Academy’s Second Seat

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It was a warm sunny weekend afternoon.

Some people were still sleeping, while others had left the academy to visit their homes, creating a relaxed atmosphere on campus.

During this peaceful time, a lively tea party was taking place.

"It must have been so frightening..."

Rie was drinking tea at the bakery with a few students.

Socializing.

With a forced smile, she spent her weekend afternoon drinking tea with people she wasn't particularly close to.

"Thanks to Astina senior, we were able to escape safely."

She recounted the incident from the midterm camp.

Even though a few days had already passed since the event, everyone listened intently.

Except for Rudy's group, the other students were immediately rescued by the student council and professors, so nothing major happened to them.

Therefore, the other students were unaware of what had transpired during the incident and eagerly listened to Rie's story.

"And that's how we managed to escape."

After sharing some details about the midterm camp, Rie brought up the main topic.

"By the way, aren't your parents worried about the incident?"

"Everyone is quite concerned. They even told me to return home once to show my face."

"Really? In that case..."

As Rie gestured, a servant standing behind her brought forward a box.

"What... is this?"

The students in front gaped at the sight before them.

"Ah~ I heard that many exquisite things came from the Lotein territory this time. So, I thought of offering this as a token of our friendship~. When you return to your respective territories, it would be nice to present this as a gift to your parents. It will alleviate their worries as well."

The students couldn't help but admire the gift.

Inside the box lay beautifully crafted rubies.

"Can we really accept these...?"

"Don't worry about it. Between us, these are just small gifts. Please, accept them without any burden."

Rie smiled as if it was no big deal, but her expression and inner thoughts were differed.

'How much are these worth... Sigh...'

Even Rie felt overwhelmed by the expensive jewels.

Nonetheless, she gave them away because the students in front of her belonged to noble families near the Handrei family's territory.

After the recent incident, the Handrei family claimed that Garwel's actions were solely his and had nothing to do with their family.

But how absurd was that?

Garwel had never left the family's territory since he was young and had only left it to attend the academy.

When could he have encountered the rebels?

'You think you can escape?'

No matter how much they tried to disassociate themselves from Garwel, their lies would eventually be exposed.

However, she remained silent due to the lack of evidence.

But it wouldn't be long until some was found, the Handrei family were just buying time.

But why?

Rie quickly figured it out.

The family head was trying to embezzle the assets and flee.

Rie became more certain when she heard about numerous merchants loitering around the Handrei territory.

So, Rie decided to apply pressure before they escaped.

The Handrei territory was at a considerable distance from the central region.

Thus, it was more efficient for the nearby lords to exert pressure rather than sending forces from the central area.

Rie smiled and looked at the students in front of her.

Once these students brought the rubies home, the nobles would understand the meaning behind them.

If they accepted the rubies and took no action...

Well, the lords receiving them would know the consequences better than anyone else.

"Well then~ I'll be counting on you~."

"Yes, of course!"

All of them replied, unable to take their eyes off the rubies she gave them.

Rie found their behavior pathetic, almost enough to make her sigh.

However, she swallowed her sigh for now and proceeded with the tea party as planned.

"Now, for today's dessert─."

"Excuse me..."

As Rie was about to speak with a smile, a servant bowed and whispered into her ear.

"Um... Young Master Rudy Astria is outside..."

"...Rudy?"

Rie paused to think for a moment before asking the employee.

"Why did he come?"

She had indeed mentioned that she would be having a tea party with some nobles at the bakery today.

She said they would chat after the tea party, but she didn't expect him to come here directly.

"I'm not sure... He said he would wait inside and come when you're finished..."

Hearing that, Rie contemplated for a moment before letting out a laugh.

She then turned to the students in front of her with a bright smile and said,

"I'll pack today's dessert for you separately~. Enjoy it at home~."

"...Eh?"

The students who had been seated in front of her looked at Rie with puzzled expressions.

It had been less than 30 minutes since the tea party had started.

Desserts hadn't been served yet, but the organizer was already telling them to go back to their rooms.

As everyone stared at Rie with bewildered faces, she feigned ignorance and smiled.

"Is there... a problem?"

Though her smile appeared sweet and innocent, her words carried a certain firmness.

"Ah… No! It's the weekend! It's better to rest in our rooms early!"

"Ha…ha…! Yes…yes, that's right!"

The students awkwardly laughed and agreed.

Rie, satisfied with their reactions, stood up from her seat.

"Well then, I'll leave it to you."

With that, she left the room.

Outside, she saw Rudy Astria admiring the desserts.

"Hey."

Rie called out to Rudy.

"...What? Weren't you in the middle of a tea party?"

Rudy looked at Rie with a puzzled expression.

"I just came out for a moment."

"No… I didn't mean for you to come out right away. I was planning to wait while enjoying some dessert."

Rudy held a few desserts in his hands.

"Then let's eat."

"What?"

Rie looked around and picked a few desserts for herself.

"The egg tarts here are delicious. You should try one too."

"…Really?"

Rie casually chose some desserts and handed them to Rudy.

"...What's going on?"

"Your treating. You're the one who wanted to meet, remember?"

"Didn't you say during the back then..."

Rie pretended not to know and made an innocent face.

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about?"

Rudy sighed at her reaction.

"Fine, I'll buy it. How much is this...?"

"I'd like a coffee too~."

Rudy glanced at Rie for a moment, shook his head, and went to pay.

Despite his reaction, Rudy paid for the desserts Rie had given him and the coffee.

"You really do listen well."

Rie watched Rudy pay with a pleased expression.

After the incident at the midterm camp, Liberion Academy appeared peaceful on the surface, but turmoil was brewing within.

The main issue was the infiltration and assassination attempt by the rebels.

Although the incident occurred outside the academy, the criticism for the inadequate response was severe.

In contrast, Astina's reputation soared.

She received high praise for saving Rie and for effectively leading the student council to minimize injuries among the students.

Of course, this was only possible because I had whispered some advice to Astina.

Under the guise of apprehending the intruder, Astina had the student council patrol the area while she waited at the designated location I had disclosed.

The outcome was flawless.

The student council, strategically positioned, confronted the assassins and managed to hold their ground until the professors and teaching assistants arrived.

Astina received all the credit for this well-executed response.

"But it's become difficult to meet her."

I rested my chin on my hand.

Seeing Astina was challenging as she was busy meeting with the headmaster and various high-ranking individuals for the past few days.

Moreover, she seemed to be absent from the academy now.

"I hope everything went smoothly..."

I had entrusted two tasks to Astina.

One was to deliver Andrei's sword to Evan, and the other was to ensure Yeniel remained at the academy.

Obtaining Andrei's sword would be easy, but I wondered what had happened to Yeniel.

Lately, Yeniel hadn't been seen anywhere in the academy.

However, when I asked other students, they said Yeniel had been injured at the camp and was currently hospitalized.

The fact that the students didn't see Yeniel as an assassin was a positive sign.

I'd have to meet Astina to know the proper conclusion.

And after midterm camp ended, my life underwent some changes as well.

I began dedicating myself to the study of dark magic under the guidance of Professor Robert.

"Ah, you're here."

After class.

When I arrived at Professor Robert's office, I found him lying on a couch in his tracksuit.

"Are we continuing today as well?"

"Yes. If you're not up for it, just say so."

"No, it's not that."

I wasn't exactly learning dark magic.

- What do you believe is the fundamental aspect of dark magic?

- I'm not sure.

- The basis of dark magic is physical strength.

Upon hearing those words, I started running laps around the sports field.

Meanwhile, Professor Robert reclined under the sunlight, peacefully dozing off on the grass.

Initially, I assumed that Professor Robert had changed into his tracksuit to run alongside me, but he simply claimed that his suit was uncomfortable.

Although it felt somewhat unfair, I had no choice but to follow his instructions.

"Huff... huff..."

In this manner, I ran for two hours every day.

Although the exercise proved irksome at times, I found great satisfaction once it was over.

I had faced issues with my lack of physical strength, so I had intended to start exercising like this anyway.

And now, not only did this exercise benefit me, it also helped with my dark magic studies, and I was being personally trained by Professor Robert, killing two birds with one stone.

After some time had passed, I stopped jogging around the track and exhaled.

"Whew..."

As I wiped the sweat off my brow with my sleeve, Professor Robert spoke up.

"Since we have a visitor today, let's wrap it up here."

A visitor?

At Professor Robert's words, I turned to see Rie standing there.

Rie casually tossed a water bottle in my direction.

"Hey, catch."

The water bottle was filled with cool water.

"What's this for? You didn't have to do that."

"It's payback for the dessert you got me last time. And this."

Rie threw a bundle of papers at me.

"Astina says she's too busy to meet with you these days. This is a report of the current situation and how things are progressing written on it."

"Thanks."

I had asked her to arrange a meeting with Astina while buying her dessert, but I didn't expect a response so quickly.

I unfolded the papers Rie had given me.

In summary, everything was proceeding as planned.

Yeniel was able to attend the Academy as usual through a contract with Headmaster McDowell, and Andrei's sword was passed on to Evan.

It was presented as a reward for capturing Garwel.

Evan had been able to win because Luna and Locke had helped him, so he intended to pass the sword on to them.

However, Luna and Locke received separate rewards and so he finally accepted the sword.

"Hmm..."

Rie stared intently at me as I wiped my sweat.

She scrutinized me, assessing me from head to toe.

"Why are you giving me that look?"

Rie cupped her chin and continued to examine me.

"Your physique isn't as impressive as I imagined."

"Well, what do you expect from a wizard?"

After observing me for a while, Rie turned around.

"I've delivered the message. I'm heading off now."

"Alright. Take care."

I waved at Rie as she walked away.

***

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