By Zephyria 
‘…What is it.’
As I was briefly on guard, Zeon came up to my side and whispered, asking what was wrong.
However, the presence of that shadow that I had briefly felt disappeared in an instant, and since there was no sign of it reappearing, it was ambiguous to chase after it for no reason. It could have just been a passing student.
Besides, Marien and the A class students moved to the lecture hall as if they had decided to have class after all, so I decided not to worry about it anymore.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go back now, Zeon.”
“Yes.”
The resumed class ended quickly. Not long after Marien left, Polargehen, who had rushed in, called Melicsa and me separately as he had foretold. What fell upon us, who were dragged to the professor’s office as if we were being taken away, was a glare with bulging eyes and a stern scolding.
“‘Twenty years old’ is an age when you can act like proper adults! If you were nobles, you would have already received a title somewhere. It’s no different for commoners. Children who don’t enter the academy would be working. Isn’t that admirable? But you guys enrolled in school as students and instead of studying, you’re fighting like snot-nosed little kids….”
I could vividly feel that Polargehen was holding back his anger. Melicsa was avoiding my gaze by looking elsewhere, but I could see that she was very intimidated. Even a battle-crazed dog seemed to be afraid of an angry professor.
“Haa! Really, what is this nonsense in school when you’re not even children? Melicsa Cecil, aren’t you even sorry to your parents who brought you all the way here from the remote territory to send you to school? Raymond Valentasia! It’s the same for you. And I clearly told you not to use Magic, so why didn’t you listen? Don’t you think about how worried your family would be if they knew about this?”
Somehow, it seems like he’s talking even faster than before. It felt like my ears would bleed from the barrage of nagging.
Of course, I only listened to half and let the other half go, so the impact was halved. Polargehen must have noticed that fact, as he squinted at me and then sighed deeply.
“That’s enough. Melicsa Cecil, you can go back now.”
“Yes!”
Melicsa ran away without looking back as if she had been waiting for it.
I was quietly watching her heartless back when Polargehen, who was staring at me in front of him for a moment, quietly opened his mouth. It was a much calmer voice than before, the same as usual.
“How is your body, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. The Elixir lives up to its name.”
The last part was a slightly sarcastic tone, but I pretended not to notice. Then, just as I was about to turn around, saying that I would go now.
“Wait a moment.”
Polargehen, who suddenly grabbed my shoulder and stopped me, quietly gestured as if telling me to sit on the sofa.
I had a question mark in my head, but I soon judged that he had something left to say, so I silently sat on the sofa, following Polargehen, who was sitting across from me first.
He was silent for a while, staring at me intently, and then carefully opened his mouth when the silence became awkward.
“What is your relationship with the 4th Prince?”
That was a somewhat abrupt question.
“The 4th Prince?”
I tilted my head. Judging from the fact that he said Prince, he seemed to be talking about the child of the Albinus family, but there was no one I was close enough to to be asked what my relationship was.
“Don’t tell me… you don’t know? Prince Ardian.”
Polargehen, who changed his expression subtly after examining my reaction, continued.
Ardian. I had heard that name before.
Also from himself.
As I guessed, he seemed to be a child of the Imperial Family.
Only then was I able to recognize him, and Polargehen, who had been hesitating while looking at me, opened his mouth again.
“So, it seems you do have some acquaintance with him.”
“Yes. Well.”
It’s really just a relationship where we met once.
“Hmm. It’s not that, but… this time, the 4th Prince suddenly decided to transfer. So, I had a consultation with him before class, and he kept asking about you suspiciously. He said that he transferred this time because you were here, so I became curious about what kind of relationship you have.”
“…….”
I was speechless for a moment. He didn’t even seem to want to hide his blatant and aggressive interest in me. I already knew that he was interested in me… but I didn’t know he would approach me this openly.
-Let’s meet again soon, Raymond.
No way. Did the meaning of what he said at that time mean this?
“Raymond?”
As I was lost in thought for a moment, Polargehen raised his eyebrows and urged me to answer. I, who had come out of my thoughts, sighed from the frustration of not knowing the reason and opened my mouth.
“It’s not a relationship that can be called ‘what kind of relationship.’ It’s really just that we happened to meet once on the street. I also don’t understand his interest in me.”
“Heo. Is that so. That’s a very strange thing.”
That’s what I’m saying.
“But does this school also have members of the Imperial Family attending?”
“Ah. That’s right. Well, it’s not a frequent occurrence, but it’s not an unusual thing either. I haven’t seen it myself, but there are records of the Crown Prince attending.”
I see.
“Anyway, Prince Ardian will be taking classes in Class A starting tomorrow. You’ll be seeing him often from tomorrow.”
“But… wasn’t Class A only for those with high achievements? Surely it’s not a place where everyone is equal regardless of status, but only the children of the Imperial Family are exceptions, is it?”
Of course, I already know that Ardian has higher achievements than me. So, it won’t be the latter reason, and even if it is the latter, it has nothing to do with me. Nevertheless, I deliberately provoked him. I wondered if I could dig up more information about him.
Polargehen opened his eyes wide at my provocation, but soon had a small smile on his face. I don’t know if he noticed my intentions, but I was able to hear the answer to the provocation willingly.
“Of course, I said that I couldn’t just assign him to Class A. It’s not a place that can be swayed by status, and if I did, there would definitely be a backlash.”
“Hmm.”
“But after hearing my words, he suddenly laughed. And do you know what he answered? ‘Then what level should I show to get into Class A?'”
“So?”
“I told him to show an achievement of about 5 stars. Of course, I expected him to show reluctance. But without being difficult, he showed Magical Energy equivalent to exactly 5 stars, as if he had expected it. That… wasn’t all he showed. It’s forbidden for a professor at Merzel Academy to ‘directly’ scan a student, so I don’t know the exact achievement.”
So he was being relaxed. At least 5 stars or more. I knew that his achievements were higher than mine, but I didn’t know they were that high.
This was also unexpected.
Then Polargehen brought up a slightly different story.
“It reminded me of what you said, but in fact, you weren’t originally going to be in Class A either. At the time, your estimated achievement was just a little above average, so it was ordinary.”
“Then why did you pick me?”
Pure curiosity arose, and I tilted my head.
Polargehen smiled and raised his palm. A Magic Circle was formed above it, and after a while, the illusionary body that I had seen at the time of admission popped up and went wild.
[Hello, you freaking brat! We meet again?!]
“This is a ‘Recorder’ that I created. It’s a small creation that thinks for itself, measures and records Affinity and Mana amount.”
I was curious about who had shaped it because it was quite a skill, but it seemed to be Polargehen. It was an understandable story.
“There was nothing that this guy hadn’t analyzed so far. Except for the Mana you have, uniquely. That was very suspicious. So, I put you in Class A, where I could keep you close to gauge you.”
So that’s why he showed a strange hostility at first.
“I apologize for rashly suspecting you at that time.”
“I will generously accept it.”
Polargehen chuckled. Then, after checking the time, he widened his eyes as he spat out a feeling.
“Oh my. I’ve kept you for too long. Go now too. And if you ever have any trouble related to Prince Ardian, you can come and tell me anytime.”
I nodded in response and got up.
After coming outside, I went down the stairs to the hallway where the lecture hall was located to have lunch with the servants who were waiting.
As expected, it was lunchtime, so there were no people in the hallway, so it was quite deserted.
‘I wonder what’s for lunch today.’
It was then.
As I turned my body into the hallway after passing the stairs, someone’s shadow leaning against the window suddenly caught my eye.
I raised my head. Silver hair that sparkled like moonlight under the sunlight first caught my eye. After paying a little more attention, the face was one I knew.
“…Ardian.”
I stopped walking and stood still. He, who had been looking down at the floor, moved his head. The eyes that turned to look at me were a clear and mysterious gold.
‘Why is this guy here?’
For a moment, such a question arose, but soon the story that he and Polargehen had a consultation came to mind. If that consultation was this morning, it wasn’t that strange.
“Hello, Raymond.”
He smiled, bending his eyes as beautifully as if drawn in a picture, then turned his body and slowly approached me. Even this time, he wasn’t surprised. As if he had been waiting for me from the beginning….
No.
It must be true that he had been waiting for me from the beginning.
“You remembered my name….”
I was a little wary as he came close enough to reach out, but he stopped right there as if he had noticed it.
He tilted his head slightly with a face that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and his soft-looking hair fluttered.
“I heard. There was an unfortunate accident yesterday.”