Chapter 77

EP.77 Church of the Four Stars (3)

"Ugh!! So weak!!"

Even deep into the night, Rizetta Lionheart couldn't leave the second training ground.

Swinging the magical weapon, Rokta, a wooden club embedded with magic stones, she relentlessly cast rock magic at the monster illusions. She had already broken through the high-difficulty monster illusions, but it only made her feel unsatisfied.

She didn't know how long she had been fighting. Drenched in sweat, Rizetta exhaled a long breath, letting the heat from her body dissipate.

Suddenly, she would let out a fierce cry, blaming herself for her weakness, and repeat this cycle.

"One more time!!"

The monster illusions reappeared. Five massive monsters with bull heads, Tauri. However, after a few exchanges, the Tauri were all lying on the ground.

She wasn't satisfied.

Rock magic, which had been praised by so many people, was something she had taken pride in.

But lately, her rock magic seemed very dull.

It was the effect of wandering inside the body of the earth giant with Isaac. Compared to his strength, she felt incredibly weak.

Since that day, her heart had been filled with a hollow feeling. Rizetta sat down on the dirt floor.

"Ha, I can't feel any better."

In the vast dome-shaped training ground, only Rizetta's voice echoed quietly.

Rizetta's ideal type was a strong boy her age. This was one of the reasons she had come to the Merchen Academy.

She finally thought she had found such a boy, but the problem was that he was too strong.

What Rizetta wanted was a boy who could knock her down after a passionate fight.

A boy like Isaac, with a strength that seemed to pierce the sky, felt like someone from another world.

More than her competitive spirit, her desire to catch up, her admiration, or her affection, fear and a sense of futility took precedence.

This thought made her past seem shameful. What was she so proud of, claiming she was strong and wanting to fight, showing off her arrogance?

"I wish I had never met that guy."

This was a monologue she had been repeating lately.

Rizetta closed her eyes and sighed.

Deep into the night, Rizetta left the training ground. The academy grounds were eerily quiet.

Rizetta lowered her head and looked at her hands. Her trembling hands. Even if she repeated this practice hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of times, could she ever reach Isaac's level?

He had handled high-level familiars beyond imagination and used high-grade magic effortlessly.

The path ahead was long. She didn't know how to overcome this sense of inferiority.

Rizetta clenched her trembling hands into fists and moved her feet.

...

One week later.

The usually quiet autumn night was bustling tonight.

The grand opening of the Church of the Four Stars at Merchen Academy had begun.

The Church of the Four Stars was held at the 'Pallas Hall.'

This place, with its four buildings and a tall spire, was used for various academic events and important occasions.

The buildings were arranged in a way that three buildings surrounded one central building.

The central building, where only the Four Stars and invited students could enter, was the heart of the party.

Each building's party hall was grand. The space was spacious enough to accommodate all the students of Merchen Academy.

The orchestra played the strings of the viol and rebec, the long tromba marina, and the sound of the medium-sized organ's strings being plucked mixed with the music. Various instruments sent out fresh melodies that matched the party atmosphere.

Students enjoyed food, drinks, music, and gentle dancing, all dressed in neat party attire.

"Ha! Indeed, this is a place that suits me!"

At the center of Pallas Hall, the luxurious area was filled with many top students from each department.

The Department of Magic, the Department of Knighthood, the Department of Alchemy.

Among them was Tristan Humphrey, a vain blonde noble from the Department of Magic. He leaned against the second-floor railing, raised a glass of wine, and shouted boldly.

Two top students from the B Class, who were with him, laughed and clinked glasses with him. They were all invited to the Four Stars' party.

Nearby, a light-haired male student, Matteo Jordana, was eating food at a table. He glanced at them and then focused on his food.

As a commoner, enjoying such a luxurious feast was rare for him. He had to eat as much as possible.

Beside him, a black-haired male student, Ian Fairytail, was enjoying the food and conversation.

Tristan's self-indulgent ramblings had become a part of their daily lives.

"Oh."

"Miss Kaya, I've heard about her, but I didn't expect her to be so beautiful…."

Suddenly, the low exclamations of the male students caught Matteo's attention. Looking around, he saw male students staring at the female students from the Department of Magic with desire.

Among them, the one receiving the most attention was a cute and lovely girl with light green hair. Kaya Astraean, the second-year student and vice-chair of the Department of Magic.

Her majestic presence and beautiful appearance befitting a noble lady of the Astraean Dukedom. There was no one in this place who had only glanced at her once.

'Lord Isaac, I miss you…'

Kaya, ignoring the male students' gazes, smacked her lips.

Her bright red eyes. She had transformed into her gluttonous personality.

'I even dressed up nicely for this.'

Kaya in a deep green dress. The hem was so short that her pale legs were clearly visible.

Kaya, in her gluttonous form, was determined to seduce Isaac at this party, so she deliberately chose a daring outfit that revealed her legs.

Her hair, usually in twin tails, was now neatly braided and rolled up. She didn't forget to wear elegant accessories.

Elsewhere.

A beautiful female student was picking up a large piece of meat with the bone and tearing it apart like a savage. It was a sight that didn't match her noble status.

She was dressed in a pretty yellow dress with an orange ponytail. Rizetta Lionheart.

'Is that guy not coming?'

Even as she savagely tore into the meat she loved, Rizetta's mind was elsewhere.

Isaac. The one who was surely stronger than anyone here was not showing up.

Well, he might be pretending to be weak for some reason. If he hadn't been invited, it would be understandable. After all, he was a monster who could hide his magic power.

Rizetta thought this as she chewed on the meat.

"Heh. The meat of a hundred-year-old pig preserved in the north for a long time can't compare, but it's quite edible."

A pink-haired girl, Keridna Whiteclaw.

She answered the B Class followers' question, "Does the food suit your taste?" with a relaxed smile. She didn't voice her thoughts that they hadn't made the food themselves.

When she first attended this event, she felt a sense of tension, fearing she might run into Isaac.

In the end, it seemed that man had not been invited to the Atrahall. If he had received an invitation, he would have come by now.

This thought brought Keridna a sense of peace.

Because Isaac was scary…!

"By the way, isn't the top student not coming?"

The next person of interest was the overwhelming top student of the first-year Department of Magic, Luce Eltania. She must have received all the invitations from the Four Stars, yet she wasn't showing up.

Keridna found it hard to have good feelings towards her, but thinking about the future, it would be best to build a good relationship with Luce.

Despite her sociopathic personality and her tendency to reject everyone except Isaac, she was undoubtedly a promising talent.

This party, where everyone was relaxed, would be the perfect opportunity… but it seemed Luce wasn't interested in such parties. It was a pity.

Soon.

The elegant arched door of the party hall creaked open.

Keridna instinctively looked towards the entrance and her face turned pale.

The one who entered was a red-eyed boy with wavy silver hair, Isaac.

Isaac had his bangs half-up for the party. His white tuxedo suited his well-built body from exercise. On the other hand, his friendly appearance seemed quite gentle.

The students from the Department of Magic showed signs of surprise. They couldn't understand how Isaac had managed to attend without being filtered at the building entrance.

Students from other departments also looked at Isaac. The beautiful female students who had been eyeing him were now completely focused on him.

Rizetta frowned, Keridna's eyes trembled with fear, and Kaya's eyes widened in disbelief.

"…!"

Boom! Kaya's heart almost stopped. She felt like spitting blood.

The appearance of the wavy silver-haired boy who entered was beyond what she could handle. But she bit her lip and tried to endure it.

'Lord Isaac… Are you trying to kill me…! Oh, how can you be so handsome…!'

Kaya, blushing at the sight of the well-dressed wavy silver-haired boy, Isaac. She turned her head to the side and covered her burning cheeks with both hands, smiling lecherously.

He was incredibly handsome…!

In reality, there were several boys in the room who were more handsome than Isaac, but to Kaya, Isaac was the most handsome of all. With her infatuation, his charm soared to the sky.

She felt an urge to wrap herself in a wind spell and fly to