The Distant Trail Of Ciara Badvia

The Saria Magic Academy
Part 3: The Eccentric Faculty Member

ENCOUNTER AT DAWN

Tyril woke up in the early hours of the morning.

In the adjacent room, Misty still seemed to be asleep. Tyril, inwardly apologetic for the noise she was going to make, gently lifted the edge of the curtain and peeked outside through the gap in the window. A faint morning mist spread beyond the glass, creating a fantastical atmosphere in the tranquil morning, before the sun had fully risen.

It seemed her nervousness lingered. Despite having been so tired, waking up this early means she hadn’t fully settled back to her old routine yet.

Going back to sleep didn’t seem possible. Tyril quietly rose from the bed, changed into an outdoor attire, donned her cape, and started walking with soft steps. She passed through the living area, then exited the room. As Tyril softly closed the door behind her, a chilly wind gently brushed through her hair.

A world in the color of pale ink. Her white breaths. It felt like it could hardly be called spring yet, but more of a late winter. Still, compared to her hometown, it didn’t feel cold at all.

Tyril silently descended the dormitory stairs and stepped outside. She thought of scurrying back in case she saw someone, but there was no one in sight. So, she decided to take a little stroll around the academy grounds.

With how vast the place was and how she had gotten lost, Tyril decided to retrace her footsteps from yesterday’s walk. The plan was only to find her way to the school gate then return immediately, and she decided to keep it at just that—but that was unusual enough even for herself.

I don’t usually explore unfamiliar places on my own. Perhaps her nerves were numb after all the things that happened up to this point, then wondered if she subconsciously wanted to be alone for a while. Maybe that’s the reason why I woke up so early in the morning.

Tyril took one huge skip. Then two. Three. In this still, morning air, the sound of her shoes echoed. A smile spread on her lips.

She strolled on the red and white tiled path, passing by the office. Before she knew it, she arrived at the small courtyard with the fig tree, the area right in front of the school gate. Tyril could see it from where she stood.

The journey to her destination felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. So anticlimactic it was that she thought to spend some time in the square, and turned her gaze to the bench at the side.

I didn’t think someone would be here!

“Good morning. Are you also taking a morning stroll?” A young man with black hair ending slightly above his shoulders sat comfortably on the bench, his legs crossed and both hands in the railing. In the dim, misty morning, she couldn’t tell what expression he wore or if he was looking at her.

Tyril instinctively apologized. “U-um… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect there’d be anyone here…”

“Hm? Why apologize? It’s not like you’re not allowed to come here if there is someone, right?” The response seemed to carry a slight hint of laughter.

The young man lightly pushed himself off the bench and stood up, then walked slowly over to Tyril. He was taller than her, but only a little—possibly more or less the same height as Mistonia—and he had a smile on his face, like he’d just found an adorable kitten.

“Or maybe you’re someone who isn’t supposed to be here? Is that why you’re out and about at this hour, without a uniform?”

“N-no, it’s not like that. I just transferred here yesterday and haven’t really unpacked yet, so I, um, ended up wearing my regular clothes and…”

“Then there’s nothing wrong. Just returning my greeting earlier would’ve been enough, don’t you think?”

“A-ahahaha…” Tyril scratched her head and smiled wryly. He’s not wrong…

The young man’s chuckling reached her ears. “I’m going now. Enjoy your stroll,” he said, passing her and walking away.

“Oh, but… I’m actually about to head back, so you should take your time.”

“Haha. I appreciate that, but I’m already feeling chilly. I’m thinking I should go back to bed and catch another nap.”

As he spoke, the young man waved his right hand and walked away. Tyril watched his diminishing figure in silence. She couldn’t insist on keeping him longer after what he said, but she was aware that she unintentionally made him feel obliged.

She apologized for disturbing his alone time. Tyril exhaled and reflected on herself, then looked toward the school gate once more.

Outside the school gate, above the city, the orange morning sun was beginning to rise. Sunrise had just arrived.

*****

On the second day of her transfer, Tyril had to get ready for class right away. The magic academy’s principles were self-reliance and autonomy—she’d heard the catchphrase from the woman at the reception desk yesterday. It was, in essence: “If you don’t help yourself, no one will.”

“I’m sorry,” Misty said. “I really want to be there for you, at least for today.”

Tyril waved her hands away. “Please, don’t worry about it.”

Misty had her own classes to attend, and according to her, the lectures and research sessions from this morning onward were particularly important, and she couldn’t afford to miss them. “I wish it were tomorrow instead,” she’d lamented, but Tyril already felt sincerely grateful for all that she’d done for her so far.

Misty had provided Tyril, who was majoring in Applied Magics, with a written list of the classes she needed to attend as well as their schedules, including the times and locations of the classes.

“Oh, and I think it would be best if you go to Professor Forster’s class. He might not be one of the more popular professors among students, but he has quite the track record in Applied Magics and is making significant progress in his research on Ciara Badvia***.”

Did Misty research all of this until late last night? Tyril wondered and asked as much later.

Her roommate only laughed. “I’ve got all this right in my head. No need to research.”

Breakfast was a simple affair: bread and dried meat that Misty had stored. Though there was a wood-burning stove in the kitchen, they hadn’t used it this morning. Apparently, Misty did use it occasionally, but it was too time-consuming to light a fire in the morning for a warm breakfast. Plus, she found it too bothersome and often ended up just buying dinner from the campus store.

“Oh, I think I can just use magic to light up the stove instead,” Tyril suggested.

Misty clapped her hands in delight. “Great! So I guess starting tomorrow, we’ll get to enjoy warm tea and breakfast with eggs!”

Tyril felt happy seeing her roommate’s beaming smile.

After finishing breakfast, it was finally time to head out.

Right at the center of the campus grounds stood the tallest clock tower. At its top, the bell began to chime, and with it, Misty and Tyril left the room.

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MTL Note: ***I’m unclear as of yet on whether it’s his research on CB or CB’s research.

For more from the author, visit:

Narou: https://mypage.syosetu.com/1258514/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/inui_takafumi

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Last revisions: 20/08/23

Glossary:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_D4XF1ID8j7zti3pG-fqtcd0h0T9aZHK_CXsCrr5gwY/edit?usp=sharing

Revisions:
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