After Rika departed, two familiar figures immediately appeared beside Izumi.
Alaya and Gaia.
Both wore visibly nervous expressions.
"Lord Izumi..."
Alaya hesitated before finally voicing her concern.
"Is it really okay to let her stay here?"
After all, they were talking about a single-digit existence.
One of the strongest beings in the entire Dimensional World.
Allowing someone like that to reside within their world was enough to make anyone cautious.
Hearing her concern, Izumi couldn't help but smile.
He reached out and gently rubbed her head.
"Relax."
"She's not an enemy."
He spoke calmly.
"And even if she were..."
"No one can destroy this world."
"Not even a single-digit being."
His confidence was absolute.
"Besides, she's only looking for another path forward."
"You know as well as I do that single-digit beings have already reached the end of the road."
"There is no next step."
"Right now, I'm the person with the greatest chance of opening that path."
"Because of that, the other single-digit beings won't make enemies of me."
Izumi was certain of it.
If he managed to break through the current limits, a brand-new road would appear.
And once that happened...
The other single-digit beings would also gain the opportunity to move forward.
Those ancient monsters who had existed for countless ages were probably even more desperate for a breakthrough than he was.
After all, when one stood at the summit long enough, the desire to climb higher only grew stronger.
Alaya and Gaia exchanged glances.
Truthfully, they were still uneasy.
A single-digit existence was simply too terrifying.
Such beings could casually crush ordinary two-digit powers.
Seeing their expressions, Izumi chuckled.
He reached out and rubbed both of their heads.
"Don't overthink it."
"It's not a big deal."
"If the sky falls..."
"The tall ones will hold it up."
"Right?"
The two girls blinked.
Then they nodded.
That was true.
If disaster really struck, Izumi would be standing at the very front.
So what was there to fear?
After chatting for a while longer, Alaya and Gaia finally relaxed and disappeared.
Only Grayfia, Ram, Rem, and Izumi remained.
Looking at his maids, Izumi suddenly remembered something.
"If you encounter problems while studying magic..."
"You can ask Rika."
"I doubt she'd refuse."
The three maids exchanged uncertain looks.
Ask her?
The Origin of Magic herself?
The idea sounded wonderful...
But also terrifying.
What if they accidentally offended her?
None of them felt particularly confident.
Seeing their hesitation, Izumi merely shrugged.
He had already made the suggestion.
Whether they chose to take advantage of it was up to them.
Soon afterward, Izumi returned to his usual routine.
The sudden arrival of a single-digit being had surprised him, but only briefly.
Before long, he had already pushed the matter to the back of his mind.
...
Meanwhile...
Rita escorted Rika to the residence prepared for her.
Standing before the elegant mansion, Rita bowed politely.
"Lady Rika."
"This will be your residence from now on."
"If you require anything, please feel free to contact me at any time."
Rika examined the building with interest before nodding.
"Thank you."
Then she smiled.
"If you ever have questions about magic, feel free to ask me as well."
"I'll answer whenever possible."
"That goes for everyone else too."
To Rika, anyone who practiced magic could be considered her disciple.
After all...
She was the Origin of Magic itself.
Hearing this, Rita was momentarily stunned before nodding seriously.
"Then I won't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you very much."
Rika smiled and entered her new home.
...
As she settled in, her curiosity about the world only continued to grow.
One thing especially caught her attention.
There were an astonishing number of magicians here.
Not only traditional magic users.
Even practitioners of modern magical systems were everywhere.
That alone fascinated her.
Since Rita remained nearby to assist her, Rika immediately began asking questions.
And Rita patiently explained everything she knew.
The world's structure.
Its power systems.
The various integrated worlds.
The countless magical traditions.
After listening, Rika nodded thoughtfully.
"So that's how it is."
"No wonder magic is so widespread here."
"It's already become one of the world's major systems."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Interesting."
Then a sudden idea occurred to her.
"Rita."
"What do you think about me opening a Magic Academy here?"
"That sounds rather fun."
Rita froze.
"A Magic Academy?"
"Are you serious?"
She looked worried.
After all...
This was a single-digit existence.
If something went wrong, nobody except Izumi would be capable of stopping her.
Seeing her reaction, Rika immediately understood.
"You don't need to worry."
"Since I've chosen to stay here, I'll follow this world's rules."
"And I'm not some moody tyrant."
Rita hesitated.
Then she finally replied.
"In that case..."
"I should ask Izumi-sama first."
"Please wait a moment."
After bowing respectfully, she vanished.
Left alone, Rika stared at the empty room before letting out a sigh.
Then she lightly slapped her own cheeks.
"Seriously..."
"Am I really that scary?"
"Why is everyone so nervous around me?"
"How annoying."
She puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
The dignified and elegant woman from earlier was nowhere to be seen.
That composed attitude had taken considerable effort.
In truth...
Rika was something of a shut-in herself.
Acting serious for so long had been exhausting.
Fortunately...
Nobody seemed to have noticed.
At least, that was what she hoped.
...
Meanwhile, Rita returned and relayed everything to Izumi.
After hearing the proposal, Izumi blinked in surprise.
Then he laughed.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
To him, there was absolutely no reason to refuse.
A single-digit existence.
The Origin of Magic herself.
Offering to establish a Magic Academy in his world?
That was practically a gift delivered to his doorstep.
Why would he ever say no?