"Boss?"
"Hm? Oh, I need three mana stones."
"Right away. Here you go."
I reached into the backpack I carried on my back and handed Fresia the mana stones. She took them and swapped them out with the ones embedded in the academy's outer wall, repairing the barrier as she went.
"Didn't you just fix the academy's barrier a few days ago?"
"I did. Pass me two more mana stones."
"Just a second. Here you are. But why are you doing this again?"
A few days ago, Fresia had dragged me along to repair the academy's barrier late at night. And yet, here we were again, repeating the process.
"Ah, they dumped the task on me from above."
Ah, classic bureaucracy at work. The magic community is infamous for being filled with old-school, entrenched elders. Sure, aura may slow down physical aging, but knights and warriors, the more physically inclined types, naturally decline with age.
Knights, as they age, hit the limits of their influence. No matter how skilled or well-regarded they are, as their bodies decline, their power fades with it. And if they fail to adapt, they risk being overthrown by younger, ambitious knights.
To avoid that fate, they either need to master their craft, develop expert political skills, or ascend to the level of a Swordmaster, where even aging no longer has much effect on them. In fact, some older knights who reach that level even have their bodies revert to their prime.
The magic world is a bit different.
Most magic deepens with time. As mages grow older, they become more experienced, and age works in their favor. Their power doesn't depend on physical strength but on knowledge. True, they might lose some of their youthful flashes of inspiration, but by then, most have already established their own signature spells.
Mages rarely falter with age, unless they suffer from a mental decline, like dementia.
As a result, the magical elite consists largely of long-entrenched, elderly individuals. But there are exceptions in the magical world, and Fresia standing before me was one of those exceptions. No matter how much knowledge deepens with age, a true prodigy can still surpass that.
Fresia became a master of her branch of magic at the age of sixteen. That's why she was awarded a noble title by the emperor and granted a professorship at the academy.
However, it seems that even a prodigy like Fresia is still just a kid in the eyes of the old guard. Her abilities might be exceptional, but the other professors are no slouches, and unlike knights, they don't weaken over time. So, she got stuck with this task as the junior member.
For Fresia to rise above this, she'll have to surpass them in every way. With her talent, I figure it'll take her about ten years. By then, the entire continent's magic community will revolve around her.
"Well, there's no helping it. I guess if we can finish a quarter of the work tonight, it'll be a good start."
The academy's barrier had taken just one night to repair, but the city was much larger. I had classes tomorrow, so I couldn't spend the whole night doing this. We'd have to spread the work over a few days.
Fresia, being more of a night owl, could probably manage just fine on her own, but leaving her to do it all would feel wrong. Plus, she's still a sixteen-year-old girl—I couldn't just let her wander around at night on her own.
"Alright, let's keep going."
Fresia started walking slowly again, signaling we'd finished here. I followed at a leisurely pace behind her.
* * * *
"Ha! Bartender, another round over here!"
"Ugh... I can't drink anymore..."
The city wasn't entirely shut down at night. In fact, certain places, like taverns, were just getting started. As we walked through the city, I noticed a whole different world from what I saw during my usual daytime outings.
Bright lights lit the streets, and as the weather warmed up, more people were sitting at outdoor tables drinking. Some clung to lampposts, throwing up what they'd eaten earlier, while others relieved themselves against walls.
"You disgusting idiot!"
I rushed over and smacked the back of a man's head who was openly relieving himself against the wall, then tossed him to the side. A little guy like him, flaunting his manhood in public? Gross.
I glanced back at Fresia, relieved she hadn't noticed, busy as she was inspecting the barrier. I didn't want her to see that disgusting sight.
What a mess. Was this really the same city I walked through with friends during the day? It felt like a completely different place.
"Hey, missy. You out for a stroll with your little sister this late?"
A drunken man approached me.
"Sir, if you're drunk, you should go home and sleep."
I tried to ignore him and turned to head back toward Fresia. But—
"Aw, come on. Walking around dressed like that in front of a bar at this hour? Don't tell me you aren't working. How much? Name your price."
He was clearly too drunk to realize I was wearing the academy uniform. He assumed I was working the streets.
I wasn't in the mood for this. I just wanted to finish tonight's work and go to bed, so I turned away from him and headed back toward Fresia.
Then—swish.
Huh?
I felt something tugging at the hem of my skirt. Turning around, I saw the man lifting it up.
Whistles echoed from the nearby tables where others had been watching the scene.
Finally, I realized what was happening. Even though it had been two months since the TS spell had changed me into a woman, I still hadn't fully adjusted to reacting like one. I should've been embarrassed that my underwear was showing, but all I did was glare at the man like he was insane.
Better late than never, though. I swiftly kicked him, pulled my skirt back down, and straightened my clothes.
"What's wrong?" Fresia asked, noticing the commotion.
"Nothing. Just a little nuisance. Don't worry about it."
"Alright. Two more mana stones, then."
We continued through the tavern district, where I had to deal with three more drunks relieving themselves, four harassers, two more men trying to lift my skirt, and one who tried to grope me. After handling all of them, we finally finished our work for the night.
"Here's today's pay. Since we'll be working for a few more nights, I've added extra for the night shifts."
As soon as we returned to the lab, Fresia handed me a heavy pouch. Just as she said, it was noticeably heftier than usual.
This was why I couldn't leave my boss. Who else would treat their employees this well?
"Tomorrow, come wake me up at 10 again."
"Yes, boss! See you tomorrow!"
I bowed deeply and left the lab. Once outside, I eagerly opened the pouch to check the contents.
It was substantial. Judging by how much work we had left, we'd need at least another four or five nights to finish the repairs. That meant I'd earn four or five times this amount by the end.
No joke, this month, my bonus might actually surpass my salary. Imagining all the things I could buy with this money, I headed back to my room, already lost in happy thoughts.
* * * *
It was the second night of repairing the city's barrier. Roll call at the dorms had finished, and it was nearing 10 o'clock. I stood in front of my wardrobe, debating what to wear.
The academy's female uniform consisted of a skirt, regardless of the season. While the thickness of the fabric and layers varied depending on the time of year, the lower half of the uniform was always a skirt.
Thanks to working for Fresia, I had a bit more financial freedom now, but before that, I had no choice but to live frugally. As a result, my wardrobe was sparse, with hardly any clothes suitable for going out.
Under normal circumstances, I'd just wear the uniform when heading into the city. After all, since the city revolved around the academy, even on weekends, many students wore their uniforms while out and about. I did the same.
But after last night, I wasn't so sure that walking around in a skirt at night was a good idea. Sure, I could handle the drunks and perverts like I did yesterday by knocking them out, but I didn't want to risk Fresia seeing any of that.
It was better to avoid attention from the start. That meant wearing something that covered me more fully.
As I rummaged through my meager collection of clothes, I found something that would do the job.