CH 11

The top student of the second year. Daughter of the Persia Viscount family. The next student council president. Titles like these made Astina shine. While there were those who were better than her, they did not dismiss her. They respected her, thinking she might catch up to them someday. But Rudy Astria was different. "What on earth?" Astina continued to investigate Rudy even after he had rejected her. At first, it was out of curiosity, but now it was out of resentment. Of course, considering the reputation of the Astria Ducal family, she thought he might behave like that. The most arrogant family among the top magic families of the empire. Everyone knew of their reputation. However, she couldn't stand the fact that she had been treated that way by Rudy Astria. In terms of magical abilities and social life, Astina thought she was superior in every aspect. But why did he ignore her when she had ignored him? "He studied again today?" "Yes." Astina had the maids in the dormitory report on Rudy's actions. Though the maids shouldn't have done such a thing, there was nothing that couldn't be done with money and prestige. "From the entrance ceremony to a month now… he's only studied?" At first, Astina didn't think much of Rudy studying for the first few days. But she gradually started to find it strange. Doesn't he get tired? Rudy Astria didn't take breaks on weekends and continued to study. Of course, he was occasionally seen confined in his room. It might have been him resting in the room, but his recent visits to the library made her think otherwise. A relentless hard worker. That was the only thought that came to her mind. She thought she studied hard as well, but she didn't study non-stop for a month without a single day of rest. She would chat with friends, eat sweets at a pastry shop, or go shopping. But Rudy Astria had none of that. Lately, it seemed he had become friends with a female student named Luna Railer. But they never went out together or were seen enjoying themselves. They were only seen studying in the library. At this point, she could make one guess. The reason why Rudy Astria was abandoned by his family. It might be due to his lack of talent. While he had outstanding magical abilities for a first-year, it was lacking compared to the people of the Astria family. His older brother had shown prominence as soon as he entered the academy, achieving numerous accomplishments, including becoming the student council president and graduating as the top student. Rudy Astria, who only achieved the position of top student without much prominence, could only be compared to his brother. Looking at the current situation, it wasn't a lack of effort that made him inferior to his brother. Neither did he have any peculiar behaviors. The only thing that came to her mind was a lack of talent. He had worked hard in his family, but he was far behind his brother. Seeing this, the head of the family had focused all resources on Rudy's brother and cast Rudy out like an abandoned child. This was the story of Rudy Astria that Astina had thought of. "Hmm…" A kindred soul, huh? Astina strived so hard in the academy to inherit her family's estate. The Persia family currently has two heirs. Astina's older brother and Astina herself. Astina's brother wasn't an outstanding individual. However, he was older than Astina and already held a knighthood, making him a strong candidate for inheritance. Astina didn't like this. Her brother would inherit the estate merely because he was born earlier than her. Astina wanted to break this. In order to do so, she had to show outstanding achievements. There was no need to mention her magical abilities since they had been exceptional since the first grade. That's why she decided to become the student council president. She believed if she showed her excellence as a president, her father might change his mind. Being the student council president of Liberion Academy held significant meaning. Astina saw similarities in Rudy Astria's situation. Perhaps he was striving to be recognized by his family. He seemed to be walking a more difficult path than her. Astina's brother was an outstanding prodigy. But Rudy Astria's brother was considered the empire's top genius wizard. While she was struggling to surpass an ordinarily talented person, what path was Rudy Astria taking? A faint smile appeared on Astina's lips. "I want to watch him." She wanted to see the path her comrade was taking. Would he ultimately fall into ruin? Or would he steadfastly achieve his goals? She also wanted to help him, just a little. She knew what kind of path it was. Because she knew it was a difficult and arduous one.

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Raei Translations

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Liberion Academy's cafeteria. "Can you help me?" Astina wanted to keep him close. That's why she thought of enlisting him in her student council. It would be nice to watch him and gauge his abilities. Rudy Astria held the top rank, but she didn't know the extent and nature of his abilities. She wanted to know how proficient he was in magic, theory, paperwork, and politics. "I refuse," Rudy said firmly. It was an expected response. "The answers to all the exams." She had prepared a trump card. Rudy Astria wanted good grades. If he wanted to improve his magical skills, he would have stayed in the research lab. Of course, studying theory was important for magic, but the most crucial part was using magic and understanding its structure. However, Rudy Astria wasn't just in the lab given to top students; he spent a long time in the library and his own room. That meant he was studying to get good grades. So, the prepared test was an examination of genealogy. "I'll give you all the genealogies of the five-year exam." Astina spoke to Rudy with a captivating smile. Then Rudy's gaze wavered. Astina added another word. "You won't be able to get it anywhere else. I'm the only one who's collected genealogies to this extent." The truth of this statement wasn't certain. However, it was true that she had more genealogies than other students. Even if this statement was false, it didn't matter much. Rudy Astria has no friends other than Luna Railer. Not only friends, but he also had no known seniors or close professors. It was only natural, as he didn't socialize and studied every day. So, he had no way to obtain or know about genealogies. "What do you think? It doesn't matter if your study time is reduced with genealogies, right?" Rudy Astria began to hesitate with a wavering gaze. Astina was about to wear a victorious smile, but then a voice was heard from behind. "Rudy! Hi!" Astina turned around, and there was Luna Railer. "Did you come to eat?" "Uh... Luna." Luna Railer naturally sat down next to Rudy Astria. Despite Astina clearly sitting in front of Rudy, Luna ignored her and spoke to Rudy. Following Luna, Riku, who had been behind her, was startled when he saw Astina sitting across from Rudy. "Gasp... Hello, Senior Astina!" "Yeah, hi." Astina briefly greeted Riku and looked back at Luna Railer. Then she smiled with a twinkle in her eye. "Sorry, but we're having an important conversation. Can you move to another seat?" Astina was slightly annoyed by Luna Railer's attitude. A mere baron's family from the border region, and she's interfering with their conversation. "An important conversation? Is it something I shouldn't know about?" Luna smiled brightly at Astina. To others, it seemed like an innocent smile, but to Astina, it was irritating. Why did she suddenly appear and interfere when the fish was about to be caught? "It's not that important. She asked me for help, so we were just talking." Rudy explained the situation to Luna. "Help with what?" "Something related to the student council, but I haven't heard the details yet." As Rudy said that, Astina opened her mouth. "The secretary position was ambiguous." Astina spoke while rolling her head. Her plan had been slightly twisted. She originally intended to vaguely ask for help and then lure Rudy into the student council. She planned to pressure Rudy Astria with a huge reward and get his answer first, but Luna Railer ruined the atmosphere. Rudy Astria listened to Astina's words and asked, "Do you mean I should join the student council?" "No, I mean you should handle the work while the position is temporarily vacant." Although she said that, in reality, if she kept the position vacant, she could take advantage of Rudy Astria. She deliberately withheld proper conditions to hold on to Rudy Astria. The plan was to eventually present proper conditions and keep him in the position of a scribe. "When is the deadline?" However, Luna sharply dug into this fact. "…I haven't thought about it that far. Let's take our time to decide." It was a stumbling block. What was the reason for her to be like that? Astina grew increasingly displeased with Luna Railer. "Rudy Astria, you decide. Don't you want the genealogy?" "Genealogy?" "Astina promised to give the five-year exam genealogy if I fulfill her request." Luna Railer expressed doubt, and Rudy explained. However, the one who was surprised by this fact was someone else. "Five… Five years of genealogy? Why wouldn't you do this! If you do well, you can even take the scribe's position─!" It was Rika who had been sitting next to him. "Can you be quiet?" "Rika, please be quiet?" Both Luna and Astina told Rika simultaneously. "…Yes." Feeling overwhelmed by their atmosphere, Rika bowed her head and began to eat in silence. "But Rudy is busy studying, isn't he? If you take the scribe's position, you'll have less time to study." Luna spoke with a clueless face. She seemed to say, 'I have no hidden intentions; I'm just worried about you.' "Having the genealogy would allow me to study more efficiently, reducing the time needed for it, right?" Astina interjected immediately. Although she was smiling, a vein was popping on her forehead. What had started as a negotiation between Rudy and Astina had turned into a battle of nerves between Luna and Astina. Rudy Astria pondered for a moment before speaking. "Could you give me some time to think about it?" "That much is possible. Let me know within this week. I'd prefer a positive response." Astina smiled brightly and stood up from her seat. "I'll leave first." Astina returned to her room, contemplating. Luna Railer. Why was she obstructing her like this? It was annoying. However, it wasn't that big of a deal. Rudy Astria would likely find it difficult to refuse her offer anyway. He was just like her, wanting to achieve his goals.

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"Ah, Luna." I finished eating in the cafeteria and stepped outside with Luna. "I have a magic circle I want to create, can you help me?" "Magic circle?" Luna tilted her head as she spoke. "There's a place where it's needed." Neither Luna nor I were proficient enough to create a proper magic circle. However, I thought that if we combined our powers, we might be able to create a decent one. "What kind of magic circle is it?" "Silent." Intermediate magic, Silent. It's a spell that blocks out the surrounding noise. I can't use it right now. However, I could create it using a magic circle. Magic circles don't require proficiency; if the correct circle is drawn on a 'scroll,' it can be used. "I want to make the quiet space a little larger." If one were to use the ordinary Silent spell, it can only be used in an incredibly small space. However, by modifying it with a magic circle, it should be usable in a larger space. "An intermediate magic circle... I've never made one before... but I'll give it a try." As I said that, Riku, who was beside me, looked at me with doubtful eyes and asked suspiciously. "What are you going to use that for?" I had a specific place in mind to use that magic circle. For Redhead's... "Education." I slightly raised the corner of my mouth and said, "I intend to do some education."