CH 163

Including the class atmosphere, there were many things here that were different from the general department.

Most of the miniatures around the class were obviously famous magic artifacts.

I unconsciously touched the pendant inside my clothes. The man, who was checking the attendance, spoke again.

“As you might have heard, today we will check your mana levels beforehand. What was done when you entered school was a test to determine the presence or absence of mana. Today we’re going to find out how much mana you’re born with.”

Everyone nodded as they listened to the man.

He lowered his voice, then emphasized.

“I’m telling you again, this is no more than the amount of mana you’re born with. How effective you use this mana is more important. Everyone mostly has the same amount of mana, so don’t bother to compare who has more or less.”

“That’s right. The top student from last year was almost at the bottom of the list in terms of mana level.”

The male student next to me whispered.

I was about to stand up and explain my situation because I felt like I really had to leave now.

“Let’s start with the tardy student in the last row.”

He unexpectedly pointed toward me, so the gazes shot my way.

“Ah, I . . .”

“This is easy. You just need to put your hand in this crystal ball and take it off.”

It seemed like he thought I, who was stiff due to confusion, was nervous.

Feeling cornered, I thought I should just tell them that I was from the general department, but somehow, my gaze kept going to the crystal ball.

It might be just my feeling, but that thing that glittered bizarre various colors seemed like calling for me.

As if I was possessed, I raised my hand as I tried to put it as instructed.

Someone suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

“Professor.”

“Are you checking her mana level without even properly checking if she’s from this department?”

The man’s eyes widened when he heard the faint voice.

Still not looking at me, he spoke to the other students.

“Continue on with the mana level test after checking the identity. I will take this student with me.”

“Yes.”

Leaving the man who was stiff and the students behind, Zen left the class while still not releasing the hand he grabbed.

It wasn’t a fast pace, yet it was not slow either.

After exiting the hallway, he stood at the back door of the annex and sighed briefly.

“What were you thinking, coming here?”

“I was dragged without knowing it.”

“What were you thinking when you tried to put your hand there?”

“Perhaps I have something like mana too?”

Half of it was curiosity.

I wondered if I had an unknown ability, too.

The guy who had been averting his gaze finally met my eyes.

Maybe it was because I hit him a lot yesterday, but he looked more testy.

“Don’t do it.”

“It doesn’t harm the body, right?”

“Do you want the artifact you wear to be found out?”

“. . . Is something like that found out when measuring the mana?”

Instead of answering, Zen pushed my head with a face looking pathetic.

“Do you think the item you wear is a normal item?”

“Is the price the same as a house again? Or maybe a palace?”

How would I know when you never told me?

The moment I tried to say something out of frustration, Zen naturally came closer and covered my mouth because there was someone voice chattering.

When the voice disappeared, I pushed the guy who was slowly walking away with both my hands.

He snapped at me at the end of the short silence.

“Don’t come here.”

It was a very obvious remark, but I felt dejected.

I told him that I didn’t come because I wanted to, but in fact, I was also a bit curious.

The words ‘I’m upset’ lingered around my mouth and then just disappeared.

Nothing much changed.

Because we always met at night, or in the dark, avoiding people’s gazes.

I saw someone immediately bow their head to him, as he was slowly walking back to the class.

All that had changed was that Zen could now be seen in other people’s eyes.

“Then, am I the bad one?”

I should be happy, seeing how he interacted fairly with other people when he had been living in hiding all this time.

Joyous and happy hearts have bottomed out.

I didn’t move even an inch until he got out of my sight and then I finally turned back.

I, who was eventually late to class, had to listen to the lecture while standing in the back.

* * *

The academy announced that all the members of the student council had resigned.

Hearing the announcement that the administrators would temporarily take over the student council’s work, Rany grumbled.

“That’s how it has always been. The student council is only a student council in name. All the hard and complicated work is done by the administrators, and is there anything they do except for stamping their seals?”

“Is your guild okay? I heard people came to investigate.”

“It’s okay. My father is timid, so he couldn’t have committed corruption. There’s no business that could violate the law.”

“I’m glad then.”

“Besides, I heard the Crown Prince is showing favor to you? Would he attack you then?”

Even if the Rocke Merchant Guild was really guilty, he might have covered it as long as it wasn’t a big problem that could endanger his throne.

“Speaking of which, why are you in a bad mood?”

“Because there’s nothing good.”

She nodded as if she understood my brief answer.

Jeremy, who was far from me, was showing that he wasn’t in a good mood like me.

“Is the visit to the Duchy today?”

“Yeah.”

The agenda was to check on the prince’s health and condition, but that was only a formality.

To begin with, there was no way he needed to go far to visit the prince that he never looked at when they stayed together in the palace.

However, the attitude the Crown Prince showed bothered me.

Jeremy named the Empress as the one who eliminated his brother and made his mother half out of her mind, but despite this, the Crown Prince’s attitude was lukewarm.

He also looked like he felt sad about Jeremy.

Rany comforted me.

“I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“It should be.”

I hoped so.