"Ugh... my head..."

As morning dawned, Skire and Paula emerged from the tent, each clutching their small heads and complaining of a headache.

It was only natural, as they had practically chugged tea brewed from raw Raculrus's leaves by the gallon!

Even if they had drunk that much black tea, a headache would have been natural.

"I think my stomach feels a little upset..."

Skire rubbed his stomach and tilted his head.

'Of course your stomach hurts... you stupid things...!'

Looking at them, Lucas felt his own stomach churn in sympathy.

"Where on earth did you get the Raculrus's leaves?"

"Back then... that guy Sament came and gave them to us."

"Yeah... he said let's get along and that he'd treat us better when we become adults."

It was incredibly stupid. If he was going to give them to children, he should have told them how much to put in!

Thinking about last night, Lucas's irritation flared up.

The two, who had drunk a copious amount of Raculrus's leaves, had spent the entire dawn pouring out their life stories, which were hard to listen to without tears. Thanks to them, Lucas was also held captive and forced to listen to their stories.

"Crazy... so you just threw in all the Raculrus's leaves and ignorantly brewed and drank the tea?"

"Hehe... I guess so..."

Paula laughed, scratching her head awkwardly. Lucas threw a water canteen at each of them.

"Drink some water at least."

"Th-thank you."

Skire, who seemed thirsty, opened the canteen and greedily drank the water.

"Ahhh... I feel alive!"

Skire and Paula giggled, holding the canteens in their hands.

"Honestly..."

As if finding the sight absurd but not entirely disliking it, a small smile appeared on Lucas's lips.

***

Several weeks had passed since the basic class's camp for harmony and friendship had ended.

Perhaps the camp wasn't entirely in vain, as the atmosphere of the basic class was quite different from the beginning.

Students would look out for each other's class materials, and although they still bickered, Paula and Skire had also become quite close.

Lucas was the only one who found their friendship uncomfortable.

"Rookie! Let's go eat!"

"Paula. He doesn't like being called that."

Paula, who had at some point even given Lucas the nickname 'Rookie', clung to him persistently no matter how much he pushed her away.

Something about how she had to understand and take care of him since he was her younger brother. It was so absurd he couldn't even fart.

"What's he going to do if he doesn't like it! I'm the older sister!"

"Huu..."

"He's sighing again! I told you that's a bad habit!"

The pipsqueak was even nagging Lucas, trying to act like an older sister.

The nagging was quite natural. It was because Paula's mother had apparently abandoned her in front of an orphanage as soon as she was born. Because of that, she, who grew up there, had become accustomed to taking care of her younger siblings since she was little.

Knowing that story, Lucas was also tolerating her friendly behavior quite a bit.

"Alright. Let's go. We have to eat, r-right, Rookie?"

But what was even more annoying was that Skire, following her lead, was also acting quite friendly towards him.

'Damn kids. I should have just thrown them to the orc for food back then.'

After the camp, the people at the academy had even given them the nickname, the Gangjeong Trio.

Geniuses who entered the academy at a young age! Or so they thought, but it turned out to be a nickname given to them for being like hollow gangjeong (a type of Korean confectionary) who were stuck in the basic class.

'No. This is definitely my fault for not biting my tongue when I was five.'

***

"Ah, please let's go~ Let's go together~"

"I said I'm not going."

"Rookie, don't be like that, let's go~"

"I'm not going!!!"

Lucas, who was trying to peel off Paula who was persistently clinging to his arm, scowled, but it was no use.

Lucas, who had been playing chess with Brandy in the library after a long time, felt his irritation boil over as this peaceful moment was shattered in an instant.

"Don't be like that, you should go with them."

"I'm not going."

At Lucas's firm reply as he moved a chess piece one square forward, Brandy let out a small laugh, "Hoho."

"Still, the festival will be quite fun."

"That's right. It'll be really fun. It feels empty with just me and Kir going. Huh? You should come with us too~"

This kid, as if making nicknames was her hobby, had even changed Skire's name to 'Kir'.

"Right. Let's go together? Of course, my family will send a carriage too."

Paula, who glared at Skire who had shrugged his shoulders, shouted.

"I said we don't need a carriage! It's right in front of us, why would we take a carriage?!"

"Ah, alright. But they said they'd send one... and you know I can't go out without an escort..."

In this relationship, the roles of master and servant were clearly defined. Skire, who had not survived in the world of the survival of the fittest, had at some point become unable to move a muscle at Paula's words.

"It seems I've lost. You should go. I have a lot to do today, so I'll be leaving..."

"Wh-what do you mean you've lost! I'll let you take back a move, so hurry up and sit back down!!!"

If Brandy left too, his shield would be completely gone. But despite Lucas's urgent cry, Brandy was already scurrying away.

"Damn it..."

"Now, we're going, right? Hurry up and put on your robe."

Paula, who had even personally picked up Lucas's robe that was placed on the seat next to him and draped it over his shoulders, hurried Lucas.

'Damn kids. I should just die quickly!!'

Regret is always too late.

***

A festival was a festival.

Even a small festival in a remote village had an excited atmosphere that quickly spread beyond the village, so it was needless to say for the empire's grand festival, Thanksgiving.

A festival to celebrate the harvest of crops grown with effort throughout the year. The blood and sweat of the empire's people shed throughout the year were melted into this festival.

The cheers and excited festival atmosphere coming from everywhere were clearly transmitted to the Gangjeong Trio as well.

"Look over there! I think it's a magic tool shop!"

"Hmph! A magic tool shop on a roadside like that is probably..."

"Let's go see!"

Skire, who was dragged away by Paula's hand before he could even finish his sentence, pouted his lips.

"Wow! Look at this!"

"Aww~ our little lady has a good eye! This is a lamp that's very good for sleeping. Now, if you press here... ta-da! Starlight twinkles all over the room."

The shop owner, who gently wrapped the small spherical lamp with both hands, showed Paula the small lights that appeared in his palm by turning them this way and that. Paula's eyes sparkled.

"Wow... how much is this?"

"3 shillings! I'm giving it to you cheap because our little lady is pretty."

"...Ah, it's okay! Hey, let's go look somewhere else!"

Paula, who heard the price, quickly grabbed Skire and Lucas's hands and led them away.

"Didn't you like that? By any chance..."

"Hey! No, I didn't! I didn't like it! I don't need something like that?!"

Skire, who raised one hand in a sign of surrender at Paula's exaggerated reaction, quickly nodded his head.

Humans were truly complicated. If a friend had more than her, it would be nice to just ask for something like that and receive it... but what was pride? The clumsy expression of a child who hid her feelings and lied as if it were familiar was truly pitiful.

'Let's not mind it.'

Their eyes were full of life as they were led around by Paula's hand, eating various snacks and watching the festival.

Lucas, too, didn't seem to dislike this entirely, as he followed behind them without a word.

"Ugh! This is so tiring, right?"

They were sitting on the terrace of a cafe next to the plaza, having ordered a drink each and watching the people pass by.

"Huh? The Gangjeong Trio!"

It was Sament and Eira, students from the basic class. Those two, who seemed to be sticking together a little after the last potions class, were now openly exuding a 'we are in love' aura.

Unlike Sament, who was a rough mercenary who had roamed the battlefields, Eira had a very timid and cautious personality.

It was a mystery how such an mismatched pair had become a couple.

"I told you not to call us that!"

"Hahaha, I did it because it's cute. Because it's cute."

Sament had softened quite a bit since the camp.

Perhaps his words when he gave them the Raculrus's leaves were half-joking, half-serious, as he no longer said mean things to them or picked fights.

"You guys must be out to see the festival too?"

"Yeah. We're out to see the festival. You seem to be out on a date?"

"Heh heh. Anyway, I still can't get used to this kid's way of talking. What's with your tone, it's like an eighty-year-old man."

"O-old man! As the young master of a high-ranking ducal family, I must have the proper..."

"Yes, yes~ I'm sure. Well then, have fun and go back!"

As if he was now a little used to this kind of treatment, Skire only let out a small sigh and let him go without saying much else.

Skire's escorts, who were guarding him, also knew the rules within the academy well, so they neither interrupted his words nor questioned his actions.

An unwritten rule that even a high-ranking ducal family could never touch. The rules within the academy.

"The parade is about to start. Let's hurry up and go see!"

Skire and Lucas let out deep sighs as the festival sightseeing began again.

***

The highlight of the festival.

Crowds were gathering from all over, as if the parade was about to begin.

Personnel in charge of the festival were deployed, and safety guards lined the street where the parade would soon begin, responsible for the safety of the event.

"Alright, alright! Please take two steps back!"

At the voice of an official that rang out loudly on the street, as if he had used amplification magic, people began to move back two steps in an orderly fashion.

"We have an announcement before the parade! Those with a phobia of magic, please be careful when viewing the event! We will announce it again! Those with a phobia of fire magic or lightning magic, please be careful when viewing!"

The magic academy, established to make Arant a magical powerhouse. After the academy was established, academy students were active in all festivals.

The lead was always taken by the student who had graduated at the top of the advanced course last semester.

People's attention was always focused on the parade that announced the position of the top student to all.

"I wonder how amazing this parade will be?"

"I'm also really looking forward to it. Do you remember the parade from the year before last?"

"Oh, of course! Just thinking about it still makes my heart pound!"

"That's right, and the top student back then was such a handsome boy..."

"That's right. With silver-blue hair... and blue eyes! I really wish he would appear in my dreams just once..."

Lucas, who had taken a spot in the front row to watch the parade, frowned at the stories he heard.

A rare combination of silver-blue hair and blue eyes. Thinking about it brought an unpleasant face to mind.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

"By any chance, is Professor Aman also a graduate of the academy?"

As Paula, who saw him, asked, Lucas voiced what he had been curious about.

"Ah, Professor Aman? I heard he is."

Skire, who answered Lucas's question instead, seemed to be thinking hard about something before he opened his mouth.

"I know him as the top graduate from the year before last. I know that he completed the advanced course within a year of enrolling."

"Oh~ where did you pick all that up?"

"Hmph, you think my family wouldn't have looked into a professor who would teach me?"

"Right, right. You're so amazing!"

It didn't really matter. Whether that blue lizard had attended the academy or the academy's grandfather, it was a story that had nothing to do with him.

'Whatever.'

As he was looking ahead indifferently, a large firework announcing the parade embroidered the sky.

Soon after, people began to cheer at the procession of carriages.

On top of a huge carriage pulled by nine horses, the woman standing at the lead was clearly nervous.

As the four other magicians behind her raised their hands high, colorful lights were shot up from their hands.

As the woman at the lead raised her hand high and began to chant a spell, people's eyes filled with anticipation.

Just as a single ray of light seemed to shoot out from her hand.

-KWAKWAKWANG!!

It plummeted straight to the ground.

"Aaaaargh!!"

"Kyaaaak!! A person! Someone's been crushed!!!"

As she finished her spell, the festival instantly turned into chaos.

'Damn it! I had a bad feeling about coming here for a reason!!!'

(End of Chapter)