Top second-year student.
Daughter of Viscount Persia.
Next student council president.
Titles like these made Astina shine.
Although there were people more outstanding than her, they didn't ignore her.
They respected her, thinking she could catch up to them someday.
However, Rudy Astria was different.
"What on earth?"
Even after being rejected by Rudy Astria, Astina continued to investigate him.
At first, it was out of curiosity, but now it was out of resentment.
Of course, considering the reputation of the Astria ducal family, she thought they might behave this way.
The top wizard family of the empire and the most arrogant family.
Everyone knew of their fame.
But it felt terribly unfair to her that she had been treated this way by Rudy Astria.
In terms of magical ability and social life, Astina was more accomplished.
Yet, she couldn't fathom why he ignored her.
"Did he study all day today, too?"
"Yes."
Astina had the dormitory maids report on Rudy's activities.
It wasn't something the maids should be doing.
However, there was nothing money and fame couldn't achieve.
"Studying nonstop since the entrance ceremony... for a month?"
At first, Astina thought nothing of Rudy's studying for a few days.
But gradually, she sensed something was off.
Didn't he get tired?
Rudy Astria studied even on weekends without taking a break.
Of course, he was often seen shut in his room.
He might have been resting in his room, but seeing him studying at the library lately made her doubt it.
An incredibly hard worker.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})That's the only thought she had.
She believed she studied diligently too, but she didn't study without a single day off for a month.
She would chat with friends, go to places like bakeries to eat sweets, or go shopping.
However, Rudy Astria had none of that.
Recently, it seemed he had become friendly with a female student named Luna Railer.
Yet, there were no sightings of them going out to have fun or chatting happily together.
They were only seen studying at the library.
I could make an educated guess at this point.
The reason Rudy Astria was abandoned by his family.
It might be due to a lack of talent.
Although he had exceptional magic skills for a first-year student, his abilities fell short compared to other members of the Astria family.
His older brother had achieved numerous accomplishments, such as becoming the academy's student council president as soon as he entered the academy and graduating as the top student.
Rudy Astria, who only managed to secure the top seat and failed to stand out in other ways, couldn't help but be compared to his older brother.
Considering the current situation, it wasn't because Rudy lacked effort compared to his brother.
Nor was there anything unusual about his behavior.
The only explanation left was a lack of talent.
Even with tireless effort within the family, he was still far inferior to his brother.
Seeing this, the head of the family decided to focus all resources on Rudy's brother and cast Rudy aside like a discarded child.
This was the story Astina Persia had imagined for Rudy Astria.
"Hmm..."
Were they kindred spirits?
Astina's reason for working so hard at the academy was to inherit her family's title.
There were currently two heirs in the Persia family.
Astina's older brother and Astina herself.
Astina's older brother wasn't particularly exceptional.
However, he was older than Astina and already held a knighthood, making him a strong contender to be the family's successor.
Astina didn't like this.
She felt that her brother would inherit the family simply because he was born before her.
She wanted to overthrow this.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})To do so, she needed to make a remarkable impression.
Her magical abilities were exceptional since her first year, so there was nothing more to say on that front.
That's when she came up with the idea of becoming the student council president.
She believed that if she demonstrated her capabilities as president, she could change her father's mind.
Being the student council president of Liberion Academy held significant meaning, after all.
In this regard, she saw similarities with Rudy Astria.
Perhaps he was striving so hard to gain recognition from his family.
He seemed to be walking an even more challenging path than her.
Astina's brother was a prodigy, but Rudy Astria's brother was known as the empire's greatest genius wizard.
While she struggled to surpass someone ordinarily exceptional, what kind of path was Rudy Astria walking?
A faint smile appeared on Astina's lips.
"I want to watch."
She wanted to see the path her kindred spirit would take.
Would he meet his demise?
Or would he persevere and achieve what he desired?
And she wanted to provide a little help as well.
Because she knew what kind of path it was.
She knew it was a difficult and arduous journey.
Liberion Academy's student cafeteria.
"Could you help me out?"
Astina wanted to keep him close.
So, the method she came up with was to bring him into her student council.
It was an excellent way to watch over him and understand his abilities.
Though he was the top student, she didn't know the extent of his abilities or what skills he possessed.
She wanted to know how good he was at magic, theory, handling paperwork, and understanding politics.
"I refuse," Rudy said firmly.
This response was expected.
"Answer sheets of previous exams."
Astina had a secret weapon prepared.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Rudy Astria wanted good grades.
If he wanted to improve his magic skills, he would have stayed in the research lab.
Of course, theoretical study was important for magic, but understanding the structure of magic and using it frequently was crucial.
Rudy Astria spent time not only in the research lab given to top students but also in the library and his room.
This meant he studied to achieve good grades.
So, she prepared answer sheets of exams.
"I'll give you the answer sheets of exams from the past five years."
Astina said to Rudy with a charming smile.
Then, Rudy's eyes wavered.
Astina added one more thing.
"You won't be able to get it anywhere else. I'm the only one who's collected this many answer sheets."
The truth of this statement wasn't certain.
However, it was probably true that she had more answer sheets than other students.
Even if it was a lie, it didn't matter much.
Rudy Astria had no friends other than Luna Railer.
Not only friends but also no acquaintances among seniors or close professors.
It was natural since he didn't socialize and studied every day.
So, he had no way to obtain or know about the answer sheets of previous exams.
"How about it? If you have the answer sheet, it won't matter if you have less study time."
Rudy Astria began to waver.
Astina thought he would accept, given his desire for good grades.
Just as she was about to smile victoriously, a voice came from behind.
"Rudy! Hello!"
Astina turned around to see Luna Railer.
"Did you come to eat?"
"Uh... Luna."
Luna Railer naturally sat next to Rudy Astria.
Despite Astina sitting in front of Rudy, Luna ignored her and spoke to Rudy.
Then, Riku, who followed Luna Railer, sat down opposite Astina and was surprised to see her.
"Ahh... Astina, senior! Hello!"
"Right, hello."
Astina casually greeted Riku and looked back at Luna Railer.
Then, she smiled sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, but we're having an important conversation. Can you move to another seat?"
Astina was slightly annoyed by Luna Railer's attitude.
Why was she, from a small baron family, interrupting their conversation?
"An important conversation? Is it something I shouldn't know?"
Luna grinned at Astina.
To others, it looked like an innocent smile, but to Astina, it was irritating.
Why was she suddenly appearing and interfering when she had almost caught the fish?
"It's not that important. I was just discussing a favor she asked of me."
Rudy explained the situation to Luna.
"A favor? What kind?"
"It's related to the student council, but I haven't heard the details yet."
Hearing that, Astina spoke up.
"It's about the secretary position."
Astina tilted her head.
Her plan had been slightly disrupted.
She had intended to vaguely ask for Rudy's help and then bring him into the student council.
She planned to pressure Rudy with a significant reward and get an answer, but Luna's presence ruined the atmosphere.
Rudy asked Astina, "Are you asking me to join the student council?"
"No, I just need you to handle the tasks while the position is vacant."
Though she said that, she could keep Rudy on the hook if she left the position open.
Astina intentionally avoided mentioning proper terms, aiming to keep Rudy involved.
Later, she planned to present proper conditions and have him continue as secretary.
"How long is the period?"
However, Luna sharply questioned the details.
"…I haven't thought that far ahead. Let's decide slowly."
Astina found Luna increasingly annoying. Who did she think she was?
Rudy asked, "Do you want the answer sheets?"
"Answer sheets?"
"Astina offered to give me the answer sheets of exams from the past five years if I fulfill her request."
Rudy explained when Luna expressed doubt.
However, someone else was surprised by this fact.
"Five... Five years of answer sheets? Why not do it? You even get the secretary position–!"
It was Rika, who had been sitting nearby.
"Can you be quiet?"
"Rika, please be quiet."
Luna and Astina both spoke to Rika at the same time.
"…Yes."
Overwhelmed by their presence, Rika bowed her head and began eating her meal.
"But Rudy is busy studying. If he takes the secretary job, he'll have less time to study, right?"
Luna spoke with an innocent expression, as if she had no ulterior motives.
Her face seemed to say, "I don't have any intentions; I'm just worried about you."
"With the sheets, he can study more efficiently, reducing the time needed for it."
Astina quickly intervened.
Her face was smiling, but a vein was bulging on her forehead.
What began as a negotiation between Rudy and Astina had turned into a battle of wits between Luna and Astina.
Rudy thought for a moment before speakin
g.
"Could you give me some time to think about it?"
"That's fine. Give me an answer within this week. I'd prefer a positive response."
Astina grinned and stood up from her seat.
"I'll leave first."
As Astina returned to her room, she pondered.
Luna Railer.
Why was she interfering like this?
It was irritating.
But it wasn't a big deal. Rudy would have a hard time refusing her offer.
He was like her, after all.
Someone who wants to achieve their goals.
***
"Ah, Luna."
After finishing our meal in the cafeteria, Luna and I stepped outside.
"I have a magic circle I want to create. Can you help me with it?"
"Magic circle?"
Luna tilted her head, curious.
"I need it for something."
Neither Luna nor I were skilled enough to create a proper magic circle yet.
However, I thought that if we combined our powers, we could make a decent one.
"What kind of magic circle?"
"Silent."
Silent, an intermediate magic, blocked surrounding noise.
I couldn't use it now, but I could create it as a magic circle.
Magic circles didn't require proficiency; if a properly drawn magic circle was on a 'scroll,' it could be used.
"I want to make a quiet space a bit larger."
Normally, the Silent magic could only be used in an incredibly small area.
But by using a magic circle, I hoped to make it effective in a larger space.
"An intermediate magic circle... I've never made one before... But I'll give it a try."
Upon hearing this, Riku, who had been standing nearby, looked at me suspiciously and asked menacingly,
"Where do you plan to use it?"
I had a specific place in mind for that magic circle.
The red-headed...
"Education."
I slightly raised the corner of my mouth.
"I want to use it for some education."
***
There we go! Finally acting like a villain!
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