Interlude: Elvirinos
“……”
The orphanage director, Mirabel, stood there, mouth agape, watching as my master and Kaede vanished from sight. Despite bowing politely to see them off, she seemed momentarily frozen in shock.
“Well then, shall we get to work right away?”
I called out to snap her back to reality, and Mirabel turned to face me.
“Oh, um, I’m fine for a while, really.”
“Don’t be so modest. Once my master gives an order, I can’t refuse.”
When I showed her my collar, she gasped in surprise, but my task was merely to assist Mirabel. If nothing came up, I wouldn’t have to do anything at all. Still, it was quite disappointing that I couldn’t be taken to that other world. I couldn’t understand their language, but I was incredibly curious about the tools and vehicles that operated without using Magic Power.
In that case, there was only one answer.
I had to showcase my abilities to the best of my ability so that they would take me along. After all, my master is quite the soft-hearted person. I believe he would be willing to grant my requests.
“Then, if you don’t mind, could I ask you to help me with some cleaning?”
“Ah, understood.”
With that, it seemed the time had come to put my training to the test. I had become somewhat proficient, though not quite as skilled as my master. Stepping into the hallway, I immediately used Wind Magic to stir up dust as I advanced. I still couldn’t gather the dust along the walls, but I had made significant progress.
“Hm?”
Feeling a presence behind me, I turned to see the children from the orphanage trailing behind, their eyes wide with curiosity.
“Wow, the wind is swirling!”
“Magic!”
“What are you doing, big sister?”
The innocent admiration from the children was refreshing, unlike the complicated reactions from adults. Plus, this was a spell I had struggled to master, even if it was the weakest of them all.
“I’m cleaning the hallway. See? I’m gathering the dust with the wind.”
As I brought the swirling wind closer to them, the children erupted in excitement. Normally, magic wasn’t something used in everyday life, and they probably had never seen it before. My masters were just far too extraordinary.
“That’s amazing!”
“What will you do with the collected trash?”
“You’re just going to throw it away, right?”
Though they all chimed in, I knew that if I took it out to dispose of it, it would just be incinerated anyway.
“Alright, I’m going to throw it away now.”
With my declaration, the children responded with cheerful enthusiasm and followed me. As we passed through the entrance and into the garden, they pointed and said, “The trash is over there,” but there was no need to go all the way to that spot.
“It’s faster to burn it right here.”
I infused the Wind Magic with Fire Magic, igniting it lightly and sending the flames soaring upwards.
“Whoa!?”
“Yikes!”
“It’s burning!”
In an instant, a large flame flared up, and just like that, the trash had vanished without a trace.
“Wow!!!”
Encouraged by the storm of praise from the children, I puffed out my chest with pride. I had thought I was good at magic, but witnessing my masters’ extraordinary abilities had made me lose some of my confidence. Now, however, it felt like it was returning.
“Hehehe, I’ve practiced a lot.”
“Um, if I practice too, can I do it as well?”
Among the astonished voices, one stood out—a girl with red hair and freckles, the oldest among the children.
“Of course!”
“Really? Then I can too?”
One by one, the children from the orphanage chimed in with their agreement.
“That’s right. No one can use magic without practicing.”
“Then I’ll practice too!”
“I will as well!”
The children’s enthusiasm surged as they all declared their intentions to practice.
“Alright, once we finish cleaning, I’ll teach you a little bit.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But in return, could you tell me all about this town? Anything you notice, whether it’s the usual things or something different.”
This was also something I needed to gather as I transformed into an information Guild. Understanding the flow of people and goods would allow me to make various predictions. By spreading a network of information across each town, I could manage the state of the world in one place using my smartphone Magic Tool.
Yes, utilizing the children from the orphanage might not be a bad idea. Even the most mundane information could take time to grasp from distant towns. It might be worth discussing with Mesaria how to effectively utilize the orphanage.
“Okay, sounds good!”
“Great, then I’ll see you later!”
“Got it!”
With that, I managed to disperse the children to some extent and returned to cleaning the orphanage.
“Now then, let’s try out the cleaning tool my master gave me from that other world.”
I pulled out a package labeled “Super Clean-chan” from my pocket and opened it. I was curious about the material of this transparent bag, but the main focus was the contents inside. It was pure white and somewhat soft—what was it made of? I had heard that just rubbing it with water would remove dirt, but I wished I could read the Nihongo written on it. Perhaps I should ask my master to teach me next time.