CHAPTER 805: CHAPTER 124 - IRENE AND GABRIELLE (1)

This is the backstory of Irene and Gabrielle, set in the past during their academy days. It tells the story of their friendship—and how it eventually came to an end.

Irene’s POV

The Milham Academy for Magic Knights.

It stood there like this massive testament to the kingdom’s pride and was built to shape and raise magic knights worthy of the title. Its entire purpose was to polish raw talent until it could shine bright on the battlefield and all for the prosperity of the kingdom.

And yes, I guess, that’s the reason I ended up here too.

The Brightspear House—my family, that is—is one of those noble houses that’s practically famous in the Kingdom of Milham. For decades, we’d turned out more than our fair share of magic knights. That history was heavy and it was like a weight you could almost feel pressing on your shoulders. And as the daughter of that house... the same path just kind of fell into my lap by default.

To be honest, I never really thought to question it.

Even if somewhere deep down, I didn’t quite feel like being a magic knight was what I truly wanted... well, it felt pointless to resist. My father and mother had already drawn this road out for me with every step carefully laid, and planned, as well as expected.

And it would’ve felt stupid, and very selfish even, to ignore that.

So, I went along with it.

Now, here I was, five months into my first year at the academy. Time flew by, but also crawled in its own strange way.

I was in the Gold Class.

And for a bit of context, the Gold Class wasn’t just some fancy name because it was the real deal. Only those in the Gold Class had a clear shot at graduating as magic knights. Anyone else, well... if you didn’t manage to climb up by your fourth year, it was pretty much an unspoken rule to start looking for a different future.

Sure, there were ways to climb from the Bronze Class or Silver Class into Gold. But it really wasn’t something most could pull off. It meant pouring every hour as well as every breath into catching up, and the gap was huge, especially if you were starting from Bronze. Most would just burn out long before they got close.

Which, despite everything, made me feel weirdly grateful to already be here in the Gold Class.

Anyway, that day, it was about ten minutes before the afternoon lecture. And yes... at this point, my stomach was practically yelling at me, so I found myself walking toward the cafeteria.

Now, you might wonder why I’d wait until the very last moment to go eat.

The answer’s simple, really. I didn’t want to be around anyone else.

The thought of sitting there, surrounded by loud voices with everyone laughing and talking while I sat by myself, well... It felt... humiliating. It was like being on display. And really, I’ve always been the kind of person who preferred the quiet anyway.

So, I got into this habit of timing it perfectly, and slipping into the cafeteria just as everyone else had already rushed off to claim seats in the lecture hall.

But that day, when I pushed open the door, someone else was already there.

She sat there, almost glowing under the late afternoon light spilling through the high windows. Golden hair that seemed to catch every stray beam of sunlight, and those blue eyes locked on something in front of her.

There was this calm, composed air around her, like nothing could touch her focus. Something about it pulled your gaze before you could help it.

It was Gabrielle.

She was in the same Gold Class as me, though we’d never really spoken. She was ranked in the top three and considered to be one of the best. People whispered that she had so much promise she might not just become a magic knight but even earn a captain’s title someday. Everyone seemed convinced she’d go far.

Her ability was practically legendary already. A barrier ability so strong it made even upper-year cadets hesitate to spar with her.

And here she was, sitting all alone at an empty table, quietly nibbling on a sandwich while reading.

She didn’t look worried about the time at all, even though the lecture was about to start. The way she moved, so unhurried, made it seem like the world outside her small circle didn’t matter.

She seemed so calm, so absorbed in what she was doing that I almost felt bad for even noticing her.

As for me... studying wasn’t really something I loved.

I didn’t hate studying—but I never poured my free time into it either. Not because I was dumb or lazy. It just felt empty somehow, throwing everything I had into something that wasn’t fully mine.

Trying not to stare too much, I walked over to one of the tables pressed against the wall—the far corner where no one would bother looking. I slipped off my bag, pulled out the lunch I’d packed earlier that morning, and sat down. By this hour, the cafeteria had usually run out of fresh food anyway.

At first, I kept glancing over at Gabrielle, unable to help it. She looked so completely absorbed in her book, barely remembering to bite into her sandwich. And strangely, it didn’t feel like she was rushing at all, even with the clock ticking.

After a while, I forced myself to focus on my own meal, pushing away the curiosity.

But then, she suddenly closed her book, carefully tucked the half-eaten sandwich back into her bag, and stood up. It felt almost graceful, the way she moved.

Without a word, she walked out, leaving the cafeteria almost as quietly as she’d been sitting there.

Maybe she’d been there longer than me, and by then, she’d already eaten enough. Or maybe she just wasn’t that hungry. Who knows?

All I could think was... my first impression of Gabrielle felt odd.

There was something about her—distant yet focused, serious but strangely delicate—that left me wondering.

And before I knew it, I found myself watching the door she’d walked out of... still thinking about her.