Chapter 45

That feeling was something fresh that Seldienne Elconja had never experienced in her life.

The boy before her was definitely nothing special, just an average commoner.

He wasn’t even wearing a brooch on the chest of his school uniform jacket to symbolize noble status.

No, she could tell just by looking at him.

Having spent years mingling with nobles, she had become accustomed to their dignity and aura.

She instinctively recognized that the boy with black hair was a lesser being.

Considering he wasn’t even memorable in the Academy rankings, he was undoubtedly a pathetic prodigy with mediocre magical abilities.

But now,

that boy was behaving in a way she couldn’t comprehend.

Even as the eldest daughter of the great noble Elconja family was questioning him right in front of him, he showed no signs of cowering.

“I don’t recall there being a rule that only nobles can enter the garden?”

Faced directly with her gaze, he looked her squarely in the eye, his yellow eyes filled with curiosity.

His gaze locked onto hers without a hint of deviation.

‘Huh.’

That alone stirred an unknown curiosity within Seldienne’s chest.

Most students at the Academy would avert their eyes and show respect to the great noble when making eye contact with her.

If there were exceptions, they were either students from noble families on her level or a rare few commoners with strength greater than hers.

But the boy before her was neither of those, yet he was looking her dead in the eye, questioning her.

Could it be that he was so oblivious to the world that he didn’t realize which family she belonged to?

To confirm her initial suspicion, Seldienne purposely mentioned her family name to test him.

“Of course, there’s no such rule! But a meal time for a garden exclusively composed of nobles is associated with the dignity of the Elconja family! A lowly commoner shouldn’t disrupt the atmosphere!”

“Hmm…”

With his arms crossed, the boy tilted his head, his yellow eyes reflecting pure doubt as he replied to her.

“Is it not allowed even to stay hidden in a corner?”

“Huh…?”

At his response, Seldienne was slightly taken aback and covered her mouth with her fan, wide-eyed.

The boy’s expression changed not at all upon hearing the name Elconja.

But what was even stranger was his demeanor.

She thought he might be trying to rebel against her, but upon closer inspection, that wasn’t the case.

He simply couldn’t comprehend her words and was expressing confusion.

From the way he looked at her, there was no hostility at all.

It was merely the gaze of an equal student, a classmate at the Academy.

Furthermore, it bore the ordinary look of a friend.

The wave of curiosity that began to ripple in Seldienne’s heart started to widen.

“W-well! Even if you’re not noticeable, just knowing your presence is enough to upset me! You should return to the dining hall or the stage right away!”

“Hmm… that’s troublesome. Can you let it slide just this once, Seldienne?”

“Are you suggesting that you’re about to negotiate with me… huh?”

With her chin tilted up and a haughty tone, Seldienne’s eyes widened in surprise.

Her crimson gaze slowly turned back to the boy, and she furrowed her brows as she asked.

“Your name… right now?”

“Huh? What’s the matter with that?”

“You only mentioned your family name… how do you know my name?”

With tension clearly evident in her question, the boy shrugged, as if to say, “What’s so surprising about that?”

“Well, how could I not know the name of a friend I share three theory classes with?”

“Theory classes… three…?”

Staring in bewilderment at the boy, he looked back at her, jaw dropped in disbelief.

“Wait, you don’t even know who I am…?”

With a disappointed look, Seldienne flared up and pointed the fan at his face.

“W-would the Elconja have to remember every commoner’s name?! If you’re as great as you claim, then why not enlighten me with your name!”

“Not that great… but it’d be nice if you remembered me since we see each other so often in class.”

The boy chuckled, scratching the back of his head before revealing his name.

“Erto, my name is Erto. Seldienne.”

Erto.

Those three letters sank deep into Seldienne’s heart.

At the same time, a slight embarrassment lingered in her mind.

He had been casually rebutting her without a care for his status from the very beginning.

Without a care.

Without bothering about the gap between their statuses.

Realizing that, Seldienne concluded, for some reason, she was feeling excitement and excitement bubbling within her.

“So, can I come in here?”

Right after introducing himself, he expressed again his desire to enter the garden, but Seldienne, suppressing her rising curiosity, shook her head.

“I will not permit it! Also, don’t call me by my name so casually! Don’t you know that it’s proper to refer to a noble by their family name when addressing them?! You uncouth commoner!”

“Is that really necessary? Isn’t it nicer to be called by name? It lets you know exactly who you’re talking to.”

“Being called by a name from a commoner who doesn’t even know me is shameful as a noble!”

Seldienne intentionally raised her voice, but the boy dismissed her harsh words with a nonchalant expression.

“Then get to know me better. We have a lot of classes together, so let’s be friends.”

“Ugh…!”

Despite her firm stance, his oddly non-confrontational attitude left her speechless.

He was certainly weak, an unremarkable commoner with no influence, yet strangely she felt his will couldn’t be crushed.

A feeling that something solid existed within him.

Or like grass, no matter how much you step on it, it won’t break—it had a kind of tenacity.

That unknown energy filled his face.

“Anyway, if you absolutely won’t let me in, I’ll just check out another place. There’s someone waiting for me inside, so can you let Seldienne know I’m here?”

“You’re mentioning her name again…”

“If you’re going to block my way, you have to at least handle the aftermath. Act like a noble.”

That statement made sense, so Seldienne cleared her throat and nodded.

“Hmm, I have no choice! Who is waiting for you? It isn’t another commoner in the garden, is it?”

“Tirisia Bruerd.”

“Bruerd…?!”

Seldienne’s crimson eyes filled with shock as she stared at the boy’s face.

Why did a commoner like him have ties with the only daughter of the Bruerd family, which was on par with the Elconja family?

Seldienne gaped, trying to confirm the truth of his words.

“Did you just say Bruerd…? How could someone so lowly as you…?”

“Well, I don’t even know how many times I’ve heard this at the Academy. I’m friends with her since childhood. So we’re pretty close.”

“Childhood friends…”

Repeating that word in a daze, Seldienne then composed herself and turned her back to him, covering her mouth with the fan.

“Hmph! To think you’re close to that girl! The insufferable woman who humiliated you during the entrance exam…! I have no interest in getting involved even a little with her, so I refuse to deliver any messages! You can go in or not, that’s up to you!”

“Oh, thanks. Then I’ll be off. If we meet in class later, you better acknowledge me.”

“Who would do such a thing…!”

Clap!

Before Seldienne could retort, the boy dashed off into the garden.

Left standing at the entrance, Seldienne stifled a laugh and gazed in the direction he had disappeared.

“Hah.”

It was truly absurd.

A mere commoner, lacking magical talent, daring to act like he was her equal.

In a duel, she could squash him like a passing ant; he was utterly insignificant to her.

Moreover, there would be no need to use force—a mere glance from Elconja would instantly mark him as an impertinent commoner, prompting all the nobles to persecute him.

Their relationship was, quite literally, an overwhelming one of superior and inferior.

Unless he had lost his marbles, he would surely be aware of that fact.

Yet that boy had brushed aside all those ancillary matters and presented the clear argument that the garden was for all students to use.

And that was undeniably true. There was no discrimination stated in the rules of the Academy.

But ideals and reality never align perfectly.

The authority of the name Elconja among students was tremendous, so even if she forced a rule-breaking behavior, only a select few could dare confront her at the Academy.

The boy’s actions were not something one could do with ordinary courage.

Even nobles of some standing would bow their heads and submit before her.

That was the natural outcome and the life Seldienne Elconja had led.

But suddenly, this boy she met at the Academy shattered that established norm.

He flipped her common sense on its head, addressing her as simply Seldienne and treating her as just another equal person.

An indescribable sensation began to overflow within Seldienne’s heart.

“Huh… huhuhu?”

She laughed out loud, but she didn’t even know why she was doing so.

It felt as if someone was tickling her chest with feathers, making her want to laugh endlessly.

“Wuhuhuh, wuhuhuhuh!”

Excitement, thrill, and a burning curiosity filled her heart.

That fierce emotion overflowed, undeniably filling a void in her mind that had remained unquenched thus far.

Perhaps,

it could be that the dish she had been so desperately searching for had finally appeared before her.

Someone who recognized her not as Seldienne of the Elconja family, but just as Seldienne.

She had never met anyone like that before.

How could such a person possibly exist?

What kind of a person could completely disregard the name Elconja?

Yet that fool had actually appeared right before her eyes.

Given the joy of such reckless abandon, how could she not laugh at that?

“Oh—hohohoho!”

Seldienne couldn’t help but burst into high-pitched laughter, completely forgetting the gazes of the students passing by.

“This is great, splendid!”

She became curious.

How far would that boy go, treating her as an ordinary friend?

How long could he maintain his confident attitude, even as she wielded her authority over him?

Was he simply mimicking courage to appear strong, or did he genuinely hold convictions in his heart?

She wanted to test where his limits lay.

This wasn’t the feeling of a child discovering an interesting toy.

It was joy and exhilaration, as if she had finally encountered something that could quench her long-standing thirst.

So she wanted to press him even more sincerely.

If that boy was indeed the being she had been seeking, he must not break.

Seldienne gazed at the unusually bright sun today through her folding fan, repeating the name he had shared.

“Erto… Erto… Erto.”

Her cherry-like lips curled into a deep, rich smile.

“Let’s see just how far you’ll go, whether you’re the prince I’ve been seeking… or just a ridiculous joker!”

Thus, Seldienne Elconja embarked on her first crush of adolescence.

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