Editor : Amethyst00



Tak– tak– tak–

The sound of chalk echoed through the café.

Snicker, snicker— The Emerald students, who had been stifling mocking laughter, grew more blank-faced as time passed.

Tak—

Leo set down the chalk and stepped back from the blackboard.

Then he looked at Sheila, who was opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

“How about it?”

“S-such an approach is even possible?”

Startled! Snapping out of it, Sheila hurried up to the blackboard.

‘What the hell is this? How did he even interpret it? That spell actually activated?’

Emerald Academy students always worked in teams of twenty on group research projects.

And the problem Leo had just solved was the very group assignment Sila’s team had been working on.

He had solved their assignment without breaking a sweat.

From the Emerald students’ point of view, it was jaw-dropping.

To be honest, even though they had watched Leo’s process from right beside him, they couldn’t understand even half of it.

‘Damn it! How the hell did he do that!’

They could tell the spell activated.

But how it activated—they had no idea.

Sheila, glaring intently at the blackboard, stole a glance at Leo twirling the chalk nonchalantly and ground her teeth.

She wanted to ask for a detailed explanation, but pride wouldn’t allow it.

“But you know—”

“Y-yeah?”

“Instead of approaching it that way, I think there’s a more efficient way to activate the magic.”

“What?”

With a cheerful grin, Leo erased the blackboard completely and began writing a new formula.

“That spell just now was a formula meant to draw out high output using only a little fire magic, right? But since it uses heat, it ends up packed with flame formulas. That makes mana consumption too high. So instead, you compress it using wind magic.”

As Leo started writing the new magic formula, the Emerald students’ jaws dropped.

A spell so complex they could barely even comprehend it.

‘How is that supposed to be more efficient?!’

‘My head’s going to explode!’

“If you compress it with wind formulas like this, you can boost firepower even more. That way you also cut down mana use.”

Leo shrugged his shoulders.

“Wait, wait, wait! Sure, that would reduce mana consumption! But efficiency isn’t only about that! Casting time and simplicity also matter!”

At Sila’s objection, Leo gave a faint chuckle.

“We’ve got activation formulas in this age, don’t we?”

“Turning such a complex spell into an activation formula is no easy feat, you know?”

Sheila narrowed her eyes.

Seeing that, Leo smiled faintly again.

“It’s not all that hard.”

“What?”

Leo immediately cast the spell he had just written.

Flames flickered in his hand, then were compressed by wind into a condensed mass of energy.

Sila’s jaw dropped open.

“It’s not practical for real combat just yet, but with a little more research, I think it could turn into something pretty useful.”

When Leo dispelled the magic and shrugged, Sila’s body trembled.

Then, as if she’d figured something out, she blurted,

“R-right! So you’ve been researching this kind of magic too, huh? Of course, that’s Lumene for you! Already studying magic in such directions.”

She forced an awkward laugh.

“Ahahahaha! I can’t believe I just copied Lumene’s research. How embarrassing.”

“Lumene doesn’t really do this kind of research.”

“What?”

“Sure, Lumene studies experimental theories here and there, but not as a school. Lumene focuses more on adapting existing spells for combat and practical use rather than inventing new ones.”

Leo shrugged.

That was indeed true.

Lumene’s ultimate goal was hero training.

Because of that, their studies focused on modifying existing formulas and applying them in battle.

Professor Len stressed academic approaches, but that was never the mainstream.

So unique experiments like this rarely happened in Lumene.

“W-wait. Then how did you interpret that spell and convert it into an activation formula just now? You mean you did that on the spot?”

Sila’s eyes went wide.

“Yeah.”

Leo nodded calmly, and Sheila staggered back a step.

The other Emerald students began murmuring.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You just looked at it and solved it! That’s impossible unless you already knew it… Wait. I guess it could be possible with mental calculation, but no, that’s impossible—”

“I did it mentally.”

“……!”

Crack, crack, crack—

Sheila and every other Emerald student froze.

“That’s a lie… That has to be a lie! No human could possibly do that! Uwaaaaaaah!”

Shocked, Sheila bolted out of the café as if fleeing.

“Hey! Captain, where are you going?!”

“W-wait for us!”

“Eeek?!”

Her teammates scrambled to follow her, but when their eyes met Leo’s, they shrieked in terror.

Seeing the Emerald students looking at him as though he were some kind of monster, Leo scratched his cheek.

“Maybe I overdid it a little?”

bl

The time for assembly arrived.

All six hundred visiting students gathered at the docks to head to Lumene.

“They said all the students this time are first-years, right?”

On a bench at the pier, Celia sat to Leo’s left, Chelsea to his right.

“Celia. Did anyone pick fights with you while you walked around Lumeria City?”

“Pick fights? Not really.”

“Chelsea, you?”

Chelsea, swinging her legs on the bench as she watched the Emerald students, shook her head.

“Me neither. Why? Did some idiots actually mess with you, Leo-oppa?”

“Yeah.”

“They must be really unlucky. Of all people, they had to mess with you.”

Celia said it flatly.

Leo crossed his arms at her words.

“Why me?”

“Because even our own classmates get discouraged just from comparing themselves to you. Now those kids are crushed before joint classes even begin.”

Chelsea covered her mouth and snrk-snickered at Celia’s shrug.

Just then, the supervising professors appeared at the pier: Ain, Yura, and Len.

Seeing them, Chelsea spoke with a serious expression.

“Sometimes I just don’t get our school. Those three professors always cause incidents when they’re together—so why do they always get grouped for big events?”

Two together sparked reactions. Three together caused explosions. And yet, the three were often made to act together.

Celia’s face showed agreement.

“Instructors, assemble.”

At Ain’s words, ten students stepped forward.

Curious eyes from the three academies fixed on them.

“She’s so pretty.”

“Lady Celia…! She’s gorgeous!”

“That’s Chelsea Lewellin, right?”

“Who’s that girl from the magic department?”

“That little one’s from the knight department?”

“The direct descendant of House Hergin feels unapproachable.”

The boys gawked at the Lumene girls in a daze.

But the girls’ responses were indifferent.

Celia brushed back her hair as if uninterested.

Chelsea crossed her arms and pouted.

Chloe kept reading her grimoire as usual, while Eliza didn’t even glance around, just tidied her gloves.

Only Chen Xia smiled brightly and waved.

Meanwhile, the girls from other academies reacted similarly.

“Wow… they look like they walked out of a painting.”

“Seriously handsome.”

“S-scary looking, though.”

Abad, Duran, and Walden naturally drew all the female students’ attention.

“That white-haired boy is Leo Plov, right?”

“All-Class!”

“He’s… actually a cute, handsome boy. I thought he’d be more rugged.”

At that moment, squeals erupted from a group of girls.

Chelsea, Chloe, and Chen Xia immediately turned their heads that way.

Celia, however, folded her arms and muttered,

“What’s so great about that butter-face?”

“Why are you calling my brother butter?!”

Chelsea snapped.

“Quiet.”

Ain’s cold voice cut in.

At once, the three academies’ students fell silent.

“These students may be your peers, but here they serve as instructors. You will follow their commands.”

At that, one girl raised her hand.

“Professor! We like that instructor! We’d rather he lead us instead!”

The girl was from the knight academy, Icott.

Pointing at Abad, she smiled smugly.

“Abad Lewellin is in the magic department. He has nothing to do with you Icott students.”

At Ain’s words, the girl gave a pfft laugh.

“So what? They’re all Lumene students anyway. What does it matter if the department’s different?”

The Lumene students’ eyes went wide.

Even Duran’s jaw dropped.

To defy a legitimate professor in Lumene was unthinkable.

And against Professor Ain, of all people? Impossible.

“Wow…”

“She must have a death wish.”

Chelsea murmured in awe, and Eliza’s lips curled into a smirk.

Yura and Len, though, only looked like they’d expected it.

“What’s your name?”

“Serina Fia! Daughter of the Grand Duke of Cheya!”

Serina puffed out her chest with pride.

The Grand Duchy of Cheya.

A considerable nation in the eastern continent.

At her words, Ain replied,

“Serina. That’s a warning. Three warnings, and you pack your things and return to your school.”

He said it flatly, and was about to continue the schedule.

“Wait! Why do I get a warning? And pack my things? Do you even know who I am?!”

Serina snapped angrily.

“That’s the second warning. Don’t make it to three.”

“No, seriously! Why am I getting warnings?!”

Her face twisted hysterically.

Lumene was the most prestigious school of all.

Even if this was just joint classes, attending there was a tremendous honor.

Yet before even starting, she was being threatened with expulsion.

“Third warning. Expulsion.”

Ain pulled a list from his coat.

“Hey! Even if you’re a Lumene professor, you have no right to expel me at will!”

Furious, Serina jabbed a finger at Ain and stomped forward.

Yura muttered as she watched.

“She’s crossed the line.”

“There’ve always been kids like that. But this year seems worse than usual.”

Len sighed.

Grab—!

“Gasp?”

“Listen carefully, Serina Fia. I don’t care if you’re the daughter of Cheya’s grand duke or a princess of some kingdom.”

Ain’s icy voice drained the color from her face.

“This is Lumene. Here, a professor’s word is absolute. Titles and petty authority mean nothing here. Now get out of my sight.”

Whoosh—!

“Kyaaaaa!”

Splash!

Ain hurled Serina straight into the water. Then he addressed the three academies’ students, who were frozen stiff.

“Consider yourselves warned. This is not Icott, not Emerald, not Skarn. This is Lumene. Your status is no more and no less than students, with no ranks among you. From this moment on, you will be treated equally to Lumene’s own. If anyone intends to flaunt their noble pedigree, leave now. That’s all.”

The other academies’ students held their breath.

Chelsea muttered,

“Guess it’s worse than the rumors.”

“What is?”

Leo asked with a puzzled look.

Chloe closed her grimoire and said,

“The three great academies don’t rank students strictly by skill like Lumene does.”

“What?”

“They admit a lot of nobles’ children. Our school does too, but theirs are especially influenced by politics.”

Chelsea clicked her tongue, arms crossed.

“So that’s why there are so many spoiled brats with no real ability, just relying on their families. I even heard professors there have to tiptoe around them.”

At that, Leo muttered,

“Looks like things will be noisy for a few days.”