The iron-smelling streets are transformed.
　The main street is lined with gleaming stalls.
　It's not just a matter of time before you find yourself in the middle of the night.

　While the Fallen is called the city of wizards, at night it is lined with ornaments such as accessories made by artisans to relieve themselves.
　There are also many sundries and other items, and there are not a few people who do it as a sideline.

　The main street was filled with glittering lights. That's why there were so many female customers at this time of day.

''It's much more durable than the stuff you buy at those boutique stores. You can also find unexpected bargains at these stalls...''

　From Ars's point of view, the stronger the better, the less he understands about women's fashion.
　Such advice from Ars never reaches anyone's ears. It's not so much intentional as it is ignorant, and I found myself in a painful situation where I was just talking to myself.
　This is how many female customers there are. I cowered my shoulders, probably filled with enough mesmerizing light to attract them.

'It's beautiful, Fia,'

　The words would be heard from right to left. That's also because Tesfia, who licked her tongue, ran to the stall she could see.

''Already...''

　Alice, who had a dumbfounded look on her face, also turned back to Ars, as if she was itching to do so.

'I don't mind, but don't get ripped off.

　Ars, who had been allowed to keep up with them for a while, silently chased after them.

　He scurried back and forth from left to right, scurrying this way and that way. Ars decided to wait in the middle of the road.
　Then, two shadows that crossed in front of Ars a bit in front of him.
　When they ceased, Ars headed for the shop where they were both preoccupied.
　It was a simple stall, just a furoshiki, a simple stall.

　Even so, the two of them are enthralled by the brightly colored items on top.
　In the end, they squatted down on the spot.

How much is this?

　Although a bit young to be called an uncle, the shopkeeper did not lose his temper, but rather held up three fingers as if it was painful to say.

　Deldo it is the common currency used by humanity.
　There are copper, silver and gold, in that order: 500, 5,000 and 10,000 delds.
　In addition, there are 100 delds in paper money. Although the amount in circulation has decreased, there is still a 50-odd denomination of paper money, known as half-dollar notes.
　In this case, the market price is about 3,000 deld.

　In this day and age when the number of wizards has increased, the amount of coins in circulation is absolutely small. The reason for this is that it has become the norm to pay with a license for wizards and a money card for non-wizards.

　The shopkeeper holds up three sticks and tells the price.

'Thirty thousand delds.'
"Hey!　It's expensive~

　Alice made such a noise. Tesfia also put the goods back in place with a reluctant look on her face.

''I'm still prepared to lose money on this.

　The owner smiled bitterly. You are really full of it.

You are a nobleman, so don't be stingy. You have your allowance.
They didn't give it to me. I had to force myself into the academy.

　Ars swears behind me, but I had to shush him when I received a plausible return.

　Thirty thousand is enough to eat for a month. Even the rent in this area would be around 40,000 delds. The closer you are to the defense line, the cheaper the land price is, and the farther away you are, the higher the price rises.
　The average monthly income for non-magicians is 300,000 delds.
　A wizard's monthly income is over 400,000 derd, and wizards who go out into the outside world are paid separately based on their achievements.
　Even if that's the case, it's not usually a cheap purchase.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's a sturdy construction that won't break easily without being beautiful or something.

　Is it an AWR craftsman or is it a material that doesn't inhibit magic power, probably used for AWR as well.

　Alice also sparingly placed the bracelet she had on her forehead, which was on a different order of magnitude.

　It was Ars's impression that this was a store that dealt in expensive items, which was unusual for a stall. That's why sales are not good.
　Even in other shops, a few thousand delds are normal. Occasionally, there are stores with high prices, but they feel a little out of place and should be few.

　If you wanted to buy this much stuff, you would normally spend more than twice as much. The two men seem to have a good eye for detail. It's no exaggeration to say that it's a bargain.

　There, Ars found a case at the shopkeeper's feet.

'Dad, what is that?'

　It's at your feet, so maybe it's not for sale.

I didn't line them up because I thought they were too expensive to sell in a stall or something.

　So it was a brooch that was handed to me with its case. The silvery light emitting from it is engraved with a fine magical formula.

''Muffled [silent]?''
"Hey!　Who are you, big brother?　I can't believe they could spot me with one shot.

　So it's a hit. Silent is a covert magic that makes the surrounding sound disappear. It's a wind system magic with a high degree of difficulty. It's a wind system spell with a high difficulty level.
　It is a magic whose difficulty is disproportionate to its rank. The main reason why it's classified as a first level magic is because it's not difficult to learn, and it's almost useless against demons.
　In fact, there are few mages who can handle it. There are few wizards who can actually handle it, and although it may not be very useful, it requires more precise skills than anything else.
　There are only a few mages who can handle it in light of the meaning of what they learn, and while it is useful for secret agents and other special positions, it is a waste of time for mages who expect the outside world. Therefore, it was generally a shady magic that even those who knew about it were limited.

　And that was exactly what Ars, who was looking for Loki's souvenir, couldn't have asked for a better item.

It's a first-class piece of art that I've had carved with a big slap on the wrist. It's made of high quality celestial material, so it's a great brooch, and it gives it a great color.
How much is it?

　The shopkeeper answered Ars, who cut him off, with another apologetic look on his face.

'I can't touch you young guys, 3.6 million.

　That's far less than Ars expected.　I was about to give him an immediate answer just because I didn't think it would be less than five hundred, but then I realized I didn't have to take anything for granted.

'I'll buy this one and you can put this and that on it too,'
Ew!

　Ars takes out his license to his father, who has his eyes peeled back.
　He seems to understand that he's a magician.

'I don't mind that - but who are you really, brother?
I'm just a magician. It's not every day you come across a gem like this.
It's nice of you to say that.

　I hold it up to the card reader held out to me with both hands and pay the 3.6 million delds.

'There is a maido.'

　The owner of the store sent off with satisfaction as he raised his voice so that everyone around him could hear him.

'Thank you, Al.'
Thank you!

　They both quickly put it on, and looked at each other with delight.

'We'll be buying Loki's souvenirs while we're at it.
You're driving me crazy with you.

　A big smile never falters even if you say that.

　Besides, the two of us are satisfied with this, and the rest is easy enough to leave.

　Maybe it's certainly not a cheap purchase. Even so, the mages with the highest average monthly income, Ars, the highest ranking among them, earn an amount of money that they can't spend all their lives playing with.
　Some of this is due to his research, but it's still largely due to the fact that he was able to recapture the continent by himself.
　Normally, hundreds of high-ranking mages would be sent out for the recapture operation.
　He received an amount that could be considered the total wages paid to all of them.

　Ars's payroll is probably more than the Governor's.


　♢ ♢ ♢


　It was probably a little late to be back in the lab, even though it was dinner time.
　It was just before the dormitory curfew.

　For some reason, Tesfia and Alice also followed me to the lab. There was no hesitation, as if that was the norm.

　When the door opened, a petite girl with silver hair was waiting resolutely in front of me.
　Around the time I could see the toes of her slippers through the gap, Ars's face was twitching, and I can say that she was in a very countdown-like state of mind.

　When the door opened completely, Loki, dressed in an apron, crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks in a pool of resentment, just as he had seen.

　The straightforward eyes shot through Ars's eyes, followed by a descending silence.......The tense air makes no one hesitate to say the first words.

　However, that too can easily come out of your mouth if you change your mind.

It's that time of day already. We should go home now.

　Alice couldn't look at Loki's face properly and spoke up about such things.
　It's a dirty way of getting out of trouble by imposing everything on one person.
　And here's the thing--.

It's not a good idea to go past curfew, is it?

　He returned inwardly, saying that it was only the first time he cared about curfew, but he couldn't cut off their escape route.

''So~ Al, I'll see you tomorrow. And thanks.
I'll see you tomorrow, but thanks for this.

　As if on purpose, Tesfia turned her back to him, swinging her red ponytail tied with a new hair clip.

　Loki's gaze was focused on that one point because that's what it was designed to do, Ars thought.

(These guys owe me a favor.)

　And with a gaze that can't be removed, Ars only hears the sound of distant footsteps that reach his ears in an abhorrent manner.


　Huh~ and a sigh reaches Ars's eardrums in a new way.

''So, which way have you been going?''

　The voice that was finally spun didn't have much anger in it.
　He thought he and Ars had been paying attention to the sleeping Loki.

'I'm here to report Alice's lack of lineage to the Governor and request his cooperation.
'I see, and from the looks of it, it seems to have gone well. But you should have woken me up rather than bothering to write a postcard.

　His voice grows weak towards the end of the word.

'You've done a good job, that's reason enough to give you a break.

　Ars popped his hand on the head of the silver thread as he walked past.

　It was not going well........

'So, you've got a date on the way home?

　He was watching closely. He was listening. If I saw that, I wouldn't be able to overlook it.

It's not a date, and you'll get there as well.

　Ars reached into his pocket and pulled out a neat package.

'Here's your prize for this one.
What?

　Loki reflexively takes the box, which is lifted sloppily, as if to scoop it up with both hands.

'May I open it?'

　Ars didn't give it a second thought as he went to change his clothes, only saying, "Oh.

''...!

　I heard it open, but it's been a long time since I heard it open. Didn't like it?　And when he's finished dressing, Ars returns.

'What's the matter, don't you like it?'
No.....

　Loki was still lying on his back, the brooch held in both hands and wrapped in front of his chest.

'It's a pleasure ... thank you, Master Ars.

　Loki's face, raised at the same time as his trembling voice, his eyes are filled with drops that are about to overflow at any moment. One blink of an eye is going to break down.

''It was an unusually good one, and it has a silent magic formula carved into it so that you can use it.
Yes!

　The joyful face was there as I wiped it with my fingers.

　Nevertheless, Ars expects to be able to do it without much difficulty. Basically, the magic that is said to be rare, if we say, if you can use one, you can usually learn it with effort.
　Loki, who is good at detection, would have no problem with it.

　Loki attached the brooch to the hanging uniform.

'If you're going to put it on, why don't you put it on the inside?

　It seemed too conspicuous to wear it on his uniform.
　However, Loki didn't take it so.

''Since it was given to me,''

　He shakes his head from side to side and refuses.
　Whatever it is, if he doesn't mind, it's fine.

Besides, it's dinner.
It'll be right up your alley.

　They must have already finished making it. Lightly lit and warmed dishes adorned the table one after another.

　We were seated, and on the way to bring the food to our mouths for Ars to get his hands on.

But then again, you did give those two a proper gift, too.
Hey...

　I couldn't let it go unanswered, and the food I grabbed escaped from my chopsticks with a plop.

'It's incidental, incidental,'


　♢♢ ♢


　This report.

　Many of the experimental bodies were brought in by what they called the nobility of various countries. Most of them were unfamiliar names. In other words, it's probably because they don't have children, or their children can't show the power of being a nobleman.
　They adopted a rare magician called Element, albeit an experimental one, and supplied him to the army. That way, he can secure his position.
　Or maybe they thought they could revive a lost mage. It is certain that it is a magic line that is acquired.

　Fortunately or unfortunately, the purchase and adoption procedures had been completed, but none of the experimental bodies had been released.
　Five have been purchased within Alpha.
　And among them was the name of Dembel, the home of the only third-year Cubsol student who was expelled from extracurricular classes.

　He was the only student who lost his power of magic and was expelled from school. In terms of clinging to his position as a nobleman, the experimental body is certainly capable of doing so.
　Even if it is a false one.

　Maybe it was the pathetic house that took advantage of the sweet lure, the aristocracy, but as Ars, he could only think that he deserved it.

　As he read through the thick report.

(Shall we keep this from the Tesphere?)

　And turn unwanted attention.
　Honestly, there's no way that tomboy has such a sensitive mind. She's more likely to think the same thing as Ars than remorse.