Transferred to Another World and Became a Teacher

The elf kingdom lay at the foot of a massive mountain, built as if climbing up its slope. Behind the royal castle, the mountain's incline continued with tiered buildings. Snow had accumulated from about midway up the mountain, and because the structures behind the mountain were also white, they could not be seen from a distance. Deciding that this would be a suitable place to demonstrate magic, we left the royal castle and headed there.

By the way, I called out to Seabas and his guard unit, who had been waiting outside the castle walls, before coming here. When I did, Seabas's eyes went wide with surprise.

"……Normally, this area is off-limits. Why is it open now? No, more importantly, if something happens, it will be a disaster. Let's ask if we can accompany you."

With that, Seabas requested permission from Spire to join us, but unfortunately, permission was denied. It was explained that this was an important ritual for selecting the king, so they could not participate.

"……Aoi and the others are allowed, but we, the guard unit, are not?"

"I'm sorry. We'll be going now."

Feeling a bit sorry for Seabas, who slumped his shoulders in disappointment, I bid him farewell.

After that, guided by Edra, we went from the rear of the royal castle to somewhere deeper inward and moved to the wall facing the mountain. Embedded in the wall was a small, semicircular door just wide enough for two people to pass through. When we opened the thick, seemingly metal door outward, an endless staircase of the same width stretched before us.

After climbing so many steps that counting them became tedious, we reached another thick metal door. Opening it revealed a domed hall, with similar metal doors on three sides.

The building looked extremely sturdy and somehow reminded me of the research labs at the academy and in Mapleleaf.

"……Is this some kind of magic testing ground?"

When I asked, Edra, standing in the center of the hall, turned around and spoke.

"Exactly right. This is where we conduct experiments with wide-range magic or highly destructive spells. It is built so that even a dragon, which visits very rarely, cannot easily destroy it. If we need to use magic that could pierce even these walls, we open one of those doors and release the magic toward the sky."

As Edra said this, Spire opened one of the three doors. Light streamed in, and then the blue sky came into view.

"Please, step outside."

Following Glenn at the front, we stepped outside. Passing through the door, we saw the blue sky stretching endlessly before us, and realized we were halfway up the mountain. The floor seemed to protrude from the mountainside. Beneath our feet was a metal terrace. The floor extended about ten meters forward with no railing, so walking to the edge felt like standing atop a cliff—terrifying.

"What a magnificent view……"

Shenley murmured, clearly moved. Indeed, even if only forward-facing, the unobstructed sky was breathtaking. Looking back, we saw the round domed building and the mountainside, whose peak remained hidden—quite an interesting sight in itself.

"So we were this high up."

"With no windows or anything, we couldn't tell."

Perhaps due to the sense of liberation, Eliza and Strass seemed much more relaxed than inside the castle, chatting away.

"Certainly, here we could use even high-level magic without causing damage. Well, except for magic involving earth or water—we would have to be careful with direction."

As Glenn said this and looked around with interest, Spire pointed toward one of the doors.

"Do not worry. If we open the opposite door, there is a valley where even such magic would pose no problem. A fast-flowing river runs through the valley floor, washing away most things without a trace. Also, if the magic would alter the terrain, there is another experimental site deep in the forest that can be used."

Spire said this as if it were nothing extraordinary. Strass and Eliza nodded in understanding.

"I see. That should be fine, then."

"It's reassuring to be able to use magic without worrying about surroundings."

They nodded, saying such things, but I was somewhat concerned about environmental destruction.

That said, they had likely ensured there would be no issues. Surely they wouldn't just wash giant rocks or icebergs downstream and cause disasters.

While forcing myself to accept that, something came to mind, and I turned to Edra.

"Have the candidates already demonstrated their magic?"

When I asked, Edra shook his head.

"We just recently made contact with Owen, the final candidate. We have not yet confirmed the magic of all candidates. However, we believe we have a fair grasp of the abilities of Langus, Renji, and Asor, who have been living in this kingdom."

As Edra said this, everyone's eyes turned to Owen. Owen snorted unpleasantly at the attention, and Hedniz, who had snapped at him earlier, shook his head.

"Even among elves, Owen, who has not studied under any of the kingdom's finest mages, will likely be at a disadvantage. The other three have learned magic from the realm's top mages and have been trained in the best environments. It cannot be helped that he falls short in terms of environment."

Hedniz said this, but Owen remained completely unresponsive, as if he hadn't heard him. Hedniz seemed annoyed by this but, perhaps remembering that Owen was a candidate for the next king, soon looked away and fell silent.

Glancing at that exchange, I responded to Edra.

"I see. Then, to quickly demonstrate the excellence of elven magic, let us first have the most skilled mage in the Senate perform magic. After that, let the candidates demonstrate their magic. That way, we can easily see the top-tier magic of the elven kingdom and use it as a benchmark to judge the candidates' magical level."

At my suggestion, Edra furrowed his brows and tucked his chin.

"……Certainly, if we alone are comparing the candidates' magic, that would suffice. But what do you intend to do about your own magic?"

"We will show ours last. For clarity, we will demonstrate magic of the same attributes as those shown earlier, in sequence."

"……I see. We are the ones who decided to invite Aoi and her companions with the highest hospitality. In that case, that order might indeed be proper."

As Edra murmured this, the other elven senators smiled wryly and nodded.

"Until now, no outsiders have ever participated. There are no clear rules."

"It cannot be helped."

Apparently, the Senate had given its approval. Silently nodding at such comments, Edra turned to the elves and spoke.

"Then, let us choose a representative for the Senate. I believe I am the most skilled in wind magic. What do you think?"

When Edra asked, the senators nodded.

"For earth magic……"

"Ice magic should be mine."

"For light magic……"

"Darkness magic—no one in particular stands out among the senators."

"Tree magic will be mine……"

Indeed, they each had different specialties. Chattering away, they selected their representatives. I was very curious about what light and darkness magic might involve, but decided to wait patiently.

"……I would like to be entrusted with fire or water magic."

Hedniz raised his voice, apparently having his own elemental assignment. Edra nodded and spoke.

"Yes. Hedniz is also skilled with fire magic, so……"

Just as Edra voiced her agreement, footsteps sounded from the direction of the royal castle.

"Wait a moment."

A low voice rang out, and everyone's gaze turned that way.