WSNTM 37

37. The Archmage’s Disciple

“Did you enjoy your vacation?”

Sak asked Gibnen out of courtesy as he had just returned.

Sak assumed that Gibnen must have had a very enjoyable and fulfilling break. Naturally, it had been Sak who booked the hotel and the teleport tickets. Because of this, Sak knew that Gibnen had taken leave specifically for the trip with Riley.

“It was good.”

“That’s a relief.”

“It was a truly valuable experience.”

“Oh? What kind of experience?”

“I drank a poisoned beverage, and on the way back to the hotel, someone shot at my head.”

…Oh, what a valuable experience… not!

“Are you alright?!”

“As you can see, I’m fine.”

In fact, it wasn’t the first time his life had been openly threatened, so there was little to be shocked about.

However, most attempts on his life had been carried out in secret. This was the first time someone had openly targeted him in a crowded area.

“Did you see who shot at you?”

“The distance was too far to give chase. And my sister was startled, too.”

“Could it have been Count Ermeinz?”

“No, he’s not the type to cause a scene like that. And if such a thing happened, the person most likely to be suspected wouldn’t have stirred up trouble at such a critical time. It was a matter that could affect my son’s future, after all.”

“That’s true… it’s been unusually quiet recently. Anyway, I’m glad you returned safely without any injuries.”

“How did they find out I went to Lurat? Could there have been a leak from the inside?”

“That’s possible… but didn’t you use a teleport device? That might have left a trace. There can’t be just one or two people secretly watching the Master. Could it be them?”

Gibnen shook his head with a smile at Sak’s question.

“Perhaps, but it’s only a matter of time before they realize who I brought along.”

“Do you think they would target Miss Riley?”

“Of course. From the start, my teacher told me to keep her from falling into their hands. My teacher’s death must be related to Riley Eadalin. She’ll capture them and be the key to uncovering the truth behind my teacher’s death.”

Sak blinked, stunned.

Was Gibnen thinking this far ahead, not just to follow his teacher’s will, but to use her in his teacher’s revenge?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Did you plan all of this from the start?”

“Why not?”

“I just thought you were simply following your teacher’s last will.”

Gibnen leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling instead of answering.

“If only my teacher hadn’t told me to kill directly… I wouldn’t have bothered following the will at all.”

“…?”

“My teacher knows exactly how to manipulate me. Once told to kill, I get… interested.”

“I don’t understand.”

Gibnen smiled softly.

“You don’t need to. Just focus on rooting out the internal spy; I think there’s one.”

There’s no age limit for entering the Academy.

However, in the Empire, the typical path is from the Academy’s kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school divisions before graduation, after which students may enter the Academy for advanced studies.

Of course, few actually reach the Academy, and even fewer enter directly without going through the standard Academy curriculum.

In that sense, Riley was clearly a somewhat unusual case as a freshman.

“Finally your first day at school, Miss!”

“Yeah… I’m a little nervous.”

The semester had begun.

For Riley, who had never experienced social life, this would be her first true interaction with others. Her expectations for Academy life were naturally high.

“Wow, that robe really suits you!”

“Really?”

“Yes! The Horizon Academy robe is beautiful. Regular students can’t wear it! It’s exclusive to wizards! Amazing!”

Richel couldn’t hide her admiration as she looked at Riley in the robe.

A symbol of elite status and wizardry, the Horizon Academy robe was given only to wizards and helped with mana management. Though it appeared to be a simple robe embroidered with the Academy’s insignia, its symbolism was extraordinary.

“Miss, study hard and become an excellent wizard! Once you’re a wizard, no one will ever look down on you!”

“Yeah.”

Although being admitted via parachute admission (special entry) was somewhat dishonorable and uncomfortable, Riley decided to make the most of the opportunity. Even asking Gibnen to cancel her admission wouldn’t have worked.

She just had to do well in the Academy: get good grades, work hard… turn her “parachute admission” into something respectable. She wasn’t confident she’d excel, but she was determined to try. And if she worked hard, there would come a moment to shine. So…

‘Let’s do this, Riley.’

Horizon Academy had staggered start dates.

Wizards admitted through the wizard track began one month earlier than regular students and graduated one month earlier.

Although wizards made up only about 30% of the Academy, Riley assumed that the wizard department would be relatively small during the first month.

Once the general student body began classes the next month, the campus would be crowded, she thought—but she was underestimating the numbers.

Even 30% of Horizon Academy’s total enrollment was still huge.

‘There are so many people.’

The last time she had visited with Gibnen, the Academy was on break, so only those attending a seasonal course or staying in the dorms were there, giving a relatively empty impression. Now, it was packed.

Interestingly, it was easy to distinguish between veteran students and freshmen.

There were those with slouched postures, worn expressions, and extreme fatigue, and then those neatly dressed, wide-eyed, and excited newcomers.

Riley, being part of the latter, headed to classroom B-0512 for the lecture “Practical Magic Interaction.”

The classroom, filled with freshmen, was abuzz with conversations among obvious first-years.

Having no acquaintances, Riley took a seat in a corner, trying not to stand out.

Some groups were already chatting closely, either because they had met before or had quickly made friends.

“Hey, I heard the Horizon Archmage came to the Academy?”

“Yeah, a few weeks ago. I heard he brought a woman with him.”

“A new lover?”

“If it were a lover, wouldn’t he have gone straight to a hotel? Why come here?”

“Word is, she might be his disciple?”

“What? A disciple at her age?”

“Age doesn’t matter. Look at him becoming an Archmage at that age. Surely many wizards would want to be his disciple. He might be cultivating his successor while young rather than waiting until he’s older.”

Oh no.

The topic of conversation among the freshmen was an event from three weeks ago, when the Horizon Archmage had visited. Riley buried her head in embarrassment. Where had they heard about it and why were they still talking about it three weeks later?

“She must be a disciple. There’s supposedly an amazing student among the freshmen.”

“Yeah, I heard. Can’t even measure her ability. A top-tier wizard. She even aced the difficult written exam.”

“So she’s the top of the class?”

“Probably. Everyone knows by now. The rumors have spread.”

“One thing’s clear: she’s not from Blestige. If she were, we’d know.”

“Right. Couldn’t have been stuck in some countryside. Anyway, she’s the Archmage’s disciple.”

“Do they say who it is?”

“They’re keeping it hush-hush. But whoever she is, we should find her and get close.”

So Gibnen’s disciple was enrolled here too. Even more impressive, she was apparently top of the class. I got a perfect score on the written exam too… but my practical was terrible. Others probably found the written exam easy.

Riley sighed.

She felt like she might have placed last here. Could she avoid failing future exams? She’d heard that students who didn’t meet grade requirements couldn’t graduate, leading to endless cycles.

“Hi!”

Riley lifted her head.

“Is this seat taken?”

She nodded, and a cute girl with short brown hair sat next to her, cautiously extending her hand.

“I’m Hila, Hila Durre.”

“…I’m Riley Eadalin.”

“How old are you?”

“…Twenty-five.”

“Really? I’m twenty-five too!”

Is sharing the same age a big deal? Riley tilted her head. Hila blushed shyly.

“Late-entry students like us are rare. Most enter at twenty.”

Ah, right. Standard admission age was after high school, around twenty, so twenty-five was late. That made all the others much younger.

“What classes are you taking?”

Hila seemed naturally curious about others. Riley didn’t mind and showed her schedule notebook.

Hila smiled.

“We have a lot of classes together.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, let’s be friends.”

“…Okay.”

Riley felt lucky to make a friend on the first day. Being shy, she’d thought it would take a long time. Hila had approached her first, cheerful and friendly.

“Since we’re the same age, I feel a sense of kinship.”

“…Really?”

“Yes! I was worried I’d have to spend the semester alone with students five years younger. You seemed gentle, so I spoke to you. I’m glad we’re the same age! Let’s be friends!”

Hila was cheerful and kind, uplifting anyone around her. Riley’s excitement grew, expecting the Academy to be full of people like Hila. But that hope was shattered within ten minutes.

“Excuse me, can you move?”

“This is our seat.”

A group had claimed the seat first and demanded Riley move.

Composed of one boy and two girls, they boldly asserted their “rights” to the seat. Hila picked up her books and stood, but Riley just stared.

“Why? I thought seating was first-come, first-served…”

The apparent leader leaned in.

“What’s your name?”

“Riley.”

“Last name?”

“…Eadalin.”

She smirked, tapping the desk.

“Didn’t go to the Academy?”

“…What?”

“Country bumpkins always show themselves like this.”

“….”

“I’ll explain nicely since you’re not from Blestige. Seating priority isn’t first-come; it’s by social rank. That’s how it is here.”

Was this a widespread custom? It didn’t make sense—Horizon supposedly treated all students equally regardless of rank, as stated in the rules.

If social rank determined privileges, that would contradict the Academy’s principles.

Riley opened her mouth to respond, but Hila grabbed her hand.

“Let’s move over there.”

“….”

“Quickly, the professor will be here soon.”

Riley reluctantly followed Hila to the front.

It wasn’t as good a seat as their original one. The more she thought about the earlier incident, the more absurd it seemed.

It would have been less frustrating if the other side had politely asked to swap seats.

“Don’t bother with the nobles. They’re always selfish and entitled.”

“…Why?”

“They’re proud central nobles from Blestige. They don’t even speak to commoners. Outsiders like us are basically commoners here. Best to avoid them. Interacting with them will just make life harder.”

“How do Blestige nobles recognize each other?”

“Just by names. Central nobles debut in high society early, so they already have connections. They’re tight-knit. See those groups? They all know each other. Same Academy alumni.”

Riley had been completely naive.

Was it because she was from the countryside? No, it was because she had never experienced the outside world properly.

Her life at the Eadalin mansion had been everything. She thought the wider world would be different, but people were the same everywhere.

There was only one Claire at the mansion, but hundreds here. Chills ran down her spine.

Hila had approached her first because she immediately recognized Riley as one of the same “type.” Blestige and outsiders were clearly separated.

So people naturally stuck with their own kind.

Now Riley understood and nodded.

“Thanks for telling me.”

It seemed that life at the Academy wouldn’t be all smooth sailing.