Editor : Amethyst00



As soon as Leo finished speaking, the first to move was Mylia, who had ranked first in the entrance exam for the Knight Department.

Pabak—!

Mylia immediately dashed into the bushes and hid herself.

"Waaahhh!"

"What the hell is going on?!"

Mylia's actions acted as the signal. Startled, the first-year students quickly scattered.

Piiing—!

Then, Mylia, who had already hidden herself in the bushes, shot an arrow toward a first-year student from the Magic Department.

"Waaahhh?!"

The student from the Magic Department hurriedly dodged the arrow.

"Isn't attacking like this against the rules?!"

As the student stood up and protested, Leo smiled.

"I told you earlier, didn't I? Start fighting now."

"Th-this is…!"

The eyes of the other first-years began to change.

"Think of it as a real battle. If it looks like an attack could cause serious injury, we'll step in."

At Leo's words, the first years simultaneously drew their weapons.

Watching this, Chloe said, "Even if you get hurt, I'll use healing magic, so don't worry and fight!"

"Sniff! Chloe-sunbae!"

"Out of all the third-year seniors, I think Chloe-sunbae is the kindest!"

"I'm so glad I'm in the Magic Department!"

The first-year magic students looked deeply touched.

Leo looked puzzled as he heard Chloe's words.

"You're planning to use that recovery magic you've been researching lately?"

"Yup."

"Didn't you say it causes a ton of pain to the injured?"

"Yup. But it's effective, right?"

Chloe clenched her fist and her eyes sparkled.

"I tweaked the formula recently. So I tried to boost the effects a bit."

"And the pain increased too?"

"Yup."

Chloe pulled a notebook from her chest and started scribbling formulas.

"I needed to test how much better the effect got and how much more painful it became, and this is the perfect opportunity."

Leo shook his head as he watched Chloe's excited expression.

"You're a full-fledged mage now."

"Huh? I've always been a mage."

Her current demeanor reminded Leo of Luna.

'Luna would look just like that when experimenting with magic.'

Leo clicked his tongue, recalling how Luna once tried to use him as a test subject.

"Leo-sunbae. What should we do?"

As Luke approached and asked, Leo sat on a nearby rock and replied.

"The third years will handle preparations for attacking the orc nest. You second-years just watch over the first years and step in if things get too dangerous."

This was a mock battle to see how well the first years could respond to sudden situations.

Even if injuries could be healed, it was best to prevent serious harm in advance.

"Yes, sir."

Luke nodded and conveyed Leo's words to the other second-years.

Upon hearing them, the second years entered the forest to keep an eye on the first years.

"Wow. Luke's really growing into his role."

Carl approached Leo, sounding impressed.

"He's acting like a real class rep now."

"Yeah, though whether he keeps the position depends on his own efforts."

"True. Juen seems fired up. Man, I bet Juen's gonna be the next second-year rep."

Carl grinned.

Then, Chloe, who was scribbling in her notebook, suddenly looked up.

"What is it?"

"I might be imagining it…"

Leo asked with a puzzled look, and Chloe seemed uncertain.

"Is it going to snow, maybe?"

"Snow? In spring?"

Carl looked completely baffled.

Maybe in the northern continent, but in the central continent, even spring nights weren't cold enough for snow.

Leo looked up at the sky.

The sun was setting and the sky was clear.

Chloe stared at the sky for a moment too, then shook her head.

"Guess I was mistaken."

bl

Mylia, who had hidden in the forest first, erased her presence.

'This suits me perfectly.'

Though Mylia ranked first in the Knight Department, she was different from most of her peers.

Students in the Knight Department traditionally valued honor.

That was to be expected, given that most who entered Lumene came from knightly families.

Naturally, they emphasized chivalry.

Not that she disliked it—she actually thought it noble.

The problem was how they treated her.

'They look down on me.'

Though she was in the Knight Department, Mylia was no knight.

She was born to a merchant family and had shown talent with the bow from a young age.

Her aura also awakened naturally.

But she was more a hunter than a knight.

She dug traps and sought high ground to gain the advantage.

In doing so, she sometimes used methods knights might consider cowardly.

Not that she would do anything to win, but—

If it meant victory, she did whatever was necessary.

Like a true merchant, she prioritized efficiency and gains, and that mindset showed in her fighting style.

As a result, she'd long been scorned by other knight aspirants.

And they were all nobles.

As the heiress of a large merchant house, Mylia had interacted with nobles since childhood.

Though not all were the same, most noble heirs she met were arrogant fools flaunting their family status despite lacking any real talent.

Only a few were truly capable and thoughtful.

She understood it couldn't be helped, but that didn't mean she liked nobles.

Especially when they dismissed the achievements of commoners—it infuriated her.

Then, she heard about a student named Carl Thomas from Lumene.

A commoner with average talent, but who was gaining fame.

Most nobles laughed at him.

But to commoners, Carl was a figure impossible to ignore.

Mylia was the same.

She naturally started rooting for him, and when she heard he'd become a hero, she was overjoyed.

And when she met him in person—

'He was so cool.'

She blushed, recalling how Carl had completely overpowered her while saying it "wasn't bad."

'I may have exposed my sadistic side a bit back then…'

Shaking her head at the memory, she thought:

'Now's my chance to make a good impression. Carl-sunbae is watching!'

Her eyes gleamed as she drew her bowstring.

Piiing—!

An arrow soared into the sky, exploding into a red firework.

The first-year Knight Department students tensed when they saw it.

From a tree above, Juen narrowed her eyes, watching Mylia.

"Juen, why are you only watching Mylia? She doesn't seem likely to get seriously hurt."

Luke, passing by, landed on the same tree and asked curiously.

"She's dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"Yeah. She can't fool my eyes. That girl's a ticking time bomb."

"But she's a top student. Kind, caring, and helps everyone."

Mylia had an excellent reputation after enrolling.

She was polite to everyone and respected her professors.

She was praised by classmates, upperclassmen, and faculty alike.

"Compared to how much trouble you four caused during your first semester, she seems way less dangerous."

"Ah, of course if you compare her to us—wait. What's that supposed to mean?"

Juen's eyes flared as Luke scratched his cheek.

"Don't you remember first-year, first semester?"

"…"

Juen fell silent.

Back then, Juen, Shasha, Haviden, and Aina were all problem children—excluding grades.

Aina only cared about earning Leo's recognition.

Juen, Shasha, and Haviden, frustrated by Aina's disregard, were constantly clashing.

Though they eventually became friends in the second semester, Luke couldn't help being incredulous seeing Juen label the well-behaved Mylia as dangerous.

After a pause, Juen argued.

"Still! That's different! I heard she was digging up info on Carl-sunbae from day one. And she's a merchant heiress! With Carl-sunbae doing business, she might try to use that to get close. Hehe. I'll keep a close eye on her!"

Luke scratched his cheek again.

"Good luck."

"Yeah. I'll do my best."

As Juen's eyes gleamed with determination, Luke headed elsewhere.

bl

"Well, this is unexpected."

Late that night.

Carl stroked his chin as he looked at the eight first-years who had made it.

Seeing him, Mylia's eyes sparkled.

'Ugh, she's intense.'

Carl quickly looked away from her gaze.

Then Leo looked at Mylia and asked

"Did you talk this over in advance?"

"Yes, to some extent."

Mylia nodded.

Eight out of one hundred remained.

All of them were from the Knight Department.

"If it's you, I bet you could've ensured whichever students you wanted made it to the final eight."

"Yes."

As an archer, Mylia could easily interfere in intra-department competition.

"Why these seven?"

Mylia glanced at the students standing beside her.

"I heard you don't really like nobles?"

Everyone except Mylia was from noble families.

And they hadn't exactly gotten along with her since enrollment.

"They're skilled. Keeping them is best for the party."

"Hm."

Leo smiled faintly and gestured.

Mylia stepped forward with a puzzled expression.

"Palm."

Leo stamped a bonus point mark on her palm.

"We'll be camping tonight. The orc nest subjugation starts tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir!"

"Good job, everyone! Time to eat!"

The third years called over the first- and second years.

"Impressive," Chloe said with a soft smile.

Leo nodded.

"Yeah. This year's new students are looking promising."