Editor : Amethyst00



“Nella! Nella!”

“Hm? Eliana, what’s wrong? It’s not time for the shift change yet.”

Watching Eliana come running over, completely out of breath, Nella tilted her head.

At the moment, Nella was running an outdoor café.

It was the kind of café commonly seen in Lumene and Lumeria City, but it was a style that had never existed in elven society.

Drawn by its unfamiliar and distinctive atmosphere, a steady stream of elven customers kept coming.

Dressed neatly in a waitress uniform, Nella looked up as Eliana handed her a sheet of paper.

“Looks like there’s something like this!”

“A beauty pageant?”

Chen Xia, who happened to be passing by, tilted her head.

“It must be an event Carl prepared! The prize is incredible!”

“So?”

“Nella! Enter in my place!”

“Me?”

“Yeah! As long as Elena sunbae doesn’t participate, you’ll definitely win!”

Eliana clenched her fist in determination.

Watching her, Xia said,

“If it’s Nella, wouldn’t she stand a chance even against Elena sunbae?”

“No. Even so, Elena sunbae just feels like she lives in a completely different world.”

At Nella’s remark, Chen Xia and Eliana subtly took a step away from her.

“Wow. So if it’s not Elena sunbae, you’re saying you’re the prettiest, huh? Xia, doesn’t that side of Nella kind of rub you the wrong way?”

“I suppose so. I knew that truly beautiful people tend to have that side to them… but still, I’m suddenly feeling a bit of distance.”

"You two aren't exactly lacking in the looks department either, you know!"

“It’s not like you two have faces that lose out anywhere, either!”

Nella shouted at the pair who were whispering—while blatantly gossiping about her right in front of her.

“Anyway, if you enter the women’s division, you’ll definitely win, Nella! Honestly, even if Elena sunbae joins, you could totally take her!”

Eliana gave a confident thumbs-up.

“Why don’t you enter yourself?”

Nella said, narrowing her eyes slightly. Eliana just shrugged.

“If Elena sunbae enters, you’re the only one who can go up against her.”

“If Elena sunbae joins, there’s nothing I can do either.”

“Hey! Have some confidence! I’m telling you, you can totally win!”

“I mean… even so…”

“Should we ask Duran? Duran! Duran!”

Eliana called out to Duran as he was passing by.

“What is it, Eliana Raden.”

“So—between Elena sunbae and Nella, who do you think is prettier?”

“What a trivial question.”

With a scoff, Duran turned as if to ignore them and walk away, but Chen Xia grabbed him and dragged him back.

“Let go, Chen Xia.”

“You just need to tell us honestly what you think.”

Chen Xia said with a bright, mischievous smile.

Wearing an openly annoyed expression, Duran cast a sideways glance at Nella.

Nella fidgeted with her hair, her face slightly tense.

Watching her, Duran spoke.

“Objectively speaking, Elena sunbae is more classically beautiful.”

“……”

The light vanished from Nella’s eyes for a brief moment, and Chen Xia and Eliana flinched.

“Oh? So that’s what you think, Duran? Eliana.”

“H-Huh? Yeah?”

“Give me the application.”

“Y-You’re entering?”

“Yeah.”

Taking the application form, Nella walked off without another word.

Eliana stared at Duran with a look of utter disbelief.

“Wow. Your sense of tact is completely shattered, isn’t it?”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Eliana Raden. And…”

“And?”

“Objectively speaking, Elena sunbae is more classically beautiful. But to my eyes, Nella Caven is far more beautiful.”

“That’s what you should’ve said first!”

“Nella Caven knows that Elena sunbae’s looks are exceptional, doesn’t she? At that level, beauty is a matter of personal taste. As for me, I think Nella is more beautiful than anyone in the world.”

“Exactly! That’s what you were supposed to say first!”

“She left before I could.”

At Duran’s reply, Eliana grabbed her head in frustration, while Chen Xia wore an awkward expression.

“Duran-gun, you have zero tact. At this rate, I’m not sure you’ll ever manage a proper romance.”

“What?”

“Seriously! Keep that up and Nella might completely lose interest in you, you oblivious prince!”

At their words, Duran’s expression tightened in irritation.

“Oh? And how much do you two think you understand?”

“At least we’ve got more social awareness than you do!”

Watching Eliana boast proudly, Duran let out a short laugh.

“Says the one who’s still treated like a child by Leo Plov.”

“……”

“……”

Chen Xia and Eliana’s eyes turned cold.

A dangerous tension passed between the three Knight Studies students.

Just then—

Beep—! Beep—!

“Hey! You three! Why are you acting like you’re about to start a fight?! You’re scaring the customers!”

Celia, who was on patrol, approached while blowing her whistle.

At her side was Eliza, who had been assigned to the patrol duty with her.

After hearing what had happened while trying to mediate, Celia wore a look of disbelief.

“Are you three idiots? You’re fighting over something like that?”

Eliza, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, let out a derisive laugh.

“How fitting. Such a childish quarrel for a bunch of muscle-brained Knight Studies students.”

“Hey. You’re supposed to be helping calm things down… And what does Knight Studies have to do with this?”

“Did I say anything wrong? Then again, Knight Studies students lack subtlety. No wonder they’re hopeless at romance.”

At Celia’s reproach, Eliza simply smiled faintly.

Watching her, Eliana—still wearing a sullen expression—threw out casually,

“And you’re dating Carl.”

“What’s wrong with Carl?!”

“What do you mean, what’s wrong? I thought he was a good guy from the very first time I met him! But you practically looked down on him at first, didn’t you?!”

“W-What?!”

“The noble young lady of House Hergin totally fell for the very commoner she used to dismiss as beneath her!”

“Hey! Say that again—I dare you!”

“Alright, alright. Calm down.”

“They don’t exactly suit each other.”

Chen Xia tried to calm the furious Eliza, while Duran quietly dismissed the compatibility between Eliza and Carl.

“Eliza Hergin. Break up with Carl Thomas at once. I’ll pair Carl Thomas with my younger sister instead.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Absolutely not! He’s mine!”

Watching her classmates grow louder and more unruly, Celia clutched her head.

Other Lumene students passing by subtly turned their heads away, pretending not to notice.

'At this rate, aren’t we just going to ruin Lumene’s reputation?'

Celia glanced toward the elves with a worried expression.

But for some reason, the elves were listening to the exchange with something like admiration on their faces.

“To be that desperate to win over the one you love…”

“As expected of Lumene. How splendid.”

Hearing the murmurs of the Seiren students, Celia’s expression turned strange.

'No, if an outsider saw this, wouldn’t it just look like a messy love triangle? What’s so impressive about that?'

Contrary to Celia’s worries, Lumene’s public image seemed to rise for some inexplicable reason.

“As expected of the race of love…!”

'What do you mean ‘race of love’?!'

Just as Celia screamed inwardly—

“What’s all this commotion?”

Just then, a cold voice sounded from behind them.

Colder than the northern wind that blows at the very edge of the continent—the coldest wind in the world.

Frozen stiff, everyone slowly turned their heads.

Professor Harrid was standing there.

Behind him stood Professor Sedgen and Professor Artienne as well.

“P-Professor Harrid, this is—”

Eliana began, breaking into a cold sweat, but Harrid gave a cynical smile.

“The honor students of their year, and yet you’re making a spectacle of the school.”

“Um… Professor Harrid. If I may cautiously point out, it doesn’t seem like we’ve actually damaged the school’s reputation—”

Eliana quickly tried to plead her case, glancing at the elves’ rather favorable reactions.

“Are you talking back to me, Eliana Raden?”

“No, sir! We were absolutely disgracing the school! I’m sorry!”

Watching Eliana bend at a perfect right angle in apology, Sedgen wore a puzzled expression.

“And what exactly caused all this commotion?”

“Well… the topic of the beauty pageant came up…”

“A beauty pageant?”

Sedgen’s head tilted slightly.

“A contest is, by definition, a competition.”

“Excuse me?”

“Heh heh heh. And isn’t it only natural that the students under my guidance would take first place? My students are elegance itself!”

Wearing a proud expression, Sedgen pulled Celia and Duran to his side and placed a firm hand on their shoulders.

Watching this unfold, Artienne clapped her hands together.

“Ah! Professor Harrid! Then how about making them enter the beauty pageant as punishment?”

“What?! Why? Why do we have to enter something that embarrassing?!”

Eliza was the first to flare up.

Duran, too, looked thoroughly displeased.

At their reaction, Artienne’s expression changed in an instant.

“Oh? So you’re saying you want to stir up a scene like this and walk away without any punishment? The semester’s almost over—demerits don’t mean a thing now! If you don’t like it, then don’t cause trouble! Or what? You’d prefer I personally discipline you for the first time in a while?”

Having transformed into the iron Hammer of Punishment, Artienne wore a fearsome expression.

“Yes! Celia! You shall prove it! That our Class One does not fall behind—not in academics, and not in beauty!”

“I was just on patrol?!”

“Mm-hmm! Then you shall answer for failing to patrol properly! Painful though it is, you shall also bear responsibility for your partner Eliza’s misconduct! Consider it guilt by association! All for the sake of proving that those from Class One are superior to those from Class Five!”

“That’s right. My mistake is your mistake too, Celia.”

With shameless opportunism, Eliza dragged Celia into it with her.

Eager to boast about his students, Sedgen pushed the matter forward enthusiastically.

Harrid folded his arms and looked at Eliana.

“Participating alone won’t be much of a punishment for you.”

“It’s more than enough punishment, if you ask me.”

“If you fail to place, you may look forward to next year, Eliana Raden.”

“Just me?! Why?!”

“Do you object?”

“…No.”

Eliana’s shoulders slumped.

bl

“So? You ended up entering the beauty pageant?”

“Hmph.”

“I mean, I’d be happy if the event really takes off, but…”

Carl scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Which is why, Carl!”

“Yeah?”

"Did Senior Elena sign up?"

Eliana asked seriously.

Carl shook his head.

"No."

"Alright!"

Eliana clenched her fist.

Even if first place was a stretch, placing was well within reach.

'The competition is strong, but…'

Eliana shot a quick glance at her friends, then reached into her clothes and pulled out a small pouch.

“Carl, it must be tough for you. Here, take this…”

“For the record, I’m the host, not a judge.”

“You should’ve said that sooner!”

Eliana quickly stuffed the pouch back into her clothes.

“Still, wouldn’t even placing be kind of difficult?”

Carl shrugged.

“Why?”

“Only the top three place, right? There’s this unbelievably beautiful elf girl who entered. If you ask me, she’s the front-runner for first place in the women’s division.”

“What? An elf entered this competition?”

“Quite a few did.”

Carl showed her the list.

“I guess the elves really have changed a lot.”

“That’s surprising. But even with Nella entering, she’s still the front-runner for first?”

Chen Xia asked with a puzzled expression, and Carl nodded.

“Ah, there she is.”

At that, everyone turned to look where Carl was pointing.

“What do you call that again? Deca— decadence?”

“You mean decadent beauty. More than being pretty, it’s just… unique, seeing an elf give off that kind of vibe.”

Eliana and Celia muttered under their breath.

Meanwhile, Chen Xia’s mouth fell open.

'Young Master Leo?'