"Hahaha!"

With her report card in hand, Eleanor laughed triumphantly as she stood on the podium.

She had secured the position as the top student for the semester, and the Millennium Library pass was now hers.

In front of her, was Aria, openly displaying an irritated expression, while Leighton drooped his head in astonishment behind her.

While Aria's dissatisfaction stemmed due to the fact she lost to Eleanor, Leighton was despairing over failing to obtain the Millennium Library pass.

Despite his best efforts to obtain it, he had ultimately failed to secure the top spot in Deus' exam.

On top of that, he even lost second place to Aria, causing him to feel an indescribable sense of loss.

"Hahaha! Keuk! Cough! Cough!"

With veins popping up in her eyes, Eleanor laughed hysterically until she eventually choked on her own saliva.

After struggling to clear her throat, she stopped laughing and began to boast in a different manner.

"You ignorant people, kneel before me! I am the top student!"

"That's a rather risky statement from the perspective of a princess."

It was a remark that, if misunderstood, could lead to rumors that the Princess was looking down on the entire kingdom.

After a moment of hesitation at Aria's advice, Eleanor stretched out her hand again and shouted.

"Will you kneel before me, all you silly commoners? For I am the top student!"

"Hmm, that seems somewhat acceptable."

After Aria nodded approvingly at the slightly softened expression of the Princess, Eleanor happily waved about the Millennium Library pass like a flag.

It was nice seeing her smile so brightly, and her innocent celebration of her victory made her seem more like a typical female student of her age than a princess.

After enjoying herself for a while, Eleanor exhaled loudly as she descended from the podium and approached Leighton.

She casually placed the library pass on Leighton's desk. Leighton looked at her with confusion, not understanding the situation.

Eleanor winked in response.

"I'm a princess, you know? I can just go in whenever I want to, so someone who really needs it can have it."

Eleanor only worked hard because she wanted to excel in Deus' subject and become the top student. She didn't really need the library pass.

"Ah."

Leighton nervously picked up the library pass in front of him with trembling hands as if it was something really precious.

"I’m in second place, so why are you giving it to him?"

"What are you yapping about? Anyone below first place is just a loser, you loser."

"You must be happy with your high grades. As for me, I need to go because Professor called me."

"...Why did he only call for you? I'm the top student."

When Eleanor asked with pursed lips, Aria responded with a mocking smile and stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Who knows? Miss First Place, you should just stare at your report card peacefully. However, since I lost, I'll go to Professor and accept my defeat as I sit on his lap."

"Hey! Let's go together!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Only I was called!"

"What did you just say? Nonsense? Nonsense?! You have insulted royalty, so you deserve capital punishment! Prepare the execution ground! I will immediately summon Tyren here!"

Simply bringing up the name of the presiding Mage Tribunal Judge without reserve showed the reality of Eleanor's position.

However, unfortunately, her opponent was someone who could be called a transcendent.

"Oh, call him then! Call him if you want to! Go ahead, Princess! And while you do that… I'll go to Professor!"

"Hey! Let's go together!"

Aria dashed out of the classroom at an incredible speed, with Eleanor chasing after her.

A mana backblast swept through the place where the two of them were, showing just how serious they were.

At that spot, Leighton held onto the library pass he had received as a gift tightly and stared vacantly at the place where the two girls had been.

"Princess..."

It was at that moment that the pitiful boy's first love blossomed.

***

The Norseweden mountain range.

It had been a day since Darius and Deia of the Verdi Household had left for the territory of the Bright Household.

It was quite risky for both of them to leave their posts vacant at the same time, but they still made arrangements because it was a meeting between families for Deus, the second son of the household.

However, it didn't mean that the defenses of the mountain range were slackened.

If anything, they were enforced more strictly. Any mistake made during this time would cause harm to the head of the household, Margrave Darius.

In fact, it was not advisable for the both of them to leave their posts like this, but the Palace allowed it temporarily because it was related to the marriage of the Soul Whisperer.

The one who was taking over their duties briefly was Margrave Hellian from a nearby territory.

He used to be quite friendly with Darius, but after learning that Deus was a Dark Mage, he distanced himself from Darius.

Although he had agreed to take responsibility for the mountain range until Darius returned back to the Verdi mansion, in reality, he was just idling his time away.

After all, the only ones crossing the mountain range were slaves from the Clark Republic, and it was not difficult to deal with them.

"No matter how I look at this, it’s still a bit too much."

"What do you mean?"

At the peak of the mountain range.

Two people were chatting away at the border outpost to pass their time.

"I’m talking about Margrave Hellian. He has received a lot of help from our Lord in the past, but he seemed very reluctant to come here and help us this time, don’t you think so?”

"Well, it’s probably because it’s already cold in Norseweden."

"Tsk, he’ll probably just sit by the fireplace in the mansion, drinking coffee."

"That's also true."

Although they were laughing together, that didn't mean they were lax in their guard duty.

Sensing a presence, they immediately raised their spears and turned around. They could hear footsteps in the snow coming from behind them.

"Baguette!"

When the person yelled out the secret code, laughter came from the other side in response.

"Lemon juice. You're working hard. Here's a snack delivery for you."

"Ah, it's you guys?"

Climbing up the mountain were members of the Scrapyard Nomads.

Since they often helped around with odd jobs, they had frequently crossed paths with the guards and had become friendly with them. So, now they were able to interact with each other easily, without any reservations.

"Phew, it’s even colder since this place is quite high."

"Let's hurry. We also need to offer a tribute to the Mountain Lord."

Just as the two members of the Scrapyard Nomads were about to turn around after handing over a simple snack.

Rustle—

Once again, the sound of footsteps in the snow could be heard.

However, this time, it wasn’t coming from the direction of Norseweden, but from the direction of the Clark Republic.

The four of them tensed up simultaneously and followed the sound of the footsteps with their eyes.

At the end of their sight, stood a very tall man who had already taken his place.

His tall figure contrasted with his slender frame.

He wore a black coat and hat, and had a badge of the extermination unit pinned to his chest.

"Hey! You there! Beyond this is the territory of the Griffin Kingdom!"

Despite the guard's warning, the man did not slow down in the slightest.

He continued to steadily draw closer.

"Huh?"

However, one of the Scrapyard Nomads members stared in astonishment as he recognized the approaching man.

"Doberman?"

Bang!

And that was the end of him.

In an instant, a bullet flew out from the firearm in Doberman's hand, piercing through the forehead of the member of the Scrapyard Nomads, accompanied by the bone-chilling sound of a gunshot.

"T-this’s crazy!"

"Request for backup immediately!"

"Doberman!"

The guards hurriedly requested for backup. Meanwhile, the other member of the Scrapyard Nomads hugged his fallen comrade while glaring at Doberman.

He was the cool-headed hound who had been at the forefront of the resistance, shouting for the freedom of the Republic alongside Findenai.

So, why was he, wearing the attire and badge of the extermination unit, crossing the mountain range alone?

Red eyes, drooling at the mouth, and a strange mechanical device attached to the back of his neck.

At that moment, the rumor about brainwashing devices circulating in the Clark Republic, like something from an urban myth, came to mind.

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out.

This time, it pierced the heart of the guard next to him, who fell onto the snowy ground.

No matter how much they tried, they were unable to keep up or react to Doberman's swift movements.

As the surviving member of the Scrapyard Nomads moved to take cover…

Bang!

Another gunshot echoed in the distance. Then, he felt an impact on his head.

Thud.

He heard something falling, and it didn't take long for him to realize that it was himself.

The sky spun around as his vision blurred with a reddish tint.

The member of the Scrapyard Nomads realized he was dying.

Amidst all this, Doberman's voice could be heard, choppy and strained.

"Fin-den…ai."

Doberman was solely focused on finding one woman.

***

The winter vacation at the academy would begin tomorrow, and I was packing my bags, getting ready to leave for the family meeting with the Bright Household. However, I heard a knock at the door.

Thinking it might be Erica, I opened the door without much thought, but to my surprise, I found Findenai standing there calmly.

"What do you need?"

Findenai replied to my question with a chuckle.

"I’m just dropping by."

In her hand was a bottle of liquor, filled to the brim. I did not know where she got it from, but it seemed quite luxurious.

However, I felt like I had seen it somewhere before.

"I secretly stole it from the Dean's office."

"..."

It must have been a part of the Dean's alcohol collection. If he found out, he would most likely throw a fit. However, Findenai seemed indifferent as she shook the wine glasses she held between her fingers and stepped inside.

"Are you packing? Isn’t this kind of thing usually left to the maid?"

"If I leave it to you, it will not be done properly. Hence, I am doing it myself."

"Jeez, you know me too well."

Findenai shrugged as she sat down on the chair in my room. She placed the bottle and glasses down, then pulled out a club from her waist.

With a swing that made a sharp sound, the club transformed into an axe.

Even though I felt this way every time I saw it, Findenai’s weapon was really inadequate compared to her skill.

Findenai used the axe to skillfully remove the cork from the bottle, and then she handed me a glass.

"Take a glass."

"...What are you up to?"

Ignoring my question, Findenai silently poured liquor into the glass.

She then slowly raised the glass.

I, too, raised my glass in response to her proposal.

The atmosphere was set as the glasses clinked together, creating a unique resonance.

Under the gentle light of the bulb.

Findenai looked down at her glass and replied with a bitter smile.

"I don't really like moments like this either. It's better to just laugh and talk while having meat together."

"..."

"However, it is a bit different this time. Um, I want it to be a bit special."

Without her usual broad smile or her lewd yet inappropriate speech, Findenai's bitter smile, which had subtly settled on her face, stuck to me.

"At least for our last one…"