Book 1 Chapter 706
706.
Karl sat under a parasol in the Clock Tower Dormitory garden, enjoying a warm spring weekend with a relaxed expression.
“It’s peaceful.”
“Indeed. I thought I’d be stuck in the mountains with the class president all weekend.”
Illiana also nodded in agreement, sipping milk tea bought from the outdoor garden cafe.
Enjoying the weekend like this made her feel happy.
Nella looked at the two of them with a curious expression and asked,
“Other students in the magic department are busy studying for tomorrow’s magic class. Aren’t you guys relaxed?”
Chelsea, who was sitting to one side, smiled at the question.
“I don’t need to study in advance.”
Chelsea, one of the top three honor students in the third-year magic department, along with Chloe and Abard, exuded confidence.
Karl was relaxed for a different reason.
“Hmph. Anyway, Professor Len’s class isn’t something you can prepare for in advance.”
At his words, Illiana nodded in agreement.
“Exactly, exactly. It’s all about determination.”
“I don’t think so,”
Tade interjected, but Illiana didn’t listen.
The five people currently enjoying refreshments at the outdoor cafe were classmates in their first year.
Being close friends since their first year, they remained close even after moving up in grade.
The five spent their time enjoying a board game that had recently become popular on campus.
Chelsea, about to roll the dice in her hand, mumbled, looking at the clock tower.
“It’s almost lunchtime.”
“Yeah. What should we eat?”
“Chelsea. Since you brought up lunch, you decide the menu.”
At that, Chelsea rolled the dice and fell into thought.
A giant troll-shaped piece on the game board moved according to the dice roll, approaching Karl’s piece, which was shaped like a wizard.
And it tried to strike Karl’s piece with a massive club.
“Not so fast.”
Karl showed a scornful expression, then played a card he was holding to defend against the attack.
The game the five people were playing was a kind of maze escape game, where they had to escape the maze while avoiding the tagger.
When her attack came to naught, Chelsea frowned and said,
“Want to eat sandwiches?”
“I ate them this morning, so no thanks.”
Illiana said flatly.
Meanwhile, Karl’s piece escaped.
Chelsea rolled the dice again.
The troll’s next target was Illiana, who was nearby.
“Ah! Don’t come! Don’t come!”
Illiana shrieked.
The wooden game board thumped, and just as the massive club was about to finish off Illiana’s piece,
Illiana pulled out a card.
“Ah! Why do you have that!”
As Chelsea looked annoyed, Illiana cackled.
While Lumern gathered the world’s best talents, their way of spending weekends wasn’t much different from their peers.
In fact, such ordinary relaxation was a culture highly emphasized in Lumern.
Chelsea, with a pouty face, chose a menu.
“Let’s eat Southern desert cuisine.”
“No. I’ve had it too much; I’m sick of it.”
Then Illiana refused again.
“Shan Empire cuisine?”
“Hmm? That sounds good?”
“Oh. I don’t really like that.”
As Illiana looked interested, this time Karl objected.
After that, whenever Chelsea suggested a menu, Karl and Illiana would interject.
Chelsea, her face crumpled, said,
“Then you guys decide the menu.”
“Oh, come on. Can’t you even decide something like that?”
“Exactly. An honor student who doesn’t even need to study in advance.”
“You guys said you didn’t like everything I suggested!”
“Alright! I won’t complain next time.”
“Let’s just eat anything. Anything at all.”
Listening to the two, Chelsea clenched her fist.
Veins stood out on her small fist.
“How about traditional food from the Southern Lodren region?”
At Chelsea’s words, Karl and Illiana looked at each other’s faces, then simultaneously shook their heads.
“I really don’t feel like that today.”
“Right. Something else!”
CRASH-!
Chelsea flew up and delivered a dropkick to their faces.
The table overturned, and Karl and Illiana rolled on the floor.
Nella and Tade, having foreseen the situation, safely protected the cafe crockery and stepped back.
Chelsea trampled on the two, growling,
“You guys decide! You guys!”
Karl and Illiana’s screams echoed.
“I knew it would come to this.”
Tade clicked his tongue, apologized to the cafe staff, and handed over the crockery.
Nella crouched to tidy up the overturned board game on the floor.
Then she let out a hollow laugh.
Chelsea’s troll was beating Karl and Illiana’s pieces with a club.
***
“By the way, is Leo really busy?”
Nella, who came to the restaurant for lunch, asked Karl with a curious expression.
At her question, Karl rubbed a cold potion bottle on his face and nodded.
“Yeah. He said he had some things to think about over the weekend, so he’s a bit busy.”
Hearing that, Tade frowned.
“Leo saying he’s busy makes me uneasy for some reason.”
“Huh? Why?”
Illiana put a fork in her mouth and tilted her head.
They were currently at a traditional restaurant serving Southern Lodren cuisine.
Seeing Illiana humming as she ate, Chelsea clenched her fist tightly.
Tade sighed, looking at the carefree Illiana.
“I just feel like he might be up to something.”
At Tade’s words, Nella propped her chin.
“It certainly makes me a little worried. Leo sometimes acts on impulse.”
If one were to ask if Leo was an honor student, everyone would nod.
He wasn’t at the top of every subject.
But in practical exams.
That is, in evaluations related to a hero’s potential, Leo was overwhelmingly good.
Based on his overwhelming skill, he became the youngest student council president and the fastest to achieve the title of hero in Lumern’s history.
If such a Leo isn’t an honor student, then who is?
The problem is that Leo isn’t a *perfect* honor student.
Leo also breaks school rules.
Of course, he never gets caught, so he’s never been punished.
But breaking minor school rules isn’t the issue.
Leo’s problem is the unexpected incidents he causes.
And they’re major incidents with an extraordinary scale.
Sometimes, it’s as if to prove he’s a powerful figure who can sway the entire academic schedule.
From the students’ perspective, he has caused incidents almost catastrophic.
A prime example is when he suddenly planned the Hero’s Festival last year.
A major incident he caused as soon as Hark, the vice president who was the actual decision-maker in the student council at the time, transferred authority to Elena.
That incident remained strongly etched in the minds of students in all grades except the first-years.
“Hey, Chelsea, Karl, Illiana. You guys went on a mission with Leo recently, didn’t you? Did you notice anything suspicious there?”
At the question, the three shook their heads.
“We were too busy with the mission.”
At Chelsea’s answer, Tade scratched his head vigorously.
“Ah. Seriously, I’m getting a bad feeling.”
“Aren’t you being too sensitive?”
Chelsea poked her food with a fork and said.
“Am I?”
Tade tilted his head.
“Right, right. The president isn’t a troublemaker, after all.”
Illiana still reacted nonchalantly.
Then Nella stared intently at Karl.
“Karl?”
At that, everyone’s gaze turned to Karl.
Seeing Karl with a serious expression, having stopped eating, Tade gasped.
“Hey. Why are you looking so anxious?”
“No. There was nothing strange about Leo.”
“Then isn’t that good enough?”
“But this morning, I went to the student council office, and Senior Elena’s mood was a bit strange.”
“Why Senior Elena?”
“How should I put it, she was subtly irritable?”
“Is it the first or second time that witch has been irritable and caused trouble for others? I think you’re overreacting.”
Illiana said nonchalantly.
At that moment, the other four people’s gazes turned behind Illiana.
“…”
Illiana, who had been silent for a moment, asked with a tearful face.
“Is she behind me right now?”
The four people nodded.
“Who would be calling me a witch?”
“Heeeeeek?!”
Illiana gasped in terror at Elena’s soft voice in her ear.
Elena, gently placing her hands on Illiana’s shoulders, smiled.
“Oh, come on. You’re too scared. I know my nickname is ‘witch.’ And many juniors actually call me that. It’s not a big mistake.”
“Ahahaha. Right? As expected, Senior Elena, your heart is as vast as the sea.”
Illiana said, eagerly rubbing her hands.
In response, Elena added,
“Yes. It’s not a big mistake when you don’t get caught.”
“…”
Illiana’s face turned ashen.
A little later.
Elena, sitting on Illiana, who was lying prostrate on the floor acting as a human chair, elegantly sipped the tea that came for dessert and said,
“It’s true that Leo is up to something.”
At that, Chelsea looked puzzled.
“What is it?”
“If I knew, would I be irritable?”
Elena, with a pouty expression, poured sugar into her tea.
Karl, knowing she eats sweets when stressed, scratched his head vigorously.
Nella looked at Elena with a curious expression.
“But last year, Senior Elena knew in advance that Leo was planning the Hero’s Festival.”
“That’s because he needed my cooperation, so he told me beforehand.”
Swish- Elena stirred her tea with a spoon, dissolving the sugar, and narrowed her eyes.
“That human is clearly plotting something to drag even me into a vortex of chaos.”
At Elena’s words, the other students’ faces grew serious.
As the current student council president, Elena knew Leo’s affairs best.
As such, her words carried significant credibility.
“Can’t you stop Leo?”
Tade asked in a desperate voice, and Elena clicked her tongue.
“Leo is the student council president, what can I do?”
Elena was known as the Queen of Lumern and a witch, yet.
She was powerless before Leo.
“If he says jump, I jump.”
Seeing Elena pout, the third-years clutched their heads.
***
That evening.
The problem began in a truly petty way.
The rumor that Leo, the student council president, was plotting something spread instantly throughout the entire Clock Tower Dormitory.
“The student council president is a very heroic person, isn’t he? Nothing serious could be happening, unnie.”
Perena Helfin asked with a curious expression.
Eliza clicked her tongue at her sister’s question.
“Perena. I advise you not to trust that human too much. He’s a dark-hearted person.”
Perena, who looked puzzled at Eliza’s distrust of Leo, opened her personal locker in the dormitory.
And her face hardened.
“W-what is this?!”
Eliza looked puzzled at Perena’s shriek of horror.
“Why?”
“My snacks are gone!”
All the snacks she had prepared to enjoy refreshments with her revered older sister, after a long time, had disappeared.
“Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
“No way! I’ll never forgive whoever did this…”
Perena’s face lifted fiercely.
At that moment.
Sounds of aggrieved cries echoed from various parts of the Summoning Department dormitory.
The common reaction was that all the snacks had disappeared.
The incident didn’t only happen in the Summoning Department dormitory.
“What is this?!”
A scream echoed from the Magic Department dormitory.
“Who drew graffiti on the wall?!”
“Who made origami out of my magic formula solutions?!”
“Huh? This isn’t the magic book I was reading?”
Elena, doing her homework in her room, narrowed her eyes upon hearing the sounds of confusion and anger from the Magic Department students.
And she came out to the lounge.
Elena’s eyes instantly gleamed as she stared at the dormitory lounge, which had become a melting pot of chaos.
She threw the quill in her hand towards the desk.
Thwack-!
A fairy, approaching the ink bottle directly in front of Elena’s homework, met Elena’s gaze.
The fairy, wearing a seal around its neck, quickly opened the window and fled.
Elena ran to the window at high speed and opened it, but the fairy was nowhere to be seen.
‘…That fairy. It was definitely Leo’s summoned beast, wasn’t it?’