Maydare Volume 3 Chapter 5 - The Children of the Garbage Dump (Part 2)

 Yeah I'm back

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There was indeed a lot of magic tool junk thrown away at the magical dumping ground.

Magic refrigerators, magic washing machines, magic bikes, magic ovens…

There was even a huge magic bus dumped here, and I thought that this would make a good hideout or playground for children. 

“Makia, look at this.”

Nero brought over a palm-sized broken magic camera.

He deftly disassembled it before me and removed a round, black, stone-like object.

“See, this is a gummy.”

Nero put it in my hand.

“Wow, it’s lighter than I expected. It’s like a toy gemstone. …It’s not squishy.”

Even though it was called a gummy.

However, it was beautifully translucent, and I could see the sparkling flow of magic power, as if there was a universe trapped inside.

The only magic tools I had ever used were those that I recharged with my own magic power, so I had never touched the disposable magic fuel called a “gummy.”

“Hmm. Hey, it’s making a sound.”

When I brought the gummy close to my ear, I could hear a mumbling or whispering sound. It was eerie and strange.

“Gummies are a magical substance that absorbed the magic of the earth. Most of them are accumulated deep in the earth’s interior, they say. The storage of magic power is also the storage of memory.”

“...Memory?”

I was getting more and more confused. But Nero continued to talk.

“This world has few magical records from before one thousand years ago. But it’s highly likely that there were magical conflicts we don’t know about like ancient wars at gummy mining points. Gummies are said to be the key to Maydare’s ancient history.”

I see. It was indeed a magical substance that gave me a strange feeling when I gazed at it.

“I wonder if it’s right to dispose of such a precious substance like this.”

“Well, I hear that there are some companies buying used gummies lately. There are a lot of collectors out there, and even the used-up ones have their uses.”

“...Oh, really~”

It seemed that with the development of magic tools, many of them were dug up out of the ground and disposed of, but they were certainly very beautiful, even if they were considered trash.

As I was using levitation magic to turn over the garbage and look for gummies,

“Hey, hey, Miss Makia.”

The chubby boy from Team 3, Francis, approached me.

“What is it, Francis Downey? I’m busy looking for gummies to pay your tax.”

“S-Sorry about that. Um…do you have your spirits with you today?” 

“Spirits?”

My hands stopped moving at that unexpected question.

“They’ll come out immediately if I summon them. Myr vis makia——Dontanates, Popoloactus, come on out.”

I opened a summoning circle in this mountain of trash and summoned my spirits.

The ham-chans flew out from the circle and scampered up my body. The two plopped down in the palm of my held-out hand and laughed adorably.

Francis broke out into a smile and stooped down to stare at my ham-chans.

“Oh~~~, they’re so cute. I love mice. They’re tiny, fluffy, round, and just adorable.”

Oh, I understood how he felt very well. To think that we were kindred souls.

“Everyone laughed at you at the spirit summoning ceremony, but I was a little jealous. There are plenty of brown rats in Miladriede, but dwarf hamsters are rare. They only live deep in the inland forests.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you’re so knowledgeable about animals.”

Francis took out a biscuit from his pocket, broke it into pieces, and held them out to Donpopo.

Donpopo excitedly got onto Francis’s palm, took the biscuit pieces in their hands, and devoured them. My ham-chans were gluttonous but adorable.

Watching them, the corners of Francis’s eyes drooped more and more.

While stroking my ham-chans with his fingertip, he suddenly asked me a question.

“Hey, Miss Makia, have you found any gummies?”

“Yes. I found three so far.”

I took out the three gummies from my pocket and showed them to him.

“Gummies are only found in vintage magic tools. It’s hard to find them with all this garbage. Sorry, you’re a noble lady, and yet we’re making you do this. You’re going to get your hands and clothes dirty…”

Francis looked at my dirty uniform robe and apologized humbly.

“I’m a rural aristocrat, and I’m always covered in dirt in the Salt Forest. I’m not afraid of getting dirty. …But, hey, Francis, why are you guys looking for used gummies?”

Nero said some dealers bought up these gummies.

I doubt this was true, but could Team 3 be collecting these gummies to make money…?

However, Francis’s face brightened, and he clapped his hands together.

“Oh, it’s for making a toy! A magic toy.”

“Really? A toy?”

I was surprised at that unexpected answer.

“I wonder if it’s okay to tell you?” Francis tilted his head, but he took out something from his pocket.

It was a palm-sized cone-shaped object with used gummies attached to it.

There was an iron core piercing down the middle. I’ve seen this form somewhere before.

“Look at this.”

Francis held it between his thumb and forefinger and tossed it into the air.

Floating in the air, it drew a ring of light at furious speed.

It finally hit me what it reminded me of.

“Oh, it’s a spinning top! A magic spinning top!”

In the other world, it was something I played with on New Year’s by wrapping a string around it.

This toy was exactly like that one, but it didn’t seem to need a string. It didn’t spin on the floor, but in the air.

“You play with these by bumping them against each other. Even with used gummies, they can generate magic power by being rotated to create friction with the air. That’s how you can keep the top afloat.” 

“Wow, that’s amazing! That’s a great idea.”

I spontaneously applauded him. 

Francis whistled, and the top returned to him.

According to him, the magic top became more and more useful depending on one’s own adjustments.

While stroking it with the palm of his hand as though it was a beloved pet, Francis looked around this vast magical garbage dump somewhat languidly.

This sea of junk, with waves of dull grey lumps.

“Me, Dan, Caroline, and Kitar…we were all babies who were abandoned in this magical garbage dump.”

“Huh…?”

He gradually told me.

About how the members of Team 3 were all found here and grew up together like siblings in the Miladriede Royal Orphanage.

About how they had no toys to play with, and how they came to this magical garbage dump and they came up with their own games with their friends.

He told me that this magic top was a toy Dan came up with when they were kids.

“It was unrefined in the past, but now we have access to Lune Ruschia’s magic workshop, and we can make magic tops with better performance. So we decided to gather as many gummies as we could, make as many tops as we could, and donate them to the orphanage. So that all the kids there can play. Just like…Professor Batiste did for us in the past.”

“Huh? Professor…Batiste?”

My heart skipped a beat. That was the name of an important person who had been involved in a disturbance some time ago.

“Professor Eugene Batiste. He passed away recently, right? Apparently, he lived in the orphanage for a time and donated all kinds of things to us. Food, clothes, and especially toys.”

According to Francis, Professor Batiste was the very person who inspired them to enroll in Lune Ruschia Magic School.

Professor Batiste also taught magic to the orphanage children.

He encouraged Team 3, who were particularly talented, to enroll in Lune Ruschia and helped them study for the entrance exams.

“I see…and now you’re all at Lune Ruschia.”

Before I knew it, I was listening to his words attentively, and my eyes were tearing up.

I didn’t know anything about the people in Team 3, or Professor Batiste.

Also, I seemed to have misunderstood them terribly. They must have worked hard and had many struggles without my knowledge. 

In Lune Ruschia, where there were many nobles, they would have received all kinds of snide comments. Just like how they called me the descendent of a wicked witch and things like that…

And yet, for this assignment, they were going to take over Professor Batiste’s wishes and make magic toys to donate to the orphanage. What kind and earnest kids——

“Dan looked up to Professor Batiste more than anyone else. That’s why he said…he wanted us to be like Professor Batiste and help everyone at the orphanage. I’m going to follow him all the way.”

Francis gazed at Dan, standing on top of a small junk heap, with strong admiration.

I also followed his gaze.

I thought they were like a bunch of city delinquents with rough tempers, but now I felt like I somewhat understood the weed-like character of Garnet Team 3.

They had an immeasurable bond that began at this magical dumping ground, and it was the team leader, Dan Holland, who unified them. As well as the kindness of Professor Batiste, who was no longer with us.

Professor Eugene Batiste.

In the end, he died tragically after his body was taken over by the〈Blue Jester〉, but the original him was a great magician worthy of respect. 

I was deeply moved by the fact that there were those who still carried on his will even after his death.

“Hey, Fran! Don’t get too friendly with the enemy!”

At that moment, Dan came down to us with a grimace.

And then, he snatched away the gummies I was holding out in my hand.

“Hey, what are you doing!”

“Hah, they’re going to be ours anyway. It doesn’t matter when we collect them.”

Dan held the gummies up to the sky to check something. Then he put them in his pockets. When he saw me looking miffed, he brought his face close to mine and laughed scornfully.

“What are you glaring at me for? Are you frustrated that we orphans are working you hard, my lady?”

“No. I was just impressed.”

I also laughed and flipped my hair over my shoulders.

“You guys in Garnet Team 3 have been having such good marks that I’ve been wary of you guys for a long time. But when I saw that magic top, I was convinced. Team 3 is strong.”

“...Huh?”

Dan’s expression unexpectedly relaxed. He looked somewhat stunned.

But soon after, his face tightened up and he glared at Francis.

“Fran, you…you showed her the magic top!?”

“Eeek, sorry, Dan!”

At first glance, they looked like a bully and his victim, but then Dan gave a small sigh of resignation and put his hand on Francis’ shoulder.

“...Well, it’s fine. Your honesty is your good point.”

Then, he made a declaration to me.

“Hey, O’Drielle. We’re always behind you Team 9 and Team 1, but we won’t give up on this assignment. Get the rest of the gummies as fast as you can!”

Dan took Francis with him and left.

I was moved from hearing about him from Francis, but as expected, he was still a rough delinquent boy…

Now then.

Just as I was resuming my search for gummies, I spotted something glittering at my feet.

It sparkled in the crevices of the junk heap. I had been searching all over this area for a while now, but never noticed it until now.

I used levitation magic to move the pile of junk out of the way and pulled out the sparkling object.

“This is…”

It was a beautifully crafted silver hand mirror with a handle.

For something buried in junk, it was very expensive looking, and there were no scratches or cracks.

Since it was thrown away with magical trash, it must be a magic hand mirror.

“Oi, can we use this?” At that moment, Frey approached me, holding an old magic pot. “Ah…”

However, his color openly changed.

He was looking at the mirror in my hands.

It was a woman’s item, so I didn’t think Frey would have any connection to it, but maybe he saw it before. Perhaps one of his older lady acquaintances?

“W-What’s wrong, Frey?”

“...Nothing.”

Frey turned his face away. He was clearly acting suspiciously.

He went far away, as though escaping from me, so I couldn’t ask him about it.

In the distance, the bells of Diemo Cathedral signaled the evening…

“What’s with him?”

Despite my concern, I returned the mirror to where it had been before.

I just barely managed to find ten gummies that day and successfully paid our taxes to Team 3.

The other team members also unearthed several old magic tools that could be useful and brought them back to the atelier. 

The next day, Frey was absent from school.

I figured he would have skipped school anyways, but he didn’t show up at school the next day either.

When I asked Nero, his roommate, he told me that Frey hadn’t been staying in their room.

Concerned, I asked Professor Ulysses about it. He smiled wryly and said, “My apologies. Frey was summoned to the palace. And then…he got into a fistfight with Gilbert.”

“What!”

“Frey was injured.”

“Whaaaaat!?”

I was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. 

How intense was this fight?

My reaction must have been amusing since Professor Ulysses chuckled. Wait, this was no laughing matter.

“S-So, is Frey alright, sir!?”

“Yes. His injuries were immediately healed with healing magic. Since then, Frey has been confining himself to a room in the palace. As if to calm his boiling emotions.”

“Frey’s that angry?”

That Frey?

That devil-may-care Frey?

“Well, I’m sure they both have things they can’t forgive the other for. But now is not the time for fighting.”

“...Professor Ulysses?”

“Disagreements between princes leave openings for those who wish for fights between factions and destabilize the country. Now…is the time for the five princes to cooperate.”

Professor Ulysses spoke with a slightly severe look in his eyes, but when he realized I was staring at him, he made a gentle smile.

“My apologies, Miss Makia. I made you worried about our situation.”

“N-Not at all.”

“Miss Makia, classes end before noon today, so could you please go to the palace to see Frey after school? I’m sure he would listen to you if you talk to him.”

Would he…? I tilted my head with a doubtful expression.

Professor Ulysses chuckled.

“It may not seem like it on the surface, but Frey trusts his teammates in Team 9. I can tell. I’m happy that he found such friends.”

“...”

Setting aside the question of whether Frey would listen to me or not, Professor Ulysses’ words soaked in.

I was quite worried about Frey. 

All things considered, he was still a member of Garnet Team 9.

In the first place, what was the reason he got into a fistfight with Prince Gilbert?

The two of them had never gotten along, and I’ve seen them quarreling several times, but I had never seen them physically fight each other.

Something they couldn’t forgive each other for?

How did their relationship get this bad in the first place? 

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