It has been a week since the first day of classes began.
A routine has begun to form at the Royal Celestia Academy. Mornings are filled with boring basic magic theory, while afternoons are reserved for Class 1-B—filled with "hell" in the form of brutal physical training under the supervision of Professor Valerius. My body is starting to get used to it, or rather, it's starting to go numb.
However, there is one thing that bothers me more than the physical training.
Seraphina Vox Winters avoids me.
She doesn't just stay away, she actually runs away. We are in different majors—she is in Magical Machinery Technology and I am in Pure Magic—so we rarely meet. But every time fate brings us together, somehow Seraphina immediately turns away.
This morning, for example. When I saw her silver hair at the intersection leading to the library, she immediately jumped to the other side.
"Did I do something?" I muttered with a sigh.
I tried not to think about it and walked towards the administration building to submit some kind of payment document.
However, my steps stopped when I saw a large crowd in front of the administration building lobby. There were several students gathered, whispering in tones mixed with awe and fear.
"She's back..."
"Isn't that the academy's principal?"
"The Sword Witch Flora..."
My instincts told me danger. The academy's principal was known to rarely appear, and I was afraid that person would recognize me. I didn't want to get involved. Considering that my reputation had only just started to settle down this week, I decided to turn around.
"I'd better take a detour," I thought.
However, after only three steps, a sharp, authoritative female voice cut through the air, stopping me in my tracks.
"Where are you running to, you little bastard?"
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Not because I was afraid, but because of the sudden sensation of murderous intent locked onto me.
Sring!
Without warning, a sharp gust of wind slashed towards my back.
I reflexively turned my body, drawing a little mana into my palm to create a small wind barrier to ward off the attack.
My wind barrier shattered, but it was enough to deflect the attack so it didn't decapitate me. The attack was a crescent-shaped wave of wind that successfully hit the stone pillar next to me, cracking it.
"You think you can run after what you did two years ago?!"
The crowd of students parted, making way for the figure who had just attacked me.
A woman stepped forward with a dominating aura.
She looked young with a beautiful but fierce face. Her light brown hair was left loose and wild. However, the most striking thing was her outfit.
She wasn't wearing a stiff academic robe. Instead, she was dressed for battle but still elegant.
She wore a sleeveless white blouse with a high collar and ruffle accents on the chest, showing off her trained arms and shoulders. Her waist was cinched with a tight black corset adorned with gold chains that hung at her hips, accentuating her curves. Her dark skirt had an asymmetrical cut, revealing sturdy knee-high leather boots.
On her left hip hung a rapier with a shiny gold hilt.
Silene Ju Flora. Principal the Royal Celestia Academy.
"So, you...!"
I suddenly remembered an incident from two years ago. It was when I was on a mission to steal national treasures from a kingdom whose name I had forgotten.
That woman was part of the delegation to that kingdom. After she caught me, I, who was wearing a cloak at the time, fought desperately on the roof. However, after my cloak was blown away by the wind, she was surprised by my appearance, which looked like that of a child. Thanks to that, she let me go.
"Let's settle this," Silene grinned, her hand slowly reaching for the hilt of her sword. "I heard an interesting report from Valerius. I never expected the report to be about you."
Sret.
In the blink of an eye, she drew her sword. The blade was not made of ordinary iron, but of magical metal charged with purple electricity.
"Let's end this, Leon Gray!"
Without warning, she lunged forward. Her speed was unreasonable for a magician. She was using a high-level Body Enhancement spell.
I had no choice. I jumped back, dodging the rapier thrust aimed at my shoulder. The tip of her sword missed by only a few millimeters, cutting through my top button.
"Hey, isn't this the academy grounds?!" I protested as I continued to jump backward.
"I don't care!"
Silene twisted her wrist. "Thunder Waltz!"
Her sword lit up brightly. She performed a series of quick thrusts. Each thrust was not only physical, but also fired small lightning bullets.
I danced between the rain of attacks. I couldn't use Jumper here. I had to use basic academy magic, but with maximum efficiency.
I stomped my foot on the ground.
A one-meter-high wall of earth appeared. Silene cut through it easily, as if cutting through butter, but that gave me a second's respite.
I slid to the side, channeling mana into my hands.
A blast of wind hit her side. However, Silene only smiled. She didn't dodge. She twisted her body with the wind, turning my attack's momentum into her own rotational momentum.
Her asymmetrical skirt fluttered beautifully as she performed a mana-coated spinning kick.
I blocked the kick with my arms crossed, but its force threw my body back five meters, causing my shoes to drag on the ground and leave long marks.
The crowd of students held their breath. They gaped as a new student exchanged moves with the Principal.
Silene landed gracefully. She didn't attack again. She just stood there, staring at me with her sparkling emerald green eyes. She wasn't even breathing heavily.
"Come to my room," said Silene as she sheathed her sword with a loud click.
She walked towards me, ignoring the hundreds of pairs of eyes watching.
"If you run, I will destroy your academic life," she whispered as she stood right in front of me. "I want the academy I guard to be a neutral area without royal politics. So, if you can't give me a good reason why The Numbers came here, I will expel you."
She leaned forward, grinning widely to reveal her slightly sharp fangs.
"Welcome to my academy, Little Bastard. From now on, your life won't be peaceful," Silene said, patting my shoulder repeatedly with a cruel smile, "Follow me."
Silene turned and walked away from me without looking back, as if certain that I would follow her like an obedient dog.
"You guys, clean up this mess before lunchtime!" she ordered the administrative staff who were still trembling behind the reception desk. "And if anyone asks, just say I'm testing the new security system."
I followed her silently down the long, red-carpeted corridor. The aura of intimidation emanating from her back made the students who passed us immediately step aside and bow respectfully—or fearfully.
The principal's office was far from what I had imagined. There were no piles of old books or a stiff academic atmosphere. The room was spacious, dominated by giant glass windows that displayed a view of the entire academy from above.
But what was most striking was its contents: various antique weapons were displayed on the walls, military strategy maps were spread out on a messy work desk, and an expensive bottle of alcohol, half empty, sat in the corner of the table.
This was not the workspace of an educator. It was more like the command center of a general.
"Sit," Silene ordered as she walked around her desk.
I sat down in the soft guest chair, but my body remained tense, ready to explode at any moment.
Silene did not sit down. She leaned against the window frame behind her chair, turning her back to me for a moment to look at the view of the academy, then turned back to stare at me sharply. She snapped her fingers.
A thin layer of blue light enveloped the room.
"I've installed high-level soundproofing," Silene said coldly. "So don't even try to lie, Leon. Or should I call Five?"
My eyes narrowed. She knew my code name.
"Don't even think about killing me just because I know your secret," she continued, as if reading my mind. "I haven't played my trump card yet. You might be able to hurt me, but I guarantee you won't leave this room in one piece."
I let out a long sigh, relaxing my shoulders. "Relax, Principal. I'm not being paid to kill you. This is just a protection mission."
"Escort?" She raised one eyebrow. "An organization like The Numbers is involved just to escort someone? Who's the client?"
"Duke Winters."
Silence.
Silene's fierce expression slowly cracked. He closed his eyes, massaging his temples as if he had just been hit by a severe migraine.
"Damn..." she cursed softly.
She walked over to her desk, poured alcohol into a glass, and drank it in one gulp.
"Do you know why Duke Winters—who is known for being protective of his children—sent Seraphina here?"
I shrugged. "That's beyond my authority. I'm just a hired sword. I don't ask why the sword is swung."
"Fool," hissed Silene. "The Duke didn't send her here to study. He sent her here because this academy is the only internationally recognized Neutral Zone. He made my academy his political stronghold."
Silene slammed her empty glass on the table in frustration.
"I should have refused that child's enrollment from the start! I want to keep this place pure for education, not as a chessboard for crazy nobles!"
I remained silent. Silene's analysis made sense. Seraphina wasn't just a student; she was a walking political asset. And my presence here confirmed that the threat to her life was real.
"Listen, Leon," Silene leaned forward, staring at me intently. "As long as you and Miss Winters are here, you are under the academy's rules. I don't care about your mission, but don't bring that war into the academy."
"Understood."
"When does your contract end?"
"Until she graduates."
Silene snorted harshly. "Four years?"
She paused for a moment, her eyes staring at me with a different intensity. A trap question was being prepared.
"One last question before I kick you out," Silene said softly.
"Go ahead."
"The Royal Celestia Academy is neutral territory. We have our own sovereignty. But The Numbers, your loyalty is only to the contract."
Silene looked straight into my eyes.
"If one day there is a conflict of interest. If there is a situation where you have to choose between obeying the Academy's rules for mass security, or carrying out The Numbers' orders that may endanger this academy..."
She paused, letting the weight of the question hang in the air.
"Who would you prioritize?"
A dangerous question. If I answered the Academy, she would know I was lying. If I answered the Organization, she would have reason to expel me immediately for being a threat.
I stood up from my chair, straightening my jacket, which had been slightly disheveled. I looked back into the emerald green eyes of the Rector without hesitation.
"I am not taking sides with anyone at this moment."
I walked toward the exit, then paused for a moment, holding the doorknob.
"I will think about it first. Which side will best guarantee my life and success at that time? I will base my decision on rationality."
Without waiting for a reply, I turned the doorknob.
"Have a nice day, Principal."
I stepped out of the room, leaving Silene standing silently, staring at my back. The door closed behind me, separating the complex world of politics from the quiet academic corridor once again.
*****
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