NOVPUBRine had been going through a streak of maddening days lately.
Getting into arguments with noble students, causing disruptions in class because of her non-attributed mana, and even being pestered by boys who took an interest in her appearance—
There had been some good moments, but far more of them had been unpleasant.
And today was no different.
Now that the first exam was over, most of the students at Seorn were making the most of their rare free time to rest.
Some had already thrown themselves back into studying out of pride after botching their tests, but Rine wasn’t one of them.
She felt she’d done well enough.
‘I was planning to rest, finally.’
It was a rare and sweet break.
The upperclassmen had all said the same thing: “If you don’t rest now, you won’t be able to until after the next round of exams.” So she’d made up her mind to relax while she could.
But—
‘Why the hell am I here right now...?’
She lifted her slightly bowed head and looked across from her.
There, sitting comfortably, was a young man.
“Something wrong?”
Freuden Ulburk asked as he met her gaze.
He really was ridiculously good-looking.
The eldest son of the Ulburk Ducal House, and the future head of one of the Empire’s three great ducal families.
Yes. That same Freuden was now sitting across from her.
And not in a public space, but in a secluded, quiet garden spot where no one ever came—just the two of them, sharing a meal.
‘How did it come to this...?’
The dizzying contrast between the luxurious taste of the food in her mouth and the suffocating situation she found herself in made her light-headed.
Sure, this wasn’t the first time they’d eaten together.
But that had just been a one-time gesture—out of sympathy after some thugs had ruined her lunch.
She had never expected something like this to happen again.
‘I was literally just walking around with my lunch, looking for a quiet spot.’
She’d taken special care to avoid trouble today and was trying to find somewhere peaceful to sit and eat.
She didn’t want to go to the dining hall.
She had no friends to eat with, and crowded places naturally drew attention to her.
Eating with people’s eyes glued to her from every direction? Just the thought made her stomach churn.
And eating inside a toilet stall? That was just too miserable.
People sometimes joked that friendless students ate in the bathroom—but she wasn’t about to go that far.
So she came outside instead.
And that’s when she happened to run into Freuden.
He, too, had been [N O V E L I G H T] carrying a lunch basket and seemed to be heading somewhere to eat—alone, without his usual entourage.
—“Rine. Off to eat?”
—“Huh? Oh, yes.”
—“Hmm. I was going to eat alone too. Want to join me?”
—“...”
Of course she couldn’t say no.
And that was how she ended up in her current predicament.
‘His lunch is... amazing.’
Looking at Freuden’s spread, Rine became painfully aware of how pitiful her own lunch was.
She was on a tight budget, and all she had packed were some boiled potatoes and a few vegetables.
Meat wasn’t even on the table—literally.
Feeling a bit down about it, she quietly stared at her meal—only for a generous helping of meat to be placed on top of it.
“Huh, Senior?”
“Eat more.”
“Sorry?”
“Now that I think about it, mine has far too much meat.”
Freuden said it casually and returned to his meal.
Rine hesitated but eventually decided not to waste the unexpected gift.
‘This is kind of weird, though.’
Even as she chewed deliciously, she couldn’t help wondering.
‘He brought way more food than usual. Was he planning to share it with someone else?’
Maybe he had arranged to eat with someone else and they bailed—and she just happened to pass by and became the substitute.
Was that lucky or unlucky?
Rine decided not to dwell on it.
‘It’s delicious.’
It had been a long time since she’d eaten meat, and it tasted incredible.
* * *
Eventually, the awkward—but undeniably tasty—meal came to an end.
“Well then, I should get going.”
Freuden stood and said he had to tend to his garden.
It seemed like he didn’t want anyone disturbing him, at least for now. So Rine bowed politely and left the garden, thanking him for the food.
It had been an uncomfortable situation, but not a painful one.
‘He really is a good person, I think.’
Rine didn’t think too deeply about why Freuden treated her kindly.
She simply believed that he was a good person.
‘He doesn’t seem to have any bad intentions.’
He hadn’t looked down on her for being a commoner, and he had even saved her when she was in danger.
To some people, Freuden might seem like a frightening villain—but Rine didn’t see him that way.
To her, he was a kind person.
She was certain of it.
Rine had always possessed a sort of sixth sense—an intuition that let her sense hostility and danger directed at her.
It wasn’t magic, just a vague feeling. But it had proven accurate many times.
She could tell the difference between someone driven by lust and someone offering pure goodwill.
And it was no different here at Seorn.
Jealousy, contempt, possessiveness—so many emotions had been aimed her way. And Rine avoided those people as best she could.
The commoner who approached her like a friend, the noble who smiled warmly—both had darkness they couldn’t hide.
So she didn’t easily get close to people.
She couldn’t.
If she had never noticed it, maybe she could have played along. But with their intentions so plain to see, she couldn’t pretend.
But Freuden was different.
That was why she had been willing to eat with him.
If not, she would have refused without hesitation.
‘There are so few people like him... It’s strange.’
Very few people at Seorn bore her no malice at all.
Among them, the most notable were Freuden Ulburk—whom she’d just eaten with...
‘Senior Erendir... and also...’
The last person to come to mind was the one who had given her that book on non-attributed mana.
‘Instructor Ludger Cherish...’
The sharp look in Ludger’s eyes always made him seem perpetually annoyed, but Rine knew—
He didn’t view her as an enemy.
If anything, she felt a faint trace of goodwill from him.
Was it kindness?
No. It was a little different.
It was a good feeling, yes—but not affection. Something dimmer, weightier.
Guilt.
Or regret.
‘Why, though...?’
She couldn’t say for sure. It was just something she saw and felt.
“Augh.”
Rine rubbed her eyes with both hands.
Lately, her eyelids kept feeling itchy. Was she just imagining it?
After rubbing her eyes and looking up again—someone was standing in front of her without a sound.
“...!”
They say when you’re truly startled, you can’t even scream.
Rine experienced that firsthand in this moment.
The man standing before her didn’t seem to care about her frozen state. He simply smiled and greeted her casually.
“Hey. You’re Rine, right? First-year student.”
“Uh, yes... but who are you?”
He was wearing a uniform—clearly a student of Seorn like her.
His nameplate was a different color.
Second-year. Her senior.
He was handsome and smiling brightly.
His hair, tinged with a hint of reddish-orange, was tied into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck.
His eyes, which seemed to always be slightly closed, gave him a friendly appearance—but to Rine, he looked a bit snake-like. In other words, he gave off the feeling of someone with a hidden agenda.
Still, Rine didn’t run.
Because she didn’t sense any hostility from him.
If anything, what she felt was a kind of intense curiosity.
“So that’s what Freuden’s been sneaking off to do lately.”
“Ah. Are you a friend of Senior Freuden?”
“Senior?”
Maybe it was unexpected for her to refer to Freuden so casually as “Senior.”
The squinty-eyed boy opened his eyes just a bit, then chuckled softly.
“Yeah. I’m his friend. Henry Presto. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Rine.”
“Mm, I already know.”
“Oh.”
“You don’t need to look at me like that. I’m just curious. My always-solitary friend Freuden actually packed a lunch and sought someone out to spend his rare break with. That’s not normal. You two have met before, haven’t you?”
“H-how did you know that...?”
“Oh, I have my ways.”
Rine realized this Henry wasn’t ordinary.
He bore no hostility—but something about him was still dangerous.
He knew far too much—things he shouldn’t reasonably know.
“Haha. You don’t need to be that suspicious.”
“...Okay.”
Even as she responded, her gaze remained wary.
Henry scratched his cheek with an awkward smile, as if realizing he’d botched the first impression.
“Hm... Guess I messed this up. Let me make it up to you by giving you some good information.”
“Good... information?”
“Yup. Good info. You’ve been strapped for cash lately, haven’t you?”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“N-Heck?!”
Rine instantly regretted her reaction.
She should’ve played dumb—but she’d been hit so squarely that her face gave everything away.
“Ah, n-no, that’s not true~.”
“Sure, sure. You’re not the only one. A lot of students pick up side jobs here and there for extra cash. Or they check out the request board.”
“......”
“But let’s be real—running errands from those requests is a pain. And half the time, you can’t even tell if they’re dangerous or not. That’s why the stable choice is taking on odd jobs inside Seorn. Good pay, low risk.”
That was true.
Rine had, in fact, been looking for ways to earn some money lately.
“I know a ton of those. The kind that pay well and don’t take much effort. Hidden gems other students don’t even know about. I can hook you up.”
“...You, senior?”
“I might not look it, but I know my way around Seorn. What do you say?”
Rine eyed Henry warily. His offer was suspicious, to say the least.
Normally, she wouldn’t even entertain the thought. But things were different now.
She was desperate for money.
And Henry had struck right at that weakness—dead center.
What made it worse was that he wasn’t emitting any hostility.
“Why are you telling me this, though? This is literally the first time we’ve met.”
“True. If I’m being honest, I’m just curious.”
“Curious?”
“I mean, Freuden actually sat down for lunch with someone—a commoner girl, no less. That’s a first.”
“...Is that so strange? I think it’s just because he’s a nice person.”
“A nice person? Freuden? Hahahahahaha!”
Henry burst out laughing like he’d just heard the best joke in the world.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Ahh... no, you’re right. He is a nice guy. I’ve known Freuden for a long time, so if I think so, it must be true. Anyway, it piqued my interest. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”
“......”
Why did the word “interest” make her chest tighten in fear instead of flutter with excitement?
“So I thought I’d help you out. It’s nothing bad, I swear. Once you hear what the job is, you’ll probably be tempted. It’s easy work with high pay.”
High pay?
Rine’s ears twitched.
Just hearing the word “pay” was enough to tilt her already unstable resolve.
She needed the money. And this guy—however slippery—hadn’t shown her any malice.
“What do you think? Interested?”
“...I’ll listen. For now.”
“Good choice. You won’t regret it.”
* * *
The grand ballroom glowed with warm light.
One by one, the guests stepped into the shining space beyond the entrance, dressed in high fashion and adorned with symbols of noble status.
“Hoho! Isn’t this Senator Thomas?”
“Oh my, Count Gerold! Long time no see. You’re still looking sharp as ever.”
“Hahaha. How could I possibly miss a gathering like this?”
Elegant music drifted from one side of the hall. Crimson chandeliers glimmered from the ceiling. The polished marble floor reflected the glittering lights, and sumptuous dishes lined the tables.
It was a flawless picture of luxury, and everyone in the hall was mingling with practiced charm.
‘Wow.’
Standing near a window, Rine could only gasp inwardly.
This was the first time in her life she’d been to a place like this.
‘I thought it was just some catering gig where I’d carry plates!’
The reason she’d ended up here was simple.
It was all thanks to Henry’s recommendation.
But there was nothing “simple” about this ballroom.
‘This goes way beyond what I imagined. This is too much.’
She swallowed her grumbling complaints.
A strong feeling was creeping in that she’d been tricked by Henry.
‘Still... the pay was the best out of everything.’
Whatever the case, the actual job was surprisingly light—stand around and look presentable.
And she wasn’t the only Seorn student working the event. A few others were stationed around as well.
‘But... what kind of banquet is this?’
It wasn’t unusual for the upper crust to host parties like this, but something about this one felt off.
And that suspicion was confirmed the moment the ballroom doors opened to admit a new group of guests.
“Oh! There they are—the stars of tonight’s event.”
“Those must be the newly appointed Seorn instructors.”
Following the buzz of conversation, Rine looked toward the entrance.
Through the open doors, familiar faces appeared.
‘Ah. That’s Instructor Selina.’
Instructor Selina from the Spirit Studies Department.
She looked incredibly uncomfortable, dressed in a fancy gown that clearly didn’t suit her personality.
Beside her, Instructor Merilda—wearing a deep violet dress with an open back—escorted her gracefully.
Selina probably wasn’t used to events like this, so Merilda was helping her through it.
More teachers soon followed.
Chris Bennimore, Bruno... all of them were the new faculty members appointed this term.
‘Then...’
Rine’s gaze naturally turned back to the entrance.
There was still one person who hadn’t arrived.
Tap, tap.
The sound of shoes on marble echoed through the hall.
Even though the room was filled with chatter, that sound somehow stood out. It wasn’t her imagination.
───
A sudden silence swept over the ballroom.
Even the soft melody from the string instruments died down for a brief moment.
All eyes turned toward the entrance.
“Ohh...”
“That’s him...”
A man stepped into the hall.
He wore a long, black tailcoat, perfectly fitted to his frame, with a black overcoat draped over his shoulders.
In one hand, he held a cane.
His hair, usually loose, was now slicked back neatly, baring his forehead.
“Ludger Cherish.”
The man who drew the attention of the entire room swept his emotionless gaze across the hall.
