Chapter 2
Belladonna
One Month Later – Draw Day
Dan Burn stood frozen in front of the roster sheet.
The paper clearly listed his designated partner for sparring and final testing…
Nora Ophilis.
“…”
He slowly looked away from the sheet… and turned to see Princess Nora in a sharp black uniform, standing tall as she discussed advanced magical theory with Professor McClaff in a focused, intense exchange.
Dan glanced back down at the list.
…Maybe this wouldn’t be that bad.
“All right, everyone has their partners now, right?”
It was TA Claire Palmer—the same upperclassman who’d shown Dan around the academy on his first day, and now the teaching assistant for Professor McClaff’s course.
Some students looked thrilled, some stunned, though most managed to keep their composure. They began lining up to submit their names.
But Claire raised her hand to stop them.
“Whoa there—hold it!”
Everyone: “?”
“Don’t say anything yet. I need to explain something.”
“Explain what, senpai?”
“I said no talking!”
“AAAH!”
Everyone went quiet. Even the normally stern Professor McClaff nudged Princess Nora to pay attention.
“This is a new system I’ve designed after collecting feedback over the past two years, aimed at improving our instructional methods. Huge thanks to Professor McClaff for his behind-the-scenes support. Everyone clap~!”
…
silence
“Clap. Unless you want to die, you little freshmen.”
enthusiastic clapping
Professor McClaff: rolls eyes
“So what’s this new system?”
“It’s super simple~!”
Normally, the person you drew became your fixed buddy for the semester. But in the past two years, feedback showed that students often had wildly different skill levels. Sometimes one person dragged the other down. Sometimes one didn’t even want to pursue magic at all. Or one was still undecided and ended up sinking their partner’s chances by dragging down the group score—which, while not as crucial as exams, still mattered if you wanted to make the cut.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
So, Claire had proposed a solution to the professor: the Trade System.
With this system, students could approach their assigned buddy and discuss whether or not they wanted to remain partners. If both agreed to part ways, they could walk over to other students with similar thinking and swap partners.
But the real kicker—the part that made everyone’s eyes light up:
The Trade System would be active for the entire semester.
That meant students could keep trading as long as both sides agreed. Strong buddies would become popular, able to negotiate and drive their own terms. Others, bouncing from trade to trade, might struggle to find a match.
Not only would this make the class more dynamic, it would teach students essential real-world skills: negotiation, compromise, and strategic thinking—not something you could learn from a book.
This was the first year Artheris Academy had officially implemented the Trade System, and every trade had to be registered with TA Claire to count. Unrecorded trades would be void and wouldn’t reflect on records—no cheating allowed.
Pairings would be shown on a giant screen in the courtyard. Everyone could see who was paired with whom. And any swaps would be updated in real-time.
Dan’s name was already on the display.
(Dan Burn, Nora Ophilis)
Across the courtyard, Zeedee had gotten lucky—she’d drawn one of the girls from the Angel Gang.
Black high heels clicked on stone as a pale-skinned girl dressed in black approached Dan.
“Looks like I’m your partner.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“You want to switch?”
Straight to the point, huh?
“I think it’s worth trying first. I wasn’t aiming for the magic track anyway.”
“Then just follow my lead.”
“Um… shouldn’t we work together, though?”
“How deep is your knowledge of magic?”
“…Uh…”
Dan deflated.
“Not nearly as deep as yours, Your Highness…”
“Whether it’s about partners or the trade system, I can work with anyone. You’ve seen Professor McClaff’s assignments, right? Could you complete them alone?”
“Maybe… if I had, uh… two months?”
“Too late.”
“Ugh…”
“Just show up on time. Library. Every McClaff day. We’ll do the assignments then.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Dan glanced sideways at Zeedee, who raised an eyebrow as if to say, “Your Highness, are you okay?”
He gave a quick shake of his head—don’t worry about it.
By the time he turned back… Nora was already walking away.
“She’s… really cold.”
“That’s just how Snowhaveners are,” said a voice beside him.
Dan turned to see—TA Claire Palmer.
“It’s freezing up there. People don’t smile much, talk even less. Gotta conserve energy. But hey, you’re lucky to get Princess Nora. You’re set on the assignments. As for the duel… well, that’s another story.”
“I thought we couldn’t fail this class?”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t trade. But hey, your choice.”
Pat!
She gave his back a friendly slap and walked off.
—
Academy Courtyard, by the Fountain
Dan lounged on a white bench. Zeedee sat nearby, munching bread during their lunch break.
“Well? There’s your chance. Ask her stuff when you’ve got time.”
“At least I’ve got someone carrying me now.”
“Mmhmm~”
“What about the scholarship? Any progress?”
“Oh, that—”
Zeedee pulled out a sheet she’d gotten from the admin office.
“Here are the details, Your Highness.”
“Let’s see.”
Reading…
“There are quite a few, but it looks like each one requires us to do something in exchange… which is fair. Nobody’s handing out free money.”
“They pay different amounts too.”
“For a full-term scholarship, what do I have to do? What’s the fastest route to funding?”
“Probably get assigned under a professor. Show off your skills. If it’s an engineering track, you’d do research. If it’s magic—like TA Claire—you’d have to develop new spells.”
“But personally, I think you should go for the knight track.”
“I was thinking the same. It pays full tuition and includes a salary. Hell yeah.”
“You’re applying, then?”
“I’ve got debts to pay.”
“Then I’m applying too.”
“You? For what? Magic?”
“Why not? If I can help pay off my tuition, that’s a win.”
“Thanks a lot. Let’s fill out the applications then.”
“Yessir!”
