Chapter 104: Growing Pains (3)

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In the end, Karl passed the student council recommendation on to another cadet.

“Student council?”

Hearing Karl’s words, Luis wore an intrigued expression.

It was just after the midterm exams of the first semester.

It was the time when proactive candidates gradually began gathering people to challenge for the next student council.

Luis had been thinking that perhaps an invitation might come his way, but he never expected a cadet of the same grade, and of all people, Karl, to approach him first.

‘As expected, he shows interest.’

The student council party at Alecdima had been carefully arranged by Darius.

But even for Karl, managing student council duties while handling academy life and overseeing Nox was somewhat too much to ask.

It might be different when he reached second or third year, but for now, he seemed physically short on time.

‘Nox also requires attention on multiple fronts.’

He had just infiltrated the capital, not settled in stably.

He could only claim to have secured his position after taking control of Lahan and bringing the Western 3rd Commercial District under his influence.

To prepare for any contingencies, he planned not to be tied down to any single location within Bayern either.

In that sense, the relic exploration club was the optimal choice.

However, that did not make refusing Alecdima’s proposal any less regrettable.

So, to make the most of the current situation, he structured things as they were now.

‘Alecdima said he was the cadet closest to the student council president at this point.’

Darius surely knew this and had introduced him for that reason.

Thus, Karl decided to place a better card in that position, one that could replace him.

A cadet who was highly regarded by Karl, interested in the student council title, and impressive even in Alecdima’s eyes.

Fortunately, Luis seemed to have thought similarly and subtly showed interest as soon as the invitation was extended.

“I know Senior Alecdima well. I’ve met him a few times at the social gatherings too.”

“He offered because of your friendship with my brother, but I don’t think I would really fit in.”

“Why? You have the title of top of theory. There’s nothing better for earning the cadets’ trust.”

“Then I’d receive more attention than necessary. I don’t particularly enjoy that.”

“From what I see, you seem to enjoy it enough.”

Luis smiled wryly.

He must have been referring to the photo taken with Laisis during the practical survival test.

Karl smiled awkwardly at the remark and stayed silent.

‘It was genuinely just goodwill.’

He hadn’t imagined the test hall’s structure would result in such a situation.

He had arranged it to accommodate her, yet it turned out like this.

He felt a bit sorry for Laisis, but what had happened could not be undone.

‘At first, I thought it was because of my grades.’

After the exam, when walking around the academy grounds, he noticed that people’s gazes on him had intensified.

Karl naturally assumed it was because he had set a new high score on the theory exam.

After all, the score was unprecedented in that field.

He had been called to the office and showered with praise from professors and instructors.

Naturally, he thought his status among cadets had risen, but…

‘The image I’ve worked hard to build has been completely overshadowed.’

His polite and diligent image had instantly turned into that of a lover.

Of course, knowing it was temporary, he assumed that if he acted consistently, things would soon return to normal.

Sometimes he thought of taking advantage of it, but fearing Laisis might feel uncomfortable, he chose silence.

“Alright. Let’s talk with Senior Alecdima.”

“It will go well.”

“If it goes well, I’ll repay you later.”

After the bloody battle with Nerian during the practical survival test.

Luis realized that something within him was changing.

‘Could this be a blessing?’

The trajectory of the wind, which he had only seen with his eyes, gradually seemed to appeal to him.

It asked him to look their way, to feel them.

Sometimes, when walking alone in the garden late at night, he felt their whispers against his skin.

If this was truly a sign of awakening the wind’s blessing, he would now be able to stand as an equal without yielding to Nerian.

At the same time, he could restore the Wolfsburg family’s prestige, which had slightly faltered, back to its former state.

‘The student council might not be so bad.’

Though he had lost the top spot, Nerian seemed uninterested in academy activities.

He also knew that Nerian had only nominally joined clubs without actively participating.

In this context, if he, a rival of Nerian, actively engaged in school activities, his reputation would rise and overtake him.

“……”

Karl nodded, having read these thoughts in Luis’s expression.

A few days later, he heard that Luis had decided to join Alecdima’s side.

‘With Luis at Alecdima’s side, he should win without trouble.’

Among the first-year cadets, Nerian, Laisis, Yuria, Luis, and the top of theory himself were the five most famous.

But except for Luis, the other four had no intention of running in the election.

Other factions had scouted and put forward first-year cadets, but compared to Luis, they were far inferior.

Since Alecdima himself was already a leading figure with a well-known name, he would likely be elected smoothly unless some problem arose.

‘All I have to do is enjoy the sweet fruits through connections.’

It was truly a pleasure without responsibility.

“Karl, how about this spell formula here?”

After all the lectures for the day had ended.

Karl was conducting a magic study session with Yuria.

When they were both free, they met once a week, and when busy, once every two weeks.

For reference, Yuria had secured the top score among the magicians.

Overall, Nerian was first, Laisis second, and Luis narrowly took third, with Yuria placing fourth.

In some ways, it was similar to or slightly worse than her entrance exam results, but Yuria herself seemed unbothered, relieved that the exams were over.

“Hm, using the second law for this method seems inefficient. We should consider using another formula. I’ll look for a suitable alternative briefly.”

The work Karl was currently doing was refining the spell formula of “Four Seasons,” which was Yuria’s long-standing project and theme.

Structuring the overall framework was Yuria’s responsibility.

No matter how brilliant and knowledgeable Karl was, it was difficult for him to surpass her in magic specialization.

He was overwhelmingly behind in the total amount of knowledge, practical application, and skill.

So, he focused on identifying and correcting errors or inefficiencies in the already established formula to make use of her intellect.

Even though the study had only just begun, they had improved efficiency by 0.71%.

Though 0.71% seemed trivial, it was actually a tremendous achievement.

“Phew, let’s call it a day for now.”

“Thank you for your efforts.”

Yuria wiped the sweat from her forehead and carefully organized the formula they had worked on.

It was a task requiring near-perfect precision.

Even a single mistake could cause disaster, so extreme caution was necessary.

…The fortunate thing was that Karl’s help had allowed many improvements.

‘Ever since Karl started helping, the efficiency has improved unbelievably.’

Theoretically, improving efficiency by 0.1% required achieving a 30% advancement.

As of today, they had achieved 0.71% improvement.

Had she worked alone, it would have taken at least another six months.

She felt like she wanted to give him a kiss out of gratitude, but she couldn’t.

‘How smart can he be?’

Even she needed time to review the “Four Seasons” formula, yet he grasped the context with ease.

Of course, even without understanding every detail, his ability was astonishing.

If Karl had majored in magic…

‘He would have been incredible. Any magic tower would have had him as its youngest tower master without surprise.’

Perhaps even her mentor, who had set her up as the next tower master, would have been impressed.

After hesitating for a moment, Yuria spoke to Karl.

“Karl.”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing this vacation?”

“…The midterm exams just ended, and you’re already planning your vacation?”

“The earlier you plan, the better. If you don’t have any plans yet, I was going to suggest you come visit the magic tower.”

“You said that before. But is it really okay to visit a magic tower for fun?”

“Not all magic towers are so rigid. Of course, it differs from tower to tower, but ours isn’t that dull. We have plenty of leisure facilities. It’s just that being a closed place, outsiders don’t know much about it.”

“I see.”

Karl showed curiosity.

The magicians who had taught him had shared many stories about magic towers.

They said that magicians belonging to a tower were just components in a rigid structure.

Everything moved according to the tower master’s decisions, and the tower’s and tower master’s honor were more important than anything.

Even if it meant enduring some unreasonable situations, tower members had to comply.

If they didn’t like it, they could leave or be expelled.

‘Since it’s a closed place, rejection and political maneuvering are more intense.’

In that case, Karl wouldn’t be intimidated, but he had no intention of joining a tower at this point.

The most important thing now was Nox, which had just entered the capital.

“Then I’ll take you up on that during vacation.”

“Yeah, don’t feel too pressured. I plan to invite Laisis and others too.”

“It’s nice to have the heir to a magic tower as a friend.”

“Right?”

Yuria smiled softly.

It was the first time anyone had said something like that to her.

As they laughed and talked, she suddenly recalled a recent event.

“Karl, did something happen?”

“Yes.”

“With Laisis?”

“Ah.”

Faced with Yuria’s direct question, Karl gave a wry smile and shook his head.

“I believe you’ve heard about what happened during the practical understanding test.”

“Yes, it’s quite famous.”

“I trust you understand it was a misunderstanding.”

“Hmm, a misunderstanding.”

“Since the test was over anyway, I acted out of humanitarian consideration. Laisis looked tired, and my goodwill was involved, but there was no need for unnecessary conflict.”

“Right.”

“After that, the practical exercises targeting the Temple of the Fallen Heretic were fine, but…”

“She started avoiding you?”

“Yes.”

Karl nodded.

Two things troubled him.

‘Was it because I showed her fighting a lich, or because she was conscious of rumors?’

Either way, it wasn’t too worrisome, but Karl preferred solving such things through direct conversation.

“…I see.”

After a moment of thought, Yuria nodded deeply and looked at Karl.

“Alright, then leave it to me. I’ll go talk to her.”

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