“Uh, I wonder if the letter was received properly?”
“!!!”
Thump thump thump
My heart was pounding.
‘Could it be this person…?’
While it might be unlikely for anyone else, it’s definitely plausible for Goldsun.
The shock soon turned into curiosity.
‘Is he seriously revealing himself as the culprit so suddenly? What is he up to?’
And then, at that moment—
“Was my letter received? Reeti Aelleanor.”
“Ah, was that directed at me?”
My mind went completely blank.
‘Not him? Did I overreact?’
‘Yeah, anyone can send a letter…’
While I was standing there with a vacant expression, I overheard a conversation between Reeti and Luke.
“So, you didn’t receive my letter?”
“I’m sorry. It seems there was some kind of mistake.”
“Tch, this is why I don’t trust the postal system here. Looks like I’ll have to send it my way.”
“Your way, Senior?”
“There’s a method that leaves no room for error. Which is…”
At that moment, I saw it—the sidelong glance from Luke, and the smirk in his eyes.
“Slipping it directly through the door.”
Seeing his sardonic smile, I involuntarily clenched my fists.
‘Damn…!’
It was a clear provocation.
A challenge—if you think you can, try me.
There’s no tangible evidence, only suspicion.
If I punch that smug face, I’ll be arrested for assault and disrespecting my senior.
He’s a year above me, and the eldest son of a viscount.
Even with evidence, things would be difficult, but in this case, there’s none.
So there was nothing I could do right now.
That man knew it well and was simply provoking me.
As I clenched my shaking hands, Luke smirked and tilted his tail slightly.
-Arthur, what’s wrong? Why are your hands shaking?
Lily’s voice echoed in my head, but I was focused, trying my best to hold back the urge to throw a punch.
Just as Luke was about to speak again—
“Ah, can anyone hear me?”
A voice filled the hall.
The sound was so loud that people covered their ears.
“Oops, sorry. It’s just that I haven’t used this magic in a long time.”
The voice slowly quieted down to an acceptable level.
Looking around, I saw a man standing in front of the central mana fountain, giving his greetings.
“Hello, everyone. I am Gordon, the student council secretary.”
The students applauded.
Gordon then explained the traditions of the freshman welcome ceremony, most of which I’d already read in the library.
“Now, let’s move on to the main event. We’ll begin with a welcoming speech from our freshman representative, Helena Altavis Helionis.”
As soon as Gordon finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
Despite the large number of people, the silence was instant, which was a bit surprising, but—
‘It’s because of the person.’
A woman approaching Gordon, her evening gown toned down to a gold color, her hair catching the chandelier’s light and gleaming.
The golden hair symbolized her lineage.
Normally, even looking at such a person wouldn’t be allowed.
One mustn’t gaze at someone with the blood of the noble sun, but this is the academy.
As fellow students, there was no need to lower one’s gaze.
“I am Helena Altavis Helionis, the freshman representative.”
She lifted her gown slightly but didn’t bow her head.
Even in the academy, the blood of the sun wouldn’t allow her to bow.
But everyone else bowed their heads seeing her.
She’s after all the second princess who governs the entire empire.
‘So, she’s the freshman representative.’
Naturally.
The blood of the royal family is known as the blood of the sun.
Every member possesses exceptional magical abilities.
All the emperors throughout history have reached the pinnacle of magical mastery.
Thus, admission exams would be as easy as eating cold porridge.
Princess Helena then continued with the traditional welcoming speech, touching on her impressions of the academy and her visions for the future.
-Is she the princess?
-Yes, the second princess.
-Hmm… Her aura is somewhat peculiar. It feels like… yes, like the sun.
-It’s probably because of her bloodline.
Royals are known as specialists in light-related magic.
Their magical patterns are distinct, and they mostly have a talent for light magic.
There’s a legend that during the war with the Holy Kingdom decades ago, the then emperor created a miniature sun on the battlefield.
Whether the story is true or not, it shows the caliber of magicians in their family.
After the speech, the princess returned to her seat.
“Next, the incumbent student representative, our student council president, will respond.”
“Whoa, I have to head over there. You see, I’m close to that guy.”
Luke raised his glass toward us.
“Hope you have a good time.”
As I glared at the back of Luke walking toward the student president giving a speech, I turned my gaze.
A student president whose name I barely recognized.
‘Now that I think of it, who’s the new student council president?’
The student council elections happen after midterms.
Candidates are third-years, which means our year.
The first names that came to mind—
‘Illina is likely running, and what about Luke? Can we really entrust him with that responsibility?’
After all, it’s the student president.
Is it possible for the academically recognized fool Luke to get elected?
I imagined Illina and Luke standing side by side.
‘…A clear win.’
There was no need to think further about it.
Actually, it would be better if Luke didn’t run at all.
It might hurt his feelings…
While I was lost in these thoughts, the president’s response ended.
It was then announced that the party would continue.
However, the party following the official speech has a completely different atmosphere.
Students wearing yellow brooches for freshmen were moving around.
The real dueling opponents were now seeking each other after the formalities ended.
Confident freshmen wanted to prove their strength by dueling with seniors a year above them.
Among them, few have already decided on their opponents.
Freshmen challenging the top performers of the second year were numerous.
Judging from the decorations on their brooches, they were mostly top scorers from the entrance exam.
Then, at that moment—
The commotion erupted.
Looking toward the source of the noise—
‘Whoa.’
At the center of the disturbance stood two women looking at each other.
One had emerald green hair,
the other possessed sun-like golden locks.
It was Illina and Princess Helena.
‘Could it be…’
And it was.
Princess Helena took off her glove and threw it to Illina.
The crowd was once again in an uproar.
This was indeed a big event, and I couldn’t help but stare blankly at the scene.
The top student from our year and a strong candidate for student president, Illina Frost, and
The freshman representative inheriting the blood of the sun, Princess Helena.
“Wow… Chaos erupted…”
Reeti’s voice came from the side.
Without turning my head, I replied,
“Normally, I wouldn’t bother watching a duel, but this one might be worth it.”
“Arthur, sounds like ticket prices are rising even here.”
It was a truly entertaining scene, but it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Starting with the princess, haughty freshmen began challenging third-years.
Even though no one had reached my corner yet, it was only a matter of time before–
“Excuse me, Senior?”
There it is.
A freshman wearing a yellow brooch approached me.
Reeti chuckled lightly, patting my shoulder.
“Good luck~”
Tsk, look at that annoying smile.
No matter how much you dress up, it’s all for nothing if the inside is rotten, isn’t it?
The freshman glanced at Reeti and then spoke to me.
“Judging by that brooch, you’re a top-performing third-year, right?”
Much as I wanted to ignore and bolt out of the hall, I couldn’t.
“…Yeah.”
“Excuse me, may I know your name?”
“Arthur.”
“…”
The way he seemed to be waiting for more made me sigh inwardly.
“No surname.”
“Ah…”
The mention of no surname, meaning commoner, flashed a brief shadow of darkness in his eyes.
‘Oh, seriously…’
Today, I saw a familiar annoying smirk again as the freshman clasped his own hands.
“Are you free this weekend?”
“Sorry, but I’ve plans with Lily…”
Even as I hesitated with this thought in mind, the freshman brushed off the answer, saying something about rules and tossed a glove my way.
Caught off guard, I caught it and sighed inwardly.
“…I can’t believe this.”
“I challenge you to a duel.”
Then from below came a sharp sound.
“Mi-yaa-ong!”
Lily crouching down and glaring at the freshman.
-How dare you look down on Arthur? You’ll regret this! Arthur, accept it right now. I’ll make you squirm in front of everyone.
Knowing Lily’s threats were no joke, I felt shivers down my spine.
The freshman’s behind could very well be torn apart.
I wanted to save him from such a fate.
“Is it necessary to duel me? There are so many others around.”
As I spoke, he—
Smirked.
“…Hold on, did he just laugh?”
“Geez, from what I know, returning students are not allowed to turn down a freshman’s challenge to learn.”
That’s true.
There’s a rule to not block the learning path of juniors.
But…
“…I’m worried because… well, you might get… no, hurt, so…”
As I said that, the freshman’s expression hardened.
Realizing my mistake, I quickly waved my hands.
“No, no, it’s not that I’m looking down on you, but really…”
“Please accept my challenge, Senior.”
His fiery gaze showed he wasn’t listening at all.
‘Alright, I’ve done my part warning.’
With that thought, I reluctantly nodded.
“Alright. I accept.”
“I look forward to seeing you at the dueling arena this weekend.”
With a bow, the freshman turned and started to leave—
“Wait a sec.”
I stopped him.
“I didn’t catch your name.”
“Oh, right, it’s Dennis Footcancer.”
After introducing himself, Dennis quickly walked away.
And at the same time, another person approached.
“Wow~ You just got a duel challenge, huh?”
“Reeti, please, can you keep it down?”
Instead of lowering her voice, Reeti clutched her stomach and burst into laughter.
“PUHahahah! How much did the freshmen look down on you to dare challenge you like that?”
Hearing Reeti laugh, someone else reacted.
“EEK!”
“KEEH! Lily~”
While Lily ran towards Reeti, unfortunately, without using magic, there was no way for her to win against the weight difference.
Being petted on the head, Lily tried to attack in anger.
But Reeti, who visited the largest cat café every weekend, had mastered the art of handling cats.
Watching Reeti’s skilled handling of Lily who was struggling was like watching a world-class boxing match.
Unable to hold back, I ended up laughing uncontrollably, even shedding a tear in the process.
—-
Dennis clenched his fists tightly.
At the end of his vision was a gray-haired man laughing carelessly.
The first time Dennis saw him, he felt as if he was blessed with good fortune.
Here was a top-performing third-year, tucked away in a corner, giving off a suspicious vibe.
Sure enough, the man turned out to be a commoner.
Dennis didn’t know how this commoner managed to qualify as a top performer, but it didn’t matter. After all, he saw an opportunity.
A third-year defeated by a freshman.
Isn’t that an impressive title?
Although the chance for the first-time title was stolen by the princess, still, a third-year is a third-year.
Moreover, this opponent looked like the weakest in the third year.
If he could dominate the match, it would definitely bring him attention.
If anything, it could help his family, the Footcancer line, who are currently struggling to maintain their title.
On top of that, Dennis felt confident.
“If only it hadn’t been for Princess Helena and that monster, I would have been the top this year.”
The initial impact of the entrance exam results still lingered in his mind.
This was his chance to regain his confidence.
He pushed forward boldly with the duel challenge.
But then…
“Is it really necessary to duel with me? There are so many others around.”
What? Seriously trying to run away?
Dennis concluded that the senior lacked confidence in his abilities.
Using the rules to his advantage, he pushed the challenge even further.
But then…
“…You might… no, you might get hurt because of this.”
Dennis felt like his ears deceived him.
“What? Get hurt? Me? By you?”
Annoyance surged inside him momentarily, but he managed to suppress his anger.
Not wanting to incur any penalty for disrespecting a senior, especially at the start.
“Hmph, regardless of fear, does he really think someone as lowly as you merits dodging like this?”
He thought the senior seemed rather pathetic.
Even worse, that he was flirting in front of a woman…
“Wait, isn’t that Reeti Aelleanor?”
Looking closer, he realized this was a famous person.
Dennis regretted not engaging in a conversation earlier and wondered curiously,
“What’s someone like Aelleanor hanging out with this commoner for?”
After pondering for a while,
“Could it be his face? Though, for a commoner, he’s quite handsome… Hmm, surely Aelleanor wouldn’t befriend him just for his looks?”
Dennis reached his own conclusion after some thought.
“Probably out of pity. She’s a kind-hearted person… as beautiful inside as she is outside.”
Dennis couldn’t take his eyes off Reeti’s face.
“Alright, I’ll crush this commoner in the duel this weekend. That would make her see him as too pitiful to hang out with.”
With that in mind, Dennis smirked.
“I’ll crush him completely.”
