Ranoa Magic University, Nanahoshi's Laboratory.
The teleportation circle deep inside the laboratory lit up with brilliant, multicolored light.
As the light gradually faded, Hilde stepped out of the magic circle.
She looked around the laboratory.
It was quiet, with no one in sight.
The tables and chairs were neatly arranged, the desktops free of dust. The bookshelves were clean, and the floor was spotless.
Several pots of cold-resistant plants had appeared on the windowsill, their glossy green leaves leaning toward the light outside.
Hilde rubbed a finger along the corner of a table. There was hardly a trace of dust on her fingertip.
Clearly, someone came to clean regularly.
Probably Aisha.
That was Hilde's guess.
She hadn't been back for three months, but the place was still the same.
The bookshelves along the wall were still crammed with documents and notes, and the drawings that had been spread across the table were stacked neatly.
After three months away, the person Hilde missed most was Nanahoshi.
But Nanahoshi should be at the Floating Fortress right now, so there was no hurry.
She might as well stop by Rudeus's house first.
With that thought, Hilde left the laboratory and headed downstairs.
She pushed open the Research Building's doors, and the afternoon sunlight fell across the stone-paved path.
The Northern Continent had a cold climate, and it was now the season of heavy snow. Everything was blanketed in white.
As soon as she stepped outside, she spotted a few students hurrying past in the distance with books in their arms. Occasionally, someone glanced her way, only to quietly look away again.
Hilde followed the main path toward the edge of campus. Just past a flower bed, she spotted a familiar figure approaching from the library with a stack of books, walking briskly as