Chapter 136: Mentor Isaac (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: Mentor Isaac (1)
‘In the end, I actually got in…’
The air was filled with the chirping of birds. Sparrows, which had vanished to escape the winter chill, had finally returned.
It was a bright spring morning—the day of the entrance ceremony for the new students of Märchen Academy.
The ceremony opened with grand fanfare. Gathered in the academy square, the freshmen stood tall in their crisp new uniforms, reflecting on their ambitions and resolutions for the coming year.
Among the crowd, the "main characters" of this story had already been identified.
There were three individuals whose status was so overwhelmingly high they practically reigned above the law. These girls, surrounded by their respective escorts, participated in the ceremony while remaining distinctly detached from the rest of the student body.
The Imperial Princess, Snow White von Kairos Elfieto.
The Saintess, Bianca Anturaze.
The Priestess, Miya.
Seeing the three of them—who seemed to have nothing in common—wearing the same uniform was a surreal sight for the other students. News of their enrollment had already swept through the Zelver Empire like wildfire.
The atmosphere among the freshmen was thick with tension, but as the girls appeared in their uniforms, that tension turned into pure awe.
They were the very epitome of beauty. Fitting for their roles as world-renowned figures, the Princess, the Saintess, and the Priestess each radiated an incredible, distinct allure.
In the midst of this, however, tears welled up in Princess Snow White’s eyes. She was in the throes of despair.
—“Well done, Snow White! Use this opportunity to become independent and grow into a person befitting the Imperial Family! Kahahahah!”
‘Your Imperial Majesty…’
The hearty, booming voice of Emperor Carlos echoed in White’s head. Recalling his beaming face, she realized she simply hadn't possessed the courage to try and persuade him to let her give up on enrolling.
And to rub salt into the wound…
‘Dead last…’
She had been branded with the title of the lowest-ranked student in the Magic Department’s entrance exam. It was a devastating blow to her dignity.
She had actually been quite confident in her abilities, but as was often the case, exam results were never certain until they were posted. The students admitted to this academy were all geniuses with exceptional talent. They were White’s competitors, living up to the reputation of the continent’s finest institution.
When taking that into account, she had barely scraped by.
Or maybe failing wouldn’t have been so bad…
No. If I hadn’t passed, I can’t even imagine how much I’d have to walk on eggshells back at the palace.
White’s feelings were a tangled mess.
“The next event will be the recitation of the declaration. Freshman Representative, Miya. Please come forward.”
The Priestess, Miya, stepped toward the podium, her black pearl-colored braids swaying behind her. Her expression was relaxed, a faint smile playing on her lips—a stark contrast to White’s misery.
After all, the gap between White and Miya was the extreme distance between first and last place.
White furrowed her brows. She was the "bottom of the barrel"; how was she supposed to befriend this Priestess—whose personality was rumored to be severely lacking—for the sake of the empire and the world?
‘It’ll be a miracle if I’m not mocked or looked down on.’
Just avoiding total humiliation would be a victory in itself. It was all so overwhelming. What was she even supposed to do?
Meanwhile…
After finishing the declaration, Priestess Miya glanced toward Princess Snow White and Saintess Bianca Anturaze.
‘The Imperial Princess of Zelver and the Saintess of the Helize Church…’
At Märchen Academy, the gap in social status tended to lessen considerably. There was a long-standing custom of treating everyone as equals—fellow students who had entered the academy to learn.
However, it was unclear if that rule would have any real effect. In the end, a person’s true position never truly changed. Even within the academy, the Priestess was already receiving special treatment. Essentially, when someone’s status was high enough, they couldn't be treated as an equal even if people tried.
It was the same for the Princess and the Saintess. They were both women with immense global influence.
Priestess Miya decided to keep a close eye on them. Just as she had done until now, she intended to surpass them and raise the prestige of her homeland, the Land of the Fire Blossoms-Horan, and her title as Priestess.
“…?”
Princess Snow White quickly averted her gaze the moment she made eye contact with Miya.
She seemed plagued by worry, her trembling figure highlighting her anxiety. Miya recalled the day of the entrance exam. When Miya had kicked a male student down the stairs, the Princess had looked at her with a face full of pure terror.
It was a moment that had stuck in her memory because it was the first time they had ever made eye contact.
Miya decided to reconsider. Perhaps the Princess wasn't someone she needed to be wary of after all.
*
The die was cast, and the weight on her shoulders was heavy. Princess Snow White had to do whatever she could for the future of her country. She was an Imperial Princess, after all.
“Is Your Highness really alright?”
“My resolve hasn't wavered, Merlin…! Now is the time.”
First mission: Befriend Priestess Miya.
Today was her first day at Märchen Academy. Soon, after the class assignment evaluations, Snow White would be sent to Class D, while Priestess Miya would go to Class A. Since social circles were usually established in the early days of enrollment, White decided to use this window to her advantage.
On this momentous first day, Princess White sat in the student cafeteria, staring at Priestess Miya and swallowing hard.
The surrounding students began to murmur.
“The Princess and the Priestess are in the same place…”
“I never thought I’d see such a sight in my life.”
The mere fact that the Princess and the Priestess were in the same vicinity was historically rare.
Merlin approached White, cautiously observing the other students, and lowered her voice.
“Princess, let me carry your tra—”
“No, I’ll carry it.”
“Excuse me?”
“I can’t be spoon-fed forever.”
Merlin suddenly felt a wave of emotion. “…You’ve grown, Princess White.”
“I-I wasn’t so hopeless that carrying a tray counts as growth, you know?!”
Emperor Carlos’s command was for her to become independent. White wasn't entirely against the idea. Having enrolled at Märchen Academy, she decided to treat this as an opportunity for personal growth.
Still, hearing that she had "grown" just by carrying a tray made White flush with embarrassment. Just how lowly had people been evaluating her all this time?
“Well, then.”
“I know… We… have to… eat together…!”
Grasping the tray with both hands, White shot a determined look toward Priestess Miya.
Regardless of White’s resolve, Miya continued to eat with an air of indifference, utterly unimpressed, her escort wizard standing stoically behind her.
“…”
Now that she was actually attempting to approach her, White felt a fluttering sensation in her chest, like feathers tickling her heart.
It was terrifying. But the thought of making a friend in this new environment made her cheeks flush, and she bit her lip in nervous anticipation. No matter how "shitty" a person’s character was rumored to be, surely there was a reason why the people of the Land of the Fire Blossoms-Horan revered this Priestess.
‘It’s possible. Maybe she’s actually a good person.’
White believed in the innate goodness of people. That belief alone proved just how sheltered she was from the brutal power struggles that usually defined people of her stature.
White got lost in her imagination. She imagined getting acquainted with Priestess Miya over a meal… interacting during classes and exams…
Eventually, they would find common ground, opening up to one another. She would realize that Miya had a kind side, allowing White to treat her as a true friend without hesitation.
‘The bloom of pure youth…!’
Immersed in these thoughts, White’s mood improved rapidly. Becoming friends with the Priestess didn't seem so bad after all.
Yeah, it’ll be alright.
Peace for the empire and the world? Let’s put that aside for now.
She just needed to be Snow White von Kairos Elfieto and get along with her classmate, Miya. Only then could White let go of her worries. Her fearful, tense expression softened, and a relaxed smile touched her lips.
‘Oh…!’
White’s escort knight, Merlin Astrea, was amazed. She could feel a newfound sense of ease radiating from the Princess.
Well, then. This was White’s first step.
With light, airy steps, she approached Miya, who was still eating, and—
“Euheuk!”
Splat!
“…”
“…”
She pitched forward, the contents of her tray flying through the air before raining down directly onto Miya.
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Miya’s hand, holding a fork, froze mid-air. Hot mushroom soup dripped from her black-jade hair, white steam rising from her head. Food clung to Miya’s uniform, staining the fabric with grease and seasoning.
The students, the escort wizards of the Land of the Fire Blossoms, and Merlin all watched the scene with wide, disbelieving eyes.
White, groaning in pain from the fall, realized what she had done. Her face turned deathly pale.
In the dead-silent cafeteria, White scrambled to her feet, her trembling arms flailing.
“I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I… I’m s-so s-s-s-s-sor… No, I mean, sorry…! I-I didn’t mean to do it on purpo—”
“Mmm…”
Lick.
Miya swiped a finger through the soup dripping from her hair and licked it clean. Her gentle eyes, accented with red eyeliner, turned toward White.
Then, Miya suddenly smirked.
“…How fun.”
At that single remark, White’s heart sank.
The escort wizard immediately stepped forward to wipe Miya down with a handkerchief, but she stopped him with a sharp gesture. The fact that she maintained a smile that suggested everything was "fine" only served to unnerve the onlookers even more.
Dripping with soup, Miya stood up.
“That was a memorable greeting. I like it, Snow White.”
That look in her eyes.
She wasn't "liking" it. She was looking for an opportunity to kill her. There was no doubt about it.
With a face pale with terror, looking like a fawn caught in a pack of wolves, White’s entire body began to shake as if she were suffering from a violent fever.
Miya turned and left with her escort wizard.
White stood there, dazed, as if her soul had departed her body.
“Her Highness just got the drop on the Priestess…!”
“Was she trying to demonstrate the difference in national power?”
“Princess White… she’s much more terrifying than she looks.”
“It was a strategic tray spill…!”
The students were buzzing with excitement.
White turned to Merlin, her expression a silent plea for help. However, Merlin simply gripped her own chin, unable to utter a single word.
Tears welled up in the corners of White’s eyes.
…She was royally screwed.