Siana:"I spoke to Seriel before coming. You’ll never set foot in this school again."
Jake:"You don’t have that authority. You’re just a teacher, not the board."
Jake:"You know how much the Ardius family s, right? More than ten first-tier nobles combined. And you think they’ll let you expel me?"
Magic academies relied on noble funding. Cutting-edge facilities, rare tomes, and training grounds—all required money. Lose that, and the school’s prestige crumbled.
Sade, an Alpheas alumnus, knew this better than anyone. Losing Jake’s funding would hurt.
Jake:"Expulsion? That’s for the disciplinary committee to decide."
Siana:"No. You’re expelled. If the committee won’t do it, I’ll resign."
Sade froze. He disliked her cold demeanor, but her magical prowess was unmatched in the kingdom.
Jake:"Resign? Go ahead! Let’s see who they choose—you or my family’s gold."
As frost spiraled around Siana, Jake sneered.
Jake:"No funds? No teacher salaries. No library books. No training grounds. No magic devices. Money rules this world—everything has a price!"
Siana flicked her wrist. Ice shards erupted, encasing Jake in a prison of frozen spikes.
He barely shielded his face as the ice pinned him—neck, shoulders, ribs, legs—immobilized.
Shirone watched, awed.
Siana had conjured an Ice Tornado—freezing the air itself—yet left no wounds. Molecular-level control.
Siana walked forward.
Siana:"A student lecturing a teacher? Some things can’t be bought."
Siana:"Talent. Integrity. Compassion. Conviction. Wisdom. Sacrifice. Courage."
Jake’s teeth ground together.
Why does she torment me? He’d pay anything to silence her.
Siana snapped her fingers. The tornado detonated.
Ice shards peppered him. He couldn’t even open his eyes.
Siana:"Now you see, Jake? Money buys nothing. That’s why you have nothing."
She yanked him up by the collar.
Siana:"Schools don’t teach you for money. They teach you what money can’t buy. And you spat on that. Leave here, and no one will ever teach you again."
Jake’s lips trembled.
Siana:"You’ll be branded ’expelled’ forever. Rich? Sure. But you’ll drown in inferiority, knowing you threw away every future you could’ve had."
His heart pounded. Blood drained from his face.
Siana:"Your dreams end here."
The arrogance melted. A scared boy remained.
Tears streamed down. ’I can’t end . My life...’
He’d only been bold because of the school’s protection. Without it, the world wouldn’t care.
Jake collapsed to his knees.
Jake:"I... I’m sorry, Professor."
Defeat was inevitable.
Sobbing, he pressed his forehead to the floor.
Jake:"Don’t expel me. One more chance—I’ll study hard. I swear."
Even Shirone and Amy fell silent.
Every magic student understood the terror of losing one’s dreams.
Siana:"Apologize sincerely at the hearing. If you mean it, I’ll help you."
Jake:"Y-Yes... Professor."
Shirone watched, realizing:
Some things truly can’t be bought.
Even for the wealthy, dreams required one’s own effort.
The Black Magicians were detained for healing.
At the faculty meeting, Shirone explained how she’d countered their Anti-Magic.
Teacher:"You suppressed Anti-Magic with Spirit Zone?!"
Shirone:"Ethela’s lessons helped. Anti-Magic is a mental seesaw—I just held a defensive stance."
The teachers were stunned.
Siana examined Shirone’s pupils, then sighed.
Siana:"Never do that again. Anti-Magic could’ve cost you your magic forever."
Shirone’s stomach dropped. She’d been reckless.
Sade pressed further.
Sade:"Why didn’t you report this? Charging in alone was beyond reckless."
Amy and Shirone exchanged glances.
Amy:"Fine. The truth is... Shirone and I are dating."
Shirone’s soul nearly left her body.
Sade:"Since when?! You’ve never shown interest in romance!"
Amy:"We met as kids. Reconnected here. You know how it is!"
’This’ll work,’ she thought. Rumors beat expulsion.
Shirone, sweating, nodded.
Shirone:"Uh... Yeah."
Seriel:"I knew it! That’s why you were so protective!"
The teachers relented. Lovers rushing to save each other? That made sense.
Sade, grumbling, wrote:
"The victims, Shirone and Amy, are... in a wholesome relationship."
Within hours, everyone at Alpheas Magic Academy knew:
Shirone and Amy were a couple.
The large bulletin board had played a part, but it was mostly Seriel’s gossipy tales of heroism that had stirred the hearts of the girls.
Shirone, who had infiltrated enemy territory to save Amy.
Though the Black Magicians pressured him with anti-magic, he overcame them with the power of love and defeated them.
Rumor had it that the villainous leader, Jake, had been so overwhelmed by Shirone’s piercing gaze that he begged for mercy, tears and snot streaming down his face.
And at the heart of the story? The moment Shirone and Amy shared a kiss under the moonlight in the mountains.
Amy shouted, "Seriel! Do you want to die? What kind of rumors have you been spreading?"
Seriel cackled. "Kekeke! Why? It’s mostly true, isn’t it?"
"Mostly? It’s not true at all! When did I ever kiss Shirone?"
"Oh, stop playing coy. You’re dating, aren’t you? You must’ve kissed at least once! A story needs that kind of immersion, you know?"
"What kind of script is this? Why does immersion even matter?"
"It’s a good thing, though. Thanks to this, those annoying boys don’t even dare approach you anymore."
Amy had to admit—that part was satisfying.
The shockwaves must have been massive, given that the rumors claimed they weren’t just dating but had even sealed their relationship with a kiss.
"So, what’s the plan today? When are you meeting Shirone, huh? Huh?"
"I’ve decided to focus on my studies for now."
Amy’s tone carried a hint of disappointment.
Even if it was all fake, now that the scandal had spread throughout the school, it was only natural for her to feel self-conscious. Yet Shirone remained unfazed, continuing his school life as usual.
’It kinda hurts my pride.’
She hadn’t expected any particular reaction from him, but she couldn’t help feeling irritated.
"Ugh, whatever! I won’t care either. I’ve got mountains of work to do—no time to waste my energy on this."
"So you are disappointed, huh? Shirone’s really something. If it were me, I’d stick by your side through every class."
That statement made Amy realize something.
’In a way, that guy’s judgment is right.’
If she kept getting distracted , the whole fake-dating plan to settle the situation would’ve been pointless.
"Oh! Amy, isn’t that Jake over there?"
Jake, his face covered in bandages and a backpack slung over his shoulder, was walking down the hill.
The disciplinary committee had sentenced him to two years of suspension on the condition that he reach a settlement with the victims of the Black Magicians.
Depending on the settlement, he might not be able to return, but his expression wasn’t all that bad.
"Long time no see, Amy."
"You still haven’t left? How pathetic."
"Kukuku, I’ve got too many people to apologize to. Did too many bad things, you see."
"Did you have a change of heart or something? Please. People don’t change that easily."
"Well, yeah. But someone actually believes in a guy like me now, so I can’t do bad things anymore."
It was well-known that Siana had fought tooth and nail to prevent the Black Magicians from being expelled.
"What’re you gonna do now? Two years of suspension means most of the people you know will be graduating. Think you can start over?"
"Dunno. Gotta settle things first. Doubt they’ll forgive me, but I’m prepared. Once I make things right, I’m not even sure what I’ll do next."
Amy held back her words.
Realistically, the chances of him returning were slim, but there was no need to say it outright.
"I’d better get going. Don’t know when I’ll get another chance, but I’ll do my best. Learned a thing or two from Teacher Siana. And... I’m sorry. I’ll come back soon to settle things properly, but forget about a guy like me."
"Tch, ’settle things’ my ass."
Jake smiled bitterly and turned to leave.
Amy called out to his retreating figure.
"Two years will fly by. Don’t give up."
"Haha! If you ever run into trouble, call me. I’ll lend you as much money as you need."
Even at the end, he couldn’t resist bragging about his wealth—but in a way, it was so Jake that she almost smiled.
Honestly, if he had started whining in front of her, she might’ve punched him.
Amy looked up at the sky.
"Two years, huh? Yeah, it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things."
Jake would be held back for at least two years. But did it really matter?
In the world of magic, if you lacked skill, you’d rot in the same place forever.
Amy turned to Seriel.
"Seriel, I’ve made up my mind."
"Huh? You’re going to see Shirone?"
"I’m applying for early advancement to the Graduate Class."
Every student in Class Four was eligible to apply for the Graduate Class.
However, failing the advancement exam barred them from reapplying that year, so the competition was fierce from the start of the semester.
Even passing the exam didn’t guarantee graduation.
The Graduate Class was the pinnacle of Alpheas Magic Academy, a gathering of geniuses.
Magicians who entered society often recalled their Graduate Class days as a battlefield even harsher than the real world.
Friendships from school lost all meaning—it was a brutal survival game among thirty aspiring magicians.
Some criticized the endless competition, but magic was a dangerous profession where lives could be lost at any moment, whether in combat or not.
Thus, the academy’s stance was clear: to prepare students for the future, the standards had to be ruthless.
"Why not wait a little longer? The class isn’t even full yet. You could analyze the level and trends before applying."
"No. I don’t want to hesitate. Right now, I just want to run forward without looking back."
Seriel knew better than to argue with Amy’s stubbornness.
A part of her was also curious—just how far would Amy’s genius take her in the Graduate Class?
"Alright, I’ll cheer you on. If it’s you, you’ll make it."
"Thanks. I’ll go ahead and scout the atmosphere. Wanted to go with you, but..."
"Hehe, honestly, I’m a bit nervous. Gonna gather intel first. Let’s do our best!"
"Yeah. I’ll help you too."
Amy gazed at the sun hanging in the sky.
Though she couldn’t reach it yet, she knew their dreams were shining brilliantly somewhere up there.
’I’ll definitely become the greatest magician.’