Let's Learn Magic
Let's Learn Magic
[Rodpen Academy Recommendation for Admission.]
[Current Academy Dean: Theo Arkenbus Verified.]
"Hmm...."
For a moment, my mind drifted off somewhere far away.
I rubbed my eyes and glared at every single letter once again.
But nothing changed.
Rodpen Academy Recommendation for Admission.
My three-character name was neatly engraved in the bottom column in a very clear and elegant handwriting, which I presumed to be Mirea's.
"If that's the case, then it seems certain that my admission to the Academy is the reward...."
Although I was flabbergasted at first, once I regained my reason.
I could accept that a recommendation letter was definitely an incredible item for a Duchess to offer as a first reward.
What kind of place was the Rodpen Academy described in the original work?
It was the premier educational institution where only the true elite of the elite could attend, a place where not only royalty from other countries but even the children of the Empire's most prominent high-ranking nobles had to line up just to get in.
And at the same time, it was also the main stage of this damn romance fantasy novel.
However, that made the situation even more ambiguous.
"Hmm, this is driving me crazy."
I had planned to stay strictly off-stage, manipulating the villainesses and enjoying the easy life.
I had absolutely no intention of jumping right into the middle of the stage like this.
There were a few very clear reasons why I was so reluctant to enter the Academy.
First and foremost, the territorial behavior of the nobles is beyond imagination.
According to the setting, perhaps the previous generation? Or the one before that? The Imperial family, wishing for the Empire to grow in more diverse directions.
They pushed hard for a policy to hire commoners and passed a bill requiring 15% of Academy students to be commoners.
Because of this, many dozens of noble children were unfairly slipping at the threshold of admission every year, so it's said that quite a bit of resentment had built up.
But since they couldn't direct that grudge and dissatisfaction at the Imperial family, it all ended up being directed at the commoners who succeeded in getting admitted.
In short, towards the nobles who are tied together by blood, regional, and school ties.
It means that currently, in the Academy, a commoner's treatment is that of a living punching bag, worse than a slave on the street.
On top of that, the major characters of the original work involved were also a problem.
If I enroll now, it means I have to attend the Academy with Rihel, who is technically scheduled to return as a 3rd-year student but hasn't even attended for 6 months in the last 3 years.
Literally, a delinquent bully.
Furthermore, another villainess I least want to encounter.
Princess Ilusia Rodpen was a 4th-year student and had been the student council president for 4 consecutive years, holding a tight grip on the Academy.
Of course, the possibility that the Princess realized I was the owner of that insane secret letter sent through the Golden Hand is close to zero, but you never know how things turn out.
If by any chance my identity were discovered, I would definitely be done for.
Lastly, there's the sub-male lead who is finishing his succession to the Count title this year and entering the Academy in earnest.
He'll have a fated encounter with the female lead starting from the entrance exam day soon.
My abilities and limits were too clear to jump into the middle of this complicated love triangle and factional strife with my bare hands.
'No, absolutely not. No matter how free it is, I can't drink from this poisoned chalice. Let's not act out and play it safe.'
Thinking that I should run to the Duchess's office right now and politely yet desperately refuse.
It was the very moment I hurriedly turned my body and tried to take a step toward the door.
Bang-!!
With a sound so loud it felt like the building was collapsing, the firmly closed door swung open.
"W-what?"
"Hoo... ha."
What entered my vision as I stepped back in surprise was Rihel Denius, huffing and puffing with a heavily crumpled expression.
She strode into the room, and looking back and forth between me and the document in my hand, she shouted irritably.
"Ah, seriously, what on earth is Mother thinking!!"
It was obvious at a glance that she absolutely hated the idea of me enrolling in the Academy.
... Huh? Wait a minute.
Seeing her sharp reaction, a brilliant idea popped into my head.
'Aha! Since the Young Lady is so displeased, if I make an excuse that I dare not enroll, I can naturally refuse the admission to the Duchess.'
It was the moment I was about to open my mouth with a satisfied smile, feeling like things were going to work out smoothly.
"Young Lady, you've come at just the right time...."
"Don't you dare pretend to know me at the Academy!!"
"... Pardon?"
Before I could even say anything, Lady Rihel preemptively struck with a very vicious voice.
"Even if we run into each other on the street, keep your eyes down, and if you even try to talk to me in front of others... then I'll really burn every single strand of your hair to a crisp with Denius's Blue-Black Flame!! Do you understand?!"
"No, wait, I mean...."
Having finished saying everything she wanted to say, she gasped for breath and turned around sharply without even giving me a chance to answer.
Thud!
The door closed with a sound as loud as when she entered.
Left alone in the middle of the quiet room as if a storm had swept through, I blankly stared at my right hand, which was still stretched out in the air, having lost its place.
"... No, you damn villainess. I was going to refuse to go, so you should have at least listened to me before leaving...."
Anyway, since I had lost the excuse to refuse in a somewhat plausible way, I decided to just enroll in the Academy.
Duchess Mirea Denius, who would know the reality of the current Academy better than anyone else.
Because I had roughly grasped her intention in putting me there as a reward.
'If I refuse, she'll use that as an excuse to kick me out of the Duchy, and if I accept, she probably thinks I'll taste the hell that is the Academy and drop out on my own.'
However, unfortunately for her, there was one thing she hadn't taken into account.
That was the fact that, thanks to my 5 years of K-corporate life as a high school graduate, I had encountered all sorts of shitty types of people.
I had become a man with the mentality of a Buddha who takes zero damage from power trips and bullying.
'I've grasped the Duchess's intention very well, so I'll make sure to use this excuse properly myself.'
I immediately turned around and headed to Duchess Mirea's office, where she would be busy with territory work.
As confidently and coolly as if to make one wonder if I was really that same Zenon who, just a few days ago, was timid and anxious about getting his insides ripped out while being chased by loan sharks!
Of course, separate from that, this time I knocked very politely and entered.
The restraining order hadn't been lifted yet.
Knock knock!
"Duchess, it's Zenon. Excuse me for a moment."
"⋯? What is this⋯!"
As I entered the office with only the minimum amount of courtesy.
Mirea, who was reviewing a mountain of documents on her desk, opened her eyes wide in bewilderment as she saw me enter the office confidently without permission.
Either I would be intimidated and pack my bags to run away.
Or, it was understandable that she was dumbfounded, as the commoner man who should have been groveling on the floor begging for his life had instead come to find her with sparkling eyes.
Or perhaps she was just flabbergasted that I had so confidently broken the rules set by the Duchess.
Whatever it was, it didn't really matter, so I didn't care about her gaze and, with a smile of the most overwhelming emotion in the world on my face.
I began to spout praises that were a bit more exaggerated than usual.
"Ah, what a benevolent and great grace this is. A recommendation from the Denius Duchy, the most noble and great among the seven pillars supporting the Empire. That I, a mere lowly commoner, should receive the honor of enrolling in the Rodpen Academy, where only the Empire's best elites gather—all of this is thanks to the Duchess's endless generosity. I will go there, uphold the honor of the Duchy, and spread the prestige of Denius to the whole world...."
Flattery pouring out like a flowing river, almost without taking a breath.
Loud packaging like 'the honor that only 7 people can receive' and 'the highest honor in the Empire' filled the quiet office.
However, even so, I focused on distracting her, dodging the most important point until the very end.
Because if I jumped straight into the main point while she was still somewhat sane, things might get complicated.
And after a minute of flattery, Mirea, whose patience had finally reached its limit, furrowed her brow.
Then, tapping the desk with the tip of the pen she was holding, she finally began to show the reaction I had been waiting for.
"Stop! Stop it! Don't annoy my ears with useless talk, and just tell me your business quickly. You wouldn't have come to find me, taking up my precious time, just to spout that petty emotion."
"It's nothing special."
Before the Duchess had even finished speaking, I strode up to the very front of the desk.
Then, Mirea's hand, which was trying to pull back in surprise.
To be precise, I very softly and naturally placed my palm over the back of that snow-white hand, which was gripping a quill pen tightly.
"You, how dare you be so rude again...!"
"For the sake of the noble honor of the Denius Duchy, please teach me magic yourself, Duchess."
I looked straight into her red eyes and demanded in a shameless voice, without a single inch of retreat.
"Since I am entering the wolf's den that is the Academy with the great name of Denius on my back, if I collapse and get trampled in a weak state, it is no different from smearing an indelible stain on the Duchess's name. I, too, want to awaken my own power, like the Duchess's pitch-black Black Flame or the Young Lady's beautiful Blue-Black Flame."
As I continued speaking, I applied a little pressure to the softly overlapped palms.
Then, her slender fingers twitching little by little were conveyed exactly.
Yes, now Duchess Mirea Denius had also realized it.
That her elaborate plan to push me into the cesspool of the Academy and make me give up on my own.
Had instead become the perfect excuse for the man in front of her to confidently demand 1-on-1 private tutoring.
"Huh... no, well."
As if she had never expected that I would pierce through the gaps in such an extraordinary way.
Mirea's red lips stammered and parted, having lost their place.
And in the end, having completely lost that cool and beautiful charisma she usually had.
She couldn't take her eyes off me, which were rippling with deep bewilderment.
"Keuk...."
"⋯⋯."
A quiet silence and staring contest that came for a moment.
Her wildly fluctuating red eyes and my brazen gaze clashed in the air for several minutes.
"⋯⋯ Hoo."
In the end, Mirea, who had only been moving her lips for a while, let out a deep sigh.
"Fine, I lost."
She raised her other hand, which wasn't held by me, and pressed deeply against her red eye area.
Mirea, who was pressing her brow as if someone suffering from a terrible headache, soon muttered in a voice mixed with resignation and absurdity.
"I lost. I should have been more careful."