Chapter 55: The First Letter (55)
Chapter 55: The First Letter (55)
In the Academy, the second year was undeniably the most vibrant. It was a time when students had finally graduated from being mere greenhorns and could afford to enjoy some leisure.
As freshmen, they had been so clueless that they would freeze up just by making eye contact with a senior. But after a year, they had adapted to the notorious Academy life in their own way. Unlike the third years, who were busy preparing for practicals, or the fourth years, who were being sent out on dispatches, the second years were in their prime.
It was a season of life where the most time was squandered on pleasure. Within a ten-minute walk from their rooms lived a multitude of friends. It was obvious what those young souls would get up to.
They gathered to chatter, drink, plan trips, and head downtown to play.
In short, they did anything as long as it was fun. And as they spent their time roaming about, social circles naturally formed. It was during this period that the groups they would spend the rest of their Academy lives with were usually decided.
Peer relationships were that critical at this stage. Consequently, the speed at which rumors spread among the second years was unparalleled.
I heard so-and-so from this department is like that lately; I heard those two are in a relationship; I heard those two who seemed to get along are actually awkward with each other.
To an outsider, it might sound like trivial gossip, but to the second-year students, it was more important than anything else. One of the primary reasons for attending the Academy was, after all, networking.
An Academy diploma guaranteed a stable job, but connections guaranteed success and honor. In an institution where the continent’s brightest talents gathered, it was only natural that it produced the highest echelons of every nation each year.
To properly utilize that solid framework of school ties, building a network was paramount.
Occasionally, there were students like 'Yurdina's Rude Brat' whose sociability was exceptionally poor, but excluding such outliers, the vast majority of students were proactive in their social activities.
The monthly balls were part of those activities. There, nobles secured political alliances and talented subordinates, while commoners forged friendships with nobility that they could never obtain outside the Academy.
To grasp the chains of such complex human relationships, one could not afford to miss even the most trivial piece of information. Though they were barely adults, they were not so ignorant as to misunderstand the mechanics of society.
Thus, there was a rumor that every second-year student knew.
That the relationship between the two flowers of the Swordsmanship Department, Celine Haster and Seria Yurdina, was exceptionally poor.
The reason was quite obvious. One only had to look at the fact that Celine, who possessed a beauty ill-suited for a lower noble, had never been in a relationship until now. Contrary to her lively personality and rough way of speaking, she was surprisingly devoted to one person.
The identity of that person was also well-known. The object of her affection was Ian Percus, the man who had recently become the hottest topic in the Academy.
The reason Ian had never received a single confession despite his decent looks was also because of Celine. Since she openly marked her territory, no one felt the need to approach him.
Celine was as excellent in her social life as she was in her appearance. There was no reason for anyone to antagonize her, as she held considerable influence within the female social circles.
This applied to high-ranking nobles as well. What daughter of a prestigious house would want to get into a hair-pulling fight with a lower noble just to seduce a lower noble man?
Even if they won, they would be a laughingstock; if they lost, they would be an even bigger one. High nobles were meant to mingle with their own kind. At the very least, until recently, a man like Ian Percus didn't possess enough value to warrant such a fuss.
However, no matter how broad and dense the chains of human relationships were, there were always exceptions.
'Yurdina's Rude Brat'—that is, Seria Yurdina—was exactly that exception. She was someone who didn't form human relationships to begin with. There was no way she would have known about the dynamic between Celine and Ian.
Even if she had known, it was highly likely she wouldn't have cared. Their relationship had started out of pure admiration, after all.
But as time passed, Seria began to follow Ian around like a shadow, and it was only natural that Celine’s temper would flare.
With recent rumors spreading that a strange atmosphere was flowing between Seria and Ian, the confrontation between Celine and Seria became increasingly clear.
After all, when a woman who always wore a cold expression suddenly bloomed into a radiant smile whenever she stood before Ian, anyone would be forced to think:
‘Ah, we’re in trouble.’
It was like two butterflies fighting over a single flower. It wasn't a common occurrence, but it wasn't rare either, so everyone knew how it would end.
A mud-slinging fight was about to begin. Just like always.
Celine and Seria were already in a precarious relationship. Then, another rumor began to circulate that made both of them even more uncomfortable.
The rumor about Delphine Yurdina and Ian Percus.
Word was that Ian had seen Delphine naked, and as with all widespread rumors, speculations about the cause were diverse.
Among them was the story that Ian was Delphine’s paramour. It was a rumor that Elsie Lainella had been scolded for mentioning, but that only made more people support the hypothesis.
The reasoning was that Delphine must have stepped in to silence her because it was a fatal weakness for a noble.
Of course, it was a false rumor, but the mere fact that such talk existed was enough to turn Celine and Seria’s expressions cold.
Because of this, the second years of the Swordsmanship Department felt like they were constantly walking on thin ice.
Celine made it very obvious that she was in a foul mood. She still acted cheerful when talking to others, but that was it.
The gloomy aura she radiated made it clear her mood was at an all-time low.
Seria was the same. She had always walked around with an expressionless face, but from a certain point, a murky emotion began to entangle itself in those aquamarine eyes.
From her chillingly sunken gaze and the way she swung her sword in silence, a faint killing intent even seemed to seep out. To anyone’s eyes, Seria’s mood looked abysmal.
One touch and they would explode. Celine and Seria were now no different from walking time bombs.
The only question was who would light the fuse; every second year in the Swordsmanship Department agreed that one of them would blow up soon.
And then, that day arrived.
'Swordsmanship Training.' Unlike the 'Swordsmanship Practice' course, which was a joint class for second and third years, this was a mandatory lecture designed specifically for the second years.
While third years were capable of more autonomous training, this class was created with the idea that second years needed to supplement their absolute volume of training.
It was a course every second-year student in the Swordsmanship Department had to take. Therefore, in this class, the two famous flowers of the department could not avoid crossing paths.
Celine and Seria—the two time bombs.
The students who knew the situation all held their breath. They looked worried that they might get caught in the crossfire. However, contrary to expectations, the class proceeded quietly.
Celine and Seria acted as if they didn't see each other. If their eyes happened to meet, Celine would turn away with a cold snort. Seria would merely glance at Celine with indifferent eyes before returning to swinging her sword.
It was a moment that almost passed peacefully.
Thwack!
A wooden sword flew and embedded itself in the ground right next to Seria. It was a sword that had been flung from somewhere.
The atmosphere turned icy in an instant. Seria’s cold eyes turned toward the direction the wooden sword had come from. There stood a woman whose face had turned pale.
It seemed the wooden sword had slipped while two people were sparring playfully. Even if it wasn't intentional, it was clearly a mistake. Furthermore, the person who made the mistake was a problem.
She was one of the lower nobles who had previously mocked Seria’s mother—one of those women who had tucked their tails and run at Teahn’s threat.
“...N-No! This wasn't on purpose!”
At Seria’s chilling stare, the woman shouted, clearly having a guilty conscience.
Seria was already on edge. There was a high possibility she would use this as an excuse to pick a fight. After all, the woman who made the mistake had a history.
The sound of someone swallowing hard could be heard. The onlookers looked tense, thinking the time bomb was finally going off. Seria glared at the woman in silence for a moment.
But after a short while, Seria let out a small, annoyed sigh and spoke.
“...An apology.”
“H-Huh?”
At Seria’s cold voice, the woman blankly asked back without thinking. At that, Seria’s eyes sank even deeper into a chill.
“You should apologize if you’ve done something wrong.”
At those firm words, the woman’s body trembled as if she had been electrocuted. Then, she began to nod her head vigorously. It looked almost pathetic.
It was one thing to mock from the sidelines, but she didn't have the confidence to face Seria head-on. Facing Seria, who had both the Yurdina family backing her and the skills to match, was a suicidal act.
Especially when she was in a bad mood like this.
“R-Right! I-I’m sorry... I’m just a bit... clumsy by nature....”
The woman stammered as she edged closer to Seria. Then, watching Seria’s reaction, she carefully picked up the wooden sword she had dropped. Seria watched her actions with a cold gaze.
Having retrieved the wooden sword, the woman scurried away from Seria. Only then did Seria’s cold gaze cease. She turned her eyes away as if she were no longer interested.
The woman let out a sigh of relief. So did the onlookers. The difference was that the latter’s sigh was half-filled with disappointment.
The situation needed someone to light a fire to end it. If it had to explode, it was better if the victim wasn't one of them. Now that the potential victim had escaped, they couldn't help but feel a bit let down.
Still, it wasn't bad for the lecture to end peacefully like this. The bomb would explode eventually, and it was better if it happened when they weren't around.
Just as everyone was about to turn their attention back to their own tasks.
“...Hey.”
Seria’s movement, just as she was about to swing her sword, came to a halt. Her deep blue eyes slowly turned toward the back.
There stood a beautiful girl holding a canteen and drinking water. Black hair neatly tied behind her back, and amber eyes.
Only then did the onlookers remember the existence of the other time bomb. Right, there wasn't just one.
Celine Haster. She tilted the canteen back a few more times, then spoke with a faint, mocking smile.
“Let’s try to smile a bit... It was an accident, so why give her such a hard time?”
She was also one of the central figures among the female lower nobles of the second year.
Naturally, that included the group the woman who had made the mistake belonged to.