The ceremony to honor Maizen Tyren’s defeat was a modest affair.

Unlike last time, they refrained from the pomp and grandeur of gathering all the students.

Distinguished personalities such as the Stella Magic Knights, Stella Board of Directors, Stella Tower shareholders, and Stella Magic Research Council were present at the ceremony.

Additionally, various Magic Tower-related individuals attended, making it quite an esteemed occasion for a first-year student.

The students being honored were Edna, Eisel, Hong Bi-Yeon, and other members of the Hong Bi-Yeon’s faction, led by Mayuseong and Baek Yu-Seol.

While Mayuseong and Baek Yu-Swol defeated Maizen, others were also recognized for their bravery in thwarting their enemies before the battle even began.

"Let us now present the awards."

In the spacious auditorium, around two hundred renowned mages gathered.

Orenha cast a bored gaze at Stella's students. He couldn't fathom their reasons for attending such a bothersome event merely because they happened to prevent an incident at the Heavenly Spirit Tree.

Despite his diplomatic and political expertise, their rationale eluded him. He was here out of sheer necessity.

Snap!

Cameras flashed all around.

Yes, those cameras were significant.

As the elf king's representative, Orenha personally bestowed the awards and had the moment captured in photographs to spread the message,

"No matter what the Dark Mages did, Stella and the Heavenly Spirit Tree maintain a strong bond!"

That was the intention behind it.

The fact that even the brightest minds could behave so childishly was beyond his understanding.

However, if the Dark Mages, who posed a threat to the world's safety, could act in such a way, there was no reason why the world's most prestigious magical institution couldn't follow suit.

What a comical world.

"First-year Class S, Mayuseong, you have become an exemplary role model for your fellow students...."

Handsome and beautiful boys and girls received accolades from the council's elders.

It might be a formal and dull affair, but it meant a great deal to those students.

Orenha stood alongside them, waiting to give them the second medal bearing the engraving of the "Heavenly Spirit Tree."

The students who received two medals at once had joy written all over their faces.

"Congratulations."

In a dry tone, Orenha handed them the medal, and Mayuseong responded with a cool smile and a nod.

"Thank you."

Hmm?

For a moment, Orenha sensed something eerie from him, but... upon reevaluation, the student seemed entirely ordinary.

He might possess greater power compared to others his age, but that was all.

'... It's a strange feeling.'

He felt uneasy that his senses reacted so keenly to a mere student, but he managed to control his emotions.

If a sour expression of his got captured in a photograph and became a topic for the Heavenly Spirit Tree Elders, it would earn Florin’s resentment and he didn’t want that.

Next, he awarded a commendation to a small, unremarkable student who seemed to have some kind of boyish charm.

The rumor was that these two students, Baek Yu-Seol and the other one, had taken down a Level 6 Danger Dark Mage, but looking at his appearance, it was hard to believe such a feat.

However, that was the extent of it.

Orenha couldn't find anything particularly intriguing about it.

But when he reached out to pin the medal on Baek Yu-Seol, a strange "energy" emanating from the student sent shivers down Orenha's spine.

"This is...!"

He recognized it; it was the energy of Spirit Celestia, Florin’s old friend.

He quickly glanced around, but it seemed he was the only High Elf who noticed this energy.

Well, to the uninitiated humans, the ability to perceive the energy of familiars simply didn't exist.

"Is there a problem?"

The council's magician inquired, but Orenha swiftly composed himself and awarded Baek Yu-Seol the medal.

Then, he began to contemplate rapidly.

‘Why do I sense Celestia’s energy from him?’

No matter how much he pondered, there was only one plausible answer.

‘He is the one who killed Celestia.’

Of course, it was still merely a conjecture.

Divine Slayers inherently possessed corrupted souls, and High Elves' senses would react keenly to such darkness.

Since he didn't sense any of that from Baek Yu-Seol, he couldn't be entirely sure.

… However, his thoughts soon shifted.

In the Divine Realm, even the divine barriers had been breached and dark mages infiltrated, so was it impossible for someone to possess a technique to conceal a corrupted soul?

Even though he was Stella's disciple, it was almost inconceivable for two Class 3 mage to defeat a Level 6 Danger Dark Mage.

Baek Yu-Seol might have claimed good luck, but... what if he possessed abilities he couldn't reveal to others?

What if he indeed held the power of a familiar...

Furthermore, did he enroll at Stella to hide that power and cleanse his reputation...

The pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly.

‘Baek Yu-Seol.’

He was the culprit who killed Celestia, the very person Florin was desperately searching for, fueled by her grudges.

If he captured him and offered him to Florin... surely, he would gain her favor.

‘Not yet.’

At the moment, there was no concrete evidence.

Moreover, it would be more effective to build up gradually rather than immediately offering him to Florin.

The best timing would be when her grudges grew stronger, and her worries deepened to the point where she couldn't suppress her emotions.

Anyway, she would once again infiltrate the deep fortress of the Primordial Mountains and have limited knowledge of what was happening outside.

And if he had completely taken control of the White Castle... he might be able to restrict the information coming to her.

Orenha held his quivering lower lip tightly.

‘Yes, I'll wait until then!’

If it meant creating the most dramatic situation possible, he could endure the short wait without any problem.

Shocking news of a Dark Mage raid had emerged during the Familiar Contract ceremony.

Nevertheless, Stella's first-year class continued their lessons undeterred.

There were no frantic parents storming in, exclaiming, "Isn't this dangerous?!"

After all, Stella's academy was specifically designed to train magical warriors to combat Dark Mages.

Of course, many parents secretly hoped their children wouldn't become magical warriors, even though they enrolled them at Stella.

Most nobles were like that.

Holding the title of a magical warrior was considered an impressive achievement in the current magical society, and so, even if they didn't intend to fight Dark Mages for their entire lives, sending their children to the academy to obtain the qualification was a common practice.

As a result, they couldn't individually protest against such incidents, lest they give the impression that their child was merely seeking the magical warrior qualification and then retiring.

Time flew by, and summer arrived.

Around this time, a new subject was introduced:

"Let's Get Acquainted with Our Familiars!"

Each year, around 50 to 100 students succeeded in forming contracts with Familiars, prompting separate education to build a bond with these mystical entities.

Professor Pedellote was in charge of the subject, "Raising Familiars Together by Our Side."

Despite her considerable stature, Professor Pedellote seemed like an ordinary middle-aged woman from the neighborhood at first glance.

However, her warm smile left a lasting impression on the students.

"How much do you know about Familiars? Familiars are mystical entities that evolve into animals. Most of them have beautiful and extravagant forms, and young Familiars are particularly known for their cuteness."

While this class was not mandatory, it was immensely popular among female students.

The chance to observe adorable and gentle yet mischievous familiars throughout the class made it an enjoyable experience, not to mention earning them credits.

"Getting friendly with Familiars isn't difficult. You just need to open your heart and try to understand them."

Eisel couldn't help but sigh deeply. She had hoped for a Familiar other than the grandiosely named "Thunder-Blizzard Sparrow."

Despite its impressive name, the familiar turned out to be a small, cute sparrow.

However, its personality was quite terrible, combining the overly sensitive nature of a cat with the behavior of a preschooler.

Trying to befriend such a malevolent being seemed like an absurd endeavor.

It appeared that other students felt the same, evident from the dark circles under their eyes, which reflected their exhaustion.

Professor Pedellote, on the other hand, appeared to be the only one gleefully smiling.

"To get closer to your Familiar, you need to know what they like. Sometimes, giving them gifts will make them happy! It's also great to play with them frequently, and there are many ways to do that."

And so on and so forth.

While the students listened passively, their attention heightened when Professor Pedellote summoned a giant tiger and spoke about the possibility of summoning Familiars to fight alongside them on the battlefield.

Familiar summoning intrigued them all.

The familiars contracted to form a bond with the students and had to reach their peak of friendliness.

Occasionally, magic warriors witnessed scenes where these familiars, in the form of dragons, flew around and fought.

This had ignited a burning passion in their hearts.

However, that didn't last long.

Soon they faced reality and deflated.

"Why! What do I even want to do!"

"Ugh! You're annoying! You said we would have fun, so why are you playing tricks on me!"

"This way and that way! What do you want from me!"

The students' angry cries echoed in all directions.

Since each student's familiar was visible only to them, it created a comical sight as they vented their frustrations into the air.

Even Eisel was not much different.

Beep!

A blue sparrow playfully pecked at Eisel’s head as she walked around absent-mindedly.

Tired of fooling around for so long, Eisel sat down with annoyance.

"Ugh, I'm so annoyed..."

Thus, she couldn't get close to the adorable and mischievous Familiar named "Puleumi" until the end of the lecture.

{TN:- Puleumi" is "푸름이." The name "푸름이" is a cute and affectionate way of saying "blue" in Korean. It is often used as a nickname for pets or endearing characters with blue features or personalities.}

"Don't be disheartened, everyone~ We have plenty of time~!"

"Yeah..."

"Yes..."

Leaving Professor Pedellote, who seemed to be enjoying herself alone, Eisel and the students left the lecture hall together.

"The next class is in 30 minutes..."

It seemed like there was some free time, so she thought of going back to the Class S classroom to take a short break.

"Phew..."

Lately, she had been feeling like her energy was draining away. Maybe she should start taking some supplements.

The incident during the Familiar Contract Ceremony was one thing, but meeting the person she despised so much, and by chance... finding out about the "incurable disease" of Baek Yu-Seol... all of that took a toll on her.

It wasn't her body that felt exhausted.

It was her heart.

Was there anything she could do?

That thought wouldn't leave her mind.

"Hey, Eisel!"

"Huh? Yeah?"

As she walked down the corridor absent-mindedly, she heard Harrien's voice from afar.

Harrien ran towards Eisel with an excited expression, and fired off words rapidly.

"Hey, you won't believe it! Did you see the announcement!"

"...No?"

"Quick, quick!"

Harrien led Eisel, and rushed towards the bulletin board in the main tower classroom.

Even Eisel, who had good stamina despite living vigorously in her own way, found herself breathing heavily as they hurried.

Buzzing.

Students from all grades were gathered around the bulletin board, chatting lively.

"Oh, by the way."

When the summer season approached, various events took place.

"Aslan Seminar."

"Academy Tournament (Duel & Battle Royale),"

"Arcanium Grand Festival.”

And many other events were held.

Among them, the most notable ones were undoubtedly the "Aslan Seminar" and the "Academy Battle."

Especially the Aslan Seminar was a debate presentation attended by the most attention-worthy geniuses among magic aspirants worldwide.

Many elites from all over the world were eager to participate in the Aslan Seminar, and if they qualified, their faces and names would be featured in the "Magic Column," the most prominent column in the magical world.

Naturally, everyone's attention would be focused on them.

There, the following names were written:

[Emerging Rising Star of the Year]

[Eisel Morph]

[Cellyn]

Eisel’s name was firmly displayed.

"What... What is this...?"

Unexpectedly finding her name in a place she never expected, she was taken aback and couldn't even utter a word.

"Hey, you're really amazing!"

Harrien shook her shoulder in excitement, barely letting Eisel regain her composure.

"Unbelievable..."

It was as if she had been betrayed already, so she hadn't expected anything in the first place.

On the day of the entrance ceremony, she couldn't help but wonder if her research on ice magic had truly shined through in the paper she submitted.

"I, I...”

She stammered, trying to contain the overwhelming emotions that surged within her, and covered her mouth with both hands.

A voice approached from behind, breaking her thoughts, "Hello? You must be Eisel?"

Eisel turned to see a girl standing there, her name tag clearly stating "[S-2 Cellyn]."

She was one of the participants from Aslan who attended Stella this year.

Cellyn’s long black hair flowed freely as she adjusted her glasses, and with a faintly sinister smile, she extended her hand for a handshake.

"So, we'll be attending the seminar together... Nice to meet you."

"Ah, yes... Senior.”

She replied, still feeling flustered, and shook her hand.

However, despite her smile, there was something about Cellyn's demeanor that didn't seem genuine.

It was as if she was looking down on her.

"Oh, by the way, yes. I read your paper on the day of the entrance ceremony. You did make some interesting discoveries.”

Cellyn’s tone carried a hint of dismissiveness.

"Ah... thank you.”

She murmured, not sure how to react to her comment.

"But it was kind of mediocre," Cellyn continued, smirking slightly. "Sure, it was an interesting discovery to handle ice in that way, but that's about it, right? You stumbled upon a new spell by chance. Let's face it; you're just an ordinary high school student with average abilities. Even if you claim otherwise, this is probably the extent of your skills."

Her words stung, but Eisel understood why she had sought her out—to provoke a reaction.

However, she had grown accustomed to such situations, so she simply turned away, maintaining her composure.

"Oh yes, Senior, you are truly remarkable. Your discerning eye probably doesn't even bother to notice the magic of a junior like me. I really want to see your magic at the seminar.”

Eisel replied politely, pulling her friend Harrien along with her towards the classroom.

Cellyn's fixed expression didn't bother her; she had learned not to let the opinions of those who disliked her affect her mood.

After all, it was just one senior from the second grade trying to pick a fight.

"Anyway, the sky is clear, and the clouds are drifting away~"

Eisel hummed to herself, feeling that the recent stress in her life made such trivial matters seem like child's play.