I returned from the Lutetia Empire and told Yukina-san, who had come to meet me, that I was skipping today.
The reason? Because the weather was nice.
It was the perfect day for painting a landscape.
On days like this, finding a scene you want to paint and leisurely painting it is the best.
Originally, I started painting landscapes for Rena. Now, it’s one of my few hobbies.
Painting serene landscapes calms my mind, and it also reminds me of my late mother praising my drawings.
However, the day I heard about my mother’s death was also a sunny day. So, on clear days, I feel a mix of positive feelings about being able to paint and negative ones about remembering her death.
Yukina-san didn’t look happy when I said I was skipping, but she didn’t force me to attend class. After all, I skip morning classes almost every day, so it’s nothing new.
She didn’t offer to come along because she was considerate of my feelings.
Yukina-san understands that sometimes I need to be alone.
I appreciate her thoughtfulness.
Being a Sword Saint, a Great Sage, and a perceived underachiever is honestly exhausting.
I don’t get overwhelmed with stress, but this kind of stress relief is necessary.
So, I grabbed my sketchbook and brushes, took a towel in case it rained, and left my room.
Outside the academy.
I walked through the forest and arrived at a spring in the center.
This forest isn’t a place where small monsters appear, and people rarely come here.
It’s the perfect place to paint in peace.
“Alright, let’s paint.”
I leaned against a tree and began painting the landscape centered around the spring.
My skill isn’t great, but my brush moves smoothly.
Despite painting for Rena since I was a child, I haven’t improved much.
I quickly mastered swordsmanship and magic, so why not painting…?
Maybe it’s because I don’t have a teacher?
My swordsmanship teacher was the previous Sword Saint, and my magic teacher was the previous Great Sage.
Finding a good teacher is the quickest way to improve.
Maybe I should learn from someone good at painting next time.
Before I knew it, the landscape painting was finished.
“Not bad…”
Objectively, it’s bad and looks like a child’s doodle, but I’m satisfied with it.
I managed to paint what I wanted to paint.
As I was thinking that, someone sneaked up behind me and shouted in my ear.
“Whoa!!”
But I had already noticed, so I looked in that direction with annoyance.
The first thing that caught my eye was beautiful crimson hair.
It was long and tied in twin tails with old ribbons.
Next were her large, reddish-brown eyes. She widened them in surprise when she saw that I wasn’t startled.
Finally, her small frame was dressed in a black uniform.
She was a student from the Magic Department.
She was probably around my age. The badge on her uniform was for the advanced level. The ones for the intermediate level are slightly different.
Her face looked young, and her actions were childish.
She couldn’t be older than me.
Overall, she was a cute girl. In a different way, she could even compete with Yukina-san. Some might even prefer her.
The girl muttered curiously.
“That’s strange. You were supposed to be startled.”
“Sorry to disappoint you. I noticed you a while ago.”
“You noticed me!? You’re not just anybody, are you?”
“You were there until I finished painting. Of course I’d notice.”
The girl didn’t speak up immediately after finding me.
She realized I was painting and waited until I finished.
So as not to interrupt.
“Hmm, I should’ve scared you sooner…”
“Then I would’ve been angry.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Hmm, my kindness backfired.”
The girl stuck out her tongue slightly and laughed innocently.
Then she moved closer and peeked at my landscape painting.
“…It has character!”
“Stop trying to be nice. I know it’s bad.”
I sighed.
In response, the girl held out her hands to me.
“Can I add something?”
“Sure, but…”
“Yay! Just wait a sec. Like this, and like that…”
The girl quickly added details to my painting.
In no time, my childish doodle turned into a reasonably decent landscape painting.
I was so amazed at the transformation that I gaped.
“The basic idea isn’t bad, but you’re lacking fundamental skills. You try to paint what’s in your head with limited techniques, so it ends up disjointed!”
“I see…”
“I’m not as good as professional artists, but I did a lot of drawing when I was a kid, so I’m good at this kind of thing.”
The girl smiled brightly.
“Cheerful” is the perfect word to describe her.
There aren’t many people whose smiles suit them so well.
The girl walked away from me and towards the spring.
Then she said,
“Stand back, stand back. It’s dangerous.”
“Huh?”
“I’m done painting, so can I use this spot now?”
“Use it…?”
“Yes! This is my secret training ground!”
The girl aimed her right hand at the spring.
Feeling a bad premonition, I hid behind the tree I was leaning against.
The girl’s fingers were charged with tremendous magical power.
“Here goes! [Fireball]!!”
A basic fire spell.
Normally, it only creates a small fireball.
It’s a spell chanted during household chores.
But from the girl’s fingers, a huge fireball emerged, traveled to the center of the spring, and exploded.
The power was so great that the water from the spring shot up into the sky and rained down.
“It’s cold!!?? I failed again… I’ll have to go back soaking wet.”
The girl was drenched from the water.
I had many questions.
Why didn’t she bring a towel when she knew this would happen?
She should’ve known that such a powerful spell would cause the water to rain down.
“Hey, do you have a towel?”
“I do, so turn around!!”
The girl kept looking at me despite being soaked, making her clothes see-through.
She must be oblivious, I thought, as I threw her the towel I had brought.
“Thanks! You’re kind. Just like when you challenged the Sixth Seat for your sister!”
“You know about that?”
“Of course. You’re famous. The problem child who, despite being called a fallen noble, defeated the Sixth Seat of the Sword and Magic Ten. Roy Luvell, right?”
The girl finished drying her hair and clothes and threw the towel back to me.
Then, with a cheerful smile, she introduced herself.
“But if it’s about being famous, I’m no slouch either! From the renowned, albeit fallen, fire magic family of the Lutetia Empire! The twenty-third head of the Sonier family! I’m Annette Sonier!!”
The girl, Annette, said this with pride.
However, the Annette Sonier I knew had different characteristics.
I didn’t know she was from such a prestigious family.
But I knew the name.
Annette Sonier. The problem child with overly powerful fire magic. She caused fire incidents during every practice, so she was banned from practicing within the academy.
Practical experience is crucial in magic. Yet, if she’s banned from it, what’s the point of being at the academy?
The teachers couldn’t handle her overwhelming fire magic talent, making her a problem child.
That was the Annette Sonier I knew.
