Strata Magic School (3-15)

Long, cascading waves of golden hair and sharply defined features.

A height in the mid-160s with C-cup breasts gathered neatly at the center.

A glamorous dress that blended red and white perfectly.

If Luna was the faint moon in the night sky, the woman before my eyes was like the brilliant sun shining in the blue heavens.

She exuded an aura that made it impossible to think of her as an ordinary noble.

I immediately checked the disposition window floating above her head.

What caught my eye first wasn't her dispositions.

'Brandtrup?'

Only the name she bore registered… It was definitely a name I knew.

Since I was staring blankly at the space above her head, the blonde woman looked at me and lifted one corner of her mouth into a smile.

"Did my sudden visit offend you, by any chance?"

"I'm sorry. I was expecting the person you were originally scheduled to meet, so I was the one who was rude."

I'd been waiting for only the maids to enter, so when someone else showed up unexpectedly, my words weren't really a problem.

But despite my reasonable excuse, the blonde woman smiled as if she'd seen right through my inner thoughts.

"Sorry for dropping by unannounced. But I've wanted to meet you for so long that I couldn't help being rude like this."

"…Me?"

"You're the talk of Strata, the school's pride, aren't you?"

"Haha…."

We'd only started this trip two days after the exam rankings were announced.

No matter how I thought about it, there was no way such rumors could have spread this quickly.

But despite my suspicions, I didn't particularly guard myself against her.

'Sex….'

Whatever lewd thoughts she was harboring inside, I could look into them later.

What mattered right now was the simple fact that this woman was insanely hot.

From Armonia's perspective, the disposition ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠window she carried was probably cause for concern too.

Her appearance was so striking that I hadn't paid it much mind, but if someone with those traits was an enemy, I'd really need to watch out.

'If I'm too guarded, it'll be harder to figure out what she's thinking. Let's talk it out step by step….'

'Why are you so quiet? You don't think I'm laying the groundwork here because I want to fuck her, do you? Even for me, you don't think I'm the type who just wants to bang any woman recklessly, right?!'

'….'

I'd wanted to be an emperor, but in the end, I was just a petty thief twitching my feet in frustration.

To avoid Armonia seeing through my true feelings, I needed to act confident in reality.

I calmly rose from the bed and extended my arm toward the table, showing proper etiquette to the blonde woman.

"Since you're here, how about some tea…."

She'd come to see me anyway.

The moment I decided to probe her intentions politely through conversation—

"No, I'm fine."

"…Pardon?"

"I just came out of curiosity. Rest well."

As the blonde woman left the room, the maids followed her out and carefully closed the door.

Only silence filled the room.

'How dare she make me feel awkward? Just you wait….'

And just like that, I had one more target for revenge.

As I let the maids dress me, I asked Armonia.

'His sister?'

And the simple reason Armonia hadn't mentioned it earlier was this.

A woman with absolutely zero magical talent.

She didn't even have the basic qualifications to enter Strata.

In other words, if I hadn't accepted Louis's invitation, I never would have met her.

'Well, who Louis's parents are isn't my business anyway….'

Louis always brought up his family, bragging about being the duke's son or whatever, but I didn't even know what a duke did.

In that context, there was no need to dig into info about a woman who couldn't even enter Strata.

'Yeah, probably. But….'

Karin Brandtrup… Her other dispositions started catching my eye.

No talent for magic, but exceptional in other fields.

And looking at the traits behind that talent, I could roughly guess what kind of person she was.

Trait-driven obsessions stemming from an inferiority complex over her lack of talent.

It was laughable.

Political acumen, business sense, and more… She clearly had the skills to achieve great things as a person, yet she carried inferiority and anxiety.

A personality obsessed with what she lacked… Which meant….

'She's got a massive inferiority complex about her lack of magic talent.'

This was a world where magic was so revered that people said the world revolved around it.

Someone with outstanding magical talent could receive treatment above a noble, even as a commoner.

And that implied the reverse was true as well.

'Even nobles decline if they lack magical talent.'

Money and power could fill some gaps, but not the hole of honor completely.

I marveled at Karin’s disposition window.

'Wow… Enel really is amazing.'

Even for someone that capable, just floating the window and checking let me grasp exactly what kind of person she was.

Being capable also meant hiding yourself well.

For such a talented woman to be exposed so easily showed how incredible Enel was.

'Yeah… alright.'

Once the maids finished dressing me, I slowly left the room.

'I'll ask Luna directly.'

Luna had ties to the Louis family, so she’d surely know plenty about his sister.

"Lady Karin…?"

"…Lady?"

It was unexpected.

I'd expected a familiar tone, but Luna's face showed only troubled hesitation.

She'd been proudly showing off her elaborately dressed-up gown when the unexpected name popped up, and now she looked at me with worry.

"Of course I know her. She's… Louis's sister. But how do you know Lady Karin?"

"She came to see me earlier."

"Ah…."

Luna clutched her head like it was a headache and cautiously glanced around.

This was her private guest room, but she fretted as if worried someone might overhear our conversation.

And her troubled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expression meant talking about this Karin person required caution.

"I had no idea she'd come as part of the delegation."

"Huh? Didn't you meet Professor Sonya and the delegation nobles earlier?"

Luna shook her head.

"I didn't meet everyone. Just from the count here up to the high-ranking nobles staying in the upper floors."

"Oh…."

No matter how fallen her noble house, Luna couldn't refuse meetings with the delegation's representatives.

As a result, Strata's representative Sonya, along with Levin nobles Luna and Louis, had handled the talks.

For reference, Sonya was currently Strata's representative.

The Dean had glanced indifferently at the crowds and quietly retreated to his room.

The delegation nobles wanted to speak with the Dean, but amid the chaos, he just smiled faintly and stayed silent.

'I get why the Dean isn't coming out.'

I didn't know what wind was blowing this time to make him want to travel, but if I were him, I'd avoid going out too.

Too many annoyances everywhere….

As I thought about the Dean, Luna steered the conversation back.

"Lady Karin… visited you, Suho…?"

"Why? Is she bad news?"

"No. She's not close to me, but I think her reputation is quite good."

Well… Just glancing at her dispositions showed she wasn't just capable—she was exceptional talent personified.

'Definitely someone to watch.'

Louis might act like an idiot at school, but his reputation in Levin Kingdom was probably stellar.

Duke's son, top enrollee at Strata, and even if second place, an excellent mage title….

And if his no-talent-in-magic sister still had a good rep… I judged we'd need extra caution against whatever schemes the two might cook up.

Family means treating one sibling's wounds as your own and avenging them together.

"Whew… Who knows what that Louis punk and his sister are plotting. Gotta watch my back."

"That's… you don't need to worry that much."

"What?"

Luna opened her mouth carefully, her expression reflecting her complex feelings as she looked at me.

"Lady Karin… hates Louis more than just dislike—she despises him."