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Military secrets. In order to gain an advantage over other countries, each country secretly researched its own magic. At the same time, they investigated the magic being developed by neighboring countries to further advance their own magic.
It was understandable, but every country acted with the possibility of war with its neighbors in mind. It was common knowledge in this world that magic capable of producing large-scale effects could influence the outcome of wars.
However, there was one major disadvantage to this common knowledge.
It was that the development of magic was delayed.
I believed each country placed a significant emphasis on magical research, investing budgets and personnel. In fact, each country's magical research had its own unique features, and unique magic was being developed.
However, this perspective was only at the national level. When viewed from the field of magical studies, it was undeniable that there were inefficiencies.
That was why I wanted to break down the barriers between countries solely in the field of magic.
As far as I could see, this magician named Crown Windsor seemed likely to cooperate with my intentions.
"Oh, this is great! This can be used for magical experiments!" Crown spread his arms and raised his voice in joy, standing at the entrance of the practice ground, checking his surroundings.
Hearing his agreement, I looked at the students gathered in the middle of the ground. "That's good. Well then, let's have the students leave the ground for now."
"Hmm? Why not have them participate in the experiment?"
"What?" I turned back and tilted my head at Crown's words. "It will reveal the magic of the Maple Leaf Holy Empire. Is that alright?"
I pointed it out just in case. For the students, it might be a good learning experience, and it might not be something I should be concerned about, but from Crown's standpoint, it should not be a good thing.
"I don't care about that. If I can see magic I don't know, I'll reveal anything," he said with a face devoid of hesitation.
This made me delay my response.
It was a welcome situation, but Crown was a court magician of the Maple Leaf. Was it really alright for him to openly display high-level magic considered a national secret?
I began to worry about Crown's position. If someone from his homeland was nearby, they might feel not just anxiety, but even a sense of crisis.
"Crown!" A large man appeared at the entrance of the grounds and shouted Crown's name.
It was the knight Alabarta from the Maple Leaf Holy Empire. With a fierce expression, he ran over and placed a hand on Crown's shoulder. "You haven't done anything yet, have you?!"
"There's nothing to do. I just arrived," Crown replied, not hiding his irritation.
Alabarta, unaffected by his attitude, immediately turned to me and said with a grim expression, "When it comes to magic, Crown loses all sense of boundaries. I don't know how far the conversation has progressed, but please, let's leave it at this for now. Both sides must have magic they want to keep secret, right?"
I shook my head instinctively. "No, not really."
Alabarta blinked in surprise, then slapped his own forehead hard enough to make a sound. "T-the same kind…! What is this…!"
He lamented, uttering incomprehensible words. I felt irritated for some reason, but since he looked distressed, I said nothing.
"Alabarta-dono, since Aoi-dono is willing to demonstrate her magic, shouldn't we show her as well?"
"It's not something to show lightly! Just because the other side shows theirs doesn't mean we should show ours!" The veins on Alabarta's temple bulged at Crown's lighthearted suggestion.
Crown just snorted and laughed. "This academy has Fore-dono showing magic, right? In that case, it's too late to…"
"Fore Pern Roses is a magician who primarily researches and develops existing magic known in various countries. Starting from a research laboratory is different from starting as a court magician. In contrast, you specialize in the unique magic of the Holy Empire. Just casually displaying some magic will be considered a significant information leak!"
Alabarta rattled off rapidly, to which Crown just shrugged.
"If you really want to keep the magic of the Holy Empire secret so badly, you shouldn't have brought me here. You could have chosen from the magician corp. They're competent enough…" Crown began to complain with a pout.
Alabarta's eyes widened in anger. "You…! As I thought, you don’t listen! The reason you were brought here was to show Aoi-dono your original spells and get her interested in the Holy Empire…!"
Alabarta began lecturing Crown, seemingly forgetting my presence, then suddenly turned around with a startled expression.
Following suit, Crown turned to me.
With two large men looking down at me sternly, I coughed lightly with a hand over my mouth. "I anticipated that much from the beginning, so don't worry."
Alabarta looked relieved. He turned back to Crown and said in a slightly calmer tone, "Showing magic to Aoi-dono is fine. I'll even allow some discussion about magic. But make sure to do it when no one else is around. I told you this when we left the Holy Empire."
Crown exhaled shallowly and nodded vaguely. "Oh, did you? I don't remember."
"You…" Alabarta's eyes became filled with murderous intent at Crown's sulky response.
Alabarta seemed to have a higher position, but it didn't matter to Crown. I wondered how he became a court magician with such an attitude, but there was no doubt he was highly skilled.
"Aoi-dono, let's meet tomorrow, just the two of us. I'll manage to slip away from this guy."
"Try it. I'll physically blow your head off… Hmm? What do you mean by 'this guy,' you bastard…?!"
"Please don't shout. It hurts my ears."
"What is that attitude…!"
Before I knew it, the two of them were walking away, bickering with their backs to me.
Watching their retreating figures, I quietly tilted my head.