Author: Akashari	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Mui	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“My master’s master… That makes her my grandmaster! Why didn’t you tell me!?”
“Did you need to know? She died a thousand years ago. Telling you wouldn’t have meant anything.”
“But she was important to you, right?”
“——…………”

There was no denying it—she was the one who had utterly warped my life, for better or worse. If I hadn’t met her in that slum alleyway, the life of a scrawny brat named Laika Galactica would have ended that day.

But if someone asked me whether my journey with her had been unconditionally happy, my answer would be an emphatic no.

“She picked fights with dragons, stuck her nose into every dispute she came across, blew through all our money the moment we made some, drank like a fish, got drunk, got annoying, got clingy, threw up, and forgot everything the next day…”
“S-She sounds incredible…”
“And, like you, she was an Outlander.”
“…Huh?”
“But unlike you, she never wanted to go back. She just laughed it off, called it ‘just another life,’ and lived as she pleased in this world.”

She swept people up like a storm and wandered freely like a drifting cloud. In a way, she lived more righteously as a human than anyone else ever could. She shone so brightly, it was almost painful to look at her.

“…That was long ago. She did make a mess of things in Rigel, but I never thought she’d be remembered well enough to be turned into a statue.”
“Just out of curiosity… what exactly did she do here?”
“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? We destroyed a kingdom. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though—we’d be here all day if I listed everything.”

“Wow… I both want to know and don’t want to know at the same time…”
“No need to go kicking bushes just to stir up snakes. More importantly, if you don’t start reacting soon, the Guildmaster’s going to sulk.”
“Huh?”
“————And thus, the great savior, alongside her disciple, stood against the wicked king and saved Rigel! Have I made myself clear?”
“Eh? Ah—uh, yes! That was very easy to understand!!”

While Momo and I had been wrapped up in our conversation, the Guildmaster had been too absorbed in his own speech to notice. Unfortunately, I had tuned him out completely.

But I saw no need to ask him to repeat it. Because no matter how grand their legends made her sound, the true history was still right here—sealed within my own memory.

✦✧✦✧✦

“This is the entrance. Please wait here for a moment while I register the two of you with the security golems.”
“Wow, the security here is pretty solid!”
“Who knows? Golem combat abilities vary wildly.”

The path from the main gate to the front entrance was already long, but the interior of the building was just as vast. Since classes were probably in session, the halls were empty, making the place seem even bigger.

Just the entrance alone stretched on for who knows how many meters. Wouldn’t it be inconvenient for students to get around in a place this large?

“Golems are like the water puppet that Mr. Koutei and you made before, right, Master? Can I make one too?”
“If you learn the procedure, you can. But with your mana capacity, something palm-sized is probably your limit.”
“Teach… then what about me…?”
“Well, boosting its performance takes skill, but… huh???”

She had joined the conversation so naturally that I noticed too late—we had one extra person here.

The guildmaster hadn’t returned yet, and yet… there were now three of us.

“Teach… Teach, what about me…?”
“Momo, this isn’t just my hallucination, is it?”
“…No, I see her too. It’s… Stell.”

The one standing beside me, gently tugging on my sleeve, was none other than the young lady who was supposed to be in Aldebaran. Umravolf Stell—whom I had treated for Magic Crystallization Syndrome and safely returned to her mother.

“Stell… why are you here?”
“Mm. I asked dad… to study magecraft.”

With an expressionless face, she held up a peace sign with perfect form. Compared to when I last saw her in Aldebaran, she seemed a little more energetic.

Come to think of it, she was the precious heir of the Umravolf family. Sending her to a prestigious academy for her future wasn’t surprising in the least.

“Teach, we met again.”
“Yeah, we did… Come to think of it, we never really got to say a proper farewell in Aldebaran. Running into you here is quite the coincidence.”
“Uh, is it really a coincidence, though?”

Momo’s skepticism was understandable. To be honest, I didn’t think this was purely by chance either. Including the whole situation with the Guildmaster, this had to be Axio’s doing. That guy must’ve found his daughter so adorable that he nudged me in her direction on purpose.

“I start school tomorrow… They told me to wait here today.”
“An orientation before enrollment, huh? Having a familiar face around is lucky for you. It’ll make things easier for me too.”
“…Teach, are you going to be… my teach?”
“Yeah, due to certain circumstances, that’s the plan. I’ll be counting on you starting tomorrow.”
“………Teach. Give me your hand.”
“Hm? Oh, a handshake? Sorry, I didn’t realize.”

Thinking she wanted to celebrate our reunion with a handshake, I casually extended my hand.

But in the very next moment, a thick iron shackle locked tightly around my wrist.

“…………………Hnnn?”
“…Teach… you left… without saying anything…”
“Stell… Stell? Stell???”
“Hehe… Now, we’ll always… be together, right?”

Stell clasped my shackled hand in hers, pressing it gently against her cheek as she smiled fondly.

For some reason, her eyes didn’t just seem sleepy—they looked dark and clouded, as if something heavy lurked beneath.

“Master, you seem like the type who’s gonna get stabbed in a fit of romantic jealousy someday.”
“Don’t say such ominous things, Momo!”

⇐ Previous

Next ⇒

⌈ Index ⌋