Labyrinth country and sorcery school

 
 
 ☆
 
 
 “Sorcery school^[1]? Are you talking about the Royal School of Spellcraft?”^[2]
 
 I tilted my head at the odd-sounding words used in Otou-sama’s question.
 
 Then my father shook his head lightly side to side.
 
 “No, there’s probably no point in you going to a school of spellcraft within the country anymore. The place I’m talking about is the Runefelt Sorcery School in Nordland to the north.”
 
 “Nordland… is that the 『Labyrinth Country』 across the Northern Sea???”
 
 “That’s right.”
 
 Otou-sama nodded with a dead-serious face.
 
 
 
 Where we live is the 『Northern Continent』.
 Further north of that is the 『Frozen Continent』.
 
 A narrow strip running east to west, it is an extremely cold land where half of it is covered in snow and ice all year long.
 Located on the eastern end, Nordland is a peninsula on the western slope of a steep mountain range which isolates it from the rest of the continent.
 
 Positioned in the centre of the Northern Sea, it is a great nation that has flourished with foreign trade.
 However, what made that country famous was the characteristic I mentioned earlier.
 
 『Labyrinth Country』.
 
 As the name suggests, it possesses many labyrinths within the country of various sizes, which are managed by the country in a 『living』 state.
 
 It is said that at the depths of the dungeon is a dungeon core, which will continue producing monsters and magic stones for as long as it isn’t destroyed, and if it exceeds a fixed number then a new floor will be generated.
 
 Without destroying the dungeon core, the labyrinth’s growth is suppressed by subjugating monsters and collecting magic stones.
 That country is unique in that it kept the labyrinths alive while managing them.
 
 Considered a risk, this country’s way of thinking greatly differs from all but a few of the countries on the Northern Continent, which have chosen to destroy the dungeon cores.
 
 Incidentally, labyrinths that have lost their cores become high-quality magic stone mines.
 
 Will they mine them stably from mines, as a 『dead labyrinth』? Or do we have adventurers collect monster materials and magic stones, as a 『living labyrinth』?
 
 This can be said to be the difference in how labyrinths are used as resources.
 
 
 
 “Nordland attracts many adventurers hoping to get rich quickly in the labyrinths. Naturally, so do magicians^[3]. I’ve heard that, in their long history, they have developed and refined spells for capturing labyrinths and ways to use magic stones.”
 
 “And that is called 『sorcery』.”
 
 “Exactly. And it is 『Runefelt Sorcery School』 where they research and teach that.”
 
 “It’s the same with 『sorcery』, but I’ve never heard of them before.”
 
 It’s something I’ve never heard spoken of despite redoing my life twice.
 Why am I only learning of this now?
 
 Because our country doesn’t face the Northern Sea, and in the first place, we don’t have any large-scale labyrinths. And because of the development of magic tools, there are barely any sorcerers using 『sorcery』. Even I wouldn’t have known about it had it not been for a sorcerer I spoke with a long time ago.”
 
 Saying so, Otou-sama smiled, then once again looked at me.
 
 “According to what that sorcerer told me, 『Sorcery, is a means of efficiently using limited magic power』… Letty. I feel that it has various issues in common with what you’re currently encountering, don’t you think so?”
 
 Certainly.
 
 Whether its about making daily-life magic tools more efficient, or the fuel consumption issue of the magic jet engine, the issues are essentially the same.
 
 ——— to what extent can limited magic power be used efficiently.
 
 Otou-sama’s advice was actually on the dot.
 And perhaps, we might even learn something about that black sphere.
 
 
 
 Having thought for a moment, I then lifted my face.
 
 “Otou-sama, thank you so much for the wonderful suggestion. I think I want to try learning at the Sorcery School!”
 
 “… I see. Then finish your preparations.”
 
 Saying that, for some reason, my father had a look on his face like the world was about to end.
 
 “What’s wrong?”
 
 “Even though I suggested it myself, I actually don’t want you to go. I know in terms of safety that you, with Anna coming along, would have no problems, but even though we’re finally having all these precious talks, just how many months won’t we meet…!!”^[4]
 
 Otou-sama cried tears of blood.
 I figured this person’s love for his daughter was extreme to the end.
 
 (Can’t be helped.)
 
 I got up from my seat and walked over to where Otou-sama was, and hugged him suddenly.
 
 “?!”
 
 My father was surprised.
 While hugging my father like that, I spoke to him.
 
 “I’ll come back immediately. So just wait a little, Papa.”
 
 “… Yeah. Go study well.”
 
 Saying so, Otou-sama patted me lightly on the back twice.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 Two months later.
 I had been preparing for my departure.
 
 Having gotten His Majesty’s permission to study abroad, I went around to everyone asking for their help while I was away.
 
 Territory management was entrusted to Sofia and Loretta.
 Maintenance of the territory army was entrusted to Lionel.
 And the magic jet engine and railroad’s development was entrusted to Duncan.
 
 Especially for the railroad development, we decided to start laying a test line connecting the New Territory’s capital of Falgracim with Cocomel, on the assumption that it would later be converted into a railroad line for practical use.
 
 The current magic jet engine, while having such a bad fuel consumption, is capable of producing a fair amount of output. We decided to make a prototype locomotive equipped with several of these.
 
 I made a system in which development can continue even while I’m not there.
 Now that we have money, we don’t want to spend any time hesitating.
 
 With the photo studio’s success, and the mass production of magic rifles on track, the financial situation of the Ainsworth Family as a whole has suddenly become more plentiful.
 
 Even in my territory, reconstruction after the geat invasion has progressed quickly, and each village has made attempts at optimising agricultural production and reclaiming new farmland, cultivation of fruits and other luxury goods and the development of processing technology, and various other things.
 
 Thanks to the way everyone tackled their problems with a positive mindset, I found that if I had to leave my territory for a short while everything would still be fine.
 
 If I had to name one issue, it would be that citizens have begun moving from the New Territory to the County.
 
 Sofia reported that, having given up on the New Territory, which had yet to develop, an increasing number of people are choosing to migrate to the County, which is developing rapidly.
 
 I discussed this with Otou-sama, but he said 『Let’s develop the County first, then afterwards spread that growth west』, so we haven’t placed any particular restrictions on movement.
 
 I wonder how this policy will turn out.
 By the time I return, some sort of result will have been produced.
 
 
 ——— And then, the day of departure arrived.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 That day, just past noon.
 People close to us were gathered in the backyard of the Cocomel mansion.
 They had all come to see us off.
 
 Among them, the one who seemed the most likely to stat crying was, for some reason, Anna, who would be coming along with me.
 
 “Ojou-sama’s glittering hair is…”
 
 I looked at the miserable Anna.
 The cause was the length of my hair.
 
 “Are you still on about that? Since I’m trying to hide my identity and am going as an aspiring adventurer, it would be strange if my hair were too long.”^[5]
 
 Saying so, I touched the hair gathered on my shoulders.
 Incidentally, both Anna and I are now dressed in travelling clothes to look like aspiring adventurers.
 
 “Even though it was such beautifully flowing hair…”
 
 “I’ve basically turned the cut hair into a wig, so once we come back it’ll return to a shape close to what it was.”
 
 “Uuuu, but your new hairstyle suits you.”
 
 “Uhm… thank you?”
 Seeing my teary-eyed attendant praise me, I gave a wry smile in return.
 
 Now then.
 It’s about time to depart.
 
 
 
 “Sofia, Loretta. Best of wishes with the territory’s matters.”
 
 When I called out to the two of them, Loretta replied with a lively 『Ok』, and Sofia returned a 『natural smile』 which she recently finally became able to do.
 
 “We”l do our best to live up to your expectations. Please go with peace of mind.”
 
 “I’m counting on you.”
 
 Those two girls then gave a smile in return.
 
 “Duncan, Lionel. You guys too.”
 
 “Yeah.” “Well, you too, Missy.”
 
 Perhaps putting up a front, the two of them gave rather blunt replies.
 Seeing that, I laughed.
 
 Lastly, I turned to face Otou-sama and my brothers.
 
 “Otou-sama, Onii-sama. It’s going to get heated up from here on, so please stay healthy.”
 
 “Of course!”
 
 “You too, Letty. Take care.”
 
 After embracing my brothers, Otou-sama knelt down before me.
 
 “Letty. Make sure you return safely.”
 
 Saying so, he hugged me tightly.
 
 “Papa too. I know work might be tough, but don’t do anything unreasonable and properly rest when you get tired, ok?”
 
 “Yeah. It’s a promise.”
 
 “Well then, we’re off.”
 
 I turned around to Anna.
 
 “You ready?”
 
 “Yes. We’ll first be heading for the town of Telon on the border with the Holy Country^[6], right?”
 
 “Right. Then tomorrow or the day after, we’ll enter the Holy City. ——— Let’s go, Anna!”
 
 “Ok!!”
 
 Thus we soared away to the north.