Belle looked at Aris intently with her eyes shining.

“You never know! Let’s go get you measured.”

“How…? Measuring magical talent is only possible for third-year students, right?”

“Ah, that’s a narrow way of thinking. I have an uncle, you know? He’s one of the renowned scholars in the Magic Department, so if I ask him, it should be possible!”

Hearing that, Aris’s eyes that resembled the verdure, widened. Curiosity was sparkling in them.

“Your uncle is a magic scholar? Who is he?”

“Andre.”

“Andre?”

Aris, who was tilting her head and repeating the name, gradually looked more and more shocked.

“Wait, Belle Roche, Roche… Andre Roche…! Oh my! You’re saying your uncle is Dr. Andre Roche?”

Aris covered her mouth with her hand. This couldn’t be.

The magic theory book that Aris had been poring over since she was the Empress, the one gifted by Mr. E and what she was reading intently, was written by Andre Roche.

“Well, how about that, does it sound credible?”

“Incredibly…! I’m a fan of Dr. Andre. I’ve read so many of his books! Dr. Andre is a renowned scholar and mage!”

Aris happily grasped her hands. Life could bring such surprising and delightful encounters.

“Aris, you don’t have any classes after this, right?”

“No!”

“Then let’s go right after lunch.”

“What? But you have a class.”

As Aris narrowed her eyes suspiciously while Belle waved her hand dismissively.

“What’s wrong with skipping once? The professor will be glad to have one less sleepy student. They’ll say the quality of the class has improved.”

Such a deviation…

Aris thought about trying to dissuade Belle a bit more, but gave up, sensing that no amount of persuasion would work.

Belle and Aris finished their sandwiches amicably and stood up. They headed towards the main building of the Magic Department.

On the way there, Aris recalled her recent encounter with Kalaian.

Kalaian’s polite tone and gaze as he asked her to tell her story. And that day when, despite his clearly ceremonial attitude, she felt strangely affectionate, making her heart flutter.

Aris shook her head vigorously. I’m thinking about him again…

It seemed that she hadn’t changed yet in the way that she’s thinking about Kalaian day and night.

‘Focus on Belle. If not that, then think about Mr. E.’

Aris scrunched her eyes and desperately tried to exclude thoughts of Kalaian.

Soon, they arrived at the main building of the Magic Department. The two went up to the third floor of the large, antique building made of dark stone.

After passing a circular landing, they saw numerous rooms with dark wooden doors and iron handles.

Walking down the long corridor with rooms lined up on both sides, Aris curiously looked at each nameplate on the doors. They were all names of famous scholars she had read about in books.

As they were walking down the corridor, Belle stopped.

“Ah, my uncle is here.”

Andre Roche. Seeing the name on the wooden nameplate, Aris looked at Belle once with moved eyes.

Belle wrinkled her nose lightly and smiled mischievously before knocking on Andre’s research room door. Aris clasped her hands together in anticipation.

And then silence fell.

“…No answer?”

“Did he go out?”

“Well, let’s go in.”

“What? Without permission?”

“It’s fine, I’ve done it many times before.”

Belle flung open the door to Andre’s research room. At that moment, a loud ‘BOOM!’ shook the research room.

Startled, Aris and Belle almost simultaneously hugged each other. An annoyed voice came from within the room filled with thick smoke.

“What on earth… Belle! It’s Belle, right? Didn’t I tell you not to come in anytime?”

Soon after, a frustrated groan leaked out. Aris and Belle looked at each other and stayed quiet as if they had buttoned their lips.

After a while, as the smoke cleared, they saw a person sitting pitifully in the corner of the research room with a large magic orb. His hair was standing on end, defying gravity as if hit by a bomb from the earlier explosion.

Seeing this, Belle’s shoulders trembled.

“Pfft! Uncle, snort, sorry for coming in suddenly… snort!”

“Hah… Belle, you really…!”

Andre, who turned towards the entrance with an angry face, discovered a bright blonde girl looking at him with wide eyes like a rabbit.

Seeing his disheveled state, Aris thought, ‘Is he alright…’ before greeting him first.

“Ah, hello… I’m Belle’s friend, Aristena Eldeiz.”

Andre, who widened his eyes at her greeting, immediately stood up and snapped his thumb and middle finger. With that single gesture, his messy appearance became neat in the blink of an eye.

Unlike Belle, he had straight hair, with dark blonde long hair tied loosely. And like Belle, he had intelligent blue eyes, a man in his mid-20s.

Just as Aris had seen on the first page of the book, he was a handsome man with a tall and intellectual impression. He was even more handsome than in the picture.

Having erased his earlier pitiful state, he smiled gentlemanly as if nothing had happened.

“So, you’re Belle’s friend?”

“Yes…!”

Aris had also instantly forgotten that shocking scene from earlier in the excitement of this momentous meeting.

“I’m Andre Roche. As you’ve heard from Belle, I’m her uncle. What brings you here?”

Seeing this, Belle frowned and showed her dislike.

“Uncle, stop pretending to be proper. We already saw that state earlier, you know?”

“That’s because you suddenly came in. I was in the middle of an important alchemy… I told you not to come in carelessly.”

“You didn’t answer when we knocked. I didn’t know you’d be doing alchemy. Sorry.”

“…So why did you come with your friend?”

“Uncle, Aris and I want to measure our magical talent. You said before I should tell you if I wanted to try it.”

Belle said, her eyes sparkling like jewels. Aris watched Andre’s reaction amidst this reckless situation.

They had already barged in and caused an accident, and Belle was amazing in many ways. She was full of guts that Aris lacked and was fearless.

“…There’s no reason we can’t, but now? Belle, don’t you have class? Your friend too.”

“No, we don’t have class.”

Belle waved her hand dismissively. Andre looked at her suspiciously before taking off the monocle he was wearing and saying,

“Alright, then it should be fine. Miss Eldeiz, are you also a first-year like Belle? Have you never been measured before?”

“Ah, yes!”

Aris stiffened and answered, not expecting the sudden question. Her admiration for him was so great that she was still looking at him in awe.

Andre took off the lab coat he was wearing, hung it up, and turned around in just a light shirt.

“Then let’s go.”

Behind him as he left the room, the scene of the research room in disarray from the earlier explosion was fully visible. Aris and Belle exchanged glances and had slightly dazed expressions.

“Uncle, aren’t you going to clean up the room?”

“I’ll clean it later.”

Andre took out his research room key, locked the door securely, and led the way. Belle started following him first, turning back to gesture at Aris to come quickly.

As Aris approached, Belle linked arms with her and walked excitedly. Aris smiled lightly at Belle’s behavior.

Andre, who had come out of the main building with them, said,

“To measure magical talent, we need to go to the hall at the northern end of the Magic Department. It’s quite a walk.”

“Tch, Uncle. Can’t we go by magic? You’re good at that sort of thing.”

“Belle, magic doesn’t make your body healthy. There’s nothing healthier than walking. Don’t you think so too, Miss Eldeiz?”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“What? Aris, do you really think that? It would be so convenient to move by magic!”

Belle asked Aris with a shocked look. She narrowed her eyes coyly, as if to ask if she was siding with her uncle because she was a fan, but Aris shook her head with a smile.

“As we get older, our energy will gradually decline, so we should take care of our health while we’re young.”

“…Wow. Aris, you talk like an old person.”

Belle opened her mouth slightly. Though it was probably said in jest, Aris felt a bit stung and averted her gaze. Belle stared at Aris for a moment before asking Andre,

“Uncle, what do you think Aris’s magical talent will be like? You’re good at seeing that kind of thing.”

At that, Andre turned around and looked at Aris for a moment. Aris smiled awkwardly with tension. Andre tilted his head.

“Well, Miss Eldeiz is a bit ambiguous. I can’t really see it well.”

Aris wore a slightly faint smile.

“See, Belle? I told you I don’t have magical talent…”

“No, Miss Eldeiz. I meant we’ll have to measure to know. It’s not that I can’t see it because you don’t have magical talent, it’s just that I really can’t see anything at all. Normally, even a faint magical power should be visible.”

Andre’s eyes shone with an unusual light as he looked at Aris for a moment before turning away.

Aris watched Andre’s back with a puzzled feeling. Beside her, Belle spoke in a triumphant voice.

“Did you hear that, Aris? You can’t know before measuring. You might have magical talent!”

“Mmm, I hope so.”

Of course, Aris was already certain that she couldn’t have such a thing.

After walking for about 10 minutes, the three arrived at the Magic Hall located at the northern end of the Magic Department.