Editor : Amethyst00



The day after the mock battle.

The students who had been in the infirmary returned to the Clocktower Dormitory only by evening.

Seeing them, Carl wore a puzzled expression.

"Hey, Chelsea. Why were you stuck in the infirmary for almost two whole days?"

At Lumene, most classes were practical.

As a result, injuries were inevitable, and the best doctors and healers were always on standby in the infirmary.

Lumene's medical technology was so advanced that they said if you were still breathing, you could be saved no matter how severe the injury.

Since no one had broken bones or serious injuries during the mock battle, he expected them to return that morning.

Yet the students who had gone to the infirmary returned only after a full day and half had passed.

"Did you get hurt worse than expected?"

Carl asked with a curious face, and Chelsea sighed.

"No. Everyone overexerted themselves and complained of feeling dizzy."

"Hmm? Mana depletion aftereffects?"

"Yeah. It was a bit severe."

"I see. Must've been tough."

Just as Carl nodded—

"There he is!"

"Stop right there!"

["Wahahahaha!"]

The first-years came charging through, each with a butterfly net in hand.

Normally, no one would dare run and yell in the common lounge full of upperclassmen.

But this time, no one stopped them.

Because the one they were chasing was none other than Kiran.

Kiran's evasive movements, dodging the swinging nets, were nearly acrobatic.

["How's that? Behold my dazzling agility!"]

"Tch! Is this the power of one of the three mythical beasts?"

"Can't catch him!"

["Kneel before my majesty, first-year fledglings!"]

The first-years looked frustrated.

Watching from afar, Lysinas gave a bitter smile.

'Single-handedly embarrassing the three mythical beasts. Wasn't he the son of Sylord? That guy's suffering even in his later years.'

If the last Phoenix King, who had been Lysinas's contractor, had seen this, she might've raged.

"Wow, Leo. How does your summon always know exactly when no upperclassmen are around to show up like this?"

"He's not a fool. He knows not to mess around near people who might catch him."

As Leo watched Kiran gallop around proudly, he turned to Chelsea and asked, "So? Feeling better from the mana depletion?"

"Yep! No problem now!"

Chelsea flexed her arm and answered energetically.

"You and Chen Xia? You two didn't even go to the infirmary."

Leo looked at Chloe, calmly reading a book beside him, then at Lysinas.

"We just had it a bit easier."

During the mock battle, Lysinas had manipulated the magical screen shown to the outside.

Thanks to that, the professors and students only saw the mock battle Lysinas created.

And the participating students had their memories temporarily sealed by Lysinas.

A memory seal using Dragon Words.

'It won't last long since it's not a strong binding.'

Lysinas looked at her book.

'This idiot might be oblivious, but he's sharp in other ways.'

She wouldn't be able to keep her identity hidden for long anyway.

Creak—

At that moment, the dormitory door opened and someone entered.

["Wahahahaha—cough?!"]

"What are you all doing?"

A fourth-year from the Department of Summoning.

Lyl looked at the first-years with a puzzled expression.

In her hand was Kiran, who had just been fooling around moments ago.

"Huh? Isn't that a praise stamp?"

Lyl pulled the praise stamp from Kiran's neck and walked toward Leo, who was in the lounge.

"Hyung-nim, have you been well?"

"Did the mission go okay?"

"Yes. It ended safely."

She seemed to have just returned from a long-term mission.

"Give me that stamp."

"Yes, sir."

Leo took the stamp from Lyl and pressed it onto her palm.

"Oh! So you get a praise stamp for catching that fairy?"

"Yep. There are plenty more ways to earn bonus points, so do your best."

Leo pointed at the scoreboard.

There, the scores were displayed by department and by individual.

And at the top, overwhelmingly in first place—

—was Elena.

In just one day, Elena had solved two issues in the dormitory.

Hearing about the departmental war that happened in her absence, Lyl tilted her head.

"Is there a reward for getting first place individually? Elena-sunbae isn't the type to go this hard."

"I promised I'd grant one wish within my power."

"A wish? Wow! You're generous as ever!"

As Lyl expressed admiration, she noticed Lysinas staring at her and gave a puzzled look.

"Is there something on my face?"

"Nothing at all."

Lysinas smiled and closed her book, rising from her seat.

"I'm going to bed."

She spoke to Leo and stood up.

"Chloe looks unusually mature today."

Carl tilted his head at Lyl's comment.

"Leo said something similar earlier."

"Ahh. To have that kind of grown-up charm. So enviable."

Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Lysinas was thinking of Lyl with admiration.

'She's amazing.'

Perhaps because she was a summoner, Lysinas's attention kept going to her.

First-year: Freyna. Second-year: Shasha. Fifth-year: Runeba. Third-years: Eliza and Walden.'

All incredibly gifted summoners.

As a summoner herself, she couldn't help but focus on the summoning students.

But among them, Lyl stood out the most.

Walden had more raw impact.

'He's just overwhelming.'

His talent in perfectly controlling elementals even impressed Lysinas.

But Lyl was different.

'A friend.'

Lysinas could feel how happy the elementals around Lyl were.

There were many powerful summoners, but few could bring happiness to elementals like Lyl could.

'She's an incredibly charming summoner.'

Had she been reincarnated once more, maybe she'd have taken Lyl as her student?

As she thought of Lyl, Lysinas smirked mischievously.

'Soon.'

A little while later.

Imagining Leo's face twisted in anguish, Lysinas hummed cheerfully.

bl

Step—step—

Elena calmly walked down the corridor shrouded in darkness.

It was already curfew.

But Elena, Queen and Tyrant of Lumene, walked the halls without hesitation.

She didn't even try to hide.

She strolled the corridor like it was her own bedroom.

"Where are you hiding?"

Elena's voice echoed through the hallway.

Even while solving dorm problems, she never stopped hunting other students.

For any department besides Magic, she was the worst hunter imaginable.

"Come play with me."

Carl clicked his tongue at the voice in the distance.

"Ugh, that voice is scarier than the zombie-looking former student council presidents."

Even though she was an ally, Elena's voice sent chills.

"Right?"

"Yeah."

Eliza replied coldly to Carl's question.

Though they were under an invisibility cloak together, Eliza didn't even glance at him.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're sulking, aren't you?"

"Who are you calling sulky?"

Eliza glared at Carl.

"Hey, come on. What's wrong? Tell me."

"Don't get close! It's hot!"

Just as Carl laughed and moved closer, Eliza snapped.

"Huh? I think I heard Carl's voice?"

The voice from right beside them made both of them nearly scream.

Elena was suddenly right next to them.

They hadn't been discovered due to the invisibility cloak and Dweno's artifact.

With a hand above her brow, Elena scanned the area.

Carl and Eliza covered each other's mouths, trying to calm their pounding hearts.

Step—step—

"Trying to play tag with me? Where could you be?"

Elena smiled and resumed walking with ease.

'She didn't see us, right?'

Terrified, Carl ducked with Eliza.

They were heading toward a maze they had memorized earlier.

If Elena found them, she'd knock out Eliza and drag Carl off to clear the maze with her.

They tried to put as much distance between them and Elena as possible.

Just as they rounded a corridor corner—

They froze at the sight of a giant, deadly war hammer.

From the corner, Lyl was standing silently, eyeing Elena.

Gripping her war hammer with both hands, she bent her knees.

The only person at Lumene aside from Leo who could face Elena—

Lyl, fourth-year summoner, charged straight at the unaware Elena.

Boom!

Crackkkkkk—!

Her war hammer slammed into Elena's shield.

Nearby objects flew from the shockwave.

"Hm?"

Elena sleepily opened her eyes and looked at Lyl pressing down on her shield.

"My dear Lyl. What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm fighting you."

"Did you have a grudge against me?"

As Elena tilted her head, Lyl shook hers.

"Not at all. But we're going to fight eventually, right?"

Crackkk—

A fissure formed in Elena's shield.

"If the fight is inevitable, I might as well strike first. The wish Hyung-nim promised is mine."

"You want the wish? What kind of wish? If I can do it, I'll grant it instead."

"It's a wish only Hyung-nim can fulfill."

"What do you want from Leo?"

"I want to spend a week alone with him!"

"What would you do for a whole week?"

"Train, of course! I want to train nonstop with him!"

"That's so like you."

"Haaaah!"

Crack!

Lyl's war hammer shattered Elena's shield.

Mana shards scattered in all directions.

"Now's our chance! Run!"

"You don't have to tell me!"

"So you were hiding?"

"Huh? When did you two get here?"

Elena seemed unsurprised, while Lyl looked shocked.

Even though Lyl had broken the shield, she hadn't done real damage.

Elena had dodged right before the hammer landed.

"Lyl?"

"Yes?"

"For someone who said they just wanted the wish, your hammer had a bit of emotion behind it."

Elena smiled.

"Want to be a little more honest?"

Lyl also smiled.

"You're graduating at the end of this year, right?"

"And?"

"Before that, I wanted to repay all the teasing I endured the past four years. This felt like a good chance."

"Ahh."

Elena nodded.

Then she smiled brightly.

"You've grown up a lot, Lyl. Seeing a chance and finally letting it out."

"I've always been taller than you!"

Lyl charged in at incredible speed.

Elena smiled, then snapped her fingers.

Snap!

Countless magic circles appeared around Elena.

"I understand how you feel. But you bared your fangs at this sunbae."

Her lips curled into a smirk.

"Even you, Lyl, need a little discipline."

bl

Clang!

"Uwah?!"

Thud!

Plop—

Blasted through a window by Elena's magic, Lyl crashed inside.

Her heavy war hammer rolled across the floor.

Luckily, she landed somewhere soft, avoiding serious injury.

Rising, Lyl sat atop something solid and looked back at the broken window.

"As expected of Elena-sunbae! Not easy!"

Burning with fighting spirit, she glanced around.

"Wait. Where am I? I thought I flew into the cafeteria?"

This was clearly a bedroom.

And she was on a bed.

"What is this?"

"That's what I'd like to ask."

"EEK?!"

Hearing a voice from below, Lyl looked down in shock.

She realized she was sitting on someone she knew.

It was Leo, who had been asleep and was now pinned under her.

Leo tapped Lyl's hip with his fingertip.

"Mind getting off?"

"UWAAAAH! S-Sorry, Hyung-nim! I'm sorry!"

Panicking, Lyl scrambled off Leo.

Grimacing, Leo sat up.

"What the hell is going on…?"

WHOOSH—!

Just then, a massive fireball flew in through the window Lyl had crashed through.

Elena's spell.

Leo clutched his head.

"What is this? A dream? What the hell is happening?"

He tried to deny reality, but Elena's spell landed right on top of his head.

And then—

BOOM!

A massive explosion reduced Leo's room to rubble.

bl

BOOM!

"…?"

Late at night in the teacher's wing, Mel stood blankly, mouth agape, watching the explosion erupt from the top floor of the Clocktower Dormitory.

"What… in the world…?"