Editor : Amethyst00



Carl, seated under a parasol in the garden of the Clocktower Dormitory, leisurely enjoyed the warm spring weekend with a relaxed expression.

"So peaceful."

"Right? I thought we'd be dragged into the mountains by the class rep all weekend."

Eliana sipped her milk tea, which she bought from the garden's outdoor café, her expression showing agreement.

Being able to enjoy the weekend like this made them feel happy.

Watching the two of them, Nella asked with a puzzled look.

"Other magic students are all busy preparing for tomorrow's lecture. You two look pretty relaxed?"

At that question, Chelsea, who was sitting off to the side, smiled faintly.

"I don't need to review or anything."

Chelsea, one of the top honors students in the third-year magic department alongside Chloe and Abad, was full of ease.

Carl, on the other hand, was relaxed for a different reason.

"Heh. Professor Len's classes aren't the kind that can be prepped for with review anyway."

At those words, Eliana nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. It's not something that can be done with just determination."

"I don't think that's quite right, though."

Tade tried to interject, but Eliana ignored him.

The five currently enjoying tea and snacks at the outdoor café had all been in the same class during their first year.

Having been close friends since then, they remained close even after advancing grades.

The five of them passed the time playing a board game that had recently become popular around campus.

As Chelsea was about to roll the dice in her hand, she glanced at the Clocktower and murmured, "It's almost lunchtime."

"Yeah. What should we eat?"

"Chelsea, since you brought up lunch, you get to pick the menu."

At that, Chelsea rolled the dice while sinking into thought.

The large troll-shaped piece on the game board moved forward by the dice count and headed toward Carl's mage piece.

It raised its massive club to strike.

"Where do you think you're going."

Carl, wearing a mocking expression, played one of his cards and blocked the attack.

The game they were playing was a kind of maze escape game, where you had to avoid the seeker and find your way out of the labyrinth.

Since her attack was thwarted, Chelsea frowned and spoke.

"How about sandwiches?"

"I already had one for breakfast. No thanks."

Eliana flatly refused.

In the meantime, Carl's piece made its escape.

Chelsea rolled the dice again.

This time, the troll targeted Eliana, who was closest.

"Ah! No! Don't come near me!"

Eliana shrieked.

The wooden game board thudded as the troll's club came down, aiming to finish off Eliana's piece.

Just in time, Eliana pulled out a card.

"Ah! Why do you have that one?!"

Chelsea scowled, and Eliana burst into laughter.

Even in Lumene, where the world's most talented students gathered, the way weekends were spent wasn't so different from their peers elsewhere.

In fact, this kind of ordinary rest was a part of the culture heavily emphasized at Lumene.

With a sulky expression, Chelsea decided on a menu.

"How about cuisine from the southern deserts?"

"No. I've eaten too much of that, I'm sick of it."

Eliana rejected it again.

"What about food from the Xian Empire?"

"Hmm? That doesn't sound bad."

"Ah, I'm not feeling that today."

Just as Eliana was starting to consider it, Carl objected this time.

From that point, every menu Chelsea suggested was immediately shut down by either Carl or Eliana.

Chelsea frowned and said, "Then you two pick something!"

"Hey now, can't you even decide something like that?"

"Yeah. And you call yourself a top student who doesn't even need to review."

"You two keep shooting down everything I say!"

"Alright! I won't complain next time."

"Let's just eat whatever. Anything."

Hearing those two, Chelsea clenched her fists.

Her small fist bulged with veins.

"How about traditional cuisine from southern Lordren?"

When Chelsea said that, Carl and Eliana looked at each other—then shook their heads in unison.

"Yeah, definitely not craving that today."

"Same here. Something else!"

CRASH—!

Chelsea leapt into the air and dropkicked both of them in the face.

The table flipped over, and Carl and Eliana rolled on the ground.

Nella and Tade, having sensed what was coming, had stepped back to protect the café's tableware.

Chelsea growled as she stomped on the two, who lay on the ground.

"You two pick! You two!"

The cries of Carl and Eliana echoed through the garden.

"I knew this would happen," Tade muttered, clicking his tongue as he handed the saved dishes back to a staff member.

Nella crouched to tidy up the board game scattered across the floor.

Then she let out a small chuckle.

Chelsea's troll was now pummeling Carl and Eliana's pieces with its club.

bl

"By the way, is Leo really that busy?"

Nella asked Carl with a puzzled expression as they arrived at a restaurant for lunch.

Pressing a cold potion bottle to his bruised face, Carl nodded.

"Yeah. He said he's busy with some things he needs to think about this weekend."

Hearing that, Tade grimaced.

"When Leo says he's busy, it always makes me uneasy."

"Huh? Why?"

Eliana tilted her head, fork still in her mouth.

They were now at a traditional southern Lordren restaurant.

As Eliana hummed happily while eating, Chelsea clenched her fist tightly.

Tade sighed, watching the carefree Eliana.

"Just feels like he's planning something."

At Tade's words, Nella rested her chin on her hand.

"I do worry a little. Leo sometimes does unpredictable things."

If you asked whether Leo was an honors student, everyone would nod.

He wasn't top of his class in every subject.

But in practical exams—

In evaluations tied to the traits of a hero, Leo was overwhelming.

With that overwhelming skill, he became the youngest-ever student council president and reached the title of hero in the shortest time in Lumene's history.

If Leo wasn't considered a top student, who would be?

The problem was that Leo wasn't a perfect top student.

Leo broke school rules.

Granted, he never got caught, so he'd never been punished.

But it wasn't the minor rule-breaking that was the issue.

Leo's problem was his unpredictable, large-scale accidents.

The kind that made it seem like he was proving his influence could alter entire academic schedules.

To students, those incidents felt like disasters.

One example was last year, when he suddenly planned the Festival of Heroes.

That event had been a massive incident, started right after Vice President Hark handed his authority over to Elena.

Even now, that event remained burned into the memories of everyone—except the first years.

"Hey, Chelsea, Carl, Eliana. You went on that recent mission with Leo, right? Did anything seem off about him?"

At that question, all three shook their heads.

"We were too busy focusing on the mission," Chelsea answered.

Tade scratched his head in frustration.

"Ugh. Something just smells off, I swear."

"Maybe you're overreacting?"

Chelsea poked at her food with a fork as she spoke.

"Maybe?"

Tade tilted his head.

"Yeah, yeah. It's not like the class rep's some walking disaster."

Eliana, as usual, remained relaxed.

Just then, Nella stared hard at Carl.

"Carl?"

At her call, everyone turned their gaze toward him.

Carl had stopped eating and wore a serious expression.

Tade drew in a breath.

"Hey. Don't make that face. What's wrong?"

"No, Leo didn't act weird or anything."

"Then it's fine, isn't it?"

"But this morning, when I went to the student council room, Elena-sunbae seemed a little off."

"Elena-sunbae? How so?"

"Kind of… weirdly irritable?"

"That self-indulgent witch being irritable and making life hard for everyone? Isn't that just a normal day? Sounds like you're overthinking it."

Eliana spoke with ease.

At that moment, the other four's gazes shifted behind her.

"……"

A brief silence fell.

Eliana asked with a tearful look, "Is she behind me?"

The four nodded.

"Who are you calling a witch?"

"Eeek?!"

A soft voice whispered in her ear—Elena's.

She gently placed her hands on Eliana's shoulders and smiled.

"Ah, don't be so scared. I know people call me a witch. Lots of juniors do. It's not a huge deal."

"Hahaha. Of course, Elena-sunbae! You have a heart as vast as the sea."

Eliana quickly rubbed her hands together in flattery.

At her response, Elena added, "Yeah. As long as you don't get caught, it's not a big deal."

"……"

Eliana's face turned ashen.

Moments later.

Elena, now seated on top of Eliana, who lay flat like a human chair, took a graceful sip of the tea that had come with dessert.

"It's true that Leo is up to something."

Chelsea looked puzzled.

"Do you know anything about it?"

"If I knew, do you think I'd just be irritable?"

Elena, still sulking, dumped sugar into her tea.

Carl scratched his head, knowing that Elena only craved sweets when stressed.

Watching her, Nella also looked puzzled.

"But last year, you knew ahead of time when Leo planned the Festival of Heroes, didn't you?"

"Well, he told me because he needed my cooperation."

Elena stirred her tea, narrowing her eyes.

"Right now, that guy is probably planning to drag even me into the abyss of chaos."

Her words made the others' faces turn serious.

As the current student council president, no one knew Leo's affairs better than Elena.

That gave her words significant weight.

"Can't you stop him?"

Tade asked in desperation, but Elena clicked her tongue.

"Leo-kun's the student council president. What could I do?"

Even Elena, known as the Queen and Witch of Lumene—

Could do nothing when it came to Leo.

"If he says jump, I jump."

Watching Elena pout, the third years clutched their heads.

bl

That evening.

The trouble began in a rather petty way.

Rumors that Leo, the student council president, was plotting something spread rapidly through the Clocktower Dormitory.

"The student council president is a very heroic person, right? What could go wrong, sis?"

Freyna Hergin asked with a curious look.

At her younger sister's words, Eliza clicked her tongue.

"Freyna. Just a warning—don't trust that guy too much. He's got a pitch-black soul."

Freyna frowned, not understanding her older sister's distrust of Leo, as she opened her personal locker inside the dorm.

And her face froze.

"W-What!"

Her horrified scream rang out.

Eliza looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"My snacks are gone!"

All the treats she had prepared to enjoy with her beloved sister had disappeared.

"Are you sure you didn't just forget?"

"No way! I'll never forgive whoever did this…"

Freyna's expression twisted with rage.

At that moment—

Voices of protest and disbelief rang out from all over the Summoning Department dorm.

Everyone said the same thing: their snacks had all vanished.

And it wasn't just the summoners.

"What is this!"

A scream rang out from the Magic Department dorm.

"Someone scribbled all over the wall!"

"Who made origami out of my spell notes!"

"Wait—this isn't the magic book I was reading!"

Listening to the confused and angry voices of the magic students, Elena narrowed her eyes while doing homework in her room.

She stepped out into the common room.

Her eyes flashed as she took in the chaos of the dorm lounge.

With sharp aim, she hurled her quill at the desk.

Thunk—!

A fairy, who had been sneaking toward the inkwell in front of Elena's homework, locked eyes with her.

Wearing a tiny stamp around its neck, the fairy yelped and bolted for the window.

Elena ran to the window—but the fairy was already gone.

'…That fairy was definitely Leo's summon.'