Chapter 22
“Yaaawn~”
Ellen entered Minerva Academy while yawning widely.
As always, the crowd that revered Clements swarmed around her.
“Ellen. I haven’t seen that outfit before.”
“There’s no brand. Isn’t it custom-made? Even the material is unique, just by looking at it!”
“Senior! Did you have a good weekend!”
Leading the naturally formed crowd, Ellen headed to the Classroom.
Everyone had enough tact not to follow her into the Classroom unless they were in the same class. Even if they did follow her in, they wouldn’t bother her.
“…”
Tossing her bag onto her desk, Ellen shoved her hands into her pockets and rolled her eyes around.
Flora Crimsonhowl was not in the Classroom.
‘Girl, hasn’t she arrived yet? Why is she so slow.’
From the moment she arrived at school first, Ellen already felt like she had won.
Perhaps thanks to the Change of Pace from the request, her condition was at its peak.
‘Today won’t be like last time.’
She would return their win rate to fifty-fifty. And then she would take the upper hand.
Even if she used an irregular pattern, she was confident she could respond.
“Hmhmhm~”
Taking her seat, Ellen hummed and put on the wireless headphones hanging around her neck.
She tapped her toes to the beat.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve had the perfect angle for gacha. Should I go before work?’
She had told him not to include tagging along as part of her part-timer duties in the request, but Max not only paid for her taxi fare but also gave her a considerable amount of cash, saying she had worked hard.
“Our Max has quite the sense~”
She had planned to hold off until she received her salary, but getting a bonus like this meant there was no reason not to do it. It was time to recharge her dopamine after a long while.
Because gacha was the very reason Ellen started her Part-time Job.
‘The Rhythm Busters collaboration started this week. I’m pulling it no matter what.’
Filling her consciousness with such happy plans, she her excitement grew.
By the time five songs blasting from her headset had passed, someone tapped her shoulder.
“Huh?”
Ellen lowered her headset to her neck and looked back.
Flora Crimsonhowl was standing there with bewildered eyes. She was close to expressionless as always, but for some reason, her Assessment could be read clearly.
“What is it?”
Of course, Ellen was bewildered too.
For Flora to come to her seat first was something that had never happened in the three years they had spent as rivals.
“You, who…”
“That?”
“…”
Flora mumbled after mentioning 'that'.
She looked very confused, to the point where one of her usually sharply perked ears was folded down.
“If you called me, then speak. What are you talking about?”
Ellen was frustrated too. Did she only have one or two belongings? If she included the badges and keyrings on her bag, the number of valuables by Ellen’s standards exceeded several dozen.
It was hard to understand unless she specified exactly what she was talking about.
However, looking at it from the other side, Flora’s position wasn’t easy either.
“This scent is definitely… coming from that piece of clothing, right?”
Was the scent she caught in the office really Ellen Clements’s? Were Clements and Steiger related?
Where? How? Why?
Was this even something she should touch upon in the first place? What if her nose had caught some sort of relationship they were trying to hide? Should she ask mother first?
Flora’s mind was as complicated as the decorations Ellen had attached to her bag.
“”…””
The gazes of the two cadets, called the strongest in the history of Minerva Academy, clashed.
The other cadets in the Classroom held their Breath. There were even cadets who stealthily backed away, wondering if a fight would break out.
A silence where one second felt like a year.
The one who broke this silence was a Cadet who opened the front door and came in.
“Message from the Instructor! Today’s first period is Sparring! Everyone come early and warm up!”
The atmosphere was broken.
Ellen stood up from her seat and growled.
“If you have nothing to say, move.”
“…”
Flora watched Ellen as she brushed right past her.
Max and Ellen’s scents mixed together, aggravating Flora’s confusion.
··
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It was a common occurrence for the class order to change at Minerva Academy.
It was highly volatile due to various factors such as the Academy’s circumstances tied to the corporations of Haze, VIP visits that required the instructors to move, and rapidly changing weather.
And so, the first period.
Hwoooong - !!!
A storm made of flames raged in the Arena.
Electric currents fiercely jutted out through the flames surrounding the opponent in a dome shape, then increased in output and pushed the fire away.
Ellen frowned.
Flora’s magic was strange. It wasn’t irregular like their last match, nor was it orthodox like always.
It was a bland attack, as if her mind were shaken.
“Why is there no energy in this! Is magic a joke to you!”
A thunderbolt followed Ellen’s sharp shout. - rumble! A bolt of lightning struck down on the spot where Flora was standing.
“…”
Strength entered the corners of Flora’s eyes as she blocked the lightning with her Shield.
Her Magic Circuit grew the flames and raised the output.
“Ahaha! Your eyes are vicious! Do you feel like finally trying!”
Ellen raised the corners of her mouth. She similarly increased her output.
Electric currents stretched out in all directions.
The golden lines rooted in her Black Horns faintly emitted a bright light.
Flora and Ellen knew.
This was simply a match.
When a match was conducted between cadets who handled magic, there was a rule that the Cadet who stepped backward from his or her spot lost.
Therefore, the most important were the sense and strategy to dig into the gaps in the opponent’s perception. There was no need to use magic that emphasized destructive power.
Both of them definitely knew that the magic they were preparing right now was excessive.
“Stop! That’s enough! End match!”
At the unusual flow of magical power, the Instructor urgently sent a stop signal.
If it were the usual Flora, she would have accepted the Instructor’s words and stopped her magic immediately, but today was different.
She was so absorbed in the match that she couldn’t hear the sounds outside.
Flora finished her Spell Construction.
A Wolf made of flames appeared and spread heat with a howling sound. - Awoooo!!!
[Lupa]
It was the first Unique Magic Flora Crimsonhowl created after achieving the 5th-tier.
“Go bite her.”
Receiving the command, the Wolf growled at the empty air and dashed forward.
It narrowed the distance with Ellen at a tremendous speed. The will to crush her with power was clearly conveyed.
“Girl! I’ll make you cry out Flo-o-o-t!”
Ellen also finished her Spell Construction to Counter Flora.
Magical power and electric currents gathered between the horns, the symbol of Dragonkin, creating a round mass.
[Lightning Dragon Orb]
Similarly, it was the Unique Magic Ellen Clements created upon reaching the 5th-tier.
It fired a high-output electric current in a straight line.
Its destructive power was the highest of the magic Ellen could wield. - Kaaak!
The Flame Wolf rushed in with its jaws wide open.
Ellen aimed at Flora and fired the electric current.
* * *
As Max was contemplating his lunch menu, Yu Wi-gang visited the office.
He wondered why he had come when the payment was already settled, but it turned out he wanted to express his gratitude.
He also brought an envelope filled with cash, calling it a gift.
“Customer, your complexion looks better than before.”
“Haha… At first, I had all sorts of thoughts, but after watching the video again, I only think I did well. I also slept soundly for the first time in a while.”
“Is your work okay? I imagine the incident might have caused some disruptions.”
“There’s no problem. I continued working at the Hub Tower over the weekend, so today is my day off.”
He said that the fact he didn’t leave the Hub Tower and kept his post even after receiving the news about his wife left a good impression on the Corporation.
An attitude that prioritized the Corporation’s profits above all else.
It was the ideal talent sought by the corporations established in Haze.
“Thanks to you, Mercenary, I even received a vacation, though I have no intention of holding a funeral for my wife.”
“That’s a relief. Please take care of your mental health and rest comfortably.”
Yu Wi-gang nodded and sipped his coffee.
“I also received a call from Eco Scrap, a subcontractor of Nimbus Express, apologizing for its poor Employee management.”
“Oho, to apologize instead of feigning ignorance… That’s unexpected.”
It seemed Yu Wi-gang’s position made it laughably easy to strangle and twist the arms of subcontractors.
“The incident was concluded as the power of a 3rd-Tier Mercenary breaking the Hotel’s tempered glass and the Mercenary falling.”
“That’s a desirable picture.”
The situation itself of a 3rd-Tier Mercenary, not even an ordinary Person, just falling to death was incredibly ridiculous, but covering up incidents was a common occurrence.
Because interest cooled down just as quickly, there would be no updated news regarding the incident, even if one searched today.
Yu Wi-gang, who had been sharing the aftermath with Max, checked a message and grabbed his bag.
Seeing him prepare to leave, Max also stood up from his seat.
“Unfortunately, I made plans to drink with a friend for the first time in years, so I should get going. It’s been so long since I’ve had daytime drinks that I’m excited like a child.”
“Haha! I’m jealous.”
“If you ever have a need to use Nimbus Express, please contact me anytime.”
“Thank you. I will pray for your happy future, Customer.”
Likewise, he didn’t say he would wait for another request.
An office Worker visiting a Mercenary Office wasn’t exactly good news, generally speaking.
“Have a good time.”
Max sent off Yu Wi-gang, who had found freedom and happiness like that.
And in the quieted office, he comfortably contemplated his lunch.
It was without knowing what was happening at the Academy.