Book 1 Chapter 848
848.
Rumen's busy days begin the day after the opening ceremony that marks the start of the semester.
Especially the second semester.
A new department schedule awaits, so it's incredibly busy.
"That's why you have to eat a hearty breakfast!"
Iliana, who had just left the Knight Department's dormitory, said energetically.
"But do we really need to go this fast?"
Celia followed Iliana, who was walking quickly down the hallway, and asked with a puzzled look.
Running in the dormitory hallway is prohibited.
Naturally, using magic or summoned beasts is also not allowed.
"Of course! I came out as soon as curfew ended for the first time in a while! Then I have to be the first to arrive at the school cafeteria!"
"Is it important to arrive at the school cafeteria first?"
"Hmph! That's not like you, Celia!"
Iliana shook her head back and forth.
"Aren't you always aiming for the best, Celia Zerdinger? Eating before anyone else! To not know this sense of victory! I'm disappointed!"
Celia looked at Iliana's back with an expression that seemed to say, "She's gone crazy with nonsense again."
"Why would the distance between every department's dormitory and the school cafeteria be the same! It's meant to be a fair competition!"
"…Who competes over something like that? It's probably just a well-balanced design by the architectural designer. Besides, when did you even check the distances?"
Celia made a bewildered face.
Just then, Chen Xia, who was walking with them, tilted her head.
"If you know that feeling of victory, why do you always oversleep?"
"Hmph. That's!"
"That's?"
"What can I do if I can't wake up?"
Seeing Iliana shrug her shoulders, Chen Xia made a "just as I expected" expression.
"But I'm going to change starting from the second semester!"
Iliana clenched her fist tightly.
"I'll be reborn as the new Iliana! Aiming to be the top honor student of the Knight Department!"
"Your dreams are ambitious."
Celia chuckled.
Leaving Celia behind, Iliana sped up even more.
"In that sense! I'm going to be the first to arrive!"
Clack clack clack-
Iliana increased her walking speed.
"Instead of pouring all your energy into being first in such a useless thing, why don't you put that passion into your studies?"
Celia, slowing down, clicked her tongue, and Chen Xia nodded in agreement.
"You're giving me first place from the first day! Let's taste the feeling of defeat!"
Seeing Iliana react triumphantly with a smug face, Chen Xia laughed.
"Still, you look happy."
"It feels like I'm losing in a strange way, so I don't feel good."
However, Celia, seemingly provoked by the remark, also increased her speed.
Seeing this, Chen Xia burst into laughter.
"Celia, you're still so childish."
Arriving at the student cafeteria, Iliana collapsed onto the floor.
"I can't believe it… Warden was already here…"
"Why are you struggling along with your short legs?"
"Who are you calling short-legged! My legs are long! Look! These slender and long legs!"
Iliana's eyes widened, and she pointed to her legs with a "Thwack-!"
"They're short."
"That's because your legs are long! Warden! Compared to Chelsea and Chen Xia, mine are long!"
"Pfft!"
At Iliana's outcry, Celia, who had followed along, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"What's wrong with my leg length?"
"What's so funny? Celia?"
"Gasp?!"
"Ahem, ahem!"
Just then, Chelsea, who appeared from behind, choked Iliana, and at Chen Xia's words, Celia pretended to be oblivious.
"Oh! The fellow students are full of energy this morning! But can't you do that somewhere else? It's embarrassing for the juniors to see."
Just then, Kal, who came with Chelsea, said with a chuckle.
As Kal said, students were slowly gathering at the cafeteria entrance.
"By the way, Warden. Did you come early to try and be first too?"
Celia asked with a puzzled expression, and Warden replied nonchalantly.
"I just walked over at a leisurely pace."
"You're definitely much taller."
"It's cheating!"
Iliana pouted.
Thus, the cafeteria entrance began to get crowded.
"What's for breakfast today?"
"I hope it's something delicious."
It was when the students were chatting about the breakfast menu.
"But then."
Chen Xia tilted her head.
"Why isn't there any smell?"
"Now that you mention it…"
Normally, the delicious smell that would make one's mouth water should have filled the area in front of the student cafeteria.
But there was no smell coming from the cafeteria.
As everyone wore puzzled expressions.
Screech-!
The cafeteria door opened, and a middle-aged woman in chef's attire came out.
"Chef. Hello. Did you have a good break?"
To Kal's greeting, the Rumen dormitory cafeteria chef gave a troubled smile.
"Hello, Kal. I'm doing well. But what should we do?"
"Yes?"
"Someone stole all the ingredients this morning, so we can't prepare breakfast."
"…"
"…"
At the chef's words, the students looked dumbfounded.
***
Eliza stood in front of the mirror, examining herself from various angles.
She looked the same as usual.
After tidying her clothes in front of the mirror for a moment, Eliza opened her desk drawer to get the letter and candy for Kal.
Then she paused.
'Where did it go?'
The letter envelope and candy, which should have been in the desk drawer, were gone.
Eliza opened the lower drawer.
It wasn't there either.
"Huh?"
With a bewildered expression, Eliza rummaged through the drawers and the desk.
'It's not here? Why? What did I do?'
Flustered, she searched her room back and forth, but the letter didn't appear.
'What in the world happened?'
Eliza frantically tried to recall yesterday's events.
'I wrote the letter and definitely put it in the drawer… Then I had dinner with Perena, rested in the dormitory lounge, took a shower, and came back to my room and slept right away.'
She hadn't touched the letter since putting it in the drawer.
'Did someone steal it? It's impossible to break into the dormitory from the outside… No, wait.'
Eliza's shoulders trembled.
She remembered that the door had been open before she went to dinner last night.
Eliza pulled out the first drawer again and flipped it over.
As writing utensils spilled out, a candy wrapper, torn as if by something, fell out.
Picking it up with her finger, Eliza focused her spiritual energy on it.
Then she saw faintly glittering powder.
'A fairy… A fairy took it!'
Having identified the culprit, Eliza clenched her fist.
If it was a fairy, she could guess.
'Leo Flov's mischievous fairy!'
What if that playful fairy saw the letter and gave it to the newspaper club or something?
No! Seeing that it came to steal candy, it probably just took it by chance.
But what if someone saw the candy after it was eaten and the letter was discarded?
'It will be revealed that Kal and I are dating!'
The relentless teasing of her classmates flashed in her mind.
Wasn't the reason she and Kal agreed to hide their relationship for a while precisely because of those devilish classmates?
Eliza's face turned pale.
'I have to find that fairy quickly!'
Thinking so, Eliza rushed out of the dormitory door.
"Leo Flov!"
Shouting Leo's name as if screaming, Eliza ran down the dormitory hallway.
Female students from the Summoning Department passing by looked startled.
"Wow… Senior Eliza… You're so energetic from the first day."
"You said you were aiming to overthrow the student council president… It's true…"
"Let's steel ourselves too!"
"Yeah! Our goal is dormitory victory!"
The junior summoning students resolved themselves.
"Unnie… You're cool!"
Perena also looked at them with admiration.
***
The food theft incident was not limited to the dormitory cafeteria.
It occurred in various places, including the dormitory convenience store, and restaurants and cafes located around the dormitory.
Victims were being reported from many places.
"No! Why do I have to eat this piece of bread on the first day and lose my motivation!"
Iliana, who entered her first class, Magic, scowled as she tore off and chewed on a baguette like meat.
"If you don't like it, don't eat it. I'll eat it."
At Kal's words, Iliana hastily stuffed the bread into her mouth.
"By the way, who do you think did this?"
Chelsea, with her arms crossed, tilted her head.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Chloe sighed deeply.
"It's Leo."
At that, the surrounding students looked at Chloe.
"Leo is good at causing trouble for students through unexpected situations."
Chloe said, closing her book.
"Since it's the first day of the semester, perhaps he's trying to put students into a new competitive structure?"
"For example?"
To Kal's question, Chloe replied nonchalantly.
"It might be a plan to create a sense of lack among students."
"Lack?"
"Yes. For example, a food scramble."
It was a plausible theory.
It was certainly strange that the groceries suddenly disappeared.
Someone must have created the incident, and Leo was certainly capable of it.
Iliana's eyes widened at Chloe's words.
"So, the class president is planning to cause a food shortage crisis and instigate a food war between the departments?!"
"Your voice is too loud. Leo's intentions haven't been clearly revealed yet."
Chloe chided.
However, Iliana's shout had already echoed throughout the entire lecture hall.
"A food war between departments?"
"Leo would do something like that."
"Shouldn't we secure food in advance?"
It was when the magic department students were murmuring.
"This is not the time!"
Iliana stood up abruptly.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to tell the Knight Department students! To secure food!"
Although she was in the magic class due to her dual specialization, Iliana was officially a member of the Knight Department.
Not only Iliana, but also students aspiring to be sword mages and summoning mages began to hurriedly get up from their seats.
Seeing this, the magic department students reacted quickly.
"Hey! Catch those guys!"
"Information must not be leaked carelessly!"
"Block the entrance!"
The lecture hall instantly descended into chaos.
"Ah! The entrance is blocked!"
"Iliana! What do we do!"
Besides Iliana, Knight Department students aspiring to be sword mages looked at Iliana, the leader of the sword mages.
"Since it's come to this…"
Iliana, with a determined expression, charged straight towards the window.
"Block her with magic!"
Someone hastily cast a barrier magic, but Iliana pierced through it using her aura.
Clang!
The lecture hall window shattered into pieces.
"Everyone! I'll tell the department students to secure food!"
"Iliana! Please!"
A student aspiring to be a sword mage cheered Iliana on with a determined face.
Just then.
Creak-!
"What's all the commotion?"
The lecture hall door opened, and Ren entered.
Ren looked at the broken window and twitched his eye.
"What's wrong with the window?"
"Iliana broke it and left."
"Fleeing on the first day. You have a lot of nerve. Vice Professor Anna. Deduct points."
"Yes."
At Kal's diligent report, Ren reacted coldly.
The window broken by magic was quickly repaired.
"Greetings, everyone! Did you have a good summer break?"
Ren's lecture began.
While listening to the lecture, Chelsea muttered.
"People are reacting sensitively when it's not even confirmed yet."
"Leo would do something like that."
"Certainly, Leo is as experienced as the professors when it comes to tormenting students. By the way, why isn't Leo here for class?"
"Hmm… Maybe he really intends to cause a food crisis?"
"…Maybe."
While Chelsea and Chloe were talking.
Due to Iliana, Rumen students began to cause a food shortage crisis from the beginning of the semester.
***
Leo was picking his ear.
"Who's talking bad about me?"
Seeing Leo furrow his brow, Melina tilted her head.
"Is there really anyone who would speak ill of you, Leo-nim?"
"A lot. Even the Tartarus people."
Saying so, Leo separated Kirian and Fiora, who were fighting.
"By the way, Leo-nim, I wonder if you need to be here from the start of the semester."
To that remark, Leo chuckled.
"Elena is here, so she'll handle it well."
"That's true, isn't it?"
"Yes. And she'll probably be glad I'm not here. Because there's no one causing trouble."
"Indeed. You, Leo-nim, are a being who throws students into confusion just by existing."
"Are you implying I'm harmful to students?"
"Hehehe."
"Ridiculous."
Leo reached out and gently pinched Melina's cheek.