The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

all too convenient for us, since we don’t necessarily have combatants to spare for her escort, you see.
Would you grant one last wish for her — and for us, as well?”

“……”

“To be frank… as one man, I do want you to remain with us.
However, that would not do us good in the long run.
It is natural for humans to gather where the foundations are most stable, but the world is far too large for one to simply seek comfort in a single place.
That is what I wanted the people of this town to keep in mind — to become strong and never lose sight of what makes them human.
Of course, that applies to you as well, Sir Asley…”

Those heavy words struck my heart like a sharp arrow.

It was as Ryan had said.
My initial objective had already been achieved, yet I still remained here.

I had made myself comfortable… that, I won’t deny.
But the most important point was that I seemed to be reverting to my old ways.

Thanks to Ryan, I realized that early.
Otherwise, I would’ve kept going down that direction until Pochi called me out.

–What a damned idiot I am.

“…When do you propose we leave, then?”

“The enrollment period will be starting quite soon.
I would suggest tonight if you are able, and tomorrow at the latest.”

“That is quite a tight schedule, sir.”

“I’m afraid that applies only to you, Sir Asley.
Lina and Pochi have already gotten their preparations in order.”

Pochi, you little…! Is she even still aware that she’s a Familiar!?

“Ha ha ha ha, Pochi’s description of you was quite accurate, I must say.”

“Huh… what was it that she’d said, sir?”

“It is more effective to tell my Master at the last minute! — That was it.
And here we are…”

“……What a surprise.”

“Yes, what a surprise indeed.”

“No, Sir Ryan… I meant how good you are at doing impressions of her…”

“Hah hah hah! I did practice that for a whole thirty minutes, after all!”

So this is the charismatic leader of Faltown… We’ve known each other for two years, but I sure haven’t seen all of him.

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That night, Pochi and I packed up our belongings and headed to the east gate.

Reid, Mana, and Tifa were there with Lina, waiting to see us off.

“Mm, now this is fitting for a warrior’s… well, a mage’s departure.”

“Oh, Reid? Aren’t you going to cry a little? Your beloved Lina is leaving, you know.”

“Bah, he’s already done that.
Here, see all these marks and wrinkles?”

“Dammit, Mana! I thought you promised not to tell anyone!”

I could indeed see them.
In a way, they served to show how important his youngest sister was to him.

“Are you really leaving, Teacher?”

Tifa said as she grabbed the sleeve of my vestment, as if pulling me back.

At the present, she is 12 years old, and just like Lina, she was an excellent pupil.

“Tifa, I’ve left some homework for you at the house I used to live in.
Please give it a good look.
When you’re done with it, you must then study and train on your own… Understood?”

“Yes… I-I’ll give it my best! I won’t be left behind by Lina! And when I turn 15… I’ll go to the Magic University as well!”

“That’s some powerful competition you have there, eh, Lina?”

Reid folded his arms and cracked a joke for Lina.

Tifa seemed like she was about to cry, but she did her best to hold it in.

“What are you saying? I’m sure Tifa will become a stronger mage than I will.
I’m just leaving a bit earlier, right, Tifa?”

“I’ll catch up to you before you know it!”

“By the way, that’s a nice robe you’ve got on, Lina.
Since when did you have that?”

“Miss Reyna made it for me, with some high-quality cloth that Sir Ryan had lying around.”

Lina was wearing a jet black robe, with its reverse side embroidered with silver thread for the warding of malignant elements.

The robe itself was a good fit for her figure, and the edge of its hood on the back was attached with a silver-ish white fur.

It seemed gaudy at first glance, but being worn by Lina, it felt strangely fitting.
This was perhaps because Lina has grown up quite a bit.

“You should’ve changed into some nicer clothes as well, Master.”

“I did change my u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r, all right?”

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“Taking care of your private parts is important, yes.
But you should realize by now that negligence of other important things is part of what makes your negative titles stick.”

“Bah, you nitpicky little… Here, I look better with this on, right?”

To humor Pochi, I put on a pair of glasses and painted my face a serious expression.

“You do look better with glasses on, Master, but… does it have to be ‘that’ pair?”

Pochi moved in closer and whispered into my ear.

“I’ve completed them just yesterday.
And thanks to the successful upgrade, they can now be used while worn normally.”

“…Did you ever stop to consider that I’d be angry when you said that?”

“The function can be toggled on and off!”

“…You damned fool.”

Huh, is it just me, or did that suddenly sound… less harsh?

“What’re you whispering about? It’s getting late.
I don’t really like emotional moments like this, you know.
Get a move on already.”

“Make sure to come back once in a while, all right?”

“Teacher, Lina, do your best out there!

“”Yeah!””

Saying our goodbyes to Reid and the others, Pochi, Lina, and I took our first steps toward the Magic University.

We were sent off with encouragement from Tifa, who continued to wave her hands when we were almost out of sight, up until we could feel the east gate close behind us.

Though it had been long since I left the dungeon, the void in my heart still grew larger.
It was such a mysterious, indescribable feeling.

I’m sure this will be a long, eventful path ahead yet.
Among them, Faltown may very well be considered the starting point of everything.

Silavin: Updated the Patreon for those that are interested.
Barnnn has been working really hard so that we can provide the lowest tier with at least 1 chapter.

Index