“Have you heard? One of the incoming freshmen with us is apparently an Archmage candidate.”
“Who? You mean the top student of the Magic Department? That black-haired boy sitting over there?”
“No, not him.”
“Then who?”
“They say the top student of the Magic Engineering Department is an advanced mage. Name… Lunaris, I think?”

Inside the auditorium, the entrance ceremony was in full swing.
Some freshmen, unable to contain their curiosity, began whispering among themselves.

“Huh? Why would a mage that powerful go to Magic Engineering?”
“No idea. Maybe it’s just a rumor?”
“But they say the top student in Magic Engineering actually scored the highest on the written exam. The highest in academy history.”
“Really? Seriously?”

The murmurs quickly spread throughout the entire auditorium.

“...”

Nearby, someone nudged a male student’s ear.

Edwin Belka.
The star of Eltherion Academy and top freshman of the Magic Department, he should have been the shining centerpiece of the ceremony.

Well, the first spot could be conceded to the princess.
But the second spot? That should have been him.

Yet he wasn’t even second.
He knew this too well; his ‘top’ ranking had been usurped.

Edwin ground his teeth in irritation, his pride wounded.

‘Why…?!’

She’s an Archmage candidate, yet she didn’t join the Magic Department?!
If she’d gone to Political, he could understand. She might have ambitions to become a chancellor beyond the royal court.
Even Economics wouldn’t have bothered him—he could have laughed at her pursuit of wealth over honor.

But what the…

‘Magic Engineering?!’

A department for rejects who couldn’t make it into the Magic Department—why would she go there?

The thought of being slighted in this trivial way made his blood boil.
The pride of a genius had been bruised.

At the same time, another person’s mind was equally unsettled.

“Entering Eltherion Academy, with its long history…”

None other than Princess Celestia herself, standing at the podium as the student representative, delivering her speech.

“A new beginning today…”

Her clear, elegant voice and graceful smile made the speech flawless.
…at least on the surface.

‘Why Magic Engineering…?’

Her thoughts were tangled.
The girl with disheveled ash-gray hair occupied her mind.
Weeks ago, in the interview waiting room, she had said she would join the Magic Department.
So why did she go to Magic Engineering?

Could it be because she anticipated being noticed by the princess?
Did she purposely avoid her?

‘I thought she wouldn’t recognize me…’

Lately, the palace atmosphere had been unusual.
Rumors said other princes and princesses were meeting members of the royal knight and mage corps individually.

…Could her guardian, the vice commander of the Royal Mage Corps, also belong to some faction?
Could that be why the girl was avoiding her?

‘No. It’s too early to jump to conclusions.’

At least it was a relief that she went to Magic Engineering.
There would be overlapping classes, and the academic calendar had just begun.

‘There’s plenty of time.’

Resolved to subtly probe her when they met, Princess Celestia finished her speech with an empty gaze.

As the princess stepped down to applause, an academy staff member activated a loudspeaker spell.

“Next, we will recognize the top students of each department. Please come forward when your name is called.”

Five names were announced.
But only four ascended the stage.

“…Magic Engineering top student, Lunaris Evermoon? Is she not here?”

The staff called her name again, but no one appeared.
What? What’s happening? Why isn’t she coming?

As the whispers grew, the auditorium doors suddenly slammed open.

“S-sorryyy…!”

The one who barged in was Liliana, head of the Magic Engineering Department.
Behind her, maids in neat attire followed quickly.

“Head Liliana? What’s going on?”

The staff looked flustered.
Liliana wiped the sweat from her brow, smiling awkwardly atop the stage.

“Well… I’m here as the representative for our top freshman, Miss Lunaris…”
“Eh? Why are you her representative? Where is she herself…?”
“I’ll explain that.”

A maid stepped forward quietly.

Odette.
The head maid overseeing Linea Hall, the highest-grade dormitory of Eltherion Academy.

Odette clasped her hands neatly and bowed deeply.

“Currently, Miss Lunaris is taking a deep sleep in her assigned dormitory room.”
“???”

The staff blinked in disbelief.
She missed the entrance ceremony because she was sleeping?
And this isn’t even the morning—it’s the afternoon!

“Despite trying every possible method to wake her…”

All eyes turned toward her.
The head maid continued, expressionless.

“…she buried herself in bed, leaving only the cryptic words: ‘Skipping entrance and first-week classes is the rule.’”

The auditorium fell into stunned silence.
Even Princess Celestia blinked repeatedly, unable to hide her shock.

Yet Odette remained composed, hands folded politely.

“Today’s ‘incident’ is entirely the fault of the Linea Hall maids.”

…but her fingers betrayed a slight tremor.

“In accordance with Linea Hall Dormitory Rule 12, Student Academic Support Regulation, we will form a dedicated team to personally manage Miss Lunaris from today onward.”

Even the unshakable professional maid was rattled by this.

“We promise, with our pride as maids, that such an incident will never happen again.”

Eltherion Academy’s dormitories are divided into three main halls.

Edelweiss Hall, for fallen nobility and wealthy commoners.
Sepia Hall, for regular nobility and scholarship students.
Linea Hall, for high-ranking nobility, top students, and academic elites like valedictorians.

As a top student myself, I also stayed in Linea Hall.
The moment I entered my single room and lay on the bed, I realized:
Not taking the exams lightly was the right choice.

“Fuaaah…”

I’d been a small-frog-in-the-well. A fool.
I had assumed the rustic bed of my old home was the best—but no.
There’s always a higher sky, and a fluffier pillow.

Hehe… here, I could lie in bed for all four years…

But even this heaven had a fatal problem.

Knock, knock.

Every morning at dawn, an unwelcome visitor appeared.

“Miss Lunaris, it’s time to wake up.”

Odette, head maid of Linea Hall, arrived unfailingly to wake me.
I didn’t understand why she went to such lengths. I’d wake up on my own eventually.
Shouldn’t she have given up by now?

I twitched a finger, buried under the blankets.

Thud, boom, kaboom!

The wardrobe and bookcase blocking the door floated up, forming a solid barricade.
Seeing my defense in place made me oddly satisfied.

The rest was the usual routine: the maids struggling to open the door, then giving up.
Our WWE match, day after day.

…But today was different.

“The rattling is lasting longer than usual…”

Before I could even sense the coming storm,

KABOOM─!!

An explosion shattered the door into pieces.

“…Huh?”

Startled, I shot upright.
The furniture I had floated to block the door collapsed helplessly to the floor.

Beyond the wreckage, the line of maids stood in formation.
At the front, arms crossed, was Odette herself.

“Good morning, Miss Lunaris.”

Her smile radiated a certain madness.

“No… what do you mean, destroying the door and furniture…”
“Fear not. We will restore everything while you complete your morning routine. All costs are on me.”
“…Isn’t that all expensive?”
“No matter. My salary is sufficient.”

Hearing that she didn’t care if she earned nothing this month—or even this year—gave me goosebumps.

“Why go to such lengths…”
“Miss Lunaris has challenged the pride of the Linea Hall maids.”

I frowned in confusion.
Odette spoke firmly:

“From the day you arrived until now, you haven’t left your room once, except for meals.”
“Ah? …Really?”
“As head maid, I cannot tolerate such extreme laziness.”

Was I really that bad?

“Moreover, you are the top student of the entire year, a symbol of Eltherion Academy. It is only natural that we maids mark you personally.”
“But the first week is orientation… isn’t it normal to skip it?”

I wiped cold sweat from my brow and mumbled an excuse.
Odette smiled gently once more.

“The first week is already over. Today is Monday of the second week.”
“…Already?”

A week had flown by.

“Yes. And according to the student academic support regulation, we maids will fully assist Miss Lunaris with her morning preparations.”

Odette snapped her fingers lightly.

“Ughyaaah─!”

The last thing I saw was the maids surrounding me from all sides, pouncing.

Comments (0)

Trending Novels

I Became the strongest hero of the previous generation

Archmage on the bed

I was mistaken for an undefeated general

Healers in the martial arts world are obsessed

Became a genius Muggle in the Archmage Gallery

I Wove Earth’s History Into A Fantasy