First impressions: an angry white cat.
Or perhaps, a white rabbit.
They say rabbits kick the ground with their hind legs when angry.
For some reason unknown to him, this was what Karian was thinking after being kicked by the girl.
However—
‘…She looks familiar.’
White hair.
Serious eyes that hinted at deep thoughts.
A presence that was anything but light.
If not for her overall youthful appearance, she bore a striking resemblance to someone Karian had lost long ago.
Perhaps that was why—
“…Did I do something wrong?”
Instead of drawing the sharp blades hidden in his coat, he could only manage an awkward expression.
Even though he still didn’t know exactly why, the simple fact that she reminded him of someone dear made it impossible to treat her lightly.
Then, a young voice reached his ears.
With a faint sigh, her small lips parted to chastise him, gently urging him to mind his manners toward a lady.
“I do not know who you are, but touching a lady’s hair without permission is impolite.”
‘Was it because of her upbringing? Her status? Or perhaps, her lineage?’
“I apologize for my rough behavior earlier. It was my first time experiencing such a thing, and I reacted without thinking.”
Even in her calm voice, elegance and refinement were evident.
It was this very grace that made Karian realize the girl was not of low status.
As her composed gaze shifted from Karian to the café owner, he came to a realization.
It was pointless to wonder whether she had been more concerned about Lillian or himself.
Turning away from the girl, he was greeted by exactly what he expected—Lillian, smirking in satisfaction.
The girl kicking Karian had clearly delighted her.
She was so pleased that she was practically glowing.
‘She’s enjoying this way too much.’
But before Karian could fully return to his seat—
“Then, shall I prepare a strawberry smoothie for you again today, Professor?”
“Yes. …Ah, and add a cappuccino and a mango smoothie as well. For my assistants.”
‘…?’
The casual mention of the word “Professor” from the café owner made Karian freeze mid-step.
His head, which had been turning back toward his table, instinctively swiveled toward the girl once more.
‘No way… Letter Yurt?’
Without the robe adorned with the dragon insignia, he hadn’t recognized her.
But now that he knew she was a professor, she did look distinct from the students.
The reason behind the heavy presence she carried finally made sense.
In her round eyes lay a depth of intelligence and wisdom beyond her years.
And though faint, Karian could now perceive the dense flow of mana around her—something utterly unfitting for someone so young.
Still, their first meeting had not been pleasant.
And—
“Oh, I really like that kid. Honestly, I feel like giving her an award.”
Lillian, wearing an amused expression, murmured in a way that was not entirely to herself.
“As if courting old men wasn’t enough, are you now after young girls as well? Quite the unique taste you have.”
Without missing a beat, Karian continued toward his table, his words laced with sarcasm.
At the same time, a vein visibly bulged on Lillian’s forehead.
“Courtship? What courtship? I was only searching for my master.”
“And yet you still haven’t realized that someone of his caliber can’t be found using such crude methods?”
“It was a desperate attempt, okay? Not that a stray who doesn’t even understand gratitude would ever try looking for him.”
Though both Karian and Lillian wore faint smiles, their words were anything but friendly.
Even an outsider could tell they were bickering.
Their voices weren’t raised, but the tension between them was palpable, altering the atmosphere just as it had earlier.
The café staff and customers were already starting to glance around uneasily.
Then—
“You never did know your place, did you?”
—Vwoom!
“I’ve never cut down the blood of divine beasts before, but I suppose knowing what it feels like wouldn’t hurt.”
—Sssss…
At last, unable to hold back their barbs any longer, Karian and Lillian revealed their weapons—a divine staff and a thick shadow.
And at that very moment—
“How utterly ridiculous.”
—Whoosh!
Having had enough, the girl lazily waved a finger through the air and invoked two spells.
[Silence.]
[Order: Expulsion.]
—Fwit!
A small object cut through the wind, and in an instant, the scenery around them changed.
The cozy café vanished without a trace.
In its place, an expansive forest stretched endlessly in all directions, swallowing Karian and Lillian whole.
“What the…?”
Well—
“…I guess a professor is still a professor, after all.”
Realizing in an instant that the girl had forcibly ejected them from the café, Karian let out a hollow laugh.
A few steps away, Lillian seemed unaware of what had just happened.
But there was no need to go out of his way to explain it to her.
“Well then, I’ll be off. It’s about time construction resumes.”
“What? Hey!!”
Instead of lingering on his irritation toward Lillian, Karian, now brimming with curiosity about the young professor, simply said that and began walking away.
Lillian, still seething with frustration toward Karian, lifted her divine staff toward his familiar silhouette in the distance.
—Whoosh!
But before she could act—
“…!”
Karian had vanished in less than a second.
As much as she hated to admit it, Lillian knew that catching up to him in her current state was impossible.
In the end, the only things she gained from their encounter were the knowledge that Karian had come to the academy looking for something—and a small sense of satisfaction.
The one bit of solace was that Karian was unlikely to interfere with her own plans.
Whatever he sought at the academy—whether it was a priceless artifact or scrolls locked away in a vault—she had no interest in it.
‘Still, maybe I should give the Headmaster a heads-up.’
***
The very next day, she scheduled a meeting with the Headmaster, purely to mess with Karian.
She claimed that strengthening security during the Leap Tournament would be a good precaution—nothing more, nothing less.
“I wouldn’t want a petty thief sneaking into my quarters. I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye on things.”
“…Understood.”
“W-Wait, he’s already here?”
“Yes. I saw him sitting in the café.”
Of course, she didn’t mention that she had forcibly expelled Lillian from that very café with a banishment spell.
She merely handed over the mango smoothie she had bought for Princess Irina.
A little while later, after also passing along the cappuccino she had bought for Evan, the conversation with Princess Irina resumed.
However, seeing as she was the one asking how Lillian had seemed, it was clear even she hadn’t expected Lillian to arrive so soon.
So, she chose to soften the truth as much as possible.
There was no point in badmouthing Lillian by saying she had caused trouble for everyone around her.
“She didn’t seem too bad.”
“…That’s a relief…”
Princess Irina let out a small sigh of relief.
Seizing the moment, she casually asked if the princess was planning to meet Lillian.
But Irina merely shook her head slightly and said—
“I’ll meet my sister after I achieve excellent results in the Leap Tournament. If I see her before then, I think I’d just get nervous for no reason.”
She intended to face Lillian with confidence, only after proving herself.
Since Irina had made up her mind, there was no reason to push her to meet Lillian before she was ready.
But then—
Evan, who had been listening to their conversation with great interest, suddenly blurted out a question about Lillian’s appearance.
“They say she’s a beauty born once in a thousand years. What do you think, Professor?”
‘…Lillian?’
Having known Lillian since she was little, the question caught her off guard, and she hesitated for a moment.
Of course, she had never thought Lillian was ugly.
And, in many ways, Lillian’s face did live up to her status as a princess.
However…
‘My brother’s maid kept following me around, so I just cast a third-tier security spell on her mouth.’
‘T-That’s a funny joke…’
‘Fufu.’
‘…It is a joke, right?’
Having witnessed all of Lillian’s antics, she could only see her as a troublemaker—nothing more, nothing less.
So, without meaning to, she muttered—
“I think her younger sister is prettier.”
She couldn’t, in good conscience, call the person who had shattered her illusions of the Ardenia royal family the greatest beauty on the continent.
“A-Ah, well… Princess Irina is definitely beautiful too! Haha…!”
Evan scratched the back of his head, looking flustered by the unexpected answer.
Of course, someone like Evan might have a different perspective on beauty…
…No, wait. When she first met Lillian, she had still been a man.
‘Hmm.’
For a brief moment, she fell into confusion.
It was only then that she noticed Princess Irina had gone unusually quiet.
For some reason, the princess kept opening and closing her mouth as if wanting to say something but hesitating.
‘Had she said something wrong?’
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“A-Ah, no. I’m fine.”
“Oh, class is about to start!”
With that, Princess Irina quickly rushed out of the faculty office.
Tilting her head in confusion, she watched the princess leave.
But there was no time to dwell on it—her next lecture was starting in less than five minutes.
Rather than getting lost in curiosity about Irina’s behavior, she turned to Evan.
“Um, Professor. The princess left her worksheets behind…”
“…Just attend today’s class alone. Please take care of it.”