Chapter 1

“I hate it, I’m so sick of those rumors now!”  

Two days before the graduation ceremony, someone’s voice echoed through the academy corridor. The top student of the Magic Division, Reshurka Celestien—nicknamed Reshu. As always, her light blonde hair shimmered softly, and her cat-like blue eyes seemed both confident and adorable.

“Hm, what do you hate so much?”  

Walking beside Reshu was her closest friend, Florin. Though Florin didn’t have high grades, she was a rather unique student who hadn’t enrolled for academic ambitions.

“I just hate it. I hate being tangled up in all this.”  

“At the entrance ceremony, you and that guy stood together and recited the new student’s oath, right?”  

“That was just something I had to do.”  

“At the promotion ceremony, on the academy’s founding anniversary, on Victory Day, when His Majesty the King visited—at every event, you always went out as the student representative with Milian, didn’t you?”

The person they were talking about was Milian Enokten, Reshu’s persistent connection. The top of the Magic Division was Reshurka Celestien, and the top of the Swordsmanship Division was Milian Enokten. This was an unshakable rule at the academy.

It wasn’t even clear when it started. From the entrance exam, both had set record high scores and attracted attention. At first, people just marveled at two geniuses appearing together. But gradually, things got strange. ‘Milian of the Swordsmanship Division and Reshurka of the Magic Division’ became a pair, and rumors about them grew more frequent.

Not only were they both outstanding in their fields, but one was a boy and the other a girl, and each was famous for being handsome and cute. These facts fueled the rumors. Before anyone knew it, talk about them started heading in that direction.

“I’m sure they’re interested in each other.”  

From the age of thirteen when they entered the academy, right up to twenty-one and on the verge of graduation, these rumors never died down. And the person most fed up with all this was Reshu.

“It’s not like that. Was there even one event I attended with Milian that wasn’t an obligation?”  

“Well, from what I saw, you two spent a lot of time together ‘preparing for those official events’. Did you really need to spend so much time making speeches, practicing magic demonstrations, and swordsmanship practice?”  

“I did it because I had to be thorough. Thorough. If I was just there as myself, maybe I could slack off, but as the Magic Division representative, I couldn’t risk looking bad.”

“So, if that’s the case, couldn’t you have practiced alone? Was there really any need to keep the Swordsmanship Division’s top student up late at night?”  

“What are you talking about? We had to coordinate. I didn’t keep him; we both just got so focused on practicing that time flew by.”

With a silent glance, Reshu told Florin, ‘Anyone hearing this would think I had feelings for him.’  

On official occasions, the demonstrations of magic and swordsmanship by Reshu and Milian were no small feat. At thirteen, Reshu conjured a blue lion as the academy’s symbol, and Milian cut through the air with a red sword aura.

But the difficulty demanded of them increased every year. Just recently, on a national holiday, Reshu summoned a waterfall that could swallow a dozen people, and Milian erased it with his sword.  

And of course, the demonstration they had to perform for graduation was even grander—dangerous enough that someone could get hurt. There was no way to practice such a thing alone.

“Right, right. So, you two cherished the time spent together, huh?”  

Florin nodded, clearly just teasing Reshu.

“When did I ever say that? Like it or not, we’re the academy’s representative pair. No matter how hard I work alone, if I can’t sync with my partner, it’d be embarrassing. That’s all I wanted to avoid.”

“Milian Enokten, the cute brown-haired boy with dozens of girls following him everywhere—you just didn’t want to be embarrassed next to him, huh?”  

“Florin, are you really going to start this too?”  

Reshu glared, but Florin just shrugged. Teasing was a privilege only close friends enjoyed.

“Haa…”  

Reshu sighed and shook her head.

“At first, I thought the rumors would die out after two or three years. I figured by sixteen or so, Milian would have a girlfriend like everyone else. I never expected things to be like this at twenty-one.”

“But you haven’t had a romantic partner either, have you?”  

“Well… I just haven’t met anyone more interesting than magic research. No reason to date someone boring.”  

“So if Milian never dated, the rumors never died down—doesn’t that apply to you too?”  

“I’m always clear about it. Milian Enokten just gives vague answers. Anyway, it’s all his fault. Everything is because of that guy.”

Reshu grumbled. Florin smiled meaningfully and leaned closer to whisper in Reshu’s ear.

“So, why do you hate it?”  

“I told you. I hate the persistent rumors, and I hate how Milian’s ambiguous replies just make it worse.”  

“That’s not what I mean.”  

Florin lowered her voice even more.

“Why do you hate ‘Milian Enokten’ in the first place?”  

“Well…”  

Reshu hesitated. Disliking Milian had been her default feeling for as long as she could remember. She’d never really questioned when or why.

She could say it was because he was her rival, or because his personality was frustrating, or because he was always tangled up in annoying rumors. But somehow, none of those reasons came out. It was as if none of them were the real reason.

“If you ask why I hate Milian…”  

“Hey, Reshurka.”

Just as Reshu muttered to herself, someone called out to her using her full name. The voice sounded a bit arrogant. Reshu turned to see Ozen, a male student from the Magic Division.

“Graduation’s right around the corner, and you’re still dealing with those rumors about that guy. Must be tough, huh?”  

“…Well, yeah.”  

Reshu replied awkwardly. She was annoyed about Milian, but she didn’t want to discuss it with a boy she wasn’t close to.

“Reshurka, you’ve got bigger concerns than some petty rumor, right? Have you decided what to do after graduation? Going to the court, I bet? Or, as the rumors say, are you heading to the Mage Tower in the snowy mountains for training?”

“I…”  

Before Reshu could answer, Ozen interrupted with a sly look.

“Oh, right, for girls there’s an even bigger issue. Plenty of families want to connect with the Celestien Duchy. I heard your parents haven’t arranged a marriage yet—is that true? Are you really going to pick someone you like and marry freely?”

‘Should I just turn him into a frog for a moment?’  

Ozen’s words were the very definition of ‘annoying’. Reshu fiddled with the small wand in her uniform pocket. It wasn’t as powerful as her official oak staff, but even the portable willow wand could handle that sort of magic.

‘…No, forget it.’  

With only two days left until graduation, she didn’t want to leave a blemish on her academy record by using magic out of irritation.

“Anyway, Ozen, where are you headed? Florin and I are on our way to the West Bell Tower.”  

Reshu smiled sweetly. Whatever Ozen’s answer, she planned to say, ‘Well, we’ll get going then’ and leave. But Ozen didn’t back off.

“West Bell Tower? Why?”  

“Florin and I have something to sort out.”  

“So there’s no rush, right?”  

“We’re going now, so why?”

Reshu’s tone made it clear she didn’t want to deal with him. Ozen’s face hardened, as if he’d been insulted. Then, with a sneer, he said,

“Busy, huh? Well, I guess we can talk later. By the way, it’s a waste for you to spend time worrying about Milian Enokten.”  

“What?”  

“Don’t react so sharply. I just meant it’s a shame for someone as busy as you to waste time on trivial problems. Anyone can see why Milian isn’t a good match for you and why you dislike him, right?”

Ozen’s lips curled into a bitter smile.

“Because Enokten’s family is shabby.”

Reshu was silent for a moment. Sensing the mood, Florin tugged on Reshu’s sleeve and whispered, ‘Let it go.’ But Reshu wasn’t backing down. She smiled calmly.

“That’s true. I’ve heard Enokten isn’t a wealthy family. That’s why Milian always studied harder than anyone and never missed a scholarship. With his swordsmanship skills, he could’ve relaxed on theory—but he never did. …Oh, and wasn’t it His Majesty the former King who established the academy’s scholarship system?”

Reshu smiled brightly.

“So that talent could get an education regardless of wealth. Oh my, Ozen, are you unhappy that the Enokten family isn’t a rich, influential house? Or do you really think ‘someone from that sort of family shouldn’t be at the academy’?”

“Well, it’s just that going to the academy with such a country bumpkin isn’t exactly ideal… huh?”  

“My goodness, is that really it? Are you openly denying the will of His Majesty the former King? I never imagined you’d say something so disrespectful.”

Reshu feigned shock, covering her mouth.

“Wh-what are you talking about? I just meant it’s strange for a country bumpkin like Enokten to be the academy’s representative… I’m not denying the King’s will…”  

Ozen’s words grew more incoherent as his face turned red. Normally, he was too shy to even speak to Reshu. But now, out of nowhere, he was showing off, bringing up Milian’s family as an issue. His intentions were obvious.

Ozen’s family was a renowned noble house in the kingdom. He’d wanted to get close to Reshu before graduation, but hadn’t succeeded, so now he was trying to make trouble, hoping she’d pick him over Milian.

“You seem pretty flustered. Take your time and figure it out. Anyway, I have nothing more to say about Milian Enokten, so I’ll be going now.”

Reshu made an exaggeratedly elegant bow and tried to leave with Florin. She disliked Milian, but hearing such baseless insults about him was even worse. Then, Ozen, still fuming, snapped,

“D-don’t act so high and mighty.”  

“What did you say?”  

“So you don’t care if Enokten’s family is poor? Anyone can pretend to be gracious. You’re just a hypocrite, aren’t you?”  

“….”  

“You say you hate those rumors about you and Milian, but if it’s not about his family, who’s going to believe you? You should just be honest!”

“What do you mean?”  

“You spent all your time at the academy sizing up the noble heirs, trying to pick the best one. Now you’re getting anxious because you’re afraid no one will choose you—just admit it…”

Ozen’s babbling suddenly stopped. Not by choice—he choked, unable to speak. Reshu’s gaze shifted upward. Ozen was now dangling half a foot above the ground, lifted by the collar.

“Ah…”  

Suddenly, a young man with light brown hair appeared, muttering in a slightly tired voice. With one hand, he held Ozen by the back of his neck, lifting him into the air.

“Just wondered if I could lift him with one hand. Turns out I can. Not that heavy, maybe because he’s short…”  

Then Milian casually let go with his right hand. Ozen flailed and crashed to the floor, not from a great height but enough to make a scene. As Ozen dusted off his uniform, Milian muttered,

“Oh, he fell.”  

“What—what did you say?”