Chapter 21: Meeting

All magic used in the training grounds had to be registered, for the sake of future maintenance.

El filled out the registration form and quickly wrote up the combat report, leaving his signature in the designated spot before handing it over to Vita.

Her delicate little face brimmed with joy, as endearing as a puppy, clinging to El the whole time.

The scent of the girl drifted to El’s nose, carried by her long, gray-white hair.

El rarely found himself this close to women, especially a beauty of Vita’s caliber.

He felt a bit uncomfortable, but seeing Vita so happy, he couldn’t bear to break this pleasant moment.

“It’s a rare sight, Regis. What brings you to the training grounds today…?”

When El went to submit the form, the professor on duty greeted him.

However, the professor’s words trailed off the moment he saw the girl nestled in El’s arms, and he gave a knowing smile, as if to say, “I understand everything now.”

Hey, what exactly do you think you understand?!

El questioned inwardly.

The two of them had already endured countless similar looks along the way.

At first, El felt quite uneasy and wanted to dodge them.

In his subconscious, this was the kind of thing he should experience with Aurelia.

Though he knew he needed to reevaluate their relationship, he didn’t want Aurelia to find out about this.

Yet, seeing the happiness on Vita’s face, his resolve wavered.

Anyway, Vita and I are perfectly innocent; there’s no need to care about idle gossip.

El comforted himself in his heart.

Truthfully, there was a bit of resentment toward Aurelia in his heart, some of it born out of stubbornness.

After taking off the protective gear from the training ground, Vita changed back into her academy uniform.

Autumn had already arrived in the Royal Capital, and her long legs were wrapped in white stockings, her innocent smile making her look particularly sweet.

Vita did it on purpose.

She wanted everyone to misunderstand her relationship with Senior El.

She greedily drank in this fantasy-like romance; even though she knew El didn’t belong to her, so what?

Vita pressed even closer, the softness of her chest just barely squashing against El’s arm.

“Vita, you’re too close.”

El didn’t know where to put his hand and had to remind her.

The girl smiled playfully, “Didn’t you say so, Senior El? Since I’m already your ‘sword,’ of course I should stick close to my master. Otherwise, how could I be a qualified ‘sword’?”

Vita wished this moment could last forever.

Just a little longer—if only it could last a little longer…

But partings always come.

El still had student council business to handle, and Vita had no excuse to make him stay.

“Next time we meet, Senior El, you better watch out. I’ll defeat you fair and square in the training grounds.”

“I’ll be waiting for that day, Vita. But I’ll keep improving too. As your master, I can’t let my ‘sword’ outpace me by too much.”

Vita really was a cute child.

Spending time with her, El felt his mood improve, her lively smile infecting him with cheerfulness.

El made his way to his office with light steps.

As expected, Christine had already processed the paperwork and left it neatly on his desk.

He got to work on his own tasks with practiced ease, occasionally using the communication stone to contact professors or students involved in the event.

The remedial event was simple, and the approval process went smoothly.

The key was Christine’s follow-up plan—one that differed greatly from previous years: the “Test of Courage.”

A mage was a dangerous profession.

Without regulation, all sorts of trouble could easily occur.

For instance, that morning, Pino’s self-invented Medium-Tier Magic almost cost a student their life.

Just like how students from the Knight Department weren’t allowed to carry metal swords, the Royal Academy had strict rules: magic students were forbidden from using magic outside the training grounds—especially Plastomancy.

Students caught violating these rules would be disciplined; severe cases could result in expulsion.

With monitoring crystals installed, this rule was a strong deterrent.

Large-scale dream-type magic not only required material components, but also a professor’s presence to ensure safety.

Materials needed to go through reimbursement procedures, and El had to call in favors to get a professor willing to take on the responsibility.

Then, confirming the list of participants—he might as well leave that to Karen.

After all, the event started tomorrow and there was still time.

His eyes caught one of the names: Selun.

He remembered this freshman had joined the Fierce Lion Society.

El shrugged.

What a weirdo—didn’t he know the Student Council and the Fierce Lion Society had always been at odds?

Not that they were so petty, but the Fierce Lion Society? That was another matter.

He didn’t dwell on it.

With his tasks done, El handed over the remaining work to Karen and prepared to go home.

It was still early.

Maybe he could give Ivena a surprise…

Thinking of the elf maid’s face, a warmth filled El’s heart.

***

Aurelia thought today was simply awful.

Yesterday, she’d felt the distance between her and El shrink considerably.

Determined to capitalize on it, she saw a perfect opportunity this afternoon to work on Student Council matters together with El.

He couldn’t possibly refuse, and if this kept up, his sense of boundaries would only get weaker.

They’d share a room today; who knew what wonderful things tomorrow would bring?

Aurelia didn’t dare imagine.

“El? He wasn’t with me. He said he’d be training in the training grounds this afternoon. Isn’t that strange? That guy never even goes there for the end-of-term combat assessments…”

After getting El’s whereabouts from Karen, she set off.

As a celebrated figure of the Royal Academy, Aurelia was the center of attention wherever she went.

Her golden hair shone brightly, her sapphire eyes more captivating than the night sky, her tall figure and long legs dazzling.

Her confidence made her uniform seem as splendid as a ballroom gown.

But when she approached the training grounds, she overheard whispers:

“El sure is lucky with the ladies. It hasn’t even been that long… That woman beside him is really beautiful.”

“Tell us something we don’t know.”

“Hey, did he really break up with the Duke’s daughter? If it were me, there’s no way I’d let her go—she’s a Godefiel, after all.”

“That’s where you and El are different. Clearly, he doesn’t care about background. That Sword Saint’s disciple is just a commoner, and El found her before anyone even knew about her talent.”

“Oh, I remember! At the freshman ball, right? How romantic. If I were a girl, maybe I’d like El too. I mean, who could refuse a guy who stands up for you when you have nothing…”

Aurelia quietly followed behind them, but once her emotions became too much to handle, the two students ahead finally noticed her.

Seeing the subject of their gossip appear, they panicked and ran off.

Aurelia couldn’t even describe how she felt—aggrieved, sour, jealous, resentful?

Perhaps all those emotions mingled together.

She just wanted to see El, to have him reassure her that he still loved her.

But when she saw, with her own eyes, that gray-white-haired girl leaning into El’s embrace, Aurelia almost went mad.

What should she do?

Confront El in person? As what—his ex-girlfriend?

Aurelia’s pride wouldn’t allow that.

Privately, maybe she could have begged El for sympathy.

But there were too many people around.

What would they do—stand and watch their drama?

It would only embarrass El.

Aurelia took a long look at Vita, as if to etch her face into her memory.

Negative feelings surged within her, bubbling up like black foam.

That spot belonged only to her.

No one would take it away!