「Look who's back!」
Straf announces triumphantly as he pushes the door to the mages' guild in. The bored guild girl leaning on the desk perks up when she hears his voice.
「Ah! I was getting worried! How did it go?」
「It was enlightening.」
「Are you ready to finish the regi-? Emy! What happened to you!?」
She looks at Emilia's tattered robes with large slashes across them, and apparently much shorter than the last time she saw her.
「We ran into some monsters… It was burrowers.」
「Burrowers?! This close to the walls!? I didn't expect that…」
She puts her chin in her hand as she thinks deeply.
「Wait, how?」
Straf spreads his arms, looking around puzzled.
「Eh? What do you mean how?」
The guild girl tilts her head slightly, brows furrowed.
「How did you not expect that? You even mentioned the monsters-」
「I was just joking! Emilia is a scaredy little cat and hates going outside! I didn't actually expect you to run into anything. You mean to say you did expect them? How?」
「Like I said, you mentioned the monsters…」
「As a joke. You were paranoid and turned out to be right, then.」
Straf sighs and rolls his eyes.
「Forget it. You wouldn't get it anyway.」
《Contrived writing is a force of nature here. I better avoid this argument for sake of my sanity.》
「Anyhow, I see you're all back. Even if a little worse for wear. Emy, what exactly happened?」
The guild girl asks Emilia, still catching her breath behind Straf. She walks up to the desk, squinting.
「We made it there and I demonstrated a few spells to Straf- He's really powerful! Very, very powerful!」
「I know, he wouldn't have broke the crystal otherwise.」
「What? He did what!?」
「Did you not see the crystal in pieces when you were leaving?」
「Aa- Ah… No… My hat… Wait, did you lose your glasses too?」
「You lost yours, Emy? No, I'm just… Trying a new look.」
She looks at Straf and smiles a little, with a smug twist and a slightly tilted head. Cycelia clenches her teeth and fists.
「Well, what happened next? Straf showed you his, then you started heading back?」
「Yes. We spent a little longer than I expected there, and it was already dark by the time we left. When I cast 『Illumination』 I saw all the burrowers surrounding us.」
She nods her head as she continues giving the guild girl a quick rundown. Suddenly she points to Straf behind her.
「Straf was really, really cool! He killed all the burrowers like it's nothing and he saved my life!」
「Straf, is that true?」
The guild girl's eyes widen. She turns her head away from Emilia to Straf.
「I guess? I killed the whatyacallthems, it really wasn't a big deal.」
「That's not true at all Straf! You got hurt for my sake!」
Emilia grabs Straf's injured arm's hand with both of hers and locks her blurry mess of a gaze with him. Cycelia's jaw drops and her eyes widen.
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「S-Straf! It's kind of late, how about we go now!?」
Practically begging Straf, her eyes dart from the guild girl to Emilia as she tries to fake a neutral expression. Straf turns his head to Cycelia, mildly surprised.
「Huh? Yeah, in just a moment. If I got this far I might as well finish the registration thing.」
《This far!? This far with what!? With what, Straf?! Are you saying you want to go all the way!?》
「…Is that injury on your arm from protecting Emy?」
The guild girl asks with a serious face and voice.
「It really is not a big deal. Can't everyone just believe me?」
「...I see. Thank you, Straf. You're not even a real member yet, but I am already authorized to promote you a rank higher. You should dispense with that excess humility and tough act.」
《At this rate I'll be the guild master by the end of the week… Is this slow enough growth?》
She slips Straf his unfinished registration form on the desk.
「Fill out the magic type now, please.」
Straf scribbles something on the paper with the quill, then slides it back. The guild girl squints heavily to read it, then slides the form back to Straf.
「You can't have a magic type of 「All」, Straf.」
He clicks his tongue, then writes again. He once again slides the form back to the guild girl.
「...You can't have 「All of them」 either. Please, Straf, stop ribbing me.」
「Why not!? I'm good at everything!」
「There goes the humility. As much as I want to believe that… Everyone has a weak point. What is yours?」
He clicks his tongue and looks to the side as he thinks with his hands on his hips…
《Come on, this is some petty bullshit. I guess I'll come up with some bullshit in return…》
「I'm weak… To… Metal enemies, I guess.」
《Like sewer manholes.》
「Hm. Golems… Constructs… I see. Geomancy, or earth magic as you prefer is very strong against lightning-type magic. Would you say lightning is your magic type?」
「Yup. You got me.」
《Of course fucking not! But lightning sounds edgy, so I'll take it. Straf the Blitz resembles a character name you'd see drawn with a crayon by a 9 year old. Almost perfect fit for this mature world of a 12 year old.》
「And that does it. Thank you Straf, now we won't have to worry about anything.」
She says as she scratches another line out on Straf's form and writes something in.
「Why did you want me to register so bad, anyway? I assume I get some secret guild handshake, free potions and books, but what's in it for you?」
「The potions are not free, please do not steal them… And the reason I wanted you to register with us is… Um…」
The guild girl looks aside, smirking a little nervous. She taps her fingers together
「Well?」
「Funding…」
「What?」
「Whenever someone is recognized as a grand mage, the guild of registry receives large stipends…」
「What!?」
「With your potential, it's just a matter of time until you're recognized as one. You might even be one already and your recognition is just a formality.」
「Wait, so you wanted me here just to be your cash cow!? You wanted subsidies from the government!? Is that why you were so desperate!?」
「That's not all of it, but what was I supposed to do? You broke our resistor crystal. We literally can't accept new members without one, and raising funds for a new one will take months and-」
Straf slams his hand on the desk.
「I want to de-register.」