Chapter 200.1

After school

The bell rang to announce the end of cla.s.s.

What do you know, its over. My oh my. How time flies when cla.s.s is so much fun. Eldmed commented while spinning his cane around.

By the way, Shin-sensei, are you free after cla.s.s? (Eldmed)

Yes. (Shin)

Wonderful. In that case, tag along with me. If were gonna exterminate dragons, we have to find them first. And its still too early to leave that part to the students. (Eldmed)

Shin turned his gaze towards me.

Khahaha! If we let him handle it, there would be nothing to learn. (Eldmed)

After you. (Shin)

The two left the main auditorium using .

Nggghhh! Its finally over. Eleonore exclaimed while stretching.

And so did Zeshia, as if to mimic her.

Now, its water game time! (Eleonore)

Wait, so we were serious about that? Sasha asked, slightly surprised.

Id say its not such a bad idea. Lay commented with a smile.

Ahaha, its a great idea, you mean. Todays weather happened to be hot, so its a perfect day to take a dip, isnt it? Misa stated with another smile.

Besides, if we dont find something to do, Headmaster Zamira might come back to invite me again. (Lay)

Ah, that does seem very likely. Sasha replied in exasperation, perhaps from remembering Zamira.

Sounds fun. (Misha)

When Misha said that, Sasha nodded with a smile.

I agree. Well then, lets go. (Sasha)

Sasha extended her hand to me.

I took it and also held hands with Misha and the others.

When I cast the spell, everything before my eyes turned completely white.

As soon as my field of vision cleared up, we found ourselves before the holy lake.

A stretch of white sand spread out, and beyond that was crystal clear water with a shade of blue.

The water on the beach was shallow. Unlike back when we had our inter-academy exam, this place would be perfect for playing in the water.

As I was about to head for the lake, I suddenly felt a gaze and turned around.

A man in a scarlet uniform was looking at me.

That was the Hero Academy uniform. And the scarlet color indicated that he was from the selective cla.s.s.

And yet cla.s.ses were supposed to have ended only just now. Was he skipping them?

That man was tall and slender. Only the right side of his hair was long, covering one of his eyes.

He locked eyes with me for a moment and, in no particular hurry, turned on his heel.

At that moment, I saw something shining on the mans index finger.

It was a ring. And one of unusual shape. That ring was made from the claw of some kind of animal, and was covered with a thin layer of animal skin.

The jewelry was also unusual. In the center of that transparent black stone, there was a red light source illuminating the entire jewel. However, that light didnt come out of the jewel, but emitted a kind of fantastical glow instead.

I had never seen any of the other materials it was made of, but that thin piece of animal skin wrapped around the ring

Wasnt that dragon skin?

Special ring youve got there. (Anos)

When I called out to him, the man stopped.

Where did you get it? (Anos)

Its a handicraft from my homeland. (Man with the ring)

After saying that, he walked away.

A handicraft from his homeland, huh.

If I remember right, the man who delivered that dragon to the Royalists was also wearing an unusual ring.

In Dilhade and Azesion, rings were mainly made of metal, wood, or minerals.

This wasnt to say that rings were never made of animal claws or hides, but they would probably be made only in a very small number of shops and villages.

Moreover, it was quite impossible to acquire dragon skin in this day and age.

Are you curious about it? (Misha)

Misha looked into my face.

Its alright, he was wearing the Hero Academy uniform. Ill ask him about it when I see him again. (Anos)

Anos-kuuuun, Misha-chaaan, come oooon! Lets swim! (Eleonore)

Eleanore was dipping her bare feet into the shallow water and waving at us.

Misha and I slowly walked in her direction.

I wish I had brought my swimsuit. I wasnt expecting to go swimming, so I didnt even store it in my magic circle either. (Sasha)

Sasha squatted down by the lake beach and scooped up some water in her palm.

Hmm But why dont we just use the spell like we did during the inter-academy exam? It wont matter if we keep our clothes on. (Eleonore)

Sure, we can swim easily that way, but it wont put us in the mood. (Sasha)

Hmm. In that case, Ill take care of this. (Anos)

I held my hand in front of my eyes and drew a magic circle around everyone here, including myself.

The next moment, our clothes suddenly turned into light and vanished, and we were in our swimsuits the next moment.

Wow! Swimsuits! (Eleonore)

Eleonore was happily playing around on the beach.

Look, Sasha-chan, you got the swimsuit you wanted! Since youre the one who wished for it, you should be happier about it! (Eleonore)

While saying this, Eleonore scooped up some water and splashed it on Sasha.

Kyah! Hey! Eleonore! (Sasha)

Here comes my counterattack (Zeshia)

Zeshia, in her swimsuit suit, scooped up some water and splashed it on Eleonores face as if to imitate her.

Fufu! Now youve done it, Zeshia! (Eleonore)

Eleonore and Zeshia were happily splashing one another with water.

Sasha. Does it suit me? Misha asked while pointing at her own swimsuit.

Umm, it does. It does but Arent my and Eleonores, or all of our swimsuits for that matter, kinda too risqu? (Sasha)

To be frank, the swimsuits Sasha and the girls were wearing had a smaller surface area than the ones often found in Dilhades stores.

Hmm. I see you dont get it, Sasha. I said while folding my arms in confidence.

Not that I mind, but isnt your swimsuit too much of a tight fit too, Anosh? (Sasha)

Those swimsuits arent just pieces of clothing, theyre a kind of magic that allows you to maximize your ability to operate underwater. (Anos)

What?! Sasha shouted frantically.

In other words, this thin fabric is a magic circle that remains constantly activated. It seems this era has forgotten even the basics, but the swimsuits you guys are wearing right now are the perfect shape for each of your body types. I said while showing off the swimsuit I was wearing.

So dont forget. This is the spell. (Anos)

I leisurely stepped into the lake.

Look. When you wear it, this is what happens. (Anos)

My feet didnt sink into the lake, and I was running on the waters surface with ease.

Youre supposed to swim! (Sasha)

Of course, I can swim with it too. (Anos)

I jumped into the water and swam around the holy lake.

This caused the water to gradually swirl around so violently it created a whirlpool that swallowed up even the fish.

Now come on. Sasha, Misha, this is your chance to play in the water, so enjoy it to the fullest. (Anos)

Are you trying to kill us?! (Sasha)

What are you saying now? Dont underestimate the power of your . It wouldnt be a real swimsuit if you couldnt use it to swim regardless of how strong the water current is or how turbulent the water surface is. (Anos)

Sasha and Misha exchanged glances.

Well be fine. (Misha)

Misha stepped into the stormy lake.