Strata Magic School (3-7)
Louis had rushed to find Luna the moment he woke up that morning, only to receive a bolt-from-the-blue announcement from her.
"Louis, let's ride separately on the way to Levin."
"...What?"
It wasn't just some offhand remark.
Luna delivered the words with a frosty expression, loading them with unmistakable weight.
Louis stared at her in stunned silence for a long moment before finally snapping out of it and asking,
"Luna... why all of a sudden...?"
"I thought it over carefully last night."
"Ah!"
Louis recalled how he'd gone to her room while she was sleeping and gotten an earful from her.
"Like I said yesterday, we're not kids anymore. If we're seen popping in and out of each other's rooms carelessly... rumors could spread, even if we don't mean them to."
"Rumors..."
Louis actually wished the kind of rumors Luna was fretting over would spread far and wide.
From his perspective, Luna was destined to become his wife someday—he was utterly convinced of it.
To Louis, she was his first woman... and he hoped, his last.
But he already knew rumors didn't always play out the way he imagined.
Recently, he'd heard one that grated on him terribly.
Luna and Seong Su-ho, standing side by side on the platform, basking in the students' radiant cheers.
The rumor that had spawned from that.
(Those two... are they dating?)
(The vibe between them is no joke.)
(I heard their club has just the two of them?)
(....)
Louis had grown sick of rumors veering off in unwanted directions long before his school days even began.
But ironically, he'd been swept up in that one for a moment.
(I saw them holding hands...)
(That's basically confirmation, right?)
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes right there, Louis might have punched them in a fit of rage.
But he had seen it clearly.
The two of them, holding hands atop the platform...
The silver lining was that other students there shared his mindset.
(Nah... if they're close, that's just normal, right?)
(Yeah, they're in a club together? Makes sense they'd be tight. And joint first place? They probably just got caught up in the moment.)
He'd desperately wanted to wedge himself into that conversation, nodding along in agreement.
For a brief instant, Louis had craved a sense of solidarity with them.
But in the end, he hung back on the periphery, never joining in.
I'm not like those extras!
Louis fell silent, brooding over the memory of lurking among the background characters.
Luna pressed on, watching him.
"We're old friends, sure, but it's time we both got real about this."
"Yeah... I've been too reckless. Sorry about that."
"... "
"...?"
Luna's expression didn't soften at his apology. Her icy gaze remained fixed on him.
Her silvery hair swayed coldly, chillingly precise—enough to muddle Louis's thoughts.
But that very chill in her face struck him as refreshingly novel.
Luna... she finally seems like a real woman now.
To Louis, her frosty demeanor evoked a portrait of a woman radiating cool allure.
Missing the mood entirely, he nodded at her and said,
"I'll be more careful from now on. Still, if anything happens on the trip, come find me without hesitation."
"...Yeah, got it. Let's go eat."
"Sure."
Louis trailed after her, buzzing with excitement despite her cool tone.
But that elation evaporated the instant they reached the first-floor dining hall.
The place was packed to the brim, every eye turning toward Luna and Louis as the crowd erupted.
"Whoa! Students from Strata!"
"For real! It's really them!"
"Wh-what...?"
Before Luna and Louis could compose themselves, the throng surged, shouting at them.
"Is it true the dean of Strata is staying here?!"
The moment I climbed into the carriage, I slumped into the plush seat, letting out a weary sigh.
Whew... thought my soul was gonna leave my body...
The morning scene I'd woken up to was a total spectacle.
Every last villager had swarmed the inn, clamoring for the dean.
I'd half-expected something like this.
The procession of a grand archmage who'd conquered the world.
<Tags: Archmage, Strata Dean, 500 years old, Half a millennium of history, etc.>
A guy strutting around with tags like that had checked in.
No one not knowing would be weirder.
That's why, when traveling with the dean, I'd made sure to gag the long-distance carriage rental folks.
Of course, it wasn't me or Louis who handled it—the Strata professors stepped in personally, leaving no gaps.
Yet despite their efforts, this mess had erupted.
In a world overflowing with money and info, gag orders just buy time.
But I hadn't dreamed it'd blow up like this in a single day.
One day... that's all it took to turn into this circus...
"Tales say the eyes and ears of shrewd merchants pierce a thousand li. Especially those around Strata—they're no ordinary folk."
As Armonia said, most of the mob consisted of merchants.
From everyday cargo haulers to big shots you could spot from their outfits...
A handful nagging us? Easy to brush off.
But the sheer numbers made real talk impossible.
Worse off than us were the drivers, though.
To them, it must've been pure hell.
Even elite pros couldn't calmly handle a few hundred villagers swarming just four of them.
But their hell had a savior right there.
Sonya... her charisma was off the charts.
It wasn't the dean who'd caused the ruckus who fixed it—Sonya did.
She bellowed amid the merchants, hammering home the gravity.
("I'm Sonya Friedrich, assistant professor at Strata! Your behavior right now disgraces the dean! Leave now, or we'll hand your identities to the guards and Strata itself!")
("W-we just wanted to glimpse the great dean's face...")
("Leave! Now!")
("Urgh...")
The merchants raised the white flag at her shouts and cleared out of the inn.
But they didn't leave the village.
They dodged her gaze, then cornered us with prying questions.
("Student! Please, mention our merchant guild to the dean!")
("At least let us exchange greetings...")
("Name your price!? I've got forty buildings in this village! Take 'em all—just get us that intro!")
A real eye-opener on merchant wealth.
Some craved the honor of etching their guild name in the dean's mind; others offered gold or land for a single hello.
Land... for one greeting?
"Just conversing with a legend from history skyrockets a merchant's credibility. And credibility turns into cash."
Ugh... money makes the world go 'round...
Word was, the dean hadn't stepped out in over eighty years.
In that time, he'd only met students and professors.
Anyone else he'd talked to?
None.
Hell, he hadn't even let a single hair catch their eye.
Even a nation's king couldn't meet him without enrolling at Strata.
Some fool king shows up out of pride?
He'd get booted, becoming his kingdom's lifelong punchline.
So even if the merchants exaggerated, claiming a face-to-face hello with such a figure?
That alone was trust and honor incarnate.
And that trust fortified their guilds' foundations.
What an absolute beast of a man.
I watched Sonya and the drivers escorting the dean amid the chaos outside the carriage, lost in thought.
Do they know? That this monumental figure wants to die?
Not a chance they'd imagine it.
To them, he's a hero, an idol—perfection personified.
People don't need his true heart. Projecting theirs onto him suffices.
You don't know Jesus or Buddha's minds, but praising their deeds lets you pat yourself on the back for righteousness.
The dean approached the carriage, flanked by Sonya and Karl.
Finally boarding.
Even in the frenzy, he ignored everyone, deep in thought as he strolled slowly to the carriage.
Right now, he looked...
No way he skipped washing or sleeping?
His robes were yesterday's, sure, but this usually tidy guy had slightly tousled hair.
"After centuries, his focus must be unparalleled."
Whatever... quicker we wrap this, better for me.
Best part? He was thrilled about it.
No awkwardness next time I ask a favor.
I muttered to myself, eyeing the carriage the dean was boarding.
Louis is over there, so this trip might actually be fun.
Me ending up in this carriage? Pure intent.
I'd spotted Louis boarding and picked the other one to avoid him.
Current lineup...
Dean's with Louis's group... Sonya's obviously with the dean... Huh? Karl too?
These long-haul carriages seated four for comfort—plenty of space per person.
And here I was, all alone in mine.
The last member I'd expected was chatting with Sonya before boarding, then headed my way cautiously.
Even the dean-obsessed merchants couldn't help turning eyes toward the graceful woman approaching my carriage.
She brushed off their occasional advances with elegant headshakes, proceeding with poised dignity.
That epitome of refinement opened the carriage door gingerly, sat across from me, sighed, and spoke.
"Exhausted... all thanks to you-know-who yesterday."
"Haha..."
Luna sat facing me, smiling.
The fun trip had begun.