Lucas, who had heard all the stories from Aman, was proud of Hasel.

'He's better at his job than I am.'

Lucas was also worried about a race war.

'If it weren't for Hasel, the winter fox tribe would have surely prepared for a great undertaking.'

If anyone had just lit the fuse, the other other races, who had accumulated dissatisfaction, would have easily caught fire.

But Hasel had dealt with it in a very wise way.

As he walked, thinking about this and that, he was in front of the dormitory before he knew it.

"Rookie!!!"

The first one to find him was Pola.

"Lucas! Are you back!"

"The professor told me you were here! Where did you go without a word?"

"Right, I need to know why the professor sent you on an errand instead of me."

Lucas was dazed by the barrage of questions from the children, but he felt good.

"What? Why are you laughing? Was it that fun?"

"But his face seems to have gotten pale."

Nella, who was standing next to Skir and Pola, also smiled as if she were happy and looked up at Lucas.

"It wasn't fun. It's much more fun here."

"Ugh! What? Your way of speaking has become like Skir's."

"Haha. Is that so."

Lucas burst into laughter at Pola's words.

"Ugh! It's so annoying!"

Then Pola trembled and covered her ears.

Lucas kept laughing out of a sense of relief that he had finally returned.

'It's comfortable.'

"What's wrong with him? He must have eaten something bad. Rookie... are you okay?"

"Hahaha!"

"I-I think he's crazy. Pola. I think Lucas is crazy."

"Hehe... oppa, are you crazy?"

As Nella asked brightly after hearing Skir and Pola's words, Lucas felt the seriousness of the situation a little and then relaxed his expression again.

"I'm not crazy. Did you eat?"

The children let out a sigh of relief at Lucas's tone, which seemed to have returned.

"Ah, I guess he's not crazy."

"Yeah. I guess he was crazy for a moment."

***

The entrance to the Escar Mountains.

"Is this really the right way?"

Skir's face, who was asking suspiciously, was full of anxiety.

"Yes, it is! I saw it on the map. Look here."

Pola, Skir, and Nella were heading to the forest along the path behind the academy.

"Sister, but why do I have to go...?"

"Nella. Then are you not going to give Lucas anything for his birthday?"

"...I'm going to give him something."

"Right, so let's make him a magic potion!"

The reason why all the children had come to the forest was one.

To prepare a birthday present for Lucas and return.

"No, we can just buy him something... ouch!"

Pola pinched and twisted Skir's arm.

"Hey, you go and buy it. Nella and I will make it."

Skir, who was rubbing his pinched arm, pouted his lips.

"So, what are you going to make?"

"A potion of happiness."

"...A potion of happiness?"

"Yes! It says here in this book how to make a potion of happiness. It's not even difficult!"

A potion of happiness. As its name suggests, it was a potion that brought small happiness.

If it was overused, its effect would gradually decrease and the sense of happiness would become dull, but if it was used in the right amount, it was a potion that could make one feel a pleasant sense of happiness.

Pola wanted to make such a potion of happiness and give it to Lucas as a gift.

"...Can you make it?"

Nella, who was looking at the recipe, looked at her with suspicion.

The recipe for the potion that Pola had confidently said was not difficult was quite complicated.

The numbers for measuring were also extremely difficult.

"Sister... how do you measure 1.179 phreaky's tears?"

"...Hey, you can do it all."

At Nella's sharp point, Pola closed the magic potion book with a snap.

"Now, let's go!"

The children had no choice but to follow Pola and enter the forest.

"Hmm... it should be around here..."

Pola's complexion, who was repeatedly opening and closing the magic potion book, began to darken.

"...Sister, let's just go."

Nella, who was anxiously pulling Pola's hand.

"N-no! I think we're almost there."

"Can't we just go to the store and buy it?"

"Shut up!"

And so the children went in for a long time.

-Keeek! Keek!

At the sudden sound, the children quickly raised their heads, which had been buried in the ground.

"What's that sound..."

"...Goblins!?"

The creatures that were making the creepy sound were none other than goblins.

"R-run away!!!"

The children, as soon as they saw the group of goblins that had appeared in front of them, turned their bodies and began to run hard.

-Thump!

"N-Nella!!!"

Nella, who had been running holding Pola's hand, tripped on a tree root and fell.

"Get up! Quickly!"

Pola, who was pulling Nella's hand. But Nella couldn't get up easily.

-Keeek! Keek! Keek!

In the meantime, the group of goblins was approaching at a fast speed.

"...Go."

Nella looked up at Pola and said calmly. To leave her and go.

Nella knew her condition very well. This was not just a simple fall.

"I can't walk. Go. You and your brother go and get the adults."

Nella, who was pushing Pola's hand away again.

"Shut up! Where am I going to go, leaving you behind! Hey! Young master of the duchy!!!"

Pola, who had shouted at Nella, called Skir.

"Uh, uh!?"

Skir, who was in a panic, was staring blankly at the group of goblins that was getting closer.

"Go! Go and get the adults!!!"

"...No, I'm not going."

Skir, who had come to his senses at Pola's shout, clenched his two fists as if he had made up his mind.

"Answer my call and punish the enemy..."

Skir, who was casting a spell towards the approaching group of goblins.

"Fireball!!"

-Pew! Pew! Pew!

Although he had shouted loudly, Skir's eyes began to tremble madly at the insignificant magic that was shot from his fingertips.

"Hey! Go!!!"

And the fist-sized flame couldn't go far and fell at his feet, and the flame had already died down.

"N-no! I'm not going!!!"

Skir, who was on the verge of bursting into tears, firmly planted his feet on the ground as if he would never go.

"Go! Sister, you and your brother go!!!"

"Where am I going to go, leaving you behind!! Hey! Go quickly!!!"

-Keeek! Keeek!

The group of goblins that had come right up to them.

"Naias...! Help me..."

At Nella's voice, a clear and transparent figure appeared.

-We'll help you.

-We'll help you.

The other Naiads, as well as the Naias who had been summoned at Nella's words, began to gather their strength.

"W-what is this?"

Pola and Skir's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the Naias.

"She's my friend."

The faint form of the one Naias who had shown her appearance was mysterious.

A small girl's form, as if wearing a fluttering thin dress, and a body as transparent as a water droplet.

-Pop! Pop!

Small water droplets that had gathered in the air began to be shot at the goblins.

-Keeek! Keek!

But the water droplets, far from tying up the goblins' movements, only provoked their anger even more.

"T-this! Nella, hide behind me!"

"...Sister, please go! Go!!"

As the Naiads' joint attack did not inflict any damage on the goblins, Pola stood in front of Nella.

At the sight of Pola, Nella was now almost wailing.

"I'm not going!!!"

-Rumble! Crackle! Crackle!

Then, with Pola's shout, an electric magic burst out and hit the bodies of the three goblins that had come right up to them.

"...It-it's done!"

Pola had worked hard on her own to develop her specialty.

The magic that suited her best was electric magic.

The electric magic that had burst out when she was pushed to the extreme situation was also quite powerful.

"...Naias! Help my sister!!"

The compatibility of water and electricity that she had learned in the magic application class.

The fact that water conducts electricity well flashed through Nella's mind.

-We'll help you.

The Naiads, who had understood Nella's words perfectly, quickly began to gather water droplets.

"Sister! Send electricity through these water droplets!"

"Okay! I'll try!"

And so began the cooperative attack of Nella and Pola.

Pola, who was creating an electric magic in time with the small water droplets being shot out.

-Pop! Crackle! Crackle!

The water droplets, which had absorbed the electricity, were shot out quickly and began to tie up the goblins' movements.

-Keeek! Keeek!

The goblins, who were screaming in pain, began to stumble and step back.

"I-it's done!"

But Skir, who was looking at Nella and Pola, felt his stomach churn.

'I want to be of help too...'

Even Nella, who was much younger than him, was making full use of her abilities.

But he, who was the oldest, was sitting in the back and just watching them, and he felt a sense of self-loathing.

"Nella's friends! Now!"

"Okay, now! Naias!"

Pola, who had shouted at the Naias, cast an electric magic in the direction the water droplets were being shot.

Although Pola could only see the faint form of the Naias and could not hear their words, the timing of the attack was perfectly matched.

-Now...!

The Naias was diligently shooting water droplets in time with Nella and Pola's shouts.

'I... I want to be of help too...'

Skir, who was staring blankly at them, clenched his two fists.

'I want to be... of help...'

-Keeek! Keek!

Pola and Nella, who were consistently attacking the goblins, although it was not a big damage.

Skir, who was standing behind them.

-Flash!

Then a light flashed from Skir's hand for a moment.

"Huh...?"

"...I feel full of power."

A sound like a light jingling was heard in Nella and Pola's ears.

"...What did I do?"

Skir, who was staring blankly at his hand.

"Sister, now!"

"Okay!"

The children did not miss that moment and attacked quickly.

-Sizzle!

-Keeek!!

An amazing power that was different from before.

The group of goblins was helplessly defeated by their magic, which seemed to have received a buff.

"D-did we do it?"

"...We did it!"

"We did it!"

***

The children, who had returned to the academy, carefully supporting Nella who had injured her leg, were panting heavily.

"Haa... haa..."

"Just a little more. We're almost there."

Pola, who was holding one of Nella's arms, gently comforted the child, despite her own panting.

"Huk... huk..."

When they first came out of the forest, Skir had carried Nella on his back and had run, but he had soon run out of stamina.

"I'm sorry... because of me..."

Nella had been constantly apologizing since they had come out of the forest.

"Stop! It's okay, right? We're all safe. And why is it your fault? If you think about it, it's my fault. I'm sorry."

Nella, who smiled faintly at Pola's scolding.

"No, we're all safe, so it's fine."

"Thank you..."

The children entered the central hall to go to the infirmary.

"Nella? Pola? Skir?"

A familiar voice that was calling the children.

"Rookie!!!"

"What happened to you guys? What time is it now... Nella! Are you okay!?"

Lucas had been pacing the central hall, waiting for the children who had not returned even though it was almost evening.

But the children who had returned were in a terrible state.

Nella couldn't even walk properly, as if one of her legs was broken, and Pola and Skir, who were supporting her, were also not in a good state.

"You all... ha..."

"Hehe, it's okay!"

Lucas, who had glared at Pola who was answering brightly, sighed heavily.

"But you know what? We were amazing!"

"Shut up. Let's go to the infirmary first. Now, get on my back, Nella."

Lucas, who had waved one hand, offered his back to Nella.

"Uh-huh..."

Nella, who was on Lucas's back, almost fainted.

She had been so nervous that she had almost lost all the strength in her body as soon as she got on Lucas's back.

"It's okay. You can relax."

Lucas, who had felt Nella's body stiffen, said it was okay and shook his body a couple of times, and only then did Nella relax.

"I really can't live."

"Hehe..."

(End of Chapter)