Enchange Students

"I get it, so you're wanting to get some more dragons around, huh?"

Nina, what led you to that conclusion, exactly…?

 

"… Why's Violet here?"

Nina spoke with a somewhat cold tone upon seeing me return with both Violet and Yuuki on my back.

"Eh—didn't you have me bring Yuuki along because you thought this would happen?"

"What're you talking about? I just thought you wouldn't do anything stupid if you brought Yuuki with you."

She sent her as a watchdog? Though with Yuuki's personality, I did keep thinking of ways to keep anything unreasonable from happening…

"Dropout. My humblest apologies, I will be staying here for a while."

"Cut it out with that, just call me Nina."

Nina frowned and waved away the respectfully kneeling Violet.

"So what'd you bring her for?"

"You know that we're lacking people to be teachers right? Violet should be able to lend us a hand with that."

Immediately after I spoke, Nina's eyes opened wide as she took Violet's hand.

"Do your best, I'm counting on you!"

"Eh? Ah, yes. I will strive to do my best."

Even while being utterly surprised by Nina's sudden change in attitude, Violet nodded.

"We really do need to get more teachers, don't we?"

"Urgently!"

Nina gave her thoughts on my grumbling immediately after I said it.

"Amata wants to be one."

Yuuki spoke up.

"Amata, huh…"

I knit my brows and crossed my arms. I do agree that with just a little more instruction, he would be able to fulfill the role of a teacher.

… However.

"But he also has his duties as a Swordsaint."

Well, it isn't as though those duties are enforced. It's just that the head of the Swordsaint clan naturally came to be considered the village's representative and the key figure for its protection. The two Amaga fathers are filling that role currently, but Amata should be the one to take over their duties at some point in the future.

"Oh yeaaah."

Standing next to Yuuki, Nina looked like she wanted to say something.

How long has it been since she started to look like that so often? Even though she usually just says whatever's on her mind, there are times she won't say anything and just look at me like that. I haven't been asking her about it recently, either. I trust that if it's something truly important, she'll come out and say it.

"I've been thinking about this for a long time now, but I think it's about time we get some exchange students."

"Exchange students?"

Not only Nina, but everyone else there cocked their head to the side, wondering what I was talking about. This was the first time I'd ever used the word around them, so it was to be expected.

"You know how there are only children from Scarlet in our school? I want to take in students from all over… and not just humans, either. I want to accept those from other races."

"Are you crazy?"

Nina scowled at me, looking like she thought it was a really bad idea.

"I'm not talking about dozens of students, just a handful."

"I just said that we need more teachers and now you're wanting to get more students!?"

"Well yes, but it's not like there are that many people who could become teachers either, right?"

They'd need to not be prejudiced against humans and they need to have magic and other skills that can be taught. There simply aren't many people that fit those criteria. It was even unreasonable for me to ask Violet to be a teacher.

"That's why I'll first need to train people to become teachers."

"You could just do that with humans from this village. It doesn't even need to be Amata, there are a few others that look like they could be good enough. Like Itsuki, Kerel, or Hakanaku, wouldn't they all work out?"

I nodded in response to Nina's good question.

"Yes. However, I do have three reasons for it. First, long lived races like elves are able to serve as teachers for a long time. It would be hard to train new teachers every few years."

"Well… yeah."

Still not really wanting to take on even more students, Nina begrudgingly nodded.

"Second, the fact that the type of magic one is specialized in is dependent on their race. I am particularly specialized in fire magic and elves use all kind of plant-based magic, yes?"

Is it simply due to how one is raised? Or perhaps its genetic? Or maybe the answer is to a question I can't even fathom? No matter what, I have no idea right now. However, what I'm certain of right now is that there exists some bias on one's specialization based on their race.

"Those first two reasons are why I'm interested in bringing together various races—I want to research all kinds of magic."

For some reason, it doesn't appear that humans are born with any particular specialization. The kind of magic that they are good at seems to vary from one person to another. Looking at it another way, that also means that humans can learn all kinds of magic. Assuming that to be true, there are no downsides to researching as many kinds of magic as possible.

"Hmm… alright then. So what's your last reason?"

It's not something for Nina to be happy about, neither is it something she's really opposed to. Looking only half interested, she urged me to continue.

"It's a matter of the balance of power. I don't think us only ever supporting humans like how we've been will turn out too well."

"What do you mean?"

"You already know about how fast humans can develop. Although their civilization still lacks in comparison to the elves', it's only a matter of time until they overpass them. When that happens… they may end up becoming an enemy to the elves.

"But you wouldn't let that happen, right big brother?"

Looking uneasy, Yuuki pulled on my sleeve.

"I would do my best to stop it, of course. But you know, Yuuki, humans will someday become independent from me. Of that, I'm certain. Just like how a child will eventually become independent from their parents."

Everyone in Scarlet are good-natured people, they're all nice. However, history has proven time and time again that people don't stay the same. That history may have been from my previous life, but I doubt that it would be any different in this world.

"Which is why I want to share the results of my research. I wish to keep the balance so that that doesn't happen. At least for the races that are amiable to humans."

Besides elves, there are several other races we've come into contact with. Humans—humans from my previous life, that is—ended up bringing all forms of intelligent life other than their own to extinction. The knowledge that humanity was the only race left felt exceptionally cruel and lonely to me. I don't want the same thing to happen in this world.

"That's it for my reasons."

"… If that's how it is, oh well. Alright."

Nina agreed reluctantly, sighing.

"I was wondering why Violet was allowed to leave the forest, but I guess that's why."

"Eh? Y-yeah, umm…"

"Yes. I intend to study humankind's strength here."

Violet spoke with a smile, interrupting my fumbling sentence.

As a matter of fact, I hadn't talked to Eldest about what I said just now.

I just told him how Nina was doing as I do now and then and he agreed with the conditions Violet gave almost immediately. Thanks to Nina learning how to block others from using plants to observe us, not even Eldest could look in on us. It seemed like he was anxious. It makes me feel like I just invited a spy into the area, but I'm not exactly hiding anything either way.

… Besides.

There is a fourth reason I want to accept exchange students, something I didn't even tell Nina. The number one most important reason.

My goal is to make this magic school of ours incredibly famous. I don't just mean famous in Scarlet, either. I have to make its existence known the world over.

—Because I don't know where in the world Ai will reincarnate.

Just like how I went from being a human into being a dragon, she may not be reborn as a human either.

So I can't just make it famous to humans. It has to be known to anyone from any race.

So that she'll some day be able to find her way to return.