The Besieged Crow (1)
A week of madness. It wasn't the most accurate term, but Professor Reina inwardly dubbed the week following the sandworm's appearance just that, as she popped a headache pill.
Why the hell did a sandworm have to show up there of all places?
Reina was no sloppy professor.
The dungeon she'd selected for the class was one she'd personally scouted and cleared.
It was a dungeon in name only—a zone almost fully under control.
She'd even brought along Professor Isarina, the magic instructor, as backup for any accidents.
And yet, a sandworm had appeared.
We dodged a catastrophe by a hair.
Sandworms weren't easy prey.
They were massive, burrowed through the earth, and had rock-hard bodies—nightmares to hunt.
Reina was confident she could take one solo if it stayed on the surface, but the bastards never played nice, always needing support.
In a controlled environment, it shouldn't have appeared at all—nor should she have missed it. It was a monster that screamed something had gone wrong.
And one popped out without anyone laying a hand on it? Impossible.
Her first suspect was...
Argent Empire.
But no evidence. They weren't sloppy enough to leave traces.
Just a gut feeling, then.
Either way, the fact remained: a monster that nearly wiped out Vespa Kingdom's future generation had shown up.
And the kicker?
The ones who'd slain it were academy freshmen.
Aizen, Noel, Mina.
If Reina had to name the top five most famous freshmen, these three were locks.
Everyone had been shocked they teamed up—three who seemed like they'd never cross paths.
And this feat shocked them again.
Mina, the fifth saintess of the Saras Church.
Noel, said to possess great mage potential.
And Aizen, the golem guy.
This fight was only possible because of Aizen's golem.
The sandworm's corpse bore marks proving it'd clashed head-on with a golem.
Aizen's golem was pretty smashed up too, but that just meant...
Three students and one golem had punched above the weight of a senior party of six—ending with just one half-wrecked golem.
And Aizen claimed he could repair it, so selling the worm's corpse for the bounty would net a profit.
Plus, Noel had contacted her family for repair funds and materials—no real loss for him financially.
Reina also suspected some deal between Noel and Aizen, but she couldn't dig deeper.
That week, she'd been dragged to investigations and meetings nonstop.
It bugged her, but she wasn't too worried.
He's a weird one with yellow potential, but he'd never lay a hand on a girl.
If anything, she figured he'd been enchanted by Noel's cane more plausibly.
The guy obsessed over rare minerals, durable materials, or unique structures—not girls.
He'd probably eyed that cane's purer-than-pure mana metal over Noel herself.
With his black hair and eyes, he even looked like a crow.
What an amusing punk, she thought with a chuckle, then spoke up.
"So, care to explain why you swiped the dwarven-forged hammer from the academy forge?"
"Good tool. Borrowed it for a bit."
Reina whacked the crow's head hard with the student roster.
"Couldn't react in time."
"You're impressive for even thinking to dodge it."
Rubbing his head from Professor Reina's favoritism-fueled roster smack, Mina immediately shot him a pitiful look.
Noel gave a wry smile.
"Professor Reina might not look it, but she's one of the kingdom's top five knights..."
"A commoner monster who earned noble status through sheer skill."
Dodging a hit from that was foolish, apparently.
Next time, block it.
Pondering how as he walked with the two who'd been hanging around more lately.
More precisely, his daily routine: head to the workshop, and the investor followed while the duke's lady brought tea.
Changes had crept in, though.
"Still, Lady Mina, so that's your real speech pattern..."
Noel said cautiously to Mina.
Now maskless even around Noel, Mina puffed out her chest proudly.
"No point faking around Aizen."
"I agree, but doesn't that mean you only show your true self to him?"
"You're not much different."
At Mina's words, Noel paused, then looked away with a light sigh.
"... Aizen is comfortable in a certain way."
"Still, bad rumors are spreading, so the lady ought to keep some distance."
"Bad rumors?"
Worried for Noel, he glanced over; she looked troubled.
Mina asked curiously instead.
"Rumors about you, and you haven't heard?"
"Someone must've said it outright, but Aizen just ignored it..."
Noel said carefully, but Mina saw no need for kid gloves.
With a sly smirk, she laid it out bluntly.
"That you're using curse magic to snag the academy's top beauties and doing who-knows-what in dark corners."
"Not me, so no sweat."
"You can't just brush it off, Aizen. That's not the point."
Noel flushed slightly and leaned in.
As Mina wedged between them, Noel pressed on.
"The rumor is fake, but starting it means someone's got massive guts. It's picking a fight with me and Lady Mina too."
"Hanging with us has roughed up the lady's speech."
Mina narrowed her eyes amusedly but quickly added,
"I'm a saintess of the Saras Church. Noel's the Nexia duke's daughter. Scandals like this block marriage prospects and devalue us."
"Gonna take responsibility?"
"Pay it off for life. Get ready."
As he bantered with Mina, Noel bowed her head.
Time to take it seriously.
"So, rumors targeting just me? Ignore 'em. But dragging you two in changes it."
"Necromancy rumors make it believable too."
He recalled that nonsense.
Frame research, they said. Rumors spread wild.
"By that logic, the rumormonger's higher-status than you two."
Harsh, but neither Noel nor Mina would sit idle for smears.
Their caution meant someone they couldn't touch easily.
And among freshmen he'd heard of, two fit.
The name Noel voiced matched his guess.
"Prince Gilford."
She hesitated, then said quietly,
"He's pressuring everywhere, saying you buried him in dirt."
Saved his ass, and he bitches.
"Should've shoved him all the way then."
"Such disdain for society, Lady Investor."
She's riskier than me, he thought, entering the workshop.
New addition: metalworking tools and mana metal ingots.
"Thanks to the artisans Noel introduced, completion's in sight."
Without them from the deal, endless trial-and-error despite the mana metal, he mused, heading in.
Passing the repaired Caterpillar Golem.
Beside it, a massive metal frame.
"This is..."
Noel's eyes sparkled at the unfinished golem.
Prince Gilford was in a foul mood.
Aizen Arclight...
Born to the Vespa royal family, basking in attention and acclaim.
Not yet heir, but elite on a smooth path.
Yet no outstanding praise.
Martial prowess? Crushed by Phoenix County's lady.
Magic? Outshone by distant cousin Noel Nexia.
Governance? He prided himself, but acclaim went to Christa lady, Saras saintess, for her savvy.
He believed himself above all.
But no field hailed him exceptional.
At least his looks got nods.
He'd leveraged them, strutting as freshman rep speaker.
—"Some lunatic rammed a golem into the main gate!!"
His shining moment stolen by some punk.
He shrugged it off then.
The vandal was some Arclight Territory hick—near-bastard, no title. No threat.
Reality differed.
—"Aizen could've been huge with a slight pivot...!"
—"Agreed, but ease up on the pills, Reina."
Just a week.
Kingdom stars Reina and Isarina lamented his talent then.
Instinct screamed danger.
Just their opinion, he thought.
Three days after ordering probes.
Reports flooded.
—"Aizen's contracted with the palace. Finish a rider golem post-enrollment, get a title—courtiers agreed."
—"Court mages want him as apprentice...!"
—"Knight orders' brass eye next-gen weapon potential."
He knew pre-enrollment buzz: rural genius birthed novel golems.
Aizen was the creator.
Storm upending all.
Snatching what Gilford craved, better.
—"Soon, nobles' lips will whisper only Aizen."
His cousin noble's greeting echoed.
This path, Gilford fades to nothing.
"Dangerous."
Baseless dread spurred him.
Someone might call it envy, but Aizen felt threatening.
Even before the mud burial.
Watching him slay the sandworm and return as Reina and Isarina barely entered? Worse.
Gilford acted.
Luckily, Aizen had enemies.
"Knights fearing for their swords rallied."
Military malcontents joined him.
"Furious at him parading society's flowers, gathered more."
Nobles blocking his saintess/dukeess ties recruited.
"Even roped in family."
Useless Mark Arclight stashed for now.
Gilford sharpened his blade.
Eyes on desk papers, he summoned a servant.
"You called?"
"Deliver this to Professor Reina."
Formal duel application.
"And say it's the prince's command."
Gilford wanted Aizen gone.