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　The top floor of the research building.
　Despite the pompous word [research], it can't be helped that it's becoming a disorderly and free space nowadays.

　Both Tesfia and Alice come and go so freely in the women's dormitory and the research room, to the point that it's hard to even tell which is their room, and the frequency of this is not much different from attending the academy as a study house.

''What's this?　What's this?

　Two boxes, mainly spread out in front of Ars's office desk. One is from the Association and the other is from Beric. They're military supplies, so even though they're boxes, they're made of heavy, solid material.
　I don't know where they got their scent from, but they were sent here for show. But even so, this is how Ars is thankful for it. It is easy to determine that this is from Beric by looking at the sender.

　I'm sure it's a personal gift because some of the items inside are addressed to Alice.

　And Tesfia and Alice, who are unpacking with shining eyes, have already been in a situation where they are asking Ars and Loki about the unfamiliar supplies in their hands for an hour. Of course, it's something that is also learned in the academy, but the equipment that Arus ordered is different from the general supplies and is different from the old ones in terms of shape.

''It's signal smoke, isn't it? It's for distress signals, and after five seconds of imparting magical power, the smoke erupts. That one is for internal use within the troops, and there are all colors for the troops to decide on.......well, that's.......

　Loki politely answers Tesfia's questions on behalf of Ars, who holds up several bundles of coins, one by one. However, the two of them incessantly scatter the contents of the boxes outward.
　It even contains fittings that hook onto your belt that allow you to equip the pouches and signal smoke that you originally had to assemble yourself. Coins can be fitted into the clasps so that they can be stacked on top of each other, and they can be pulled out one by one when you slide your finger over them.

'Loki-chan, what's this one that looks like a drawstring bag?'
What's inside?

　Alice expands both ends of the bag and carelessly reaches inside. When she pulls her hand out and expands it to look, she sees a number of small but cut crystals in there.

　Tesfia, who looks into her palm with amusement, dances her heart out to the light leaking from the gaps in her fingers, checks the contents and speaks the first word that comes to mind.

''--!　Jewelry?　So is that a bribe?
'Hey!　Don't be so cryptic. You're a magic crystal.
Ugh....

'But Al, I thought the stuff I heard in the lecture was more powdery.
'Originally, I'd use the powder type, but the crystal type is more effective than the old one. It absorbs the magic residue for a long time and can be used as a decoy if you pour the magic power into it. Not so long ago, I would have had to carry another one to disperse the magic residue, but that's two functions in one.
Oh, you'll have to take this with you every time.
'It's a good thing if you have it, but let me tell you, it's expensive. Even in the military, priority is given to wizards such as the double digits, but they usually use the powder type. If you don't like that, you'll have to buy it at your own expense.
How much is it?

　It was Tesfia who asked fearfully.

'A hundred thousand........'
"--!

　Gently, Alice put it back in place. It was tightly bound so that it wouldn't overflow from her mouth.

　Loki, who had caught it out of the corner of his eye, takes over Ars's words as he heaves a sigh.

''There are many life-or-death situations in the outside world. To be honest, I wouldn't consider it a lot of money to put yourself in such a situation even once. It's a good idea to find out how to avoid being found by demons if you're separated from your unit, and in that sense, magical power can be your own power and fetters.
So that's why. You can't live without it, but it's kind of normal to have this kind of preparation.

　It's well known that Ars starts with these crystals and basically doesn't carry supplies with him, even though he says such things. Once he makes his move, he doesn't linger and is guaranteed to perform his mission quickly.
　At one point, instructions were handed down to all troops to stay away from the surrounding areas.

'Whoa, Alice, look at that~'
It's a little firmer.

　The thick hooded robe is the one that expands.
　So far, the temperature has been regulated within the area of survival, and few of them are wearing thicker clothing than necessary. Such clothing isn't even sold in the first place.

　The survival zone is a kind of isolated world that is different from the world. The common sense and common sense there is easily overturned in the outside world.

　The coldness of the outside world is honestly unbearable for a newcomer. You can always release a certain amount of magical power and get through the cold air if you're not afraid of being found by demons.
　It may be said that this is also a waste of an enormous amount of magic power.

　The robes for all of them were prepared, and on their backs were the emblem of the association. However, it came from a package that arrived from Beric, not from the association.

　It's a good idea to try and ignore the fact that he wants to burn all sorts of meddling, but after all, it would be better to at least show his face soon, Ars patted the section.

'So, you said you were going to the outside world, where are you going?　Is it still near Alpha?

　Tesfia nodded her head, not hiding the looseness of her pleased expression as she threw on her own size robe.

　Without any impressions, Ars looked at Tesfia with eyes that were somewhat like looking at a child before a picnic. A robe that is far too fine to give to a child. He could tell at a glance that it was the best thing he could currently make.

No, I picked them out of the Society's mission section. You are the chaperones. You're the chaperones, since the Society's mission doesn't allow students to go out into the world yet. The place is Hydrangee, and the difficulty level is 4 stars. We don't need to worry about the details. We just want to get out into the world first.
Hmm. So, then--when do we go?
I've got things to do, too. I hope to be out of here the day after tomorrow before the holidays.

　Tesfia's face lights up with a blazing expression, and Alice peers into the box as if to disguise her unconcealed elation.
　By the way, Alice was already wearing a robe. Although Alice had a strong image of caring about her chest most of the time, the robe seemed to fit her body size perfectly, unnaturally so.

　--Should I gather information about the mission in the meantime?

　Once he looked at Loki, Ars recalled the details of the request he had received.
　Thirty kilometers north of Hydrangee, there is no activity of demons that should be active there. It was a request to investigate the cause. Of course, since it is a general order, it seems to be a request for information gathering rather than a success fee.

　Since the Hydrangee has also been weakened by the previous incident, it has also received dispatches of mages from various countries, and it is likely that they will soon move their forces to investigate the cause. Ars sees it as a flow of asking the association to gather information for that purpose.

　The original role of the association is correct, and it should be like this, but for Ars, who has never left his own country, it can't help but be called unknown. Although I know the types, characteristics and trends of the demons that inhabit the area as knowledge, it is still different from the past.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　--It would be helpful if the association would also provide a little more advance information. Well, that's something for the future.

　In principle, a request does not start directly after receiving an order, but rather, it is based on contact with the client. Therefore, it was expected that we wouldn't be able to get accurate information until the day of the order.

"Hey!　And if you make a mess, make sure it's put back together. And as for the equipment, have Loki tell you what to take. Can you do that for me?
Yes. As you can imagine, I'm a little nervous.
Me too. I have a bad feeling about this.

　Ars points out with a cold look at what Tesfia is holding in her hand.

'Hoho, you think you can sit in a chair in the outside world at your leisure?
What? Because look at this!

　Tesfia pushes a button on the side of the small geometric box and tosses it into the space, looking at the instructions. Then, in an instant, it transforms into a chair, a small leisure chair.

'Well?　Isn't that cool?
Don't react to every single thing the Governor just stuffed in there, even the ones you don't want. In the outside world, a chair is either a root or a rock!　--Hey there!　What are you trying to punish me for?
"Huh?

　This time, Alice took out a large number of cooking utensils from the box.

''Li, cooking?''

　With a curious look on her face, Alice took out all of her new cookware. From knives to cutting boards, stove and various earthenware pots and pans.

　Ars looked up at the ceiling as if trying to escape reality. He couldn't even sigh, and to be honest, he only felt guilty about throwing all this to Loki. That said, it would be quite painful for him to take care of himself.

　You can hear desperate excuses like "it's just a joke" and "don't take it seriously" in the distance, but the current Ars was far from reality.

　--Should I just throw him out on his own?