......

  ......

  “All right, that’s the end of today’s magic class. You may all head home now.”

  As soon as Colette dismissed the class, dozens of boys and girls erupted into noisy chatter and scattered in all directions.

  “Oh, wait a minute—Hulim, could you stay behind for a moment?”

  Amid the bustling crowd, a girl came to a halt.

  “Yes, Ms. Colette.”

  Hulim fought against the flow of the crowd, following Colette toward the staff lounge.

  Neither of them noticed that not far behind them, a figure was glaring daggers at their backs—or rather, at Hulim specifically.

  “Damn it, it’s always Hulim! What makes her so special?! My magic skills are just as good as hers, aren’t they?!”

  Fran Banton seethed with anger, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

  “I refuse to believe it! I’ve been studying magic for just as long as she has, and she doesn’t even have a private magic tutor at home! And yet—her progress in three different elemental affinities is on par with mine! There’s no way this is normal!”

  “There has to be something fishy going on here!”

  After Hulim followed Colette into the staff lounge,

  Colette’s demeanor softened noticeably, losing the strict edge she’d had in class.

  “How’s that wand working out for you, Hulim? Have you gotten the hang of it yet?”

  “Yes, Ms. Colette. I’ve completely mastered it these past few days.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I know you can’t bring it to school with you right now, but don’t slack off on your practice when you’re at home, okay? Magic is the kind of skill that only gets better with constant effort and dedication.”

  “I understand, Ms. Colette. I won’t let you down.”

  Hulim replied with a serious expression.

  “Hahaha, you’re such a hard worker, Hulim—sometimes I don’t even know what else to teach you!”

  Colette teased, a playful glint in her eyes.

  Hulim: “......”

  “Though speaking of practice—while honing your spellcasting is important, don’t neglect the theoretical side of magic class either. Otherwise, you might end up as a ‘magic illiterate’—someone who can cast spells but has no clue how they actually work. That would be quite embarrassing, wouldn’t it?”

  What Colette was referring to here was the theoretical knowledge taught in magic class. Magic lessons weren’t just about teaching students how to wield spells, after all.

  Understanding magic, recognizing its underlying principles, and learning to analyze spell structures were equally crucial parts of the curriculum. Magic was an incredibly broad field, with practical branches ranging from alchemy and magitek engineering to potionology and array magic.

  These disciplines were deeply intertwined with daily life. In fact, many common household items relied on this knowledge—for example, the glowing lamps made from luminite that lit up people’s homes, which combined both magitek engineering and array magic.

  It was precisely for this reason that teaching basic magic theory was one of the core missions of the Preliminary Academy’s magic program.

  “I understand, Ms. Colette. I’ll make sure to study the theory just as diligently.”

  Hulim nodded earnestly, her gaze unwavering.

  “Ehh...... Hulim, I was only joking around, you know? You don’t have to take it so seriously! You’re already more diligent than any student I’ve ever had!”

  Colette exclaimed, caught off guard by her student’s intense dedication.

  Hulim: “......”

  Is that so?

  Hulim blinked in confusion. Compared to the grueling training sessions she endured with Semiris, the workload from class felt like a walk in the park.

  Speaking of training—what had Semiris been up to lately, anyway?

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Colette had only asked Hulim to stay behind to check in on her wand progress, so after a few more casual words, she let her leave.

  Hulim exited the school gate and headed down the street leading south.

  And not long after she departed the school grounds, a sneaky figure slunk out from behind a tree and began tailing her at a distance.

  “Hmph! I’m not leaving until I uncover your little secret today, Hulim!”

  Fran, with her golden curly pigtails bouncing angrily, snorted softly and continued her pursuit.

  Perhaps because she was in the safe confines of the town, Hulim wasn’t particularly vigilant. Or maybe the bustling crowds masked the sound of her pursuer’s footsteps—in any case, she remained completely unaware that she was being followed.

  “Wait a minute—this is strange! Hulim’s house is southeast of here, isn’t it? Why is she still heading straight south? Shouldn’t she be turning east by now?”

  When Fran followed Hulim to an intersection, she watched in bewilderment as Hulim ignored the eastern road that led to her home and kept walking south instead.

  “I knew it! There is something going on here! Heh heh, Hulim—I’m going to expose your secret once and for all today!”

  Convinced that she was on the verge of catching Hulim red-handed, Fran’s spirits soared, and she quickened her pace to keep up.

  And as Fran had suspected, Hulim really was heading somewhere special—the forest on the southern outskirts of Mentor Town, near the mines.

  Ever since she’d started her training sessions with Semiris, Hulim had made it a habit to stop by the forest every day after school for practice before finally going home.

  At first, her parents had been curious about why she always came home so late. But over time, they’d grown accustomed to it, simply assuming that their young daughter was off playing with friends somewhere in town.

  To save time, Hulim took the shortest route possible—which happened to cut through a dilapidated neighborhood on the edge of town......

  “Ugh—what kind of place is this?! Why on earth would Hulim come to a dump like this?!”

  Fran wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stared at the messy, desolate street ahead. There were barely any pedestrians in sight, and the few people who did pass by hurried along with their heads down, as if eager to escape the area. In the shadows of the alleyways, small groups of men loitered—their rough appearances and menacing gazes making it clear they were up to no good.

  Fran hesitated, a surge of reluctance washing over her at the thought of stepping foot into such a seedy place.

  But then she caught sight of Hulim’s retreating figure, growing smaller and smaller in the distance. With a determined huff, she steeled her resolve.

  “No way! I’ve come this far—I can’t give up now! And if Hulim is brave enough to wander around this dump, then so am I! Besides, if I miss this chance, who knows how long it’ll be before I get another shot at uncovering her secret!”

  With a look of grim determination, Fran stepped into the run-down neighborhood.

  Though she tried to convince herself with those brave words, deep down she was simply thinking, If Hulim can walk around here without any problems, then I’ll be fine too. It was a naive, reckless assumption at best.

  ......

  Splash!

  “Ugh—what the heck is this?!”

  It didn’t take long for Fran to regret her decision. She’d only taken a few steps into the neighborhood when she accidentally stepped into a puddle of murky sewage. Her clean, polished leather shoes were instantly caked in filth, and tiny droplets of the disgusting muck splattered onto the white stockings covering her calves.

  When she leaned down to sniff the stench wafting up from her shoes, she gagged at the foul odor of rotting garbage and waste.

  Fran’s face twisted in revulsion. She frantically scraped her shoes against the dry pavement, trying to wipe off the worst of the grime—but the stains on her stockings were impossible to remove. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and endure the sickening feeling.

  “Oh no! I lost track of her!”

  Once her shoes were somewhat clean, Fran suddenly remembered she was supposed to be tailing Hulim.

  She whipped her head up in a panic—and just caught a glimpse of Hulim turning the corner onto another street, her figure vanishing from sight in an instant.

  Fran’s heart raced with anxiety. She didn’t even bother to finish cleaning her shoes, breaking into a clumsy run as she chased after Hulim.

  “Huff...... Huff...... Huff......”

  Panting heavily, Fran sprinted all the way to the corner where Hulim had disappeared. Without stopping to check her surroundings, she skidded around the bend—and then—

  Thud!

  She crashed headfirst into someone’s solid chest.

  “Ow! That hurts!”

  The impact sent Fran stumbling backward, and she landed hard on her bottom.

  “Ah—?!”

  “Which brainless little brat dares sneak up on me?!”

  A harsh, gravelly voice boomed above her, sending a shiver down her spine.

  Fran’s heart skipped a beat in fear. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in her rear end as she brushed the dirt off her dress. When she looked up, she found herself staring into the angry glares of two burly men—one with a buzzcut, the other completely bald—both dressed like thugs.

  “Hey, boss! Check her out—she’s a real looker!”

  The buzzcut thug’s eyes lit up with greed as he took in Fran’s elegant clothes and pretty face.

  “I see that, you idiot! Keep your voice down!”

  The bald thug slammed a fist into the buzzcut’s head, then turned his attention back to Fran, a cruel smirk spreading across his face.

  “Well, well, well~. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a little lady here. Don’t you think you ought to apologize for bumping into me like that, huh~?”

  Fran’s hands trembled slightly, but she forced herself to stand tall, trying her best to sound calm and collected.

  “I’m sorry. I apologize for bumping into you. Now, if you’ll excuse me—I’m in a hurry.”

  “Heh heh! Boss, this chick’s gotta be a noble, right? Look at that fancy dress she’s wearing!”

  “Damn straight! No commoner dresses like that—she’s definitely a noble’s daughter, no doubt about it~!”

  “Ha! We’re so lucky! We just got to this town, and we already stumbled upon a prize like this! A noble lady—she’ll fetch us a pretty penny on the black market, don’t you think?”

  The two men didn’t even bother to hide their malicious intentions, openly discussing their vile plans right in front of her. Even if Fran had been naive enough to miss the danger earlier, there was no mistaking it now.

  These men were criminals—bad news, through and through......