Feeling well-rested after a good night\u2019s sleep, I started preparing for work at the Ministry. I was so glad that I had found a plan to avoid doom! I could finally focus on doing my best as a working adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would do my work as I was told, all while looking for the weaknesses of the new love interests and teaching new tricks to Pochi. Go, Katarina, go! And thank you, mysterious book note!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Everything was explained so clearly. The person who wrote it must have been really smart… Hm, wait a second, <\/em>who wrote it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The note was in the book I\u2019d borrowed from Sophia, so was it her? Or was it Jeord, who returned the book to me? Or maybe it was the person who found my bag in the hallway…<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the game was something from my previous life, and nobody in this world was supposed to know about it. Yesterday I had been so happy about finding the information I was longing for that I hadn\u2019t paid any mind to it, but now, I realized just how mysterious it all was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why was it in the book? Who wrote it? I decided that I would start by asking Sophia, who gave me the book, and Jeord, who returned it to me after I lost it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I put the note back in the book, the book in my bag, the bag on my shoulder, and I made for the Magical Ministry. At the entrance, a notice posted on the bulletin board read \u201cAll newcomers must go to the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was held.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are they going to announce which department each one of us will be going to?<\/em> We had been guided through a tour of the Ministry, but we still didn\u2019t know anything about our assignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If possible, I wanted to avoid the Biomagic Research Department… The work looked hard, and I didn\u2019t want to pass out again. But that was supposed to be the second<\/em> most disliked department. I wondered about the first. If people wanted to go there less than to the Biomagic Department, it must have been hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I entered the auditorium and found that most of the newcomers had already gathered in there. I was one of the last ones to enter, so I stood quite far from the podium. I tried looking for Maria and Sora, but they weren\u2019t there. As for my other friends, they were supposed to be at the Ministry, but they weren\u2019t newcomers proper,<\/em> so maybe they wouldn\u2019t be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hadn\u2019t those two come yet? Or were they all the way in the front? I tried moving towards the podium to look for them, and accidentally bumped into someone. I was looking forward and didn\u2019t see them at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry!\u201d I apologized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo problem,\u201d they replied, turning to face me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had already seen that boy with orange hair and blue eyes. He was Dewey Percy, one of the new love interests in FL2<\/em> that I had met during the tour the other day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Up close, he really was dashingly handsome. All the girls into younger boys must have gone crazy about him while playing the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, as soon as our eyes met, his beautiful face suddenly turned into a hateful expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked so peaceful until seeing me! Why is he looking at me as if I were his sworn enemy? I was supposed to antagonize him in the game, but in real life we just met!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why? Why?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While I was still shocked, Dewey turned away from me before walking off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What just happened? Had I already angered him somehow, without even realizing it? If he started holding a grudge against me before I could find out his weakness, he would prove a formidable foe in the battle against doom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll have to focus on teaching tricks to Pochi. For example I could teach him to warn me when an enemy comes close, giving me time to escape. And who could teach me how to pick locks, something that I absolutely needed to learn to get out of jail? Maybe Sora?<\/em> I had to ask him, and then I could practice in my room at home. If I needed any tools, like a piece of wire or something, I\u2019d just ask Grandpa Tom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLady Katarina!\u201d someone called out to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surprised, I turned around and found Maria smiling at me. I also noticed that everyone was starting to walk out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Huh? What happened here?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are in the same test group! I am so glad!\u201d said Maria with a lovely smile, but I had no idea what was going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Test? Same test group?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEr, you see, Maria, I actually don\u2019t have the best grasp on the situation right now. Would you mind explaining it to me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She looked surprised at first, but then smiled again and kindly agreed, as expected of (my waifu) Maria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it turned out, one of the higher-ups had said that we would need to take an examination to decide what department we would be sent to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I really didn\u2019t hear any of that. Or maybe I just didn\u2019t listen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Each newcomer\u2019s preferences were accounted for in choosing their department, but apparently, this test was performed every year to test their actual skills and make a final decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were divided into test groups and had to complete some simple tasks. The names of those belonging to each group were just posted on a notice board near the front of the auditorium, and Maria and I had ended up in the same one. I felt lucky to be in the same group as my friend despite this huge number of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m glad to be in the same group as you, too! How many other people will there be with us?\u201d I asked Maria. Surely it wouldn\u2019t just be the two of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually I was so excited about being together with Lady Katarina that I forgot to check the names of the other members…\u201d she said, blushing. She was so cute it was baffling. She was so excited that she just ran back here… I was so happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s go check together then!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We walked together to the front of the auditorium. Near \u201cMaria Campbell\u201d and \u201cKatarina Claes,\u201d the notice read \u201cSora Smith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSora Smith?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat would be me,\u201d said the blue-eyed handsome boy behind me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought that\u2019d be you! So your surname is \u2018Smith\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was sure that he was supposed not to have a surname, being an orphan and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMs. Larna just gave me a random surname to make sure I wouldn\u2019t be asked any annoying questions here at the Ministry,\u201d he explained casually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not having a surname would make him stand out, sure… but just using a surname given to him without any second thought was incredible. And Larna \u201crandomly\u201d giving her own to a subordinate was even more incredible. Not that I cared so much about my own surname, but still…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, since it was me, Maria, and Sora, I smiled happily. \u201cWe\u2019re all already friends in this group! That\u2019s a relief,\u201d I said. I didn\u2019t know what kind of task we\u2019d have to perform, but doing it with my friends would certainly be easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are also friends with the fourth member?\u201d Sora asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked back at the notice, and sure enough, under \u201cMaria Campbell,\u201d \u201cKatarina Claes,\u201d and \u201cSora Smith,\u201d there was a fourth name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dewey Percy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That was the name of one of the love interests of FL2<\/em>, specifically the one that had glared at me just a few minutes ago. Could the fact that we were in the same group mean that this test was a scripted event in the game? Not that I could run away, either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each group was instructed on where to wait for further orders, and I made my way there while fighting the fear of incoming doom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dewey was already there. He didn\u2019t give me the hate-stare this time, maybe because Maria and Sora were there as well, but he was clearly avoiding looking at me and I could feel the tension in the air. Maria, kind as always, tried to talk to Dewey \u2014 who was still keeping his distance \u2014 but it didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This really made me nervous about how things would unfold. We were awkwardly waiting when someone called us from behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you group number two?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d we all replied in unison, turning around to look and… freezing in shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The person in front of us was very, very peculiar. Hip-length black hair, beautifully braided with big ribbons. A uniform customized much more than Cornish\u2019s, full of ribbons and frills, barely even resembling a uniform at all. Makeup thick enough to rival the garishness of the uniform. Eyes surrounded by glitter and with long, probably fake, eyelashes. Blood-red lipstick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A look like that would have been shock-worthy on anybody… but it was even more shocking to see it on a man. A musclebound man with blue beard, at that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I got the feeling that the Cornish and Norman had only been a warm-up to the craziness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I just looked at him, unsure of what I should say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHello! I will be watching over your test today. My name is Guy Handerson, but that\u2019s not cute enough, so I go by Laura. Please call me that!\u201d he… she said, throwing her head to one side in a cutesy gesture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She sounded and behaved like the epitome of girliness, but she looked like a middle-aged macho…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd, together with me… Oh, he isn\u2019t here. Where did Nathan go?\u201d said Handerson (I couldn\u2019t bring myself to call her Laura) before starting to look for someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even newcomers from other test groups were staring at her… which was completely understandable. I looked at the examiners for other groups, but I saw no frilly uniforms nor crossdressing bodybuilders. Did we just get the weird one again?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m here. Right here,\u201d said a feeble voice coming from somewhere near me, interrupting my thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hadn\u2019t noticed that there was someone so close to me, so I let out a little shout of surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNathan, you big dummy, always hiding yourself! Look, you scared one of the newcomers!\u201d said Handerson, looking at a man that was her polar opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n S-Since when was he here? I never noticed him…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n His uniform wasn\u2019t customized in any way, and he was wearing it neatly and properly. He was tall and had long bangs and large, thick glasses. That was all I could say about him. He was remarkably unremarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t hiding. The people around just don\u2019t notice me,\u201d he said with a frown before introducing himself to us. \u201cI\u2019m Nathan Hart. Together with Guy, I\u2019ll be your examiner for today,\u201d he said calmly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What a normal person! <\/em>I was overcome with relief. After seeing all those weird Ministry employees, meeting a person this undistinguished \u2014 if a bit hard to notice \u2014 was very refreshing. He slightly eased the bewilderment I\u2019d felt from meeting Handerson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow we\u2019ll give you more details about the test, so follow me to the room that was assigned to your group,\u201d he said, and started walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uh? Wait, where did he go?<\/em> We lost sight of him a few moments after he moved towards the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAhh, we\u2019ve lost him again, haven\u2019t we now?\u201d said Handerson, who by contrast was someone who would be very hard to lose sight of. \u201cHe\u2019s a good boy, Nathan, but he\u2019s really easy to lose track of. And he also always gets lost…\u201d she said, putting her hands to her cheeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stared at her and her cute gesture, now sure that \u201cnormal colleagues\u201d was not a benefit I would enjoy in this workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A girly macho, a disappearing man, and a handsome boy who seemed to hate me for no reason. The path ahead of me was a thorny one…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Handerson led us to our destination, and Hart reappeared after a while, winded despite the short distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry! We couldn\u2019t find you, so we thought we\u2019d wait for you here,\u201d said Handerson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, it happens all the time,\u201d replied Hart, frowning. \u201cI\u2019m sorry myself.\u201d He looked like a good \u2014 though a bit sorrowful \u2014 person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, now we\u2019ll explain today\u2019s examination,\u201d said Handerson after we were all together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Ministry has a list of easy missions that even you little birds can be expected to complete. We chose one that we thought would be appropriate for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe four of you in group number two will have to cooperate to complete this mission, and we will examine your performance,\u201d said Hart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was nervous, but it didn\u2019t sound too difficult now that I had heard the details. That was a relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd now, we\u2019ll announce what the mission is,\u201d Handerson said as he took out a piece of paper. \u201cSome creatures have been appearing around a village and harassing its people. You\u2019ll have to take care of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh! It sounds just like a quest from an RPG! <\/em>If it was enough for the Ministry to have to intervene, they couldn\u2019t be your everyday creatures… They were probably the kind of animal that was researched in the Biomagic Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could it be unicorns? No, unicorns wouldn\u2019t harass villagers… Maybe it\u2019s one of those plants, the… the things… the madeleines… I seriously hope it isn\u2019t… I hate them…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What if it was a dragon?! That would be cool!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy the way, what kind of creature is this?\u201d I asked Hart, unable to contain my curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTanuki,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hm? Did I hear that right? Did he really say \u201ctanuki\u201d? The brown little mammals that eat crops? No, that wouldn\u2019t make any sense. This is the <\/em>Magical Ministry.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…What exactly is a tanuki?\u201d I asked, thinking that maybe they were different creatures that just happened to be called the same thing as the \u201ctanuki\u201d back in my world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? You\u2019ve never seen a tanuki? They\u2019re little brown animals that live in farming villages and ruin their crops…\u201d explained Handerson, surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n …That\u2019s a tanuki alright. Nothing magical or mysterious about it. Why does the Ministry have to deal with them? Couldn\u2019t the villagers just set up traps or something? Why does the most powerful organization in the kingdom have to fight tanuki?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me, but… why does the Ministry have to take care of tanuki? Can the villagers not do it themselves?\u201d said Dewey, taking the words out of my mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you. That\u2019s a question I\u2019m dying to hear answered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hart replied with a troubled expression. \u201cThey tried, but there were so many that they had to ask for our help.\u201d He paused for a second and then went on speaking. \u201cAnd also… a lot of newcomers have idealized, unrealistic ideas about what the work at the Ministry is. We often have to deal with things that are, well, underwhelming. The Ministry has a lot of branches and quite a few employees, so it has to perform all kinds of menial tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Menial tasks… <\/em>I wasn\u2019t exactly planning to become Ministry Employee of the Year of anything, but after hearing about how powerful of an organization it was, I had higher expectations than \u201cmenial tasks\u201d…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Handerson, probably seeing how surprised I looked, tried to explain things further to calm me down. \u201cBut our mission today is one that we\u2019ve specifically chosen to be easy! You see, none of you darlings have powerful offensive magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, Maria only had Light Magic, which was a healing power, Sora had Fire Magic, but it was weak, I had to keep my Dark Familiar secret because he was a spawn of darkness and so I could only use my Dirt Bump, and Dewey didn\u2019t even have any magic at all. We all had our unique talents, but offensive magic was not one of them. That made the tanuki thing make a lot more sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…How were the groups decided in the first place?\u201d asked Dewey coldly. \u201cCertainly not on the basis of magic ability balance, nor on age… So, what were the criteria?\u201d he said before glancing at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMembers for each group were selected completely randomly. Why? Is there a problem?\u201d replied Hart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…No, sir,\u201d said Dewey, looking like there were, in fact, a ton of problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some reason, he looked mad at me. FL2\u2019s plot hadn\u2019t started yet, so we had barely interacted at all so far… I had to find out the reason behind his hatred for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, let me give you some more details about today\u2019s mission,\u201d said Hart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He explained that the village was in the country, near one of the peripheral branches of the Ministry. Given its location, that branch had to deal with a lot more trivial matters than the main branch in the capital. They would normally be able to solve the problem themselves, but they had their hands full with other tasks, and so they\u2019d asked for the HQ to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The HQ, thinking that it would be a perfect test for the newcomers, accepted. I knew that starting out with a difficult mission would be problematic, but at the same time, I still felt disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe task itself is not particularly challenging, but the location is rather far. If we left today, we probably would not arrive before night. We will leave tomorrow early in the morning, and we may have to stay there for a few nights, so make sure to be prepared,\u201d said Hart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, so it wasn\u2019t near enough that we could just go, get rid of a couple of tanuki, and come back. Staying the night someplace far away sounded fun, though!<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the explanation, Handerson stood up and smiled. \u201cSince none of you have strong offensive magic at your disposal, the higher-ups will lend you magical tools. Let\u2019s go to the Magical Tool Laboratory\u2019s warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Magical tools?! Now that\u2019s cool! <\/em>And they would be helpful to compensate for our lack of offensive magic (even if we were up against… tanuki).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hart and Handerson then guided us to the warehouse where the magical tools were stored. The first thing that jumped into my mind when I heard the term \u201cmagical tools\u201d was the kind of things I\u2019d read about in the books of my previous life: magic wands, cloaks that make you invisible, watches that let you travel through time… My excitement, however, vanished as soon as we entered the warehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is this… junk?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before us was a collection of weird items, large and small, amassed randomly and covered in dust. Rather than a warehouse, it looked like a dump. All the others seemed as surprised as me while they looked at the jun\u2014 at the magical tools in front of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, Handerson sensed our shock and intervened. \u201cWe build a lot of tools at the Ministry, but not all prototypes turn out successfully, and a lot of them are stored here. But some of them do <\/em>work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n …Doesn\u2019t that mean that most of them <\/em>don\u2019t work?<\/em> She just made the warehouse look even worse…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould you show us some of the tools as an example?\u201d asked Maria tentatively, and Handerson picked up a small tool lying close to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis allows you to communicate over long distances. It\u2019s still a prototype, but the results so far aren\u2019t half bad,\u201d she said proudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That sounded like a telephone. A marvelous tool indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat sounds wonderful. Can it be used from anywhere?\u201d asked Maria, excited by the magic telephone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, not quite. You must be outside, and you must be standing on a place high up enough,\u201d explained Handerson, visibly frustrated by the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHigh up…? How high, exactly?\u201d asked Dewey, interested in spite of Handerson\u2019s disappointed expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe roof of a three-story building, I\u2019d say. Since we\u2019re going to the country, that could be hard…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were some tall buildings here in the capital, but not many outside of it. The magic telephone suddenly didn\u2019t seem as useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen it would probably be useless for this mission. What other tools are there?\u201d asked Dewey relentlessly. He looked like a cute little boy, but inside he was very cold…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is always cold, so it\u2019s perfect on hot days,\u201d said Handerson, giving Maria something that looked like a stone around as big as her palm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s true! It really feels cold!\u201d said Maria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s only spring now, and it doesn\u2019t look like this would help on our mission,\u201d said Dewey, colder than any stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had a point… It wasn\u2019t summer, and it probably wouldn\u2019t help against our (tanuki) foes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still not discouraged, Handerson went on to show us \u201cthe stone that is always warm,\u201d \u201cthe handkerchief that always has a light, pleasant scent,\u201d \u201cthe hand fan that cools you a lot just by waving it a little bit,\u201d \u201cthe bag where you can store food smells to retrieve them later,\u201d and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They all were interesting tools in their own right… but none of them looked particularly useful for our mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have lots of things here… mountains of them. But most of them are still prototypes, so we can\u2019t use them…\u201d said Handerson, as if trying to defend herself. \u201cOh well,\u201d she said, now apparently fed up, \u201cjust take whatever you like. If you\u2019re lucky, it\u2019ll come in handy during the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Way to give us all the responsibility.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was then that I realized that Hart wasn\u2019t there. Actually, I realized that I didn\u2019t know whether he had even made it here with us. Did he get lost again while coming here? He was so easy to forget about that it was scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And now, with no advice from either Hart or Handerson to rely on, we all started silently rummaging through the junk. Hm… <\/em>Just looking at the tools wasn\u2019t enough to tell what their function was. I found something that looked like a broom… I wonder what this does.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me, Ms. Handerson, what kind of tool is this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, just call me Laura. That\u2019s an auto-cleaning broom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo it really is just a broom. But auto-cleaning sounds really useful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, well, unfortunately it cannot recognize dirt, so it just sweeps left and right, and it usually just makes a bigger mess than before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you even call it auto-<\/em>cleaning then?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I kept showing Handerson tools and asking her what they were for, but none of them turned out to be particularly useful. They were interesting, yes, but I wouldn\u2019t bring them with me on a mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dewey had already lost interest in searching and was sitting in a corner, reading a book. That boy had no regard for authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the tools were smaller then I could at least bring a couple of them with me, but most of them were impractically big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I must find something small and possibly useful… Oh? What\u2019s that? <\/em>I saw something shiny on top of a pile of other tools. Could it be a magical girl\u2019s wand? If I have to get something useless, it might as well be something useless but cool-looking.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I got closer to inspect it, and it was… A handheld mirror? No, wait, a magnifying glass?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The small instrument (which, to be honest, wasn\u2019t very cool-looking) was a magnifying glass like the ones I had used as a child in my previous life, without even a decorative handle or anything. However, looking through it didn\u2019t make things appear bigger… yet another tool I had no idea what to use for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMs. Hander\u2014 Ms. Laura, what is this one for?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh? Let me see, my dear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe because I called her Laura, Handerson replied with a huge smile. It wouldn\u2019t be easy, but I decided to just call her Laura from then on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laura took the tool and looked at it, puzzled. \u201cThe boss was researching this personally, so I\u2019m not so sure, but… I think this thingie was supposed to glow in the dark…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So it\u2019s… a flashlight? <\/em>I thought I had finally found something useful, but Laura said that it was barely enough to see right in front of where you held it… Again, useless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I kept showing and asking, but I only found more useless stuff. I thought that not borrowing anything would be rude, though, so I took the magnifying glass that (barely) lit up and the bag where you could store food fragrances to (barely) smell them later. Maybe I would find myself hungry and in the dark at some point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maria and Sora also borrowed some tools, but Dewey \u2014 so ungrateful! \u2014 did not. We then went back home to prepare for the next morning, when we would meet at the Ministry to make for the village together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, Laura, what do you think of the newcomers?\u201d my superior asked me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey have all searched through the warehouse and picked out some tools to take. Dewey Percy just said that he didn\u2019t need any though,\u201d I told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHahaha! I know he looks cute, but inside he\u2019s quite a cold boy,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My superior, Larna Smith, was the head of the Magical Tool Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to sound like Dewey, but I think that anyone would have trouble choosing tools from that pile of old prototypes. Why did you not give them proper tools?\u201d I asked her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our department had another warehouse where we stored actually useful, complete tools, but Larna instructed us to guide the newcomers to the old warehouse, which only contained prototypes and failed experiments. I trusted my boss to be cunning enough to have some plan in mind, but I was afraid that the newcomers would think less of our department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, her reply was unexpected. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want newbies to go and break our good tools. And they\u2019ll also test our prototypes for us in the meantime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI… see…\u201d I had thought too deeply about it…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd, by the way, there\u2019s more than meets the eye in the old warehouse,\u201d Larna said with a telling expression. \u201cSome of those tools may be very useful in the hands of the right person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe right person?\u201d I repeated, dubious that there was anything more than junk, I mean prototypes,<\/em> in that warehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. For example, what did Maria Campbell choose?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe chose the… I think it was the ring that increases magic powers,\u201d I said, and Larna\u2019s eyes lit up as she smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOhoho, she chose that<\/em>? Even better than planned…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut if I remember correctly, that ring barely had any power at all… it was basically just a lucky charm.\u201d Which is why we keep it stored with all that other junk in the first place. <\/em>Surely Larna was aware of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor normal people, or rather, for normal magic powers, it\u2019s just a pretty accessory. But for some of them, it will probably prove incredibly powerful. We just stored it with all the prototypes because the magic powers it would react to were so rare that we never managed to test it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy magic powers, do you mean…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. Light Magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her words made a shiver run down my spine. Maria had unknowingly chosen the one item that would be useful to her out of all that useless junk…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs expected of Maria Campbell, a girl chosen by destiny. This is so interesting… I really hope that she\u2019ll come to our department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a beautiful girl who, despite her lowborn origins, wielded Light Magic, many thought of her as a \u201cchosen girl,\u201d and what happened today made me think that there could be some truth to that. She seemed to have something unique inside her. But…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think such a talented girl would come to our department,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all, we were just the Magical Tool Department. Maria excelled in both magic and academics, so it was unlikely that she would want to join us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what did Sora and Katarina choose?\u201d asked Larna, who seemingly had not even heard my pessimistic remark. She was a really good boss, but if I had to say anything negative about her, it was that once something caught her interest, she couldn\u2019t think about anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She never changes…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSora took the staff that keeps magic fire burning for a little bit, and Katarina the bag that stores food smells.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWahaha! Really? Sora\u2019s fine, but Katarina\u2019s choice is just too funny!\u201d she replied, laughing uncontrollably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well… I had to contain my laughter too when I saw what Katarina had chosen. One of my colleagues had actually built that when he was so overworked that he couldn\u2019t think straight anymore. Of course, having no real application, the bag was just thrown into the old warehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And to think that Katarina would go and choose that, looking so satisfied about her choice… I was impressed that I had managed not to laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMs. Claes seems nothing like the rumors make her out to be,\u201d I said, making Larna grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy rumors, do you mean that she\u2019s a spoiled kid who just got into the Ministry through her connections?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. Many people say that that is the case. But after meeting her today, I am not so sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh? How did she seem to you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe didn\u2019t seem spoiled or entitled… and, she didn\u2019t even look like a duke\u2019s daughter at all. She was really… peculiar,\u201d I said honestly, prompting another one of Larna\u2019s bouts of laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Katarina Claes, daughter of Duke Claes and fianc\u00e9e of Prince Jeord. Hearing that a person such as her would come to work at the Ministry had surprised everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all had our theories, but eventually we started believing that she just came here to mess around and kill time until her marriage, which obviously left us thinking of her in a bad light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I cannot say that I thought highly of her, either… but after meeting her, I realized that the rumors didn\u2019t hold true at all. She was nothing like any other young noblewoman I\u2019d met so far, and her weirdness had me laughing right from the start. I was actually looking forward to going on a mission with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The smell-bag was so funny that I\u2019d almost forgotten, but she had taken another tool with her. \u201cNow that I think about it, Katarina also took that other tool, the one that looks like a mirror and lights up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon hearing this, Larna, who had been laughing all this time, suddenly turned serious. \u201cYou mean the one I built recently?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, that one,\u201d I replied, slightly taken aback by her reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was wondering where that went… So it was in that warehouse! And Katarina took it…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her expression now started worrying me, so I asked her, \u201cDoes it do anything other than just light up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell… for most people, no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apparently, just as the ring that Maria took, it only showed its true power to certain people who used it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShould I take it back from her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf she\u2019s just taking it with her, it shouldn\u2019t be dangerous…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She thought about it for a while and then kept talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have a bad feeling about that tool being chosen by Katarina… This mission may take longer than we originally expected. Should anything happen, contact me immediately, got it?\u201d she told me gravely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes ma\u2019am,\u201d I said with a nod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the rumors weren\u2019t true, then there had to be another explanation as to why Katarina was here at the Ministry. Something troubling enough to turn someone as carefree as Larna serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought that the examination would be extremely simple, and that there was absolutely no risk of anything dangerous happening… but it now seemed like I\u2019d have to reconsider that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll just work out before sleeping to put myself in the right mindset…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd, by the way, where\u2019s Nathan?\u201d asked Larna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLost, as usual,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nathan Hart, the colleague that would be performing the examination alongside me, was an incredibly talented and diligent man… but he was so inconspicuous that you\u2019d forget about him as soon as he was out of sight, and he always ended up getting lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know that the examiners are chosen at random, but I wonder if it isn\u2019t dangerous to have Nathan on an outdoor mission… Maybe you should strap him onto a leash or something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…I know…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing that the mission I had to share with Nathan could turn out to be dangerous, I started to feel anxious about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was excited at the thought that, tomorrow, I would be on my first mission \u2014 well, examination \u2014 for the Ministry. And since we would have to stay the night, I had to prepare properly. Clothing was easy, as I just needed my pajamas and uniform… but what else would I need?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Snacks for the trip to and from and the mission location, snacks to eat after lunch, snacks in case I got hungry at night… If I had all that, I figured I\u2019d be fine. Oh, and the magic tools I borrowed, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m going to ace that mission!\u201d I shouted while standing on top of my bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease stop doing that, young miss. It is not befitting,\u201d said Anne, who was in the room with me and shooting me a cold stare. \u201cWill she be alright by herself? I must ask Lady Maria to take care of her tomorrow…\u201d she murmured to herself, sounding like a mother worried about her child\u2019s first school trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I was an adult now. Usually Anne helped me pack up for trips (doing, arguably, most of the work for me), but this time I prepared myself. However, now she asked to take a look at my luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are these snacks for?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo eat during the trip there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what are these snacks for?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo eat after lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd these ones?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo eat at night if I get hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are too many snacks. You do not need so many,\u201d she said, removing more than half of my provisions from my luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, my poor, poor snacks…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere does not seem to be any comb or mirror in here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI figured I wouldn\u2019t need them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYoung miss… you are an adult now. A lady. You are expected to take care of your appearance. Your mother has told you that time and again, has she not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Okay, I\u2019ll bring them…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Going through my luggage, Anne took out and put in things as she saw fit, ending up doing, once again, most of the work for me. Even after I tried to do it all myself…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After we were done with my bags, the sun had already set. I was worried that I\u2019d be so nervous about the next day\u2019s trip that I\u2019d spend the night awake, but, maybe because I was so tired after my day at the Ministry, I fell asleep the second I lay on the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anne woke me up the next morning, and thus began the day of my first mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Feeling well-rested after a good night\u2019s sleep, I started preparing for work at the Ministry. I was so glad that I had found a plan to avoid doom! I could finally focus on doing my best as a working adult. I would do my work as I was told, all while looking for the weaknesses […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3418,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3417\/revisions\/3418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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