El rubbed his brow. After finally enjoying a good night’s sleep, his good mood had already vanished into thin air because of that corpse.
He had gotten up very early today, and there was still a long time before the morning classes, so he decided to spend some time in the library.
“El, you’re just in time, I have a question about magic that I need to ask you.”
He was called over by a young girl with long flaxen hair.
“Good morning, Christine, you’re as diligent as ever.”
El sat down beside the girl, ready to help her with her questions.
“I can’t help it, not everyone is as talented as you. People like me have to work twice as hard just to keep up with our studies.”
“Don’t just dismiss all my hard work with a single word like ‘talent’! Honestly… Listen up, the problem with this spell is in the amplification module; the failure there is causing the other modules to malfunction…”
El grumbled in protest, but still patiently explained the issue.
The Royal Academy’s Department of Magic was different from the Department of Knights; it placed more emphasis on theoretical assessments.
Solving problems allowed knowledge to be internalized faster—a mage who couldn’t solve problems wasn’t a good mage.
“Thank you, as expected of the Chief. Your mind is just different from mine.”
“Don’t belittle yourself, Christine. Getting into the Royal Academy is proof enough of your excellence. You’re already amazing.”
Though it was just their usual banter, El keenly sensed something off in her tone.
“Sometimes I really envy you, El. You’re impeccable with people, gentle to everyone, there’s just nothing to be jealous of.”
Christine let out a sigh and tucked her long hair behind her ear, revealing a delicate profile.
“How should I put it… They’re pressuring me again, same old story, wanting me to marry that idiot son from the Monster family. Ugh, it’s disgusting. In their eyes, I’m nothing but a tool for climbing the social ladder.”
El instantly understood what was going on.
Christine was the eldest daughter of a Baron’s family in the royal capital. From the moment she was born, her parents had been devoted to raising her as a proper Noble Lady.
In their plans, Christine was to marry someone who could bring great benefits to the family.
At present, that person was the second son of the Monster Count’s family, a notorious wastrel who spent his days in debauchery.
But she hated this kind of fate.
From the moment she entered the academy, she’d worked desperately hard, hoping that by graduation she could become an outstanding mage and break free from her family’s control.
Yet her aptitude was only average. No matter how hard she worked, she could only rank in the middle or lower in the Royal Academy, a place filled with hidden talent.
“Don’t give up, Christine. I believe you can do it. Don’t worry about what they think.”
“It’s easy to say encouraging things, El.”
She replied listlessly, but El could sense that Christine’s spirits were clearly a bit better.
“I really don’t want to keep struggling anymore. Maybe I should just marry you instead? The Regis family isn’t worse than theirs, and if you ask me, that’d be a happy ending for everyone.”
Christine’s gaze held a hint of playful mischief. Her full red lips curved into a perfect smile, and she deliberately accentuated her figure. At this moment, she displayed all the Lady’s Arts she’d learned.
“Huh? That’s not funny at all.”
El was startled—he hadn’t expected the topic to suddenly turn to him.
“What does it matter? I can be a proper mistress. Believe me, Aurelia would agree as long as I talk to her…”
He couldn’t stay in the library anymore. El stood up, tossed out a “I’m leaving first, if you have more questions let’s talk next time,” and walked away.
Christine’s silvery laughter rang out behind him.
There was still some time before class. El wandered around the academy; classmates he passed greeted him warmly.
Unlike the villainous scoundrel in the original story, El was well liked. Most nobles were happy to befriend him.
Before he knew it, he’d arrived at a training ground.
The Royal Academy was vast. Both the Department of Knights and the Department of Magic had several training grounds available.
A pale gray figure caught his attention. El looked carefully—it was Vita.
The wooden sword in both of her hands flashed with a sharp cold light. With a crisp “thwack,” the blade struck hard against a training dummy.
Vita’s expression was focused, her posture shifting continuously, as if she was already well-accustomed to sword training.
Vita was so diligent. At this rate, she’d soon catch up to the top students of the knight’s department… El felt gratified—his judgment had indeed been right.
He watched for a while and was just about to leave when, at that moment, chaos erupted in the neighboring Department of Magic training ground.
“Run!”
No one knew who shouted first, but in an instant, students around the training field fell into chaos. El looked back.
A spell that combined fire and lightning shot out—violent Thunder-Elemental energy shaped into a sinister serpent’s head, while the tail, formed by Fire-Elemental power, radiated a terrifying heat.
Damn it, how could such an accident happen? Have they been ignoring all the safety guidelines they’ve been taught?
El cursed silently, looking at the students around him and immediately formulating a plan.
Mages were glass cannons—they could easily unleash attacks far beyond what they could handle themselves. Normally, El would try to use the environment to divert such offensive magic.
But seeing the crowd around him, he abandoned that idea. If he tried to block the spell with a Water Curtain, it would definitely injure others.
He began chanting. Magic power surged, assembling the necessary spell modules. A white Magic Circle appeared beneath his feet. Soon, a mid-tier defensive spell—Arcane Barrier—took shape.
It sounded simple, but among everyone present, only El had the skill and composure to keep calm in a crisis, chant quickly, and bear the responsibility…
The lightning serpent stopped the moment it collided with the barrier, emitting a teeth-grinding “zzz” sound, like a demon cackling. The flames behind exploded, and sparks ignited the surrounding greenery.
Stop—El gritted his teeth, pouring more magic power in until that unsettling agitation disappeared and calm returned.
He didn’t have much magic power; casting this spell had already consumed about half his reserves.
It all happened suddenly and ended just as quickly. While others were still shaken, El had already resolved the crisis.
Before anyone could thank him, El spoke first: “Quick, check the area, don’t let the fire spread.”
The nearby Department of Magic students manipulated water elements to douse the burning plants, all secretly relieved—thank goodness El was here, otherwise the accident could have caused real damage.
But when they turned around, they discovered that El was already gone.