Editor : Amethyst00



Three days before the dance party, in the afternoon—

Carl was enjoying a rare, leisurely lunch break.

"Wow, how long has it been since I had this kind of peace?"

Seated at a table in the Lumene dining district, he smiled brightly while basking in the sunlight.

Currently, Leo had gone outside Lumene as student council president, accompanied by Elena, the vice president.

'He said he's meeting the Lumene board, so he won't be back until at least dinner!'

Stretching with a groan, Carl massaged his neck.

"Ugh, I must've been so tense the last few days, my whole body aches."

With Leo gone, Carl didn't need to be on guard around others today.

'If things go well and I end up going with Elena-sunbae as my partner, it'll be a win-win.'

Imagining the best-case scenario, Carl reviewed the current situation.

'Everything's going smoothly.'

Lyl was being closely monitored by Eliza.

'She looked annoyed every time she passed by, though.'

Thinking Eliza was annoyed at being given such a bothersome task, Carl decided to leave her be for now.

'I'll let her off the hook after the dance party. Chelsea hasn't said a word to Leo, everything's smooth there. Chloe's completely absorbed in a new magic theory. And Eliana is being well-blocked by Chelsea and Xia, so nothing to worry about.'

That made Carl think of Chen Xia.

'She's been a little too quiet, which is suspicious… but still, no major issues so far.'

The situation seemed very optimistic.

Even to Carl, his plan was going very well.

'It's going so well, it's making me nervous.'

Although a brief moment of unease passed through him, he decided to think positively.

'Let's just stay positive. It'd be great if everything kept going perfectly like this!'

"Here's your order!"

"Ooh! Thank you!"

Clapping his hands at the sight of the steak set on the table, Carl began eating.

"Mm. This place really knows how to make tender meat."

Smiling happily as he ate—

Someone was watching Carl.

'Finally, I found you, Carl-sunbae.'

Hidden in the grass near the Lumene dining district's park, Mylia's eyes sparkled as she stared at Carl.

Having heard about the upcoming dance party, Mylia had been planning to ask Carl to go with her.

But she hadn't had the chance.

And it wasn't because of Juen's interference.

It was simply that Carl had been absurdly busy.

To begin with, Mylia and Carl were in different departments.

That meant they had little natural overlap, and Mylia had to go out of her way to find him.

But in recent days, Carl had been preoccupied executing the "Leo and Elena Couple Operation," moving in the shadows. She hadn't even seen his face.

Today, finally, she managed to spot him.

'Carl-sunbae looks amazing today too.'

Mylia's eyes gleamed.

Carl, shoveling food into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days, was… not exactly the image of charm.

Anyone else would've said she was blinded by infatuation, but to Mylia, he looked dazzling.

Mylia had started taking an interest in Carl even before entering Lumene.

As the heiress of a merchant tycoon family, Mylia had shown a keen business sense since childhood.

But she hadn't only been born with a merchant's aptitude—

She also had overwhelming talent in aura.

Talent worthy of being called a prodigy.

Her family saw her not just as a great merchant, but as someone who could become an elite knightess, and spared no expense in supporting her.

Thanks to that, Mylia had entered Lumene as the honor student.

But she wasn't satisfied with that alone.

Being top of the class was just a gateway.

Her goal was to become the best honor student, a central figure in Lumene, and ultimately be recorded in the Hero Record after graduation.

She also dreamed of raising her family to new heights of power.

She wanted to transform her house into an influential trading force that could exert power across the continent.

So she had no intention of simply becoming famous as a knight.

To Mylia, Lumene wasn't just a place to level up as a knight—it was a new kind of marketplace, where even as a merchant, she could aim higher.

Monopolizing the market where the best talents gather—what could be more lucrative?

So before even entering, Mylia had meticulously researched everything about Lumene.

The business landscape in Lumeria City, the professors at Lumene—

Even the students.

That's why she already knew of Carl when he enrolled.

'I wasn't really interested at first.'

Carl Thomas had grades so low he was practically failing, and it wouldn't have been strange if he got expelled at any time.

When she learned he was working as a merchant, her interest was briefly piqued—but he seemed destined to be expelled, so she didn't give him a second thought.

But then—

Defying all expectations, including hers, Carl managed to persist at Lumene.

And using her family's intelligence network, she discovered that at some point, Carl had begun wielding significant financial influence within Lumene.

'He started out as some back-alley peddler, but within a year, he turned into a general store used by all students at Lumene. I was shocked.'

Sure, his alchemy skills helped him produce great products—

But more than that, his business acumen as a merchant was incredible.

When she heard he had basically taken over the Lumene Merchants Club, she was smitten.

Carl had beaten her to it—he had accomplished what she was aiming for.

And what drew her even more was that he was a commoner.

At Lumene, where skill was everything, noble status meant little.

In fact, anyone who leaned on status without skill was considered a fool.

By the end of the first semester, every student knew this truth in their bones.

But outside Lumene, the class divide was still deep.

Even Mylia, heir to a merchant powerhouse, was often looked down on by the noble elite.

Of course, she wasn't naive enough to feel personal hatred toward nobles just for that.

After all, they were customers.

Especially the higher-ranking nobles—they were usually the easiest to milk money from.

She didn't mind being looked down on if it meant making a profit.

Still, there was a kind of kinship with a fellow commoner who had endured the same treatment.

And that kinship easily turned into affection.

Mylia had no interest in boosting her family's fortunes by marrying into another powerful house.

'I want to grow the family through my own ability. That's the only way it has meaning.'

That's how she came to develop feelings for Carl—and when he finally rose to the level of hero, she practically began to worship him.

'Honestly, I think Carl-sunbae is more amazing than Leo-sunbae.'

Leo seemed like someone born to be a hero.

But Carl wasn't.

He had always been at the bottom of Lumene, but fought his way up through sheer perseverance.

He forged a new kind of hero and blazed his own trail.

When she saw him at the entrance ceremony, she was completely captivated.

'He was… cool.'

Mylia smiled shyly at the memory.

Then she pulled an arrow from her waist.

A letter was tied to it.

If she approached Carl recklessly now, she was certain to be stopped—possibly by Juen, who could be lurking anywhere.

Even though Mylia was the top 1st-year knight student, breaking through Juen's defenses and reaching Carl would be difficult.

'I'll just send my feelings from afar.'

With that, Mylia notched the arrow and aimed it at Carl's table.

Creak—!

The bow bent—

And Mylia released the arrow.

Ping—!

The arrow flew at tremendous speed, but midway between her and Carl—

Crash!

Something shot out and shattered the arrow.

'A magical sniper shot?! Juen-sunbae!'

Mylia quickly turned toward the direction it had come from.

Sensing killing intent, she flinched and activated her aura armor, then threw a potion into the air from her belt.

Clang!

The potion exploded into a smokescreen.

Shatter!

Something collided with the screen, followed by the sound of breaking glass.

'Sleep gas grenade!'

Mylia quickly hid her presence.

bl

"Tch! I missed!"

Juen ground her teeth.

"I haven't even gotten the chance to talk to Carl-sunbae, and a first-year thinks she can just barge in?"

Her eyes narrowed in wariness.

'That Mylia girl… she's dangerous.'

The way she looked at Carl was no joke.

Juen had been planning to ask Carl to the dance party soon—but even though they were in the same department, she hadn't gotten the chance either.

They were in different years, after all, and didn't share many classes.

Today was the first time in days she'd seen Carl's face, and the moment she was about to approach him, she noticed Mylia and acted immediately.

'I need to talk to him now before someone else does… Don't tell me he already agreed to go with Eliza-sunbae?'

Unease crept into her heart.

Carl and Eliza.

Lumene students thought they were just oddly close friends.

Even Juen didn't think the two were dating—personality-wise, they were total opposites.

But still, something about their relationship unsettled her.

After the mentor-mentee period ended, Juen had continued to spend a lot of time around Carl.

That meant she also saw Eliza more often.

And occasionally, she saw it.

A warm glimmer in Eliza's normally cold eyes—when she looked at Carl.

Shaking off her unease, Juen refocused on Mylia.

'She's the immediate threat.'

Then she saw Mylia approaching fast.

'She figured out where I am. Not bad.'

Magic snipers and archers fought in much the same way—long-range.

But as expected of a knight and a mage, they had different strengths and weaknesses.

If a sniper let an archer close in, it was game over.

Still, Juen had no intention of letting Mylia close in.

Even if she did, Juen was confident she could win.

After all, she had far more battle experience than a mere 1st-year.

As Juen began channeling her magic to subdue Mylia—

"Using magic or aura outside the training field or arena is against school rules. You both know that, right?"

"Gah?! Eliana-sunbae?!"

Juen whipped around, startled.

Mylia, who had been closing in on her, stopped and tried to flee—only to lock eyes with Eliana.

Eliana waved her fingers, gesturing them over.

Mylia hesitated, then walked over sheepishly.

Soon, both were kneeling before Eliana.

"You know what happens if Professor Harrid finds out you used magic and aura on school grounds?"

"Uh… we'd get seriously scolded?"

"Nope. Wrong. You die."

Eliana said it flatly.

Both girls felt a chill they couldn't explain.

"What on earth made you two fight on school grounds? Don't tell me… that idiot over there?"

"Carl-sunbae is not an idiot."

Mylia snapped, slightly indignant.

Eliana gave her a pitying look.

"You really need your eyes checked."

Crossing her arms, Eliana gave them both a long look.

Even if she seemed easygoing, Eliana was one of the top-ranking third-years.

She wasn't someone you could defy, especially after being caught breaking the rules.

As the two students tensed up, Eliana said—

"Fine. I'll let it slide this time. But if you're going to fight over Carl, you need some rules."

"What kind of rules?"

"Like—whoever hits him first gets to ask him to the dance party. Something like that."

Juen protested.

"Even if they're non-lethal rounds, getting hit still hurts! How can we hit him?"

"Right. There's no way I'd hit Carl-sunbae."

Eliana pointed a finger at Carl.

"Even then you don't want to hit him?"

They turned to look—

Carl was now surrounded by a group of girls, flirting shamelessly.

"Carl-sunbae~ Go to the dance party with me~"

"No! Go with me!"

"Wow. This is an honor! How will I ever choose?"

Carl laughed heartily, basking in their attention.

Juen's expression turned cold.

Mylia shook her head.

"No matter what, I can't hit Carl-sunbae…"

"I'll do it."

"…?"

Mylia looked at Juen.

"If you're scared, you can just quit."

"Yeah. If you're scared, just give up."

Eliana chimed in cheerfully.

After a moment of hesitation, Mylia gave a shy smile.

"Okay."

"…?"

"Honestly… I kind of want to hear Carl-sunbae scream."

As Mylia twitched her lips in anticipation, Eliana thought—

'She's a dangerous one.'

Not that Eliana felt any guilt.

Having successfully turned Carl into the prey of two dangerous juniors, Eliana now looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.