"Now then, first, let's discuss your future."
Henrick spoke to the three girls once more, detailing what lay ahead for them. After accepting the documents from his secretary and skimming through them, he began to speak.
"First, regarding the Officers' Academy. Normally, the term of study is four years. However, you will be expected to complete it in just one. You'll spend the first six months at the academy, and the remaining six months will be dedicated to field training. That practical phase will likely coincide with the establishment of a new special forces unit."
This was news to them. Yet, none of them let their composure slip; they remained standing with professional, serious expressions.
"The formal establishment of this special forces unit is slated for one year from now. It has been decided that upon graduation, all three of you will be assigned there. In short, you are being given special treatment because the military has high expectations for you."
Abby was the first to react.
"Permission to speak, sir."
"Granted."
"Is it correct to assume that all three of us will be assigned to the same unit?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Understood. Thank you, sir."
She raised no objection. However, Lydia, standing right beside her, clearly felt otherwise.
"Hmph. Isn't this just a convenient way to quarantine us because we’re too 'abnormal'? If we were assigned to regular units, we’d inevitably cause friction, wouldn't we?"
"Hey. Watch your mouth. You're in front of a Major."
"Oh, come on, Abby. You're thinking the exact same thing, aren't you?"
"...What one thinks and what one says are two different matters entirely."
Hoping to salvage the heavy atmosphere, Carol chimed in.
"Geez! You two shouldn't make such scary faces~☆ Smile! Smile!"
Carol pressed her index fingers to the corners of her mouth and forced a bright grin. Naturally, this did nothing to actually ease the tension in the room.
"Sigh... Major, sir. Are those three really going to be all right?" the secretary muttered.
"Of course. There’s no question they are the future of this country. After all, they are geniuses the likes of which this Kingdom has never seen since its founding."
Henrick clapped his hands lightly to regain their attention.
"I understand your point, Ainsworth—the suspicion that we're simply herding you into one place to isolate you. I'll give you a straight answer. That answer is... yes."
His secretary looked aghast, but he pressed on.
"I'll be blunt. The Kingdom Army finds the three of you a bit too much to handle. To be honest, there were voices suggesting we skip the Officers' Academy entirely and assign you to special forces immediately. I was the one who fought to at least give you the chance to study at the academy."
The atmosphere shifted.
The stifling tension slackened just a hair.
Henrick was a young officer himself, and he had been given full jurisdiction over this matter. While that sounded like a vote of confidence, it was more accurate to say the responsibility had been dumped on him.
"So, Major. Are we just being treated as lab rats?"
Though she maintained a modicum of military etiquette in her tone, Lydia’s attitude remained remarkably arrogant.
"Hahaha! Lab rats? No, no, I would never treat you that way. From my perspective, you're still just young girls. I intend to treat you with proper respect. But I want you to remember this: your talent as sorcerers is already among the world’s elite."
"Hmph. Well, obviously."
Lydia smirked. Abby let out a long-suffering sigh at her partner's attitude, while Carol simply kept smiling.
Lydia didn't have a shred of doubt regarding her own talent.
She had skipped grades to enter the Arnold Magic Academy, and her academic record there was arguably the best in history. While she had been neck-and-neck with Abby and Carol in terms of theory, she was peerless when it came to practical magical techniques.
That overwhelming talent was already far beyond the level of a mere student.
In fact, there was no doubt she had already reached the world's summit.
"Especially you, Ainsworth. At only fifteen, your name is already being floated as a potential Seven Grand Sorcerers candidate."
"The Seven Grand Sorcerers? I don't care much for titles like that."
"Ho... then what does interest you?"
In response to the question, she puffed out her chest and replied with pride.
"Who knows? But doesn't 'the pursuit of truth' have a much better ring to it?"
"Hahaha! A classic answer for a sorcerer."
"Isn't it?"
Laughter filled the room, though only Henrick and Carol were participating. Abby and the secretary simply looked on with exasperation.
"Phew... My, my. As expected of the genius of the century. You certainly are an interesting bunch."
"I'm honored, sir."
Abby looked at the smirking Lydia and wondered what she was actually thinking. On second thought, she decided Lydia probably wasn't thinking much of anything at all.
"Well, that’s all for now. I’ll hand over the materials for the Officers' Academy. I’ll notify you when there’s more news."
"Sir. We'll be taking our leave, then."
Following Abby's lead, Lydia gave a lazy salute while Carol gave an enthusiastic one, and the three of them departed.
Once the door clicked shut, Henrick slumped back into his chair, letting his full weight lean against the backrest.
"Phew..."
"Good work, Major."
"I appreciate it."
A cup of tea appeared before him, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Do you really think those three will be okay?"
"Yeah. Abby Garnet is a serious, disciplined soul. You could say she has the ideal military temperament. I’m certain she’ll be the one to keep those other two in line."
He took a long sip of the tea, his expression finally relaxing. Even for Henrick, that meeting had been quite the ordeal.
"So that was the legendary genius Lydia Ainsworth... Her first impression was dreadful, though," the secretary said, almost spitting the words out.
"Her difficult personality has been famous since her school days. Her short fuse, too."
"And she’s really the best sorcerer in the world?"
"...I see. You haven't seen her true power yet, have you?"
"I saw her in the Magics Chevalier, but is she really that different in person?"
Lydia’s four consecutive victories in the Magics Chevalier were the stuff of legend. She had displayed an overwhelming, absolute strength rooted in her extraordinary combat instincts.
Despite being younger than her peers due to grade-skipping, she had utterly dominated older sorcerers with her sheer talent.
"That competition doesn't even scratch the surface of her real strength. That's just student-level play."
"You’re saying she wasn't serious?"
"According to her, she hadn't even used half her power."
"...Less than half?"
"I saw her go all out once. It was truly a sight worthy of the world's greatest sorcerer. She'll likely be one of the Seven Grand Sorcerers by next year. Which means she’ll reach that rank in her teens. Hahaha... she really is a freakish genius."
He laughed.
It was a laugh born of genuine respect for her talent. There were those in the military who stubbornly refused to acknowledge her, mostly the conservative faction.
But Henrick was different. He was a reformer, a man of innovation. He believed that change was something to be embraced, not feared.
"You seem quite pleased, sir."
"Oh, I am. We should be grateful such talent belongs to our Kingdom. Though, conversely, her power is something every nation would kill for."
"Are you worried she might turn against the Kingdom?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but it's a possibility we have to account for."
"Do you have a plan to prevent that?"
"Hmm? Not really. I'll figure that out as we go."
The secretary let out a heavy sigh. This was typical. Henrick often looked like he was plotting something grand when he was actually just winging it.
Seriously, she wished he would stop being so mysterious if there was no substance behind it.
"Now then... I wonder what path those girls will take from here."
There were less than two years left until Lydia and the others would finally meet Ray.