Chapter 3

The clear, high voice like a singing bird spread distinctly through the hall.

“Where did that voice come from?”

“Over there!”

The new students all turned their attention to one place.

A few rows behind Daisy sat a girl with shiny, wavy pink hair.

She had her legs crossed and rested one arm on them, supporting her chin with her hand.

Her eyes were a clear sky-blue.

Her slightly raised eyes, sharp nose, and small red lips made her face look especially pretty.

The students were admiring her beautiful appearance when someone suddenly shouted.

“That’s Lydia Penmarch!”

“Oh my goodness, the only daughter of the Marquis of Penmarch?”

“Wow, she’s beautiful…!”

The new students whispered excitedly.

“But didn’t she just say ‘Daisy Sableheart’?”

“Sableheart? Where?”

The students stretched their necks and followed Lydia’s gaze.

Then they gave a short, slightly disappointed nod.

Compared to Lydia’s strong and glamorous features, Daisy’s gentle appearance looked pretty, but somewhat plain.

On top of that, her messy platinum-blond hair covered half of her face after she had taken off her hood.

Those who met her emerald eyes were a little surprised, but most simply looked away and moved on.

Lydia watched the scene with satisfaction.

That was exactly where Daisy Sableheart belonged.

“How did she even get admitted here?”

The girl sitting to Lydia’s left asked openly, unable to hide her mocking smile.

“There must have been some kind of mistake.”

The girl on Lydia’s right answered confidently.

“Honestly, I doubt the academy even knew. Who would have expected Kaillen’s little sister to be such an incompetent girl?”

“That’s true. Both Kaillen and Chester are so talented.”

“What do you call someone like that?”

“Hmm… a mutation?”

“Pfft, exactly!”

The two girls on either side of Lydia burst into laughter.

Lydia said nothing.

She simply sat between them with a gentle smile.

Even that small smile was beautiful enough to make some of the new students blush.

“That’s enough, everyone. You’re making Daisy embarrassed.”

Lydia said it in such a cheerful and innocent voice that it sounded as if she had no bad intentions at all.

Several new students immediately leaned around to get a look at Daisy’s embarrassed face.

What happened next was obvious.

Daisy Sableheart would turn bright red, wave her hands while saying she was fine, then accidentally knock something over or hit someone.

Everyone would become annoyed with her.

Daisy would become even more withdrawn and eventually do something even stranger before disappearing.

“……”

But strangely, Daisy wasn’t reacting at all today.

Maybe she’s trying to behave herself because it’s the entrance ceremony?

Thinking that, Lydia lowered her smooth pink eyebrows as if she felt sorry for Daisy.

“Anyway, I imagine the Count must have been quite worried because of Daisy. Even if he sent her to the academy… it must still be worrying, right?”

“That’s true. She isn’t good at anything.”

The girl on Lydia’s right quickly agreed.

“Unlike you, Lydia. You’ve been destined to enter Eldvain since the day you were born.”

The girl on Lydia’s left added without losing to her friend.

“You’ll probably be assigned to the Hall of the Crow before you even put on the helmet.”

Lydia gave a small laugh, clearly pleased by the compliment.

“By the way, I wonder where Daisy will go?”

Of course, it was obvious that she wasn’t really asking because she didn’t know.

“Maybe the helmet will tell her to ‘get out’ as soon as she puts it on.”

“That’s so mean!”

The girls burst into loud laughter at the joke.

They laughed.

And laughed again.

Until…

“What’s wrong? Why isn’t she turning around?”

The girl on Lydia’s right muttered awkwardly.

“Didn’t she hear us?”

“……”

Haha. She’s just deliberately not turning around!

Daisy kept her eyes fixed on the stage and thought to herself.

Where should I go if I want to stay unnoticed?

The Hall of the Crow is definitely out.

And the Tower of the Tiger has that mosquito bastard…

〔The Garden of the Bee!〕

At that moment, a boy with a weak-looking appearance was assigned to the Garden of the Bee.

His eyebrows drooped, and he looked slightly disappointed about being assigned there.

On the other hand, Daisy’s face lit up as if she had just found the correct answer.

Yes.

This is it.

The Garden of the Bee!

A dormitory where I can simply sit safely at a desk without any horrible training or life-threatening practical exercises?

God, this is it.

Do you hear me? This is exactly what I want.

“Hey! Hey!”

“Can’t you hear us?!”

The vice principal then called the name Monica Raoli.

The name sounded strangely familiar, but Daisy couldn’t remember where she had seen it in the original novel.

Well, she must just be a minor character.

Daisy watched the girl with long, straight purple hair that reached down to her waist and fell into thought again.

Anyway, how do I get assigned to the Garden of the Bee?

Do office workers get extra points?

I’ve never been late even once. I’m a hardworking employee with perfect attendance!

“Daisy! Hey!”

“Seriously?!”

Sharp voices continued coming from behind her.

But Daisy ignored them without moving even an inch.

Rule No. 2 for surviving a miserable story:

Don’t feed the food source.

Lydia Penmarch.

A villain who had tormented Daisy endlessly since childhood, throughout her academy years, and even after she got married.

The reason Lydia bullied Daisy was simple.

Just because.

She found it funny that Daisy never said anything no matter what was done to her.

She also found it ridiculous that Daisy desperately tried to make people love her.

And the Daisy in the original novel quietly endured every bit of Lydia’s bullying.

Why?

Because Daisy was a crazy yes-woman who would never say,

“No. I don’t want to. Stop.”

“Hey! Hey!!”

“Is she seriously ignoring us?”

Well, at least they aren’t completely clueless.

〔……!〕

Meanwhile, somewhere in the distance, the name of Monica Raoli’s dormitory was announced.

Daisy hadn’t heard it properly, but the people around her suddenly started murmuring.

What?

“Seriously!”

The girl on Lydia’s left finally lost her patience.

Her face twisted in anger as she stood up.

But she couldn’t approach Daisy.

“Lydia Penmarch!”

At that exact moment, the vice principal called Lydia’s name.

“Yes.”

Lydia stood up with a dazzling smile and a voice as clear as a singing bird.

Behind the girl on Lydia’s left, who sat down while grumbling angrily, Daisy could hear the new students whispering.

“Penmarch is a family of imperial mages, right?”

“Yeah. I bet she can already use basic magic.”

“That’s amazing…”

“Isn’t studying ahead forbidden?”

“It’s technically forbidden, but her father is an imperial mage. Do you really think she wouldn’t have studied ahead?”

Click. Click.

With the students admiring her in the background, Lydia walked elegantly onto the stage and put on the helmet.

And then…

〔The Hall of the Crow!〕

Lydia took off the helmet with an expression that said the result was only natural.

Her pink hair flowed down like a waterfall.

Her glamorous features shone against her smooth, pale skin.

“Hmm.”

Click. Click.

Lydia walked down from the stage.

Then she headed straight toward Daisy.

A little faster than necessary.

Her intentions were obvious.

Daisy sighed.

Kids these days…

Just before Daisy’s shoulder and Lydia’s body were about to collide…

“Oh dear, my shoelace came undone.”

Daisy bent down and pretended to tie her shoelace.

“Oh!”

Lydia suddenly lost her target.

Her body stumbled forward awkwardly.

“This…!”

Lydia’s pretty face twisted in anger again.

Of course, Daisy ignored that too.

After all, refusing to feed someone who wanted a reaction always worked.

The dormitory assignments were nearing their end.

Lydia’s group continued barking from behind her.

“What dormitory assignment? She’s probably going to be expelled soon. There’s no way the academy will keep an idiot like her.”

“She must not even be on the list.”

“Exactly. They still haven’t called her name.”

Heh.

You guys are so kind.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Whenever Daisy heard the name of the Hall of the Crow, she looked up to check the student’s face.

That guy stole Daisy’s assignments.

That guy ruined Daisy’s group project.

That guy did that to Daisy…

The more faces she checked, the more strongly she felt that she absolutely could not go to the Hall of the Crow.

I need to know how the dormitory assignments work so I can avoid the wrong one…

While Daisy was worrying about it, she heard the voices of students who had just received their assignments.

“Isn’t the assignment system completely scientific?”

“I’m seriously impressed. I didn’t know it would be this systematic!”

“When I heard the name of my dormitory, I immediately understood why!”

“The magic helmet is…”

“Science.”

“……”

What?

How exactly does that helmet assign people that everyone’s praising it like this?

Daisy looked suspiciously at the old helmet sitting on the stage.

That was when the vice principal called another name.

“Felix Arderon!”

The entrance ceremony hall instantly became quiet.

What?

Daisy looked around in confusion.

Who is that?

At that moment, she sensed someone behind her.

Daisy turned around and saw a boy.

He was tall, with pale skin and pitch-black hair.

His eyes were clear almond-shaped eyes set deep beneath his dark eye sockets.

His nose was high and sharp, like the edge of a cliff.

And his lips were perfectly shaped.

Although his face was still young, every feature was distinct.

He had a face like a perfectly carved statue, with every detail in exactly the right place.

The boy suddenly looked toward somewhere.

Toward Daisy.

“……”

“……”

Their eyes met across the air.

His irises were such a bright gray that they were almost impossible to distinguish from the whites of his eyes.

His black pupils strangely contracted.

And then…

The boy was the first to look away.

He quickly turned around and headed toward the stage with his long legs.

He was at least a head taller than everyone else.

Daisy stared at his back.

A strange sense of familiarity suddenly passed through her.

Gray eyes…

Who was that again?