DPAA 17

chapter 17

Earlier, it had been a bit amusing that he took my side, but that didn’t mean I felt any attraction toward this man.

I hated getting involved with strangers in the first place—unless I could gain something from the relationship.

“No?”

“Huh? I could’ve sworn I saw it.”

Even as I leaned back defensively, he leaned toward me with a playful tone.

No matter how handsome he was, being burdensome was still being burdensome.

I frowned and pushed him away with one arm.

“Enough. Be quiet and do your own thing.”

“Wasn’t this what you needed?”

Then, somehow, he handed me the third volume of Layered’s magic books.

I accepted the book.

“Thanks for this. Now go on your way.”

“Wait! You’re just going to leave like that?”

I turned to evade his hand. Felix’s fingers hovered awkwardly near my wrist.

“You said you didn’t like all the noise in the library earlier, right?”

“That’s true, but—”

“Then keep your word.”

His expression went blank at my words.

I quickly turned my back on Felix and left the autobiography section.

Back at my seat, Mei was still clinging to her textbook.

Seeing her scribbling something next to the book with a pencil sparked my curiosity, so I sat beside her.

“Have you tried solving any of the problems?”

“Oh, sister.”

When I leaned in to ask, Mei removed the arm that had been covering her book.

“Ha… well, it’s my first time actually studying this, so I don’t really know.”

I quickly scanned her textbook with my eyes.

“Hm, it’s clean.”

The answer sheet was spotless, with only meaningless doodles in the corner of the page.

Judging by the long hair, she was probably a girl… anyway, her drawing skills seemed hopeless.

I smiled and patted Mei on the shoulder.

“Let’s give up on studying for now, little sister.”

You’re a healing mage, so you won’t come in last.

“Then keep your word.”

Felix Agrippa muttered that one phrase and stared blankly at Canis Escliff as she disappeared.

He hadn’t expected to hear something like that at all.

Blinking like a fool, he soon realized the situation and burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha!”

‘Well, she has the personality of someone like Daern.’

At first glance, her attitude was brusquely professional, with a gaze that felt almost inhuman.

Though childhood friends, she had always been a rather cold person.

He rubbed the back of his head and smiled.

‘I thought she’d be boring based on rumors, but I guess you really have to see people for yourself.’

Being in the Swordsmanship Department, he rarely had a chance to interact with Canis Escliff.

If it weren’t for the vacation assignment given in a general education class, he probably wouldn’t have come to the library today.

He wasn’t foolish, but he preferred swinging a sword vigorously in the training yard over sitting and reading.

‘Ah, and Aiden too…’

Felix thought of his roommate and rival, Aiden.

Aiden had come in late last night, giggling constantly for no apparent reason.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?”

“Oh, I met an interesting girl.”

“A girl? Who?”

“It’s a secret.”

After that, Aiden buried himself under his blanket, so Felix couldn’t ask further.

He hummed thoughtfully and smacked his lips.

‘I have a feeling the girl Aiden met might be Escliff.’

He had an unusually good intuition—enough to pick exactly the bead he wanted even from dozens of colors with his eyes closed.

‘A warrior’s instinct. This is going to be interesting.’

Felix’s eyes gleamed as he recalled Canis’s image.

The day passed in a blur, and soon the opening ceremony approached.

Although grandly named, there was nothing particularly special about it. The academy itself resembled a university more than a high school.

‘In Korea, this would be the start of the semester.’

Unfortunately, I had entered a decent university but dropped out after just one semester.

The school I attended had collapsed due to the Gate Incident…

‘Ha ha.’

Luck clearly wasn’t on my side.

While in a classroom for my major, I awakened in an instant when an F-class monster appeared before me.

And of course, it was the same F-class as me.

I had shouted, hoping to save people…

“I’ll stop it here! Everyone, run!”

‘But really, did everyone just leave so coldly?’

Among those who ran away was even an A-class hunter.

When asked later why, the response was:

“If you get caught up in this, it’s annoying. I just wanted a little thrill.”

‘Living kindly doesn’t get you far.’

I, risking my life against two monsters, had been a complete pushover—a total pushover.

Shaking off the bad memory, I entered the classroom for the day’s first lecture.

‘Window seat—score.’

Being early had its reward, though I was severely sleep-deprived.

‘I wonder how Mei is doing…’

“Yaaawn.”

I yawned, thinking of my sister, who had been up since 5 a.m. and bustling about.

Thanks to Mei, I too had gotten up early. After three weeks of vacation spent lazing until 2 p.m., 9 a.m. now felt painfully early.

‘I need to sleep…’

As I sat to catch some sleep, a familiar silhouette appeared in front of me.

“Hey, that’s our seat.”

Looking up, I saw Bella’s scarlet hair. Two other girls with her clung like goldfish poop.

I focused on Bella, pretending to ponder.

Then, as if remembering something, I pointed at her.

“Ah! The tap dance girl from the library yesterday!”

Her pupils shook violently.

“Y-you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!”

“What did I do?”

I shrugged, watching Bella turn bright red.

“I just called you that because your behavior yesterday was so memorable.”

My somewhat loud voice drew the attention of those around us.

Students who spotted Bella and me began whispering.

“Wait, Escliff and Bella?”

“What are they doing over there?”

“Library tap dance? Do you even know what that means?”

Initial attempts to make sense of the situation shifted to confirming my words.

“Come to think of it, my friend yesterday…”

“Gasp! Is that true?”

“Well, she’s a fallen noble with no family name. She probably doesn’t know library etiquette. Even if Escliff is a failure of a duke’s family, she’s better than a fallen noble.”

“And Felix is the second son of a count! That’s beyond rude.”

As public opinion became increasingly aggressive toward her, Bella hadn’t anticipated this and clenched her fists.

‘Predictable.’

She probably picked fights with Canis whenever she got bored. Perhaps she even bullied her beyond mere insults.

‘The psychology of people like this.’

The eldest daughter of a high-ranking duke in the Empire, brought low, powerless to resist. How amusing that must have been.

Of course, outside the academy, no matter how easygoing Canis’s personality, she wouldn’t have dared act so boldly.

But this was the academy. Students of the same grade spoke casually, and no royal or noble laws applied to student conflicts.

A perfect setup for cheap thrills.

Among the voices criticizing Bella, some soon turned to talking about me.

“No, isn’t the problem that a non-mage is in the magic department just because they’re backed by a duke?”

“Right. Here, it’s all about grades.”

I took it lightly.

‘They’re going to criticize me no matter what.’

Resting my chin and turning my head, I caught the gaze of a girl staring directly at me.

Blue hair, similar in tone to mine, and striking purple eyes…

But after a moment, she abruptly looked away.

I wasn’t particularly curious, so I ignored it. What was more urgent was my drooping eyelids.

Annoying as it was, I at least needed a short nap…

“Cool.”