Aftermath

     “It's over! The winner of the grimoire duel by knockout is… Chelsea Honeycutt!”

     I... I actually did it... I won.

     “Uwohhh!!!” The crowd exploded, bursting into a storm of thunderous applause and ecstatic cheers. “That was insane!” some shouted.

     “It seems I was right about a duel on the first day being a good motivator,” Ye Xian-sensei remarked. “Now that we’re done here—Tinkerbell, dispel.”

     The barrier of ether began to disintegrate, along with the magic nails Lars had summoned. Suddenly, a wave of cool, fresh air swept over my body, instantly healing every wound and washing away the pain in seconds.

     “Incredible...” I gasped in disbelief.

     I still felt a lingering fatigue, but all the damage I had taken was gone—as if the entire life-or-death struggle had been nothing more than a warmup exercise.

     Before I could fully process it, someone came rushing in my direction.

     “Chelsea!”

     By sheer instinct, I dropped into a defensive stance, bracing for whatever was coming. But to my surprise, it was just Henrietta, charging in to celebrate with me. Right... she’s harmless. I can drop my guard.

     “I was so worried! But you did it! You actually beat him!” She threw her arms around me in a tight hug, pressing her chest flush against mine. “I’m so happy for you!”

     I take it back! This girl is an absolute hazard! I was not used to physical affection like this. Her hug was so warm and cozy that I felt like I was going to melt like butter in a hot pan.

     “Chelsea? Are you okay?”

     “Oh!” I snapped out of my daze. “F-Fine! Sharp as a tack!”

     “Hahaha, what kind of answer is that? You’re funny.”

     Okay, maybe it’s time to update my vocabulary and stop talking like a grandmother.

     “Hey, wait up!” Two girls were walking over to us. They were the ones who had been cheering for me alongside Henrietta earlier.

     “Geez, Henrietta, don’t just run off like that!” The first girl looked like a textbook princess wearing the academy uniform. Golden hair, light eyes, and a striking, voluptuous figure. “You need to be careful. What if you had gotten hurt?”

     The second girl had the aura of a shrine maiden—slightly shorter, with raven hair, dark eyes, and far more modest curves. In a teasing tone, she chimed in, “Aren't you going to at least give her room to breathe?”

     It was only then that Henrietta realized she was practically suffocating me. “Ah! Chelsea, I’m so sorry!”

     “It’s... fine.”

     “You’re Chelsea, right? You were amazing out there! A little terrifying, but still amazing!” Offering me a hand, she introduced herself: “Nice to meet you. I’m Sayoko Mochizuki, but you can just call me Sayoko.”

     A girl from the Eastern Realm of Azuma? Looks like I’m no longer the only student who traveled from far away.

     “Ah, forgive my manners! My name is Jane Caumont. It’s a pleasure to meet you too!”

     Did I... suddenly become popular? Why are two drop-dead gorgeous girls acting like they want to be my friends out of nowhere? Wait—drop-dead gorgeous?! I—I didn't mean it like that!

     “I-It’s a pleasure to meet you both... I’m Chelsea Honeycutt.”

     “Uwah! I hope the four of us can get along! We were rooting for you the whole time!”

     “I’m glad to hear that... Thank you so much.”

     Social interactions were definitely not my strong suit. But despite the embarrassment, I couldn't help but feel a swell of happiness. I had actually made friends on my very first day.

     Gradually, more and more students trickled down from the bleachers, scattering across the arena. Some came over to congratulate me, while others rushed to Lars to check on him.

     Amidst the crowd, however, I suddenly picked up a blazing, overwhelming aura—a swell of mana so massive it felt like it could overflow at any second. That aura was slowly drifting toward me.

     When I raised my head, my eyes locked with someone who was, without a shadow of a doubt,  at the very top of the food chain in Iron Lotus Academy. She was as breathtaking as a porcelain doll, yet carried a piercing gaze and an intimidating posture.

     “The Student Council President!” the surrounding students whispered in shock.

     As she walked, every eye in the arena drawn to her, the crowd instinctively parted to create a path. It was as if the entire student body was clearing a way for royalty.

     She stopped right in front of me. “Congratulations on your victory, freshman. On behalf of the Student Council, I would like to apologize for the shameful behavior of our member.”

     Lars? Right, he was boasting earlier about being on the council.

     “It’s fine. It’s not like I really care about that stuff anyway. You don’t need to apologize.”

     “No, I do care. To be part of the Council, you don't need popularity—you need power. We are the pinnacle of this Academy, and we must live up to that title. Do you understand?”

     “Does that mean you, as the President, are the strongest student in the Academy?” I alread noticed that.

     “Precisely. And I also bear the weight of every decision made by the Council. When Lars used his title to force this duel, he dragged our reputation through the mud.” She paused, glancing toward the remaining students. “Rest assured, he will be disciplined accordingly.”

     Music to my ears. Finally, someone was going to put that meathead in his place.

     “As President, I cannot tolerate these petty attempts at intimidation. Upperclassmen should serve as role models for incoming freshmen.”

     Yes! Preach! Miss President, sign me up for your fan club right now!

     “However...”

     “?”

     “At the same time, I cannot stand by and allow a freshman who can barely read her own grimoire to go around defeating Council members.”

     Well, my happiness sure was short-lived. It seemed I had gone from being bullied by a henchman straight to being targeted by the final boss.

     “And what is that supposed to mean for me?”

     “I want you.” She leaned in, her face dangerously close to mine. What on earth?! That's too close!  “When you are ready to fight at your full potential, we will meet in this arena. You are the first person here who seems worth dueling.”

     “...Right.”

     Without another explanation, she turned her back on me and started walking away.

     “Hold on a second!”

     “What is it?”

     “'Student Council President'—is that your actual name? Because I don't give a damn about your title. So tell me your name.”

     She paused, looking back over her shoulder one last time. “Alicia Granville. But everyone calls me Alice.”

************************************************************************************

     “Professor Ozwald, what were you thinking?!” Ye Xian-sensei was beyond furious.

     After the duel concluded, Ye Xian-sensei had gathered all the freshmen for our scheduled first class. Once that wrapped up, she dragged me straight to the faculty lounge.

     “You were in charge of admissions this year! How could you let her in?!”

     Ouch.

     Ozwald-sensei was a scruffy, laid-back man who looked more like a street drunk than an instructor at a prestigious academy. “And why shouldn't I have?”

     “With all due respect to the girl, but someone who can't even read shouldn't be walking around holding a grimoire!”

     “I'll admit, when she first applied, I thought it was a joke too. But you have to admit—the kid's got talent.”

     “Talent or not, how am I supposed to run my classes with someone like her among the students?"

     "An idiot?”

     “I didn't say that.”

     “But you thought it. You think she's stupid just because she struggles to read, but that's not the case at all. Watch this.” He pointed at me. “Chelsea, what's 87 times 93?”

     “8,091,” I answered almost instantly.

     “So she’s good with numbers—so what?! Is she going to defeat monsters by doing mental math?!”

     “No, you're missing my point. Calculating that fast isn't normal. Why don't you test her yourself?”

     Ye Xian-sensei eyed me suspiciously for a moment. “If I have 8,750 coins to divide equally among 14 people, how many coins does each person get?”

     “625.”

     “What is 88 to the power of two?”

     “7,744.”

     “...Impressive.” It wasn't the fact that I got the answers right that surprised her, but rather the speed at which I could do it.

     “See? The girl has the mind of a genius.”

     “That doesn't change my argument.”

     “Ye Xian, don't be so rigid. Open your mind a little. The kid isn't stupid—she just gets tripped up by words. What we have standing in front of us is a natural prodigy for magic! She has the potential to become a legendary mage!”

     It’s hard not to feel my ego inflating when a professor praises me like that...

     “...Even the Granville heiress took an interest in her, didn't she?”

     “That was indeed unusual for Alice." She thinked a little. "Fine... perhaps I am overlooking something.”

     Before leaving the room, Ye Xian-sensei stopped beside me.

     “Don't take it personally, Chelsea. I'm only thinking about what's best for my students—and that includes you, believe it or not.”

     “When you called me in here, I thought I was getting expelled.”

     “Hmph. Either way, don't you dare fall behind. I won't be holding back on you.” She handed me a slip of paper. “This is your room number. Your belongings have already been delivered, and your roommate should be waiting.”

     “My... roommate?”

************************************************************************************

     Exhausted—both physically and emotionally—I finally made my way to my new room. Please, don't let it be another person trying to intimidate me...

     But the moment I pushed the door open, a wave of relief washed over me.

     “Chelsea! You’re finally here!”

     “...Henrietta.”