After a brief lunch break, El set off back to the academy. Cielsa watched him go, her gaze following until he disappeared from view.
Before he left, Cielsa reminded El several times to be careful. Even with Ivena’s protection at his side, he must never let his guard down.
Cielsa stepped out of the café and said, “Wald, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“As you wish, Your Highness.”
Wald was a disheveled middle-aged man, looking no different from a drunkard found in a tavern. Forget being a Sword Saint, most people wouldn’t even associate him with a knight.
But Cielsa knew that Wald wasn’t just unmatched in swordsmanship—he was also fiercely loyal. With her foreknowledge of the plot, she had managed to bring him under her command.
Even if the old emperor wanted her dead, he’d have to step over this Sword Saint’s corpse first.
“I’ve found you a disciple. She might have an even more astonishing talent for the sword than you do. I think you’ll like her.”
“She? That’s quite the surprise. Since Your Highness says so, I wouldn’t dare refuse.”
Cielsa quickly settled the matter. Next up was to lead the knights in a thorough investigation of the Upper City District.
“My goodness, Karen. Are you telling me that in less than two hours of my absence, two Surveillance Crystals at the academy were destroyed?”
***
El felt as though the sky was falling the moment he returned.
He knew that since the founding of the academy over four centuries ago, the Surveillance Crystals had only ever been destroyed a handful of times.
A lot of the academy’s affairs were managed by the Student Council, and as it happened, El was the one in charge of public facilities.
“Who knows? Someone really risked expulsion to do this. If you ask me, even the professor of Defense Class can’t trace the culprit with Retrograde Magic. It was definitely deliberate. We don’t know their motive yet, but it can’t be anything good.”
Karen shrugged.
“But in any case, it’s not our problem. All you have to do is file a repair report and go through the procedures.”
“That’ll probably be the day after tomorrow. Integrated Magic Circuits are too advanced—at least a gold-tier Alchemist needs two days to fix them.”
Retrograde Magic used the records of the earth’s veins to project and recreate what happened at the scene. But with special methods, traces could be erased.
If the culprits had prepared thoroughly, they might even have used an Anti-Prophecy Tool.
“But this back-and-forth will waste a lot of time, giving whoever’s behind this a chance to carry out their scheme.”
“We don’t have a solution, do we? The Student Council and the academy have already sealed off the area, doing their best to minimize the risk of an accident.”
No, it’s not enough. It has to be better… El furrowed his brow tightly. This was his area of responsibility, carrying the honor of the Regis family.
His standards for himself were high, and since it concerned everyone’s safety, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
“If there’s anyone who could handle it, maybe—just maybe—they could solve it within two hours.”
At that, Karen’s words rekindled hope in El’s heart.
“Who?”
El made up his mind—he had to find this person.
“Are you still half-asleep? Of course it’s Aurelia. She’s the undisputed genius of alchemy, rising from nothing to master in just two months—a true prodigy. As long as you ask her, she’ll definitely help.”
“…That’s my problem.”
It wasn’t that El didn’t know. It was just that, instinctively, he’d ruled Aurelia out as an option.
Although Aurelia was the current Student Council President, she rarely bothered with such matters—especially these “obviously easy to fix, but perfectionists insist on blowing things out of proportion” issues.
And on a personal level, the unresolved feelings between him and Aurelia made El hesitant to approach her at all.
Seeing El’s hesitation, Karen added fuel to the fire. With an exaggerated expression, he said, “The academy’s huge—what if some unlucky soul gets caught up in this? Don’t worry, El, it’s fine. Worst case, only a few commoners would get into trouble.”
“Sigh—such poor children, their parents hoping they’d make something of themselves at the Royal Academy…”
Before Karen could unleash the ultimate moral blackmail, El glared fiercely at him and silently walked out of the classroom.
***
After he left, Karen immediately took out a Communication Stone. “Hello? Miss Godefiel? El is heading your way. Yes, right now…”
Standing at the door to the president’s office, El was nervous and uneasy. He even began to fret about how to address her next.
Using “Miss Godefiel” would only put more distance between them, but was it really necessary? It felt so contrived—after all, she could be called his closest friend.
His mind was a jumble, but his hand didn’t pause long. He gently knocked on the heavy wooden door.
“Come in.”
El pushed open the door. Aurelia’s stunning beauty came into view, the afternoon sun casting golden flecks on her radiant blond hair. Her elegant lavender gown outlined her graceful figure.
He was utterly transfixed. It was as if his body acted on its own, and before he realized it, he was already seated in the chair across from her.
“I’m guessing you’ve come because of the Surveillance Crystals.”
Aurelia’s tone was gentle, completely unlike the coldness with which she usually kept others at arm’s length.
“Yes…”
El found himself completely unprepared. In front of Aurelia, even stringing a few words together was difficult.
But Aurelia was different. She was always thinking of El, running through countless scenarios in her mind. Thanks to Karen’s “betrayal,” she’d even had time to carefully prepare her appearance.
“I can fix the Surveillance Crystals very quickly, but if you want my help, there’s one condition.”
Before El could say anything more, he noticed Aurelia’s slender finger pointing at him.
“You. I need you. After I take care of this, you must go on a date with me, just the two of us—just like before.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable demand. In fact, it was an opportunity most people could only dream of. Aurelia was undoubtedly the academy’s unattainable flower—even mustering the courage to propose this was more than most dared.
In terms of beauty, Aurelia was peerless. In family background, as the heir to the Duke of the West, even the emperor had to show her respect—her status was among the very highest on the continent.
In talent, her alchemical mastery and ability to manage a trading guild were second to none.
Seeing Aurelia’s icy demeanor, people felt no urge to conquer her, as if any attempt would end in utter defeat.
Refusing would be rather ungrateful. El answered, “I can agree, Aurelia. But don’t you think we should reexamine our relationship? We can be friends, confidants to each other, but we don’t… mm—”
Aurelia stood up, her soft lips sealing off El’s words. Her arms circled his neck, her chest pressing so tightly against him it changed shape.
The scent of her perfume filled his nose, making his mind swim. Of course, El couldn’t bear to push Aurelia away and could only let her greedily claim his body.
“I won’t agree to that, El. I was at fault—so won’t you forgive me, please~?”
A lock of golden hair fell onto El’s face, tickling him. Aurelia breathed gently by his ear, her fair hand stroking his chest.
“You’re not nearly as honest as you say, are you? Listen—your heart is beating so fast.”