In truth, Philie-san was a celebrity at Magias.
Mercedes was the one who had skyrocketed to fame through media exposure, but Philie-san was apparently the most popular right after her.
"Filie-chan has probably been confessed to about five hundred million times since enrollment alone."
Amae-san's testimony aside, it was true that I often saw Philie-san drawing looks from everyone around her.
While Mercedes and Philie-san both had that "unreachable flower on a high peak" aura, their personalities were polar opposites.
Unlike Mercedes, whose directed gazes carried a sense of awe, Philie-san was gentle, delicate, and somehow ethereal—she had a disposition like a warm, sunlit clearing.
Setting aside how things were in the past, there seemed to be few people nowadays who looked askance at someone simply for being from Temcha. Or perhaps such prejudice was utterly meaningless in front of her.
She had a charm that brought people satisfaction just by looking at her from afar. She put others at ease, yet she wasn't someone you could easily approach. Philie-san had that kind of mysterious appeal.
I had only recently realized that she was someone on the other side of the picture frame—someone you would never cross paths with if you lived an ordinary life.
Having someone like that in my house—or rather, the place where I was lodging—gave me a truly strange, restless feeling.
"I'm Coffey Dreadroll, head of the Drake Lord general contracting guild. Nice to meet you, Filie-chan."
"Y-Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Seeing the agitation in Philie-san, who was normally so composed, made me realize once again that my aunt was an extraordinary mage.
She had exuded an aura of being far from ordinary ever since the first time we met, but when the lid was taken off, Aunt Coffey Dreadroll was one of the Archmages—the holders of the highest magical qualification in the land.
Despite her youth, she boasted an extensive track record, having resolved numerous difficult incidents, and was easily one of the realm's foremost practitioners. Her exploits in driving off the Lake Dragon that had shaken the kingdom were still fresh in everyone's memory.
We occasionally sparred as part of my training, but I had yet to land so much as a scratch on her. That was the sheer gap between our abilities.
"I've heard plenty about you from Bren, Filie-chan. Thanks for always looking after him."
"No, not at all..."
"If I recall, you skipped grades at Temcha's medical university and earned your doctorate, right? That's incredible. None of my peers went that far."
"...To have Lord Dreadroll say so makes me very happy."
"You're Bren's friend, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."
"Just Coffey is fine," she added.
When Auntie gave a bright, easy laugh, Philie-san returned a gentle smile of her own.
"So, um, about the request..."
"Right, of course. That's why you're here. I can handle most things, so just lay it on me."
Just as she said, my aunt's line of work had no set limits.
Detective investigations, bodyguarding, research assistance, pharmaceutical compounding, maintenance and inspection of various magical facilities, and if called for, even construction—she was a total jack-of-all-trades.
Simply because she could do anything.
"What I would like to request of Dre... Coffey-san is a missing persons search."
"Detective work, then. Sure. Who are you looking for?"
"My parents."
The conversation had shifted gears so abruptly from the relaxed atmosphere that I suddenly felt terribly out of place.
"...Should I step out?"
When I offered, Auntie knitted her brows.
"Why?"
"Well, she's my classmate, and family matters are..."
A situation where the whereabouts of her parents were unknown.
At that point alone, it wasn't a topic someone close to her should casually listen in on.
"...Well, fair enough. I'll call you once we've worked out the details, so wait in the back."
"No, this concerns the job, so I don't mind if Walker-kun stays to hear it."
Halting as I began to rise from the sofa, I sat back down since Philie-san had said so. Even so, was it really appropriate for someone in my position to be privy to her private life?
"If Filie-chan says so, go ahead."
"Yes."
Philie-san nodded, quietly catching her breath before continuing.
"My parents died in an accident shortly after I was born, and I was taken in and raised at a care facility. A small orphanage in the Temcha Region."
Auntie's expression shifted.
She had said she was looking for them, but were they already dead?
I really should have excused myself after all.
"The teacher at the orphanage was strict, but she treated me very well. It was also the teacher who taught me Temcha magic. Even with fee waivers and exemptions, she went so far as to invest her own personal savings to send me to medical university."
"Huh... That's really something."
Beyond something—was there really an institution willing to invest that much in someone's education? No, she had said personal funds. Philie-san's own dedication must have been extraordinary as well.
"That teacher grew old and passed away last year."
"I see... That must have been tough."
Hearing it was painful for me, too.
In a sense, her life had been far harsher than mine.
"When I was going through the teacher's belongings after the funeral, I found a line in her old diary that caught my attention..."
Philie-san pulled a worn notebook from her breast pocket and handed it to Auntie.
"It's the page marked with the sticky note. Please take a look."
The faint, faded ink was barely legible.
Magnolia Amastel.
Dragon King Calendar, June–September 2014.
This name was probably the teacher she had just mentioned.
The date went back twelve years.
Philie-san would have been about five or six years old back then...
Auntie turned the page with deliberate care.
Dragon King Calendar, June 6, 2014 (Shaare)
Today, Filie was reading a picture book by herself.
She only just learned her letters, yet she reads and writes almost flawlessly. I was astonished.
Dragon King Calendar, June 25, 2014 (Ririas)
Filie asked me, "Why is my hair white?"
She wouldn't understand even if I told her she's from Temcha, so I told her, "Your hair turns white when you're smart."
She saw through the lie immediately.
A clever child.
Next time, I will have to weave a more convincing lie.
Dragon King Calendar, July 2, 2014 (Ririas)
Lately, Filie has been wanting to know about her parents.
Setting aside how quickly she has developed self-awareness, I must choose my words very carefully.
Dragon King Calendar, July 3, 2014 (El)
There was a visitation request for Filie.
————
...Which part was the one that bothered her?
Auntie seemed equally puzzled, staring at the page with a grim frown.
"I remember everything from when I was three years old onward, but..."
Philie-san stated it so matter-of-factly.
"I had never once heard of a visitation request. On that day, the teacher acted completely as she always did, even though she was the kind of person who would let me know immediately if anyone reached out to me."
...On that day, she said.
Wait, what? She remembered that specific day?
This diary was from twelve years ago, but for Philie-san, was it as clear as two weeks ago? I only remembered a handful of vivid moments from when I was five... What kind of photographic memory was that?
"That single line bothered me so much that I looked into who had visited me that day. The clerk back then was a very meticulous person, and fortunately, the record was still there."
What Philie-san laid out on the table was a single application form. The edges of this paper were frayed as well.
Dragon King Calendar, July 3, 2014 (El)
Applicant: Oswald
Requesting visitation with Filiestra Adinson
Occupation: Unknown
Reason for Application: Kinship verification, identity inquiry, guardianship consultation
Presumed to be an associate due to mention of the subject's left shoulder birthmark. Applicant claimed to be acting under power of attorney from a woman identifying as the subject's biological mother.
Outcome: Denied by Director's discretion
Kinship verification and identity inquiry.
Sure enough, this document stated it clearly.
In fact, it plainly said he was acting on behalf of her biological mother.
Considering it never went through, he was probably just an ordinary fraud.
"The director who raised you told you that your parents had passed away, right?"
"Yes."
Then it really must have been a third party falsely claiming to be family.
"...However, just as it says there, my body really did have a distinctive birthmark shaped like a crest."
Lowering her voice slightly, Philie-san brushed a hand over her shoulder.
"It stood out, so the teacher removed it for me and it's gone now, but only three people ever knew about it, including myself."
"...So that's why you thought what's written here might be true?"
"Not necessarily. But the more I looked into my own past, the more inconsistencies started piling up..."
Next, Philie-san pulled out a thick dossier.
"There were contradictions scattered all throughout my parents' official resident registry entries. Even when I hired an investigator to look into their registered birthplace, nobody there had ever heard of them. In fact, it's questionable whether they ever existed at all..."
The two names recorded on the resident register were Bailey Adinson and Leslie Adinson. Philie-san must have done this herself—the pages were covered in an immense number of annotations and margin notes.
"I see..."
It started with the strange fact that a visitation request had been concealed from Philie-san herself. Then came the realization that the visitor knew about a birthmark no outside scammer could possibly have known about. And when she dug deeper, the premise that her parents had died in an accident began to crumble entirely. Was that the gist of it?
"In other words, the story that Filie-chan's parents died in an accident was fabricated, and the director hid the truth for some reason?"
"I don't believe the teacher meant to hurt me. But based on everything I've found, the very existence of the parents listed on those official documents is doubtful..."
Looking over the materials Philie-san had handed over, the dates were indeed full of contradictions. By synthesizing all this information, she had deduced that her deceased parents were fictitious, and that her real parents were out there somewhere else.
"To be honest, I've mostly given up on the idea of them still being alive. I just want to know the truth of how I came into this world."
How she was born.
Could Philie-san be an artificial human too? I immediately shut down that wild speculation. Bringing that up would only cause needless chaos.
Besides, since it touched upon my own secret, keeping my mouth shut was the smartest move for my own self-preservation.
"In short, Filie-chan wants to track down her real roots."
"Yes. Specifically, I'd like someone to accompany me to the Temcha Region at some point and assist with an on-site investigation."
"I understand the situation. But I'm sorry—to be blunt, I can't move right away. The earliest I could take action would be next month. If you're willing to wait, I'd be happy to take the job, though."
Auntie's sheer competence made her constantly busy.
She took on numerous high-profile requests from the state, rarely stayed home, and was constantly traveling across the country.
"...I see. Yes, that makes sense."
Whether she had other reasons weighing on her, Philie-san couldn't entirely hide the disappointment on her face, despite her polite words. Was there a reason she needed to hurry?
"...Um, excuse me. Is Walker-kun also an employee here?"
"Hm? Yeah. He's registered on the books. His employment status isn't that of a full guild member, though."
"If Walker-kun could accompany me to Temcha as the agent in charge, that would be more than enough for me."
"Huh?"
The dumb sound that slipped out came from my own mouth.
Auntie looked equally caught off guard, staring in slight disbelief.
"...You know this guy's just a part-timer, right? With zero field experience. I don't think you're going to get the results you're hoping for, Filie-chan."
Well, she wasn't wrong.
I had zero know-how when it came to tracking down missing persons.
To put it bluntly, hiring me was throwing money away.
"Even if we only make a little progress and find a lead for the next step, that will be enough. I thought the upcoming break would be the perfect chance to push the investigation forward. Um, that is, only if Walker-kun is willing."
"Hmm..."
Auntie crossed her arms with a stern expression. After a moment of silence, she turned her gaze toward me.
"What do you think, Bren?"
"Well, I mean, if it's fine with..."
If Philie-san was fine with it, then I was too. I owed Philie-san a great deal, so I wanted to help her however I could. If she was asking me directly, I couldn't say no; I'd do it.
Looking into Auntie's eyes, I could tell that wasn't the kind of halfhearted answer she was looking for.
"I'll take full responsibility and see the job through properly."
"Good."
Aunt Coffey gave an approving nod.
"Understood. We'll proceed according to the client's wishes. Bren, you'll head to Temcha next week as the agent assigned to Filie-chan. I'll delegate the official identification and inquiry authority you'll need for the investigation. As for emergency measures... well, we can go over that later. Just don't push yourself too hard."
"Wait, really? Are you sure about this?"
"Since it's Bren's first assignment, checking in and taking directions via magical communication won't be an issue. But as I said, any full-scale search on my end will have to wait until next month."
"That is perfectly fine. Thank you so much."
Rising from her seat, Philie-san bowed deeply.
It really felt like she was in a hurry for some reason.
"Bren, assist Filie-chan on the ground and push the investigation as far as you reasonably can. Understood?"
"Got it."
The plan had come together in the blink of an eye, but I would make it work.
Presented with a rare chance to repay both my aunt and Philie-san, my motivation surged naturally.
◇
"See Philie-san off to the front gate."
It wasn't just because Auntie told me to; walking out a visiting guest was basic social etiquette.
"I was... so nervous..."
The moment she stepped into the outside breeze, Philie-san let out a long, shuddering breath.
A light sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead. It was the exact reaction of someone who had just finished talking to a legendary major-league athlete.
"To think your aunt was Lord Dreadroll, Walker-kun... Um, your ages are quite close, aren't they...?"
"Please don't ask about that..."
"Ah, right, of course. I won't breathe a word about today to anyone."
My aunt's origins were dangerous territory.
Thinking about what Grandpa was doing at what age to end up with an aunt younger than most of his peers was far too vivid—it threatened to shatter my brain. It had already broken about three times over the past few months.
"Still, Auntie really is famous, isn't she?"
"Ever since the Lake Dragon Incident, I think nearly everyone in the country recognizes her. Didn't you know, Walker-kun?"
"I only met her three months ago, and where I used to live, the newspapers only showed up once in a blue moon..."
"I... see..."
"Besides, she's Grandpa's illegitimate daughter, after all."
"Ugh..."
Philie-san looked away awkwardly.
Long before I found out she was an Archmage, Coffey Dreadroll was just my aunt. I didn't particularly care to advertise it, but in the end, I was simply ignorant of the wider world.
"...Still, that makes sense. To you, Walker-kun, Coffey-san is family before she's an Archmage."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"And your grandfather is the hero, Lord Van, so, um..."
Philie-san's eyes wandered for a moment before she hesitantly ventured:
"Walker-kun, you're the eldest son of an elite mage family, aren't you?"
...Did that make me one?
I honestly couldn't say.
From an outsider's perspective, though, both my aunt and I carried the legendary hero's bloodline.
I suppose it really did look that way.
"I'm jealous."
"Eh?"
"No, it's nothing."
Philie-san shook her head slightly and offered a small smile.
"Well then, Walker-kun, it's going to be quite a journey, but I'll be in your care starting next week."
"Yeah."
"I'm truly glad you accepted my request."
Was it really the right call for me to be the one going with her?
In terms of pure ability, that doubt lingered, but I still had time to do some groundwork. If I poured every spare hour into preparing, I could at least be of some use to her.
"Well then, see you at school."
Bidding her farewell, I watched as her silhouette melted into the hustle and bustle of the residential streets.
Catching the crimson rays of the setting sun, Philie-san's pale blonde hair looked like something pulled straight from a painting.