The rest of the day was a flurry of commotion, as Almelia the hero-princess introduced the children to Miu. The first day was packed enough to make the new hire’s head spin, what with minding the kids, cleaning, and doing all sorts of odd chores.
“Every once in a while, one of the farmer ladies comes by to give us vegetables and play with the children, but there’s still so much to deal with that it’s hard to keep up,” Almelia confessed once things settled down in the evening.
“Um… Princess Almelia, what sort of relationship do you have with him?”
“Huh?! Y-you mean me and Roland?!” Almelia squeaked loudly and blushed in a charming sort of way. The invincible hero was just as vulnerable as anyone else when it came to love.
Miu laughed quietly at the innocent reaction.
“W-we’re just…friends? He’s my teacher? That’s all. But there’s much more to it, too!”
Evidently, Almelia was in deep.
“Miss Miu… There’s nothing between you and Roland, is there?”
“No. I haven’t interacted with him much except at the guild.”
“I—I see. Hmm.”
Almelia looked relieved.
Roland had spoken casually with Almelia, suggesting he was a teacher of sorts to the princess. Surprisingly, Lina, another famous member of the party of heroes, also helped out around the orphanage, possibly because Almelia ran it.
“Did Roland leave already?”
Lina, known publicly as a great mage, also spoke of Roland like she was very familiar with him.
“Umm… H-he said he’ll come by again soon. It’s all right, Lina.”
“Roland always goes home straightaway… I wanted to talk with him…”
“I’ll tell him that next time.”
“…Okay.”
Almelia stroked Lina’s cheek, and the young girl’s eyes narrowed in contentedness. Miu likened her to a small rabbit.
Later, she learned that Lina came from an orphanage and that Roland taught her to use magic, which wasn’t too surprising.
“Just who is Mr. Argan…?”
Milia typically arranged quests for Miu, so she lacked a clear picture of the man.
In time, she no longer felt anxious when reflecting on her time as an adventurer.
She liked the children and playing with them, too. Sometimes, they got in the way of the chores and kept Miu from getting anything done, but she felt fulfilled regardless. There was a time when she’d searched for a master to teach her magic. Now, however, she didn’t feel like she needed to be able to cast spells.
“And then you collect it all together like whoooooosh. Yeah, like whooooosh.”
Lina’s explanations of magic were so dependent on intuition that no one could follow along. Miu suspected Lina was attempting to describe mana convergence in the body, but she wasn’t certain.
Lina could produce some incredible spells, yet had likely never studied the basics.
“Lina, would it be all right if I taught a little?”
“Okay…”
“Miu-miu can do magic, too?” an energetic boy asked, although his tone sounded a bit mocking.
“Magic is difficult, you know,” added a precocious girl.
Honestly, Miu wondered if she could still manage it herself. She began by sparking her mana. This sensation was different for everyone, but to Miu, describing it like combustion fit perfectly.
The familiar sensation felt nostalgic.
A small flame equivalent to the amount of mana she’d gathered sprang to life on her open palm.
“““Wow!”””
“Hee-hee. See, I can do it. It’s super easy, and I can teach you all how.”
Thus began Miu’s classes on magic. She might have been a third-rate mage, but she understood the fundamentals and had the knowledge and craft down.
If it helped the kids, she didn’t mind putting in the extra effort to instruct them.
After about a month, Roland stopped in to see how things were progressing.
“How’s life at the orphanage?”
“It’s busy and fulfilling every day.”
“Good to hear.” Roland showed a hint of a smile.
“Yes, it is,” Miu agreed on reflex.
This man was normally cool and expressionless, but he finally showed her a grin, one that bloomed like a flower.
He wasn’t bad looking, either, so it packed a punch.
“Hmm… I see…”
“Is something the matter?”
“Oh, no,” Miu said evasively.
“Roland, play house with me later,” Lina insisted. She’d been glued to Roland’s side since he arrived.
“Play house? What would you have me do?”
“Be the dad.”
“Ah, the paternal role… All right. I think I understand enough to pull it off. A father, huh? I’ve never used that knowledge, since it all ended before I took his place. I didn’t expect to give a performance here.”
“Yay!”
Lina had to be around ten, but there was something persistently naive about her. Girls her age usually began concerning themselves with fashion or boys, but she conducted herself more like a five- or six-year-old.
“Then I’ll be your little sister,” Lina said.
“My sister?”
“Yeah. And we’ll talk about az-sets and distro-buu-shuns.”
“Oh-ho. It seems you’ve learned a thing or two, Lina.”
Miu couldn’t tell whether Roland was kidding or serious.
“Is something the matter?”
“No. I was noting another one of your charming aspects,” Miu replied, purposefully ambiguous. Roland tilted his head, confused. “How’s Milia?”
“She’s doing wonderfully. She was thrilled to learn you’re working here.”
“I see.”
Miu hoped to talk with her friend again.
Milia was such a kind person. She went to great lengths to help Miu even when her work as an adventurer had started to slip and she became less useful.
Miu felt bad that she never said so much as a good-bye when she left.
Surprisingly, she didn’t have to wait too long for her chance.
“Miss Miu!” called a familiar voice while the adventurer-turned-orphanage-staffer played with the children in the yard. Miu lifted her head to see that Roland had brought someone along with him today.
“Milia!”
The two ran to each other and shared an embrace. Milia began crying into Miu’s shoulder.
“Miss Miuuuuuu! I’m sooooo glad! You look so much happier!”
“It’s all thanks to Mr. Argan.”
“I heard everything!”
Miu told the children to play without her, and she took Milia and Roland to her bedroom.
It was a plain living space furnished with only a bed, table, and two chairs. Miu sat on the bed and offered the chairs to her guests.
“You could have told me you wanted to quit. I’d have understood,” Milia blurted out. “You always looked so worried… It was obvious something was wrong, and I wanted to help…”
“I’m sorry, Milia. And thank you for worrying about me. It’s all right now.”
“Rolaaand!” Lina called. He gave Miu and Milia a nod and then left.
The two women chatted about recent events until Miu recalled something she wanted to ask her friend.
“Milia, just who is Mr. Argan?”
“Mr. Roland? He’s my junior at work.”
“That’s not what I mean… Did he teach Her Highness? It’s pretty clear that the great mage Lina adores him…”
“Mr. Roland seems to know a lot of people. He makes friends so easily.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure… But why does it matter?” Milia had been crying before, but now her eyes glowed like stars. “He’s mysterious, cool, and awesome. Plus, he’s a gentleman…”
Miu sighed as though realizing she was too late.
“Milia, I don’t think you should pursue Mr. Argan.”
The guild worker pouted. “Why not?”
“Well, because…”
The princess is in love with him.
Though Milia’s looks were nothing to scoff at, she was still a typical village girl when compared against Almelia.
“Oh, I get it. You’ve fallen for him, too, haven’t you? Well, you can’t have Mr. Roland.”
“You’ve got it wrong.”
“Are you trying to eliminate your rivals? Plenty of adventurers have tried, but it won’t work on me.”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
Milia’s face went scarlet. “In a roundabout method… I was just so embarrassed that I confessed in a way he wouldn’t notice…”
“There’s no point unless he gets the picture.”
“Ugh… B-but…if he rejects me, I can never go back to work!”
“You can do it. I’m sure you can, Milia!”
“At least one of us believes in me.”
“Come on, don’t talk like that.”
The two shared a laugh.
“Since you’re both off of work today, you should invite him out to eat after this,” Miu suggested.
“Uh. L-let’s not talk about that… I mean, I was already planning to, but it makes me nervous…”
The two women returned to the yard and exchanged a determined look.
“M-M-M-Mr. Roland!”
“Yes?”
“W-would you care to…go to dinner tonight…with me?”
“Sure, I wouldn’t mind.”
Miu watched as Milia lit up brighter than a starry sky.
Milia gave Miu a thumbs-up, which she returned. She saw off Roland and the overjoyed Milia, who was practically skipping, with a smile.
“I hope it goes well.”
The princess had done a lot for Miu, so she couldn’t help but feel guilty for cheering Milia on.