11.1 – In Search of Her

The freshmen gathered one by one in the grand auditorium. As they exchanged greetings and started chatting, the auditorium quickly became noisy. Ella and Shua, who had barely finished their class in a half-drowsy state, joined the crowd. Just then, a group of juniors wearing blue capes entered the auditorium and climbed onto the stage. In unison, they greeted loudly:

“Welcome, freshmen of Clioneleus Imperial University!”

Hearing this, Ella looked up at the stage.

‘Huh? It’s Liam.’

Liam stood on the stage holding a yellow flag. This was already the third consecutive coincidence. Feeling delighted, she craned her neck to look at him, but he didn’t seem to have noticed her yet.

As the chatter among the freshmen subsided a little, one of the juniors holding a blue flag began to speak.

“We are juniors from each department. This gathering has been organized to help freshmen unfamiliar with the university bond with one another and learn more about their respective departments. Please gather according to the department you’re interested in! Those aspiring to join the Swordsmanship Department, come to me!”

“Ella, let’s go! That red flag is for the Administrative Department.”

Ella and Shua headed toward the flag of the Administrative Department. The other freshmen also identified the juniors holding flags with the names of their desired departments and stood in front of them.

After finding her place, Ella glanced briefly toward Liam’s direction.

Two people? Maybe?

It seemed that the Magic Department had very few incoming students from the start, so hardly anyone was gathering there. Noticing Ella’s gaze, Liam looked her way and nodded slightly as if he recognized her. Ella returned a small smile and then turned her attention back to the front. About 40 freshmen had gathered in front of the Administrative Department. Since the number was quite large, the two juniors from the department consulted with each other and divided the group into two.

At that moment, Liam, who had been conversing with the freshmen from the Magic Department, approached one of the juniors from the Administrative Department.

“Fabian!”

“Oh, Liam. What’s up?”

The junior, who was leading the group of freshmen that included Ella and Shua, looked at Liam. He then spoke.

“There are only three of us in the Magic Department, including me. How about combining our groups? It’s good for freshmen to interact with students from other departments too.”

“Hmm…”

Fabian, the junior from the Administrative Department, pondered for a moment before turning to ask the freshmen he was leading.

“Are you all okay with that?”

At the mention of the Magic Department, the freshmen from the Administrative Department looked at them with curious eyes but seemed hesitant to speak up, feeling a bit shy.

Then, from afar, Liam mouthed something toward Ella.

What?

After observing his lip movements for a while, Ella finally understood his message.

Ah! He’s telling me to say it’s okay?

She looked at Liam with an exasperated expression before speaking up.

“It’s fine!”

Since there was no particular objection, Fabian nodded.

“Alright, let’s go together then. Liam, come over here. Magic Department freshmen, please line up at the back.”

Liam winked at Ella as if to thank her and stood next to Fabian. Shua, observing this scene, looked at Ella with a puzzled expression. Ella simply shrugged her shoulders and began walking with the group.

Fabian led the freshmen to an unexpected location—a vacant classroom. Inside, instead of neatly arranged desks, there were several round tables, each adorned with various foods and drinks. Since personal alcohol was prohibited at the university, it had been weeks since they had seen any alcohol after moving into the dormitories.

‘Alcohol!’

Ella’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the long-awaited alcohol.

How long has it been?

While Ella chuckled to herself, Fabian spoke up.

“Everyone, please take a seat at any table! There are four tables in total, so we’d appreciate it if the Magic Department freshmen could sit one per table.”

Let’s go quickly!

When Ella saw the alcohol, her excitement got the better of her, and she quickly grabbed Shua by the arm and headed toward the table closest to the entrance. Shua, practically dragged along, followed her. Liam, who found the scene amusing, took a seat next to Ella. The other empty seats were gradually filled. While everyone sat awkwardly, one man broke the silence.

“Shall we introduce ourselves? Nice to meet you all. I’m Hawkon from the Viscount Roham family, aspiring to join the Administrative Department.”

“Hello, I’m Erina from the Baron Pryan family.”

As the awkward introductions went around, Fabian raised his glass, making a clear clinking sound, and then began to speak.

“Welcome, freshmen, to the reception. While we’re using the excuse of learning about our departments, everyone at Imperial University knows this. This is one of the few events during the term where we can legally drink alcohol.”

At Fabian’s playful remark, the students burst into laughter.

“Let’s make the most of this opportunity!”

At Fabian’s concluding words, everyone raised their glasses. Together, they shouted a toast. Thus began the drinking session.

The start of a drinking session among strangers was predictable. Introductions, light small talk, and probing questions ensued.

Particularly, Shua, as the young lady of an Earl family that dominated the western trade, drew a great deal of attention. In contrast, when it became known that Ella, who seemed close to Shua, was a commoner, the expressions of those who had been paying attention to her turned slightly indifferent. Already accustomed to such atmospheres from her time at the academy, Ella focused solely on the food and alcohol in front of her.

With a look that seemed to say, ‘Don’t bother me’ Ella alternated between skewered meat in one hand and a glass of alcohol in the other. Seeing this, Liam chuckled and refilled her glass.

Shua, after answering a barrage of questions for some time, clapped her hands and changed the subject.

“So, what kind of person are you from the Magic Department?”

Shua shifted her gaze to Liam, perhaps on Ella’s behalf, who was completely immersed in her own world. At this, the freshmen sitting nearby lit up with interest and spoke.

“A magician? That’s incredible!”

“Yeah, I heard there are only a few even at Imperial University!”

Suddenly the focus shifted to him. Scratching his head, Liam finally opened his mouth.

“Well, I’m still just a trainee. My name is Liam, and I’m here because I share a liberal arts class with Rafaella.”

‘I wish I had taken that class too!’

Contrary to the stereotype of reclusive geniuses described as sensitive and prickly, Liam had a pleasant appearance and seemed to have a good personality, which made Erina inwardly regret not taking the same class. Moreover, high-ranking noble ladies like Shua often married early through arranged marriages instead of attending university, making encounters with them rare. Ella, who seemed to have a close relationship with Shua, stood out even more.

Feeling annoyed at Ella, who was a commoner yet surrounded by remarkable people while drinking like there was no tomorrow, Erina couldn’t help but make a snide remark.

“Lady Rafaella seems to have as much luck with friends as she does with her appetite.”

“Erina…”

Noticing Erina’s subtle jab at Ella, Shua bristled and began to speak. However, Ella placed her hand under the table and grabbed Shua’s.

‘Don’t fight because of me.’

‘But…’

While Ella and Shua exchanged a brief glance, Fabian suddenly stood up from a nearby table and spoke again.

“Have you all gotten to know each other a bit? At this point, let’s mix up the seating!”

At Fabian’s suggestion, a few students began to rise from their seats. Shua, who had missed the chance to argue, hesitated, and Ella, deliberately putting on a bright smile, also stood up.

“I’m going to make friends besides you!”

“Don’t drink too much.”

Noticing Ella’s intention to defuse the situation, Shua smiled in return. Ella looked around and headed to the furthest table in the corner. Liam, who had been somewhat concerned about Ella after the earlier incident, followed her.

“Why are you following me?”

Noticing Liam’s presence, Ella grumbled deliberately.

“They said only one Magic Department student per table. I saw another Magic Department freshman heading to our table earlier.”

“Tsk.”

When Ella clicked her tongue in annoyance, Liam chuckled softly. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Ella walked silently.

“Hello! I’m Rafaella.”

Ella greeted brightly as she sat down. The atmosphere at the table seemed to stir slightly.

“Were you in the ‘Introduction to Administration’ class?”

Someone seemed to recognize her from that class.

Ah, so they saw me get scolded…

Slightly flustered, Ella forced a bright smile and responded.

“Yes, that’s me. I’m sorry for disrupting the class atmosphere back then.”