Chapter 667

TENKEN 667 Farewell Party

The next day after Fran acquired spirit magic. She attended a special class at the academy in her school uniform for the last time.

「――That's what it's like. You get that?」

「Nn」

「But still, to be able to awaken your spirit magic in such a short time... As expected of the Black Lightning Princess」

The topic of today's class was about spirit magic. Since Fran was still considered a student of the academy until today, Weena helped her to master her newly acquired spirit magic.

Thanks to that, she was able to learn all she needs to know about spirit magic. Well, she must find a spirit that was compatible with her first though.

We also learned that the reason why Fran couldn't make a contract with the spirit of the ancient tree was because that spirit had a deep bond with the old elven lady and did not want to have another contractor. It seems that while some spirits can have multiple contractors, there are also some that prefer to stick with only one contractor.

Then after the class, there was a farewell party organized by the students for Fran. They ate together and said their goodbyes in the student cafeteria, which had improved remarkably under Fran's guidance.

「Thank you very much. I've learned a lot from you」

「Thanks for your help」

「Please come again」

They were scared of her at first, but now they have accepted her completely. Thanks to it, Fran was able to really feel like she was a part of the class, especially during the first few days after we returned from the lake.

「You are leaving soon, huh?」

「I thought we'd finally had another fellow beastman here...」

Inez, Horial, and the rest of the teachers also bid their farewells to us.

「The class that received your guidance has shown remarkable growth in their abilities. The students would surely be happy if you could continue to instruct them like before... But that's not good; we can't rely on you forever」

「Nn. Do your best」

「Yes!」

Fran seemed happy when she was talking with Inez. I guess it's not only because she doesn't want to part with her, but also because she respects her as an instructor.

Surprisingly, Fran doesn't dislike working as an instructor here. Well, although she does like acting like an important person, she also finds it rewarding to know that her experience can help others.

I guess the praise from Inez, a real instructor, had given her some confidence too.

「Fran」

「Charon」

「Thank you for all your help」

Next was the blonde drill girl, Charon.

It started with an encounter at the adventurer's guild, but before she knows it, she had become a friend of hers.

Charon has a high opinion of Fran as an instructor who had taught her and her classmates a lot of combat techniques.

As she bowed her head, I could feel her deep gratitude and respect for Fran.

It was also the same for Fran. She was grateful for her and respected her.

Without her, Fran's school life would have been much different.

It would have taken her a long time to fit in with the other students, and she might not have been able to have as much fun as she had.

Fran understood that too. It was true that Fran was a better warrior. But as a person, Charon had more experience than Fran. That's how Fran felt.

「Likewise, thank you」

She bowed her head back to Charon.

「Thanks to Charon, I had a lot of fun here」

「Well, that's...」

Charon was surprised to hear such words from Fran.

Even I was surprised too.

Sensing my surprise, Fran tilted her head in confusion.

(What's wrong?)

『It's nothing, I just thought that Fran is talking a lot more than usual today』

(Is that so?)

『Yeah』

Apparently, Fran herself was unaware of it.

『But I think it's good to be honest about your feelings, right?』

You don't have to say everything, but you can at least say thanks.

Then, Fran nodded her head as if she had understood something.

(You may be right...)

『Ooh, you understand?』

(Nn. Maybe if the other Master and I from that side had talked more, they wouldn't have ended up like that)

『I see』

Our encounter with ourselves from the other timeline was really brief, but there was something about it that stayed with Fran. It was an eventful moment after all.

「Fran...」

Charon put her hand over her mouth as if she was trying to overcome her emotions.

「...Please come again, okay!?...」

「Nn」

「E-excuse myself for a moment!」

Not wanting to be seen crying, Charon gets up from her seat. Her pride must have brought her to act like this, a lady to the core, huh? I don't hate that part of her.

「Fran-san, be careful on your way there」

「Nn. Thank you for your information too」

The last one to bid us farewell was Khanna. Her information about the Mesther Merchant Association had been really helpful.

「Not at all, I'd like to thank you as well」

「??」

「Thank you for protecting this country from the Kingdom of Raidos」

「I did it for myself though」

「Even so, it is a fact that many people were saved. If the situation had continued to develop into a larger scale, many people in both countries would have been in misfortune」

Khanna bowed her head again as she said that. How do I put this? She looked somewhat pained. She looked not as happy and relieved as Charon and the others, but somehow filled with sadness and loneliness.

I wonder why, I'm sure there must be some deeper reason... But before Fran could ask anything, Khanna walked away. She seemed to have some business to attend to, and she was unable to stop her.

『Well, we can ask her when she returns』

「Nn」

Afterwards, we enjoyed the rest of the day and the party continued. It was unusual for Fran to stay up so late at night. It must have been fun for her to be surrounded by so many kids of her age.

『Fran』

「?」

『That was fun』

「Nn! I had a lot of fun!」

Despite all the troubles, just being able to see the smile on Fran's face made the trip to the academy worth the while.