Chapter 84 : Chapter 84
Volume 2
Chapter 8 : Choice
When Selicia walked into the classroom, the first thing she saw was Muen with both hands outstretched, as though trying to seize something, while right in front of him, Professor Flan had shrunk down beneath the blackboard, muttering things like, “Although becoming the Duchess is very tempting, a teacher-student romance is not allowed.”
That scene…
Selicia’s brows lifted slightly. Looking at Muen, she said, “Did I arrive at the wrong time?”
“…”
No, you arrived at exactly the right time…
Muen very much wanted to say that… but how could he possibly?
If he did, Selicia would probably mince him into meat paste one careful chop at a time.
“Th-that…”
Muen forcibly squeezed a smile onto his stiff face and said to Selicia,
“If I say this is a misunderstanding, would you believe me?”
“A misunderstanding?”
Selicia swept her gaze across the rest of the classroom.
At that moment, the room had already descended into utter chaos.
The male students were all staring in shock, as though thinking, This man is simply a model for our generation.
We must study his example carefully.
And as for the female students… They had long since taken out their recording stones and started capturing the scene with magic, chattering excitedly while doing so about things like, “Fourteen ships. The fourteenth ship has appeared.”
“I see. Then it really would be easy to misunderstand.”
Selicia’s voice turned cool.
“To be misunderstood by the entire class all at once… you are quite impressive, Muen Campbell.”
“Even if it sounds impossible to believe, the truth really is exactly that!”
Muen explained tearfully,
“This is just a misunderstanding!”
Who could have known that Professor Flan’s imagination would be so wild?
He had only wanted her to explain the material from the very beginning, yet she had somehow concluded that he was trying to court her.
How in the world were those two things even connected?
“…Forget it, Muen Campbell.”
Lowering her eyes slightly, Selicia said,
“In any case, whether it was a misunderstanding or not, whether you are hopelessly incorrigible and are confessing to someone again or not, it has nothing to do with me, does it?”
Selicia ignored Muen after that and walked up to the lectern, her gaze passing over the whole classroom.
“Introduction to the Fundamentals of Magic… expected attendance, one hundred and three. Actual attendance, one hundred and three. Good. Everyone is here.”
“Come on, Veir. We are going to the next classroom.”
“Wait, Selicia, you are not actually angry, are you? Just listen to my explanation!”
Muen still wanted to salvage the situation.
“Why would I be angry?”
Selicia suddenly turned back around.
Her expression was cold, like an iceberg that had stood frozen for a thousand years, utterly unchanged.
“What are you to me, Muen Campbell? Why should I be angry over you?”
“…”
Muen parted his lips, yet not a single word came out.
My fiancé?
If he said those three words out loud, Selicia would probably only be even more disgusted.
After what had happened before, she already hated him enough as it was.
“Let us go, Veir.”
Selicia turned away.
Without another glance behind her.
But the moment she stepped out the door, the bun-haired girl behind her suddenly turned back and spat fiercely.
“Heh—tui! Scumbag!”
“…”
Muen weakly stretched out a hand, wanting to stop them, yet unable to find even a reason to do so.
He could only look at Selicia’s retreating back, while something in his chest tightened despite himself.
For some reason… It hurt a little.
…
…
“Hmph. I told you so. That Muen Campbell is a scumbag. He already has someone as perfect as the president for a fiancée, yet he is still fooling around everywhere.”
Back in the student council room, Veir was still angrily waving her little fists.
In her eyes, Muen Campbell was a completely incomprehensible person.
If anyone else had someone as perfect as Her Highness Selicia as their fiancée, they would probably laugh in their dreams from sheer happiness.
And yet Muen Campbell, that fool, did not know how to treasure the fortune he had earned over several lifetimes.
Instead, he had somehow managed to stand on thirteen different ships at once.
Even an octopus was not that ruthless, alright?
Was he not afraid that one day he would finally split himself apart?
“President?”
Veir tilted her head in confusion, because Selicia was sitting behind her desk, staring blankly into space, a rare occurrence indeed.
“Ah, sorry. I was thinking. Did you say something?”
Coming back to herself, Selicia apologized.
“What were you thinking about, President?” Veir asked curiously.
“…I was recalling what happened just now.”
“Huh? Just now? What is there to think about?”
Veir pouted in confusion.
“Could it be that Muen Campbell was somehow wrongly accused after all?”
“…”
Selicia fell silent.
Indeed, the chances of that were low.
Looking at the scene they had just witnessed, it truly had looked exactly like a loathsome scumbag stretching out his demonic claws toward an innocent, naïve, pitiable Professor Flan.
But…
If one removed the atmosphere of the moment and the influence of one’s own subjective emotions, Muen Campbell’s actions had indeed seemed a little unnatural.
Was that really the sort of posture someone had when making a confession?
And the expression on his face at the time…
Slap.
Selicia suddenly struck her own cheek with enough force to leave a clear red handprint on her pale skin.
Veir nearly jumped in fright.
“Selicia Leopold, why are you still letting your emotions interfere with your thinking? What a disgrace.”
Selicia lowered her head, her fine silver lashes fluttering like starlight.
Later… I will go find Professor Flan again and ask her about it properly.
…
…
“Sigh. What kind of mess was that supposed to be?”
After class, Muen walked alone along the tree-lined path leading to the dining hall.
He felt rather miserable.
It was not only because Selicia had misunderstood him, but also because the first lesson Muen Campbell had prepared for so long—his first step as this new version of himself—had collapsed into utter chaos for no reason whatsoever.
After Selicia left, the class had only grown even more unrestrained. The girls screamed, the boys cheered and egged things on, and the one teacher who should have stepped up to maintain order… was crouched on the lectern, trembling.
That was how things remained until Professor Prang returned after handling his business.
Then he exploded.
He cursed the entire class so thoroughly they were drenched from head to toe in it.
He ordered every student to hand in a ten-thousand-word self-criticism within three days, or else their academic credits would be deducted.
Everyone except Muen.
That was right. Everyone except Muen.
Although Professor Prang looked as though he would not be satisfied unless Muen wrote a hundred thousand words of repentance, once he had learned the entire sequence of events, he discovered…
Muen really was innocent.
Even though he had been the root cause of everything… he truly had done nothing wrong.
What fault could there be in wanting to pursue knowledge?
In wanting the teacher to start from the very beginning of the textbook and teach it properly?
That hunger for knowledge was, in fact, precisely the quality Professor Prang valued most.
And so, for once, the stern and rigid Professor Prang found himself unable to criticize Muen at all.
He could only let him go with an expression as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly.
As for Professor Flan, after hearing Muen’s explanation, she also realized that it had all been a misunderstanding on her part.
Only… after that, her face had turned even redder, and she looked utterly unable to face Muen anymore.
“It looks like there is no way I can learn this subject properly in class. I have to find another method.”
Muen rubbed his face and forced himself to brighten up.
A setback like this was not enough to make him retreat.
…
After lunch in the dining hall, Muen went straight to the academy library.
The library administrator was a beautiful upperclassman with a generous figure and a tear mole at the corner of her eye, lending her a faintly seductive air.
As Muen passed by, he only dared to steal a brief glance and no more.
Study. Study. Cast out all distracting thoughts.
He arrived at the section containing books on magic.
The library’s enormous collection left Muen a little dizzy, but with the help of some small, thoughtfully placed markers on the bookshelves, he managed to find the book he needed.
“I wonder who made these.”
Looking at the neat little labels written in graceful, gentle handwriting, Muen could not help smiling.
“It must have been someone very kind.”
…
He carried the book to the reading area.
Detailed Explanations of Introduction to the Fundamentals of Magic.
That was the book he had found.
Since it was a detailed explanation, naturally its contents were even more thorough and easier to understand than the textbook’s, making it far better suited to a complete beginner like Muen.
“If no teacher will teach me, then I will teach myself!”
A determined light shone in Muen’s eyes.
Nothing would stop him from studying. Nothing.
…
“Ah, I cannot do this anymore.”
Half an hour later, Muen gave up.
It was not that self-study itself was ineffective. It was simply that he had suddenly realized…
This method was far too slow.
After spending half an hour painstakingly figuring out who exactly the Origin-rank Grand Magus Meradomir from a thousand years ago had been, and just how earth-shattering her accomplishments were, he suddenly realized that he had only finished the preface to the preface.
And it was one of the very few parts of the book that required almost no understanding at all, only memorization.
It was like reading the biography of some mathematician at the front of an advanced mathematics textbook.
But the mathematician’s biography was never the important part.
That kind of thing was barely even tested.
What mattered were the formulas, the theorems, the symbols.
And those formulas, theorems, and symbols were precisely the things that would make one study until one’s hair fell out.
It was not that Muen was incapable.
It was just that, by the time he managed to gnaw his way through this entire book on the fundamentals of magic alone, he would probably look up and hear—
Congratulations, student.
Six years have passed in a flash, and you have successfully graduated.
Here is your diploma. Take it and get out.
Professor Prang would surely say exactly that to him, then kick him mercilessly out of the academy.
In that case, what was the point of studying magic at all?
“No, I still need to find someone to teach me.”
But who was he supposed to ask?
Professor Flan now looked as though she wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground whenever she saw him.
Professor Prang… if Muen went to him knowing nothing and asked him for lessons, then either the academy would gain one corpse or the entire educational world would lose one of its pillars.
As for the other magic professors… Muen did not know any of them.
Hm. Wait.
Why did the person teaching him necessarily have to be a teacher?
A brilliant light suddenly flashed through Muen’s mind.
As long as someone could teach him the subject, that was enough, was it not?
For example…Muen’s sharp gaze swept across the library and finally settled on a female student sitting diagonally across from him in a corner.
She wore thick black-rimmed glasses, her hair braided neatly, and she was reading the book before her with complete concentration.
At a glance, she was obviously the model of a diligent, well-behaved student.
“Heh heh. Students like this do seem easier to tempt.”
Without meaning to, Muen let slip the wicked smile of a blond villain.
…
Sherry Flander was reading her favorite book with complete concentration when she suddenly heard a gentle voice.
Was someone calling for her?
She raised her head in confusion, only to meet a pair of warm sapphire-blue eyes.
Just as she was about to be drawn in by them, her gaze widened and took in the speaker’s full appearance.
Her pupils shook.
Muen Campbell!
The Duke’s son who stood on thirteen ships, the ultimate scumbag!
Why was he here?
Sherry froze for a moment, then immediately got to her feet.
N-no, this is bad. She had to run. Right away. Otherwise… otherwise…
“No, no, wait, do not go yet, please do not go yet…”
Wearing a helpless bitter smile, Muen stopped her.
“Do not worry, miss. I am not trying to play with you, and I am not trying to court you either. I simply have something I would like to ask your help with.”
“W-what… what is it?”
Hugging her books to her chest, Sherry shrank back nervously.
“Well, it is just…”
Muen thought for a moment, then carefully asked,
“Miss, are you perhaps short on money?”
“Short… short on money?”
Sherry stared at him blankly, then unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothing.
Yes. She was indeed very short on money.
After all, she came from nothing more than an ordinary commoner family.
If not for a certain teacher from Saint Maria happening to discover her talent by chance, she might never have had the opportunity to study here at all.
But Saint Maria was no ordinary academy.
Even with that teacher’s assistance, her daily life was still extremely strained.
But even if I really am short on money, what does that have to do with you, the Duke’s son born with a golden spoon in your mouth?
Commoners had their dignity too.
Sherry’s expression cooled.
She pushed up her oversized black-rimmed glasses and said,
“W-whether I am short on money or not has nothing to do with Young Master Campbell. If there is nothing else, I should go. I still have class later.”
“No, no, no, I did not mean to offend you. What I meant was—would you like to earn some extra money here at the academy?”
“Extra money?”
The step Sherry had just been about to take stopped in midair. She turned back to look at Muen, and a trace of obvious suspicion filled her eyes.
As a child from a poor family, who would not want to earn some extra money alongside their studies to ease the burden at home?
But Saint Maria was, after all, just an academy.
Opportunities to earn money were extremely rare, and even when they did exist, they were usually monopolized by senior students. Someone like her, a lower-year student, had no hope of reaching them.
Still, the rumors surrounding Muen Campbell made her remain cautious.
“T-then… Young Master Muen, let me hear it.”
“It is actually not anything difficult.”
Seeing that the girl seemed slightly moved, Muen could not help smiling.
“It is just that I do not know whether you have time after school, or after class, to give me some private tutoring.”
“Private tutoring?”
Sherry’s eyes flew wide open.
“One-on-one? Alone?”
“That is right. One-on-one.”
Although Muen had no idea why the girl emphasized those particular points, he still nodded honestly.
“Then… the… the content of the lessons… what would it be?” she asked, trembling.
“Well, naturally it would be about studying. Personally, I would very much like to study in a broader sense, but of course I must also take your position as an excellent student into account, so I do not know whether you—hm? Miss, are you alright?”
Muen suddenly noticed that the girl before him had flushed bright red.
What was going on? Was the library too hot?
“St-studying… excellent student…”
At that moment, it was as though the primordial universe had exploded inside the girl’s mind, sending countless thoughts flying in all directions.
Studying?
Could the “studying” Muen Campbell was talking about possibly be proper studying?
And private tutoring at that. Lessons after class. One-on-one.
In that instant, countless unspeakable stories and illustrated books she had “stumbled across accidentally,” “been forcibly handed by friends,” “not intentionally read,” and “only secretly glanced at once,” all fused into several phrases in the pure girl’s mind.
After School with the Top Student.
Secret Instruction.
The Glasses Girl’s Temptation.
School Uniform ***
Of course! That Muen Campbell had no good intentions at all!
“Um… if you are worried about payment, actually, money is not a problem.”
Perhaps because he felt his sincerity still was not sufficient, Muen said earnestly,
“You can ask for as much as you like, as long as you agree to teach me.”
“…”
He even wants to corrupt my soul with money!
“I am not that kind of easy girl!” Sherry shouted in agitation.
“Huh?”
Muen stared at her blankly.
Easy?
Was teaching him such an easy thing?
But before he could even ask, Sherry suddenly raised a foot and kicked Muen squarely in the shin.
“Money is not everything, you pervert!”
“Ah?”
Before Muen could react, intense pain exploded through his mind.
“Hiss— It hurts!”
“Pervert! Scumbag! Go die!”
After cursing him a few times, Sherry clutched her books and ran off at top speed.
Leaving behind only Muen, clutching his shin and curled up like a shrimp on the ground, his face full of pain and his head full of question marks.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
Why was he being called a scumbag again?
What had he even done to that girl? Why did she hate him so much?
Muen sat there in a daze, still carrying the bleak despair of someone who had never even had a girlfriend and yet somehow got called a scumbag every day of his life.
At that moment, a fragrant breeze drifted over.
A figure blocked the light.
Muen instinctively raised his head and then froze.
A mature young woman was standing before him.
Her hair, loosely tied back with a ribbon, spilled diagonally over her magnificent chest.
Her eyes were as clear as crystals steeped in water, their corners lifting slightly upward, and beneath her right eye sat a perfectly placed tear mole, so that whenever those eyes curved, they carried an indescribable allure.
Her figure was exquisite as well, her waist slender as a serpent’s, and the curve of her hips beneath her fitted uniform was enough to stir boundless imaginings.
And on the silver nameplate at her chest was written:
Anna Carp.
“Senior Anna…”
Looking at the figure before him, Muen could not help swallowing.
He had only glanced at her casually earlier, but there was no way he could have forgotten such a breathtaking beauty.
It was the library administrator!
“This student here, speaking loudly is forbidden in the library.”
The girl looked at Muen. Though the smile on her lips was warm and gentle, like that of a kindly older sister next door—
In that very instant, Muen felt a little cold.
…
…
“Oh my, oh my. So that is how it was.”
After listening to Muen’s explanation, the gentle librarian propped a hand against her cheek and smiled softly.
“It seems I misunderstood you, junior. Just now, I thought you were harassing that poor girl and was debating whether I should hurry to call a teacher over—or perhaps deliver a righteous sneak attack myself.”
“I was not doing anything of the sort!”
Muen rubbed his shin, baring his teeth in pain, and looked as though he might cry.
“I am clearly the victim here, alright?”
It has happened several times already. He had done nothing wrong, yet Fate’s iron fist always seemed to descend upon him for no reason at all.
Something was wrong with this.
In ordinary stories, was it not always the blond villain who punished innocent, naïve young girls? Why was he the one constantly getting punished by innocent, naïve young girls instead?
Fortunately, after taking enough of those iron fists, he had become fairly resilient.
It was only a kick from a girl, after all.
He could grit his teeth and bear it.
“Eh? Senior Anna?”
Just as he was thinking that, Muen saw Senior Anna suddenly crouch before him, her slim, delicate fingers gently pressing against his shin, tenderly kneading the muscles there.
The exquisite sensation it brought made Muen’s heart itch a little.
His cheeks immediately flushed, and he instinctively tried to shrink back.
“Do not move.”
Senior Anna spoke softly.
Her gentle voice seemed to hold a powerful magic of its own.
At once, Muen stopped resisting and let her continue stroking his still slightly trembling leg.
“Such a good boy.”
Senior Anna smiled faintly.
At the same time, a soft light lit up in her palm.
Warmth flowed from the place where her tender hand touched him, sinking deep into his muscles and even into his bones.
Within a few breaths, the pain in Muen’s shin disappeared entirely, replaced by a lightness he had never felt before.
“This is…”
“Just a simple healing spell.”
“Thank you, Senior, but it really was not necessary…”
“You should value your own body a little more.”
Anna interrupted him, her expression turning stern as she reproved him.
But immediately after, a mischievous smile curled across her lips.
“Otherwise, if you hurt yourself too badly, how will you become a scumbag?”
“…”
The smile that had just begun forming on Muen’s lips because of Senior Anna’s expression froze at once.
Touching his nose awkwardly, he gave a dry laugh.
“So Senior recognized who I am too.”
“Junior Muen is quite famous.”
“I had thought I was only famous among the second-years.”
Muen scratched his head. Then, as though remembering something, he looked at Anna with puzzlement.
“But if Senior knows who I am, why are you still willing to come near me? Girls who hear my name usually run away immediately, just like that one just now.”
“Of course they do. In their eyes, Junior Muen, you are a complete scumbag. They are afraid you will deceive them out of both body and heart, so naturally the farther away they stay, the better.”
“But—”
Senior Anna sat down in the chair beside him, then suddenly leaned in.
The warm scent of a young woman washed over him.
She drew close to his ear, breathing softly against it, and whispered in a voice tinged with seduction:
“Junior, do you really think you could actually toy with me?”
“Hiss—”
Muen instinctively leaned backward and sucked in a breath.
This Senior Anna was a true master.
“Pfft.”
Seeing Muen retreat in a panic, Anna covered her mouth and laughed.
Her eyes curved as she looked at him, and the tear mole at the corner of her eye only made her seem more alluring.
“How strange. You are supposed to be the legendary scumbag, and yet I keep feeling that you are actually rather innocent. That reaction of yours does not resemble a scumbag at all.”
“That is because I am not a scumbag at all!”
Muen declared indignantly,
“All of those are just rumors other people spread about me! I have never even had a girlfriend!”
“I see. That is rather unfortunate.”
“Unfortunate?”
“To be honest, I had rather wanted to sample for myself what sort of flavor a top-tier scumbag, the kind that makes half the girls in the academy tremble at the mention of his name, would have.”
Senior Anna licked her lips, her eyes shimmering suggestively.
“…To be frank, Senior.”
Muen suddenly thrust out his chest, undid one button of his uniform, swept his bangs back with a hand, and smiled wickedly.
“In truth, beneath this handsome face lies the heart of a beast. Becoming a top-tier scumbag would be child’s play for me. So if you are a senior…”
“In your dreams.”
Senior Anna rolled her eyes at him.
“I was teasing you. Senior here has never had a boyfriend either~”
“You! Wicked woman!”
Muen put on an expression of pure heartbreak, as though grievously deceived.
“You toy with my utterly pure heart like this. Can your conscience really bear it?”
“I am a wicked woman.”
Resting her cheek on her hand, Senior Anna laughed lightly.
“Wicked women do not have consciences.”
“…”
It was over.
This woman’s level was far too high. He could not match her.
Muen was just preparing to sound the retreat and wait for another chance to battle her three hundred rounds another day, when his eyes suddenly caught those little labels on the shelf again—the very labels that had helped him find the right book so quickly.
And on impulse, he asked:
“Those little labels…”
“Hm?”
“Those little labels—were they put there by Senior?”
“They were.”
Anna glanced in that direction and replied casually,
“I made them as a little pastime when I was bored.”
“Senior is very gentle.”
Muen could not help remarking.
“Hm?”
Anna looked at him in surprise. “You are calling me gentle?”
“Yes.”
Muen blinked.
“You helped treat my injury even though I have such a bad reputation. You put those little labels on the shelves to help students find books. And even now… Senior is keeping up a soundproofing spell, is she not, just so the other people in the library will not be disturbed.
Surely all of that can be called gentleness?”
“Gentle… is it?”
Anna smiled softly.
“Not many people would describe me that way.”
“Oh? Then how do most people describe Senior?” Muen asked with growing interest.
“They say…”
Anna pronounced the words one by one, seemingly about to finish them—but at the most crucial moment, she abruptly changed course.
Reaching out, she flicked Muen on the forehead with one finger and laughed as though half-annoyed.
“You sly little junior, trying to trick your senior into talking.”
“Tch.”
Muen smacked his lips in disappointment.
“I was so close.”
“But then again…” Anna suddenly tilted her head and said, “Since you praised me for being gentle, I suppose I could tell you after all.”
“Tch. Does the Senior think I would really fall for that? Let me tell you, a Saint Seiya—”
Muen stopped.
Because Anna had suddenly moved close.
Very close.
So close he could feel her breath.
So close that, through the clarity of her eyes, he almost thought he could glimpse a corner of some immense darkness hidden in their depths.
“Snake.”
“They say I am a snake,” Senior Anna said, her crimson lips moving with those words.
“Oh. Oh.”
Muen nodded blankly. But by the time he recovered his senses, Senior Anna had already pulled back to a normal distance again.
As though she had never come close at all.
“A snake, huh.”
Muen folded his arms and nodded seriously.
“That sounds pretty good.”
“Pretty good?”
For the first time, Anna looked genuinely surprised. “Snake is not exactly a flattering word for a woman.”
“Is that so?”
Muen hugged his arms tighter and nodded solemnly.
“But I think it sounds rather nice. After all… snakes eat mice, and I happen to be very afraid of mice.”
“…”
Anna stared at Muen for quite some time, long enough that even Muen’s solemn expression was beginning to crumble, before she suddenly burst out laughing.
“Junior Muen, you really are an interesting person.”
“Is that so? Then being able to make the Senior smile was worth it.”
Muen rubbed his hands together excitedly.
“There is actually something I wanted to ask a Senior…”
“You want me to teach you, do you not?” Anna said, as though she had expected it all along.
“Huh?”
Muen froze, then awkwardly scratched his head.
“Senior already knew?”
“I am not deaf. I heard everything you said to that younger girl. And besides…”
Anna looked at Muen and smiled teasingly.
“When a man chats this long with a strange woman, either his lower urges have taken over, or he has some ulterior motive, does he not?”
“Nonsense.”
Muen straightened his face and slapped the table with righteous indignation.
“What if I were simply captivated by Senior’s charm instead?”
“…Muen Campbell.”
“Hm?”
“Perhaps you really do have the makings of a scumbag,” Senior Anna said, narrowing her beautiful eyes.
…
…
“So what is Senior’s answer?”
Like an anxious schoolboy waiting to be called on, Muen asked expectantly.
“Well…”
Anna tapped her lips with a finger and thought for a moment.
“I could agree. But… I cannot exactly teach you for free, can I?”
“I have money!”
Muen declared loudly.
“One million!”
Anna froze, then looked at Muen with a peculiar expression.
“Junior Muen, do you know something? Even the finest private tutor in Belland would not cost one million.”
“Knowledge is priceless,” Muen said.
“Hehe… you really can say such innocent things.”
Anna laughed softly and rested her cheek on one hand, studying Muen carefully.
Only after staring long enough to make his scalp begin to tingle did she finally stand.
“Forget the money. Since you are calling me Senior, charging you would feel a little strange.”
“Then the payment I owe…”
“You can owe it to me for now.”
“Owe it?”
“That is right. Owe it.”
Senior Anna clasped her hands behind her back and suddenly bent down, looking straight into Muen’s eyes.
The charm at the corner of her eye made the heart sway.
“So when the day comes that I decide I want it, Junior, you must not refuse me.”
Her voice was enticing, like the signing of a devil’s contract.
Yet, as though bewitched, Muen found himself nodding.
“Alright, Senior.”
…
…
“Here we are.”
After her work as library administrator was finished, Anna led Muen to a far corner at the edge of the club building.
Muen raised his head and looked at the plaque above the door.
“Ancient… Potion Club? Our academy actually has a club like this?”
“It does, though it would be normal if you had never heard of it.”
Anna pushed the door open.
The moment it opened, a strong gust rushed toward them, and sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite, forcing Muen to squint.
In that fleeting moment when his vision adjusted, Muen seemed to see Senior Anna—the same one who normally looked like a little devil—lift the loose strands of hair by her ear and reveal an unexpectedly desolate expression.
“After all… this club only has me in it.”
“Only one person?”
Muen stared, stunned.
“A club with only one member is allowed to exist?”
“Of course not. But the grace period before a club is abolished is one year. In other words, if I still cannot find a new member within this year, the club will be dissolved.”
“I see…”
A club with only one person… somehow, that sounded unbearably lonely.
“So then…”
Anna turned back and smiled softly.
“Junior, would you like to join our Ancient Potion Club?”
“Me?”
Muen was startled for a moment. Then his expression grew serious.
“Is this the payment you want from me, Senior?”
“No. This is a choice.”
For once, Anna looked genuinely serious. Her eyes locked onto Muen’s.
“Even if the Ancient Potion Club is on the verge of dissolution, I will never force anyone to join. So, Muen Campbell, go and experience it for yourself first. Then make your decision.
Do you want to join our Ancient Potion Club?”
…
…
“Ancient Potion Club, huh…”
Walking along the path back to the dormitory, Muen sighed and folded his hands behind his head.
“I still have absolutely no idea what they even do.”
Because of time constraints, Senior Anna had only taken him to see the location of the club. As for what exactly they did during club activities… Muen still had no idea.
Judging only from the name and the various precise instruments and facilities in the classroom, he could roughly guess that it was a club for making ancient potions.
Quite a respectable club, really.
“But clubs and all that are not important for now.”
What mattered was—
“I finally found someone who can teach me the fundamentals of magic!”
If there had not been people passing by on the road, Muen might already have been leaping into the air with joy.
At last!
At long last!
After all that effort, he had finally solved the greatest obstacle on his path to becoming a good student!
From what he had learned in his conversation with Senior Anna afterward, even among the fifth-years, Senior Anna was one of the best students in the academy. With her teaching him, how could his grades fail to improve?
The only thing to worry about was that Senior Anna was so beautiful she might become a distraction to his studies.
“But for me, Muen Campbell, that is a trifling matter.”
Muen smiled confidently.
“A man who truly loves learning would never be distracted by mere beauty.”
Just wait. He would demonstrate perfect composure in her presence.
“Heh heh~”
Thinking that way, Muen hummed to himself all the way back toward the dormitory.
…
Today, I am truly happy.
Nothing can stop this joyful heart of mine.
…
“Student Muen Campbell, please report to the student council room.”
“Repeating once more, student Muen Campbell, please report to the student council room.”
“Huh?”
Hearing the announcement through the magic broadcast, Muen froze on the spot.
His happiness vanished with a sharp snap.
“At a time like this, calling me to the student council room… this does not feel like anything good.”
Thinking back on everything that had happened during the day, a bad premonition suddenly rose in his heart.
…
…
“I will get straight to the point.”
In the student council room, Selicia sat behind her desk, fingers interlaced beneath her chin, looking at the shivering Muen seated not far away as she asked in a low voice:
“Muen Campbell, regarding the recent report of a harassment incident, do you have any clues?”
“No! None at all!”
Muen denied it flatly.
“I spent the entire afternoon bent over my books in diligent study. I had no idea such an outrageous thing had even happened.”
“Really?”
“Of course it is true!”
Muen nodded vigorously, then said with righteous indignation:
“In broad daylight, under the eyes of the public, someone actually dared harass a girl? If I had seen something like that, I would personally make the culprit understand the meaning of justice’s iron fist!”
“Is that so?”
Selicia’s tone suddenly grew meaningful.
“How reassuring to hear you say that, Muen Campbell.”
“Haha, only right…”
“And yet…”
Selicia stared at him, her expression cooling.
“When exactly did I ever say that the victim was a girl?”
“…Wasn’t it?”
Muen’s expression froze.
“Of course not.”
Selicia tossed a file in front of him.
Muen looked down and found that it detailed the recent series of thefts involving undergarments from the boys’ dormitory.
Male?
Underwear theft?
Why did those two words feel so bizarre when put together?
“I thought that since you also live in the boys’ dormitory, you might know something about it. But now it seems…”
Selicia narrowed her eyes and let her gaze travel up and down Muen’s body.
“Muen Campbell, it seems you have been doing some other bad things too.”
“…No. Of course not.”
Muen shook his head hard, then forced out a smile.
“How could I possibly do anything bad? I am a good student now.”
“A good student?”
Selicia’s brows rose slightly. “That phrase sounds rather strange when attached to you.”
“Not strange, not strange at all, haha…”
Muen laughed awkwardly in agreement, only to see Selicia suddenly rise from her seat and walk toward him.
His entire body instantly tensed.
What was this?
Had she seen through his lie?
Was she finally about to dismember him on the spot?
Help! Husband murder—
“What would you like to drink?”
“Huh?”
“Huh what?”
Selicia walked right past him and shot him a cold glance.
“I asked what you would like to drink. And for the record, I do not have any black tea here.”
“…Good. I do not drink black tea either.”
Muen smiled awkwardly.
“Coffee. Coffee is fine.”
“Very well.”
Selicia nodded lightly, then went to one side and skillfully prepared the coffee.
Before long, two steaming cups were set before Muen.
He picked one up and found its fragrance rich and enticing.
“It smells wonderful.”
Muen looked at her in surprise.
“I had no idea you knew how to make coffee.”
“It is nothing more than pouring boiling water over ground coffee beans. Anyone can do it.”
As she stirred her own coffee, Selicia added so many sugar cubes that Muen’s eyelids twitched.
“Would you like sugar too?” Selicia asked.
“No, no, no.”
Muen shook his head with all his might.
“Black coffee is fine for me.”
“I see.”
Selicia went on adding sugar.
Only after Muen felt that the coffee she was stirring had nearly become syrup did she finally lift the cup and take a small sip.
“Ah…”
At that instant, for the first time ever, Muen saw genuine pleasure in Selicia’s brows and eyes.
So you like your coffee this sweet.
The original novel never mentioned that at all.
Thinking that, Muen also lowered his head and lifted his own cup. But the moment he did, he heard Selicia say:
“I am sorry.”
“Hm?”
Muen looked up in astonishment. “What did you say?”
“I said, I am sorry.”
Even though she was apologizing to someone she had once disdained, Selicia’s face showed no trace of embarrassment or hesitation.
She looked directly into Muen’s eyes, completely serious.
“This morning, I did not listen to your explanation. I am sorry.”
“…”
Muen was a little stunned. He had never expected Selicia to apologize over something like this.
“It-it is fine. I did not take it to heart at all.”
“That has nothing to do with whether you took it to heart. If I did something wrong, then I must apologize.”
Selicia sat back down.
“Earlier, I went to find Professor Flan and Professor Prang again, and from them I learned the truth. You truly were not at fault in the slightest today. On the contrary, you were one of the victims. The cause of everything was merely the prejudice that has always hung around you.”
“Yeah.”
Muen gave a bitter smile.
He did not know when he would finally be free of this “scumbag” halo surrounding him.
At the very least, he hoped it would stop making every girl run the moment she saw him.
“So, in light of that, I do have a suggestion.”
“Hm? What suggestion?”
“It is very simple.”
Selicia put down her coffee, looked at Muen seriously, and said,
“Muen Campbell, would you like to join the student council?”
Muen stared at her in surprise. “Is that an order?”
“No.”
Selicia answered,
“This is a choice.”