Editor : Amethyst00



“I’ll refuse.”

“Why? I will spoil you a lot.”

Her eyes curved gently.

That look was captivating and dangerously alluring.

Even Lyl, who was also a girl, blushed.

“I’m expensive, you know.”

Elena wore a slightly dazed expression.

Lyl’s eyes went wide.

“Pfft.”

A deflated sound slipped out of Elena’s mouth.

“Hahahahahaha!”

Elena clutched her stomach and laughed.

Watching Elena laugh to the point of tears, Lyl hurriedly backed away with a look that said, ‘This senior really is weird!’

“An interesting kid has joined us.”

“Looks like everyone’s gathered.”

Fifth-year grade representative Rhys entered the tent.

“Rhys-sunbae! It’s an honor to meet you!”

Lyl’s eyes sparkled as she stood at attention before Rhys.

“Yes, have you been well?”

“Of course! Your great exploits! I listen to them every single day!”

“Lyl, can’t you treat me at least half as well as you treat Rhys-sunbae?”

“It's been a while, Elena. How was the mission?”

“Boring.”

Elena answered with a face full of boredom.

With an expression that said he expected as much, Rhys walked over to Hark, who was snoring on the ground.

“Hey, Hark. How long are you going to sleep?”

“Hm?”

Hark, who had been sprawled out until now, pushed up his blindfold and blinked one eye open sluggishly.

The small-built fourth-year representative was an unbelievably handsome boy.

“Yawn. When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

After a long yawn, Hark sat up.

“Hark-sunbae. Hello!”

“Hm? What was your name again?”

“Lyl.”

“Ah, right. The first-year grade representative!”

“No, I’m the second-year grade representative now.”

“Really?”

Whether it was because he had just woken up or because he simply didn’t care about others, Hark rubbed his eyes with a blank expression.

“Well then.”

But once he was awake, his face changed instantly.

“Let’s have a match, sunbae.”

With a belligerent grin, Hark smacked his fist into his palm with a smack! sound. Rhys gave a small chuckle.

“I’ll face you later.”

“I want to fight right now.”

“To start brawling the moment you wake up, how barbaric.”

“Heh! Better than you, who drags all kinds of trash into your faction, isn’t it? Elena Zeron.”

“Wha—ahhh! S-sunbaes! If you fight here, we’re dead! The professors will kill us!”

Lyl panicked as Elena and Hark glared murderously at each other.

The two of them were both powerful candidates for the next student council president, so their relationship was terrible.

In fact, their entire stances were completely opposed.

Watching this, Rhys asked Leo.

“What do you think, seeing the grade representatives?”

“They get along very well.”

“……”

Lyl gawked at Leo.

‘A-as expected, Leo isn’t a normal person!’

Even Rhys looked at Leo with a somewhat dumbfounded face and said:

“Stop it, both of you. Aren’t you embarrassed, acting like this in front of the juniors?”

At Rhys’s mediation, Elena and Hark stepped back.

“You’re Leo Plov, right? I’ve heard a lot. I’m Hark Rigard.”

“I’m Leo Plov.”

The fierce Hark from earlier now showed a gentle expression in front of Leo.

“All the grade representatives are here, right? Then change into ceremonial uniforms.”

An assistant who had entered the tent said this and then left.

“Ceremonial uniforms?”

“You don’t know?”

When Leo showed a puzzled face, Lyl tilted her head.

“At any academy event where the whole school gathers, the grade representatives always wear ceremonial uniforms.”

Lyl picked up a neatly folded uniform from the side of the tent and handed it to Leo.

“We’re grade representatives. We can’t look the same as ordinary students.”

Hark also pulled one out as if he was used to it.

Indeed, the tent had two rooms set aside that looked like changing rooms.

Leo, Rhys, and Hark entered the right one.

The student representative uniforms were far more formal than the ceremonial uniforms Lumene students usually wore for events.

When they finished changing and stepped out, a commotion could be heard from the women’s changing room.

“S-sunbae! Where are you touching?!”

“This is payback for calling me dangerous in front of the first-years earlier!”

“T-that was just… ahhh! Don’t touch me!”

“No time! Hurry and get ready!”

Hark shouted angrily.

A moment later, Lyl came out with a flushed face, followed by Elena with a mischievous grin.

“Ahem!”

Lyl cleared her throat and came to Leo to fix his outfit.

As Lyl fussed over him like a older sister, Elena stifled laughter.

“How caring. Taking such good care of your first-year junior?”

“I promised myself last year that when a new grade representative arrived, I’d treat them well. When I was a first-year, my senior representatives only played tricks on me.”

“Oh my. Who would do such a terrible thing?”

Elena shook her head, hand to her cheek.

“Mhm! I can feel the dignity of a true grade representative, Leo.”

Lyl nodded with a satisfied smile.

When the five stepped out of the tent, a grand sight unfolded.

Students in ceremonial uniforms stood lined up in formation.

Starting with the small number of fifth-years, then the fourth, third, second, and first-years, each stood grouped by department.

At the very front of each department stood the honor student holding the department banner.

If the honor student was also the grade representative, the second-in-rank stood instead.

Leo was wondering if he should head to the first-year section when Lyl spoke.

“Leo, the grade representatives stand here.”

Lyl pointed to a small platform below the main stage.

The very front of the students.

A place for the five who literally represented Lumene Academy.

The year representatives lined up in order.

All the students’ gazes landed squarely on their backs.

Some filled with admiration, others with rivalry.

He could feel all sorts of emotions mixed in their eyes.

‘So that’s it. Everyone desires the position of grade representative.’

Standing here, he could see it clearly.

Even among the geniuses of Lumene, the most special ones were here.

The ones closest to becoming future heroes—that was the position of grade representative.

Those who sought it would do everything to climb here.

Those standing here had to defend the spot against challengers.

‘Interesting.’

Leo’s lips curled upward.

Watching him, Lyl stuck out her tongue nervously.

‘Even now, I still tremble when standing here. Yet he laughs, ignoring all the gazes of every year. His caliber is different. Truly different.’

Elena too looked at Leo, her eyes gleaming.

Just then, Principal Kalian appeared on stage.

Seeing that, Rhys raised his voice.

“All… attention!”

Snap—!

All Lumene students snapped to attention with perfect discipline.

“Salute the Principal!”

Thud—!

With precision, the entire student body struck their right fists over their left chests.

A salute offered to a great hero.

When Kalian lightly raised his hand, they all returned to their original stance.

“Students. Did you rest well over the weekend? Another bright day! I hope this week is one filled with diligent study!”

Then Kalian’s moral lecture began.

“You see, what a hero truly is—!”

As the tedious, meaningless sermon continued, students wore bewildered expressions.

Since the entrance ceremony, there had never been another all-school assembly.

This kind of event only occurred when something important was happening, yet here was just a cliché lecture. Professors as well as students struggled to hide their confusion.

“Yaaawn. To call the students out in the morning for this, really.”

At the very front, Elena lightly yawned behind her hand.

Several professors glared at her.

But the girl called the Queen of the school didn’t so much as blink.

Instead, she pouted and pointed to the side.

“Snoore—”

Nod— nod—

There was Hark, dozing off, his head bobbing.

The professors grabbed at their necks in frustration.

‘These brats, seriously!’

‘And you dare call yourselves grade representatives!’

‘Show an example, you damn delinquents!’

Yet even with the representatives slacking right before him, Kalian droned on with his boring sermon.

“Elena Zeron, Hark Rigard. See me in the staff office after the event.”

A chilling voice boomed through the amplifying magic, freezing the air.

Elena and Hark flinched and snapped to attention.

The voice’s owner was none other than Professor Harrid, holding the mic instead of the event announcer.

Seeing this, Kalian beamed.

“Oho! Professor Harrid. The students really do listen to you best—”

“Principal, please get to the point.”

“…Very well.”

Harrid was one of the two professors the principal himself feared at Lumene.

“Ahem. Then I’ll move to the main point.”

“And what is the reason you made us endure all that tedious lecturing?”

When the announcer nervously asked after getting the mic back, Harrid cut in bluntly:

“Because the main point is far too short, and he felt awkward saying only that.”

Harrid was also one of the three professors who knew Kalian best.

“Of course, that main point isn’t light at all.”

Harrid’s face turned grim as he looked at the principal.

“Starting today, until the end of the first-year departmental tournament, Lumene Academy will be completely cut off from the outside world.”

“……?”

For a moment, no one understood what he meant.

“Professors who commute from Lumeria City will remain on campus. Students will be strictly forbidden from leaving. Merchants entering Lumene will no longer come in. Restaurants, stores, cafés—all will close.”

Both students and professors alike looked shocked.

“Magic communication is banned. Letters and packages cannot be sent or received.”

The professors quickly regained composure.

But the uproar among the students didn’t subside.

A lockdown! It was an unprecedented situation.

While the entire student body buzzed, Leo narrowed his eyes at the principal.

‘So he means to flush out the traitor.’

bl

After the assembly, the students headed to the cafeteria in panic.

“This is insane! We can’t even go to the school store for a whole month?!”

The ones most panicked were the girls.

With stores, cafés, and restaurants closed, it meant no access to snacks.

“Damn! If I’d known, I would’ve stocked up! Wait, no! Maybe I can make a deal with the Confectionery Club—!”

At Carl’s words, Chelsea’s eyes gleamed.

“Let’s go, Carl!”

“Hell yeah! Prepare yourself, Confectionery Club! Leo, you coming?”

“I need to change out of the uniform first. Go on ahead.”

“Got it!”

Carl and Chelsea dashed off without even eating breakfast.

Snacks were serious business to students.

Chuckling at the sight, Leo headed back to the tent to change.

There, Lyl was slumped on the ground.

“That was dreadful.”

“Must’ve been something.”

“Yes. Since Rhys-sunbae left early for student council work, there was no one to stop them.”

Apparently, Elena and Hark had another clash.

“If Professor Harrid hadn’t arrived midway, they really would’ve fought.”

“I have something to say to Elena-sunbae. I’ll have to visit her later.”

“You plan on going to see Elena-sunbae?”

“Yes.”

Lyl stood, letting out a sigh.

“I don’t recommend it.”

“Why?”

“As I said before, she’s a bit dangerous.”

“But I have a favor to ask.”

Lyl sighed again.

“If you’re set on meeting her, I won’t stop you… but it won’t be easy.”

“Wouldn’t she just be in the third-year classroom building?”

“No. Elena sunbae hardly attends class.”

At that, Leo made a curious expression.

“She’s a genius, after all.”

Despite rarely attending, she was still a grade representative.

“She spends most of her day at her own estate and only returns to the dorm at night.”

“Estate?”

“Yes. Elena sunbae uses Zeron family property as her personal club building.”

“Quite the scale.”

“She is the Zeron's descendant, after all. Anyway, if you want to meet her, you’ll have to go there. But she doesn’t often accept visitors.”

“I’ll have to try anyway. Thanks for telling me.”

Leo smiled faintly.

“Just be careful if you go, Leo.”

“…?”

When Leo looked puzzled, Lyl clicked her tongue.

“The Queen’s followers are very jealous, you see.”