Person with ticket number 52, please come to the counter~」
A cheerful female voice resounds from indoors.
… A bank?
When I walk through the gate of the Cooperation Union, the insides have completely changed.
Umm… I didn’t enter the wrong building, right?
I look around. Un, it’s the Cooperation Union.
“Boy, carefully observe me when we don’t meet for three days” it has such feeling?
You probably worked hard. You can see traces of extraordinary effort and enthusiasm (grudge?).
The receptionist Oneesans were at their limit, after all.
That probably brought this drastic change.
The disorderly appearance and the queue that I saw a few days ago had disappeared from the Cooperation Union.
Oneesans behind the counter is working with smiles on their faces. There are no sofas as expected, but a table with chairs where one can fill their papers are here instead.
Un, It’s a bank. Although it turned out like this because of my suggestion.
「… na-san」
A shock suddenly came crashing into me while I thought where to get the bank’s, the Cooperation Union’s ticket.
Uh, what!? Anaconda!? Terrible pressure, my bones are cracking. To think I would be attacked in the Cooperation Union!
Is this the danger Berta-san was talking about!
Ouchouchouch…… I give up…… gaku.
「Eh!? Hey, Ena-san!? Are you all right!?」
When the pressure gradually disappeared, shaking came next.
Continuous attacks without letting me breathe… the Cooperation Union was a place one had to be careful in, after all…
「What are you doing! Are you trying to kill our benefactor!」
「I’m not! I just embraced her a little from grat.i.tude!」
Woman and man start quarreling in front of the exhausted me.
The man is the Cooperation Union’s chief. And the woman is the terrifying incarnation of a serpent or not (probably?), she’s naturally the Cooperation Union’s receptionist Clara-san.
「Gururu」
Dieter approaches me anxiously.
He probably didn’t think that a frail woman (by appearances) could cause me any harm, so he’s apologizing.
「I am all right. My bones do not seem to be broken」
「Ena-san, that’s cruel! Such light embrace with these thin arms can’t break bones!」
Clara-san protests while showing her arms.
As I look, Clara-san’s arm is certainly delicate, and it leaves me wondering where the strong serpent lurks.
I will keep in mind that she’s a person not to antagonize in a different meaning from Berta.
「Clara-san, if you would like, please eat this with everyone」
First of all, I will bribe her with a Swiss roll.
It’s something I brought for the receptionist Oneesans who build up a lot of stress.
Ah, but was it liquor for serpents!? A blunder?
「Maa, thank you very much! Is it food?」
「Yes, it is a cake. I am sorry, I should have brought liquor…」
「Liquor? Of course, I’m happier about cake! Sweets are luxury goods so it’s not every day we can eat them」
I’m glad. I wasn’t able to remove the “Clara-san alleged incarnation of a serpent”, but women like sweets as expected.
「Is that okay? To receive something so precious. Even though we, the Cooperation Union should returning the favor we have received from you」
「That’s right! We were thinking of showing our grat.i.tude yet we received a present like this… Moreover, I’m sorry for putting too much power a little while ago…」
Clara-san hangs her head apologetically.
「No, I did not do that much. I just pointed out something that was on my mind」
「No, just how much was everyone saved because of your idea! If that crowd didn’t get resolved, it would eventually become a big problem. It might have even influenced the public order of the Royal Capital. I’m really grateful」
「Ena-san, on behalf of the receptionists of the Cooperation Union, I thank you. Really, thank you very much! As the improvements of this Cooperation Union were reported to the country, you may perhaps even receive a letter of appreciation from the King!」
Eh!? A letter of appreciation from the King!? That would be bad!
There are too many acquaintances in the Royal Palace, it will be bad if I get exposed.
Before marriage, my grandmother was a little sister of the former king, and I was often invited by the king’s wife, so I went to the Royal Palace frequently.
The Royal palace was a small haven for the little Amalie who sometimes went there to get away from her mother.
「Eh!? Did you perhaps report about me!?」
「No, usually, the Cooperation Union is an independent organization unrelated to the country. We actually don’t have any obligation to report, but because this affects the public order, we have reported about the problems and how to improve them. But, it seems that even the country was surprised so they may want to hear in detail」
Good! It appears they didn’t report about me yet!
「That, can you keep silent about me being the one who suggested it? I do not like standing out that much…」
What am I saying in a mask with bunny ears? It has that feeling, but I must forbid them from speaking right here!
There’s Christhard-sama in the Royal Palace… Otousama is there too.
「Fumu, if you want us to keep quiet we will, but is that really okay? You may even receive a reward, you know?」
「That’s right, it’s a waste!」
「No, it is too dearful」
The two were bewildered by my firm refusal, but they somehow agreed, and we then moved to the place where the main issue at hand, the magic short course will be held.
「It’s here」
The place I was lead to is a cla.s.sroom-like place with desks and chairs lined up.
Several partic.i.p.ants were already in the cla.s.sroom, so I will sit down as well.
「Sorry for the wait, we will now begin the magic short course for beginners! Most people here can already use some simple magic, but here we listen to lectures from the beginning of the first step!」
First, the Cooperation Union chief told us the usual『To use magic you have to…』reminder.
The students looked bored, but I wanted to shout at them, this is really important! It will be (already was) dangerous if you don’t listen!
And then, from the use of magic and history, we move to the talk about basic magic.
Magic changes the shape and form of the magical power within us, created from nothing, changing things before our eyes.
Something from nothing… is that really so? It’s not like fire or water is not here even though we can’t see it.
Are there no components in the air that we take to produce magical power?
However, it would be a serious problem if a large amount of fire and water is taken from the air, so maybe we are actually creating magical power from nothing.
Indeed, magic is amazing!
Ah, then, isn’t it possible to reduce something to nothing? Put out the fire, turn off the water.
In that case, where the things that disappear go to?
It doesn’t seem like they turn back to magical power. On the contrary, it probably consumes magical power instead.
U~n, I see, would it not be erasing something, but “Changing something in front of me with magical power” then?
The more I think about it, the more mysterious magic becomes!
I look forward learning lots from now on!