To the children, Spirit Day is simply a day when spirits give gifts, but for the adults who know the truth, it is somewhat different.
In fact, everyone living in modern times knows that Spirit Day is not truly associated with spirits at all.
So, why has Spirit Day been designated as a special day?
The reason is simple.
It is the day when the World Tree of Beriton is most stable.
In the past, people who could not understand why the World Tree stabilized believed that the unknown reason was due to the “blessing of the spirits.”
Thus, they celebrated that day by expressing gratitude to the spirits and enjoying a lavish festival with ample magic.
They danced, decorated the World Tree with colorful lights, and exchanged gifts.
But currently.
The reason the World Tree stabilizes is not because of any influence of nonexistent spirits, but rather the position of the “Veritas” constellation, where the threads of the World Tree and magic are connected, which has been revealed to be a rather unromantic reason.
In other words, what people were commemorating was not the blessing of the spirits but rather the position of “Veritas”!
…But, did that cause people to stop celebrating Spirit Day?
No, it did not.
People continue to commemorate ‘spirits,’ don’t they?
Why is that?
The reason is simple.
It’s just much more enjoyable that way.
Whether or not spirits actually exist, if children receive gifts and enjoy decorating the World Tree, what does it matter what the truth is?
Anyway, for that reason, the day is also a rare time when the operational staff of the World Tree’s power plant takes a break, leaving only minimal personnel on duty.
There is no need for a mage who must always monitor the World Tree.
“Haah.”
But Gerard sighed.
Because the stabilization provided by Veritas was only for the World Tree of Beriton, and had nothing to do with the replicated artificial World Tree he was in charge of, the Sephiroth model, Sephiro-02.
In short, this means he would not get any rest even on Spirit Day.
Even worse, it’s not just that he wouldn’t get a break.
He even had to go on a business trip to Beriton.
The reason was to demonstrate a new magic that could potentially be applied to the World Tree in the future.
Well, yeah.
For the time being, it meant more work, but if it could indeed be practically applied, then the “Sephiroth” model could show stability not much different from the original, Gleipnir.
This means less work in the future.
Whether he would be able to enjoy that benefit himself is another question.
“Haah…”
Thinking about it made the future feel bleak, and he could only sigh.
As Gerard lamented his fate in front of the water cooler while steeping the “fatigue-reducing” tea bag that Luke had given him a while back, someone spoke to him.
“Hmm, what’s the name of that tea? It has a really nice aroma.”
When Gerard glanced, he saw that it was a research mage who had viewed the demonstration with him alongside.
Could it be that he was more sensitive to the fragrance of the tea because he was an elf?
Certainly, the aroma of the tea leaves Luke made is pleasant.
Having chatted with him about the magical demonstration to some extent, Gerard answered while smiling moderately.
“Oh, it doesn’t really have a name. It’s just something a girl I know made for when I’m tired.”
“Really? That’s amazing! Is she your girlfriend?”
“Excuse me? Not at all. She’s just a second-year student at a private academy. I just received it as a gift.”
A second-year student as a girlfriend? That sounds like serious trouble!
Startled, Gerard began to explain in detail how he came to receive the gift.
From how the girl had visited the magic power plant for a tour, to how she recently let him use a computer as a calculator.
After listening to Gerard’s story, he smiled as if he finally understood and said,
“Oh, I see! I misunderstood. With that level of thoughtfulness, I thought for sure it must be from a woman he loves.”
“Haha… that’s just because she is good with her hands.”
“Is that so? Then, that’s even more impressive!”
Gerard placed his hand on his forehead, feeling out of it, and realized that the other man’s gaze was fixed on his cup, exchanging looks between him and the cup several times.
Could he be implying he wants to drink some?
“…Would you like me to brew you one?”
“Oh! I would really appreciate that!”
Gerard quickly filled another cup with water, added a tea bag, and handed it over.
One tea bag is nothing.
—–
Their conversation about magic continued as they moved down the hallway.
“By the way, isn’t it truly amazing?”
“Indeed, being able to stabilize the World Tree using the Shäeh’s miracle formula. I can really feel the advancement of magic.”
“Right? The environment where the latest theories can be applied immediately is simply perfect for mages like us!”
“Is that so?”
“I really mean it. It’s quite interesting that the Shäeh’s miracle formula has been proven.”
“That is true.”
Gerard immediately remembered an anecdote in response to his words.
It was such an absurd story that he could never forget it.
Was it a student who participated in the magic competition and unleashed it?
Such stories would honestly not hold up even if someone were to write them as a novel, drawing criticism for their lack of plausibility.
But has it not always been said that reality exceeds expectations? There’s no denying it actually happened.
“By the way, what kind of student could that be?”
And speculating the identity of that mysterious academy student wrapped in a veil is one of the hot topics that stimulates the imagination of every mage aware of the miracle formula’s fame.
In response to Gerard’s question, he began to lay out his speculations.
“Well, if it’s a kid participating in the academy’s magic competition, they’re probably around 18 to 19 years old. I’d guess it’s someone about that age… But, well, El Mardigo created a magic formula at 17, so if he’s a genius, it might not be impossible, right? Baal Nier also proclaimed class magic in his twenties.”
His speculation made quite a lot of sense.
When heroes are born in chaotic times, there are always a handful of geniuses who differ greatly from the average person in any era.
Thinking this way made him feel quite delighted.
“So that means we are living in the same era as that level of genius.”
“Hahaha, it seems so!”
While pondering such thoughts, a commotion could be heard from one side of the hallway.
From what he gathered, it sounded like an argument between an adult man and a little girl.
“No, why can’t it be done! Look here, can’t you see it’s me?”
“Haah, so I told you, dear. Your younger sibling can’t compete with your sister standing in for them.”
“So, I don’t have a sister! Just let me in!”
Hearing that, the elven research mage muttered in lament.
“This kind of thing often happens around the time of the competitions, you know, kids like that.”
“Eh?”
“Substitute participation.”
He further explained to Gerard.
Once a child of appropriate age obtains eligibility to participate in the academy’s magic competition, it is not uncommon for someone to pay another to solve the problems for them.
This includes cases of falsifying student IDs or documents, but it’s also common for a younger sibling to be represented by an older sister who is good at studying.
Since they share blood, they would be somewhat similar, and with a little effort, it could be made to look alike.
“Aha.”
As they acknowledged that while rounding a corner, the sounds of their escalating voices became clearer.
“Then you should wait until the results come out for confirmation. You know it takes time because you’re a foreigner.”
“I’m telling you, there’s not enough time! Just let me in first, and if the results don’t match, you can disqualify me then!”
“No, that’s fundamentally not allowed. You don’t even have a guardian with you. What would you trust to let someone whose status is uncertain into the examination room?”
“Ah, really! How frustrating! You’re so inflexible! Can’t you see it’s the same person just by looking at them?”
But what was that? That familiar back view?
It resembled Luke, with soft platinum-colored hair topped with cat ears, horns protruding from either side, and a thick, bushy tail.
Wait, looking closer, it seems to indeed be Luke.
The uniform looks familiar, likely from Tigr Academy.
How many others with that kind of back view would there be at Tigr Academy other than Luke?
“Luke? What are you doing over there?”
“Gerard? How did you get here?”
The boy turned around in surprise, and it was indeed Luke.
He looked a bit taller than Gerard remembered…
