Discovery
8 in the evening.
“Hi, hiiiiiii”
Estelise was, walking while being terrified by the cries of the Demon Beast Cel Bird. She spent the carriage for 10 hours, angry. It’s all good that she came to the Sirisasa Mountain all up in arms, but it’s pitch black all around. She managed to climb it somehow nevertheless, but as one would expect, it’s way too reckless.
‘I might……die from this’, is a hunch that crossed the back of her head.
“Som-, somebody―! Somebody――――――――――!”
The strayed beauty who shouts over and over and over again with tears in her eyes. The objective of searching for the special class, had already, changed from rescuing to being rescued.
“Help――――――! Hーeーlp―――――!”
Desperate. Already, she’s terrified and desperate.
As she continued walking as it is, a light started becoming visible from a distance of about tens of meters away. Immediately, she made a mad dash. It doesn’t matter even if, worse comes to worst, it’s an enemy. She wanted to get out of this solitary situation, one way or another.
Luckily, what flew into her eyes were the special class’ students. And then, at the centre of that, were Asch and Mira.
“……fueeh……thank goodnesss. Hel――……”
Just as she was about to call out as such, she stopped her voice halfway through. She remembers her initial objective again. She wipes the tears that puddled up in her eyes right away and switches on her angry mode.
“What are you doing, Asch-sensei!”
While shouting in a loud voice, she barged into the location where the special class’ students are.
However, the sight she saw was quite different from her imagination. A sight where everybody is searching for something as a whole. Furthermore, everybody is focusing with undivided attention.
“Ahー! Estelise-sensei!”
The sheltered princess-type cutesy girl, Sasha, notices her and raises her voice.
“Wha-, what is……going on here?”
“We are all, looking for Pietra Grass together. I did my best as well, you know, Ehhen”
“……”
The girl boasts adorably while forming triangle shapes with her arms on her flanks, but those clothes of hers are obviously not dirty. ‘It’s probably a lie’, she concluded with a single glance.
However, the other students……especially Lily, are covered in mud. They were so sooty that one could tell even in the dark night.
“Lily-kun, come over here for a bit”
When she turned around at the voice she was used to hearing, Asch was standing over there. He was the same as well, his outfit was dirty, and sweat was gushing from his forehead.
“Yes”
Without hesitation, and then meekly, she responds and moves closer to the Dark Magician.
“Try chewing on this dirt for a bit”
“……nnー, it is a bit sweet……is it?”
Asch grins at that answer.
“There are very few soils that Pietra Grass inhabits, but it’s said that they contain sugar content. The temperature, as well as the Magic Grass and trees that are growing in the vicinity are also extremely close to the land in the books”
“Which means……”
“Aah! Everybody, search every nook and cranny of this vicinity! We might be close to the goal”
When Asch shouts, cheers erupt from the students altogether.
“……amazing”
Estelise was saying it unconsciously.
Throughout her school life, she had never seen the sight of a class being this united before. Everybody, is obeying the instruction and is desperately getting involved. That worst teacher is coordinating and executing, that which one ought to say is a dream sight for a teacher.
Before long,
“I found it―――――――! Sensei, I found it!”
Hearing Lily’s robust voice, the students encircle her altogether. And then, lastly, Asch draws right by her side and starts observing the Magic Grass she holds in her hand with intense concentration.
“H-, how is……it”
“……”
“……”
Lily too, Asch too, and then the other students too, even Estelise is holding her breath and watching over that sight.
“……everybody! Well done huh”
Asch smiles cheerfully and shouts to the students.
“””We did it―――――――――――!”””
A shout like that of a bellow reverberates from the students altogether.
Everybody surrounds Lily, shares their happiness, and hugs each other. It’s a liveliness, as though a feast started.
In the middle of all that, Asch slipped out of the circle and walked over in her direction. At that moment, he notices Estelise’s existence for the first time and makes a slightly embarrassed awkward smile.
“You’re not going to celebrate together with them?”
Completely forgetting the anger and whatnot she had thus far, she voiced her unadulterated question.
“Aah. I’ve had, my fill. Besides……the sight from here isn’t bad either. Don’t you think?”
The Dark Magician, leans on the tree and stares at the celebrating students, delightedly.
“……eh, I think so too”
Estelise, too, stands beside him, staring at the same sight.
“Still, an excursion……sure is unexpectedly fun as well”
“Err……Asch-sensei?”
“Nn? What is it”
“Which……is the true Asch-sensei?”
“……this is also, me”
For a brief moment, Estelise was watching over the looks of him who muttered that.
