Chapter 26

Two more days passed after that. Thanks to resting thoroughly under Alice’s watchful eye, Elena had completely recovered.

Still, Alice, not yet reassured, made her undergo a check-up with the school nurse.

“You’ve fully recovered now. You can attend classes again.”

And so, Elena decided to return to her classes starting today.

“Are you really sure you’re okay?”

Alice followed closely behind her, asking for the fourth time.

Elena stopped tying her hair and gave Alice a gentle push on her back.

“You heard what the nurse said. I’m fine to attend class. And if I rest any longer, I won’t be able to catch up with the lessons.”

“But still…”

“Come on, stop worrying and go put on your uniform. We’ll be late at this rate.”

After finally sending Alice back to her room, Elena finished getting ready. Stepping out of the dormitory for the first time in days, she felt a wave of nostalgia.

Adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, she walked with Alice to their history of magic class—her favorite subject.

“Elena, are you okay? I heard you were really sick.”

As soon as they entered the classroom, her friends, who she was close to, approached her. Not wanting to show any signs of her recent illness, she forced a bright smile.

“I’m fine now. I think I caught a chill because I forgot to put enough logs in the fireplace before falling asleep.”

“How many times did I tell you to always keep the fireplace lit?” 

Alice said in a stern tone, though her actions were gentle as she held Elena’s hand and guided her to a seat. Alice and the rest of their friends surrounded her.

After exchanging a few more greetings, the conversation shifted to various topics.

Having missed five days of class, there was a lot to catch up on. Unable to keep up with the flow of their stories, Elena simply listened quietly.

There were some surprising revelations.

“So, Penny and Neville are dating?”

“Yes! Apparently, Neville confessed first.”

“No way.”

They all gasped, placing their hands on their cheeks in mock surprise. Penny’s face turned bright red.

Penny had been harboring a crush on Neville for a whole year.

“We kept telling her Neville seemed to like her and that she should confess, but she never did. And now look at this!”

One of the girls leaned in and whispered in a low voice.

“That’s not how it happened. Penny made a love potion.”

“A love potion? What’s that?”

“You don’t know?”

Alice shot her a disbelieving look. Judging by the expressions of the others, Elena was the only one unaware, which made her feel slightly embarrassed.

“Well, from the name, I can guess it’s some sort of potion, but I’m not sure exactly what it does.”

“It’s a potion that makes the person who drinks it fall for the one who made it. A seventh-year senior made one recently, and it became a hot topic. You didn’t hear about it?”

“This is my first time hearing about it. But is something like that even possible?”

“It works, I’m telling you. Neville ate a pie Penny made and then confessed to her.”

Elena found it hard to believe.

“Maybe Neville already liked Penny and just found the courage to confess after realizing she had feelings for him because she gave him the pie…”

Elena wasn’t particularly perceptive when it came to relationships. Even so, she thought Neville seemed to have an interest in Penny.

Alice seemed to agree with her. Yet, for some reason, the others firmly believed the love potion had worked.

If it were true, that in itself was a problem. Manipulating someone’s feelings, especially if they didn’t reciprocate, was troubling.

But more importantly…

‘Valentine’s Day is going to be a mess.’

Valentine’s Day was about a month and a half away. It was the day when everyone, regardless of gender, confessed their feelings by giving chocolates.

At the academy, it was even more popular than the Saint Esna Festival.

“Oh, right. I got a letter from my mother yesterday…”

Lost in thought for a moment, Elena was brought back to reality when Penny suddenly changed the subject. It seemed she was embarrassed by the talk about Neville.

Though they all noticed her deliberate shift in topic, they let it slide.

“What did it say?”

“Have you ever heard of Anguis?”

Anguis? Why was that name being mentioned now?

Elena felt a sharp ache in her neck, as if it had been cut by a blade. Though she thought she had moved on, the events of that day had left a deeper impact than she realized. Her lips trembled slightly.

Unlike her, Alice responded nonchalantly.

“Who at the academy doesn’t know about Anguis?”

“Exactly. It’d be stranger not to know. But why bring it up?”

Excited to shift the focus, Penny began her story in earnest.

“You all know my father is part of the Royal Knights, right?”

“Yes, we know.”

That was common knowledge among Penny’s friends. She often boasted about her father’s position in the Royal Knights.

“My father says the scattered remnants of the Anguis faction, who’ve been on the run, are starting to move in unusual ways.”

The girls gasped. 

“Oh my, really?”

“Recently, there’s been an increase in reports of Anguis sightings across various regions.”

Alice responded with indifference.

“So what? Anguis causing trouble isn’t exactly news. Just a few days ago, there was chaos near here too.”

“That’s true, but…”

Penny lowered her voice.

“My father thinks Anguis is preparing for another rebellion.”

Someone audibly gasped.

Meanwhile, Elena felt so nauseous she could barely breathe. The lack of air made her head spin, and she realized her back was damp with sweat.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Alice, who also came from a family of knights, firmly dismissed the idea.

“Why is it ridiculous?”

“They have nothing to gain from rebelling.”

“Why not? If they succeed, they can save their lives. Think about it. Anguis has been on the run for over a year with a bounty on their heads. Whether they keep running or not, they’re going to die. In such a situation, wouldn’t they dream of rebellion?”

“That may be true, but they have no justification. The Second Prince, whom they wanted to place on the throne, was executed a year ago. Who would they rally behind now?”

Alice shook her head, as if the conversation wasn’t worth continuing. Penny, sensing the mood, gestured for everyone to come closer.

When they leaned in, she whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible.

“There’s a rumor that the Second Prince is alive.”

What nonsense was this? It sounded like a bad joke.

The dead couldn’t come back to life. Not even Castor Grosvenor could achieve that.

But the fact that such an absurd rumor originated from a knight in the Royal Knights meant it might not be entirely baseless.

As the others discussed Anguis, Elena had remained a silent observer. But for the first time, she opened her mouth to ask Penny a question.

Before she could, the professor entered the classroom, cutting the conversation short.

Their intense discussion ended there.

***

After class, Elena grabbed Alice’s hand and asked, 

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“The story Penny told us about Anguis.”

Though Elena had asked seriously, Alice looked at her as if she were a naive child.

“Do you actually believe that? It’s all lies. While I’ve also heard rumors about Anguis appearing here and there recently, the idea that they’re preparing for another rebellion is ridiculous.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“They’ve been on the run for so long that they probably had to come out of hiding to gather supplies, which is why people have been spotting them. That’s all.”

Alice’s explanation was reasonable, but Elena’s thoughts were still tangled.

Perhaps it was because of the man who had taken her hostage last time. When it came to Anguis, she couldn’t think rationally.

“What if the Second Prince is alive?”

Alice let out an exasperated sigh.

“How could that be possible? Dead people don’t come back.”

“I’m not saying he came back to life. What if he never died in the first place?”

“There’s no way. Plenty of people witnessed his execution at the guillotine. Forget about Penny’s story.”

Yet, for some reason, Elena couldn’t dismiss Penny’s words. Impulsively, she asked Alice another question.

“Alice, do you know anyone in the Swordsmanship Department?”

“The Swordsmanship Department? I do, but why?”

“I want to learn swordsmanship, but I don’t know anyone there. You’re friends with students from other departments, right? Do you know anyone?”

“Why do you suddenly want to learn swordsmanship?”

“Well, for self-defense?”

Elena vividly remembered her encounter with Anguis. The fear of death that had come so close and the helplessness of being unable to do anything in such a dire situation.

Now that the man had escaped, she didn’t know when she might face him again.

So, she wanted to prepare as much as she could.

“If it’s for self-defense, wouldn’t it be better to take more defensive magic classes?”

“I’ll take those too. But I also want to learn swordsmanship.”

Realizing how determined Elena was, Alice finally relented.

“Alright. If you’re that set on it, I’ll introduce you to the best student in the Swordsmanship Department. If you’re going to learn, you might as well learn from the best.”

“Thank you!”

Elena had no idea what kind of ripple effects Alice’s words would bring.