Chapter 178: Preparations for the Grand Festival (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: Preparations for the Grand Festival (2)
“Let’s begin the meeting for Class B, Group C’s Grand Festival preparations!”
We were gathered in a small meeting room within Orphin Hall, the heart of the Magic Department.
Several students, myself included, sat around the table. This was the group I’d been assigned to.
Standing at the front with his back to the chalkboard was Tristan Humphrey. He wore a confident, beaming smile as he called the meeting to order with a booming voice.
“First, let’s vote for a group leader! I’ll be the leader! Do you all agree?!”
Vote, my ass.
“Hey, I want to be the leader too—”
“It’s me.”
“Yeah…! T-that’s right…!”
“It’s unanimous! I shall be the leader!”
So incredibly unreasonable.
I didn’t particularly care who the leader was, so I stayed quiet.
The meeting proceeded with discussions about our group name, preparation schedules, and strategies for our respective events. Since Tristan was obsessed with winning, the atmosphere was surprisingly intense.
Then again, everyone else seemed just as invested. It was a lively, fun environment, and I found myself getting swept up in the excitement.
Group assignments aside, this was all for the sake of enjoying the Grand Festival.
*
The entire academy was buzzing. Everywhere I looked, people were busy preparing.
This wasn't just some school sports day; it was a massive festival held only once every three years. The air itself seemed to vibrate with festive energy. Students were busy hanging decorations and erecting structures in the classrooms and hallways.
Because of the effort, Märchen Academy looked even more majestic than usual.
Perhaps it was because of the terrifying incidents that had plagued us throughout the year, but the students seemed determined to enjoy this festival to the absolute fullest. They wanted to wash away the despair, fear, and trauma left behind by the demons and the Floating Island incident.
A crowd of Magic Department students gathered in front of Orphin Hall.
Not wanting to just stand around, I volunteered for tasks that would help train my mana mastery. Specifically, I was tasked with infusing and manipulating mana within magic tools that would serve as glowing ornaments.
It was menial labor that required minimal mana consumption but constant repetition. However, because you had to delicately twist the mana inside the tool, it was a difficult task for anyone with low mana mastery.
Tristan was working with manic enthusiasm. Before long, he’d promoted himself to a supervisory role and was strutting around, showering students with praise.
“Ha! How aesthetic! Excellent!”
When students genuinely replied with a “Thank you!” he would burst into boisterous laughter.
Every decoration being prepared was infused with the students' hard work and dedication. Knowing this, Tristan made sure to acknowledge everyone’s efforts with his booming, excited voice.
Nearby, Mateo Jordana was quietly focused on his tasks.
Amy Holloway was busy crafting and moving decorations while simultaneously flirting with the protagonist, Ian Fairytale.
Kaya Astrea was in charge of moving the larger, heavier decorations using her wind magic. The surrounding students gasped and applauded at her ridiculously high mana density. Kaya responded with a shy, yet clearly proud smile.
Suddenly, Kaya glanced in my direction, and our eyes met. I smirked and gave her a thumbs-up.
What a remarkable girl.
Kaya’s face turned bright red. Fueled by a sudden burst of motivation, she began effortlessly lifting even heavier decorations to the very top of the building.
Even I had to admit her mana density and control were insane as she precisely placed the ornaments atop the high spires using nothing but wind.
Ah, that’s the last of them. Not many magic tools left to work on out here.
“Group leader, I’m done with these!” I shouted to Tristan.
He hurried over and inspected the line of magic tools in front of me. He frowned.
“Damn it… there’s nothing to criticize…!”
He looked genuinely disappointed that he couldn't find a single fault.
“I’m heading inside to handle the rest.”
“Then go to the utility room on the third floor. I’m sure they could use your help there.”
“I knew it. You’ve got everything under control. You’re our pride, Tristan.”
“Tch…! Don’t act all friendly with me, Isaac!”
Tristan grimaced and looked away as I chuckled.
Following his directions, I entered Orphin Hall and headed up to the third floor.
When I peeked into the utility room, I saw a sea of decorations. Students were chattering happily, lost in the festive spirit.
“Isaac’s here!” someone shouted, and several people greeted me warmly.
“Where are the magic tools?” I asked.
“Over there! You can take care of those!”
A female student from Class B pointed toward a large pile of small magic tools. This was going to take a while.
Suddenly, the blackout curtains in the corner of the room were pulled back, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Ta-da! Behold, the face of the second-years!”
“Waaah!”
“Whoa, she’s so pretty!”
Emerging from behind the curtain were three girls who looked like they were sweating bullets while trying to maintain their excitement—and Luce Eltania, looking as nonchalant as ever.
The students erupted in cheers, mesmerized by Luce’s beauty.
Seriously, she’s on another level.
Luce was wearing a modified wizard’s robe that perfectly accentuated her figure. She was so dazzlingly beautiful that it was impossible to look anywhere else. Seeing her like this, she possessed a certain sensual charm.
The male students were blushing, completely captivated. Her makeup only enhanced her natural features; I could certainly understand why they were staring.
On the other hand, the three girls standing around Luce looked terrified for some reason. Their forced smiles were painfully obvious.
What exactly happened behind those curtains…?
They looked like they were walking on eggshells.
Luce’s current appearance was due to a Grand Festival tradition: each department and grade selected their most beautiful student to act as their representative. These "faces" were meant to boost morale and were automatically entered into the festival’s beauty pageant.
In the Magic Department, Snow White had been chosen for the first-years and Dorothy for the third-years. Other strong contenders, like Priestess Miya and Alice Carroll, had declined for personal reasons.
Miya was scheduled to perform a ritual dance during the festival, and Alice was busy with her duties as Student Council President.
As for why Miya, a follower of a different religion, was dancing—it was because the Lord, Manhalla, advocated for harmony. The academy had requested the Priestess to dance in hopes of celebrating the festival alongside the God of Horan, and Miya had graciously agreed.
Also, in the original Magic Knight of Märchen, Dorothy wasn't around at this point in the story, so some other "pretty" student had been chosen as the third-year representative.
That student had been a cross-dresser. I recalled that many male students who had fallen for "her" ended up losing their lunch once the truth came out.
Thank God Dorothy is still alive.
The cross-dresser would still be in the pageant, but my goddess Dorothy would undoubtedly crush him with her divine beauty.
“Huh?”
Luce had been standing there with a bit of a pout, but the moment she spotted me, her expression melted into a warm, radiant smile. The change was dramatic.
“Isaac!”
She ran toward me, the hem of her dress fluttering. I felt the envious glares of every male student in the room, but I was used to it by now.
“Oh, Luce. Don’t you look pretty?”
“Hehe, really? Do I really look that pretty?”
Luce twirled around, holding her hem to show off the outfit. I gave her a thumbs-up and a firm nod. She swayed her body slightly, clearly delighted by the compliment.
“Be careful not to fall for me, okay?” she teased with a cheeky grin.
What a brat.
I smirked and lightly flicked her forehead.
She didn't seem to be in pain—she likely had [Basic Protection Magic] active out of habit—but the light impact made her blink in surprise and touch her forehead.
“I’m going to get to work.”
“Ah, me too. I’ll help you.”
“You have your own job to do, dummy.”
The other students seemed hesitant to approach Luce. Whenever anyone other than me spoke to her, her expression would stiffen and she’d go silent. Seeing them looking at me with pleading eyes, I decided to set her straight.
“Let’s finish our assigned tasks first. Luce, you have the most important role in our class. We’ll all be more motivated if you’re out there looking more radiant than anyone else.”
“…Hmm.”
“Well, let’s both give it our all.”
Luce finally nodded, and the surrounding students let out a collective sigh of relief.
Good.
I gave Luce’s delicate shoulder a light pat and walked over to the magic tools. I resumed the work I’d been doing outside—infusing them with mana, checking their functions, and tuning them one by one.
Occasionally, Luce would sneak up behind me and rest her chin on my shoulder. It seemed that simply being near me calmed her down.
“Isaac.”
While I was working, one of the girls leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“Thanks to you, Luce has become so docile. Seriously, thank you…!”
“Oh? Is that so…?”
She looked like she was on the verge of tears of gratitude.
Docile, huh? Just what was she like before I got here?
After thanking me, the girl smiled and headed back toward the blackout curtains. As she entered, the fabric parted slightly.
I craned my neck like a turtle to peek inside. Luce was being pampered by the other girls, her expression as calm and content as a well-fed puppy.
She looked blissful. It seemed my mere presence was enough to make her happy. A small smirk escaped my lips.
*
“Senior Isaac!”
“He’s so handsome…”
“Haa, Senior Isaac…!”
There weren't enough magic tools to go around in our room; apparently, there had been a mistake in the distribution of supplies.
I headed down to the first-year floor to look for spares, and several female juniors sent adoring glances my way.
White had mentioned before that I was a hot topic among the first-years. My performance during the duel with the Priestess had left a strong impression. She said that even setting the duel aside, many students simply thought I was cool.
It wasn't a bad feeling. It was a senior’s duty to set a cool example for their juniors, after all.
Let’s keep it professional.
I walked down the hallway with my usual posture—back straight, stride confident. For some reason, I felt particularly on point today.
“Hey, do you happen to have any spares of this?” I asked a female student passing by, showing her the magic tool.
Her face flushed as she replied in a shy voice, “Yes, we do…” and pointed toward their utility room.
I walked over and opened the door without hesitation.
“…?”
A cute female student was sitting right in front of the doorway. Her pure white hair was styled into a sharp, vertical spike that immediately grabbed my attention.
It was Snow White, the representative of the first-years.
Our eyes met.
It took my brain a moment to process what I was seeing. I looked around the room. Every single student in the utility room had their hair styled into a sharp spike, like a stiletto pointing directly at the ceiling.
They stopped talking and stared at me in silence. It was as if they were maintaining a solemn quiet out of respect for their senior.
The silence was suffocating.
“…”
…I’ll just buy the tools with my own money.
With that thought, I quietly closed the door and turned away.
I didn't want to know why they looked like that. I didn't want to ask. I didn't even want to be associated with whatever was happening in that room.
“S-Senior Isaac…!”
I heard the teary plea of the stiletto-haired junior behind me, desperate to explain herself…
But I fled the scene as fast as my legs could carry me.