NOVPUBUpon Eltman Elthwin’s return to Stella, the chaotic systems were quickly restored to normal. However, since he hadn’t fully resolved the primary issue he’d been dealing with, his mind remained unsettled.
“Akihaden.”
“Yes?”
“I heard you accepted Scarlet as a professor.”
“You are well aware, Headmaster, that you’re the only mage who can stand up to her.”
“Are you proudly admitting that you bent to her threats?”
“I could have tried to fight, yes. But the protective barrier of Stella was easily breached, and if we’d engaged in a battle on campus... we would have suffered countless casualties and ultimately lost.”
It was a logical argument.
Akihaden, as Vice-Principal tasked with protecting the academy, had made the most prudent choice.
“This time, I’ll let it go quietly since it was beyond your control.”
“Thank you.”
“But...”
Eltman’s gaze turned cold, piercing into Akihaden as if he could see through his every thought.
“I’ve turned a blind eye to your little games until now. It was part of my plan as well. But, if you try anything in my sight from now on, you’ll be the first to lose your head. Remember that.”
The ominous words struck Akihaden’s heart, causing his pupils to tremble violently.
‘What does he mean...?’
Could it be that Eltman had discovered he was a dark mage?
No, that was impossible.
The concealment spells bestowed upon him were flawless. Even other dark mages would have difficulty identifying him unless he deliberately revealed his dark mana.
No matter how powerful Eltman was, it should be impossible to detect nonexistent dark mana.
Eltman knew nothing.
He must’ve meant something else.
...Or so Akihaden tried to convince himself.
But when he looked directly into the eyes of the archmage, it felt as if Eltman’s gaze could pierce through every hidden truth, making Akihaden instinctively lower his head.
What secrets lay hidden in those deep, dark eyes? Swallowing hard, Akihaden stood stiffly, only to see Eltman crack a faint smile.
“Well, as long as we stay within our bounds, it’s fine. I’m the headmaster, and you’re the vice-principal. We each just need to fulfill our roles. You understand, don’t you?”
“Haha, yes... I understand.”
“Good, that’s all.”
As Eltman rose and gave him a pat on the shoulder, preparing to leave, Akihaden hurriedly called out to him.
“Just one more thing, if I may.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“This... this staff was left behind by the witch.”
“A staff? Witches don’t use those.”
“Yes, I thought it might have been a teaching aid, but she didn’t seem the type to prepare something so meticulously. I thought it was worth bringing to you... Would you like to inspect it?”
Nodding, Eltman watched as Akihaden carefully placed the staff, still wrapped in cloth, on the table. When the cloth was unwrapped, an old wooden staff, with a rugged appearance reminiscent of an ancient artifact, was revealed.
“An old-fashioned staff.”
These days, staffs were enhanced with mana stones or crystals at their tips, but this one was entirely made of wood—a style that could only be found in antique shops.
“When I was young, it wasn’t easy to find even a single staff like this...”
Eltman gently ran his hand along the staff, noticing something peculiar.
“Hm, you said the witch left this behind?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“It seems she meant to pass it to someone and forgot. You should deliver it.”
“...To whom?” 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
As he left the room, Eltman replied over his shoulder.
“To Baek Yuseol. Give it to him.”
---
The exchange program between Starflower Magic Academy and Stella Academy hadn’t existed for very long.
Long ago, the elves, grateful for the great deeds of Eltman, began to open up to humans. Over time, they adopted human culture, and eventually, even exchanges between magical academies became possible. It was, in a way, one of Eltman Elthwin’s great historical achievements.
For nearly a thousand years, elves, dwarves, and humans had coexisted without hostility but had lived in separate territories. Eltman was the one who broke down these boundaries entirely.
This year, Stella students were to study at Starflower Magic Academy, as the previous year, the Starflower elves had studied at Stella.
“...Cadet Jellyel, isn’t this a bit excessive?”
In the new residence hall for human exchange students at Starflower, a grand building stood that looked like a palace. The department head shook his head in astonishment, but Jellyel brushed it off as nothing special.
“When we went to Stella as exchange students, they greeted us with an equally grand building made of eco-friendly wood that elves favor. It’s only right we reciprocate.”
“It’s been less than ten years since the previous building was constructed...”
“But it was made of wood, wasn’t it? Humans don’t particularly like that material.”
As most knew, elves rarely concerned themselves with housing. When they wished deeply for something, the Elf King conveyed their desire to the World Tree, which would then make it a reality. However, the World Tree only dealt with wood, so there were limits to what it could create. While elves were usually satisfied with their eco-friendly wooden structures, Jellyel thought differently.
She wasn’t planning to welcome humans with something only elves would appreciate.
Thus, she utilized an enormous amount of resources to construct a new residence hall at Starflower and even took care of the associated land issues.
“I think this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase elven culture...”
The department head muttered softly, but Jellyel, ignoring his words, handed him some documents.
While the papers were full of complex terms, they essentially declared that Star Cloud Trading Company was donating the residence hall and the land.
Having purchased land near Starflower Academy to construct the building, Jellyel handed over the donation as if she were giving away a box of cookies, leaving the department head no choice but to sign with a defeated expression.
“Cadet Jellyel, I’m just curious...,” he ventured.
“Don’t ask questions.”
“...Understood.”
Jellyel responded coldly, then flicked her hair and disappeared into her carriage.
Left alone, the department head looked back at the new residence hall with a sigh. Even from the perspective of an elf, the lavish building was appealing enough to make one want to live there, despite being used for only a month or so every two or three years.
Moreover, since Jellyel was in her second year, this would be her last time seeing the hall.
In other words, she’d spent a fortune just to welcome someone for one month this year.
‘Who on earth could she be trying to impress from Stella?’
Jellyel lived primarily in the Howal Plains and often encountered humans and various other races. Yet, with her cynical personality, she had never allowed herself to become attached to anyone before. Could someone in Stella have touched her heart?
‘Guess I’ll never know.’
Since Jellyel permitted no questions, the department head had no choice but to keep his thoughts to himself. Personal inquiries were out of the question.
While the World Tree could create buildings, it couldn’t provide the magical tools and instructional materials necessary for teaching. This annual support came from none other than Star Cloud, so the department head had no choice but to bow to Jellyel.
In short...
Within Starflower, Jellyel held absolute authority, an influence so strong it even affected Stella.
‘Hopefully, no student here or at Stella gets on her bad side...’
Anyone who did would likely find a peaceful school life impossible.
“Um, excuse me...”
“Hm?”
As he admired the new residence hall, a young girl’s voice came from behind. She was so cute, with a gentle mana aura, that he mistook her for an elf at first—until he noticed her rounded ears and realized she was human.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m Annela. But, uh... have you seen Miss Jellyel around?”
“Cadet Jellyel just left in her carriage.”
“What?! She told me to bring her coffee, and now she’s gone?”
“...It seemed like Jellyel completely forgot.”
“That’s impossible!”
Annela, crestfallen, hurried off in the direction Jellyel had gone, but there was no sign of the distant carriage.
Thud.
Watching the small girl slump to the ground with teary eyes tugged at his heart, but the department head simply clicked his tongue and moved on.
“So, how am I supposed to get home...?”
Annela’s day with Jellyel was indeed filled with its share of disappointments.
---
The exchange at Starflower would last about a month, with students staying there throughout autumn. Preparing for the trip, Baek Yuseol packed his belongings carefully. Although he planned to go out frequently while there, he figured it might be challenging to find human essentials in Starflower.
“This is such a hassle.”
Growing tired of sorting through everything, he stuffed most of it into his subspace storage. Its size was limited, but it was sufficient to hold a month’s worth of uniforms and magical tools.
He especially packed numerous dungeon exploration items, most of which were “items” from the Alteresia School—a line of prototypes that were practically finished products.
Although they were of high value due to being pre-mass production items, Alteresia had gifted him plenty, so he had no shortage.
‘Who would’ve thought I’d get this from Akihaden.’
While packing, Baek Yuseol glanced at the wooden staff placed on his bed. It was the decorative ancient staff Scarlet occasionally used to bonk students on the head.
After analyzing it with his "Bush War
bler Glasses," he knew exactly how important it was.
[Root of Life]
It looked like a staff but wasn’t one. Even old-fashioned staffs weren’t structured like this.
‘So, why did they give this to me?’
At present, no one would know how to use it.
After all...
[A powerful reaction from the energy of Softwood April, one of the Twelve Moons.]
This was a “relic” of the Twelve Moons.
Scarlet and Eltman might have guessed that it was connected to the Twelve Moons, but they likely had no idea how to use it or what it was made of.
In truth, while this relic belonged to Softwood April, it was more closely associated with Damgal Toiwal in the storyline.
To be specific, it was an essential item for resolving the sub-episode *The Awakening of Damgal Toiwal.* Until now, he hadn’t thought he’d be able to acquire it, so he’d completely disregarded it...
“Who would’ve thought I’d get it so easily.”
While he felt a bit uneasy about Scarlet leaving it behind and Akihaden passing it to him, it was undeniably a fortunate turn of events, so he didn’t dwell on it.
The Witch Queen, Scarlet.
For some reason, she had been helping him.
*...Should I trust her?*
Trusting someone completely just because they offered a little help wasn’t a good habit, but for now, Baek Yuseol decided to believe in Scarlet’s intentions, just for a brief moment.
