She couldn’t bring herself to reject him when she saw the exchange student’s eyes light up in delight. Not long after that, the two boarded one of the school’s carriages and made their way into the city.
“Does the townscape in the Olano Kingdom look the same?” she asked.
“I’d say the convenience and architecture bear a strong resemblance… But the atmosphere is different here. I quite like the air of life permeating the Monarchy of Reauxvil.”
They chatted about harmless topics as they disembarked from the carriage and headed inside a shop specializing in magical resources. Emma couldn’t help a thought from surfacing as she glanced covertly at Glen, smiling affably and performing his role as escort to perfection. His aura…is very similar to Prince Victor’s.
Prince Victor was the royal family’s second son, which made him someone a mere viscount’s daughter like Emma couldn’t treat carelessly or casually. But her and Ian’s frequent trips to the royal palace on official time travel business had allowed them to build a friendship with the prince. Lord Glen is most definitely the son of a high-ranking noble house as well.
Just as the shopkeeper finished drawing up the invoice addressed to the Magic Academy for the goods purchased, something happened. Is that child lost? Emma was idly browsing the store’s other wares behind Glen while he spoke to the shopkeeper when she spotted a small, crying child outside the shop.
She looked to be around three or four years old, quite young. Just as Emma was about to rush out and approach the little girl, a man wearing a black greatcoat drew near. Oh… He must be her father. She felt relieved but noticed the girl wouldn’t stop sobbing even after the man spoke to her. If anything, she bawled harder, fear oozing from her tiny body. What in the world…?
The next moment, the man roughly grabbed the little girl’s arm. Her face froze in terror. Droves of people passed them by on the street, yet no one noticed them. He… He’s trying to kidnap her!
“Miss Emma! Where do you think you’re…”
Emma raced out of the shop before Glen could finish his question. She sensed him turning around, but didn’t have a minute to spare.
“Kindly release that child.” She commanded the man who was about to abscond with the little girl.
“Whatever are you blathering about? This is my daughter.”
“Then, can you tell me her name?”
The man stared at Emma in aggravation, unable to drag the little girl away by force as he’d been intending.
“You… You’re a comely lass, eh? I’ll be taking you along then as well.”
He wrapped his fingers around Emma’s arm and jerked her forward. Ngh!
“Stop it! Let me go!”
He’s so strong…! There must be something I can do with my water magic. In her head, Emma frantically went down the list of offensive magical spells she could use. She couldn’t use the more difficult ones, which narrowed her options considerably. At best, she could conjure an orb of water to smash against him or create fog to obscure his vision.
Wait! Emma thought of one more thing she was capable of. She could freeze him in his tracks by hardening the area around his feet with ice. But the special magical words for the spell refused to exit her lips. She was horrified at how powerless she felt. Too late, she realized she should have earnestly considered the serious impact of offensive magic in the real world instead of focusing on it as a simple academic practice during lessons.
While Emma dawdled, struggling to overcome her own fear, the man savagely yanked on the sobbing little girl’s hair.
“Ow! Owwwie!”
Oh, no!
“How dare you! Unhand us this instant, or you’ll regret it!”
The man faltered slightly, surprised by Emma’s sudden change in attitude because, up until now, her weak resistance hadn’t amounted to much.
“What are you doing?”
Emma, glad to have stalled the villain for a little longer, had been desperately figuring a way out when Glen stepped in between her and the man. He forced the scoundrel to release her and the little girl. The skin on her arm was red where he had gripped it, and the toddler’s hair was a fright. Even so, Emma felt intensely relieved by Glen’s presence.
She heard him whisper a spell, though nothing seemed to be happening. Anxious at the lack of results, Emma squeezed the little girl’s hand in her own, trying to silently reassure both of them.
“You’ll pay for this, you insolent whelp!”
The man in the black greatcoat charged at them, but the magic Glen cast finally activated. The would-be kidnapper hung mid-air in an absurd pose as if suspended by invisible strings. This magic… It’s triggered by a time delay!
Emma hurriedly scooped up the little girl when the villain rushed at them. Now, her eyes widened in surprise. In this world, she knew various complex techniques existed that combined spellcraft and one’s own magical affinities. In this case, the user needed to have an affinity with time in order to execute time-delayed magic. Not to mention the difficulty of the technique itself. It was a given that Emma couldn’t perform magic on that level.
The commotion finally attracted the attention of nearby sentinels. After they turned over both the criminal and the little girl to them, Emma bowed her head to Glen.
“Thank you very much for saving us. On occasion, I have a tendency to act rashly. I know I should fix this aspect of my personality, but…in any case, I sincerely apologize for embroiling you too this time.”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad no real harm came to you and the child.”
“Indeed. I hope she’ll be reunited with her parents soon.”
As they smiled at each other, Emma realized Glen carried two large, seemingly heavy bags.
“Please, let me help you.”
Glen paused, surprised. “Is it then customary in Reauxvil for ladies to carry things themselves?”
Though his tone was teasing, Emma answered him seriously.
“The teacher assigned this task to me, and I will fulfill my duty accordingly. Lord Glen, thank you once more for your assistance.”