A fierce siege battle waged between a man and a woman.
“Six coins.”
“It’s not six coins; multiply five and it should be thirty coins.”
Sky-blue hair, sapphire-like eyes.
Serena Valentine was filled with suspicion at the sudden appearance of a male student.
‘Who is he?’
She roughly knew the name of this boy.
Mate Daylight.
A male renowned as the attendant of the saint; there was also a minority opinion that Shirai followed him around.
Of course, most students didn’t believe it.
Serena Valentine was the same.
Though he was of sturdy build, the blind saint Shirai had likely never seen his face.
A man with no money, no abilities, and who ranked lowest in the C class; during the Orientation Day commotion the day before, his mana flow was completely controlled by Professor Tiren’s technique because of his insufficient internal mana.
And yet, barely two days after entering the academy, he was seen consorting with an unusual number of women.
Saint Shirai and the genius wizard, Alphin the Herta.
On top of that, there was talk of him being seen an hour ago with President Muse Fairfield, the owner of the Frey Guild.
Every one of these women was someone of significant repute.
Even the upper-level bow mage… what was her name?
The ever-robed, small-statured girl with a body as tiny as a middle schooler’s.
According to the stories, her name was Xyah, wasn’t it?
Xyah had also helped him during the Orientation Day commotion. Although, the results weren’t very good.
‘This is weird.’
It’s way too weird.
How could someone just help a total stranger?
And with what kind of confidence?
As Serena Valentine stared blankly at the male student helping, it seemed almost a stretch to even call it confidence.
He thought that just by holding a purse of gold coins, he could outdo Princess Nepia Solaris with money? That’s ridiculous.
Though Princess Nepia Solaris might be the youngest and have the least power among the princesses, she’s still royalty.
This means she possesses wealth comparable to other princesses, leaving no room for Mate’s success in this confrontation.
Thus, this is a futile effort. A fool who bets with high risk for a fight he has no chance of winning.
Sometimes, living with an ideal can be good, but most people live in reality.
All the students at Lumere Academy are the same.
Because they lived in reality rather than empty ideals, they didn’t slouch in their training in order to step into this brilliant land.
There was no time in young Serena’s life to pursue romance or ideals.
The daily grind of hunting beasts and enduring rigorous training was all Serena Valentine ever knew.
‘This is way too reckless.’
There are various reasons behind actions.
Instinct, desire, harm, moral motivation, and anger.
While there are many plausible reasons, in Serena’s view, this action stemmed purely from baseless confidence.
“Clara.”
“Why, why are you like that?”
Short red hair, eyes like orange diamonds.
Anxious expression, clenched sharp shark-like teeth — this is Clara Valentine, our elder sister who, though she seems a little lacking in some areas, excels in the use of a katana in ways that no one else does.
“Are you acquaintances with that person?”
“Am I, am I acquainted with him? I’ve never even made eye contact!”
That would be right. If she wasn’t so anxious like this.
Serena had come to a firm conclusion about Mate.
A pathetic man who deludes himself into thinking he’s the protagonist.
Sense of justice? That’s a word you only find in fairy tales. In this godforsaken world, talking about justice just gets you labeled as strange.
“Isn’t it getting tough? Are you okay?”
‘Just give up?’
In fact, it was Serena who made the sign.
When Princess Nepia asked Nepia Solaris outright lied. Telling the truth would only make her life at the academy troublesome later on.
Who is Princess Nepia?
An apex predator of the academy who has influence over second-year students and even third years.
There’s absolutely no advantage in getting on Princess Nepia’s bad side. Knowing this, Serena lied, though she didn’t anticipate the situation getting so big.
“Why aren’t you answering? Are you okay?”
Serena shook her head.
‘Sometimes these are the events life throws at you; you might as well enjoy it.’
That she could desperately struggle against Princess Nepia’s overwhelming wealth, refusing to kneel, sparked a new curiosity.
Mate Daylight’s firm determination made her wonder just how far it would last.
Honestly, this is a battle with no chance of winning.
For every coin Princess Nepia raises the value by, I need to pay five coins in return.
Princess Nepia only needs to give coins to one person, but I have promised five people.
“I’ll call seven coins. Are you really going to continue?”
To start with, I don’t intend to win this bidding competition.
The idea of trying to overpower Princess Nepia with money is something only fools entertain.
If there were anyone here who could read my thoughts, they’d surely question why I continue despite knowing I’ll lose.
The answer is simple enough to explain even to a five-year-old.
In short, I want to show that a common student like me can stand up to Princess Nepia.
If I embellish it a bit, I want to be the kindling that ignites their willpower.
Lumere Academy is a prestigious institution of higher learning.
A place filled with young talents destined for greatness; thus, every student is precious regardless of their standing.
Even though it’s a meritocracy with deep social divides, it’s unnatural for the entire second and third years to be dominated by Princess Nepia.
This is all due to the second and third year students fearing Princess Nepia too much.
Empowering them to find courage is the first reason I’ve stepped in.
The second reason is to protect the student who made the sign.
“Eight coins.”
“Ugh, how high do you plan on going?”
Last time, it was easy to thwart Princess Nepia’s attempt at becoming a dictator over the academy.
The final step needed for Princess Nepia to dominate the second and third years was:
Taking over the first-year class entirely.
Yuren Star Dust, who would master holy swordsmanship after a year.
The great wizard genius, Alphin the Herta.
The blind saint, Shirai.
President Muse Fairfield, the greatest weapon merchant.
The resurrected girl, Xyah Stella.
Five of them were selected to class A, proving that the first year was indeed the golden generation and affirming their value, making even Princess Nepia hesitant to meddle.
“Nine coins, your move?”
However, things are different now.
Xyah is concealing her resurrection ability, and Shirai and Muse are underrated by Princess Nepia and the other students.
I thought the Academy President, Sylus, knowing the truth, would ensure the first-years’ standings wouldn’t be squeezed. However, hearing this morning that the first-years were banned from entering the snack bar confirmed my doubts.
Sylus won’t simply move as I wish. With that, it became clear that I’d need the help of many students.
“Looks like you’re thinking deeply. Well, if I were you, fifty coins would be quite burdensome.”
He-he-he, a mischievous laugh from Princess Nepia.
To be honest, I never really considered it, but there’s one straightforward way to easily stop Princess Nepia.
Shirai, Xyah Stella, and Muse Fairfield.
If these three prove their abilities and are re-evaluated into class A officially, it would be perfect.
– I believe my revolution will succeed as long as Mate’s gone. Surely, you’ve picked up what that means?
Muse, who already announced her hostility against me, isn’t likely to accept my requests willingly.
“Ten coins.”
As the intensity of the bidding war increases, cold sweat starts to trickle down my temples.
My income from the church isn’t exactly extravagant.
Still, there’s no need to worry. Princess Nepia possesses tremendous wealth, and she’s not the type to kneel at a mere eleven coins. She will surely bid higher to secure the victory.
All I need to do is size her up and quit at the right moment.
That’s why I was startled when Princess Nepia raised her hands above her head.
“Y-yes, I lost.”
It was hard to believe Princess Nepia’s declaration of defeat, and I couldn’t comprehend this situation.
Among the many whispers from the students, Nepia’s giggling laughter stood out, disturbingly clear.
Losing fifty gold coins wouldn’t be a problem. If the bid gets high enough to impact daily life, I’d retreat then.
So why?
With more than enough money, there’s no reason for her to back down at just ten coins.
“Congratulations, you’re now a full-fledged celebrity.”
A fresh blueberry scent.
Princess Nepia walked past me, muttering a meaningful phrase.
“Hey…”
Then, like a sushi conveyor belt, someone else came by.
Sky-blue hair, sapphire-like eyes.
An unknown girl came close, smiling brightly and extended her palm.
One of the female students involved in the strike.
“Please give me fifty coins.”
At the place with the rainbow marble fountain.
Someone is leaning against the fountain, muttering under their breath.
“Bouquet… letter… and…”
“Excuse me, what are you doing here?”
Cherubic golden twin tails, eyes like those peering through a telescope at the clear sky.
“Eh, are you Princess Nepia?”
“Is it an honor that you remember my voice?”
Nepia adjusts her skirt so it won’t expose as she sits near Shirai, sighing deeply as if she has a story to tell.
A sigh implying she’s longing for someone to notice her troubles. Shirai is naturally a kind girl.
“Is there something wrong?”
Nepia reaches out to clasp Shirai’s left hand.
“I’ll help you.”
“Huh?”
“A snake-like man is bullying you, isn’t he? That’s why you’ve been spending so much time with him.”
Shirai, who doesn’t quite understand all of this yet…
“Let’s drive this man out of the academy together. With the two of us working together, it’s sure to work.”
Shirai’s brow furrowed slightly.
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