A Brief Winter Break (1)
Now that the End-of-Term Evaluation was over, a brief winter vacation had essentially begun.
Though it would last a week at most, or as little as a single day, it was plenty of time for Michel to look into something.
By the time the torrential rain and the mudslide were brought under control, the testing period had reached its conclusion, and a dense sea of students poured out of the exam grounds all at once. Because of the crowd, Michel had struggled to find Senia among the throngs dispersing immediately after the evaluation. Eventually, however, she spotted the familiar silhouette—a girl with chin-length brown hair and a sword at her hip.
She had followed Senia all the way here and was now taking a moment to organize her thoughts before knocking.
All right.
She needed to be as polite as possible, making it clear she had never intended to eavesdrop so that no misunderstandings arose. And once her apology was accepted, she would ask: how had Junon managed to bloom his Unique Magic?
Taking a deep breath, Michel knocked on the door of the physical training room Senia had entered.
Knock, knock.
"You're Senia from second-year Class D, right? There's something I'd like to ask. Do you have a moment?"
Her voice must have carried through, as the door swung open to reveal a sharp-featured girl with a cool, impassive gaze.
"Business with me? That's a bit unexpected."
"Is it...? Am I interrupting? Are you busy right now?"
"Not particularly. But you know full well how people like us are treated here, don't you? So I'm wondering why you came to see me."
Senia, much like Junon, held little affection for students of the upper classes. To those branded as inferior by the academy's arbitrary standards, the high-ranking honor students were rarely seen in a favorable light. Add the prestigious title of a highborn noble lady, and Senia's preconceptions only hardened further.
"Treated? What do you mean by that?"
Michel genuinely didn't understand. The nobility had gone to great lengths to conceal the daily harassment and systemic abuse inflicted upon the lower classes.
"Do I really have to spell it out myself? Or are you playing dumb?"
"I'm sorry, but I truly don't know what you're talking about. Could you explain it to me? Or... if I've upset you, would it be better if I scheduled a proper visit later?"
Faced with Michel's completely baffled reaction, Senia found herself unable to press any harder.
She honestly didn't know?
Senia had assumed all nobles were arrogant creatures incapable of bending their pride—that Professor Jake was the sole exception to the rule. Yet the girl before her was lowering her posture, actively trying to accommodate her. Her knock and tone had sounded polite and earnest from the very start. Testing the waters once more wouldn't hurt.
"So you're saying you had no idea that students in the lower classes are constantly being tormented here at the academy?"
At Senia's probing question, Michel's face—previously tight with worry that she might have offended her—began to stiffen in shock.
Senia knew parts of the suicide incident the Grand Duke had previously referenced, and as the details unfolded, Michel was struck with sheer disbelief.
"That can't be..." Michel murmured, her voice hollow.
She was finally realizing the horrifying reality lurking behind the academy's polished facade.
I had my suspicions, but wow.
Watching Michel's reaction, Senia was quite taken aback herself. She had assumed every highborn noble colluded to treat the lower classes as mere stress relief, but that clearly wasn't the case. Then again, there were always ringleaders and instigators, while the ones carrying out the dirty work were underlings. Certain nobles must have thoroughly covered up the truth and orchestrated an illusion of harmony. That was why exceptions like Michel existed.
"First of all, I jumped to conclusions, so that's on me. I apologize. I assumed you were just like the rest of them. My prejudice was wrong."
"No... given the circumstances, it makes sense. I would've been suspicious too."
Though Michel was visibly shaken, there was no point in doubting her sincerity any further. It was time to get down to business and conclude the conversation.
"Anyway, what did you come to see me about?"
"Ah... well..."
"Don't hesitate. Just speak comfortably. I'm the one who made a mistake earlier; if you look that uncomfortable, I won't know what to do with myself. Besides, you need to get your business sorted."
Such easygoing flexibility was uniquely Senia. To Senia, who had brushed the awkwardness aside with a cool apology, Michel offered a careful confession of her own.
"Sorry. I really didn't mean to pry... but I happened to overhear your conversation with a boy named Junon."
"We've talked a few times. Which conversation, specifically?"
"...From the part where you mentioned that Junon, from Class E, defeated Sylvia."
"Haa, of all things... That's a bit tough for me to explain."
When Senia swept back her hair with a troubled sigh, Michel waved her hands hurriedly.
"No, no! I'm not asking you to explain that!"
Then what does she want? Senia tilted her head in confusion.
"I wanted to ask about Junon."
"Ah, so that's it?"
Without either of them realizing it, their shared point of interest had become Junon—the very person who wanted to avoid both of them more than anyone else in the world.
With the End-of-Term Evaluation behind them, the brief winter break arrived.
Because semesters at Lebrant Academy ran exceptionally long, vacations were naturally short. Students grumbled about it every time, but it was actually the institution's consideration so that course schedules wouldn't feel overly rushed. Consequently, winter breaks at Lebrant lasted a week at most, and sometimes as little as a single day.
This time, however, the break was five days long. Unlike before his regression, it was three days longer. It seemed the lack of major incidents meant no time needed to be spent cleaning up catastrophic fallout.
Things are changing for the better, right?
Having finished his physical training, Junon stood before the bulletin board near Megrez Hall to catch his breath and check his upcoming schedule. He asked himself whether he was doing a proper job preventing the same tragedy from repeating, and whether clear changes were emerging from the path he had chosen.
For now, the answer was yes.
Michel had paired with Erika during this evaluation and seemed to have grown quite close to her. Senia, too, appeared to have received help from Lady Ophelia during the fourth-stage exam, just as she had in the previous timeline. He hadn't crossed paths with any other members of Tembris yet, so everything was progressing smoothly.
If there was one lingering concern, it was his contact with Senia. Though he hadn't run into Michel, and he had given Senia a firm warning, an elusive sense of unease still prickled at his instincts.
"Haa, I just hope nothing happens."
Junon stood there, staring blankly at the board for a long while.
And watching him from the shadows, four figures radiated pure malice.
"Hey, you're sure about this, right?"
"Of course. I spent a fortune on this thing. Taking care of one bastard like him will be a piece of cake."
"Still, why waste something like that on a guy like him?"
"Why? Because he keeps stepping out of line! We need to teach him a proper lesson so he knows his place."
"Exactly. The other lowlifes learned, but not Junon. That punk never changes. He needs to be put in his place once and for all."
Vesta and Pallas couldn't admit to the others that Junon possessed some bizarre method of disrupting magic circles and knocking people unconscious. Saying that out loud would be tantamount to admitting defeat.
"Hmm... fair point. He makes things a pain for all of us."
"Tell me about it. Every time assignments roll around, I pray he's not mine. Dealing with him is just an unnecessary headache."
Having already suffered at his hands once, Vesta and Pallas had gone so far as to purchase an expensive magic tool to guarantee their victory.
"Now, let's go educate that insolent bastard."
Cruel smirks spread across their lips at the thought of revenge. Regrettably for them, however, they wouldn't get the chance to settle the score with Junon today.
"The weather is lovely today. Maybe I should air out the bedding."
Having let everything go, Sylvia's heart felt light—so light she felt like floating. It was almost baffling to think she had ever believed she needed to remain chained to the count's household. The status of nobility. The pointless superiority over the lower classes. Shedding such hollow pretenses made the entire world look completely different.
Her first steps had inevitably relied on Junon's guidance. Once she stepped outside the count's estate, she realized she had been nothing more than a spoiled child who only knew how to flaunt poise and dignity. So she had asked questions and learned step by step.
In developing self-reliance, she realized the dormitory was actually a decent place to live, contrary to how nobles compared and demeaned it against their lavish mansions. She cleaned for herself—chores normally handled by maids—and shared a quiet chuckle when she later noticed suds lingering on her cheek after washing her uniform.
It's hard work, but not unbearable at all. Was this really something so terrible? she asked herself.
And once more, she realized just how futile it had been to cling to a fraying lifeline.
"Still... written coursework really isn't progressing well."
Nobles focused entirely on mana training and spell refinement—practical application—which left Sylvia feeling utterly lost when it came to written academic subjects. Yet even that frustration was not unwelcome.
"I'm just going to ask a question, so it should be fine, right...? Yes, it'll be fine."
Because it gave her an excuse to see him—the boy who had willingly forgiven her despite her sins, the one who gave her such a strange sense of comfort and relief whenever she leaned on him.
Her lips, which had rarely ever curved upward until just a few days ago, curled into an effortless smile. Standing before the mirror in her bathroom, Sylvia wondered if her hair was out of place, running a comb through her grey-white locks a couple more times before grabbing her bag and stepping out of the dormitory.
Her gaze was fixed exclusively toward Junon's dormitory, and today, she spotted him standing before the bulletin board earlier than usual.
Then, in an instant, her eyes flared with cold fury.
"Of course. I spent a fortune on this thing. Taking care of one bastard like him will be a piece of cake."
The magic tool in Vesta's hand caught Sylvia's eye.
Don't tell me... they're planning to use that on Junon...?
The artifact he held was designed to sear and scorch flesh, inflicting the severe status condition of burning and inducing excruciating agony. Back when Sylvia was a five-year-old child, she had burst into tears before the count, crying that etiquette lessons were too difficult. That artifact was the very reason she had never cried again. It was, after all, an instrument of torture.
"Why? Because he keeps stepping out of line! We need to teach him a proper lesson so he knows his place."
"Exactly. The other lowlifes learned, but not Junon. That punk never changes. He needs to be put in his place once and for all."
Hearing them whisper about who their intended victim was, Sylvia snapped completely.
"Hm? Hey, isn't that Sylvia?"
"Oh, you want in on this too? Perfect. When it comes to putting Junon in his place, Sylvia's the best—"
"Shut your disgusting mouth."
With those parting words, the four schemers plotting against Junon found themselves rolling across the dirt.