The three o’clock bell rang right on time, echoing across the campus.
The old Liberal Arts Building of the Magitek Institute stood solemn and imposing in the afternoon sunlight, vines creeping across its walls like the marks of time, recording the years of change.
Third floor, Student Council Room.
A gentle breeze flowed in through the window, carrying freshness with it. The room carried a faint fragrance of tea. On the side table, a pot of freshly brewed herbal tea sat, leaves drifting lightly in the water, dancing on the surface.
On the sofa in the lounge area, three Student Council members were seated together, chatting in a relaxed and cheerful mood.
When the three of them had rested enough and came to the Council Room, they did not find the President and Vice President there.
Clearly, both were busy with work and had not yet returned.
They didn’t wait long.
“Here you are.”
The door of the Student Council Room slowly pushed open, revealing the brown-aged wood of the corridor outside.With the President’s steady voice, he entered first, dressed in the neat third-year Alchemy Institute uniform. His crisp collar accentuated his spirited bearing.
“President, we’re back!”
The three on the sofa immediately turned toward the entrance of the Council Room, greeting him warmly.
The President wore a confident and kind smile. As always, the Vice President walked by his side, draped in a graceful long dress, her steps light, her eyes calm and quietly supportive.
Monaster walked toward his desk, placed the stack of documents down, then came over to the lounge and sat opposite the three.
The three straightened their posture a little.
Usually, whenever the President came to the sofa to talk, it meant he had something to entrust them with.
And since this was the very first thing he did upon their return, clearly a backlog of matters had piled up.
“President, if there’s work to assign, just say it directly. We’ve rested enough.”
Lan Qi said to the President, his tone brimming with responsibility.
This living bodhisattva hadn’t mediated a conflict or done a good deed in four days.
With the Yaloran Kingdom delegation’s visit coinciding with the busiest period of the term, the Student Council had been stretched thin—only the President, Vice President, and Secretary were available, with three capable officers absent. The President’s workload had skyrocketed.
“In the five days you were away, quite a few things happened at school.”
President Monaster thought for a moment, then decided to go over the matters one by one. He looked first at Lan Qi.
“First, Lan Qi, your father, Mr. Noë Wilfort, came to the school last weekend. He then suddenly suffered a mild cerebrovascular episode and is now recuperating at the Alchemy Institute’s affiliated hospital.”
“My old man came?”
Lan Qi asked in surprise.
“How’s that possible… Father doesn’t have any history of cerebrovascular issues.”
His expression quickly shifted into confusion.
“…Lan Qi, you should go visit your father later.”
Huperion gently added from the side.
Lan Qi had been about to say more, but when he saw Huperion’s eyes—soft, yet carrying a trace of envy and sorrow—he swallowed his words and only nodded.
Monaster didn’t interrupt, waiting for their exchange to finish before continuing:
“The other matter—this time the Yaloran Royal Academy delegation’s leader, Adams, who is also the disciple of Knight Commander Julianna, has requested a spar with the strongest student of the Sage Institute.”
As he spoke, Monaster glanced helplessly at Vice President Asina.
“Originally, Dean Loren’s recommendation was Asina. She is the strongest among the third-year Sage Institute students, but Asina has been tied up with Council duties, so she declined.”
Though Asina rarely displayed her true strength, and her full capability was a mystery, no teacher or student of the Sage Institute ever doubted it.
“So Dean Loren intended to have another student face Adams. After all, the Dean himself didn’t consider the outcome that important.”
“But then another issue came up.”
“For some reason, all the students refused to fight—and instead, they nominated you.”
At last, Monaster fixed his eyes on Lan Qi.
In this kind of situation, there was no one else but him to entrust.
“…Huh?”
Lan Qi hadn’t expected his seniors to esteem him so highly.
He was only a first-year—what right did he have to represent the Sage Institute?
“…”
At the side, Huperion, Frey, and Asina quietly exchanged glanceds.
They all understood.
Though Dean Loren didn’t care about victory or defeat, the students of the Sage Institute couldn’t stomach Adams’s blatant challenge to their school’s dignity.
So they decided to set a trap and bury Adams in a pit.
“At first Adams thought we were mocking him, sending a first-year student to fight. But when he heard you were the one who defeated the Saint of Destruction, the wind shifted. Though Dean Loren strongly objected to you fighting, Adams insisted you be his opponent.”
Monaster explained,
“But whether you accept or not is up to you. After all, this is just a friendly exchange match.”
“….”
Lan Qi’s face suggested he wasn’t eager to accept.
He had never been one to fight—only to resolve fights.
He simply didn’t understand why people always liked meaningless battles.
After all, win or lose, nothing truly changed.
“Why do Knight Commander Julianna and Dean Loren have such a bad relationship?”
Frey asked, puzzled.
Monaster was silent for a long while.
“I only heard from others. Don’t spread this around… it all starts with Dean Loren’s fiancée…”
He then briefly recounted Loren and Julianna’s history: how they met, grew close, but then fell into quarrels and misunderstandings that deepened over time.
“Dean Loren always maintained strict boundaries with women. Julianna was the one exception, someone he genuinely cared for. But as a noble, his marriage arrangements were complicated. He wasn’t the type to hurt others for his own desires, and combined with his indecisive personality, a chain of events only worsened the misunderstandings between them.”
Monaster sighed.
“I always thought their relationship was just terrible. Turns out they’re actually in love!”
And then—
After hearing the whole story, Lan Qi clapped his hands and stamped his foot, fully enlightened.
“I must help Dean Loren tie this knot of fate! I’ll accept the challenge. Let Adams choose the time and the nature of the duel—whether words or weapons, I’ll do my utmost for Dean Loren!”
Lan Qi declared with eyes clear and resolute.
His attitude had shifted one hundred and eighty degrees.
“!!”
Huperion immediately turned her head toward him.
Seeing Lan Qi so full of zeal and fighting spirit, she felt disaster looming.
With Lan Qi as the matchmaker here, Dean Loren was bound to suffer!