Chapter 72

72. Changing Daily Life (1)

The morning after the duel.

When Rodelin arrived at the student council room, she was shocked.

"The duel arena... it's broken?"

She rubbed her eyes, but the words on the document didn't change.

- The duel arena's ceiling has collapsed. Quite a bit.

It had only been two months since it was declared safe.

Did it age that much in between?

Ah, probably just a few bricks fell.

"First, I need to confirm!"

But the reality was brutal.

"The ceiling... it's gone?"

It wasn't just "quite a bit."

The entire ceiling was missing.

Clearly, something had gone wrong.

Rodelin searched the document to confirm the name of the reporter.

Reporter: Teron (1), Yuridia (1), Zero (1)

Reason: Experimenting with a new magic spell caused an explosion. The roof flew off randomly.

Could it be that the freshmen couldn't control their youthful energy?

The freshmen had caused a massive accident.

What kind of experiment could make the entire ceiling fly off?

"Randomly flew off? You're the ones who made it fly!"

Fortunately, no one was hurt; otherwise, she wouldn't have let it go.

Disciplinary action, lectures, and penalty points!

But first, she needed to have a talk.

"Interview!"

"I'm sorry. I got curious about magic."

"I'm sorry. I love magic too much and went overboard. Hehehe..."

"Hehe, magic is my passion. I saw it with my own eyes yesterday."

Their testimonies were the same, and two of them seemed to be genuinely remorseful.

Curiosity about knowledge isn't a sin.

The punishment Rodelin gave them was:

"Write a reflection! Zero, you also get one penalty point!"

In fact, Zero had only blown off a small part of the ceiling.

The ceiling was neatly sliced in a straight line.

The moonlight shone beautifully through it, and if left as is, it could have become a landmark.

But Teron insisted it had to be demolished.

"Because there's a trace of Ilseum left."

It was a bit of a hassle to get Yuridia's help, but it was handled well.

Teron thought writing a reflection was a cheap price to pay.

And he didn't forget to align his story with Zero's.

The passionate (?) Vice President Rodelin was also fooled.

"I'm busy!"

No matter what, Rodelin was busy.

She investigated the cause, lectured the students, found a replacement duel arena, and completed the repair request.

Next was...

"The bill!"

Rodelin held the bill high in the air.

She bowed deeply.

It was her responsibility to handle the bill.

Of course, the money wouldn't come out of her pocket.

The problem was...

"I need to get the headmaster's approval... "

The headmaster, Dwenner, was the issue.

He only talked, didn't help with work, and was very strict about spending money.

Persuading Dwenner to get the money was Rodelin's task and her current challenge.

"Even a stubborn ox can be tamed."

Rodelin marched to the headmaster's office.

She carried a stack of documents.

Reasons for the repairs, reflections, and the bill.

She was prepared to endure his unnecessary lectures.

Because one of the students' recreational facilities might disappear.

"Teron, Yuridia, Zero. These three freshmen destroyed the duel arena's ceiling. Repairs are needed for the students' safety."

"..."

Dwenner didn't say anything.

Rodelin, expecting him to explode, prepared to defend her juniors.

'Surely, he'll start by grumbling about the money being spent on strange things. I'll start with a strong stance.'

Just then, Dwenner seemed about to speak.

"Very well. Have it repaired with the maintenance budget."

"What? No, this is a necessary repair... Huh?"

Rodelin was taken aback.

Was she too busy? Was he saying to repair it with the maintenance budget?

She must have heard wrong.

"Did you just say to repair it with the maintenance budget?"

"Yes. We can't make the students pay for it."

"..."

"An explosion... Well, it can happen. Kids are naturally curious."

"But an experiment that destroys a building..."

Ironically, Rodelin was opposing, and Dwenner was agreeing.

Saying it would be repaired with the maintenance budget was that shocking.

"Hehe, Rodelin, you still don't understand."

"..."

"Experiments often lead to buildings collapsing, the ground sinking, and villages flying away. I've done it all when I was young."

"???"

Rodelin wondered if her common sense was wrong.

Dwenner, who was reading the documents she brought, suddenly burst into laughter.

"This Zero kid will become an excellent magician."

"Really?"

"Look at this, 'Magic is my passion.' Isn't that full of spirit?"

Hehehe!

Dwenner's laughter echoed through the office.

"Um, yes, I guess so. Then I'll... "

Rodelin quickly left the office.

If his mind changed, it would be a disaster.

But Dwenner continued to laugh.

"Hehe, I can't make a good kid like Zero bear excessive responsibility."

Dwenner's favorite small pond.

There was a drink placed there today.

With a note saying, "I'm sorry for the accident."

Saving Zero from trouble.

Indeed, she was.

"Too capable."

Dwenner, satisfied, got up and headed out.

It was time for a break.

10 minutes of work, 50 minutes of rest.

The perfect work-life balance for a capable person.

Click.

"..."

Dwenner left, and the office was empty.

Snap!

Suddenly, a lid opened in the corner.

Opening a lid in the corner is an impossible expression.

But anyone who saw the situation would describe it that way.

"Phew. It's a relief."

The one who appeared from the corner was none other than Reje.

Pulled by Gonder and beaten, saved by Luna.

A girl with long bangs that covered her eyes.

She was inside a box.

A box that looked exactly like the wall pattern.

A box so perfectly identical that no one would notice.

'It's a relief. Luna didn't get punished.'

She had been hiding, worried about the punishment for the one who helped her.

Since early this morning.

And from then until now, Reje had one thought.

'I want to be friends with Luna.'

But for a shy person like her, it was impossible.

Rustle.

The box Reje was in started to move.

* * *

"Where's Professor Caron?"

"He's on leave again today?"

"What? Another free period?"

The morning class started and ended simultaneously.

Because Caron was absent from the academy.

'Where did he go at such an important time?'

It had been a week since Caron disappeared.

If Caron had been there, this incident might have been resolved more easily.

"Hey, look at this!"

Click.

The camera in Luna's hand flashed.

A camera powered by a mana stone.

Taking a photo without giving time to pose.

"Wow, it turned out well."

"Hehe, my eyes are closed, though?"

"Your eyes are always closed, you fool."

Ah, right. I have half-closed eyes.

Next time, I should use [Open Eyes].

Photos with closed eyes looked terrible.

"Oh my! You've made up, haven't you?"

"Arguments between couples are like cutting water with a knife. I knew it."

"I'm really glad Luna is safe. I thought it was a big deal yesterday."

The children looked at us with pleased expressions.

What? Did I get married? When?

Are we going to have a baby soon?

'...I don't know anymore. Let it be.'

Click! Click!

"Hehe, Luna, taking photos without permission is a crime."

"What? We're close, aren't we?"

Luna, whose cheeks puffed up behind the camera.

Was she letting her guard down because of what happened yesterday?

Her expressions became more varied.

Well, she's cute, so I'll let it slide.

"Since there's no class, shall we go play?"

"Hmm... Before that, can you help me for a moment?"

"Help?"

Luna nodded vigorously.

* * *

A little later.

Luna led me to the training ground.

A specialized training ground with shock absorption magic.

It seemed she had reserved it.

'I have a good idea what kind of help she needs.'

It was likely a request for training assistance.

Since the first chapter hadn't ended yet.

I had nothing to do, so I could easily help with training.

I had something in mind, too.

'But first.'

I spoke to Luna, who was warming up.

"Yesterday, I couldn't talk because you were crying, but I have something to say."

"I wasn't crying. I just got water in my eyes."

Luna, we have a social agreement to call that 'crying.'

"Soon, we'll get a response from them. I set a trap yesterday."

"Trap? We agreed to keep quiet about what happened at the duel arena, didn't we?"

"But Teron and Dyke, and Yuridia know."

"What do you mean?"

Teron's Vurn family and Yuridia's Rowinter family.

"If any of these families have destroyed or collaborated with the Lester family, they will react."

"We agreed to keep it a secret for the honor of the family. How can they?"

"Will those who destroyed other families by slander value the honor of their family?"

"Oh, right. They kill people indiscriminately, so they wouldn't keep a promise."

Luna nodded vigorously.

Suddenly, her face turned pale.

"Wait! Then you're in danger!"

Luna's concern was justified.

Because I used [Ilseum] in front of them.

"Hehe, it's intentional."

"What?"

"I'll be the bait. The bait to draw them out."

"Too dangerous, you fool."

Luna grumbled and stomped her feet.

Was it because I acted without consulting her, or because I was in danger?

I didn't know which.

"Luna, you promised, didn't you?"

"Promised what?"

"You promised to protect me. I'm just trusting that promise."

Tears welled up in Luna's eyes.

"Fool! You're a real fool!"

"Hehe, Luna is crying."

"I'm not crying! I just got water in my eyes!"

Luna hit me.

Ah, that's it.

The Luna's beating I hadn't felt for two days.

I think I can't live without it now.

Of course, I'm not a pervert.

Luna's beating massage is excellent.

That's how I'll summarize it.

"Anyway, be careful of anyone who approaches. They will definitely try to approach Luna."

"Got it. If anyone approaches, I'll let you know. Well, almost no one talks to me, so it's probably the culprit."

Indeed, as Luna said.

Almost no one talked to Luna.

'Except for Luna's bodyguards... '

They preferred to cheer from a distance.

Respecting our alone time or something.

To me, those kids were the real perverts.

"By the way, what kind of help do you need?"

"Ah, perfect. It's related to what you said."

Luna's expression turned serious.

Then she pulled out a sword from a subspace and pointed it at me.

Swish.

"Let's have a match, Zero."