Langard, Royal Residence of the Ninth Princess Alicia Serions.

  "Hulim, I’m sorry the welcome party is a bit simple."

  Alicia apologized.

  "Mm~," Hulim said, shoving a pastry into her mouth. "Why are you apologizing, Alicia?"

  "As long as there are delicious pastries, I’m more than satisfied!"

  With that, she popped another pastry into her mouth.

  "Mm, mm, yeah! Alicia cares too much about formalities~!"

  Beside her, Miko—with cream still on her mouth, eating quite unladylike—said to Alicia.

  "We don’t need all that trouble between us~!"

  Alicia smiled at her words.

  "You’re right."

  "By the way, Alicia."

  Hulim picked up a handkerchief and reached out to Miko.

  "You’ve become really strong now."

  Miko leaned to the side, dodging the handkerchief.

  "I heard~"

  Hulim stretched out her left hand, grabbed Miko’s cat ear, and pulled her over to wipe the cream from her mouth.

  "The faction you built has grown strong enough to rival the other three. It’s hard to believe you did it in just three years—impressive."

  "About that...... It actually has a lot to do with you, Hulim."

  Alicia said with a smile.

  "Me?"

  Hulim froze, turning to look at Alicia—completely ignoring Miko’s aggrieved gaze as she held her ear.

  "Yes."

  Alicia nodded.

  "How could it have anything to do with me? I didn’t do anything."

  "Hmm, where should I start explaining......"

  Alicia thought for a moment.

  "Hulim, do you know who the main group of imperial nobles supporting me are now?"

  "Who?"

  "Many of them are nobles associated with the Knights Order. So you should understand now, right?"

  "The Knights Order? So what?"

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  Hulim asked instinctively.

  "Uh......"

  Alicia looked at Hulim helplessly.

  "Because...... you’re the direct descendant of the Royal Guardian Knight, Hulim."

  "Royal Guardian Knight? Oh......"

  Hulim suddenly realized.

  She’d almost forgotten her family held that title......

  That explained it.

  As mentioned before, the royal family of the Parasara Empire was essentially meritocratic—emperors throughout history were chosen based on ability.

  Even among Manacos’ students, Alicia was one of the most outstanding. In the midterm assessment of her third year, she even ranked first in the entire academy with her overall performance!

  That was an incredible feat, especially for a member of the imperial royal family.

  After all, Manacos’ students came from across the continent!

  In past history, any imperial royal with the talent to enter Manacos would gain the right to inherit the throne.

  However, few of them graduated with excellent grades, and even fewer graduated in the top ranks!

  Judging from the current situation, even if Alicia didn’t become the first royal family member in history to graduate first, she would definitely graduate in the top three—something rarely seen in history.

  And once she graduated like that,

  it would mean Alicia had completely surpassed the other candidates in talent, securing her position as the royal family’s top genius. Her weight in the line of succession would also increase drastically.

  Perhaps it was because of this that Alicia—who had been overlooked when she first enrolled three years ago—suddenly became a strong contender for the throne in the eyes of imperial nobles. It was only natural that they flocked to ally with her.

  And this trend intensified when Hulim became famous across the Indam Federation.

  The fact that Hulim Heyerar, Miko Kedar, and Alicia Serions formed a future team battle group was no secret among imperial nobles—anyone could find out with a little investigation.

  Naturally, Hulim and Miko were seen as natural allies of Alicia’s faction.

  As the descendant of the Royal Guardian Knight, and even a genius surpassing the Royal Guardian Knight herself, Hulim was rightfully regarded as the one to restore the glory of the Royal Guardian Knight.

  Alicia thus naturally gained the favor of nobles with ties to the Knights Order. It was inevitable that a large number of such nobles would align with her.

  "......This feeling is really strange."

  Hulim said, sipping her tea.

  "Strange? In what way?"

  Alicia asked.

  "Well...... It’s like, not long ago, I was someone the big shots didn’t pay much attention to—an insignificant person. But suddenly, I’ve become someone who can influence the overall situation. It feels unreal......"

  "Haha, I see. After all, you’ve been away for almost a year, Hulim. And to be honest, I sometimes feel the same way. Dealing with those people is so tiring—I just want to cover myself with a blanket and ignore everything."

  "Ahem!"

  Martina, standing beside Alicia, suddenly coughed.

  "Uh......"

  Alicia’s smile faltered slightly.

  "Martina, i-it’s okay! Miko and Hulim won’t tell anyone."

  "I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Highness Alicia."

  Martina said in a flat, expressionless tone.

  "I just have a bit of a sore throat."

  With that, Martina bowed slightly to Hulim and Miko, apologizing: "I’m very sorry, Princess Miko, Lady Hulim. I’ve disturbed you both."

  "Huh? N-No problem!"

  Miko quickly shook her head.

  "It’s fine, Ms. Martina. Please don’t worry about it."

  Hulim added.

  ......She couldn’t help but feel that Alicia’s personal steward exuded an unyielding aura—she was a bit intimidating!

  This person shouldn’t be offended.

  "Oh, right—"

  Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Alicia quickly changed the subject.

  "Hulim, are you really planning to graduate this year? You took a year off school, which means you’ve only studied for two years!"

  "Yeah."

  Hulim nodded.

  "There’s no need to stay longer. I’ll graduate with Miko and Alicia."

  "I see...... Well, that makes sense—after all, you’re the top student, Hulim!"

  "What’s with that response? It sounds like it’s only natural because it’s me. And stop calling me the top student."

  "Hahaha~!"

  Alicia couldn’t help but laugh.

  "Actually," Hulim continued, "there’s another reason."

  "We’re a three-person team. If one person is missing when we graduate, we won’t even meet the minimum number requirement for the team assessment—that would be bad, right?"

  "You’re absolutely right! We’re a team! The three of us together are invincible in the team assessment!"

  Miko shouted, then took a big bite of cake.

  "Hmm, but if that’s the case......" Alicia thought, "Hulim, you’re probably going to be very busy next."