The Distant Trail Of Ciara Badvia

The Saria Magic Academy
Part 6: A Disquieting Shadow

A MAN I MET SOMEWHERE

It was a man Tyril didn’t know. He had shoulder-length black hair styled so that it would bounce around, was about the same height as her, and with a somewhat androgynous face. Quite the handsome young man.

“You, too,” Misty said. “It’s unusual to find you here at this time.”

“I could say the same, can’t I? Wasn’t there a seminar today? Did something happen with Professor Bhadra?”

“It wasn’t canceled. I skipped—but I have my reasons. What about you? Isn’t it usually your naptime by now?”

“That’s harsh. Even I don’t spend every single morning napping away like you’d think.” He laughed dryly.

And just like that, he left a somewhat favorable impression on Tyril. The easy-going air around him certainly contributed, but it was also because she had recently encountered a string of unpleasant people. That went a long way for her.

Ending the lighthearted banter there, Misty began introducing the young man to Tyril. “This guy is Zell, a fellow research student in the same department as me. He looks much older than me, but that’s because he keeps repeating years and never seems to want to graduate. So I think of him as just some guy. It’s good enough for him.”

Tyril tried to stand up, but she was just about to lift her hips when Misty and Zell stopped her, saying, “It’s fine. Don’t bother.”

“It’s as Misty says,” Zell continued. “I’m just some guy, so there’s no need to get up for me. I’m Zell Vernite. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, yes. It’s nice to meet you, too.” Tyril bowed her head.

“Well, it’s technically not our first meeting…”

Strange… Not our first meeting? But I don’t recognize him at all… It seemed like Misty was wondering how they knew each other, too. However, no matter how much Tyril scoured her memories, nothing came up.

“Oh dear, did you forget? How terrible. That hurts my feelings.”

“I, I’m sorry. It’s just…”

“Well, we only ever passed by each other briefly, so it’s natural to forget. Remember a few weeks ago? Early morning, at the bench near the school gate?”

“Um…”

“You were taking a walk in casual clothes. You didn’t think anyone was around, and you ended up apologizing when someone was.”

“Oh. Oh!” Tyril couldn’t help but exclaim.

The first morning after I transferred! She had woken up unusually early and decided to wander around the empty school. She definitely came across someone then.

“I remember! You’re the one from that time!”

“What’s this? I had no idea that you’ve met before.” Misty frowned. “For you to hang out with Tyril without me knowing… That’s very cheeky of you, Zell.”

Tyril quickly defended herself, saying that it wasn’t really like that and they were simply passing by. They exchanged greetings, and that was about it.

“Hmm… He sure remembers it well, though. Zell, of all people.”

“What do you mean by that…? Seeing a student in casual clothes on the campus is rare. The place and the hour, too. More than anything, it’s memorable to me because it was a funny meeting, that’s all.”

I wonder if I’d call that a funny meeting… Tyril listened to Zell’s explanation, puzzled. She faintly remembered having a laugh at the time, but nothing about what exactly was said then. Although, she also clearly remembered it not being amusing at all from her perspective.

“I can’t believe the girl from back then was your friend, Misty. Where’d you two meet?”

“Where? She’s my roommate. Well, we did meet on a path in the campus first.”

“Roommates, huh? That’s some coincidence.”

Zell looked back and forth between the two in mock amazement. The act was so transparent that Tyril nearly burst into a laugh.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Ah, right, sorry!” It dawned on Tyril that she hadn’t yet introduced herself, which was a major blunder. She stood up, forcing her chair aside, and bowed deeply down to her waist. “Um, I’m Tyril Zeeland. I’m sorry for not introducing myself earlier! I’m really sorry!”

She delivered her polite attempt at a greeting with such force that it ended up intimidating Zell, who involuntarily leaned back and smiled wryly. Misty scratched her cheek, stunned at the outburst.

But then, Zell spoke up loudly. “Wait… Tyril Zeeland? Like, the famous daughter of Badvia?”

“Um, well…” Tyril muffled her answer, like she was purposely making it difficult to hear. Misty calmly pointed out that Zell’s voice was too loud as she sipped her coffee.

“S-sorry. I was just surprised, and…” Zell lowered his voice. “So is it true? You’re, er, you’re her daughter?”

Despite toning it down, his excitement remained as strong. Zell’s eyes were glittering, his mouth hanging open. He leaned forward, both hands on the table, clearly very interested and expectant.

“Um… hngh… It’s true,” she answered weakly.

There was no need for her to feel so ashamed, yet the weight of her desire to not lie made her shrink inside. It would have been much simpler at this point to just deflect the question with a “There’s no way. Someone like me?” but she didn’t want to lie to Zell. He was, after all, Misty’s friend, and also because she genuinely liked him.

“So it’s really true, huh? Wow… It’s kind of amazing that someone so important would be at the academy. Oh, right, you just transferred here, didn’t you?”

“Zell,” Misty cut in. “Weren’t you here for something else?”

She glared with such intensity that even Zell, who was so enamored with Tyril, immediately retracted his arms, straightened up, and turned to Misty.

“I don’t really have any particular reason,” he said, shaking his head with a frown. “I just came to say hi since it’s been a while since I last saw you, and with someone who’s a familiar face too. I was just surprised to meet the daughter of a famous mage.”

Then, he suddenly cocked his head, like a realization hit him.

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MTL/N: Zell’s height is inconsistent with 1-3-1, by the way. Says there he was about the same height as Misty. Though it’s possible this is just a case of an unreliable narrator (or me being an unreliable mtl editor). Also, I know this is an awkward way to end this week’s release, but I didn’t have time to push another chapter. My apologies.

For more from the author, visit:

Narou: https://mypage.syosetu.com/1258514/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/inui_takafumi

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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