"Everyone~ It's almost our turn."
Hearing Amae-san's call, I decided to look over the itinerary documents once more.
That said, there wasn't all that much for us to do.
Opening remarks and a brief lecture.
Demonstrations and a Q&A session.
Finally, closing remarks.
The important part was how well we could showcase the dignity of the Imperial Archmage Faculty, but the others would surely handle their parts without a hitch.
"Hey, Bren. Which part was mine again?"
"Aside from the demonstration, Garry, all you've got is the initial self-introduction."
I answered his question while reviewing the text for the opening address.
I doubted there were any mistakes, but keeping track of everyone's roles was part of my job too.
We had run through a full rehearsal just to be safe, so there shouldn't be anything to trip us up.
I checked the clock.
The cue should be coming any moment now.
"...Guess we'd better get ready."
"Right."
As I stood up, Filie-san tucked the day's materials under her arm and followed after me.
Gerald, who had been deep in meditation, opened his eyes, while Luluck closed the book she was reading.
One by one.
Everyone from the Imperial Archmage Faculty rose to their feet.
Just as I expected, not a single one of them looked nervous.
"Wait, Bren."
Mercedes's voice brought me to a sudden halt.
Wondering what was up, I turned around, only for her to step right up in front of me and reach for my neck.
"Your collar is disheveled. You are our representative, so you must mind your appearance."
"...A-Ah, my bad."
It had been turned inside out.
With so little experience speaking in front of large crowds, maybe I was unconsciously feeling tense. We were about to step out before a massive audience, after all. I had to be careful.
"Everyone. The cue is coming shortly," one of the staff members informed us.
From beyond the dark stage curtain, a faint murmuring could be heard. Laughter. The scraping of chairs. The sound of someone being scolded. Separated by only a single curtain, all of it sounded strangely close.
Behind the staff member, a magic-driven loudspeaker crystal glowed faintly. It was apparently a simplified magical tool designed to project voices across the entire auditorium.
"And now, today's special lecturers. Please welcome the students of the Magias Magic Academy's Imperial Archmage Faculty! Everyone, please give them a warm round of applause!"
It was time.
Feeling a lukewarm sensation at my back, I let out a breath and stepped beyond the curtain.
"Straighten your back."
"I know, I know."
Responding to Mercedes's whispered prompt, I thrust out my chest.
She could be overbearing, but more often than not, she pointed out things I genuinely hadn't noticed myself.
Stepping out from the wings into the spill of light, a massive auditorium opened up before us. The fan-shaped seating area was packed to the brim with small spectators, with their parents and guardians lined up behind them.
And immediately, the auditorium shook.
A massive roar of cheers went up.
The children's shouts mingled with stirred excitement and applause.
All at once, they sat up straight; some waved, some slapped the shoulders of the friends sitting next to them, and some started to stand up only to be stopped by their teachers.
"Damn, they're loud."
"Ufufu, everyone looks so adorable~"
"Locke-san, Whitesmith-san. Don't glare at the audience."
"I ain't glarin'."
"Indeed. I have no such intention."
The exchange behind me sounded somewhat distant.
We hadn't even done anything yet, but the reaction was far beyond what I'd imagined.
Perhaps the public held the Imperial Archmage Faculty in far higher regard than we had realized.
The master of ceremonies caught my eye.
Brushing the pin-sized magic loudspeaker on my collar with a fingertip, I looked straight out over the entire audience.
"Uh... as introduced just now, I am the first-year representative of the Imperial Archmage Faculty, Brendan Walker. It's a pleasure to be with all of you today."
A month and a half after the resolution of the attack incident.
We had been invited to the Royal Capital Primary Academy as special lecturers.
◇
Give a special open lecture for the children.
It was shortly after June began that Professor Blanchard received that notice from the Royal Capital Education Federation.
It apparently wasn't an annual tradition, but as part of its extracurricular activities, Magias sometimes had roles like this passed down to it.
The preparation period couldn't exactly be called sufficient, but thanks in part to the media coverage, the demand this year was especially strong, leaving no room to decline.
"To be able to convey the wonder of magic directly to the children is truly an honor!"
Luluck, who could enjoy anything, was one thing, but surprisingly, Gerald and Mercedes were also quite enthusiastic about it.
"It is a hassle, but for the future of the nation, I shall accept."
"Yes. It is also our duty to enlighten the children on the proper image of a mage."
For those two, a strong sense of responsibility seemed to be the underlying foundation. There was plenty in their mindset that I could learn from myself.
And so, after a little under two weeks of preparation, we of the Imperial Archmage Faculty were conducting our special open lecture at the primary academy.
Though Gleefia was the world's greatest magical nation, the number of people who could become mages by profession was limited. Most ordinary citizens could only wield an amount of power barely a step above normal humans.
In order to increase the number of people aspiring to become mages—a vital asset to the country—our job was to teach and explain in a way that sparked an interest in magic.
Entitled: The Corner Explaining How Magic Works. Filie-san was in charge of this part.
"Do all of you know that there are special blood vessels inside your bodies called 'dragon veins'?"
To Filie-san's gentle question, the children chimed in with cheerful "Yes!" responses. From the moment she started speaking, I could feel the atmosphere naturally softening.
"Dragon veins are rarely used under normal circumstances, but when you direct blood through them, you can generate an energy called mana. Transforming that mana into various forces, such as light, wind, or fire—that is what we call magic."
Whether out of pure fascination, the children's eyes as they listened to the lecture were completely serious.
"Controlling dragon veins takes a long time, and it is said to take roughly several years before one can generate sufficient mana."
Hearing about dragon vein control brought back old memories.
Seeing how the world worked like this, I felt the old man had been extraordinarily strict when it came to magic. My memories were hazy, but he had probably started my magical education by the time I was three or four.
Thanks to that, I had enough mana to use refining by the time I was seven, and I was trained from an early age in various other practical combat techniques. Swordsmanship fell under that as well.
"Dragon veins vary from person to person, and each individual has different aptitudes. It is generally said that they strongly reflect the traits of one's parents, but if you ever receive magical education, you should start by understanding what kind of dragon veins you possess."
Filie-san's lecture was remarkably seasoned.
She didn't seem the least bit strained, and the children were simply drawn in by her presence.
"Does anyone have any questions so far?"
Numerous hands shot up immediately, but the one Filie-san picked was the girl who had raised hers fastest and was closest to her.
"Miss, what are you good at?"
"I am good at magic that heals people."
"Ah, for your information, Filiestra-san graduated from Temcha Medical University at the age of sixteen and already holds a medical license."
At the emcee teacher's supplementary remark, a stir went through the parents waiting behind the children rather than the kids themselves.
Filie-san's academic ability was apparently far and away the highest in the Imperial Archmage Faculty; according to Mercedes, "I cannot beat her there." Gerald also grumbled that he "had no choice but to acknowledge it." When it came to academics, Filie-san was practically on an alien level even within the Imperial Archmage Faculty. In fact, from what I had seen of her research, the gap in our academic levels was wide enough that it looked entirely incomprehensible to me.
"Then are your mom and dad good at healing people too, Miss?"
At that innocent, casual question blurted out in the flow of the conversation, the smile on Filie-san's face froze solid. Watching her profile, a sudden jolt of tension ran through me as well.
"...That's right. I'm sure one of my parents was good at healing people. When you go home, make sure to ask your mom and dad what they're good at, okay?"
After the lecture came the demonstration the children had been eagerly waiting for.
The four of them—Luluck, Garry, Gerald, and Mercedes—would actually showcase their magic while explaining it to the extent they were allowed to disclose.
Amae-san was originally scheduled to join in as well, but because she didn't want to bring out chemical-related materials, she had no choice but to step back into an assistant role. Safe demonstrations were possible, but she claimed they were "super plain."
First was Gerald's levitation experience using gravity control.
Following that was Luluck's flying show on her broom.
It was a crude concept based on "they'll love anything as long as we make it float," but the effect was tremendous, stirring up a storm of excitement throughout the venue.
Faced with boys and girls captivated by the simple yet powerful novelty of flight, Garry's personal conclusion on how to get them fired up was apparently "Let's move our bodies with the power of electricity!" He performed an experiment where he struck himself with lightning and moved around while remaining in a lightning-clad state.
Apparently, he had originally wanted to do something like a science-show host demonstrating high-speed information transmission via a compound magic of radio waves and telepathy, but prioritizing ease of understanding, he switched to physical movement instead.
In the end, it was so fast that no one could really tell what he was doing, but it was well received by a portion of the boys as "So cool!" Honestly, I thought it looked cool too.
And the one who enjoyed exceptional popularity was Mercedes.
Frankly, I had underestimated her popularity.
Mercedes's demonstration was a sword dance of the Hinoe style performed while applying physical enhancement. Compared to the flashy, easy-to-understand magic shown so far, it wasn't particularly rare, yet the children watched without uttering a single word, and the moment it ended, they erupted into a tempest of cheers praising her.
Ever since that incident, numerous press guilds had covered Mercedes, making her the person of the hour overnight. The projection photos of Mercedes printed prominently in the newspapers from the following day onward spoke volumes.
A noble lady, the daughter of a sword saint, an active entrant into the Imperial Archmage Faculty.
Her titles alone were overwhelming, but indeed, Mercedes had an endless list of striking visual traits. Her physique was great, so she really looked the part.
However, the person herself seemed dissatisfied with her performance during the attack incident and had mixed feelings about the recent attention. Leaving behind only, "I suppose I was simply the role that would pull in the best numbers," she had immediately gone back to training.
"That concludes the demonstrations by the students of the Imperial Archmage Faculty."
Even after the end was announced, the children remained hyped up.
I didn't know how it looked through the children's eyes, but the Hinoe sword dance was truly beautiful.
The fundamental mindset was completely different from the sword techniques the old man had taught me. Seeing flair and strength coexist like that gave me a distinct sense of awe.
Lastly was a brief Q&A session.
Q. Gerald-san, what do you do on your days off?
"I require no rest. Every day is a day for self-improvement."
Q. Luluck-san, why are you dressed like a witch?
"Ohohoho! What a wonderful question! The answer is because I am a witch!"
Q. Garry-san, are you a delinquent?
"I ain't a delinquent."
Q. Little miss...
"I'm Amae."
Q. Amae-san, what's the best thing about joining the Imperial Archmage Faculty?
Amae-san hesitated for just a split second before answering.
"Expen—no, meeting comrades I can mutually respect has been the greatest harvest of all."
This person totally almost said 'expenses' just now.
Well, to be blunt, that really was where the real perk of Magias lay.
You couldn't say that openly in front of children, though.
"Also, we get plenty of expenses."
You're saying it anyway?!
"Cakes...?"
"Ah, no. Expenses."
"...? Do you get cakes for snacks?"
Amae-san answered with a completely deadpan face.
"Yes. We get cakes."
No we don't, quit making stuff up.
Various other questions followed after that, but here as well, Mercedes was undeniably popular.
"How can I become a strong and cool mage like Mercedes-san?"
Mercedes crossed her arms for a moment, lost in thought, before slowly standing up.
"As someone still halfway along the path, I am not in a position to answer such a question."
She followed up with a "However," and continued:
"If you aim to become a fine warrior, sharpen your fangs every single day."
A sharp snap.
It felt as though the air had tightened.
"I do not mean swinging a sword day in and day out. Monotonous effort can at times become poison. What matters is clarifying your goal and constantly contemplating what you lack."
Mercedes spoke dispassionately, with a strange, rhythmic resonance to her words.
"How you define your 'fangs' is entirely up to you. Strength takes many forms. Deportment, beauty, martial might, and at times even kindness—all of these can be called strength. Just because you aim for me does not mean you have to become me. In the life ahead of you, by all means, find the fangs unique to you, and strive with all your heart."
Mercedes added at the end, offering a faint smile.
"Because doing so is a truly wonderful thing."
Mercedes was saying some extraordinarily good stuff.
I wanted to say something representative-like too and earn some respect from the kids.
"Is there someone among you called Charcoal?"
At the suddenly tossed question, I furrowed my brow.
Did we have a guy like that?
As I wondered, Amae-san nudged me with her elbow.
"...They probably mean you, Bren-kun."
"Me?"
"You walk around campus covered in soot after school, so that's what the students call you. The press coverage probably spread it around, don't you think?"
What kind of nickname was that?
If it was going to spread, I would've preferred something cooler.
Oh well.
If I was the one being singled out, I had to answer.
"That's probably me."
"Yay! It's the real Charcoal!"
A decent cheer went up from the audience.
It seemed to be recognized more than I expected, but 'Charcoal' really didn't sound cool. Let me try to course-correct here for a moment.
"My classmates call me the Rebound King."
"No one calls you that..."
"So I'd be happy if everyone called me the Rebound King too."
"What are you even saying...?"
Amae-san was looking at me like I was crazy, so that was probably enough for the opening hook.
Did you all enjoy my witty joke?
"Big brother Charcoal, is it true you fixed the big tower?"
"The ones who truly repaired it were the people from the specialized guilds, but it's true that I performed emergency repairs when it was bombed."
"How did you do it?"
How did I do it?
Explaining it normally would take too long, so how should I put it?
"...Kind of, like, I stuck it back together and fixed it."
"Work on your phrasing."
Amae-san's retort stung.
This was tough.
Should I have played it safe and used the word 'refining'?
"Big brother Charcoal, what's your dream for the future? Is it to become an archmage after all?"
To that simple question, however, I couldn't give an immediate answer.
It was a difficult question for me.
It wasn't something I particularly yearned for, but if I kept growing as a mage like this, the time would eventually come when I'd be put to the test.
However, this was a public venue.
As the representative of the Imperial Archmage Faculty, my answer was already decided.
"That's right. I'm aiming to become an archmage."
I felt the gazes of several people—or perhaps the entire Imperial Archmage Faculty—brush against me.