“Your response in today’s lecture was somewhat excessive.”

As soon as Princess Celestia entered her private chamber, which resembled a small palace, she sat on the sofa and glared at her guards.

“Didn’t I clearly instruct you not to act rashly during the lecture?”

At the princess’s sharp tone, the knights all flinched simultaneously.
She is a dignified princess who is usually gentle even with her subordinates.
But the angrier such a person becomes, the more terrifying she is.

“We apologize, Your Highness. However, the situation appeared extremely urgent at the time…”

The captain of the guards offered an explanation that was barely an excuse, his face tense.

“There were explosions where the princess was present. How could we just stand by, trusting only a mere professor?”

“I understand. I’m not ignorant of your loyalty,” Princess Celestia said, letting out a thin sigh.

“However, please be more cautious in the future.”

The captain and the knights bowed deeply without a word.

“And… has the situation been properly resolved?”
“Yes. We coordinated with the academic staff and managed the aftermath. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but repairing the facilities will take some time.”

One wall of the building had completely collapsed.
It would take quite a while to restore it to its original state.

“…Your Highness, may I speak freely?”
“Go ahead.”
“I believe we need to take special measures regarding that senior mage.”

Princess Celestia’s eyes sharpened instantly.
The captain knew exactly who she meant.

‘Lunaris Evermoon…’

Despite the wall collapsing, no one had been seriously injured.
Yet, several people were suffering from mental aftereffects.
The students’ remarks were all the same:

That magic-user was nothing short of a monster.

“It was truly dangerous. That mage could have harmed everyone inside the building before we even intervened.”

At the guard’s words, Princess Celestia could not reply.
She herself had been one of the affected victims.

Especially that mysterious magic, which didn’t just destroy walls but warped the space itself…
It felt like something out of a nightmare.

Just recalling it made her body tremble.
But it wasn’t fear that caused it.

“Haah…”

If she were to describe the feeling…
Princess Celestia was slightly exhilarated.

‘What beautiful magic…’

It was the first time she had seen such magic up close.
Sure, senior mages were plentiful in the palace, even to the point of being tripping hazards.
She had once begged a senior mage to show her magic when she was little.

But the magic displayed by them had always been hollow.
Boring.
Just massive amounts of mana scattered without purpose.

Naturally, that was to be expected.
Senior magic often affects wide areas; if mishandled, a small, precious princess could be caught in the crossfire. Mana control was necessary.

But today, the magic before her eyes was genuine.
The dizzying thrill of potentially being crushed with a single misstep made her heart race.
Her face flushed, and she exhaled in excitement.

If she could wield such power at will…

A whispering thought slipped from her lips without her noticing.

“Indeed, a talent worth admiring.”

Once she calmed her racing heart, Princess Celestia summoned the head maid.

“Odette, have you given her the invitation?”

The head maid bowed, guilt written across her face.

“I apologize, Your Highness. Lunaris returns from her daily activities, washes her face briefly, and goes straight to bed…”
“…”

In other words, the invitation had not been delivered.

Princess Celestia sighed quietly.
After all, this was someone who didn’t even attend the entrance ceremony.
Expecting her to read an invitation was unrealistic.

Though using the royal decree could force the issue, Celestia didn’t want to resort to that.
She had no desire to assert authority in Eltherion Academy, a place established by the previous emperor for equal education.

‘If I act as a princess rather than a student, the other royals will surely be watching.’

She had spent four years avoiding palace intrigue, so drawing attention unnecessarily was the last thing she wanted.

Rumors that some palace officials had quietly started supporting other royals concerned her.
She had heard nothing yet about Albert Marcellin, vice-captain of the Royal Mage Corps, aligning with anyone—but any pressure on Lunaris could backfire.

Above all, she wanted to remain friends with the person who could become her right hand.
That bond would outweigh mere oaths of loyalty.

However…

“Honestly, it’s already challenging enough for us maids just to make sure Lunaris follows a normal academic schedule.”
“…”
“Today we managed to get her out of bed somehow…”

Odette sighed at the thought of tomorrow’s struggle.

“Very well. Everyone, leave. I need… some rest.”

At Princess Celestia’s words, the maids and guards bowed and exited.
Alone in her room, the princess pondered.

The only natural way to meet her as a student would be sitting beside her in class.
Today’s appearance of Lunaris in the lecture hall was unexpected, but she intended not to miss the next opportunity.

The problem:

“There may not be many next opportunities.”

Magic Engineering and the Magic Department have joint lectures only on Mondays and Thursdays.
Lunaris wouldn’t attend Thursday lectures, a special class forcibly arranged by Professor Raymond for her.

So, only Monday remained.
And Lunaris had opted to end her afternoon classes early.

That left just half a day each week.
If the maids failed to wake her on time, the week would be wasted.

A small alarm went off in Celestia’s mind.

At this point, all she could do was quietly support the maids.

“Should we provide extra magical equipment to Linea Hall…?”

If Lunaris heard that, she would be horrified.

Two days later, Wednesday arrived.
So far, the score against the Linea Hall maids was 1 win, 2 losses.

Yesterday, she had triumphed over those blasted battle maids using a secret spell: “Feign Illness.”

I overused mana… my condition… cough cough!!
What?!
Mana exhaustion… ugh, uweeek…
Eek! Miss Lunaris!!

During class, she collapsed, claiming her condition worsened from overusing advanced magic.
With the ruined wall of the Magic Department main hall as evidence, no one suspected she was faking.

Today, that trick didn’t work.

Ugh… my body…
Strange. If it’s mana exhaustion, your body should be burning up.
…Ah. Caught.
I’ll help you prepare, miss.

Caught by the perceptive head maid, she realized the same strategy wouldn’t work again.

Today’s class took place in the Magic Engineering annex hall, an exclusive session.
The professor on stage looked extremely tired.
Dark circles under his eyes suggested he had stayed up at least two nights.

He glanced at the students and said in a weary voice:

“Luckily, everyone is here today. Haah… For those absent last week, I’ll briefly review.”

His gaze lingered slightly on me.

“Magic Engineering classes follow a master-apprentice system. Second-year students act as masters, guiding first-years to craft one magical item per semester.”

In short, first-year education is delegated to second-years.
Great… looks like I won’t be able to nap… such a hassle.

“Now, second-years, come up front.”

The second-year students filed into the hall.
Perhaps due to the high number of commoner students, they had very distinct personalities.

The professor gestured toward one student.

“Haah… you, top student. Come here.”
“Yes, Professor~”

A petite girl with brown bobbed hair stepped onto the stage.
The previously drab hall suddenly felt bright.

“I was busy with a crucial experiment, so I need you to cover the rest.”
“Me? Is that okay?”
“Better you, the star of the Magic Engineering Department, than some lowly professor. The first-years will appreciate it.”

The term “star of the department” caught my attention.
Familiar… from the original story.

“Ahaha~ Professor, such embarrassing words…”
“Anyway, just check the teams and send them off. Good luck.”

The professor left hastily.
Alone, the senior scratched her head and cleared her throat.

“Well~ Professor’s gone. Let’s finish the schedule quickly, then head to the workshop. Agreed?”

The first-years looked puzzled, while the second-years cheered.

“Yay—”

Not a second-year, but I joined in the cheer.
Suddenly, energy surged through me. One hour of effort is doable.
Magic Engineering truly was a great department.

“Although the professor explained, every Wednesday we second-years attend class with our juniors. A beautiful tradition! A bond unique to the Magic Engineering Department…”

Her speech was cut off by complaints and jeers.

“Too long!”
“Boring!”
“Enough, get down!”
“Hey! You should tell them how great the department is! They’re already demoralized by the Magic Department!”

The senior cleared her throat.

“Alright. Let’s announce the teams. Professors assigned them based on entrance exam scores.”

No whining about team changes, she joked.

“First, I’ll introduce my apprentice. Lunaris! Step up here.”

The students murmured.
Someone whispered, “The senior mage?”

I scratched my head and stepped forward.
Predictably, top student matched with top student.

“Nice to meet you!”

On stage, the senior smiled brightly and extended her hand.

“I’m Estelle Myers. Let’s work well together this year, junior.”

I gasped involuntarily.
Her name rang a bell.
She was a minor character appearing only briefly in the early original story.

The star of the Magic Engineering Department: Estelle.
By the end of next year’s first semester, she would be gone.
She would become the main villain of the first key incident in the original story.

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