Expulsion and Two Years Later (2)
“You look absolutely radiant today!”
“That Paranite necklace… Lady Violet’s taste is impeccable, as always! It only enhances her beauty!”
“Lady Violet! The weather is lovely today. I happened to acquire some fine tea from the East—would you allow me to present it as a gift?”
Louise Violet. Just as her name suggested, the girl with the mesmerizing violet hair strode through the academy halls. Amidst the chorus of praise and flattery from countless students, she walked with her head held high, offering not a single glance in return.
She ignored their words for a long while before coming to an abrupt halt. Her eyes, brimming with arrogance and disdain, swept over the students as she finally spoke.
“I’m afraid class is about to begin.”
“Our apologies! We dared to waste Lady Violet’s precious time…!”
“If you understand, then get out of my way.”
“....!”
The Violet family, with its ancient lineage and immense wealth. As their only daughter and beloved young lady, Louise was the queen of the academy. No one dared to defy her—not students, not professors, not even the headmaster.
“It’s rather warm today. Someone fetch a fan and cool me down.”
At the sight of a single bead of sweat on her brow, her closest attendants rushed forward, fanning her and gently dabbing away the moisture.
“We’re terribly sorry, Lady Violet…”
“We deserve death…!”
“Enough. Get your filthy heads out of my sight.”
At her sharp command, the students bowed their heads in unison. A faint sense of satisfaction flickered across Louise’s face as she resumed walking through the kingdom she had built—one where no one dared to disobey.
“......”
Then, in the distance, a familiar figure passed by. Though too far for his features to be clear, Louise felt certain she recognized him.
Eden… Rofas?
The orphan who had flaunted his talent without knowing his place. The man she had framed and expelled because she couldn’t stand the sight of him. Louise shook her head. No—Eden had been cast out two years ago for the crime of defying Louise Violet. It couldn’t possibly be him.
I must have been mistaken.
The academy, after so long, felt less unfamiliar than it did painfully familiar. This was the place I had despised with every fiber of my being, yet returning brought back memories that clawed at me like ghosts. I had forged bonds here—friendships I once believed in, a love I once trusted. The moment I realized it had all been an illusion felt like death itself. That betrayal had become the fuel that drove me forward.
Enough reminiscing.
I crossed the academy grounds, still gleaming on the surface, and headed straight for the headmaster’s office—the starting point of my revenge.
The door, crafted from expensive wood that anyone would recognize at a glance. Once, I had thought it symbolized authority. Now I knew better. It was nothing more than a monument to cowardice, erected in exchange for covering up the dirty secrets of powerful families.
I steadied my breathing and knocked twice.
“Come in.”
“It’s been a while.”
As I opened the door, I saw a head of graying hair. The headmaster, absorbed in his writing, slowly looked up at the sound of my voice—then drew in a sharp, startled breath.
“Y-You are…”
“Eren Lopez.”
“Eden… Rofas?”
“You must have misheard. It’s not Eden Rofas. It’s Eren Lopez.”
The headmaster scrambled to his feet, snatching up his staff.
“Do you know where you are—!”
“Still the same as ever, I see.”
Paying him no mind, I glanced around the office. Trophies from foreign kingdoms, plaques from various schools, certificates of contribution from merchant guilds… I hadn’t understood before, but now I did. These weren’t symbols of glory—they were the fruits of corruption and backroom dealings.
“I assume you’ve heard that a new student would be arriving today.”
“...So you deceived the academy with a forged identity? We showed mercy by expelling you instead of sending you to prison for your crimes, and this is how you repay us?”
“Forged identity? That’s quite an accusation.”
“Your admission is revoked. Leave immediately, or I’ll have no choice but to use force! You’d be wise to turn back now!”
All talk. Did he really believe he’d earned his position through magical prowess? A man with nothing but a silver tongue, promoted for cleaning up after the powerful. Perhaps he’d grown so accustomed to the title that he’d begun to believe his own lies.
“Go ahead and try. Use that ‘force’ of yours.”
“Pierce through!”
At his incantation, a bolt of blue lightning shot from the tip of his staff. At the same moment, the blade at my waist slid free, slicing through the air. The lightning ricocheted harmlessly, striking one of the plaques on the wall.
Clang—
The plaque clattered to the floor. Silence followed.
“Now that we’ve established force won’t work, shall we talk?”
“......”
The headmaster remained frozen in place. That was fine. His ears still worked.
“First, take these. My identification and admission documents.”
I placed the prepared envelope on his desk, the papers sliding out neatly.
“As headmaster, you should be able to recognize what I’ve prepared. Read them carefully and think it over.”
With trembling hands, the headmaster picked up the documents. His eyes darted between shock, confusion, despair, and resignation.
“What is all this…”
“You must be wondering. How did a drug-addicted failure expelled two years ago get his hands on such high-level information?”
“......”
A glint flashed in the headmaster’s eyes.
“If you’re thinking of destroying the evidence, I’d advise against it. You didn’t really believe I only brought one copy, did you?”
I pulled out a stack of photographs. They showed the headmaster inhaling drugs, receiving sexual favors from high-ranking officials—among other damning scenes.
“...Where did you get these?”
“From people who hold grudges against you. Did you really think you could live such a filthy life without making enemies? I thought only intelligent men could become headmaster, but apparently stupidity works just as well.”
Cold sweat poured down the headmaster’s face. The moment had come. When faced with crisis, most people reacted in one of three ways: they gave up in fear, lashed out in denial… or they begged for a way out.
“P-Please, not that. I’ll do anything you want.”
The headmaster chose the third option. Fitting for a man who had clawed his way to the top through cunning.
“Good. Since you’re begging so nicely, let’s make a deal.”
The headmaster was already prostrate on the floor. I pulled out his chair and sat down, crossing my legs.
The headmaster wielded considerable influence within the academy. After all, he held final say over all decisions. Thanks to that, his orders spread through the academy like wildfire.
“Do not provoke Eren Lopez under any circumstances!”
Within an hour of Eren Lopez leaving the headmaster’s office, official notices had been sent to every department and delivered to the professors. The contents were clear:
1. Do not contradict Eren Lopez’s words or actions.
2. Award Eren Lopez an unconditional A+ in all subjects.
3. Do not convene a disciplinary committee over Eren Lopez’s conduct.
The professors had no idea which family Eren Lopez belonged to or what backing he possessed, but they decided to comply. There was no benefit in angering the headmaster.
— If the headmaster himself is saying this… touching him would be asking for trouble.
— What kind of family must he come from for the headmaster to go this far?
— Not convening a disciplinary committee… The academy really is rotten to the core.
Some harbored resentment, but what could they do? No matter their title, real power in the academy didn’t rest in the professors’ hands.
And so, the next day arrived. It was the day of the third-year magic department lectures.
A day like any other.
“Lady Violet! The weather is so clear today—it makes your beauty shine even brighter!”
“These are the finest pearls from the western coast! If it wouldn’t be too presumptuous, I’d like to offer them to you as a gift!”
Louise Violet made her way to the lecture hall, surrounded by her entourage. In the center of the tiered, semicircular classroom sat a single sofa with armrests, conspicuously out of place among the plain wooden chairs. It was an odd sight, but nothing unusual within the academy.
Louise settled into the special seat prepared for her.
That was when it happened.
“Lady Violet…”
As she cooled the sweat on her brow, a familiar voice reached her ears. No—a voice that should never have reached her again.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
A man’s golden hair caught her eye, shining like sunlight. He slowly turned his head and looked up at her.
“My name is Eren Lopez.”
Louise’s face twisted as if she had seen a ghost.