"Ugh."

The White Tiger Tower student who was properly ambushed collapsed on the spot.

Another student next to him shouted in surprise.

"Wardanaz!!!"

"Yeah."

"Wha... What are you doing! Why are you attacking us! Are you crazy?!"

"You guys threw the turkey at me first."

"We... We were playing around! It was a joke!"

"It was a joke, huh."

"Yeah!"

"I see."

Yi-Han chanted a spell while swinging his staff.

Then, wine gushed out from the wine barrel and formed into orbs.

Seeing that, the White Tiger Tower student's face turned pale. Even while heavily drunk, the drunkenness seemed to disappear.

Yi-Han's water element magic that every White Tiger Tower student knew!

"Everyone, dod... Ugh!"

"What are you dodging, you crazy bastards."

"Wardanaz is here! Wardanaz is here, hey! Hey!! Stop chugging alcohol! I said Wardanaz is here!"

The White Tiger Tower students sitting near the banquet hall corridor noticed the anomaly and screamed, but it didn't get through because the banquet hall was too noisy.

The White Tiger Tower students who were happily throwing food at each other in the spacious banquet hall belatedly discovered Yi-Han.

"Wha... Ugh!"

"Thi... Ack!"

"Why the hell... Cough!"

"Help Wardanaz!"

Salko, who came to his senses belatedly, shouted fiercely.

The Black Tortoise Tower students rushed in and attacked the White Tiger Tower students.

No matter how skilled the White Tiger Tower students were in close combat, their hands and feet didn't match in this heavily drunk state.

"You... You cowardly bastards...! When we were drunk and off guard... Hiccup!"

"..."

Jijel got up from her seat and moved her position towards the duke.

She didn't want to get involved in that pathetic mess.

"I apologize. Duke. It seems like everyone's jokes went a bit too far."

Yi-Han apologized after pushing the White Tiger Tower students aside.

In fact, he realized that Duke Icaldoren was sitting at the head table a little after the fight started.

The White Tiger Tower guys were playing around so freely that he didn't even think the duke would be in the banquet hall.

'Are they really crazy?'

Throwing wine glasses and food while playing around in front of the duke.

It was a gut that surpassed Gainando.

Anyway, since the duke was present, he had to apologize, at least for courtesy's sake, for causing this brawl in front of him. Yi-Han bowed his head.

"No, it was enjoyable to feel the boiling passion of young talents."

Duke Icaldoren's face looked really happy.

Seeing that, Yi-Han thought to himself.

'He has unique tastes.'

To think he would like the White Tiger Tower students making a mess by throwing pies and cakes at each other like that.

If he went to see a pigsty, he might even give a standing ovation.

'I feel so refreshed.'

Duke Icaldoren looked at Yi-Han with great pleasure.

He had been eyeing him as a talent, and today's display was very impressive.

How satisfying it was to see him firmly subduing the piglets grunting in the banquet hall...

"The cleanup is all done."

The banquet hall, which had been a mess, was cleaned up in an instant. Yi-Han and his friends came in and took their seats in the banquet hall.

"..."

"Should we not wake them up?"

The White Tiger Tower students were lying down and snoring in the corner of the banquet hall.

Both Yi-Han and the duke ignored them, pretending not to see.

"To think this many Einroguard students would visit... I'm really happy."

"If you wish, I will invite more and bring them next time."

"!"

At Yi-Han's words, Duke Icaldoren's eyes flashed sharply.

That boy from the Wardanaz family was an ambitious person who caught the venomous pollutant last time and blatantly hinted at his own value to the duke.

Such an ambitious person wouldn't act like this without any thought.

The reason for bringing so many Einroguard students...?

'Connections...!'

Even among Einroguard graduates, there weren't as many people with wide friendships as one might think.

The duke also knew that Einroguard was divided into towers and they didn't mix with each other.

But for Wardanaz, who belonged to the Blue Dragon Tower, to bring students from other towers like that (although his relationship with the White Tiger Tower seemed very bad).

It was an amazing capacity that couldn't be shown to just anyone.

An appearance that could only be shown by someone born with the dignity of a great noble!

'He's only a first-year... His future is frightening.'

The duke had upgraded Yi-Han from simply being a talented new student to a young ambitious person worthy of sitting across the table as an equal at their last meeting.

But at today's meeting, he felt a very faint sense of wariness.

He was genuinely afraid of his future appearance.

"Shall I bring something to drink?"

At the servant's question, Yi-Han firmly said.

"Please prepare some food."

"...Yes."

The servant had cautiously asked if he should only bring drinks because of the students who had caused that mess earlier.

He was a bit worried for nothing, but what could he do?

The servant withdrew to contact the kitchen.

'Refusing drinks and asking to prepare food? Is he trying to buy time instead of talking right away? Why?'

Duke Icaldoren was lost in deep thought alone.

Seeing that, Dolgyu asked Jijel in an anxious voice.

"Is he angry?"

"Are you going to keep asking what you can know even with just eyeballs? If you're going to do that, pay silver coins and ask."

Yi-Han whispered to Salko.

"Eat as much as possible. Salko. This is free."

"Wardanaz. You really should have come to the Black Tortoise Tower."

It was fortunate for the servants.

The meal of the three tower students was much more peaceful and quiet.

The priests carefully used knives to cut the steak and thanked the duke with a polite attitude after each bite.

Duke Icaldoren, who usually didn't get emotionally moved by such greetings, couldn't help but feel pleased after seeing the White Tiger Tower students' mess earlier. The duke thought he should send some donations to each temple when this banquet was over.

The meal of the Black Tortoise Tower students was noisier than the priests, but it was only to the extent of being friendly. Considering they were students, it was rather good because it was fresh.

"How do I eat this?"

"Give it to me. I'll cut it for you. You don't cut it with force, but cut the joint part here and then peel off the shell."

"Nillia...!"

"As expected, Nillia is different even if she's different, right?"

"There's dignity in her actions. It's not for nothing that she can mingle with nobles."

"..."

Ratford stopped Gainando, who was trying to stick his nose into the plate, by pulling the back of his head, and Yi-Han lifted the plate and placed it in front of the princess.

Adenart, who had been looking at the terrine made by hardening venison with seasoning but couldn't reach it due to the distance, slightly bowed her head in gratitude.

Seeing that, Rowena asked in surprise.

"How did you know what she wanted?"

"She kept glancing at it."

"Is that so? I thought she was contemplating the riddle today..."

'I don't think anyone would contemplate while looking at a plate.'

Rowena pondered for a moment and asked.

"If you take care of her like this, wouldn't you already be friends?"

"Is that what you call a friend?"

"More like a servant."

"A nanny."

"A butler would be better."

When other Blue Dragon Tower students coldly commented, Rowena became gloomy.

After taking care of everyone around him who needed to be taken care of, Yi-Han turned his gaze to the duke.

The duke was waiting with a smile on his face without any change in expression.

Such behavior showed the true nature of people, excluding their usual stinginess towards those not of royal blood.

"Duke. I have something I'm curious about regarding the riddle."

"Ask me anything."

When Yi-Han spoke, the duke brightened up like a person who had skipped a meal and received food.

"I thought the riddle you gave was a metaphorical riddle for something. For example, the moon..."

"You guessed it perfectly!"

"..."

"..."

Suddenly, Yi-Han's face froze.

Yonaire's face next to him also froze. The two quickly exchanged glances.

'...Was it really a metaphorical riddle?'

'I thought it was a bit strange...!'

Not knowing that the two's expressions had stiffened, the duke continued.

It was natural for the person who gave the riddle to feel embarrassed when the person who was supposed to solve it couldn't and brought a strange answer.

The duke had been contemplating whether he should make it easier for them to understand because the princess's followers kept forcibly bringing answers to the riddle he gave.

Although the possibility was slim, there could be rumors like 'Duke Icaldoren acknowledged the wrong riddle as correct out of consideration,' so he had been quite troubled...

But to think they brought the correct answer like this.

"That's right. That was the correct answer."

"I-I see."

Yi-Han unconsciously glanced at the princess and her followers.

It seemed like they hadn't heard the conversation between the duke and Yi-Han yet because they were eating.

"Rowena?"

"Yes?"

"Put the staff you brought down and never take it out."

"Pardon? Why do you say that?"

"...Just don't take it out."

When Yi-Han spoke seriously, Rowena was startled and nodded. Yi-Han thought he should apologize later.

After the meal, the duke threw questions at the students.

They were mainly questions about Einroguard.

"How are you doing at Einroguard?"

"Ter-... ...We are doing satisfactorily."

"Li-... ...I'm also doing alright."

Even the students who initially tried to tell the truth gave up and chose a safe answer when their tongues stopped due to the oath.

'What does the meal have to do with keeping secrets and knowledge!'

'Damn that oath!'

"I heard that the teachings of mages are very harsh."

"T-... ...I think that's because of the rumors from the past."

"That's right... Those rumors tend to leave a strong impression, so even more so..."

"...?"

The duke was very confused.

He clearly obtained information that life inside was quite difficult, but why was nothing matching, both last time and this time?

The more he knew, the more he felt like he was falling into a labyrinth.

"Still, thanks to Wardanaz here... We were able to lead a fairly good life."

"That's right. If it weren't for Mr. Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family, it might have been a little more difficult..."

When the story of Yi-Han came up, the duke listened with interest.

He already knew that he had a high reputation among the students, but still, hearing it like this allowed him to obtain information from a different perspective.

"He saved my life several times. Some crazy bastards attacked..."

"I was lucky."

At Salko's words, Yi-Han answered as if it was nothing.

However, at that moment, the duke received a shock as if struck by lightning.

He was instinctively convinced.

'No way!'

The people the duke had sent into the academy.

The crazy bastards that the Black Tortoise Tower student was talking about now could only be them.

In an academy like Einroguard, there couldn't be anyone else who would attack students, right?

'...Does that make sense?!'

Duke Icaldoren was not easily shaken, but this incident crossed the line.

It wasn't that he had sent some random people, but those expensive <Serpent of the Maple Tree> guys.

They weren't novices either. They were guys who were used to dealing with mages.

Even if it was inside a magic academy and there were professors, does it make sense that they couldn't subdue a single new student??

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand.

In the end, the duke lost his patience and brought up the question.

"By any chance, that attack..."

"Pro-... No, it's not."

"Sk-... It's nothing."

The other students ended with a bitter expression, saying no. The duke could only be more confused.

And the most confusing thing was...

'Isn't it too coincidental to be a coincidence! The person who stopped the attack is now approaching this Duke Icaldoren...'

The duke suddenly felt suffocated.

It felt like he was a puppet being played on someone's palm.

It was a profound pressure, unfamiliar except when facing the Emperor.