Rental Magica Volume 1: Prologue
Prologue
May, London.
Befitting its name as the city of fog, the boarding school garden that early morning was wrapped in a deep, white mist.
Stepping onto the mildly wet ground in front of the vine-entrenched chapel, Honami Takase Ambler held a suitcase.
At the marble front gate, the face of a familiar old gentleman waited for her.
"McGregor-sensei."
"--Miss・Honami. How about at least a goodbye before heading back to your hometown? I would have missed out on giving my regards to our best student in recent years."
The fog at their feet completely obscuring his cane, McGregor placed his bowler hat against his chest.
His Japanese was fluent.
Honami laughed cursorily, and as well took of her tall, pointed hat. From behind her chestnut-colored, semi-short hair, the Ice Blue Eyes in her thin-rimmed glasses appeared. On her innocent, fifteen year old body, her pure white blouse and tight skirt were dazzling.
"I didn't wanna cause any trouble. Since you're working on your next thesis and all."
"Do not belittle me. What would a proper English gentleman do if he did not see his pupil off at the gate?"
Stroking his orderly Coleman moustache, McGregor sniffed slightly.
Honami smiled again.
He was that kind of person. Showy and childish, but wonderful to be with. When he had suddenly approached Honami asking her to teach him Japanese, he had said, "I have no patience with accents. In any language, historic polite speech is most befitting of a gentleman." Several months later, he had a total personality shift, right down to the BGM. He even threw out occasional rakugo and kabuki nuances. His students, unaware of the circumstances, spread rumors that McGregor had finally gone loony.
However, to Honami, over the last seven years, he was the most helpful person to her.
"Well then, from your retired teacher, how about one last graduation exam?"
"Sure."
She had secretly been confirming his equipments. --It was all right. She had sent all her large-scale magical items through airmail already, but she could handle the worst with what she had on her person. If push came to shove, she still had the thing inside her suitcase.
"Now now, no hesitation. Rather, you seem to be already sufficiently prepared."
McGregor twirled his cane. If this were an old movie, he would probably start tap dancing.
"In a garden like this, there's no need to worry about spell wave pollution. --There's little time before the plane arrives. Let's begin quickly."
Swiftly, he pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a small ceramic goblet. There was an ouroboros carved on the side, and a candle lid set on top. It was an object often used in alchemical experiments.
"Egyptian magical arts, your specialty?"
"This is a test for you. Naturally, you meet the required aptitude for a student. Thus, I've raised the difficulty level, just for you."
McGregor casually released the wine cup.
In that instant, there was a change. Sounding out and breaking apart, a smoke blew out, pushing away the fog all at once, and surrounding Honami. As if it had a will of its own, the smoke rushed into her nose and mouth.
"...gh"
"The stuffiness you're feeling is a response to the Kabbalah Golem and sulfur--Tria Prima."
McGregor observed her motionlessly.
"I won't write EMETH at this point. Well then, how well can you handle an enemy with no true form?"
The smoke had already completely engulfed Honami's body.
According to McGregor's calculations, the smoke monster wouldn't stop until Honami had fainted. Of course, he had set it so as not to take her life, but it was possible that he had overlooked something. The smoke was designed so as to engulf her until all the air had been pushed out of her lungs.
However, the smoke suddenly stopped moving.
"Hm?"
McGregor frowned. A mistletoe plant had sprouted up from the ground. It bound the smoke, despite its shapelessness.
At the same time, a single arrow flew out of the smoke and struck McGregor's cane.
As the cane fell to the ground, it broke clean in half. Vertically.
The inside, which had been held together with solidified paint materials, had EMETH carved inside it, though the E had been erased by the arrow's attack.
"There's the spell's origin. Lying is the beginning of thievery, sensei."
"--Mistletoe Spear, eh? Again, an old classic."
Waving his paralyzed hand, McGregor, who had landed on his backside, gave a wry smile. The smoke had already disappeared. The girl who was now holding her hand out to him hadn't even needed to open her suitcase. It had just been a confidence ploy from the start, but as expected, she hadn't been forced to use her trump card.
"Aaaah, what a waste, what a waste--!"
Throwing off his gentlemanly appearance, McGregor struggled to regain his footing.
"If you stay, we'll waive all the research fees, and we'll let you view our prized Grimoire all you want! At least, just another year--no, for just half a year, please continue your studies here!"
"I'm happy that you value me."
McGregor sullenly crossed his arms.
"You got a lover in Japan or something?" he asked.
As he did, Honami's cheek's turned bright red.
"I-it's nothing like that!"
"Hoho!" McGregor joyously loosened his cheeks. "Well then, you said you had a childhood friend or something? So it wouldn't be ungentlemanly to leave you be if that's the case. But do tell me of your circumstances."
"Isn't what you're saying more like the reaction of a French gentleman?"
"Eh, it's a meaningless difference." If any other English gentlemen had heard him, he probably would have been killed. "Well, whatever. For now, I'm just happy to see the face of Miss・Honami. --So, where exactly in Japan are you going to? Are there Celtic Magic minors over there? I heard it's almost all Shintou and Buddhism pulling the strings there."
"--Yeah. About that, I made the decision to do this ten years ago. Take a look, sensei."
Smiling mischievously, Honami handed McGregor a single business card.
On a lavish piece of paper with a crystal watermark, these words were written in sepia-colored letters.
<Magician Dispatch Company ・ Astral
--We rent out magicians to meet your needs>
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