While my thoughts were reeling from the situation, the old chief continued his speech as if he'd forgotten to add a few clarifications to his last statement.
"And to avoid any misunderstanding, this is about recruiting this particular mage and paying him, even though our village hasn't requested it to my knowledge." That was all it took for a few people to immediately stand up.
After taking a moment to look at everyone preparing to move, the old man coughed into his beard and continued.
"Obviously, whoever is the one who will have to prove they are indeed the user of this magic before being granted the reward." No sooner said than done, all the previous protesters returned to their seats, to the mockery of some and condescending looks of others.
"I thought you were the mage in question. Why are you sitting back down, huh?"
"What mage? I'd just put my back to you, and if I were a mage of that caliber, I certainly wouldn't sit next to you!!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure I believe you...hahahaahhaha, and you thought that would work? hhahhahahahahahhahahahahahah"
"...Go to hell, Bolt."
Even if the situation was laughable, it at least meant they were taking it seriously.
(Obviously, it's best to verify their claims to avoid realizing the scam in a dangerous situation and putting yourself in danger. I also think this mayor is trying to recruit us to participate in this extermination.)
Then, in a heavy silence, the groups began to stare at each other while I considered the procedure to follow.
(Okay, I can see where this is going, in anime, dramas, and Chinese books. It's at this point that the protagonist, who is often misunderstood, considered weak or incompetent, reveals themselves as the one who performs the miracle.)
I try, with my eyes closed, to concentrate on my monologue as I feel more and more pairs of eyes on me, in addition to the ones already constantly staring.
"Don't you think these are the elves?" One of the armored men spoke.
"No, the House Elbart is also looking for the mage, so he probably wouldn't be in their group right now." Another of his companions replied.
"So if he's in this room, he must be in the solitary group over there." Another chimed in.
"If he or she is in this room in the first place." Another ended the discussion before a wave of glances turned toward our group.
Of course, it now seems to me that the other solitary figures are starting to give me strange looks, and some are even looking at the table.
(But there's a problem here. In my specific case, I'm not particularly a mage, or not legitimately so, but rather Ivy, who fulfills most of the criteria and, incidentally, is the subject of this situation.)
I weigh the pros and cons in my mind to expose Ivy and myself, while simultaneously dealing with all the stares that were now definitively fixed on me, since there was definitely no one else around.
Well, at one point, I make the most rational decision that a man with expectations of his partner would make.
As soon as I stand up to speak, I notice the old leader's rather dazzling smile, as if he'd just received the best news of his life.
Apparently he had been waiting for exactly that.
Ignoring the stares around me, I calmly walked toward the platform.
(Well, given the impression they already have of me, I'd better take advantage of this to get as many labels as possible right now. It'll surely help me sort out everyone who comes to talk to me later.)
I step towards the platform and walk with the most confident air I've ever had.
"Well, it seems the mage you appear to be looking for is right here before you."
The murmurs in the room suddenly subsided, as if to absorb as much information as possible.
"Although I prefer to introduce myself as a trainer, allow me to elaborate."
I take off my hat and let it flutter in the air to assert my 'mage' status, and gave a small respectful bow toward the chief.
Not submissive, and that for two important reasons.
One, to show that I respect people, and with without being entirely at his beck and call, and two, to add a touch of nobility to my already rather familiar presentation.
Without even looking at the other adventurers around, I'm sure I've already given the impression of being either a mage, or a least a fancy elf. Of course, the rest of my presentation will support this point.
" Lucas Isadora da Valentina vi Yaroslavna Alton."
"Proud cadet of House Alton."
"And young apprentice mage."
Silence filled the room.
Then the noise erupted.
"What kind of noble name is that?!"
Before I could even fully grasp the situation, the laughter of those around me redirected my attention.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA I told you he wasn't normal, look, even the air around him is different from others."
"Okay, I see what you mean, but there was a little room for doubt, but not anymore."
I also thought I heard Lira's familiar cries from the corner, but I think with the ambient noise, I'm just imagining things. It seems to have surprised some, but not others; that was to be expected.
And given the commotion I'm starting to sense around the elves and humans, I think I should quickly wrap this up and move on.
"Apprentice mage, you say?" It seems a member of the elf group noticed my precision and asked a question.
It would appear to be one of the noble children present in the group. I answer as concisely as possible.
"That means I only recently began my initiation."
I float a cup across the room and direct it towards their tables.
"So it's my beast that's responsible for using the spell."
I hear increasingly louder murmurs spreading among the groups.
Without waiting for anyone to say anything and interrupt me, I put my cap back on and took Ivy out of her Poké Ball. It seemed she calmed the room just by looking at her.
Some people looked puzzled, while others, especially a group I decided to completely ignore so I could finish this presentation, picked up Ivy and headed outside.
I ignored the puzzled looks again, and when I reached the doorway, I glanced inside and said the most logical thing I could think of in this situation.
"You'll excuse me if she can't freely use her magic inside and I'm still living in this place, unless some of you are?"
Then I continued on my way to the area that seemed the most secluded.
There was a massive tree standing weakly in the center of the square, and it looked like they'd started cutting it down. I asked the mayor if I could finish the job, and he looked at me perplexed for a moment before agreeing.
I set Ivy down on the ground, much to her displeasure.
"After this, I'll carry as much as you want after you've finished this charade for me, sweetheart." It seemed my reward wasn't interesting enough, so I added a bottle of milk.
Then, after a while, the commotion this whole thing had caused became noticeable.
I glanced around and saw the brother and sister in a corner, giving them a friendly wave, much to calm my turbulent mind, which ultimately sparked another fight between the two.
Why another argument, but seeing them like that brought a smile to my face, enough to distract me while the other latecomers arrived.
"Okay, it's will not complicated thinks like that."
" Ivy use Solar Beam."
Of course, at my statement, people began to watch in awe.
Then the wave of light simply destroyed the rest of the tree, which was barely standing.
The beam of light tore through the air.
For a brief instant, the entire square was bathed in blinding gold.
Then—
The rest of the dying tree simply vanished.
Not cut.
Not shattered.
Erased.
A deafening crack echoed through the village as the remaining trunk collapsed into splinters and dust.
For a moment…
No one spoke.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Then the reactions came all at once.
"What in the—?!"
"No way… that spell requires a massive amount of magic!"
Several of the armored men instinctively stepped back, their hands moving toward their weapons before they realized there was nothing to defend against.
Their sharp eyes were locked onto Ivy.
One of them whispered quietly.
"A spirit beast…?"
Murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"Did you see the size of that beam?"
"And he said the beast cast the spell…"
"Then what kind of tamer is he?"
Meanwhile, Ivy simply looked back at everyone with mild annoyance, as if she had merely been asked to move a chair.
I crossed my arms calmly, pretending this was perfectly normal.
Inside, however, my thoughts were racing.
(Okay… maybe that was a bit more impressive than I expected it to be.)
One of the adventurers muttered nervously.
"...We were going to hire that guy to clear monsters?"
Another replied quietly.
"...I'm starting to think the monsters should be the ones worrying."
The elves remained silent longer than anyone else.
Their eyes were not focused on the destroyed tree… but on Ivy.
One of the younger elves whispered,
"Solar magic…?"
Another slowly shook his head.
"No. That isn't elven solar magic."
The oldest among them narrowed his eyes.
"And yet… the mana concentration was perfectly stable."
A brief silence settled between them.
"A familiar capable of casting a spell of that level… and a elf tamer capable of controlling it."
One of the elven girls finally murmured,
"…The Main House must be informed."
Meanwhile the old chief stared at the remains of the tree with wide eyes.
For a few seconds, he remained completely still.
Then slowly…
A huge smile spread across his face.
"HAHAHAHA!"
He slammed his hand heavily on one of his children.
"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!"
He turned toward the villagers.
"You see?! I told you a mage was involved!"
Then his gaze returned to Lucas, full of satisfaction.
"…I believe our little monster problem has just found its solution."
---
The silence that followed the destruction of the tree felt almost unreal.
Then, from one corner of the square, two familiar voices could be heard.
The little brother stared at the spot where the tree had stood moments ago, his mouth wide open.
"…T-the tree is gone."
Sarah crossed her arms, trying to look calm.
"Of course it's gone, idiot. You just saw what happened."
"…But it was a giant tree."
"Yes."
"…And now it's gone."
"Yes."
Gerald stayed silent for a moment before slowly turning his head toward Lucas in the distance.
"…I think we should be nice to him."
Sarah hesitated for a second.
Then she looked at Ivy, who seemed quite satisfied with herself.
"… I think so."
She paused before adding, with a bold claim.
"…So what do you think of your future brother-in-law."
Gerald looked immediately at his sister with a great disbelief, before calming himself and spoke'
" Well, he seems very, very nice."
"Hehehe I thought so."