Chapter 337
Chapter Title: An Unfamiliar Face
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Leo walked down the hallway with Anre.
It was impossible for Laura, a young mage who had dedicated her life to magic, to conduct a class that would satisfy the students of Seirun, where even the lower class was composed of elite elves.
Thus, Laura, who had been fired up with motivation upon first seeing Leo, was quickly disappointed and sent him off with Anre.
She had decided it was better for the students to study on their own.
“Miss Laura is a really good person.”
Anre said, walking ahead of Leo.
“She pays an incredible amount of attention to all the kids in our class. Her magic lessons are fun, too, so they’re really easy to understand.”
Anre praised Laura to no end.
“You’ll grow to like Miss Laura in no time.”
The bright smile on Anre’s face faded slightly.
“It’s just that she’s lacking when it comes to teaching other subjects.”
Anre’s ears drooped a little before he forced an awkward smile.
“Ah, sorry. You must not be feeling great about coming to the lower class, and here I am saying unnecessary things!”
“Don’t worry about it.”
As Leo replied calmly, Anre fidgeted with his hands.
“But there’s something I’m a little curious about. For you to come from the middle class to the lower class… does that mean one of the lower-class students… well… um…”
Anre glanced at Leo, struggling to finish his sentence.
“As far as I know, no student is moving up from the lower class to the middle class.”
“Ah.”
Anre let out a soft gasp.
Then, he managed a strained smile.
Competition among students was fierce, both at Lumerne and at Seirun.
If one student came down to the lower class from the middle class, it was natural for another to move up, but since Leo hadn't actually come down from the middle class, no student was being promoted from the lower class.
“Sorry for saying something unnecessary.”
Smiling awkwardly, Anre quickened his pace.
Following behind him, Leo was lost in thought.
‘This problem seems incredibly serious.’
Having a student with the skills of a year representative in the lower class.
The way the lower class was being neglected like this.
The problems at Seirun seemed more severe than he had thought.
‘They’ve always been excessively obsessed with Star Magic.’
Even so, Seirun had never exclusively favored Star Mages.
But the current situation was tantamount to not providing any opportunities to students who excelled in other fields.
No matter how talented and skilled they were, they were still just first-years.
To think they were studying amongst themselves without the guidance of a professional teacher.
Just as Leo narrowed his eyes,
“We’re here.”
Anre led Leo to a shabby auditorium building.
Inside the spacious auditorium, first-year students were sparring, each holding their own weapon.
Watching them, Leo asked.
“Don’t you have separate theory classes?”
At Leo’s question, Anre scratched his cheek.
“Yeah, we try to have theory classes as much as possible, but… for now, we’re focusing on practical training.”
“Is that so?”
Leo nodded.
Watching him, Anre readjusted his grip on his spear.
“How about it, Reil? Since you’re here, want to have a match?”
At Anre’s question, Leo smiled faintly.
“I’ll just observe today.”
“Really? Alright. You must be feeling unsettled.”
Anre didn’t press further and began sparring with the other students.
A few students glanced at Leo and whispered among themselves.
“Who’s that?”
When a male student asked, Anre gave a bitter smile.
“He came from the middle class this time.”
“Really? So he’s a failure just like us.”
The male student who had clicked his tongue looked puzzled.
“But why is he just watching?”
“He said he’s only observing today.”
“He still hasn’t realized he’s in hell.”
The male student sighed and began sparring with Anre.
Observing them from a distance, Leo rested his chin on his hand.
‘There are a lot of skilled kids.’
Anre, for one, was skilled enough to aim for the position of year representative among the Seirun first-years.
The other students were also exceptionally talented.
They lacked only one thing.
Their achievement in Star Magic was low.
After watching the students for a moment, Leo stood up and left the auditorium.
The lower-class students saw him go but didn’t bother to say anything.
The lower-class students held considerable resentment towards the middle and upper classes.
The reason the lower-class students were all grouped into one class under a single teacher, without any specialization.
It was because most of the personnel assigned to the first years had been allocated to improving the skills of the upper class.
The middle class was in a slightly better position.
The Seirun authorities paid attention to them since they could move up to the upper class at any time.
But the lower class was different.
Only Laura.
A single teacher was in charge of all the students.
The school had deemed them hopeless, and the students from the upper and middle classes treated them with ridicule and contempt.
Having been treated as such while being robbed of even the slightest opportunity, there was no way the lower-class kids would look kindly upon Leo, who they believed was from the middle class.
Leaving the auditorium, Leo spoke.
“Elsie.”
At Leo’s call, a black mass coalesced, and Elsie appeared.
-Yes, Leo.
“Find a place nearby where a large number of summoners are gathered.”
-One moment.
Elsie closed her eyes and concentrated briefly.
Soon, she opened her eyes and said.
-This way.
As Leo had expected, the first-year lower-class students majoring in Summoning Studies were training not far away.
Leo watched the lower-class students gathered in an empty classroom, communing with their spirits and summoned beasts, and clicked his tongue.
‘As I thought, the kids’ skills are decent.’
There was no one with overwhelming skill like Anre.
But among the students studying summoning, there were many who he couldn't understand why they were in the lower class.
‘I think I have a rough idea of the problem.’
Stroking his chin as he walked down the hallway, Leo soon returned to the lower-class classroom.
There, he came face to face with Laura, who was sitting at the teacher’s desk, diligently reading an Aura Studies textbook.
“Ah, Student Reil. What brings you here? Did you perhaps leave something behind?”
Laura asked with a bright smile.
Leo sat down in front of her and said.
“I’d like to attend your class.”
“Pardon?”
“I want to take your class. Is it not allowed for just one person?”
“Of-of course not!”
Laura smiled brightly and stood before the desk.
She cleared her throat with an “Ahem!” and opened her mouth.
“We will now begin the lecture on Aura Studies.”
***
*Clack— Clack—*
The second-year classroom area.
A girl with brilliant red hair was walking down the hall.
All the second-years who spotted her flinched.
The top student of the second year.
Lunia El Lundua had finally shown herself in the classroom area.
After the incident with the second-year Smith Exclusive Contract curriculum.
The high-ranking elves who had deemed Lunia in need of correction hadn’t just assigned her supplementary lessons.
She had been made to take all her classes alone.
Ostensibly, it was special treatment for the top student of the second year, but in reality, it was isolation to prevent Lunia from influencing other students.
Returning to the classroom after a long time, Lunia opened the door.
*Creeak—*
As the classroom door opened, the students of the second-year upper class 1, who had been preparing for class, showed bright faces at Lunia’s return.
“Lunia, you’re back! How were the special classes?”
A student approached Lunia, acting friendly.
Lunia glanced at him with a cold expression.
“Would you mind not talking to me?”
The approaching student flinched at Lunia’s icy voice.
Lunia despised the male student who had spoken to her.
Her friend, Luca, who had ranked third throughout their first year.
This student had been promoted to take Luca’s place after he was excluded from the curriculum simply for being a half-elf.
Moreover, he was a typical elven pure-blood supremacist.
She didn’t even want to waste her breath on him.
Noticing Lunia’s cold stare, he quietly slipped away.
Lunia went to her seat, the one at the very back by the window, and plopped down.
A few students gathered around her.
“How were the special classes?”
“It was so empty without you.”
Looking at her friends whom she usually got along with, Lunia smiled faintly.
“It wasn’t anything special. Just a class about the elven mindset, I guess?”
“Ah…”
At Lunia’s words, her friends let out a sigh and smiled bitterly.
Having been in the same class for the entire first year, they knew that Lunia was a bit rougher around the edges compared to other elves.
But not a single student thought it was a major problem.
‘It’s Lunia, after all.’
‘Just because she’s a bit crude and her actions are rough doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with Lunia.’
Just as the students were thinking this,
*Creeak—*
The classroom door opened, and Eiran entered.
Spotting Lunia, Eiran’s eyes widened, and she rushed over.
She grabbed Lunia’s hand tightly, her eyes welling up.
“You’re back! Miss Lunia!”
“Did you get along well while I was gone?”
Patting her tearful friend’s head, Lunia smiled faintly and looked at her friends.
“Did anything special happen while I was away?”
“Something special happened yesterday. The whole school is in an uproar because of it.”
“What happened?”
“Leah Tingel from the first year.”
“The top first-year student? What about her? Did that model student cause some trouble?”
“Trouble is one way to put it. She caused a huge incident.”
The female student exclaimed dramatically.
“She had a conversation with the Fairy King Silroad yesterday.”
“What?”
“The whole school is buzzing because of it.”
“That’s quite an event.”
“Perfect timing. We were planning to go see Leah Tingel after school with some friends today.”
As the students were excitedly chatting,
The classroom door opened, and an elven teacher entered.
The students quickly returned to their seats.
Looking at the students, the elven teacher spoke.
“I have an announcement. I’m sure you are all well aware that midterms are approaching.”
The elven teacher scanned the students.
“It is the first midterm for the first-years. This exam is important for some of them, for instance, those in the lower class.”
The teacher smiled faintly.
“Even underachievers will try their best during midterms, won’t they? In consideration of those first-year lower-class students, upperclassmen are forbidden from approaching the first-year lower-class area. It’s a time when they need to focus on their studies.”
At those words, the students began to murmur.
To suddenly announce that they were forbidden from meeting only the first-year lower-class students?
Something was strange.
At that, Lunia raised her hand.
“Yes, Student Lunia El Lundua.”
“Don’t you think the first-year lower-class students need the guidance of their seniors more than anyone? Why are you preventing that?”
“It’s because if outstanding students like yourselves were to offer advice, the lower-class students would likely not understand it, leading only to confusion.”
‘…Something must be going on with the first-year lower class.’
She had keenly felt that Seirun had changed this semester.
‘Whenever the higher-ups are up to something shady, they try to control the students with ridiculous reasons like this.’
Lunia narrowed her eyes.
‘Telling me not to meet them just makes me want to meet them more.’
***
Lunchtime.
Leo, having attended Laura’s classes on Aura Studies, Spiritual Power Studies, and Mana Studies, was lost in thought.
‘She’s a good teacher.’
Just as Anre had said, Laura was an excellent person as a teacher.
He could feel that she was doing her absolute best for the students in Aura Studies and Spiritual Power Studies, even though they weren't her areas of expertise.
‘Still, I don’t think the content of her classes will be of much help to the current lower-class kids.’
Leo thought as he headed to the cafeteria.
And upon entering, he looked at the scene before him with an expression of disbelief.
The cafeteria was also divided by class.
Upper, middle, and lower.
On the upper-class side, a splendid buffet was laid out.
The middle class had a decent-looking school meal.
Finally, the lower class had only bread and water.
There wasn't even a single student eating at the lower-class tables.
Leo was the only one who had come for a meal.
“Who’s that? Never seen him before.”
“Is he from the lower class?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a lower-class kid in the cafeteria.”
He could hear the jeers of the first-year elves.
‘If our school’s kids saw this, they would have rioted over discriminating with food.’
Lumerne students were accustomed to the delicious meals provided by their academy.
On top of that, with the best restaurants established on campus, every student was a gourmet.
That was why Lumerne students were particularly sensitive about food.
But he couldn't just starve because he was dissatisfied with the menu.
Leo ignored the students snickering at him and went to the lower-class section to eat his bread and water alone.
The middle and upper-class students shot him scornful looks, but he simply treated it as the barking of dogs.
“Huh? That’s the guy I saw last night.”
Eclair, who was eating in the upper-class section, said with a curious expression.
“Who?”
At her words, a girl with gray hair looked up.
“What? I told you earlier there was a weird lower-class kid.”
Eclair said to her friend with a bright smile.
At her friend’s words, the top first-year student, Leah Tingel, took a sip of her drink and glanced where her friend was looking.
Seeing the ‘familiar face’ in a Seirun uniform, Leah, who had been about to lose interest indifferently, hurriedly looked at Leo’s face one more time.
“*Gasp?!* *Cough! Cough!*”
She was so shocked that she choked and started coughing.
Eclair, flustered, patted her friend’s back.
After calming down, Leah checked Leo’s face once more.
The Seirun uniform.
The pointed ears.
Aside from those, it was unmistakably the face she had seen in a newspaper from the ‘human world,’ something hard to come by in elven society.
‘Why is Lumerne’s student council president having lunch in the Seirun first-year cafeteria?!’