One year later, Arlo Classman, the master artisan who had made a contract to give Ellie a wand, worked tirelessly for ten days to finish all the wands he had already started making and deliver them.
And for all other orders, he notified that they would have to wait an additional year.
There are good things about living as an eccentric artisan.
The best part is that even if you do something ridiculous like this, people just sigh and accept it as it is.
Once those things were done, it was about 340 days left until Ellie would become a second-year student, meaning March 1st of next year.
—The greatest artisan of this era, a masterpiece created by pouring out his soul and spirit.
Though it was a bit tight, there was enough time.
After all, the best works often come out when made with a slight sense of urgency.
However, there was one obstacle when he decided to make the best wand.
It was the material.
Of course, the old man’s workshop had all sorts of materials that one could find in the world.
But to make the best wand for ‘Ellie,’ a specific material was needed in large quantities.
That material was True Silver.
Also known as Mithril, the queen of all metals.
He had a small amount.
Usually, true silver is used for the core of the wand.
However, for Ellie’s wand, the entire body of the wand had to be made from true silver, not just the core.
Moreover, the core needed to be made of diamond, the king of all jewels.
‘Why?’
‘If it’s Ellie’s wand, it has to be like that to produce the best work.’
A wand isn’t just about the quality of materials, but it’s just as important to make it suitable for the user.
Therefore, depending on the client, one person’s wand might be made with rare and expensive materials, while another’s might use more common wood.
This way, the magic of the wizard and the wand can harmonize.
Ellie, among those who needed rare and expensive materials, was the most extreme case.
Even the old man was startled by the thought of a true silver body and diamond core, and though he usually measured three times, he repeated it five times.
Just the materials themselves would cost a fortune.
But the old man didn’t charge the royal family a single silver coin for them.
He intended to use his personal savings, accumulated over a lifetime.
He knew people would call it a foolish decision.
He understood the pointlessness of emotions like that.
However, this was supposed to be a pure contract between an artisan and a client, without involving a third party like the royal family.
If someone were to ask the old man why he went so far, he would answer like this:
Ellie had made him dream again.
She had kicked away the ashes and cold logs, telling him to ignite the final flame once more.
‘It’s been over 30 years.’
It had been over 30 years since he opened his workshop in the southern district, the most expensive land in the city.
During that time, the old man hadn’t noticed that the workshop, once his pride, had become his own self-prison.
‘What is all this?’
‘People die eventually.’
‘Will he take his workshop with him when he dies?’
This street is vast, and there are countless shops.
Among them, only a few can leave a mark on history, and it would be rare for even one artisan to stand out.
His sons and daughter-in-law had died young, and his only blood relative, his grandson, didn’t have the skills to inherit the workshop or its name.
—A masterpiece, one that would make him feel his life had been worthwhile when it passed before his eyes at the moment of death.
The essence of his being was wandmaking.
If he wanted to be remembered after death, he needed to leave a masterpiece.
And the old man was sure.
Ellie would carve his name into history.
She was the girl who succeeded in lighting a fire in the heart of a tired, old man.
She would become the wonder of the century.
She would be the wave that would shake and change the world.
And being the creator of the wand in her hands was the old man’s only way to leave his name in history.
“I’m going out for a while.”
Arlo Classman, the master artisan, greeted the portrait of his late wife and stepped out into the world.
He was going to get a sufficient amount of true silver and the best diamonds.
For Ellie and his own immortality.
***
Several weeks after the old man set out to find the materials for Ellie’s wand, “Your name is Garzan, right? Perfect timing, I need help with a task.”
His grandson was caught by Ellie.
Literally caught.
“Uh…?”
The boy’s face turned as pink as his head and eyes when a girl suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh… Ellie?”
“Yes! You remember me?”
Garzan’s throat nearly let out a “I guess I should remember, I mean, I know who you are.”
Anyone in the academy right now who doesn’t know the name Ellie would be an exception, like some of the assistants locked in their labs for months.
He was the freshman who, with the dean on his shoulders, led his fellow students to refuse class, then had a duel with the professor responsible and won.
His background as a commoner was almost negligible compared to his dazzling achievements.
Moreover, from Garzan’s perspective, he was the only client his strict grandfather had ever introduced to him.
He was a special child in many ways.
It didn’t make sense that he wouldn’t know her name.
‘But what did she just say?’
‘Help with a task?’
“…What’s difficult?”
“Ah, there’s a practical task in the Equipment subject.”
The official name of the Equipment subject was ‘Magical Equipment and Enchantment.’
It was a class where students learned how to make magical tools like wands or staffs, or how to enchant items so that magic could be sustained and activated automatically.
Garzan’s expression hardened.
“If you’re here because of my grandfather, I don’t think I can be of much help.”
It was common for people to expect his legendary grandfather’s abilities from him.
Whether he inherited the talent or at least learned something from watching him work.
In the end, Ellie was just an ordinary girl, not someone special in that sense.
“Excuse me? No? I came because I heard from our professor that you’re really good at what you do and teach well.”
“Huh…?”
She seemed ordinary, nothing special, or at least that’s what I thought, so… special—
“This is the assignment. Look.”
Ellie pulled out a piece of paper and walked over to Garzan to show him.
“Uh, wha?”
Garzan had a few friends, but he was basically a shy and reserved boy.
It probably wasn’t unrelated to living his whole life in the shadow of his grandfather.
Anyway, from the perspective of a teenage boy like him, Ellie was practically a disaster.
‘Why is she so… defenseless, so bold, so… not shy?’ It’s not even common for guys to get this close—
‘Wow, what is that? She smells so nice, what is it?’ It’s weird, I can feel my brain getting slow…
“…Garzan? Do you not understand?”
“Uh, uh…”
The assignment was visible, but he didn’t really understand what it meant.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand, but he was so distracted by Ellie that he couldn’t focus.
***
After reading one word, he would forget the previous one before even moving to the next.
‘What’s touching my back?’ No, it can’t be… It’s soft. Wow, wow, wow…
“Hmm… If you don’t know, there’s nothing we can do about it. Sorry for taking your time!”
“A, no…”
If Garzan had just a little more courage, he might have jumped up and said, “Wait!” But unfortunately, he was not the type to be the main character of a romance novel.
But Ellie, while running, suddenly looked back, shouted “Huh!?” and ran back toward him.
This was his second chance.
He felt his body heat up.
However, Ellie ran past him and toward another senior.
“Hey! You there!”
“What?”
It was the same senior boy from the lawn earlier who had called Ellie an “annoying orphan” and told Garzan, “In your grandfather’s eyes, you’d be a bug.”
To defend him, he wasn’t just rude to her—he was a foul-mouthed boy, in general. Just like there are kids in Korean schools who constantly swear with words like “ssibal(fuck or motherfucker),” “jot(male genitalia in a derogatory manner),” “maemchang(male genitalia),” and “negeum(male genitalia, used in an insulting or offensive context).”
That doesn’t excuse it, though.
“Hey, you—”
Ellie stomped her foot on the ground with a loud “Thud!”
“Orphan punch!!”
“Ugh…!?”
Ellie’s fist hit the boy’s face.
The sudden violence shocked the surrounding students, and they stared at Ellie and the fallen senior.
“Hmm…”
Ellie looked at the senior’s shocked gaze and, confirming that there was no real hatred in it, said, “I’ll let it slide this time, but next time, I’ll make it hurt more. Got it?”
“Y-you—”
“Answer.”
The boy couldn’t bring himself to speak and just nodded.
Ellie nodded too and roughly patted the senior’s head.
“Also, speak more politely. Or just keep your mouth shut.”
The boy nodded again.
“Good! See you next time!”
***
Then, Ellie bounced away with a light, cheerful step.
Garzan watched her disappear, blankly, and recalled the assignment she had shown him.
The problem… yeah.
Like that, something… okay.
He remembered it clearly.
Since she asked, he’d help her solve it.
And… if Ellie later asked if he wanted something in return for helping, The boy with low self-esteem placed his hand on his head.
His face turned bright red.
Not only from embarrassment, but also a bit of guilt.
It probably wasn’t wrong or sinful, but just the thought of asking a younger girl for a favor felt like he was committing a sin.
After distancing herself from the boys, Ellie joined Philia and Stella, who had been waiting for her.
“So, did it help?”
“I’m not sure.”
From their perspective, the three of them had been walking when Ellie suddenly shouted “Wait!” and ran off.
She asked one boy something, then punched another one before returning.
To Ellie, it was just a normal thing to do.
Neither Philia nor Stella thought much of it.
“Really? Well, take it out when we study together later.”
“Yeah, I guess. There’s only three weeks left until midterms, right?”
The academy runs in roughly three-month terms.
First semester in September, winter break from late December, second semester in March, and summer break from late June.
“Only three weeks left.”
“Doesn’t feel like it, though.”
Philia groaned, and Stella sighed.
They’d only been at the academy for three weeks, but Ellie was already stressing about exam preparation.
‘Aren’t they still in the adjustment period? Why is she so focused on exams?’
But Ellie shook her head, as if frustrated with her friends.
“They really don’t get it… You have to study for exams from the start. If you try to cram at the last minute, it’s hell.”
“Uhm…?”
“Is that so…?”
Seeing her friends not really getting it, Ellie thought, “Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”
After all, the academy’s freshmen had never experienced large-scale exams like midterms or finals before.
“Alright. Don’t worry, I’ll lead you through the midterms.”
Ellie confidently patted her chest.
Though, technically, it was the center of her collarbone, just above her chest, given how much she’d grown recently.
“I’ll get you four, including Clea and Isabel, from 2nd to 5th place in the entire school.”
“Aha ha…”
“Heh heh…”
Philia and Stella chuckled awkwardly, thinking she was probably exaggerating.