Chapter 4

“What?”

Malek frowned as he spotted Julian returning to the dormitory.

“What?”

“Why do you look so happy?”

Julian, looking cheerful, was a sight that sent chills down one’s spine. The Sancio Marquisate, Julian’s house, and Malek Rikiu’s family were politically very close. Malek, being the same age, had grown up alongside Julian since childhood, and had even entered the Academy with him.

[Keep a close eye on Julian so he doesn’t do anything foolish.]

Malek had faithfully followed the ambiguous command and request of Marquis Sancio up to now. Even without the Marquis’s orders, Malek didn’t really have any other choice. Unlike his older brother, who would inherit the earldom, Malek had to forge his own future as the second son. And Julian, regardless of his temperament, was someone whose future was guaranteed to be bright.

“Me? Not at all. I’m completely fine.”

Even as he said this, Julian’s lips still curved in a smile. Malek rubbed his arms and retorted.

“Look in the mirror before you say that. That creepy grin of yours is terrifying.”

“Am I not allowed to be in a good mood?”

“It’s not that you can’t be happy, it’s just that you’ve never been like this before.”

After being forced to enter the Academy, Julian had, to put it mildly, lived like a total troublemaker. He was someone who always lived up to his reputation, and when he started playing around with women, he earned a disgraceful nickname before even finishing his freshman year.

Out of rebellion against the adults who controlled his future, Julian willingly tarnished his reputation.

He had long grown tired of playing with women, yet he still left a trail of scandals wherever he went, and he had become so skilled at avoiding graduation that he was practically an expert.

How many more years would this life repeat, and how much longer would it continue? In this endless, monotonous routine, it was only natural that Julian lost his motivation. Especially this year, it seemed to be a serious case.

He complained that nothing was fun, that it was no different from a prison without bars. Seeing Julian grumble, Malek thought, finally, the chance had come.

Malek subtly encouraged him to graduate, hoping that once Julian did, he himself could escape the tedious Academy life.

[I hate it. You want me to obediently get caught, just like that old man wants?]

Yet, even though he claimed nothing was fun and his life was like a prison, this damned prisoner had no intention of ending his sentence. If anything, his stubbornness seemed to flare up, and his eyes even regained a bit of their spark, making Malek regret his suggestion for a long time afterwards.

“The magic potion turned out pretty well.”

“Magic potion?”

Malek, puzzled by the random answer, asked again as if Julian was spouting nonsense.

When Julian suddenly said he wanted to take potion-making, Malek thought he had figured out Julian’s scheme.

This year, there were no male students in potion-making, and the class was conducted in pairs. Among the Academy’s female students, there was no one willing to pair with Julian. So, Malek assumed Julian would use that as an excuse to skip the class and delay graduation once again.

But contrary to Malek’s expectations, Julian was diligently participating in the class.

Could Julian actually be interested in potion-making? It seemed impossible, yet lately, Julian’s actions had been defying Malek’s expectations.

“What kind of potion did you make that made you so pleased?”

“Healing potion.”

“…What?”

The shimmering green potion swirled inside a transparent glass bottle. A green healing potion was among the easiest magical substances to make.

Julian didn’t care about Malek’s incredulous look and shook the potion back and forth. The light-soaked green liquid resembled someone’s eyes.

“Ah. Is that the assignment for potion-making class? Did you finally do the experiment with the exchange student?”

Realizing what was going on, Malek clapped his fist into his palm.

The world is wide and people are varied—who would’ve thought there’d be someone immune to Julian’s charms?

“Well, she’s a seminary student, so her piety must be different from normal people.”

Malek nodded. Julian, annoyed by his tone, threw a cushion from the sofa at him.

Still, Malek wasn’t wrong. Beatrice was unlike anyone Julian had ever met.

Julian recalled the day he first met her.

He went to the potion-making classroom. Though it seemed impulsive on the surface, there was a plan behind his actions.

Potion-making was a class heavily dominated by female students. This year, it wasn’t just a high ratio—he’d heard it was all female students.

It wasn’t something to brag about, but since entering the Academy, Julian had met quite a few women, and many of the students in this class had connections with him.

[Isn’t it about time you wrap up your studies and come to the Mage Tower?]

The Mage Tower Master, whose white beard reached his knees, told Julian not to feel pressured, but still subtly hinted at his hopes.

If the old man in front of him didn’t have the formidable background of ‘Mage Tower Master’, Julian would have brushed off his words without a second thought. But he was the one who had convinced Julian’s father and forced him into the Academy.

So, Julian deliberately signed up for potion-making.

The professor in charge of this class was someone who valued cooperative learning. The classes were always conducted in a way that required students to form groups and solve assignments together, and this time would be no different. According to Julian’s calculations, among the female students taking the class, there was no one who would agree to be his partner. Once again, his graduation from the Academy was slipping away smoothly this year.

‘If only the old man would finally give up.’

Julian muttered complaints to himself as he opened the classroom door. Shield and spear. The invisible battle between the Mage Tower Master and Julian had already been going on for more than four years. Malek grumbled, asking if Julian didn’t feel that his time was being wasted, but Julian had absolutely no intention of mortgaging his life like that.

As the youngest son of the Sancio family, he already had more than enough wealth prepared to last him a lifetime. Besides, he was well aware that he was very handsome.

Good looks, ample wealth, and an excellent family.

What reason did he have to work or study?

Malek called it a waste of time, but for Julian, living idly and letting life flow by was exactly the kind of life he wanted.

If only the Mage Tower Master would give up on him, Julian would quit the Academy without a second thought. He planned to take his family’s inexhaustible wealth abroad and enjoy the life of a gentleman of leisure.

[Yes, yes. It’s good to be young. Rebel with all your might, Julian. But in the end, you’ll see the path you’re meant to take.]

A slippery human.

Recalling the words the Mage Tower Master had said before leaving after their last tea together, Julian frowned.

He was wrong. This year, Julian had no intention of graduating from the Academy.

Just a glance around the potion-making classroom revealed so many ex-girlfriends that he couldn’t count them all on his fingers.

Rose.

Maria.

Susan.

Julian, as if picking a fight, deliberately approached them and greeted them. Some tried to slap him, others made obscene gestures with their fingers, and there were even those who tried to splash their drink in his face.