A Certain Magus' Observation Record (とある魔術師の観察日誌) is a short story included in the limited edition booklet of volume 10 of DanMachi.
Summary[]
Ouranos ordered Fels to keep an eye on the Hestia Familia and Wiene. The mage considered dangerous to leave her there and just observe, but still decided to abide by his divine will. They would use their owl familiar Gafiel to observe them and, instead of reporting everything to Ouranos, keep a record of what they saw with their occulus and then hand it over to him. Fels didn't expect the familia to become a hope for the Xenos, but decided to wait and see anyway.
During the first day of surveillance, Fels was fascinated by how much Wiene trusted Bell. Despite how laughable they found him, they had begun to harbor some hope for the boy seeing how compassionate and understanding he was towards her.
On their second day of surveillance, Fels witnessed an altercation among the Hestia Familia when the rest saw Hestia and Wiene come out Bell's room. The ensuing chaos left the mage questioning what kind of familia they were and worried, since that didn't seem like the right environment to raise a newborn Xenos. Because of that, they determined it was important to uncover the relationships centered around Bell.
On the third day Fels studied the Hestia Familia members more closely. The rest trusted Bell despite his shortcomings and his actions attracted others. Haruhime had the initiative to approach the Vouivre. Mikoto, though cautious, was happy to see them play together. They determined that both girls' attitudes towards Wiene were due to their trust in Bell. Lili distanced herself from Wiene and if necessary would prioritize her familia and push Wiene away. As for Welf, Fels concluded that he operated under his own criteria, so it would depend on Wiene herself whether he became her ally or her enemy.
Fels believed they all complemented each other even in their daily interactions, because although several of them were too good they still maintained a balance, whether it was due to Bell's virtues or Hestia's.
On the morning of their fourth day of surveillance, Fels saw Wiene sleeping on Hestia's lap. The scene moved by them, though it didn't last long when Lili arrived and things becoming more chaotic than usual. Complaints aside, they were genuinely glad that Hestia had been the first Goddess to meet Wiene, as she saw her for the girl she was instead of focusing on her being a monster.
On the evening of that day, Fels noticed that their notebook had become a log of observing people, but given that they were already writing they decided to bring up the subject of Bell again due to how important he was. Fels had gotten to know him better and saw how much he cared for Wiene. However, his expression of anxiety and confusion when he was not with the Vouivre showed the doubts in his heart that he still had no answers for.
Before bedtime, Fels caught sight of Bell and Wiene sneaking out of his room and climbing out of a window to look at the starry sky from the ceiling. After a shooting star passed by and Bell told Wiene that if she made a wish it would come true, she asked to stay with him and the others forever. Following a brief silence, Bell smiled differently and assured her that it would be so. His words disappointed Fels since he had said that despite his own doubts and lack of answers, having resorted to an easy consolation.
Fels began to write in a pessimistic tone. They didn't think the faction would be able to deal with the problems they would soon face. The mage wondered if when the time came Bell would abandon Wiene and concluded that the familia would eventually become just like the rest of adventurers before stopping.
Alone in their gloomy room, Fels looked at the pages and decided a record like that could not be considered a report. On top of that, they considered it rude to interpret the Hestia Familia's words and actions and write a report that speculated on what was really going on in their heads.
In the end, they chose not to hand over any record and keep this one as their personal journal. To Ouranos they would only tell him that the familia would be fine and wouldn't hurt the Vouivre. As small as it was, they were a sign of the hope they longed for.
Fels had not yet changed their mind. The Hestia Familia would soon face the harsh reality and both they and Ouranos would be watching, but they wondered what the Hestia Familia's, Bell's, response would be. Fels wished that they would find happiness on their path, because the smiles he had seen of the boy and the girl seemed more irreplaceable than anything else. When asked for its opinion, Gafiel hooted in agreement.
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