第１２２６堀：留学生受け入れ構想 (Part1)
Chapter 1226: The Student Exchange Initiative
Side: Yuki
The magic demonstration requested by Viscount Aoku—which, in practice, had become a session for Fusora-san—concluded without a hitch. Following that, we finished gathering data on the local magical properties and completed our collection of intelligence on this town.
In short, my work here was done.
As for the rest of the members...
"How are things on your end?" I asked the group in the room provided by the Viscount.
"I’ve finished my greetings at the Haire Church. I took a look at the internal situation, and there don't seem to be any issues."
"I’ve already sent word to Haiden. Her Highness hasn't mentioned anything in particular, either."
It seems both fronts are clear.
"Alright then. Let’s take it easy tomorrow and build up our energy for the journey to the Goblin Village. Or is there anything else you all need or want to do?"
"I have a promise with Rurua to do some medical work at the church tomorrow. We need to check if there are any unknown diseases or the like."
"Ah, I suppose I should—" I started, but Enora quickly held up a palm to stop me.
"Yuki, you should focus on entertaining the Viscount. After all, he’s been trying quite desperately to appeal to you."
"That’s true. I heard you’ve completely won over his daughter, Fusora-chan, haven't you? Isn't that right, Mikos?"
"That's right! It’s all thanks to Yuki-sensei’s magic instruction, after all."
"Haha. If the member nations of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance heard that, their eyes would pop out. I mean, it’s magic instruction directly from Yuki. I’m sure they’d pay any amount of money to receive it. By the way, why not invite Lady Fusora to Weed?"
"Hmm, I’m not sure about 'winning her over,' but she is certainly enthusiastic about magic. Still, to invite her to Weed just because of that..."
Isn't that a bit too abrupt? We’ve only known each other for a day or two. As I wondered if there was any real need to go that far, someone spoke up.
"I don't think it needs to happen immediately, but isn't it necessary to start laying the groundwork?"
"Fiora? Why do you say that?"
Surprisingly, it was Fiora who suggested we move forward with it.
"As was the case in my home country, the Dafaio Kingdom, most people in smaller nations still don't know much about Weed. Even on the Rogari Continent, most perceive us as nothing more than a small nation under the protection of a major power like Roschur. That is even more true for the If Continent and the New Continent."
"I suppose that’s true."
"That is why I suggest we build a school for international students in Weed and accept them through the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance. It would be like formalizing what we’ve been doing until now—letting people into Rurua’s medical school or our general schools through personal connections. If we were to intentionally create a specialized academy, it would be a great opportunity to make ourselves known to these smaller nations. Right now, most small countries only recognize Weed as a mere trading port."
Well, I had preferred the status quo of being seen as just a small nation that happened to possess 'Gate' technology, but considering the current political climate, perhaps creating a school for international students would increase our recognition. It might allow us to bypass the need to rely on major powers for mediation, potentially avoiding troublesome situations like the one we just faced.
"Even so, an academy for international students... that’s a tall order."
There’s the question of which fields to focus on, and we’d have to coordinate with various departments regarding how much we should actually teach. After all, the Lancer Magic Academy has its own significance to maintain. We’d also need to consider the budget and the conditions for enrollment.
"Yes, there are many issues. That is why a full-scale operation would be a long-term goal. But that is exactly why I think this situation with Fusora-san is a good opportunity. As a test case. And, though it might not be the right way to put it, we are fortunate to have graduates from top-tier academies across the continents—Nailua, Wazfi, Cleena, and Samantha from Lancer, and Kagura and Mikos from the Haiden Magic Academy. It would be best to enlist their cooperation. Furthermore, we have received requests through Orelia and the others from Lady Nonoa’s magic kingdom to assist, and you are well aware that such requests are quite common."
"I see. It’s true that I get a lot of requests from the major powers asking to study here."
One of the agenda items for the Intercontinental Exchange is the establishment of a place to learn advanced technology and magic. However, the Alliance itself isn't stable yet, and between the issues of where to build the school and the curriculum, there were always other priorities that kept us from acting on it.
"That’s right. We also get frequent inquiries about a place of learning from Father and the others," Shera added.
Well, we’ve had ties with Gartz for a long time. They’ve been asking us to teach them technology and magic for ages.
"So, to finalize those discussions, we need opinions from nations other than the major powers, and Fusora is the perfect candidate?"
"Yes, exactly. Fortunately, she seems to have taken a liking to Yuki-sama, and it would be ideal to teach her from a blank slate."
I see. As a test case, she is indeed perfect. It’s something we’ll have to do eventually, and gathering outside opinions is important.
"I understand. Well, it’s not something that needs to happen today, but I’ll talk to the Viscount about it."
"Yes, that would be best. Also, it might be wise to inform Seraria-sama as well..."
True, since this would be an initiative of Weed, I should check with her first. Just as I thought that, someone spoke up.
"Ah, that part is already taken care of."
"...Yeah. We were talking about it yesterday."
"What do you mean?"
"We were thinking the same thing, so we already spoke to Seraria about it."
"Yeah. Yuki, you’re busy with all sorts of things, and this isn't something that can be decided on a whim, so we cleared it with Seraria. I was surprised that Fiora proposed the exact same thing, though."
As Cleena turned her call screen toward me, Seraria’s image appeared.
『That’s right. I knew you’d do it, Fiora. And you too, Orelia and the others. I shall have to praise you all.』
"Th-thank you very much."
" " "Thank you very much." " "
The four of them bowed in unison. They really have been working hard.
"So, what’s your take on this, Seraria?"
『I think it’s a good idea. However, since this conversation hasn't really progressed at all, perhaps we should start by accepting this girl, Fusora? If we do, we’ll likely need other samples as well, but as Fiora said, it’s pointless to talk about it without getting feedback before we actually build anything.』
"Then I’ll proceed in that direction."
With the Queen’s permission secured, I decided to talk to the Viscount.
"...I see. Fusora, you say?"
"Well, it’s not something that needs to happen immediately. Please, take your time to think it over."
After all, sending a young child to a foreign country—and to a nation they’ve never even heard of—is naturally something a parent would agonize over. If he refuses, it’s no problem at all. This was merely a starting point, and we’ll need to test the waters elsewhere regardless.
Besides, the original purpose of coming here was to visit the Goblin Village.