“Today’s class ends here. You’re free to review on your own, but I believe that the proud students of the Royal Academy will make wise judgments for their future. That’s all for now.”
As soon as the class ended, Hersi Minerva swiftly stood up and hurriedly left the classroom, heading towards Delin Lake.
“Now that I’ve passed Magical Creatures, I should have quite a bit of free time.”
Magicians are a time-sensitive race. They despise investing time in unnecessary matters. Hence, the Pass system was established. It allowed students to complete the required courses in advance. It was a win-win, as it saved both the students and professors time.
Originally, Hersi had no intention of putting in any effort to pass courses early. After all, even if she did complete them ahead of schedule, it wouldn’t change the fact that she had nothing else to do.
However, things were different now. She wanted to spend more time with Lloyd. That single desire motivated Hersi to pass not one but three required courses.
It was a secret that she could never reveal, a secret known only to Hersi herself.
“Will he be sleeping again today?”
Becy teased, imagining Lloyd’s sleeping figure, which always made her laugh.
As the concentration of mana gradually increased, a familiar landscape appeared before her. The vast, emerald lake, filled to the brim with mana – it was Delin Lake.
“Lloyd…”
Naturally, Hersi assumed that he would still be sleeping, but today, the scene before her was undoubtedly different.
“He’s doing a ritual.”
A golden magic circle.
Unseen patterns and mana arrangements.
“Your body is beneath me, and my destiny is in your hands.”
“Lloyd, the guardian of the scales!”
“Unusual magic…!”
Hersi swallowed hard.
“In accordance with the will of the Holy Grail, heed this intention, this truth! I am the one who encompasses all good and suppresses all evil!”
“What in the world…!”
Hersi was astonished by what she witnessed.
Why did he have to use such a remarkable spell for this?!
It was Amellia who approached Lloyd with a low voice.
Amellia, the golden-haired knight, stood on the magic circle, and her presence exuded beauty and awe-inspiring authority.
“Are you my boss?”
“Eh, well?”
“Are you sure? I told you this many times before, but you keep forgetting.”
Lloyd grumbled with a displeased expression. Amellia looked a bit embarrassed as she sheathed her sword.
“My lines were too complicated to remember.”
“You only had two lines. Mine are even more challenging.”
Amellia scratched her head. The imposing atmosphere she had just exuded completely disappeared, leaving behind an awkward expression.
Hersi smiled in amazement as she approached the two.
“Ahem… So, you two were playing pretend, like a childhood game?”
Hersi asked with innocent curiosity.
“Ah, I was just spending time with my younger sister.”
Amellia stood up and gently patted Lloyd on the head.
“It’s an honor to have you here again, Hersi. I’m glad you spend time with my little brother often.”
“Oh, no, it’s an honor for me. You see, Lloyd and I are best friends.”
Hersi extended her hand, and Amellia shook it with a smile.
“But you both looked so serious and intense…”
Amellia’s composed demeanor and Lloyd’s impressive ritual left Hersi speechless.
“Well, sometimes we play this game with other knights and mages in the academy. It’s a way to practice our lines.”
Hersi had no idea about this practice. She found it amusing that Amellia’s heroic act was just a way to memorize lines.
As Hersi observed the scene in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth and admiration for Lloyd and Amellia’s sibling bond.
“Whenever we were at Windsor, he always played like this.”
Hersi learned one more thing about Lloyd. When he’s bored, he plays make-believe games with Amellia. Note.
“Oh, that’s right, Ammy sister.”
As Lloyd imitated an anime he had seen in his previous life, he suddenly remembered something.
“The request I made earlier, did you find out about it?”
Investigations fell under the domain of knights, and practical experiences were highly emphasized at the academy.
Thus, most incidents at the academy were handled by the Swordsmanship Department. Amellia was the head of the Inspection Department.
Lloyd had asked Amellia to find out about the outcome of Catherine’s trial.
“Well, it’s supposed to be classified information.”
Although Amellia was strict about following regulations, she had a soft spot for Lloyd. She let out a small sigh, as if she couldn’t help it, and spoke.
“The Disciplinary Committee will meet today, and the verdict is already decided.”
“It’s already decided?”
“Yes, the Headmaster intervened. Our side only conducted a simple investigation.”
Lloyd thought of Headmaster Clifford. He was a character who was very friendly to the protagonist group.
“What happened?”
“Expulsion. Probably an irreversible decision. The Headmaster seems to be quite firm about it.”
“Expulsion?”
“Daring to lay hands on my brother, that’s only natural. Even if it wasn’t the Headmaster’s decision, I would have intervened.”
Amellia’s eyes turned cold.
“If it were the Swordsmanship Department, I would have left her unable to use her arms again.”
Although she was generally gentle, there was one thing she couldn’t tolerate, and that was hurting Lloyd.
“What should I do?”
Lloyd was in a dilemma.
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Of course, he wanted to agree with the decision in his heart, but Catherine wasn’t just a mere side character.
Her flawed character had a significant role to play in the development of Justine, who thrived in difficult situations.
Most nobles were reluctant to deal with Catherine’s devious behavior, thinking, ‘Oh well, things like this happen sometimes.’
To Justine, who could suffer significant penalties without her, Catherine was a reliable partner. If she wasn’t around, he would struggle quite a bit.
Above all, Catherine was a character with plenty of potential for character growth, and the protagonist would gain experience by eating those character beans.
As Lloyd pondered what to do, something happened.
“I sense a suspicious presence.”
Amellia muttered as she hid Lloyd behind her. Her stance indicated she was ready to draw her sword at any moment.
“Who’s there?”
Amellia shouted sharply.
Lloyd was puzzled. He hadn’t sensed anything. But soon, he understood.
It must be because Justin’s presence was too insignificant for him to sense his mana.
However, his condition was severe. Justin was a mess, covered in dirt, and his skin had turned blue.
He stumbled and collapsed on the ground. It was mana poisoning. Lloyd let out a sigh and cast a spell to help him.
A bubble of air wrapped around Justin, and he gasped for breath as if he had just come out of the ocean.
Lloyd waved his hand, and the air bubble approached. Clenching his fist, it popped, and Justin collapsed once more.
Lloyd looked down at Justin. Although he had been planning to visit him, he hadn’t expected him to come like this, using such a reckless method.
“If you were just five minutes late, you’d be dead.”
“Please.”
The magic Lloyd cast wasn’t a healing spell. He didn’t have the loyalty to cast that. Justin, who had messed up his own mana, spoke with a rough breath.
“Help Catherine.”
“It seems like commoners have no shame.”
Hersi spoke coldly. She was extremely displeased to hear the name she didn’t want to hear again.
“Why should Lloyd help you?”
“Go back. There’s nothing I can do to help you. Besides, making such a request is a clear violation of the rules.”
Amellia also intervened. Justin’s gaze wavered when he looked at her. Amellia’s name was famous even among commoners.
She was Lloyd’s older sister and the only investigator who fairly judged both commoners and nobles.
When Justin’s expression turned desperate, Lloyd stepped forward. He was thinking, ‘What on earth is going on?’
“Ammy sister and Hersi are in love with each other.”
“Four.”
Hersi immediately became docile.
Although Amellia seemed somewhat displeased, she didn’t try to stop Lloyd from trying to solve the problem on his own.
“I don’t know why I should help you.”
“…I know, you have no intention of helping. But, please.”
Justin pleaded earnestly.
“Expulsion is too harsh for her. She has lived a life that you can’t even imagine. She’s always been ignored and branded as a dirty black magician. In such an environment, she can’t help but develop a strong defense.”
“To you, it may just be an unpleasant affair, but… this could be the end of Catherine’s life. So, I’m asking you, give her one last chance.”
‘Albano.’
He wanted to say it in his heart, but…
‘If Justin can’t fulfill his role, it will be troublesome.’
If the shields who did all the dirty work for him were gone, Lloyd would be the only one at a disadvantage. He couldn’t give up his comfortable and enjoyable life as an unemployed individual.
‘What can I do?’
However, he didn’t want to help for free.
“Alright, I’ll help.”
“…!”
When Lloyd agreed too easily, Justin looked at him as if to say, “Really?”
“But, I have conditions.”
Lloyd reached into his pocket and took out a small wand. It was a wand for toddlers, so it was quite small. He used it because it was convenient to carry around.
He spun the wand in circles.
A complex magic circle spread out. It went from one layer to two layers, three layers, and finally eight layers.
It was the magic of the “Oath of Covenant.” When you made a certain oath, you couldn’t break it. The drawback was that the range was narrow. If you didn’t specify the exact details, it wouldn’t have much effect.
Lloyd went through several loops to ensure that even the caster himself wouldn’t be able to break it. Now, even a dragon wouldn’t be able to break this oath.
“I swear that you will never appear before my eyes again.”
Lloyd wasn’t keen on getting involved with the protagonist.
