After leaving those words behind, Iruki exited the classroom with Neid. Dante was so angry that his face turned red up to his ears.
"That bastard..."
Dante asked other students about Shirone's whereabouts, but all he got were answers of "I don't know." He thought Shirone might show up if he waited, but he decided it wouldn't hurt to look around the school himself.
As he wandered around, he found that the facilities were better than he had expected. The campus was vast, comparable to the Royal Magic Academy. However, it still didn't feel like a place he could grow attached to.
Unable to find Shirone anywhere, Sabina grumbled.
"Seriously, what's so hard about telling us where he is? Do they really trust him that much?"
Closer burst into laughter.
"Puhahaha! Country folks are always big on loyalty, aren't they? They might not have any real skills, but they sure know how to act all self-important."
"But Iruki is here too."
At Dante's words, Closer's laughter stopped. Even he thought it was strange for Iruki to be here.
"I don't get it. Why would someone from the Mercodain family be stuck in a backwater place like this?"
"He used to be at the same school as us. I heard he got into some trouble, either got expelled or dropped out, and then disappeared. Who would've thought we'd run into him here?"
Dante decided not to overthink it. After all, he was someone they'd have to face eventually.
"It doesn't matter. The person our master marked is Shirone. Let's crush that guy first and then think about the rest."
When Dante arrived at the cafeteria, he watched as students greeted each other based on their seniority.
It was a common scene in a class-based system, but having climbed up from the bottom at the Royal Magic Academy, he couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
"Seriously, what era are we in with this class system? This Alpheas guy is really old-fashioned."
"Right? I read in a magazine that they only enforce the ranking system in the graduating class."
"Heh, no wonder these kids have no guts. Did you see that tofu-looking guy earlier? One punch from me and he'd be out cold."
Dante walked over to the students, leaving the conversation behind. If the system was like this, why not take advantage of it?
The students all turned to look at Dante as he approached. Was there anyone in the magic academy who didn't admire Dante? It was simply amazing that the top star was attending the same school.
Dante shoved his hands into his pockets and waited for a while. When no reaction came, he frowned and spoke.
"What are you doing? Your senior is here, and you're not even greeting me?"
The juniors, who had been staring blankly, finally snapped out of it and bowed.
"Ah, hello, Senior!"
Even though it felt like a childish game, Dante felt somewhat satisfied receiving their greetings.
As Dante looked over the juniors, he noticed a woman who looked at least two years older than him.
Normally, she should have been at least Class 4, but seeing her standing alongside kids who were practically toddlers was ridiculous.
"Hey, you."
"M-me, Senior?"
Maria from Class 6 pointed at herself.
"Yeah. How old are you?"
"I'm nineteen."
Dante gave her a look of pity. No wonder she was hanging out with kids—she was too soft for her age.
"You know Shirone, right?"
"Senior Shirone? Yes, I know him."
"Where is he now?"
"W-well, I'm not sure."
Dante hadn't expected much from someone like her in the first place.
Deciding he might as well check the cafeteria, he was about to move when Closer stepped in, as if passing the baton.
Closer, who had a reputation for his numerous romantic escapades at the Royal Magic Academy, saw Maria as the perfect target.
"Oh ho, aren't you cute? What's your name, pretty lady?"
"It's Erlang Maria."
A look of discomfort flashed across Maria's face. Having attended the magic academy since she was young, she didn't mind the class system, but having her age emphasized like this was bound to upset her.
"You know how to frown, huh? This is some lousy senior treatment."
"Ah, I'm sorry."
Closer was satisfied. Why were the students at this school so naive? Feeling even more confident, he grabbed Maria's wrist and leaned in closer.
"No need to apologize. Come on, let's have some fun. You must be pretty frustrated hanging out with these brats. I might look like this, but I'm pretty solid where it counts."
Maria's face turned bright red. She tried to pull her hand away, but Closer's grip was too strong.
At that moment, Mark approached and grabbed Closer's wrist.
"That's enough, Senior."
Closer's expression twisted. The strength coming from Mark's grip was impressive. It was rare for a mage to have such physical strength, so Closer looked up and saw that Mark was indeed as big as him.
"Since when do juniors grab their senior's wrist? This school is a complete mess."
"And what are you doing, Senior? Harassing a female junior is against school rules, isn't it?"
"Harassing? This isn't harassment—it's just natural flirting between a man and a woman."
"Maria is clearly uncomfortable."
"What do you know about handling women, kid? Women her age play hard to get, but they'll give in if you pull them close. What, did you think you could do something about it?"
Mark's patience snapped.
"This guy… I've had enough of him..."
"Puhahaha! This kid's really mad! Do you actually like her? Is that why you're so worked up about her?"
Mark wanted to shout that he did, but he swallowed the words rising in his throat. He wasn't even close to being on Shirone's level yet. But someday...
"Maria is my friend. And I won't stand by while someone insults my friend. It doesn't matter if you're a senior or a teacher. If you want respect, you have to earn it."
Closer's expression changed. The laughter disappeared from his face, leaving behind a cold-blooded look.
"Oh? Then I'll make you respect me. You'll be rolling on the ground in no time."
The two moved away from each other without any agreement. Using magic inside the school was taboo, so the watching students tensed up. However, neither Closer nor Mark entered the Spirit Zone.
"Real men fight with their fists, right?"
"Hearing the word 'man' come out of your mouth is laughable."
"Heh, you're really asking for it. Come on, kid."
Closer took a boxing stance and beckoned with his hand.
Mark, fueled by anger, charged in. He didn't even want to think about the consequences of fighting someone who had harassed Maria.
At that moment, Closer stepped back, dodging Mark's attack.
Mark's frustration boiled over. He acted like he was going to strike Closer's face, but when Closer ducked, Mark immediately swung his other fist upward into Closer's stomach.
'Got him!'
With the full force of his 80-kilogram frame behind the punch, it was clear Closer wouldn't be able to get back up.
"Ugh!"
But it was Mark who grimaced in pain.
His fist felt like it had hit a rock. This wasn't a human body. There must be something hidden in Closer's stomach...
At that moment, Closer's counter struck Mark's face.
Mark's pupils shook violently.
'What is this?'
A single blow had numbed the nerves connecting his head and body.
Mark had some experience in martial arts and had even sparred with skilled fighters, but this was a completely different level of power.
"Puhahaha! You're a total weakling! How does it feel? Do you respect me now, huh?"
By the time Mark regained his senses, he was curled up on the ground, being kicked by Closer.
"How's it feel? Fun, huh? Getting stomped on by your senior like a dog?"
Even through the pain, Mark was furious.
His mind wanted to get up and fight back, but his body wouldn't move a finger.
Maria ran over and hugged Mark.
"Please stop! You're going to kill him!"
"Huhu, what are you talking about? Who are you trying to blame? Clearly, this kid hit me first."
Maria realized why Closer had let Mark make the first move.
If this continued, it wasn't just about Mark getting beaten up—he could face disciplinary action.
"I'm sorry. I'll apologize. I'll even kneel and beg if I have to, so please stop."
Dante stepped in to settle the situation. Causing a big scene on the first day would only make things troublesome later.
"Listen up, juniors. From now on, when you see us, bow at a perfect 90 degrees. Remember what happens if you disrespect your seniors."
As Dante's group left, the students let out a sigh of relief. The kingdom's top star was also the best at instilling fear.
Maria, with tears in her eyes, checked on Mark.
"Mark, are you okay? You idiot, why did you do that?"
Mark had already regained consciousness. Being held in Maria's arms felt like a dream, so he had been lost in thought. But he didn't want to worry her, so he quickly sat up.
"I'm fine. It's nothing."
While Maria checked for any injuries, Mark glared at Dante's retreating figure.
"Those guys are really dangerous. What are they trying to pull, acting like that?"
"I don't know. They're students of Principal Olivia, so they're probably acting out because of that. The kingdom's top star? More like complete delinquents."
With the change in principal, everything was shifting. While the students treated today's incident as a minor event, Mark, who had once been like them, sensed something. What had happened to him might just be the prelude to a much larger disaster.
Sade, walking alongside Olivia through the hallway of the advanced class building, was having a terrible time.
He had been given a special mission by Alpheas to help the new principal adjust, so he was stuck playing the role of secretary.
"Um, Principal. Why don't we have lunch first before the inspection? The food at our school is quite famous for its taste."
Olivia ignored him and continued reviewing documents. It was amazing how she could walk so quickly while doing so.
"Why are there so many 8th-rank teachers at this school? In this day and age, how can 8th-rank teachers properly educate students? Even students with reputations in the kingdom are recognized up to the unofficial 9th rank. Graduates are expected to reach official levels."
Sade wanted to ask what a magic aspirant who wasn't even a mage was supposed to do to make a name for themselves in the kingdom.
But remembering his master's advice to approach things with a positive attitude, he tried to persuade her with kind words.
"Most of the 8th-rank teachers are experts in fields other than magic. We've assembled a faculty with specialized skills like philosophers, artists, and technicians to focus on the students' character education."
"This is a special-purpose school. Miscellaneous education should be left to the families, and magic should be the top priority. Who are the stars at Alpheas right now? At the Royal Academy, there's Airhain Dante; at Oris, there's Miko Laina; even at Florang City School, which isn't one of the top five, there's a student named Exion Kabael who's popular."
"But Principal, how many students like that do you think exist in the kingdom?"
"That's not important. What matters is that they exist. Other schools have them, but we don't. That's the problem. With this kind of thinking, it's no wonder this school has been at the bottom for the past decade. Don't you think the teachers here are too stuck in their ways?"
Olivia didn't give Sade a chance to respond.
"The faculty needs to feel some pressure. If this is a school aiming to be among the top five, it needs to be filled with young, talented teachers. Even Olipher Siana and Yang wouldn't be considered top-tier by Royal Magic Academy standards. Frankly, the only teacher in the kingdom who's really recognized is Lomi Ethela."
Sade wanted to sew Olivia's mouth shut. He believed that a teacher who genuinely cared for their students was a great teacher. But she was trying to rank even the teachers based on their abilities.
"We need more. Or we need to nurture them. Ah, holding regular seminars might be a good idea."
Words began to appear on the notebook floating to Olivia's right. It was a type of verbal magic called Dot Writing, which transcribed speech into text.
Her words were so fast that it was almost suspicious if she was using high-speed verbal magic, but the writing kept up without falling behind.
Olivia suddenly stopped walking, as if she had just remembered something.
"This won't do. I'll personally observe the afternoon classes. I'll visit all the classes starting from Class 10, so make the necessary preparations."
"Yes, understood."
Sade answered as if hypnotized. He couldn't hate her for trying to elevate the school's reputation.
As Olivia quickened her pace, Shirone approached from the other end of the hallway. It was too early for him to be returning from lunch, so Sade tilted his head and asked.
"Shirone? What's going on?"
"Oh, hello."
Olivia observed Shirone as he approached. Alpheas had told her that Shirone resembled him. But the Alpheas she knew wasn't like this.
Well, she had met him in his early thirties, around the time he had lost his wife and become a recluse. So perhaps this boy resembled the Alpheas of his youth, when he was known as the light of the Mirhi family?
"So you're Shirone."
"Yes, it's nice to meet you."
"It's lunchtime right now, isn't it?"
"I was looking for the principal. I went to the principal's office, but you weren't there."
"Of course not. I'm the principal now."
"Ah, I'm sorry."
Realizing his mistake, Shirone panicked, but Sade quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"The master is probably in his private library. If you go to the right from the central building, there's a separate annex. Go check there."
Sade gestured for Shirone to leave quickly. Understanding the situation, Shirone bowed his head and turned back the way he had come.
"Whew! I almost suffocated."
Once he was outside the building, Shirone took a deep breath.
The aura emitted by a 2nd-rank grand mage was something he had never experienced before.
He had felt pressure from Arcane, but Olivia surpassed even that. It was only after leaving her presence that he realized he had been holding his breath.
After calming himself, Shirone followed Sade's directions and found the annex. He knocked on the door, and Alpheas, dressed casually, greeted him.
"I've been waiting for you. Come in."
Shirone looked around the modest annex before his eyes settled on a portrait hanging on the wall.
Alpheas pointed to it and introduced her.
"That's my wife, Erina. You've heard about her, right?"
"Yes. Hello."
Shirone bowed to the portrait. For some reason, it felt like the right thing to do. Alpheas raised an eyebrow at the odd behavior but didn't say anything to stop him.
"Well, I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. But before we get into that... are you hungry?"
"Actually, a little."
"I made some mushroom soup. Let's eat together."
The two sat facing each other and began their meal. Alpheas was curious too, but he remained silent, waiting. Starting a conversation was always the hardest part.
"Principal, I've been to heaven."
Clang. The utensils fell. Alpheas, who had been sipping his soup, choked and wiped his beard.