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‘He still seems deeply troubled because of Luon Al Vanas.’

The order to execute the deserter as an example was issued from headquarters. Since it was an unprecedented event, it was intended to instill caution in the other students from the start.

Arkandric was fully aware of this, so he hadn’t said much, but…

‘No doubt, he’s still upset about it.’

Rockefeller pondered for a moment, thinking about what to say to lift Arkandric’s spirits.

However, with the Crimson Magic Book stolen and the fortress still under repair, something stronger was needed to ease his mind.

“Ahem, the seven who were dispatched to the field will be returning soon. I’m sure they would be thrilled if you praised them, Principal.”

The seven were carefully selected after passing through strict criteria. Of course, they were promising talents, ranked from 1st to 7th. Commanders were already eyeing them to join their units.

“Ah, those kids? It’s been quite a while since I last saw them. They left right after the first semester began.”

“They must have learned a lot. I’m sure they’ll show great performances this year.”

“Ha ha ha, I’m looking forward to it,” Arkandric chuckled, but it was clear he was forcing the smile.

Even with the promising students, it felt inadequate to fill the void left by a prodigy like Luon Al Vanas. Adding to that, Arkandric had lavished special attention and care on Luon during training, making it emotionally difficult to feel satisfied.

‘This is why I never get too attached to students. No matter how well you treat them, they only send a few letters and that’s it. Not that I’ve ever received any…’

Rockefeller, watching Arkandric fidget with the pebble again, decided to pull out his trump card.

“And, Principal, soon, there will be rewards coming from the royal family and headquarters. It seems Frost Heart Academy is attracting attention due to this unusual event.”

This was something to be proud of. It was also an opportunity to finally dispel the years of being ignored in future meetings between the principals.

As Arkandric’s lips slowly curled into a smile, Rockefeller’s face brightened.

However, what came out of Arkandric’s mouth next was shocking.

“Oh, by the way, Arental is coming.”

Rockefeller thought he had misheard and asked again, “What?”

“You know, the elder from headquarters. I received a letter that he’s arriving today.”

Arental Man Drayon.

One of the elders from the Pathfinder Headquarters.

Rockefeller’s eyes twitched, and he pursed his lips.

‘That man is coming here?’

His pupils trembled in panic. Just imagining such a high-profile figure visiting this place, still not fully recovered from the damage, was terrifying.

‘Could it be that he’s caught wind of the Crimson Magic Book theft?!’

No, that couldn’t be. They had covered it up thoroughly and even replaced it with a convincing replica. There was almost no chance anyone would visit the Forbidden Library, so there shouldn’t be any issues. Still, the thought worried him.

Sensing his unease, Arkandric tried to reassure him.

“There’s no need to worry too much. He said he just wants to present the medal in person. It seems he’s already got his eye on Hersel Ben Tenest.”

“Well, that’s a relief… But we still have a lot to prepare.”

Though his concerns about the stolen tome eased, the situation remained serious. They had to finish the repairs quickly, prepare ceremonial materials like carpets, improve the academy’s appearance, and ensure the students were perfectly disciplined.

If they displeased Arental in any way, their budget could be slashed.

“The academy is in a bit of a state, but Arental isn’t bad. He’s just a little oblivious, but he has a kind heart. I doubt he’ll be too harsh.”

Arkandric spoke as though it wasn’t a big deal, but to Rockefeller, it sounded like wishful thinking.

‘That’s easy for you to say, Principal, since you were once one of the elders.’

It might be fine for someone who had been an equal to Arental in the past, but those below him would suffer.

***

Of course, classes had been suspended until further notice.

All the professors who were supposed to be teaching the students had been sent out to help with the search. Many of the educational materials had been destroyed, so they had to be replaced, and the students were too busy with manual labor to attend classes.

I sat on a chair by the broken fountain. Today, the students were flattening the training grounds with shovels, filling cracks in the fortress with concrete.

This situation was unusual. Not only were the workers from the Schlaphe Hall involved, but so were the students from the Adele Hall, and even professors were out working.

The reason for all this was something I learned through Professor Gomon.

“There’s an emergency.”

“What happened? Did you find some kind of unknown tunnel while digging?”

“Huh? No, it’s just… an elder is coming.”

The current situation reminded me of my time in the military.

When I was a sergeant, there was news that a three-star general would visit, and the battalion commander ordered us to move a pavilion.

It was summer.

But now, this situation was even worse.

To put it simply, it was like a four-star general visiting a recruit training center.

The academy was in chaos.

As a result, even I had to labor.

I voiced my complaints, but the response I got was this:

“It’s all because he wants to give you a medal.”

“Are you sure that’s not just a roundabout way of blaming me? Ugh, maybe I should follow Luon’s lead and desert too.”

As soon as I applied a little pressure, this was the position I was offered.

– “Please, don’t say such things. Come on, let’s not make a fuss, okay? Professor Rockefeller ordered that everyone must work without exception. Oh, right, how about being a supervisor? You can just pretend to be working, sounds good, right?”

– “But won’t the other students say something about it? Is that really okay?”

I’m still a first-year student in Schlaphe Hall. There are bound to be many people who would frown upon me doing easy tasks all by myself. Especially those senior students from Adele Hall.

However, Professor Gomon answered as if it was nothing.

– “Complaints? About you? Ha, don’t be ridiculous.”

And so, I was assigned the supervisor role. When I actually tried it, it wasn’t too bad. There’s a certain fun to it.

“Hey, senior, that load seems light, doesn’t it?”

“…Cut me some slack. Do you know how hard it is to carry this sack up and down the stairs?”

“That just proves you’re out of shape. This is good for you. Think of it as exercise and double it.”

The senior from Adele Hall, looking dejected, trudged toward the fortress.

Still, I didn’t feel comfortable just sitting around giving orders, so I got up from my seat and headed to the fortress. Might as well check if they’re doing things right.

I spotted a senior from Schlaphe Hall standing awkwardly in front of the Grand Mage statue. Unfortunately, the body of the founder was in bad shape, with a broken arm and cracks on the legs, looking like it could collapse at any moment.

“Uh, how are we supposed to fix this?”

“We might be better off making a new one.”

“Make a new one? Just like this one?”

“Wait a bit. Aslay’s on his way with a massive boulder.”

Right on cue, Aslay arrived carrying a boulder about the size of a medium car, which he had brought from the mountain behind the school. The size seemed just right to carve a new statue.

“Senior, do you remember the guy who made that ice sculpture in front of our dorm? He seemed pretty skilled. Go bring him. Aslay, sorry, but you’ll have to make another trip for that rock. We’ll need it.”

“Got it, boss.”

After giving out instructions, I spotted Leana precariously hanging from a rope while trying to plaster the cracks in the fortress wall. As expected of someone from the cushy Adele Hall, she wasn’t very good at the work. Every time she dropped her trowel, the senior from the Magic Division would levitate it back up with telekinesis.

“Leana, your strength is being wasted here. How about you go chop some firewood? We need it to make furniture.”

Leana nodded and climbed into the room through the window.

It was clear that students from Schlaphe Hall were the best at this kind of work.

“Watch how the people from Schlaphe Hall are doing things, and learn from them. If you can’t, ask them to teach you.”

After saying that, I went inside the fortress and looked around the first floor. The carpets were faded, the flowerpots and windows were broken, and the furniture like chairs and tables had many scratches.

Ricks waved at me. His crew was standing behind him.

“Hersel, can you take a look at the furniture? I was thinking of arranging it like this.”

Ricks showed me his plan for restoring the interior using shaping magic. I wasn’t sure whose taste it was, but it looked so old-fashioned and eerie that it felt like ghosts might appear.

“…It’s too dark and gloomy.”

“Kind of, right? But Professor Rockefeller insisted on this style…”

“Forget what he said. Try to match the colors with the walls as much as possible.”

After a few discussions with his crew and some adjustments with shaping magic, Ricks modified the interior. The female students had the most say in the process.

Eventually, something decent started to take shape, and I could see Ricks’s eyes light up.

“Oh, this looks pretty good! Go quickly to the furniture-making club and ask them to revise the design. They should have just received their lumber by now, so they’ll probably get it done.”

Next came complaints about broken door hinges, damaged scales used for teaching materials, and ruined metal models. I told them to request help from the blacksmithing club and assured them that the academy would cover all the costs.

“Don’t worry about the budget. Rockefeller will take care of everything.”

Some students from Buerger and Adele Halls had injured themselves while doing unfamiliar tasks. Most injuries were from hammering their fingers or falling from heights.

“The infirmary is already crowded, so they can’t even provide basic treatment right now. Go to the Alchemy Club and get some medicines. And you, come here. I’ll fix the minor injuries.”

I continued my supervisory duties while healing small injuries with recovery magic. After a few rounds, things started to move faster, and the end of the construction seemed within sight. Everyone had gotten used to the tasks and were handling them well on their own.

With nothing left to do, I returned to my original seat by the broken fountain, watching Bellman. He had recruited Edina to help him, trying to repair the cleanly cut fountain instead of discarding it.

“If it’s a matter of altering the material’s properties, I think we can restore it to its original form.”

“Hmm, I might be short on mana, but I’ll give it a try, Bellman.”

“Alright, let’s at least get the shape right first.”

Bellman was trying to fit the broken fountain pieces back together like a puzzle, but it looked difficult. Seeing them struggle, Emeric and Harmon approached to help.

Emeric, in particular, was meticulous, not allowing even the slightest deviation.

“Harmon, tilt it slightly more to the right. It’s not perfectly level.”

“Come on, it’s just a tiny difference.”

After some collaboration, Edina successfully fused the pieces into a single fountain using her material alteration magic.

I applauded them for their efforts.

“Well done. At this pace, we might just finish before the deadline.”

Emeric took a sip of water and asked me, “By the way, have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

“The group that went to the Labyrinth is returning soon.”

Harmon, who had been listening, perked up and chimed in.

“Oh, from 7th to 1st rank? That’s great news. Hersel, those guys have great personalities. You should try to hang out with them sometime. Want me to set something up? It’ll make life at the academy much easier if you get close to them.”

Great personalities? What a joke. Those lunatics have good personalities?

“Don’t even think about getting me involved with them. I couldn’t care less whether they’re ranked or not.”

The importance of those ranked from 1st to 10th, well…

Yeah, they’re like the duo who once nurtured Ricks’s group through antagonistic relationships with the main cast.

They’ll eventually leave and pass on their positions to others, so I don’t have to concern myself too much with them.

“But since you keep bringing them up, you must have some sort of plan, don’t you?”

I said sternly, and Harmon, sweating nervously, averted his eyes.

It seemed these guys were planning another gambling game, thinking they could easily rope me in. As if I’d fall for that.

***

On the stairs of the fortress, Professor Gomon glanced nervously at the front gate of Frost Heart Academy.

Today was the day, so it was understandable.

Although the work was almost done, there were still things left to do.

“Oh no, the curtain’s wrinkled. Hersel, I’m going to fix that real quick. Let me know the moment the carriage arrives. Got it?”

“Go ahead.”

Gomon rushed into the fortress to smooth out the curtain, but he still nervously peeked out the window every now and then.

Meanwhile, Hersel, who was sitting on a bench next to the fountain, looked down at the students who were organizing the tools they had used to repair the training grounds.

Just then, three carriages crossed through the main gate.

‘Oh no!’

But his surprise was short-lived. After seeing who was getting out of the carriages, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, it’s just those ranked students from the Top Ten.”

They began asking various questions to the students who were pulling carts, their faces showing surprise. After a few exchanges, they seemed to understand the situation and walked across the training grounds.

As they passed by the bench where Hersel was sitting, one of the men among the Top Ten stopped.

“Hm?”

The others, clearly exhausted, yawned continuously as they climbed the stairs.

The man, however, didn’t seem to care whether they left or not and blinked at Hersel.

“Don’t recognize that face. Who are you?”

“I’m a first-year student who joined this year.”

At Hersel’s calm reply, the man frowned.

“I’ll let the short response slide for now. But while your seniors are out there busting their asses, what’s a first-year doing here living the good life?”

“I’m a supervisor. It may look easy, but it’s actually quite exhausting.”

The man let out a scoffing laugh as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing and stepped closer to Hersel.

“Who the hell taught you? Can’t be from Adele Hall, so Buerger Hall, then?”

“Nope. I’m from Schlaphe.”

Hersel stood up from his seat. The man’s grin faded instantly, and his eyes narrowed, his foot twitching as if he were about to kick something.

His target was the bench Hersel had just been sitting on.

Crack!

The wooden bench shattered instantly, pieces flying through the air.

Standing stiff with his back straight, Hersel’s composed demeanor clearly irritated the man, who turned red with anger and shouted loudly.

“Stand at attention, properly!!”

At that moment, Professor Gomon, who had been looking out of the window toward the front gate, appeared with a horrified expression. The workers repairing the training grounds stopped what they were doing and gaped in disbelief.

Amidst the murmurs, phrases like “That crazy bastard” floated through the air.

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