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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Administrator and the School
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Sienna entrusted her horse to an approaching worker and walked with Loan down a path paved with neatly arranged stones.
Soon, they were stopped not by figures in the black suits that symbolized the Union, but by those in red.
From their midst, a short, middle-aged man in the same attire emerged.
He was about Loan's height, with a bald head, eyebrows as thick and dark as charcoal, and a large, crescent-shaped scar above the bridge of his nose—a man with many distinguishing features.
"Sienna, you've been through a lot."
"Administrator Lazarus, it is an honor."
Sienna clasped her hands and bowed politely. She seemed quite taken aback by the unexpected meeting.
The man called Lazarus gazed intently at Loan.
"This must be the boy, Loan."
Loan couldn't help but tense up slightly, feeling as though the man was seeing through not just his appearance, but the very flow of mana within him.
Lazarus asked with a smile.
"Loan? May I have a word with you?"
Loan instinctively glanced back at Sienna.
She was the only adult he could rely on right now.
His reliance flustered Sienna a little more.
She felt a mix of gratitude and affection for Loan, who saw her as his guardian.
She gave a short nod, her way of saying it was all right.
Loan followed the group in red suits.
A space for Loan's interview had been prepared in the Administration Bureau, a plain, unremarkable building that managed all of the Union's administrative, personnel, auditing, and general affairs.
He was left to sit alone in a stark room imbued with the faint scent of old wood, but Loan wasn't the least bit intimidated. He sat quietly, admiring the halos of light all around him.
He had felt it since entering the Union, but this place was truly dazzling.
The concentration of mana was that dense, and bright individuals were everywhere.
*A congregation of power.*
As he mulled over what Sienna had told him, Administrator Lazarus—the man who possessed the densest and brightest light Loan had ever seen in a human—entered the room himself.
He promptly sat down in front of Loan and began to look over a file.
It was Oscar's report from the Danton shelter, which had arrived before Loan.
*Rustle—*
The only sounds in the room were the turning of pages and the occasional forceful exhale through Lazarus's nose.
Lazarus showed no particular reaction until he flipped the last page. Then, he extended a hand toward Loan.
When Loan blinked rapidly, Lazarus gestured with his eyes toward Loan's left hand.
He meant for him to hold it out.
As Loan extended his hand, palm up, Lazarus gently placed his own on top of it.
"Ah…"
Loan's gaze was stolen by the intricate tattoo on Lazarus's forearm. At the same time.
His heart stirred at the unique movement of mana he could see between their touching palms.
It was like countless, fine threads of mana were tapping against his palm from Lazarus's.
He couldn't feel a thing, which only made it more fascinating.
*So mana can be controlled this precisely.*
For the past few days, he had been solidifying his mana convection and diligently practicing by flinging the sword fragment.
He thought he had achieved a fair degree of precision by the end, but this was a completely different method of mana manipulation.
*I really know so little.*
Just from this simple touch, Loan was once again reminded.
The world was vast, and there were so many people who could wield mana with such skill.
But Loan wasn't the only one deeply impressed by their contact.
Lazarus's eyes shone as he looked into Loan's, as if trying to peer into their very depths.
After a moment, Lazarus spoke.
"Now I understand everything. Except for two things."
"…"
Loan waited for him to continue.
"First, the part of the report that says you extorted the shelter vice director's brooch and put it in your pocket. You don't seem like the type of child to covet things, so why did you do that?"
"I didn't extort it. It was originally my grandmother's."
"So you were retrieving your own property. If you have it, could you show it to me?"
Loan tried to pull his left hand away from Lazarus's to undo his scabbard.
But for some reason, their palms were stuck together and wouldn't separate.
It seemed as if their mana was connected, but it wasn't like the tree absorbing his mana.
*How did he do that?*
Without disturbing their joined hands, Loan subtly adjusted the flow of his mana convection.
He could have applied physical force to Lazarus's hand or pushed it away with strong pressure, just as he had blocked Blake's sword, but he didn't want to do that now.
He wanted to handle it with the same precision as Lazarus.
*Can I do it?* A spark of curiosity ignited within him.
It felt like he was solving a puzzle set by Lazarus.
*This is fun…*
Responding to his will, mana seeped into the thin gap between their firmly pressed palms.
Loan carefully mimicked the movement of Lazarus's mana.
It wasn't too difficult, as he was imitating something he could see directly rather than trying to visualize and create an image.
It was precise, yet each thread had to be imbued with strong pressure to overcome both the natural pull of gravity and the force Lazarus was applying.
The pushing and pulling mana sparked and died in a cycle of mutual friction and generation, until finally.
"Oh? Ho ho."
Lazarus's hand floated slightly upward.
From surprise to curiosity, from decision to execution—it had all happened in an instant, and Lazarus's eyes widened.
"Well, I'll be. So this was it. This was it."
As if buoyed by a new discovery, his face showed what could be called an actual expression for the first time.
It was a mixture of various emotions that was hard to pinpoint, but it was close to joy.
"My second question has been answered first. I wondered what kind of ability it was, to use telekinesis without formulas or incantations. To think you can directly manipulate mana, and to apply my unique magic so precisely…"
"…"
"Was this how you dismantled the tree's formula as well? The report said you called yourself smart, but that's an understatement. It's excessive, truly excessive! I am genuinely impressed!"
The praise flowed endlessly, but Loan felt a little displeased that the man had read him so perfectly.
Of course, it would have been difficult to deceive him anyway.
It was better to think of it as trading one secret to learn one lesson.
*Still, that was a bit thoughtless of me.*
After a moment of reflection on his impulsive curiosity, Loan retrieved his now-free left hand and unfastened his scabbard.
He held it out, and the brilliant light of the brooch on it colored Lazarus's eyes.
"Hmm…"
For a moment, Loan didn't miss the subtle, second shift in Lazarus's expression.
This time, even his mana wavered, revealing an unexpected disturbance within him.
But Lazarus showed no sign of it and returned the scabbard with practiced ease.
"Thank you for showing me. It's a very beautiful brooch. Worth retrieving."
And that was it.
Lazarus stood up, thanking Loan for his time, which had not been short.
Loan stood as well and asked.
"So, can I live in the Union?"
"Yes. You're not a member, but if you live here, you're family. Welcome to the Union family."
"Thank you. But I have one question, if I may?"
Loan asked quickly, not wanting to miss the opportunity.
"Ah, I've been doing all the talking. Please, ask away."
Lazarus replied, his face showing a hint of interest.
"Administrator, are you the strongest person in the Union?"
"Hahaha. Why would you think that?"
"Because I've never seen anyone as bright and dense as you."
For a moment, Lazarus's charcoal-black eyebrows rose toward the empty space above them.
He briefly suspected Loan was teasing him, but a glance at the boy's innocent eyes quickly dismissed the thought.
"No. I am merely an old raccoon in an office, here to assist the Union's competent and brave members."
"You don't look like a raccoon. Raccoons are a bit more fluffy…"
"Ah, it's a metaphor. In any case, there are the seven Commanders, the Experts, whose abilities are far beyond mine, not to mention the Master, our Captain, and the absolute ruler of the Union, the Governor-General. Phew, now that I say it all out, perhaps calling myself a raccoon is fitting after all."
"…"
Lazarus asked again, his voice somewhat deflated.
"Does that answer your question?"
"Yes. You seem tired today, so I'll stop here. If I have more questions later, would it be all right to come back?"
Loan found that he rather liked Lazarus.
Judging by experience and intuition, Lazarus was a good person—very kind and seemingly knowledgeable about a great many things.
If so, perhaps one day he could talk to him about the questions he had about his own body, or about the vision he saw from the tree.
Lazarus stroked his own head as he replied.
"Hah… yes. For that, it would be best to make an appointment in advance. I am quite a busy man, you see, and only make time for important matters such as today's."
"Was meeting me important?"
"It might just be the most important thing I've done recently, haha. I shall look forward to how important our next meeting will be. Shall we bid farewell for today? Hahaha."
Leaving the long-laughing Lazarus behind, Loan walked out, feeling somewhat dazed.
"Oh, senior. You waited for me?"
Sienna was at the entrance to the Administration Bureau.
She turned without a word and led the way.
Her curtness remained, but the bright light overflowing from her mana suggested she was quite happy to see him.
Loan quickened his pace to walk close beside her.
She led him to the residential district within the Union.
In the coloring sky, plumes of smoke carrying delicious smells drifted from all directions.
Loan looked at the houses filling the streets with wonder and quietly asked Sienna.
"There are houses inside the Union?"
"People live here too."
"Of course. What kind of people live here?"
"Some have families when they join, and others start families after coming to the Union. There are families of members, as well as administrative staff, technical staff, and even merchants and civilians."
Her reply was kind.
As he suspected, her mood was excellent.
"Since the Union has such a long history, there must be families that have continued for generations."
"There are distinguished families that send their children to the Union, generation after generation."
"Wow… But I guess being born here doesn't guarantee you can become a member of the Union?"
"The Union looks only at skill and character."
*Character.*
Loan thought it was a great relief that he had followed Helen's advice.
He had worked hard to cultivate a proper personality, and since he was, in fact, exceptionally polite, he didn't think he had anything to worry about in that regard.
The problem was skill…
He still had no idea what his own level was.
The mana from the tree had settled in his heart and was now spinning, but it only served to draw in external mana and make the flow stronger and faster; his actual mana density was no different than it was before he started his cultivation.
And yet, even though his mana density was the same, he had defeated Blake.
*I don't even really know how I defeated Blake.*
Just then, Sienna stopped at a rather unexpected place.
The sign read, 'Union School.'
"A school? So am I going to live here? Is there a dormitory?"
"Union members are often away from home for long periods on missions. And of course, many don't return. The children left behind stay here."
"Since it's a school, we learn things too, right?"
Loan asked again, his voice full of life, and Sienna nodded in response.
"They are considered potential members and receive both education and basic training."
"What do you learn?"
"The Union is a collection of swordsmanship, magic, and various arts from every nation and school, so the school doesn't teach any specific secret techniques. That could be seen as favoritism."
"Then?"
"You can learn the theory and fundamentals of swordsmanship and magic. Since there are also children of civilians, you should think of it as a general education level."
"Wow…"
"General education level fundamentals," she repeated, emphasizing the point, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Loan's eyes, fixed on the scene beyond the iron fence, were filled with a mystical light.
"That's what I mean. I'm so happy. I've never learned swordsmanship or magic before, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Sienna watched Loan's scabbard bob up and down, as if he might float into the air at any moment, and quietly clicked her tongue.