Chapter 139: Mentor Isaac (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: Mentor Isaac (4)
—He has become Princess Snow White’s mentor.
—Is it merely a coincidence?
The 5th seat of the second-year Class A at Märchen Academy.
Keridna Whiteclark, the pink-haired daughter of the Whiteclark Ducal House.
She was one of the select few who knew that Isaac was the Nameless Hero.
Following the orders of her older sister, Aichel Whiteclark, Keridna was documenting every single rumor she heard regarding Isaac.
Late into the night, inside the top-tier dormitory, Charles Hall.
A glowing lamp atop the desk cast a soft, warm light through the dim room.
Keridna closed the notebook where she had compiled information on Isaac and sank into deep thought. It was a question she had contemplated numerous times.
‘Why is my sister so obsessed with Isaac…?’
The Whiteclark Ducal House kept a close watch over other noble families using their bloodline magic, [Sight Synchronization].
Because of that, Keridna had learned through Aichel that nobles from across the Zelver Empire had begun moving in the shadows, their actions revolving around the Nameless Hero.
The Carnedas Family was particularly suspicious. That was the family of her peer and the 3rd seat of Class A, Ciel Carnedas.
Their strange behavior had made them the primary focus of Aichel’s surveillance.
The Nameless Hero, Isaac, was currently an archwizard whom the entire world was watching.
If it became certain that he was on humanity’s side, the entire world would undoubtedly begin a fierce competition to recruit him.
But… the way Aichel Whiteclark obsessed over Isaac seemed completely unrelated to the fact that he was the Nameless Hero.
Perhaps, just as Isaac harbored many secrets, Aichel had secrets of her own—secrets she couldn't reveal even to Keridna, her own sister.
“…”
Keridna gazed out the window. A melancholy moon hung high in the night sky.
She had a premonition that something massive was about to happen.
*
Morning. Orphin Hall, the building for the Magic Department’s classes.
While walking through the hallway, Priestess Miya crossed paths with Princess Snow White. Both were alone, as escorts were prohibited inside the hall unless the situation was unavoidable.
Snow White flinched in surprise when her eyes met Miya’s, quickly shifting her gaze elsewhere. For some reason, she even seemed to be breaking into a cold sweat.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, Snow White clenched her fists and gave a firm nod.
She stopped walking. With an awkward smile, she waved at Miya and offered a greeting.
The anxiety in her expression was painfully clear behind her forced smile.
“H-hey, there…?”
“…”
Whoosh.
Miya nonchalantly brushed past Snow White as if she hadn't seen a thing.
Snow White froze on the spot, her hand still raised mid-wave.
As the distance between the two girls grew, other students in the hallway stole glances at the Princess and began whispering among themselves.
“Did you see that? Princess White just tried to say hi and got completely ignored by the Priestess.”
“My goodness…”
“The atmosphere between those two is terrifying…”
The incident at the cafeteria where Snow White dumped her food tray on Miya had already spread through the school like a legend.
As a result, the relationship between the two girls had become a hot topic among the student body.
But Snow White didn't hear a single word of the whispers.
‘She didn’t have to completely ignore me like that…’
She felt like she might cry.
All she wanted was to become friends.
It pained her to be in this situation.
‘Snow White…’
Miya’s eyes, accented with striking red makeup, narrowed into slits.
On their first day at the academy, she had underestimated the Princess. Snow White had been trembling pathetically at every little thing, so Miya had dismissed her as nothing more than a pampered pig.
But when Snow White dumped that tray on her in the cafeteria, Miya was reminded of several harsh facts.
Snow White was a princess of the Zelver Empire.
‘She has likely survived a bloody battlefield for power her entire life.’
It was well known among other rulers that the succession struggle in the Zelver Empire was exceptionally fierce. That was the environment Snow White had been raised in.
Not to mention the rumors regarding the Empress’s instability within the imperial family.
Word was that the former Empress, who had been mentally ill, had secretly attempted to assassinate her own daughter several times. Miya knew that daughter was Snow White.
‘It’s impossible for a pig who survived a lavish battlefield like the Zelver Imperial Family to be a naïve coward…’
It made much more sense for her to be a schemer wearing the mask of an innocent lamb, waiting for her opponent to lower their guard.
‘Or maybe not.’
Of course, that was just a possibility. It might just be Miya's overactive imagination. In truth, Miya leaned more toward the theory that Snow White really was just a naïve pig.
Because the pathetic attitude she usually displayed… it felt too real to be an act.
‘…I’ll figure it out eventually.’
Miya smoothed her expression.
*
“It is time for a special lesson.”
When Fernando Frost, a first-year professor for the Magic Department, raised his megaphone and spoke, many female students swooned with blissful smiles.
All the first-year students of the Magic Department were seated inside the large lecture hall.
On the stage, Fernando continued the lesson.
“Today, you will all be learning about ‘Mana Release.’ It is common sense that the stronger your release, the more powerful your spells become. Therefore, we will begin the lesson by estimating exactly how much mana each of you can output.”
Fernando turned his head toward the waiting room beside the stage.
“Luce Eltania, please come forward.”
A girl stepped out from the side of the stage.
She wore the academy uniform, her rose-gold hair braided down the sides. A butterfly-shaped hair ornament suited her perfectly, and her face was shockingly beautiful.
She stood beside Fernando and looked down at the first-year students.
The ribboned brooch on her uniform was blue, signifying her status as a second-year.
The first-year students collectively focused their gazes on her, realizing this was the Luce Eltania. She was a renowned figure, after all.
Nearly everyone in the room admired her.
“That’s Luce Eltania…!”
Princess Snow White’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
“Luce Eltania…?”
Priestess Miya’s eyes widened in bewilderment at Luce’s sudden appearance.
On the other hand, Luce remained completely expressionless, appearing entirely uninterested in the sparkling eyes of the freshmen.
Then, Luce’s blue eyes began darting across the room before stopping on one specific student.
“H-huh…?”
Princess Snow White’s gaze locked with Luce’s. For a moment, she was excited, but after sensing a sinister malice that felt like it would freeze her entire body, instinctive fear took over. Snow White’s body began to tremble reflexively.
To Luce, Princess White was a nuisance.
She was the one spending every day with Isaac lately under the pretext of that mentoring system. Luce despised the fact that she couldn't spend as much time with Isaac because of it.
“Luce, your mana.”
At Fernando’s command, Luce let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes, then slowly reopened them.
Mmmwhooooshh——!
Her dense mana flooded the classroom like a powerful gale.
The first-year students felt a chill run through their bodies. The hair on their necks stood on end. They were all stunned by the unbelievable pressure of the mana pressing against their skin.
“Now, what you must do is simple. Push out your mana to the best of your abilities and attempt to disrupt Luce Eltania’s mana. Your maximum output will be measured. These records will serve as references for future lessons and personal counseling, so I encourage you to give it your all.”
After hearing the instructions, the students swallowed nervously and whispered to one another.
They could see the mana’s solid formation.
Just how high did her mana mastery have to be to create such an intricate structure?
Faced with such intense mana, the students were overcome by a sense of inadequacy, realizing just how inferior their own mana was in comparison.
But challenging Luce’s mana was part of the lesson.
If not now, when would they ever have the chance to test their strength against the top seat?
One by one, the first-years began gathering their mana and pouring it out toward Luce.
…Eventually, many students ended up with nosebleeds or collapsed from exhaustion. A significant amount of time had passed since Princess Snow White had collapsed onto her desk, her arms shaking.
Even after the fierce onslaught of the students' mana, Luce’s remained as sturdy as a steel wall, completely unscathed.
Though the first-years in the room were all born with talent, they were all equal before Luce’s unparalleled might.
Meanwhile, Priestess Miya and the light pink-haired girl, Saintess Bianca Anturaze, quietly observed Luce.
Fernando’s eyebrows furrowed as he turned to the two girls.
“Why are you two not even attempting to disrupt it?”
“Because it’s clear we would lose.”
Priestess Miya, resting her chin on her palm, casually tossed the answer back at Fernando.
When Fernando signaled to Saintess Bianca, she merely nodded with a benevolent smile.
Fernando let out a deep sigh. Though they were uncooperative, there was no reason to penalize them for not participating. They would simply have to deal with the consequences later.
“Luce Eltania, you may withdraw your mana. Well done.”
Luce’s mana faded, and she walked off the stage.
The intimidating atmosphere in the classroom settled, but pained groans soon echoed throughout the room. Most of the students had pushed themselves too far.
But Fernando began the lecture as if nothing had happened. Aside from the Priestess and the Saintess, the students listened to the lesson while groaning like the walking dead.
*
“Senior Luce Eltania, correct?”
“…?”
After class had ended.
With her braided rose-gold hair and butterfly hair ornament, Luce Eltania had just left the school building and was walking down the path.
Near a blooming red plum tree, Luce stopped when a female student with flowing, raven-black hair approached her.
The striking red makeup around the girl's soft eyes gave them a sharp, predatory edge.
Seeing that she had an escort wizard in tow, she was likely someone of high status. From what Luce knew, only three freshmen were permitted to have escorts.
Looking at the red brooch on her uniform, she was a first-year.
‘Ah, the Priestess.’
Luce identified her immediately.
“I’m ‘Miya.’ You should have seen me in the classroom earlier, though I don’t know if you’d remember me since there were so many people.”
“…”
“I respect you, Senior. Personally, I like you.”
Miya leaned forward, bringing her face closer to Luce’s, and grinned.
“Huhu. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Senior Lu… Huh?”
Luce ignored the hand Miya held out for a handshake and simply kept walking.
She wanted to hurry and see Isaac. It didn't matter to Luce that this black-haired freshman was the Priestess of the Eastern Nation.
The escort wizard looked shocked, but Miya just tilted her head calmly, as if she had expected this.
“She’s cold, just like the rumors say.”
Luce Eltania.
The one who owned the legendary magic beast, Thunderbird Galia, as her familiar, and who had single-handedly protected Märchen Academy from the Floating Island’s massive attacks.
Her talent could only be described as overwhelming, and she was the undisputed top seat of the second-year Magic Department.
But it didn't stop there. Luce was the literal embodiment of an ice princess—someone who didn't speak to others and gave only cold stares to anyone who tried.
“Where are you going? You won’t gain anything by ignoring me.”
Luce continued walking without responding.
Seeing that, Miya watched Luce’s silhouette fade into the distance with a smirk.
“Miss Miya?”
“I like her. I want her even more now.”
Miya brought a folded black fan to her lips and blushed.
The escort wizard swallowed anxiously.
There were several things Priestess Miya had constantly spoken about wanting since coming to Märchen Academy.
The first was obviously the Nameless Hero.
Next were the top seats of each grade in the Magic Department: Luce Eltania and the Star Witch, Dorothy Heartnova.
In addition to the Nameless Hero, the rumors that had spread across the continent and even to the Eastern Nation across the ocean were enough to capture Miya’s attention.
Miya was the type who had to claim what she wanted. If there was any reason she couldn't have something, she would go as far as to remove that obstacle to get it.
And right now, Miya had just decided she wanted Luce Eltania even more.
Miya was ready to do anything to make someone hers.
“Don’t you think it would be wonderful if… someone like her submissively obeyed my orders and smiled only for me?”
Miya knew how to recognize people like Luce.
Those who lacked blood or tears, who were cold-blooded enough to remove anything in their way for their own benefit or desire.
Luce Eltania was definitely that kind of person.
Because…
“A cold, ice-hearted woman… one who treats others like trash and smiles at no one. I know that feeling. That person… she’s just like me.”
Miya was one of them, too.
Those of the same kind were always able to recognize one another.
“Heh.”
Miya secretly began to tail Luce.
She wanted to learn more about her.
*
In a corner of the Hydrangea Garden, I had been training my magic while waiting for Princess Snow White.
But right now… I was just staring blankly at a girl with rose-gold hair.
“Isaac, aren’t you hungry? I brought some things to eat in case you hadn’t eaten yet. Do you want me to feed you?”
She had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, tilting her head and smiling playfully at me.
“Luce…”
…How did she even get here?