CH 6

After the incident in magic practice class, I was worried. I wondered if handing in a blank test paper would cause any problems. However, Professor Cromwell didn't say anything. He briefly came up to me and said, "Submit a proper one next time," and left. I continued my life at the academy as usual. I attentively attended classes during the day and reviewed and prepared at night. It was the life of an ordinary student. If there was one thing that changed slightly... "50 copper coins." It was just getting up early in the morning and stopping by the store to buy bread. I put this bread in Luna's locker. It wasn't a meaningful action. I just knew how sad it was not being able to eat when hungry. When I was young, I went to a place like a church retreat. It wasn't because I was religious; I just went to have fun. The church made the students there fast and pray. I ended up spending my time there, not eating properly and just praying every day. The helplessness and shock I felt at that young age were beyond imagination. Luna also came here to study, not to fast and study. It didn't seem like a big problem since I wasn't doing anything bad, just giving her some bread. "Is it starting soon?" Luna's hidden story will begin soon. If I were Evan, I should have been winning Luna's favor beforehand. However, I am different from Evan. Initially, Rudy Astria had a better advantage than Evan. Rudy Astria had money, ability, and status that didn't fall behind Evan. Even my grades were better so far. So there was no need to prepare in advance like Evan. Luna's hidden story. The beginning of this story starts with Luna being praised by a professor in her magic theory presentation. An unordinary theory that normal students wouldn't think of. Seeing this, Professor Mcguire calls for Luna. Knowing Luna's situation roughly, Professor Mcguire offers to sponsor her. The condition was to bring a similar achievement before midterm exams. He promises to support all tuition fees for three years if she can prove herself. From then on, Luna starts to study magic in the library all the time. However, as the deadline approaches, Luna becomes anxious. Becoming more and more desperate, Luna eventually takes out her treasured magic book. There was a lot written in that magic book. However, among its contents were also dark magic. Luna chooses one of the spells in the book to cast, but unfortunately, it's dark magic. Not knowing it was dark magic, Luna casts it. When failing to cast dark magic, it causes mental contamination. With a contaminated mind, Luna's mana goes out of control, destroying the library and resulting in disciplinary action. If Evan were to intervene in such a story, he would stop Luna, who was going berserk. Luna wasn't that powerful, so Evan could easily stop her. Thus, the incident would end without much damage to the library, and Luna would continue to attend the academy without any disciplinary action. Of course, Professor McGuire's proposal would fail... But I will prevent this problem from happening altogether. Professor McGuire's proposal event takes place a few days after Luna's announcement. I will propose to Luna before that. I'll offer to support her tuition. I have enough money for tuition in my possession. My goal isn't Luna. It doesn't matter to me whether Luna gets cozy with Evan or not. My goal is the grimoire. The grimoire Luna possesses is a record of the Royal Mage Levian. It contains the research he conducted throughout his life. For some reason, Levian meets Luna before he dies and passes the grimoire onto her. That grimoire is a treasure. A treasure incomparable to gold nuggets. I'm strong now. But if you ask if I can maintain this strength, the answer is 'no.' It's too difficult for someone like me, who's just a borderline genius, to keep up with the growth of true geniuses. To maintain strength, I must seize such opportunities. Opportunities unrelated to Evan. And even if Luna doesn't destroy the library, the story won't be affected. If Evan doesn't pay attention to Luna, it would be a minor event, barely mentioned in the event log. "Everything's going smoothly." I'm also keeping an eye on other aspects. I'm watching Evan's actions from time to time. Evan was fully focused on his studies. He was studying without worrying about Luna. He didn't have any contact with the others yet, so there was nothing else to worry about.

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Raei  Translations

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After attending all the classes, I headed to the cafeteria alone. I've become accustomed to eating alone and feeling lonely. "Hello?" A red-haired woman approached me, holding a tray. "Can I sit here?" She appeared to be a second-year student based on her green scarf. Who is she to approach me? I searched my memory. Red hair... second-year... "Yes, please have a seat." This girl was the top student of the second-year class and the student council president... "My name is Astina Persia." She introduced herself with a smile.

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Raei Translations

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Astina had investigated Rudy Astria. A second son overshadowed by his older brother's excellence... but he was too much of a scoundrel. It was all too easy to hear about the unfortunate events involving the Astria family. That was his problem. Usually, it was difficult to find bad rumors about children from high-ranking families. That's because their families tried to hide them all. But Rudy Astria was different. It seemed like the rumor about him being a discarded child of the Astria family was true. Rumors at the academy were not favorable towards him either. The brief speech at the entrance ceremony. Among the noble children, there were many who said it lowered the nobility's authority. They criticized it as an attitude fit for commoners. Moreover, his attitude during Professor Mcguire's class was enough to earn everyone's dislike. However, his actions were surprisingly ordinary compared to such behavior. He attended classes diligently and stayed in his room most of the time. The troublemakers he had seen went out to enjoy nightlife. Some didn't study at all and barely attended classes. Rudy Astria's actions appeared to be those of a model student. "What is he up to?" Why did he deliberately earn people's hatred? There was no reason for it in the small society of the academy. Even if he couldn't inherit the family, such an attitude was the worst for entering politics. Politicians would bite even the humblest person. Yet, he intentionally created wounds for himself to scratch. "Hmm..." A smile formed at the corners of Astina's lips. She seemed to understand why the strict Professor Cromwell called Rudy an interesting fellow. So Astina decided to meet him in person. She thought it was difficult to judge someone based on rumors alone. She found out that Rudy ate alone every day, so she targeted that time to approach him. "Hello?" An indifferent expression. "May I sit here?" "Yes, please have a seat." Rudy showed courtesy, contrary to the arrogant reputation. "I'm Astina Persia." "I'm Rudy Astria." Rudy introduced himself indifferently. "Do you know who I am?" "Aren't you the second-year class president?" He knew about me. It was expected since he was somewhat famous in the school. Yet, his attitude was intriguing. He maintained politeness, but he didn't show any other behavior. His terse responses made the conversation stutter. There was a feeling of being pushed away. He didn't seem like the type to be always alone. Anyone constantly alone would feel lonely. When someone approached them, they would try to engage in conversation. However, this guy was different. "Do you know why I'm here?" "I'm not sure." "That's because... Huh?" Suddenly, Rudy stood up from his seat. "I've finished eating, so I'll be going now." You're going? Aren't you curious? Why did I come here? And... "I haven't finished eating yet..." Astina's plate was still full of food, while Rudy's was empty. "Then enjoy your meal." "Hey... If you leave, I'll be alone." Astina stuttered, flustered. "I eat alone every day too, it's not so bad." Rudy coldly turned around and walked out of the dining hall. "Hey... hey!" Astina picked up his tray and followed Rudy. "Astina, hello!" "Uh... uh, hello!" "Hello, senior!" "Uh, yeah, hello." Astina wanted to throw away the food on her tray and continue to follow Rudy, but her friends and juniors kept striking up conversations. After greeting everyone and discarding her food, she saw that Rudy had already disappeared in the distance. Astina halted her pursuit. "What's with him?" Astina could only stare at the departing figure of Rudy. She had never been treated like this before. Born into a noble family, she grew up without being ignored by anyone. Even at the academy, she never lost the top position. Neither the high-ranking individuals nor the academy's professors treated him this way. Grrr. "...I'm hungry." Astina, like a discarded puppy, dragged her feet towards the cafeteria.

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"Why do weird people cling to me?" I grumbled as I headed to the next class. Astina Persia, the top student in the second year and the student council president. The student council elections were coming up, and she was expected to be elected president. I didn't want to get involved with Astina. Astina wasn't a particularly significant side character. The main story mostly revolves around the first-year students. There's usually no interaction with other grades. Her presence in the main story was just enough to make you forget about her. If someone like Astina from a different grade got involved in the main story, it would all be resolved too easily. She'd have cheat-level abilities compared to the first-years. I was already struggling with the story going haywire, trying to minimize contact as much as possible, but... Then I felt someone touch my back. When I turned around, there was a small, brown-haired girl standing there. "Luna Railer?" "Um... hello?" Luna seemed awkward, making a strange expression. And like a small animal in front of a predator, she shivered. "Th-this, this class!" Luna clenched her eyes shut and pointed to the classroom in front of her. "...This class?" As I stared at her quizzically, she stuttered and couldn't continue speaking. Then she thrust a book in front of me: [Imperial Political Science]. It was the class I was about to take and the one that overlapped with Luna's. "Uh...!" Suddenly, Luna dashed into the classroom in front of us. "…?"