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The three who were invited to lunch by Mel headed towards the 1st Year Department of Magic.
Mel asked them to stay in the 1st Year Department of Magic for a while while she prepared their meal in her laboratory.
“Ah, the 1st Year Department of Magic. Such memories.”
“We were having classes here just a few months ago, right?”
“Fresh new freshmen! We used to be like them.”
“Anyone would think we’re graduates.”
As Carl fussed around playfully upon arriving at the 1st Year Department of Magic, Chloe held her head in exasperation while Leo burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, the freshmen struggling with textbooks on the cafe terrace in front of the magic building spotted the three and widened their eyes.
“Wait, those three… isn’t that Senior Leo and Senior Chloe? And Senior Carl?”
“Where, where?”
“It’s really them!”
The freshmen’s expressions turned to shock.
Students from the Department of Magic swarmed towards them.
Seeing this, Carl muttered, “Oh wow. The top students who vie for first and second place in the Department of Magic and the Student Council President are really popular with the juniors…”
“Senior Carl! Hello!”
“Nice to see you, Senior~”
“What brings you here?”
The freshmen crowded around Carl.
Carl’s eyes went wide in surprise.
Chloe tilted her head while taking a step back.
“Wow, you’re really popular with the juniors.”
“Remember, it was Carl who approached the freshmen in the most friendly manner during the welcome party.”
“That was only because he wanted to promote his products, right?”
“Still, it’s easier for the juniors to talk to Carl. He’s fun to be around.”
“While I can’t deny that he’s fun…”
Chloe trailed off as she watched Carl chatting amiably with the juniors.
Seeing that, Leo chuckled softly.
“What’s that? Are you envious?”
“I-I am!”
Chloe, flustered with a slightly reddened face, saw Leo pointing to one side.
“There seem to be some kids who want to befriend you over there.”
Chloe turned to where Leo was pointing.
“C-Chloe Senior…!”
“This is the first time I’m seeing her in person.”
“I read all of Chloe Senior’s magic theses from when she was a freshman! I want an autograph!”
The freshmen gazed at Chloe with sparkling eyes.
Leo gave Chloe’s shoulder a light tap.
Chloe cleared her throat and approached the juniors.
“Hey. Why are you staring like that?”
“Ugh! S-Senior?”
“If you have something to say, go ahead. I’ll listen.”
Chloe straightened her posture, gripping her magic book as usual.
Although she tried to act dignified as a senior, the juniors interpreted it differently.
“Uh, no! It’s nothing!”
“I apologize for staring!”
“We won’t make eye contact again!”
“Ah, no… there’s no need for that…”
“E-excuse us!”
The freshmen screamed and scattered.
Chloe’s hand, which had hoped to reach out to the juniors, cut through empty air in vain.
Leo approached her.
“What the… Why are they so scared of me?”
Looking at Chloe’s sulking expression, Leo said, “Didn’t you freeze all the candidates during the entrance exam? Isn’t that why they’re like this?”
“That’s because Professor Halind told me to give it my all!”
“Anyway, you’ve gotten a reputation as a scary senior because of that.”
“Ugh!”
Chloe slumped her shoulders.
Meanwhile, Carl, who had become popular among the juniors, wore a smug expression.
“By the way, don’t you have any questions for me?”
At his words, the freshmen’s eyes sparkled.
“We do!”
“Huh? What is it?”
“How did you become a sophomore?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You said with your own mouth that you passed because of how much you lagged behind other students!”
“You mentioned that your head isn’t as good as the other students! So there must be some study tips you have, right?”
“The classes are so hard! How did you understand this content, Senior Carl?”
The freshmen regarded Carl simply as a lucky second-year student.
If they had experienced the entrance exam with Carl, they wouldn’t say such things, but the students here had not met him during the exam.
The freshmen thought there must be some incredible secret behind Carl not being recommended to drop out and becoming a sophomore.
“Is it because you’re close with the Student Council President?”
“Of course, you have to be friendly with those in power…”
Seeing the juniors discussing seriously, a vein bulged on Carl’s forehead.
“Such cheeky brats!”
It was a mistake to have been so accommodating during the freshman welcome party.
Especially in Lumeran, there are many nobles.
Now that they felt let loose, they continued to swarm over Carl endlessly.
‘Chloe is feared so much that it causes problems, and Carl is underestimated to the point of causing issues.’
Leo shook his head.
‘Hmm.’
He scanned the entire 1st Year Department of Magic.
‘That’s an uncomfortable gaze.’
He felt someone watching.
As someone constantly in the spotlight, he was used to attention.
But…
‘I don’t like that kind of stealthy, probing gaze.’
Leo smiled faintly.
“Huh. Is that the famous Leo Flove?”
On the 5th floor of the 1st Year Department of Magic.
A female freshman with a telescope, positioned where the entrance of the magic building had a view of the landscape, opened her mouth wide and chewed on a cookie.
“He looks just like an ordinary pretty boy on the outside, doesn’t he?”
The male student standing tall in one corner of the room replied to the girl’s muttering.
“Don’t judge by appearances. He’s a guy who became the Student Council President in his first year.”
The boy spoke flatly.
“He’s the most likely hero candidate to succeed the Sword King. He may be someone we will risk our lives for in the future, so pay attention.”
The girl scoffed at the boy.
“Well, maybe for you, a Lumeran, he’s someone to risk your life to protect. But not for me.”
“Indeed, they say the shadows of Shan only move for Shan. Following the master’s orders without any notion of justice or belief, just like a dog.”
“Hmph. I’d rather follow a master’s command than that. The so-called justice and beliefs you speak of seem like a mental illness to me.”
The two glared at each other ominously.
Their aura was not something a hero candidate should possess.
A sticky and cruel killing intent that binds people.
Just as the two simultaneously lowered their postures.
“If you’re caught fighting among students, it’s punishment.”
Startled by the voice coming from the side, the male and female students waved their arms simultaneously.
Thud! Thud!
Leo grabbed both students’ arms with his hands.
“Oh.”
Leo exclaimed in admiration as he looked at the two students.
The male student relaxed and became compliant.
However, the female student did not.
Whack!
Trying to lift her leg to kick Leo’s arm while being held, she aimed fiercely.
Thud!
Leo caught the female student’s ankle with his remaining hand, then stepped on the top of her foot with his foot.
“Ugh!”
The girl held her foot on the ground as she rolled over.
Seeing Leo easily subdue her, the female student held back tears and grumbled.
“How did you get in here?”
“Through the door.”
Leo said nonchalantly as he squatted down in front of the girl.
“Fighting on the first day? You’re really full of energy.”
“Y-You fought, too!”
Looking down at the female student, who was still grasping her ankle, Leo chuckled.
“I didn’t fight; I merely disciplined my juniors.”
As Leo said this, he turned to look at the male student.
The tall, thin boy adjusted his glasses and politely greeted Leo.
“I’m Fritz Edgon from the 1st Year Department of Magic, Leo Flove.”
Seeing Fritz bow elegantly like a butler, Leo scratched his cheek.
“Leo? Just call me senior.”
“I’m more comfortable like this.”
Saying that, Leo turned to the female student.
“You don’t seem to be from the Department of Magic.”
“I’m from the Department of Knights.”
The girl, who was limping as she stood up, said.
“I’m El Jane.”
With black hair and black eyes, she was undeniably an eastern girl.
“Okay. What was your reason for watching me?”
“Watching? I just admired the face of the esteemed Senior Leo from afar~”
Putting her hands together and speaking in a sweet, teasing tone, Jane made Leo chuckle.
“Oh, really? Then let me ask you one thing. Why hasn’t Chen Sia returned?”
“Huh? Why are you asking me about that person?”
“I asked because I’m learning the same aura technique as Chen Sia.”
At those words, Jane faltered.
Slowly relaxing her hands, she narrowed her eyes as she looked at Leo.
This time, Leo turned to Fritz and said, “You two don’t seem to belong to the same faction, so why did different shadows enroll as students?”
Fritz looked taken aback.
“How did you know…?”
“I can tell by looking.”
Among the current students, there are no others who share the same energy as these two freshmen.
‘Except for Chen Sia.’
Thinking of his friend, Leo squinted his eyes.
He had already noticed a few students who carried an alien energy, aside from Chen Sia, when he guided the freshmen.
And he also knew that they were ‘shadows.’
“Well, you’re too easy to figure out because you’re inexperienced.”
“Being pointed out as inexperienced by a great hero candidate makes me unsure of where to put myself.”
Jane replied curtly.
“Are you uncomfortable with shadows enrolling in this school? You should ask the principal about that. And regarding Chen Sia…”
Glaring at Leo, Jane said, “I have no obligation to tell you!”
Saying that, Jane stormed out of the room.
Watching her leave, Leo turned to Fritz.
Fritz politely bowed his head.
“I cannot explain the reason until the Principal gives me orders on that matter.”
“Alright. I got it. I’ll ask directly later.”
Leo stood up.
‘Either way, I can just ask Mel.’
Boil, boil—
Stew was bubbling in a pot.
Professors from Lumeran usually decorate their offices to suit their preferences.
Typically, there are items necessary for magic research in the offices of professors in the Department of Magic.
However, Mel’s office prominently featured a kitchen.
“It’s a hobby.”
Mel smiled gently as she explained to Chloe and Carl, who looked surprised.
After Chloe and Carl sat down, Mel used magic to bring dishes to the table.
The two’s eyes widened at the feast spread before them.
“Isn’t this too much?”
As Carl wiped his cold sweat, Mel looked at him with wide eyes.
“You’re both at a growth stage. You need to eat a lot to grow tall.”
Saying that, Mel personally served food onto their plates.
Looking at the stacked dishes on his plate, Carl mumbled, “It’s like seeing my grandmother.”
“Me too.”
“Professor Mel! By any chance, how old are you?”
“It’s rude to ask a lady her age. Hehe.”
Seeing her cover her mouth with a gentle smile made Carl scratch his cheek.
Chloe, who put a meatball in her mouth, widened her eyes.
“It’s delicious! So delicious!”
“Really? Where…?”
Carl also tasted the food and was amazed.
“It’s amazing! It’s even better than the restaurant food we get at school!”
Excited by the delicious food, the two began to eat joyfully.
Watching them, Mel chuckled softly.
“Ugh… I feel like I’m going to burst.”
“Me too… I should diet… Hey, Carl, can you make a weight loss potion for me? It would sell like hotcakes.”
“Even the girls in our dorm said that to me yesterday.”
“So what did you tell them?”
“I told them that if they eat snacks like they do, even a weight loss potion wouldn’t help them lose weight.”
Carl looked at Chloe with a lukewarm gaze.
“I’ll say it just like that.”
“Did you forget that you’d get beaten up by the girls in your dorm after saying that?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why can’t you think that I would also hit you for saying that?”
With veins popping on her forehead, Chloe hit Carl wildly with a book.
Carl defended himself with his arm against Chloe’s attacks and asked, “By the way, Professor Mel, why did you invite us to dinner?”
“Hmm? There’s no special reason. I just felt lonely eating alone.”
Watching Mel lean on her chin with a smile, Carl thought, ‘She really feels like a grandmother.’
“By the way, Carl, you’re interested in potions, and Chloe, you’re interested in magic books, right?”
“Yes.”
“Right.”
Mel smiled broadly and approached the bookshelf in her office.
Then she pulled out a book.
As the bookshelf opened like a sliding door, a vast space appeared inside.
There was a secret space within.
Mel came out with a potion bottle and a magic book.
Thud—
Placing the two items on the desk, Mel smiled.
“This is a magic book written using dragon bl**d and incantation magic.”
“Whoa!”
Carl’s mouth dropped open.
Chloe’s eyes also widened.
“You can’t take them out, but you can look at them as much as you want in my lab.”
“Oooooh!”
“Thank you!”
With bright expressions, the two received the potion and the magic book from Mel.
While their attention was focused there, Mel handed a note to Leo.
“Leo-san. Here’s the information you requested about Sia-san.”
Receiving it, Leo unfolded the note in a place where the eyes of the two wouldn’t reach.
He checked the contents and his eyes widened.
“Is this true?”
“Yes.”
Mel sighed bitterly.
“Due to family circumstances, Sia-san has decided to withdraw as a hero candidate.”
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
