Ian.
Her eyes were, how to put it—
similar to the look she'd had when she first saw Edgar.
Sharp and frightening eyes.
Eyes that looked ready to pick a fight at the slightest provocation.
Their first meeting hadn't gone well, either.
*Come back in, she said…*
For some reason, Rui's face came to mind.
I'd heard she'd been kicked out—these students were probably her original team.
*I wonder if Rui will go back to them.*
She'd looked exhausted, but if she did go back, it would at least be one less thing to worry about.
"Calm down, Kail. Getting angry isn't going to fix anything."
The man called Kail, who had just been trading sharp words with Ian, clicked his tongue and shut his mouth in displeasure.
The student who had been smoothly mediating stepped forward and began talking to Ian.
"Ian, I get that you're emotional, but how about looking at this a little more rationally? I know your results at this year's Spring Festival Tournament matter to you."
"Then you shouldn't have kicked me out in the first place. And now you come to me?"
"I'm sorry. We were honestly confused about things ourselves. But it seems like we really do need you."
"…"
Ian looked as though some of her anger had subsided, yet she still didn't lower her guarded gaze.
"Think about it. We're giving you an opportunity. You know what that means, right? Sereen and Tirion are both entering this year's Spring Festival Tournament. Do you really think you could place in the top tier even if you put together your own team?"
The man let out a blatant smirk, but everything he said was so undeniably on point that Ian couldn't find a word to say.
There was still plenty of time before the festival, but most teams had already been assembled—and if Rui was running herself ragged trying to recruit, that said plenty about how few options were left.
"We've got four from Alpha Class alone, so with you it's exactly five. Not bad, right? Worst case, mid-tier—and if we're lucky… I think we could aim for the top."
At that moment, Ian lifted her head.
*With you it's exactly five.*
Those words were both a declaration that they wouldn't be calling Rui—who had been expelled alongside Ian—and at the same time, an invitation for Ian to leave her behind and come over.
"This offer is only for you. There's exactly one spot open."
"What do you mean… what about Rui?"
"That's just how it goes. We only need one person."
Ian's eyes shook violently.
*Cruel.*
Watching it happen right in front of me—the way they shamelessly cast someone aside and then pulled them back in to get what they wanted—that was the word that came to mind.
Somehow, I felt like I understood what Rui had meant when she called them cold.
But it had nothing to do with me.
I tuned out the conversation and tried to move my feet again.
But for some reason, they wouldn't budge.
Rui's face from just a moment ago kept surfacing in my mind.
*You too, Rutess—keep at it!*
That bright, cheerful smile, even though she looked so worn out.
The way she kept running around, doing everything she could to push forward.
If she knew what was being plotted behind her back, how would she feel?
Pretty awful, I'd imagine.
*…*
I turned my head back.
I found myself curious about what judgment Ian would reach.
A brief moment.
The man who had been waiting for an answer saw Ian's wavering eyes and smiled, extending his hand toward her.
"Anyway, I'll take it as a yes?"
Ian quietly lowered her gaze and stared at that hand.
Thwack—
"…"
She swatted it aside and fixed her glare on him again.
"Get lost…"
Ian said it flatly.
"Hmm."
"I'd rather take three people from Beta Class and do it with them than team up with disgusting people like you."
The man's face still wore a smile, but his eyebrow twitched.
"Don't do something you'll regret, Ian."
"You're the ones who'll regret it. Just watch—when the Spring Festival Tournament comes around, Rui and I will knock you out first."
"…Ha. Sure. And you'll find a team?"
Ian, clearly done talking, bumped his shoulder as she walked past and started heading this way.
*Oh no.*
Before she could make eye contact with me, I grabbed the scarecrow and quickly slipped away.
I glanced back—Ian hadn't even noticed me, striding off without a second look.
Whether that counted as lucky, I wasn't sure, but…
Her retreating figure looked unsettled somehow.
Only after she disappeared completely around the corner did I turn back and start walking again.
The scarecrow was heavier than expected, and I had to stop and rest more times than I could count, which ate up a ridiculous amount of time.
By the time I finally hauled it into the classroom, I was soaked through with sweat.
"…Ten minutes… you said ten minutes."
"Sorry. I really didn't think it would take this long."
I checked the clock—factoring in lunch, it looked like reading was off the table for now.
"Thanks. I'll make it up to you, Rutess. Next time you need something moved, just call me."
"Yeah, I'll definitely take you up on that… I'm going to grab lunch."
"Sure, see you later…!"
Moltz gave a quick bow and went dashing off again.
He never seemed to be doing much, so why was he always running around like that?
A minor curiosity, but not one I cared enough to pursue. I wiped the sweat from my face and set off belatedly toward lunch.
My good deed—however unintentional—had thrown off my lunch plans, so I at least deserved something good to eat.
*I'll have to go back to the library after class and read more…*
Thud—
Just as I was drifting into thought, I felt someone tap me lightly on the back.
"You've looked busy lately."
I turned at the familiar voice. Balrod was standing there.
"Where are you headed?"
"Lunch."
Balrod gave my shoulder a friendly knock and fell into step beside me.
"You usually eat somewhere else."
"The place I normally go looked off today, so I came this way."
Right, this guy was serious about food.
Though watching him inhale his meals, it was hard to tell whether he was savoring them or just fueling himself to survive.
Either way, from my perspective, I'd gone from eating alone to suddenly having a friend to eat with, so I wasn't complaining.
"How are things going with Elline?"
"Uh… pretty well, I think."
Balrod looked like he was fighting back a smile, his mouth twitching before he finally let out a quiet laugh.
"What's with that weird smile?"
"Nothing, just find it interesting. She's my friend's girlfriend, so of course I'm rooting for you. Don't read into it."
"Thanks, I guess."
Walking past his smile, something occurred to me.
"Balrod, aren't you entering the Spring Festival Tournament?"
Come to think of it, I'd never seen him participate in the past two years either.
Same with Elline—if grades mattered, wouldn't entering a tournament like that make sense?
"No."
"Any reason?"
"Not really. I just don't want to get into pointless arguments with other people at a festival of all places."
That was such a him answer.
"Must get pretty heated?"
"It's a competition, so yeah, people go at it hard. Some end up cutting ties completely."
The mention of cutting ties sent a faint chill through me.
Were people really that desperate?
"Still, a lot of people enter for the grades."
"I've kept my grades in good shape, so it doesn't matter for me."
"Oh."
That was genuinely impressive to hear.
For someone like me who had only just started studying, even getting through the reading felt like a struggle—but he'd survived two years in Alpha Class.
"So why are you suddenly asking about the Spring Festival Tournament? Out of nowhere."
Rui and Ian's situation flickered through my mind, but I figured it wasn't my place to bring up someone else's business to a third party.
"Just—it seems more high-profile this year."
"Because of Sereen and Tirion?"
"Well… yeah, pretty much."
Fortunately, my vague deflection seemed to work; Balrod took it in a different direction.
Sereen. Tirion.
The two most promising students at the academy, always mentioned in the same breath as Elline.
Now that I thought about it, it really was the kind of thing that would catch people's attention.
As Balrod had said, the festival itself was the main event and the tournament was secondary—so the interest and stakes were usually lower.
But now, in our third year, two people who hadn't entered for two years suddenly announcing they would—that was genuinely unusual.
Why were they entering?
Was it to add a championship to their record before their final year ended?
It couldn't be for the memories.
"Apparently, someone high up from the imperial court is coming to observe in person this time."
As if sensing my curiosity, Balrod supplied the answer cleanly.
"Really?"
"It's a rumor, but it's probably true. The Second Prince has always had a strong interest in magic."
"Ah."
I'd heard something about that before.
If the First Prince was known for his aggressive temperament and interest in swordsmanship and politics, the Second Prince was said to have deep expertise in magic and the pursuit of knowledge.
But to actually make a personal visit like this.
As far as I could remember, imperial family members coming to the academy only happened at graduation ceremonies.
That explained why those two top prospects were entering.
"Everyone's living busy lives."
Not that I was any different.
I had to finish the book Elline gave me within a month.
"Ha."
A sigh escaped on its own.
Evening.
My head was burning.
The roughly two hours before Elline arrived were brutal to get through with just reading.
"Uuugh…"
A pathetic groan slipped out as I turned the pages one by one.
I couldn't tell whether I was reading with my eyes, my nose, or my mouth.
But since this was supposedly first-year-level foundational theory, giving up on even this felt like admitting there was no hope for me—so I pushed through on sheer stubbornness.
*No, wait—I did keep up with studying back in first year, didn't I…*
Well, accurately speaking, only through the first semester of first year.
I'd thought I had some confidence in magic—I'd memorized plenty of it even before coming to the academy—but to be struggling this much with the theory from the start.
Climbing to Alpha Class.
I'd expected it to be hard, but even after just two days, it was already starting to feel overwhelming.
"Rutess."
Elline's voice.
I snapped back to attention and turned—she was sitting beside me, watching me quietly.
"Oh, you're here."
Just seeing her face made the heat in my head cool down a little.
"How much did you read?"
She reached over and took the book naturally, flipping through the pages one by one.
When she saw how many pages had been turned, she gave a small nod, as if pleasantly surprised.
"You worked hard."
"It was nothing."
I said that, but honestly, it had been a lot.
Picking up studying again after so long was absolutely miserable.
Still, hearing her praise made me feel a quiet sense of pride.
And then.
"It's a promise."
"…Hm?"
Oh. Right.
With those words, she slowly leaned toward me, and I closed my eyes.
Last time it had caught me off guard, so I hadn't been fully conscious of it.
But as she drew closer, the warmth of her breath and the heat radiating from her made every hair on my body stand on end.
Once—
A warm, soft touch landed on my cheek and lifted away.
It lasted only a moment, but it felt like forever, and then she slowly pulled back.
Somewhere along the way I'd been holding my breath; I let it out and opened my eyes.
*Phew…*
Next time, I'd appreciate a little warning to mentally prepare.
"You worked hard."
"…Yeah. Thanks."
Was my face red?
Almost certainly.
I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
My head ached, and every sound seemed to fall away until all I could hear was her breathing.
*Calm down. Calm down.*
With trembling hands, I turned the page again.
"Rutess."
"What?"
I answered in a shaky voice, and Elline was still watching me, her hand covering her mouth.
"Your face is red."
"…"
I know.
Don't say it.
Elline, why have you suddenly gotten so forward?
At first you just enjoyed our walks… even holding hands, I thought you were the quiet type.
…It felt like something had shifted after we played chess.
But she seemed unbothered, brushing her hair back.
"Is the book coming along?"
Right, the book.
Snapping back to reality, I fumbled and picked it up again.
Was it coming along…
Honestly, no.
"I'm trying my best to read it, but I can't tell if it's actually going in… it feels like I'm just staring at words."
"…"
"It's just so hard… even though it's first-year material, I can't seem to follow it."
I was starting to think this book wasn't a simplified breakdown of first-year magic fundamentals—it was the original source text itself.
The content was dense and extensive, and for someone who hadn't studied in a long time, it was probably too much to take in.
…
Her hand came to rest on top of mine.
"That makes sense, Rutess."
Elline patted my hand gently, as if she understood that I was simply not very bright.
"Thanks, Elline."
I felt a strange, almost tearful gratitude—
"That's not what I mean. I'm saying the book itself is difficult."
—but it seemed she meant something different.
"Hm?"
I looked up, and Elline calmly closed the book.
*Magic Theory and Fundamentals.*
That was the title staring back at me.
Theory and fundamentals, and it's difficult? What was that supposed to mean?
I lifted my head and met her eyes. She wore a faint smile, as if she found this quietly amusing.
"This is an ancient text that mages of the Mage Tower read."
"…What?"