The party swept through Basamiel like a midsummer night’s dream—quick, dazzling, and fleeting. In its wake, exam season arrived almost immediately. The once cheerful, carefree atmosphere had shifted in an instant.
“Everyone’s studying way harder than I expected.”
Adrian was surprised to find the Garnet students buried in their books before class, diligently preparing. Yushi, sitting beside him, chuckled as she responded.
“They’ve figured out that since no one usually studies, even a little effort can land you top grades.”
“…Still, that’s a bit much.”
He glanced around the lecture hall—nearly every student was busy scribbling away with quills across parchment. Were they all really studying with that kind of logic? Their sneaky reasoning was oddly endearing. Adrian shook his head with a helpless smile.
“But if everyone studies, that little advantage disappears.”
“Haha, true.”
Even Yushi had a densely written sheet of parchment spread out in front of her. Whether it was some kind of academy trick or not, even the freshmen who claimed they wouldn’t bother with exams were now hitting the books. Adrian, on the other hand, planned to take the exams using his actual skills—no more, no less.
Then… across the room, his gaze unexpectedly locked with Mikhail’s, who was sitting near the wall.
What? Why are you staring?
The prince’s indifferent expression could practically be felt from where Adrian sat. He couldn’t imagine that guy studying at all. If he managed to write down something like “Tadpolie,” that would be impressive enough.
“If I get good grades this time, I’m going to ask for a few custom-made party dresses.”
Yushi murmured with twinkling eyes.
“Waist embellishments are trending right now, but I didn’t bring any dresses like that to the Academy.”
“Alright. I’ll root for you.”
Adrian gave her a light nod. The conversation around them quickly filled with chatter. From luxury carriages to fine horses to even vacation villas—the scale of these conversations made it clear these kids came from money.
Huaaaam—
Yushi let out a big yawn, probably from studying late into the night. Soon, as if it were contagious, the lecture hall echoed with various yawns both large and small.
“Ugh, I wish it were already break… I wanna go home…”
“Dorm life is fine, but yeah, home is definitely more comfortable.”
“Same… I can actually use Gold instead of Tilon there.”
As expected from kids, the topic shifted rapidly as they chatted away without pause. Adrian nodded occasionally, quietly waiting for the professor to arrive.
“Adrian, are you staying in the capital over the break? With your family?”
“…Huh?”
Someone called out to him, and Adrian—who had been flipping through his book expressionlessly—automatically smiled and turned his head. It was the girl who had introduced herself as Cage Ritana and randomly offered him cookies that one time.
“Ah, no.”
“No? Then?”
“Over the break—”
Another personal question? Just as the dragon was about to feign sadness again, a voice abruptly cut into their conversation—one that hadn’t been part of it at all until now.
“Borrowing this for a sec.”
Without warning, Mikhail reached out and snatched Adrian’s quill.
The dragon gave him a reluctant nod, muttering under his breath. He carried multiple quills anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.
“…You’re actually going to study?”
Basamiel really was something. Even the prince was being drawn into studying.
Mikhail didn’t respond. He just shrugged and sat back in his seat. Then, resting his chin on one hand, he spun the borrowed quill between his fingers with practiced ease. It didn’t even seem like he needed it. Why take it, then?
No matter how Adrian looked at it, that guy was just weird.
“So what about break?”
Adrian, momentarily lost in thought, snapped back to attention at Cage’s question and looked her way.
“Ah, the break… Ordinas club members have to stay on campus. Someone needs to take care of the greenhouse, and I volunteered.”
That had been part of the appeal when he’d decided to join the Ordinas social club.
“What? That’s so unfair! Are they forcing you to do it just because you’re a freshman?”
“No, it’s not like that.”
Adrian swiftly came to the rescue of Kyle D’Baicia, who was being unfairly criticized by a freshman he didn’t even know. Haha— A soft laugh slipped from his slightly parted lips.
“I do it because I like it. Taking care of the greenhouse is tough, sure, but seeing the herbs I’ve grown gives me a real sense of satisfaction.”
“I see… well, as long as it’s not something they forced you into…”
Even as Adrian gave his answer, Cage still looked unconvinced, thinking to herself, They’re just taking advantage of a sweet kid like him, aren’t they?
Just then—
The sharp sound of boots echoed, followed by a creak as the door beside the platform swung open. It was Sigrid Owen, the professor for Magical Studies. In his hands was a thick bundle of parchment.
“Good morning. Quiet, please. As announced, today is your exam, so let’s keep it down.”
A few students inhaled sharply at the word exam, visibly tensing. Sigrid was long accustomed to that reaction. He gave a faint smirk and stepped up onto the platform, tapping the parchment into order before speaking again.
“No need to be so nervous. We don’t expect much from first-years anyway.”
Despite the typically cold tone, it almost came off as comforting. It was his way of saying the test would be easy. Though, from second year onward, there would be no such mercy.
Sigrid scanned the room once before stretching out his right arm, flicking his fingers in a practiced motion. Instantly, the books and papers on each student’s desk floated up into the air.
With a flick upward, he sent everything soaring. The books and papers flattened themselves neatly against the ceiling, leaving only writing instruments on the desks below.
Thud. Tap tap tap.
Feeling the vibration, Adrian glanced to the side. Yushi was tapping her fingers nervously against the desk. Must really want that new dress, huh? Adrian smiled faintly and rested his chin in his hand.
With a few claps from Sigrid, a fine sheet of quality parchment floated down in front of each student. On it, elegant script presented a few written prompts. Students were to write their own responses beneath them.
Standing at the podium, the professor rolled up his sleeve slightly and checked his wristwatch before announcing,
“Alright… you have one hour.”
The room was quickly filled with the scratching sounds of quills sweeping across parchment. Adrian, still resting his chin in one hand, scanned through the questions he’d been given. Prompts like “Explain the principles behind the flow of mana” and “Describe the mechanism of a magical tool you’re most familiar with in everyday life” were written on the sheet.
Even for a dragon, these seemed like appropriately basic questions for first-years. Adrian glanced toward Sigrid, who stood watching the class diligently writing. Given how the first class had gone, he’d fully expected a practical exam. This was unexpected.
Well, if it were a practical, students who can’t even handle mana yet wouldn’t stand a chance.
With a flick, Adrian spun the quill between his fingers. He had zero desire to score high, but he had to write something at least. Huaaahm— He let out a small yawn, opened the inkwell, and dipped his quill.
Occasionally, the professor would glance at his watch and update the students on the remaining time. Every now and then, he’d frown, flip over a sheet to check the name on the back, and shake his head—apparently grading other exams while monitoring the room.
When the hour was up, Sigrid called, “Time,” and, just like when he’d entered, all the answer sheets flew into the air at a single gesture. The students watched their parchments float away with mixed sighs and groans.
As Sigrid exited the lecture hall, chatter immediately erupted among the students, eager to share thoughts about their first exam.
“How’d it go?”
“I don’t know. I managed to write something, but now that I think about it, I should’ve just written about an easy magical tool, like a postal transporter or something.”
“That’s exactly what I picked! Anyway, it’s over, so let’s go have some fun.”
Yushi stretched with a deeply satisfied look. Just five more exams, and they’d be heading home—thinking about that alone put her in a great mood.
Screech— Adrian pushed his chair back into place and stood up.
And then—A soft glow lit up the back of Adrian’s hand as the emblem of Tilon floated in the air.
The dragon raised his hand to eye level to check the amount.
[310.5 Tilon]
“Oh. The button I put up for auction at the finally sold.”
The “.5” at the end hinted at a fierce bidding war. With a wide, satisfied grin, Adrian looked down at the amount.
There was something he needed to do with this.
