Unedited
Bree didn’t like the idea of me wandering around the academy every morning, saying she knows I was doing it to help Anais. But then I came back with a hole in my side, and to hear from us that it was the work of an assassin targeting Keran Illestia only made her blood boil. Certainly, if the attack was directed at Keran, it would be difficult for it not to be related to the O’Brien duchy.
“She really likes me.”
I stroked my face awkwardly. There was still a scratchy feeling left. Since I had a part to play in Anais’s predicament, I volunteered as a test subject for a hair regrowth tonic. If I had known that hair would grow in places it shouldn’t, I wouldn’t have done it. But still, thanks for being responsible, Ariel Dalton.
“I like you too.”
“I’ve been getting confessions a lot these days.”
Anais laughed again at my shameless remark. This time, it was not a laugh that only moved her mouth like before, but a laugh that made her throat vibrate. It sounded like a bird chirping, and I realized that a pretty girl has a pretty laugh. I’d heard my own voice and laughter before, through a voice recording and playback tool, and it seriously sounded like it came from a dungeon.
“I have very few friends… and I’ve never fought like that before… Jackie… I’ve been friends with her since forever, but she never gets mad.”
Anais said, fiddling with the lace ribbon on her bonnet that she probably wore to hide her bald spot. Seeing that, I’m sure Jacqueline Faulkner would get angry if she kept touching it and loosening it. She cared more about Anais’ hair than Anais herself.
“Honestly, it was fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah. Someone’s poured wine on my head before, but no one’s ever pulled my hair out.”
Wine, huh. That’s one of those tactics used at banquets to humiliate someone. It was an advance skill that required a high-level skill in acting, as you had to make it look like a mistake as much as possible while also leaving no room for it to be mistaken for a real mistake. Once again, I was able to guess what kind of journey O’Brien’s Rose went through to reach the top of Illestia’s social world. That’s probably also why she had no friends. The highest position was always lonely.
“Pillow fights were fun too. If Lady Edwards hadn’t banned them, I would have done them all the time.”
“That’s because Liz threw a pillow at Lady Edwards. I thought she had gone crazy! It was really funny though.”
“That is also the first time I’ve stayed up all night talking about guys.”
“At least you’ve tried marrying every boy in our fifth-grade class at least once.”
“I will never forget Bowen Rodrigo, who was chosen as the best groom candidate.”
He was the third son of a count family that had a small estate in the eastern part of Nadon, and because the family had been farming for generations, their storehouse was large compared to the size of their estate. Also, his ambition and ability were slightly above average and were modest enough to be easily influenced, but what earned him the most points was something else. Brennan Stokes, Elizabeth McCarthy’s boyfriend and Rodrigo’s roommate, described seeing a cricket bat between Rodrigo’s legs as he was changing his underwear.
“‘Batman’.”
From that day on, Bowen Rodrigo became ‘Batman’ among us. Anais couldn’t help but giggle.
“I will definitely come back. There has never been a place where there are so many people who love me as much as here. Even if I got a D+ in theology class or dated an old guy.”
“You are the most beautiful dimwit I have ever met.”
“Call me a beautiful and elegant dimwit.”
Anais and I made a quick turn around the walkway and headed to the front gate. Liz waved with Megan Cleveland’s arm linked to hers. Behind Faulkner and Brianna, pushing each other with their shoulders, was a long line of Lady O’Brien’s followers. Before we knew it, the news without feet seemed to already have gone a thousand miles.
“Let’s have more fun in the second semester!”
Anais suddenly shouted before stepping onto the teleportation circle, heading to the west of Illestia. Her throngs of followers, who would cheer even as she burped, went quite wild. I struggled to figure out how to cover my ears and wave goodbye at the same time, missing the moment completely.
As I stared blankly at the cluster of lights that remained in place of Anais, Brianna-Smart-Mosley threw a snide remark at me with a haughty expression.
“You’ll see her again anyway, so what’s the big deal?”
***
My mold sister had left. As far as I knew, the only sister I could hang out with at Fitzsimmons was Anais, and I was a little sad when she left. So I couldn’t concentrate on the exam.
Actually, that was an excuse, and it was just because I didn’t study properly. If I hadn’t been taking the same class for six years, I would have been on the same paid vacation as Anais and Faulkner.
Magic Science, which had kept me up all night before the exam, turned out to be okay. I have described Vargas’ law perfectly. Although the portrait of Dr. Vargas drawn on the test paper looked like he was going to spit at me upon seeing my answer, he wasn’t the one grading the test.
The brilliant tutor, Jaden Spencer’s contribution, was truly great. I was so moved that I drew an ‘Ariel Dalton 1-day pass’ and gave it to Jaden.
“You can use me as an escort or as a servant. For reference, Kyle Villard used it to have a means of transportation. It means I carried him around all day.”
I remembered the shocked expression Jaden had on his face when I said that.
Swordsmanship was a relatively easy class, with grades divided into P and NP rather than A to F. And throughout the semester, I was trained by Illestia’s Holy Knight and Milua’s Dragon Knight. Making a third-year boy, chosen by lottery, kneel was like sipping soup.
There was no problem with monster biology either. The questions asked by Professor Monaghan, who had broad insight but an extremely narrow range of interests, were the same. I lived as a 5th grader for 5 years and became familiar with all the questions on the exam paper. I hummed as I played with the quill.
Professor Stafford, who was preparing for the best magic garden competition, was so focused on protecting her greenhouse that she didn’t pay much attention to the exam. She didn’t even enter the classroom herself and instead sent in her three-headed dog. Ironically, Butcher, Spine Crusher, and Bloody Fangs seemed to supervise the students more effectively than Professor Stafford herself (Kelly received a goat-shaped plant with teeth as a reward for her evil naming. As planned, it was placed in the room where our girls’ salons were held—mine and Brie’s room—because the girls’ salon members had to share all their hardships and glory.)
The exam for auxiliary magic was a practical one. Students gathered in the lab had to use a spell to undo a complicated knot to rescue their lab partner from a janitorial toolbox. My partner happened to be Norman Casey, who was barely present in the class, so I swallowed enough dust to destroy my lungs while Casey floundered.
The situation was no different for Casey. The spell that had never appeared in the Auxiliary Magic practical exam for the past five years was the spell to untie a knot. So I hadn’t practiced it enough.
Also, for students like me who suffered from a lack of mana, the accuracy of the magic circle was very important. But my index finger, the one I used to draw magic circles, had been bitten off by a goat plant and was tattered.
When I finally freed Casey from the janitorial toolbox, he was in the middle of sharing a passionate kiss with the mop. Everyone was happy except Casey—even Professor Cunningham! Hoping my easing of the tense exam atmosphere would be viewed positively, I ran to Finnigan Street, where my friends were waiting.
“Still, I’m relieved that it’s over.”
“Ugh, I feel like I’m going to die of nervousness. Ariel, what was the answer to question no. 4 in Herbalism?”
At Liz’s words, Kelly grumbled while stirring her drink with a spoon. The employee who served her drink seemed to be interested in this dark-skinned nadonian beauty. However, the heart-shaped foam that was supposed to contain his heart crumbled with an indifferent hand motion.
“What is the question again? Why were deer antlers used in ancient gardening tools?”
I could have reminded Kelly of that. But I chose not to. No amount of heart-shaped foam in her drink would leave an impression on her in her current state.
Kelly Ramirez, a tanned-skin beauty, was as passionate about her spiritual mentor, Aunt Paula, as she was about music. Aunt Paula was a little known astrologer in Nadon, and according to her, it is not yet time for Kelly to have a boyfriend to succeed Casey.
“First, the deer antlers that fall off and then grow back symbolize renewal and recovery. Second, because it was considered a medium connecting the magical world and the earth. I made sure to memorize this one.”
“Ah, that’s a shame.”
“What did you write?”
“Because it’s cheap and it’s pretty.”
“That’s not too bad.”
Kelly snorted at the absurdity of it all, and then she giggled and sipped Elizabeth’s drink. “Hey!” Liz squealed.
“I don’t even share a cup with Brennan!”
She glanced at Kelly as she diligently wiped the mouth of the cup with a napkin.
“Anyway, when’s Brianna coming over?”
“Her last exam is Healing Magic, so she should be here soon—”
Brianna Mosley, who looked devastated, appeared before I could finish my sentence. Professor Chapman, who taught healing magic, was notorious for submitting problems of incredible difficulty because he was as good at theory as he was weak at practical skills. However, it wasn’t enough to make our smartie despair.
“Brie, what’s wrong?”
Startled, I grabbed Brianna’s hand as her sniffles grew louder. Liz, seizing the moment, slapped Kelly’s arm, trying to sneak another sip on her cup, and sat Brianna down to comfort her.
“Were the exam questions too difficult?”
Bree shook her head violently. Despite her sadness, it seemed there was more to it. Kelly swallowed a breath, mouth agape.
“Professor Chapman wants you to submit an application to the lab?”
Bree shook her head again. Then there was only one possibility left. I asked very cautiously.
“…What happened with Walsh?”
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