The Distant Trail Of Ciara Badvia

The Saria Magic Academy
Part 4: Magical Talents

A NEW FRIEND

A week—six days—passed.

Following the curriculum her mentor had decided, Tyril attended all her lectures and began to memorize the things she needed to do and the faces of the teachers. In times without lectures, she got accustomed to spending time in Master Forster’s research lab, in the company of the professor himself and Tyril’s only senior. On Dark Day, their long-awaited off day, Misty took her on a leisurely tour around the campus.

There were still many places Tyril didn’t know, but at the very least, she’d outgrown her worries concerning her daily life. She was confident enough to admit that with pride.

Wind Day consisted of a morning lecture and an afternoon practical class. The practical class was particularly demanding, taught by a strict teacher. She’d been quite intimidated by it last week, and that memory was still fresh in her mind. Tyril started the day feeling a bit down.

Her morning lecture was called History of Theology—a deviation from what was considered modern magic studies. It focused on the doctrines and history of the Hars religion, which had long been regarded as the root of magic in Solzarand.

Like the week before, Tyril took a seat in the front row of the classroom, laid out her writing instruments, and waited for class to begin. Only about half of the seats were occupied, not that the classroom itself was a large one.

The professor arrived just as the bell rang.

“Now, let’s continue where we left off last time. The Hars religion, founded by Hars Velia, was originally a folk religion that verbally spread their teachings about their sole deity, the god Rivas, to the people. However, generations later, there were additions to the teachings as the church gradually systematized it. For instance, the six spirits who serve the god and the number six as a sacred number—it is said that neither were part of the original teachings Velia preached when the religion was founded.”

The middle-aged professor with graying hair continued to speak calmly.

After a week’s worth of classes, Tyril started getting a hang of taking notes. She used to meticulously transcribe every word that came out of her professor’s mouth, but today, she listened carefully and only jotted down the key points. That improvement was also connected to her growing confidence in adapting to the school environment.

Suddenly, something touched her hand. Tyril looked up, swiveled to her right, and was met with a girl with short black hair, around the same age as her. She’d taken the seat beside Tyril just before class started.

The girl showed a bright smile and offered Tyril a view of her notebook. Written in its corner was, “You’re the one who just transferred in, right?”

Well, this is new… Tyril sucked in a breath and hesitated, but only briefly. She immediately lowered her eyes to her hand, and her pen started moving across the notebook. With her reply finished—”Yes, I am. It’s nice to meet you.”—she held out the paper to the girl beside her own smile.

“The number six also became significant in the theory of spirits Garland proposed… You there, what are you doing? Focus on the lesson properly.”

Tyril’s shoulders twitched in surprise, and she meekly looked up at the professor’s face. But the professor gave her no more mind after that, promptly returning to the lecture instead.

The girl next to her also shuddered. She raised her right hand in front of her face to mouth a silent apology and nodded pointedly toward the professor, as if to say they could talk later. Assuming a serious expression, she started listening attentively to the lecture.

Tyril also straightened up and focused on the professor’s voice. The greeting she had written earlier lingered in the corner of her notebook, however, and it continued to distract her until the bell rang.

*****

“I’m sorry about disturbing you earlier,” the girl said, her eyes slightly droopy and smiling gently. “Looks like I got you scolded, huh?”

When the professor left the classroom, Tyril finally had the chance to speak to the girl beside her. Though she tended to be shy and was caught off guard by her seatmate’s sudden approach, Tyril quickly sensed that there was no cause to be wary.

She smiled back. “No, it’s all right. More importantly, is there something you need?”

“It’s not that. I, um, was only thinking that you just transferred here, so you might be having a tough time, and…”

Me? Having a tough time? Tyril tilted her head, unable to parse through the meaning behind her seatmate’s words. The girl seemed troubled by Tyril’s reaction. She looked embarrassed for a moment, then lightly scratched her cheek with her index finger.

“Um, well, you see… I-I basically… I kind of want to be friends with you…”

“Oh…”

“D-does that bother you? For me to drop this on your lap…”

It didn’t bother Tyril at all, but it was baffling. The girl had approached a stranger during a lecture, and as a result, Tyril thought she would have some pluck. But that warm, friendly smile caught her off guard. Eventually, the girl started getting fidgety from the silence. It looked endearing to Tyril, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Not at all. It’s not a bother. In fact, I’d be happy if we could be friends.”

“Really?! I’m glad. I’m so glad!”

“Um, I’m Tyril Zeeland. I transferred into the academy just last week, in the regular program. Pleased to meet you.”

“Oh, yes! I’m sorry; I haven’t introduced myself. My name is, um, Vanilla Quain. I’m also in the regular program, majoring in Magical Logic. Nice meeting you too.”

They ended up introducing themselves again, and this time, they both found it funny and burst into a laugh together. They got on well after that. Tyril felt that she could be good friends with Vanilla, and that was plenty enough for her.

“Ah, we should head out soon, or all the seats in the cafeteria will be taken. Hey, Tyril? If you don’t mind, would you like to have lunch together?”

“By all means. Shall we?”

The classroom was beginning to thin out. Tyril and Vanilla both stood up, gathered their things, and made their way to the cafeteria.

Surprisingly, Tyril had never been to the cafeteria that students typically used, while she’d only gone to the upscale Ristilla el Razia on her first day along with Misty, then again on Dark Day for dinner. There was simply no opportunity for it, especially since Mistonia seemed to dislike crowded places and preferred cooking in her room rather than going to eat outside.

Tyril would usually just grab a sandwich or something and eat it on one of the benches during lunch break. That was easier than trying to find a seat in the cafeteria and eating there alone.

So, if Vanilla wanted to go together, she had no reason to refuse her.

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MTL Note: Vanilla and Tyril actually refer to each other as -san. I understand that -san is often translated as Mr./Ms., but… that seems super awkward here. I kinda regret translating honorifics to start with, haha.

Also, the six days of the week are Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, and Dark Days—not sure about the order, though—which are considered the six basic elements of nature in the Hars religion.

For more from the author, visit:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/inui_takafumi

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Last revisions: 01/09/23

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

Revisions:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jS9QeSLaJfl6P_-Gl-zAY0dnKPep3or9fUl-HPukc9g/edit?usp=sharing