Chapter 15

Fiona had been in the Kingdom of Elsida for three months.

As a member of the First Magic Corps, she had been doing her best every day, fully utilizing her knowledge and skills, and deepening her relationships with the other members. At this point, her magic power was only ten percent unleashed.

Today, she would also participate in the morning training. After the running, non-magical combat training was conducted.

Fiona's physical coordination was not very good. She was not good at sparring with bare hands or weapons, and today she had lost all three matches.

After the third match, she was left lying face down on the ground, unable to move.

Her body was covered in dirt, and the mock knife she had been holding was lying nearby.

"Are you okay, Fiona?"

Nina, her opponent in the third match, looked down at her.

"Y-yeah... I'm fine..."

Fiona replied, her voice slurred from exhaustion.

Nina, despite her slender and delicate appearance, was one of the best in non-magical combat, second only to Reila and Graham. Today, she had completely overwhelmed Fiona.

"You really have no sense of this at all, do you..."

Graham stood by her side, looking at her with a pitying gaze, as if she were a lost cause.

"But... my body just doesn't move in a pinch."

She sat up and muttered weakly.

While she could respond instantly to magical attacks, she couldn't do the same with physical combat. After two months of training, she had shown little improvement.

"It's not just about not having had the opportunity to learn martial arts before; you really have a hopeless sense for this."

Reila chuckled. She had long since given up on this aspect.

Thinking it was about time, she had planned to make a proposal to the king.

After dinner that day, Luke visited Fiona's room.

"Fiona, the king has given his permission."

He said, removing the seal on her handcuffs and taking them off.

The ninety percent of her magic power that had been sealed was now released, and she felt the familiar sensation of magic filling her body.

"Thank you, Luke. But is it really okay...?"

She was worried, considering that she had once been an enemy and that her magic should be released gradually.

"It's fine. Even with only ten percent of her magic, she's more than strong enough, so they decided there's no need to release it slowly."

"Is that so?"

"From now on, you'll probably be assigned to missions. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, I'll do my best."

She was happy to finally be able to repay the kingdom and clenched her fist, filled with determination.

The next day, Fiona was able to train at full strength.

Her first one-on-one magical sparring partner was Graham.

He was agile and nimble, easily dodging Fiona's initial attack. He managed to avoid most of her small-scale simultaneous magical attacks during the training.

"Don't hold back."

"Got it."

When Reila gave the signal to start, Fiona went all out as instructed. She drew medium-sized magic circles around Graham, leaving no gaps.

"Huh...!?"

In an instant, Graham didn't have time to cast a defensive spell.

He was surrounded by merciless lightning attacks and fell to the ground. The healer rushed over to heal him, but he was completely unconscious.

"Did I go too far...?"

Fiona squatted down and looked at him worriedly.

"It's fine. He'll wake up eventually. Since Graham told you not to hold back, you don't need to worry."

Reila ordered two members to carry Graham to the side and left him lying on the ground.

He finally woke up after a few more sparring matches.

"Sorry?"

Graham, who had just sat up, frowned at her apologetic question.

"You, when you start getting assigned missions, be prepared. I'm going to use you a lot."

"Okay! I'll do my best, so use me a lot."

"..."

Seeing her enthusiastic response, he couldn't say anything more.

＊ ＊ ＊

Two days later, Fiona went on her first mission.

Her team consisted of Graham, Nina, and Jonas.

Jonas was a gentle man with short gray hair, yellow eyes, and glasses, and he was like an older brother to the First Magic Corps.

Their mission was to eliminate a group of monsters that had appeared in a forest near a village. If left unchecked, they would multiply and attack the village, so they had received a request from the village chief.

The four of them arrived at the location where the orc nest had been confirmed and peeked from the grass.

In front of them was a group of orcs. There were over thirty of these two-legged, pig-like monsters, each nearly two meters tall.

"Fiona, immobilize all of them. We'll take care of the rest."

"Got it."

Following Graham's instructions as the team leader, Fiona drew a large number of small magic circles to cover all the orcs and rained down ice arrows.

She hit both eyes and the necks of all the orcs without missing a single one.

Then she unleashed a lightning attack, paralyzing all of their bodies.

Graham, Nina, and Jonas emerged from the bushes and finished them off.

They completed the mission in a few minutes, confirming that none had survived.

"You, you're really convenient."

Graham gave Fiona a pat on the head with a mischievous smile.

"Good job, Fiona. Thanks to you, it was fun. Thank you."

"Really, it's an amazing power. I can rely on you as a teammate."

"Thank you..."

Nina and Jonas also praised her. Still not used to being complimented, Fiona blushed slightly and looked down, giving a small response.

After reporting the completion of the orc elimination to the village chief and returning to the scene with the chief and a few villagers, they confirmed the results and received the chief's signature on the mission request form.

"Alright, let's head back."

The cleanup was left to the villagers, so the four of them started their return journey.

"By the way, the meteor shower is coming up soon."

On the way back, Nina mentioned to Fiona.

"Really? I can see the meteor shower?"

Fiona, who had only read about it in books, was very interested and asked Nina for more details.

The meteor shower, which could be seen once a year, was approaching. In this country, there was a legend that couples who saw the meteor shower together would be bound and live happily ever after.

"I'll see it with you. We're already bound, though."

"Hey, Jonas! That's embarrassing, stop it."

"Ha ha ha..."

Nina, blushing, playfully hit Jonas, but he maintained his gentle smile.

"Are you two a couple?"

When Fiona asked, Nina nodded shyly.

＊ ＊ ＊

After returning from her first mission, Fiona spent a relaxed evening in her room.

She changed into a green shirt dress and black spats and was gazing out the window as the sun began to set when Matthias came to visit.

He had returned from his mission in the afternoon.

"Welcome back. Are you tired?"

"Back. We finished quickly with everyone's cooperation, so I'm not tired."

"I see. Then this wasn't necessary, was it?"

He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and showed her the contents of the box he was holding. Fiona's eyes lit up.

Inside were small, cute petit cakes that he had bought in town after lunch.

"Do you want to eat them?"

"Sure, I'd like to."

Matthias pushed a small cart that had been waiting outside the door into the room. He had brought tea.

He set up two tea sets on the table and poured the tea.

He placed the box of petit cakes in front of Fiona. The entire box was for her.

Matthias didn't particularly like sweet things, but he enjoyed the sweet feeling of watching her eat the small cakes with delight.

"Hey, the meteor shower is coming up soon."

"Ah, it's that time of year already. Have you seen it before?"

"No, I haven't. That's why I'm really looking forward to it."

"I see. Then I'll prepare a special viewing spot."

Matthias began to plan in his head, thinking about how to use his authority. Fiona looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Will you watch it with me?"

"I intend to. Have you made plans with someone else?"

"No, I haven't. ...I want to watch it with Matthias."

She looked at him shyly, fidgeting. Matthias, who was not familiar with romantic matters and had forgotten about the legend, looked at her curiously.

A week later, after a slightly late dinner, Fiona and Matthias were taking a walk in the courtyard.

The scent of roses wafted through the night air, and she looked up at the sky, admiring the beautiful stars when a streak of light appeared.

"Ah..."

Before she could think about what it was, more streaks of light began to appear.

"It's today. Fiona, let's go to a better spot to see it."

He led her to the castle balcony, where they were not stopped by any guards, passing through smoothly.

"Is it okay to come in here?"

"I was told that the meteor shower can be seen from here, so it's fine."

"Is it really okay?"

She realized he had used his authority, which he had said he rarely used.

"More important than that, look, they're increasing."

Matthias pointed to the sky. Several streaks of light were appearing and disappearing, one after another, in a continuous stream. The meteor shower was far more beautiful and magical than she had imagined, and she was filled with emotion as she watched.

– ...If this means I can be with Matthias next year, the year after, and forever...

Like Nina and Jonas. Like her parents, who were always affectionate and cherished each other.

If I could be with him like that forever...

She entrusted her wishes to the falling stars, dreaming of a future with him.

Matthias, of course, had no idea what she was thinking. He watched her with a contented expression.

"Ah-choo!"

The night air had grown colder, and Fiona shivered. Her light shawl was not enough to keep her warm, and he was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt, so he had no jacket to offer her.

"I'll go get a blanket, wait here."

He started to leave, but Fiona, not wanting him to go, grabbed his sleeve.

"No. Don't go."

"Are you feeling lonely? I'll be right back. You must be cold."

No, that's not it. If he left, her wish might not come true. She didn't want that, so she decided to do whatever it took to keep him there.

She clung to Matthias's arm with both hands, hugging it tightly.

"This way, I'll be warm. So don't go. I want to watch the meteor shower with you."

"…Alright. I understand."

Seeing her on the verge of tears, he couldn't refuse and decided to stay.

Matthias decided to count the falling stars to calm his mind.

He tried to focus on the stars and not think about the soft warmth of her arm on his left side, wishing with all his might.