Chapter 583: Continental Festival 8

5:00 AM.

The pale dawn light slipped through the curtains, brushing across her skin with its gentle warmth.

She blinked, eyes still heavy from sleep, before slowly pushing herself up from the bed.

Snore…!!!

Grrrrrrckkk…!!!

Her master’s snore rumbled through the room like a beast growling in its sleep.

Loud, rough, and utterly unrefined.

She sighed, but the corners of her lips lifted into a smile.

It was noisy, yes, but also strangely reassuring—something she had grown so used to that she no longer minded being woken this way.

In fact, it made things easier for her.

She didn’t need to explain why she was awake so early, nor raise suspicion for herself and routine.

“I’ll have to ask Madam for more potions next time…” she muttered under her breath, stretching her arms above her head.

As she did, the weight in her chest shifted, reminding her of the other inconvenience she carried.

“…sigh. They’ve grown bigger again.”

She pressed a hand lightly against her chest, her expression twisting with mild annoyance.

Other women might have envied the growth, even celebrated it, but for her… it was nothing but trouble.

Trouble she neither asked for nor wanted.

Shaking her head, she pushed those useless thoughts aside and padded quietly into the bathroom.

Cold water splashed against her face, clearing away the remnants of sleep.

She washed herself quickly, then returned to the room, pulling on her clothes piece by piece.

Each adjustment of fabric was precise, careful, until at last she slipped a ring onto her index finger.

At once, mana rippled outward like a veil being drawn.

Her body shimmered faintly, her frame stretching as her shoulders broadened, her chest flattening under the shift.

Her slim figure adjusted, height increasing by a fraction until the image in the mirror no longer reflected a young woman, but a sharp-featured young man.

She—no, he—stood there for a moment, studying his reflection. The boy in the mirror wore a faint smile, as if reassured by the transformation.

Cristo Kal.

He didn’t hate his true looks—there was nothing wrong with them.

But this form, this appearance, was what suited him best. It was the version of himself that fit his role, his duties, his life.

Straightening the collar of his shirt, Cristo inhaled deeply, letting the last of the lingering drowsiness leave him.

“Hey, Cristo! How long are you going to hog the bathroom? Get out already!”

A loud voice echoed from the other side of the bathroom door, sharp enough to rattle the thin frame. The footsteps outside stomped once, impatient, before stopping right at the door.

Inside, Cristo calmly adjusted his collar in front of the mirror, smirking. “Ah, Master Hajey. You’re awake. Kuku. I guess you slept well last night?”

“No, I didn’t,” Hajey’s voice came back flat, with a tired edge. “I just woke up early for a change of pace.”

Cristo raised an eyebrow at his reflection. “Is that so?”

“Yeah. Anyways, get out now. I need to wash up.”

“Oh, come on,” Cristo said, voice turning playfully innocent. “We’re both boys here, what’s wrong with a little show of kinship? We’re childhood friends. I can even help you out if you’d like—”

“Get out!!!”

There was a heavy thud as the door flew open and Hajey’s arm shot out, grabbing Cristo like a stray cat.

In one swift motion, he was tossed out into the hallway.

Cristo landed on his feet with practiced grace, straightening his shirt as if nothing had happened.

“Hahaha! You’re really no fun, Hajey. What’s the rush? Need to poop that badly?” Cristo tilted his head with a grin, voice dropping to a teasing purr. “Or maybe you’re just trying to deal with that morning wood. I can help you with that, you know~”

“Just shut it and give me useful info on that trash already!” Hajey snapped from behind the door, voice muffled but clearly furious.

Cristo chuckled softly, folding his arms as he watched the steam curl from the bathroom. “Hahaha…”

Satisfied with himself, Cristo turned and started down the hall, his playful smirk fading into a sharper, more focused expression. The morning games were over.

Right now it was time to start the day doing what he specialized in the most—information gathering.

‘I feel bad for Lady Seo… but I’ll make sure to gather enough useful intel for my master,’ he thought, fingers brushing against the enchanted ring at his index finger.

His eyes, which just moments ago had been teasing and bright, now gleamed with a colder edge.

Since Seo was known as a recluse—someone who often shut herself away from the world and spent more time alone than with anyone else—Cristo had assumed tracking her whereabouts would be a difficult task.

Or at least, that was what he thought it would be…

“Cristo… you’re Cristo, right?”

“Y-Yes, my lady.”

Cristo froze mid-step.

He had been casually wandering through the still-empty halls of Killian Hall in the early hours of morning, cloaked in shadows, his [Shadow Step] technique masking his presence flawlessly.

He hadn’t expected anyone to notice him, much less the very target he was trying to observe.

And yet, Seo had spotted him immediately.

“Mm? Is he someone you know, Seo?” one of the girls beside her asked in a soft, lilting voice.

“Yes. He’s… my elder brother’s best friend… servant?” Seo answered after a pause, tilting her head as if trying to recall the proper word.

“Hoo~ I see!” the other girl chimed in with a teasing smile, her eyes glimmering with mischief.

Cristo’s lips twitched.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

He’d prepared himself for days of careful tailing, sneaking behind corners, weaving through crowds, waiting for her to emerge from solitude.

Instead, she was standing right in front of him… and even worse, she wasn’t alone.

“But why,” Seo asked plainly, her eyes narrowing slightly, “were you concealing yourself?”

Cristo’s breath caught in his throat.

The morning light filtering through the tall windows fell across the trio before him, and for a moment, he felt like he was staring at three goddesses standing in the quiet hall.

Seo, who was supposed to be a loner, was now walking side by side with two other breathtaking beauties, the three of them looking so closely it was hard to imagine there was ever a wall between them.

Cristo’s thoughts spun.

‘Lady Seo… that Lady Seo, casually talking with others… laughing even? Since when? How? This doesn’t make any sense. She was supposed to be the type who hated crowds, who couldn’t even stand prolonged conversations with strangers… So how is she this close to them?’

His mind rejected the sight, but his eyes couldn’t deny it.

Seo wasn’t the cold, distant recluse he knew. Not right now.

It felt like…

She was someone else entirely.

“Haha, I was just planning to casually stroll around, you see,” Cristo said quickly, forcing a grin. “But I thought it’d be weird if a foreign student like me was just roaming so naturally in the morning. So I hid myself so I wouldn’t bother anyone who might’ve already woken up.”

“…I see.”

Seo’s reply was flat, her tone apathetic, her eyes the same unreadable shade as always.

Cristo felt a bead of sweat trail down his back.

Was she already suspicious of him?

Or was this just her usual way of speaking?

He couldn’t tell, and that uncertainty pressed against his chest like a weight.

“So, you’re a family friend of Seo’s, hm?”

The voice that cut through his thoughts belonged to the girl beside her—the one with the wide-brimmed witch hat tilted slightly to the side.

She tilted her head, a knowing little smile curving her lips.

“Judging from your uniform… you’re a foreign student, right?”

“Y-Yes, miss?” Cristo stammered, caught off guard by her sudden attention.

“Ah, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself.” She gave a playful curtsy, her hat bobbing as she spoke with a singsong lilt. “My name is Alice Holloway. It’s nice to meet you, Mister Cristo~”

Cristo’s breath hitched.

Alice Holloway?

The queen of cards.

The future Archmage.

The future master of the Magic Tower.

A magical genius not just of her century, but of a millennium—no, of ten thousand years.

That Alice Holloway?

Cristo’s mind almost went blank, his thoughts scattering in every direction like loose papers in a storm.

His lips parted, but no words came out.

Meeting her in real life—face-to-face, standing within arm’s reach—was nothing short of surreal.

She wasn’t a name written in books, or a news in taverns. She was here. Smiling.

Talking to him.

His heart pounded so hard he swore the girls might hear it.

‘Calm down, Cristo. Calm down. You’re here on a mission. You’re supposed to be composed, careful… not gawking like some love-struck fool.’

Waiting for his reply, Alice tilted her head slightly, her long hat swaying with the motion, her smile playful and patient as though she were teasing him without even trying.

“N-No, the honor’s mine, M-Miss Holloway,” Cristo managed to stammer out, bowing his head a little too quickly.

“Hehehe, calling me Alice is fine,” she said, her lips curling mischievously. “It seems we’re about the same age, so you don’t need to be so formal.”

“N-No, I couldn’t possibly—”

“Alice!” she cut in again, puffing her cheeks like a child demanding sweets.

“Th-Then… Lady Alice, then…”

“Hnn, how hard-headed,” she sighed with mock disappointment, though her eyes sparkled as if she were enjoying every second of watching him squirm. “I’m giving you quite the special privilege, you know. Since you’re a friend of a future family member, but oh well~”

She waved her hand airily as if letting him off the hook, then turned to the girl beside her.

“Ah, also this girl over here is Rose—Rose Brilliance. Hehe, she doesn’t really talk much to people she just meets, so please don’t think too badly of her.”

“I just don’t talk to people I don’t care about,” Rose said flatly, her voice calm and cutting, like the sharp edge of a blade.

Alice giggled, completely unfazed. “Hehehe, you’re as blunt as ever, Rose. Anyways, don’t take it too personally, okay, Cristo?”

Cristo nodded stiffly, because that was all he could do. His thoughts were a mess, his chest tight. Rose Brilliance…? That Rose Brilliance…?

Another bombshell name dropped, and his mind went blank all over again.

The Golden Child.

The radiant prodigy.

A magical genius who seemed to embody the very sun itself, her brilliance shining so brightly it threatened to burn anyone who looked too long.

She was still only in her second year, and yet her strength was already on the level of an Archmage—equal to Alice.

And now, here she was. Standing right in front of him.

Alice Holloway and Rose Brilliance. Two living legends of the century, side by side, casually introducing themselves like it was nothing.

Cristo swallowed hard, his throat dry.

Why?

Why were these two with Seo of all people?

Cristo’s brain scrambled for answers, none of them making sense.

Alice Holloway and Rose Brilliance… with Seo?

Were they… friends?

No, that sounded absurd, yet the way they walked and spoke together, the way their presence overlapped so naturally—it was the only logical conclusion.

Unless…

Unless all those ridiculous rumors about her were real.

“Anyways, it’s nice meeting you, Cristo. We’re about to go do our daily morning exercises now, so see you soon.”

Alice’s cheery voice snapped him back to reality. With a graceful wave of her hand, she and Rose followed alongside Seo, the three of them moving off like some scene from a dream he shouldn’t have been allowed to witness.

Cristo just stood there frozen, his shadow still cloaking his body, his mind reeling.

He felt like he’d stumbled upon something critical—something that could tip the scales in ways he wasn’t ready for.

Whether Hajey would be pleased with this discovery or absolutely furious… was an entirely different matter.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, wondering how the hell he was supposed to report this.

…

Meanwhile, as the three girls put some distance between themselves and Cristo, Alice suddenly slowed her steps.

Glancing back over her shoulder, her sharp eyes lingered on the spot where he had stood, a faint crease forming on her brow.

“By the way, Seo,” she said casually, “that Cristo guy… is he perhaps using dangerous potions?”

Seo blinked. “…I don’t think so. Why?”

“Well…” Alice twirled a finger through her hair, her gaze turning thoughtful. “It’s just… his essence seemed strange. Too intertwined with another’s. Like he’s borrowing something that isn’t entirely his.”

Seo frowned. “…I don’t know about that. But he does tend to do weird things with my elder brother…”

“Is that so?” Alice murmured, her curiosity sharpening for just a moment before she let out a light laugh.

“Yes.”

Alice tilted her head, still mulling it over. Cristo’s essence felt off, like threads tangled in a knot, too unnatural for an ordinary servant.

But after a moment she shook her head, brushing the thought aside.

“Since we’re training together, should we head to Killian Hall’s central training grounds?” Rose asked, her voice calm as ever.

Seo gave a short nod.

“Hn~ haha, I’m actually a little excited,” Alice chimed in, her wide-brimmed hat swaying slightly as she clasped her hands behind her back. “Who would’ve thought the day would come when we’d be doing physical training together? Hehehe, this almost feels surreal.”

Of course, for someone like Alice Holloway or Rose Brilliance, physical combat wasn’t exactly a necessity.

Their magical abilities alone far outshone anything their peers could bring to the table.

But with the Academy’s sudden decision to emphasize physical training for young mages, even prodigies like them couldn’t simply skip out.

The professors had been surprisingly considerate at first, guiding the magical department students gently into the new curriculum.

After all, swinging a sword or running laps wasn’t their specialty. But the fact remained—grades were grades, and evaluations mattered.

For Alice and Rose, though, this wasn’t just about passing.

They both understood that building endurance, discipline, and a different kind of combat sense could only help them in the long run.

Specially against nightly activities with Riley…

So, when Seo agreed to train with them, they welcomed the chance wholeheartedly.

“Please take care of us, Seo,” Alice said with a teasing smile as they arrived at the field. “We’re still a bit new to physical training, so… please be gentle with us, okay?”

“Alright…” Seo’s voice was flat, but she nodded.

…

Thirty minutes later.

“P-Please… c-can we stop now!!!” Alice gasped, her once-cheerful tone replaced by desperate wheezing as she stumbled across the field. Her arms flailed as she tried to keep running, her hat long discarded somewhere in the grass.

Seo, jogging effortlessly beside her, didn’t even break a sweat. She shook her head calmly, her ebony hair swaying like nothing about this was difficult.

“Rose… you’re off balance again,” Seo called out, her gaze shifting.

A short distance away, Rose stood with her practice sword in hand, sweat glistening across her brow.

Her expression was tight with focus as she tried to adjust her stance for the umpteenth time.

“Tch…” she clicked her tongue softly, her pride pricked.

Even someone hailed as the Golden Child struggled to keep up when forced into an arena that wasn’t her own.

Meanwhile, Alice tripped on her own foot and almost fell flat on her face.

“Haa… haa… Seo… this isn’t training… this is tortureee!” Alice cried dramatically, barely clinging to her stamina.

Seo simply glanced at her, her expression unreadable. “…You’ve only run ten laps.”

Alice wailed in despair.

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