched. His Master was being held in even higher regard than he’d anticipated. Since the delusion he’d created was now being treated as a paragon of virtue, it was only natural for him to feel a bit of pressure.
"So, can you tell me exactly why I was called here?" Rei asked, attempting to steer the conversation away.
Erinde finally seemed to remember their purpose and spoke. "It wasn't for any particular business. I simply wanted to meet you. After all, you are the famous adventurer with the Crimson's Alias. Since you'll be staying at my academy until spring, I wanted to learn your personality for myself as soon as possible."
"...And? What are your impressions now that we've met?"
"I suppose... you're a bit different from what I expected. Though, rumors about people are generally exaggerated, so that's only natural."
"That's true," Samaloon added, nodding. "I thought the rumors about you cutting off the limbs of hostile nobles were surely a bit much."
Samaloon meant it as a way to agree with Erinde... but for Rei, it was difficult to admit that half of those rumors were actually true. In fact, Keep—the cause of the recent commotion—had indeed been severed from both shoulders down. He was technically alive, but after causing such a disaster, there was no doubt he would be cast aside by Count Eriel. If that happened, obtaining a prosthetic arm would be impossible—especially one created through alchemy.
"I don't really pay attention to rumors," Rei said, as it was the only way he could respond. "I hear a fair amount of truth is mixed in there too, though."
"Heh, you're quite humble. Normally, people are desperate to deny unpleasant rumors about themselves."
"That's exactly why he's Rei-san, Academy Director," Samaloon said. "He is likely among the most prominent mages in this world. This broad-mindedness is truly a wonderful thing. I must follow his example as well."
"...I'm not really worth being spoken of to that extent."
Rei felt a wave of discomfort as Samaloon's opinion of him continued to skyrocket. Normally, it would be considered a virtue to respect someone younger than oneself so purely, but as the recipient of that gaze, Rei could only sigh inwardly.
I don't usually have this kind of gaze directed at me. ...Ah, right, there was Basrero Cisne. But he’s much younger than me.
Rei associated Samaloon's behavior with the boy, who was around ten years old. To an outsider, Rei looked to be in his mid-teens—not much older than Basrero—but Rei didn't seem to notice that discrepancy at all.
"It's a bit troubling to be looked at that way," Rei said. "Just treat me normally."
"Even if you say that... from my perspective, Rei-san, you seem to stand at the very pinnacle of magic. As a fellow mage, it makes me very happy to have someone I can feel that way about."
At Samaloon's continued intensity, Rei turned his eyes toward Erinde as if pleading for help. Understanding the look, Erinde gave a wry smile.
"Samaloon, leave it at that. Lord Rei is troubled. While your thoughts on the matter are your own, some people don't like having them expressed so openly."
Being reprimanded by the Academy Director was enough to make Samaloon fall silent. While he respected Rei, he also held Erinde in high regard as a superior mage.
"If the Academy Director says so... but, Rei-san. If possible, would you mind telling me more about magic soon?"
"Hmm... I understand how you feel, but you might be disappointed, Samaloon. In my case, I use magic instinctively rather than theoretically. I do tinker with the composition of spells, but even that isn't strictly based on theory."
"...I-Is that so? Casting magic without any theory at all... So true geniuses really do exist."
Samaloon looked staggered. He wore an expression of total disbelief... or perhaps, an unwillingness to believe. Seeing his state, Erinde let out another wry smile. Samaloon was an instructor beloved by the magic students at the Officer Academy, but he did have a tendency to go overboard like this.
He’s a good instructor, if only he could control himself... No, researchers are beings driven by curiosity. If magic develops through Samaloon's actions, that’s something for us to be happy about.
Erinde let out a sigh of a dilemma, and even then, Rei couldn't tell if they were male or female. Being an elf likely made it harder to judge.
I wish they'd wear clothes that make it easy to tell they're a woman, like Marina, even if they're both elves, Rei thought, the image of the dark elf Guild Master passing through his mind once more.
"Well, I'd like to talk a bit more, but unfortunately, the nature of my job as Academy Director doesn't allow for it," Erinde said. "Let's end our first meeting here. ...Lord Rei, could you come here again tomorrow morning? There are various matters I need to communicate to you."
Rei nodded and stood up from the sofa.
"Well, it's a short time until spring, but I'll be in your care starting tomorrow. ...I might cause some trouble along the way."
"Hahaha. Everyone attending here is young. To say trouble occurs every day might be a slight exaggeration, but commotions are hardly rare. I want you to work hard with that in mind. ...Now, Samaloon. I'll leave him to you."
"Yes. Please leave it to me."
Taking those words as their signal, Erinde stood up and headed toward their office desk. Samaloon followed suit, gesturing for Rei to leave the office.
Well, one way or another, I've arrived at the Officer Academy. It looks like I'll be spending my days being busy and noisy until spring.
Muttering to himself, Rei took one last look around the Academy Director's Office before stepping out. Perhaps sensing his gaze, Erinde suddenly looked up and offered him a final smile.